Pixelated

Fiery Furnace, Arches NP, Utah, October 2009.

Moses and Zeus Towers, Canyonlands, Utah. October 2009.

[Biggest tower is ~600 feet for scale.]

Canyonlands, Utah, September 2009.

Castleton Tower, Castle Valley, Utah, October 2009.

Dream Arch, ~250' High, Canyonlands, Utah, October 2009.

Colorado River, Canyonlands, Utah, October 2009. Aerial Photo.

Needles District, Canyonlands, Utah. October 2009.

Lizard, Moab, Utah, October 2009.

Taking a break from skiing, Telluride, Colorado. February 09'.

Metaline Falls, Washington, May 2008.

Swimming, Campbell Island, Maine, July 2009.

 One of my kids skippering through the Deer Island Thoroughfare, Maine, 2009.

'Petrel', Stonington, Maine, July 2009.

Thoughts

~Mapleton Avenue~

Under the cold inky sky, the ice crunched beneath my steps and I 

trod down your tree-lined length, tall maples, Norway, Sugar, and Red,

hung leafless from the path's edge, shielding the stately old victorians and colonials

from the obscenity of the outside world, the world of faded love and lost commitment,

the world of not being good enough, or being too good? None of this matters, the ice turns to

snow which clings in the hollows and crooks of branches, tall trunks strong against change

and inconsiderate of emotion or need, they bend only to the pages of time, their branches

surly and stubborn, break the brilliant stars into little fragments, and frame the silent corridor

whose only echo is mine.  We all die, but only some of us truly live.  Maybe I'll die when I'm 30.

Or perhaps I'll outlive these maples.  I don't want to know.  I just want to live.  Because while the asphalt and concrete neath my feat have felt the wrath of frost and sun, time and humility, nature knows no time, no place, only a purpose, to dwell only in the present and forge meaning from whatever is there, now, here.  It's 2 in the morning.  Warm fuzzy nightlights flicker behind windows and children, dogs, husbands, wives, bums, they all rest and drink from the fountain of tomorrow's possibility.  I can never stop walking, traveling, though I am physically bound to this place and moment, already, I know what I will be and who I have become, the ice melts and snow trickles into streams as the dawn warms the earth and suddenly I am high in the mountains, an explorer, a wayward adventurer with no particular destination, cascading down the left coast, the continental divide shimmers as it fades into the horizon, I miss the comfort of the familiar, but no I can never go back, I know too much to ever truly relish the banalities and absurd drudgery of the average, the routine, always something new. Apathy is the silent killer. The ocean appears on the edge of reality now, steadfast, longing, its gravity pulling me, and quite suddenly, I descend and am enveloped by warm, lush air, which turns to water, or is it water that turns to air? Life is liquid, it flows, descends, navigating around sharp corners and cliffs with the ease of something that knows only one reason, one purpose, to achieve equilibrium, to be calm and thus always turbulent, to see everything and be the master of nothing, yet experienced in everything.

~Chewonki~

This word means a place or turning, of change, and memories, they fade like summer,

of autumn's leaves and chill, sun and wind across the water, filled the sails and brought us home, strangers from all walks of life, brought together in the simple camaraderie of working for something, someone greater than yourself.  Study the vastness, complexity, and depth of our collective consciousness, our elevated purpose, here at this place.  We have so much to be thankful for. Each day, grant us the wisdom to tread lightly on the earth, to speak softly and with conviction, to play without fear, laugh without doubt, Chewonki, a place of turning, yet also of the familiar, the comfort of a landscape unfettered by modern tribulations, bound by the currents of the tide and the sun, wind and rain, old and young.  Community need not have a place, but it must have a purpose, so see truth in the vitality and the insignificance of our passing, this place is home, Chewonki.

To Learn more, go to: www.chewonki.org

~Words~

Hate. Funny how that easily that word rolls off our tongues like liquid asphalt in July, it burns, but only under the surface, an afterthought of casual indifference to someones lifelong struggle to laugh, cry, smile, pay bills, and be loved just like you, just like we love to say the American Dream is all about equality; but not for everyone, not for our brave men and women overseas, fighting for humanity but also Foosball players spun by the American greed machine, the wicked spin them like so many plastic figurines, except these few are different, not just a few but many silent voices stifled of ever admitting of simply loving someone, for fear of losing their job, losing respect, isn't love the purest form of respect?  

How many times must we be told we are "wrong" and "immoral" before we either give up or are conned into a lie we make ourselves believe?  You might think we've come a long way, 21st century life, but there's still no equality, no regret or shame when we casually cast hateful words around like shrapnel in a car bomb, it ricochets off the inside of my mind long after you've forgotten, forgotten I'm not asking for forgiveness, not asking for apologies, just asking for equality, to stand next to you and not in your shadow, so that I might break stereotypes, defy convention, be different but also the same, and no, I don't have an 'agenda', but I do have a problem with social 'conventions' that push me to the edge of my sanity, make me question my existence, my purpose, my mind searching for some inherent disease when I know there is none.  How does it feel to have your friends, your family, your closest companions mock a fundamental part of your being with casual indifference? It feels cold. And sad.  But sadness can turn all the world's weary inertia into something beautiful, all you have to do is try.

~Seconds~

In the brief seconds it takes to read this, millions of people will go to sleep hungry, wake up weary, go to work underpaid, underfed, overworked, and exploited by strangers a thousand miles away.  Seconds we ask for at dinner; what a bubble we live in, a hollow glass sphere surrounded by all the chaos and squalor and beauty of the world, murky depths unseen by our vapid agenda of pop-culture worship and false idol obsession, perhaps we are the wicked ones, not the simple, cyclic forces of time and nature we vilify in a vain attempt to seem righteous, to seem fair.  Think when you ask for seconds; we are all human, all drawn by the same hands of fate and need of peace, love, acceptance, and shelter, all bound on the same path of consciousness.  Enlightenment is serenity, acceptance of things we cannot and should not change, wisdom to step lightly on the earth, speak softly, to think outside our narrow confines of comfort and understanding, if you can study the vast sea and mountains and find truth, if you can see the purpose and the insignificance of our passing, two sides of a face turned to greet strangers with kindness, the only medicine the world needs.  To be content and restless, bold and humble, careful and reckless, embrace this bubble which scales life into humbling perspective, yet question. eveything.

~Misadventure #3~

The Charisma and bold tailored charm 

you spun me into another misadventure

that fades under scorched orange sunset,

why do you sketch my soul

into bold streaks of intent ambition?

 

New Musical music

Yo..... so here's some dirty electro beats I'm liking lately...

1.) Parisian DJ Strip Steve's new 'Skip School' EP, he's on Institubes I believe.

2.) Austrian Dub masters DubbleStandArt have dropped yet another album of ten-megaton grooves with their latest record, "Return From Planet Dub".  This album was produced by none other than dub legend and founder Lee Scratch Perry, and recorded in his infamous Kingston studio.  Also has vocal collaborations with German singer Gudrun, and the always-crazy dancehall queen Ari Up. Highly reccomended if you like dub or reggae at all.

3.) Perth, Australia may not be on the radar for electronic music, but 20-year old DJ 'Shazam" has  produced a real winner with his latest EP, "Pool Party 2008/2009", which features such killer tracks as "Pool Party 2009" and "Hello Cat", which will have even the most apathetic hipster at least tapping their foot along to the beat.

4.) L.A's DJ Classixx, my vote for best remixer of 09' [I had a psychic conference with Carles before making this call] recently did a version of Stone's Throw Records artist Mayer Hawthorne's song "Green Eyed Love." Download it for free.99 at: http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Mayer_Hawthorne/track/Green_Eyed_Love_Classixx_Remix___

5.) Also on the awesome-radar is this new single by crazy NY indie dance group "Turbo Fruits" [how's that for a name!].  An Aptly-named track I would say, it's been making me get in the mood for a road trip:

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Turbo_Fruits/track/On_The_Road.

6.) Finally, here's a new single by London's Fyfe Dangerfield: 

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Fyfe_Dangerfield/track/When_You_Walk_In_The_Room

Love the chorus on this... "I Want You Endlessly" seems like a cliche line until you hear it sung with this kind of inspiration.... kind of makes you want to sing along!!

Thats it for now.  Much love.  -Phil.

Spoken Word

-Ha-Ha-Holler-

And we might just be, the right candidate to clean up the unsightly,

everybody sayin' get a job, me? yeah right G, picture me at the supermarket,

I got a career, let me super spark it, analog when everything going digital,

organic when the world's got sharp corners, whatever I gives coming out of my soul,

I never resist what's at my door, just lettin it live, for the moment.

most prolific slightly gifted perhaps conflicted, just spent and on a budget,

pre-programmed to love this, ya'll ain't on this 2.0, fuck poetry

I said once, but then remembered the poet defines the world, I break bread

with the everyday struggle, I'm into soul shit, reclusive, and I do hibernate, 

cuz society is useless.

my mind tripping on possibility, spin the blank canvas of humility,

as if I was the one to choose this, called to purpose by fate and ability,

the popular culture reeks of senility, the dullness pulls at my will to be,

different yet also the same, being conscious is hard work, the industry sucked me in

and I'm lucky to be intact mentally, never gonna get caught in that trap again, 

cuz this is what's happening.

-Beach Club-

Sailboats are grown-up children's toys, the myriad of shapes and colors  glide haphazardly

across the ocean of privilege and good luck between  the New York Times book review, starched white tennis linens, scratchy on perfect white skin, seersucker and topsiders, obscenity and ignorance, beauty and shelter from the storm.  Paid to parade a facade of

orchestrated insincerity, what lies beyond the hedge, the teeming, chaotic marvel of the world,

its diversity constantly shape-shifting into new places, tastes, smells, we want this, but do we really?

-Vancouver Blues-

The taste of espresso lingers harsh and acrid on my tongue, neutralized slowly by the chilly rain

, city of somber blue-green sea at odds with the soaring, jagged peaks which rise out of the sharp steel angles of downtown, moss-covered and mysterious in the fading fog, primeval landscape unchanged by the hands of man which somehow have tread lightly on a post-modern, romantically detached skyscape of glass, steel, wood and stone hewn into bold statements of co-existence with the every brooding, boiling grey-green clouds which keep everything so incessantly, rakishly lime-green, budding tendrils of life that creep neath the concrete boilerplates of society, idle battlements of man at ease for a moment, only to be whipped into that perpetual caffeine buzz that infects everything here; a zestful spirit of purpose, don't stand still to long, or moss will grow on you, just like everything else, the umbrella I forgot,

 for another morning shower.

-Fortune Faded-

They sit and watch me, always languidly attentive of my every move and folly, perfection they demand of my good geometry and discipline to escape the average.  Reciprocation is not allowed. Reciprocation is not allowed.  The purpose and figure I carved from long hours of stolen indifference, this doesn't matter to you, I'd call you a flake but that implies,

some possibility or worth you've escaped from, and as I see the light more clearly, I lurk just below the surface of time, mysterious in plain sight, waiting, hoping for your notice, you stand apart from them in your effortless, brilliant smile, but alas not for me, not for anyone really, the bounding dream I had mean nothing, your apathy cripples, it's a vice and an addiction to your shattered purpose, you stole my soul and the ransom I brought, alas, was not enough,

the firm, thoughtful weight of my inward being could not break the stale bonds of conformity you cling to, this awkward insanity a product of my eccentricity, or better, the haze of possibility, for things to happen now and not later, just do it goddammit, life is slipping by,

and all you have to show for it is faded.

Musings

School is kicking my ass lately. This semester went from one with reasonable prospects of at least some fun to something resembling hopelessness it seems. Calculus in particular is just awful. I have absolutely no interest or aptitude in the subject matter. I won't embarrass myself with how many times I've taken this course. Suffice it to say I really hope this is the last. It just feels awful and really self-abusive to bang your head against the wall doing something you know your chances of succeeding at are quite minimal, regardless of the effort you put in. Ah well, such is the life we've created in the 21st century I suppose. Who was the famous British geologist, Hutton I believe [I'm revealing my nerdiness here] who famously quipped "No vestige of a beginning; no sign of an end?" My journey through calculus is beginning to feel likewise.

Heard from my good friend BSP earlier today which always warms my heart. Just one of those quirky, eccentric, genuinely good salt-of-the-earth people that seem so rare these days in my life. It's uplifting to see someone with minimal regard for social and political norms and expectations of the 'media machine', pursuing his own interests and strengths outside of the popular realm of existence. Words I'm trying to live by more, as these times between now and Thanksgiving Break in a few weeks seem to be particularly trying. My favorite playlist on my Itunes, 'Pretentious Hipster Music', reached 600 songs earlier today, the vast majority of which I've bought and downloaded, I am not ashamed to say. Yes, this represents a significant expense on my part, but has been over quite some time, and while I don't agree with Apple's corporate and social practices in many ways, I do like to think at least some of the money is getting back to the musicians themselves. And besides, on a more practical note, a lot of this really obscure/new/'slept on' [to borrow from the hip hop world] music is just really damn hard to find elsewhere; I mean, I could browse the local record shops all day hoping to find a bargain CR or an old vinyl LP, but chances are they won't have it, and if they do, it's likely for muy denero more than I'd like to spend. While it's easy to hate on itunes as another facet of the megalomaniacal media machine, one cannot deny it's convenience, accessibility, and sheer quantity of music. The reviews, written by a number of independent and contracted music periodicals/publications, are usually on-point and insightful. They know to play their cards right though; the big-name billboard artists, awash in their own bland mediocrity, somehow receive neutral if not enthusiastic reviews, though the discerning reading will catch some cleverly-placed satire and criticism when due.

Just a random selection of artists with new/noteworthy releases I've been listening to lately: As always, big up to Peanut Butter Wolf and his production crew over at Stones Throw Records, some of the artists they've signed recently, such as James Pants, Dam-Funk, and Mayer Hawthorne, have emerged as some of the biggest innovators of 2009, with fresh, creative new material and a modern spin on fading old styles. The Australians always seem to be producing great new electronic music too.... check out Miami Heat, Shazam, Theater of Disco, and of course Sam Sparro. [he lives in the U.K, now, but grew up in Australia, so I feel I can include him in this category.] Shazam is some kid in Perth making very tasty electro beats and mixes of all the best singles of 09', watch out DJ Classixx for best remixer of 09'. Also keep and ear out for Denver's DJ Vajra, he just came out with a 12" EP of several tracks he did with underground hip hop mic Othello, and has some new material in the works. His breakin and live mixing skills are legendary, and rightfully so, I'd say only Cut Chemist, Mark Farina, and a few others have a better live DJ presence as far as turntableism goes. Also I've said this before, but I don't know why Moka Only always gets slept on so much. Wake up people! This cat has been making beats and records for over a decade and has an obscene discography. Thoughtful, honest lyrics on everyday life and struggles paired with innovative, old-school beats makes for some very tasty hip hop. His new project, "Ron Contour" has several releases worth checking out. The French electro scene is pretty good all around, but several artists stand out amongst the legions of DJ's signed on labels like Institubes and Ed Banger. One that doesn't get as much play as they should is Cassius, a duo out of Marseille, whose first release, '15 Again', is a masterpiece of electronic pleasure. highly reccomended. Alright, that's it right now for poorly-supported statements and factual errors [oh wait, that's the review I just got back of my mineralogy paper!.... but I digress.] Much love, Phil.

Photograf.

Tied up for the day. Stonington, Deer Isle, Maine, July 2009.

Mountaineering, Gore Range, Colorado, September 2007.

Green Eyes. New York, December 2007.

'Amurhika', Paradise  Valley, Nevada, June 2006.

'The Big Stone', Yosemite, California, June 2006.

Sand Dunes, Winnemucca, Nevada, May 2006.

'The Production of Precious Stone, 1898.', 2004.

Portrait of the Economy. Eden Mills, Vermont. January 2004.

Oyster Bay, New York, December 2005.

15 minutes before falling and breaking my jaw, Selkirk Mountains, B.C., Canada. July 2008.

S-Train, Coal Creek Canyon, Colorado. 2008.

Mom at the beach, Oyster Bay, New York, 2008.

Tzevi, Wiscasset, Maine. July 2009.

Georgetown Island, Maine, June 2009.

Popham Beach, Georgetown Island, Maine, June 2009.

Rusting Stairs, Ogdensburg, New Jersey, 2004.

Self-Portrait, 11.9.2009.

Politicking.

Some recent stories that piqued my interest:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/world/europe/09land.html?ref=world

This New York Times article from today's paper talks about the ability of the Russian government to forcibly seize land and basically implement a more authoritarian version of America's "Eminent Domain" laws. In Soviet times, of course, private land ownership was illegal, as all land was property of the state. While this is no longer true, the laws surrounding land ownership and real estate in Russia are still vague and easy to manipulate, as they are with alarming frequency in Moscow, now the epicenter of Russia's remaining upper class, and one of the wealthiest cities per capita in the world. While the rest of the country crumbles under a stagnant economy and outdated infrastructure, Moscow has boomed into a high-tech, finance, and natural resources empire of vast, ambiguously-controlled conglomerates like Lukoil and Norilsk Nickel, major world players and controlled by a handful of majority sharteholders and board members. The ties to the Kremlin are also rather worrysome, as private sector companies see not only increasing government aid, but control and influence as well. The obvious analogy is a return to socialist, far-left Soviet era politics in Russia, but the reality of course lies somewhere in between, as Russia struggles to find it's identity in the 21st century, and emerge from the setbacks of the iron curtain era. As Russian elections loom on the horizon, I can only hope the Vladimir Putin's troubling administration is replaced by a more pragmatic, and less political regime.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/nyregion/09elevator.html?ref=nyregion

This is really sad and seemingly quite pointless as well. Gerhardt Fuchs, a drummer and musician involved in the bands 'Holy Ghost!', The Juan Maclean, Maserati, and has collaborated with MSTRKRFT and James Murphy. He has been involved in starting up NY indie label DFA records, and was reportedly working on a new album. The really unfortunate part was that he died falling 4 stories down an elevator shaft, trying to jump out of the stalled car, most likely intoxicated and/or on drugs, on his was from a party in Williamsburg. What a waste. This sort of reminds me of NY hipster icon and artist Dash Snow's death not too long ago from a heroin overdose.... tragic, but also a product of his own lack of ability to take control over his life. Not his fault necessarily, just a product of his own mental illness and pain, and the rediculous expectations of the art and music scene in New York and other such places; to expect people to both conform viciously to the indie culture machine and social norms, but also be constantly unique and new and exciting. What a strange world we live in.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/01/movies/20091101-LIM_6.html

This is a slideshow of whimsical and slightly silly scenes from Wes Anderson's new movie, "Fantastic Mr. Fox", the latest in his shameless rip-off of classic children's books, retro-fitted for the 21st century with a healthy dose of blase hipster irony and boring middle-aged couple drama depicted in stop-motion animation. Ok, now that I've finished my judgmental, uninformed rant, let me say that cynicism aside, I actually am quite excited for this movie; the New Yorker wrote a superb piece about it recently, and I love the idea of intelligent, though-provoking adult roles being depicted in a medium like stop-motion animation. The level of detail Mr. Anderson has executed in his depiction of realistic products and landscapes is remarkable; as is the shear difficulty and time needed to produce a feature-length stop-motion animation piece that doesn't come out looking like a backyard version of Wallace & Gromit.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/taylor-swift-plays-it-safe-on-saturday-night-live/

The battle for supreme pop-culture blandness continues, most recently among 2 of the mainstream media's favorite stars, country-pop singer Taylor Swift, and her recent nemesis, independent hip hop artist turned sellout Kanye West. I know I sound like an elitist hipster asshole here, but here me out: These sort of conflicts are great. They bring out the overwhelming blandness and mediocrity of our mainstream media on a level playing field, where the public can be wooed and coerced into caring about the latest non-event. Meanwhile, this allows real indie culture to thrive unfettered by the demands of the masses.... theoretically.... but in reality, the indie media machine has also made it's set of demands and expectations quite clear; albeit to a smaller audience. The Ten Commandments of successful hipster-dom seem like a joke, but I think there's some truth to it. 1.) I am thou lord, Pitchfork Media, and though shalt listen to no other music reviews before mine. I will skewer anything not endorsed by the Williamsburg populous, while simultaneously proclaiming Animal Collective to be "accessible" to a wide audience. Umm... no. 2.) Thou will adhere to the rigid standards of style proscribed by my demi-gods, the trifecta of American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, and anything from Sweden. If thou expresses any style not deemed neon, skinny, monochromatic, unisex, "vintage" [pending approval], or otherwise unique [but not really], thou shalt be banished to mainstream purgatory. 3.) Interest in subjects diverging too far from the "it" artists/filmmakers/musicians, the latest trends that aren't trends, or mindless musings on the merits of apathy and irony, will not be tolerated, and may cause banishment to "mainstream" land. 4.) showing to much interest or enthusiasm in anything is not allowed.

5.) random shows of intense emotion not intended to be ironic are not allowed.

In other news; the L.A times wrote a great article in the music section on an up-and-coming artist I really like, instrumental hip hop, funk, and neo-boogie genius Dam-Funk. His sound could be described as "glitch-boogie", which doesn't really make any sense, but serves to emphasize the uniqueness of Dam's music.

Here's the link:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-ca-dam-funk1-2009nov01,0,4504896.story

Days of Future Past

So it always seems around this time in the semester I start to anticipate upcoming travels more intensely, as the daily grind of school, studying, biking around town, and wasting money on overpriced coffee is starting to wear a little thin on my patience. Not having job this semester outside school is a little weird for me, but it's probably for the best, giving more time to focus on school and graduating, as well as climb/ski. [more importantly!!]. This past weekend was great; after the recent early-season blizzard and getting a little cabin fever from being restricted to flailing on plastic with the gym rats, it was great to get outside again. Friday I went down to Clear Creek Canyon with my friend Alex whom I hadn't climbed with in a while which was fantastic; we climbed at a new sport crag called 'The Canal Zone' which has a dozen or so well-bolted and interesting sport routes in the 5.7 to 5.11 range, with a great gear route as well; a beautiful Eldo-esque hand crack in a corner. I flashed a supposed 5.11c [with my height advantage felt more like 10d; one more wonder.], anyways, despite it being an over-graded 1-move wonder, I was pretty psyched. Saturday I slept in until noon after being out in Denver pretty late Friday night, which was AWESOME, seems it's so rare I get the chance to sleep in at all on weekends. Saturday afternoon I went soling in the Flatirons; climbed the first Flatiron east face direct twice, and then did "freeway" an enjoyable 5.4 on the 2nd Flatiron. Yesterday [Sunday] I made it out to Eldo for what felt like the first time in ages, to spend the day cragging at the West Ridge, doing some classics I'd never climbed before. Sunday night was HW catch-up time over endless coffee refills at my favorite late-night [ok, late for ME, hah.] study spot, The Trident Bookstore Cafe on Pearl St. downtown. Great coffee and study atmosphere, and the scenery is usually quite nice as well.

In a little less than 2 weeks I'll be headed out to L.A to see family for Thanksgiving which is always fun; I really love L.A, and their neighborhood, above Laurel Canyon, is a real urban oasis in the middle of the city, with the classic L.A eccentricity and uniqueness. I'll fly to Burbank on the 24th from Denver, and head back to Colorado the 28th I believe. We have the whole week off at CU as a combined Fall Break/Thanksgiving Break, which is kind of nice; will give me a few days before/after the trip to ski hopefully, and catch up on school stuff.

After the semester ends in the second week of December or so, money/sanity/time pending, I am planning on making a 4 or 5 day trip down to Tucson to climb at Cochise Stronghold and Mt. Lemmon and visit friends; I really miss the sense of community in Tucson, both among my climbing friends and roommates/bar acquaintances, I met some really interesting, awesome people and going to Hotel Congress Thursday nights to dance to some great indie music and drink $2 G&T's, then go climbing that weekend with my usual crew was an amazing routine and one I'd like to recreate in Boulder.

Now I'm in the throes of studying for a Calculus Exam [don't want to talk about it.], and editing a paper I wrote a few years ago for a mineralogical journal; the original manuscript is ~ 20 pages total, and i've been informed I need to cut that down ~50% AND add 10-15 new references for it to be considered a submission contender; hence I have some work to do! honestly; seeing someone tear my paper apart really doesn't bother me[ you should see the review though!! ouch!], if anything its useful constructive criticism to save me future embarrassment if significant errors were to be published. The subject matter of the paper is still of interest to me, thus I kind of enjoy the editing process, though I do wish I had my study material out here in Colorado, as some major geochemical and mineralogical characterization work needs to be done on the stuff for it to be a relevant/significant work.

Going to see Neon Indian and Tigercity play tomorrow night in Denver(!!), I am pretty excited for this, $10 show at the Larimer Lounge which is always a fun venue. This will be my reward for studying the next 2 days, I'm thinking. I haven't listened that much to Neon Indian, but i saw them at Monolith and was pretty impressed. I love Tigercity though, they were one of the highlights of Monolith for me, and I'm excited to see them again.

Music Ect....

Sun finally came back out in Boulder. So excited to be rid of the cold, snow and gloom for hopefully a few more weeks before winter set's in for good. The trade off of course is the fabulous ski conditions in the mountains right now, which is of last Friday were pretty primo for late October. I ventured up to Berthoud Pass for my first turns of the season this past Friday and was plesantly suprised by a good 2+ feet of fresh, unskied powder. The conditions were still early season, to be sure, with pretty minimal base, so basically you would be skiing great, mid-season like pow turns, and then BAM! there's a big stump or rock or log. Ah well, I was on the rock skis, so not overly concerned with keeping the bases pristine, given the obscene number of core shots I already have on them. Really amazing the old 07' Seth's are still kicking after 100+ days on snow and going on 2 seasons of rock ski abuse, hah. Anyways, it was great, just what I needed, I always find I get a bit antsy right before the start of the ski season; climbing is usually starting to take the back-burner, and all my want an desire is pretty much focused on skiing powder. As usual, Colorado has delivered an early suprise. This is why I live here!

On a seperate not, here's some upcoming music in the Denver/Boulder Area I will be attending and am pretty excited about:

Friday, November 6th: Del tha Funky Homosapien, A-Plus of Heiroglyphics, and a few other MC's/DJ's are giving a FREE show at the Larimer Lounge in Denver... I was pretty damn excited/in disbelief when I heard this; I figured with how popular Del has gotten, and how tiny a venue the Larimer Lounge is, there's no sense in even going; but I think I may be actualy pleasantly suprised to find a reasonably small crowd; shows at the Larimer are always pretty under-the-radar, as the Onion's A.V club is too busy praying at the holy alter of Pitchfork/Vice Magazine endorsements to give a shit about real music. Also, it's a 21+ show, which is always nice.

Saturday, November 7th: J-Live at the Marquis Theater, Denver. Ok, so the Marquis theater has the potential to be a great venue, but the problem is their booking agency, 'Soda Jerk Productions', seems to have afixation with the b-grade emo/punk/metal scene, and mediocre angry white boy hip hop, hence why I haven't seen a good show there in ages. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw that underground heavyweight J-Live was playing this upcoming Saturday. I will be there, listening to some of today's best independent hip hop, eating a few of Denver's best slices, and likely sippin on a tallboy.

Tuesday, November 10th: Neon Indian and Tigercity at the Larimer Lounge. Saw both these bands not too long ago at Monolith Festival. Worth the 14 bucks and drive down to Denver to see them again? Hell yes!