Knock Knock
(pause....)
(pause....)
(waiting for you to say 'Who's there?')
I Smell Map
(pause...)
(pause....)
(now I just sit there grinning at you until you get it)
I just told this joke to my kids and was asked, "Dad, why are you like 4 years old?"
(awkward silence)
Okay, let's get to it.
(pause....)
(pause....)
(waiting for you to say 'Who's there?')
I Smell Map
(pause...)
(pause....)
(now I just sit there grinning at you until you get it)
I just told this joke to my kids and was asked, "Dad, why are you like 4 years old?"
(awkward silence)
Okay, let's get to it.
This was a year of travel, including a trip out West including Grand Canyon and New Mexico. For anyone that has never been to Santa Fe, you must go if for no other reason to see Meow Wolf,
I knew this was gonna be an experience when I called and their phone menu said their name and then "that's Meow, like the sound a cat makes and Wolf as in Wolf. We are located at....and are the building with the giant robot in the parking lot".
Meow Wolf is an interactive fun-house-like art museum that takes up a gutted warehouse and bowling alley. With hidden passageways, non-linear theme and attached music venue it is like nothing I've ever seen before. Even Pete, my youngest who is into cryptocurrencies....and not much else, was impressed.
Orange you going to ask about the March?
This year I think we almost tired of saying 'you gotta be shitting me' to what the Cheeto-in-Chief has done/said/thought. The one upside is that all my kids have become much more politically aware. Between my older two's constant political tweets/debates with friends to my youngest reading the paper with me each morning and asking questions, I do like that it has awakened their sense of the world and activism. Below is one shot from the Women's March we all went to at the start of 2017.
I'm still a lefty but Zack's Eagle Scout is pretty cool
Zack got his Eagle Scout this year, capping his scouting 'career' off with a final service project where he built digital music stations (cabinets, ipads, keyboard, software and headphones) and then donated/trained the staff of a local provider of services for children with intellectual disabilities.
To surprise him at the ceremony commemorating Zack achieving Eagle Scout, I reached out and received congratulations we read to him from those he looked up to. This included musicians (Mom Jeans, Slothrust, OK Go, Jai Wolf), Politicians (Obama) and of course the Steelers.
While all of these 'congrats' were a happy surprise for him at the ceremony, I wanted to share with all of you two of them as they stand as a reminder that taking an extra couple minutes out of our lives to do something nice for others can have a profound impact on someone else.
The first unique congrats came from Slothrust's lead singer who decided to record a quick audio file and send it along. The look on Zack's face as we played this over the PA was priceless. Take a listen.
The other unique congrats was a letter that Jai Wolf's manager, who without being asked, took it upon himself to write. He was also an Eagle Scout who had done a project similar to Zack and wrote an inspirational letter to let Zack (and all of us) know that we should follow what inspires us.
Now, onto the show. Here is the Spotify playlist
and Here are the
I knew this was gonna be an experience when I called and their phone menu said their name and then "that's Meow, like the sound a cat makes and Wolf as in Wolf. We are located at....and are the building with the giant robot in the parking lot".
Meow Wolf is an interactive fun-house-like art museum that takes up a gutted warehouse and bowling alley. With hidden passageways, non-linear theme and attached music venue it is like nothing I've ever seen before. Even Pete, my youngest who is into cryptocurrencies....and not much else, was impressed.
Orange you going to ask about the March?
This year I think we almost tired of saying 'you gotta be shitting me' to what the Cheeto-in-Chief has done/said/thought. The one upside is that all my kids have become much more politically aware. Between my older two's constant political tweets/debates with friends to my youngest reading the paper with me each morning and asking questions, I do like that it has awakened their sense of the world and activism. Below is one shot from the Women's March we all went to at the start of 2017.
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| Non-crowd supplied sign at the 2017 Women's March that I found fitting |
I'm still a lefty but Zack's Eagle Scout is pretty cool
Zack got his Eagle Scout this year, capping his scouting 'career' off with a final service project where he built digital music stations (cabinets, ipads, keyboard, software and headphones) and then donated/trained the staff of a local provider of services for children with intellectual disabilities.
To surprise him at the ceremony commemorating Zack achieving Eagle Scout, I reached out and received congratulations we read to him from those he looked up to. This included musicians (Mom Jeans, Slothrust, OK Go, Jai Wolf), Politicians (Obama) and of course the Steelers.
While all of these 'congrats' were a happy surprise for him at the ceremony, I wanted to share with all of you two of them as they stand as a reminder that taking an extra couple minutes out of our lives to do something nice for others can have a profound impact on someone else.
The first unique congrats came from Slothrust's lead singer who decided to record a quick audio file and send it along. The look on Zack's face as we played this over the PA was priceless. Take a listen.
The other unique congrats was a letter that Jai Wolf's manager, who without being asked, took it upon himself to write. He was also an Eagle Scout who had done a project similar to Zack and wrote an inspirational letter to let Zack (and all of us) know that we should follow what inspires us.
 |
and Here are the
Top 15 Music thingies in I experienced in 2017
15) Speak – “New Spring” (single)
14) Lewis Del Mar – “Such Small Scenes” (single)
13) Joey Purp – “Photobooth”, “Morning Sex” (singles) samples remind me of some early PE
12) Cottonwood Firing Squad – “Caskets” (single)
11) N.E.R.D – “Lemon” (single) I keep thinking Rihanna is just a pop star with an amazing voice....then she throws yet another curveball
10) Rainbow Kitten Surprise – “Cocaine Jesus”, “The Comedown” (singles) - Kings of Leon vibe
9) Run the Jewels – “Call Ticketron” and “Panther like a Panther” (singles)
8) Pinegrove “Waveform”, “Intrepid” (singles)
7) The Front Bottoms- “Flashlight”, “Twin Size Mattress”,
“Bae” (singles) - like the rest of this list, not all is from this year but some (re)discovered this year.
6) Oxymorrons – “What’s My Name” and “Freak Parade” (singles) Wow! I can't wait to see what this group does next. Beasties' I'll Communication with more urgency
5) Big Boi – “Kill Jill” (single) - starts out with 'virtal' (literally virtual - it's a singing synthesizer) Japanese popstar Hatsune Miku and then brings in unique flows from Killer Mike and Jeezy.
4) The New Pornographers – Whiteout Conditions (album/concert)– Zack and I saw their first show out in LA. Their much cooler Fleetwood Mac edge continues. Sidenote - Waxahatchee opened and Zack and I agree that it did mesh well with our jetlag.
3) Mom Jeans and Retirement Party (concert at SubT in Chicago) - Zack, Becca, and one my closest friends saw what will be an 'I saw them when' moment. Mom Jeans' crowd was ready to explode and knew every lyric. The opener, Retirement Party, was a great find.
2) Coachella - I'm glad Zack was not too embarrassed to go with his Dad.
1) My kids' musicality - Wendy and my wedding vows included a house full of "love, laughter and music." Between Becca's plays, Zack realizing his voice and joining choir/plays and Pete singing to himself in the shower when he thinks no one is listening I think we can declare Mission Accomplished.
Mmmbop Guilty Pleasures of 2017
Selena Gomez "Bad Liar"
Ed Sheeran “Castle on the Hill”
Kesha "Praying"
Selena Gomez "Bad Liar"
Ed Sheeran “Castle on the Hill”
Kesha "Praying"
Honorable mention
Broken Social Scene – “7/4 (Shoreline)”, “Halfway Home”
Broken Social Scene – “7/4 (Shoreline)”, “Halfway Home”
Ok Go – “Interesting Drug”
Sports – “I am the Boy
Perspective, A Lovely Place to Hold – “Pepe Silvia”
Lim Kim – “Awoo”
Hazel English – “I’m Fine”
Sufjan Stevens – “Tonya Harding (In D major)
Thom Yorke – “A Brain in a Bottle”
Miya Folick – “Trouble Adjusting”
Small Leaks Sink Ships – “Dancing Devil”
Zammuto – “My Dog’s Eyes”
K. Flay – “Dreamers”
Skating Polly – “Louder in Outer Space”
Stolen Jars – “Long New York”
The Mountain – Going to Georgia:
Hi Lo Jack – So it Goes”
Aero Flynn – “You Care”
Onset – “Hikes”
Their/They’re/There – “Travelers Insurance”
Beach Fossils – This Year”
Unknown Mortal Orchestra- “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone”
White Reaper – “Judy French”
Cloud Nohthings – “Modern Act”
Alt-J – “In Cold Blood”
Sorority Noise – “A Portrait Of”
Ricky Eat Acid – “On the Floor Beneath the Cross”
Tancred – “Bed Case
Whitney – “No Matter Where We Go”
Beach Slang – “Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas”
Babygirl – “Tomorrow Tomorrow”
Dirty Projectors – “Little Bubbles”, “Ascent Through Clouds”
Tanlines- “All of Me”
Logic – Hallelujah”
Wolf Parade – “I’ll Believe Her in Anything”
The Avalanches – “The Noisy Eater”
Fall Out Boy- “Young and Menace”
Electric Guest – “Dear to Me”
So Much Light – “Be Afradi”
QTY – “Rodeo”
Charly Bliss – “Glitter”
Lucius – “The Punisher”
MisterWives – “Same Drugs”
Abhi The Nomad – “Floors”
Soy Christmas – “Oh No”
Superorganism – “It’s All Good”
WATERS – “Molly is a Babe”
The Breeders – “Off You”
