audiafauna in concert, august 3rd

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

watertrough project presents, a house in the woods production...

... audiafauna, live on the deck!

come on over & enjoy a fresh mosaic of acoustic strings, electronic beats & powerful vocals. this septet hails from the santa cruz area & is sure to make an impression. the show starts at 8pm. i know, it's sounds too good to be free, so 'dough' nations would be nice. help this ensemble migrate north while on tour.

parking is limited so please carpool! anyone who can make it early (6pm @ the earliest) is welcome to do so. if you need/want to spend the night there's always room on the floor, deck or yard. Come, raise a cold one, bang some poles, soak in some northern california music & enjoy the night air. it's time to celebrate, west county style!

~eightychoices

so much music!

there is an array of great new music being released. couple that with the immense summer tours & festivals going off & one can only hope to get a piece of the action. being a fan of live music, i would recommend supporting the artist in that capacity. i would also encourage concerts goers to take a risk sometimes. by that i mean, seeing something outside of your favorite genre or perhaps not investing all of your hard earned money into catching only your favorite band(s). there is such a myriad of potent music available. let alone all of the local talent that is just starting to reach new ears. there's intrigue in experiencing something new, fresh & undiscovered so to speak. variety is the spice of life, right? would you rather catch the same band for the Nth time in this calendar year or would you rather say you were there when...? it's tough to say if it's the perfect dilemma. i definitely have my favorites, so i understand that side of the story too.

i would encourage anyone & everyone, depending of their level of interest & keeping in mind their preferences of intimate venues vs. mega events with the masses, to consider the growing list of summer music festivals. having been fortunate enough to experience some great fests, they can be well worth it, if not unforgettable. often times the journey just to get there (let alone leaving) can be equally worthy of future stories that will surely be elaborated upon.

there are all types, located all over the country & the globe for that matter, with multiple days, ways, tastes, shapes, sizes & vibes. there's most definitely one out there that will suit you. whether you just want a weekend getaway or a week's vacation, fuel it with the great creativity that is live music.

my wife & i always enjoy checking out all of the folks who are hooking up the good eats, expensive beverages & artisan vending that spans the consumer gauntlet. the big daddy festivals even boast comedians, movie theatre tents, late nights that run until morning & yoga to rejuvenate (i prefer bacon & beer). amidst all of this i failed to mention how cool it is when something epic goes down that could only occur there & then, due to the setting. of course these fests can get spendy, but hey, we all need time & space to unwind & release.

if the small local show, or the big time festival aren't your bag there's always your local record store!

~eightychoices

the iditarod, i cut people, pregnant & religious girls live in concert!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

watertrough project presents, a house in the woods production.

two high energy bands will be performing live in sebastopol. one of which is an eightychoices favorite. the iditarod, which compares itself to 'the inspirational story of a long-shot, small-towner's ascent to athletic glory'. the other is an east bay outfit by the name of, religious girls. they liken their sound to a 'very friendly father'. also appearing will be the artist not known as i cut people, i dig his work, it's out there! pregnant is also performing a set, it should be dope. my goodness, it's sounds too good to be free.

parking is limited so please carpool! anyone who can make it early (4 @ the earliest) is welcome to do so. if you need/want to spend the night there's always room on the floor, deck or yard. Come, raise a glass, bang some poles, rock out to some local music & enjoy the night air. it's time to celebrate, west county, heiny monkey style!

modern art collection sold for mill$

Flag (1960-66) Johns

michael crichton's pop art collection has gone to auction & it is amazing. for those of us who may never own priceless works of art, it's a chance to absorb artists that changed the world. regardless of your like or distaste of crichton's career, he did amass one of the more stunning collections of modern art.

jasper johns', flag (1960-66), is probably the most priceless of the works. however, roy lichtenstein's, girl (1968), david hockney's, the field entrance, january 2006, picasso's, femme et fillettes (1961) & a pair of rauschenberg pieces, studio painting (1960-61) & trapeze (1964), among numerous others, make this collection worthy of jealousy.

the 31 pieces initially auctioned sold for $93.3 million. flag fetched a record $26.8 million. the previous high for a johns work of art was $17.4 million (figure 4). another allotment was auctioned (117 pieces) under the title, post war & contemporary art.

with the declining health of our ecosystems, the constant devastation of war, oil spills, earthquakes, corrupt big business & phony politics, one might ask, "is art really worth that?" there are countless ways in which that money could have been spent - on humanitarian efforts or environmental concerns. regardless of the astronomical prices, everyone has the right to spend their money as they see fit. it is a bi-product of freedom, albeit financial freedom. comparatively, i'd rather see inspiration & creativity being sold & owned for millions, versus the trillions of dollars being spent & stolen by the powers that be on corruption, pollution, lies & death tolls. art will always serve the public, as a reminder of the past, the pursuit of what is contemporary & what may happen in the future. no matter who owns art, creativity & inspiration are owned by all. those aspects of life & culture that stimulate others without harming the rest of us are worth far more than any auction by christie's.

no one except the artist truly owns the art. we as viewers perpetuate the dialogue & interpret its meanings individually & sometimes collectively. it's similar to music needing listeners to complete the creative circle. art needs to be absorbed. whether or not we see it as the artist did is not important, nor is the ownership. it's the interaction, the stirring of the soul & the ability to inspire that is of most importance.

Trapeze (1964) Rauschenberg

eightychoices.

travel, explore, listen...

after having some great friends visit me from afar, i realized that this nation & our pursuit of self through journeying, is inextricably linked to our country's majestic nature. the natural spaces of this country are worth more than any human derived wealth the world over.

john muir was a pioneer on so many levels, he's an inspiration. he was closer to being one with nature, more akin to the thought processes of the native americans. without individuals like him, we would never have the gift of national parks. he was experiencing the pristine world surrounding him. thank you for opening up this nation's consciousness to the outdoors & helping to preserve it. no where else in the world do you have such priceless tracts of land being owned by the populous, only here, in america.

i sometimes wish that i was on a nonstop journey, filled with awe & becoming connected to what is truly real. upon reflection, i remind myself that life is this great journey. we all need to spend more time appreciating our natural wonders & national parks. the native lands untouched by manifest destiny & the people of america are our greatest assets. we are so blessed to live in such a diverse world. those of us in CA are especially rich in nature. go out & find yourself, get lost, or talk to the trees & rocks as you walk through purity, as john muir did. there is more of us, in the outdoors, than in all the rest of the material world. the journey is the destination.

if you have an opportunity to view ken burns, the national parks: america's best idea, i strongly suggest viewing it. this is a snippet of its offerings.

~eightychoices

ok go

if you have yet to explore the music of ok go, i suggest a listen. their new album, of the blue color of the sky, is a nice testament to the progress of modern pop rock. i'm pretty sure they prefer not to be pigeon holed by a genre. however, their soundscapes are just far too capable of grabbing onto you & infectiously keeping you locked in. there's a swagger to this four piece & they won't let up. catch them on tour now. they play the fillmore in san francisco on may 26th. hopefully you dig 'em?

~eightychoices