Speaker Shop

...so I'm laying here on the living room floor, sick as hell. Aching, sore. Miserable. Bored. I'm reading Boulle's "Bridge Over the River Kwai", upon which the famous old movie "Bridge On the River Kwai" is based. I kind of feel like I can relate to this photo of Sir Alec in what I believe is his best role ever.

Strange, the book is a short and really fast read, and yet the film was so long! The film certainly does the book justice, and as it's apparent that I'm not going anywhere for a while perhaps I'll watch it after I finish the book. Forty pages to go...

Kind of ironic that there were flu shots available at Wegman's Pharmacy when I stopped to get some relief yesterday. That's just how I roll, I guess!

I can eat my own bodyweight in Concord grapes. Every year we make a pilgrimage to the vinyards in the Southern Tier, and this time I think we found THE place. The Lembke Farm in Forestville grows all organic crops, and the bunches we picked are easily the best grapes I've ever had. The jam is done now (almost twenty-five pounds of grapes worth!) and people are already trying to mooch from me. The answer, to save you the trouble, is NO. I'm a jam hoarder, so back off!

It's a fun little outing, and picking them yourself is one of life's little rewarding experiences. It's awesome to have the windows in the car rolled down so you can tell when you're getting close... the perfume coming from the grapes is intoxicating. Dig it!

Make sure you call Farmer Craig if you plan on stopping out, so he knows to look for ya.

My buddy Mark's record shop Dr. Disc celebrated his 20th anniversary. He came up with a really awesome 'customer appreciation' concept: every weekend in July, he threw a free rooftop concert. Turnout was great, and there we only a few brush-ups with law enforcement regarding noise ordinances and such triflings. ;  )

Any time I've ever had issues finding music, Mark's come through for me. It's a hop across the border for most of us, but still a cool destination, or even a small sidestep to a trip further north. Check him out if you get a chance!

My buddy Derek works for Sustainable Energy Developments, Inc. Talk about a cool job! They do wind power systems, from assessing sites for capability right up to install and service.

Quoted directly from their website:

Sustainable Energy Developments is the essence of our business, not just our name. Undertaking each quality project with integrity and enthusiasm, we strive to combine our commitment to providing enduring, renewable energy with our client’s vision for a wind or solar installation that provides on-site performance and instills pride of ownership. Although we operate primarily in the Eastern US, offering our expertise to any and all who want to be part of a clean energy revolution, we believe our mission contributes to a much larger goal of helping heal the Earth and sustain it for future generations – as long as the wind blows and the sun shines.

The moment I get some scratch together I'm planning on giving him a shout and seeing what he can do for me - they have systems for residential, too!

Brant Bjork & The Operators

Someone on Amazon.com summed up this album perfectly:

"This CD rocked me without me being aware of it! It creeps slinky-slinky on to the speakers and from that opening thirty seconds of the first track you can FEEL how the album will progress. Not a moment in this album disappoints me, so give it a try." - jacodemon

It really is all sorts of laid-back awesome. Reminiscent of late 70's rock, without all the makeup or goofiness. Just rhythmy guitars and cool tones.

Franz Ferdinand

This album is a bit out of character, for me...  flavors of a bunch of different bands, from the Cure (who I despise) and the Damned (who I love). Certainly got their influences from that era of industrial music and early punk, but with a dash of modern post-rock pop that allows the songs to kind of be sung along to. Anyway, I keep returning to it, so I must be enjoying it!

I love everything Josh Homme has ever touched, and this album is merely one of the Queens of the Stone Age albums that I've mercilessly beaten into the ground. If you give it one listen only, you'll be left thinking it is overly simple metal-influenced guitar rock. Force yourself to listen to it again! Scathing observations on humanity, somewhat defeatest and nihilistic, yet it somehow manages to cheer me up. Really! It's almost as if it says: "Yeah, we're screwed... so what? Learn to enjoy it!" What the heck can that possibly mean? Dunno, but man do I dig it!

Mr. Cooder is known as the guitarist's guitarist, and this album is one of three that form the soundtrack to his own novellas (haven't read 'em yet, gotta remember to add 'em to the list). Without even having read them, this album is a really cool tex-mex influenced experience that sounds big and bold. Very cool, and refreshingly different!

Cool, techno influenced jazz and female vocals with old school loungey sounds. I have to be in the right mood for it, no doubt, but it leaves me with the same vibes that bands such as Portishead or Massive Attack do. Downtempo, oily, and sickly sweet - all at the same time.

I love this weather.

I know, I know... I'm the only one. But this picture is part of the reason why. Just about every Friday I pile the dogs into the back of the wagon and we head off to the Erie County Forestry to see if we can't find some trouble. Lots of times we pretend we're on the hunt and follow the deer trails, sometimes we follow the creeks to hunt for crayfish, or chase minnows. Bug likes to find big pools in the oxbows and plant his rump in the deep end - looks just like a big orange alligator. But during the winter, when the snow is thick and the mercury is well below freezing... that's the best time. We barrel through the deep stuff, searching for the secret lives of the denizens of the woodland. Deer, coyotes and fox, opossum, raccoon, turkey... even the sign of hawk on a recent kill.

This photo was taken when the thermometer read 5 degrees at the house. The diminutive chap that made these tracks is a deermouse, a rather cute lil' guy who's kangarooish gait and long tail provide for the distinct print you see.

This is my personal version of "Dancing With the Stars", I guess...

My young friend Elliott recently made a trip to Australia & New Zealand.

On his travels he managed an outing to the famous Sydney Opera House, and

was gracious enough to allow me to put some of his photos up here. Eli plans on

attending school for Jazz Theory at Fordham University.

I told him that's a lot like deciding to become a hobo.  ; )

Talented kid, he's currently teaching guitar and piano.

A lot gets talked about with country of origin. Of course, lots of stuff comes out of China and Mexico - but we do a lot of business with companies that are made in the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan... does it matter to you? Does where something is made influence whether or not you would purchase it? Would you pay more for the same product if it was made somewhere else? I've been pondering this lately (as you'd likely guess, I have my own opinion on this!), and I've been trying to make a point of asking my customers what their thoughts are regarding this. I think manufacturers think you're sensitive to it, because lots of them make a lot of noise about it, where others are quietly avoiding it. Email me and tell me what you think - I'd love to know!

The atlas shown here is a cool piece of wall art that my friend Joe of Neoteric Custom Creations makes - this one is out of stainless steel, and is 18 feet long and 11 feet high. He makes all sorts of cool furniture and such... check out his website!

"Matt,

Only they're funky looking, even by my standards. What do you think, do I give 'em a shot?

My buddy (also named Matt) does some spectacular photo work, and every year he's called upon to cover Farm Aid. This year was no different, and I managed to mooch a few shots from him. The website describes the event like this:

Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Farm Aid has raised more than $37 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on their land.

One of the cool things he managed to capture was the Lawo "mixing studio on wheels", where (I'm hoping) they were recording the show for future use in a high resolution audio/video format for our enjoyment!

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History is a must-listen!
Yet another one of my customers turned me on to this podcast, and it's humbled me by exposing my ignorance to history. By his website's description: Whether he's discussing history or current events, veteran journalist Dan Carlin brings his own unconventional approach to the subject matter. His Generation X, non-partisan, "neo-prudentist" outlook provides a fresh look at the headlines in the newspapers and the stories in the history books. 

Absolutely worth checking out, it's reinforced my views that we (humankind) merely retrace the steps of our forefathers - for better or for worse. The three-podcast series on the Punic wars were fascinating. Thanks for telling me about it, Lincoln!

It's my intention to keep this section of the website as politically neutral as possible, but I feel this topic transcends partisanship. My friend Ikram Massabini of MVP Network Consulting took the time to for this article, and was kind enough to grant me permission to reproduce it here.

Monster Magnet - Powertrip

This is the finest collection of bad rock & roll music since the release of the original Black Sabbath album. Bad guitar riffs, genius lyrics, lead singer on the cover making the secret devil sign - pure awesomeness. If (like me) you haven't managed to develop past 8th grade, you'll love it. If you don't like loud things, don't bother. If you don't understand the term stun guitar, don't bother. If you're offended by curse words, you're likely not going to talk to me - or like this album, so don't bother.

There's no doubt the guy fronting this band has had a tough life. The vocals are dischordant and strained, the lyrics are just this side of upsetting, being both sardonic and witty. My initial brush with this album was one of distaste, but like a cut on the roof of your mouth, you just can't keep from touching it with your tongue. I'm glad, really... although the overall theme has an oily layer of bitterness and hopelessness, there's a surprising release from being able to accept it and laugh!

This girl has hurt me "a thousand times". The recording quality sucks (so bad in fact, that originally I couldn't listen to it!), the nouveau R&B/hiphop influence is overblown, some of it feels forced... but the voice. Oh, the voice... it's raw, completely untrained, unpolished, not fitted to the chassis that delivers it.  But I CRAVE IT. Her lyrics speak of things she may or may not have lived, but when she sings it, it is true. I'm captured by it. The title cut is a perfect example of what I'm talking about here, so check it out.

I was speaking with a customer one day when this album was playing, and I interrupted him because I didn't know which Queen album we were listening to, and I know  Queen when I hear it - or maybe not! This band channels the late Freddie Mercury, and managed to sound so much like him that I gave the whole thing a listen. Replete with melodrama, soaring vocals and themes of sophomoric rebellion - good modern progressive/alternative rock.

You either get them, or you don't. If you're expecting something new and different from the boys from Akron, Ohio, you're in for a disappointment. Nonetheless, their gig is perfecty suited for here and now - perhaps more now than ever. Their blend of pop and ironic social commentary is right up my alley - as I said below, they're a real thinking man's band. This new release is no different!