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the bright aisles of c-town
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Saturday, April 30, 2005
Music video featuring D-town
Bill sent me the following link, which I feel obliged to post here. It's a music video set to the track prototypes by rex the dog. The setting is the great city of Detroit. I think it's very well done.
http://www.mayday.de/mayday2005/videomax.swf
9:33 AM
Thursday, April 28, 2005
This is inspiring.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4608476
3:35 PM
Monday, April 25, 2005
Fake Tide at the Corner Bodega
Jackie and I bought beer, toilet paper, and a big bottle of Tide at the corner bodega down the street from our apartment on Sunday. The bodega had next to nothing on the shelves, but there was one entire set of shelves fully stocked with detergent. We had a lot of laundry to do, so we decided to buy some. It was strange that all of the bottles were dusty, but the entire inventory seemed dusty, so we didn't think too much of it at first.
When we got home we noticed there was a blue line down the side of the bottle - the kind of line detergent leaves after it drips down the side of the bottle. When Jackie opened the bottle, she could tell it wasn't Tide. (For those who don't know, Jackie has a keen sense of smell.) We soon figured out that all of the detergent bottles were dusty because they were all used... they were likely pulled from the barbage. The detergent was probably mixed in a gigantic batch that was later poured into recycled Tide and Downy bottles.
Tonight I wanted my money back, or at least store credit. I stormed into the bodega (after watching to make sure there wasn't a crowd of people by the counter who might laugh as the white boy coming to complain about the bogus laundry detergent). I went to the counter and explained what happened. I was stern yet not accusatory. The guy behind the counter, a different guy than on Sunday, unscrewed the bottle and said, "This is Tide, no?"
"No, that is NOT Tide."
Truthfully, I couldn't tell the difference. But I trusted Jackie's nose enough to stand my ground.
The cashier questioned another guy sitting behind the glass, the cashier from Sunday. He nodded, "Yeah, he was here Sunday."
It was too easy. They knew they had been outed.
I took the store credit and bought some beer. Brewery-sealed Becks.
A word to the wise: Avoid the dusty Tide.
9:10 PM
Thursday, April 21, 2005
National High Five Day
Yesterday was a monumental day. It was Tim Sparling's birthday (yay!), Hitler's birthday (boo!), and a celebration for pot smokers nationwide. Tomorrow is Earth Day, a holiday worthy of celebration worldwide.
But none of these hold a candle to today: National High Five Day!
Need some help getting in the spirit? Check out this inspirational video (wmv format).
7:03 AM
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Interview with Leo Creek
Check out this interview from the Northern Express with Leo Creek, my dad's current project.
The seasoned pros of Leo Creek revive that old time rock & roll
by Rick Coates
“Just take those old records off the shelf…today’s music ain’t got the same soul... call me a relic, call me what you will, say I’m old-fashioned, say I’m over the hill -- I like that old time rock-n-roll.” Prophetic words by Bob Seger when he released that song 27 years ago this May. The song was written during the disco invasion and Seger had no idea that the lyrics would be as relevant today for some as it was for others back then. So if you are looking for that “old time rock and roll,” look no further.
Check out Leo Creek. They are making regular stops at Union Street Station on the last Sunday of the month. The next show is April 24 and the 7 p.m. start is a requirement as they tour in support of bringing back the classics in their Men on Meds and Boys with Bed Times tour.
Now, Leo Creek isn’t some group of old hacks offering up another rendition of “Mustang Sally.” They are made up of four talented professional musicians. Sure they have a few years and a lot of mileage on them, but if you drive a Ford pick-up truck you know it ain’t even broken in until it has 75,000 miles on it. These guys are just getting broken in and are in the prime of their musical lives.
WHO’S WHO
Oh yeah, the band includes Jack Dryden on bass. Now, Dryden lives in Traverse City but is a sought after player in jazz circles and is constantly in demand. On drums is Roger Tarczon. A few years back Tarczon shared the stage with Kid Rock. After the show Rock told Tarczon, “Damn you’re good -- best drummer I have jammed with. Too bad you’re not 20 years younger.” Then there is Tim Sparling, the man on the keys. Sparling has been a long time player on both the local and Detroit scenes. Rounding out the band is a former Traverse City 8th Street resident, Drew Abbott, on lead guitar. Abbott has been around the scene and played on a few stages.
Okay, that might be a little bit of an understatement regarding Abbott; being the former lead guitar player for Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band constitutes a little more than just playing a few stages. When Seger decided to slow things down in the 1980s, Abbott had no such interest in taking it easy. He moved to Traverse City in 1983 and continued jamming. He formed a band, Burning Circle, with Tim Sparling and former Savage Grace vocalist Al Jacquez. The group developed quite the following and played regularly at Union Street Station.
“We produced an album but never released it,” said Abbott. “I guess by the time we got out of the studio, it seemed music was headed in a different direction.”
Sparling felt it was a shame the album was never released.
“We even recorded a song Seger wrote and gave us to record, titled ‘More of You.’ We spent a lot of time and money on the album,” said Sparling. “The album and the song were never released to the public.”
BACK IN TOWN
In 2000 Abbott moved from the area to be closer to his son who was at U-M in Ann Arbor. His son will graduate this May and will be interning at Hagerty Insurance this summer, so Abbott figures he will spend more time up north jamming with his friends and having fun with the music.
“The great thing is none of us are doing this for the money -- we are doing it for the music,” said Abbott.
That is evident. For those lucky enough to have caught Leo Creek in their debut performances at Union Street, you saw a band passionate about the music and performing.
“We are a jam band,” said Sparling. “We are not trying to score wedding gigs. We are four guys that realize life is short and we like to perform music. We said if we are going to do this band thing again we were going to take some songs that might have been forgotten about and pull them out and take them somewhere. Give them new life.”
Abbott has seen the highs and lows of the music industry. He came onto the emerging Detroit music scene in 1967 with his band Third Power. The group released one album, “Believe,” in 1969 on the Vanguard Label. But label executives thought the album was too heavy, never gave it any promotional support and dropped the band literally days after the album was released.
In the early ‘70s Abbott performed as an opener with various Motown session bands. Having been managed by Punch Andrews, Abbott knew Seger; in fact, Third Power had often opened for Seger. In 1972 when Seger decided he wanted to give up guitar playing responsibilities, Abbott was asked to join Seger’s band. When Punch and Seger decided to create a new image for Seger by starting the Silver Bullet Band in 1974, Abbott was the only member asked to stay on (a year later saxophonist Alto Reed was brought back as well).
NON-STOP TOURING
“Having started out playing guitar I was looking to focus my energies elsewhere, primarily my vocals. So Drew was probably the most influential member back in those transition days,” said Seger.
Until this point Seger had a regional following, but when the Silver Bullet Band started backing Seger, his national career took off.
Abbott remembers those days of non-stop touring.
“I was the one guy that wanted to keep going,” said Abbott. “I loved being on the road and playing every night. I never wanted it to stop. But the others did, so when we would come off the road I would go into Detroit and find players to jam with.”
One of those players was Sparling. Sparling was originally from Plymouth and moved to Northern Michigan as a child. While a student at Northwestern Michigan College, he formed Wheeling Bliss with David Fox and Mike Marois before becoming an original member of Newt Cole and The Salamanders. Sparling saw a greater opportunity in Detroit for his music career so he moved to Detroit’s Indian Village in the early seventies. He took an engineering job with the auto industry while forming the popular band Shadowfax and playing regular gigs at Alvin’s along the Cass Corridor.
“I remember that night Drew came in. He had just come off of months on a Seger tour and he was looking for more,” said Sparling. “He got up and jammed with us and we became friends.”
JINGLE DAYS
During the mid-’70s Sparling began writing jingles for the major Detroit ad agencies. He became so successful that he left his engineering job and started his own jingle agency with an office at the Renaissance Center, and often hired Drew to perform on tracks.
Sparling ended up moving back to Northern Michigan and started an automotive parts supply company in Suttons Bay. His company manufactures parts for the “Big Three” auto companies.
For Abbott the early ‘80s spelled the end of the Seger run. Seger was on top of his game but he was interested in settling down and starting a family.
“So that’s what I did. I started a family,” said Abbott.
Abbott invested in real estate in the Detroit area and continues to stay busy managing his properties. He also rides motorcycles and flies airplanes in his spare time. But his real passion remains with music. Abbott was delighted when Bob Seger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year. Seger called on Abbott to join him on stage at the induction ceremonies at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.
“The best part of the whole event was sound check,” said Abbott. “Everyone always plays better at sound check. It was great to see Prince and Stevie Winwood perform at sound check when no one else was around.”
NAME THAT BAND
As for tunes they play, Abbott and his bandmates are focusing on songs they like and are putting their own signature on them.
“I wouldn’t say they are obscure songs, rather we are picking songs that haven’t been overplayed,” said Abbott.
Songs like Buddy Holly’s “Well, All Right,” and Georgie Fame’s “(I Say) Yeh Yeh,” along with tunes from Booker T and a rousing rendition of Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” make this a must-see show.
“I know we joke about this boys with bed times,” said Abbott. “But there is some truth to that. We are getting older and we can’t stay out all night like we use to. Plus we have to get up and go to work in the morning and so does our audience.”
As for the name Leo Creek, Sparling chuckles:
“I think our first gig was for a Christmas party and we were known as Drew Abbott Formerly of Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band,” said Abbott. “When Kate at Union Street booked us in February, she said “What’s the band’s name? I need it for the poster.” Well, I was looking outside my office window in Suttons Bay at the creek that runs by. Its name is Leo Creek so I just blurted out that name. It seems to fit.”
To catch a great classic rock show and still make your bedtime get out and see Leo Creek. The band takes the Union Street Stage at 7 p.m. sharp this Sunday, April 24. Look for Leo Creek on May 13 opening for Jackie Greene at the Bay Theater in Suttons Bay. If you caught Taj Mahal last year, Greene was that amazing opening act.
6:59 AM
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Teach For America on NPR!!!
Morning Edition did a segment on Teach For America this morning. This is tremendously exciting for me for two reasons. First, the segment accurately portrays what we're doing at Teach For America. Anthony Brooks captures the essence of what we're all about, and there is no misinformation. Yay positive journalism!!
Second, I interviewed and selected the first two Dartmouth students in the segment, Alex and Julia. I travelled to Dartmouth last fall to conduct hiring interviews, and Alex and Julia both blew me away with their leadership achievements, their ability tp persevere through obstacles, and the respect and humility they use when influencing and motivating others to action. We are truly fortunate to have them join our movement, and I can't think of two better people to represent TFA in the national spotlight on NPR's Morning Edition.
Please have a listen via the link below. (You will need Windows Media Player or Real Player.)
Teach for America Attracts Record Number of College Grads
by Anthony Brooks
Morning Edition, April 12, 2005 · Teach for America is attracting a record number of applicants this year. The program recruits top college graduates to spend two years in low-income public schools as teachers. At Dartmouth College alone, 11 percent of the entire senior class at has applied.
6:39 AM
Monday, April 11, 2005
I moved!... and then I sliced my finger in half
This will be short because typing is difficult. Jackie and I moved to Fort Greene on Saturday, and the move went well. We hired movers since we were moving from one 4th floor walkup to another. All the stuff is in the place, and our new place is so much larger! I'm so happy about our new digs.
Saturday night I rode to Williamsburg to see OK Go, and they were fantastic.
Sunday I slept in, woke up, and sliced my finger. My old leatherman has a locking knife blade, and I've had it so long I've become used to it. The new one does not lock, and the knife opens the opposite way. So there I am cutting audio wires in the kitchen, I grab the knife and press down to cut the wire. The knife folded back onto my finger, blood started squirting everywhere, and I began cursing up a storm.
Luckily Brooklyn Hospital is just on the other side of the park. I waited in the ER for a few hours, watched the Pistons beat the Heat, and then went back to let a medical student practice his sutures. I ended up getting 6 stitches, and I will try to put up some pictures of my bandage soon. I look like a cartoon character because the finger bandage is enormous.
Relearning to type is annoying - this work week is going to be a struggle.
6:20 AM
Friday, April 08, 2005
This made my day!!!
I have fantasies like the situation described below. Of course, my fantasies are much more violent, and they often include brilliant one-liners by me.
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/67530825.html
Got my bike back, you bitches
Reply to: anon-67530825@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-04-08, 2:22PM EDT
I remember reading about something similar happening to someone else last year maybe...
My bike was stolen about 6 weeks ago. It was locked to the scaffolding in front of my building. Admittedly, I had done a pretty lame job of locking it. I only locked the top tube to one of the pipes with a kryptonite lock. Of course, this being New York, motherfuckers unbolted the damn scaffolding and slipped my bike off and brought it to their den of thievery to grind off my 100$ lock. Man, what a bitch to walk out in the morning to ride to work and just see the scaffolding pipe on the ground.
Fast forward to yesterday when my fits of paranoia about seeing my bike everywhere I went are suddenly justified. It was just a simple specialized hard rock mountain bike, but it had some customizations like the pedals, brakes, fork and bike rack. When I saw it locked up against a bike rack on 13th street, I knew it was mine. Luckily, it was obviously a deliveryman's bike. I just waited patiently for the little chinese guy to come out and when he unlocked, I politely asked for it back. When he feigned ignorance of the english language and was demanding 50$ for it (I guess it's the amount he might have paid for it), I just grabbed it and left. He seemed to know he had bought hot gear since he didn't put up much of a fight.
I'm surprised he only paid 50$ for it since it was a pretty decent bike and I haven't seen anything for sale for less than 100$. All this leads to making me think that there must be some kind of bike stealing cartel that sells specifically to delivery people. How else do they end up with specialized and trek bikes?
Anyway, I'm so fucking happy that I got my bike back. This shit never happens...
Lock your shit people.
this is in or around East Village
12:59 PM
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Teach For America in the news
I copied the editorial below from yesterday's USA Today.
Strides in education
Stepping back.
Until recently, high school juniors in Chicago routinely told college counselor Willard Dix they wanted to apply to college by the early decision process, even if they didn't know where.
That made Dix groan, as it does his colleagues across the nation.
The early decision process requires students to pick a favorite college by Nov. 1 of their senior year. If accepted, they must attend. But, only two months into the school year, few high school seniors are ready to make such high-stakes decisions. Worse, they lose the chance to bargain for financial aid that students have when they're accepted by several colleges in the spring.
Which is why Dix never liked to hear that from his students.
To teenagers, the seductive appeal of early decision is that it shortens a college application process that is about as much fun as applying for a home loan — and even more complicated. And some colleges accept more of their early candidates, which gives those applicants a better shot at getting in.
But the early process is geared less toward helping students than helping colleges control who attends and improve their statistical rankings. Colleges can buff those rankings by grabbing top students early — often filling as many as half of their slots.
Now, finally, more students are resisting.
A study released last week by the National Association for College Admission Counseling provides evidence of a shift away from students applying early. In 2003, 45% of the colleges surveyed reported a decline in early decision applications, up from 24% that reported a decline in 2002.
While the nation's most elite colleges still report increases in early decision applications — 37% of colleges reported that such applications were up in 2003 — the balance of colleges report a step back from the precipice.
Dix, who counsels students at the University of Chicago Laboratory High School, has only one explanation for what he's seeing: Students are coming to their senses.
Stepping forward.
Some governors, too, are coming to their senses on the issue of teacher pay. The traditional way of paying teachers has never made much sense — a lock-step formula based on years of service and degrees earned. Never mind if the teachers are ineffective and the extra degrees useless.
In California, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made performance pay, where salary increases are based on proven effectiveness, the surprising centerpiece of his State of the State address. In New Mexico, Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson wants to contribute $51 million to districts willing to overhaul traditional pay systems. In Minnesota, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants to offer $60 million to school districts willing to experiment with performance pay.
For years, teachers unions have blocked change. Determining pay raises via teacher evaluations tempts principals to play favorites, they say. The teachers have a point. Principal evaluations are a bad way to reward teachers, who do nearly all of their work unobserved in classrooms.
But now a new generation of student tests is arriving that holds the promise of measuring gains made by each class. The payoff potential here is revolutionary. Paying better teachers their true worth could lure thousands of bright candidates into a field they've been avoiding for decades.
The first to recognize that potential are the governors, who are running campaigns with teacher pay reform as a headliner.
There's hope the governors may prevail. Not only has testing improved, but stacks of research reports point to one overriding reason why some students do better than others: Teacher quality. Strong teachers produce strong gains. Back-to-back weak teachers, on the other hand, do real harm.
If states usher in performance-pay reforms, not all teachers will succeed in proving they are boosting learning. But at least they'll have a financial motive for trying.
Stepping up.
Elite colleges don't necessarily produce great teachers. But winning a degree from a top college is a good start. For too many years, the graduates of the best colleges have avoided teaching careers.
That began changing in 1990 when Princeton graduate Wendy Kopp launched Teach for America, a program that asks top college graduates to spend at least two years teaching in some of the nation's most hard-pressed urban and rural schools. Since 1990, more than 12,000 have taught under the program.
More good news came last month: A record 17,000 graduates stepped up to apply for 2,000 Teach for America spots, including 12% of the Yale senior class. That demonstrates the social awareness of graduates who would have little trouble landing higher paying jobs elsewhere.
In addition, these graduates provide a jolt of energy and intellectual fervor to the classroom. Last summer, the first scientific research conducted on these recruits found their students learned more math than students taught by teachers who entered the profession in traditional ways.
The push by governors to reform pay and this recruitment surge in Teach for America are signs that the need to do things differently in education is becoming engrained. And that's encouraging news.
10:51 AM
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Star*ucks
Like coffee?
Hate Starbucks?
Use the Delocator to find a non-Starbucks coffee shop in any zip code.
For more news on the Delocator and the legal battles with Starbucks, check out this article at TheRegular.org.
10:37 AM
Sunday, April 03, 2005
OK GO surprise, and C is for Cookie
OK GO Surprise
I was up in Maine last weekend to visit the O'Neills for Easter interview people for work at Bates College. It was a great trip, highlighted by the Easter egg hunt on Sunday and the OK GO concert on Wednesday.
For those of you who may not know, Andy Ross is the new guitarist for OK GO. A-Ross is the mastermind behind the A-Ross Experience, Secret Dakota Ring, and a former partner in Serious Business Productions. He recently moved to LA to court the lovely and talented Michelle Lawrence, and in LA he auditioned to be the new guitarist for OK GO. Now he spends his days making me jealous and traveling the country on tour with a kick-ass power pop band.
Since I was in Maine for work, Jackie and I decided to surprise Andy at their show in Portland. We surprised the tinkle out of him, and then we stuck around for the show. The venue in Portland must have been cursed since the band broke 4 strings throughout the course of the night. That was great for us, because we got to see all the banter-stalling OK GO had to offer - and it was some great banter. A segment from Les Miserables, a deliciously honky white-boy rap, and a lecture on the finer points of fixing-a-lost-voice-via-steroids. At the end of the set the boys did a dance routine. I'll stop now - you really must come to their show in Brooklyn at North Six on April 9th to see it yourself.
C is for Cookie
But the week's fun didn't end there! Friday night I met up with Mike, Ed, Bill, and Matt to see a variety of shows throughout the night. We started off seeing HOY at Crash Mansion. The guys wore kilts and they had a horn section. It was great fun, and the feud continues.
After HOY we saw Fiona Sand. Besides being incredibly hot, Fiona Sand and her band put on a great set. Hello Nurse was so impressed that we stuck around to schmooze with the band afterwards to try to put together a bill for the future. Fiona's stage energy is on par with Mike's, and she dresses better, so I think it would be a great bill. We'll see if that ever pans out.
But far and away the most jaw-dropping show of the night was Cooke Mongoloid at Tonic. Cookie Mongoloid is a death-metal band fronted by Cookie Monster. All of the songs have Sesame-Street themes, such as counting, the difference between up and down, the number 6 (especially in triplicate), and other nonsense that I couldn't understand because it was so damn loud.
At the beginning of the show Cookie Monster brought out a pneumatic cannon filled with cardboard cookies. He showered the crowd with literally hundreds of cookies. As you would expect at a death-metal concert, the next 15 minutes of the show was a complete cookie war. The crowd was throwing cookies everywhere - at the band, at each other, at the bartenders. It was great fun, and I definitely nailed some people with my ninja-like aim. The band even had dancers, and I couldn't stop cracking up as I biked home afterwards in the rain.
To get a sense of the theater of it all, the band and dancers were dressed exactly like the picture below.
In other news, Jackie and I are moving to Fort Greene on Saturday. And to ease your nerves out there, we will be hiring movers instead of asking friends for help. I think I've called in that favor a few too many times already. All in all, I've moved 10 times since I can remember moving when I was around 4. This does not include moving from dorm to dorm throughout college, which would push the number up to around 15. Moving sucks... but I can't wait to be in the new place. Will post pictures soon.
Please note the time change. Set your clocks forward.
9:50 AM
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