Southpaw Jones

Southpaw Jones presents
Is This Interesting?
Thoughts/feelings that just might not matter:

Well, well, I guess Democrats can still win elections. Last night restored a good chunk of my faith in the system, and it’ll be interesting to see how things play out.

I voted at my local elementary school, where I waited in line for an hour after work. Local rock legend Roky Erickson stood a few folks behind me in line. I stared at the floor. I stared at the art of children. I saw an instruction for hallway movement labeled “Persevere.” True in pedestrian traffic control, true in life. I stared at the floor some more. When I finally got to the booth, I quickly voted straight Gypsy (G), of course.

Last night, I had a dream that Hugh Jackman was muy interested in me. Is he gay in real life? ‘Cause he sure does act gay in my dreams. Anybucket, I’ll have you know that I’m just as hetero in bed as I am…in…bed, but it was hard to reject the poor guy. He’s a celebrity, you know, and he was absolutely gushing about my music and my skin tone. I eventually made it clear that we’re just friends, Hugh Jackman and me. Very soon after, I saw him jogging happily with Heath Ledger, so I felt ok about the whole thang.

I need to stop eating bbq ribs before bed.

Southpaw Jones presents
Online Museum of the Week
www.fadeeva.com/animals.html” target=new>Handmade Stuffed Animals by Natasha Fadeeva:

LEARNED CAT!

Spike Gillespie presents
Spaiku!
A look at her world / seventeen syllables and / three lines at a time:

bubbles likes to poop
in the house. herm doesn¹t mind.
so i married him.

Maggie presents
She Sez
One woman’s womanly perspective:

Broken Social Scene
concert review

On 10/26, I anxiously made my way downtown to Stubb’s to see Broken Social Scene, a long-anticipated event for me as well the rest of the glasses-and-Converse-clad masses. Quality concessions must always be made for outdoor venues, but overall, BSS did not disappoint. The music of Broken Social Scene is a multitude of things, all of them interesting, and these elements were made much clearer in person. They are masters of levels and motif - elevating you until you’re jumping up and down, smoothly pulling you right back down, and then triumphantly back up again. What fascinates me about them sonically is that their vocals often seem to be intentionally sloppy, but their instrumentation is always super tight and clean. It’s that whole hipster thing - trying to appear careless when they’re actually very carefully constructed. Other bands make similar attempts, but few can acheive such authentic grace in manufactured chaos.

A friend noted how their music/concept really speaks for our generation, and this just might be true. This particular style of music is something our generation and the ones that follow may be singularly capable of understanding and appreciating. The slap-dash sparkle of their sonic pallette is both energizing and transcendent. The new songs they showcased were a little too similar to some of the others, but what they’ve forged up until now is lasting and most definitely progressive.

This band’s sound could veer in any of a million different directions and still communicate with integrity and strength. There was a bit more hip-hop influence on their last album, a path I would love to hear them explore. From the mysterious sweetness of “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl” to the driving, swirling electricity of “Superconnected,” BSS leaves no corner unexplored.

Broken Social Scene is a stunning example of what happens when a wildly ecclectic yet refined group of musicians unite their individual, specific energies: sick drums, blazing trumpets, emotive violins, a little harmonica for that post-folk-rock ambiance, and never less than four guitars onstage. What may sound muddled will pierce you when you least expect it. There is always a path to lead you through the layers. They are weightless and grounded at the same time.

This bunch of Canadian band nerds has grown up, tuned in, and is now proceeding to take over the world. And they know everybody. After a bit of (previously neglected) research, it all made sense - their inspiration is bolstered by ingeniously incestuous connections, within and without, to Feist, Stars, Do Make Say Think, Apostle of Hustle, Metric, and The Dears. BSS is essentially the Progress Committee of Indie Rock - a band that will continue to branch off to do good works, and then bring it all back home, if we’re lucky. I left the show dazzled, satisfied, and still intrigued. The key to the city is in their grasp.

Southpaw Jones presents
Lazy Links
Something way more entertaining that I can offer:

Enjoy a group of folks attempting to answer the question,
How do I go about feeling GREAT?

My favorite answers include “a weekend-long bluegrass festival” and “gliding.”

Thank you, come again!
www.southpawjones.com
www.southpawjones.net
www.myspace.com/southpawjones
E-mail southpaw@southpawjones.com
©2006 Southpaw Jones. All rights reserved.