Jam On The River-World Party & The Blue Method

This past Saturday, my girlfriend & I went to the Jam on the River at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia. The humid, sunny climate made it an ideal setting for catching some rays, drinking some awfully sweet rum blends (courtesy of sponsor Captain Morgan), and grooving to the nice vibes of various bands.

The Blue Method
First up for us was The Blue Method, a Philadelphia-based old-school R&B funk band with keyboards, guitar, a killer horn section, backing vocals by a trio of beauties, and the deep-voiced frontman/trumpeter, Brian Williams. My favorite song was "Something Divine", a love song that is pure Philly soul.

The Blue Method (Brian Williams in blue)-Jam On The River-Philadelphia, PA, 27 May 2006

The Blue Method's website

World Party
The next band we got to see, and the highlight of the event, was World Party. Co-founded back in the 1990s by ex-Waterboy Karl Wallinger, World Party's music is a bit difficult to pigeonhole; I like to think of it as melodic pop rock with bits of funk and folk. This time around, the band includes John Turnbull on lead guitar amd David Duffy on fiddle and mandolin. Wallinger, who lost his voice for a time after suffering a near-fatal brain aneurysm, joked with the crowd; it appeared that not very many in the audience knew World Party's music. The band's set lasted over an hour, and featured some really nice songs, including "Put The Message In The Box", "She's The One", and "What Does It Mean Now" (which has been getting a lot of airplay recently on WXPN). Afterwards, on my way to the bathroom, I saw Karl standing by a barrier having his ear bent by someone trying to promote his band. So I ran up the steps, grabbed my girlfriend, and ran back in time for us to both shake his hand and congratulate him on his performance. He was very gracious. Good to have you back, Karl!

World Party, from left to right: Karl Wallinger, David Duffy, John Turnbull-Jam On The River-Philadelphia, PA, 27 May 2006

World Party's website
World Party's myspace site

How 'bout Those Phils!

My sweetie & I got to see a fine Phillies game yesterday, a 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. There was a solid homer from Ryan Howard (man, that dude can hit), a nice catch from Aaron Rowand (his second game back since the fence-crash injury), and Chase Utley beating out a grounder to start off the fifth inning. Nice work!

This was only my second game at the Park, and as before, I was not disappointed. The sight lines are great, the food & drink are easy to find and reasonably (for a sports event) priced, and the concourses were clean and friendly. Let's just hope the Phils can hang with the Mets and Braves as the season goes on, and get back to the playoffs this year. A word to Pat Gillick (Phils GM): another solid pitcher ... or three would help!

No Major Blog Post Today/"Lost"

Sorry, my friends, but not much to add today except perhaps for a few additions to the links over on the right. It's a fairly slow news day ... and besides, tonight's also the two-hour season finale of "Lost".

Localism: Win One, Lose One

When I was a kid growing up in the 1970s near Philadelphia, my family would usually shop locally, which meant local stores on the major roads, or the local malls. Driving - or taking the El downtown to Center City - now, there was a treat. Although the transformation of Market Street from scary porn shop district into a convention area was still years away, the Gallery at Market East was brand new, and anchored at one end by Strawbridge & Clothier's, one of the grand old department stores of the city. Founded in 1868, it went through a few ownership changes in recent years (and a name change to Strawbridge's), culminating with its closing today. An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer explains part of the magic it used to work:

Featuring marble floors and polished mahogany counters, wide aisles and gracious staircases, plush restrooms for the ladies and in-store fashion shows by Junior League debutantes, Philadelphia's grand department stores stood as beacons ofstyle and set the tone for public decorum.

The rest of the article explains how S&C, along with the late Wanamaker's store further up on Market Street defined department store shopping in Philadelphia for decades. Now, I'm not arguing that these old stores weren't dinosaurs that had outlived their usefulness. Millions of dollars being were spent to lure shoppers back downtown, to no avail. But what bothered me a little is the loss of another local name, its local roots, and tradition, to a national chain.

But there is some good news. The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, are returning to local hands. They had been put up for sale after the Knight-Ridder media chain sold the papers a few weeks back. As an avid newspaper reader, I have been following the decline of these papers for years: the loss of good writers, the dumbing down of the content, even the reduction in the paper's size. I hope better things are ahead.

Philadelphia Inquirer Story About Strawbridge's
Philadelphia Inquirer Home Page

My Blog's Name-The Jane Siberry Connection

Because inquiring minds want to know how I came up with the name for this blog, it's rather simple ... I thought it was clever (and not just as a pun).

There's a song by Jane Siberry, a singer-songwriter from Canada called "Everything Reminds Me of My Dog". It was on her 1989 record Bound By The Beauty, and I liked it from the first time I heard it. It's a little bit corny, surprisingly witty, and entirely whimsical.

The Pentagon 9/11 Video & "United 93"

Following a Freedom of Information Act request by Judicial Watch, the Defense Department has finally released a fuller version of security camera footage showing Flight 77 smashing into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Of course, this is unlikely to end the allegations of conspiracy theorists, which do not bear repeating here. But it got me to thinking yet again about how the events of that day still resonate with me today.

Recently, my girlfriend & I saw "United 93". This is one of the most important movies I've seen in a long time. Without sensationalism or sentimentality, it effectively shows how the passengers of the airliner revolted against their captors, and in so doing, prevented an even greater calamity. We'll never know all of what happened or was said on the plane; the film is based on phone conversations, cockpit recordings, and a little conjecture. But it rang true with us. The confusion, frustration, and horror of air traffic controllers and officials (many playing themselves) monitoring the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the hijacking of Flight 93 also seemed very believable. Every American, or at least every one that still cares about our country, should see this film.

They Shall Beat Their Swords Into ... Guitars?

The continuing civil war in Colombia gets some attention from time-to-time here in the U.S. Between the drug traffickers, the "left-wing" and "right-wing" guerillas and death squads, and a government that veers from repression to corruption and incompetence, it must be really tough to survive amidst such violence and chaos. But a story I read gives me some hope that there are some good people there who are trying to turn things around through the power of music.

Here's the article about how guns are being turned into guitars.

The GOP Split & Bush's Balancing Act

I was listening to the Howard Eskin show on WIP yesterday, and a caller was damning the Republican Party over the immigration debate. Now, I normally don't think of many callers on that station as Mensa candidates, and this one was no exception. This guy clearly didn't know what he was talking about. So, here's the Cliff's Notes guide to the big divisions in the GOP that have been laid bare over this whole thing.

Senate GOP-mostly favors the "guest worker" program, mostly backed by the Big Business lobby
House GOP-mostly favors punitive measures against illegal aliens already here in the U.S. and the companies that hired them

There are compelling arguments for both major sides, but as far as the growth of the party goes, I think the Senate GOP reform plan will have to prevail. First, to deport 12-15 million people is not just wrong and impractical (logistically), it's bad PR. Second, the GOP should not be so stupid as to alienate Latino voters. In 2004, President Bush got nearly half of the Latino vote. Given the GOP's positions on some issues, there is a natural affinity with this growing constituency that any halfway smart politico would want to cultivate.

The President's plan (such as it is) is not perfect. It doesn't make everyone happy. But I don't know how everyone can be made happy. It is a compromise. In politics, which is real life, after all, not everyone can be made happy. And at a time when we need to come together in this country, this is as good as place as any to start.

Where's Ross Perot?

So I was watching the President talk tonight about immigration and his proposals, and at one point, among all the thoughts I had, was a brief memory of a phrase from years ago: "giant sucking sound". No, not about Mr. Bush, or former President Clinton, either. Rather, it is what independent presidential candidate H. Ross Perot said during the 1992 race would be the sound of jobs leaving the United States for Mexico if the North American Free Trade Agreement were to be adopted. Of course, the treaty went into effect on January 1, 2004, and since the 1996 election, Perot has pretty much dropped out of sight.

But I got to wondering if he has had anything to say about today's issues. Turns out, not much. In this brief April article, he shares his thoughts about the U.S. educational system. Suffice to say, he's not happy about it.

And, according to this recent story, Mexico is now losing ground (i.e., low-wage jobs) to the 800-pound economic gorilla: China. Uh oh.

So What Exactly Does This Perfume Evoke? Lunch?

My vote for the catchiest pop tune so far in 2006 is "Perfume", by the long-lived band Sparks, from their new record Hello, Young Lovers (which I intend to purchase and review in the next few weeks). "Perfume" is a wonderfully bouncy song with elements of synth and a nice string section in the middle.

Besides the huge list of perfume and fashion house brand names, there's this one line that cracks me up:

"The olfactory sense is the sense
that most strongly evokes memories of the past.
Well, screw the past!"

Anyway, I was thinking about this song again when I read today that a new perfume is being introduced to the world, a perfume that smells like blue cheese!

It seems that the Stilton Cheese Makers Association hired an aromatics company to create a new scent, Eau de Stilton. Said perfume is a "symphony of natural base notes including Yarrow, Angelica seed, Clary Sage, and Valerian".

Mmmmmm ... blue cheese perfume ...

Stilton Perfume Story
Stilton Cheese Site

A Little Bit Of New York On Mars

For over two years, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers have been roaming the surface of Mars (on different sides of the planet), drilling into soil and rock, measuring the atmosphere, snapping photos, etc. The builder of the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) on the spacecraft is a small company named Honeybee Robotics. Its main offices are located a few blocks from the World Trade Center site in Manhattan. Following the attacks of 9/11/01, the company decided to pay respect to the deceased in an unusual way. With help from the Mayor's office, some tiny bits of mangled aluminium debris from the site were acquired. Engineers pounded and formed them into cable shielding parts, and installed before launch.

New York Times story about Honeybee Robotics
Honeybee Robotics-official website

The Icelanders Know Their Icelandic

I've long had a thing for quirky music, but even I was little aware of Sigur Rós, the famed Icelandic band, until I started dating my girlfriend and got to hear some of their ethereal music.

So, I recently checked out their website, downloaded a few tracks ... and then saw one of the more interesting pages I've seen. Knowing that some of their fans around the world might stumble of the names of the musicians, the site includes a handy pronunciation guide, with mp3 files for each sound. For example:

sigur rós si-ur rose (the i is like the i in "hit". "rose" is said very quickly)

Remember, everyone, trill those "r"s!
If I ever go to Iceland, at least I'll know how to sound a little more like a citizen after I seriously attempt some of the language.

Icelandic pronunciation guide (courtesy of Sigur Rós)

Invasion

I don't watch too many television shows; I mostly look at news or sports, or old Britcoms on PBS. But I have been watching "24" this year, and I'm fully immersed in "Lost". I'm also watching "Invasion", which follows "Lost". It's a freaky, conspiracy theory-driven drama which first started airing in September of last year.

So, here's the basic plot: a hurricane hits a central Florida town, people start acting strangely. Mariel Underlay (Kari Matchett), a physician, can now hold her breath underwater for many minutes, after disappearing the night of the storm. She's married to the town's sheriff, Tom Underlay (William Fichtner), who was the sole survivor of a plane crash in the Everglades years ago, and seems to know a lot more than he's saying.

I like that this creepy story has been slowly unfolding and revealing its secrets over the course of the season. But there have been similar shows over the years. Two other somewhat similar series, "Surface" and "Threshold", premiered around the same time and faltered. The difference with "Invasion" is that it does have its moments of dark humor. This was part of the appeal of "The X-Files" and "Twin Peaks", and what helped to doom "Millennium". Hopefully, it will help save "Invasion".

Record Review: Weekend-Audible

One of my favorite indie bands these days is Audible, out of Philadelphia, PA.I thought their 2005 record, Sky Signal, was a nice blend of intelligent and catchy pop tunes, particularly "We Were Wrong" and "Sound Makes A Circle" (which I believe was featured in an episode of The O.C. on FOX). Two of the band members, Mike Kennedy and Jim Kehoe, have also played in the better-known (for now) matt pond PA, which has included other Philly musicians who likewise have other projects, like Sean Byrne of Twin Atlas.

Well, the band has a new, self-released EP called Weekend. I listended to it twice today and it's terrific. "Wildwood", a tribute of sorts to the Jersey Shore resort town, really rocks. And, a new version of "Five Pirates" is more accessible and livelier than the one on Sky Signal. Check them out!

From Weekend, an mp3 of "The Fireman"
Audible's website
Audible's myspace site
Audible's April 23, 2006 session on woxy.com

Strange Bedfellows

When the House of Representatives brought articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s, one of the leaders of the effort was Rep. Bob Barr, a Republican from Georgia. Barr often said he was compelled to do so because Constitutional principles were at stake. It was never that Clinton got a BJ (or is that a Lewinsky?), but rather because he committed perjury before a federal grand jury. Now, years after retiring from Congress, Barr's back on the scene, going after another sitting President of the United States, through his work with the ACLU.

This story from Newsmax.com details how Barr thinks Bush is breaking the law by not exactly following parts of the Patriot Act ... and how the Congress is letting it happen. So, like Judicial Watch, yet another example of a "conservative" acting on constitutional principles, rather than political expediency. Now if only Barr can convince the ACLU to treat the 2nd Amendment the same as the other parts of the Bill of Rights.

Bob Barr story on Newsmax.com

New Jersey: Ummm ... We Got Nothin'

Well, it was just bound to happen. Some of you out there might remember that the state of New Jersey for some reason thought it was necessary to adopt a new state slogan and paid a New York-based consultancy $260,000 to come up with the totally lame "New Jersey: We'll Win You Over" last year. Once the public stopped laughing (although not too hard, that's still a lot of money), Acting Governor Dick Codey announced a contest for a replacement slogan. The winner, "New Jersey: Come See For Yourself", wasn't received a whole lot better.

OK, you may stop laughing. After all, this time, the new slogan was free, more or less. Just one problem: there's a reluctance by state officials to go with it because it may already be in use elsewhere. The Atlantic City Press wrote about a few days ago.

Now how this happened is going to be an interesting story, if, and when, it comes out. I mean, no one thought about compiling a list of all other state and city slogans in an Excel spreadsheet to check against? In the words of John Stossel, give me a break!

Anyhow, I remembered another country's tourism slogan my girlfriend thought was so cool. So, how about we adapt it: "New Jersey: Where The Bloody Hell Are You?"

Atlantic City Press article about state slogan
Australian Tourism

To Hell With Them

The details are rather simple, and sickening: On February 10, 2004, outside Philadelphia's T.M. Peirce Elementary School, a 10-year old boy, Faheem Thomas-Childs, was killed in the crossfire among various thugs. Since the initial outrage and shock, and recently, the trial of the two insignificant evildoers charged with his death, little seems to have changed. 380 people were murdered in the city in 2005, the highest in several years. Many of these crimes will be unsolved or unprosecuted because many people choose to remain slaves to fear, rather than tell the truth about those they know to be responsible.

Indeed, the father of a witness who contradicted her earlier statements to police in this case was charged by Philly D.A. Lynn Abraham just last week with getting her to lie on the stand during the trial. And, this past Friday, the two "men" charged and found guilty for Faheem's murder were sentenced to life in prison. An account of their cruel, twisted, and hateful behavior in court can be found here. Since these individuals, like so many, have contributed nothing to society as of late, but death, fear and destruction, I won't ruminate on their multitude of evils. Their day of reckoning will come.

Faheem's mother, according to the story, was a model of decorum and dignity. She is an example of a courageous woman and mother. I wish, for the sake of the city, and the country, there were more people with her bravery, instead of the cowards and slaves who seems to dictate the course of justice these days. I wish her peace, and will pray for her and her family.

Faheem's murderers sentenced