Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Reflections on 2009, Part I - Surface Stuff

It has been quite the year. Quite the year indeed.

Considering my last blog was in January (which seems like an eternity ago), I found it fitting to try and sum up the year in a few posts. Since I almost never post to this blog (such a shame, isn't it?), why not start now. I guess Susie getting hers up and running inspired me.

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Some things of very little consequence.

Here are the albums I've purchased/acquired that came out in 2009, starting back in January.

Kelly Jones - Shebang! (To be fair, this album came out in 2008, but I bought it January 1. I met Kelly at the Genius Bar on a fluke. Turns out, she writes and plays with Mike Viola [who wrote 'That Thing You Do' and I think wrote or co-wrote most of Mandy Moore's last record] and I saw her play bass on TV with Mandy Moore. She was super cool, and her album, super catchy.)
Fiction Family - Fiction Family
Dan Auerbach - Keep it Hid
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Sara Watkins - Sara Watkins
United -
A_CROSS // The_EARTH: Tear Down the Walls
Death Cab For Cutie - The Open Door EP
Douglas Detrick's AnyWhen Ensemble - Walking Across (Doug played trumpet in Old Man Funky & the Monks with me and the boys back in high school. This is the first record of his I've heard, and I was legitimately blown away. This record is so good, can't say enough good things about it, seriously.)
Douglas Detrick Quintet - The Turning Point
Works Progress Administration (WPA) - Works Progress Administration
Phil Wickham - Heaven and Earth
David*Crowder Band - Church Music
Blakroc - Blakroc
The Nandertys - The Landing Session

That last one was the album that Chris, John, and I recorded on their last day in the house. It was really, quite fun. We rehearsed once, two nights before, then recorded it in one morning between 8:00 and 9:00. We included our seminal hit, 'Super Bowl' along with a bunch of covers, it's really great. Really great and poorly executed. Check out www.thenandertys.com.

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I saw some pretty good shows this year too. Here's a brief list.



Fiction Family at the Aladdin


Sara Watkins at Mississippi Studios


Dave Chappelle at Pioneer Courthouse Square


Immediately followed by Dave Chappelle in front of the Heathman


The Long Winters at Bumbershoot (Nabil's last show!)


Quasi at the old Washington High School Theater


Incredible Yacht Control at Routture


A week or so after the first one, The Long Winters at Berbati's Pan


Works Progress Administration at the Doug Fir


They Might Be Giants at the Crystal Ballroom


John Roderick and Kathleen Edwards at Mississippi Studios

That last one might be one of the coolest shows I've ever been to. Really awesome performances by both of them. And really fantastic beef stew served for dinner.

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I also played some shows in 2009. Here's some pics and video from that.



This was me playing with Ravishers (my buddy Johnny Barker's band) at the Doug Fir. I'm in the back on the left of the guitar choir. This was crazy fun. John's in there somewhere on the left, Rian Lewis and Bret Vogel of Crosstide on the right side too. Kudos to the Ravishers dudes who put this video together.



I played bass with my friends Chris Nye, Kelsey Upward, and Alexandra Geffel in our one-off band, the Cows in the Fox Field. We played a show at Muddy Waters on Belmont. Our friend Max shot some of the show, here's a little vid he put together.


I joined a band on bass that ended up playing only one show: Rose Cauthren & All Things Red. This is with Akila Fields on keys, Spencer Jones on drums (and a little guitar, like this picture), and the lovely Rose Cauthren. We rehearsed for months, then disbanded right after we got really good. Oh well, right?


The a fore mentioned Nandertys? Here's us.


Of course, I continued to do my church thing at RHCC and Willamette. Here's me for one of the Fusion meal nights at RHCC. This is right after I got my Les Paul. I really like this shot of me, no matter how bald it makes me look.




Here's me playing at Willamette Christian Church with the most excellent Mike Hohnholz leading worship. This band was so tasty: Mike, Beka Smith singing, Taylor Straton on lead, me on rhythm, Graham and Dan locking it down on drums and bass respectively. Music starts a few minutes in on the first one, then at around the 45:07 mark on the second one.


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So there it is, the surface stuff of 2009. We'll get into some of the other stuff that happened in a few days. Until then, chew on this, the many of you that made it this far.