Tag: energy

folk in the city

This collection runs the gamut from solo acoustic singer/songwriters to blues to alternative rock, and nearly everything in between.

For some people, the words “folk music” conjures up images of old white guys with acoustic guitars singing squared up traditional tunes. The listeners of Forham University’s WFUV (Bronx, NY) are among those who know better. Every week day they get fifteen to seventeen hours of music in a program block called City Folk.

In the industry, the genre is known as adult album alternative, but for the common people, it’s just folk music; as in music about the common person and for the common person. Stylistically, this can range from solo acoustic singer/songwriters to blues to alternative rock, and just about everything else in between.

Along with playing recorded music, the station hosts and broadcasts concerts performed at Fordham University and local New York venues, as well as in-studio interviews and performances. Since 1998, WFUV has been putting together annual compilations of the in-studio performances, and last fall they released City Folk Live 9.

This collection is music-only, which is a pity since some listeners would probably enjoy hearing snippets of the interviews as well, but the trade-off is worth it. Eighteen live tracks by eighteen very different artists and bands results in 72 minutes of music that keeps the listener’s attention. As with listening to the radio, if a particular song does not appeal to you, just wait a bit (or skip it) and something different will follow.

The performances and production are so spot-on that except for a bit of reverb to give it a concert hall feel, it almost sounds like slick multi-tracked studio production. The sheer volume of in-studio performances allows the City Folk Live producers plenty of options to avoid weak recordings while still selecting tracks from both this year’s darlings as well as long-established musicians.

City Folk Live 9 has something for everyone. My personal favorites are Brandi Carlile’s “Throw It All Away,” Rosanne Cash’s “House on the Lake,” and Alejandro Escovedo’s “Arizona.” All of the other tracks are quite listenable, including the blues and soul tunes, which are outside of my usual genre preferences. One of the advantages that a live recording has over a studio recording is the energy and presence of the musicians. This can draw in listeners who may not have otherwise paid attention to the performer.

Fortunately for WFUV, but perhaps not quite so fortunate for those outside of its listening area (and who are unable to listen online), the only way to get a copy of City Folk Live 9 is to become a member of the public radio station. It seems a small price to pay for a strong folk compilation such as this.

Track listing:

  1. David Gray, "The One I Love"
  2. James Hunter, "No Smoke Without Fire"
  3. Wood Brothers, "Luckiest Man"
  4. Rosanne Cash, "House on the Lake"
  5. Alejandro Escovedo, "Arizona"
  6. Mason Jennings, "Be Here Now"
  7. Gomez, "Girlshapedlovedrug"
  8. Nicolai Dunger, "My Time is Now"
  9. Ben Taylor, "Nothing I Can Do"
  10. Brandi Carlile, "Throw it All Away"
  11. World Party, "Is it Like Today"
  12. Sonya Kitchell, "Train"
  13. Dr John, "Such a Night"
  14. Ben Harper, "Morning Yearning"
  15. Lewis Taylor, "Stoned"
  16. My Morning Jacket, "Off the Record"
  17. T Bone Burnett, "Baby Don't You Say You Love Me"
  18. Josh Ritter, "Thin Blue Flame"

#1

I’m starting over on the 50 Book Challenge. Last year I read 23 books. This year I hope to get closer to my goal. To assist in that, I’m trying to change the way I read books.

For most of my life, reading a book meant reading the book cover-to-cover in one go. I don’t have the time or energy for that anymore. My body won’t let me read until dawn and still function at work. So I stopped reading because I didn’t have the hours set aside to do it.

Now I’m trying to keep a set sleep schedule: 10pm-6:30am. I need eight hours of sleep in order to be fully rested, and this gives me enough time to dink around in the morning before going to work (as I am doing right now). This means that if I want to read, I have to do it before 10pm and stop at or around 10pm. I didn’t know if I had enough discipline to put down a book when the time came, but I was able to do it with the first book of 2007, so I’m hopeful.

The Empty Chair is the fifth book in Diane Duane’s twenty-two year long tale of the Romulans. The first four books (My Enemy, My Ally, The Romulan Way, Swordhunt, and Honor Blade) have been collected and published in an omnibus entitled Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages which was released last month along with The Empty Chair. I have been eager to read this final book ever since I finished the cliffhanger Honor Blade in 2005, and I was quite frustrated with my local bookstores for not carrying it. However, I was able to pick up a copy during my holiday travels.

The plot is complex and well-executed, but as with most Duane books, it isn’t as much about the plot as it is about the characters. She is one of few authors who writes Kirk so sympathetically that he doesn’t come off as an arrogant ass. I have particularly enjoyed the character development and insight into Rihannsu (Romulan) culture that this series of books has provided, and The Empty Chair neatly brought everything full circle to end the adventure with sufficient closure.

It’s much longer than the other books, clocking in at 421 pages (mass market paperback). I suspect that Duane would have preferred to split it into two novels, since there are a few minor plots that were not fully played out, and the ending battle seemed a bit rushed and anti-climactic compared to other events in the book. However, it is still a satisfying read.

Any interested readers should pick up copies of the previous books first before tackling this one. Although it can stand on its own, there are many references to previous events, and it would help to know the details and the weight they carry. Even though I have read those books in the past couple of years, I found myself struggling to remember exactly what happened and who was involved.

I’d like to go back and re-read the entire series without the long gaps between books, but that will have to wait. I still have 276 unread books in my house that await my attention. Sigh.

BSG

A few weeks ago I watched the episode of Battlestar Galactica with the Galactica doing the free-fall drop through the atmosphere of New Caprica. I was quite impressed, and not nearly as freaked out as I was after watching the miniseries and first episode. I now have “The Story So Far” sitting in my iTunes … Continue reading “BSG”

A few weeks ago I watched the episode of Battlestar Galactica with the Galactica doing the free-fall drop through the atmosphere of New Caprica. I was quite impressed, and not nearly as freaked out as I was after watching the miniseries and first episode. I now have “The Story So Far” sitting in my iTunes folder and a few more episodes, um, recorded and waiting to be watched. Haven’t had the time or energy to actually watch them yet, but I plan to.

In related news, I hope everyone saw today’s Dilbert with the BSG reference.

turning thirty

Now thirty ain’t like fifteen And it’s not like twenty-five My back’s a little stiff And there’re some lines around my eyes But I’ve still got my energy And I’ve got most of my hair And I’m not too old to rock ‘n roll And I’m not really scared Of turning thirty “Turning Thirty” – … Continue reading “turning thirty”

Now thirty ain’t like fifteen
And it’s not like twenty-five
My back’s a little stiff
And there’re some lines around my eyes
But I’ve still got my energy
And I’ve got most of my hair
And I’m not too old to rock ‘n roll
And I’m not really scared
Of turning thirty

“Turning Thirty” – Randy Stonehill

An Interview with Susan Werner

“I believe that we can be a diverse society of extraordinary creativity and innovation and vitality and freedom, and those things are the best things that we can be.”

Susan Werner, PatriotMy introduction to the music of Susan Werner was in the fall of 1999 when a friend who produced a local acoustic music radio show lent me copies of Time Between Trains and Last of the Good Straight Girls. I was instantly enchanted with the sincerity and wit that Werner brings to her music. Her last album was a thematic collection of songs that sound like they are from the 20s and 30s, but are all orginal and new. Recently, Werner made available for download a song she describes as an alternative national anthem. “This is a song that takes the National Anthem and turns it on his head,” says Werner. “It’s Francis Scott Key meets Arlo Guthrie.” I had the pleasure of speaking with Werner about the song a few weeks ago.

Continue reading “An Interview with Susan Werner”

interruption – gorman & ala

I promise to get back to writing up my thoughts on the NASIG conference. It’s been a busy two weeks. As you can see, I ran out of what I had written while at the airport and I haven’t had the energy or time to get back to it. Meanwhile, I read Karen’s thoughts on … Continue reading “interruption – gorman & ala”

I promise to get back to writing up my thoughts on the NASIG conference. It’s been a busy two weeks. As you can see, I ran out of what I had written while at the airport and I haven’t had the energy or time to get back to it.

Meanwhile, I read Karen’s thoughts on the latest Gormangate episode, and they became the final tipping point in a decision I’ve been trying to make. As a result, I bring you my open letter to ALA, which I also sent to them by email this afternoon:

Dear ALA,

Some years ago, I let my membership lapse because my income and expenses were such that I couldn’t afford to continue it. Since that time, I have found myself in a better paying job and I have been thinking about re-joining the association. However, I have been unimpressed by president-elect Michael Gorman and the anti-technology, anti-progress statements he has been making publicly in the past several months (re: bloggers, Google Print, etc.). Since he is the future leader of the association, I have to wonder if ALA is right for me.

I have concluded that if the majority of members would choose a leader who prefers the past to the present, much less the future of librarianship, then it’s not an organization that I need to be a part of. For now, I will participate professionally in other areas of librarianship, and perhaps reconsider membership in the ALA sometime after Gorman’s tenure.

Respectfully,
Anna Creech

core journals

Rather than spending tremendous time and energy attempting to come up with a functional allocation formula for the journal collection, perhaps it may be more useful to come up with a core journal list specifically for my institution and a long-term collection development plan based on that core journal list? Hm.

Rather than spending tremendous time and energy attempting to come up with a functional allocation formula for the journal collection, perhaps it may be more useful to come up with a core journal list specifically for my institution and a long-term collection development plan based on that core journal list? Hm.

what has anna been up to lately?

You may be wondering why all of a sudden this blog got rather quiet. Or not. In any case, I’m going to tell you if you decide to keep on reading this entry.

You may be wondering why all of a sudden this blog got rather quiet. Or not. In any case, I’m going to tell you if you decide to keep on reading this entry. I have wanted to write this entry for three weeks, but since it’s a long story, I haven’t had the time to do so (or the energy when I had the time). Most likely, by the time I actually get to writing it out, it will be much shorter than all of the mental versions of the story and then I’ll feel silly for not having written it already. Speaking of which…

I have a new job at Central Washington University that starts September 7th!!!!

Oh, there I went and gave away the ending. Silly me.

This whole thing came about rather quickly and unexpectedly, and I am still having trouble adjusting to the idea (and the work) of moving across the country to a place I have never lived and where I know virtually no-one. If you told me a year ago that I would be leaving Kentucky for the Pacific Northwest I would have laughed in your face. Heck, if you told me that six months ago, I would have done the same. Lucky for you that you are not a gabby psychic.

Last spring, some friends in Oregon told me about the job opening for the Serials and Electronic Resources Librarian at CWU and encouraged me to apply for it. I did so, but with the expectation that I would never hear from them and that would be the end of it. I was wrong. They not only wanted me for the position, they also made me an offer I couldn

nasig day 3 & 4

I ended up having only one more chance to get online while at the conference, and that was during the closing session at Centennial Hall. It didn’t seem to be appropriate to blog while listening to the final vision session, so I decided to wait until I returned home.

I ended up having only one more chance to get online while at the conference, and that was during the closing session at Centennial Hall. It didn’t seem to be appropriate to blog while listening to the final vision session, so I decided to wait until I returned home.

Continue reading “nasig day 3 & 4”

a light at the end of the tunnel

When I returned to work on Monday, I had recovered from the frustration and stress of the previous Friday, so fixing all of the problems I had encountered with SFX was a much more feasible task than it had seemed before the weekend. In fact, with a clear head and a few MySQL passwords, I … Continue reading “a light at the end of the tunnel”

When I returned to work on Monday, I had recovered from the frustration and stress of the previous Friday, so fixing all of the problems I had encountered with SFX was a much more feasible task than it had seemed before the weekend. In fact, with a clear head and a few MySQL passwords, I was able to get most everything done that wasn’t working for me before. As it stands now, pretty much everything is working as it should be. There are still a few more bugs, but I expect those will be cleared up within the next week or two.

Ever since I discovered the joys of keeping up with several weblogs through my RSS aggregator, I have been doing a lot of reading, but not so much writing. Not that I did all that much writing before, but for instance, this week I didn’t write anything at all, and that was mainly because after reading blogs, email, books, and journals, I didn’t have the energy to think of something of my own to say. So, here I am at 1:30am on Saturday, typing away.

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