smokerblog

Sam's Heart is Broken

First Ted and Julie and Abby stayed over on Thursday night without bringing Kayla along, then Kari went to visit her parents in NC for a long weekend. Sam will cheer right up again Tuesday night when we pick Kari up at the airport.

Ted and Julie and Abby were passing through on Thurday on their way to Joel Miller's wedding in Canada, held on the penninsula between Georgia Bay and Lake Huron. We all had a nice visit, played with Abby and kept having to scold Sam who was expressing his frustration at missing his girlfriend by trying to steal Abby's binky. I borrowed the digital camera from work for the weekend and got a few good pix of Abby that I'll eventually get around to posting.

Two 911 Calls in Three Days

The first of the calls probably should not have been a 911 call, but we didn't know who else to contact. Sunday afternoon while mowing the lawn, I saw a stray dog prancing up Clinton Ave. having a jolly old time. After I decided he seemed friendly, I was able to coax him toward me. He was really a sweet dog, probably a German Shepherd/Chow mix. We trotted back to the house together where Sam and Buddy let me know from behind the living room window that they did not like the sight of me with a strange dog.

After calling 911, I saw a blue pickup driving up and down the street v-e-r-y slowly. I waved him down and sure enough the dog hopped into the seat like nothing was amiss.

So then, this morning Kari was walking Sam and noticed a strange box on the side of the road next to the park. She looked inside and saw a dead chicken with it's head cut off. She called 911 and within 10 minutes the police showed up to dispose of the chicken before kids started walking by on their way to school. Freaky!

It's Sounding Very Mid-rangey

I made last minute plans to see the California Guitar Trio last night with Seth at the Montage Grill. After waiting 30 minutes for a seat (after we bought tickets!), then enduring what must have been a 45 minute delay because of sound system problems, not to mention the noise from the bar and health club next door, we were treated to one awesome show. If CGT is ever in your area, you need to check them out.

You're not likely to ever hear musicianship of this caliber in musical styles as wide-ranging as what you'll hear in a typical CGT concert. Last nigt we heard Beethoven's Ode to Joy (the fingering was amazing!) followed by some rocking surf guitar. They also took "Ghost Riders in the Sky," slid into "Riders of the Storm," then combined the two. There was a Bach piece (a partita, I think) where each guitarist played every third note, some hillbilly blues and a piece based on the melody of an ancient Japanese folk song. For their encore, they played Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Plus, (plus!) all of their original music was spectacular as well.

It was great how it turned out, especially after the band came out and played a song, realized the sound system wasn't right (the bass was totally missing from one of the speakers) then had to wait so long for the system to be set up again. Big thumbs up for the band, big thumbs down for the Montage Grill.

Sam's Toe and Buddy's Butt

We should get a preffered customer card with our vet. We made an appointment today to get Buddy's anal sacs "expressed" (here's a link if you really want to know what that means...) and then this afternoon Kari noticed that Sam was limping on one foot so we made an appointment for him as well. "Sure! Bring them both in!", the vet says. They love us there.

Of course as soon as we got home, Sam started walking normally. I think he heard Kari make the appontment for Buddy and didn't want to be left behind.

Jammin' at High Falls

Great show at High falls last night. Medeski, Martin and Wood were simply awesome. After they finished their hour+ set, George quipped, "That was just their first song." The music didn't stop, as they jammed their way from one tune to another. Despite Denny's protestations, I thought speical guest DJ Logic added something to the live show. There was once or twice, right at the beginning of the show where I thought his scratchings were intruding on the music, but he quickly worked his way right into the groove.

We caught the tail end of one of the opening acts, Anders Osborne w/ Big Chief Monk Boudreau, who played some real good basic funk and blues. What really made this act stand out was (a) the Sousaphone in the rhythm section and (b) Big Chief Boudreau's Big Bird-colored, P-funk Native American costume, complete with gigantic yellow headress. This'll give you the idea.

First Blog Entry

This is my first blog entry using the new software I just installed, movable type. It's some pretty sweet software. Add a comment below and let me know what you think!

Jazz in Rochester

The Rochester International Jazz Festival begins today and lasts until next Saturday. I'm planning on catching a couple of the acts for sure and maybe trying to get out and listen to some new acts that I haven't heard before. I plan to see Medeski, Martin & Wood and the California Guitar Trio later in the week with concert aficionado, George. One of my college roommates, John Sneider recommends his friend Chris Potter who plays tonight.

Speaking of my friend John, we saw him briefly this past weekend when he was in town for the Swing'n'Jazz Fest. It sounds like life has been keeping him busy. He and Robin are closing on a house and John enjoys his job as a composer, mostly for commercials. Check out some of his work at JSM Music (it's a pretty cool site, too - requires Flash).

And... while we're on the topic, if you live in the Rochester area and enjoy jazz, you probably already know about John's brother Bob Sneider a world-class jazz guitarist, right here in Rochester. If you haven't heard him play yet, you need to give him a listen. He's often at the Little Theatre on Friday nights, and at other venues around town.