What I Did During My Vacation

I pretty much already told you the answer to the headline above, but here's one thing I forgot: I went to some Thirsty Thursdays at Yale Field. At one of them, my photo was taken for Play Magazine's Gettin' Some feature.

I was taking advantage of Thirsty Thursday a little too much, and forgot about this. So now my photo is in there. Let's make one thing clear: Unfortunately, I'm not "getting any" in the photo, so it seems like it shouldn't be in this section. Anyway, pictured are, from left, friends Stefanie Harris, Harris McCabe and me.

When I saw Play this afternoon, I couldn't help but wish my first name was McCabe. Then the cutline to the photo would have looked like this: "Stefanie Harris, Harris McCabe, McCabe Ferrucci."

I guess it wasn't meant to be. At least this way I can make a lame joke.

Welcome Back To Me

So I am a horrible blogger and friend. You'd think with two weeks, I would have gotten off my butt at least once and updated this here site. Of course, you'd be wrong then.

Well, I'm back. I would say that hopefully now I'll be updating every day or at least five times a week or something, but I don't want to write any lies. I took a look back, since May I've been relatively pathetic with updates. It's my August resolution to be better. You might not believe it, but give me a try!

OK, so what did I do for two weeks? That's a great question. You know how when most people come back from vacation they say it felt like two days or something? My vacation felt like two months. I honestly couldn't wait to get back here. I did do a whole lot, though. In fact, I feel like I lived a lifetime in my two weeks.

So, since we last spoke:

• My softball team went 1-1.
• I went to the Newport Folk Festival.
• I went camping for the first time in my life.
• I experienced considerable back pain for the first time in my life (um, this goes with the one above).
• I went to two Thirsty Thursdays at Yale Field.
• I've listened to many, many good records.
• I planned a trip to a water park but didn't go.
• I saw The Police live and it only took 105 minutes to get to East Hartford.
• I received dozens of mean e-mails and voicemails about my last column.
• I received tons of positive e-mails and voicemails about my last column.
• The Red Sox have begun to make me very nervous.
• I moved from my apartment.

I think that may be it. I know I did a lot more, but you'll have to wait for Friday's column for specifics. Is that OK?

In other news, why is Cal Ripken qualified for this?

I didn't know people still knew who Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan were.

I'm about done now. Let's talk tomorrow. Keep my softball team in your prayers this afternoon.

White Night

Last time I used this space to talk about a Chris Arnott blog entry, we were in disagreement. This time, I couldn't agree with Chris more.

In a recent post on his Arnott of the Arts blog, Chris wonders aloud about the lack of coverage received by The White Stripes in the Advocate, Play and the Register. Here's his money quote:

"So now I'm wondering ... either we all missed the
boat, and should have done more, or The White Stripes
is truly on the way down and few of us really care.
So are we oblivious, or is our relative inaction an
instinct, a prophesy? It's the kind of editorial
decision-making that keeps me up nights."

I struggled with the decision about how much to preview this show. I honestly struggled a lot. I've never been a White Stripes fan. I liked "Elephant" a lot, but I don't ever go back to that record anything. It's a band that just doesn't do much for me. With that said, I'll be at the show Wednesday at the Chevrolet Theatre.

I had a chance to interview the band, could have done up a big preview and ran it in Monday's Life/Style section or something. I chose not to. As an editor, it's one of my jobs to cherry-pick some shows that might not be getting much buzz, that I think are important (or whatever word you want to use) and highlight those. It's also my job to do everything I can to feature shows that are huge, that the public want to know about. For example, The Police aren't doing interviews with the Register about Monday's show, so I'll surely write a lot about this show in my Friday column.

The White Stripes show falls in the middle of this. I mean, it's surely getting covered and people know it's coming, but I also don't think enough people care to truly necessitate a full-blown feature. I declined an interview because of this. Maybe if the show was on the weekend, I would done something up, but it's not. And I didn't put anything in my column because I truly believe people need to know about Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers coming to Watertown tonight. That's an editorial decision. So I ran a photo and a blurb of the Stripes and called it a day.

Did I make the right decision? I'm not sure. I do know that "Icky Thump" has been pretty icky when it comes to sales, so I guess the duo's fan base is dwindling. Even though I don't listen to Jack and Meg, I can appreciate what they're trying to do. I just think the band is (now picture me affecting a California accent), so three years ago.

Did we all miss the boat on The White Stripes? Should we have done more? Should Play have thrown the porn star off the cover? Should the Advocate have made the band a cover story? Should I have run a big feature? Seriously, post some comments. I'd appreciate the feedback. We probably all would.

Hung Jury At Cutters

So I've never really seen "American Idol," but I know who William Hung, left, is. Who doesn't? He was in one of the best episodes of "Arrested Development" ever.

Anyway, this is a quick reminder that Mr. Hung will be appearing at Yale Field tonight during the New Haven County Cutters game. Oh yeah, it's also a Thirsty Thursday ($1 beers!).

I'll see you there. I'll be the one a little intoxicated singing the Hung Jury song from "A.D."

JOY and Midgets

Jenny Owen Youngs has nothing in common with midgets. I really mean that. Even though the photo to the left of this paragraph is small, Jenny's somewhat tall. But I don't think she'd take offense with me putting her in a blog entry that also includes news about midget wrestling.

Actually, knowing how Jenny thinks, I bet she'd be as freaked about what went down at Yale Field as I am. In the previous two years that I've attended the Cutters' annual Midget Wrestling night, two little people have wrestled. Last night, Shortpants Sampson (I think that's his name) faced off against a non-little person ... and a woman. That's right, it was a tag match with Shortpants and some woman, against another dude and a woman.

It was a night to remember. I'll never forget it. But, I have to say it might be time to stop calling it Midget Wrestling, since, you know, that's not really what I saw. But the stadium was the most packed I'd ever seen it, except for that Bob Dylan show a few years back.

So what does this all have to do with Jenny Owen Youngs? Well, not much, except that I spoke with her recently because I was going to write something up before her show at Cafe Nine on July 28. Well, that show's not happening now. Jenny is opening for Aimee Mann in London, so she chose that option over Cafe Nine. I told her it was the wrong decision, but sometimes people feel the need to make the wrong decisions.

Anyway, Jenny is still set to play Daniel Street Sunday night, opening for The Alternate Routes. I've spent a lot of time writing about the Routes and you guys have probably seen them play already, if you go out to local shows. But Jenny, maybe you haven't seen her before.

A few years back, Jenny used to play The Space about every couple months. The venue's then booker, Chris Greenland, loved her music and would put her on bills. So in November of 2004, I got a press kit sent to me by Jenny. It was a, um, low budget kit that normally would have ended up on the bottom of my pile. But the cover letter was hysterical, so I listened to the disc, which was great. I did a little article on a show she was doing at The Space and had a heck of good time at that show.

Since then, Jenny's made a record, had that record re-released by Nettwerk Records, which is, of course, the home to many big artists like Sarah McLachlan. She's also become a favorite of gossip blogger Perez Hilton. Her songs have been on TV, which is the new radio, of course.

In short, all this is happening because Jenny's music is great. You should see her Sunday. She would like you for that. She would also like it if you bought her record. You could also buy it right at the show. OK, that's enough. See you Sunday.

Holidays Mess With Me

I hate holidays. Well, hate's a strong word and I really do love some holidays. But I don't like it when July 4 is in the middle of the week. I mean, my schedule's been real messed up because of it.

But now that the Fourth has passed, CDs are coming into my mailbox like crazy. Normally, that's a really good thing, but for the last week, it's been pretty hellish. Why, you ask?

Well, last week I came in on a day off just to pick up the upcoming Okkervil River CD, "The Stage Names," because I knew it had arrived. I was like a little kid on Christmas morning; I couldn't wait. I listened to the whole thing twice, almost immediately.

The Austin-based band is easily one of my favorite groups, so I just want to listen to the disc — which I totally love — over and over for the next month or so. But, alas, I have a job, and part of that job is to listen to dozens of CDs a week. So you're feeling my pain, right?

But this story gets more horrifying! I know, I can't believe it either.

On Monday, the upcoming matt pond PA disc, "Last Light," arrived. Again, this is one of my absolute favorite bands, and I don't have enough time to dedicate to both this CD and the Okkervil one, and all the others.

I don't know what to do; so I basically sit in a corner, in a ball, and cry myself to sleep. Then I tried listening to both at the same time, but that didn't work either. Although, a little cello makes Okkervil sound cool, and a little mandolin wouldn't hurt matt pond PA.

Anyway, I don't know why I'm sharing all of my biggest problems with you guys. I guess because you're my friends. I love you.

Keep in mind, though, it's only going to get worse as I expect discs from The New Pornographers and Rilo Kiley to arrive any minute now. If I end up dead somewhere, at least you'll know why.

In other news, tonight at Yale Field: midget wrestling and $1 drafts. Those two things go together better than coffee and sugar, or something good like that. I think the good guy's name is like Shortpants Sampson or something. Then they bring in a heel, too. But my friend Shayne hates Shortpants. I don't know why.

That's about all I've got for now. Look for some reviews and previews and everything else that you could ever want in tomorrow's Weekend. If don't see you, have a good one. I plan to.

It's Over

OK, so I got to work today and you know what I did? Yep, I threw away all my Arts & Ideas programs, our story budgets, my Ideat Village press releases ... just about everything from the last three weeks.

I went to a lot of things during this year's Arts & Ideas/Ideat Village season. In fact, I think I went to more events than I have in any of the previous three years I've been here. I saw a ton of good stuff, but whenever these festivals come, my life becomes hell. There's so much to do, so many stories to write, so much prep work that goes into coverage. So when it all ends, I feel great, like the happiest person in the world. OK, that's a huge overstatement, but it's still a good feeling.

---
In other news, the photo at the top of this blog is my new favorite thing published in the Register. If you remember, for a fleeting moment in 2006, I was able to call Mike Church "skip." You know, because he was my manager for a few hours during the Cutters' open tryouts in May of 2006. Mike seems like a great guy anytime I've talked to him, so it's kind of fun to see him all riled up. In other news, the next Thirsty Thursday is July 5. I can't wait.

Another wrestler is dead. I mean, we talk a lot about the dangers associated with NASCAR, and people constantly complain about baseball players taking steroids. I know it's a little different since wrestling is fake and most don't die in the ring, but at some point people need to really have a discussion about why so many young wrestlers die every year.

Haven't we all wanted to baptize someone? Why does this dude need to go to jail?

Lindsay Lohan's crazy-ass mom says her daughter will spend more time in rehab. Well, mommy should get there quickly, too.

I always have hard time reading stories that call Richard Belzer a "comedian." I mean, he's Detective Munch. That's it. I used to have a photo on my fridge of him with all these dogs because it looked so damn weird. Does that make me weird?

So a "Real World" obsessed friend of mine sent me this story about Coral enjoying her "lesbian qualities." Too good.

I think that's about it. I mean, the Red Sox lost to Jeff Weaver last night and that makes me sad. Not to mention, my softball team had its two-game winning streak halted. I cried into my beer for hours last night. Talk soon, OK?

The Advocate And Me

OK, so it's happened. I've been here at The Register for more than three years, and for the first time, I think, I've been blasted in the Advocate, sort of. It's kind of fun. The blog Arnott on the Arts didn't like my column on Ideat Village and Arts & Ideas. Damn.

Take a look at Chris Arnott's blog entry here for the full post. It's really just full of pithy, creative quoting, not much else. He says I "utterly trash a $3.5 million festival of which (my) employer is a key media sponsor." I wish I knew where I "utterly trashed" the event. Here's my original column; let me know where the trashing begins. He says I have a disdain for all arts other than local music. Yeah, clearly.

You would think that a writer as opinionated and usually upfront as Arnott would find it refreshing that I give an honest opinion about not liking dance. Sorry, I don't like it and I'm not going to pretend I do.

Is dance all the "other arts?" I love Ideat Village and what it does for the city. Sue me for making my opinion known in a space dedicated to publishing my, um, opinion.

If you've followed Chris' coverage of the festival, you know he's been incredibly supportive of it. Incredibly. He loves all the dance. I, on the other hand, understand why the festival directors filled their program with dance, but that doesn't mean I have to talk lovingly about it in a column.

I could liberally quote from his piece and write about why he's just grasping for things here, but that would be too long and I have too much work to do. I'll give you my two favorite examples, though. Here's Chris' comment about me linking A&I with Ideat:

Considering that many A&I events involve tickets and reservations, and that Ideat is a low-budget affair that doesn't even pay its participants, you wonder why anyone would even mention them together, let alone choose the oft-seen local bands over therare international visitors.

Why would anyone mention them together? Oh, I don't know. Maybe because Ideat was started as a reaction to A&I? A second festival going on at the same time as, arguably, our city's biggest event would seem like something to compare. But, hey, what do I know?

And here's a quote from Chris' entry about my piece on the seven things I was most looking forward to at A&I (again, another purely opinionated story):

He says he's doing this "for folks like me who can appreciate the way great dance is coming to the city, but actually doesn't want to see any of it" — then makes a modern dance piece, the Headlong Dance Theatre's Cell, his number one choice.

Chris then goes on to say that I clearly didn't do any research and just took a cursory look at the program. He says I could have read his piece on "CELL" and learned more about it. I did that. And, you know, I also happen to sit next to another arts editor who wrote a great piece on "CELL," so I knew very well what the event is about.

His obvious point is that I've made my opinion quite clear on dance, yet I still choose a dance event as the thing I can't wait to do most. Oh, and he did an article that I could used for reference so I really knew what "CELL" was about.

Well, you see, the problem is that I've experienced "CELL" (and I loved it), and there's little dance, as I knew. This whole thing is about letting your inhibitions go and experiencing the unknown. It's about what you think is going on around you, and what really is happening. At least that's the best I can describe it without giving away any details.

I could have told Chris all these things, but, you know, he didn't call me for a quote or anything.

Cat Power And Other Tidbits

Well, Cat Power's "The Greatest" won the Shortlist Music Prize. It's a deserving record that truly gets better with each listen. Good for Chan, huh? Of course, this disc made the Register's Top 20 of 2006 list. Of course.

Um, do you feel the need to know what Horseshack is up to?

I think this article might be a couple of months too late, but it's still an interesting read. Music fans shouldn't be able to get enough of this triumphant Dinosaur Jr. reunion. Woo-hoo.

Kelly Clarkson's never been in love. That's what she says in this piece. Poor, Kelly. I know a lot of people who love "Since U Been Gone," including Ted Leo. I remember when I last wrote about Clarkson, she was touring with the Graham Colton Band and dating Colton himself. Obviously she couldn't have loved him because he makes some real soulless music.

You want to hear the new White Stripes disc? Go here.

So most people I know didn't care for the finale of "The Sopranos," calling it a real cop-out. You know who loved it, though? That's right, Journey. And what a ratings bonanza for HBO.

That's it on this end. My team won our first softball game of the year after starting 0-3, so I'm happy about that. I promise to update more and get out of this early summer malaise. I'm going to try at least, OK?

Goodbye Jeremy

Jeremy Simmons, guitarist for The Tires and a few other local acts, is moving to Philadelphia as I write this. Let's all wish him well.

This is a photo taken by Golden Microphone Dave Kelsey at Jeremy's going-away party last week. That's me and him — he's the one with the red eye, I'm wearing the blue.