Tuesday, December 04, 2007

end of year stuff

wherethehell did 2007 go? it's already been a coupla weeks since i submitted my end-of-year "best of" list (which i invariably revise before doing the same task for the village voice) to the i-94 bar. here's a round-up of things i dug this year.

1) a whole lot of good local records: john nitzinger's kiss of the mudman, p.p.t.'s tres monos in love, the fellow americans' search for numb, addnerim's the potential threat, blood of the sun's in blood we rock, carey wolff's i'm still the darkness (and urizen's universe will be out before the end of the year). already looking forward to the release of already completed newuns by stumptone and goodwin in 2008, and the result of sessions that are planned for the new year by the great tyrant and pablo & the hemphill 7. whew!

2) reunions: two of my favorite bands that i never got to see during their actual existence got back together to play reunion shows this year -- spot and bindle. i'm hoping we haven't seen the last of the latter outfit; film, as they say, at 11.

3) jazz: as enumerated elsewhere, there's more jazz being played on the evening stage in this town than there has been since the regrettable demise of caravan of dreams. three of my favorite manifestations: jhon kahsen's bi-monthly avant-garde evenings at sardines, dave williams' ornette coleman repertory band ornettology, and the fifth avenue jazz collective.

4) books: the publication of julian cope's japrocksampler, joe carducci's enter naomi, and tom wright's roadwork, three of the best rock tomes i've read in many moons.

5) "legit" music: the fort worth symphony's mahler festival and herb levy's other arts presentations of modern music (performance artist ellen fullman; pianist louis goldstein performing pieces by morton feldman and john cage). one symphony muso i know says the three-evening mahler event was "the best we've ever played," and the one night i caught definitely inclines me to want to hear more of our orchestra. levy promises more performances in '08; i'm noting the dates so i can ask for those nights off from work!

6) playing: stoogeaphilia is me and four friends who just happen to be my favorite local players on their respective instruments, playing music i've wanted to play since i picked up a guitar in what's become, for me, a serial peak experience. my gratitude to them knows no bounds.

7) gigs: aside from the stoogeband (this comes after because i'd _always_ rather play than watch, no matter who it is), there was that 1 guy at the wreck room, fred's fest at fonky fred's, the entahr last weekend at the wreck (r.i.p), and the great tyrant's halloween extravaganza at the chat room.

bring on the dancing horses.

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