jeff’s voxian bits

Tourfilter.com seems exactly the combination of needed functionality plus well thought-out usabilty I have wanted in a service to track bands and tours. I have widely devergent tastes in all kinds of musical genres and am also not the most frequent concert-goer. However, for the shows I do want to catch, it really sucks when I find out the day AFTER the show that they were in town.

The problem is compounded by the fact that most of my bands rarely come through Dallas, or even Texas, for that matter. Anyone in the IDM space, the Ninja Tune stable or Massive Attack and associates being an example.

So, as with any service like this, crowds are key, so please take a look and signup for a few of your bands. I'll be signing up for a couple of cities to see what happens.

City Beach

Luscious Jackson made some of the most original tunes of the 90s. I am still quite a fan and don't think that sounds has really ben captured by anyone else, particularly the "city" feel that was so present in both lyrics and sound. Jill Cunniff, former singer for the group, has just released her new solo effort, City Beach. It's definitely a mellow guitar-infused departure from some of the funk of LJ, but it's nicely layered with just enough electronics to make this boy happy. I'm on my first listen, so I'll folow up after a few more.

My day is made excellent. I just heard the new Tracey Thorn track on Jason Bentley's KCRW show. According to her myspace page, It's the first off the new solo album and looks like it just went up at iTunes UK today. I can't wait to hear the rest. Everything But The Girl have always had some of the real long-players in my collection.

DemoCampDallas 1

Dallas has been burning with activity in the social media/Web*.* space in the last year or so. BarCampDallas, in January of 2006, somehow managed to bring out a huge amount of people with similar interests and made great , lasting connections for many of us.Whether it's geography or lack of common gathering areas, it has always seemed difficult to do so in the past. For me, it's been a great way to learn about a lot of the innovation and innovators in Dallas. Seeing that there are people as passionate as I am about exploring new ideas in technology, user experience and media is exciting.

DemoCampDallas1, on February 15 at Sabre Labs, will be another generation of BarCamp goodness. Whereas BarCamp is definitely about the participation, DemoCamp is about the show. A tiny version of the DEMO conference, it's about showing what you've got, quickly and succinctly. Perhaps it can be considered a warm-up for that pitch you are itching to make. It's free, easy to use, and well worth the visit. No participation required, but input always welcome.

Get all the info and signup at the DemoCampDallas1 page.

By chance, and due to a "walk to the office day" I got to catch the documentary "Subdivided: Isolation & Community In America." This is a a topic Elisa and I, and several of our friends,come back to again and again. It details the rise of suburbia in America since the 60s and asks some very important questions. The film focuses on the Dallas area as an epicenter of the McMansion and general suburban living. If you can catch it, it will be airing again this weekend. I recommend it, and would love to hear opinions from those who care and those who just haven't noticed. Check it out.

I've always wondered if it's my small-town upbringing, or something much bigger, but the uncomfortable perfection of this area is something that I've never quite gotten used to. The isolation of the suburbs is something you can feel for yourself in so many places. There are other theories about suburbs encouraging fear of urban centers, etc. in the literature these days as well. Rem Koolhaus, among others, us has some interesting writing and thinking on these issues.

I've got a theory I've been trying to wrap my head around for some time about the importance of entropy, of imbalance, to keep things interesting, and even beautiful. I think it's what makes Europe, nature, much music, even people, so interesting. Somehow, there is less mental challenge, less "surprise" without it. Daily visual monotony can't be healthy for the soul so I'm making an effort this year to document and expose more of those interesting places and things in my world. More on that later...

Happy New Year to everyone. I'm looking forward to some very interesting times ahead.

In this most digital lifestyle, I love the IDEA of sending out handwritten cards to everyone. I'm not talking about sending out a letter with the yearly update, although I do think that's a good idea for keeping distant, unconnected relatives in the loop. I'm talking about actually sending a decent message wishing the best to your friends and family who, even if they ARE digital, you don't stay in touch with as much as you would like. We've made sad, minimal efforts in the past, but I was determined to get a few out this year, and may still. I have the cool cards. I have the right pen. I'm sure it's relatively painless to buy holiday stamps at my local automated Post Office machine ;-)

Cinnamon Rolls

I really love that little ultimate American food invention - cinnamon rolls in a can. I'm not sure if I actually love the rolls themselves as much as I like the nostalgia from my when I was a kid. There's something a bit "Tang-like" about them, isn't there? Baking right now...at 400 degrees.