I found some new Nuevo Mexican Place a few doors east of A16 that was so crowded they were milling around in the street.   Mamasitas I think it is called.  The food was good, but not sufficiently tethered to traditional Mexican to really work. 

Someone recently was explaining that they don’t hang out in the marina because of the “Marina Brads”.    I need to come up with another name for these blokes though, since I know a Brad from the Marina, and I don’t want to implicate him.   But I do like that expression, cause I think it conveys a lot.  Everyone reading this in Atlanta, for instance, pretty much knows what I am talking about. There was some serious Marina Steveage there.

A friend from work complemented the Slowdown yesterday and I thanked her, and said that I think I could be a bit more generous.   She said, “Sure, you’re a bit mean, but that’s what makes it fun”, or something close to that. The point is, she thought I was admitting to  being too harsh and judgmental, but what I really meant by “generous” is that I don’t explain enough.   I try to get my thoughts out in as few words as possible.  I know, in fact I am painfully and shamefully aware, that every sentence I write would be better as two (or Zero). But what are you gonna do?  The other ('Another', I should say)  problem I have is the frogger complex, which is that I leap to the next subject the first chance I get.  It’s like I was explaining to Jason: When you give a speech, don’t memorize the content, memorize the transitions.

For some reason I was thinking about “Halleluiah” last night as I left Mamasita’s. 

I don’t know why, exactly, but it had something to do with that “Red Right Ankle” song, which I should have said more about yesterday. It’s really good. I mean, you don’t get better than “Oh, adhere to me/ For we are bound by symmetry/And whatever differences our lives have been /We together make a limb.”   It’s something of a back pocket song, though it could be a bit cheerier.

Buckley’s “Halleluiah’ is ultimate back-pocket-mix-tape song. ’ “New Slang” by the shins is a popular one.   Much of that Garden-State soundtrack, in fact, was an attempt to capture this feeling.  These songs are eminently accessible yet contain semi-opaque lyrics, Most contain a flattened song structure to support the extra verses: There is no big bridge and crescendo formula.  All these characteristics lend itself to a sense of timelessness. I call them back-pocket songs because they are usually big things in small packages, and you want to keep them near you to get you out of a pinch.

I had more examples, but my iPod is down.

M. Ward’s “ O’Brien” is too brilliantly obvious.  Son Volt’s “Mystifies me” is a bit too edgy, what with its roots folk thing going on. Otherwise those two would be great examples. I like these songs more than most back-pocket songs for precisely the reasons stated.  Calgon, by Swearing at Motorists, needs to be put somehwere.  (Seriously, follow that link and click the Calgon song. How cool is that?!)

One thing about Halleluiah though:  What stands out there is virtuosity.  Jeff does the common uncommonly well in that song. He’s not showing off his pipes, or ripping the string of his Stratocaster, he’s just doing something singing and playing, perfectly.

Hey, I just thought of something obvious.  Clap Your Hand Say Yeah is what you listen to in order to get into Neutral Milk.     There, I just killed two birds with a rock.  They are half-way between the Shins and Neutral Milk Hotel.

Go listen to the songs by Clap Your Hands here, “Naomi” by Neutral Milk, and then you will be as primed as you’re going to get for NMH’s Aeroplane Over the Sea.      Assuming you have nothing better to do.

Hey, if you’re in a good mood, this will get you out of it. It’s the trailer for the Townes Van Zandt Documentary. It looks really, really depressing.  I already know he was as troubled as he is talented-- you can’t listen to him and not-- I don’t think I need to see a documentary on the matter.  A movie, maybe.

Any of you Canadians know where this is?  I want to go. Is it close?

May 27 - George, WA SASQUATCH w/ Sufjan Stevens, The Flaming Lips, The Shins, The Tragically Hip, Sam Roberts, Iron & Wine, Neko Case...

I still love the Tragically Hip. If I hadn’t given up on trying to make my friend listen to them, I would be pointing out all the Hip’s similarities to teh Hold Steady.  Instead, I offer you  'Courage' on their myspace page, or  this very old and strange 80’s music video.  Warning: Its old, Strange and 80’s*.  I think that as far as live performances go,  he’s the best frontman in rock, so you really need to see live footage to appreciate them. And you need to be Canadian.