WASHINGTON REDSKINS NAME CONTROVERSY

People are clamoring for the scalp of the Washington football Redskins. They want the “Redskins” to cease being the “Redskins“ They want to change the team’s identity!



It’s because everyone thinks that “Redskins” is a derogatory racial slur referring to skin color and bigotry. But actually, “Redskins” refers to the color of paint that certain Indians located in what is now Newfoundland used to paint their bodies--it was red. It’s as simple as that!



This red color would be flashing quite boldly during wartime, giving them a spectacular aura!  Settlers called this particular Indian tribe--the Beothuk--“Red Indians” for the lavish body painting. As that noble tribe is now extinct, sports teams such as the Washington football Redskins may be seen as doing honor to the Beothuk--preserving their memory!



When that National Football League (NFL) franchise in the 1930’s, then in Boston, took the name “Redsins”, it’s likely that the impression they wanted to make was one of toughness and prowess on the field of battle. Note the prominent use over the years of a spear in the team’s logos and on their helmets--hardly pejorative!



Back in the day, it wouldn’t have made sense to call a particular tribe the “Red Indians” if all Indians were already considered “red.” It would have been redundant. In fact, all Indians weren’t as a rule referred to as “red” or “redskin” or “red anything”. That’s more recent.



In lieu of name-changing, the Redskins could be encouraged to refine their image by making the Indian’s appearance on the team logo more realistic--a lighter skin tone matching that (estimated) of the Beothuk Indians, and highlights of a bright brilliant red pigment applied as best as we can tell they did.



Proud Redskins owner Dan Snyder can say it was all one big misunderstanding. Problem solved. Game Over. Now if winning some real games was as easy!



Sources:

The Quebec History Encyclopedia

The Smithsonian Book of North American Indians

Wikipedia--Washington Redskins

STEVE & ACE RELEASE SMASHING SMASHUPS! CD

For this cd-full-of-mashups--Smashups!-- Steve & Ace have tapped into their own catalog--transformationally electrified--and mixed in some potential future hits along with a decent amount of improvisation. At times, if you’re familiar with the material, you can pick out hooks from the originals. But the real magic of Smashups!comes from the creation of wholly fresh-sounding work here.



Steve--the man, and Ace--the guitar, have been making music together for quite a long time, but this is their first effort as an electric, multi-track outfit. As usual, the sound is rather unconventional. It’s sort of like hard rock meets new age crossed with classical mixed with a kind of punk metal avant-garde adventure movie soundtrack..



The guitar sound has a 50’s feel--with modern effects added. Methods of strumming the guitar produce percussive sounds that serve as rhythm makers. And so a wall of sound is constructed, in effect, from nothing more than one guy and one guitar--with utilization of a pickup, an amp, a pedal or two and some software



The vocal stylings range from cathedral--esque chanting to mock TV newscasts and commercials. Some of the “voices” are created by Steve’s playing the guitar a certain way; others are spawned in the studio by the layering of tracks. Which is to say, most of the vocals on this record are self-generated yet more or less “found.”



Overall, the sounds evoke epic visual dreamscapes of frenetic activity, as well as moments of serenity and wonderment, that are highly cinematic! The voices seem to be coming from a variety of depths and with a diversity of purpose and urgency. Some of it sounds like radio transmissions--having problems with interference.



Enjoy it over popcorn! Sounds best played loud! Cheers!


Now, a related post.
More on Steve & Ace’s new record “Smashups!” What they’re doing here can be seen as a rather revolutionary fusion of rock with classical.



They take your basic rock hook--sticking out like a sore thumb--and embed it in the composition. This way it can grow on you.



A couple or more guitar (tracks) play the same song/chord changes out of sync and/or in a different style or tempo. This provides some harmonies and some dissonance. Another guitar (track) usually plays an entirely different song or a medley of some--creating a polyphonic effect.



Often, guitars improvise or noodle around. There is an occasional solo/prominent bar or two. These serve to develop the theme, a lynchpin of classical music structure.



The drum section of a R&R band is covered by Steve & Ace with guitar percussives. Certain ways of interacting with the instrument can produce rich sounds that are rhythmic yet not overly melodic. At times, elements of the mix are rather industrial, or like a jet, or the wind and its effects.



Vocals are shared by a plethora of voices that seem woven into the mix. You’ve got a range from really high-pitch Alvin & the Chipmunkish to bassy Darth Vader-like. There are delighted voices saying things like “oh, joy” and “we’ve just won a million dollars” to desperate voices such as “what’s going on?“ and “we’re going under!” Expressions range from the mundane “it’s like 32 degrees outside”, to big questions like “where is the body?“ It’s a cornucopia of voices, really--Gregorian chanting alternates and overlaps with Dante’s Inferno, making it potentially polyphonic both vocally and guitar-wise..



To trump the devil’s advocate: if all of this sounds like the perfect recipe/storm for a train wreck kind of record, let me assure you--Steve & Ace is/are no gimmick. The music may sound like a train wreck at times--literally--but not figuratively The unique style on display here developed out of years of guitar practice sessions, a plenitude of weeks-at-a-time songwriting marathons, hundreds of hours recording vocals and acoustic guitar (3+ cds-worth), and decades of listening to a great variety of music (including one decade of regular show going in NYC--from CBGBs to Carnegie Hall).
Rock On! (With Class)

PS--When somebody mentions classical music, the first thing one generally thinks of is a symphony orchestra. While Steve & Ace’s wall of sound could be considered an update in that vein, the music also bears a striking resemblance to classical chamber music--as if a string quartet’s two violins, viola and cello have been transformed into electric guitars.

HOCKEY RUINED BY TOO MANY BLOCKED SHOTS (by anyone other than the goalie)

The annual Washington Capitals playoff disappointment has drawn the accustomed debate over how, and how much the team and/or their front office ought to be shaken up.


One recurrent complaint is that the team’s freewheeling, aggressive offensive style of play, which is rather effective in the regular season, fails in the playoffs because the opposing defenses play harder.



Rather than accept this compatibility problem, it’s possible to take a more aggressive strategy. The Capitals should push to have the National Hockey rules modified, or clarified, to address the tactics other teams are using on defense. Theses tactics include sprawling in front of shooters to block the shot.



The risk vs. potential payout ratio for this behavior is too high for defenders during most regular season contests. But with so much at stake in the Stanley Cup playoffs, it’s like you’ve got multiple goalies out there.  Imagine if during the Major league Baseball Playoffs and World Series, the position players all started pitching from various locations--it would be pure chaos.  Extreme defense trumps a good offense.


That’s an angle the Capitals--and anybody who really appreciates the aesthetics of good sport--could take in arguing their point. Surely the official rules of hockey forbid teams from having more than one goaltender on the ice at anytime. These players who are using their bodies as human shields are de facto part-time goalies.


Do soccer rules permit any player other than the goalkeeper to use their hands to deflect shots on-goal? Of course not! It’s time for hockey officials to review the rulebook and take some appropriate action. A player who goes to the ground of his own accord so as to block a potential shot on goal ought to be penalized.

Goaltending should be for goaltenders only. Sliding proponents might say that we shouldn’t restrict the movement of a player and that it’s not fair to do so since it punishes those who are good at it. My reply is that someone being good at cheating doesn’t excuse it. If a soccer player trips up the one with the ball it’s a foul--no question.

If laying down to block shots is OK, someone ought to bring out a pair of Sumo wrestlers. Together they should be able to effectively seal a 4’ x 6’ hockey net--one is the goalie, the other a defenseman. You could skate 4-on-5 and never lose.
They'd have to change the rules!

THE FUGITIVE

We deserve a logical explanation for why tracking dogs weren’t brought in during the wee hours of Friday morning to capture Boston marathon bomber suspect #2 who had escaped afoot there in Watertown.



One can think of some possible answers. Maybe they figured he’d bleed to death from the wounds he’d gottern in the preceding gunfight. So they’d be able to just go out there in the morning and pick up a corpse. But they didn’t know if he’d had first aid training, and besides, they wanted him alive to find out about his links.



Maybe they just didn’t think using dogs would work due to some specific aspect of this situation. Oh yeah, like what? This seemed like a perfect opportunity to turn the hounds loose.



They didn’t want to risk the lives of the handlers and the dogs. This suspect was armed and dangerous. Well, isn’t that often the case with men on the run? They could’ve sent a well-armed posse along with the tracking dog(s).



Until we get something credible from the authorities, we’ll just have to consider other sources.

Here, then, are some possible conspiracy theory explanations for the no-tracking-dogs faux pas/gaffe/overlook/oversight.



The authorities don’t want us to defer to animal intelligence, as it could lead to us realizing how stupid humans are. Dogs, for example, have much better sense of smell and hearing than humans, along with by and large having more endearing personalities.



The dog(s) who track down this suspect would become attain overnight celebrity status--which current celebrities wouldn’t want as they’re all the jealous type.



The TV networks and their sponsors didn’t want to slay the goose that laid the golden egg.. TV ratings were sky high during the search for the suspects--it was like OJ Part 2.



The military industrial complex, which includes homeland security, wants us to be impressed with its fancy gadgetry --night vision goggles , armored suits, helicopters, video surveillance, etc. Training a dog and executing a canine search don’t require a lot of expensive technology.



Idea for cartoon

An elderly woman is answering the doorbell. At the door are several heavily armed swat team types. To the one in charge, holding up a photo, she says “Oh yes officer, he’s upstairs napping. He asked to rent a room for a couple of weeks while he sorted some things out. Nice young fella!”


Addendum: I’ve figured it out. The authorities thought about sending the dogs out but concluded that the risk level to the dogs and any accompanying handler was too great given the suspects’ evident indifference to life and the possible possession of more bombs--as had been thrown at the cops that night. Besides, who could say that the suspect didn’t have the ability to place a land mine? And not knowing where the blood trail ends until it ends somewhere out there in the darkness could have jeopardized their lives in one last firefight, as he might see/hear them coming.


In other words, the authorities likely figured that they pretty much had the suspect pinned down by closing off roads in the area. So they probably just decided to call it a night and pick up the chase in the morning, deeming the suspect not likely to be an immediate threat overnight as long as everyone stayed inside.

A BLOODHOUND, A BLOODHOUND: MY KINGDOM FOR A BLOODHOUND !!

In all of the post-manhunt celebration for the Boston marathon bombers capture--dead or alive (one of each), there have been few complaints heard about a card the authorities probably had in hand but for some reason, or due to some logistical circumstance--they didn’t play it.




I’m talking about a BLOODHOUND !!! Why didn’t the FBI, the Boston police, or somebody--anybody bring one of these dogs to the scene of suspect #2’s disappearance near where he abandoned his stolen car. Let the dog sniff around at the fresh blood there and watch him take you without fail to where the suspect was hiding.



I’m no expert, but it seems like a no-brainer. Use dog, and suspect is virtually a guaranteed capture in less than an hour. Or don’t use dog , and see what you got--an entire metropolitan area shut down all day Friday and into the night.



So why hasn’t the mainstream media even touched on this subject? Conspiracy theorists might say it was for the tv ratings. People around the nation, maybe even the world, were glued to their tv sets (if not on the Internet) for hours at a time while the manhunt was active. It was as mesmerizing as O.J. Simpson’s Bronco chase !!



Nobody wanted a little old sniffling dog to come in and steal the limelight. That’s old-fashioned homeland security, not the kind of high tech equipment that’s going to make the big bucks for the 21st century military industrial complex



For an idea of just how effective these dogs are check out this website: MythBusters Episode 148: Hair of the Dog. Link to: mythbustersresults.com/hair-of-the-day..



Even if you decide to send a dog out there with a couple of fully-armored handlers, and a dozen or so of your best shooters wearing night vision goggles, you can still do a neighborhood check at more or less the same time. There was no shortage of law enforcement personnel at the sight. And, like with walking and chewing gum, one activity need not interfere with the other.

ON THE SIDE OF GUN SAFETY (WHO ISN'T ??)

The people who oppose the National Rifle Association (NRA) ought to consider a name change from “Gun Control” Supporters/Advocates to something more positive, less to do with big government intruding into your 2nd amendment rights. To much of America, “Control” signifies “Regulation” which means the common man giving up his right to self-protection because of a bunch of lily-livered communistic city folk and big government. And an individual described as “controlling” is felt to have a personality disorder.




The anti-NRAers might try “Gun Safety” to describe themselves. Who wouldn’t want to be on the side of “gun safety”? Big Brother doesn’t want to take all our guns away, they just want us to handle them carefully--so the reasoning goes. The name is the thing. Look at how the term “safe sex” caught on. It’s unlikely that “rubber sex” would have had the same positive impact.

BOSTON MARATHON HUNT: NO SHORTCUTS ALLOWED

The authorities tonight finally captured suspect #2 in the Boston Marathon Bombings. They credited a tip from the Franklin Street resident and owner of the boat on the property where the suspect had holed-up nursing his wounds. This man had seen the blood at the boat site and reportedly saw the stowaway suspect there, too. It isn’t clear whether the suspect saw him back, and if so, why he didn’t flee at once. Perhaps he was too weak from blood loss.



The cops already were pretty sure they had drawn blood at the scene of a shootout the night before less than a mile away. There was a spattering of blood at the location where the suspect had abandoned his stolen car after driving it away from that shootout. So it’s pretty likely there was a trail of blood that could have been used to track the suspect overnight. A trained bloodhound could have easily followed that blood to wherever the suspect had gone.



But rather than employ a dog to do what they do so well, the authorities went about the time-consuming chore of going door-to-door within a specific radius which, as it turned out, wasn’t quite long enough to ensnare the suspect. The dog would have trailed the suspect afoot even until the last drop of blood fell from his body, if necessary.



If the suspect had been able to stanch the outpouring of blood sufficiently to create a gap in the path, by afternoon the authorities should have been able to present the dog with an overall scent profile--like a dirty sock or undershirt--of the suspect since by then they’d accessed his apartment.  Or the dog could have just gone on body scent that accompanied the blood--and/or from the car.

PONDering Tiger Woods' Performance at Water Hazard

People arguing about Tiger Woods’ misadventure on the 15th hole Friday at the US Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, ought to get straight about how many strokes Woods was actually penalized.



His first stroke bounced off the flagstick into the water.



His second stroke was a phantom one allowing Tiger to effectively pick the ball up and place it on dry land. Sine the ball is generally lost in the water hazard, the player simply drops a fresh ball approximately where on the coast the original ball went into the water or at some other designated spot. This is often referred to as a penalty stroke but it actually is a courtesy enabling the golfer to stay dry.



His third stroke was the one he hit from the shoreline onto the green.



His fourth stroke was the putt he drilled into the hole.



Now it gets interesting.



His fifth stroke was assessed to him for the amount (one stroke) he was estimated to have benefited from his misdeed---which was dropping the ball slightly beyond the range designated. Tiger himself has said that his placing the ball thusly enabled him to chip the ball within relatively easy one-putt distance. So he had saved himself one stroke by cheating--that needed to be taken away.



That leaves the imaginary sixth stroke as the one-shot penalty--for turning in a false report, i.e a card on which he does not penalize himself 1 stroke for dropping the ball in the wrong place.


Tiger turned in a card with a 4 on the 15th hole. If the Masters officials had approached Tiger before he turned in his card and he had corrected it--to a 5, he would have spared himself the penalty for turning in a bad card, but would still have been penalized for committing the drop infraction in the first place. And so by making Woods’ score a 6, he is being punished for overlooking his offense.


Masreers officials may characterize the assessment of strokes somewhat differently, but the above analysis is probably a decent analysis of the thinking that weent into their decision.

TAI CHI & BASEBALL PITCHER

The major league baseball season starts today--April Fools' Day.  And if the 2013 World Series goes the distance, Game 7 will be on Halloween....

In the meantime, a profound similarity has been observed in the athletic forms used by American baseball pitchers and those utilized by practitioners of the Asian-based athletic discipline tai chi.



While taking 10-form integral tai chi lessons at a community center in Fairfax, VA some of the tai chi movements were easier for me to learn than others. They seemed familiar--kind of a déjà vu feeling. Then I realized that I was tapping into muscle memories from years ago on the high school pitching mound.



Continuing my lessons, I’ve been amazed at the number of common motions encountered. Baseball pitching is a “spring coil release” type of movement while tai chi is considered “self defense redirect”, so there’s no inherent reason for the resemblance.



Tai chi began in Asia about a thousand years ago, whereas baseball originated in America a mere 250-or-so years ago. There is nothing historically indicating any notable influence of either one upon the other.



It hoped that this startling similarity will contribute to greater cross-cultural awareness, and could have implications in fields like robotics.



Here are the tai chi forms I’ve discerned approximated in the traditional baseball pitcher’s windup (animal names, in sequential order): Buffalo (reverse), Earth, Buffalo, Turtle, Phoenix, Frog (reverse), Crane, Phoenix (again), Tiger, Butterfly. Component slices of the forms are used in constructing this hybrid form.



Many baseball fans in 2013 have never seen a pitcher begin by raising both arms overhead and clasping the hands --something found in tai chi’s toad and tiger forms. But just forty years or so ago, elaborate windup styles--as evinced by such greats as Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver and Vida Blue--were commonplace.



And sixty years ago, the style in vogue was even more extended, as pitchers like ace Bob Feller started off with a swinging back-and-forth of the arms. That movement corresponds to elements of the turtle and buffalo tai chi forms. The present era tendency towards abbreviation of pitching motion may simply amount to trimming some fat. But note the prevalence of arm injury among current throwers.



Some movement analysts have recommended that pitchers incorporate tai chi into their training routine because research has shown it improve balances--obviously a key component in pitching since the player is standing on one leg or the other for most of the delivery while doing a lot of maneuvering around--as in the tai chi form for the crane. And when a pitcher drops his hands from overhead down to waist level, it resembles a component of the reverse toad form.



The most-photographed point in the pitching delivery is when the pitcher’s throwing arm is cocked back while striding forward. This posture is nearly a mirror image of the pose of the phoenix in tai chi.



The release and follow-through movements bear some resemblance to elements of the tiger and butterfly forms of 10-form integral tai chi--the one I‘ve been studying, although a bit of a stretch since the hands move together in them--which clearly doesn’t occur in this section of the pitching motion. However, broadening out to other 10-form tai chi styles on you tube, I did find some movements more like throwing.



So it may be possible to cover the entire pitching delivery via tai chi. A good editor could probably splice together a nice video. To further demonstrate this similarity, a researcher could get some serious tai chi students who have little knowledge of baseball and teach them pitching motion strictly by tai chi. Call it an extended hybrid or composite form. Video that routine and present it to the general public. Ask them what they think it is. Make sure students are diverse and neutrally clothed--not all wearing baseball caps so as not to lead the audience.
See how many of them see a baseball pitcher’s motion.



Check out some good examples of tai chi forms and baseball pitchers on my you tube playlist “Tai Chi & Baseball Pitching.” and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Includes archival pitching footage of Walter Johnson (1920s), Dizzy Dean (1930s) and Feller (1940s), along with Koufax, Gibson and Seaver (1960s to ‘70s).

Happy April Fools' Day, y/all!

GET OUTTA MY WAY--IT'S APRIL FOOLS' DAY !!

Basketball Rules

Charging fouls are too prevalent, and inhibit the smooth flow of the game. They penalize the
player who drives to the basket--reducing point totals. It’s not fair for a player to make a strong move to the net only to have it ruined by someone who jumps in front--like a street bum hopping in front of a car for a payoff--it’s demeaning.


And how is the driver/shooter supposed to avoid contact? The rule should be modified so that once the player with the ball en route to the basket leaves his feet you cannot get a charge call for defenders who are not already in place. If a defender is set in the path of the driver before he takes off it could be an offensive foul if contact occurs while the driver is ascending, and a no-call if contact occurs while the driver is descending. But defenders who pop out in front of the basket while the driver is in the air deserve to be mowed down like bowling pins.



What’s a guy supposed to do when he’s flying in the air and some hotshot moron steps onto his landing strip? A collision is unavoidable, and it’s the defender’s fault. It isn’t good athleticism to hamstring great leapers.


Addendum 4/6/13


Undercutting the Game

I’m not going to say “I told you so”, but the bad charging call by an NCAA official in the closing seconds of tonight’s basketball game between Syracuse and Michigan likely cost Syracuse a berth in the championship game. These charging fouls are having way too much influence on the outcomes of big games! The whole spectacle of defenders “taking the charge” and dramatically flopping about is a perversion of good sportsmanship! Hey, if you can’t take the heat of the game inside the lane, you can just stick to the perimeter!



Many years ago, it took a Final Four travesty display by North Carolina’s team--of stalling the game once they got ahead--to compel the insertion of the shot clock. Hopefully there will be a reform of the charge call now, too.

THE FLIPSIDE OF GREAT QUOTATIONS THROUGHOUT HISTORY

Using the other f-word (the PG one) to put a goofy spin on language--appropriate  for April Foolsters.  Call it letting the air out of the tires of tired and pompous speech.


According to most of the top sources generated by search engine Google, the term “fart”--rather than being considered slang or obscene or coarse and vulgar speech--is held up as model of polite society language usage.



If some highly esteemed person--like the pope, the queen, the president were to say it at a public function, there’d be more tittering than outrage.



However, a close analysis of the situation reveals a potential conspiracy by historians and whatnot to cover up the use of this, the ‘other” f-word in literature and the public record of the day as it gets passed down through the generations.  It is hoped that deep thinkers will recognize many hidden meanings in these alternative offerings.



So, forthwith, with no more much ados about it, here’s a listing of Famous Historic Quotes-- Unrevised Versions (What they Actually Might Have Said If There Subsequently was a Concerted Effort to Suppress Fart Speech).



I came I saw I farted.



How long to the fart of no return?



To fart or not to fart--that is the question.



All fart one, and one fart all!



Don’t bite off more than you can fart.



Two farts are better than one.



Follow the yellow-brick fart.



The fart in Spain falls mainly on the plain.



The rain in Spain farts mainly on the plane.



A fart, a fart, my kingdom for a fart!



Is a fart still a fart if it has no thorns?



A fart by any other name is still a fart.



If a tree farts in the forest and nobody’s around, does it make a sound?



Speak softly and carry a big fart.



A fart in time saves nine.



He who farts last farts best.



The British are farting! The Britishh are farting!



Is this the fart that launched a thousand ships?



I fart, therefore am.



These are the farts that try men’s souls!



That’s putting the fart before the horse!



UFA! UFA! UFA!



He’s got the fart of a champion!



If man were meant to fart he’d have wings!



A fart, a fart--my kingdom for a fart!



Other Stuff



The San Francisco Farty-niners’ Vaunted Air Attack



Bret Fart Ends Retirement Again.



The site of Custer’s last fart



The Fart Nouveau Movement



The Signing of the Magna Farta



Graduated Magna Cum Farty



The Endangered Farts Act



No Farting Zone



Handicapped Farting Only


When E.F. Hutton farts, people listen.

WHAT ARTISTS ARE SAYING ABOUT STEVE KEARNEY'S WORK

Rusty Woodward-Gladdish
Fabulous painting! Love the textures and the dynamic brush strokes that seem to set fire to the canvas! Love it!



John Cappello
Fantastic work, Looks Extraordinary. Quite Majestic!

Wonderful Artwork, with Good Details. Joyful and Happy, a Splendid piece, Awesome design and Stunning bright colors.

Totally Awesome Work You do, very intricate and vibrant.


Very professional Photograph. Such a Vibrant scene. Great Colors, Amazing expansive picture and clarity!



Mildred King
I really like the feeling of movement this imparts.



Debi Day
Your work is amazing, I love your portfolio!


Elizabeth Lindberg
Nice contrasts!... I love your colorful compositions! Eyecatchingly beautiful! ...If you hear 'ooohs, and ahhss' that's me looking at your work....I could go swimming in this and just roll around in all the colors. I love it! :)...You can see the electricity in the air! amazing work!


See for yourself  at www.artwanted.com/stevekearney

Blue Night Record Coming Out

Tough yet tender, intense yet humorous--this acoustic rock tells tales of spies, bounty hunters , alien abductors. crime scene investigators, card players, resistance leaders and foot soldiers.

 
Blue Night is Steve's 3rd record release. This isn't obvious as he's used different names. His 1st CD was by "Ace Shardtrix"--titled "The Drawbridge", and his 2nd CD was by "Steven Starjet"--titled "Love Wheel".   All can be found on the cdbaby website for a song, as well as itunes and most places you can find good music online.



So now that he's calling his act "Steve & Ace", we might infer a certain unification theme here. But if "Steve" refers to the man we know as "Steve", then who or what is "Ace"? Perhaps an alter ego, possibly a pet name for his guitar or a dog?



At any rate, the singing, songwriting and guitar playing are as idiosyncratic as ever. One might even say more so, waxing particularly eccentric over the latter half of this record. The first half is solid rock. Probably the strongest tracks are #3, #5 & #7.



As with the first two records, each song pretty much tells a story--although often not strictly in storytelling style. Some are like minimalist art that paints a picture without painting a picture. The protagonists here seem to cover a broad spectrum of society encountering a diversity of situations.



Each song is like entering a new personal realm on a certain level, although you can just as easily relax and let the music roll over you. Turn it up loud, excuse the lousy editing, and you might even marvel a bit at how one guy and one acoustic guitar can emit such a variety of sounds. It's a nice antidote to today's wall of overproduced copycat synthetic junk pop.