SeattleCasbah.Com

Happy Halloween!

This year, its Mr. Met as my NYC tribute - done during what can only be described as a 4 day glue sniffing marathon. Have a fun and safe night!

Dear Internet, I'm sorry.

I get it. Voting is important and I don't want to be the one person who somehow magically circumvents the constitution by bypassing the electoral college. Now will you please stop sending me this video?

Because I know the crying Britney guy and I will send him to your house if you don't stop.

SeattleCasbah.com endorses not being a tool, not voting Rossi.

I have been ruminating lately on the race for governor here in the state of Washington. Its close - very close - and for the first time in nearly 24 years, there's a great chance that the GOP will finally control things down in Olympia. Ironic, considering the current backlash the rest of the country is giving them.

I've ranted on and on to my friends about Christine Gregoire, the incumbent, swearing that she was done this year, so I understand the movement. In the end though, could I really see voting for the GOP? Its true, I'm not her greatest fan. Her inability to lead is a huge stumbling block down in Olympia. Make no mistake, state legislators are the worst. They all have a huge chip on their shoulder - they are the ones in high school who always ran for ASB or Class president out of genuine interest and lost to the popular kid. Now, the popular kids go to D.C. and these guys are reveling in the power of their own little world, finally a real life mock government for them to run. That's the environment that a governor is dealing with, so a lack of leadership ability is a crucial weakness and one that is easy to exploit.

Enter Dino Rossi.

He's affable, clever, and only lost the last election by 130 some votes. He found a loop hole to illegally fund his campaign and now seems on the verge of winning by co-opting Obama's "Change is good" approach. A republican is running on a democratic catch phrase, completely hiding his platform, and there is danger that the public is willing to buy it.

Anyway, I was thinking about this and at the same time read a newspaper's endorsement for him and was moved enough to write them about it. Then I found out that you can only write them about it if you register on their site, which blows chunks. So I reprinted it. You do things like this when your not working.

My anti-Dino rant below:

The voters of Washington have supported a Democratic governor through good times and bad, simply because our values mirror that of theirs.

It is precisely during these tough times that we must adhere to the principles of this party: social and medical programs to help families in need, funding for school programs to keep teachers in the ranks and not have them leave for greener pastures, and support to keep our natural resources - our greatest asset - protected.

A Republican plan to cut back on programs only benefits the state's rich. Its true that in a future under Republican control, I may enjoy a cheaper fill up at the gas station, but I'm going to pay the price when it comes to increased traffic congestion and an aging infrastructure.

It is disappointing that the same paper that endorsed Obama a month ago for a variety of reasons (while making no comment on the possible negatives of his tax plan), chose to focus solely on the gubernatorial candidates' tax plan and change for change's sake. Change for change's sake is the most ridiculous argument I've heard in years. Christine may not have endeared herself to the hearts and minds of her voters, but when it comes down to it, its rather simple: you vote for your values, not out of fear.

A vote for Rossi is effectively turning your back on the state's poorest and most disadvantaged. Voting Republican is going backwards on the social progress we've made in the last two decades. Its change for the worse.

If you do plan on voting Rossi, please enlighten me as to why. I'm sure its a better reason than what the Times cited. Actually, a chipmunk with glasses and a raging case of hemorrhoids can probably give me a better reason why, but still, do tell.

Hoh River Trail

Jayson, John, Pat, and I hit the Hoh River Trail last weekend to end the backpacking season in a bit of fall style. The trail sits right between Mt. Olympus and the Pacific Ocean, all old growth that creeps up all around you. It was amazing. We escaped with a ton of stories, bites, and blissfully rain free - except for the last day, when it rained from morning to night.
 

Hoh River Trail photoset

The vast left wing conspir- WTF?!

You know something, CONSERVATIVES? I decide for just ONE DAY to put down my sword and this is how you respond? Really? I don't believe I ever set aside a half hour of my life tracking down links to defend you. Thats it, we're broken up again. You can pick your stuff up tomorrow.

The vast left wing conspiracy

There is a problem inherent with the idea of a left wing conspiracy. While it is easy to close one's eyes and imagine a cabal of Rumsfield, Bush, Cheney, and Wolfowitz sitting in a room, figuring out how to manufacture events to their liking (before them it was the Skull and Bones, the WTO, the Illuminati), its much more difficult to figure out who would be the brains behind this left wing conspiracy that controls the media we keep hearing about from the right. After all, Rupert Murdoch controls the media and its hard to imagine him pulling for the left.

However, the power of the democratic party has always been with the people and its from here that the conspiracy is born and then magnified tenfold by the web. Worse, its a conspiracy without a head that feeds on itself. First, a slight is perceived. Its intellectually shunned, yet its passed on ("do you see how stupid this is?!"). From there, anger sets in. Where Republican attacks are dismissed as idiocy, similar idiotic theories are debated and blogged about with a hope that somehow against all possibility, it turns out to be true.

These rumors gain steam and eventually reach a tipping point, where the media takes notice. Maybe a small blurb printed about it in the on line section of a news site. Then maybe a reporter mentions growing interest in a story. A comedy show rips off a joke. Finally, maybe all the outlets start going after it for days before its proven wrong and forgotten, but still the damage is done.

This is where we liberals do ourselves no favors. We all deride stupid chain mails warning us of imminent doom if we don't forward it on to 7 other people or the latest FOX graphics gaffe, but for some reason some of those same people will gladly forward on an email filled with falsehoods in a moment of passion-filled, righteous indignation. Sure, the other side does it as well, but in an environment where secretly (or not so secretly) some liberals believes they are better people than conservatives, is this not the least bit hypocritical?

Its a simple solution. Don't believe the hype. Put some critical thought and reasoning into the rumor that you are reading. The simple rule is that if it looks like bullshit, it probably is. We can complain about the state of politics and how polemic it has become, but we certainly can't ignore that we ourselves have become part of the problem.

KEXP's Top 903 Albums of All Time

Sure, its a pretty biased list and as much as I love Pela, there's just no way their debut album is #112 after just a year of being released (and in ahead of Springsteen, Michael Jackson, and Jimi?!), but in terms of who to check out, this list is pretty much...complete. (by the way guys, no pressure...)

So its pretty simple. My music list is being tossed into the garbage and from now on I'm just going to refer to this list as the holy grail for new music suggestions...'cause if you hadn't heard it before, its new to you.

Here's the top 40:

			1 Radiohead OK Computer 2 Clash London Calling 3 Arcade Fire Funeral 4 Nirvana Nevermind 5 Pixies Doolittle 6 Neutral Milk Hotel In The Aeroplane Over The Sea 7 Beatles White Album 8 U2 The Joshua Tree 9 Radiohead The Bends 10 Pixies Surfer Rosa 11 Radiohead Kid A 12 Beatles Abbey Road 13 Jeff Buckley Grace 14 Beatles Revolver 15 Sufjan Stevens Illinois 16 The Smiths The Queen is Dead 17 Pearl Jam Ten 18 David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust 19 Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band 20 Radiohead In Rainbows 21 The Cure Disintegration 22 Elliott Smith Either/Or 23 Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon 24 Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots 25 Beastie Boys Pauls Boutique 26 Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks 27 Pavement Slanted and Enchanted 28 Rolling Stones Exile on Main St. 29 My Bloody Valentine Loveless 30 Postal Service Give Up 31 Modest Mouse The Moon And Antarctica 32 Built To Spill Perfect From Now On 33 Death Cab For Cutie Transatlanticism 34 Weezer Weezer 35 Beach Boys Pet Sounds 36 Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin 37 Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde 38 Replacements Let it Be 39 Velvet Undergound & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico 40 Belle & Sebastian If Youre Feeling Sinister

Hoh River and Elk growling and general points of discourse

When you spend 3 days in the Olympic National Park with three friends you've known since you were the age of 13, there's one absolute that never changes - you tend to argue about the same shit. Over and over again. I tell you now that there is nothing like sitting on a log in the middle of a forest that brings up countless debates, disagreements, insults, and general commenting of ideas being either "good" or "stupid". So while all the photos of the trees and leaves are being cropped and edited, I thought I'd take a moment to try and recap the weekend.

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Last Night's Show: Stars @ the Showbox Market

Its always a different experience going to a show, never hearing the band headlining beforehand. I'm not talking about small shows with a new band, but going in blind to a show with a band that has been around for years while attracting a hugely loyal following in the process. People all have their favorite bands that cause them to nearly wet themselves with excitement when they find out they are passing through town. I had heard the same fervent buzz about the Frames and the Jayhawks when I finally went to their shows for the first time and was never disappointed, getting some great music out of the deal. The same could be said about my first time with the Stars. 

Formed in 2001 out of Montreal, the band infuses a huge mix of sounds - closing my eyes for a second, I could swear I heard a bit of Tim Booth of James in the voice of Torquill Campbell. Amy Millan joined the band later, sharing singing duties with Stars while still recording for Broken Social Scene. Within seconds of the two joining in song, I was hooked and wondered how the hell it took me so long before giving Stars a good long listen. 

The thing about going to see a "new" band is the newness of the songs gives you a good chance to sit back and absorb the music, the lyrics, and most importantly, the fans. I've never regret going to hear a new band, as the fun comes in seeing their loyal fans jumping up and down in excitement in hearing a favorite song, laughing with their friends while yelling out a lyric, or just swaying to the music as if hypnotized. I tell you, I can't think of anything more attractive then seeing a girl with her eyes closed, hips swaying with a smile on her lips, singing along to the music. I fell in love fifty times last night. 

The Stars were touring in support of their new, self released CD "Sad Robots", with opener Think About Life (also from Montreal, where "the girls are so beautiful, the boys start bands just to try and get laid"). If you can't get a friend to burn you a couple copies (thanks Mollie!), try picking up Star's LP, "Set Yourself On Fire". 

The KEXP Week

Its been pretty busy for me, moving into my first roommate situation ever since the failed experiment up in Lynnwood back in 2000. Its a good situation I find myself in - sharing a big house with two other friends, a rather large room to myself, and its not too far from Seattle. I'm happy - though the week itself has been hectic, primarily due to an Ikea dresser with over 200 pieces to drill, hammer, and curse at.

I am back to the world of furniture owners, though this time around I am trying to keep a handle on things limiting myself to a bed (its very nice to have my own after a year of smelly hostel beds), said dresser, and a small bookshelf.

The highlight of the week was spending the weekend answering phones for KEXP's phone drive. It was my first time in the station and I was blown away by people calling in pledging their hard earned cash in this troubled time. My very first call was a pledge for $2,500! It was fun and definitely something I'd do again - one of my goals upon returning was to be active in the volunteer community, so I hope I get other opportunities like it.

Speaking of goals, while I was out on the road one of the things I realized I had failed to take advantage of in Seattle was going to see all the great acts coming through town. Getting back here, I really wanted to make sure that I forced myself to go and see some bands out live on a regular basis. Below is a picture taken from friend Sara's phone - its Seattle band Head Like a Kite, a drummer and a guitarist who act more like DJ's at a rave than they do a live band. They were opening a benefit show for KEXP and even came complete with five furries dancing on stage. So much fun. Following them was Portland's Blue Giant, a new band made up of some members from Viva Voce. Check them out!