New Frontiers

Something I've never done: read a comic book or graphic novel or anything will illustrations and words organized into little square boxes on a page. (Calvin and Hobbes excepted)

"Watchmen" has been high on my list of necessary reads ever since I found out about the movie under the same title that will be released early next year. The movie is highly anticipated for a number of reasons.

One, it will be directed by the skill behind the movie "300", Zach Snyder. "300" is also a highly acclaimed graphic novel turned movie, so the choice of director makes perfect sense. Nailing the style of the novel and being able to translate that to film is what Snyder was able to accomplish with "300" and will presumably do with "Watchmen". Two very different styles, but one talented director whom I think will be able to again prove his prowess.

Two, because since the late nineties and especially since '01 the United States and most of world have developed an intense love of movies with superheroes. Lately, superheroes with human weaknesses are in. Peter Parker and the Bruce Wayne from "The Dark Knight" come directly to mind.

And three, because Watchmen is considered widely to be the greatest graphic novel ever written and one of the best novels of the 20th century in general, according to critics worldwide. Time magazine recognizes the book as one of best of the 20th century alongside works produced by such authors as George Orwell, John Steinbeck and Harper Lee.

I'm only a third of the way through reading it but I can already tell that I've uncovered one of those pearls of literature that's just waiting to be discovered by anyone with the mind to appreciate it.

A Night in Seattle, part 2

Before the following evening began, at least one thing was certain: we had to see a rock concert. I searched and searched online for any possible option but it soon felt like we had chosen the wrong saturday night in Seattle to catch psychadelic rock show. I felt like I was on to something when I stumbled upon a concert hosted by the Vera Project, which is also who sponsored the last Seattle rock show I went to six months ago in April. However, upon closer inspection, the concert was cancelled and I was disappointed because it sounded quite promising. However, I didn't give up hope because the other option we were going have to settle for would've been a movie, and although I would've enjoyed myself, I would've felt weird having travelled a thousand miles to Seattle just to catch a movie in the cheap (although shamelessy hip) theater.

So I kept scrounging for more choices and I found out about a place called Sunset Tavern where another little show was to take place that night. It was cheap and after checking out the band's myspace pages, we decided that the music seemed to be right up our alley. The three bands that played were Vandaveer, who are pictured above, These the United States and Velella Velella. Each of the bands were quite different from each other but fantastic in their own way. Vandaveer was way chill and just permeated an intensely free spirited attitude in their music, lyrics and the way in which they carried themselves on and off stage. These the United States were hippies as well, but their tunes were a lot more frantic and classic rock sounding, with a slightly southern touch. I'd compare them to a modern day Lynard Skynard or a louder and crazier Wilco. The last band was my favorite for a lot of reasons. For one, two of the band members were woman who did most of the backup vocals and played instruments as well. They also had a hip sound that's fairly new for the music world-- kind of dancy and retro with a lot of techno influence. It's basically rock and roll mixed with Daft Punk techno (which in itself contains a lot of funk and R&B) and the trippiness of everything produced by expert soundsmith, Moby. I know that it's a lot to digest, so I don't expect you to hear it clearly in your head based solely on my sketchy description. But I do recommend you look them up if you get the chance.

I forgot to mention that before the concert we stopped by H&M and picked up some pimpin' threads-- I'd be clearly limited in my choices if I were to buy all my clothes in the eastern Idaho region, so I had no choice but to hit that up.

A Night in Seattle

I up and went to Seattle last week to spend the weekend with Aubrey, her husband and their growing herd of rugrats. And what's a visit to Seattle without a stop at the world famous Dick's hamburgers and shakes? As excited as I was to be in Seattle out on the town, I remained calm enough to remember to call Tami and gloat about where I was. So, there she is in the pic, though it's kind of hard to tell it's her.

After the kids were in bed we left again to go to the Triple Door theater where a jazz ensemble happened to be playing that night. Going to this place was a tough decision as an Against Me! concert was starting at around the same time just a few streets away. Against Me! would've rocked harder than just about any concert I've been to, Foo Fighters aside, but I didn't regret our decision in the slightest. I love jazz. It's so transcedent and pure, and the ensemble that played that night just...got it. The best concerts are the ones where the musicians enjoy the music they're producing much more than the audience, which is exactly what we got to experience at the Triple Door.