This post made of 80% recycled jokes...

(Yes, it’s a late night. Again. Long story.)

I’m just going to finish the week off with some random notes…

Random Note # 1: So, when I got to work this morning I had a bag on my desk in honor of National Recycling Day. I’m just wondering if I threw out a bag made of recycled bottles given to me in an attempt to reduce my plastic consumption would I get an express ticket to hell? Because I really hate lines and I feel that might just be the way for me to get one of those EZ Passes.

Random Note # 2: If you’ve read this site for long enough you’ll realize that I always talk about music positively. It’s always a reference to bands you need to check out or a great show you missed. Well, here is something different. If you ever see the name Tom Broussard on a bill for the love of God skip the show. Of all the opening acts that I have seen the guy was the absolute worst. Ok, that’s not entirely true, I have seen worse but they were always local acts. This guy was from North Dakota.

It’s really difficult to explain how bad he was other than I very nearly threw a full can of Miller Lite at his head. It was just him on stage with his guitar and he is a folky doing Nick Drake type songs. The problem is even Nick Drake had a problem playing Nick Drake songs and this guy was just awful. There was just no life to his guitar playing or his singing or his lyrics or anything. It’s not that I haven’t seen a guy take the stage with just a guitar and wow the audience before. Paul Burch became one of my favorites for just that. This guy needs to sit down with Paul Burch CDs and learn this is how you play music. Incredibly, the crowd there to see Nickel Creek was really supportive and have him a great ovation. Either my taste in music is off or people are suddenly becoming a lot dumber. One of the two.

Random Note # 3: I do have a better concert story, or at least a more positive one. I saw the Chiara String Quartet at the Brick over the weekend. Now for those of you who don’t know, the Brick is best described as a dive bar and even that might be a bit generous. They have a stage that is highlighted by the side panel of a stock car. In this environment place a Juliard trained string quartet that is about to become artists in residence at Harvard. It’s completely incongruous and that’s why I love it.

I have next to no knowledge of classical music outside of knowing the names of composers. The music majors in my life hate me for this because for all of my music snobbery I really have no background in it. But I know what I like and this was just awesome. I’m always amazed at how musical pieces can have meanings and images even without words. Certain notes are happy and certain notes are sad even though there is no reason for that to be. To say that a chord is melancholy is no different than saying that the number seven always reminds me of purple. But it is true, music in its purest form always has meanings. And sometimes hearing a classical piece outside of an orchestra hall, where the sheer bizarreness of the situation causes you to ignore all of the distractions, is what you need to understand that notes really can me something.

Random Note # 4: Just a final comment as the arrogant bastard phrase has been tossed in my direction once again. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Just because I’m better than everyone else doesn’t make me arrogant.

Have a great weekend.