On Wednesdays we study the Constitution.
Why study? Well, I think it should be obvious that democracy dies when citizens are dumb.
Why Wednesday? It works with my schedule.
What’s next? Article One, Section 6, Clause 2. Read More
ByGD
Naming Ghosts
Sometimes I take a bunch of concert photos and don’t have time to go back and tag them all with names. Especially at festivals. I think this is Aubrey Bramble (what a great name) performing in Golden Gardens at Bumbershoot 2014. Golden Gardens is a great name for a band, especially one that sounds as shimmery and ethereal as this Seattle band. Golden Gardens sounds like a metaphoric name for heaven.
But for me, Golden Gardens is the park with the largest off-leash area in part of town. There are few things more neurotic than an urban border collie, so for nearly ten years, I drove there literally every day to spend 30-45 minutes throwing a ball. That piss-soaked corral was my third place, rain or shine. I knew more local dogs by name than humans.
The heavenly music of Golden Gardens is hard to reconcile with my muddy memories of rambunctious canine joy. But if all dogs do go to heaven, I know mine is at Golden Gardens.
ByGD
Her Story at Pacific Northwest Ballet
“You never take me to the modern ballets,” my 8-year-old complained. “I only get to go to the story ballets.” Was she right? Conventional wisdom tells us to introduce kids to ballet through story, but I’ve never really bought it. After all, little kids are far more likely to spontaneously erupt into abstract dance than adults are, so why would they have a harder time understanding it? But as a reviewer, I do tend to take the kid closest to the age that readers are likely to want to bring, so maybe my artistic younger daughter had been unfairly sequestered in the story ballet ghetto? Fortunately, Pacific Northwest Ballet came to rescue with Her Story, a mixed rep of contemporary ballet choreographed by three of the world’s leading choreographers. The title implied a feminist theme, but the only link between the three pieces is that the choreographers are all women, and all three pieces are magnificent. Read More
ByGD
Shortcomings
For several years, I took pictures at every show I attended. I usually blog about the concerts I go to, and I don’t always have access to press materials. Plus, pics or it didn’t happen, right? I’m not a very good photographer, but nowadays, even an amateur photographer with a recreational camera can get a great image sometimes.
But the trick is, I’m short. Unless I’m right up in front of the stage, my view at almost every concert (but metal shows, especially, I don’t know why big guys favor metal) looks like the back of some guy’s black hoodie, no matter where I stand. Most of my concert photos are hail mary shots, taken with my arms fully stretched above my head. Sometimes those shots are all I see of the show.
I love this image of Hobosexual drummer Jeff Silva at Bumbershoot in 2014, but nearly a quarter of the image is the back of someone’s head. If I crop out the bottom, I lose the drummer’s left hand. If I crop from the side – well, it’s not too bad, but I like having the cymbal up on the left. What I really need is to be a couple inches taller.