What makes a good animated movie? While beautiful art is certainly important, it takes an engaging story and memorable characters to help an animated film truly stand out. Heres our list of the 10 best animated films since 2000. What do you think? Did we leave anyone out?
10. Monsters, Inc (2001)
No animation studio has more consistently produced great movies this decade like Pixar. In their first film of the new millennium, Pixar uses computer animation to create an alternate world where the monsters are scared of children. With jokes and sight gags packed into almost every frame, the team at Pixar makes the monster world seem almost more fun than our own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLhEVzlndg
9. Shrek (2001)
DreamWorks Animation used Shrek to poke fun at traditional fairy tales in a way no animated movie had up to that point. Pinocchio, the three little pigs and Prince Charming are all fair game for the big green ogre and his talking donkey sidekick. Shrek went on to win the first-ever Academy Award for an Animated Feature, and has spawned two sequels (with another on the way) that have made almost $2.2 billion to date.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxqQPrUomTc
8. Persepolis (2007)
This French film follows a young girls struggles through the social culture in Iran. Persepolis is based on the graphic novel of the same name and uses flat black-and-white animation to communicate its message more poignantly than a traditionally acted movie could. Its PG-13 rating and serious themes go against the traditional notion that animated films should just be for children. It made many critics Top 10 lists in 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PXHeKuBzPY
7. The Incredibles (2004)
Families looking for just another fun superhero movie got more than they bargained for when they went to see The Incredibles. This movie deals with serious themes like societys emphasis on self-esteem and the difficulties that come with middle age. Of course, it also has plenty of fireballs, giant robots and exploding ships to keep even the most hyperactive kid happy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE_-pwRnLh4
6. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
After their three popular shorts in the 1990s, this clay duo was ready to finally make their feature film debut in 2005. Because the crew at Aardman Studios used claymation to animate the entire movie, they were able to film only three seconds per day and needed five years to finish the full movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrqRv0s5McU
5. Chicken Run (2000)
Another fantastic claymation film from Aardman Studios. This ones about hundreds of chickens trying to make their escape from a POW-style chicken coop. Through all the action, the filmmakers also manage to sprinkle in references to movies like Stalag 17, The Great Escape and Indiana Jones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOnmZuqN7HE
4. Ratatouille (2007)
This film gives us one of the great animated duos since Buzz and Woody hit the screen when Remy the rat teams up with Linguini, an aspiring chef. Ratatouilles message is that great art can come from anywhere, and its animators seem to have found it in beautiful shots of Paris through a rats perspective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALUmKa_mpik
3. Spirited Away (2001)
This anime movie by famed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history and is currently the only foreign language film to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Film. This coming of age story follows a young girl who gets trapped in a world of animals and monsters and must find her way out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6az9wGfeSgM
2. Finding Nemo (2004)
While Finding Nemo is filled with breathtaking coral reefs, its most memorable moments come from its colorful characters. This film about a clown fish trying to find his son is populated by hippie sea turtles, sharks that dont eat fish and one very forgetful Blue Tang. Finding Nemo became the highest-grossing Pixar movie ever and helped put thousands of clown fish into the fishbowls of children around the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfgeIZyrIM0
1. WALL-E (2008)
Pixar shows once again why they are the masters of animation through the beautiful WALL-E. Using little more than a series of beeps and bloops, they are able to communicate a touching love story between two robots. And with almost no dialogue through the first 40 minutes of the movie, WALL-E almost has more in common with Charlie Chaplins silent comedies of the 1910s than the hyperkinetic computer-animated films of today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alIq_wG9FNk
Honorable Mention: Coraline (2009), Bolt (2008), Kung Fu Panda (2008), The Simpsons Movie (2007), Happy Feet (2006), Cars (2006), The Emperors New Groove (2000).
In 2006, a film named The Secret was distributed virally through the internet followed subsequently by a book. In no-time The Secret became a cultural and social phenomenon attracting interest from media figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Larry King and criticism from the mainstream press.
The Secret consists of a series of interviews related to the idea of optimist thinking. It states that everything you want may be accomplished by wishing for it. This is called the Law of Attraction. As described in the film, the Law of Attraction principle states that feelings and thoughts can attract events, from the workings of the cosmos and interactions among individuals in their physical, emotional, and professional affairs.
The Secret lists three required steps ask, believe and receive as the essence of the Law of Attraction:
Ask
Know what you want and ask the universe for it. This is where you need to get clear about what it is you want to create and visualize what you want as being as real as possible.
Believe
Feel and behave as if the object of your desire is on its way. Focus your thoughts and your words on what it is you want to attract even if you have to trick yourself into believing it.
Receive
Be open to receiving it. Pay attention to your intuitive messages and signs from the Universe to help you along the way as assurance you are on the right path. As you align yourself with the Universe and open yourself up to receiving, the very thing you want to manifest will show up.
New Thought and the Law of Attraction
Essentially, The Secret is touting the principles of the New Thought movement that began in the late 19th century as the historical basis for their ideas.
The idea stated in the Law of Attraction was used widely by New Thought writers. They referred to the idea that thoughts influence chance. The Law of Attraction argues that thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) can affect things outside the head, not just through motivation, but by other means.
Various scientists have stated that many of the Laws claims are impossible, violating scientific principles and a scientific understanding of the universe. Instead, the Law may be explained as an illusion created by the connection between self-confidence and success or by ones own perception, like the placebo effect.
I watched The Secret with my family after it was released in 2007. Even my 9 year old daughter was fascinated with the film and glued to the screen. The idea that my kids will believe that they just have to ask, believe and receive what they want, scared me. If this is true all of us would be healthy, wealthy and successful. But this is not the case.
It is a dangerous belief, and unfortunately a popular one based on the success of The Secret, that you just have to think about what you want to get it.
I have no doubt that positive thinking, optimism and creative visualization are important. But an important foundation for success in life was not mentioned in The Secret.
Rhonda Byrne, The Secret creator, told a Newsweek interviewer that her inspiration for creating The Secret was her exposure to Wallace Wattless book The Science of Getting Rich. Reading The Science of Getting Rich will no doubt leave you feeling that the most important foundations of success were neglected in The Secret.
The first foundation is Effective Action.
Wattles writes that thought is the force that causes the creative power to work for us but we must not rely upon thought alone, ignoring action. This is where thought and action meet. Wattless suggests that action will be taken a in certain way. We must act effectively now!
We have to act decisively, effectively and efficiently. We dont want to procrastinate with our decisions and actions resulting from our thoughts.
There is no other time than now. The past is history and the future does not exist yet. We even dont have any guarantees that we will make it to the future. Every thought should be converted to action at the current moment. How many times we told ourselves well start it tomorrow, next week, next month, next year and we never started. When tomorrow, next week, next month or next year arrived we were busy with something else that consumes our attention, focus and priority.
The second foundation is Enhancement.
As leaders, or just human beings, our main goal is to enhance, advance and enrich every person we come in touch with. We inspire, encourage and motivate everybody around us. Everybody wants to enhance life. Everybody wants more of his or her life. We have something to give to somebody else that is just looking for that something. We just have to make a conscience decision to act on it. Teachers, physicians, psychologists are professions that enhance other people lives. But it doesnt mean that each of us in our own roles of profession, family and community cannot find a way to enhance other peoples lives.
Sure we can!
Whether you work as an accountant, customer support, salesperson, administrative assistant or clerk, you have something unique that can enhance, enrich and advance other peoples lives. If we find it, we will redefine our purpose and start a new journey toward our true life mission, success and leadership.
Get Concert Schedule Updates with the John Mellencamp Tour Date Online
By: Craig Rosen
When it comes to good old American rock, none can do it better than John Mellencamp. John Mellencamp is one of the most well known names in American rock and pop music today. He started out as a small time singer in his hometown in Seymour during his early teens. Today, he is now considered as one of the most sought after performers in the country, holding concert tours all around the United States. And for all you fans out there who want to keep up with this stars latest activities and gigs, then we have the perfect place for you to hang out in.
Today, getting the latest on news on John Mellencamp concerts can easily be done over the Internet. His team has put up a website especially for you and the rest of his fans where you can keep tab on his latest appearances and concert tours. This way, you will never have to be left out on his next appearance. All you need to do is to log on to his official website, at John Mellencamp Tour Dates online and everything that you need to know about his next concerts should be found online.
But aside from updated concert schedules, we have even better news. Now, you do not have to wait for hours on that ticket line just to get your passes because tickets are now sold at the website as well. This way, it is very easy for you to check John Mellencamps next concert gig and book the tickets online, right at the same site! Aside from the convenience, booking right at the website assures you that you will always be getting real tickets at all times. No, you need not worry about wasting your money on fake admission passes because tickets are sourced straight from them!
If you are ready to rock and roll with John Mellencamp on his next concert date, then you need not break a sweat just to know where it will be held next or where you can possible get tickets for it. With the John Mellencamp Tour Dates website, doing all these is as simple as a click of a mouse button. The website is a great way for you to get the latest news on his other gigs and activities. Changes in the concert dates and schedules can also be reflected online so you will always be updated on the latest events.
So what else are you sitting around here for. With the number of tour dates that John Mellencamp is doing today, your area is bound to be next on the line! So keep yourself updated, get the best seats in the house and do not be left out of the latest happening by simply logging on to the John Mellencamp Tour Dates website. Now, keeping tabs on your favorite singers activity has just got a lot easier. Now, you can say goodbye to bad concert seats by simply being the first to know the next John Mellencamp tour schedule online!
Dostana is an broadening of the ‘Kantaben plot’ of Kal Ho Na Ho. There is nothing really unique with reference to Dostana (most scenes break you a field of deja vu) but all the same Dostana is occasionally funny lacking being nasty.
Story of Dostana: Sam (Abhishek Bachchan) and Kunal (John Abraham) are looking pro an public housing and since the landlord (Sushmita Mukherjee) hates giving the public housing to guys lest they possibly will corrupt her niece Neha (Priyanka Chopra), the two pretend to be gays. Neha, Sam and Kunal grow to be contacts and the guys embark on to fall madly in love with Neha. But Neha has already fallen pro Abhimanyu (Bobby Deol), the boss of her company. Whether the two guys go for love or friendship is the nitty-gritty of the story.
Plus points of Dostana:
Full repute to Karan Johar to cover produced up a unthinkable subject and a encompassing of applause to Tarun Mansukhani pro directing Dostana as his introduction film. Though single cannot say the same with reference to the script writer who has honest prearranged the same old story with a gay dying, Tarun has directed the film well. We can take our hats inedible to Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham to be honorable an adequate amount of; not caring a fig with reference to their image, and burden complete justice to their roles. And sure, Miami is HOT!
Minus points of Dostana:
1. Most scenes are not funny, honest cliche. Modish how many movies, cover you not seen actors, by mistakenly, burden something suggestive while the third person walks in and thinks nearby is something cooking linking the two? You cover seen it in Kal Ho Na Ho, Masti, Golmaal Returns, Hello and the like. C’mon guys, it is TWO MUCH and it ain’t funny.
2. Dostana is a film with reference to friendship but the ‘friendship’ aspect is not publicized with the straight amount of sensitivity. Modish the elementary partially, it is all with reference to their gay larking about and their misreading, and the flash part is with reference to both guys difficult to woo Priyanka Chopra. The friendship cause is lost somewhere in Dostana.
3. Songs on the whole of them jarring and inedible answer (one of the nastiest scores of Vishal Shekhar) pop up by the side of peculiar time and stupid the pace of the film. Except pro Desi Girl and Jaane Kyun, you cannot really remember in the least of the other songs.
4. Some scenes like the mart field and scenes concerning Boman Irani were not necessary and expanded the film unnecessarily.
Best scenes of Dostana:
1. Abhishek Bachchan explaining with reference to how John Abraham and he had met, and dated. The flashback funny field is rip loud and Abhishek Bachchan’s performance makes it a visual regard.
2. A cute romantic field was whilst John Abraham treats Priyanka Chopra pro the Kuch Kuch Hota Hain film. He recreates the magical field of Shahrukh Khan mesmerizing Kajol in the film and makes it look like pleasant. Full characters to Tarun Mansukhani pro shooting the field very well.
3. The field anywhere Bobby Deol tells Priyanka Chopra they don’t cover a life in concert in the baseball arena is filmy but touching. The onlookers counting John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan think so as to Priyanka has truly thought ‘yes’ to Bobby.
4. The final kiss field linking Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham is the significant field, by a long shot leaving to be single of the talked with reference to scenes in Bollywood. Which is the elementary mainstream Bollywood film to cover a gay kiss field? Answer: Dostana.
Performances in Dostana:
Abhishek Bachchan has prearranged a splendid performance. It is really top notch and though it looked like he had lost his marbles in Drona, he does a lovely job in Dostana. He is a sheer delight. John Abraham congeal the kindness of women racing as he flexed his translucently impressed muscles with wild abandon. John Abraham is not honest ‘Brawn Abraham’; he has performed brilliantly too. Priyanka Chopra has in no way looked so regular. Her oomph appeal reaches acme in Dostana.
In 2006, a film named The Secret was distributed virally through the internet followed subsequently by a book. In no-time The Secret became a cultural and social phenomenon attracting interest from media figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Larry King and criticism from the mainstream press.
The Secret consists of a series of interviews related to the idea of optimist thinking. It states that everything you want may be accomplished by wishing for it. This is called the Law of Attraction. As described in the film, the Law of Attraction principle states that feelings and thoughts can attract events, from the workings of the cosmos and interactions among individuals in their physical, emotional, and professional affairs.
The Secret lists three required steps ask, believe and receive as the essence of the Law of Attraction:
Ask
Know what you want and ask the universe for it. This is where you need to get clear about what it is you want to create and visualize what you want as being as real as possible.
Believe
Feel and behave as if the object of your desire is on its way. Focus your thoughts and your words on what it is you want to attract even if you have to trick yourself into believing it.
Receive
Be open to receiving it. Pay attention to your intuitive messages and signs from the Universe to help you along the way as assurance you are on the right path. As you align yourself with the Universe and open yourself up to receiving, the very thing you want to manifest will show up.
New Thought and the Law of Attraction
Essentially, The Secret is touting the principles of the New Thought movement that began in the late 19th century as the historical basis for their ideas.
The idea stated in the Law of Attraction was used widely by New Thought writers. They referred to the idea that thoughts influence chance. The Law of Attraction argues that thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) can affect things outside the head, not just through motivation, but by other means.
Various scientists have stated that many of the Laws claims are impossible, violating scientific principles and a scientific understanding of the universe. Instead, the Law may be explained as an illusion created by the connection between self-confidence and success or by ones own perception, like the placebo effect.
I watched The Secret with my family after it was released in 2007. Even my 9 year old daughter was fascinated with the film and glued to the screen. The idea that my kids will believe that they just have to ask, believe and receive what they want, scared me. If this is true all of us would be healthy, wealthy and successful. But this is not the case.
It is a dangerous belief, and unfortunately a popular one based on the success of The Secret, that you just have to think about what you want to get it.
I have no doubt that positive thinking, optimism and creative visualization are important. But an important foundation for success in life was not mentioned in The Secret.
Rhonda Byrne, The Secret creator, told a Newsweek interviewer that her inspiration for creating The Secret was her exposure to Wallace Wattless book The Science of Getting Rich. Reading The Science of Getting Rich will no doubt leave you feeling that the most important foundations of success were neglected in The Secret.
The first foundation is Effective Action.
Wattles writes that thought is the force that causes the creative power to work for us but we must not rely upon thought alone, ignoring action. This is where thought and action meet. Wattless suggests that action will be taken a in certain way. We must act effectively now!
We have to act decisively, effectively and efficiently. We dont want to procrastinate with our decisions and actions resulting from our thoughts.
There is no other time than now. The past is history and the future does not exist yet. We even dont have any guarantees that we will make it to the future. Every thought should be converted to action at the current moment. How many times we told ourselves well start it tomorrow, next week, next month, next year and we never started. When tomorrow, next week, next month or next year arrived we were busy with something else that consumes our attention, focus and priority.
The second foundation is Enhancement.
As leaders, or just human beings, our main goal is to enhance, advance and enrich every person we come in touch with. We inspire, encourage and motivate everybody around us. Everybody wants to enhance life. Everybody wants more of his or her life. We have something to give to somebody else that is just looking for that something. We just have to make a conscience decision to act on it. Teachers, physicians, psychologists are professions that enhance other people lives. But it doesnt mean that each of us in our own roles of profession, family and community cannot find a way to enhance other peoples lives.
Sure we can!
Whether you work as an accountant, customer support, salesperson, administrative assistant or clerk, you have something unique that can enhance, enrich and advance other peoples lives. If we find it, we will redefine our purpose and start a new journey toward our true life mission, success and leadership.
The sound of someone playing blues on guitar includes a very distinct sound. From Eric Clapton to Stevie Ray Vaughan the sound they might make is usually referred to as smoky because of its alluring power.
To experience the blues you will find a number of tricks to understand from blues guitar scales, blues chords and blues licks. Anyone can study the guitar, some want to be a killer guitar player others just want to become able to take part in the guitar for the hobby.
Most people are confused about where to start learning to play the blues on guitar. Extra cash or time on the system that does not teach those valuable blues guitar scales is really a waste.
A lot of music sheets or types of teaching will overwhelm a lot of individuals due to information overload. The brain simply doesnt work this way.
It just appears like a page of confusion. Blues scale for guitar doesnt have to look this way. Asking questions in the music store can be type of embarrassing. Some can be extremely helpful but others either dont know and cant be bothered to help you when confronted with questions about what are the best blues guitar lessons.
People want answers once they enter the store, not more confusion. What most people find is that they are either met with indignation or are bombarded with numerous options they simply dont know how to start. Walking out of a store feeling even more confused and downhearted isn’t how anyone wants to feel.
Learning step-by-step may be the easiest and it is really fast to turn every beginner into a blues guitarist. Within days they will have the technique and the skills to be able to make some hot sounds.
The easiest, simplest way to begin with is definitely the best way to begin with. Learning everything through your guitar chops, riffs, licks and scales will have people jamming within days. By showing a system that’s broken down in steps that is east to understand and much easier to retain.
5 simple what to remember when learning to play blues guitar scales are:
Choose a course that teaches you patterns and techniques the simplest way so it can be followed
Learn all about the chords and scales the blues greats play by learning the names and sounds after which the way to put it in to practice it may then be applied
As a blues fan means learning how to play every variation and complex sounds, so choose wisely
Intermediate and experienced guitar players will discover the detail by detail system will open a number of doors which will really mean they can finally quit your day job!
Learning blues scales combinations with a number of additional chords skills turns an ok guitarist right into a star There isnt any point throwing out money on guitar lessons that are not effective. Hearing someone play the blues takes people on a journey they never wish to end. Playing the blues yourself means you’ll end up being on a trip of a lifetime that doesnt have to stop.
If you are a music lover and are interested in learning to play a musical instrument, or just want the ability to learn how to play all your favorite songs, then you can save yourself a lot of money by downloading sheet music from the internet. There are heaps of websites that advertise all kinds of music styles and genres, and some of these downloads are even free.
Sheet music websites are generally divided up into categories making the search process a lot easier for you. Music genres, the type of instrument, and the artist and song list conveniently ordered alphabetically enables you to easily find anything from all-time favorites, classical, hip hop and soul, to pop, rock, and country, and jazz. The selection available is huge and can be downloaded and printed easily and quickly.
Online is the place to find thousands of free sheet music these days, whether you are learning to play the piano or have been playing for years and want to get the original music to study and create your own version. Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Nelly, and the Black-eyed Peas are just a few of the hottest names around with multiple hit singles and great songs that are sure to impress your friends once you have mastered them.
It’s not only songs that you can obtain either, all the latest soundtracks from popular movies are also available - Avatar, Twilight, Toy Story 3 included. Downloading soundtracks and songs doesn’t only make sense for your personal use, it can also save you a lot of money if you are a teacher, involved in theatre productions, responsible for the annual school play, or for anyone with their own band.
Downloading is a lot cheaper than buying titles in paper format and you don’t even have to wait for it to be delivered, just order online and have access to it directly. Wherever you are in the world you can download music as long as you have a computer on hand. It can also save you a lot of space and time forget about those old dog-eared music books that have been lying around the house for years, do some spring cleaning, and from now on keep your music sheets in a neat little folder on your computer. The space they take up is minimal and you know exactly where to locate them when needed!
The other advantage to accessing your sheet music this way is that if, once printed out, it should become tattered or worn or even misplaced you can then simply print off another copy. Print as many as you like and hand them out to your students or friends for much less money than buying the printed format. And if you travel around playing in a band or teaching music it’s also a lot less lighter to carry than music books can be.
For newbies to reading music, including guitar sheet music, it can be a great help as you get to listen firsthand to exactly the way the song should be played and you have the option to practice over and over again. When searching for classical music, the website will usually let you listen to a sample of it before you decide to go ahead and make a purchase. Anyone learning to play the piano might already have to pay for lessons, never mind the cost of an actual piano if you require one at home, so getting your titles for free can be a real bonus.
Check out piano sheet music online where there’s a large collection to choose from and it’s fun to browse. Put in an order and you’ll receive your purchases in a matter of minutes, there’s no waiting around for payments to be processed and the postman to deliver. Catalogues containing more than 100,000 music titles from internationally renowned artists, musicians, composers and publishers are going to keep you busy for a while and you’re guaranteed to find something you like.
The drums are often thought of as solely a back ground instrument in rock and pop music. How ever the five songs I list below have some of the greatest stand out drum solos of all time.
From John Bonham of Led Zeppelin to Neil Pear of Rush, these drummers know how to make the most of their instrument and have brought the drums from a background instrument sitting behind the other musicians on stage to the fore front where they should be.
Moby Dick Led Zeppelin - John Bohnam
If you’re a drummer and you haven’t heard this outstanding drum solo by John Bonham go do it right now. Stop what you’re doing and head over to YouTube and find a clip. There are different live versions of this solo lasting any where from a couple of minutes literally up to 10 minutes. It’s absolutely amazing what he can do on the drums, actually dropping his sticks and using his bare hands at a certain point in some live performances.
Hot for Teacher - Van Halen - Alex Van Halen
From the very start of this song as Alex Van Halen is rolling away on the toms to when the guitar begins at about 30 seconds in the drums drive this song all the way through. It’s fast, it’s rhythmic, it’s awesome. This has been a drum solo that many drummers have learned to play and pride themselves on showing it off to their friends.
YYZ (Live) - Rush - Neil Pear
This song is a drumming adventure. Neil Pear plays an amazing beat all the way through the song but his solo during live performances of this song was outstanding. Versions of this solo live could last two to six minutes depending on the performance starting with a rumble on the toms and working it’s way into a snare and kick drum frenzy.
Wipe Out - The Ventures - Mel Taylor
This is classic instrumental song was covered by The Ventures, an instrumental surf band in 1965 on their live album. This song is quite literally a drum solo all the way through since the drums play such a huge part of tune. What’s even more amazing about the drum solos in this song is size of the drum kit being used. In comparison to what some of the later rock drummers had to work with Mel Taylor had a very small drum kit to work with to make all that noise.
Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin - John Bonham
We have John Bonham again on this list, this time in the classic blues rock tune Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin. John was one of the most prolific drummers of the rock and blues genre and this solo is just another testament to his skill on the instrument.
The Making and Demise of The Perfect Recording - Part 1
By: Brian Doherty
The Behind-The-Scenes Story of My Work With Freedy Johnston and the Making of Can You Fly
Can You Fly was the album that put Freedy Johnston on the map and it set the tone for his future recordings. It was well received and made several critics Best Of list that year. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called it a perfect record. In a way, I think Freedy attempted to return to the quality and mood of Can You Fly on his subsequent works, while trying to demonstrate his independence from it.
As The Silos crumbled, I started playing some live shows with Freedy Johnston. It was a great time to live in the Hoboken, N.J. area. There were gigs at Maxwells and The Beaten Path. There were recording sessions at Water Music on Grand Street and rehearsals on 2nd Street. To this day, I can smell steaks broiling from Arthurs kitchen downtown. Maxwell House had a coffee factory uptown on 11th Street and River Road. The smell of roasted coffee beans permeated every inch of the mile square town. You couldnt walk down the main drag, Washington Street, without bumping into someone from bands such as The Bongos, the dbs, Bob Mould, and Television. Speaking of Television, my initial gigs with Freedy would be with Televisions bassist, Fred Smith. The other characters would be Mark Zoltak, Bob Rupe, Kevin Salem, Marshall Crenshaw, Jimmy Lee, Jared Nickerson and Graham Maby. Freedys project couldnt have come at a better time. I was jumping from the burning ship that was The Si!
los to a more promising Freedy Johnston. To boot, I was still working with the crew. Once again, I was lucky. It wouldnt be long before this situation fell apart.
Get Your Feet Off of My Dashboard
I met Freedy Johnston when he was the opening act on The Silos Bird tour. He opened for us on a handful of dates in the Northeast, promoting his first record, The Trouble Tree. He was a wiry, awkward guy from Kansas. His music was a blend of Country, Indie and Redneck. More than singing, he had a loony bin vocal style of screeching through his songs. He consciously tamed this vocal style by the time Bad Reputation was recorded. In my opinion this improvement was a mistake and not representative of the Freedy I once knew. Get your feet off of my dashboard. What do you think the damn things for? At least try and look pretty. Tonight were goin into Tucumcari, he sang at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA. The combination that was Freedy Johnston was brilliant. I was instantly taken by him.
The Silos manager, Mark Zoltak recognized Freedys talent and pounced. Within days they had a working arrangement and were already planning a new recording (Can You Fly). Graham Maby and I were the bass player and drummer in The Silos. So it was a no-brainer for Freedy to hire us to play on his sessions. In the interim there was hard work to be done. The new songs needed to be shaped and sharpened. Rehearsals were in a stiflingly hot studio on 2nd Street in Hoboken. In the period leading up to the sessions, all Freedy could offer us was the promise of playing some good songs. Otherwise it was unpaid rehearsals, gear schlepping and club gigs. A cross between a musical workshop and an internship. There were some good gigs opening for more established acts like The Connells and Pere Ubu, but they were few and far between. With Freedy and Jimmy Lee on guitars, yours truly on drums, and Televisions Fred Smith on bass, we forged ahead playing club gigs and shaping the songs for the upcoming sessions for Can You Fly.
Holland
In the summer of 1991, Freedy enjoyed some good fortune, lining up gigs in The Netherlands where The Trouble Tree was well received. In true singer/songwriter form, with each step forward, he shed those that helped him along the way. Before the Holland Tour Fred Smith and Jimmy Lee were fired. They were replaced by Jared Nickerson and Kevin Salem respectively. Bassist Jared Nickerson always was, and always will be the epitome of cool, in addition to being a damn good bass player. Kevin Salem was a great guitarist, but had other ambitions clouding his mind. Our first gig in Holland was a music festival headlined by Golden Earing and Modern English. Unlike our gigs in New York, we were jazzed because there were plenty of fans who knew the songs. We played many shows in Holland including festivals with Dinosaur Jr. and Nirvana. We enjoyed leisurely dinners and plenty of fresh Heineken. Life was good! At times Freedy would act like a temperamental artiste. He and I had a few arguments right on the stage between songs.
