gregwords's blog

Do NOT miss this...

THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND - WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THEWEATHERUNDERGROUND

Tonight, Friday May, 2 in Modesto Hush Records Recording Artist Shelley Short will be playing at Deva Cafe in support of her new record "Water for the Day" along with local favorites not an Airplane, Travis Vick and Morgan Manifacier. The show is ALL AGES, starts promptly at 8 PM and the cover is $5.

Shelley is currently on a mini-tour of California. Don't miss this show. She's great. Have doubts? Check what the press has to say about her...

“The sweet-voiced Short knows how to bring power to her vocals, with a broad emotional range that makes her folk songs sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle, sometimes both. “ - The Oregonian

“Sounding like the gorgeous-voiced kid sister of Neko Case, Shelley Short treats folk music with a mere fleeting interest, liberally picking and choosing from the storied genre with great care on her third full-length, Water for the Day.�? - Portland Mercury

“She’s able to come across cute and wise all at once, which is no easy feat. On “How Grand,�? she employs coos that might seem campy or twee in another songwriter’s hands, but Short comes across more like a gentle owl offering tidbits of worldly insight from high atop a gnarled, windswept tree.�? - Willamette Week

"The fit between her lullabye vocals and rustic folk/pop songs is what makes her acid-flashback titled album work." - Magnet

"Short is a storyteller of nonchalant musings on the everyday, a nice break from the usual downer fare we are accustomed to. Overall, "Captain Wild Horses" is a fantastic album, and suggests that axing those art school plans was a smart move indeed." -Billboard

SHELLEY SHORT (HUSH RECORDS / PORTLAND)

SHELLEY SHORT - WATER FOR THE DAY

I'm excited about being able to bring Shelley Short down to Modesto from Portland for a show. Shelley has been a favorite artist of mine for a while.

I've pasted her bio into the body of this blog below. Come out to Deva Tuesday, August 24 and say you saw Shelley in a small room before she blows up. If you want to check her music out, you can do so here: www.myspace.com/shelleyshort

SHELLEY SHORT - BIO

"After recording Oh Say Little Dogies, Why? (Keep Recordings, 2003) in the desert of New Mexico and the industrial area of Portland, Oregon, Shelley Short left art school in the Pacific Northwest and headed eastward to Chicago for no good reason. Pressed in limited quantity, Oh Say Little Dogies, Why? reached an extensive musical network, building critical momentum along the way.

Seeking a more complex sound for her next album, Captain Wild Horse (Rides the Heart of Tomorrow), Short began writing songs before and immediately after her move across the country. Inspired by her love of snow and rain, her love for people, and even by Marlin Brando’s character “Terry� from the movie On The Waterfront, the album is tinted with the tones of reflection and nostalgia. Short quickly pulled together a band in her new hometown, first recruiting bassist Andy Rader (Can Ky Ree, Gypsee Garage Combo, Pine Top Seven) after seeing him perform at The Hideout in Chicago. Through friend M. Ward she met violinist Tiffany Kowalski (Bright Eyes, M. Ward touring band, Mayday). Recordist and drummer Jamie Carter, soon completed the line up. (Captain Wild Horse was laid to tape at Carter’s studio, Carterco Recording.)

What had modest beginnings with guitar and drums sessions in an attic a snowy walk’s distance from Short’s residence, soon picked up momentum with successful shows in Chicago and the Midwest. And, like a proverbial snowball, the recording project collected guest performances from the likes of Rachel Blumberg (Decemberists, Norfolk and Western, M. Ward touring band) on drums and Cory Gray (Desert City Soundtrack) on trumpet.

Alternately dramatic and humble, dynamic and hushed, Short's ethereal style is full of mystery and portent. Her intimate voice and sincere delivery lend her often dark and personal songs a sense of substance and caprice, gained in some measure from early influences: Ron Davies, Roger Miller, Bob Dylan, Jimmie Rodgers, and Joni Mitchell."

I guess The City of Modesto adopted the "Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan" back in 1996 and some good things have been done with this plan like the 2.5 mile Hetch-Hetchy Trail and the 5 mile trail along Dry Creek, but where are the bike lanes that can get people from point A to point B safely using ALL major surface streets? Is it too late to make room for bikers on ALL of Modesto's roads? What are the options? What are the major financial roadblocks?

If you have questions about what's going on with creating a more bike friendly Modesto direct them to Bob Jones of the Modesto Parks, Rec and Neighborhoods Department, project manager for the "Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan." I'm sure he'd love input and any kind of comments you might have about how to make Modesto more "Non-Motorized."

There's a great article about the "Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan" here.

going up near the corner of 15th or 16th (can't remember) are a much welcomed sight. i've always had trouble crossing j street as a pedestrian.

wouldn't it be nice too to have those blinking crosswalks with the lights in the ground on j street like the one on college ave near mjc at the intersections where there aren't signals? drivers just don't seem to want to stop for anyone on foot or bike. anyway, you really have to be on the defense when taking yourself from one side of j to the other.

does anyone know if the city has any plans to do anymore improvements to j street?

OFF THE AIR is being featured on the LOSER'S LOUNGE LOCALS ONLY SHOW this Tuesday, March 13 with live recorded performances by Judith and Holofernes and Dame Satan from the last show we did at the Fat Cat. Tune in at www.cruiseandgood.com at 8 PM for a listen.

Also, Two Sheds will be performing live from the LOSER'S LOUNGE, www.cruiseandgood.com this Thursday, March 15 between 7 and 8 PM.

That's pretty much it. Thanks for all of your support! It is more appreciated than you could ever imagine.

Take Care,

Greg

Good Morning!

Just wanted to drop you a little note to say that I'll be speaking live with Cruise and Good from their studio, "The Loser's Lounge," about Off The Air and tonight's show. You can read more about Cruise and Good in their press release which I've pasted in bold below. Thought you might be interested in listening and be able to tune on in. I will go on at 1 PM and they will run our conversation again at 6 PM for those who missed it the first time.

I am really excited about the possibilities this new internet radio station offers the local music and arts scene. It's refreshing to have a station that is genuinely down for the community.

Anyway, have a great day! And I hope to see you tonight!

Take care of yourself...

Greg Edwards
www.offtheair.net

TO LISTEN GO HERE: WWW.CRUISEANDGOOD.COM

PRESS RELEASE

Valley radio personalities Cruise N Good are back!

Cruise N Good Radio broadcasts from their private studio "The Loser's Lounge." It's a fully functional radio and recording studio with professional broadcast processing that gives their internet stream an amazing amount of quality. The format is adult alternative, includes Cruise N Good podcasts and will also feature live in studio appearances and concert broadcasts. Listen now at www.cruiseandgood.com

Join Us Live!

"This is a world of action, and not for moping and droning in." –Charles Dickens

In other words, don't just bitch, think forward, move forward, create your own reality and stop waiting for someone else to create it for you. It is so easy to find fault in others, point out their shortcomings, but what kind of solutions do you have to offer if and when you start spouting off ugly at the mouth, heaping negative logs on the fire like an avalanche of vicious jabs that ultimately do nothing but hurt, cause division, pull back progress, when you could've just as easily walked away from the fight to begin the very life you seek to live, the life you are missing out on while you die slowly, bit by bit, a little everyday...

A friend told me about this cool "Bicycle Film Festival" in the city from September 28-30. That's this weekend folks! Alternative transportation is cool. Read more here: http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com

Thought the quote below from Marijke Rowland, arts writer for The Modesto Bee, was great. Read the whole article here: http://www.modbee.com/local/v-dp_morning/story/12718109p-13410681c.html

"I think all this fear of hyphy is dumb.

Yes, dumb — as in the traditional "not smart" definition — not the slang "have fun, let loose" definition.

Why is it dumb? Because many people fear hyphy outright without understanding what it is in the first place.

It is not uncommon to fear what we don't understand. But that doesn't make it right."