Method. Madness.

As even a casual glance at this blog will tell you, I've been too busy lately to provide many updates. Over the last week or so, I've been to a number of concerts, including radio-friendly soft rock from Shaun Mullins (Rock For Roots), Chrissie Hynde's new band, called Chrissie, JP and the Fairground Boys (Rock For Roots), and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals' brand of southern rock (also at Rock For Roots), as well as the Watson Twins and Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames at the Earl, and more local, unsigned bands than I can count at the East Village Strut.

However, it hasn't really been as busy as implied here. Last Tuesday, I didn't go see CocoRosie, although I wish that I did. I had a meeting of the alliance of neighborhood associations and while I was planning to head to Variety Playhouse after the meeting for the concert, the meeting went long and I got tired. From what I've heard, I missed a great show.

I didn't go to the Wednesday night concert at Mississippi Studio, either, for the very practical reason that Mississippi Studio is in Portland, Oregon. I'm not even sure why I posted the announcement - I suppose I'm nostalgic for what could have been if things had worked out differently, and I've found myself perusing the club listings for Portland even though I know that there's no way I can go to any of them.

I was planning to go to the album-release party at the Drunken Unicorn on Friday night, if for no other reason than to see the opening act, Atlanta's Jeffrey Butzer. I've heard only two songs by him, Theme For a A Tailor and Hotel Explosion (with Claire Lodge), and they couldn't be more different, so I'm very curious to hear how he would sound live. However, the friend that I was going to go with cancelled at the last minute, some adult responsibilities that needed taking care of, and while I'm not at all adverse to going alone, I didn't this time. I spent the balance of this weekend holed up in the house with my cats.

So that's the long and short of it. Fortunately, ever since I started my new job at the beginning of the year, I've not had to be at the office until an hour later than my previous jobs of the past, oh, 29 years, and it's a shorter commute, so time has opened up for me in the morning to practice my zazen. This in turn, has freed me (in more than one sense) to head out in the evening to these little youth-oriented clubs and hear these interesting bands.