i have been to north carolina
i have eaten pork in several parts of north carolina
i have played a hookah bar
i have sold cd's to service men from camp lejuenne
i have played the whiskey in annapolis
i have driven 8 hours at a stretch
i have met a man named pappy who dispensed advice on marriage
i have played three really great sets with the band
i have had a wasp caught in my hair
i have imbibed north carolina's best craft brews
i have looked after the small details
i have glanced over the big details
i have been encouraged by music on the road
i have been concerned about money issues
i have been researching cities on the eastern seaboard
i have been in contact with my inner child
i have been in a time out
i have been reading thomas merton
i have been in awe of my friends
i have been writing music
i have been buying vinyl
i have been listening to chet atkins "teensville"
i have been to the mountain
i have been thinking about all of you.
grimm
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Friday, October 01, 2010
a different router
my 2005 dlink di 624 is acting wonky. i'm now on my wife's computer... a nearly unused piece of technology which she bought... in 2005 as well... pretty cool huh? but it works great...
so i don't care for the term "Charm City." i was reading the fist couple of stories from the new book, "City Sages" and the term Charm City keeps coming up... floating around and careening into any effective sentences, tainting them with its oily fingers.
i guess charm city is supposed to relay some sort of mystery, some sort of magical allure that one cannot resist. i see more as a mischevious child who has stolen your car and took a dump in the back seat. but, you just can't help but temper your anger and fall in love all over again.
blech.
the term charm city apparently came from ad agencies in 1974 to draw people back to the city. baltimore in the seventies was a city on the decline. there was nothing really charming about it... apparently... i was two, at the time and couldn't really give much of first hand account other than i remember being a bit fussy about some creamed corn.
but when you look at populations... from about 900,000 in the 50's to 700,000 in the 70's... to now... which is right around 650,000 the trend becomes obvious. the nickname... charm city seems to be laughable almost... i think charm is too light of a word... i'm from bel air, harford county... middle class white suburban.. in 1972 there wasn't much in bel air... a main street... quaint... farm... almost rural... i don't know if i legitimately qualify to be a biological baltimorean... but i have to say that i love my city and i do sense a connection... a realness. dirty, cold, and resilient. something that says, "go on."
recently when talking with david andler from bima (baltimore independent music and arts fest)his main point was recognizing baltimore musicians and that he was disappointed in how baltimore bands leave town to get recognized or signed elsewhere and one of the ideas for bima was to allow a spotlight to shine on our bands... and baltimore should be a supportive place for music.
i nodded my head in approval, but i also knew that one of my strategies for playing music full time was to get out of baltimore... not move away... not adopt another city... but to spend more time on the road and outside of charm city... june star will always play baltimore... every little gig we can get... to quote chris plummer... "I'll play in a bank parking lot on a Sunday, man." from a performer's perspective, that statement demonstrates both self sacrifice and epic failure.
conversely, looking at the audience side of it... there is a question of where audiences go... here's what Tim Heaney says on his myspace page, "I like live music. Here in Baltimore, that means I spend a lot of time by myself in empty rooms." he has pictures to prove it.
where is this all going? i have know idea really... other than i don't think we should call baltimore charm city... here are some other slogans...
baltimore: it's in the blood
baltimore: you can't wash it out
baltimore: endurance is half the battle
baltimore: get some! before it gets you
grimm
so i don't care for the term "Charm City." i was reading the fist couple of stories from the new book, "City Sages" and the term Charm City keeps coming up... floating around and careening into any effective sentences, tainting them with its oily fingers.
i guess charm city is supposed to relay some sort of mystery, some sort of magical allure that one cannot resist. i see more as a mischevious child who has stolen your car and took a dump in the back seat. but, you just can't help but temper your anger and fall in love all over again.
blech.
the term charm city apparently came from ad agencies in 1974 to draw people back to the city. baltimore in the seventies was a city on the decline. there was nothing really charming about it... apparently... i was two, at the time and couldn't really give much of first hand account other than i remember being a bit fussy about some creamed corn.
but when you look at populations... from about 900,000 in the 50's to 700,000 in the 70's... to now... which is right around 650,000 the trend becomes obvious. the nickname... charm city seems to be laughable almost... i think charm is too light of a word... i'm from bel air, harford county... middle class white suburban.. in 1972 there wasn't much in bel air... a main street... quaint... farm... almost rural... i don't know if i legitimately qualify to be a biological baltimorean... but i have to say that i love my city and i do sense a connection... a realness. dirty, cold, and resilient. something that says, "go on."
recently when talking with david andler from bima (baltimore independent music and arts fest)his main point was recognizing baltimore musicians and that he was disappointed in how baltimore bands leave town to get recognized or signed elsewhere and one of the ideas for bima was to allow a spotlight to shine on our bands... and baltimore should be a supportive place for music.
i nodded my head in approval, but i also knew that one of my strategies for playing music full time was to get out of baltimore... not move away... not adopt another city... but to spend more time on the road and outside of charm city... june star will always play baltimore... every little gig we can get... to quote chris plummer... "I'll play in a bank parking lot on a Sunday, man." from a performer's perspective, that statement demonstrates both self sacrifice and epic failure.
conversely, looking at the audience side of it... there is a question of where audiences go... here's what Tim Heaney says on his myspace page, "I like live music. Here in Baltimore, that means I spend a lot of time by myself in empty rooms." he has pictures to prove it.
where is this all going? i have know idea really... other than i don't think we should call baltimore charm city... here are some other slogans...
baltimore: it's in the blood
baltimore: you can't wash it out
baltimore: endurance is half the battle
baltimore: get some! before it gets you
grimm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)