BIRDS OF GREAT GRACE

At the end of July, Brigid and Bryce and the rest of Bryce's old band, Everything Absent or Distorted (now, in their shifting, intermittent form they are called the Soft Civil War) booked some time in the recording studio and invited me to join them.

Brig and Bryce and Trevor and I recorded a couple of songs in the mornings.




There were instruments and sound-making toys on shelves, leaned against walls, propped in every corner.

Brig took photos on her hipstamatic iphone.


Sandy was our sound engineer, wiping all my blunders from the record, thank God.



We stayed wired on some of the best coffee I've had in Denver, which was sold just up the block.



T.T. Rumble rambled through some classical...blurred into Radiohead..blurred into The National...blurred into Yann Tierson...

Apparently Brig plays her best accordion when dressed as a Russian poodle.







I played a little saw, some bells, and some vocals, all of which were rather nerve-wracking...your track singled out and such. There is really no hiding behind others. It was my first time in the studio, but I hope to find myself there again someday.


Lots and lots of hanging out--knitting, guitar, cigarettes, Nintendo, conversation...


Trevor's puppy, Townes van Trumble, was our muse.




Then Kuker's new son took a shift or two as muse.

And Brigid's crew of sock creatures made excellent groupies.

IN THE CITY OF THE PLAINS

Woody and I had lunch together, and then he took a box of photos from the back of his truck and we had a show and tell on the sidewalk.


Years ago, I had a photo class with this interesting guy named Lachlan, who has since become a chef and owns a restaurant in Boulder. I hope to dine there some day, and I look forward to seeing Woody's photos on their walls, and on the walls of the pizzeria they are opening in the fall.

Lachlan commissioned Woody to gather photos in Naples.



Each one was my favorite.



Then there was a weekend of great Denver music and plenty of G & Ts, whisky, beer, photobooths, and hula hoops, streetfood and sunsets and such lovely people.







Anna Maria is so local she hasn't even recorded yet, but I can't wait to get my hands and ears on a recording...hurry up, Anna.


Hurry up, Kal Cahoone and the Dirty Pretty, too. Hurry, hurry.






And Bela Karoli played a little reunion show, which was packed with old and new fans, and was really, really lovely.




Oh blinding, beautiful Denver sun.




Andy, aka Banjo Willie, was in town to spend some time in the studio with E.A.O.D. He wandered into an antique shop and had a very interesting conversation with the proprietor, who was an old Russian lady. She had a lot to say about this particular judge. Strangely, Brigid met the same lady last month, when collecting old jars and bottles to use as vases at her wedding. The woman unlocked her warehouse, which was so full of goods they had to move things aside to get through the place. The woman warned Brigid against Leo men--dangerous in love, apparently, nevermind that my Dad's a Leo, and so is Brigid, although being a woman she is not dangerous, I guess. They struck a deal--$30 for the box of bottles--but Brig was 30 cents short...Finally the woman let her go. (Myles, this was on South Broadway, and yes, many of those bookstores are still there).


Bob Deejayed at Sputnik and Robin and Stubbs got their groove on.


They are quite a groovy pair.


Then Brig and Robin and Mandy discovered the hula hoops.









They were all surprisingly good at it, with very unique styles.




Really, Denver, you are too lovely.