I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
Edgar Allen Poe

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
- H. L. Mencken

Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
-Bertrand Russell

What I have been telling you, from alpha to omega, what is the one great thing the sigil taught me — that everything in life is miraculous. For the sigil taught me that it rests within the power of each of us to awaken at will from a dragging nightmare of life made up of unimportant tasks and tedious useless little habits, to see life as it really is, and to rejoice in its exquisite wonderfulness. If the sigil were proved to be the top of a tomato-can, it would not alter that big fact, nor my fixed faith. No Harrowby, the common names we call things by do not matter — except to show how very dull we are ...
-James Branch Cabell

September 07, 2014 - 12:23 p.m.

Si! Si! See the Sea the Sea!

I slept late today. I wake up by 8:30 every day and today I slept till 9:30. Too bad as that meant missing an hour and a half of John Platt's show. I am not sure what time I went to sleep. I wasn't a late night but I did stay up and read. Part of the problem is that my Crohn's is acting up. I am not having an attack, I'm not in pain, but things aren't right.

Yesterday I was supposed to go to the CT Folk Festival but the weather forecast wasn't good and Fred, my ride, got cold feet so we didn't go. I had a backup plan, seeing The Sea the Sea at Rockwood at 7:00.

That left all day free and that's not good now. Left to my own devices I'm going to get depressed. I'm an emotional shark that has to keep moving.

I started by making special breakfast, pancakes. I'm using the right equipment now so it's getting easier. I have a batter bowl that is made to measure the ingredients and pour and I make them on the griddle side of my cast iron grill That's big enough to make four at once. I finally learned he secret of flipping them. The slower and more careful I am the less accurate the placement is. I have to trust in the force to flip it accurately. I made sausages with it and I even heated the real maple syrup in the microwave. I had a bagel with it. I ate a lot. I have leftovers. That's today's breakfast. I'll make some bacon to go with it.

After brunch and showering and wasting time I don't know how I went over to Heather's for a while. She had to be at Chelsea Piers at 6 PM.. Doors at Rockwood were at 6:30. We left Heather's a little after 5. She lives one subway stop from Rockwood. OK two but I'd have to change trains so it's easier to walk from Delancy. I would have gotten there far too early so I walked with her up to the and road with her to 6th Ave where I switched to the back to 2nd Ave. It was an incredibly roundabout route, 8 stops and two trains. But it killed time I got there a little before 6 PM. I got lucky. The outer door was open and nobody was upstairs to stop me so I just went down to Rockwood 3 and hung out with Chuck and Mira then watched sound check. When that was over I went upstairs and met Fred, Gene, and Isabel, and we all went down together.

So I didn't get to go to the Festival with three bands that I love and am friends with, Red Molly, Pesky J. Nixon, and Bobtown, and with Phil Henry in the songwriting contest but I got to see a favorite duo with good friends.

I have never gotten in on the ground floor with an act more that The Sea The Sea. They sang at the Budgiedome song circle before they performed anywhere and before they had a name. It was just Chuck and Mira singing. A silly tangent, do I call them Chuck and Mira not Mira and Chuck because of Chuck & Bob the ventriloquist act on the sitcom Soap?. That's a frightening thought. But not my point at all.

OK so my point is that I've known them from the start and loved them from the start, but have seen them grow. What struck me the first time and for a long time since them is that their voices blend better than any two people I've heard. But last night I realized that's not the main or even one of the main things I enjoy about the show. That's the obvious hook to lure you in but it's not what they are.. Now it's not just the voices blending it's the guitar playing, and most of all the songwriting. I would love them if they didn't sound so beautiful.

If I knew more about music I could write about them better. I have to fumble for analogies and subjective impressions. I have already said that I listen to them with the Bach part of my brain. The joy comes from hearing the intricacies coming together effortlessly and seamlessly. There's so much going on yet the impression is the balance of nirvana not cacophony. I wanted to say tranquility but sometimes they rock out. They could be all bliss, it fits their sound but they don't fall into that trap and have all their songs sound alike.

I find it best to close my eyes when listening to The Sea The Sea. The songs create imagery and it's easier to concentrate without visual distractions Yet somehow I manage to take pictures. I'm a miracle worker.

A nice thing about sound check is that it's easier for me to get pictures. I can move around. Sure Chuck wasn't in his performance clothes but the light was better I'll show you both. Why didn't I take any video? Next time somebody remind me.

Before sound check there was issues getting them enough outlets for all their electronics. Yet this is acoustic music.

That's the one flash picture I took. These are from sound check

During the show we sat in the middle to best take pictures around the condenser mic. I gave Fred the best seat. He has a real camera.


Did Mira get that dress from Maura Kennedy's closet?

Hey I edited pictures. Maybe I'm getting better.

I sold the merch after the show and had the fun of talking to people that just recently discovered The Sea the Sea. I also had a chance to talk to my friends and tell Chuck how much I loved the show. I told him to tell Mira. Of course she can just read this.

I then headed home Notice I hadn't eaten. I resisted eating out. I stopped at Trader Joe's and bought bratwurst. I made hash browns with it and drank iced coffee.. Know what I didn't do? have dessert even though I bought ice cream. I will have to make up for that today.

OK now to eat breakfast. Pancakes and bacon should make me happy.


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please hold me accountable.





Memories: Not that Horrid Song - May 29, 2018
Wise Madness is Now In Session - May 28, 2018
The NFL and the First Amendment - May 27, 2018
On The Road Again - May 26, 2018
Oliver the Three-Eyed Crow - May 25, 2018



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Horvendile September 07, 2014
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