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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Your Draw Fire Records at CMJ in a nutshell

If you didn't get a chance to browse through all Jenn Barnett's CMJ photos, here's a quick "hands off" way to do it now.

Click http://www.jennbarnett.com/cmjhwts/ to break out of the annoying iFrame below and view the slideshow full screen.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

(Minneapolis) Girls Say Yes to boys who say OBAMA

My Facebook photo comment newsfeed has never been so abuzz as it was this evening as mutual friends lavished praise on Andrea Swensson and Stacy Schwartz when they changed their profile photos to their Minneapolis remake of a Brooklyn remake of a 1960s anti-draft poster made by the Baez sisters. (This photo also includes photographer Alexa Jones.)


Click the image to be taken to Stacy's Flickr page for the full size image and a little bit of the history on how the photo came to be.

Jim Walsh also mentions the photo's origins in his column on Minnpost yesterday.



Monday, October 27, 2008

The Physics of Extragalactic Radio Sources, a poem


(Photo by NASA from http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/space/)

The Physics of Extragalactic Radio Sources

A poem by David J. de Young with apologies to David S. De Young


Google Web Alert for David de Young
“The Physics of Extragalactic Radio Sources A unique feature of the book is De Young's emphasis on the physical processes associated with extragalactic radio sources: their evolution, their...”

One fine fall evening, out of the ether it came,
a Google Web Alert for my very name.
I’m used to these, as I’m an internet famous sort of chap,
but this one seemed to come from a parallel universe’s map.
When in high school, an astrophysicist I said I’d like to be,
But as time wore on I was inclined more poetically.
Not much chance now I’d write The Physics of Extragalactic Radio Sources.
In college I took a completely different set of courses.



[Click here for info on David S. De Young's 2002 University of Chicago Press book, The Physics of Extragalactic Radio Sources.]

The Draw Fire crew returns safe and sound

The Draw Fire Records crew made good time on the return trip to Minneapolis and arrived at the Richfield bus depot in late morning on Sunday, October 26th.

Not only did Photographer Jenn Barnett chronicle the entire trip with a full baker's dozen audio podcasts from the road (a few more actually, if you could the couple that ended up in the bit bucket) but she also took hundreds of pictures.

I can't recall an event since the RNC riots in St. Paul that I got such a clear picture of without even attending. Stories about in the audio podcasts from the keg of Surly that almost got away, to newfound culinary delights, to horrifying tales of the aftermath of excess on the road.

Here are Jenn Barnett's three additional sets of photos, in addition to the original set posted shortly after the bus departed Minneapolis on Thursday. (Click a photo to be taken to the corresponding set.)







And here are some thoughts posted to his very own blog by Adam Svec of the Glad Version.

Also, some more background on the purpose of the trip from an interview Holly Munoz of Aviette did pre-trip with our friends at Cake in 15.com.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

The Draw Fire bus returns from New York

At 7 a.m. Sunday morning on the Draw Fire bus outside Eau Claire, Holly Munoz and Karen Kopacz talk to Jenn Barnett about future plans for futureeating.org and wrap up learnings about the bus trip including which type of bucket is best for carrying a keg around New York City.

At the time of posting, everyone is back in Minneapolis safe and sound.



MP3 File

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Bill Mike and Stook recap the CMJ Draw Fire showcase

Bill Mike and Stook recap their CMJ Draw Fire Showcase experiences. (And just in case you were wondering, the "all covers" bit is a joke.)

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The Glad Version in an intimate portrait of life on the road

Jenn Barnett shares this intimate, behind the scenes look into the life of a band on the road. Travis from the Glad Version has story about beer and cheap wine and the aftermath of overindulging. Adam and Chris chime in with their perspectives. Warning: Projectile vomiting may or may not be central to this podcast.

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Adam Svec on Peanut Butter & Tomato Sandwiches

Postscript: Adam Svec on Peanut Butter & Tomato Sandwiches. New secret recipe revealed. Yum? Ben Clark taste tested one on the road and declared it a success.

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The Glad Version recaps the night

Who needs sex and drugs? The Glad Version are all about Beer, pizza and rock and roll. By their own accounts, the band had a great show. Jenn Barnett reports.

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Holly Munoz from Aviette recaps Draw Fire showcase

Jenn Barnett and Holly Munoz recap the Draw Fire Records showcase at CMJ as the exhausted, hungover people head back to Minneapolis on the bus. Holly recounts the evening, including a near tragedy as a keg of Surly rolled down the stairs. (Fortunately, no beer was injured during the incident.)

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Friday, October 24, 2008

Bill Mike on the Ivy Brown Gallery

Jenn Barnett talks to Bill Mike who has the lowdown on the Ivy Brown Gallery's history in NYC's meatpacking district.

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Draw Fire Showcase at CMJ about to start

Minutes before Stook takes the stage at CMJ, Jenn Barnett talks to Holly Munoz and Sam Keenan about the Ivy Brown Gallery.

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Twitterers at #CMJ


And I almost forgot.  For those of you who can't wait for news, here are a few of the Twin Cities folks at CMJ who are keeping the world updated via Twitter.  (Not including me, of course, though I am at http://www.twitter.com/howwastheshow.)


Note: some user accounts may be protected and you'll have to request to follow them.  I will add to this list as I find more.

Photos from the Draw Fire bus ride to CMJ

It's interesting to note that Jenn Barnett's late night "somewhere in Indiana" interview with music photographer Alexa Jones was already famous on the internets before actually even being posted to our blog, having been referenced by Andrea Swensson on the City Pages blog here.

Sounds like it was an interesting night on that bus to NYC, and perhaps I am glad I was snuggled comfortably in my queen sized bed amongst my 750 thread count sheets snoozing away with only the constant thud and boom of 24/7 35W Road Construction in Minneapolis to keep me awake.

Anyway, in case you missed them on her Flickr account, here is a selection of photos so far by Jenn Barnett from the Draw Fire Records CMJ trip photo set.




Jenn talks to Donny Moon from Worn Out Shoes

Donny Moon of Worn Out Shoes is not playing at CMJ this year, but he went along on the bus for the ride and to explore good deals on used cars in the Bronx. This is an interesting listen. (Part 1 of a possible 2 part interview.)

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Alexa Jones & Stook on the bus to CMJ

Jenn Barnett talks to Alexa Jones and Stook. [Editor's note: The Alexa Jones portion of this audio is already severely edited and more than half of it has been cut. Trust me, it was the right decision. She'll thank me later. (I will be sending Alexa the full, unedited version of this interview for her files, so if you want it, please ask her.]

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

Jenn Barnett talks to Sam Keenan

Jenn Barnett talks to Sam Keenan about the trip to CMJ. He says, "I didn't see it coming."

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Jenn talks to Adam Svec from the Glad Version

Jenn Barnett talks to Adam and Chris from the Glad Version about a butter knife and the previous times the Glad Version has played New York.

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Draw Fire Records bus departs Minnesota

Jenn Barnett talks with Holly and Kyle from Aviette and we learn that apparently the bus does not smell bad...yet. Holly talks about the project's many sponsors and how they made the Draw Fire bus trip to CMJ possible.

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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Draw Fire Records at CMJ Music Marathon 2008

How Was The Show declares “Draw Fire Records Week.”

Perhaps you attended the Draw Fire Records tour kick off on Friday night at The Turf Club in St. Paul that Kristine Lambert will soon have full coverage of that show on HowWasTheShow's main site.

On Thursday, October 23rd, members of the Draw Fire Records team and their friends (including Andrea Swensson of City Pages and photographers Alexa Jones and Jenn Barnett) board a bio-diesel bus for New York City where many of their bands will be participating in a showcase on Friday night, October 24th.


Jenn Barnett captured this photo of Draw Fire Records co-founder Holly Munoz at the Draw Fire Records showcase at the State Fair earlier this summer. (Click the photo or here for the full set of those photos.)


Keep an eye on HowWasTheShow’s blog for updates. Jenn Barnett will be sharing photos of the DrawFire showcase and other CMJ events with HowWasTheShow.com over the weekend. Be sure to follow Jenn’s updates on Twitter as well at http://www.twitter.com/jennbarnnettDraw Fire Records Showcase - CMJ Music Marathon 2008

Ivy Brown Gallery

675 Hudson Street #4N

New York, NY


Music at 7:00 p.m. Sharp!

7:00 p.m. – 7:25 p.m. – Stook!
7:30 p.m. – 7:55 p.m. – Sam Keenan
8:00 p.m. – 8:25 p.m. – The Glad Version
8:30 p.m. – 8:55 p.m. – Aviette
9:00 p.m. – 9:25 p.m. – Kid Dakota
9:30 p.m. – 9:55 p.m. – Bill Mike Band
10:00 p.m. – 10:25 p.m. – StarDweller (NYC)
10:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. – Sing-along, special guests, general merriment

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Ed Ackerson to release second solo album in twelve months

HowWasTheShow is always pleased to keep you informed of upcoming Susstones events. Check out this info about Ed Ackerson's upcoming second solo album in twelve months just released by Susstones publicity chief, P.D. Larson!

Ed Ackerson to release second solo album; third album in twelve months!


Songwriter / producer / multi-instrumentalist / Obama supporter Ed Ackerson will release his second solo album on November 18. Appropriately titled Ackerson2, the album caps what might be Ed's most productive year so far. The release of Ackerson 2 will represent the third full-length release of original Ed material in the year between Thanksgivings 07 and 08. Ackerson2 comes a mere six months after Polara's acclaimed fifth album Beekeeping and exactly a year after Ed's highly touted first solo album, Ed Ackerson.


Like his first solo album, Ackerson2 is an all-Ed effort, recorded at his Flowers Studio facility in Minneapolis. Lighter and less dense sonically than his work with Polara, the new album presents Ed's ace songwriting in a clear, minimalist setting. This is a poppy but moody collection of tunes, very autumnal in vibe, warm in the sunny moments but a bit chilling in the shadier ones. Ackerson2 is an album of personal "roots" music from a writer whose foundation instincts are as experimental as they are direct.


Ackerson2 is proudly being released by Susstones and will be in stores the week before Thanksgiving. To celebrate the new album and the Ackerson / Polara three-releases-in-a-year hat trick, Susstones will be staging a big show Nov. 28 at the Varsity Theater. Full lineup for the show will be announced soon, and it will include not only a huge crew of Susstones artists, but many friends old and new as well.



In other Susstones related news, I've been enjoying the new Christian Erickson tracks posted earlier this summer that you can check out here: http://www.susstones.com/christian/. "A Little Sun" especially is a great tune for a rainy day like today. Erickson's release notes for the tracks, indicate he got some help from Jon Hunt on this particular one.

I encourage you to check out all 3 tracks, and I hope you'll join me in anticipating a new release from this off-duty Astronaut Wife member as well. (Earlier this year I had the privilege of hearing Erickson and his wife Janey Winterbauer perform some acoustic versions of Astronaut Wife songs at the Mad Ripple Hootenanny and it made for some of my favorite musical memories of 2008.)