Free Shirt (er..bird)!!

Congratulations!! We have our weiner.

DJ Nate Pharaoh entered and got a good dozen or so correct. Though he should automatically be disqualified for attributing Billy Idol to a PUBLIC ENEMY song!! My word!

Nate got all the funk ones, soul songs and a couple reggae ones. His missed all The Smiths (a band he dislikes) and the Clash songs, which there was a lot of.

Nate come by and pick up your prize: a Where To Roam shirt.

Heer is the list of correct answers: click here.

Torn and Frayed

I got turned on to this great article by a friend about the making of the Replacements 'Pleased to Meet Me' album that they recored in Memphis in 1987. Great cover including ripped off Elvis lettering, tattered rock guy hand shaking business guy hand, but that yellow color- ugh!

Most of it is recollections with producer Jim Dickenson (Tommy: ‘Look Paul, he’s got a flannel shirt. He’s just like us.’ Paul: ‘I don’t care what his shirt is. He’s not like us.’) and it has some great antidotes and stories about the birth of some of the song's on what is probably one of the best rock and roll records from the late 1980s! I know, I know... it's a 'Slim' record... and it's no Let it Be, but it's a damn good record.

The articles was written by Ted Drozdowski and it appears on the Gibson guitar website.

A great quote from Jim talking about Westerberg getting all emotional at the end of The Ledge:

Hell, Quincy Jones sits there and listens to Michael Jackson sob; what’s the difference?

>> Read the article online here.

Dose of Thunder

Designing in the rain. A rainy, dreary dark Friday can make you rather unenthusiastic about your work especially in the creative field. Time to pull out some mood changing bright colors and see if we can sweep some life into this morning. Yellow, anyone? A Sabres losing skid at 8 games isn't helping anyone's mood either. The jubilation following a win would be nice on a morning like this.

Does mood effect your designing, your creativity? Do you design better when you are in a good mood? Is it harder to come up with fresh exciting ideas if you are in a bad mood? Psychology experts will tell you (and there is numerous articles online about this) that good health and good moods go together... so it would seem to reason that a good mood promotes good design. But when your are a design professional (did he say 'professional'?) it is hard to fit your mood into your schedule. Sometime you have to produce whether the weather (or your current mood because it it) promotes creativity.

So how do we change our mood to promote good design? Play some upbeat music? Turn on all the lights? Go for a walk? Call it a day? Peruse some design books and look at some good designs... will that be enough to change the doldrums into exciting and fun design.

While working on some print ads I reminding of something I read on the AIGA website a few months back- "Good design connects with people." It is more than catching someone's eye as they page thorough a newspaper or magazine-- once you caught their attention can you change their behavior? Good design makes the viewer take action. Marketers like that the 'call to action' statement in advertising. Good ads, and good design make people take notice, make them want to buy a product, employ the service or think differently about a thought or idea.

So it would make sense that designing while in a good mood will make the process more successful. What about photographers? Do they take better pictures when they are in good moods? What about illustrators or computer programmers? Does a good mood enhance their code writing skills. Can a good mood promote better problem solving?

Get Busy

Well I got all I wanted for the holiday, plus a bunch of new design books... not to mention a subscription to The Hockey News!!

As Winter starts to really blow in, we have a lot to look forward to in the Winter 'hunker down' months and the "soon-to-be-upon-us" New Year including:

10) Time to read.
I also received the Replacements oral history book "All Over But The Shouting" by Jim Walsh (who's is NOT Brandon and Brenda's dad.. at least I don't think so...). Rock and design research!

09) Sledding.
The kids got a purple, plastic toboggan from Santa. In my world of princesses, baby dolls and ballet-a little thrill ride down the slope is in order.

08) Better mix CDs.
Santa gave me a Sony CD burner to attached to the DJ system for some live to mix vinyl translation. All those old house music records will again see the light of day. Get Busy, Mr. Lee.

07) No more trips to (and then waiting in line at) the post office.
Man, I have been to the post office too many times in the past few weeks to mail out-of-town gifts, to buy stamps, to mail postcards, to drop off T-shirts that were ordered for the holidays...

06) Saturday Night's Hockey Night in Canada.
Nothing says winter in Buffalo better than HNIC, Ron and Don, especially with the upcoming Hockey Day in Canada (mentioned previously). The passing of the first of the year only means the Stanley Cup playoffs are a mere 4 months away!

05) Snow Days.
City closing blizzards that keep everyone cozy at home watching movies and drinking hot chocolate or tea. Of course, having your own business, located conveniently on the same property, means no snow-days off from work!

04) Trip to Florida (perhaps...)
The kids are itching to see their grandparents and friends in the strip mall capitol of the US, the US's own boot, 'shorts-with-parkas' territory- Florida. We'll see about that one.

03) Fresh Snowfall.
I love a fresh snowfall that conveniently covers the dirt and grime of the city overnight. Though the beauty usually only lasts until the plows go by and undercover the filth, but for that brief moment in time when all is white- it is so nice.

02) Silence.
The city fabric comes with its own set of sounds, sometimes disturbing- boomin' car stereos, partying kids across the street in the frat-house apartment, drunken people wandering up and down the street yelling for no good reason at a no good hour. The cold weather makes the crazies retreat indoors and with the windows shut tight- you just can't hear the ones that are still out there. BONUS BEATS- No More 24 hours of xmas tunes!

01) Ice Bowl (Winter Classic)-Hockey Outdoors!!
Pond hockey gone big time- though I will be watching in the comfort of my home and not outside like the some 80,000 maniacs, but with the home team playing outdoors, firends and family over, Sabres on a hot streak (6 wins in a row), all hockey eyes on Bflo... it doesn't get any better that this! Go Sabs! What a way to start the new year!

Little Mascara

Beyond the hearsay, half-truths, legends, and allegations. Minneapolis music writer, Jim Walsh will release his story of The Replacements in mid-November. "The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting" promises to tell the true tale of the band's rise to indie fame, to major label signing (some say 'sell out') to the implosion and self-destruction that eventually finished the band.

Featuring interviews with family, friends, & fans; former manager Peter Jesperson; Twin/Tone record label cofounder Paul Stark; and musicians around the nation influenced by the band- this book promises to be, if anything else, an entertaining read. Bob, Tommy, Chris and Paul were a force to be reckoned with and their path in the world of rock and roll burned quick and bright. Sloppy rock and roll like no other.

Look for the book in the Fall. Here is some more info on the top Paul Westy fan site: Man Without Ties.

Another book worth mentioning, that I have read about the indie rock scene of this era is Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991. This is a great book with a chapter dedicated to each band featured including, Husker Du, Minutemen, Black Flag, Minor Threat, as well as The 'Mats. It was writen by Michael Azerrad and is a great read. This is the book that got me into Big Black and I haven't turned back!

Bonus Beats: Something To Du (video clip)- Recorded Sept. 1981 at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. These young kids know how to rock, especially Bob (R.I.P.).