the smedley log - suburban scrawl

No End in Sight: A word to the wise…

My seventh grade history teacher was Mr. Baltich. His motto was “A word to the wise is sufficient.” He often used it to conclude tales from historic episodes in which things could have gone much more smoothly had one or more of the parties learned from existing wisdom. This existing wisdom might have come from a scorned adviser or from the simple observation of past events.

Mr. Baltich also used this motto as part of his warning to a classroom full of parochial school students (as in “Heed this understated verbal warning, or else…”). At the naive age of 12, most of us didn’t grasp the seriousness of any warning that didn’t include wild gestures or raised voices, so we’d often get to find out what fate befell those to whom words were insufficient. Eventually we started to wise up.

Mr. B’s trademark saying is based on the notion – and I wasn’t sure of its accuracy until the past few years – that it takes true wisdom to heed the advice of those who’ve experienced more than you. I already knew there were countless examples of young, cocky types who, for whatever reason, feel the need to remake all of the mistakes their elders warn them about. I’ve always chalked it up to a sense of hubris that seems almost inherent to youth. My recent viewing of the documentary No End in Sight helped illustrate to me how pervasive this foolish attribute is in biologically mature men, like those who engineered the invasion of Iraq. [Read more →]

On being framed and what you can make with lemons

Here is where I briefly enlighten readers as to a couple more albums that have joined the fold. This time it’s The Frames and Glen Phillips on the docket. (Clicking on a CD image or title below will take you to a page where you can purchase that disc.)

The Frames: The Cost
I only looked these guys up on emusic.com because Mark practically nagged me about it (or maybe that inference was just some sort of Irish guilt on my part). Believe it or not, I didn’t realize there was more than one talented rock band to come out of Ireland. Or maybe I did, but I didn’t expect them to be this good. Once I got past the creepy similarity to Chris Martin’s bad falsetto that inhabits the first few lines of the album, The Cost was pretty much uniformly impressive to the last note.

First song to reach out and grab me: “True” (I think I have to blame this selection on the female backing vocals toward the end of the track, which I find almost whimsical)

The Frames’ website is here. Their MySpace page is here.

Glen Phillips: Mr. Lemons
During the same visit to emusic during which I picked up my first taste of The Frames, I also noticed Glen Phillips’ latest. Having been a longtime admirer of one of his previous obscure music efforts, I figured chances were better than not I’d find something to like in his latest outing. And I found a lot to like within Mr. Lemons’ confines, which weave from the grateful to the melancholy. Phillips even incorporates a new sound for a Huey Lewis cover.

I must also draw attention to the fact that he has a mostly dormant blog, where his “about” statement reads:

I am a singer/songwriter and father of three daughters. I had a brief moment of mainstream success as a young man which I am still in the process of recovering from. I love my family, friends, music. I think people are basically good but usually broken. I’m trying to learn how to make music for a living without it being at the expense of my family and community. I value simplicity. I create noise.

The last two sentences resonate with me for some strange reason. I don’t quite know why…

First song to reach out and grab me: “The Next Day”

Glen’s website is here. His MySpace page is here.

Tuesday night music club

No time (or expertise) to offer comprehensive reviews right now, but I wanted to mention the following three music offerings I’ve recently acquired. I’ve been enjoying all three over the past couple weeks. All three have been easy to hear, right from the first spin. (Clicking on a CD image or title below will take you to a page where you can purchase that disc.)

In order of acquisition, they are:

Ellipsis: Take What You Will
I didn’t even realize they had an active website until after I started writing a post partly inspired by an earlier song of theirs. This 2004 release is more of everything I loved from the earlier CD I purchased at the Point in Bryn Mawr several years ago, namely, Vale Jokisch’s soothing voice coupled with textured melodies fusing guitar and violin. First song to reach out and grab me: “Shine”

The group’s website is here. Their MySpace is here

John Francis: Strong Wine & Spirits
I first saw John perform at the Point not long after he made his move to Philly in 2003. I bought a copy of his earlier CD Fire in the Marrow after listening to a couple live performances. Strong Wine seems a little more bluesy, but with the same heartwrenching lyrical focus of previous efforts. First song to reach out and grab me: “Love in the Fallout Shelter”

John’s website is here. His MySpace is here.

Raina Rose: The Prophet, the Panhandler & the Moon
I haven’t had as much time with Raina’s latest disc yet, but it takes a slightly more folksy turn than her other solo disc, Despite the Crushing Weight of Gravity. First song to reach out and grab me: An untitled track that follows after the last listed song (I wouldn’t have known to even listen for it had Marisa not tipped me off).

Raina’s website is here. Her MySpace is here.

Poetry inspired by Pennsylvania

Having grown up in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I’ve long been aware of its many wonderful attributes. A couple weeks ago I stumbled upon a book that chronicles some of those poetic inspirations. The book, which I found at the local library, is titled Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania (2005, Pennsylvania State University Press).

Edited by Marjorie Maddox of Lockhaven University and Jerry Wemple of Bloomsburg University, Common Wealth offers poetic tributes to Pennsylvania from a variety of writers, some from the Keystone State, and others simply making observations from an outsider’s perspective. One of the many pieces that struck me is Lynn Levin’s “If You Are Reading This,” which is written in a more prosaic form. The first stanza follows:

GIRL WITH DOG IN RAIN! Sweetheart, where are you now? Saw you at 16th and Walnut with your chocolate lab under an awning. It was raining parking lights and car horns. I was the guy double-parked delivering a tray of bagels to a corporate meeting. Nice stuff, 5 flavors, cream cheese with chives, butter daisies. Our eyes met, do you remember? I can’t get you out of my mind. [Box 347] …

With inspirations as diverse as the Commonwealth itself, this volume comprises contributions of authors ranging from Maggie Anderson to John Updike. If you’re a Pennsylvanian who’s curious about some of the poems for which your home state has played the muse, Common Wealth is probably a book you’ll want to check out.

(Who knows, they may even publish another edition someday that includes Autumn’s portrait of what it means to be an Eagles fan.)

All kids on the inside

Having written about model trains a week ago, I was especially looking forward to yesterday’s featured leisure activity: a visit to Northlandz in Flemington, New Jersey.

I was part of a small group, consisting of two adults and three kids – though it’s probably safe to say we all felt like kids for most of the time it took to wind our way through the tour. And it did take some time.

With over eight miles of track, Northlandz bills itself as the world’s largest model railroad (a claim I have little reason to doubt). But it wasn’t until we reached the sign telling us we were only 25% done the tour (after more than a half-hour) that the enormity of it hit me. Even more impressive, though, was the fact that I felt not even a tinge of boredom at that realization.

The tunnels, bridges and landscapes were wonderfully detailed, and the tour was literally multi-level, giving visitors the opportunity to see the canyons, mountainsides, valleys and rivers from a variety of angles. Not everyone in our little group was a train enthusiast, but we were all dazzled by the exhibit. For anyone who’s never been to Northlandz, if you find yourself with an opportunity to go, take it – then take your time and enjoy the scenery.

For what it’s worth, even if you can’t make it out to Northlandz, I’ve posted a new Flickr set for the occasion. Please feel free to check out some of the sights we saw.

Sufjan Stevens at the Tower

Matt, of The BM Rant offers an envy-inducing review of the show Sufjan Stevens played Thursday night at the Tower Theater. If only I had been there. If only my nightlife consisted of something other than work…

Sorry if you’re bored…

A while ago I started 575, an attempt to practice some level of consistency over something in my crowded little life. My path to consistency was to write a daily haiku. One a day, every day. No more, no less.

Starting a haiku blog has had unplanned benefits, such as discovering just how extensive the online haiku community is. I’ve begun regularly reading a number of these haiku blogs over the past month and change.

One of the blogs that’s caught my attention is Sorry if you’re bored…, where the writer’s pseudonym is “liquidquick,” and the author’s writing is generally limited to popularized haiku format. Every entry and comment from the blogmaster follows that pattern. Of course, for me the irony of the blog title is that I’m not at all bored when sifting through liquidquick’s structured musings. You probably won’t be either.

Click here to visit Sorry if you’re bored…