Music: Zonk and The Peak Show
July 26, 2004 by Eric Richardson
Saturday night Miggles and I wandered over to 3rd & Main to check out the party/show The Peak Show was hosting. We didn't really stay for the party part, but we did see both Peak Show and Zonk.
Zonk was first (for us... the first band was more punk, not exactly my thing, so we came a little late). The acoustics in the room did them no favors. Concrete walls, a concrete floor, and a high ceiling (wood at least). Mics had a tendency to go into a very gradual feedback loop as things echoed and rattled around the room. As a soundman the first thing I would have done is hang thick comforters on the walls to try and kill some of the bounce. But whatever, it's a band throwing a party.
But back to Zonk... The lead vocals got washed up in the bounciness, so the set lacked the punch of the stuff I'm hearing on their site. They're at Temple Bar tonight, and I'm kicking around heading out there to give the live sound a second chance, but it's a late show and I've got work in the morning, so I'm not too confident that'll happen. So I guess in summary, I think I like them.
Peak Show was up next. The same acoustic disclaimer applies, but I enjoyed this set a lot more. Holland was a bit more forceful about bringing out her vocal, and that helped. I've heard various Peak Show stuff before, with Friend playing some on KCRWMusic.com's show Broadband. Megan Jacobs, who I saw last year as Old Sol ,was on keys and backup vocals. It was a fun, intimate set, with the band playing about 6 feet away from, and on the level of, the 60 or so people who were there.
So, yeah, a fun time, but next time you're throwing a party that includes a show, please think about the acoustics. Please?
Movies: Bourne Supremecy
July 24, 2004 by Eric Richardson
So we went to see The Bourne Supremecy last night. I liked it, though it really was just straight up an action movie. One thing that bothered me, though... And just to be fair, I'm putting it after the jump. — Continue Reading...
more local shopping adventures
July 24, 2004 by Eric Richardson
It's days like today that make me all the more amazed with my neighborhood. In the process of moving apartments I managed to lose the cord to my electric razor. I didn't actually realize this until a couple weeks later, when the battery started to get low and I made a futile search for it. So now I've got a dead razor, and being the lazy person I am, that means I shaved less (I'm not all about real shaving...).
Today, though, I decided to take matters to hand and go find a replacement cord. I've mentioned before the joys of living downtown and having multiple electronics shops within a block or two of my apartment. No problem finding something that works then, right? Well, not so much. Electronics shops didn't really have anything, one of them said to try Rite Aid, since they sell the razor. Rite Aid did have the razor, but no cords. The guy there told me I might try Ross Cutlery, which was at Broadway and 3rd, or Broadway and 2nd... I had seen it before, though, so I knew it was 3rd (right next to the Bradbury Building).
Ross Cutlery is an amazing shop. Things I remember them selling: Mag lites, razors, fancy German straight-edge barber shop type razors, barber shop type scissors, barber poles, knives, watches... You get the picture. They had a couple cords like what I was looking for, but with European plugs. Doh.
But the guy who was helping me was like, "Hold on, you might be lucky today." He went to the back and came out with a 1960s Norelco razor for women. With it was a cord, a cord which just happened to be exactly what I was looking for. The guy had been at a garage sale this morning and had bought the razor. He was willing to sell me its cord, and find another one later. After clearing the person-to-person transaction with his boss, he sold me the cord for $5.
So now I've got my late-model Norelco razor charging with a cord straight out of the 60s. And I love it.
Total time away from the apartment? A half hour.
Music: A Tale of Two Artist Sites
July 23, 2004 by Eric Richardson
A few quick things before my lunch break's over:
The Peak Show has a party tomorrow night downtown. I'm definitely planning to go, and am excited about finally getting out to one of their events. I was going to make the Viper Room two weeks ago, but, well, I forgot.
Speaking of The Peak Show, though, their website is the example I would point people to for how you design a successful band site. First of all, the navigational scheme is very clever and well executed. You have the room-by-room navigation in the house, but then you've also got the complimentary links up top (with alt text to satisfy accessibility concerns). The interior of the site is very logically organized, and the content's pretty straight-forward.
Back to the the home page... That right there is the perfect example of how you use Flash to spice up a web experience without disenfranchising non-Flash users. I didn't even realize the page had a flash version until I happened to visit with my laptop, where I have the plugin installed. As a non-Flash user, I had no clue I was missing anything -- because I wasn't. Every bit of content was accessible to me. The Flash simply added a little spice to the page.
Constrast this with a site like Erik Penny's (Erik knows I'm a fan, so I can get away with making an example of him here). Two of the three computers I routinely browse on don't have Flash installed. When I try to go to http://erikpenny.com I'm imediately redirected to a page that tells me this:
You have visited a site that requires Flash Player version 6
We have detected that either you do not have the player installed, or you need to upgrade the version you are currently using.
Macromedia Flash Player is one of the most widely distributed pieces of software in the world and is safe to install. Downloading and installing the player should take no more than a couple of minutes.
Well, I guess it's cool that Flash is that big-time, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't have it and I'm not very likely to take the time to go get it just to take a chance that your site's going to be worth it (though, Erik, I'm sure yours is... I just don't have Flash here, so I haven't seen it). These stats might be a little skewed, but when I look at the stats for people visiting this site I see 79% of them having Flash installed. If I made my site Flash-only, I'd be instantly cutting off 21% of my audience. Now, maybe that's cool... Maybe you don't want the lamers who can't be bothered to install the latest greatest flashiest Flash, but I do.
All this to say: come on people, show a little consideration. I don't care that I'm missing the bells and whistles. Here's what I want from your site:
- To get some basic bio info
- To hear your music, in mp3 form. I want to download it and have it sit on my computer for a couple days while I digest it.
- To know when you're playing next.
Give me those three things, don't force me to choose between my laziness and seeing your site (because that's not going to be a fair fight), and I'll be happy. I'll come to your show. I may even buy a cd. Then we both win.
choosing your moviegoing experience
July 23, 2004 by Eric Richardson
Today The Bourne Supremecy comes out, and D4, Magilla, and I will be going to see it. The debate yesterday was about where to go. On one end of the spectrum you have the cheap theaters, like the downtown Laemmle Grande. On the other end are the high-end experiences, like ArcLight or the Director's Halls at The Bridge. In the middle are the decent but not all that special screens like the theater at The Grove, the one at Universal Citywalk, etc.
The difference between high- and low-end is significant. Basically $6.50 vs. $15. But the difference between middle- and high-end isn't really all that defined. You could go pay $12 a pop at the Grove, or pony up the $3 more and get a better movie experience at the ArcLight. Therefore, my argument is that the middle theatres are a bit pointless. I see choosing a lesser screen to save $6 or more, but I can't see doing it to save $3.
The end-result was deciding that a good screen really is nicer. ArcLight's website is failing to connect to anything resembling show times, though, so the choice between Dome and Director's Hall has yet to be made.