Who are you....really?
I always like to know a little bit about the people on the other side of the keyboard, so I thought I'd start thread fully introducing myself. If anyone else wants to join in, please do.
Facts about me:
1) My name is Craig and I am 30 years old;
2) I live in St. Paul, Minnesota;
3) Wife (her name is Ellen) and I are DINKs, but have one westie that practically gets treated like a kid;
4) Attended the University of Iowa for undergrad (history major) and law school;
5) Was in the Hawkeye Marching Band at Iowa (trumpet, Ellen was a piccolo);
6) Was one of the first two male cheerleaders at Woodbury High School in Woodbury, MN;
7) Huge fan of the Minnesota Twins and the Iowa Hawkeyes; and
8) I'm obsessed with Soviet/Russian history. My wife thinks I'm insane for reading "The Gulag Archipelago" for pleasure.
Seeing as this board is about music, some music facts about me:
1) As mentioned, I could once play the trumpet, whether I still can is unknown;
2) The album that opened my eyes to what music could be was "Siamese Dream" by Smashing Pumpkins;
3) My first concert was New Kids on the Block, seriously;
4) The greatest concert I've ever seen was Soul Coughing;
5) My favorite release so far in 2009 is "Bitte Orca" by Dirty Projectors; and
6) My biggest musical guilty pleasure is probably Neil Diamond.
Anyway, that's a bit about me.
Craig
Facts about me:
1) My name is Craig and I am 30 years old;
2) I live in St. Paul, Minnesota;
3) Wife (her name is Ellen) and I are DINKs, but have one westie that practically gets treated like a kid;
4) Attended the University of Iowa for undergrad (history major) and law school;
5) Was in the Hawkeye Marching Band at Iowa (trumpet, Ellen was a piccolo);
6) Was one of the first two male cheerleaders at Woodbury High School in Woodbury, MN;
7) Huge fan of the Minnesota Twins and the Iowa Hawkeyes; and
8) I'm obsessed with Soviet/Russian history. My wife thinks I'm insane for reading "The Gulag Archipelago" for pleasure.
Seeing as this board is about music, some music facts about me:
1) As mentioned, I could once play the trumpet, whether I still can is unknown;
2) The album that opened my eyes to what music could be was "Siamese Dream" by Smashing Pumpkins;
3) My first concert was New Kids on the Block, seriously;
4) The greatest concert I've ever seen was Soul Coughing;
5) My favorite release so far in 2009 is "Bitte Orca" by Dirty Projectors; and
6) My biggest musical guilty pleasure is probably Neil Diamond.
Anyway, that's a bit about me.
Craig
Comments
Craig
1. I used to play the turntable, then learned how to play the cd player, but now just play the computer (to which I have some kick-ass speakers attached, I might add).
2. The album that opened my eyes to music was Miles Davis Greatest hits on Columbia. I had gone out to purchase Miles Bitches Brew, but the store was out
of it and I thought, how different can they be? Ha!
3.I forget my first concert, but my greatest jazz concert occurred in 1971 or 72. It was Miles Davis (electric band), Weather Report, The Giants Of Jazz (Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt and Thelonious Monk (!!!!)), and pre-commercial George Benson (sounding very Wes Montgomery-ish with Philly Joe Jones on drums). Basically, in one day I saw an incredible number of jazz legends. My strangest concert fact was that I was at rock concerts on the days when both Duane Allman (Traffic) and John Lennon (Bruce Springsteen) died. Thereafter, no one would permit me to go to rock concerts with them.
4. My favorite album changes with my mood, but I would never be without a copy of Miles Davis Kind Of Blue.
5.My biggest musical guilty pleasure is the vocals of Fred Astaire (he actually did some vocal recording for Verve). Man can't really sing, but what class.
Sounds like a good idea that no one lets you go to concerts with them!
Craig
Married and happy.
Worked a lot of different types of jobs in a lot of different types of places. Picked up an accounting degree while I was at it. Favorite job was as bartender and doorman and barback in a divey little bar in Chicago. Second favorite was working for a land surveyor in the mountains of Colorado high country.
Piano lessons as a kid that I foolishly did not appreciate as much as little league. Self taught on clarinet, but that was a while ago; would like to pick it back up, as well as alto sax, which I was just beginning with at the time.
I can't remember my first concert. My favorite shows were Bill Frisell both in Boulder, CO and Franklin, TN. Also, Ween in Louisville. Neil Halstead at Schuba's in Chicago. Leo Kottke in Denver.
The first album I bought was either Police "Ghost in the Machine", Supertramp "Breakfast in America" or the Kinks "Give the People What they Want". Those were the first three, in any event. All vinyl.
My guilty music pleasure that I don't feel the least bit of guilt for is eighties "Tears for Fears". The one I feel guilty about is "Stone Temple Pilots"... all of their albums. I also really think that James Blunt song "You're Beautiful" is really catchy every time I hear it played over the grocery store PA system.
I write fiction novels. Nothing published yet, but I just finished editing my second (which has no chance of selling) and finished the first draft of my third (which I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about).
My favorite album from 2009 is either Jeremy Udden's "Plainville" or Diego Barber's "Calima". But Bill Frisell has an album coming out soon, so that will probably change.
My favorite-album-ever of the month is Todd Sickafoose's "Tiny Resistors".
Favorite beer is either Fat Tire or Anchor Steam. Current favorite bourbon (which I'm just now learning about) is Buffalo Trace. And now that I've stated my alcoholic bona fides, my self-esteem will allow me to mention that I have two cats whom I dote over.
We're probably in TMI territory now, so I'll end it here.
I'm in my 30s. About to celebrate my 3rd wedding anniversary and just celebrated my daughter's 1st birthday a couple weeks ago.
I'm the last of a big family and grew up in the 'burbs of Philly.
Went to college in Hoboken, NJ and spent a lot of my late teens and 20s in the town.
Now back out in the 'burbs, but this time in Jersey.
I hate living in Jersey.
My typical beer is Yuengling, but my favorite varies and was most recently Abita Turbo Dog.
Although I listened to a lot of music in the 80s it wasn't until high school that I bought my own. The first 2 were Pearl Jam's Ten and Blind Melon's self-titled debut.
Over the next 10 years I spent various time periods immersed in different genres, from alt. rock to bossa nova to experimental noise to house/trance.
I think my first concert was The Hooters, but I consider my real concert-going days to begin with a 2 night stand by Pearl Jam at Randall's Island in NYC. Truly Epic.
The guiltiest of pleasures is early 90s dance of the MTV Party to Go variety. Play me Legacy of Sound's "Happy" and I will be your friend for life...
So far this year I would say that The Heartless Bastards' The Mountain is my fave.
Daughter lives in Lexington, but when their house sells, they are moving to Denver. She has always said there is nothing to do in Lexington except go out to eat and hang out in Jo-Beth. Well, in season you can attend minor league baseball and various U.K sports.
Retired one year ago and loving being able to do what I want. Read, listen to music, water aerobics, walk, resistance training, occasionally meet friends for lunch or dinner.
Can't remember the first album I bought. I have lots of vinyl, and yes, I still have a turntable and a decent stereo system. Eclectic music tastes, but I don't like rap or heavy metal. If you look at my download list, you will see the variety. Or any music that sounds like noise to me. I rarely ever download the daily free track. Don't know why -- I just don't. Guilty pleasure? I don't apologize for any music I like. No guilt!
Concerts? We used to have some great free stuff here - bluegrass, blues. Memorable concerts - Buddy Guy (a freebie), Beach Boys (after a Redbirds baseball game), Neil Diamond (twice - does a great show), Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan (twice, one awful, and the other just a few weeks later was great), Nils Lofgren (special!), Michael Buble (won free tickets by being correct caller to radio show), John Prine (ooo boy, such fun! and Jimmie Dale Gilmore who opened - had never heard of him till then).
Played clarinet in high school band. Play piano, but only for myself -- it's a great way to relax. Music has been important to me for as long as I can remember. Can't imagine life without it. Will probably explore a little more jazz, thanks to you "kids."
Oh, yeah, we have a couple of really spoiled cats, too.
Wow. I didn't even bother giving the name just because I figured it'd mean nothing to anyone reading it. Harrodsburg is my new home. And yes, Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge; we actually got engaged on Rock Bridge Trail. We've been to Torrent Falls a few times. We have family in Lexington. Been there a few times, and I can see why people would want to leave. Having lived in Denver myself for several years, I heartily recommend it for a new hometown. There is a diner in Lex, though, that I really really like, and it's name is escaping me. It's open 24 hours, serves beer, is right next to a bar and near a used music store, and has the best after-bar food I've had in some time.
Hey, a fellow Kentuckian! My wife grew up in the Highlands, near Ear-x-tacy on Bardstown Road, and we got married in Cherokee Park. Lullvul is a pretty cool town. I had never been there before meeting my future wife, and it was a real eye opener. In many ways, it is like a mini-Chicago. It has a great park system, and very distinct neighborhoods that all contain reasons to go to them. I've had a lot of fun there.
Yes, Louisville is a great place to live. Lots of people are moved here by their corporate offices, then don't want to leave. Hey to your hometown girl wife! I mentioned Ear X-tacy over at eMu. They had a second store near where I worked for a while. I hated it when it closed, because I don't often get that far in on Bardstown Rd. The Highlands is probably my favorite area of Louisville.
Yes, the park system is great. Lots of good restaurants. Lots of music. Weekend festivals. Great State Fair.
Chicago? One visit, October 2006. Met up with several of my internet friends from all corners of the U.S. We had a great time. My favorite thing? The architecture tour on the river and being out on the lake at sunset. I want to go back. Too much to do in just one long weekend.
Good for you. That architecture boat tour is one of those touristy things that are so cool, they're no longer a touristy thing to do. When I worked downtown, I would take the boat taxi from one end of the loop to the other.
1 of 6 siblings. #4. of 5 boys. of the siblings. we lived in memphis when ml king was killed. which has given me the fortitude to stand up for things when things ain't right.
my grandfather was the tallest man ever. at 6 foot tall and whiskers which always made me laugh til i cried i was always looking up. he was a farmer...and after he passed and i had the chance to visit the farm i noted how dirty the edges of the atlas were - to which my grandma told me "your grandfather would page thru that practically every nite after working the fields."
my wife fell in love with me when she found out that i took the raspberry plants from the farm to our house in the city. the farm was finally going to be sold and grandma had moved into an apartment complex for older folks. i was probably 15.
my grandma got older - i went to college. my mom would always tell me to go visit her when i'd come home from break and i would. i'd do something that she couldn't do (change the clock, get a box down from the top shelf, etc.) and make her go for a walk with me...she needed to stay active, after all.
grandma had a stroke and went to the hospital. and this is where it's all story > when she came to in the hospital she started talking to me and i told her everything would be alright. somehow i was still 350 miles away at college.
i got to visit with her one more time and we went for a walk. i had an old camera and took a photo of her - she was all smiles and happy...truly happy. a few weeks passed and so did she.
we celebrated her life...we were the closest family you ever could find - all flawed and all sad and all under the impression that we had shared time with a truly great matriarch.
i now have two boys. garrett (a saint) and holden (more stories than this 498071 characters left will allow) and am married to a woman of many talents and thick skin. sigh....yes, she knits. a perfectionist. she is a great cook as well. and she has a bond with our oldest that really brings out the most in that skill. garrett will be a great cook - lucky me. mia is a dentist and, yes, she scored the highest on the act/sat and graduated high school in years
i like sports. no mind cleansing drugs will save me. i root for the most pathetic franchise of all time > the cubs. their futility is the stuff of legends. sorta. i played alot of sports growing up - 4 years varsity tennis - which gives me sore shoulders today. i also played alot of softball after college - some fun stories.
o - my oldest - is shy. i had great fun when tim gave such a great birthday present to him a few years back. you should have been here one time - i like to focus on the good things about him - and i told him "garrett - your hard work makes you stand taller than all the other kids." and he smiled as if he were the tallest of all the kids for the very first time.
ahh...and you probably know me more as 68stationwagon. a character that has very little connection to who i really am.
sorta.
clink.
So Craig, that IS your mugshot on the H & S Law Firm site. Damn, you have to commute all the way out to Maple Grove every day?
Now draw a hand wiping all of that out: rock and roll hit our primary school when I was 8 or 9 years old. We would bawl out 'Rock Around the Clock' at break-times. Often you couldn't get the originals; they were re-recorded for the local market by local hopefuls (that's how Jim Dale got started).
Secondary school was an all-boys boarding school, and evenings might be spend around a small record player with a tinny sound listening to Presley, Sinatra, whatever anyone had. One of the boys played barrelhouse piano. The first two albums I ever acquired were Presley's Greatest Hits and An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer (put that one in the matriline column). We would also listen to a lot of Chris Barber, and to Lonnie Donnegan. There's a lot to be written about the influence of those two guys on the subsequent development of popular music, and they're important for what happened over your side of the pond too.
After that, it's pretty much dancing on from there.
Thom, great choice on the Heartless Bastards CD. That one was playing on my iPod a lot for the couple of months after release. It has slowed down some in the last few months, but still pops up with some regularity.
brittleblood, love the story about Garrett. It sounds like you are a fantastic father.
frogkopf, seriously the cyber stalking is getting scary!
TimMason, my wife introduced me to Tom Lehrer (her mom still enjoys listening to his stuff, and never fails to include an original Lehreresque poem or song in birthday cards). I'm not familiar with Barber or Donnegan, sounds like I need to track some down.
Craig
I'm not sure that you'd want to listen to either Barber or Donnegan now. Chris Barber is a trombonist who has his own band, playing mainly New Orleans jazz, which was very popular at that time in the UK. Alexis Korner spent some time playing guitar in his band - Korner was one of the key figures in the introduction of blues music into the UK, and played a part in the careers of most of the musicians who were behind the development of hard rock. Donnegan was Barber's banjo player, and during the intervals he would take the stage with a skiffle group. He was very popular, making hits with songs like 'The Rock Island Line', 'The Grand Coulee Dam' and (bizarrely) 'The Battle of New Orleans'.
If you follow through Korner and Donnegan, you find a whole host of people who would later become the stars of classic rock, inclluding Robert Plant, members of King Crimson and so on. We know the impact that came to have - for better or worse - on the music.
And that's the limit of any useful information I have there.
Well, today, I'm the gal who got a whole bunch of free stuff from Amazon. Interestingly enough, some of the Amazon emails I'd ignored from way back in April still had good links.
Lived and worked in various countries: Russia for 2 yrs, South Korea, Bulgaria and Egypt.
Have an undergad degree in English and Film Studies, my honours thesis was on "Narrative Theory and Soviet Cinema", believe me it was a real page turner. Have a Masters in Egyptology. None of which of course gets you a job so I'm thinking of maybe doing a librarian training thing next year.
My Mt Rushmore of music is Dylan, Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash and Randy Newman (the first three of whom, incidentally, have spent their entire careers on Columbia/Sony and Cash was there for most of it so I can critise Sony without being accused of being a blind indie booster.) Have seen Dylan live about 12 times, Cohen twice (earlier this year -- SPECTACULAR LIFE CHANGING BRILLIANT. Run, don't walk, if you get the chance to see him.)
I love country and the blues -- was just in Memphis and paid homage on Beale St, at Stax and Sun and at 2120 South Michigan in Chicago. Thanks to (the old) eMusic I have also really gotten into the jazz in the last few years, and African and Latin music.
My first LP when I was 11 was by The Firm -- I don't know if it was big in the States but they had a hit novelty song about Star Trek. That was the first, but I usually lie and say it was the Traveling Wilburies Vol. 2 which was the next year. I hated Dylan on it and would manually pick up the stylus and skip the songs he sang lead on, but one day I woke up and his was the voice I wanted to hear the most. Funny how that happens!
First big concert, Harry Connick, Jr at the Sydney Entertainment Centre when I was 18.
Played euphonium in the high school band, was terrible but I liked being in the band. Trying to learn guitar on the 15th attempt.
Glad to see some love for Neil Diamond -- I am a fan too, and really enjoyed his gig out here a few years ago. I'd definitely go again if he came.
Mommio, I also did the architecture tour in Chicago a week ago and it was really great.
I have a music blog http://flopearedmule.net/
Craig
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissar_(film)
One of my eMusic identities was (cancelled that account now) Klavdia Vavilova, which is the name of the protagonist.
You are a regular onion there what with all the layers and what not.
So I am curious about your masters in Egyptology. So what does that entail? Did you get to traipse around pyramids and fiddle with the mummies and the sarcophagi?
So were you like a Laura Croft type character fighting evil mummies brought to life by your pillaging of their sacred treasures?
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Oh and mommio started a blog directory thread you should add yours there too. it looks quite interesting