Dear Friends,
As I mentioned yesterday, I was dumb and wrote political stuff on Facebook. What I am really learning from all of this is to just not say much of anything on Facebook anymore. I am not going to leave it because it is my only contact with some people who I love, but I don’t need to add to the bad parts of it.
There is probably way too much information about all of us out there and we perpetrate the crime of oversharing ourselves. It’ s weird writing that here where I overshare on a daily basis, but to me, this is different. It’s become a part of who I am to share this open diary, of sorts, and people come and go as they please. I don’t force anyone or, most days, make it particularly inviting.
Having said that, I d appreciate it a lot that people like to read this stuff.
*****
Had a great visit with Granny yesterday. We enjoy some good laughs together and we talk about real things, too. We go over the news of the world and she fills me in on what is happening with everyone in the family. It’s nice. I know I will look fondly on these days for the rest of my days.
*****
The tiling was good yesterday, too. I didn’t make a ton of progress, but what I did was a nice step in the right direction and will make the next steps easier. I’ve a few more tough parts to go, but I’ll get through them this week. I keep setting goals but life has had a way of getting in the middle of the job. The very good news, though, is that my bathroom will be a piece of cake compared to the first one.
*****
I also had a nice afternoon meeting with my friend and NSK bandmate, Luke, and an old acquaintance, Jesse. We went to Lucky’s on 3rd Street and had a really nice conversation. I think we are going to do some jamming together and see what happens. Cool stuff may come of it.
*****
Back to summer camp today, too. It could be my second to last day of doing it. Enrollment is so low, I can’t imagine they will keep me around, but I’m not counting on getting cut. If I do, they won’t cut me. It wouldn’t be too terrible to make an extra stack of cash.
*****
One of the cool things about being in the music world is getting free stuff sometimes. Back in the mid-90s when my buddies, Trunk Federation, were on Alias Records and my friend, Alex, was engineering records for Alias on a regular basis, I would get CDs from them of bands they thought I might like. Some of these bands I listened to a lot.
One such band was Picasso Trigger. I liked their Bi-Polar Cowboy CD enough to go out and buy another EP by them, T’Ain’t, as well. I listened to Bi-Polar Cowboy a lot in 1995 and 1996. It has a great energy to it.
Picasso Trigger had a really cool sound. Singer Kathy Poindexter has one of those voices that just sounds good to me. It’s hard to explain except that she has the type of voice that just works for my ears and the way she attacked a song made sense to me. I bet she was fun to watch perform live.
Couple Poindexter’s voice with the great, skronky guitar sound of Darlene Connor (AKA Lisa Cooper) and you have the most interesting parts of Picasso Trigger right there. That’s nothing against bassist Samuel Minto and drummer Johnny Williams, but if you took away Poindexter and Cooper, Picasso Trigger wouldn’t have been much to write home about. The mix was definitely done in the ladies’ favor.
Bi-Polar Cowboy is chock full of goodness, though. It’s noisy and a charming kind of punk that has no real “pop” aspect to it. “The Towel Song” is kind of a perfect example of this. It’s super noisy and, for most, probably off-putting, but I love it. “Narcon Milkshakes On Sale Today,” is also reminiscent of a band like Cherubs to me. There is a noisy sense of humor on this record.
I think this is why I liked this album so much. There is certainly a Texas weirdo style happening here. Good punk rock with a whole lot of “I don’t give a fuck” attitude. “Fried Fish and Cole Slaw” is another fun one. All 1:18 of it.
You know, I sold Mintu a little short earlier. His basslines are not too bad at all and I have to believe he adds a lot of vocals to the band, too. “O.C.S.” is good weirdo punk, too.
I remember wishing that we (Hillbilly Devilspeak) would catch the ear of Alias after listening to this record. We weren’t anything like a lot of the other bands on the label, but there was nothing indie rock about Picasso Trigger. There was hope, I suppose, after digesting Bi-Polar Cowboy for a few months.
Picasso Trigger is another one of those bands that I feel like no one really knows about. After seeing Guitar Wolf and Hank Condor the other night play to a packed Rebel Lounge, I think Picasso Trigger would be super popular now if they were a new band.
‘T-Rash Soundtrack For A T-Rash Heart” is another rocker. Good call and response vocals. ‘Jiminy Slim” comes next and I really like it, too. Straight up punk rock and no one remembers this stuff. None of these songs get a lot of listens on Spotify. That’s a bummer.
“Riot Grrls Taste Like Chicken.” I should really post a link to this song.
I’m going to just enjoy this record now.
*****
See you tomorrow.
Bi-Polar Cowboy
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