Into the past

I've seen Dave Alvin's name thrown around enough that I knew it even if the only song I'd probably heard him do before tonight was the one he performed during a season 2 episode of the TV show Justified.  I thought, why not go see him play this evening?  So I did.

The concert was a long one--and enjoyable--but what really won me over was the venue.  The Grand Valley Dale Ballroom seemed like something out of another era.  Apparently it has had quite a history, especially from the big band era.  I had no idea.

What a cool step back in time by entering this facility.  It's a wonder that it's still around.  You'd think it would have been torn down by now.  While easy to get to, it's off the beaten path and wouldn't seem like the place to bring in performers with national reputations now.  Still, I'd have to think that stepping foot inside is all that would be needed to persuade someone that this was just as good as any downtown club, if not better.

An independent promoter has started booking his roots music (for lack of a better identifier) performance seasons here since the previous spot is being taken over.  I've gotta say, I think he found a winner.  I can't wait to go back.

One more night

One of the benefits of having favorite singers who aren't terribly well-known is the ability to see them in exceedingly small venues. One of the drawbacks of having favorite singers who aren't terribly well-known is the inability to see them frequently. I've been a fan of Kelly Willis since 1995, and I've seen her and her husband Bruce Robison in concert--solo or as a duet--several times. I've almost always had to drive a couple hours minimum to enjoy them live, though. To my knowledge she's never played Columbus. (One of the shortest drives to see Kelly play was Newport, Kentucky four years ago.) Bruce was here two years ago almost to the day.

When the announcement of their Columbus concert arrived in my inbox, I had a check in the mail a day or two later. My haste was probably unnecessary, but this was not something I was going to miss. I've been waiting ages for her to book a Columbus show, and the two of them don't perform together a lot. Plus, I wanted to send a message to the independent promoter: thanks for booking them and let my quick order indicate I'd like for you to bring them back, individually or together, again. I surely sound silly in the scenario, but know that I was even agitated with anticipation today waiting for showtime.

If that sounds like I'm laying burdensome expectations on the performers, I suspect they would have had to crash and burn on a spectacular level for me to be disappointed. Never fear. It was kind of remarkable how deeply felt the old songs were, like becoming reacquainted with friends who have been out of touch for a long time. I haven't been listening to Bruce or Kelly much of late, so returning to these songs was to be reminded of how much I love them and where I was in life when I first heard them. I don't mean that it was a nostalgic experience--just the opposite in some instances--but that it brought into the light the history these songs have for me.

They're preparing a joint album, which is part of the reason why they're doing a few brief stints on the road. Much to my excitement, this meant new songs, and more than I would have expected. In many respects, certainly in this one, the concert couldn't have been any better. New material, old favorites, and both of them on stage together!

The venue seems like the unlikeliest place and the most appropriate one for a country music concert. It was held in a German social club's concert hall, with American and German flags straddling the stage. (Considering Robison's German heritage, it is strangely fitting.) The unpretentious room made it seem more like a private party than a performance for which tickets were sold, yet for country music in particular, this casual gathering wherever it could be arranged seemed right. There was less physical and mental distance between those on stage and those in the audience. It seemed like a music hall that a whole Texas town might pile into on a Saturday night.

The arrangement of the room led to an amusing moment near the show's conclusion. Bruce and Kelly returned for an encore without their upright bass player and steel pedal/electric guitarist. They then called for their band members to come on stage. The bassist made his way to the stage with no sign of the guitarist. Eventually he emerged from the bathroom directly stage right within view of everyone. That got a good laugh from the crowd.

Sadly, this was the next to last concert that this promoter will be putting on at the German social club. The property was sold, thus necessitating for shows like this one to find a new home. So, chances are that this was my third and final time in the space. Here's to finding a good replacement for when these fine singer-songwriters hopefully return.

Resigned

Since yesterday the big story around these parts has been the resignation of the head football coach at the huge state university in town. I was surprised that the announcement came now--the NCAA's findings aren't due until August--but I'm not surprised that he's no longer in charge of the program. As is so often the case, the cover-up can cause more trouble than the crime. (In this case the players made the initial rules violation. The coach's fatal error was not informing the appropriate people when it was brought to his attention.)

I've read and heard a fair amount of the reactions to the downfall of the clean-cut coach--or maybe not as clean as everyone wants to believe--and some of it drives me crazy. So permit me today's post to get this out of my system:

-The coach is not a martyr or a victim of the players' misdeeds.

Yes, the players broke the rules. So did the coach when he chose not to report his knowledge of their actions and then lie about what he knew when. Whether you think the rule regarding players being disallowed to sell or trade their memorabilia is sensible or not, everyone involved knows it's there, especially the coach. Hiding violations tends to get schools in more trouble than reporting them. The now-former coach knew that but played his cards differently. (And spare me about how honorable he was being, that he was protecting his players. This was about protecting a credible shot at a title run.)

-Everybody's doing it, so why don't we? Because two wrongs don't make a right.

The thinking goes that there's rule-breaking and corruption at all major college athletics programs, so what's the big deal? I agree that there's definitely plenty of slimy business in big-time college sports, but that doesn't mean we ignore it when proof of it exists, especially if you're one of the watchmen. (The coach has been quite vocal about his Christianity and published books about ethical behavior, which only makes his stonewalling and suspect decisions all the more distasteful.)

-There's a place and purpose for athletics in a college setting, but these incidents suggest that the major sports and the money involved with them are working at odds with the educational mission.

The answer is not to begin paying these student-athletes, which some think is the solution. For one, you'd have to pay all Division I athletes, most of whom are not in revenue-generating sports. How many people are going to accept paying the star QB the same as the last person on the fencing team? And I get tired of hearing that they're not being compensated. A full college scholarship isn't nothing. Whether they choose to use it or not is on those individuals.

-Don't kill the messengers.

A lot of fan anger, at least in the local newspaper's online comments, is directed at the media for reporting this in the first place. No one likes feeling duped--and I think that's part of what's going on with the anger being expressed--but aim that displeasure where it's deserved: the coach. The players involved were clearly no saints, but the guy getting paid millions to keep things straight could have minimized the damage that will surely be greater because of how the situation's been handled.

OK, that's enough of that.

Pretzel logic

About ready to conk out from an extremely busy day. One highlight: I finally was able to have a fresh, locally made pretzel from Brezel. Oh yeah.

Sweet

Columbus is a bigger city than most people realize, but it doesn't have much of an identity other than being the home of Ohio State. For those of you who don't live here, especially those outside Ohio, what do you know about Columbus? *waits* I thought so.

From what I can tell, this city has quietly developed a reputation for food. It's nice when Columbus gets some national attention, as is the case with this Time article about one of my favorite things in town. Surely I've written about Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams here before, and if I haven't, then suffice it to say that their ice creams are as good as they get. I have a pint of Meyer lemon yogurt from Jeni's in the freezer, and it's taken a lot of willpower not to gobble it all down in one sitting. (I haven't, thank you very much.)

So put Jeni's on your list of Places to Go in Columbus if you ever wander into town. (You could order some online, but it's kind of pricey, at least in my view, to have the ice cream shipped.)

Discovered

It was a strange experience to start having my Twitter feed link to a Columbus story that I knew nothing about. This video, featuring the person who has come to be known as the homeless man with a golden radio voice, went viral about as quickly as possible. Celebrities were tweeting and retweeting it. For all I know, there was only the video, not even a story on the web or in the newspaper.

Today's Dispatch featured a piece about the rapidly developing story. I expect this will stay in the cycle, at least locally, for a little while. It's potentially a terrific story that might make careers.

I know exactly where he was "discovered" and have used that exit many times. I don't know that I ever saw him, whether he was there or not. Now a whole lot more people will, at least for a bit.

Summer in the city

For the past year or so I've been reading about the food trucks popping up around Columbus. I've been curious to try them, but either I've not known where they are or am not usually in the areas where they set up shop when it's mealtime. A friend clued me in that one of these is in the vicinity of somewhere I frequently am, so I made a point to check out El Manantial Latino.

Although it was suppertime, I wasn't extremely hungry, so I just ordered two tacos, one with asada and one with pollo, and a bottle of pineapple soda to keep me fueled for the rest of the night. Total cost: $4.50. I took a seat on a stool at the counter, and shortly thereafter the tacos came off the grill as sizzling as today's high temperature and were placed before me. Yeah, it didn't take long to clean them up. Good stuff.

I still had some soda remaining, so I took the bottle with me as I made my way toward my destination. Walking in the steamy early evening with some hot, fresh food in my stomach and a cold bottle in my hand just felt like what summer in the city is or should be like.

Radio shock

Anyone the least bit plugged into the Columbus music scene or local radio knew Andyman, the longtime CD101 DJ and program director. So it came as a complete shock to find out this morning that he died on Sunday at the age of 42.

For out-of-town readers, CD101 is a locally owned radio station that plays alternative rock. While I'm happy to quibble with what they play and don't play, I'm also well aware that in this day and age the station is a rarity. It isn't cookie cutter. It continues to play music in a format that has been abandoned by most commercial stations. It excels at localism, a concept merely given lip service by a lot of stations these days. By all appearances, the station is a labor of love.

That passion for the music and the community was best embodied in Andyman. He always seemed like a good-natured and generous guy. If the stories about him that people are sharing online and on the radio are any indication, it wasn't just an image. He was who he presented himself to be. Is it any surprise that he was one of the most visible and popular DJs in the city?

I didn't know him personally, but I did see him around town at concerts on a fairly regular basis. The last time I saw him he was standing at the gates saying hello to folks and (probably) passing out promotional stuff to those leaving the My Morning Jacket concert in May.

Even though I can't give an expansive remembrance of interacting with him, I do have a small story about Andyman that perhaps is a reflection of who he was. As you know, I was in a car accident while headed home after the canceled St. Vincent concert in February. I tweeted about the accident from the scene. Since I'm pretty sure Andyman wasn't following my Twitter account, I'm not exactly sure how he came across this news, but he sent a message to me asking if I was OK.

My best guess is that he was monitoring what the twitterstream was saying in the wake of the show being called off at the last minute--the station may have been a sponsor for the concert--and I just happened to use the magic words. (In this case that was probably the artist's name.) Still, what need did he have to follow up with someone he didn't know and about an incident he had nothing to do with? Apparently he felt a need, and I appreciated the gesture. I responded to let him know that I was OK, and that was the end of it.

There's no big, dramatic conclusion to the story, but I feel like this anecdote is at least a little revealing--the tip of the iceberg--about who he was. If he'd share his concern for a stranger in this way, imagine what those who did know him must have experienced.

Hot seat

As a partial season ticket holder for the local NHL franchise, I was invited to attend a private question and answer session with the new head coach, the general manager, and team president. The season ticket holders in attendance had the opportunity to direct questions to these guys. While I thought the event was unlikely to yield much in the way of information I didn't know, I thought it might be interesting to check out once.

One thing you need to understand is that the team has had very little success on the ice in its ten years. They've made the playoffs only once and followed that achievement last season with a large amount of backsliding and the fourth worst record in the league. The team has made it known that it is losing millions every year, something due in part to the way their arena deal is structured. (Voters rejected issues to build an arena, so one was constructed with private money.) Neither free agency nor trades have been used to address a couple of roster holes that have been present for years.

Needless to say, the fan base isn't exactly thrilled with how things are going, and boy did some of those people let these three guys hear it at this season ticket holder Q&A. To be fair, some of them have sunk thousands of dollars into tickets over the years, so I can understand where their pent-up frustration comes from. Their pointed remarks and questions were angry but basically civil, but I couldn't help but feel for the guys on the platform, especially the coach hired within the last month. At times they might as well have been facing a firing squad.

I don't know what the questioners expected to hear. Did they really think the front office executives would shift from answers given repeatedly to reporters? Did they really think that their opinions on contracts and player performance would make a bit of difference? It was, for a time, like a newspaper comment section or fan message board brought to life, with the lone exception being that some of the people being knocked about were there to accept the verbal lashes. (Actually, it was similar to what you'll see at school board and city council meetings when there's an issue that has an impassioned group up in arms.)

I'm a serious sports fan and want the teams I support to do well, but I can't imagine being so worked up to vent face-to-face to team officials or to think they'll be weighing my advice on personnel decisions. Maybe it's just reading what is written online, but sports fans in general seem disproportionately mad when things don't go the way they think they should, as though games and management are conducted by computer calculations that always match projections. I suspect fantasy sports has distorted perspectives and depersonalized what is already a great divide between those in the stands and those on the playing surfaces.

Not all of those asking questions were as accusatory or upset as the initial folks, and things eventually simmered down during the ninety-minute session. I have to give a lot of credit to the team's representatives for being unflappable under the circumstances and facing another round of season ticket holders the following evening. In the end, I did learn a few things about what's going on with the team that hadn't yet appeared in the newspaper, so it was worth the drive downtown.

Take a chance

The benefit of the low-priced concert, especially when one can avoid all the surcharges too, is that it allows one to take a chance. For the price of a new CD (or less), why not?

The Wexner Center has become the premier spot in town to catch up-and-coming artists without breaking the bank. (Buy from their box office, and you avoid the Ticketmaster fees.) In the past few years I've seen several terrific shows in intimate spaces without spending much. What could be better?

I wouldn't go so far as to call what they're doing "curating" when selecting artists to perform there, but in my observation the folks at the Wex aren't just booking anyone who might wish to pass through Columbus. In other words, based on the quality performers I've seen them present, I feel like I can trust who they welcome to play their venues. I may not be interested in all of the acts they bring in but who would?

This is all a roundabout way of saying that I decided to go to tonight's Laura Marling concert. I did give her new album a test spin on the soon-to-be-shuttered Lala, so obviously I liked what I heard enough. Still, one listen on a computer isn't exactly much to go on when heading to a show.



It didn't matter. Marling was terrific and, to say what probably every article about the 20-year-old folk singer surely mentions, poised well beyond her years. The kind of music she plays isn't going to be getting heavy spins on radio stations or filling stadiums, but nevertheless, I felt like I saw a major talent tonight. It's hard to believe she's that good this early.

Hmm, maybe that inexpensive concert ticket wasn't so cheap. There's an album or two I need to buy now.

Under the radar

Last Monday I went to the Southern Theatre to see Joanna Newsom in concert. I'm not a hardcore fan--the album covers and vocal technique have put me off in the past--but I've been won over by her new triple album. That wouldn't necessarily be enough to get me to pony up for a ticket, but I'm sufficiently plugged in to know that this is a pretty big show by indie rock (or whatever you want to call it) standards. Her current tour either hits big cities or prominent college towns--I think Columbus qualifies as both--and this appearance means it's unlikely she'll pass through again anytime soon. So I took a chance, bought a ticket, and ended up really enjoying the concert.

Tonight I'm going to see The xx. (Chances are you've heard them in the AT&T commercial with Apolo Anton Ohno that ran during the Winter Olympics.) The buzzed about band's show has been sold out for some time and is another feather in the cap of local bookers. There are cities bigger than this one that aren't getting it.

Aside from the obvious reason of enjoying the music, I'm also attending because it means taking advantage of what this city has to offer. Staying in Columbus wasn't an automatic choice when I finished college, although I liked the area and preferred to stick around if all things were equal. As things turned out, I remained here and have been happy to do so. It has, for me, the ideal qualities of where I'd like to live: the feel of a smaller city and its ease of navigation with the cultural benefits of a large city.

Not every group or artist I'd like to see comes to town, and seeing any of the three major professional sports means driving a couple hours. Nevertheless, without driving more than fifteen or twenty miles I've been able to see plenty of bands and films and even world-renowned filmmakers that don't always visit places bigger than here. It is pretty remarkable the more I think about it.

Columbus doesn't have the cachet of Austin, Texas or Portland, Oregon. It's more like a well-kept secret, but I'd like to believe that those in the know appreciate this city beyond its reputation of a college football-crazy cowtown.

Snow advisory Friday

This week has weighed heavily on me, so I decided that I'd be better off taking it easier today, if you consider seeing three films a way of taking a break, and working a full day on Saturday. Thing is, we were due for snow, and potentially quite a bit of it, today.

Nothing was on the ground when I got up this morning, but by the time I headed into Columbus the thick, wet snow was coming down at a good pace. Drivers were predictably overreacting and maintaining a much slower speed than necessary.

My first stop of the day was DK Diner. Their donuts received a rave review, and since the diner was in the general vicinity of where I was going, this seemed like a good place to go. Was it ever. It looked like they'd been cleaned out of most of their selection, but what I tried was really, really good. Eating a regular breakfast here will be a must at some point.

Three movies and about eight hours later I ventured home confident that my new tires would serve me well on the snow-covered roadways. I ordered them just before the last decent winter storm but wasn't able to get them installed until after it. This is the first significant amount of snow and ice we've had since then, so I was kind of eager to see how the car handled.

On the highway I felt very much in control. The car was less stable at a lower speed on the city streets, which seems counterintuitive, but these roads definitely haven't been cleared or treated as well. The most important thing is that the old tires would have stranded me along the side of the road, put me in a ditch, or something much, much worse. Let's hear it for new tires, even if I hadn't figured I'd need them just yet.

I stopped at a place near me for takeout food in the nick of time. They mentioned that they would be closing at 8 p.m., which indicated that the roadways were starting to shut down a lot of businesses in the area.

I'm expecting the roads will be significantly worse on Saturday. I noticed a lot of water and snow on the highway, and that stuff is only going to freeze and create a bigger mess overnight. We've supposedly received about a foot of snow--I'm having some difficulty getting a precise figure for this area, so that may be high--and have more on the way after midnight.

This could potentially blow my work plan, but maybe it's for the best. A big part of what I need to do is write, so if I can stay boarded up at home on Saturday, hopefully I can pound out what I need to finish most urgently. The rest might be feasibly finished at the office on Monday. The only problem: I'm not sure I have much to eat around here. Good thing there's a grocery store about two-tenths of a mile from my apartment.

Downtown

Some photos not taken in the voting line yesterday... Above is a view of downtown Columbus from my car at Neil and near Long.

After voting I decided to stop in at Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails for lunch. I'd eaten at this downtown establishment once before months ago and really liked it, and I was not disappointed with the pot roast sandwich on a pretzel roll and a side of sweet potato fries. Unbelievably good.

The Ohio Statehouse. Umm, I parked my car underneath it while I had lunch.

It is a little weird seeing the disembodied head of Andy Warhol gazing at downtown while walking south on 3rd to Broad St.

Yeah, it was pretty bright yesterday afternoon. This is the north side of the statehouse.

Looking east from the northwest side of the statehouse lawn. I imagine this will be a slightly busier place for the Obama rally Sunday.

Out and about

It's coffee shop knitting that isn't at Starbucks! I had about ninety minutes between the end of the work day and the start time of 2 Days in Paris, so I bought a coffee at Stauf's and sat outside to knit. We've had wonderful fall-like weather this week, but I've been indoors most of the time. Fresh air and knitting solitude was the right prescription for easing into the weekend after a stress-filled first week of classes.

There was a steady hum of traffic, both pedestrian and vehicle, on Grandview Avenue. A conversation about bicycles and the smell of a passer-by's cigarette caught my attention, but otherwise the goings-on faded into the background as I worked on the scarf.

I'm going to consider this the unofficial first entry in what I hope to make a recurring feature. Periodically I'll write about and share photos of local sights whether remarkable or not. Actually, the more commonplace, the better. If I'm trying to convey what everyday life is like here, the ordinary spots will provide a more accurate reflection than the landmarks.

I saw something similar on another blog some time ago, and I've been thinking about doing it since Donna asked me what Ohio is like. This state is the only one I've called home, so you'd think that would have been an easy question for me to answer. It wasn't and still isn't. Since many of you don't live here, I thought it would be fun to give you some glimpses of the area while I attempt to approach the city with fresh eyes. Many pictures I took in Arkansas were of things locals would see day in and day out, so I'll try to do the same at my home. I encourage you to play along on your blogs every now and then too.

These pictures are from my vantage point outside Stauf's. The photos aren't very exciting--like I said, it's an unofficial start--but perhaps something in them will catch your eye.

Unexciting sounded good to me after too many close calls on the roads. A busted skid was scattered in my lane on the interstate. I was fortunate to be able to get over and avoid it. I had a speed demon driving up my tail pipe in the morning and nearly got sideswiped on the way home tonight.

That was an eventful return trip as I also had a semi in front of me pulling onto the highway shoulder, possibly from a blowout, and needed to jam on the brakes when traffic on the four lane road near my place came to an unforeseen halt. Did my car have a target on it? In a nifty bit of timing, this was also the day I needed to pay my car insurance. The payment was made. I had no accidents. Still, there were too many near misses for me for one day.