(10.31.06) Recommends:

Halloween songs.

I've talked about the track before, but here it is in all it's glory: "Do They Know It's Hallowee'en" by the North American Halloween Prevention Initiative. Go to the website and the song should automatically load. Enjoy!

(10.30.06) Recommends:

The Shins, "Phantom Limb" from the forthcoming "Wincing The Night Away (Sub Pop, Jan. 2007).

Continuing with yesterday's theme of anticipated music, today's post regards arguably the most anticipated release of 2007: The Shins' new album "Wincing The Night Away." They have released the first single from the album. It's available for streaming at The Shins myspace , and available for purchase at the Sub Pop web shop.

It's pretty hard to hate this band, right? Usually when an indie-anything blows up big there's a backlash. I don't think there's ever been a Shins backlash. In fact, a "Shins backlash" might not even be possible. I think that if you don't like the Shins, you're trying to be cool, but you're not doing a very good job of it. Go listen to the new single and let me know what you think.

Today's extra bonus:
The Shins 2003 appearance on Turnpike, a great Lawrence, KS music television show. Back when music television actually meant, er, music on the television.

(10.29.06) Recommends:

Chris Garneau, "Not Nice" from the forthcoming "Music for Tourists" (Absolutely Kosher, Jan. 2007).

Goodness me. Is it possible that it is not yet Halloween and I've already heard one of the best songs that will be released in 2007? Don't just take my word for it: Absolutely Kosher has given us a sneak peak. Please listen to "Not Nice" right now. You have a new hero of which you heretofore did not know. It's okay. Chris Garneau is here now; things are looking up. I would say more, but please just listen to this song, and let the awesomeness of this song do the typing for me.

His official website.
His myspace. (Four more songs from the forthcoming album available for streaming).
His Absolutely Kosher website. (Where you can pre-order this bad boy).

(10.28.06) Recommends:

This American Life's website.

Second only to baseball, This American Life might very well be America's greatest contribution to radio. It is, without a doubt, one of our culture's most important voices. It is just about the only thing around which I've regularly set my Saturday morning: get up, get in the car, grab a donut (or three) and drive around aimlessly listening to yet another life-affirming episode of This American Life. And while baseball's internet arm must be run by short-sighted, money hungry assheads bent on alienating every last baseball fan on the planet, TAL's internet arm is run by gods. You can freely listen to every episode ever aired. If you wish, you can purchase CD's with episodes, such being delivered to you with a reproduction of a little Chris Ware drawing. You can get TAL as a podcast. You can sign up for a weekly email. You can get info on the shows, contributors to the shows, and episode recommendations from the show's producers. Everything you want is here. You can get lost for hours on this webpage. And if everybody spent just one hour on this webpage every week, we would live in a far more reasonable country.

(10.27.06) Recommends:

Beirut, "Gulag Orkestar" (Ba Da Bing!, 2006).

Wow. This is probably the most ambitious release of the year. It's like Eastern European indie rock. I mean, the main force behind the band -- who's 20, mind you -- wrote the album in New Mexico and resides in New York. But this album is like Klezmer band indie rock. Organ grinder indie rock. Something that should be played in a silent movie house, with old men in the back, sipping vodka and pining for a different time and a different world. But don't get me wrong; this isn't novelty rock. This thing is a record, people! "Postcards from Italy" is easily one of the best tracks released this year. Sometimes a band comes along that puts out music that's just a little different, a little strange. But it's something that reminds you why you love music in the first place. Neutral Milk Hotel. Air. Sigur Ros. Arcade Fire. Add to this list Zach Condon and Beirut. If he doesn't pull a Jeff Mangum, we have a new voice to collectively anticipate over.

(10.26.06) Recommends:

Getting to sleep well before midnight.

Sometimes there are weeks where you don't get to bed until ungodly hours. Those weeks are necessary evils, I suppose. But I've always heard this theory -- I'm still not sure if it's an old wives tale, or if it is genuine science -- that the best sleep comes before midnight. Whether true or not, not much beats being asleep before the 10 o'clock news is over and waking up refreshed the next day.

So. Tonight why don't you just put away your work a little early -- they'll be more work to do tomorrow, regardless of how much you get done tonight; they're always is -- crawl into bed, and put on 4am by Richard Buckner. We'll see you tomorrow. Bright and early.

Richard Buckner, 4am.

(10.25.06) Recommends:

The writing of Chris Bachelder.

David Foster Wallace once said of Arthur Bradford that his stories were like having a conversation with the part of your brain that dreams at night. I've always thought that was just about the coolest compliment I've ever heard. And I think it equally applies to Chris Bachelder. He is one of the most stunningly creative writers alive. He is a "humor writer," but not the kind found in the "Humor Section" of book stores. His attention to detail is staggering. His sentences are like fractals, and his work like chaos theory. Or M.C. Escher prints.

He came out with a new book this year, U.S.! and has another novel Bear v. Shark. In between the two, he released an eBook called Lessons in Virtual Tour Photography, which can be downloaded for free here.

If I haven't convinced you to download a free book, or to go out and buy one of his other books, do me a favor. At least read this page-and-a-half exerpt I'm providing today. It's Lesson 26 from the download and it is titled "Ivan Lendl and the Hazards of Really Giving a Shit." If ever there was a title that alone made me want to read everything an author has written, this was it.

(10.24.06) Recommends:

Tokyo Police Club, "A Lesson in Crime" (Paper Bag Records, 2006).

This album is seven tracks. No track is longer than two minutes, forty four seconds. But to listen to "A Lesson in Crime" is to hear your future, and the future of many of those like you. As in, you're soon going to be listening to this album a lot. And that's a good thing. You are Crime. Tokyo Police Club is, well, the Law. You stand no chance, friends.

Their NMC page.
Their myspace.
Their homepage.
Tour video from YouTube.

(10.23.06) Recommends:

Concert Photography, Vol. 3.
The Be Good Tanyas (Opening: Ana Egge)
The Attic, Santa Cruz, Calif.
10.22.06.

I've talked about how good this band is before. I am happy to report they are fantastic live. I saw them a bit off the beaten path: playing at a tea house in Santa Cruz. This band is poised for major crossover mainstream success.

Ana Egge:


Banjo tuning:








Banjo + Harmonic: a force strong enough to put a grown woman on the verge of tears:





Ukulele? Ukulele!








The Be Good Tanyas @ The Attic; Santa Cruz; 10.22.06.

October 22, 2006 - Power Grid

I conducted a couple of difficult funerals this week. No funeral is easy, but each of these involved men in their thirties – the sort of death that’s just not supposed to happen. One man died in a car accident, the other from stomach cancer that was diagnosed only four or five months ago.

Both funerals involved the familiar ritual of family and friends gathering at the funeral home, for what is blandly and euphemistically called “visiting hours.” In my more than 25 years of ordained ministry, I’ve been to more of these gatherings than I could possibly count. It goes with the territory, when you’re in ministry.

There’s not a lot that happens, during visiting hours (or so it would appear, to the untrained eye). After spending a few moments greeting the bereaved family and expressing words of sympathy, most guests simply sit or stand around, sharing small talk with neighbors. It’s one of the few occasions in life when all you have to do is show up.

Over the years, I’ve come to realize there’s a lot more going on during visiting hours. What the eye sees is but the tip of the iceberg.

There’s a new book called Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships, by Daniel Goleman, that’s been getting a lot of press. I haven’t read it, but from the reviews, it appears to have a lot to say about what goes on behind the scenes in many human interactions.

Based on psychological research, Goleman’s point is that a large portion of our emotional interactions are non-verbal, and take place on a subconscious level. In an October 10th essay in the New York Times, “Friends for Life: An Emerging Biology of Emotional Healing,” Goleman describes his findings:

“Research on the link between relationships and physical health has established that people with rich personal networks – who are married, have close family and friends, are active in social and religious groups – recover more quickly from disease and live longer. But now the emerging field of social neuroscience, the study of how people’s brains entrain as they interact, adds a missing piece to that data.

The most significant finding was the discovery of ‘mirror neurons,’ a widely dispersed class of brain cells that operate like neural WiFi. Mirror neurons track the emotional flow, movement and even intentions of the person we are with, and replicate this sensed state in our own brain by stirring in our brain the same areas active in the other person.”

Goleman reports that some researchers have used language like “the merging of two discrete physiologies into a connected circuit.” They think they’ve found evidence in brain chemistry to prove the existence of such a connection. While the physiology of this brain-to-brain link is highly speculative at this point, there does seem to be some circumstantial evidence that such a link exists: such as one study that asked women volunteers to submit to MRI imaging, while awaiting a mild electrical shock. When one of these experimental subjects waited alone, her anxiety level increased. When a stranger held her hand, her anxiety level was unchanged. Yet, when the woman’s husband held her hand, “she not only felt calm, but her brain circuitry quieted, revealing the biology of emotional rescue.”

No, there’s a lot going on during visiting hours in the funeral home – as people awkwardly mill around, seemingly doing nothing. They may not be consciously aware of it, but they’ve come there that day to plug into the power grid of spiritual and emotional support. By their mere presence in the room, they lend strength to their bereaved family, friends or neighbors.

Centuries ago, the Elizabethan preacher and poet John Donne penned these famous words, as he wondered, during a time of plague, whether the funeral bells from a nearby church might soon be tolling for him:

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” ("Meditation XVII," from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions)

One thing my cancer has taught me is the importance of these connections between people. We can be agents of each other’s healing.

Wired rates K100D "Best of Test"

This week ended on high note at Pentaxville. We just received our advance copy of Wired Magazine's November issue. This is their "Test" issue featuring "The Best Gadgets and Gizmos on the Planet 2007". Low and behold, the K100D was rated the "Best of Test" in the Digital SLR category. Other cameras reviewed were the Canon EOS 30D, Nikon D200, Olympus EVOLT E-330 and the Sony Alpha A100. Despite the wide range of models, features and price points, Wired picked the K100D by saying "Pentax's retro-cool K100D offers professional single-lens reflex quality at a price any photographer can afford." It was also re-assuring to read in their review of the Sony A100 that its antishake system was less effective than Pentax's. I think I'll open a bottle of Penfold's Grange tonight. Or, maybe I should wait until the K10D reviews come out :-)

(10.20.06) Recommends:

Concert Photography, Vol. 2.

Today's photos feature Mew and One Thousand Pictures. Mew is from Denmark. They put out a well-received album earlier this year called "And The Glass Handed Kites." They have a "big" sound. As in, I can picture them playing in front of a sold-out Wembley Stadium. The music is very atmospheric, but tightly focused. Almost every article I've read about the band has mentioned Sigur Ros + Arcade Fire. I don't really hear either one, but I suppose I agree to the extent that the reviewers mean atmosphere + earnest energy. At any rate it was a very good performance. Opening up was One Thousand Pictures. Or 2/5th of the band. The singer said the rest of the band was at the hospital due to spider bites. We've all been there before. They have an album coming out in January 2007.

One Thousand Pictures @ Popscene; San Francisco; 10.19.06.


Mew @ Popscene; San Francisco; 10.19.06.


Mew @ Popscene; San Francisco; 10.19.06.


Mew @ Popscene; San Francisco; 10.19.06.


Mew @ Popscene; San Francisco; 10.19.06.


Mew @ Popscene; San Francisco; 10.19.06.


Mew @ Popscene; San Francisco; 10.19.06.


Mew @ Popscene; San Francisco; 10.19.06.


Mew @ Popscene; San Francisco; 10.19.06.


[Yes, I'm still figuring out how to take pictures in the dark. Somebody please help!]

(10.19.06) Recommends:

Autumn in the Midwest.

You can smell it in the air. You can see it in the changing color of the leaves. For the coming Fall may we recommend:

Starting in St. Louis:



And ending in Detroit:

(10.18.06) Recommends:

Being able to digitally record your dreams for future play back.

Okay, so probably Al Gore hasn’t invented this yet. Until that day comes, watching the following video is the closest I’ve ever come to such an experience. Wow. This video is a doozie. It starts off with a familiar enough scene. Bozo, giving the camera that half-seductive, half-psychotic smile followed by his quasi-marching-band-leader dance segueing into a quasi-River Dance that we can all remember seeing on WGN in our childhoods. But then a foreign language pops up. It's a sure sign you're dreaming when you see a familar scene, but everybody around you is speaking a language you've never heard, right? Pretty much from there it turns wacky very quickly. Following find a partial list of reasons why this video has been alternately blowing my mind and freaking me out all day:

--A low-budget, dancing frog.
--Everybody kissing Bozo’s nose, as if it’s the pope’s ring.
--Some kind of clown/werewolf in gold sequins, with long, flowing gold beard.
--A mass of children, violently jumping up and down, shaking pom-poms in unison.
--Random, clearly imitation, Muppets puppets, who quite frankly looked terrified to be part of this.
--Asian + other multi-ethnic jugglers.
--Asian fire-spitters.
--Asian magicians.
--Marching band with electric guitar players.
--Marching band with bearded electric guitar players.
--Marching band with mullet-ed electric guitar players.

If anybody has any details about the origin of this clip I would love to hear from you.



This video cannot be stopped.

(10.17.06) Recommends:

NPR Live Concert Series.

Going to concerts in clubs can be a harrowing experience. It can take weeks to get all the cigarette smoke out of your clothes. The beer is like six bucks and comes in small plastic cups. And the sight of so many indie rock fans with such pasty white skin can be as bad on the eyes as staring straight into the sun. Two solutions: move to California, where at least smoking in doors is banned; or catch your favorite band on NPR's Live Concert Series. Each webcast is a live show in its entirety of one of your favorites acts, from clubs all around the country.

The next band appearing in the series will be Wilco[1] on October 19. Each webcast is archived for a year. Shows currently available in the archive:

Jenny Lewis, Built to Spill, Regina Spekter, Sleater-Kinney, Jose Gonzalez, Fiery Furnaces, Gomez, Sonic Youth, The Walkmen, Mogwai, Toots and the Maytals, Neko Case + Martha Wainwright, Artic Monkeys, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Belle + Sebastian w/ The New Pornographers, Colin Meloy (of the Decemberists), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, James Brown, Sinead O'Connor, Son Volt, My Morning Jacket, The White Stripes, Sigur Ros, Hurrican Katrina Benefit (f. Wynton Marsalis, Norah Jones and more), Death Cab For Cutie, Secret Machines + Kings of Leon, Lucinda Williams, David Gray, Bloc Party, The Decemberists, Interpol, Bright Eyes.

And finally, a message from NPR:

Please note: this is a recording of a live concert. Some of the language may not be appropriate for all audiences.

[1] Another advantage of watching a show online: boxing gloves not necessary.

(10.16.06) Recommends:

Supreme Court Oral Arguments via the Oyez Project.

You think I'm kidding about this, but I'm not. After all, if you were only to listen to rock music all day, not only would you most likely go deaf, and probably turn to a life of drugs, but you wouldn't know much about our most important political and social issues. Or, at any rate, you'd be terribly boring. So, put some Oyez into your ear, hommie.

From the The Oyez Project ("oyez, oyez, oyez" being the thing they say to kick off a supreme court session; the equivalent of "hear ye, hear ye...") website:

"The OYEZ Project is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955. The Project also provides authoritative information on all justices and offers a virtual reality 'tour' of portions of the Supreme Court building, including the chambers of some of the justices."

Here's a so-brief-as-to-be-useless-generally-but-for-purposes-of-explainting-this-
website-useful primer on how the Supreme Court works:
1. The Court agrees to review a case.
2. Lawyers for both sides of the litigation "brief" the court (the sides write essentially a book report on the legal issues at play).
3. The Supreme Court justices read the "book reports" and start formulating their opinion about the issues.
4. The lawyers come before the court and argue their book reports in front of the Justices.
5. The Justices can ask any last minute questions about the book reports.
6. The Justices go back to their chambers to think again about the book reports.
7. The Court releases an opinion.

So the oral arguments that you will hear on this website represent stage 4. The issues might be boring, or complex. But the oral advocacy skills are always excellent, and the questions of the justices are piercing. I recommend going to the featured audio section, and giving some of the arguments a listen. The Court is a mysterious body; this site makes an important contribution in humanizing the experience.

(10.15.06) Recommends:

Yo La Tengo, "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass" (2006, Matador).

When Yo La Tengo released "I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One" in 1997, some labeled it the greatest indie rock record ever released. As a general proposition, bands do not put out, as there ninth album, genre-defining albums. But here's where the story gets better: Yo La Tengo keeps releasing albums which, if not as good as "I Can Hear..." are certainly very nearly as good. This Band Is Composed of Robots and Will Never Put Out Another Bad Record and I Don't Even Care. If getting your ass kicked sounds this good, I say "We ready, we ready..."

(10.14.06) Recommends:

Concert Photography.

Originally I thought it would be too clunky to carry around a camera to shows. Plus, having to deal with the derisive stares of people who think you're a "blogger" there just to take pictures and not to actually watch the show. But it turns out taking pictures is a fun way to remember the night. Who knew? Now I just have to learn how to operate a camera in the dark. Here are some recent efforts:

Bluegrass Fans; Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival; Golden Gate Park; 10.07.06.


Banjo Stage, f. Earl Scruggs, Gillian Welch, Steve Earle; Id.


Earl Scruggs; Id.


Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings; Id.


Steve Earle + Band; Id.


Takka Takka; Warfield Theater; 10.13.06.


Takka Takka; Id.


Takka Takka; Id.


Architecture in Helsinki; Id.


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah; Id.


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah; Id.


Takka Takka + Architecture in Helsinki + Clap Your Hands Say Yeah; Id.

(10.13.06) Recommends:

Be Good Tanyas, "Hello Love" (Nettwerk Records, 2006).

Is it possible that the best Bluegrass-Traditional-Americana-Folk band on the planet is a female trio from Canada? It is possible friends. In fact, if you can listen to their new record (any of their records, for that matter), and come to any other conclusion, please let me know. This "Hello Love" is something to behold. It has stunning originals. It has Neil Young covers. It has sweet whispers and get-up-dancy fiddle tunes. It'll make a run for my second favorite album of the year.

Their website.
Their myspace.
Their page on Nettwerk Records.

(10.12.06) Recommends:

The Elected, "Sun, Sun, Sun" (Sub Pop, 2006).

More L.A./West Coast takes on alt.country. This recommendation will be simple. I am going to reproduce the "Similar Artists" box that appears when you listen to this album on Rhapsody. At which point, you will either immediately drop everything and listen to this album, or you'll die. Because if you are not moved by this list, you have no heart, and your death is therefore quite imminent. So, here goes:

Contemporaries:
*Beachwood Sparks
*Bright Eyes
*The Cork and Spark
Influences:
*The Flaming Lips
*Wilco
Related Projects:
*Rilo Kiley

Discuss.

The internet is a series of tubes, leading to various websites. So check out this one.

(10.11.06) Recommends:

Sufjan Stevens, live in concert.

I know that if Indie Rock was the United Nations, Sufjan Stevens would have Most Favored Nation trade status. And it's not like I'm Kofi Annan or anything, but I've got to say, I wasn't always very enamored with this Christian troubadour. In fact, I kind of hated him for a while. Here's why:

First, my sister kept telling me I had to hear his Illinois album. So I went searching for it on Rhapsody. And Asthmatic Kitty does not license to Rhapsody. (Note: I just went to Rhapsody, and lo-and-behold, every freaking Sufjan Stevens album is now available. That's really weird. And very welcomed.) Now, I realize that it's kind of irrational to hate a musician just because his record label does not license its records to Rhapsody. I get that it's a musician's/label's prerogative not to license to Rhapsody. But it's a music fan's prerogative to completely dismiss an artist/label for not doing so. So that was strike one in my book.

Strike two came shortly thereafter when a friend and I made a record hunting trip to Berkeley. Through my finely honed powers of persuasion I convinced her to buy 'Illinois.' Most people that know me understand that I'm a pretty laid back guy. But, apparently, on the ride home from Berkeley, I was in one of my "less talk, more rock" moods, and I found "Illinois" so plodding and boring that I nearly threw it out the window, where it would have shattered into a million little pieces on the 880. So the count was now 0-2.

Next I came across this video. The whole "country boy with banjo" vibe was too obnoxious for me to handle. Don't get me wrong: I love the banjo. I own a banjo. I can play at least one song on the banjo. But this video is completely ridiculous. The hat? And what is that thing in the background? It's not a silo, right? It's like a big barrel of whiskey or something. So stupid. This video was another strike, but it was a foul ball, because I realize that if you were just an indie-rocker and never experienced the banjo, maybe this video would have been an introduction to all things banjo. [Although I can't think of anything that justifies the ridiculousness of the hat.]. So, another strike, but since it was a foul ball, the count is still 0-2.

Now, by this time my music-hunting-in-Berkeley friend had actually come to adore "Illinois" (I never told her that I was originally allocating the risk of a crappy CD purchase on her; therefore, she thinks it was a quite excellent recommendation) along with all things Sufjan. She made me a Sufjan Stevens mixed CD and I listened to it on a road trip to Los Angeles. And this friend must have completely understood my reluctance with Sufjan, because she got rid of all the plodding, boring Sufjan, leaving only the beautiful, stunning Sufjan. It is nearly 700 miles, roundtrip, from my apartment to Los Angeles. And of those 700 miles, I would estimate 695 were set to the music of this Sufjan mixed CD. My ears finally conquered my brain's irrationality. That's a beautiful thing, right? I don't know how to continue with the baseball metaphor. It's not like it was a home run, but more like Sufjan was still at the plate, continually fouling off pitches, thus continuing his at-bat.

Until. Until. He continued his at bat until Tuesday, when he played in Berkeley. On Tuesday, in Berkeley, he hit it to Waveland Ave. Or he cleared the roof at old Tigers Stadium. Or he hit the warehouse at Camden Yards. Or he hit the concession stand roof at Royals Stadium (a feat, I swear to god, I saw Mark McGwire once accomplish during batting practice). This show was simply one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. First off, it wasn't just Sufjan Stevens. There was a mini-orchestra of at least two dozen people. Stringed instruments, brass instruments, percussive instruments. Then there was a choir, again, at least two dozen people. Next, they were all wearing butterfly costumes over these weird quasi-marching-band, quasi-tae-kwon-do outfits. Finally, he would sing a song about Christmas-time, and inflatable Santa Clause dolls would be released from the ceiling. Or, he would sing about Superman, and inflatable Superman dolls would be released from the ceiling.

None of this is even mentioning the music. There were over one thousand people at this show. Mostly young, smart, hip people. And there was a point when I couldn't figure out why anybody was at the show. Here was a guy, in a butterfly costume, playing a banjo, accompanied by 40 other people. This was not indie rock. This was not hip. At one point I closed my eyes, and I could see my mother and father. When I was young, they used to put me to bed with stories of how they saw Simon and Garfunkel in concert. And there, in Berkely, on a Tuesday, with my eyes closed, with Sufjan Stevens and My Brightest Diamond singing, it could have been Simon and Garfunkel, in Kansas City, in the early 70s. This Sufjan Stevens fellow. He's gonna be big. I predict by this time next year he'll be singing a duet with Elton John at the Grammy's. It was "indie rock" and "hip" yet completely family friendly. The next day I was emailing friends all over the country, who had seen him at various points on this recent tour. And the sentiment was clear and uniform: this was one of the best shows each of us had seen in recent memory.

I beg of you people: please go see Sufjan Stevens the next time he visits your town.

October 11, 2006 - Chemo Brain?

One of the more controversial side-effects of chemotherapy is something called "chemo brain" – experiences of mild confusion, mental fuzziness or loss of memory that occur both during and after chemotherapy. Many doctors deny that chemo brain exists, as a discrete side-effect – seeing it as simply another aspect of the stress, fatigue and general emotional strain that are part of living with cancer. Many chemotherapy veterans, though, aren't so sure.

I can picture several members of the support group at the Cancer Concern Center discussing the subject, at one of the weekly meetings. "Oh, yes," they were saying, nodding their heads vigorously. "Chemo brain is real."

I also have a memory of asking Dr. Lerner about it, as he was briefing me on what side effects to expect, as I began treatment. His reply was that, yes, he'd heard patients use the term, but he hadn't seen anything yet to suggest there's a physical explanation for it. He sounded skeptical, although he didn't categorically rule it out.

Now, there's a new study that suggests that chemo brain is a real phenomenon, that may continue for as long as ten years after treatment. To quote from a Yahoo! News story of October 5, "Chemo Has Long-Term Impact on Brain Function" (based on a Reuters press release):

"The researchers, from the University of California, Los Angeles, found that women who had undergone chemotherapy five to 10 years earlier had lower metabolism in a key region of the frontal cortex.

Women treated with chemotherapy also showed a spike in blood flow to the frontal cortex and cerebellum while performing memory tests, indicating a rapid jump in activity level, the researchers said in a statement about their study.

‘The same area of the frontal lobe that showed lower resting metabolism displayed a substantial leap in activity when the patients were performing the memory exercise,' said Daniel Silverman, the UCLA associate professor who led the study.

‘In effect, these women's brains were working harder than the control subjects' to recall the same information,' he said in a statement."

The study appears to be of a relatively small group, whom researchers asked to perform simple memory tests while undergoing PET scans. Published in the online edition of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, it focused on just "21 women who had surgery to remove breast tumors, 16 of whom had received chemotherapy and five who had not." The article doesn't mention whether researchers were focusing on certain chemotherapy medicines only, or whether they were generalizing to consider all chemotherapy.

Still, their findings are suggestive – although I imagine that further studies, with much larger numbers of subjects, will be needed to satisfy all skeptics.

For now, the present state of affairs will probably continue, with many doctors expressing doubts, while a significant number of patients provide anecdotal evidence that – from their point of view, anyway – chemo brain is real.

As for me, I can't say for certain that I've experienced it. Sure, in the days following each chemo treatment, I found it hard to read for any length of time, or to concentrate on complicated tasks. But I could simply attribute that to the fact that I was feeling lousy. I could have said much the same thing about times in the pasts when I've had the flu.

As for any long-term effects of chemotherapy on memory, I can't say I've noticed any of those, either. Sure, I find it hard to recall someone's name, on occasion – and there have been times when I've wondered whether that's a result of chemo brain – but I can't say for sure that's the cause. I'm going to turn 50 in a couple of weeks. You can't expect to get that far in life without the mental machinery casting off a few nuts and bolts.

Those of us dealing with cancer need to pay close attention to confirmed medical findings from research studies, but it also pays to listen to the anecdotal experience of others. That two-pronged approach to information-gathering is, I think, the best way.

(10.10.06) Recommends:

The artwork of Carson Ellis.

I've been on a Decemberists kick as of late and, of course, a recommendation of this band should not be made without recommending the excellent artwork of their resident illustrator Carson Ellis. Her artwork is kind of like the band's music: it seems quaint, like from another era. Yet completely modern. And upon closer inspection, you see things you didn't notice before. Slightly mutated takes on familar scenes. Fans of Marcel Dzama and Amy Cutler will love her artwork. Please visit her webpage, my favorite is her work in pen and ink. So go, and purchase something from her. After all, you're getting older, and those posters of Bud Light biki models really should come down at this point.

(10.09.06) Recommends:

Tarkio, "Omnibus" (Kill Rock Stars, 2006).

So yesterday was "The Decemberist post." And today will be dedicated to Tarkio, Colin Meloy's former band. This is just straight Americana alt.country, and the album is some kind of retrospective Kill Rock Stars released early this year. For fans of The Decemberists, this album never comes close to reaching the majestic heights of, say, 'Los Angeles, I'm Yours," but for people who actually enjoy laid-back alt.country, this is a perfect record for crackin' open a beer, on a patio, in the sun. This record won't change the world but it can make it a more enjoyable place to drink beer on a patio.

(10.08.06) Recommends:

The Decemberists, "The Crane Wife" (Capitol, 2006).

The highly-anticipated major-label debut from everybody's favorite lit-rockers. I've been listening to this thing since the day it was released, and that's the main point of this space: to share what I've been listening to. But I'm kinda torn here. Some days I love it; some days I'm skipping over many of the tracks. Cries of sell-out should properly be silenced by the righteous, 4-part, 12-minute-plus second track. But there's some kind of white person funk in some of the songs that makes me a bit uncomfortable. So for now, here is my line: this band is clearly one of the most important bands making music today. They've put something out that I partially do not understand. I don't believe in the ethos that "all great art must challenge," but I do realize that my lack of understanding is my issue, not the bands. The world needs this band. And a better percentage of the world will know this band with this album. So, welcome world.

(10.07.06) Recommends:

Elton John, "The Captain and The Kid" (Interscope, 2006).

Yesterday, was a name from the past. So why not again today?

For the last few years I have been thinking -- more like hoping, really -- that somebody like Rick Ruben should go into the studio with Elton John and come out with a late career, back to the basics, no frills, kick ass rock 'n roll record. What's that? Do I hear snickering? Oh yeah, I forgot. You're one of those people that pretend that you don't know every last song off of every Elton John greatest hits album. Greatest hits albums. As in, (a) the classic Greatest Hits album from '74; (b) Greatest Hits 1976-1986; (c) Greatest Hits II (released in '97, but a follow-up to GH'74); (d) Greatest Hits 1970-2002. Not to mention Remixed, wherein songs from GH 1970-2002 are, you know, remixed. You pretend you don't love "Rocket Man" done trip-hop style. But guess what, partner? You're not fooling anybody. Just like you're not fooling anybody when you claim that the songs you sing/whistle in the shower aren't chosen from a pool containing no less then forty Elton John classics. Most bands you claim to like will never record forty songs in their careers. So stop rolling your eyes, and listen to this record. Maybe it'll be the closest thing we'll have to a Johnny Cash-"American Recordings"-style comeback for the Crocodile Rocker. Or maybe it's a sign that Elton John has thirty years of great music left in him. They've been saying it since 1974, and it's true again in 2006: the bitch is back.

ROXY

October 7, 2006 - Rituxan Research Marches On

I've recently learned that Rituxan – the miracle drug that likely played a large role in the successful treatment of my cancer – has just been approved by the FDA for even wider use.

If I'm reading the Genentech company's press release correctly, Rituxan is now approved for use with another combination of chemo drugs other than CHOP: a drug cocktail known as CVP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisolone). This is for patients with follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma – the indolent (or slow-growing) form of the disease. Rituxan is also now approved for follicular lymphoma patients whose disease is "stable," as well as for those relapsed patients who have already had treatment with CVP.

This news probably doesn't apply to me, personally, because my "diffuse mixed large and small cell" grading is considered to be an aggressive form of NHL (which means I'm already approved for treatment with Rituxan). But, I'm glad to know this medicine is now available more widely, to make a difference in the lives of others.

This is a typical illustration of how new drugs come to be available. When pharmaceutical researchers come up with a new formula that's likely to help patients, and have completed all the laboratory tests at their disposal, they must then engage in a lengthy process of testing on human subjects, a process known as "clinical trials." Clinical trials are typically divided into several phases.

Phase one involves a handful of patients, who are monitored closely to make sure the new medicine is safe to give to humans. When it comes to cancer drugs, "safe" is a relative term. Many widely-used cancer treatments have harmful side effects. Ironically, some chemotherapy agents (including some of the ones I've received) are known carcinogens. This means the medicines themselves will cause cancer in a small percentage of people who receive them. Yet, this is an acceptable risk, because avoiding the drugs is statistically more likely to harm patients. (If, for example, a drug is 80% likely to put a lymphoma patient into remission, but will cause leukemia, down the road, in an unfortunate 3% of the people who receive it, those are pretty good odds.)

Fortunately, Rituxan – unlike many of the old-line chemotherapy drugs – has only minimal side-effects.

If there are no significant ill effects in the first phase, the trial moves on to phase two, in which a somewhat larger group of patients receives the drug. Researchers monitor this group not just with regard to safety, but also in order to test the medicine's effectiveness. Often, there must be a control group, randomly selected from among the pool of clinical-trial participants. Because it would not be ethical to give sick people only a placebo (a harmless substance, of no medical value), the patients chosen for the control group typically receive another, fully-approved cancer medicine instead. Clinical trial participants don't usually know whether they are in the study group or the control group. Patients who volunteer for such studies know they may have as much as a 50% chance of not receiving the promising new medicine, but they're generally willing to take that risk – because a 50% chance of getting it through a clinical-trial study is better than the 0% chance they would have of receiving it, had they stayed out of the clinical trial.

If phase two is successful, the researchers move on to phase three, in which the new product is tested on thousands of volunteers. If the medicine proves to be both safe and effective for a significant portion of this group, then it finally receives government approval for general use.

Research continues, then, through phase four: follow-up studies that examine the long-term risks and benefits of the drug.

Clinical trials are the cutting edge of cancer treatment. That's the reason many patients – particularly relapsed patients, who are running out of other options – sometimes travel great distances to be part of them. They're especially appealing to the uninsured and the underinsured, because drug companies typically make the medicines available to test subjects for free. Typically, clinical trials – especially phase three trials – are simultaneously offered in a number of leading treatment centers around the country, and even around the world. The theory is that this puts the new medicines within reach of as large a number of patients as possible.

It's quite a process – and very costly for the pharmaceutical companies to go through. That's the reason each of my six Rituxan doses had a list price of $7,000 (although the price was somewhat reduced for me – as it is for most patients – through contractual agreements between my medical insurance company and the doctor). Thankfully, my medical insurance covered most of it.

Pharmaceutical research is big business, no doubt about it: but it's a business that, when everything is said and done, saves lives.

(10.06.06) Recommends:

Bruce Springsteen, "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" and/or supplementary "American Land Edition" (Columbia, 2006).

Okay, so as a general proposition I find it obnoxious when a record label puts out a record and then a few months later re-issues the record with extra bells and whistles. However. I'm gonna bite my tongue here. While not recommending going out and buying both records, you need to have one of these records in your collection. Hands down, this gets my nod as 2006's Album of the Year. People who care about "traditional American music" (whatever that may mean) will have their jaws drop upon listening. People who do not care about "traditional American music" will begin to care upon listening.

Hopefully everybody knows the story by now: The Boss called up Pete Seeger's old band mates, invited them to his New Jersey farmhouse, they hung out playing songs for three days, and somebody had the good sense to record the whole thing. Over the last several years much has occurred to cause one to become embarrassed about being American. But be not so fearful: with this, it's again okay to be American. Somehow it feels like a middle finger simultaneously to politicians and to stupid fucking terrorists. I guess this is why we call him The Boss.

(10.05.06) Recommends:

The Subways, "Young For Eternity" (Sire, 2006).

First off, the members of this band, the literature tells me, are all under 20. Secondly, this music is like Brit Rock, Folk Rock, and Punk Rock all at once. Be warned, dear readers, that Pitchfork gave this record a crappy review. But that's mostly a function of this album coming out on Sire records, which is a part of Warner Bros. -- gasp! a major label! -- and Sire apparently doesn't have the hipster cachet of Sup Pop (49% owned by Time Warner/Warner Bros.). Oh yeah, and maybe because their music also appeared on The O.C. But if you can listen to these songs, and not want to live life, then you should stay in that dark, dank, moldy, solitary apartment (the same place where 95% of those Pitchfork reviews are no doubt written) of yours, and shake your fists at people who are willing to go out and do things, and create, and live. While you're in that dark space, you might as well go over to The Subways' myspace page and listen to the song "Mary," because you might as well bop your head while you're all by yourself sticking it to the man, or whatever you're protesting.

(10.04.06) Recommends:

Danielson, "Ships" (Secretly Canadian, 2006).

So this album is filling the Leftfield Hit of the Year spot in my brain; a space occupied last year by Animal Collective's amazing "Feels." Here, there's a little "Feels," a little Fiery Furnaces, a little Flaming Lips, and a little bit of a bunch of other art-rock bands and records starting with the letter "F" that I'm too unhip to have ever heard. As with any experimental art project, there is a lot of back story that the reader can discover. But first, before doing that, just listen to the music. There are some strange and wonderful things happening on this record.

Today's Blog Brought To You By The Letter F:
"Feels"
Flaming Lips
Fiery Furnaces
Field, Left

(10.03.06) Recommends:

The Avett Brothers, "Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions" (Ramseur, 2006).

I am recommending this album almost solely on the strength of the first track, "Talk on Indolence," which is country-punk in the style of Wichita, Kansas's Split Lip Rayfield. Which is to say, bluegrass performed in a way you heretofore thought not allowed. Which is to say, music that sounds like it is performed by scary looking men, tattoed and drinking whiskey straight from the bottle. This album is more well-rounded than a SLR album, but if you're like me, you might fire up the first track, and listen to it so much that you don't get to track 2 for several weeks.

"Talk on Indolence" is currently being streamed on the Ramseur Records myspace page. Rub that grease from your elbow through your hair, then go give it a listen.

Of note: Those in the Bay Area will have a chance to catch The Avett Brothers this weekend at the biggest bang-for-your-buck bluegrass festival on earth, San Francisco's free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival.

(10.02.06) Recommends:

M. Ward, "Post-War" (Merge, 2006).

Since I mentioned M. Ward in Saturday's post, today seems like an appropriate time to formally recognize his newest effort in this space. He has put together another solid American rock etc. record. He brings the rock more than say, Horse Feathers, on tracks like "Poison Cup" and "To Go Home" [thanks largely to the backing band (a first for a M. Ward album)]. But he's still bringing the rock accompanied with warm strings and that weathered voice. And that's why we love M. Ward.

Get the facts and vote Yes:
Don't just take my word for it: thanks to the fine folks at Merge Records, the whole album currently can be streamed here.

Also of note:
His official website.
His myspace.

(10.01.06) Recommends:

Band of Horses, "Everything All The Time" (Sub Pop, 2006).

Continuing with yesterday's theme of Albums That Will Definitely Make It On Every Music Critic's Best of 2006 List, today I present Band of Horses. Of course, the only way you've escaped the power of this album is if you've spent 2006 living under water, where sound travels on some sort of distorted wave length or something. I'm not really sure of the science involved. But poor dolphins, never to experience the awesomeness of "The Funeral," hands down 2006's Song of the Year.

The Funeral.

Amsterdam with DA 70mm "Pancake"

I left Photokina Friday to spend three days with my wife in Amsterdam. As we both like to walk and explore, it gave me a great opportunity to test the new DA f/2.4 70mm "pancake" lens. The lens is from the final, pre-production run. Typically, these sample lenses exhibit the same quality as a full production unit.
I used the lens with a K100D. Photos were shot at various ISO's (from 200 to 800) and various apertures to see how the lens performed. All images were shot in RAW, and procesed in SilkyPix 2E.
(NOTE: If you click on the small images in my post, you should get a larger image in a new window.)