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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"> <channel> <title>En Vogue Webmaster</title> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com</link> <description>Random posts and rock shows from Greg Bolsinga</description> <generator>com.bolsinga.site-418613128cb3e8378a3f4963fc59c304e91fe179 (built: Fri Sep 08 23:58:20 UTC 2023 running Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (21.0.1+12-LTS-29) Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (21.0.1+12-LTS-29) - Oracle Corporation Mac OS X 14.4.1 aarch64 [Program Copyright (c) 2004 - 2023 Greg Bolsinga])</generator> <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:52:26 GMT</pubDate> <webMaster>bolsinga@gmail.com</webMaster> <image> <url>https://www.bolsinga.com/comp.gif</url> <title>[Busy computing... for you!]</title> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com</link> <width>120</width> <height>90</height> <description>En Vogue Webmaster</description> </image> <item> <title>4/18/2024 - The Barry Walker Unit, Steel Fringe @ Turn! Turn! Turn!</title> <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/dates/sh882.html</link> <description><p>Dan invited me to another show. This venue is quite close to my home, and I finally made it there. The two bands had a country vibe, but more in the Flying Burrito Brothers realm. They both had pedal steel guitars. Steel Fringe was more traditional, and I really enjoyed their quick set. The first band may have played three long jams while I was there. The one in the middle was a pedal steel freak out, in that lots was going on with that instrument while the rest of the band had a groove that nearly reminded me of Tortoise. Great to get out on a Thursday night of all new bands and a new venue.</description> </item> <item> <title>Swimming Sea Lion in Downtown Portland</title> <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/2024.html#e456</link> <description><p>I rode my bike around the Willamette River today. It looks like the last sunny day for a little while. It was peak cherry blossom time on the west side. As I went under the Morrison bridge, I saw a sea lion swimming. No one else seemed to notice.</description> </item> <item> <title>New Year</title> <pubDate>Mon, 05 Feb 2024 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/2024.html#e455</link> <description><p>The end of 2023 was made a little more complicated by the Portland Schools Teacher Strike. After it was resolved, we had a shorter winter break and lost a few days off during the rest of the school year. I hope we can keep it steady in 2024. <p>Oscar is going to be 8 years old tomorrow. It's so fun to watch him grow up. He's an avid reader and loves math.<p>I've been working on my <a href="https://github.com/bolsinga/SiteApp">iOS Site App</a>. It's only on TestFlight right now. It's been fun to use it to see what I've seen on this day. Lately I've been digging into a historical archive I have of the data of my iTunes listening since 2006. I've learned more about SQL in the process. I've also spent a lot of time trying to "clean" the data so it is consistent over time. Once that is done, my hope is to be able to add this data to the program too.</description> </item> <item> <title>Books</title> <pubDate>Sun, 24 Dec 2023 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/2023.html#e454</link> <description><p>I read quite a bit more this year than I have for awhile. It's been fun. Here's what I read in order. I haven't quite finished the last one yet, but I bet I do in a few days.<p><ol><p><li>Play Like a Man - Rose Marshack of Poster Children</li><p><li>The Wager - David Grann</li><p><li>The Death and Life of the Great Lakes - Dan Egan</li><p><li>Cloud Cuckoo Land - Anthony Doerr</li><p><li>My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante</li><p><li>Hidden Life of Trees - Peter Wohlleben</li><p><li>The Story Of A New Name - Elena Ferrante</li><p><li>Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann</li><p><li>Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay - Elena Ferrante</li><p><li>White Noise - Don DeLillo</li><p><li>The Story Of The Lost Child - Elena Ferrante</li><p><li>Mud Ride - Steve Turner of Mudhoney</li><p><li>The Candy House - Jennifer Egan</li><p><li>Libra - Don DeLillo</li><p><li>The Nineties - Chuck Klosterman</li><p><li>American Prometheus - Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin</li><p><li>Entangled Life - Merlin Sheldrake</li><p><li>Cosmopolis - Don DeLillo</li><p><li>Sonic Life - Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth</li><p></ol><p></description> </item> <item> <title>12/7/2023 - Body Shame, peopling, Sh!tomato, Applecamp @ No Fun</title> <pubDate>Fri, 08 Dec 2023 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/dates/sh881.html</link> <description><p>My friend Dan invited me to this noise show. One of the performers was in a band with Dan's brother. It was like nothing I'd seen in a long time, and I had a good time. I'll describe the performers in order. Chaotic - When I first walked in a tall guy with long hair and a beard who has a mask on and a fuzzy yellow full body kid costume. The place is small and he runs up the alley between the booths and bar just yelling right in my face. I just stood there trying not to laugh. It was over crazy fast beats. Musical - Laptop, bass, and lots of pedals. Hypnotic - Lots of pedals and some more we could not see in a box. No computer. Interesting hand held trigger. Complicated - More twisty cables than I’ve ever seen hooked into a laptop. Perhaps included a 3D render of the performers head projected behind him?</description> </item> <item> <title>11/17/2023 - Mudhoney, Hooveriii @ Aladdin Theater</title> <pubDate>Sat, 18 Nov 2023 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/dates/sh880.html</link> <description><p>Mark Arm still has his voice. I've no idea how; if I even tried to do it, I'd break down coughing. They went through all the hits. It was so much fun to see them. Aladdin is such a great place for a show too. We had a great spot. We could see it all. I went with my brother and two other friends. My family was just getting sick, so I had a unique night. I wore my mask the entire time, and I didn't drink any beer. I do not know the last time I've seen a show without having a beer! I liked the songs of Mudhoney's that I hadn't heard before. It was also interesting to see them shortly after I'd finished reading Steve Turner's "Mud Ride" memoir. I really should get the rest of their catalog. Seems like they'll keep on rocking, and I'll be sure to see them again.</description> </item> <item> <title>More Unknowns Fixed</title> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Nov 2023 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/2023.html#e453</link> <description><p>I wasn't always perfect about tracking the dates of shows. Early on, I guess I'd write them down without a date. In later years, I'd remember going to the show but wouldn't have tracked it soon enough to know the date. Bill Johnson helped me out on Facebook with six unknown dates from Starcourse shows. He found a <a href="https://files.archon.library.illinois.edu/uasfa/3708005.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0PE0iJM9PmG7s4L3FA-tDU0a6oqRIfFTaKVAGFse-SLTd9b1FsfEvRzSk">list of names physical folders archived somewhere at the University of Illinois</a>. Thanks, Bill!<p>Now I just have to find an archive of Blind Pig and Trito's shows from that era too.</description> </item> <item> <title>11/9/2023 - Devo @ Revolution Hall</title> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Nov 2023 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/dates/sh879.html</link> <description><p>Devo went out on tour to commemorate 50 years of de-evolution. They played many of the hits. I looked back and re-read what I wrote about other Devo shows I've seen. This show was similar, and it was also super fun. It started off with an introduction from Big Entertainment's Rod Rooter in 2023. He's balding and has turned over the business to his son. He still dislikes Devo. The band then started with more synthesizer songs, and the latter half of the show was more guitars. The core members are all in their 70s now, but I wouldn't have guessed it unless I already knew. The graphics shown behind the band were great. There were bits of the videos we all knew. Mixed in were new graphics that iterated on classic Devo iconography. The energy domes rendered in 3D twisted upon each other into infinity, for example. Towards the end of the show during "Beautiful World" they displayed a graphic while Booji Boy was saying they'd see us in 2073 with 100 years of de-evolution. He wanted us to mutate. See you then!</description> </item> <item> <title>10/19/2023 - The Breeders @ The Wiltern</title> <pubDate>Fri, 20 Oct 2023 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/dates/sh878.html</link> <description><p>While planning a trip to Los Angeles to see friends I haven't seen in awhile, Marc suggested we try going to a show. The Breeders were playing "Last Splash" in its entirety. I went with Marc, Dennis, and Marc's friend Julie. We were in the second to last row up in the mezzanine. It was a beautiful venue. The band were about the size of an iPad on your lap however. Regardless it was a fun show. It sounded terrific. Kim Deal seemed to be having fun. About halfway through she said "This is the last song on side one. Almost time to get up off the couch to flip the record." Another time she said "Things are getting weird" and the bassist and drummer switched instruments, which is what I guess happened on the record. After they finished the record, the first song of the encore was Kim's "Gigantic" from "Surfer Rosa". Kim was on bass for this, and it was awesome. They played even more hits from their career in the encore. The opener for this show was Belly, but we did not watch them since we were all catching up with each other. During the encore, Tanya from Belly, who was on "Pod", played "Happiness is a Warm Gun" with the band. It was a great night out with old friends.</description> </item> <item> <title>9/8/2023 - Osees, Oog Bogo @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom</title> <pubDate>Sat, 09 Sep 2023 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/dates/sh877.html</link> <description><p>Almost like clockwork, Osees came through town 364 days since I'd seen them last. Instead of sitting on the mezzanine, I was on the floor this time. The openers were terrific; they were super fast and loud. Osees started playing over the PA music to start their set in a flash. The band was the same lineup as last year. It once again was awesome to watch the two drummers. There was a mosh pit near us for most of the show. They played all the hits; I had a blast. It was one of those shows were things are going so great that you just have to laugh out loud. I got to go with another old friend who has moved to Portland. We caught up before and after the show. I am very tired as I write this the next day.</description> </item> <item> <title>25 Years!</title> <pubDate>Wed, 06 Sep 2023 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/2023.html#e452</link> <description><p>I've been updating this web site for 25 years now! Thanks for reading over the years. The site started sometime before the first entry on <a href="https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/1998.html#e0">9/6/1998</a>, but we'll call it 25 years.<p>I've been building an <a href="https://github.com/bolsinga/SiteApp">iOS application that displays all the shows</a> I've seen. Send me a message if you'd like to get a link to try it out. Thanks again!</description> </item> <item> <title>Movie Theatres</title> <pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2023 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/2023.html#e451</link> <description><p>I saw my first movie in a theatre in nearly eight years the other day. I have to say, I realize I haven't missed much. I arrived at the specified time for the opportunity to see 30 minutes or more of commercials and previews. At least I had an assigned seat! I think I'll think hard if I go to a theatre again. If I do, I'll be sure to arrive 30 minutes "late". The film I saw was good though ("Oppenheimer").</description> </item> <item> <title>7/19/2023 - Wand, Pink Trash Can @ Mississippi Studios</title> <pubDate>Thu, 20 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/dates/sh876.html</link> <description><p>From following Drag City on Twitter, I'd learned of Wand nearly two years ago. I bought an album, and I liked it. Then via the same social media sources, I learned both 1) the singer of the band has a new solo album and 2) Wand was going to be in Portland about a week later. I asked Jon if he wanted to go, and we agreed we'd go the day before. It was a rocking show. It also went on really late for this old man (about midnight). I'd recognized about two of the songs, and the rest were good. They had so many pedals on the stage. As usual a strong rhythm section allows a band like this work. The opener were three people with even more effects pedals. Afterwards, once Wand was on the stage, we realized half of Wand was in the opening band. Only the singer wasn't in Wand, and their songs reminded me of some Sonic Youth. Overall a great night with music I wasn't too familiar with. That's a change from the last few years of shows I've seen.</description> </item> <item> <title>7/2/2023 - Jonathan Richman @ Aladdin Theater</title> <pubDate>Mon, 03 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/dates/sh875.html</link> <description><p>This show was postponed from March. I was glad I was able to make it. It had been awhile since seeing him. He's still as charismatic as ever. Tommy was sitting at a full drum kit again. I'm not sure if I hadn't noticed the other times I've seen him, but Jonathan played three Modern Lovers songs. Or I should say, his songs referenced three old songs. He played "Old World" but it was about 1830 and not 1950. He also played "Pablo Piscasso" but updated the chorus to "Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole… for the first 15 minutes." He added lots of banter about how he'd read the memoirs and now knew more. He also played "Girlfriend", and he really emphasized his Boston accent and "G I R L F R E N" phoenetic spelling. He'd also mentioned that when he was 17 he'd wanted to be a painter, but then he heard the Velvet Underground. He'd seen colors in their sounds and decided he was going to be a singer. He also played "Dancing in a Lesbian Bar" and had the crowd going. He closed with a fun song called "Cold Pizza". I think he sang in at least 4 languages: English, Italian, French, and Spanish. I'm pretty sure there was one more language too, but I could not make it out. It's always great to see Jonathan Richman; I hope I can do it again soon!</description> </item> <item> <title>Velvet Underground</title> <pubDate>Thu, 22 Jun 2023 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/2023.html#e450</link> <description><p>I dunno when I first heard of Velvet Underground. Probably through Bowie records. Somewhere around 30 years ago, I got the banana album. Whatever I had, I remember it was a different mix than what I have today. Anyways, somewhere along the line I'd heard that the "later stuff" wasn't as good. It took me until about 10 years ago to get "White Light / White Heat". Oh my gosh, I think, this is terrific! Then it takes me until this week to get their last two albums with Lou, and they are just immensely amazing. Holy smokes, they are good. I'd heard covers or live versions of their hits, but the albums are chock full of such good stuff that I'd never expect from 1970. I've heard nearly 50 years of people interpreting and re-interpreting these songs, so I was just blown away to finally listen.</description> </item> <item> <title>5/26/2023 - Love And Rockets, Vinsantos @ Roseland Theater</title> <pubDate>Sat, 27 May 2023 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/dates/sh874.html</link> <description><p>Earlier this year, I learned that Love And Rockets were going to play a big festival in southern California. Of course they added some west coast club dates afterwards, and I was able to get tickets to this show. From the stage David J said it was the first city to sell out for the tour. It was nice place to see them; it's only a little larger than the Metro. Mike and I were able to get a good spot, off to the side and pretty close to the stage. This is because I still had my crutches and "boot" on, so we were able to sit in the ADA section. We arrived during Vinsantos' set. Vinsantos played keyboards, and there was a guitarist off to the side. I'd known nothing about them prior to the show. They are a drag burlesque performer who has apparently been opening for Bauhaus shows for some time now. There was a lot of audience chatting going on, and Vinsantos made a commment along the lines of how much people paid for a ticket to just talk. Why not stay at home? The line for the merch was near us and it was already long when we got there. As far as I know, it was long for the entirety of the show. I got in line during a few Love And Rockets songs I was not familiar with. I got an iconic and classic Love And Rockets logo t-shirt. Man, I had so much fun at this show. From the moment Daniel Ash walked out, you could see his very spiky hair in silhouette. Soon thereafter you got to take in his rock star bright red blouse. I knew I was just going to be in psychedelic glam rock seventh heaven. For the occasion, I wore my 35 year old "Earth Sun Moon" t-shirt. The band all wore sunglasses. David J wore a three piece maroon velvet suit. I knew all the words to the songs from the 4 albums I love from back then. They played a few songs from each. There were a few songs that I was not familar with (which Mike was). They opened with the slow version of "Motorcyle." They played "No New Tale To Tell" in about the middle of the set; definitely one of my favorites. "Ball of Confusion" was the encore closer, and they came out for a single-song second encore, which I did not know. But I identified it by the lyrics the next day. It was "Sweet FA." Other awesome ones were "Kundalini Express", "Yin and Yang (and the Flowerpot Man)" and "Dog End of a Day Gone By". Before the show started, I'd asked the person seated beside me if she'd seen them before. She had not, but her partner was a huge fan and was somewhere up front of the stage. She said they'd had met David J in person before, and their partner had said "I love Love And Rockets and would you ever tour again?" David J apparently said "No way, you're living in la-la land if you think that's going to happen." Lala Land was a lot of fun tonight!</description> </item> <item> <title>Chills</title> <pubDate>Fri, 26 May 2023 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/2023.html#e449</link> <description><p>Like nearly everyone, I love the way listening to music can make me feel. I was just listening to an <a href="https://youtu.be/RQRJurmw3iM">Unwound song that gives me the chills</a> nearly every time I hear it.</description> </item> <item> <title>5/5/2023 - Deerhoof @ Aladdin Theater</title> <pubDate>Sat, 06 May 2023 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/dates/sh873.html</link> <description><p>It'a always great to go to a new place to see a show. This is an old theater with an awesome neon marquee. Jon invited me to go. We got there just when the last opener ended. I stayed seated throughout the show since I was a little tired. It's the same line up as the last time I saw Deerhoof, so many years ago. I joked with Jon that I could remember when the long haired guitarist had short hair. The drummer as usual had so much energy! His drum kit is pretty simple too: 3 drums and 3 cymbals. The structure of their songs continues to be so interesting. It was a good night out.</description> </item> <item> <title>Missing Artwork</title> <pubDate>Mon, 13 Mar 2023 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/2023.html#e448</link> <description><p>I made a macOS application called <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/missingart/id1671891173?mt=12">Missing Artwork</a>. I've worked on it on and off for nearly 3 years. It was fun to learn so many new things along the way about new Apple technologies. You can see all my process for the <a href="https://github.com/bolsinga/MissingArt">application</a> and its <a href="https://github.com/bolsinga/itunes_missing_artwork">library</a> on github.<p>At both of my jobs after working at Apple, it was not possible to play with all the new stuff. They had large legacy codebases that made it hard to move forward technologically. While at Apple, you were only ever working on the latest and greatest release, so you could always use the new stuff. In fact you were encouraged to, if not even required to. It's good to be back.</description> </item> <item> <title>Throw Backs</title> <pubDate>Thu, 09 Mar 2023 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate> <author>bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga)</author> <link>https://www.bolsinga.com/archives/2023.html#e447</link> <description><p>I just downloaded Spacemen 3 and De La Soul. It's going to be a rocking few days!</description> </item> </channel></rss> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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