images from NYC

images from Madison, WI

the Madison farmers market.  Here you can see the three black people in Wisconsin crowded around a table of Obama buttons.  And cheese curds!  People just walk around snackin on bags of cheese curds!

Casa Octopus descends on Ohio for Obama in October

It's really shameful how much we neglect our dear sweet blog-o-spot.
Quickies at least:

Tonight, various tentacles and prostheticals are at the Alemany Farm fundraiser/dance party at the Rickshaw Stop in SF city. A party put on by our house friend, BeBrown, with his crew: Party Corps- www.partycorps.org
Sadly, I'm the lame one packing and laying low so I can travel well tomorrow.

Oh yeah! We're heading to Ohio this week. In total, we'll round out five casaoctopians (current and formal tentacles) in Ohio this month, and that's twice by Zeelicious Navina.

Change happens, from within and often. Let's see what we can do, more to come! Goooobama!

The Railvolution happens this coming week and our resident transportation advocate/movershaker/diva, ChristineMarie, is attending to get allz trans-oriented-development-car-alternative-go-bikes on that scene. I think we have visiting railvolutionaries crashing the Casa this week too, so should be fun to rap rail over dinner next week. www.railvolution.com

Other than that, the teachers are teaching, the designer is crafting and the writer is constructively criticizing.

More on OHIO and hopefully some picture posts soon!

Day 1 outside the bubble

My journey to Madison, Wisconsin - October 1, 2008. 34 days to Election Day.

Snippets:

1) Going through security at SFO:

TSA guy staring at me. "I like your necklace". Me: "Thanks". Him: "I thought it was cereal around your neck on a string". Me: "Yeah, well with the economy these days you gotta be ready for anything". Him : "No kidding!" Female TSA worker: "Plus they don't feed you on the planes anymore so you might as well bring cereal on a string." (Note: the necklace is actually handcrafted beads from the (endangered) Orang Asli tribe in Sarawak)

2) In Salt Lake City:
African-American guy (one of the four I saw in 2.5 hours at the airport): "I like your button!!! ... but my friend doesn't."
Friend (White guy): "did you see my sticker? "
I look. Big Nobama! sticker on his suitcase... "I'm not cool with having my taxes raised," he says.
Me: "Um, your taxes will only go up if you make over $250K per year. And if you fall in that tax bracket, we need to hang out more and you can tell me about it over a drink. Where do you live?"
Friend: "California".
Me: "Okay then".
AA guy: "We're gonna be celebrating come Election Day".
Me: "Sure hope so. Talk to your friend here."

3) Salt Lake City: Older couple perusing books at bookstore.
Man to woman: "Where's that new book by that guy- hot, flat whatever?"
Me: "Hot Flat & Crowded by Thomas Friedman". I show him where it is.
Man: "Have you read it?"
Me: "I've read parts of it, it's good."
Woman: "We heard him on public radio this morning, he was fantastic"
Me: "Yeah, timely stuff. Did you see his NY Times piece on the Green Bailout?."
Woman: "Where can I get an Obama pin?"
I offer her a bumper sticker. "Where are you from?"
Woman: "Sun Valley Idaho, a little spot of blue amongst a sea of red."
Me: "well good luck, stay strong out there!" I tell them how to connect with the Obama campaign.

4) I stood outside aforementioned bookstore in Salt Lake City Airport for 41 minutes on a layover watching folks walk by & react to the book selection.
Prominently featured as you enter on the right is a five-tier bookshelf of conservative and Republican media. slightly less prominently featured on the left as you walk in (less prominent due to visual obstructions and the side that traffic flows from) was a five-tier bookshelf of Democrat and some progressive media.

This bookstore by the way also has an entire large shelf of books devoted to Mormon history, scripture, and faith, including the Life and Times of Joseph Smith, among many other selections.

Anyway, here's an analysis of what I saw at a glance - judging books by their covers.
The Dem-favoring books looked more campaign & candidate-driven than Repubs. BO's book featured prominently in the middle with his campaign colors and the Change O, and his two books right above. One title with Joe Biden. Colberts book is on bottom shelf. Best title: Fleeced. Worst title: Right is Wrong. (Arianna Huffington - love you Arianna, but not a reach-across-the-aisle title)

Neither here nor there: "Heads in the Sand"

Books on rightwing shelf were a little more subtle and push a broader and more hard-hitting message--> Man of the People. Worth the Fighting For. If Democrats had any Brains, they'd be Republicans. Hard Call: The Art of Great Decisions. The Case Against Barack Obama. Obama Nation. Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left (I had to pick this one up -- the jacket discusses Hitler's vegetarian and makes the case that since some lefties are vegetarians we may have another wave of bloodthirsty fascism on it's way...)

Winning title: Somebody's Got to Say It. Man, I can just feel this guy's reluctance in breaking me the bad news about how the left is destroying America and why government needs to be smaller.

And in those 41 minutes, the rightwing bookshelf had 5 visitors and the Dem bookshelf had 7. 3 people looked at both. Nobody bought a single book off either of these shelves.

Now it's almost midnight and to cap the day off, I'm in Madison WI where I just had the opportunity to watch Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West. The free DVD which arrived in swing state voters NY Times free of charge two Sundays ago. Just before children in a mosque in Dayton Ohio were gassed during Ramadan last Friday evening.

Are you kidding me? This movie is grotesque, anti-Muslim, sensationalist, outrageously timed, and misrepresents at least several situations, including the fall of the Saddam statue. Apparently it aired on Fox on 9/11. No surprise there. But I can't believe it showed up in the NY Times.

From the film's website, www.obsessionthemovie.com, here's a sampling of the FAQs:

QUESTION: Is there really a war going on?

Absolutely, as far the radicals are concerned. When we interviewed Daniel Pipes and Caroline Glick, they both said the same thing: It’s a world war. It’s hard for us to recognize, because it’s not like WWII, or other conflicts, with armies going head to head against one another; conquer this capital or capture this leader, and the whole country falls. A lot of what’s going on is much more insidious. And we’re not at all accustomed to the tactics. We’re not accustomed to an enemy that’s scattered everywhere, because you have all these other different organizations, and millions of like-minded sympathizers, around the globe, loosely unified in the same goal of bringing down the West, and establishing Islamic states. It’s in many of the mosques. It’s in many of the schools. So, yes, it is a global conflict. It is a war. It’s just not like any we’ve encountered before.

QUESTION: What has been the response from people, when they hear what you’re doing?

Most people's response is that they didn't realize what has really been going on. When we show them the footage, the figures, the quotes, they are very scared of the future.

QUESTION: What are you hoping people will walk away with, after they see this film?

We hope the film will inspire people to spend some time thinking about their beliefs, and commit to them, and fight for them.We’re also hoping people will speak out against what is happening. We hope people will start writing letters to congressmen, letters to editors. We hope people we start fighting ignorance and bias when they see it. They will lead marches and demonstrations, petitions and activism on college campuses. We hope moderate Muslims will continue creating watchdog groups for whatever enters their mosques and their schools, and ensuring that the values important to them are taught, if they see they are not.

QUESTION: Are you afraid of the response to the film? Death threats and the like?

We’re more afraid of what will happen if people don’t wake-up to what’s going on.

Me, I'm more afraid that you're not afraid of people being afraid.

Best tweets during the debate

4. McCain says a lot of "if this will happen,
then this will happen". He must be a psychic. I'm amazed at his future
reading capabilities

3. Why doesn't McCain marry Patreus if he loves him so much? - Because he's engaged to Lieberman

2. Sarah Palin can look into Putin's eyes and see his soul from her front porch.

1. Mccain: "a man came up to me and gave me his son's underwear...and i'm wearing them right now!"

Fresh faced virgo-es

This week the Octopus celebrates three birthdays. The Virgo tentacles partied hard but most of us didn't get to share on the debauchery, for one reason or another. But we wish them the best as they embark on another trip around the sun. Happy Birthday, Foolz-ee-os.

Community organizer

nuff said!!

Weekend in Review

Busy weekend for the tentacles. It started with a contingent attending the NCPC meeting for 10X(police's designation for our neighborhood). Some highlights include the police priorities on prostitution and drug dealing, crackdown on cyclists, and recent wave of incidents on 62nd Street. It was good meeting the old timers and other neighbors committed to improving our neighborhood.

On Friday night the house hung out at the Van Kleef and then moved to Lanesplitter in celebration of Bussolini's turning the page and moving on to greener pastures. Not very good selection of beers at the Kleef, but the service is great, especially the free lasagna. At the Lane the pizzas didn't disappoint. Big up!! Also looking forward to reading b2's blurbs on the SF Guardian.

Saturday night several tentacles were deployed in Alameda to cover Loose Threads' premier in the Bay Area. The art/music/fashion show, dubbed What You See Galore!, was awesome and well attended. It inspired us to put on a show of our own. Will definitely return to this topic.

On Sunday, we took the opportunity of the glorious day to implement another activity in our ongoing 'reclaim our street' initiative. We hosted a bbq in our front yard and invited many of our neighbors. We started with the neighborhood kids raiding our guacamole and ended up late night downing Tecates with the Belgians. Great day! Great weekend.

Medellin's Top 10

Here's my favorite things from Medellin:

10. Paisa Pride- paisas are the people from the traditionally coffee growing states, including Antioquia , the state where Medellin is located. Love thyself it's an important first step but it can be overwhelming.

9. Pasofino Horses- a breed unique to Colombia. These are excellent show horses with a unique gait when they trot and gallop.

8. Picado Plates- a tray with varied chopped meats(pork, beek, chicken), with arepas, french fries, and fried platanos. Delicious for the first three days but a bit overwhelming after that.

7. Women- hot women everywhere with the unique combination of big boobs and big butts (i cannot lie!). Wasn't too into it after I found out how much plastic surgery goes on and the prevalence of jean ups.

6. Weather- the city of eternal spring, the capital of the mountains. The beautiful Valley of Aburra has the perfect combination of tropics and altitude.

5. Sports- lots of people doing sports, keeping in shape, and the city is dotted with sports complexes. We saw lots of bikers and the rides down the hills looked hella fun! The city also closes some streets during the week where people can bike free of traffic.

4. Greening Efforts- lots of recycling going on, and efforts to minimize the pollution in the city. For instance, they are starting pico plata, a program where if the plate in your car starts with a certain number you can't drive that day. Another more subtle point is the use of local materials; virtually all houses were made of clay bricks. It looks good too.

3. Fashion- they use their own cotton, own factories, own designers and of course own models. My favorite... Velez.

2. Progressive Taxing- this is pervasive throughout city services. The rich pick up the tab for the lower classes. McCain doesn't believe in redistribution of wealth but I do!

1. Libraries- okay, as a librarian, this is totally biased. But the sheer number of educational institutions is a sign of a place with it's priorities straightened. The buildings themselves are amazing and well equipped that work as true community hubs.

Food Club

Each and every week, on several nights and in several locations, about 10-20 people will get together to cook a mostly organic and entirely vegetarian meal, eat, clean-up, and connect with one another.

nk2 had fun and if anyone else is interested in going another Tuesday, check out the Frugal Foodies.

still on the food topic nk2 shares this poem

A Terroir-ist's Manifesto for Eating in Place

Know where your food has come from
through knowing those who produced it for you,
from farmer to forager, rancher or fisher
to earthworms building a deeper, richer soil,
to the heirloom vegetable, the nitrogen-fixing legume,
the pollinator, the heritage breed of livestock,
& the sourdough culture rising in your flour.

Know where your food has come from
by the very way it tastes:
its freshness telling you
how far it may have traveled,
the hint of mint in the cheese
suggesting what the goat has eaten,
the terroir of the wine
reminding you of the lime
in the stone you stand upon,
so that you can stand up for the land
that has offered it to you.

Know where your food has come from
by ascertaining the health & wealth
of those who picked & processed it,
by the fertility of the soil that is left
in the patch where it once grew,
by the traces of pesticides
found in the birds & the bees there.
Know whether the bays & shoals
where your shrimp & fish once swam
were left richer or poorer than before
you & your kin ate from them.

Know where your food comes from
by the richness of stories told around the table
recalling all that was harvested nearby
during the years that came before you,
when your predecessors & ancestors,
roamed the same woods & neighborhoods
where you & yours now roam.
Know them by the songs sung to praise them,
by the handmade tools kept to harvest them,
by the rites & feasts held to celebrate them,
by the laughter let loose to show them our affection.

Know where your foods come from
by the patience displayed while putting them up,
while peeling, skinning, coring or gutting them,
while pit-roasting, poaching or fermenting them,
while canning, salting or smoking them,
while arranging them on a plate for our eyes to behold.
Know where your food comes from
by the slow savoring of each and every morsel,
by letting their fragrances lodge in your memory
reminding you of just exactly where you were the very day
that you became blessed by each of their distinctive flavors.

When you know where your food comes from
you can give something back to those lands & waters,
that rural culture, that migrant harvester,
curer, smoker, poacher, roaster or vintner.
You can give something back to that soil,
something fecund & fleeting like compost
or something lasting & legal like protection.
We, as humans, have not been given
roots as obvious as those of plants.
The surest way we have to lodge ourselves
within this blessed earth is by knowing
where our food comes from.

Gary Paul Nabhan, January 2007

Week in review: 62nd Street is a busy place

At approximately 11:10 p.m. on August 12, the residents of the Octopus hit the floor as a volley of 8-12 shots rang out in close proximity to our home. Tentacles immediately placed calls to OPD's emergency number, and after several minutes' hold time, finally got through. We remained on the floor of the kitchen until the police arrived several minutes later.

Further down the block, in front of the apartment building, two cars were struck, with one man (who witnesses believe was not a target) nearly being shot, and a young passenger in one of the cars sustaining injury from broken glass. It appears that despite the fusillade nobody was actually shot.

Two hours later, the street remained in disarray and we housemates remain in a state of shock. Along with the five shots that woke us up from our sleep last Friday morning at approximately 3:40 a.m., the past week has been the most violent I have experienced in the two years we've lived in this neighborhood.

According to a neighborhood elder, much of the problem revolves around the Oakland Housing Authority buildings and their poor tenant screening and lack of controls on tenants' behavior, and that's a problem that can be resolved with some focused, consistent attention and the involvement of the local city councilmember, Jane Brunner, and the police-civilian apparatus.

The following people are our contacts in Neighborhood Services. They work directly with residents:

• Brenda Ivy, Neighborhood Watch: 510-238-3091
• Titus Taylor, Community Policing Advisory Board Support and Personal Safety Specialist and Neighborhood Watch: 510-238-2384
• Claudia Albano, Neighborhood Services Coordinator Supervisor: 510-238-6372

Also, the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Committee is meeting next Wed., Aug. 20th and several tentacles will attend and report back. Other safety measures we're considering are more sensor lights, a community event, a new screen door for the back door, and a possible evaluation by a security consultant.

Mozambique Summer

I didn’t expect to be seduced by Mozambique this time.  I left there for a reason - I needed something other than the routine life of the enxada.  But back among those burning sunsets and unknown hours it is impossible to deny that I feel more human.  That the lessons of simplicity and human contact which were once habit had been defeated by efficiency.  And now returned to this land of deadlines and traffic I feel my grip on beauty slipping.  I sense my quite stillness blurred.  But...A Luta Continua

Tentacle to Work Days

I had two occasions of Take-a-Tentacle-to-Work-Day. The first is when the Elder came to my work at Tides for the Momentum conference at the W Hotel is San Fran on July 20-22. As the conference said, it was "an invitational forum where some of the most creative minds in the progressive movement come together to challenge, inspire and energize each other."

I think that Tides pulled it off, there were definitely many speakers whose words have stuck with me. The plenaries were formatted with 5-6 speakers and each speaker had less than 20 mins to present what was the most inspiring-interesting-thought provoking message that their work presents at this present moment in time. The sessions were broad and called: Neighborhood, Wars, Health, Media, Earth, Money and i´m missing one. There was no formal Q and A with speakers but lots of time for open space conversations and mingling. The Elder and I sort of vibed off our debrief each night over dinner as we shared our experiences to the house of what dug into us and reverberated in our senses. Most notably was the woman from the End Mountain Top Removal organization in Ohio (?). Her presentation was amazing and everyone needs to see what the mining companies are doing to extract ore these days-- seriously, they are chopping off mountains, like entire ranges where forests grow and life exists. And it´s creating job-LOSS and health-DECLINE for the folks that live there. Check them out: http://www.ilovemountains.org/. Peeps need to see what´s going on.

Here´s the rest of the conference details, b/c there were lots of great speakers: http://www.tides.org/momentum/about

The other tentacle to work day was with Chris, Sleepopus. We met over tea to talk about how her org could focus more in a health frame in their transportation and land use coalition efforts.

water shortage

so everyone knows we're well into year two (2) of our very own little drought.
we just got a letter from eb2mud telling us that we have been very bad in our water consumption. check their website and the cool videos ;)
besides the doing good for the environment, i'm very competitive and i want meet our new goals.
so pay attention to:

1. toilets: 35 gallons per day, 22% avg of daily indoor total.
2. faucets: 34 gpd, 21%
3. showers: 33 gpd, 20%
4. clothes washers: 29 gpd, 18%
5. leaks: 27 gpd, do the math..

find more information on the side of the fridge (if you can't find it there, move the fridge around, look behind it or underneath it, tx).

ps so no more updates on the octopus abode for about two weeks, unless another tentacle picks it up. we're off to colombia, check the mail daily, remember thrash on moday nite, the waters are planted, sayonara, bon voyage, godspeed!!

los gatos getaway

typical day in the bay. cloudy, a little cold.
but wait. just beyond those mountains, in a valley far, far away lies a a house with a grill and a pool.
so we got in the car and drove south to los gatos. we had advance scouts reporting back from their bikes that the coast is clear, the sun was shining.
we should head to the valley anytime is cold and cloudy in the bay. sitting by the pool enjoying the hot hot sun less than an hour away from home is pretty dope. and then our hosts bust out the bestest vegan bbq and to top it off two (that's right, two!!) pies (1.strawberry, dates, etc)(2.banana, nuts, berries). heads up for the limeade but next time we won't forget the rum at home.

kite festival

a crew of tentacles were dispatched to the berkeley marina where a kite festival was taking place. the elder tentacle had quickly positioned ourselves in an nice slope and unfurled squeaky into the winds. she flew higher and higher and battled with bigger and better kites but lived to fight another day. the kite festival continues today with lots of events and people and flying contraptions and hopefully a little more sun.
and what about the berkeley marina? that's a hidden gem, wait, the entire shoreline 5 minutes from the house is a gem; the views, the trails, the horses, the beach, the ocean, and all types of wind enthusiasts. big up!!

guest chef: eva

last night we were having a bbq with eva's family. she prepared some badass skewers (tomatoes, onions, pineapples, mushrooms, zuchini) and her dad handled the grill with a variety of sausages (faux and real).
we played a game of BAG for the right to wear the crown but there was a three way tie for one of the lowest bags ever in the history of this competition.
eva's brother had a show at 21grand and eric and javad were at the sangati center. but some of us were on day two of grey's anatomy marathon (don't ask).

state of the blogapus

hey peeps
our blog seems to be going to the digital version of a junkyard. it's been dead for two months and i haven't updated or posted what we've been up to at the octopus abode. so this is my last ditch effort to save this project. i'm going to start updating just as i start my vacation, that's right.
i've talked with some tentacles about some regular features such as guest chef profiles, coop profiles, take a tentacle to work reportages, and the various adventures you want to share with a larger (hello is anybody out there?) community.
so expect changes here, more pictures, more updates.. or just plain old tentacle things.

It's the Dream... Reborn!

April 4-6, 2008

Memphis, TN

I don't know how to explain the conference, but it was in many ways a call to action, a call to love, a call to endure the struggle for social justice together, a pervasive idea that we are stronger together. It was activist led, so it wasn't just talking about what the vision was because the conversation started beyond that and really asking ourselves WHAT are we doing to continue this effort to make the world more just NOW. How do we challenge ourselves to get there. What actions are we taking to make our collective vision a reality. And it wasn't always said in a way that made us feel comfortable hearing it. Messages like: complacency is easy, don't get too comfortable, there's a lot of work ahead, it will always feel upstream.

What was so strong about the conference was the audience that Green For All attracted -- it was 70% people of color, every age group, every race, lots of youth, lots of old-timers who've experience a lot of struggle either in the civil rights or enviro justice movements, lots of folks working on the ground and taking risks for their communities. Not to mention over 1000 attendees with over 50% attending via scholarship. Unprecedented I think, or rare at the most.

It had THE MOST amazing energy I have ever experienced at a conference, like a true movement of Eco-Equity was forming before my eyes. There were a lot of spiritual moments, it took place in the South so Jesus was mentioned in many ways. Something we aren't used to here in the Bay and there were lots of Bay Area folks there but everyone was okay with who people were and where they came from because it felt like we were the ones that were going to make the change together. If we couldn't accept our differences, if we couldn't stand up and hug our neighbor (which we did over the course of the event), then how could we ever conceive of taking on this massive struggle together? It was a lot of affirmation, action and models throughout the country to show how it could be done, too. So it wasn't just talking and imagining, but really showing concrete models and examples of what is happening right now to move this train forward.

It was like bringing all the little flames together from around the country on the issue of eco-equity to create one massive fire...and then that fire ignited all the people in the room to take back a little more fire. That's how it felt.

Messages that stuck for me...it's not what you do at work or through another entity but what you know you do as an individual that counts. Challenge complacency. Disseminate the message that it's already happening now and we can replicate projects, create synergies and be open for engagement.

The other cool thing about the format of the event was all the people from the arts and faith communities doing performances in the evening or between speakers. So that broke up the monotony of using my left brain during the day, a little right brain action was good.

That conference was a little over two weeks ago and I've already reconnected with a number of folks to talk about our work and possible connections moving forward. Really powerful stuff.

To get a closer look at the intentional vibe of the Dream Reborn conference, check Van's words here: http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/4/4/10838/02965

Casa Octopus goes Beverly Hills

We all have been waiting with much anticipation to celebrate Austin's completion of a quarter of a century, but the wait was well worth it. The celebrations began with the arrival of Eduardo, "the Chilean friend," who came to visit via Los Angeles. His llegada was defined by a yoga class that created the same euphoric feeling that one gets after sex, and lead to some mysterious adventures in the Castro later that night. The next day was followed up with the weekly soccer match and then with a group swimming trip to Lake Anza, where we let the dogs play frisbee while we enjoyed some delicious guacamole, hairy yogurt, spicy/dirty cheese and delightful Fanshop after a refreshing, if not short, swim. On the way back down, out of the hills, there were amazing views of the lights over the Bay area that made some of us feel restful, while inspiring others to go salsa the night away.
On the final day of the weekend, we all gathered for the famous Curanto that Austin and Eduardo whipped up in a simmering white wine sauce, with some "potato bread" and a sort of pico-de-gallo soup (for those of us who are more Mexican-leaning than Chilean). Accompanying this dish of animalitos, was a delicious Mozambiquean pasta, as well as some fabulous artichokes. To top it off we had ginger/amarula/strawberry cake, pisco sour and fanshop of course! All together is was a very satisfying and it's hard to say whether it was the warm, summer-like sun of the weekend, the yummy food or the sweet-sourness of the pisco that made us all so happy. Or perhaps, it was the uncanny similarity that our community seems to have with the famous one of 90210, at least to some visitors!
Austin closed the picnic party with a moving South African tune, which led us into a vigil for the Global Day for Darfur, where we remembered the atrocities that continue to occur there, lit candles for hope and signed petitions to bring more support for peace and resolution to that region. It was a weekend that cannot be forgotten, and upon remembering, brings a strong feeling of being blessed to be part of this beautiful community that is aware of our surroundings enough to truly appreciate them, and also cognizant of the ways we can take action to improve the world we live in.

Please stay tuned for the photos .....

The 11/11 Tour of the American West

Sameer Gupta and Shrinivas Reddy have been touring the West Coast, with the Octopus as their base. They both have been living in the Bay Area for years and this tour was the exclamation point that marks the end of their stay here. They did 11 shows in 11 days with Tuesdays as resting days.

In an exclusive interview to this blog, Srini met with a few tentacles around the kitchen table to talk about the tour and the rigors of traveling and performing all the time. Being on the road was definitely stressful for both him and Sameer, especially with the big changes ahead. But high points include meeting up with old acquaintances, networking and just putting the good vibes out there.

Srini and Sameer have been playing together for a while now. Even though they play an ancient style of music, it gets renewed every time it is played and becomes a new and meaningful composition to each individual that listens to it. Most tentacles attended at least one show and they are definitely worth catching next time they are in town.

Next, they have their own gurus touring the US and in a sense the West Coast tour was a prelude. We'll see Srini again when he returns to the Bay Area with his guru and Sameer is going to New York this week but will be back for a few more shows. Hopefully we'll get an exclusive sneak peek at the recordings from the tour and the upcoming album.

safe & sound

Hi there, Brandon here. I'm not big on self-promotion, but it's probably appropriate to link here:

http://dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4110

In my free time, I write record reviews for Dusted, an online music magazine. The above link goes to my latest piece, a review of Justus Köhncke's album Safe and Sound. If asked to describe it briefly, I would probably say that it's an ambitious house record. Although it has some very pop moments, it's distinct from the crossover eurodisco of Daft Punk/Justice in that it doesn't have much to orient American/British listeners--no recognizable samples, familiar motifs, or pop-cultural references.

It was released by the Cologne-based label Kompakt, which is known as the premier label for "minimal house," a stripped-down take on 4/4 electronic dance music. Köhncke's known for being a pop-leaning producer, and a lot of the tracks on this album are stacked with bright keyboards and mock-wistful melodies. The streaming track on the review page is one of my favorite songs on this album, "Feuerland." Here, Köhncke covers a track by Michael Rother, best known as the guitar player in the innovative German duo Neu! Rother was a key musician in the extremely fertile post-WWII German music scene, a movement retrospectively called Krautrock.

The track begins with an electronic facsimile of one of Krautrock's most recognizable elements: Neu!'s chugging motorik beat, a parent to what would eventually become house and techno. The cover develops much like the languid original, with melodies and counter-melodies introduced in turn. Even though Köhncke uses raw-sounding synthesizers where Rother used drifting guitars, the song's mood remains calm. There's no edge to Köhncke's music, and this album often conveys a feeling close to those communicated by ambient music (another Krautrock by-product). On a structural level, as I mention in the review, this is entirely rooted in house music. It also happens to be rooted in the things that its nominal genre is rooted in.

Snow!

Over MLK weekend, six tentacles and four prostheticals journeyed over the infamous Donner Pass to get cozy by the fire in Austin's family cabin. We played in the sun, played in the snow, and had some of the best home cookin' (and baking) this side of the lake. Peruse the photo album, or check out the live action: http://www.youtube.com/casaoctopus

Tahoe

state of the city

why is dellums so defensive? i've heard him speak a few times now, and usually, whether or not i'm totally down with everything he's saying, he talks to my heart. i leave inspired. shit, one time i even got tears in my eyes. but last night he just didn't cut it. he spent way too much time focused on how everything that's wrong with the city isn't his fault, and while he did talk about some strategies for the future (and of course some of the positive stuff the city has already started 'on his watch'), his vision sounded narrow, uninspired. i think dellums is tired.
and i understand that. in my 70's, i'm not trying to be mayor of anywhere. that's a hard job. me, i'll be making chocolates and kites (oh yes, come find me with your little ones!).
i want to hear dellums put the onus back on the people. i want to feel inspired to get involved. i want a leader with a vision for real change. when he talks about violence and crime as a public health issue - i want to hear him talk about the root causes of these things - i want to hear him talk about hope, and livable communities, and access to good food and to playspace and to transportation. real health. i want him to talk about democracy and civic participation the way he did a year ago, and i want him to inspire folks to reclaim their communities. i want him to speak to those of us that are still willing to step up to the challenge - not to the critics. not in defense but with hope and with pride. i still got faith in you dellums - so next time.

in with the old

an octopus contingent traveled to santa cruz to celebrate the old year. there was a plan to check out butterflies but they did not cooperate. instead we hung out at the beach and saw dolphins and various other sea creatures. big up to lil' phin and doc for the good times. good times: