the clan

The Leonard Farm / Canfield, Ohio
Just returned from a weekend of great fun where the Buchanan and Veach clans united for yet another raucously fun time - lots of drinking, music, celebrations, catching up with old familiar faces and meeting new younger faces for the first time. As I work on wiping away the haze and face a Monday morning: family - you gotta love it!

the afterparty

Old Town / Bucharest, Romania
Wondering what to do after that wild and crazy Memorial Day party? You can always hit the afterparty. Bucharest - a dichotomy of old and new. Similar to Berlin, it has a certain edge to it that keeps it interesting.

birmingham bells

Temple Row / Birmingham, England
The Cathedral Church of Saint Philip is a Church of England cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Birmingham. Built as a parish church and consecrated in 1715, St Philip's became the cathedral of the newly-formed Diocese of Birmingham in the West Midlands in 1905. St Philip's was built in the Baroque style by Thomas Archer and is the third smallest cathedral in England. Interestingly, the bells of St Philip's play an important role in the training and development of bell ringers. Since 1949 the Cathedral has been a regular peal tower - the "long practices" on Thursdays, and more recently Mondays, have proved a training ground for in excess of 500 accomplished 12-bell ringers in the last 50 years. That explains why on Mondays and Thursdays I hear non-stop ringing from the bell tower from 7-8pm (or longer).

father & son

High Street / Birmingham, England
It's rare to see the accordion being played much anymore - especially by a young boy. I suspect it was largely due to the particular song they were playing, but the scene had a very melancholy feel to it.

bugle boy

Waterloo Bridge / London, England
It was a beautiful sunny Spring day and the smooth jazz only made it better.

open to the heavens above

Temppeliaukio Church / Helsinki, Finland
Temppeliaukio Church, better known as the Rock Church, is a Lutheran church in the Töölö neighborhood of Helsinki. The church was designed by architects and brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen, and opened in 1969. The interior was excavated and built into the rock, but is bathed in natural light entering through the glazed dome (above). The church is used frequently as a concert venue due to its excellent acoustics - with the acoustic quality ensured by the rough, virtually unworked, rock surfaces. It was also a great venue for photography - and one of few churches that actually encourage you to shoot away.

decaying beauty

San Telmo / Buenos Aires, Argentina
As one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, San Telmo was inhabited by the wealthiest families of Buenos Aires until the early 1870's Yellow Fever epidemic forced those who could afford to move North. With the passing of time, San Telmo's appearance has changed and it has now become one of the trendier neighborhoods for the arts. It is a great neighborhood of colonial buildings and narrow, stone paved streets; perfect for walking with lots of coffee shops, tango and jazz clubs - and antiques. Every Sunday there is an open air antiques market where, as we did, you can spend endless amounts of time wandering through the vendors capturing glimpses of a Buenos Aires past.

audible cubism

The House on the Rock / Spring Green, Wisconsin
Last Fall we visited the House on the Rock, an amazing combobulation that has less to do with a house or a rock, but a lot to do with what's inside the house on the rock such as music machines, sea monsters, carousels and excess amounts of schlock. This music machine reminded me of Picasso in his cubist period (1909-1912) - think Violin and Grapes.

hallelujah

St. Stephens Green / Dublin, Ireland
Man's best friend - the dog - serves many purposes. In this case (no pun intended), it is keeping the cash warm, secure and from being blown away by the occasional gust of wind. The (I'm sure intentional) cuteness factor of the entire scene also was helping earnings. It was working - hey, I threw in 2 euros and gave the pup a scratch. The extra euro was because the guy actually had a good voice - and was singing Hallelujah - a song which has special meaning to me and made me miss someone special.

my morning jacket

From the Skybox @ Madison Square Garden / New York, New York
Midnight mayhem at Madison Square Garden where My Morning Jacket put on an amazing 4 hour show - southern rock is alive and well - an excellent evening of music and fun with family and friends. Happy New Year!!

last tango in ..

La Boca / Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tango - probably no more passionate and sensual of a dance exists. And to truly feel its power and beauty, one should experience it impromptu on the streets of Buenos Aires. The tango originated in the lower-class neighborhoods of BA and was derived from the fusion of various forms of dance and music, melding together through the significant European immigration of the late 1800's. It quickly became popular throughout society, as theatres and street barrel organs spread it throughout working-class slums, which were packed with hundreds of thousands of Italians, Spanish and French. And for a modern twist on tango music, I highly recommend listening to GoTan Project, an amazing trio (French/Argentine/Swiss) based in Paris whose music is clearly tango but with electronic elements introduced throughout. The song "Santa Maria (del Buen Ayre)" is captivating - it takes me back to La Boca every time I hear it.

all for fun .. fun for all

German Christmas Market @ Victoria Square / Birmingham, United Kingdom
The history of Christmas markets goes back to the Late Middle Ages in the German speaking part of Europe. In many towns, Advent is ushered in with the opening of the Christmas market or "Weihnachtsmarkt". Generally held on the town square, the market sells food and drink from open-air stalls together with traditional singing and dancing - all for fun. Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market, held in beautiful Victoria Square, is one of the most popular outside of Germany and Austria with over two million visitors during the five week period that it is open. I think 250,000 of those visitors were there yesterday as it was a brilliant, crisp winter day. Popular delights include German mulled wine, grilled sausages and kielbasa, lots of German beer, and for those with a sweet tooth, gingerbread, marzipan sweets and other candies. A range of traditional German breads and pastries are also baked fresh on site each day. Me - I went for the beer and a soft pretzel. With four hours of Christmas shopping I needed fortification!

simply the best

Tina Turner Live @ MSG / New York, New York
Last night I was given the opportunity to put a major check on my "bucket list" - Tina Turner live at Madison Square Garden. And yes, she is "simply the best, better than all the rest". At 69 years old, she remains an incredible performer putting on a stellar 3 hour show. The Queen of Rock n' Roll is still kickin' ass.

wash day

Capitol Square / Madison, Wisconsin
The washboard was originally designed for hand washing of clothing. However, with the introduction of mechanized washing machines by the end of the 20th century, the washboard began to take on a secondary life as a musical instrument. Traditionally used in jazz, zydeco, jug band, and old time music, the washboard has remained in its wooden frame and is played primarily by tapping and/or scraping the washboard with thimbles. Often the washboard is accessorized with additional improvised percussion instruments such as a wood block, cowbells, and small cymbals. This lad was quite talented at stroking a rhythm from his fully equipped board which was further enhanced by his old-timey look.