Jam Report #81--9/28/08: Painkillers Screw With Your Tempo Edition

In which this Jam Report is only a little late, which is pretty awesome for someone on medical leave; in which everybody but me gets to drive our song choices by my request; and in which I am pretty much a mess but hey, I did at least get in some guitar. Songs: "Mononoke Neko", "Chemical Worker's Song (Process Man)", "Captain Kidd", "Elf Glade", "Goin' Up/Pirate Bill Snippet", "Zombie Taylor", "Least of My Kind", "Stars", "Pirate Bill and Squidly".

( Read more... )

The next Jam is tentatively scheduled for the 12th. Hope to see folks then!

Book Log #61: Living Dead in Dallas, by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse #2, Living Dead in Dallas, is somewhat oddly structured: a main plot with a side plot acting as bookends. Which is a bit weird for me as a reader, since I actually liked the bookend plot better than the main one!

The main plot has Sookie being called upon to head to Dallas along with her vampire lover Bill in order to investigate the disappearance of a vampire there. Here, the points of interest are the introduction of the Fellowship of the Sun as a plot point--and the first rumblings that all may not be cozy between Sookie and Bill as she hopes. The side plot has the lamentably quick death of a character given much more life and interest by the TV show, with so little focus on it and on the sordid secrets of several denizens of Bon Temps that it's difficult to get much emotional investment in that part of the plot.

For me, the real high point of this book is the ramping up of Sookie's interactions with Eric, Bill's superior in the vampire power structure. He's delightfully straightforward in his lust for Sookie, and yet at the same time delightfully devious in how he maneuvers her into getting what he wants. I've always found him a more entertaining character than Bill, and it was fun to go back and re-read this book on the strength of Eric's participation in it alone. Three and a half stars.

Book Log #62: Club Dead, by Charlaine Harris

Club Dead for me is where the Sookie Stackhouse series really starts getting its feet under it. Things are definitely not well between Sookie and her boyfriend vampire Bill, and as Sookie heads to Mississippi to track him down and rescue him from lethal peril, she is torn between the attentions of the werewolf Alcide--and way more attention than she'd like from the vampire Eric, who is growing more and more interested in her with every book. Unfortunately for Sookie's peace of mind, the interest is becoming mutual. ;)

Only on my re-read through this book did I realize that this is actually one of the things I respect about this series: that it is possible in a long-running series for relationships to shift and evolve, and sometimes not necessarily in a positive way. The love interest in Book 1 need not be the love interest in Book 3 or Book 4. And love interests may never progress past the stage of "potential". There have been times in the Sookie series where I've been weary of every single supernatural male in her vicinity being interested in her, but the re-read I'm doing is shifting my opinion on that, I'm pleased to note.

I liked seeing a bit more of Tara Thornton, who I'd completely forgotten about from before--and who is an interesting contrast to her TV counterpart. Look also for some great Eric participation in this plot towards the end, as well as excellent appearances by "Bubba". My only real beef about this book is that the reason why Bill is abducted in the first place feels kind of thin. But the Eric mileage here is nifty enough that I'm willing to overlook that! Three and a half stars.

Book Log #63: Dead as a Doornail, by Charlaine Harris

The fifth installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead as a Doornail, was one I didn't care as much for the first time through. On re-reading it, I found I liked it quite a bit better. Someone is taking shots at the local shifters, and Sookie's brother Jason--newly made a werepanther--is under suspicion. The werepanther leader Calvin and the werewolf Alcide have not yet abandoned their interest in her, while her ex-lover Bill seems bent on making her jealous. Meanwhile, someone actively has it in for Sookie, going so far as to burn down her house.

This is the book that initially made me crinkle my nose, as it introduces the weretiger Quinn, and that sort of went over a line for me of "one too many supernatural males interested in Sookie". But that one objection doesn't detract from a basically solid and engaging story. It's not too difficult to ID the perpetrators, but I didn't mind that much.

Most entertainingly, the vampire Eric spends a good chunk of the book driven to distraction trying to remember the events of Book 4--and when Sookie finally gives in and tells him what he's unable to remember, that only increases his frustration. This for me is the high point of the plot, since it lays down intriguing hints of what's to come as I plow into new territory with books 6 and 7. For this one, three and a half stars.

Great Big Sea at the Moore, 10/1/08

And now, the post at least some of y'all have been waiting for: the Review Post of Great Big Awesomeness!

The evening was highly enjoyable all around, in no small part due to the fabulous mamishka, casirafics, and technoshaman forming the party with whom I attended the concert. It was also delightful to bump into kendaer, seattlesparks, prettyshrub, and solcita, as well as GoatLady from the OKP, at the Moore.

This was in particular Glenn's first GBS concert, and I was very pleased he was not disappointed; I'm always happy to introduce my B'ys to a new fan. And playing their stuff in Jam is one thing--but hearing it come straight from them is another thing entirely. Still, a tiny part of me is always a little nervous that someone might look at me funny and wonder what the hell I'm on about. ;) Last night's show, though, put those worries to rest for another round. As I fully expected it would!

( Pre-show: Recovery Girl braves the busses to head downtown... )

( Obligatory ogles of the B'ys... )

( The Set List... )

( Show details... )

Mimi had to work the next morning, and since I am still Recovery Girl, we opted to get me straight home so I could fall into bed. Weary and content, we parted ways with Glenn and Jen, and waved at the shiny new Great Big Tour Bus on the way out of downtown. Maybe next time, there can be Kells!