Wandering

About a week ago I read that the Walkmen and Beach House had both decided to extend their respective tours--joining forces for a few nights. The news made my spine tingle. You & Me has dominated my dashboard for some time now and Devotion got me through some very tough times this spring in Georgia. These are two acts I have to experience. If it were reasonable to create a 'bucketlist' at my young(?) age, seeing both bands in a small venue (on the same night?!?!) would certainly find a spot on the thing--right next to qualifying to the 2016 Trials and signing to some indie label (Sub Pop?).


the Walkmen playing one of my favorite tracks of 2008: "In the New Year." Fitting, because that's precisely when I'll be standing within arms reach of their guitars.

Only problem was, they were only entertaining the left coast. They had both already passed the midwest earlier in the year. I had missed my chance. Game over.

But wait! The Portland date jumped off the page (it damn-near winked).

Self, you don't suppose your long lost friend/mentor/former coach and (most importantly) Oregonian, Bret Kimple, could play host?


BK--my former head coach at Heidelberg. Bend native and current resident of Portland.

Even if it were possible, it would be a foolish trip. I'd be living well beyond my means. Life in grad school living off an assistantship ($300/mo.), I couldn't afford to just throw my money away.

Well, that would have been a sure response from my former, logical self. The self that existed a mere week or two ago. Luckily, in the wake of such a decision I had just finished a book that swayed me to do the inevitable (funny how life works isn't it?).

I quickly reopened the book I had just days ago devoured--Sterling Hayden's Wanderer. The following passage sealed the deal:

"To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea...cruising, it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about. 'I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it.' What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of security. And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone. What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end upin a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by, the dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed. Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?"

And so it was.

I picked up the phone. Within moments my proposal had traveled via airwaves from the middle of the country to the edge of the world and all of modern civilization. The voice on the other end--a minute's walk from the Pacific Ocean--had no choice but to succomb to the wish of the universe. It was my destiny to see this show. To waunder 'the City of Rose.'

All of the above leads me to tonight's purchase. $211 roundtrip. Columbus to Portland. Free lodging and transportation courtesy of B-Kimp. Tix for the show? $24. That's right, I spent 70% of my entire earnings for January twenty days prior to the funds being direct-deposited to my Wachovia account. How do I sleep at night? Simple. I remind myself that money is what it is--leaves from a tree. So I'll have to drink water if I ever decide to give in to the constant beckonings of my fellow GA's to hit up the local "hot spots." I'll look like a douche. Certainly. But I'll smile in knowing that no one could take Portland away from me.

Ahhhhhh, then there's tonight's revelation. Department of Eagles will be in Columbus on the 16th of January. At the Wex, no less. The venue that provided me my first live Animal Collective encounter courtesy of Michael T. Unforgettable.


Department of Eagles--Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear and former NYU roomate Fred Nicolaus. The duo from which I stole the sounds ("Balmy Night") coming from one of my original creations.

The first month of 2009 certainly looks to be a "lively" one (notice the witty play on words...please). I'm going to have to be greedy. Bankrupt or not, I can't justify missing the duo responsible for releasing what I consider to be a top-five album of '08. And for a dozen bucks?

Shit. I'll have a garage sale or something. Sell some old baseball cards.



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