Si se puede!

I just got home from the Barack Obama rally. I am tired. I am hoarse. I am hopeful.

It was exciting to volunteer for the campaign, walking the line that stretched for blocks, encouraging people to vote early. It was enlightening to talk to people whose friends were denied the right to vote, even this early in the voting, and are having to fight for the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.

It was comforting to stand next to complete strangers for nearly seven hours, and be able to talk to them like you already knew them. I talked to a representative from the Navajo nation about their fear that the government will begin mining uranium on their land again, and about how the people are so poor and so in need of work that they are not even sure if the fear can overcome their own urges to give in for the money. I talked to people who have been canvassing their neighborhoods so much that they know who is going to answer the door at each house, what that person is going to talk about, and even sometimes what the person will have on their television.

It was hilarious listening to George Lopez talk. That man could have grown up in my house, listening to him talk about bologna with the red plastic string and the guy selling green chile out of his car… How many rallies do you go to, where there are chants of “Odelay!!!”? I love Albuquerque.

But more than anything, it was inspiring to listen to Barack Obama speak. He spoke of how our country needs to be united again. How we are ALL citizens of the “real America”. How the education system needs to be reformed, but how parents need to be responsible for turning off the television and giving their children books.

And probably what resonated the most for me was his love for this country. A country where the child of an immigrant, who didn’t come from a rich or connected family, who worked hard to get through college, who has young children, who believes that the citizens of this country can make it a better place for all its citizens, not just the rich ones… where that person can be President. Because all of those things, they apply not just to him. They apply to me, too.

I hope the fact that nearly 30,000 people showed up to this rally compared to the 1,000 people that showed up to the McCain rally here this morning will correlate to election day. (*edit: the new estimate is that over 45,000 people were in attendance.)

*fingers crossed*

Conor Oberst, Taos 10/18/08

It’s fall break from school, and Conor Oberst was in NM. Talk about timing! We loaded the family into the car and drove 2.5 hours up to Taos to catch the show at the Solar Center.

It was such a fun show. They played almost everything off the new album. (What? You don’t have it yet? Rush out and get it. It’s fantastic!) They opened with Moab, and halfway through, my 8y.o. decided she didn’t want to be in front anymore, so she headed back to the table. The 7y.o. stayed up front for the whole thing, and I think Conor was amused by her because he kept smiling at her. Then, during Reason Pt.1 he climbed off the stage and sat right in front of her and grabbed her hand. The girlies all around me were swooning from his mere proximity.

Highlights of the night were Danny Callahan, I Don’t Want to Die in a Hospital, Souled Out!, and NYC-Gone, Gone. The kiddos crashed as soon as their bottoms hit their car seats, but they’ve been singing his songs all morning, so I think they had a good time.

Full flickr set here.

greatest text message of the year, thus far

“oh my god! Jack Bauer just bit a man to death!”

RA on rolling stone

have i mentioned how i adore ryan adams?

Re: rolling stone commenting on the stereogum thing

* Author: Ryan
* 7/18/06 6:53:13 AM

rolling stone. that monolith of truth and dignity of the rock world, with swimsuit models and zany news pieces on the real working class musicians out there. I mean, hell, they even let Neil Young be in the magazine again, you know, on account that he almost died. You have to be really passionate and almost die, you know, cause there is all that advertising for stuff to fit in there. And we have to know what is going on with Jessica Alba or we can”t jam.

And you know what, it’s not late nite ramblings baby, its morning. Some of us kids get up and get the records made.

Rolling Stone, rolling stone. Do you wince when you see Mojo strolling the halls at school?

oh ryan adams…. how you make my blood scream

The Cardinals Machine is RRROOOAAARRRING into gear.

Author: whatever its Ryan
6/14/06 2:56:13 AM

Sonic Youth did their thing CBGB style tonite and when they hit “Rapture” things got greasy. Mark Ibold from much missed Pavement was doing bass duty while Kim did her wig out dance and some guitar slinging. in fact at one point they both were at it on bass. Thurston is totally playin thru Peavy heads into some bassman cabinets and lee had an orange and green target on his amp. They just destroy. Was weird a bit though. New record in order first set and they were taping/ videoing. lots of folks in the que outside bumming on the capacity problems. Encore was “Eric’s trip” from daydream nation (maybe the best record of all time besides sister and faure requium and “Shake” from confusion is next. those were the Sonics proper four piece and just destroyed. Kim wore this amazing red and white striped marc jacobs dress. eternal and a reminder of why girls rule and boys follow. Wish I had been more fishtanked but whatev. i got enough blast chips in my headpiece to last me three lifetimes best to rock tyhe soda the way it is and twitch till i get back to my own guitar eh.
I think you guys will dig the north south to midwest run. its not every spot were hitting but each one is gonna get hit hard. The fellas and gal and I are feelin it and ready to bend some minds back. Kept thinking about how much more these shows are going to mean after the long delay and how much fun its gonna be to get it shakin again tonite while watching ther show. We got some new nutty lighting things and I am so less afraid to just get up there and let the tunes bleed into oblivion when they want and not be part of that but riding that. what a tough ride these last few years have been and im glad to be on this side of the guitar and have sweet souls looking round for more meaning in these little post-it notes of songs ive left on yr collective fridge for the past 5. maybe we can avoid the bullshit talk and show bashing and let them be what they are. we arent going to play new stuff meaning unreleased shit. just what we got out there and i dont want to revisit the deep past too much. maybe try and stay in the head of the past two cards records and 29 and try and lay the heavy on the love is hell stuff. i have alot of good sunlight stored energy these days and i dont wake up in the ruins anymore. those lessons are learned and id like to tell these storys and get into some guitar battles with the great casal when needed.
you guys down for the cardinals explosion. you know we take it there when its right. itll be alot more fun with the crazy lights and the amps up. can ya handle it. the red and blue cave is gonna get a temporary retirement for some freakout lights and something ahem horiculture friendly. love is hell, jcn, and coldroses. enough stuff there to sink it straight into the night. hows about it?,,,either way im packing my bag with my pedals and my strobe. england ireland germany france sweden and norway and spain. you are next and youre gonna get some too come fall weather life and plans permitting but it seems to be the skinny. and maybe something beautiful you didnt expect. xxx sonic life.
ry
ps site is gonna be off the hook. no reason to rush this digital meatloaf before dinner. as axel rose once said “patience” or was it “dont touch my drink” or whatever.
nite

this shit is b.a.n.a.n.a.s. (WAR AND PEACE) Author: whatever its Ryan
7/14/06 9:18:15 AM

so its done. well im done. jamie aint done. and its weird and i played everything, which is kinda great cause it has that loose NCarolina 4 track feel but im a much better player now and it was cool to get loose behing the drums and set my own groove to stuff. did alot of really tasteless bass playing but i tried to play as much like ron wood faces style as i could considering the chemikcal differences in coffee and whatever it was the faces were having. oh whatever.

regardless. yaay. i think ill nap today. btw people are gonna trip when they see my new “TRON” adidas. christ are they the shit. i can barely stand it.
so, for kicks, let me tell you what the record is about…..its a concept record. it has alot in common with days of wine and roses. but with ninja synths and i get to jam to my own jams. jammy jamness.

roooaaaarrrr.

also some stuff sounds like voivod/steve miller. if thats posssible concurrently. ok. my ok here is done.

answer me this.

do you want a message board on the new site? it seems silly if there is this one.

and two.

WILL EVERYBODY PLEASE GO TO NELLIE MCKAY.ORG AND FOLLOW some simple DIRECTIONS and help her out alil. cmon. youre all so proactive.