Tongue Mt. Range
Thanksgiving walk in the woods: Clay Meadow - Five Mile Point via Fifth Peak.
Clay Meadow 400ft el.
2.0 miles to junction
.4m to Fifth Peak 1,813 ft
.4m back to junction
1.7m to Five Mile Point 400 ft. el.
3.7m to Clay Meadow
[Clay Meadow - Five Mile Point via Fifth Peak]
Grey Fox 2011
20 miles from the house and yet Bender (Pinky) Melon still camped for 3 nights... why? Uh... cuz it's fun. Although too old for the endurance sport of learning / listening by day
and picking all night, we certainly made a fair attempt. Highlights included an excellent improvisation workshop led by Matt Glaser,
a speed/tone/accuracy workshop led by Dan Miller,
Chris Thile and Michael Daves on the main stage, the Masters stage appearances of Chris Thile, Michael Daves, Tim O'Brien and Sam Bush including a comedy show / guitar schooling by
Red Stick Ramblers' Chas Justus, fine set by Del McCoury, the moon, the weather, noodling with strangers at 3:00 am
most of whom were sober and a regroup with a friend on Friday and lots of friends on Saturday after spending a day and a half with my lonesome self in a giant crowd.
[Grey Fox 2011 Photos]
Solid Sound 2011
Followed a moving truck over Petersburg Pass yesterday to endure eleven hours of music, rain, mud, art and post-industrial landscape.
Highlights included sunshine on the Handsome Family, a fine set from Liam Finn, a mind-bending 45 minutes of Dave Douglas' Brass Ecstasy, Syl Johnson somehow managing
to get me moving in four inches of mud and, of course, Nels Cline. I mean Wilco.
Thanks to Wilco for putting on a music festival the way it should be, people listening to music because it's interesting.
[Solid Sound photos]
Mt. Rainier 2010 After an approach through St. Elmo's Pass to Winthrop, our intrepid heroes set out for the Liberty Ridge Route, only to find that Mr. Melon was going to wet his pants. Turning around they slogged up the Winthrop to Camp Shurman to try to beat a closing weather window. After a few hours sleep, at 1:00am they set out to summit via Emmons only to be turned around at 13,000 ft by bad weather and reports of poor visibility. Of the attempts from Emmons that night, only one was successful. Half of that party were evacuated by helicopter due to heart trouble. Out of food and fuel, the boys trudged back to the car to regroup, drink beer and eat pie. Over beer and pie, (it's unclear which was more persuasive) the decision was made to attempt the summit via Muir camp. The weather was perfect, the calories were loaded, it all made sense. Friday afternoon, they set out arriving at Muir Camp approximately 6:30pm, dug snow caves, melted snow, ate and slept for 1 hour before a 12:00am departure to beat the horde of other climbers. Through a crystal clear evening complete with partially eclipsed moon, they reached the summit at 6:30 am.
[Mt. Rainier 2010]
[Mt. Rainier 2010 - Nate's]
[Mt. Rainier 2010 - Mark's]
[Mt. Rainier 2010 - Jeff's]
Now for the first annual end of year Bender Melon picks. I wouldn't normally do this, but I don't agree with most of the ones I've read, or if I agree, I think they missed some important music. Also, I'm sure my favorite album of 2009 will become apparent to me in 2012 as there are a couple here from 2008. In any case here goes and not in any order of importance or greatness because they all make life better...
Ciao My Shining Star - Songs of Mark Mulcahy
I can't stop listening to this, which makes sense, because I had that problem with Pursuit of Happiness too. It comes off as a fantastic mixed tape even though all the songs are written by Mark. It's also a nice introduction to some of the lesser known Western Massachusetts and New Haven artists such as Spouse and Lo Fine. The digital only tracks on the 'Deluxe Edition' are some of my favorites, so I recommend downloading the 20 extra tracks or getting the whole package digitally to save money, but keep in mind all the proceeds go to benefit him and his family so buy lots of copies to give away...
Robbie Fulks - 50 Voice Doberman
50 songs written in a year and none of them suck. I'm still finding new things to like about it and I've had it since March. That doesn't mean I don't check his blog every day for the upcoming Michael Jackson cover album.
Noah Preminger Group - Dry Bridge Road
This was a New York Times recommendation in the CD picks earlier this year. For me, Ben Monder's guitar playing is the reason this album has lasted, but the playing and compositions all around continue to make me squint.
Danny Barnes - Pizza Box
I was worried about what influence Dave Matthews and his band would have on the music, but this is now one of my favorite Danny Barnes recordings. And the live extra disc with the DMB makes me bang my head on things involuntarily... in a good way.
Skeletons - Money
This came out in October, 2008 but I don't care I heard it in 2009 for the first time after seeing them at EMPAC. I like it because they make noise and then groove and I don't care what you say.
Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
This is on a lot of top 100 lists and I like to be different but any YLT album will always be on my list. How they can turn 15 minutes of drone and feedback into something interesting, I'll never know. I have to listen to this every day.
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Another one everybody says is a top 100 and it has to be. They're doing something new, interesting and accessible (unlike Skeletons who are doing something new, interesting and inaccessible) and deserve recognition for it. I prefer Rise Above but love this one too.
Andrew Bird - Noble Beast/Useless Creatures
Yet another one off the common top 10 lists, but his facility with music and word blows me away so put me down as conformist.
Buffalo Collision - (duck)
Tim Berne is another musician I would always add a release as a favorite of the year. I'm a sucker for crunchy dissonance and groove.
Christian Laviso - Timoun a Lafrik
Another 2008 release heard this year. He's been added to my list of favorite guitar players ever since hearing him with David Murray's Gwotet. It's also been a nice parallel in the rotation to the afropop influence in Dirty Projectors / Skeletons.
Wedding
Epic road trip to Ohio for Geoff's wedding with Nate & Mark. Proving once again that even a man who walks around most days in a lycra balaclava and glacier goggles can find someone to spend the rest of their life with...
[Liz and Geoff got married]
Timothy Winters
Just in time for the election, Bender reminds us of why we should throw the bums out. Written last year during one of the countless demonstrations of incompetency of our current national leaders, here's an extension of the poem "Timothy Winters" by Charles Causley. Bender Melon apologizes for the loss of wit and literacy in the original poem, but the groovy GarageBand drum track makes up for any shortcomings.
[Timothy Winters]
Thanksgiving walk in the woods: Clay Meadow - Five Mile Point via Fifth Peak.
Took some pictures while out in the storm.
20 miles from the house and yet Bender (Pinky) Melon still camped for 3 nights... why? Uh... cuz it's fun. Although too old for the endurance sport of learning / listening by day
and picking all night, we certainly made a fair attempt. Highlights included an excellent improvisation workshop led by Matt Glaser,
a speed/tone/accuracy workshop led by Dan Miller,
Chris Thile and Michael Daves on the main stage, the Masters stage appearances of Chris Thile, Michael Daves, Tim O'Brien and Sam Bush including a comedy show / guitar schooling by
Red Stick Ramblers' Chas Justus, fine set by Del McCoury, the moon, the weather, noodling with strangers at 3:00 am
most of whom were sober and a regroup with a friend on Friday and lots of friends on Saturday after spending a day and a half with my lonesome self in a giant crowd.
Followed a moving truck over Petersburg Pass yesterday to endure eleven hours of music, rain, mud, art and post-industrial landscape.
Highlights included sunshine on the Handsome Family, a fine set from Liam Finn, a mind-bending 45 minutes of Dave Douglas' Brass Ecstasy, Syl Johnson somehow managing
to get me moving in four inches of mud and, of course, Nels Cline. I mean Wilco. 
Good music for a good cause. Get some for you and a child near you.
Every two years Bender Melon releases a song. Here's one about a local purveyor of felines and other associated products.
After an approach through St. Elmo's Pass to Winthrop, our intrepid heroes set out for the Liberty Ridge Route, only to find that Mr. Melon was going to wet his pants. Turning around they slogged up the Winthrop to Camp Shurman to try to beat a closing weather window. After a few hours sleep, at 1:00am they set out to summit via Emmons only to be turned around at 13,000 ft by bad weather and reports of poor visibility. Of the attempts from Emmons that night, only one was successful. Half of that party were evacuated by helicopter due to heart trouble. Out of food and fuel, the boys trudged back to the car to regroup, drink beer and eat pie. Over beer and pie, (it's unclear which was more persuasive) the decision was made to attempt the summit via Muir camp. The weather was perfect, the calories were loaded, it all made sense. Friday afternoon, they set out arriving at Muir Camp approximately 6:30pm, dug snow caves, melted snow, ate and slept for 1 hour before a 12:00am departure to beat the horde of other climbers. Through a crystal clear evening complete with partially eclipsed moon, they reached the summit at 6:30 am.
Now for the first annual end of year Bender Melon picks. I wouldn't normally do this, but I don't agree with most of the ones I've read, or if I agree, I think they missed some important music. Also, I'm sure my favorite album of 2009 will become apparent to me in 2012 as there are a couple here from 2008. In any case here goes and not in any order of importance or greatness because they all make life better...
With lyrics ostensibly about a dog dressed like girl Angelina,
Astronaut has succeeded in dragging another song from Mr. Melon.