the good kinda of find... and more discussions from the playground...

i mentioned many moons ago that i would use this space for a variety of things, and not to add to the already cluttered world of music blogs and the excess buzz they leave on the internet, but last week during my visit to CMJ i attended the
Fader Magazine party, where i discovered yeasayer. Let me rephrase "discovered", because no one really discovers say a fire truck with all of its lights speeding down the street. so i had heard about yeasayer with all of the typical fanfare of the next up and coming thing. which when you hear and read about a band before hearing it for yourself you tend to overhype the band in your head. but as i stood amongst A & R jerks, backpack journalists, and various model and band types i found a moment of clarity. i was able to shove aside all fanfare and the hippest of the hippest crowd and observe the band. it was great from the get go. the band opened up with "2080" and i was hooked from there. live they take full advantage of the pedals and multi-part vocals. as a show they look like four guys that don't belong in the same band. i can't go into much more description you have to see the show to get it. regardless their approach to music can be similar to that of other brooklyn-based bands like say TV on the Radio. anyway, there was something endearing about this band that kept your attention.

you will certainly hear more from this band as they make their way around the typical "up and coming" circuit. as could be predicted pitchfork has a glowing review up. regardless i think the music is great and is worth looking into.

so now that i'm back at work with the kiddos they of course provide some pretty funny interactions which is a pleasant change from my previous week filled with overserious self conscious music folks in williamsburg. here is another situation. again the student's name is changed for the sake of privacy.

i am called to a situation at the geo-dome (for those unfamiliar with this apparatus, it is basically a climbing structure that looks like half of a soccer ball). there are six students climbing on the top and one child is below on the ground sitting in the dirt.

me: amanda you need help? you should move out of the way so that your other friends can get down without hurting you.

amanda: i can't

me: why?

amanda: because

me: (now sensing a conversational pattern that is typical with 3 to 5 year olds) because why?

amanda: because i can't (kids at this age are notorious for answering in circles)

me: why can't you move? if your friends drop down they will hurt you.

amanda: because i'm in the toilet.

me: you're in the toilet?

amanda: yeah we are playing toilet bowl and i just got flushed.

really it is hard to re-direct students when answers like this are said with such a serious tone and expression.

billy: you are playing toilet bowl?

amanda: yeah i'm in the water now, and they are all next.

its situations like these where i think back to my childhood and try and recall crazy made-up games like this. i don't think the toilet bowl ever crossed my mind as a premise for a game. oh well at least they weren't playing this in an actual toilet. that clean up is perhaps the worst part of the job.