>>BLOOD OF MAN

i am getting myself really really excited for Mason Jenning's new album, Blood of Man, released 9.15.09. coming from Brushfire, and the talent that Jennings is, it will assuredly be awesome. i'm stoked. the press photos are getting me excited. as is this short video. knowing his music, i'm expecting a raw, emotional, electric feel to this album, and he will pull it off perfectly.


this is from Mason himself, talking about why he decided to 'plug in' for Blood of Man:

“It all kinda started at Christmas when my sons and I were hanging ornaments on the tree. We have an ornament that is a little electric guitar and my six-year-old son was looking at it and asked, “What’s this, Dad?” I said, “What??? It’s an electric guitar.” To which he replied, “What’s that?” Well, I was kinda horrified so I ran downstairs and pulled out an old hollowbody electric (my wife’s) and an amp and I came upstairs, plugged it in and ripped into “My Generation” by The Who. My one son actually climbed me in point-2 seconds and leaped off my shoulders while the other one looked like I had plugged the lights on the tree into him. They flew around the room dancing for two straight wonderful hours. I got the point. I grew up playing only electric and it was like remembering how to be free. For many reasons, it was so needed. So I got free.”

>>WAYNE GRETZKY

i know virtually nothing about this man. i was but a child when he was in his prime, so it's not like i ever really watched him play hockey. all i know is this: he has become the single best inside joke of all time between me, brian mott, and colton packard. it all started when we were playing NHL 99 on N64 (my love of the n64 is another post in and of itself). anyway, the US and Canadian teams were the only teams worth being on the game, and eventually (imagined or not) we realized (or hoped) that we could triple goal output by simply giving animated Gretzky the puck everytime. Triple team on Gretzky? give him the puck anyway. let him work his magic. HE IS A FREAKING LIVING LEGEND FOR GRETZKY'S SAKE!

Somehow it has morphed into a huge inside joke where Gretzky is in fact a god. Any saying with 'god' in it, gretzky forbid, is now replaced with 'gretzky'. it's really only funny to us three, but i'm just telling all you so that if a "dear gretzky" accidentally slips my lips in public you will understand. i love this man in all his canadian glory.

"Gretzkyness is next to Godliness"