Greetings to all in the Orchard. While I've posted a couple dozen times or so, I don't think I've taken the time to introduce myself.

Hi. I'm me.

Late 30s, nearly-divorced* guy, Dayton native currently residing in the Gem City's south suburbs. I became an OTR convert thanks to the live show last year; I'd heard about them from years from various sources, but when I borrowed the CDs from the library, they never really "caught." An exception was the song "Go Down Easy," which immediately hooked and held me. It's now an achingly important song to me, for reasons I won't bore you with here.

Anyway, a bit about me...hmm, I'll try a bulleted list to give an overview. Respond or ignore as you deem best.

• I'm the father of two wonderful daughters, ages 10.5 and 9
• I think roller coasters are best when they rattle your teeth
• I don't mind being woken by thunder
• Last new book read: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
• Movie I'm looking forward to seeing next: The Prestige
• My musical tastes run from OTR to Queensryche to movie scores to Grey Eye Glances; the only things I really can't stand are hardcore rap and jazz, and I'm starting to bend on the jazz
• I’d rather be in a great bookstore than a nightclub
• I love to bowl, play pool and chess, and suck equally at all of them
• I keep meaning to write more (as in quantity and frequency), poetry and fiction
• I’m still waiting for the show Ed to be released to DVD

Enough for now. Thanks for being here. Hope to get to know y'all better, and to be better known.

*The usual long, sordid tale of legal wranglings and frazzled emotions. To be done soon, hopefully.

Hi Aranion! Glad to have you around. You'll find some really amazing people here (as well as a lot of laughs). Thanks for taking the time to share a bit about yourself. Maybe see you at a show sometime.

In the meantime, keep bending on the jazz...
John

p.s. the others will be along soon.

Hi A.
Hope to meet you, as well as a whole other bunch of apples at the CST shows in Nov.
Glad you're here.
T xo

My bending has gone so far as to like Norah Jones (hopelessly populist of me, I know), buy a Janiva Magness CD (which is really much more blues, but there are similarities to my untrained ear) and the CD of a "sassy jazz" band called Poma-Swank, based in Brooklyn. The lead vocalist is a friend's girlfriend, but I like it even with the nepotism.

welcome. i think we may have met. somewhere. didn't we?

anyway...welcome, make sure to say hello up in dayton.

Took me a minute to figure out what/who you meant by "apples."

Now I get it. Doh!



Thanks!

Welcome. Glad you're here.

I was never an Ed fan (not sure why), but I'm a huge Michael Ian Black fan. He's so dreamy.

All good "A".... I've been on what seems to be a lifelong journey trying to "get" jazz. In any event, we like what we like, no? No need to apologize for being "hopelessly populist". Heck, I bought a Kelly Clarkson CD for crying out loud!
Take care,
J

HOLD EVERYTHING.... you didn't mention in your bio that you like CYCLING! (but thanks for putting it in your profile!).

You simply MUST check this thread out!

Apples Who Cycle!

Hope to hear your tales from the road...
J

Gotta leave something to be discovered, no?



I will definitely check the thread out...I'm sure I'll end up doing some thread necromancy as I explore the site. BTW, I'm still very much an amateur cyclist, and while I love Autumn, I'm lamenting the loss of those perfect riding days of summer (mid 80s, low humidity).

A lot of jazz strikes me as music for musicians - it's about the process and the shared groove, things that don't necessarily translate to casual or nonmusician listeners. And, like some other genres, a lot of jazz just sounds the same to me. The jazz I've liked has owed as much to context as to quality - there are times and places where jazz feels right, even though it's mostly background. More than a few songs, though, has me reaching for my Black Sabbath CDs.



I respect the heck outta KC. She could have easily disappeared, another flash in the pan, but she was very smart about her second album. She's trying to become a rounded artist and someone with staying power. Ain't nothing wrong with well done pop music.

Welcome to the orchard, Aranion. Took me a whole lotta years to appreciate jazz myself -- don't really need a trained ear IMO, just a relaxed one.

Hope to meet you at CST!

Would that library happen to be the Woodbourne or Centerville Library, by any chance? If so, I'm the one who selects their popular music, and I make sure we order all new OTR releases. I know what you mean about needing to see a performer live before appreciating the recordings, though.

Hope I'll see you in November, fellow south-suburb dweller!

No and yes. I first borrowed an OTR CD from the Oakwood library (Films for Radio), and despite really wanting to like it, it didn't catch.

But yes, the Spring Valley Road library is my new library of choice, and I was quite impressed with the library's OTR selection. I have Drunkard's Prayer out right now. Excellent work!

[hj] Keith...Aranion quotes Annie Dillard in his signature. Yo.
jes sayin'. I guess he's a keeper.
[/hj]