April 2008 Archives

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My friend Tracy had gotten me a ticket to see Lichens and Explosions in The Sky in Philly Wednesday AND the weather report indicated that there was only a 30% chance of rain. So off to the City of Brotherly Love I went with my trusty Oldwing purring away beneath me. The closer I got to Philly the nicer the weather was and aside from forgetting my EasyPass, the ride was smooth as silk. I made my way to the North 3rd restaurant on the corner of North 3rd and Brown.( It was my third time there ironically enough, come to think of it there where 3 of us at the table too...freaky...).

So this joint has a voodoo sort of motif going on and the staff always treat me very well. The dog guarding the entrance seems to be under some sort of voodoo spell as he never moved the whole time I was there (but seems intently focused none the less).

The meal and the company where top notch. I decided to leave the Oldwing parked right where she was on Brown St. as the venue we  would be at for the evening is not in the best of neighborhoods and I didn't want my saddle bags to become goodie bags. I would ride to the Starlight Ballroom with Tracy who it seems had forgotten where he parked his car. After a brief  walk into obvious urban decay he remembered that we would have never parked in a place like this... We found the car eventually and got to see a pretty cool sunset as our evening began to unfold.

The experience of seeing either of these two acts is VERY difficult to describe to anyone that has not shared an evening with them. When I first saw Rob Lowe (Lichens) I stood there dumbfounded wondering what I had just heard, it had moved my soul, but it was unlike anything I had ever heard before. He begins with laying down some rhythmic patterns into a loop via a guitar or whatever is handy, then adds some light whistling sounds that overlap until they sound like a whole forest of birds at dawn, only muted. (I know this sounds nuts, but this is original music crafted by an amazing artist and you need to hear it for yourself). As this huge soundscape develops in front of you he begins to ad some ethereal vocal sounds that are both beautiful and haunting. This all goes on for 35 minutes or so and he winds it all down, smiles to the crowd and begins picking up his blankets. Yes I said blankets, he lines the stage area where he performs with elaborately printed blankets and sheets, I don't pretend to understand it all, I just know I have met him and he it the real deal. A musical Shaman if you will...

Here is Rob and I together on a different occasion.
His home page.


After Rob's blankets where put away it was time for Explosions In The Sky. These guys hail from Texas and are one of the best live acts I have ever seen. There is something that happens at an EITS show that can never be captured on recording equipment. I have every CD they have printed and have played them back on some pretty nice gear, as good as that sounds, all I can say is that the live version will change your life. They use what look like normal guitars but I swear the are actually conduits to my soul. These guys are unassuming, unpretentious musicians that can make a song envelope the entire audience and connect everyone in the room together in one big audio orgy. There is no me, no you, just this monster vibe and they pump it out in spades. No vocals, the only thing they used the mike for was to say "We are EITS and we are from Texas, Hello". Two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer thats all, no synth, no showboat solos, just precision crafted, stunning vignettes of music. As a piece of music starts to build up, rivulets of reverb dance across undulating walls of distortion laced with melodies that make your heart split in two. The hair on the back of your neck will stand up as they approach crescendo, when they are done with you you'll have a strange desire for a cigarette and your clothes will likely still be on. The scope and power of their show will be unlike anything you have ever felt. At the end of the show the true fans applaud and leave, they know there won't be an encore, they just gave you everything they had, there is nothing left...

Following such a wonderful evening would normally be a tough act, but a night time motorcycle ride with little or no traffic is up to the task. In a seedy north Philly neighborhood I stop for gas, I get the distinct impression that my bike and I don't exactly blend in. I get my gas and pay the guy behind 4 inches of bullet proof glass and off I go. Pushing northward on the northeast extension (I476) the ride takes on a video game like feel. The darkness obscures the details and leaves you with the patterns of the reflective bits that surround the roadway. The big bird likes to ride about 75 mph or so and we settle in to a nice pace. The further away I get from the city the clouds begin to dissolve into the inky black sky, leaving the stars and low orange crescent moon my only companions. Plenty of time to reflect on the evening, the week, the future. My mind empties itself more with each mile, by the time I get home I am at peace, and exhausted. What a night, sleep comes quickly.....




 

 

So here is my old seat (It's on Ebay right now if anyone is interested). I replaced it because it was designed for a much shorter rider and I had to force my knees to bend enough to get my feet on the pegs. That effort caused two major problems. One, when your legs are folded up like that, and you have bad knees to begin with, the pain gets unbearable on long rides. Two, when your feet are forced up on the pegs they can be difficult to get off the pegs quickly, as in during a traffic stop. Here is the seat I replaced it with.




This seat is made by Diamond and I had looked at their seats when I was considering getting one made for me. The quality is excellent and its amazing how much the seat design affects the feel of the bike. The bike feels more agile and responsive and my knees where in heaven. At traffic lights the panic of not being able to get my foot off the peg was gone as it was now effortless. I got the seat off of Ebay and the transaction was flawless. The only draw back to this purchase was that it did not include a matching backrest. I called the folks at Diamond and they offered my a cover for a stock backrest that would match my seat perfectly for $50.00 dollars, how can you beat that? These guys are fantastic to deal with. Wondering where I went on my test ride?

Yes, I ended up at 4bucks...errr I mean Starbucks. Here is my signature Quad Caramel Cappuccino with 2 sweet and lows. If anyone has a non corporate entity that can make a quality espresso drink in the Wilkes Barre area PLEASE POST A COMMENT! and help me end my Starbuck addiction. I am so ashamed.... ;-)


I had mentioned in one of the Oldwing history posts about the speakers that came with the bike when I got it. Here is one of the front speakers. I know this is sort of out of place with this entry but I had the camera out in the garage so I figured I'd grab a shot of these disease riddled oddities. Pretty bad huh? Can you imagine what they sounded like?

In closing I offer you the following:

Last weekend I was really excited about riding the Oldwing down to Columbia MD. to see my girl. All week the weather men had predicted a beautiful, warm, sunny weekend. We had numerous chores to do throughout the weekend but we planned to get some riding in anyway. When I left it was rainy and cold here in PA. This was the first long distance ride I left on when it when it was rainy. I'd gotten wet on rides before, but never left into a weather pattern as nasty as this. With the layers, the rain gear, and the heated grips it was not that bad of a ride. The biggest problem was fog on the visor and glasses. When I got to Maryland they changed the weather report for the weekend and dropped the temp by 20 degrees or so. Undaunted, we rode anyway and had a great time. Did about 530 miles and tested the rain gear thoroughly.

Here is a picture of me with my friend Casey Bird. He and I went to Petco together and he put on one heck of a show for anyone that would watch.

 

Stay tuned, the new seat arrived today and I'll post pics and such after I try it out...