02.28.07
(Review) 2-25-07: meWithoutYou, Sparta, Aloha
I’ll start off by saying that this show was very, very underwhelming. I had fairly high expectations; I’ve been a casual Sparta listener since the early years of high school, and I got some good listens in on Wiretap Scars. It was a pretty good album. Their show wasn’t.
A band named Aloha opened up with a not-so-original dance beat-laden indie rock sound, cranking out songs that were hard to differentiate (and, as is always the case at Gypsy, the vocals were indiscernible). I was initially very much into this very chill band; by the end of the set I was eagerly waving them off. I just wanted to see Sparta and get on with it.
Sparta, to my surprise, was not the headlining band! Sparta came on next, opening up for meWithoutYou. I didn’t see that one coming; Sparta’s actually got a following. I admit that I know nothing about meWithoutYou (aside from having one of their CDs on my computer that I haven’t ever listened to), but still! Sparta just seemed to me to be the bigger act overall. The crowd seemed to think otherwise. They were wholly unimpressed, at least the ones near the back. The people up at the front were into it (as people in the front usually are), and all seemed to be going great until Jim Ward, the lead singer, thought it wise to berate a crowd surfer, telling the kid that he didn’t want anybody crowdsurfing (people were getting kicked, he said) and to stay off of his stage, or he’d “fucking throw you out himself”. This instantly turned me off / made me want to crowd surf to spite him, and now I regret not doing it. They didn’t play “Cut Your Ribbon”! After Sparta was off, Laura and I peaced out. We were tired, and we were not up for sitting through a full, headlining set for a band that we were completely unfamiliar with.
If you want to read a little bit more about the show, there’s also an article in today’s Daily Campus (I think…). If you’re on campus, pick it up! Otherwise, I’ll find and post the link here. Enjoy!
Dustin Kensrue: Small-Time Philanthropist
To Write Love On Dustin Kensrue’s Arms. « To Your Ears Via Headphones
Coming soon: album review! Let this awesomeness sate you for now.
Edit: Album review still forthcoming (yes, I’m actually working on it. slowly.). Here’s Dustin’s official website, which has even more details. Also, according to Dustin’s MySpace page, he’s going to be playing Austin on March 15 and 16. Check it.
02.26.07
Sonnet: Fleur-de-lis (Incomplete)
(This is my first shot at writing a sonnet.)
My fleur-de-lis is blue most all the time
Though now she spreads her petals to the sun;
Tomorrow’s clouds are deep and sure to come
For Winter’s weather’s harsh and never kind.
I call her Lola, for she reminds me so
Of cooler days in Love’s embracing grasp
When fogged up windows gave away the act
That set you free, and sent me out of control.
02.22.07
An Unassuming Beauty
An Unassuming Beauty
You started out so precious, my little caterpillar.
So gentle, so quiet, so loving and free.
You clung close to me,
Only falling when I flung you
Or brushed you aside, a pest
Failing to feel
What you felt for me.
Your skin crawls. You crawl beneath my skin.
The times,
and I,
have made you cold
despite the weather’s warmth.
I know you’re converting, moving up,
Moving on.
You’ve stopped moving now, oh please breathe for me!
Where’s the beautiful one I fell for?
I’ll wrap you in a cocoon of arms
Hold your grace beside my every ugly fiber
And lift you out of the darkness I’ve forced you
To weave yourself into.
I know you’ll be leaving me,
Your brightly colored wings are showing now.
And I’ve got nothing to do but let you to free
I’d have to kill to keep you down.
You’re flying fast from me,
Leaving this shell that screams
More of my doing than it does of yours.
Easy, Britney.
So my roommate and I have talked a bit about Britney Spears, as I’m sure everybody else has been for the past week-ish. He thinks she’s going to be checking out pretty soon. I don’t think her situation is that drastic…but she does need to do something quick. She really could be in trouble.
I’m not into celeb gossip or anything of the sort. I could really care less – generally. But erratic behavior has always been an area of interest for me, and Ms. Spears has the technique down to a T.
I think it all started when she married K-Fed (aka The Human Joke).
Now Anna Nicole is dead…which shocked everybody. Nobody saw it coming….though I guess we should have. Get help, Britney. I don’t know how I’ll carry on if I never get to see “Hit Me Baby One More Time” performed live. That video changed my life.
02.19.07
The first of many.
Hello all. You’re probably reaching this page because you googled me (which can turn up frightening results), because I told you to come here, or because you’re just really curious. In any case, welcome.
I’m starting this blog as an outlet as well as to give myself an exercise in creative writing. I am an aspiring author (I think), so it would be nice to have a more public forum for my creativity as opposed to writing everything down in notebooks as I’ve been doing (and will continue to do; the only difference is now I’ll be transcribing some of that onto here, and then some).
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, my name is Jared Caraway. I am a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Students at SMU like to think that they’re a big deal because they go to SMU. That’s false; nobody cares whether anybody goes to SMU or not. Most of the time when somebody’s a big deal around here, it simply means that they have money. Money rules here. That’s why I’m convinced that I have a worthwhile point of view: Unlike most of the people here, I’m broke. Flat broke. I can’t afford food or medication sometimes. Not a stereotypical SMU student.
As a result of my brokeness, I’ve developed a hobby that consists of me jumping from one job to the next in spurts of about a month or less. I have quite an interesting resume, when filled to completion, and my past jobs provide plenty of conversational fodder. Just to throw out a couple: I once worked in a skate shop, and I once worked in a toy store. I’ve also gathered and auctioned off used tennis balls for money. You’re bound to hear of my endless schemes for making money as my future unfolds, not only before you but before my very own eyes. Welcome to a running log of everything I consider interesting and relevant enough to share with you, or otherwise just a great way to bitch, complain, and/or fish for compliments.
To give this first post some substance, I would now like to direct your attention to the website for SMU’s newspaper, website for SMU’s newspaper. I am a contributing writer (when I get time and motivation), and I recently published a two part article about the video game Guitar Hero. It’s divided into a hilarious opening story and an interview with one of the game’s developers, respectively. Give it a read if you have some spare time.
