the Missoula Oblongata presents: the 50 Greatest Ladies and Gentlemen

Here's one of the promo shots for our new show.

Our night on the town

CLGIV, Live on Comacast Digital Cable

Several weeks ago I was invited to perform at the Funhouse, at a show that was being recorded for broadcast on Comcast's OnDemand Digital Cable. Brian Standeford and T.v. Coahran joined me for the performance. So far, this is the only video I've been able to track down.

Bone Graft

Earlier this month I noticed a foul taste in my mouth. It wasn't too long before it began to get worse, eventually becoming a foul smell noticeable to Ulrika. I noticed that, if I were to clench my jaw, a warm sensation would occur around my gold crown. Seconds later the now omnipresent foul taste would swell, in a burst of concentrated flavor. It became apparent that beneath my back molar, an infection was triumphantly raging.

The offending tooth

Fearing the exorbitant fees that dental work nearly always accrues, I postponed seeing a dentist for a few days. Because the smell did not abate (but rather, got worse) I attempted to be seen at the first-come, first-serve King County Public Health Clinic. After waiting for 2 hours, and 3 1/2 hours on consecutive days I decided I could wait no longer.

Embarrassed, I called my father and explained the situation. He quickly exacerbated my chagrin by telling me that I should only feel embarrassed for not having sought his help any earlier.

The very next day I was able to see a terrific dentist, right in my neighborhood. Unfortunately, he was unable to give me any terrific news. The first thing he said, almost immediately upon seeing the x-ray, was, "Unfortunately we won't be able to save this tooth".

Treatment

So I had the tooth extracted yesterday. I'd never been conscious during a procedure like that. At first I didn't think the nitrous oxide they had me on was working. I still felt extremely nervous while they were preparing to extract the tooth. Then I began to wonder about the light they were shining in my face: how much brighter would it be if I wasn't wearing sunglasses? I wonder what color the light would be? What color are the lenses in these things?

So I guess it really was working. I couldn't shake the fear entirely, but I imagine the experience would have been a lot worse without it. Apparently the infection had gotten so bad the doctor had to remove a small piece of bone in order to get all of it out. The now empty hole in my jaw was filled with a paste of granulated cow bone. At least, that's how I understand it.

It's been about 24 hours since the operation. So far, the most uncomfortable thing about the recovery has been the diet. For the next three weeks, I can't eat anything except cold liquids. Right now I'm working on a recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup smoothie. I'll let you know how it is.

The Clown's Crown

Ingmar

Stangers on a Sunny Day

It was such a nice day that these cats were hanging out on the roof of their house, near ours.

Hard Rockin'

Haha, here's a funny picture of our performance at Noise Pop:



Thanks to Kevin Jones for posting these and other pictures on his blog Lemon Session. He also recorded part of the show, which is also available through the link above.

San Francisco and Back

Last night I got back from San Francisco. It was a really fun trip. Unfortunately I had to fly on a separate flight from the rest of the band; I hadn't been able to decide whether or not I was going to be able to go at all, and when I realized I could the first flight had sold out. I ended up arriving in San Francisco about a half an hour ahead of everyone else. I figured that I'd amble over to the Alaska Airlines terminal leisurely, since I had some time to kill. I ended up walking through SFO Terminal 2, which is currently under construction. Walking through a huge, empty, cavernous room with marble floors is sort of awe inspiring. I felt like I was on the set of 28 Days Later, or some other post-apocalyptic thriller. I only wish I had been wearing dress shoes instead of sneakers, to exaggerate the clip-clop of each step (although, I probably would have thought someone was following me).

After I met up with everyone else we caught the BART to the Mission. I was amazed that for $5 you can take a train all the way into the city, in only about 15 minutes. I've always heard people say it, but I've never quite realized how crappy Seattle's public transit is. The whole time we were in SF we'd take the BART from on neighborhood to another, meeting up with friends for a drink in one neighborhood and then heading off to a show in another. There's no way you could do that with as much ease in Seattle.

Here's the gang! l-r, Brian, Christina, Dean, Kimberly, and Me!

Brian

Brian's girlfriend Christina is originally from the Bay Area. She came down for the show, and to see her family.





Our show was really great; I finally got to see the Ohsees, whose albums I love. I guess I don't have a lot to say about the show other than, "it was great". I guess I should mention that the other two bands, Tyvek and the Fresh & Onlys are both super rad. Shayde, the bass player from Fresh & Onlys was kind enough to let Brian, Christina, and I stay at his house for the duration of our trip. And that's exactly where we headed after the show.



Actually, we stopped at Taqueria Farlitos for some late night Mexican fare. I was introduced to this place a couple of years ago when T.v. Coahran and I toured down the west coast together. Coincidentally, T.v. had been visiting San Francisco earlier in the week. In fact, when I texted him to say I was eating dinner at Farlitos, he responded, "that where I had lunch!" It kind of bummed me out a little, thinking how we just missed each other.



The next day, Christina and Brian headed off to the East Bay to meet Christina's family. I sipped coffee in the Mission before meeting up with Dean and Kimberly at the luxurious Sir Francis Drake Hotel. We hugged and said our good-byes before I headed for the BART, and then back to the Airport. Here's a nice view of South San Francisco from the train:



A short flight and two bloody marys later I turned my cellphone back on, as my flight taxied to the gate in Seattle. Immediately it began to vibrate, and I received several text messages telling me to come to the Funhouse to see the Spits, Partman Parthorse, and One Million Teeth. So I took the bus straight from the airport to the Funhouse, where I enjoyed another all-star lineup of bands.

Unnatural Helpers

I was recently invited to play guitar in my friend Dean's band, Unnatural Helpers. I've liked the band for a really long time, and so take the invitation as a huge, exciting compliment. Later this week we're playing at NoisePop, a music and arts festival in San Francisco. We had to take a photo for the festival's website, and ended up choosing the one that was least flattering for everyone:


(L to R: me, Brian Standeford, Dean Whitmore, and Kimberly Morrison)

Of course, Brian and I have played together in several bands: the Catheters, Tall Birds, and currently , Idle Times (in which Dean also plays drums). Kimberly has also been in about a million Seattle bands. Most notably, her most recent project the Dutchess and the Duke has been getting more and more popular on a national level.

Bananas

I saw these unripe bananas at the 711 by our house. The picture doesn't quite show how they looked like long, skinny limes, or Kermit the Frog's penis (please excuse the vulgarity). They were very unripe.

Our friend, Fen Hsiao