Weekend of the Lumberjacks Review

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Oh man! and it's over, and I'll never feel that way again. Props to J.K. Rowling, who is a very good writer.

Rating: Chipotle, after I was really really hungry. Just waiting for the end part where it's just cheese and guac wrapped in a tortilla was pretty much worth it. You know the feeling.

2. Boat
The Turf Club
July 21, 2007

Boat released my favorite album of July, and (comparing them to another band that produces stereotypical indietype sounds) I really prefer them to Spoon (a band I've admittedly never really liked much). Boat plays music for kids like me, singing semi-silly songs with a great deal of truth buried into simplistic lyrics about subjects that strike my fancy, like punctuation and history and cooking. I enjoy watching musicians who clearly love playing, despite the fact that it's 1AM and there are maybe 100 people left in the club. It was like watching my friends Kevin from Pittsburgh, Tom from New York, and Mike from Charleston having a really great time onstage, with Craig beating the assholishness out of them with a nightstick of fun. Or, as only one other person might fully get that reference, Boat was the best parts of Pavement and Art Brut and something of how I used to feel about Mates of State and maybe even some Ted Leo all rolled into one. Boat reminds me of walruses, but in a friendly way. Also, they had one of the better band t-shirts I've ever bought, pictured here.

Of note, I caught the last bit of the first opening band's set. Daredevil Christopher Wright impressed me with the minute I saw of their Queenish harmonies and magnificent guitars, although according to the sound samples on their website, they're quite a bit more than that. I'd like to see them again, for more than one minute. As for the other opening bands, the Owls sounded like kindergarten teachers, and Walker Kong resembled the Replacements, except that the lead singer talked way too much between songs and bored me. Other opening bands, I guess keep trying?

Rating: A nice, friendly oatmeal stout.

3. Lumberjack Days
Stillwater, MN
July 22, 2007

Oh man, if you've ever talked to me about wood, you know I harbor lumberjack fantasies. I was only at Lumberjack Days for 30 minutes or so, but watching burly men swing at logs with axes was better than tennis pros. The only disappointment was that there were no lumberjacks actually walking around at Lumberjack Days, only small children and parents. Thus, I did not meet my husband. I did see some wood cookies, though.

Rating: Wheaties. I would say pancakes, but I didn't eat any flapjacks this weekend.