Coffee Dude Responses

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(Originally posted on the website Continuum…)

“The Coffe Dude”

On May 1, I posted this picture and asked for some feedback on it. Here are a few of the responses about this man who has been endearingly dubbed the Coffee Dude.

Here we go…

“It is morning at the coffee shop and he is blind, showing he can do things on his own, even if they are hot.”

Next…

“He looks like someone who is pouring the coffee from sheer memory. Obviously he can’t see a damn thing, yet he continues to pour. This isn’t a long lost relative of yours is it? And please don’t tell him about Bucks Ice Cream and Espresso Bar. The place will definitely be uncool if you do.”

And then there is…

“Ya know….he must be stoned cause he has sunglasses on inside.”

Lastly, my favorite…

“Now here is a man of great character! He may look the brooding silent type, but behind those glasses is a man with a heart of gold. Anyone who can pour a mean coffee is a champion to me! Looking at the picture, my guess is that he was pouring you one for the road after seeing the Danny Godinez Band. He was thinking that his new friend, Sam, needs a quick pick-me-up before he hits the road.”

There ya have it! It’s not too late to send in your Coffee Dude story. I’ll post it on the internet and make you famous! Or, if you don’t send me a story, I just might put your cute mug on the internet and let people write about you. You know I’m just the guy to do such a thing too!

Posted at 1:30 PM (EST)

Matisse/Picasso Exhibit

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(Originally posted on the website Continuum…)

The Matisse/Picasso exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art was incredible! We have all seen so many copies and prints of paintings by these men, especially Picasso. To see the original paintings is out of this world. Some of them are very large. I was surprised at how large a few of them were. Seeing the texture of the paintings is one of the advantages of seeing them on exhibit.

I now have two prints framed and hanging above my bed. The large one on the left is Picasso’s “Girl Before a Mirror,” painted in 1932. The smaller print on the right is Matisse’s “Goldfish.” (I don’t know the date.) The Matisse is soft and soothing. The Picasso is something that may induce dreams of an erotic/horror film nature. Giant women with lopsided boobs and striped bellies will be chasing me through a psychadelic house of mirrors. As I frantically try to escape, I will probably end up knocking the thing off the wall, causing it to gash my head open at the left temple.

Or maybe not.

This exhibit was well worth the cost of tickets and the drive to Queens. It was inspiring.

Posted at 11:55 PM (EST)

THE DANNY GODINEZ BAND STRIKES AGAIN

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(Originally posted on the website Continuum…)

THIS PAST TUESDAY, April 29, the Danny Godinez Band played the Pattenburg House. Danny, Todd, Farko and Joe Raven were back, filling that smoky little place with quality music much deserving of a larger venue. Since October, I had been anticipating their next East Coast tour. I was not disappointed by their show or by their friendship.

These boys are excellent musicians, top notch. Guitar work that is smooth, rich and versatile. Drumming that spares no talent and remains powerful and controlled from start to finish. Piano sounds that put their arms around you and lift you off your seat. Bass work that is astounding. It all blends together in their own unique sound. When you hear the Danny Godinez Band you know it is them.

Truly, they deserved a much larger crowd than the one that turned out on Tuesday. Tuesday night and rural Hunterdon County, New Jersey are not the proper combination to produce a thronging audience. A Friday or Saturday night would have been better. Even then, I think this band is worthy of greater exposure than the Pattenburg can offer. Here we were, a stone’s throw from New York City and all those people were missing the show. It was almost an insult to the band that there was only a four dollar cover charge that night. These guys drove across the country from Seattle in order to share their music with people. We need to provide more people to hear it next time.

ANOTHER quality about this band is their personalities. Each of them is friendly. They are eager to play their music and just as eager to mingle with the crowd. They have a way of turning spectators into participants, fans into friends.

I appreciate this aspect of the band’s interaction with the audience. I met them at the Pattenburg in October and drove to Connecticut to see them the following night. I’ve exchanged a few emails with some of the band members in the intervening months. When I arrived at the show an hour late on Tuesday, it was good to hear that they had been asking for me before I got there. During one of the breaks, one of the guys and I had a great conversation. It wasn’t just a bar conversation about the girls who dumped us or the cars that broke down that week. It was a talk that friends engage in, the kind that leaves you with an interest in the other person’s struggles and aspirations. It culminated in an open invite to hang out in Seattle. You can be sure that I will take up that offer.

I’m a fan. I’m a friend. I’m a promoter. Go see this band when they come around! They are worth it! Read more about them in one of my earlier entries HERE.