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3/3/2026 - Tortoise, Spacemoth @ Aladdin Theater

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Mike and I went to this show together. It was a full show; it was the first of two nights. At first we sat in some seats. Once Tortoise started I went to the front, and Mike decided to stay back. The opener was a three piece. They had very large Stereolab vibes, including breathy vocals, deep organ grooves, and pop art graphics. They were good, yet I couldn't get past the Stereolab homage vibes. I hadn't seen Tortoise in a long time; longer than I thought. We've all aged nicely. First off the band sounded great. Nothing too loud, and everything was distinct. The two guitarists were in the back. The drums facing each other front and center. Off to the sides were a vibraphone and an electronic mallet instrument. Despite listening to the band for many years now, I find it hard to name or place all their songs. Suffice to say, I think they played lots of songs from their full career. Dan Bitney seemed to be enjoying himself the most. He also gave a shout out to Portland saying they recorded half the record here what seemed like 400 years ago. I enjoyed being up front; I could hear more of the actual instruments from there than the PA. It really made me regret missing them the time they had a Revolution Hall show where I showed up and it was cancelled at showtime due to COVID. I'm so glad I was able to see them again. Hopefully it won't be as long of a wait next time.

2/21/2026 - Bitchin Bajas, Geologist @ Polaris Hall

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

I've really enjoyed the last couple of Bitchin Bajas' albums. Then I learned that they worked with Stereolab on their "comeback" album last year. I'd tried to see the Sterolab show then, which had Bitchin Bajas opening. However It was sold out, and impossible to get tickets. Dan and I got there a few minutes into Geologist's set. First off, this place is pretty awesome. It's been fixed up, sounds great and looks even better. So glad I've finally seen a show here. It was packed and we made our way up a little closer. Geologist was playing a hurdy gurdy. I could see his right arm cranking the entire set. He'd play drones with beats; there were no vocals. The visuals screen behind him was pretty cool showing an overlaid over-saturated repeating fern frond image. There are 3 in Bitchin Bajas. They all have keyboards and samplers. One guy would play flute, sax, and even some sort of an electronic air instrument. If you don't know, their music is repeating groove that build and ebb and flow. I could see the hands of the guy in the middle. He was always playing something with at least his left hand. There was one song where they told us it was about a waterfall somewhere in California. Otherwise they didn't say much. The background graphics were excellent bright saturated color patterns. They played many (if not all) of the songs from the latest record. I was really grooving to the last song of the set. It was a fun night out.

2/7/2026 - Garcia Birthday Band @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

My friend Chris invited me to this show. It's our second show in a row together! He's very interested in the Grateful Dead (and its offshoots) and related music. I'd mentioned to Chris how Mike and I thought that Ty Segall, Pavement, The Hard Quartet, and the like were in the jam band realm. The SST Podcast I listen to makes so many mentions of how the Dead influenced several SST artists. So Chris shared with me some links of his favorite Dead shows. I listened and they have their moments. One thing for me is the "culture" that is layered on top of The Grateful Dead. Sometimes I think I'm too cynical for the positive vibes. Regardless, there is good stuff in there. So Chris told me that this particular show is regularly held on the same date the Dead played Crystal Ballroom in 1968. I think another thing that makes me wary of the Deadhead crowd, is that I realize they share my archival mindset. The band played two sets. Chris was taking notes in his phone of the songs they played. He said that one early was from the "Disco Dead" era called "Shakedown Street". I also recall them playing "Uncle John's Band". If Chris has a blog of the songs, I'd link to it here. Late in the first set a woman joined them on guitar, and stayed on for the entire second set. Chris told me she had learned guitar during COVID and was popular in the Dead scene. Everyone was dancing and having a great time. I think what the bands I've seen do is like this, but with more dissonant guitar and vocals, and less dance in the drums. I had a fun time, as did everyone else there.

Technical Blog Post

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 20:00:00 GMT

This web site is fun to create, build, and play with. However the data that creates it is still a hassle. 25 years of part time work will do that. I wanted to create a modern blog post targetting a technical audience. So to make it look good, I've posted it on the wiki page for the SiteApp. Someday this here blog will also be created from Markdown files. Today is not that day.

Books - 2025

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 20:00:00 GMT

Here's what I'd read in 2025. Only a couple of books related to Oscar. I finished an OBOB book at the beginning of the year. At the end of the year, I read a book while volunteering with a group of students (including Oscar) in his class.

I never did try to start "Gravity's Rainbow" again. It still sits beside the bed.

The Name Of This Book Is Secret - Pseudonymous Bosch

The Infernal Machine - Steven Johnson

The Demon of Unrest - Erik Larson

Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver

Cocaine & Rhinestones- A History of George Jones and Tammy Wynette - Tyler Mahan Coe

Love Goes To Buildings On Fire - Five Years in New York that Changed Music Forever - Will Hermes

The Overstory - Richard Powers

Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine - Alan Lightman

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir

Our Band Could Be Your Life - Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 - Michael Azerrad

Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates - Tom Robbins

Big Day Coming — Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock - Jesse Jarnow

Reign Of Terror — How The 9/11 Era Destabilized America And Produced Trump - Spencer Ackerman

Blazing Eye Sees All - Love Has Won, False Prophets, And The Fever Dream Of The American New Age - Leah Sottile

This Is What It Sounds Like - What The Music You Love Says About You - Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas

The Ministry For The Future - Kim Stanley Robinson

The Book Of Philip K

Cabin - Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman - Patrick Hutchinson

The Magic of Code - How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World — and Shapes Our Future - Samuel Arbesman

Playground - Richard Powers

Corporate Rock Sucks - The Rise and Fall of SST Records - Jim Ruland

Wish - Barbara O’Connor

The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury

10/18/2025 - Superchunk, Case Oats @ Mississippi Studios

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT

I went to the show with Chris, friends as a fellow Sabin dad. Case Oats opened; they are a new band on Merge from Chicago. The singer played a small 6 string guitar. On songs that she didn't play the guitar she'd dance. Really like the songs and the feel. They seemed a little nervous at first to me, but warmed up in no time. They mentioned they hadn't been able to go to the "No Kings" rally that day since they were driving. She said that her friends and neighbors were being harrassed by ICE back in Chicago. They played a cover of Neil Young's "Ohio" in tribute to the protests. Superchunk came out roaring with a few songs from their new album. It has a great title: "Songs in the Key of Yikes". The newer songs are riled up angry songs that seem to be about our present moment. They also played tons of the hits. Here are some in the order I remembered them: "Skip Steps 1 & 3, "Cast Iron", a Magnetic Fields cover, "Martinis on the Roof" (Mac called it their first song about death), "Kicked In", "Driveway to Driveway", "Hyper Enough", "Detroit Has a Skyline", "Slack Motherfucker", "Precision Auto", "Crossed Wires", "Nu Bruises", "Bruised Lung" and more! Once while Mac was tuning, the outher guitarist Jim said something like "Do any of you like indie rock?" The crowd cheered and they went into a cover of Lou Barlow's Sebadoh song "Brand New Love". I always loved this cover, and it rocked tonight. The band's lineup was one I hadn't seen before, and they were great. The new drummer was loud and rocking. I had a smile locked on my face the entire set. Everyone seemed a little older, yet I felt like I was 23 again.

10/13/2025 - Ty Segall, Fruited Planes @ Wonder Ballroom

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Mike and I got there early and we got to catch up after his latest trip to Utah. We also noticed quite a few kids at this all ages show, a few even younger than Oscar. After the opening band started, Mike mentioned they all looked like dads who drove Volvos. It made me laugh. Looking them up later, they are from Portland too. I liked them; they had a familiar feeling musically. I couldn't quite place what they reminded me about. Mike pointed out that the drummer really used his tom toms. Mike also watched the Bears win their Monday Night Football game from his phone out in the hall. Ty Segall had his full band (I think they are the Freedom Band?) including Emmett Kelly and Mikal Cronin. They rocked the entire time! They have great hard rocking jams. They played hits. For some reason, I find it hard to focus on specfic Ty songs, but I think I've heard all the ones this night before. I'm sure they played "Goodbye Bread" and "Possession". I think they fit in with Hard Quartet where it's truly a jam band? It confused me and I like it. Mike mentioned how each song started with some Miles Davis like noodling. Also Ty told us a personal anecdote: he does not like Oasis. I hope I can see Ty shows for years.

Still Great

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 19:00:00 GMT

Nearly a year later, The Hard Quartet album continues to amaze me. So glad this exists in the world.

9/11/2025 - Orcutt Shelley Miller, The Lavender Flu @ Mississippi Studios

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Dan and I walked inside a little late after catching up outside. I became worried about how much of the set we'd missed, since I knew about 30 seconds in that I liked this band. They are a trio, and sometimes play small keyboards. Dan mentioned they are from Portland. The guitaist had a red Fender with hand painted flowers. He made great guitar sounds. They had a song that gave me Cure in 1979 vibes. Lots of jangly Clean vibes too (and Purling Hiss). Many of their songs were short and sweet. Except the last song was long. I bought their latest vinyl from the singer after the show. Orcutt Shelley Miller started soon thereafter; I think they used the same equipment. They removed the mics from the stage. Sometimes between songs, the bass player would just speak loudly and everyone could hear him. The crowd wasn't huge, but they filled the main area of the place. The crowd was mostly my age, and I was surprised it wasn't all dudes. The band was awesome. Great guitar sounds throughout. Bill sat on a chair for the whole set. My view was the opposite profile of him as is on "Music For Four Guitars". The bass player had a small Paul McCartney looking bass and stood to the side. Steve Shelley was awesome on drums. Bill broke a string at some point, and the rhythm section rocked a groove while he changed the string. Such a good jam. This is a great jam band! It was a great night with six guys with gray beards rocking out.

Trying

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 19:00:00 GMT

With things how they are, it is trying to talk about anything else. It's truly all a distraction until the next demoralizing step.

That said, I've been taking woodworking classes again. They have been fun. I've made a step stool and an awesome hinged box. Next up is a table for the fall semester.

I've also been doing work on the app that displays the shows I've seen. I'm about to get it hooked up to Shortcuts, which should be fun. The idea is that I can expose my app's data (ie the shows I've seen) to the rest of the OS. I can imagine some cool things once I get it done.

9/3/2025 - Osees, DMBQ @ Star Theater

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Being September, it's once again time for Osees to tour through Portland. It was great that this time they booked two shows at a smaller venue. Both nights were sold out, and this first night was packed. When Mike and I arrived, there was a long line to the corner. The show was going to start right at 9 PM. The opener started while Mike was looking at the merch table. The first band DMBQ is a Japanese band, associated with Boredoms. The singer guitarist was wild, sometimes frothing at his mouth. The drummer was tall & intense. The bass player was small. This band rocked! He told a funny tidbit about how Japanese people in general like Portland. However he said that for him, it was just OK. This had people laughing. Just as they were done, Osees started setting up. They packed the front of the stage. Mike and I were on the floor, just in front of the stairs. It was all so good. As time went on, it got hotter and sweatier yet it was always loud throughout. Thank goodness I remembered my earplugs this time. For a bit, I went to the very front of the stage. I was right in front of the right side drummer's bass drum. You could feel the air moving so fast a foot away. I took some live photos up there. The phone could not handle the intensity of the sound and it blows out. Someday when the software engineer behind this site gets his act together, I'll share those images right here. Truth is, that Osees just put on an incredible show everytime. It was really fun to see them in a small space, so I could go up close for a short bit. They just impress, doing this so well, so hard, for so long.

6/27/2025 - Pegboy, Amusement, The Shitfits @ Star Theater

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Our neighbor Jordan had noticed my Touch and Go t-shirt. He asked if I knew Pegboy. I said I'd seen them back at the Touch and Go 25th. He was impressed and mentioned he had tickets to see them in a few months. He didn't know someone who would want to go. He knew the Touch and Go stuff, by way of Florida. We met up and had dinner beforehand. We just chatted about many things around music, and he was familiar with Hum and more. I sent him a link to Love Cup since he'd never heard of them. We eventually made it to the show, and we then learned it was going to start later than we thought. First up was The Shitfits. They were fun rockers. Amusement impressed me enough that I bought a CD at the show. Their music continuously sounds like something you've loved before, but not quite enough to recognize it. It has all the right feels for me, I guess. Pegboy came on, and the place was packed. So many fans! The singer was wearing a Liar's Club t-shirt. Much like the last time, he mentioned how old they were a few times. They'd planned to have a west coast tour last year, but he had a heart condition and canceled. He's better now, though he joked about how he had to rest between songs. He made it out into the crowd a few times, clearing loving every moment. It was a fun night out.

6/13/2025 - Team Evil @ Grover's Curiosity Shop

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Jordan, our neighbor across the street, invited us to this all ages show. It was in an unused former wine warehouse. The evening started with a reading from a zine by the Rogue Writers Guild. Oscar sat quietly listening the entire time, which was nice. It was fun to attend a reading again; it's been so long. Jordan's band was already set up. We had gone outside to get some air (the venue required masks, which they kindly provided). They had a large xylophone (or vibraphone? since it seemed to be plugged in) that sounded great. It was fun to watch them play. They have been a band together for over 20 years. They reminded Rose and I of The Sea And Cake. Apparently the singer had been ill, and this was the first show back. It was a lot of fun. The music was calm & interesting and they were all great. It was Oscar's second concert, and we had attended both with our neighbors. It was late night for Oscar, so we left with what I assume were just a few more songs to go. We got home about 8:45 and Oscar was ready for bed. It was a fun family night out!

5/17/2025 - The Flying Luttenbachers, Vic Vacume And The Attachments @ Co-Prosperity

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Sun, 18 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

I visited Chicago for a long weekend to go to a Duelin' Firemen! reunion. The ultimately never released, fun-to-describe, square-detecting, never even played once game shot on film that became an online trailer that didn't quite predict the dystopian future, featuring underground heroes enduring as a slow burning internet sensation has now morphed into a choose your own adventure comic book. The book release party was held in Bridgeport at a place run by Ed who I can pretty much remember from my Champaign days. Many from the era were there and it was great to see people from 10, 20, and 30 years ago again. So much catching up commenced. After an introduction from RunAndGun's Tony, Grady, and Sandra, a new documentary short was shown about the history. There was also a tribute to those who are no longer with us. Then the two bands rocked the house from completely different angles. Vic Vacume And The Attachments are a big band in multiple dimensions. They were loud fast and fun. I was reminded of Didjits and others of their ilk. They and the crowd were all having a great time. Next up was the inexplicable Flying Luttenbachers. Loud crazy fast and incomprehensibly complex, they shredded from the ladders. Hard core jazz.

5/8/2025 - The Jesus Lizard, Gaytheist @ Revolution Hall

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Fri, 09 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

It was the second night out in a row for Mike, Dan, & I. None of us could remember the last time we did that. Dan was even going to go to the show again on Friday! Epic. So we knew the opener was Portland's own Gaytheist, but I didn't know anything about them. Just my assumptions. They are a three piece. The bassist has a very long beard and a shaved head. The drummer, front and center, seemed to have a tattoo on the side of his head. The singer / guitarist was wearing a gray suit, cufflinks, bow-tie, mustache, and horn-rimmed glasses. They walked out to a familar disco tune, whose name I just can't remember right now. The singer smiles and waves in a goofy way. He says that The Jesus Lizard are having local bands open for them on this tour. Towards the end of the set he said their next show was going to be at Kenton Club. He then kicked off the show and proceeded to shred. It was hard, fast, and fun. I couldn't quite make out the lyrics. It was so great, they really did win the crowd over. Sometime during the Jesus Lizard set, I saw the singer again out in the hall. I told him they rocked. He told me David Yow saw him when they got off stage. Yow said he looked like a high school principal. Once The Jesus Lizard were on stage, the lights stayed white and bright the whole time. David Yow stepped up to the mic and said "Steve Albini". Then the band launched into "Mouthbreather". Soon thereafter, at 64, David Yow jumped into the crowd. I think he was out about three times during the show. He only got near me once. They played so many hits, and lots off the new album. Another Yow announcement was "Repeat after me." "Trump!" "Sucks!" "Thank you" and the band goes right into the song. They did two encores tonight. At some point I decided to get as close to the front as possible. I figured I didn't know when the next time I nor The Jesus Lizard would be able to do this. So why not? I got jostled around but not too much. After I went back to my friends, the band had done "Blockbuster" and Yow acted out some of the lyrics and showed off his behind. The sound was great. The bass player's fingers move so fast. He still has the 100 mile stare, right from the edge of the stage. When I was up close, I could see his stage monitors were aimed at him from the sides. Presumably this would allow him to be even closer to the edge. No revelations here, but when you see them live you appreciate even more how the music is mostly bass and drums and Yow. Then the awesome guitar is comparatively sparse on top. Mike mentioned how Yow has a resemblance to Uncle Butch. I'd go see them again, just not the very next night! My body has been tired ever since, even three days later.

5/7/2025 - The Hard Quartet, Evicshen @ Revolution Hall

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Thu, 08 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Awesome show! I went with Mike and Dan. Mike had never been to Revolution Hall! The opener is a woman who had a table full of electronics and contraptions. It was a noise set much like what Dan had invited me to at No Fun. However she took it all to the next level. She was a performer. She'd go into the audience with her instruments. She also had many physical and extreme poses while presenting her work. She'd stand on the table. She'd wrap a braided wire around her foot and pull it until she was doing standing splits. She had contact mics on her fingers to make the noise. She'd connect them with conductive things and magnets to make a whole bunch of sound. You could hear all the movements so loudly. Towards the end she was pulling a microphone comb through her hair. It was pretty awesome. You can get an idea of what she does on Evicshen's site. There was were I learned she made the comb. She ended her set with a crack of a bull whip. The Hard Quartet were terrific. They played probably all the released songs. They really seemed to all be having a fun time. Lots of smiles. They'd switch off who was playing bass or singing what seemed like every other song. It's always so interesting to watch people make music. It's something I wish I could do better. The drummer Jim White is fantastic to watch. He moves in such large and dynamic ways. He also holds his snare drum stick underhand style. Steve Malkmus alluded to having moved from Portland, and he gave a shout out to his dentist who he visited that day. They played straight through without an encore. I hope this band makes more music in the future. I'd like to see them again and hear new things from them.

Duelin' Firemen Lives

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Fri, 02 May 2025 19:00:00 GMT

I'll be headed to a party in Chicago for the Duelin' Firemen project. I worked on it for a short period of time. It was a hard development environment (to say the least). I also had a full time day job. The article alludes to the issue. Fortunately over the decades, I'd see two of the creators when I lived in San Francisco. I wound up with a story I can tell to others to this day. It gets people interested every time. I'm looking forward to it!

Databases

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 19:00:00 GMT

I've been working harder than expected to make a nice database of all my iTunes/Music.app listening history. Database design and SQL are all new to me, even after all of these years of tinkering. I think I'm close to having a database designed and populated with my data soon.

4/8/2025 - Bob Mould, Craig Finn @ Wonder Ballroom

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 04:00:00 GMT

The last time I saw Bob Mould, I'm sure it was this same band. I'm sure it was just as rocking. However that was a period of time when I seemed unable to find the time to write things up. The band is so intense. Tonight it was non-stop rock, start to finish, no encore. Bob's vocals and guitar are just screaming. It was lots of songs that felt familiar, but I couldn't name. The Hüsker Dü songs I remember were "Flip Your Wig", "Makes No Sense At All", and "Hate Paper Doll". It was my first time at Wonder Ballroom, and I liked the place. I went with my friend Dan. While I was in line, I saw Scott who I know from San Francisco. Craig Finn opened and sang his story-like songs with an acoustic guitar accompanied by a saxophone. We were amazed he could remember all of his lyrics. It was a fun night out.

4/2/2025 - The Folk Implosion @ Bunk Bar

bolsinga@gmail.com (bolsinga) — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Both John Davis and Lou Barlow opened the show with 3 solo guitar songs. John went first and his first one contained the phrase "don't google me". He then told us he's a 4th grade teacher and this is his Spring Break. This is one of the things he tells his class. Lou played "The Ballad of Daykitty" and "Skull" and another I did not recognize. Once they were together Lou mostly played bass and John played guitar. They had an iPad that would serve as a rhythm track. On a few songs Lou would play the live drums. They played quite a few songs I didn't recognize. One I recognized was "Pole Position". During "Natural One", Lou's vocals were messed up until the end of the song. It seemed like we were hearing them only through the stage monitors. He told us he once sang that song Karaoke with Sleater Kinney. I bought a CD and told him I listened to his podcast and that the "Bidet Song" was so funny it brought me to tears.