Night on the (Zoo) Town

Stencils are an art form and media coming into their own. It's quick and easy to apply, can carry a message and, when done right, can be entertaining and informative. There's a wall filling up with them in the hallway connecting the Badlander to the Golden Rose.

Mother Trucker can often be found in the alley behind the Top Hat, or, if you prefer, down the alley towards Higgins from the Rhino. On the recommendation of a friend, I tried the Captain's Wench. No, that's not her in the photo; that's one of Mother Trucker's able assistants. The Captain's Wench is a spicy mahi-mahi mix on a bed of fries. Maybe those fries didn't belong in a healthy diet, but the generous portion filled me up.
Seems I spend a lot of time on this corner, because the action is here, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights.
Two ways to travel.

Friday Music in Zoo Town

The evening started with music everywhere in Missoula and a photographer trying to prioritize. He failed miserably and missed some good stuff. The Bugs, from Portland, a duo, who alternated on the drums and guitar, were playing the Badlander.



On the street, people begged and bribed to get their picture taken.
Russ Nassett and the Revelators had the Union Club hopping.

There was more dancing at the Old Post, where Corn Mash was playing. These guys sound as if they take the music and practicing seriously, because they have a tight sound. Their covers include the Stray Cats and Dire Straits.

















Above, two of my favorite people.
More people want their picture taken.
The problem here is someone tried to drive up Main Street, the wrong way. At least the driver had the sense to stop, when confronted with a road block.

iNHUMANS Play the Palace

Dance time in the Palace as the iNHUMANS rocked the crowd.




Austin and Kyle have been rolling out their highly original "absurdist hip-hop" for some time, but recently something new was added. A trio of back up singers, known as Heavy Flow, slipped into the picture.
One of my favorite Zoo City songbirds was among them. Yes, Ruthie, who sings with Zeppo, has a second gig.

The three contributed energetic support and expanded the diverse and creative sound iNHUMANS are noted for.
Warning: lyrics are not family approved!

Walkabout Missoula

On the street, I met Cody, recently cast as the lead in Jesus Christ Superstar.
Crows are wily birds, spotting the camera quickly. They don't want to be photographed, and they can sense the autofocus beam.



Graffiti art, stencils and stickers in the alleys.

I'm Pissed Again

And there is a fireplug to piss on, but what is it doing there?

And what am I pissed about this time? A little news crept through my screening system about McNut trying to blame the Democrats for the economic melt-down, while claiming it isn't really that bad, after voting for the neo-cons deregulation agenda for years. That pisses me off. They demand a "free" market, which means let them make all the money they can at everyone else's expense. They want everything deregulated and controlled by the "free" market. "Free market" is a meme, just as "democracy" is. Does everybody know what memes are? They are advanced advertising, mental viruses spreading with a false image plastered over a hideous reality. The people throwing these memes around are greedy enough to bring the whole system down. When they do, they hide their spoils and try to blame someone else for the situation.

While we're on the subject of hypocrites, I want to consider the disparity between what Christ taught and what Christians now believe. Jesus lost his temper when he discovered the money-changers in the temple. It is pretty plain people who sold religion for a profit and sought earthly wealth and power, while claiming to be holy were not his chosen people. The Bible said a few things about charity. It didn't say to cut charity to the bone, in order to get richer, quicker. Chogyam Trungpa wrote a book entitled "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, in which he discussed this problem in detail.

That's a couple of piss-offs for today, and I must be on my way. I can always add more here, or anywhere else on the blog. It's a basic that going to a blog and reading left-to-right, down the page reverses time as it goes from now to back then. With links, revisions and updates, it becomes more tangled.

Wishing all long life, health and happiness.

-30-

Jeannette Rankin Peace Party

The Peace Center held a Peace Party in Caras Park.


Tom and the Tomatoes provided the music, hints of eastern Europe, klezmer and gypsy.



It was another triumph!

Clumsy Lovers Headline Roots Fest

I was delighted to see another of my favorite bands, as Clumsy Lovers headlined the Roots Festival. All the technical difficulties from Saturday night were left behind, and the sound system sizzled.



It was a triumphant performance.

Vince Herman Drives Taxi to Zoo City

A seemingly small thing, a transformer, but when it went, the stage became quiet. Vince Herman grabbed his mandolin and headed into the crowd with guitar and fiddle back up for some old-fashioned, unplugged, good-time music.
Leftover Salmon was one of my favorite bands, which doesn't mean I liked everything they did, but bonus points for originality and high spirits. I saw Vince MC the First Annual Mulberry Mountain Music Festival up on the pig tail in the Ozarks, near Fayetteville. After the Salmon break up, I followed Great American Taxi, and saw them at the Badlander earlier this year.