Matt Hanley » Music / The Arts

Matt Lame Joke #987

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:55:37 +0000

What did the hotel manager say to the desk clerk the morning that the special guests from Arcade Fire were to depart?

“Check out this band.”

Musical Chairy

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:25:07 +0000

I’m in my new music room. The chair was my first furniture for the pad. I’m holding Alicia in my left-hand. Denise looks on from the wall, she a Gibson hollow-body knockoff. The music box was my very first purchase for the place, as I waited for the keys in a pawn shop… I found a cherry-wood phonograph player (with radio and a CD player on the side). Since then, I’ve been buying vinyl from Reckless Records. Some of the album covers wind up on the wall.

I’ve lost some time to a cold (which I’d avoided all winter / spring but came down with last week). Now I’m well and eager to resume work on the comedy record. The jokes are in the can, but I have to add music.

Gallery Cabaret Comedy Show

admin — Sun, 30 May 2010 07:05:15 +0000

Each Saturday, Chicago comic Trey Mowder hosts a fine stand-up comedy show at the Gallery Cabaret in Chicago’s Upper Wicker Park neighborhood.

A couple months ago I sketched this picture of Trey, one of the first of a series of left-handed sketches of local comedians.

Trey autographed it after I showed it to him a few weeks ago. I saw the show earlier tonight and it was good. He had Beth Stelling and a guy named Marty, among others. I laughed quite a bit.

Valentine’s Day at Chicago’s Green Mill

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:00:15 +0000

Last night I checked out Chicago’s famous Green Mill and its Sunday Poetry Open Mic and Slam. Since it was Valentine’s Day, the host Mark set the theme as love and/or lust. I wrote a little poem, based on an old song of mine. It needs work… (as do I) but being on stage with Mark and the fine jazz band was a hoot.

I’m out of time to the band in most verses. As written, it requires an extra 2 beats of silence but I came in early due to nerves. And I tried a jazz voicing. Ha! I’ll come back and do better.

Two Reasons to Avoid Zune

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:24:03 +0000

Microsoft’s Zune Music service seems to be a good deal by letting you Download for Keeps ten songs per month while subscribed to its $15 monthly buffet of music. But there are 2 major drawbacks:

1. The buffet is not as big as you would expect. It disappoints, sometimes big time! Most of Led Zeppelin’s catalog must be purchased. And many popular albums are only partially downloadable without buying. But if you like Savage Garden, you’re in luck…

2. The Zune service is accessible via the web and on your PC, but the only mobile device on which you can download is the Zune Player.

* revision: the Zune desktop software only wants to connect with a Zune device. But, you can use other means to get the .wma files onto your non-Zune device. Windows Explorer is tricky / tedious because you have to click through the path to each album. But, if you have Real or Rhapsody software you can import all of the .wmas into your library at once.

Uh-oh, I just discovered that Rhapsody uses the same catalog. Even though the songs will play on my nifty little $45 Sansa, I can’t get the Led out! What gives?