Meaningful Messages

I've moved.

2009-07-22T09:20:00.004-04:00

For a more comprehensive web presence, I've moved to adamclair.wordpress.com. This ought to be the last post I make here, but since it's topping Google's results for "adam clair," I figured I might as well let everyone know.See you there.

Another hiatus

2009-06-22T22:56:00.002-04:00

So, starting tomorrow, I'll be working a full-time job, 40+ hours per week, not including transportation to and from the city (an hour each way).If this were a blog about my entire life, this post would be about how completely overwhelmed I am by all this. But it's not. It's a blog about my work on a book about the Elephant Six Recording Company, so this post is about how my new employment will

Another big day

2009-06-14T18:30:00.005-04:00

Today (the day of the Robbert Bobbert show) went well, though it didn't start off that way.Though I set my alarm clock for 8 a.m., I didn't wake up until 9:30 for some reason. I have never, ever overslept in my entire life, but I did today. I rushed out of the house in about ten minutes, picked up Leah and still got to the city with time to spare. And, because it was Sunday, I didn't have to pay

Things to do in Philly

2009-05-31T18:54:00.007-04:00

I spent yesterday afternoon at the Art Star Craft Bazaar at Penn's Landing, an arts and crafts sale (lots of cool stuff that I don't need) and outdoor concert. The only bands we paid attention to were Toy Soldiers (whom I had seen before as a two- or three-piece but who performed as a nine-piece and killed) and, the main reason I was there, Folklore. (Click to enlarge)Folklore, as I've mentioned

It's on

2009-05-23T10:49:00.002-04:00

After some gentle prodding, I was able to convince Leah last night to join me at the Robbert Bobbert concert on June 14 at World Cafe. She'll have to miss her last soccer game of the season, but my persuasive skills are limitless.I've tried to get in touch with Rob(b)ert's publicist about all this, but I've yet to hear back. I'd prefer not to just accost him at the show, but I'm prepared to do

Awake from the dead

2009-05-20T19:38:00.005-04:00

First, apologies to my faithful readers who haven't seen an update in months and months. I know you all refresh this page hourly, and I'm sorry you haven't been able to see anything new in a while.Anyway, I'm back for two reasons: I graduated a few days ago, so I have more free time, and I finally have something worth reporting.I'm not sure when I'll be able to get to Athens again (I'd like to

Elf Power, indeed redux

2009-01-27T22:52:00.007-05:00

Let's try this again, this time without such heavy eyelids. Also, pictures!As I said, Elf Power has become something of an Elephant Six All-Star team, so let's roll down the lineup.Andrew Rieger has been around since the beginning. The two times I've seen him perform (last night and at the Holiday Surprise show back in October), I've been shocked at how pleasant his voice sounds. He doesn't look

Elf Power, indeed

2009-01-27T02:19:00.002-05:00

I'm going to keep this somewhat brief, as I have to wake up in a few hours, but tonight was pretty damn productive (and more than a little fun), so I want to get some stuff down now. I'll elaborate tomorrow.Tonight was the big Elf Power/Vic Chestnutt show at the Darkhorse Tavern (I have a bit of a column about it tomorrow, but I digress), and it was every bit as good I expected. Chestnutt, who I

Keeping active

2009-01-17T12:29:00.004-05:00

Two items of mild interest, one mildly good, one mildly bad.First, the bad:The Music Tapes/Nana Grizol tour dates were announced the other day, and while they're coming to Philadelphia in March, they're playing on the 4th, two days before I can get home. And there isn't much chance of me getting home in time for that, especially without a car up here (ironically, I'll be bringing my car back to

Interest and disinterest

2009-01-09T17:24:00.002-05:00

Aside from realizing/remembering why I hate driving to/in/from Philadelphia, today went well. I spent a few hours this afternoon with Elf Power and Folklore guitarist Jimmy Hughes. We got some coffee and walked around the South Street and Old City areas putting up posters for the Philly date of the upcoming Elf Power tour (a date that will also feature an appearance by the newly reformed Folklore

Maintaining momentum

2009-01-08T17:45:00.002-05:00

My trip officially came to an end soon after midnight last night when I walked through my front door. Eleven and a half hours of travel (and only about ten and a half of actual driving) got me from Athens to Holland, and it felt like barely forty minutes. I'm still shocked as to how quick the travel seems. We got lucky again and didn't see any traffic or rough weather or anything, but that long

Goodbye to the Classic City

2009-01-07T11:05:00.003-05:00

We're hitting the road soon, but I wanted to offer my final thoughts on this trip before I did.Overall, I think it went well, but it could have gone better. I got to know one person pretty well and made contacts with a few others. I also got a pretty nice idea of Athens firsthand, which I think is important. That said, with a little more preparation and a few extra days, I probably could have

Last night in Athens

2009-01-07T01:10:00.003-05:00

I have a pretty long day ahead of me tomorrow (one that includes a 12- or 13-hour car ride), so I'm going to keep this short. As I said before, I went to the Flicker Bar again tonight to see Madeline. Her set was pretty great, a lot fuller than it is on her records.John showed up at the beginning of her set and, after she was done, he introduced me to a few people. Baby steps.Before I left, I

Little to report

2009-01-06T18:25:00.004-05:00

...and yet I post anyway.I finally got some soul food for lunch today, but I wasn't really blown away by it. Fried chicken, green beans, mac and cheese, and a corn muffin. Overall, I'd say a 7 or 8 out of 10. Good not great; would eat again.Shortly after, I tried to get in touch with both of the E6ers with whom I was supposed to meet today, but to no avail. I left messages, but it's been a few

A slow day

2009-01-05T21:26:00.003-05:00

I stopped by Wuxtry Records today to talk to John Fernandes (who works there) for a bit. It wasn't nearly as big as I was expecting it to be, but it was a bit of a culture shock to be in a record store and see other people there. Business isn't necessarily booming, but at least there's a business at all, which is more than most in the music industry can say these days.Our conversation was briefer

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step

2009-01-05T00:42:00.002-05:00

I met up with John Fernandes tonight at the Taco Stand, where I had one of the better quesadillas I've had in some time. But that's not important.The meeting (that sounds a bit too formal, but I guess that's what it was) went well. At this point, I'm not trying to do any real interviews or anything. I'm just trying to get to know people and let them get to know me. The way I see it, actual

Reporting in

2009-01-04T01:47:00.003-05:00

Tonight went a bit better than today.First, we went to dinner at one of the Varsity, one of the local favorites.It was the first time in my entire life that I've been unable to finish a meal because it was too greasy, but I still felt pretty great after the fact. After only two meals, I'm amazed at how cheap food is down here. For barely six bucks, I got a chili cheeseburger, an order of onion

A rainy day in Athens

2009-01-03T16:45:00.004-05:00

Not much to report yet.We spent the afternoon exploring the downtown area, but because University of Georgia students are on break until the 8th (you know, the day after we leave), the town is kind of dead. Plus, the weather is miserable and the Falcons are playing today, so there's nothing doing. A lot of restaurants (including Weaver D's, the iconic, REM-lauded soul food joint) are closed,

Don't you ever change your mind

2009-01-03T02:38:00.002-05:00

Well, we just checked in to the hotel, and I have to say I'm impressed. I've certainly stayed in nicer places, but for how little we're paying for this room, it's more than I expected. I don't expect to spend much waking time here, but at least I won't be sleeping in squalor.Anyway, I left my house around 1 p.m. today and pulled into the Howard Johnson's parking lot around 2 a.m. Those 13 hours

Imminent departure

2009-01-02T11:29:00.002-05:00

I'm hitting the road in about an hour and a half. Google Maps tells me I have nearly 13 hours of driving ahead of me, not to mention probably three or four stops for gas, at least one or two of which will include time for food. It's going to be a long day.Once we get there, Tom and I will be staying in the Athens Howard Johnson's. For a laugh, check out the Hotels.com review section of said hotel

!!!

2008-12-27T16:15:00.003-05:00

Sorry again for the lack of updates recently. For what it's worth, you'll be getting a ton in the next few weeks.I just got off the phone with one of the more prominent E6ers who:a) remembered my name, which was enough to make my day and rekindle my vigor for this project.b) offered to meet up, talk to me, show me around, introduce me to other people, and just about anything else I might need

In other news

2008-12-10T11:09:00.004-05:00

I found out yesterday that I'll be spending my final semester on the Daily Collegian as a columnist.(This was my first choice, so yes, this is good news.)I hope they let me take a new headshot, given I'm going to have my face next to my column every week. The last few haven't come out so well.My project over the next few weeks is to figure out how to be photogenic.

It's happening

2008-12-10T10:55:00.002-05:00

It's official. I'm heading down to Athens on January 2 and returning on January 7. I'm borrowing either Mom's new Volvo or Pop-pop's old ass Jeep to do it. A hotel has not yet been booked, but there are a few places charging around $50-60 a night, which for five nights should work out to less than $300.Gas prices have basically halved since I initially planned this out, so that'll be way cheaper

Christmas to possibly come early

2008-12-07T21:54:00.003-05:00

I'd like to apologize again to my faithful reader(s) for my lack of content. Expect the volume and frequency to increase after the final loose ends of my penultimate Penn State semester are tied off at the end of the week.That said, there are some exciting prospects on the horizon. The interview I portended in my last post fell through but seems likely to happen at some point over winter break.

Ball: rolling

2008-11-26T01:11:00.000-05:00

It's looking likely that my first actual legitimate in-person interview will be taking place on Saturday. More details to come.

Dates

2008-11-17T18:47:00.003-05:00

It's now looking like I can head down to Athens on January 2 and return on January 7. The ride situation still needs to be worked out (although there are options now), I have to figure out where we're going to stay, and I still need to set up interviews and stuff with some of the people down there (and as far as January 2 might seem right now, it's not a whole lot of time when it comes to setting

I'm not dead

2008-11-13T18:12:00.003-05:00

I think this is the longest layoff I've had between posts so far, but I'm in the midst of a "wait and see" sort of period. I have a few seeds sewn right now, but there's not much else I can do at this point until they've sprouted.I'm also still trying to figure out how (and when) I'll be getting to Athens over my winter break. Over the last few weeks, it's become apparent that such a trip will be

A brief meeting and some crappy pictures

2008-11-03T19:26:00.004-05:00

By the time I had made it back home on Friday (around 5:30 p.m.), I had still not heard from anyone in the band. I had tried for weeks to set something up, both directly with the one band member whose contact information I had and with the publicist from Polyvinyl, the band's label, but nothing had come to fruition.After a few minutes of psyching myself into it, I decided to man up and cold call

Another weekend down

2008-11-02T17:42:00.004-05:00

I returned to State College an hour or two ago after a nice weekend at home that began with an Of Montreal Concert, as pictured above. I took a bunch more photos, and I'll post more of them eventually, but none came out good enough to make uploading them immediately pertinent.Anyway, the show was, as expected, pretty wild. Of Montreal has a tendency toward the theatrical anyway, and Halloween

October is eternal

2008-10-30T18:00:00.005-04:00

I'm shipping home tomorrow afternoon, mostly to go to the Of Montreal concert at the Electric Factory at night (although I'll be spending the rest of the weekend at home).Though it's a bit of a letdown to have to miss most of the trappings that come with Halloween (my favorite holiday), I doubt I'll end up too disappointed. At the very least, I'll be at an Of Montreal concert with a thousand

Going beyond Mangum

2008-10-28T17:46:00.003-04:00

Though the completionist in me is a bit irked that NPR had to cut a few songs from yesterday's podcast, part of me glad, too.The Elephant Six Collective as a whole often gets overshadowed by Jeff Mangum, though by no fault of his own. I've certainly been complicit (as recently as that review I wrote last week, actually), but I'm not the only one, and it's sort of unfair. There were a whole bunch

NPR Podcast

2008-10-27T14:02:00.002-04:00

As part of its "All Songs Considered" feature, NPR is currently streaming (and will eventually make available for download) a recorded version of the Holiday Surprise Tour's Chicago show. Three songs were omitted at the artists' request (The Music Tapes' "Minister of Longitude" and "Songs for Ocean Falling" and Neutral Milk Hotel's "Engine) and some of the longer changeovers between songs were

Holiday Surprise Review

2008-10-22T19:40:00.010-04:00

My review from Saturday's show is now live. I'm never really thrilled with how my concert reviews turn out (except when they're obscenely negative), but this one came out not so bad. I was afraid of gushing too much and overcompensated by making it a little too short, but other than that, I'm satisfied.They ran three of my pictures, but I took a few other good ones, which I'll run here.Scott

Breaking the silence

2008-10-21T22:09:00.002-04:00

I need to talk about this.This.At the show on Saturday night, Jeff Mangum played a Neutral Milk Hotel song ("Engine," the b-side to the "Holland, 1945" single, which some fantastic person had the good sense to film and host, and I've had it on repeat ever since) for the first time since a one-off show he did in New Zealand in 2001.Before that, the last official Neutral Milk Hotel show (which

Solid forms dissolve

2008-10-21T18:17:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I didn't end up interviewing anyone on Saturday night, at least not on the record. Instead, I introduced myself to a few folks I had already spoken with via e-mail and telephone and gave my book pitch to a few more I had never met (one or two of whom had already heard a little about me and my idea, which was rather promising).Anyway, each one basically went like

The weekend that was

2008-10-19T21:05:00.003-04:00

Given what went down last night (which included this, among much else), I'm on an incapacitating mental high that makes me not want to do anything for a while, but I also have a lot to write about, so I'll give you something. That said, I have a review of the show running at Jersey Beat in the next day or two, so I don't want to spoil that.For now, I'll just give you a bit of an overview of the

The arrow flies close

2008-10-17T16:11:00.003-04:00

I'm shipping out to Pittsburgh in a few hours, and I'm starting to get nervous. For all the thinking I've been doing about the show tomorrow night, I haven't really come up with many questions for anybody I'll be talking to (which, by the way, is still basically a mystery as my contact has told me this is one of the busiest days of the whole tour for them and they're not sure when they'll have

There is nothing wrong with hating rock critics

2008-10-16T01:10:00.002-04:00

Tonight, I saw Good Night, States at Bar Bleu, my first of four straight nights of concerts. It wasn't the first time I've seen them, but I think I dug this set the best.Tomorrow night, I'll be checking out La Otracina and local favorites the Evening Fires at Chronic Town, and the following night I'll be seeing my roommates' band Matthew and the Judes open for Forgive Durden and Ace Enders (for

Mystery, come smother us again

2008-10-14T18:07:00.004-04:00

Remember back when I said I had to keep an open mind about this project?How it was something I didn't have enough information about to be able to make any substantive claims?How I was trying to write about an entity that still exists and is constantly changing?Turns out I was right.When I first had the idea to write this book a few months ago, the Elephant Six Recording Company was mostly

Days to come (in photographs)

2008-10-13T10:55:00.005-04:00

The two big shows I keep portending -- the E6 Holiday Surprise show in Pittsburgh this weekend and the of Montreal show in Philadelphia two weeks later -- have both already begun their tours, and pictures are making their rounds. Earlier today, my boss forwarded me this link, which featured visual evidence of just how strange a band of Montreal has become. This is what happens when Kevin Barnes

Sorry.

2008-10-13T01:01:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I posted anything, and I don't want this thing to get stale.Sadly, I don't really have anything new to say.There haven't been any new developments with the book, and I've been a little too busy to muse about it too much. So this is just kind of a token update to let you know I'm still alive.That said, I'm starting to get pretty hyped for next weekend. I've never been to

Back for the third time

2008-10-02T19:03:00.003-04:00

Three posts in three days. I'm in a groove.For the third time, I'd like to proclaim I'm back in the journalism game.But this time I mean it.Today, this story ran. This is a big deal for two completely opposite reasons.The first is that it's a music story, much like I've been writing for years. I wrote music stories for two and a half years before abruptly stopping this semester. Before this

Further explanation

2008-10-01T21:32:00.004-04:00

To build off what I was saying yesterday, I want to mention two reasons I feel it necessary to make such a mark.First, I feel I owe it to the people I'm writing about to write a truly dynamic book. Aside from the fact that their artistic contributions have raised the bar for me, they're at least letting me write about them, and I don't want to let them down. Anyone of them could say, "No, thanks,

Building a better bio

2008-09-30T18:40:00.006-04:00

In addition to setting up interviews and figuring out how to actually do them, I also spend some of my time brainstorming about other aspects of this book. I've had one in particular on my mind a lot lately: the book's structure.At first, it seemed like the best approach would simply be a chronological retelling of the Collective's history, beginning with its inception and just rolling through.

Getting better all the time

2008-09-25T20:15:00.002-04:00

More good news.A member of one of the more prominent (and still active) Elephant Six bands has relocated from Athens to, of all places, Philadelphia.It's a contact a little closer than Athens. I'll be home (i.e. Bucks County) over Thanksgiving break, November 21-30. At some point over the break, I'll meet up with this guy and talk some things out.Second, there's a good chance his band will be

Sigh of relief

2008-09-24T20:34:00.002-04:00

The Pittsburgh situation seems to be resolved.A friend from home (that is, Bucks County) will be driving to State College on Friday, October 17, picking me up, driving the rest of the way to Pittsburgh, hanging out with me there for a couple days, possibly joining me at the show, then driving me back to State College on Sunday and then back to his house in Holland.As you can probably imagine, I'm

Someone is waiting

2008-09-22T22:51:00.002-04:00

Exciting times. Things are moving, although not all in the right direction.I finally got an e-mail back today about the Holiday Surprise show happening in Pittsburgh. The (first) bad news is that they don't think they're doing any sort of guest list for journalists, but I don't really have a problem paying $10 for a ticket. That's a steal. The good (great) news is that there should be more than a

And we're back

2008-09-21T12:37:00.004-04:00

I made my radio debut yesterday, guesting on my roommate's weekly radio show. He was sick and without either of his normal co-hosts, so I offered to help out.Though there were probably only a few dozen total people listening (and even less so actively), it was a strange experience to know there were ears subjected to the whims of my musical tastes. Surely my audience last night was a fraction of

Oops

2008-09-18T20:11:00.004-04:00

I vowed to myself when I started this blog to try to update it at least two or three times a week, and even though this is an entirely arbitrary mandate and one for which there is no penalty, it's one I feel compelled to uphold just so this entire project doesn't fall by the wayside.First, as promised, the link to my first story of the semester.Again, nothing special, but it's good to get my feet

That old, familiar way

2008-09-13T16:57:00.003-04:00

I feel reinvigorated.After two full years as a music reporter with the Collegian, I was compelled due to a new policy to take a new position this semester: investigative reporter. I was resistant at first, but I've since decided it's a welcome change. However, while I was writing at least three and as many as five articles per week last semester, I'm now three full weeks into the fall semester

The future's (not) always perfect

2008-09-11T23:33:00.003-04:00

I got an interesting, unsolicited e-mail today from a prominent American newspaper, imploring me to apply for its (well-paying) summer internship, a position that would result in either a full-time position at the end of the 12-week program at this newspaper, or at the very least a substantive resumé builder.This was terrific news. It completely made my day. But it also brought to the forefront

Working from afar

2008-09-09T12:46:00.009-04:00

Though it won't be until late December at the earliest that I make my way to Athens, I expect my first actual interviews to be conducted months before then. E-mail and phone correspondence has already begun, but more importantly, it seems like some in-person contact could be happening soon.Basically, there are a couple shows coming up (Of Montreal at the Electric Factory on October 31 and a whole

A slow start

2008-09-06T14:00:00.002-04:00

Though not totally unexpected, things have been moving slowly thus far. It's a bit discouraging, but if there's one thing that interviewing hundreds of musicians has taught me over the past few years, it's that they can be a tough group to get in touch with.For one thing, they're often on the road, and aside from just being busy, they spend a lot of time in cars/vans/buses without great access to

A plan of action

2008-09-01T12:59:00.004-04:00

I also feel compelled to outline my basic plan as it stands now, if for no other reason than to have something to compare to how it actually plays out down the road.While this book is perhaps the most exciting project I have right now, it’s far from the only one. Currently, I’m a student, which means enrollment in five classes, although as a senior journalism major, these classes are not hugely

Before we begin

2008-08-31T11:46:00.003-04:00