Blog Backlog: Dead End Party 2011

I got to Dan & Melissa's kick-ass block party/music festival late in the day -- well after my children had made their way over there. I have no doubt I missed all kinds of fabulous music as a result (though honestly I had been able to follow the afternoon lineup pretty well from my house four block south -- something about the acoustics of the intervening playfield, perhaps). I did arrive in time for the tail end of Guardian Alien, plus Ryan Purcell and the Last Round, Deception Pass, and Marchantia. Here's some footage:



At the end of the evening (while attempting to ready my crew for departure) I was entranced by yet another mysteriously moving trick of the light... Marchantia in the background provided the perfect ready-made soundtrack.



Somehow the fact that our little neighborhood is home to all of these amazing musicians (some of whom aren't even old enough to drive yet)... Not to mention what is clearly the makings of a world-class U-8 hula hooping squad... And some freakin' adorable two-year-olds...  All of whom can hang out together with their neighbors and friends and parents and children and former pre-school teachers, creating and enjoying some very local culture for ten hours on a Saturday in September... Somehow this gave me some hope for the future of humankind... Yes, even for those members of the species not fortunate enough to live within four blocks of Dan and Melissa. As Ryan put it in his song "Palmer's Pickup Blues":

Why does it smell so sweet?
Flowers blooming from cracks in the street
Ah, they're just like me and you
They're gonna find the sun somewhere
Just like lovers, they don't care
They're gonna get their share
They'll keep blooming everywhere

Many thanks to our fearless, generous hosts -- and to the musicians, sound guys, carpenters, hot-dog grillers, keg-haulers, emergency responders -- and everyone else who made this party happen.

Happy Fall, Columbia City!