One of my projects this weekend was to de-clutter the mess of tangled wires and boxes that was my home theater system. It has always driven me crazy that in order to have a nice TV set up, you always ended up with a huge mess of wires and boxes next to your TV. Below are the before pics:
Front view-
Not so bad from the front, but from the side/behind… man what a mess. Even with everything zip tied it’s still a rat’s nest.
The good news is that my TV backs up to my stairs, and like most homes with stairs I have closet space underneath the stairs directly behind the TV. Since my house is older and isn’t pre-wired for an infrared system, my plan was to move the boxes into the closet, run the wires through the wall, and use an IR repeater to get the remote controls to work. More on how those work in a second.
The process was pretty simple. I drilled two 1 inch holes through the plactic junction box behind the plate where my cable/fios line came out. I went through the box, an through the wall into the closet. I then also drilled holes in the face plate so I could fit more wires through.
I ran everything through the wall, and set up my cable, DVD, and receiver in the closet. I bought these x10 IR repeaters to let me use the remote controls through the wall. Basically I have one of these little pyramids on top of my TV. It gets the signal (infrared) from the remote when I push a button. It broadcasts that signal via radio signal to the other pyramid in the closet. That pyramid then transmits the same signal in infrared instantly. You don’t have to program the pyramids, or enter any codes. It is just repeating whatever your remote you already have programed is sending out.
Below is the finished project. As you can see I have a lot less clutter around the TV and speakers. Since there are so few wires behind the TV now, I was able to move it another 8 or 10 inches closer to the wall, and that really helped open up the room a little bit more. So far, the pyramids are working well, and seem to be well worth the 50 bucks.
You can see how small the pyramid is next to the center speaker on top of the TV.
The buzz. I think that is one if the things that is the most fun about following the Dallas area live music scene. The buzz changes almost as often as the sunsets, and the buzz can turn out to be about bands and venues that are fantastic, or bands that only the band members boyfriends/girlfriends could love. However, I have found that the louder the buzz, or the more people talking about the latest “must see” act, the better the odds are that the buzz is about something worth checking out. Over the past few weeks I’ve been hearing a lot about Fishing for Comets, and how they were a show that couldn’t be missed. So when I heard they were playing on Main Street downtown at the City Tavern, I decided this would be a good way to spend my Saturday night.
Before I get into the music review, I want write a few thoughts down about the Main Street area in Downtown Dallas. This area is pretty new to me, but so far I have been really impressed. I’ve only been into a handful of establishments there, but really enjoyed all of them. The street is really becoming well developed, is clean, well lit, and a very cool place to spend the evening. There is plenty of parking on the streets and in parking garages, and it’s busy but not packed. The times I have been down there I ended up at places that were busy but had places to sit, and it wasn’t so packed that you felt like you were in a cattle yard having to push through a sea of people trying to get a drink. I’ve had drinks and food at Ten Sports Grill and Bar, and also at the City Tavern, and I was very happy with the chow at both places. Ten is a great place to watch some sports, and the Tavern reminds me of a Austin or Denton (Fry Street…snifff sniff) bar downstairs, and upstairs offers pool tables and live music. I can see myself spending more time on Main Street, and if you are looking for a new place to hang out downtown in Dallas, you should check out the area.
On to the music!!! After a few Guiness, and platter full of every fried food that the City Tavern had to offer (sampler platter), Blake and I headed upstairs to check out the bands. The night got started pretty late (11:30?) and kicked off with Sunward. Their sound and style is pretty different and definitely not something that you see often around town. The only way I can describe their sound would be psychedelic. The music was pretty trippy, and their stage performance added to that effect. They had an 16mm projector playing old movies on a small screen behind the stage. The image was often on the band members, and the video was random and unusual. Again, psychedelic and trippy is the only things that comes to mind. There would be 20 seconds of what looked like a 1950’s nature clip (bird flying etc.) followed by old military test footage. I am pretty sure I even saw some footage of Captain Joe on his record attempt (20 bonus points to anyone who gets that reference. Double that if you get it and are not a skydiver). With the trippy music and movie, I really felt like I was at a show from the late 60’s or early 70’s. It was a lot of fun to see something different, and their music was pretty catchy.
Following Sunward was Fishing for Comets. For some reason my fingers keep typing comments when my brain requests comets on the keyboard. Sigh. Anyway, their performance was a lot of fun! The band seems to be very talented. Some of the band members (like Eric Neal) play with several other strong bands around the area and are extremely talented. Camille Cortinas leads the band on the six string and lead vocals. Her voice was fantastic, and she held her own just fine one the six string. Their choice of music also impressed me. They had a few cover songs mixed in, and I think that really made their show better. I do’nt say that because their original music can’t stand on it’s own (because it can!!! check it out!). Here is why I say that:
Picture in your minds eye a busy bar on a Sat. night. You have people playing pool. There are a few folks at the bar who have been drinking long before the music started and have no idea who is on stage, nor do they care. They are there for the drinks, company and that really cute blond in the low cut pink shirt playing pool. There are a few guys in the corner trying to get some phone numbers, and some guy who looks like he is either brilliant, or crazy at a table near the front. There are a few folks who are there for the bands, but they are not the majority. NOW, picture the band coming up to the stage. A good looking band with a beautiful female lead singer with a great voice starts to play Tom Petty’s American Girl. Now they are playing a song that everyone in there knows, and everybody sings along to. Now they have the attention of the entire crowd including the people who had tuned out the music before (even the cute girl in the pink shirt), and any artist or performer will perform better if they have the attention and buy in of the crowd. Now that they have that they can showcase your music that much better to that many more people.
I’ve been at two shows where Eric was playing, and both times he was in the shadows too much for me to get a good pic. He is the black figure in the shadows of the pic below. Camille, however made my life easy by not only standing in the little bit of light that was available, but smiling as she played. I think Blake had the quote of the night when he said “You can really tell that singing makes her happy.” You could tell that was really the case. Their sound is light rock/pop and maybe a little bit of folk. They engaged the crowed really well and had a good mix of music. Their show was a really good show, and I would recommend that you check them out when you get chance.
With some of the slower rhythms that they played with and Camille’s voice, I think they could easily toss some country into the mix if they wanted to. If they are reading this I’m sure they think I’m crazy, but think about it, maybe some Robert Earl Keen or Pat Green inspired tunes wouldn’t be so bad? You can’t not like those guys. What about Waylon? What about Willy? Or the boys?
Ok. Did I really just embed that video? Maybe not Willy, but the others might work. Man, I have to stop writing these things late at night. Loopy. Looopy I tell ya. Who needs drugs when you have sleep deprivation?
This was another busy weekend of live music for me! I started off Friday night at Opening Bell, and ended up at City Tavern on Saturday night (more on that sooon). The bill at Opening Bell was Taylor Davis and Johnny Goudie. I have seen Taylor play before, and he always puts on a great show; Johnny is someone that I have wanted to see for a long time now but haven’t had the chance. Before I get into the review I first have to give Taylor some kudos! Taylor: Hey, is it ok if I tell everyone that one of your songs is going to be on syndicated morning radio tomorrow? The word on the street is that Kid Kradick is going to play his song “Is it Ok” tomorrow morning! **updae 2-19-07: Taylor has the song up for free download on his myspace today, see the link at the bottom of this post** Congrats!!! By the way, now the hook to your song is stuck in my head! Sigh.
The show was a lot of fun. Johnny opened with a five man band, including a massive keyboard set up, that totally filled the small stage at Opening Bell. The stage was packed and the music was rich and very entertaining. Johnny comes across as a very seasoned musician and performer. The vocal and musical quality was very good, and his stage demeanor was very relaxed and interactive. I’m not sure how long he has been performing, but my bet would be that he’s played this game for some time now. I’d say the music was pretty energetic and had it roots in good old Rock n Roll. His set was a little bit short, but I really enjoyed the show and would go see him again for sure.
Next up was Taylor. I have another recent review of Taylor at Opening Bell here. This performance was also fun to listen to. At one point Taylor’s keyboard player/guitarist Adam Tyler left the keyboard open to play his guitar. After the song started Johnny sat down at the keyboard and started playing. This was clearly not rehearsed or planned. He saw the opening and just dove in and really added a lot to the song. It was funny because you could see him looking at Taylor’s hands on his guitar to figure out what key to play in. There was another collaboration near the end of Taylor’s set when he had Bryan and Johnny come up to play Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones. The whole audience was singing along, and I think it’s save to assume that people really enjoyed the music.
So…how did I get to the end of this post and just now remember that Bryan Dunn also did a short opening set before Johnny? More importantly, why am I being so lazy as to not put this info at the beginning of this blog post? These are serious questions…and I can offer you no answers. BUT, Bryan did play a short opening set, and his Folk music was well rehearsed and fun to listen to. Mrs. Hide (my 5th grade teacher) would be PISSED if she knew I started that last sentence with a conjunction. After all, that’s not the function of a conjunction. BUT, Mrs. Hide, what are you going to do about it? HA, I did it twice! Once again I digress. The highlight of Bryan’s set was his song Audio Stereo Radio when he had the audience and Taylor help out with the chorus. Good stuff!
A few folks have been asking for updates on the house and the projects I’ve been working on around the Casa De La Z (it just makes me feel better about my little house to act like it has a name like some famous castle or something….maybe the chicks will dig it? probably not…). I think Keni’s exact terms were to do a post about the many things i’ve been working on. Well, I’m not sure any of this stuff is really that manly, but hey, I have to listen to my reading audience!
I guess I have been in the house for 5 or 6 months now, and I’ve had time to get settled in and work on a few projects. Once a week or so, I still find myself saying “holly sh*t, I can’t believe I bought a house.” It still doesn’t seem real, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it at some point. I’ve really enjoyed working on projects and doing things around the house. I forgot how much I really enjoyed working with wood and being handy in general.
As I remember, the Shed was specifically called for (cough*Kendra*cough), so I might as well start there right? RIGHT!!! That was a rhetorical question…freakn’ armatures….talking to yourself on a blog. Ghosh. Since I called my house the Casa De La Z before, I’m sure you had images of a 20,000 sq.ft. castle on the top of a great hill. Believe it or not, that is not the case. My house is pretty small, and doesn’t have a large garage. One of the first things that I thought would be a good way to really give me room in the garage would be to build a shed where I could keep all of the yard equipment and other things that don’t really need to be in my garage. I drew the pic below before I even moved in to the house (I think….). My idea was to have a shed that actually used the fence as 2 of the walls of the structure. I wanted the shed to mix in to the shed and not take up too much space in my little yard. You will also see the garden and pond/fountain in that drawing. These things should be in the works in the next month or so.
Soon after I moved in I started working on the shed. I decided to over build the hell out of it and really make it strong. The posts are sunk 24 inches in the ground and set in concrete. The sub floor is all 2×6 pressure treated wood on 16 inch centers, lifted several inches off of the ground. The structure ended up being very strong and I’m happy with how it turned out. I hope to update the rest of the fence this summer with the same board on board style that you see as the front of the shed.
Below you can see the finished shed in the background of the pic actually taken for the deck project I worked on today.
This post is all ready a lot longer than I thought it would be. I’ll try to be short winded (that usually is not a successfully venture). I was planning on doing some work on my deck. The deck is nice, was not water proof, and had some deep discoloration under my crape myrtle. I was thinking that I would need to rent a floor sander, and sand the hell out of the whole deck to get the sap and discoloration out of the wood before I stained/waterproofed it. Vivek has a pressure washer, and I thought it might be worth a shot to see if I could use it to clean the deck. To be honest, I did not think it would really work. To be honest, I was wrong.
To satisfy the kid in me I had to start out with my Z…. Check out the difference! I was surprised how easy it was to clean the wood. Below you can see some spots where the clean wood is right next to the dirty wood.
Here is a pic with everything cleaned.
I stained it tonight also, but it’s too dark to get good pics. I’ll try to post those soon.
I was going to post pics and write about the Gallery Wall, but this thing is way too damn long already. I’ll wait until I get that project finished (about 80% right now) and post about that then. I will just say this much for now: See the orange /redish accent wall and the 1982 brass chandolere? They are no more.
and my drawing of what I had in mind for that wall :
the final project will have more pics than this (most will be smaller than they look in the pic. I’m thinking 11 x 14 and 8x 10’s)
I’m sorry for this post being a few days behind the times, but as usual I have been busy and distracted by the other happenings swirling around in my world, but have no fear. Your review is below.
Miss Pascale at Opening Bell told me that I “just had to see Blake and Fallon!”, and how could I ignore advice like that? So I made my way down to Opening Bell last week to see the show that consisted of the cousin duo who are Blake and Fallon. Some of you might remember Fallon from America’s Got Talent; which was a show that Miss Fallon did not seem to happy about. How could you not be happy about getting to meet the Hoff?!?! I think there is a link to the youtube video on her myspace (see links below) if you want to jog you memory.
This show was one of the best shows that I have seen in a very long time. It was a very engaging show with Blake and Fallon on guitar and vocals, with some backup rhythm supplied by a drummer. The vocal quality was fantastic, and I was particularly impressed with Fallon’s voice. You could also tell that they were both very passionate about the music they played together and also about the other’s music. For example, during songs that were primarily Blake’s songs, you would often see Fallon singing quietly every word of every song and then stepping up to the mic at the right times to sing back up vocals. She wasn’t just waiting for her song, or her part in his song, but was really enjoying the music along with the rest of the audience. It was also very entertaining to watch Fallon dance and move while she would sing. She seemed to be in constant motion with her arms and hands never settling on a specific place to stay put.
They played a good mix of their own songs, and a few cover songs suggested by the crowd. They even played a Matt the Electrician cover (how cool is that!?!?!). The music and crowd interaction were fantastic, and overall I really enjoyed the show. I think Blake and Fallon play together and also separately as solo artists. From what I saw last week, I would highly recommend going to see either of them, or the duo show if they are in your neck of the woods.
Also, Opening Bell should be opening their 2nd location at the Mosaic building in downtown Dallas in about a month or so. I think I might get a chance to get a preview before they open. Stay tuned!
The word on the street is that Kid Kradick is going to play his song “Is it Ok” tomorrow morning! **updae 2-19-07: Taylor has the song up for free download on his myspace today, see the link at the bottom of this post** Congrats!!! By the way, now the hook to your song is stuck in my head! Sigh.
I think there is a link to the youtube video on her myspace (see links below) if you want to jog you memory.
