Take next Wednesday off and admire the bright blue sky

I went to two quality rock shows on Tuesday and Wednesday night. On Tuesday night, Calexico and a pleasantly surprising opening band called Oakley Hall played at the 40 Watt. The sound was poor and it was a typical overly chatty Athens crowd, but as a working stiff there's nothing quite like rockin' out and drinking heavily on a Tuesday night. More appealing than the show, however, was the satisfying feeling of wondering around Athens on a Wednesday afternoon while the rest of the city had somewhere to be.

I saw Sufjan Stevens last night at the Fox Theater. I know many people scoff when his name is mentioned, but I think he's really doing something different yet very listenable. The show was notably different from the great show I saw in Athens awhile back. This time he added a string section of about 8-10 people and trombone to the usual two trumpets, banjo, piano, and rock instruments. Now, strings can get really hokey fast, but in this case the arrangements were meticulous enough that the dreaded "rock band with strings" never crossed my mind. Give Illinoise and Michigan a good listen if you haven't already and definitely go see him live, especially if he plays somewhere classy like the Fox Theater. The shows are short and sweet, a little less than 2 hours and always unique.