John Hendow

Tonight : Preons practice.
Wednesday night: Robert Plant / Alison Kraus concert.
Thursday night: 80s Invasion private party.
Friday night: 80s Invasion at the High Dive in Fremont.

Gonna be a good week!

Well, I suppose there really isn’t much doubt about it…

This week I have two shows with 80s Invasion, and next week I have one with the Preons. In addition to practicing my guitar parts for the former, and bass parts for the latter, I have been planning my between-song (and sometimes in-song) patch changes on the PodXTLive. For general patch setup I like the Line6 Edit software tool, but it’s missing a few crucial bits of functionality.

1. Cross-patch volume leveling. It should be possible to select a group of patches and have the software correctly identify the highest possible signal-to-noise output ratio, then apply that predicted output as the norm across the selected patches. The big benefit would be that patches would be similar in output level, and you could then apply adjustments to individual patches as necessary.
2. The software interface should have more customizable windows. There is a tiny text field on the editor interface which isn’t resizable, and there is no way to change the font face or size. That aspect of the editor window should be capable of acting as a note-taking area. In addition, each sub-element within the editing window should be resizable / draggable.
3. All patches and banks within the editor system should have customizable tags for easy classification and storage. The simplest use would be for note-taking when programming patches. But it would also be handy for putting additional data into banks for sets/bands.
4. The PodXT should have the ability to save and retrieve patches and banks directly viaUSB memory stick without needing a computer to run the software. I don’t want to haul my laptop to every gig. But I do want a safety net.

I am looking forward to these gigs and hope to see some familiar faces at them.

This week I was on the other side of my office building, looking South toward the International District. My eye was caught by a really handsome bit of architecture and I asked a co-worker what it was. Nobody knew. So this morning on the bus I made sure to keep an eye out for it as we traveled North on 3rd Avenue. And sure enough we drove right past it.

“That handsome building” turns out to be the King County Courthouse! I’ve driven past it countless times but never really looked up at it. The architecture is classic; the original building dates to 1916 and sits on a plat of land originally occupied by the mansion of Seattle forefather Henry Yesler.

Seattle has a lovely skyline and it’s easy to focus on the impressive shiny towers. But my favorite buildings are those classic examples of masonry. Until starting this job last month I had never worked in the downtown core; there are a lot of really beautiful and interesting buildings here. Most of them are easy to miss from the street level because there is so much visual distraction (and the ever-present generic awning). Looking up at them I have realized how much variety and style is present here. It definitely warrants a photographic expedition to capture some of these views.

I’m not truly a Yankees fan. It’s not because I don’t like New York; in fact it’s one of my favorite places on the planet and I would love to live there for a few years. Since Seattle is home I support the Mariners but find the Yankees fascinating because they’re similarly inspiring and disappointing, just with a much bigger payroll. Watching last night’s final regular-season game at Yankee stadium made us all just a little more a fan of the team – or at least their place in baseball history. How can anyone who loves baseball resist an emotional tug when looking at that park? My friend Bob says it’s “beautiful ugly… a perfect loveable mutt of a stadium for this town”. Seeing ostensibly tough New Yorkers sitting moist-eyed in the stands for the final time was touching and is a testament to the powerful connection they have to that park.

Yogi Berra’s pre-game speech was moving and inspiring, and free from the maudlin sentiment that seemed so prevalent in the broadcast. He remains my favorite baseball player of all time, both for his brilliant playing and for being Yogi. If baseball were a religion, he’d be a great pope. Seeing Don Larson and Whitey Ford scooping some souvenir dirt off the pitcher’s mound before the game… priceless. And the ceremonial first pitch by Babe Ruth’s 92-year old daughter Julia Ruth Stevens… awesome.

Seriously. You gotta love this game. I hope the new stadium is every bit as loveable as the old mutt across the street.

“The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase.”- Yogi Berra

Since starting my new job, I’ve been searching the downtown blocks for a really great cup of coffee. I’m looking for (1) a quintessentially awesome cup of drip coffee and (2) a perfect latte. So far I’ve explored several of the local alternatives and can happily report that I have located a very fine latte.

The latte frontrunner is Cherry Street Coffee on 3rd Avenue. They have a lovely 3-group La Marzocca and the baristas all seem to be highly skilled at producing both a great shot of espresso and beautiful fine foam.

I haven’t found a really great cup of drip coffee yet. There are a few places nearby that have Clover machines and I intend to give them a thorough exploration in the next few weeks. But for espresso drinks, take a bow, Cherry Street! You’re a winner.

After a few months of tinkering with a new design, I finally finished the complete overhaul of the Rebuilding Together Eastside web site. This is a volunteer organization for which I am a director. It’s exciting to have the new site done and we’re looking forward to another successful year of volunteer work in the community.

Well, it’s tonight! The 1 Uppers will be playing a full night of great country music at the Conor Byrne tavern in Ballard. Come on down and hoist a pint! I’m so looking forward to playing that I’ve even shined up my boots! Crazy.

The 1 uppers will be playing at Conor Byrne this Thursday (Sept 11). Join us for a night of country classics, strange stage banter and liquid refreshment. We’ll be starting around 9:30 and playing 2 sets of hits. Can’t wait to saddle up the telecaster! The band has been rehearsing new material, and chances are you’ll hear a few new (old) songs this week. See you there.