One of the fun parts about working at Amoeba is the occasional celebrity sighting.  I thought I should tell y'all that yesterday around 6ish we had an extra special shopper in the store:  none other than Morrissey!  He's playing a bunch of shows at the Fillmore so it makes sense that he would pop into Amoeba for a tic with his manager in tow. 

There are certain musicians (like Robert Plant or PJ Harvey or Bjork) who have the uncanny ability to bring every last employee out of the woodwork and out on the floor.  Morrissey was one of these. It seemed like all of us employees emerged to take a gander at the Moz. 

Morrissey was wearing a plaid tweed cap.  He's a little shorter than I expected him to be, but that doesn't mean he was short!  He just always seems to be towering when I see him on TV.  He's still maybe just under 6 ft, but I always thought he was more like 6'4.   He was definitely spending time in the Celtic section!  And I wonder if it is revealing too much to say that he checked out his own section of the store too! 

From what other employees have been telling me, the Fillmore shows this week have been beyond stellar.  He's coming for you next, Los Angeles!  Check out his upcoming tour dates here.

      

This is the second half of the two-part series of photos taken in Oakland, CA (aka "the O") shot over the past few months. Like the previous set most of these are simply shots of random objects and things that grabbed my attention at the moment I snapped them. One of the reasons I love taking photos is that it offers me fresh new insights into everyday objects and things.  Whenever I look back at a photograph of some scene or image, no matter how commonplace or how many countless times I might have walked by and noticed it  with the naked eye, I always manage to view it in a whole fresh new light after capturing it on camera. And so for me taking pictures is not just a fun hobby but it also enables me to start looking at life's little objects, and hence life itself,  in a whole new light.

These photos were taken in and around downtown Oakland and near the lake (Merritt) including the above shot of the beautiful outdoor ceiling near the ticket booth of the Grand Lake Theater.  Not only is the Grand Lake an absolutely beautiful structure both inside and out, complete with its own mighty Wurlitzer organ, but its politically aware owners regularly post some topical and relevant message on the marquee outside in letters large enough to see as you drive by on 580.  Meanwhile below among the dozen more photos is another one of the Grand Lake's outside sign. Also in the pictures below is a shot of the sign above the nearby legendary Oakalnd greasy burger spot - just down the block a bit from the Grand Lake Theater, Kwik Way which some longtime music fans might remember was also the name of a short-lived Bay Area mid-eighties punk band Kwik Way who jacked not just the name but also the logo of the take-out only eatery as the cover art for their sole album back in the day. 

Feature Films For Families

Little did I know that the amazing 12" by Sorcerer that I had picked up earlier this year was by an artist living in my backyard! I had been initially attracted to "Surfing At Midnight" due to its fantastic Prins Thomas remix and the fact that it was on white-hot UK label Tirk (aka the folks behind the highly revered Nuphonic imprint), but I was further intrigued - who is/are Sorcerer? Well, it didn't take too long to find out.



Sorcerer's debut full-length White Magic was released in August and the SF Electronica section has been singing its praises ever since. The album is chock-full of sun-drenched beach vibes, slow tempos, wistful guitar melodies and gentle, rolling beats - basically everything I'm feeling in 2007. I finally met Daniel Judd - Mr. Sorcerer himself - recently, at Prins Thomas' SF debut earlier this month and got to tell him how great I thought his music was. He's a chill, friendly guy, not unlike his music unsurprisingly, and he introduced me to his partner Sam Grawe aka Hatchback, who recently released a fantastic 12" on SoCal boutique label Sentrall Records, and who Daniel collaborates with as Windsurf. Not long after we exchanged pleasantries, Thomas played a tune that was so great I *had* to find out what it was. Lo and behold - it was Windsurf's remix of "Us vs Them" by LCD Soundsystem, coming out soon on the Bunch of Stuff EP on DFA. Awestruck, I walked over to Sam and Daniel. "This is your tune?!", I gushed. They confirmed it, and it was then I knew I had a new favorite artist. I invited the duo to play a DJ set for Mandala, Amoeba SF's weekly DJ series, which they will be doing this Friday at 7pm. In the meantime, I asked them some questions via email; here are their responses: