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Geno Panino and A Glass of Gruet Bubbly
Sunny Day Gruet
The clouds broke over Portland – here comes the sun – and it’s time for a little flop-flop adventure. Today I decided to get a little business done and then maybe, oh, I don’t know ‘do something I guess’. It’s a day before the big show at Eugenios and I figured I’ll take the day off and soak up the sun and dig on the locals for a while. I started out with a stroll down Hawthorne Boulevard and called Eugenio’s to see if I could catch the owner Eugene for a chat before the big night. I wanted to tell him how many people I think are coming and just put a face to the name. He’s been so good to me I thought I’d pay him a visit.
Down 34th Ave and a the left on Division Street and I scooted through the door. I had called about ten minutes previous and Eugene was out running errands so I’ll have a little lunch and sit on the patio. Kate was behind the bar. She’s an M-80 in a swimsuit and jean shorts sweeter than anything and fully capable of beautiful disaster if you meddle with that fuse. An angel with the devil her pocket, breaking hearts and taking names – don’t cross this one. Yeah, she’s rock and roll, man.
I ordered a Geno Panino and a glass of Gruet bubbly in a short stubby glass. I try to refrain from using stemware due to my penchant for destruction. I want no challenges today. So it’s bubbly in a stubby – Easy is the recipe, and the finest ingredient is time; so it’s slow-go to the patio. There’s a champagne sunrise at three PM and I’m in search of a day-buzz.
The Nicest Human Being on the Planet
Eugene rolled up in the alley by the sidewalk in a white Honda Accord and stepped out looking exactly like I expected him to. Laid back and relaxed. Eugenios should be built on a boat with Eugene at the helm swaying smoothly on calm waters and going where the breeze wills you. He’s rocking a blue T-shirt and cream-colored shorts and shades. He looks like he just stepped off of the deck of a schooner somewhere sandy and blue. He puts you in the mood he’s seems to be in perpetually; unceremonious, and cruising across the surface of the earth doing what he’s doing and then checking something else out for a while. The way it used to be? The way it is here at Eugenio’s. He’s a natural restaurateur.
Matchbox Omega
Three girls sat at the long table across from me, in true Portland fashion, we were all sharing the same table in a matter of minutes. Just in time too, because no more than a minute later I would have been destroyed by a cyclist that slammed into the chair that I was sitting in. These girls saved my life. Myshelle in sleeves and a sundress. A 4′ 11″ live wire and a kindred spirit of the bartendress Kate. Ashley in a simple grey dress and a push up – making a statement in muffled colors the statement she made sounded something like “Damn!” All the while laying down the wit like a short-order cook. Becky behind her cell phone peeking out to smile and drop a joke. Everything said about one could be said of the other if we are speaking solely on first impressions. There the kind of girls that make the clouds break and I blame the perfect weather on them. They had a name for their little coalition: Kappa Kappa Matchbox Omega.
Kappa Kappa Matchbox Omega:Ashley, Becky, Myshelle, and Kate
Chad meandered into the mix, he’s moving to Portland from Vermont and searching for a house. He won’t find it today, the Matchbox Omega girls stepped in and he and I are about to be hijacked. Before long we were all ’life-long’s' riding the crest of a wave beatific and ready to sail this thing all the way up to the Gold Dust Meridian on Hawthorne leaving Eugenio’s in our wake and on the docket for tomorrow night. Showtime.
Myshelle, Ashley, Chad, Kate, and Supernormal Tyler
Meridian
The Gold Dust Meridian was the next destination, so we paid the tabs and said our goodbyes to the crew of Eugenio’s leaving it as our safe harbor. We’ll return tomorrow night, and I can repay the debt of a great day to all of the people who gave it to me. That’s why I love playing music, the human connection. Stepping in and creating happiness for people, positive and prolific – I’ve got one-and-a-half hours of stage time and it’s gonna go by to fast. At the Meridian, we found a back patio, Omega had been there before but none of them had noticed it before. The little pathway was like entering a secret garden and we assembled ourselves at a table. Omega was drinking Mojitos made with 12 year Rum, and I was stepping it up a bit. I had an IPA and a shot of well bourbon, I was seeking the day buzz, and hell bent getting on there. Our collective energy soon filled the patio to the gills with day-drinkers. General jackassery and side-splitting laughter, Myshelle drew a Black Bart moustache on her index finger and was holding it up to her face and the rest is a blur. I believe the buzz had arrived. And I believe it skipped a few stages and put me straight in Zangsville!
Myshelle and her Black Moustache
One guy came in with a guitar and some one said paly us a song, he refused. I took that as my cue and went back to the Hostel and got the Git-fiddle. I walked back on the patio and asked if I could play them a song and so I played “Arizona Born and Glory Bound”. That song is kind of becoming my anthem for this trip. “the secret to success is get the F*** out”, an urge I am trying to fight. I fall in love with everywhere I travel and the common theme around here is that what is trying to happen to me has happened to many. Ich bin ein Portlander! Myshelle asked me if that was a harmonica, I said “yes”. Apparently, she plays. She started tooting around on it and I played a remix of one of my own tunes: “The Things I’m Gonna Miss”. Normally, it’s a heartbreaker track slow and solemn. People have told me it made them cry, but, now it was up-beat jovial and I gravelled-up the vocals and Myshelle rocked the Harmy. I had to go after that. I could have stayed there all day, but, I wanted to hit the Muddy Waters Open Mic on Burnside and the sign-up started at seven.�
The Crew is Growing at the Meridian
Murky Moods at Muddy Waters
I arrived at 7:05 and the place was already awash with troubadours with guitars in-tow. I got a negative vibe and heeded it. I chose to head back to the hostel and good thing I did because about ten minutes later I had to put the buzz to bed. I spun motionless on the matress then dropped off the planet at 7:00 PM. That’s Rock and Roll.
More Pictures and videos coming soon.
Creaking for the Coffee
My hostel room has a built in alarm clock. A feature not listed on the Portland Hawthorne Hostel website pre-arrival, nor was it covered in the tour. When the early-riser goes to the kitchen for their morning cup of Joe, the aging floor boards creak underfoot. The floorboards also happen to be my ceiling above my top bunk perch. Mind you, this is not a complaint. It gets me up and out for the day, I didn’t have to call the front desk and request an 8 am wake-up call, instead I am nudged awake gently by little creaking noises and the occasional dropped item. Hostel travel is all positives. In fact, this feature should be touted as an upgrade. A wise traveller should opt for the room with the 8 am creaky-roof”. It’s all mine for two more nights, sorry guys.
Gresham MAX line
Out the door and on the Tri-met
After the shower, and the java it’s to the 14 Hawthorne, over the river and up the hill to the Japanese Gardens. I had heard about the gardens and saw some footage on YouTube, so I added this to my mental-list of must-see places. On my first ‘free-day’ I jumped at the chance to see this beautiful place. Being from Arizona, I am accustomed to a different kind of green. Foliage and what-not is a very hearty green back home, yellow-green and browns, reds, etc. I was in need of some good ole’ deciduous-chewy-basil-kind-of-green.
Enter the Garden
A Little Walk
I explored every inch of the Japanese Gardens and spent a good three hours retracing my steps and turning back to do it all again. When I visit a place like the Japanese Gardens, or a zoo I like to go through the park in one direction and then revers the path so that I see everything differently. If I were capable I would have burrowed into the soil and dug on them roots.
Central pond, reminded me of Monet’s Giverny
On one of my reverse laps, I found something I had missed the first time around. I stumbled into a little hut type meditation thing. I don’t really meditate in the traditional sense, but I figured I’d try to get into it, Supernormal-style. So I took out my notebook, closed my eyes, and began making little hash marks on the paper while I sat and listened to the garden and walked through the Garden again in my mind.
I was surprised when I opened my eyes that there was a picture-of-sorts there. And it did look a little like a Japanese Garden. I titled and dated it and I’m gonna keep it, but, here you can have a copy. No one ever said I was a visual artist. I play music like a banshee, but, I draw like a monkey. No shame in that. If you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing. No judgment on how well, just a can-do kind of thing.
This place is enchanting, delicately trained vines sculpted with rudimentary methodology. Simple sticks of bamboo fastened to branches with twine have done the majority of the shaping and training of the branches, but, most of the Japanese trees and plants look as though that is just how they grow. What I know of Japan is it’s art, I can say Japanese art, and I get an image in my mind as I am sure you do as well. There is a distinctive look beyond a simple font to all things Japanese, and the reason for that I would guess is nature. The trees shrubs and other things beyond my botanical prowess have that distinctive ordered Japanese look.
Right-click, Save as Desktop
From the Garden to the City
I spent the next few hours walking downtown and asking around if anyone knew of a place where I could have a Beer and Blog. I don’t mean Wi-fi. I mean, a bar with physical computers in it. Why do we all have to own a laptop? I don’t like carrying around all of that stuff, power cable, computer, then with all of the other elements of this SupernormalRecords.com enterprise. What if i drop it? What if I get caught in the rain, and soaked to the bone, or in this case; memory? Just to many what-if’s. But, here is yet another ‘what if’.
Training Branches Traditionally
What if?
What if a bar put along one of its walls an array of a few basic desktops. I am in the Fat Straw, a little Bubble Tea Joint and I love working in this place, but I want a beer man. My love for blogging and my love for beer are two very strong competitors. And I would argue, life sustaining drives, urges man! C’mon Bar Owners. Open the Beer and Blog, the Blog-N-Beer Tavern, or The Blogger and Lager! I’ll do it if you give me the dough of course.
If this were filled with Sake I would have Stayed here all day
There’s that for now. I think I’m gonna traipse around downtown and see if I can get a little more of the strong pulse of this cities music scene. Back into the city now…
The Public Transit Tour is rapidly approaching. Here is a sneak preview of the poster for the show at Eugenio’s to take place on Friday May 16th.
“Supernormal Tyler Live @ Rula Bula” (4 of 5)
SUPERNORMAL TYLER VIDEOS POSTED AT RULABULA.COM
A webmaster over at Zenith TPM uploaded 4 of the 5 “Supernormal Tyler Live @ Rula Bula” video’s to the Rula Bula video page. The player and arrangement look great and Supernormal Records could not be happier. You can see the video that was left out above.
Supernormal Records did not send these videos to Zenith TPM or Rula Bula, they simply used their internet prowess to seek out our productions and post them in their project. It appears as though the Supernormal tentacles are spreading out through the “internets”. Don’t worry this octopus just wants a hug. Thanks for the love Rula Bula and Zenith TPM.
“On February 12th, 2008, I played three songs (Father’s Son, Carousel, Arizona Born and Glory Bound) at the Open Mic Night hosted by Walt Richardson. I had Pope run the camera for me and spent a week editing together the videos and posting them to YouTube and, it looks like someone over at zenithtpm is on top of things. They found them and posted them yesterday. Just in time for the Public Transit Tour“
NEW VIDEOS
More videos are in production for the “Public Transit Tour” in Portland, Oregon (May 11-18th, 2008). The first show will be at Eugenio’s at 3584 SW division Street (Map It). We are in the development process for a slew of Supernormal Tyler Live videos, Travel Vlogs, and day-to-day blogs during the tour. Take your digital-self on the road with Supernormal Tyler.
“By Rail, By Bus, By Flip-Flop!”
MORE INFORMATION
On May 11th, Supernormal Tyler is heading to Portland, Oregon to commence the ‘Public Transit Tour’. It appears as though, the earth is moving in anticipation of this event. Scientists cannot tell you why this is occuring, but, Supernormal Records has uncovered the secret.
“Scientists at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center have recorded more than 600 earthquakes in the last 10 days off the central Oregon coast in an area not typically known for a high degree of seismic activity.” (article)
“This earthquake “swarm” is unique, according to OSU marine geologist Robert Dziak, because it is occurring within the middle of the Juan de Fuca plate – away from the major, regional tectonic boundaries.” (article)
The earthquakes are unique due to the fact that they are not occuring along the fault lines. Scientists are re-routing research ships to take water samples form the area above the epicenters of these recent 600 earthquakes to gather more data about the anomaly. There is no definitive explanation for the recent odd scientific activity. Basically, another one of Earth’s great mysteries. Or is it?
A Formal Apology
We at Supernormalrecords.com hereby issue a formal apology. The recent tremors are associated with the activation the generators in our underground lair. Sorry, we needed to make sure we could get the lights on and be able to plug in our Wii when we arrive on May 11th, 2008 for the Public Transit Tour. When we fire up the lair it makes a horrible racket, that is why we are doing it so early.
Our Offer of Assistance
Also, if the scientific community would like water samples, there is no need to re-route a ship. I can call Deter and ask him to open up the window and fill up some Fiji bottles and send them to you.
Please accept our apology, and sorry for the rukus.
Sincerely,
Supernormal Tyler
“Video clip of Deter heading off to the store to buy some Fiji water”
MORE INFORMATION
RELATED ARTICLES:
Thank you to Eugene, the owner of Eugenio’s in Portland Oregon for booking the first date on the much-anticipated “Public Transit Tour”.
I am continuing to contact venues in and around the Portland area to fill out the rest of the dates. I will keep you informed of all the progress right here at supernormalrecords.com, and, of course, if you are on the mailing list, you will be sent your updates.
Not on the mailing list yet? Just send an e-mail to supernormalrecords@hotmail.com with “ADD TO MAIL-LIST” as the subject, and I’ll let you in on the special offers and reduced price booze promo’s and other general secrets.
Stay Tuned to supernormalrecords.com information on show’s and general happenings, and thank’s again Eugenio!
THIS IS MY IMPRESSION OF YOU ON THE INTERNET
Currently, I am editing some new video projects. “The Things I’m Gonna Miss”, and ”Jingo” are being filmed and edited and will be posted soon. In the meantime. You can hear ”The Things I’m gonna Miss” here.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nq3zJQ9Mj0&fmt=18&eurl=http://www.supernormalrecords.com/[/youtube]
Here is a clip of a live performance by Supernormal Tyler that took place at Rula Bula in Tempe Arizona on February 12th. This is part one of a five part series you can view all of the segments on the video page or at our YouTube Channel.
