Matt in Robin Hood at Oxford

Matt is apparently making his contribution to the great English theatrical tradition while at Oxford with this production based on Robin Hood. Appears to be a fairly loose adaptation. Pictures by Karen Rice from FaceBook.

Video of Jeff HS Marching Band in Hollywood

Here's YouTube footage of Michael's band in the Hollywood Christmas parade. Clarinets come last. I couldn't pick out Michael. Can you?

A Fort Eddy Thanksgving

Who says the culinary arts aren't practiced at Fort Eddy? Below is documentation of a Thanksgiving triumph: the meticulous preparation, the finished bird, the well-deserved celebration. Bon appetit!

Lafayette Jeff Band Marches in Hollywood Christmas Parade

As one of the one hundred members of the Lafayette Jeff marching band who made the trip to perform in the Hollywood Christmas parade this weekend, Michael performed for between 800,000 and a million people--more than most musicians perform for in decades. The 80th Hollywood Christmas parade took place tonight, preceded by a couple of days in Las Vegas and a couple more sightseeing days in LA. Here's the Channel 18 newsclip. (See if you can find Michael; I couldn't.)

Laf. Jeff band goes Hollywood: wlfi.com

Custom-made Desks at the Fort

Last weekend Phillip made desks for himself and his fellow residents of Fort Eddy. Process and results are shown below.

Paul in Romeo and Juliet

Word is that Paul has landed the role of Benvolio in a new production of Romeo and Juliet. Benvolio is a cousin and friend of Romeo's who talks Romeo into crashing the Capulet party where he first sees Juliet. He is also active in the critical scene in which Mercutio (a Montague) is slain by Tybalt (a Capulet), who is, in turn, slain by Romeo (a Montague). The production will be done with an all male cast, as it was done in Shakespeare's time. It will be directed by Anya Saffir, whom Paul worked with at Atlantic Theater and directed Three Little Pigs. Should be a great experience! Shakespeare!

Four Videos from Rent

Chris has sent along four additional videos from the Roeper production of Rent featuring Miles and Julia, recorded by the Lyons. Thanks for sharing.

Clip 1: Restaurant in Santa Fe (Miles), Clip 2: We're Okay (Julia), Clip 3: Take Me or Leave Me (Julia), Clip 4: I'll Cover You (Miles)

Julia Sings and Tangos in Rent

Here is a clip of Julia singing "Tango Maureen" from the Roeper production of Rent. And she also does some tango.

Julia in Guys and Dolls

Her's a clip of Julia in a nice extended comic scene from the Roeper production of Guys and Dolls, as Adelade explaining to Nathan about their imagined marriage in a Brooklyn accent. You can see other clips of this Febrary 2011 production here, here, and here.

Steve's Radio Essay on Haircuts

Steve's latest radio essay starts out with a haircut disaster for Tyler and then segues into memories of Dad's forays into barbering. Chris is featured, as am I (in an episode I have no memory of). By the way, Andy Rooney just retired at 92, so expect Steve to be making his move any time now. Here's the essay.

Jeff Band Goes to Semistate

The Jefferson High School Marching Band, anchored by its stellar clarinet section led my Michael and Tyler Eddy, will participate in the Class A semistate competition on Saturday.  The top ten bands from semistate will compete in the state finals on October 29 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.  Read the Journal and Courier story here.  Good luck, guys.

Paul's 3 Pigs Play Reviewed by NY Times

The New York Times review of the Atlantic Theater's production of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs says the play is "one of the best children’s shows of the year." And the Times says, "The cast, directed by Anya Saffir, is excellent." Presumably including our own Paul Eddy. You can read the times review here.

Here's a glowing review of the play from a site for moms, and this one has pictures, including the one on the left with Paul. And here's the note from offoffbroadway.com, which includes a mention of Paul as a cast member. A similar note appears in the New York Theater Guide.com; see it here.

Van Morrison Enters the Scientific Lexicon

While reviewing Sarah's CV I ran across this:

Lecture. Sarah Eddy. 2011. It’s a marvelous night for a foot-dance: visual cues and Plethodon courtship. Animal Behaviour Society, Bloomington, IN

When was the last time a scientific presentation referenced a Van Morrison song?  Was this girl raised up right, or what?

Sarah Presents Workshop at National Conference

On Friday Sarah and another grad student will be presenting the workshop described below at the annual meeting of the National Association of Biology Teachers in Anaheim. It appears to be a large conference.

Speciation via Sexual Selection: A Discovery Based Activity
Grand J • Hands-on Workshop • Evolution • HS 4C

Role-play speciation! Students explore how sexual selection can split one species into two or more new species using dice and dress-up. Lesson plans provided.

Sarah Eddy & Kailtin Bonner, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

 The exclamation point is quite elegant.

Max's Essay on Steve Jobs

Max has published a thoughtful essay on Steve Jobs, who died this week, on the Geekosystems website.  In it, Max tries to analyze the nature of Jobs' hold on our imaginations. Unlike most of the tributes to Jobs, this one doesn't simply memorialize the great man.  Worth reading.  You can read it here. 

Miles and Julia in Rent

Below is the cast photo of the Roeper production of Rent, which Miles and Julia both both participated in.  Anybody got any video?

Caleb's Team Wins JV Cup

Yesterday Caleb's Harrison High junior varsity soccer team won four games in a single day to win the local Junior Varsity Cup. Of particular pride was the fact that the Raider defense did not yield a single goal to any of its opponents, and Caleb anchors that defense. Four shutouts in one day. Caleb and teammates are shown here with their championship medals. Great job, guys!

Eponymous Tune from Southern Ivy League

Here's the eponymous new song from Southern Ivy League with Matt on lead vocals. We're rocking on this one.

Having trouble with "eponymous"? Here's some help. Don't feel bad; I had to look it up for spelling. I can't tell you how long I've waited to use it in a blog post! The recently defunct REM (as of yesterday) released a "greatest hits" album in 1988 that was titled "Eponymous," which was highly ironic because the album wasn't eponymous, i.e., wasn't named "REM."

Swimming Pools Subject of New Steve Eddy Essay

Steve has a new essay on WBAA, this one about the swimming pools of yesteryear (Mohr's) and those of today (Castaway Bay).  You can listen here.

Astoria is Gatsby Country

I just finished rereading The Great Gatsby and discovered that Astoria, home of Fort Eddy, is in Gatsby country. In fact much of the action of the book consists of the characters flitting between East and West Eggs and Manhattan, always passing through Astoria. In this passage, where Nick and Gatsby are cruising in Gatsby's soon-to-be-notorious yellow convertible on their way downtown for a lunch with the gangster Wolfsheim, Astoria is mentioned specifically:

With fenders spread like wings we scattered light through half
Astoria--only half, for as we twisted among the pillars of the
elevated I heard the familiar "jug--jug--SPAT!" of a motor cycle, and a
frantic policeman rode alongside.

"All right, old sport," called Gatsby. We slowed down. Taking a white
card from his wallet he waved it before the man's eyes.

"Right you are," agreed the policeman, tipping his cap. "Know you next
time, Mr. Gatsby. Excuse ME!"

A few moments later they are crossing the Queensboro Bridge, in the southern end of Astoria, and Nick waxes poetic about the view:

Over the great bridge, with the sunlight through the girders making a
constant flicker upon the moving cars, with the city rising up across the
river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of
non-olfactory money. The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always
the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the
mystery and the beauty in the world.

Much later in the novel Nick finds himself, oddly, in Gatsby's car, but being driven by Tom Buchanan, in the exact same locale:

Instinct made him step on the accelerator with the double purpose of overtaking Daisy and leaving Wilson behind, and we sped along toward Astoria at fifty miles an hour, until, among the spidery girders of the elevated, we came in sight of the easygoing blue coupé.

After a disastrous afternoon at the Plaza Hotel, Daisy and Gatsby leave in his car and, after passing through Astoria again, Daisy runs down Tom's lover and seals Gatsby's fate.

Presumably they drive back and forth on the Northern Road, which swings not too far from the Fort's precincts.

Paul Sings Urban Blues from Fire Escape

Coming to you live from Astoria, New York, here is multi-talented Paul Eddy singing his autobiographical blues hit "City Livin'" while parked half way between cousin Phil's bedroom and the gritty urban fire escape of Fort Eddy.

Matt's Band Puts Out New Song

Southern Ivy League has added another song to their growing repertoire.  This one is called 20 Is a Lonely Heart.  Features a vocal (not Matt) that sounds like John Lennon in one of his mellower moments. Matt plays some banjo on it  it, though not in a bluegrass style.  The band's unique style continues to emerge.  You can hear the song here.

Julia as a Robot

Here is a brief video of a piece that Julia and another girl did for a forensics contest. Julia plays a hyper-cheerful robotic counselor trying to give advice to a woman whose marriage is breaking up.  Very funny and Julia does a great job with a tricky part.

A Song by Miles

Here is a song called "Choices" that Miles wrote, sings, plays all the instruments, and produced (in a studio, I think).  A very big ending; the last minute, starting when the guitar solo kicks in, is bliss.  Take a listen. You'll be impressed, I promise.

Michael's Musical Tastes (and His Uncles') Outed in Newspaper

Older rock, says Michael Eddy (the Younger), "is definitely better."  In an article in the Journal and Courier reporting that your musical taste is shaped by the time you are 14, Michael is cited as follows:

"Eddy said his dad, an avid Beatles fan, influenced his music choice. Eddy likes '60s and '70s rock, such as Rolling Stones and the Doors.

Both Joseph [McShurley, Michael's friend] and Eddy think they'll be listening to the same music as they get older.

'I look at my dad and his brothers, and they still listen to the same stuff, so I don't see why that wouldn't be the same for me,' Eddy said."

You can read the entire article here. (I would note for my nephew that of the 67 mp3 albums that constitute the playlist on my iPod, only 9 came out before 2000.)

Paul Plays Central Park

Paul reports on the Fort Eddy blog that that he's been playing music near this bridge in Central Park in the family band of a girl named Abigail Hardin. Sounds like a busking gig. Hope we can hear some more from Paul on this. Here's the link to Paul's blog post.

Does anyone else think they've seen this bridge in a movie? If so, what movie?

Paul Gets Role in Kids' Play at Atlantic Theater

Paul has landed the role of Rocky/Ensemble Pig in the Atlantic Kids Theater production of The Three Little Pigs: The True Story, which is apparently set as a courtroom drama in which the audience gets to decide the verdict. Paul says he'll be singing and possibly possible ukulele/ guitar playing. The run is from October 8 through October 30. Here is the Atlantic Theater's promotional site for the play; it has a link for the cast, but it is not active yet.

New Steve Eddy Essay on Picking Blueberries

You can find Steve most recent radio essay in WBAA's audio archives here. This is one of his funniest efforts to date. Note the still incomplete archive of Steve's radio essays in the sidebar.

Of Gods and Men Embodies the Challenge of Faith

In the mid-1990s nine Trappist monks who have been living the religious life in Algeria must decide if they will stay or leave their monastery in the face of violent Islamist terrorism. They have lived in perfect harmony with the village Muslims, providing a medical clinic for them and selling their produce at the village market; the villagers depend on the presence of the monastery. The movie is focused on their difficult decision to leave or remain. The monks truly seem to love each other and to take succor from their faith. There are several devastating scenes: the monks continuing their chanted service as a helicopter hovers a few yards from the monastery, the monks debating whether to leave around a table, the monks drinking a glass of wine while listening to an excerpt of Swan Lake, wordlessly enjoying the moment of brotherhood and beauty.

Of Gods and Men is one of the most powerful films about faith, responsibility, and the religious life I have seen. All the acting is wonderful, but of special note is Lambert Wilson (last seen as the evil Merovingian in the Matrix) as the doctor monk. He brings a dignified humanity to the role. Some warnings: it's in French with subtitles, it has one scene of horrific violence (otherwise the violence all occurs off screen), and it does not end happily. It is based on true events. Of Gods and Men is a very unusual and intelligent film, as good as anything I've seen in a while. I recommend it highly.

Nowhere Boy: Pretty Good Film About Young John Lennon

Despite its ill-advised title, Nowhere Boy is worth seeing for anyone who is a Beatle fan (anyone over 18 that is--it has a couple of John's precocious "romantic" encounters). The focus of the plot is on the conflict between John's mother, who apparently turned him over to her sister as a small boy, and the sister. The mother seems a bit over the top, but the uptight Aunt Mimi is perfectly played by Kristin Scott Thomas, who makes a potential cartoon into a fully rounded and sympathetic character largely on the basis of her wonderfully expressive face. The kid who plays John (Aaron Johnson) is pretty good, but John is such a mixed bag at this point (part loyal son, part creep) that he's hard to get your head around. And, yes, it does include the epoch-making scene where John and Paul meet--happily understated, and the unfolding relationship of 17-year-old John and the 15-year-old Paul very nicely done. Has anybody else seen this?

Oxford Is On!

Lisa confirmed last week that Matt has been accepted into the Oxford program.

Labels

We relics of the Counter Culture instinctively rebel against labels. But some labels are our friends--like the labels on this site. Try clicking on one of the labels at the bottom of any post; you'll see all the posts that mention That person or topic. Over in the sidebar I've used that label technology to produce two lists, one which will provide you with all the posts naming the individual Eddy, and another showing all the posts about a particular field of creative activity, say "Music."

Authors must provide labels. As you post items, I hope you'll use the labels box at the bottom left of the editing screen so we can have a nice index to the site. Feel free to add new names and activites. (If you've lost you're invitation to become an author, let me know and I'll resend it.)

New Song from Southern Ivy League

Here's a new song from Matt's band, Southern Ivy League.  Matt sings lead on this sort eerie number about people who become spacemen. Also a striking piece of cover art.

Steve's Father's Day Essay

Here is Steve's latest radio essay, this one on Father's Day, fatherhood, and Mark.  Be sure to check out the archive to the right for any you may have missed or want to hear again.

Tweeting Ulysses

June 16 is celebrated worldwide as Bloomsday, the day that James Joyce's fictional protagonist Leopold Bloom wandered about Dublin like the wandering Ulysses who became the title of Joyce's celebrated and beloved novel. This year fans of Ulysses decided to celebrate the novel not just by reading it aloud, as is the practice, but to "recast" it as thousands of tweets. Read more here.

Two Eddys in Jeff Marching Band

Both Tyler and Michael are in the Jefferson High Marching Band this year, Tyler as a freshman and Michael as a junior. Both play clarinet, following in the path set by their cousin Max and, in a previous generation, their uncle Mark--before he took up the banjo! Max also plays some banjo. Is this a trend among clarinetists?

Matt to Oxford?

It appears pretty likely that Matt will be invited to participate this fall in Georgetown College's unique Tutorial Program at Regent's Park College, Oxford University (shown in picture). The program is unique in that American participants learn alongside regular Oxford students using the tutorial method that Oxford and other traditional English universities are famous for. Participants are selected by Georgetown faculty and faculty from Regent's Park College at Oxford on the basis of writing samples and interviews. Selected students are trained in the tutorial method before their experience so that they can succeed in Oxford. Should be a great experience for Matthew, who may come back with a high-toned British accent. Here's a link on Georgetown's tutorial program.

More About Paul's Play

The play that Paul will appear in a play in the Theater for the New City's 2011 Dream Up festival for new plays, running August 14 through September 4. You can read more about the festival and New City here. New City is where Paul's first New York play (Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues) was staged (coincidence), and it appears to have a pretty distinguished history. If the play's festival run is successful, it will get a regular run.

In it Paul is the lead in one of three plot strands that seem unrelated to each other. He plays a man who makes stop-action films with Barbie dolls; his character mainly delivers a monologue. Rehearsals start soon. He continues to audition for other roles whenever he can. Paul, please correct whatever I got wrong.

Miles at Berklee Bass Camp

Miles is attending Berklee College of Music's three-day Bass Lines camp this Friday through Sunday in Boston. It's rumored that Berklee may be on Miles' shortlist for a music school in a couple of years. Camp should provide a nice preview. If you want to know more, here's the website for the camp.

Lots of Practice Time for Michael

Michael reports that he's been assigned a piece to play for the Indiana State School Music Association's Solo and Ensemble contest, which isn't until late next January. However, his teacher wants him to audition with it for the Keller Competition that the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra holds every year (for performers under 22), and the piece must be memorized. The winner gets to perform the piece with the Symphony. Did I get that right, Michael?

Ian the Reader

It seems that Ian has been named the top reader at his school. Congratulations, Ian! We'd love to hear some more detail about this recognition.

Paul Has a New Acting Role

Phillip says that Paul has gotten another acting gig, but he has no details. Can anybody help us out here? Paul?

Max Eddy: Wunderblogger

As a blogger for Geekosystems website, Max is the only Eddy currently making his living from writing (Bonnie and I have both been writer/editors at various times). Here is a link to Google news that should pull up a search of Google News listing everything with Max's byline that appears in the Geekosystems website. It works most of the time.

An Archive of Steve's Radio Essays

I'm in the process of archiving Steve's wonderful audio essays that air on WBBA. It's over in the right column. I'm perhaps half-way done, but I'll wrap it up soon. Thought everyone would enjoy having the "collected works" in one spot, and it's impressive to listen to them in order as I've been doing. Keep it up, Steve--Andy Rooney is bound to retire one day.

Video for "In a Lifetime"

I'm just getting caught up on all the stuff that's been out here in the past couple of years. Here's Joe Steiner's cool music video for "In a Lifetime," one of the gems of the East of Eden repertoire. To my knowledge this is the only song by an Eddy to have a music video--so far. Rob never sounded better and the song really holds up well.

Rob's Latest Novel Available on Amazon

You can download Rob's latest novel, Overdub (with illustrations by John Frigo) to you Kindle from Amazon here.  Here's the description of the novel:

OVERDUB is a lyrical exploration of the meaning of music, how it transforms our relationships, culture and technology. Isaac Rubinger is wounded in the Korean War, losing the ability to perceive or imagine music. Much as a person’s hearing can improve following blindness, when music plays Isaac hears physics: Space, time and even memory fold in on themselves. His brother’s young wife writes a letter that brings a visit from composer Hoagy Carmichael, and then from someone Hoagy believes to have the insight to understand this affliction. Only he’s not a doctor, but the most unlikely technologist, seeking to create new musical forms.

The novel came out May 26. Rob's previous novel, Dreaming of a Song, is also available on Amazon.

Broken Finger Photos

I've uploaded the famous Tom Himelick photos of Broken Finger, the folk/rock/bluegrass band Chris and Mark were in in the early 1970's, to a Picasa album that you can view here.  I'm also linking it permanently to a shelf in the Commons Pantry on the right.  Those were the days when hair was hair.

Miles Singng "Mr. Sandman" in a Quartet

Here's a video Jamie posted on Facebook a few weeks ago with Miles singing "Mr. Sandman" in sort of classic doo-wop style in a quartet at Roeper.

Eddys Heart Dylan

So here are the Eddy favorite Dylan songs, so far:

Max--"Visions of Johanna"
Phil--"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", with an honorable mention to "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream"
Chris--"I Shall Be Released"
Mom--"Tomorrow's Such a Long Time"
Steve--tie "All Along The Watch Tower" and "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way"
Mike--"Mr. Tambourine Man" with honorable mention to "Like a Rolling Stone" and special fondnesses for "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry," "I Want You," and "Boots of Spanish Leather"

You can still submit your favorite(s). There's plenty of great songs available.

Latest from Southern Ivy League

Here is the latest from Matt's band, Southern Ivy League.  It's a seven-song EP called Demo with a very different sound from Likable Inbetween.

By the way, the Southern Ivy League was a real attempt by several Southern colleges and universities to create an athletic conference that would compete with that well-know Yankee institution.

Miles Does "Summertime"

Here is Miles Eddy singing and playing stand-up bass George Gershwin's "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess.