Have you heard of Phantom Buffalo?

This week has been an odd week. I've had very little time to write and focus on the book. One book-related event was my Wednesday evening talk that went very well. It's a bit intimidating to speak in your former home town, in front of family, friends and those who remember all the stupid things you did as an angst-ridden adolsescent. All told, the turnout and reaction to "Local Baseball Made Me Do It" was very positive.

I also spent some time driving in the car running errands locally. This allowed me the guilty pleasure of listening to some local college rock via WBOR and WRBC. On Thursday, while off to see my friend Marina become an American citizen, I heard this incredible track by Phantom Buffalo on WBOR. If anyone has never heard of them, they are this virtually unknown (at least locally) band of former art students (?) who were formerly called The Ponys. Apparently, some midwestern band already had rights to the name, so the band formerly known as The Ponys are now, Phantom Buffalo. I do remember this band having a killer track on a previous GFAC 207 CD. I also caught part of their set at the 2003 WERU Full Circle Fair.

Lest you think that my gushings about them are merely the product and perspective of a holed-up writer with tunnel vision, I found these reviews. Curiously, these are from across the pond, from both the BBC, as well as No Wax. Maybe these guys are gods in the UK?

As crazy as I've been with my baseball organizational chores this week, I've enjoyed the paucity of time I've spent focused on politics. Remarkably, my outlook has been amazingly close to what some might call optimism. Maybe there is some inverse correlation between music, happiness and sick fixations regarding political corruption.