Two Unrelated Places In Fort Worth

Pictures I took on this day in 2018.

This one:

is the sign for a place I would ever eat, but if you check out their webpage, they've cleaned up their facade somewhat & removed the "tattoo" from under the sign.  The Goggle Maps page (taken this year) has the undersign read "now hiring," so maybe they rent out the space.  Anyway, I was mildly amused that a country cookin cafe might also offer tattoos.  Or perhaps it's a short story with a surprise ending that makes absolutely no sense.

This other one:

is a bit more of a puzzle.  I couldn't really remember where I took the picture.  I thought it might be in the section of Fort Worth called Como, but the address - 8000 - seemed far off, & I was right.

Then it occurred to me that it might be in the same area as the Country Cookin West Side Cafe, & I was right - it's literally around the corner.  It's called the Empowerment Life Cathedral & its Facebook page indicates it's still going strong.

As for me, I was just amused they had a sign that said "Ground Zero" above the entrance.  A brief web search shows that that use in ministries is not uncommon.  & according to Giggle Maps, it's still having services (at least as of last month):

There's both a limo & a hearse in that picture.  & that's fucking awesome.

Happy Boone Adoption Day!

On this day eight years ago, we found this little fellow on the streets of Lexington.  I wrote about that here.  The story had a happy ending.  He's traveled with us to Texas & now Portland.  He seems mostly happy.  & I have found him the sweetest cat I've ever known.  Glad to celebrate eight years with him today!

Self Help Radio 042622: Indiepop A To Z # 68

(all images from Discogs)

Here it is, installment number sixty-eight of the series I may not finish before I die!  But don't let anyone say I didn't try.  Popsicle to the Puddle - we didn't finish the letter P but we certainly will next time, which will be at the end of August.  & how many indiepop bands can there be that start with the letter Q?

You can listen to the show now & whenever the mood strikes (twee, fey, jangly) at both the show's KBOO page & also of course at the Self Help Radio web site.  If you choose the SHR site, remember you'll need a username (SHR) & a password (selfhelp).  You can download it on that site but don't tell anyone.

All the songs I played are below.  It's also KBOO's Spring Membership Drive so I was asking for donations as well.  If you feel so inclined, if you'd like to support a show that plays indiepop in alphabetical order, you can do so right here.

Please enjoy.

Self Help Radio: Indiepop A To Z # 68

"Step Inside My Mind" Popsicle _Abstinence_

"Furball" Popundret _Popundret EP_

"Take Me To Paris" Port Friendly _Welcome To Port Friendly_

"Never Really Loved You Anyway" The Positions _Tonight_

"Afraid" Posse _Soft Opening_

"Weather Sensitive" Postal Blue _Weather Sensitive EP_

"Such Great Heights" The Postal Service _Give Up_

"My Lucky Charm" The Postmarks _Memoirs At The End Of The World_

"Matches" The Potting Sheds _The Sound Of Leamington Spa Volume 6_

"Isolation" Poundsign _Wavelength_

"Sister" Pow Wow! _You Are My Friend, My Foe..._

"Your Love Is Just A Four Letter Word" The Practical Householders _Comet LP Two_

"Bewitched" Pram _The Museum Of Imaginary Animals_

"Sister Goodbye" The Prayers _Souvenirs From Egg Records_

"Beauty Grows" Preacher Harry Powell _The Devil In The Priest-Hole_

"The King Of Rock'N'Roll" Prefab Sprout _From Langley Park To Memphis_

"The Streets Are Paved With Lead" Premonition _The Streets Are Paved With Lead_

"Mellow Moods" Pressure Point _Mellow Moods_

"Don't Get Me Wrong" The Pretenders _Get Close_

"Breakfast Of Champions" Prickly _Velleity_

"Sometimes" Penny Priest _Manchester North Of England_

"All Fall Down" Primal Scream _All Fall Down_

"Don't Tell Me" The Primary Colours _Don't Tell Me_

"Crash" The Primitives _Lovely_

"Kelvinpolis" Princess Niko _Summer's Here! Eardrums Compilation 2008, Vol. 2_

"Korean War Memorial" Princeton _Cocoon Of Love_

"The Treachery" Printing House _The Speed By Which We Fall_

"I Think You Know" The Pristines _Souls To The Devil EP_

"Invisible State" Bill Pritchard _Three Months, Three Weeks, & Two Days_

"Love In The 80s" Probe _User Friendly_

"Sweet & Pathetic" Procedure Club _Pinky Swear_

"Jupiter Hollow" The Proctors _Pinstripes & Englishmen_

"The Man Who Thought He Was A Steam Train" Clive Product _Financial Suicide_

"Step Into The Cold" The Proper Ornaments _Wooden Head_

"Where On Earth Is Kevin Shields?" P.S. I Love You _A Rocket Girl Compilation_

"Love My Way" The Psychedelic Furs _Forever Now_

"James Dean" Public Address _James Dean_

"3 Lefts = 1 Right" Public Places _Public Places_

"The White Birds" The Puddle _Into The Moon_

Whither Indiepop A To Z # 68?

(This is what comes up in Creative Commons when I search for indiepop. Image from here*.)

Many moons ago, looking at the list of bands at TweeNet, I thought it might be a fun project to do an "a to z" type series for that genre, indiepop, which had become important to me.  It was never popular, it was even somewhat maligned, but I used the list as an excuse to both play more indiepop on the radio & to discover artists I didn't know about.  I couldn't help adding artists that I felt had been excluded &, ever the completist, I thought it might be good to add artists that influenced the genre as well.  & thus a project that should have been over some time ago is now in its 68th installment & at the letter P.

Will we finish the letter P tonight?  I don't think so.  But listen in!  The show will air on 90.7fm in Portland & online everywhere at KBOO dot fm & it'll happen from midnight to 3am.  I happen to find indiepop to be quite diverse & you'll hear bands from all over the world.  But then I'm a fan!

*"3rd Annual Nottingham Indiepop Alldayer @ Bunkers Hill Inn, Nottingham - 25 September 2010" by craigboney is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.     

Preface To Indiepop A To Z # 68: Every Four Months

Is there anything more twee than a sleeping beagle?  That's Pauline.

Even though we're in the middle of a Membership Drive - I guess we just started it - I think we're doing okay - please donate if you can help - & even though I myself have promised to do theme based on the drive's theme - which is bees, or the "hive drive" - I have to take some time to fulfill my obligation to do an Indiepop A To Z episode.

Wait.  Obligation to whom?  Oh no one really.  I guess I just figured since I started it, I should try to finish it.  So I do an episode every four months - the last shows of April, August, & December.  Guess what this Tuesday is?

No one really gives me much feedback about the show (thankfully, I imagine it would be mostly bad) & I've never really heard from any of the bands who still exist & who've been featured.  So I suppose I'm mainly doing it for me.  Which is fine.  I'm easy to please.

Except I'm not!