Jars in Shorts

I had the priveledge of going to see Jars of Clay at the Gorge Amphitheater the other night. I've gotten to know those guys pretty well over the past few years, and it's always nice to catch up a bit when they are in town. Last summer when they were in town, I took them to the Curiosity Shop in downtown Seattle for an eye opening experience with all the crazy, random junk in there.

This time around, it was me who had the eye opening experience. I ran into the guys a couple hours before the show and after exchanging hugs and handshakes, Steve excitedly told me that I was in for a treat as I was going to see something during the show that some of their friends and family back in Nashville had yet to see.

Needless to say, I was excited to find out what this surprise might be. Maybe a new song? Maybe a cool cover tune? Maybe Steve bought a sweet new guitar he wanted to show off? Nope. None of the above.

As the band took the stage in the blistering heat, it was immediately obvious that this "treat" was the startling vision of all six band members joggin out on stage in old school short-shorts. As jarring as the image was, I have to admit, it was quite classic and a perfect representation of their great sense of humor. Not to mention that it was probably the most comfortable way to play a set in 98 degree heat. They finished off the look with matching polos and the classic tube socks with color stripes on top.

I did my best to preserve the moment with my camera phone, but alas, the photo does not do it justice. I got the attached photo from 'woman4life' over on the Jarchives boards.

Ohio Here we Come

Many new things are on the horizon in the Nystrom household.

Karen and I are planning a cross-country move to Columbus, Ohio next month. Karen is going to attend the Ohio State University this fall in persuit of her graduate degree in the History of Art. It's going to be a major change for both of us as we have spent our entire lives in the Pacific Northwest.

The past few weeks have been a blur as we prepare for the journey. We're scrambling to complete a seemingly endless to-do list all the while attempting to make time for everyone before we ship out.

As of right now, we plan to leave Seattle on Monday, August 13. So, if I haven't seen you in a while, and you're in Seattle, give me a shout.

My Public Address

Last Saturday, I filled in at the AquaSox game as the PA announcer. On the surface, this might not sound like such a big deal, but in our ballpark, it's by far the toughest, most demanding position.

Our PA announcer is not only responsible for reading dozens of scripts throughout the evening, but he's also the audio engineer and quarterback for the entire operation. What I mean by that is our PA announcer is personally responsible for any audio you hear in the stadium and he's also the one making sure the game starts on time and that all promotions are executed properly. Most other venues will have one person announcing, another person cueing audio and yet another spotting and managing production.

Daunting as it may sound, I had a great time Saturday. Everything went well. My favorite part of the gig is selecting music for the evening. It's not as easy as it sounds to choose 70-100 songs for an entire evening. But I was wholeheartedly up to the challenge. I was able to explore some musical landscape that is not often revealed at Everett Memorial Stadium.