Tag Archives: music

Shop Small Saturday

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The Saturday after Black Friday is reserved for small businesses.  The Shop Small Saturday tradition, amazingly enough, was started by American Express in 2010.  This year the credit card company has even set up a twitter feed where you can share your favorite local stores.  I will be adding three of my favorite businesses to the feed this morning.  With 52% of what you spend staying in your community, the act of purchasing from these type of stores is a no-brainer.  It’s a win for you, the local merchant and the community you love.

I am placing today’s post under Music Lines because two of the businesses I am highlighting are my go-to spots for music off the beaten path.  The third business offers a first class meal to go along with the music I enjoy.  Here are the three small businesses I will be celebrating today:

Ed McKay's Used Books and More     Edward McKay Greensboro NC

I can remember when Ed McKay’s was truly small.  My home town’s used book store was a hole in the wall that stacked books like a teetering Jenga puzzle.  I spent many teenage years finding books teachers did not want me to read and used CDs I could not afford to buy new.  Today, Ed McKay’s commitment to quality trade and customer service has led to a thriving business that now serves multiple locations (Greensboro, Fayetteville, Raleigh, Winston-Salem).   I still drive up to Greensboro on occasion to walk the store aisles looking for books by my favorite authors.   In addition to the best used book selection I have ever come across, Ed McKay trades/ sales used DVDs, music CDs, video games, video game consoles, eReaders and other electronics.

lunchbox records     Lunchbox Records Chralotte NC

It took me some time to find the last truly independent record store in Charlotte.  Growing up in Greensboro, I enjoyed shopping at the now long gone Record Exchange and School Kids Records and Tapes.  I thought that experience was lost forever.  Fortunately I was wrong.  The Lunchbox is the quintessential record store and offers a variety of music that is not available at big box retailers.  Last year, I went to the Lunchbox and bought my wife the new She & Him Christmas album.  To my surprise, the record came with its own wrapping paper, stickers and special Christmas pen.  From that point forward, I have tried to make the drive downtown anytime I was looking for a special CD and the packaging that comes with it.  My last purchase, Bob Dylan’s Another Self-Portrait, did not disappoint.

Fat Ninja Food Truck     Fat Ninja Truck Charleston SC

The last small business I would like to highlight belongs to a life long friend.  His food truck is approaching its first year anniversary and has become a popular destination for Charleston residents and tourists.  The Fat Ninja Food Truck focuses on modern Vietnamese food with a blend of Korean, Thai and Chinese.  Each dish’s presentation represents a modern interpretation of my best friend’s family recipes.   Needless to say, an ever-changing contrast of flavors, temperatures and textures is present in each delicious bite.  If you find yourself in Charleston, I urge you to check them out.  Our crew of Boone Goons (Appalachian State grads) will be doing just that when we travel down to celebrate the wedding of our fellow alum’s brother in December.  You can find the Fat Ninja Food Truck by checking their calendar on the Events page or by referring to a Charleston area map on their Driving Directions page.

Best Lines:  Small Business Saturday fosters mom-and-pop shopping (Jeff Ayers)

John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes

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John Lennon's Bermuda Tapes

The app I am sharing today is one of the best examples of why I believe the iPad is still the greatest tablet ever made.  Nowhere is the superior experience of the iPad more clear than in interactive album apps like John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes.  The app itself is gorgeous and it sheds light on the last productive period of John Lennon’s life.  The experience is immersive as the user learns about the key inspirations behind Lennon’s last album, Double Fantasy.

App highlights include:

• Intimate demo recordings from John and Yoko
• Audio explorations that reveal John’s songwriting process
• A new interactive storytelling experience where users take the helm of the Megan Jaye, visit locations on Bermuda special to John, and listen to John and Yoko as they write the music of Double Fantasy.
• Newly discovered photos of John aboard the Megan Jaye
• Interviews of John and Yoko
• John’s hand written lyric sheets

This type of app would not be possible on another platform.  While Angry Birds can pretty much be downloaded from anywhere, users will only find unique content like The Bermuda Tapes on the iPad.  If you want to learn about the app’s creation check out the link at the bottom of today’s post.  If you need added incentive to buy the app, all proceeds go to WhyHunger.org.  With 1 in 6 Americans food insecure, I could not think of a better way to give 5 dollars to a worthy cause.

Another cool download for the holidays is the interactive children’s book  A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  The app is a lot of fun and brings back plenty of childhood memories.  If you enjoyed last year’s standout, A Charlie Brown Christmas, you will love the Thanksgiving app because it brings an interactive touch to an already classic story.  In addition to these two great children apps, the iPad product line is now even more compelling because Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Garage Band, iMovie and iPhoto are all free to those who buy new Apple devices.  This is a huge win for the Black Friday crowd and the Christmas shopping public.  No matter how you look at it, no tablet on the market can compete with such a sweet deal and cool user experience.

Best Core: John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes – An interactive Album App by Design I/O

Nirvana in the Delivery Room

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This past week has been intense.  The birth of my first son has brought my wife and I so much joy.  There were many emotional decision points.  Luckily, I married one of the most resilient women God ever created.  From Saturday’s all night labor to Thursday’s triumphant homecoming, it has been a once in a lifetime experience.  I will never forget it.

With that said, I wanted to share an article I read during our extend hospital stay.  My brother linked Remembering Nirvana’s ‘Unplugged’ to me via text.  I am so thankful that he did.  It came at a time when our nerves were on edge.  In addition to calming those nerves, the article also connected me back to this blog and why I started it in the first place.

Nirvana’s unplugged performance took place on Nov. 18, 1993.  My son was born on the 17th, one day shy of the show’s 20th anniversary.  It may just be a coincidence but I think it’s a pretty cool one.  There is something about that performance that connects all my musical tastes together.  The show transformed Nirvana’s heavy sound and opened me up to other acoustic acts like Bob Dylan and Neil Young.  After unplugged, the soundtrack to my life became fuller, more rich.

This change was profound because one of the great bonds in life is music.  It is something that connects us all.  Some of my greatest life moments center around jamming at live shows flanked by my Dad and my brother.  From Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen concerts to homegrown music at our family reunions, I cannot think of two other men in this world I would rather have at my side.  For this reason, I hope to have the same musical connection with my son.  While there are no guarantees in life, surely having Nirvana in the delivery room was a good omen.

Best Lines:  Remembering Nirvana’s ‘Unplugged’: Cobain’s Battles Nearly Pulled Plug on Classic Appearance (Chris Willman)

Pearl Jam from side stage

Pearl Jam 10/30/2013 (Charlotte)

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I’ve wanted to share my impressions of the Pearl Jam concert I attended in Charlotte on 10/30 for some time now.  Fortunately, the birth of my baby boy delayed my efforts.  This life changing (and affirming) event has easily surpassed anything I have ever experienced.  It was the best concert I will ever attend and I had a front row seat!

With that said the other concert, Pearl Jam, was great.  I went with my friend Dave and we had a blast.  I even managed to sneak down to the floor and get some pretty amazing photos.  The band hadn’t played in Charlotte for 10 years and they definitely made up for lost time.  The show was phenomenal!  In many ways Nirvana and Pearl Jam are my generation’s Beatles and Rolling Stones.   Seeing them made me long for that fruitful period of Rock n’ roll that defined my youth.  I often wonder if a new set of bands will ever be allowed to define music the way the bands from that era did . . .

Best Lines:  Pearl Jam plays long, plays hard in Charlotte show (Théoden Janes)

Hello world!

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“I can’t see the end of me 
My whole expanse I cannot see 
I formulate infinity 
Stored deep inside me”

Curtis Kirkwood, Oh Me

Welcome to Formulate Infinity!  I have started this blog as an exercise in self-expression.   Since my youngest days I have been an active writer but after college  I lost my way.   Perhaps it’s the pending birth of my first child or the realization that Pearl Jam is now drinking age.  For whatever reason, I find the desire to write renewed.  Part of this yearning to write stems from the fact that many of my creative efforts center around work.  While these efforts have been very rewarding, I want to create a space that is less compromised and more personal.

For this reason,  Formulate Infinity is long overdue.   I will cover topics that encompass a variety of interests.   Blog entries will include observations on music, technology, writing, sports and, on occasion, politics.  I will also provide my own creative writing entries when time permits.

Formulate Infinity’s name stems from one of my favorite lyrics.  I first heard the phrase when I played Nirvana’s Unplugged album. The record revealed a previously unreleased track, “Oh Me.”  While the song was originally written and performed by the Meat Puppets, Kurt Cobain’s confessional delivery left me completely transfixed.  With Nirvana, this was nothing new. One of the great things about the band was that they always referenced the artists that inspired them.  In this instance it was the Meat Puppets.  In other instances it was Leonard Cohen, Sonic Youth or the Vaselines. Whether it be through their music or through interviews, the band always lead you to new discoveries.  To me, the very best blogs provide the same type of connections for their readers.

 Formulate infinity.  Stored deep inside of me.

I have always interpreted these lines as a call to do something lasting.  Something that comes from within.  Something that is true to your beliefs and values.  Something that will hold up to the test of time.  Hopefully my writing will reflect my core truth and will make a lasting impression on my readership.

In addition, a special thanks to John Gruber (Daring Fireball) and John Moltz (A Very Nice Website).  Their work inspired me to find my own space to fill.