Community Swing

It's so great to see the community come together like they did this past weekend. I've been working with the Houghton Community Association for right about a year now and things are really coming together. We've held several successful events including a Picnic in Leonard Park, a Movie Night, a Musical Trick-or-Treat Booth and most recently a community Swing Dance Night. All have been well attended and I think we've gotten a good cross-section of ages and personalities. The swing dance was particularly fun. It was active, it was different, it was just what we needed. Sarah Keeler, owner and director of the Houghton Movement & Arts Center (now Genesee Dance Theatre) is great to work with and a real asset to this town. She was a huge help with the Swing Dance Night and is doing a wonderful job expanding the HMAC into a place for people of all ages. She is so community-minded. I love it. With the HMAC, HCA and The Valley Theatre I feel like things are actually changing for the better here in Houghton. There are things to do and the community is embracing what's happening. I see real potential for the future. Looking ahead, the HCA is working hard to get Leonard Park renovated so that it actually looks and feels like a town park, rather than someone's lawn. One of my personal goals is to get a community building in town where we have gatherings and theatre and things like that. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Music Review: Kisses on the Bottm (Paul McCartney Presents Tony Bennett's Dullest Album to Date)

As much as I love Paul McCartney (and that's a whole lot), I have been disappointed with his last several albums. 2008 saw the awkward and unMcCartneyish Electric Arguments, 2009 brought the redundant Good Evening New York City, 2011 was his classical ballet Ocean's Kingdom and just recently we got 2012's Kisses on the Bottom. Each of these albums had their good moments, but the fact remains we haven't had a real Paul McCartney album since 2007's brilliant Memory Almost Full.
Kisses on the Bottom was a letdown because after the long wait I was really excited about a new studio album. I knew it was, for the most part, a collection of standards, but I assumed they'd have a McCartney twist. They did not. It really felt like all of the slow tracks from a Tony Bennett album. Paul does a great job in this style, but the decision to keep the songs at a slow repetitive tempo is a little surprising. Even the songs that are traditionally quick were done slow and silky. It's good background music, but not a great album. His two originals were the standouts for me. "My Valentine" has a clever melody and fits in well the rest of the album. "Only our Hearts" is probably my favorite. It's interesting and has a great Stevie Wonder harmonica solo. I also enjoyed "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive," the only realy up-tempo track on. Still, I wouldn't rate this album very highly.

Hopefully Ringo 2012 will be more in line with what I'm looking for.

Update:  I've actually softened on this a little bet.  Yes, it's all slow and yes, I'd change things, but it's pleasant background music and the whole thing has grown on me.  10/24/13.

For more on Paul McCartney tune in to this special episode of my podcast!