Monthly Archives: June 2008

Neighbor To Neighbor

Soccer BoyIt’s official: my piece about the Bethlehem Soccer Club’s cool new eagle logo was a hit! Here’s what readers of the Times Union’s Bethlehem Blog had to say:

“As a Bethlehem resident and as a player in the Bethlehem soccer club for the last 15 years I find it absurd and troubling that you would point this out.”
“You are not too bright.”
“Here’s a little bit of advice for you, next time before you write you might wanna think a little bit.”
“Maybe you should spend less time criticizing others that are volunteering their time to help your child, and more time raising your child.”
“Do you have anything better to do with your time?”

I was also called ignorant. Twice. Anyway, as you can see from this picture, kids in Bethlehem -like this unidentified child- are wild about the new logo and have fully embraced its deeper meaning.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Keyboard Krumbs did not conceive, assist in the production, or solicit the creation of the accompanying photo.

Sound of the Sidewalk

“Wow…those foolish earthlings listen to awful music!”

That’s what I’m afraid people in other worlds will think if TV transmissions of “American Idol” ever reach them. I hope they don’t decide to wipe us out on grounds of poor taste, because based on the popularity of people like Taylor Hicks and David Cook, who could blame them?

Well, my alien friends, please be advised that Earth is not devoid of decent music. In fact it’s on every street corner, like on Friday at Troy Night Out. Zack and I stumbled across a quintet of musicians on a sidewalk near State and 2nd. The Restys were clearly having a good time out there, entertaining a crowd of twenty with a tasty blend of rootsy Americana. But the thing that really got me was the joy they brought to their performance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band having so much fun, and I’m sure it wasn’t just the beers they had hidden around the front stoop. These folks love making music. We walked off after they closed the set with “Wildwood Flower”, and Zack said, “That’s the kind of band I want to have.”

If some far off aliens are sitting in quiet judgment of the earth, maybe they’ll look beyond the middle of the road to the great music people are making on sidewalks like the one in Troy. See a little sideshow after the jump… Continue reading