As much time as I spent at Via Colori this year, I have to write some kind of a recap. Yes, this will cover both days, and it will get a bit lengthy.

Saturday was the day I was officially scheduled to volunteer. We were instructed that we would be called or e-mailed Thursday night if the rain plan was activated. I didn't, so I assumed (correctly) that plan A, Sam Houston Park, was still in effect. The rain did push back the official start time, such that my original assignment was replaced with setup-type duties. Which, actually, worked out rather well. Turnout for Saturday was rather low due to the weather.

The bands still tried to play as best they could. I think it was a member of Spain Colored Orange that made a crack about being more worried about the equipment than being electrocuted (which I found rather amusing). By 4pm some of the artists who had stuck around were finally beginning work and it actually started looking a bit like a street painting festival. I wrapped up the needed duties at roughly 5:15pm (I had arrived early), hung around a bit, and then headed out. I paid only scant attention to the music (enough to know I either missed the Flying Fish Sailors completely or they never took the stage); I did catch some of Beetle on my way out. I did get to talk to a few people I know as well before I left, and that combined with the work we got done made it feel worthwhile.

Sunday was much better. I arrived at 12:06pm, a few minutes into Runaway Sun's set scheduled to begin at noon, which I am assuming started on time. It was the usual greatness, up until the last song of the set. "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." Indeed, these wise words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery were quite thoroughly validated by the impromptu addition of a tambourine part to the last number (Sweetheart) which quite honestly, I found to be an annoyance and unwanted. Hopefully, this mistake won't be repeated at future shows.

I spent most of the time that Grupo KaCha was playing taking pictures of the artists at work. This is not to say that the act was any less worthy, and there were several die-hard fans lined up in front of the stage. What I heard of the band was good and contributed well to the ambience.

Somewhere in here I caught a couple of Elaine Greer's songs on the smaller stage (the Whole Foods Market Cafe Stage).

I paid somewhat closer attention to Wild Moccasins, enough to say with confidence I could probably become a fan of theirs given enough time; at some point I will definitely go see one of their shows again.

The final act was Buxton who I remember vaguely from the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase about a month before I launched this blog. And yes, hindsight really is 20/20, because I wish I had this blog then so I could refer back to my recap now. The rather faint memories of excellence from the first show came back rather quickly. I didn't catch the entire set, but I did pay close attention to the beginning and the end.

After the conclusion of this set, I walked back around and snapped up a few final pictures of the street art before heading back home. I'd just dump the whole lot onto Flickr but I'd like to be selective. Hopefully with the holiday weekend I'll find more free time than usual.

Here's hoping Via Colori is even bigger and better in 2010. I'm already counting down the days.

I don’t bother posting a recap unless it’s of substance. However, just this once, I’m offering the one line summary for those who want it: holy cow, this was a great time! Of course there’s a lot more to it than that.

I’m quite unfamiliar with early cinema and was specifically unfamiliar with The Lost World; in fact, this was my first time seeing it. And I’ll be honest, seeing this true masterpiece of the silent movie era did give me pause for thought about the lost art of silent films. I’m not going to spoil the ending in case someone out there has not seen the film before, but I will say it is definitely a surprise worth staying until the end for.

As it happens, this was also my first time setting foot inside Warehouse Live. I was a regular guest at Lucky’s next door back when they had poker games on Tuesday nights (summer to fall 2008), but never seemed to make it to the various shows at Warehouse Live either during or after that time. Until now.

The screening was, if I remember correctly, the 1998 George Eastman House restoration, with a 100 minute running time according to the above-linked IMDb entry. It’s tinted in different colors for some scenes, an effect that makes otherwise bland black-and-white film much more interesting and absorbing. Not to say one could ever fairly call The Lost World bland.

To fill in the silence and add dramatic effect, Dengue Fever played a special set timed to the action of the movie. The absorbing and hypnotic melodies from this six-member Cambodian music powerhouse fit very well with the screenplay. In fact, the music alone was Dengue Fever at their best, judging by the standing ovation at the end. It was unfortunate that I was not in a position to buy the band’s albums on CD; I will definitely snap them up at a later date.

I’ll say it again, once more: holy cow, this was a great time!