Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Help Sponsor our Oyster-eating Team and Help The Gathering Place

This Sunday March 14th, myself and 3 friends are going to be competing in Jax Fish House's annual Oyster Eating Competition to benefit The Gathering Place here in Denver. Besides the obvious fun to be had slurping as many oysters as we can in 2 minutes, we're raising money for a great local organization who's mission statement and various facts and figures are below.

If you've spent any time at all around me then you know I like a good competition as much as anyone. There is only one thing I would like more than to eat the most oysters, and that's to raise the most money. I hope you will consider a donation in any amount to help sponsor our team. In return I promise to share photos, videos and stories (none of which involve 'refunding', hopefully) with you after the event. At the very least you can feel good about your donation as it truly helps people in our community. And of course, spectators are definitely welcome and encouraged!

It would be easiest for you to paypal me (joebeauprez at gmail dot com) and I will write one check to Jax. But if you prefer to send me a check, that's cool too. Make it payable to Jax Fish House and mail it to me at

303 S.Broadway
#200-306
Denver CO 802029

Thanks and wish us luck!

Joe

http://www.the-gatheringplace.org/

MISSION STATEMENT: The Gathering Place exists to support women and their children who are experiencing homelessness or poverty by providing a safe daytime refuge and resources for self-sufficiency.
The Gathering Place is Denver's only daytime drop-in center for women and children who are experiencing homelessness and poverty in Denver.
Our emergency support services provide immediate relief to women and children in distress. Women who are able to meet their immediate and urgent needs can then collect their inner resources and make positive life changes for themselves and their children
The Gathering Place provides programming and services to an average of 365 women and children every day
On November 30, 2009, The Gathering Place served 649 women and children in a single day making this our busiest day since opening in 1986
In 2009…
The Gathering Place recorded over 84,500 visits by women
The Gathering Place recorded over 9,000 visits by children
3,503 women visited The Gathering Place for the first time
The Gathering Place served 63,347 nutritious meals in our kitchen
The Gathering Place distributed 406,158 bus tokens which is equivalent to 53,020 bus trips or $101,539.50
The Gathering Place distributed 4,560 toiletry and hygiene bags
The Gathering Place distributed 1,766 Infant Supply bags
The Gathering Place distributed 4,419 Food Boxes
287 different students attended GED classes and 13 achieved their diplomas
3,345 different women received clothing at Bridget’s Boutique
Total volunteer hours equated to more than 10 full-time staff positions

Monday, December 22, 2008

And here it is....for your listening pleasure

click on this link right here and then download the zip file on that page. It should be a little down arrow on the right of the filename. email me if you have problems - PLEASE NOTE if you move the tracks into your itunes library after downloading, I recommend the following:

1) create a new playlist in itunes
2) move the files from the zip files into your playlist
3) the always-helpful DJ Bones tagged them so they should stay in the correct order, but do you and me both a favor - open the text file included in the zip file, to be sure before listening or burning. they're in the order they're in for a reason so please take a second to make sure they stay that way. trust me you'll enjoy it more if you listen to them this way, or at least I think you will so humor me. please. :)

A quick comment follows each song below, if you're interested. Overall it seemed like I was listening to a lot more rock this year, especially blues/country influenced, and more mellow/folky stuff too (although that's not really represented in this mix as much as the rock stuff). lots and lots of 80's influences this year too, with Prince showing up left right and center in other people's sounds. and hand claps - hand claps were EVERYWHERE this year. I honestly think I could have made an entire cd out of songs I liked that hand hand claps in them.


without further ado....

dj joey b
record party
december 2008

01. awesome color - come and dance
Great sound, these guys. like a garage rolling stones.

02. the black keys - strange times
the review of their 'rubber factory' cd on emusic starts "What hath the White Stripes wrought?" We saw them open for My Morning Jacket at red rocks this summer; great show. Song is ridiculously catchy.

03. people under the stairs - up yo spine (fishbucket pt.3)
Was listening to XM43 one random night this summer, and happened to catch these guys as guests on DOCs' underground hip hop show, and fell in love with their sound. 'Acid Raindrops' off their O.S.T album was actually what I remember hearing, and I like that album better overall than Fun DMC which this appears on, but this track is super catchy, like an indie hip hop version of a Will Smith joint or something.

04. vampire weekend - oxford comma
Anything to say about VW has been said 100x already so I won't really bother. Other than to say I wish this album had come out in the summer rather than January. I also like how somehow the profanity in the first line doesn't feel that profane when sung by Mass. preppies. Great tune. Points for rhyming Comma with Dharamshala.

05. dirty on purpose - audience in the room
Technically came out November 2007 but we'll let it slide. Shoegaze makes me happy. Been a big fan of these guys for a few years now and psyched to finally get one of their tracks on a mix. If you like their sound check out 'Kill our City." yummy.

06. the raveonettes - young and beautiful
I actually had 'Blush' from their Lust Lust Lust CD (one of the best CDs this year IMO) in this slot but then their 'Beauty Dies' EP came out and this track took its place. Probably because I'd listened to Lust x 3 about 100 times this year.

07. MGMT - time to pretend
This track OWNS. These guys were at the hi-dive one night this year, with YeaSayer opening, which was who I really wanted to see, for like 10 bucks, and I missed seeing them becuase I had an early flight to LA for work the next day. Now I'm laid off and I didn't see that show. The lesson here is, don't miss Yeasayer and MGMT for 10 dollars because you never know.

08. ra ra riot - can you tell
Love their sound; like Vampire Weekends slightly less clean cut friends. Maybe the Rolling Stones to VW's Beatles. Maybe I'm over thinking this. Great album.

09. the lonelyhearts - harlequin bands
One of a few tracks that made it on here at the last minute when I stumbled across a few albums on emusic that I fell in love with. The guitar in this track sounds like Eagle Eye Cherry's 'Save Tonight' with the guy from Tragically Hip singing over it (note: I later realized I meant to say They Might be Giants but I think Tragically Hip works here too), which should bug the hell out me but doesn't. This track gets stuck in my head for days.

10. sam champion - jealous shakes
Same as above; stumbled on it at the last minute. I like this album a lot. a rocker.

11. the knux - F!RE (put it in the air)
Holy out of nowhere; these guys came out of obscurity recently to start showing up on everyone's best albums of 2008 list. This is one of the more straightforward tracks on the album. Definitely recommend checking them out. hip hop rock electro dance stuff.

12. the hold steady - both crosses
Passed on these guys for years because I wasn't going to let myself like the 'springsteen' sound that these guys get press for. My mistake, these guys kick ass. I love everything about this song and Stay Positive (the album it appears on). I picked up like 2 more of their albums after hearing Stay Positive. If you like them then definitely check out The Gaslight Anthem's album too (The 59 sound)

13. fleet foxes - your protector
Another band out of nowhere this year and just blowing up; singer & songwriter is 22 years old with no formal music training. This album is required listening.

14. the fireman - dance 'til we're high
Paul McCartney side project - who knew? Not me. After the enormously disappointing 'Memory almost Full' last year I purposely ignored this for a while, to my own detriment. This album is freaking good; real freaking good. I had like 4 other tracks I was considering for this cd off of it. Check it out.

15. eagles of death metal - (i used to couldn't dance) tight pants
It's impossible not to like this band and this song. WHOO! CHECK IT! TIGHT PANTS - HUH!!!

16. kings of leon - crawl
Nice to see these guys exploding in the US finally after so many years, except it meant that they sold out the Fillmore and we couldn't get tickets to see them day of show. booooooooooooooooooooooooo. They bite Zep pretty hard on this track but that's OK because they do it so perfectly.

17. my morning jacket - i'm amazed
The show at red rocks this year was one of the 2 or 3 best shows I've seen in my life. They played for almost 3 full hours; this was one of many highlights. Good old fashioned beer-swillin yet contemplative southern rock n' roll.

18. frightened rabbit - the twist
Another album I had like 6 tracks picked out for and had a real hard time choosing. So much despondence and pain on this album but so hopeful and beautiful too. I also missed seeing these guys (with Oxford Collapse) at hi dive due to a flight the next morning to LA. gahhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhhhh

19. TV on the radio - halfway home
Dear Science is my #1 album this year by a MILE. This track is 5 minutes of absolute gorgeous madness. When the synths come in during the chorus.....It's almost exhausting to listen to. You've been warned.

20. white denim - you can't say
I like these guys a lot. Most of their stuff is a lot harder than this, but there's plenty of rock on this CD.

there should be something on here for everyone; the only person I expect to like everything is me. I hope it does the trick for you!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

I think it's done

Just as I thought, it went through several iterations before it got to this point. I thought it was done and then had to cut two tracks out to make it fit on an audio CD (sorry Ladyhawke and The Jealous Girlfriends....it happens).

I think this is the final list. I don't usually do a full commentary about each track but maybe this year will be different. Since I have time on my hands and all.


01. awesome color - come and dance
02. the black keys - strange times
03. people under the stairs - up yo spine (fishbucket pt.3)
04. vampire weekend - oxford comma
05. dirty on purpose - audience in the room
06. the raveonettes - young and beautiful
07. MGMT - time to pretend
08. ra ra riot - can you tell
09. the lonelyhearts - harlequin bands
10. sam champion - jealous shakes
11. the knux - F!RE (put it in the air)
12. the hold steady - both crosses
13. fleet foxes - your protector
14. eagles of death metal - (i used to couldn't dance) tight pants
15. kings of leon - crawl
16. the fireman - dance 'til we're high
17. my morning jacket - i'm amazed
18. frightened rabbit - the twist
19. TV on the radio - halfway home
20. white denim - you can't say

Thursday, December 11, 2008

2008 is almost over...

And that means it's time for another 'best of' compilation. Here's the working tracklist....It's already gone through one round of revisions and probably will see at least another before the end of the year.

01. awesome color - come and dance
02. santogold - L.E.S. artistes
03. the black keys - strange times
04. people under the stairs - up yo spine (fishbucket pt.3)
05. vampire weekend - oxford comma
06. TV on the radio - golden age
07. dirty on purpose - audience in the room
08. the raveonettes - blush
09. MGMT - time to pretend
10. adele - make you feel my love
11. ra ra riot - can you tell
12. the jealous girlfriends - i quit
13. eagles of death metal - (i used to couldn't dance) tight pants
14. the knux - F!RE (put it in the air)
15. the hold steady - both crosses
16. kings of leon - crawl
17. fleet foxes - your protector
18. okkervil river - lost coastlines
19. my morning jacket - i'm amazed
20. frightened rabbit - the twist
21. TV on the radio - halfway home

Friday, September 26, 2008

Hike near Pacific Peak, outside Breck

http://picasaweb.google.com/joebeauprez/PacificPeak26Sept2008#

I wasn't able to summit - the route proved trickier than anticipated and I ran out of time (and the weather turned sour) - but it was a great day for a hike! I even found an old mine that if I'd wanted to (and was dumb enough to do it) I could have explored. You could hear water dripping in it and everything.





Monday, September 8, 2008

Sunday 2-fer






Not content to just climb one 14er, Marty and I bagged 2 yesterday - Bierstadt and Evans. We thought we were pretty tough but the mountains taught us a badly needed lesson in humility. After 9 hours (7 of which spent above 13K feet; hello there oxygen deprivation) of hiking we were pretty beat to say the least. What a way to conclude the hiking season! My goal this year was to climb at least one 14er; I ended up doing 3, plus Hagues which is 13,500 and almost 20 miles round trip. I can't wait for next year!!!!

View all of my pics here


Sunday, August 31, 2008

Go buffs!

Buffs rule :)

Let's go buffaloes!

The intro to this years TV broadcast of the Rocky Mountain Showdown (AKA CU's annual a$$kicking of CSU) is being broadcast from the top of the Buffulance AKA our new tailgating vehicle. GO BUFFS!

Friday, August 29, 2008

Last night

It's hard to put into words what it was like in the stadium last night. the TV broadcast did a pretty good job showing the grandeur of the production - I've never seen so many spotlights in my life - but all the trappings were eclipsed by the sense of history being made. Seeing a black man standing on the podium accepting the nomination for president, and with a real chance at winning, made me believe maybe America CAN move past our human failings of the past and CAN continue to be a beacon of hope for the world and CAN solve any problem that is before us. Life can be pretty overwhelming and the thought of what lies ahead can be daunting but I love the message of dreaming big and finding a way - America is a place where anything is possible with hope, faith and hard work.


There were literally waves of energy rolling through the crowd all night. It was truly incredible.

btw what was with the music at the end of the speech?

what you heard on TV was what we heard in the stadium. it was really odd. way too over the top. It was like they had something picked out and hit the wrong track on the CD.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

wow....

What an amazing night. finally home after a couple drinks with Erin and Clara at the Cruise Room after the speech. I'll write more tomorrow when I've got my head together better.

Obama

Man this guy can talk. It was louder than a broncos game in here when he accepted the nomination.

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Best line of the night

Random guy from Indiana named Barney Smith talking about why he's voting Obama :

'I want a president who puts Barney Smith before Smith Barney'

Guy got a standing O. Hilarious. Crowd was chanting 'Barney! Barney!' And everything.


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The setup

Those of you watching on TV might be getting lots of cool facts about the setup here. We are not getting any of those but I will tell you its incredible. I can't imagine what went into putting this all together but I REALLY can't imagine how they'll get this all torn down in 48 hours for the CU game.


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Union guy

Pro union guy talking about unions. Not a fan of the whole union thing. This is when I'd go grab a beer, if of course they were selling beer. You'd think they could have made some good money to help pay for this gig.


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The weather

Just to reiterate about the weather - this is the only night this summer (the concert at red rocks was the other one) where there isn't a cloud in the sky. The temp is low 70s and there's a slight breeze. Nights like this get people to move to CO permanently. :)


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Sen. Biden

Big welcome for him. Camera bulbs starting to go off because its twilight - its really a perfect evening. The air is almost electric (sorry for the cliche but there's a lot of that going around. Its a convention after all :)


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Smooth music in the house!

Michael freaking McDonald...let's sail away on the smooth sounds of 'America the Beautiful'! Its no Ray Charles but it'll do. If he plays 'what a fool believes' I'll just die. :). Keep the fire Mike...

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Al gore

Some good one liners from the former VP and a massive standing O (as you might expect in this situation). I haven't heard him speak much before but he's talking pretty fast tonight. Slow down Al!