It seems that ringing in the new year also merits some sort of relevant comments on life in the last year, or life in the coming year. I’ve never been very good at categorizing things by year (which is surprising, since I was a cataloger by profession for many years, and like to categorize things) but I will try to organize my thoughts in some fashion that is appropriate.
Now that we’re living right in Boston proper, Scot and I took small advantage of some First Night activities, something I haven’t done for over 15 years! Chris joined us at the Boston Public Library for the musical entertainment of Ziaf. This four-piece band performs the dramatic music of Edith Piaf, and does so with style and quite a bit of talent. Ziaf drummer, Tamara Gooding, is the girlfriend of Scot’s haridresser Elyse (star of Ryan Landry’s Exorsissy – see below) which is how we heard about the show. Ziaf is fronted by the Swiss-born Christine Zufferey who captures the powerful, throaty vibrato of Piaf with uncanny clarity. Zufferey’s dramatic pauses, knowing inflections, and impeccable accent combine to great effect, and she is backed by a talented trio of musicians in Gooding on drums, Catherine Capozzi on guitar, and Carol Namkoong on piano. This inventive quartet deftly takes fully orchestrated songs and breaks them down with style to a piano-guitar-drums cabaret/rock style that left us wanting more. They played to the packed 300-seat Rabb Theatre at the BPL. Bravo!
Following the show, Chris, Scot and I met up with Ron and Marlin for a late dinner at Caffe Umbra (Pictured from left, Marlin, Ron, Chris, Michael, Scot). It was terrific to see Ron and Marlin again. They’ve been so busy; we’ve only seen them once since the summer! We’ll have to give them a spanking! Caffe Umbra had a terrific selection of food for their special dinners that night, and we stayed there through the ringing in of the New Year. Conversation topics went on to trying to find a new way to capitalize on the gay porn market to the fact that the earth’s rotation has increased speed due to last week’s horrific earthquake. After dinner, Ron and Marlin, who were both flirting with and recovering from illness respectively, headed home while Chris returned to our place. We enjoyed some VH-1 and the wacky antics of the film THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. It was a fun night.
Now 2005 is here, and the world goes on. I’ve been thinking of my favorite films of 2004, but there are still a few from last year that I’m going to try to catch before making that list. The new music I listened to in 2004 was such a hodgepodge of music from so many years that I would have trouble singling out the stuff released last year. I don know one of the things I’l greatly looking forward to in 2005. The release of a new Kate Bush album! I know, I won’t hold my breath until I have it in my hands, and there’s a good chance, for a variety of reasons, that it will be a disappointment. Still, after listening to some of her older work while typing this blog, I was reminded what a musical genius she truly was and hopefully still is. I’m also very excited about the new album by Emm Gryner entitled “Songs of Love and Death,” which I should be getting in the mail in a couple of weeks. And while I’m not one for resolutions, I do have high hopes for really getting our apartment looking fabulous. I have all sorts of painting schemes in mind.
So Happy New Year everyone, and may 2005 be a good year for us all.