The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Jack and I are pulling together an information website for attendees at http://www.songfight.org/sfhd/

We will be adding additional pages as the event draws closer, so check there for easy access to the latest information.

Once your travel arrangements have made, please help us out by registering at http://www.songfight.org/sfhd/register.html

SPUD

That's gonna be a great show. I'd like to be established enough to have participated, which must make many people cringe, or at least attend which is a very remote possibilty. Great art work, by the way-I actually recognized most of the folks depicted even from my short time here on Songfight! Good luck, and have fun, to all!

File under so what: I may be wrong, but I think that one of my 3 favorite bands of all time, Camper Van Beethoven, originally hail from Santa Cruz. Although that may have been just their record label's name.

Paco Del Stinko wrote:
File under so what: I may be wrong, but I think that one of my 3 favorite bands of all time, Camper Van Beethoven, originally hail from Santa Cruz. Although that may have been just their record label's name.

you are correct sir! in fact, the reference i made to the boardwalk and the giant dipper (on the info page) refers to a song called "big dipper" by cracker, fronted by david lowery, formerly of camper van beethoven.

CVB just did a local gig about 2 months ago. they still get together once in a while for old times sake and play a random show now and then, but yeah i love those guys. pictures of matchstick men was one of those songs that made me want to learn guitar.

Dan Hicks is cool, too.

Thanks for posting that list, Jack.

An artist page has been posted at http://www.songfight.org/sfhd/artists.html

If you have any additions or corrections, email them to songnews@songfight.org, with the subject line "High and Dry".

SPUD

I just found this thread, and while I really want to be there, it ain't gonna happen. Not enough vacation time, and with the wife and kids -- it ain't gonna happen. After all the fun at SpudFest I really want to jam (sans 'equipment failure'), but here's to Spud, Rabid, 'tross and everyone else having a good time!

Would you please add the dates for SFLHD to the front page new blurb about it, for those too lazy/ignorant/etc. to click through to the link? I think that would be useful info to present up front, perhaps...

We should get all those in the poster to pose in the same order for a photo. It could be kinda cool.

Bjam's photo idea - that's great. That must be posted if done. Sweet.

OK - things are moving along. A few questions:

1) How does one get from San Jose Airport to Santa Cruz? It looks like its taxi distance - or is there an easier/cheaper way? (...and is it true that it is inappropriate over there to sit in the front seat of a taxi with the driver?)

2) How do you book accom in the USA? I normally use http://www.wotif.com - but it doesn't have listings for Santa Cruz. Do you have a similar cheap, last-minute hotel booking website?

3) Are there any plans for Sunday? I'm looking at hitting the frog late Sunday night. I'd hate to miss anything.

4) How does one amuse oneself at LAX for 5 hours on a Thursday afternoon? EDIT - found different flight - answer not required

Caravan Ray wrote:OK - things are moving along. A few questions:

1) How does one get from San Jose Airport to Santa Cruz? It looks like its taxi distance - or is there an easier/cheaper way? (...and is it true that it is inappropriate over there to sit in the front seat of a taxi with the driver?)

2) How do you book accom in the USA? I normally use http://www.wotif.com - but it doesn't have listings for Santa Cruz. Do you have a similar cheap, last-minute hotel booking website?

3) Are there any plans for Sunday? I'm looking at hitting the frog late Sunday night. I'd hate to miss anything.

4) How does one amuse oneself at LAX for 5 hours on a Thursday afternoon?

1. san jose airport to santa cruz is about 40 minutes drive time. there are shuttles, which run about $30. there are buses too, but i don't want you to have to take a bus. if nothing else i can come pick you up.

2. try orbitz or expedia or travelocity.

3. there is a polynesian festival in santa cruz sunday with boat races among other things.

4. no clue

Caravan Ray wrote: (...and is it true that it is inappropriate over there to sit in the front seat of a taxi with the driver?)

Really? Huh. We've gone to NYC as a family and my mum, my brother, and I have gone in the back seats, while my dad sits in the front. I guess it depends on the driver.

Caravan Ray wrote: 2) How do you book accom in the USA? I normally use http://www.wotif.com - but it doesn't have listings for Santa Cruz. Do you have a similar cheap, last-minute hotel booking website?

There's a bunch of sites. travelocity.com, orbitz.com, hotels.com... You might want to see where other people are staying, then you can maybe try and find somewhere with other people. Or wait till Jack comes and tells you which 'cheap' hotels are closer. I dunno if you'd want to get in for the cabin thing with dre if you've got your family with you.

Caravan Ray wrote:3) Are there any plans for Sunday? I'm looking at hitting the frog late Sunday night. I'd hate to miss anything.

I hope so, as we'll be around as well(at least till the night when we go back to San Fran) I don't think there's anything organized yet though. Someone will figure something out.

Someone else will probably answer these better later EDIT: See, just as I post, I look up and Jack has answered all.

Bjam wrote: Really? Huh. We've gone to NYC as a family and my mum, my brother, and I have gone in the back seats, while my dad sits in the front. I guess it depends on the driver.

Heh! I just read somewhere today that Australians are the only people to sit in the front seat of taxis - I didn't really think it was true!

Bjam wrote:I dunno if you'd want to get in for the cabin thing with dre if you've got your family with you

As it turns out - the family holiday in California is a no go. My wife got a new job and has to start in July - so we are going on our family holiday before then (somewhere closer - tossing up between Bali, Uluru, Fiji, Kakadu or NZ at the moment).

I will be cashing in some Qantas Frequent Flyer points and grabbing a free flight over for a few days - so it will be Caravan Ray heading stateside solo - (...hello ladies )

Hope to book my ticket early next week - (I have to wait a few days for all my Frequent Flyer points to gather in the one spot)

The cabin thing sounds cool - but it looks like it's a long way out of town. I'm more a cheap flea-ridden-dive-in-the-city-type guy.

Anyway - Thanks Jack and Bjam - I'm sure to be back with more questions

Caravan Ray wrote:Heh! I just read somewhere today that Australians are the only people to sit in the front seat of taxis - I didn't really think it was true!

I often ask to sit up front (not like it's really an option for a cabby to say "no"). I like to talk with cabbies to learn the real scoop on the place (and late at night I like making sure they stay awake!), and the view is better. Also, the seat belts are more likely to work. But I admit I'm not normal in this regard.

NYC cabbies come in all varieties (mostly Pakistanis and Indians, though some Columbians and Paruvians, etc.), so its cool to learn about their perspective on our culture. Wash DC cabbies are typically West Africans, and always listen to NPR so they're much more knowledgable about politics than the natives. Mexico City cabbies rarely speak english, so they just chuckle at my poor Spanish and blast ahead. I bet Santa Cruz cabbies can tell you where the good waves are (or mis-inform you to keep out the rif-raf).

Here it's considered fairly rude to sit in the back. Especially a single man getting into the back of a cab. It's an egalitarian thing - like you are treating the cabbie as a servant or something. You should always sit in the front.

And we also never tip - again, it's a reaction against the servant/master thing. It's considerd insulting, or patronising to tip someone.

I gather I'll have to learn to do the tipping thing in the USA though

In the US the front seat is considered personal space; you sit in front if it's a friend driving you, but in back if it's a cabbie. If the back seat is full (like with Bjam's family) then typically the person in charge of the trip sits in front.

Roymond's the first person I've heard of who actually sits in front habitually. (Usually it's a one-time faux pas committed by someone new to New York.)

When I lived in NYC I think I took a taxi all of three times - once when I had to move my crap from the hotel to my apartment, once during the events described in "Gin Or Ginseng," and once when I went to the airport to get the heck out of there for good.

fluffy wrote:once during the events described in "Gin Or Ginseng"

I may be missing something here, but do you realize how utterly accessible this is?

Caravan Ray wrote:Here it's considered fairly rude to sit in the back. Especially a single man getting into the back of a cab. It's an egalitarian thing - like you are treating the cabbie as a servant or something. You should always sit in the front.

And we also never tip - again, it's a reaction against the servant/master thing. It's considerd insulting, or patronising to tip someone.

I gather I'll have to learn to do the tipping thing in the USA though

I think here it's a matter of control. If you sit in the back, you are in the cabbie's domain, and he is in control of you. If you sit in front, it's a little like you're trying to usurp command of the vehicle.

As for tipping, people who receive tips here usually get paid on the assumption that they'll receive tips. Like commission. So waitstaff at restaurants get a very small hourly wage in anticipation of the tips they'll earn. To some extent, it puts your earning potential in your own hands. Like that episode of Taxi where Jim is the best cabbie in the history of New York for like a month, in order to earn enough to buy this enormous rack of televisions. He has a thermos of coffee in the back for his patrons and everything. The rest of the gang is quite nonplussed by his transformation from a slovenly, semi-sane freakazoid into UberCabbie. Louie is, of course, delighted.

jb wrote:Like that episode of Taxi where Jim is the best cabbie in the history of New York for like a month, in order to earn enough to buy this enormous rack of televisions. He has a thermos of coffee in the back for his patrons and everything. The rest of the gang is quite nonplussed by his transformation from a slovenly, semi-sane freakazoid into UberCabbie. Louie is, of course, delighted.

Jim rocked anyway, but coffee made him a star. Now he's a voice on Cyber Chase and I try to explain to my kids who Christopher Lloyd is and they're all like "quite! I can't heeeeear...". One day they will appreciate Track 29 for the brilliant cinema it is.

oops, even farther off topic...

Caravan Ray wrote:As it turns out - the family holiday in California is a no go....

BUMMER I was so looking forward to meeting the whole family and for you, the misus, Glenn and Rachel doing a full on Live reprise of 'Stilts'...That would be some awesome stuff!

Don't worry we will all look after you and make sure you are in good hands Once you know your flights let me know as we are also doing a 4 day (Thu-Mon) dive in and out again through SFO. If the fates allow we may be available for taxi services back and forth to Santa Cruz.

roymond wrote:

fluffy wrote:once during the events described in "Gin Or Ginseng"

I may be missing something here, but do you realize how utterly accessible this is?

Completely. I refuse to eschew obfuscation.