Author: Jim Doran
-
Creativity Grant
I have been awarded a creativity grant by the Maryland State Arts Council! This is truly an honor, and much needed. I used the grant to create physical copies of my album entitled Found and Chosen, which I will be giving away at my upcoming show at the Hamilton Gallery in Baltimore. I finished all […]
-
NCR Half Marathon
Another first for this month – Beverly and I ran a half marathon! A few years ago, I never thought I’d find myself doing this. Thanks for Beverly’s training and guidance, we had a decent time.
-
Bay Bridge 10K
I did something today that, before last month, I never thought of doing. We ran the Maryland Bay Bridge 10K. I’ve driven over this bridge at least 100 times over the years – either visiting family or coming/going to college. I know people have walked the bridge during certain events, and I always thought it…
-
Tár
We went to see Tár this weekend. I really, really enjoyed this – and I’m going to say a few things about the film, and hope I don’t spoil anything. A post pandemic #MeToo tale with several twists, Cate Blanchett holds us captive as the composer/conductor Lydia Tár. I won’t discuss the plot, which you…
-
Edward Gorey’s Oven (S.Ex 16)
Here’s a little number I call “Edward Gorey’s Oven.” Enjoy! Sound Experiment no. 16.
-
Four on the Floor
Andy is a friend from work who also plays guitar. We were talking about a podcast where the host asks each guitarist guest a question: “What four pedals are on your board right now?” The idea, I think, is to find out what four effects pedals are most important to their sound. Andy has sent…
-
Twitter, The Watcher, and the change you want to see
Please be advised, dear reader – I’m going to share my thoughts on the show made by Netflix called The Watcher below, and there is a potential spoiler. Don’t worry – that is several paragraphs away from here, and I’ve marked it with a subheading. If we’ve ever talked for any length about social media,…
-
Fender vs. Ibanez, a tale of customer service
I’m a fan of affordable equipment. I’m also a fan of quality and I want to share with you a story about customer service. A few years back, I bought a Fender Mustang GT40 desktop amplifier after watching Nick Reinhart demo the thing on the Fender YouTube channel. It’s got some really cool amp +…
-
I made sandals
There comes a time in everyone’s life when they arrive at a fork in their road. They are faced with a choice. For some of us, we decided long ago what our answer would be. Some of us have no choice. For some of us, the fork is still in the drawer, hanging out with…
-
Sweaty Eyeballs 2022
The Lunatics entered the greater world at the 2022 edition of the Sweaty Eyeballs festival here in Baltimore. Always a big inspiration, this year’s festival did not disappoint! The Baltimore showcase was sold out, too. Here on some pics from the night.
-
One Day Sale
The Murder By Hand Society’s advertisement in your local circular. One Day Sale! And this one is in the shop…. on sale!
-
The Edward Gorey House
I love Edward Gorey. I’ve talked about him before today. I’m happy to report that we made the pilgrimage to his house, The Edward Gorey Museum. It was a thrill to stand in his former home, to marvel at his many drawings and works on view. We spent several hours there, and we even ate…
-
The Lunatics
Hey folks! I just finished an animation called “The Lunatics.” I made a 13 minutes video showing how I made it, which can be viewed on Patreon. I hope you will consider joining me there! I started this video in earnest on August 6 and finished on September 24. I completed over 100 takes in…
-
SPX + OLD 97’s
On Sunday, Lily and I made our annual trek to Bethesda for the Small Press Expo. The last one to be held in person was in 2019, for obvious reasons, and it was thrilling to attend in person once again. Most of my favorite publishers were in their usual spots, and we both picked up…