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1. Northfork: Gorgeously weird, but it never... quite... came together for me. It might come together for you, though, so if you like movies that are beautiful and hover on the cusp of comprehension, give this one a try.

2. Outbound Trio: Caught a great set by this local band while eating Ethiopian food at Axum. I think the poster said they were in the tradition of Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans, and it's a good tradition to be in.

3. Tracker: The band I was in the neighboorhood to see, and another great set. Calexicoesque, although they must get tired of that comparison; surely they understand it's meant as a compliment.

4. Richard Buckner, Impasse: Every time I listen to this album I like it even more, but I still don't know what any of the songs are about. I just like the way he sings a line.

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I guess I should've mentioned this before the event, but, better late than never. Scott Andrew and Shannon Campbell are doing something cool for the Blogathon: They're writing a song (and arranging it, and recording it). They're, uh, about four hours in now, and so far they've got a chorus, a verse, and a song structure. RACE AGAINST TIME!!

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So here's the thing about The Truth About Charlie. I don't think it's a great movie--the plot is overstuffed, and the director's attempt to make all of the characters sympathetic is undernourished and confusing. But watching it makes me fall absolutely (if briefly) in love with Paris--cheaper and probably more effective than a plane ticket--so I'm fond of the movie.

Jonathan Demme's DVD commentary is good too. Within the first minute, he explains that a primary motivation for him was to shoot a movie in the city where many of his filmmaking heroes worked, and in fact the whole movie acts as a sort of tribute to the French New Wave. Demme points out many of the cameos and stylistic elements that most filmgoers would, like me, miss.

He says he was inspired by the notion that in the early 60s, Stanley Donen was filming Charade in Paris while at the same time, in the same city, Truffaut, Godard, and the rest of the Nouvelle Vague were developing their shoot-from-the-hip cinematic style. And indeed, Charade--provided on the flip side of the DVD--is quite a contrast. Charade, with the exception of a couple of outdoor locations, could easily have been filmed on Hollywood sets, with a handful of French actors flown in for local color. The newer film's Paris is multicultural, multilingual, crowded, and always in motion, and the excitement of the location pervades the whole movie. And, yeah, that's what I love.