Water conservation needs to be taken seriously

Good read in today's Wall Street Journal (here's a FREE version of story good for seven days) that highlights the seriousness of water shortages in the West. The story examines a Colorado housing development that is attempting to gain approval by ensuring regulators it will require homeowners to live within pre-determined "water budgets" that are at least half that in surrounding developments.

We as a society continue to build and build and build larger and larger homes, but with droughts magnifying existing water shortages, we simply have to get smarter about what a "dream home" of the future looks like. That will require sacrifices on what's really important in our quality of life

Water- and energy-efficient appliances are great, but we've got to tackle the issue of whether we really need large yards covered with immaculate gree grass and water-intensive landscaping. This story points out that in the West, up to 70 percent of a household's water consumption goes to "outdoor irrigation" vs. the U.S. average of 32 percent.If you go back East, many homes are filled with natural grass and dandilions. Pools remain a luxury in many places.

I can understand why skeptics question whether the developer in this Colorado case is serious about requiring homeowners to live within water budgets (the issue came up recently in our own backyard with the heated discussion over Tejon Mountain Village, which was approved despite concerns about water-supply projections). But at least it's a first step toward recognizing that we have a serious problem on our hands.

We may actually be at a tipping point in California when it comes to the expectation finely manicured lawns without a hint of brown or weeds are a right, not a privilege.  Trust me, it's not going to be too long before we have major restrictions on home water use in California followed by a big push toward xeroscapes (drought-tolerant gardens). It's already starting to take root in cities on the coast, like Santa Barbara, that seem to be mired in ongoing droughtlike conditions.

The Shazam kicks

I've been so busy that I've let slide listening to a bunch of tunes from The Shazam that I bought way back in August.

Back in July, Bruce Brodeen at Not Lame Records (if you love music, follow his Tweets) tossed together a nice $22 deal: the new Shazam CD "Meteor" + a "Best of The Shazam" CD-R + "Here's To All The Misfits ...,"
an EP of unreleased rarities. Even in these days of cut-price music, that's a great deal.

I got right on the new disc, "Meteor," which is something of a comeback after six years off. It's excellent power pop that can stand on its own. But it's the two discs that Bruce threw in to good customers that are primo. Sadly, it's taken me two months to really immerse myself it these songs. The best-of is just that -- top to bottom excellence. The EP gives you a glimpse at the influences behind their sound (stuff like The Move and The Who").

If you're a fan of bands like Cheap Trick, Badfinger and Material Issue, you'll love The Shazam. This is music that sounds great loud, particularly in a car racing down the highway with the windows down.

You can sample the sounds at the band's MySpace page or buy them directly from the band's site or from NotLame (unfortunately the bonus discs were only for those who pre-ordered). The good thing about ordering from NotLame is that you never know when Bruce is going to toss something extra in your order just for the hell of it (he once sent me a CD-R of obscure Swedish power pop that's amazingly good). That serendipity is why NotLame has been able to build a business around power pop, a pretty narrow musical niche.

"American Routes" finally gets website overhaul

"American Routes" is a fantastic weekly public radio program that is something of an audio history of American music. For two hours each week, the show serves up styles ranging from "blues and jazz, gospel and soul, old-time country and rockabilly, Cajun and zydeco, Tejano and Latin, roots rock and pop, avant-garde and classical."

That mix is indeed wild mashup of American roots, and host Nick Spitzer comes up with themes each week that tie the music and interviews together. Check out the playlist from this week's show for a sample.

I've been listening to "American Routes" via XM Public Radio, downloading it onto my Inno every Saturday night and listening it to it throughout the week. But if I missed a show, I was out of luck because the show had no online streaming or archives.

Now, however, Americna Public Media has launched a long-overdue overhaul of the "American Routes" website, and the results are pretty impressive. A 10-year archive allows you to listen to every show, view each playlist or search by artist.

The one big downside remains an inability to download shows, as you can do with National Public Radio programs. But it's great to know that I can dig through a deep history of fantastic roots music and discover new songs and artists.