Things To Do In San Diego: March 31, 2008

Monday, March 31, 2008:

• Padres Opening Day: Mighty 1090 Opening Day Party feat. The Drowning Men (5pm), Stripes & Lines (3:30)@ Petco Park Parking Lot (free, open to the public)
• Anti-Monday League presents Musee Mecanique, Diana Death, The Wrong Trousers @ Casbah
• Lisa The Lush, Vanishing Kids, Under the Influence of Us @ Chasers
• The Smart Brothers, Devon Sproule & Natalie D Napoleon @ Beauty Bar
• New Model Army, Vale, The Downs Family @ Brick By Brick
• Citizen Cope @ House of Blues
• Electric Waste Band @ Winston's
• Mitch Budd @ 710 Beach Club
• Lady Dottie & the Diamonds @ Tower Bar
• Nathan James & Ben Hernandez @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge

Too Many Plans, Too Little Time: the rest of my weekend

I completely overbooked my weekend, so much so that when it came to it, I ended up at only two of the seven or so things I'd planned. After getting sick, I realized I had to listen to my body and needed to take it easy.

Friday night, I had miscommunicated with a friend and we ended up missing Tokyo Police Club at Soma, but when Abraham called, he and Dan swung by and picked me up to go to the Beauty Bar. Since Sarah has been there, there are some noticeable changes to the bar. I liked it when Erika was the manager there, but even then, I sometimes felt like a fish out of water; I would go for the bands and when they'd finish, I'd leave to someplace where I felt a little more comfortable in a hoodie and jeans. Some of the staff has changed, the booking is a little different, and there's less a focus on pleasing the hipsters, and I think a different crowd is feeling more comfortable there than before.

Swim Party was awesome as ever, but I was absolutely blown away by Pattern is Movement. Two guys, one on drums and one on keys, just killing it. They did a Radiohead cover that was amazing and they were really nice guys to boot. I highly recommend checking out their MySpace page here.

After the show, Dan dropped Abraham and I off at the Ken Club and we had a couple unnecessary shots and when the bar closed, Abraham crashed out while I caught up on my week's worth of In Treatment.

In the morning my dog was going nuts and I let her out and she had "e.d." (explosive diarrhea) so I set up my lawn chair to stay outside with her and fell asleep in the sun for a couple hours. By noon, it was hot and we decided to get lunch. We headed for El Comal in Grant Hill, but it appears to have changed owners and is now called "Caffe de Pepe" or something. We still ate there, and our food was pretty damn good, though I miss El Comal's salsa trio and their chilaquiles were to die for. Dan came and met us, as did my sister and Johanna, so it was a fun time to chill out.

After lunch, I really wanted to check out the show at Planet Rooth, but I was kinda tired, so I napped instead, and ended up missing a house crawl that I should've been at as well. I did some evening grocery shopping and when Abraham and Daniel showed up again, we walked to the Ken. I was really mellow, and didn't go into the band room until Red Feathers played. I guess I was pacing myself since I kinda knew there was gonna be an after party, and there was. A bunch of us went back to my house, listened to music, watched some shit on YouTube and chilled out for a while until everyone bailed in the wee hours of the morning.

That lead to Sunday, where it was a lazy day and I spent most of it with my family for a BBQ. We watched Enchanted, which I actually thought was a pretty funny spoof of all the Disney princess movies until it turned into one in the end. And of course, I spent some Q.T. with my niece. Petro commented that I haven't posted a picture of her in a couple weeks, so this one is for him.



Anyway, by the time I got home from my parents' house, it was almost 9 and I realized I'd not posted about any of last week's shows, so I decided not to go to the Casbah. I do plan on being there tomorrow for Musee Mechanique and if you haven't heard them, check them out here or here. Hopefully someone will be kind enough to get me a copy of Staring At The Sun. I'm looking forward to the week ahead, but it's finally time for me to get some sleep. I'll try to get some listings up in the morning. night-night.

Archways & Blackout Party, Casbah, 3.27.08

After a busy week, I kinda had to force myself to the Casbah on Thursday because I did really want to see the show. I got there later than I'd wanted, but in time for Blackout Party. They were great as always, and Jake was an animal on drums, completely destroying his snare which required him to borrow one from the Archways. I decided not to take pictures of them, however, because their usually chicks were out in full force...I counted over 9 people, all up front, all taking pictures. As for the performance, I have to say I like the slower, heavier country songs than the full on rockers, but the set was a good mix of the two.

After Blackout Party, it seemed the room cleared out a bit, but I was glad to see Archways again. I really like this band, whether Chris is up front playing guitar or keys, or just singing and dancing around the stage sans instrument, they mix up their set well and have great stage swagger.



A friend of mine said he asked the band what they sounded like before their set and the answer: "Radiohead." I don't know if that was a joke, or if someone in the band really said that, but either way, Archways are not like Radiohead, but doesn't mean they're not good and I was still really into their performance.



After the show I hung out in the patio pretty much up until Ben kicked us all out. I was glad I'd motivated because I would've been bummed had I missed the show and hanging with friends.

Pennywise @ Casbah, 3.26.08

I already kinda posted about the Pennywise show here. I kinda went on a whim. I'm not gonna argue about "popular music" here, I'll just say I kinda like when bands that usually play large venues decide to play small venues...like Filter, or many years ago when Blink 182 had just become huge and came back for a Casbah show, or when I saw Zack de la Rocha perform in Inside Out at the Che after Rage was everywhere.

I don't really even need to say that of course The Casbah was full of bros, but it didn't matter- to be honest I felt more in my element there than I did at Anthology hands down. I missed the opening band, but when people began chanting for the band, they came out pretty quickly. I made my way up around to the side of the stage and found Mr. Pyles so I joined him.



The show was really fun; I hadn't seen Pennywise in years, probably since high school, but I used to be into all that skate video stuff, the skate culture, and the music that went along with it, and Pennywise fits squarely in that world.



I have to say I was a bit disappointed by some of the chatter between songs. Jim asked the crowd if they're voting. "How many of you support McCain? Anyone for Hillary? How many are for Obama? Anyone for Ron Paul?" and he continued. There was some scattered cheering for all of them. Then he goes, "Ah, fuck em all. Democrats, Republicans...they're all the same." While some people get angry when musicians or actors make political statements, for me, I when people in an influential position openly speak their mind. However, when someone does open their mouth and they say something like that---well, maybe really they should just s.t.f.u. It's okay to play music for 15 year old testosterone filled boys, but let's face it, P-wise aren't exactly young bucks, and in my opinion they'd do better to evolve, even if just a little.



Politics aside, as I said, the show was kinda fun. There was good, raw energy in the room and I had my share of flashbacks. After spotting a couple guys without shirts on in the smoking patio, I joked with Tim Mays that he might have to post "shirts required" signs around the Casbah. The set was good, they played straight through a little over an hour and there was no encore. "That's so punkrock," I heard someone say. Maybe so.

After the show I swung by the Ken Club to see if I could catch the show, but the Ex-Friends were packing up their stuff and heading out. I guess I was a little hyper, so I stayed for a bit, then finally called it a night.

Steve Poltz & Truckee Brothers, Casbah, 3.25.08

Tuesday night I was on the fence about going out, but it was a good day, I was back to full energy and any residual sickness was gone. I came home and cleaned, did some laundry, and by the time I was done and realized how many bad shows are on tv at the moment, and feeling accomplished for having finished my whole week's worth of listings, I went down to the Casbah. I got there as the Truckee Brothers played their last two songs.

It's been a while since I've Steve playing his own music; last time was for the CLA show, and I have to say it felt a little foreign to me. It's no secret Steve was quite the man-whore around town and I was one of the many who had a crush for quite some time. My crush has long since passed, and there's something kinda nostalgic about that, but the music just doesn't hit that spot for me like it did back then which is a little bit sad. Looking around the room, I'd have to say I was alone. There were lots of girls in the room and they all still seemed to have the googly eyes for the man onstage.



That's not to say it wasn't a great set. Early on, Steve called AJ Croce onstage to play with him, and he played a lot of new stuff, old stuff, and some Rugburns stuff. It took a while to get into the mood of the music because the crowd was pushed back from the stage, but finally Steve told everyone to move up and it chilled the room out a bit, and Steve felt more in his element.





There wasn't any craziness- no wild stage antics, no rolling on the floor, no nudity, and no crowd surfing, but it was a good refresher course in Poltz 101.

Jose Gonzalez & Mia Doi Todd 3.24.08

I haven't really had the opportunity to sit and write over the past week, and to be completely honest, I kinda lost my desire to write even when the opportunity presented itself. It's nothing permanent, just a little bored of myself, if that makes sense. But I did get to see some fantastic shows last week, so the least I can do is post about them.

Monday I was still coming off of being sick over the weekend, and I wish I'd called in sick to work because my day didn't really get better. By the end of the day, I was wiped out, but I had Jose Gonzalez to look forward to. I decided to invite Daye as my plus one, mostly because he always puts me in a good place and he can also tolerate my grumpy days with a smile and a reality check.

The listing for the show said 6:30, but when we got there they had pushed it back about an hour, so we chilled outside till doors opened. I had a "photo pass" but there was no actual pass, or security, for that matter, so we were lucky we were still able to find some seats up front. We realized however, that the seats were probably left open because the lighting was really bright and pointed directly in our faces. We decided to endure anyway, though I was worried I wouldn't be able to work out photos with my camera. I'd never been to the Women's Club, but the stage reminded me a lot of my elementary school auditorium, complete with plastic folding chairs. When we arrived there weren't too many people outside, so I guess the late start was a good thing because the room eventually filled up, so much so that people were bringing in some of the patio furniture from the outside to provide more space.



Fortunately, when Mia Doi Todd came out her chair was directly between us and the light, so it actually resulted in some okay photos considering how big the stage was and how far they were, even from us in the front row.



I didn't know anything about Mia other than a friend telling me just before the show that she sounded like Joni Mitchell. A lot of singers get the Joni Mitchell comparison, but this was the most dead on deserving "sounds like", which at times is a pure compliment, but as Joni Mitchell is for me, sometimes drones on for a little too long. All in all, however, I thought she gave a great performance. Although, she had a song that she said was called "Esperar es caro" and said that meant "To wait is to care." Unless I misunderstood her pronunciation of the title, I believe that actually means "To wait is expensive" which changes the whole meaning.





There was a brief intermission while the stage was rearranged, so I introduced myself to a couple people up front and center, and said I'd be taking a couple pics for the first few songs and they were cool and said I wouldn't be in the way. I thought I'd be a little less familiar with Jose's material, but I forgot how much I listened to Veneer and In Our Nature in the past.



Jose's stage demeanor, like his music, is quiet, unassuming, very steady. He opened by explaining, "My parents are from Argentina. I am from Sweden. And now I'm in San Diego." He played a long beauiful set, at times alone, and at times backed by a percussionist and apparently his girlfriend. She was really the only unnecessary part of the set, sometimes clinking a cowbell, sometimes adding in hand claps, and sometimes with inaudible backing vocals. I'll come back to that. The other percussionist was awesome, by the way. He played bongos and sang some as well, but Daye and I really loved the way he stomped on an empty guitar case for a bass drum sound.



He covered some new material, but my standout moments were "Hearbeats", "Lovestain", and "Cycling Trivialities". He played a long set, I counted somewhere around 16 songs, though I didn't keep an official setlist. For the encore, his girlfriend came back out and tried playing an instrument...a melodica?...not sure what it's called, but basically she didn't know how to play it, he had to slow down the song he was playing for her to get the part, and the audience clapped and laughed like it was the cutest thing. Daye and I were annoyed. Keep your girlfriend off the stage if she can't perform. Seriously. But for one small complaint, the show was awesome. For the last song, everyone came out, including Mia and her percussionist and sealed a nearly flawless night.



My mood had certainly changed, too, which for me, reiterated the transformative power of music and the escapism it can provide. The show ended a little after 10, and Daye and I were starving. We drove around checking to see if Mandarin House was open, then Dao Son, then drove by a couple other places, finally trying Brian's, but even they were closing up, so we drove up to Studio Diner. I can't believe it wasn't the first place to come to mind because it kicks ass. We shared the mac n cheese, Daye had a club and I had the sliders. It was a great night of music capped off with a great cheap dinner with a great friend.

Things To Do In San Diego: MArch 29-30, 2008

Saturday, March 29, 2008:

• The Sess, Swim Party, Tropical Depression, The Gift Machine, Hialeah and River City @ Planet Rooth (2pm, FREE)
• Red Feathers, The Growlers, The Swedish Models @ Ken Club
• Hostile Combover, Hialeah, Modern Rifles, Sus Hijos @ Casbah
• Casbah presents The Black Keys, Jay Reatard @ House of Blues
• No Kontrol Dance Party feat Mika Miko, Kill Me Tomorrow @ Whistle Stop
• 1993 @ Beauty Bar
• A Pack of Wolves, Grey Matter @ Chasers
• Indie Music Fest @ North Park
• Joseph Scott @ U-31
• The Viewmasters, Tony The Tyger @ Tower Bar
• The Avett Brothers, Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Belly Up
• Black Square(Hawaii), Deadites Revenge, Back Alley Hooligans @ Zombie Lounge
• Luciano @ Worldbeat Center
• Brittlebee Show @ Epicentre
• Carlos Olmeda, Cotton Fever @ Lestat's
• Rockola's Large Band @ Anthology (early show, 7:30 pm, late show, 9:30 pm)
• On The One @ Winston's
• B-Side Players, Israel Maldonado Band & DJ Unite @ Cane's
• The Loved Ones, Flatliners, Cobraskulls,12cent @ Soma
• Someday Assassin, A Scirbe Amidst The Lions, Ded Pigeons @ O'Connell's
• Emergenza Battle of the Bands @ Brick By Brick
• Stranger, 56 Hope @ 710 Beach Club
• Savoy Brown feat Kim Simmonds @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (late show, 9:30 p)

Sunday, March 30, 2008:

• North Park Craft Mafia Spring Lineup feat. music by The Downstroke, Castillo, plus DJs, crafts, a fashion show and more @ Silver Gate Masonic Hall (Noon-6p, 3795 Utah, North Park)
• The Local 94/9 Presents: A Free Show for Staring at the Sun VI - a CD release show - a free copy to all! The Modlins, Anna Troy Band, Echo Revolution, Secret Apollo and in the Atari Lounge Action Andy & The Haunted Honky Tonkers * doors at 7pm @ Casbah
• Life or Death, Retaliate Built to Last, SBV and Cold Stare @ Che Cafe
• Sara Petite (CD Release), The Slidewinders and Siobhan O'Brien @ Belly Up (4 pm)
• Sycuan Presents Lost 80s Live featuring, A Flock of Seagulls, When in Rome, Dramarama, Real Life and Gene Loves Jezebel @ House of Blues
• Vagrance, Hit The Switch(LA), London Falling @ Zombie Lounge
• The Jazz Ensemble @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
• The Robin Henkel Band @ Lestat's
• The Mississippi Mudsharks @ Winston's (5-8p)
• Jose Sinatra's OB-o-Ke @ Winston's
• Idasas, Dayzero, Unstable @ Brick By Brick
• Jerome Dawson @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge 10a-2p
• Jose Molina @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge 8p
• Ignacio Berroa @ Anthology (7:30 pm)

A Political Tangent

I got home from work today, pretty wiped out having believed we'd be able to leave a bit early but didn't, and I read a couple articles in the latest edition of The Week magazine. I love this magazine because it's like a Cliff's Notes of the weeks news and gives thorough coverage from hundreds of top papers and merges them into small, succinct passages that not only give the news, but how the news was covered by the media, in editorials, revealing the political bias of such sources.

One of the briefs this week is about how the democratic nomination is progressing, how many electoral votes each candidate still needs to get, the debate over Superdelegates, new endorsements, etc. The one page article merge gives the "what happened", "what the editorials said", "what the columnists said" and "what next?". One line stood out to me.

Clinton herself hasn't accepted that reality (of the math of Superdelegates), said David Brooks in The New York Times. Her own aids say she has a 10 percent chance of securing the nomination; it's probably more like 5 percent. So, "for the sake of that 5 percent," Democrats may be facing three months of "character assassination" and divisiveness.

I went off to take my evening nap and was awaken by a call from my mom.

"Hello?"
"Can you blog about ANYTHING?" she asked.
"Yeah, anything."
"Well, can you write something about Hillary? I'm watching the news and it's making me so mad. These white men are trying to get her to step down from the campaign and it makes me so angry. They just can't stand the thought of a woman being in charge."
"Well, mom, maybe she should step down. If she keeps attacking Obama and doesn't get the nomination, she could be pushing Democrats to vote for McCain."
"But you don't understand. If she steps down, what about all the women who've fought, all the hispanic voters on her side. It will just be more of them keeping women down for another 50 years. I'm just so frustrated by it all. They're such jerks."
"Um, ok, I'll blog about it."

So, Internet. My mom doesn't want Hillary to drop out of the race until a clear winner is chosen. And I still think she should quit, or if she doesn't, she needs to take off the gloves with Obama and bring out a fresh pair for McCain, who, I shudder to think, could beat the Dems in the fall if this slugfest continues.

So there. My two cents. And my mom's. And this guy wrote a pretty good blog about it, too. And either way, rich white male America, you're on notice. My momma don't like you.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 28, 2008

Friday, March 28, 2008:

• Tokyo Police Club, Eagle Seagull, We Barbarians @ Soma
• Action Jackson presents Pattern Is Movement, Swim Party, Joanie Mendenhall @ Beauty Bar
• Vitro, The Paper Planes, Roxy Jones @ Ken Club
• Grand Ole Party, The Muslims, The Red Feathers @ Che Cafe
• The Del-Fi's, The Honkys @ Tower Bar
• Red Sparowes, Russian Circles, Holloys @ Casbah
• Lady Dottie & The Diamonds @ Whistle Stop
• Flagrante Delicto (Tucson), Rafter, The Beatless @ Chasers
• West of Memphis @ House of Blues
• Rick Ortiz presents Noches Rockeras @ House of Blues
• Katt Williams @ Copley Symphony Hall
• Mindstress @ Epicentre
• Blood Stained Reality, Inciting Riots, Killing California, Nuthin Speshl @ Zombie Lounge
• The Love Me Nots @ Bar Pink Elephant
• Eleonor England and the Shep Meyer Trio @ Lestat's
• The Devastators @ Winston's
• GZA/ Genius (Performing the whole Liquid Swords Album), Blue Scholars, Anti Citizens & DJ Demon @ Cane's
• Silent Lune, Sandollar, Four Kings @ Brick By Brick
• Homegrown Presents: Astra Kelly & The 47s, Anna Troy, SABA, Guava Belly @ O'Connell's
• Audible Mainframe, Baby Burkey & Frame of Mind @ 710 Beach Club
• Novamenco @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (early show, 7 p)
• Rockola @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (late show, 9:30 p)
• Diane Schuur @ Anthology

My Life Priorites

1. Family
2. Pets
3. Maintaining employment
4. Music/entertainment/social life
5. Sleep
6. Blog

Sorry, Internet, that's the way it goes. I've gone out every night this week (I'll show you, Flu!) and have some pretty sweet pictures of all of it, but instead of going home from work each night and posting about it, I've gone straight to sleep to rest for whatever was going on that night. So I will finally, (Finally!) post pics from Jose Gonzalez, Steve Poltz, Pennywise, and Archways. But not now. Because now? Well, my lunch is over. (See priority #3.)

Speaking of lunch, did you know Subway has $5 footlongs for a limited time? I represent a very direct competitor and shouldn't even be mentioning Subway. Like EVER. It shouldn't even be in my vocabulary. And honestly, I only went because my boss wanted it, but damn, $5? Bargain.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 27, 2008

Thursday, March 27, 2008:

• Archways CD Release + The Blackout Party, Apes of Wrath, Starline Theory @ Casbah
• The Long and Short of It, Facepilot (Portland), OAKS @ Chasers
• Imaad Wasif, Two Part Beast, Fantastic Magic @ Zombie Lounge
• Kennedys Curse @ Ken Club
• The Chores, The Prids @ Beauty Bar
• The Shys @ Epicentre
• Modern Day Moonshine @ House of Blues (free)
• KPRi presents Elizabeth Willis @ House of Blues (5th Ave Sidestage)
• Years Around the Sun w/ Qu'est-ce Que C'est, Manuok @ Belly Up
• Pocket @ Bar Pink Elephant
• Music Trivia @ Whistle Stop
• Janis Ian @ Acoustic Music San Diego
• Delancey, Brenda Xu, Justin Newman @ Lestat's
• DPI @ Winston's
• Rockin Johnny White Presents: Bands - Iron Works, One Thread, Top Dog & Fuzz Huzzi @ Cane's
• E.X.P. (Jimi Hendrix Tribute), U.S. Drag @ Brick By Brick
• Mindstate @ 710 Beach Club
• Buick Wilson Band @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• Anthology House Band @ Anthology

Jaymay Playing In LA Tomorrow (Friday)

I can get on the list to see Jaymay if someone wants to go and is willing to drive. I think it's a low profile show, so I'll give you details off-line.
Let me know ASAP, I have to RSVP today. Otherwise, I'll stick to the plan of seeing Tokyo Police Club and all those lovely bands at the Beauty Bar.

Pennywise @ The Casbah 3.26.08 Setlist

I'll post everything else later, but I think it's pretty funny that a band who has a song called "Fuck Authority" aren't really all that rebellious if they use "@#" in the word fuck (F@#K) for their own personal setlist. Even if that's the way the title is written on their albums, and perhaps it is, not really much of a statement if they can't just say 'fuck'.

Pennywise Setlist, Casbah, 3.26.08


Pennywise performing "Society", Casbah, 3.26.08

Pennywise @ The Casbah 3.26.08 Setlist

just a note

I promise I'll catch up with photos from this week's shows soon...it's been a pretty amazing week of music for me, which has been great since I was so bummed out about being sick last weekend. I'll be getting to posting pictures from Jose Gonzalez and Mia Doi Todd at the Women's Club on Monday, Steve Poltz & The Truckee Brothers on Tuesday, and Pennywise at the Casbah last night.

A side note, if you went to the CityBeat party at Anthology last night and were wondering what happened to Transfer- Matt is incredibly sick, so send good thoughts and hopes for a speedy recovery. I went to Anthology for about 12 minutes, but $9 mixed drinks, especially when they're in tiny disposable plastic cups, just don't do it for me and frankly the place made me a bit claustrophobic. It was funny how I transitioned immediately to the Casbah considering it was full of bros, yet I still preferred it over the Anthology vibe. I guess there really is no place like home.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 26, 2008

Sorry, some of my listings were screwed up. If you would like your event added, email via the address in the About Me section.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008:

• CityBeat Local Music Issue Party feat. Transfer, Get Back Loretta, Sea Of Cortez @ Anthology
• Andy Friedman and The Failures, Matt Curreri & The Ex-Friends @ Ken Club
• Commune Wednesdays! Feat. art by Michael Turi, Chantel Paul, and Scott Caligure. Live music by the Swedish Models, DJ sets by DJ Dubchops and Mickey Face and a designer trunk show by Pony Attack!! @ Whistle Stop (FREE)
• Pennywise, Good Guys in Black @ Casbah (SOLD OUT!)
• Sink To Sea, Lilith Velkor @ Beauty Bar
• Bushwalla, Jes Hudak, Kirsten Price @ U-31
• Jehovas Fitness, Fire Fucking Everywhere!, God Equals Genocide, akhlut @ Che Cafe
• Soul Asylum, Blue October @ 4th & B
• The Orange Velvets, Ricksha, Delancey, Scott Wilson @ Cane's
• A Beautiful Noise, Noah Sugarman, Bombay Status @ Brick By Brick
• Inner Visions w/ Mystic Roots Band, The Bredren Band @ Belly Up
• Collective Soul, Josh Kelley, Green River Ordnance @ House of Blues
• DB3 @ Winston's
• Mesa College Jazz Ensemble, Industrial College Band @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
• CDM, The Crash Moderns @ 710 Beach Club
• Sweet Joyce Ann, Ivan Cheong, Sioban O'Brien @ Lestat's

SD Citybeat's Music Issue Out Now!

Get to the nearest red box and pick it up!

Or, check it out online here.

On a side note, despite my brief stint as the sole writer of Local's Only, I did not contribute to this issue at all. While I admire writers and journalists who can act as critics, when it comes down to it, I support local music, as a whole, or dare I say it, a scene. If I don't like a band or a recording, I simply choose not to write about it or post about it here. There are enough haters around, and honestly, who am I to judge? I'm certainly no expert and I certainly have my share of embarassing CDs in my collection, so it's not my style to pitchfork anything. Still, I love reading what everyone else came up with. I'll be there celebrating the issue release tonight at Anthology, so drop by and let's talk smack about who the meanest writers are...

More Information on Street Scene 2008

...or not so much "information" as "speculation" and opinions. Lots and lots of opinions.

There was a new article in today's U-T that basically says that Hagey would like to get back downtown, but basically a lot of shit has to happen in order to get permits and gain the faith and trust of the city at large, but also the tons of people who now call downtown home. (Which, I might add, would've probably never gone downtown in the first place had it not been revitalized with inspiration from Hagey's original productions that drew people and investors into the area.)

The Union-Trib article "Possible Sites for Street Scene Up In The Air"

Things To Do In San Diego: March 25, 2008

Tuesday, March 25, 2008:

• Steve Poltz , The Truckee Brothers @ Casbah
• Bob Schneider, Jay Thomas, Tina Dico @ Belly Up
• Let's Go Sailing @ Beauty Bar
• The Common Loon, Ryan Blue, Kris Towne (A Scribe Amidst The Lions) @ O'Connell's
• The Bugs @ Chaser's
• Brendan B and Sus Hijos @ Winston's

More Concert News: Dolly is Coming to Humphrey's

Dolly To Play San Diego In August

Dolly is scheduled to play Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay in San Diego, California on August 1st as part of the second leg of her 2008 Backwoods Barbie Tour. Pre-sale tickets are available to Dolly-ite members starting at 10 AM local time this Wednesday until 10 PM this Friday. Tickets go on-sale to the public this Saturday at noon via Ticket Master.

Dolly-ite members can also currently enter to win tickets to Dolly’s private club show in Los Angeles this Friday. Tickets to the show are being given away to 15 lucky winners, but all entries must be received by 9 AM Wednesday.

George Michael to Tour; First in 17 years

I wasn't even gonna mention this one, but then I heard the women across the hall hooting and hollering and thought it was worth at least a mention.

George Michael has announced a North American tour, his first in 17 years, and it's kicking off in San Diego.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008
San Diego Sports Arena
On sale Saturday, April 5 at 10am

That's all I know for now. If you want pre-sale tickets, I'd recommend signing up for radio newsletters from Star, Jack, Sophie, 93.3, etc., because they'll all likely get a pre-sale code for their "loyal listeners".

Things To Do In San Diego: March 25, 2008

Tuesday, March 25, 2008:

• Steve Poltz , The Truckee Brothers @ Casbah
• Bob Schneider, Jay Thomas, Tina Dico @ Belly Up
• Let's Go Sailing @ Beauty Bar
• The Common Loon, Ryan Blue, Kris Towne (A Scribe Amidst The Lions) @ O'Connell's
• The Bugs @ Chaser's
• Brendan B and Sus Hijos @ Winston's

New Counting Crows Out Today

I can't help it. Ever since August and Everything After came out when I was in high school, I've been a devoted Counting Crows fan, even when I had to cringe with that horrendous Big Yellow Taxi cover and a few other misses along the way.

Well, apparently Adam Duritz is back, he's off drugs, over his depression, and feeling good about life, or so it seems from the interview I read. The new album is called "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings" which I think was the name of a mixed tape I once made.



The band has also announced summer tour dates, including a show at Coors Amphitheater with Maroon 5 on September 13. Augustana supports that tour.

Street Scene 2008 Moves Back Downtown?!!?

According to George Varga, that's the case.

Read the full article here.

“That's the idea, and we do have tentative dates in September,” Street Scene founder Rob Hagey said yesterday. “We'll be looking to make an announcement soon.”

Hagey said he may team with another promoter to stage his multiday, multistage festival. But Live Nation/House of Blues, the national concert giant that co-produced Street Scene last year at Coors, has withdrawn.

All rights to the festival and its name have reverted to Hagey, said Nick Masters, president of Live Nation's Southern California division.

It's okay, Livenation. Remember Titanic? The heart will go on even after the ship is sunk.

Vampire Weekend & Yacht, 3.19.08 @ Casbah

Wednesday night I made sure to get my rest before heading down to the Casbah. I knew the show was sold out, but this show was beyond that, a crowd larger than I'd seen since perhaps Wolf Parade played here. I said hi to a couple friends then went to check out Yacht, who were making quite a spectacle of themselves on and off the stage.

They're a duo from Portland, just the two of them and an iBook with some prerecorded beats, backing instruments on some songs, and even backing vocals that gave the effect of a crowd singing along to the majority of their songs. I thought they were quirky and fun, and they entertained when they jumped into the crowd to dance, but some in this crowd seemed outwardly hostile, like just get to Vampire Weekend already. There was one chick who stood, arms folded, staring at the stage even when the band was no longer on the stage. Yikes, cranky people.

I went outside and it was a who's who of San Diego music. Almost the whole on-air staff of 94/9 was there, a bunch of former and current 91X'ers, writers, venue managers, bartenders, etc., which was cool to see but unfortunate that its not something we see often enough. After chatting for a while, I decided to try and make a move inside, but it was seriously packed. Amber and Matt were kind enough to let me slide up on the side with them, but it was straight nutty. I had the chance to talk to Chris, the bassist, before they started and he gave a nice "hey, I remember you!", so we chatted and I asked if everyone was healthy because we were counting on a good show. "No pressure," I joked, but he was still sweet as ever so it's good to see they're still down to earth after all their media hype.

They played a quick, tight set, pretty much playing their full album. Nothing more, nothing less. I watched the first half of the set from sidestage, but eventually just listened from the patio. There was a funny moment, I think it was after they played Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, and they said they'd just recorded a 12 minute reggaeton version of that song at 91X and we should all call to request it. He said, "you know 91X?" and someone booed it and screamed "94/9!" and he was like "What's that?" then there was a little more booing and he says, "What, we're from New York, we don't know your stations" and then people joined in randomly yelling out 94.9. Later I was told the PD from 91X was there and left after that happened, but that might've just been someone being snarky.






Anyway, I was happy with the show, but I liked the show as much as I like the album; that is, I like it, I listen to it, but I never looked into the lyrics, it's not stuff I sing along to, it's just enjoyable to my ears and I passively listen. I thought it was a good show, but I would've been happier if half of the people there, arms folded, would've just gone home.

When the show ended, I headed up to U-31, to at least say hi to the Birdmonster guys since I'd missed their show, and apparently they'll be back again soon, so that pleased me. From there, I had to make a final stop at home base, where I saw my friend that I'd not seen in a while, so she came over after the bar closed and we stayed up too late catching up.

I don't really have much of a recap for the rest of the week. I stayed in Thursday after working late. Friday I went to Habitat House and saw The Modlins and one of the other bands, though I'm not sure which, but shows there are always fun and the bands were solid. From Habitat, I saw Hotel St. George and Dynamite Walls at the Casbah, then stopped at the Ken where I did some shots with some neighbors, and that's when Gene came over and blogged about the Ken Club show. After a beer or two, he left and I caught up on "In Treatment" then woke up on Saturday feeling lazy, but it wasn't until later in the afternoon that my sniffles and chills caught up with me. I went to Ken Grill for me bff's birthday with her family, but after dinner went from bad to worse and I was in bed by 8:30 which is just a shitty way to spend a Saturday night. That all lead to my crappy Sunday and I've been in pj's all day. Now back to bed because I cannot be sick tomorrow...we've got some big deadlines at work and there's some shows this week that I don't want to miss. I hope to get all the week's listings up later, but took care of the first part of the week for now.

On a personal side note, the same night Vampire Weekend played in San Diego marked the fifth anniversary of the US invasion into Iraq, which also happens to be my brother's birthday. When I spoke to him, he was off training somewhere, had been in a field exercise for 12 days, and when I called to wish him a happy birthday, he told me he's getting shipped to "the sandbox" in 4 weeks. Today in Iraq, the US hit marked the 4,000th US casualty since the war started. Nothing makes me sicker than the prospect of this war continuing indefinitely. It's gonna be an ugly political year, but I can only hope that collectively, we as Americans simply say, "enough."

Things To Do in San Diego: March 24, 2008

Monday, March 24, 2008:

• Jose Gonzalez, Mia Doi Todd @ San Diego Women's Club 2557 3rd Ave - Hillcrest All Ages 6:30pm
• Anti-Monday League presents Saul Williams, Dragons of Zynth and DJ Artistic @ Casbah
• FM 94.9 presents Bob Mould with Saturna and Reeve Oliver - It's About The Music Series @ Belly Up
• The Scooterz, Silent Armada @ Beauty Bar
• Ace Frehley, The Trews @ House of Blues
• Electric Waste Band @ Winston's
• Mitch Budd @ 710 Beach Club
• Lady Dottie & the Diamonds @ Tower Bar

Sick again

I feel like shit. I keep trying to write but I've got nothin'. I'll still get around to posting my Vampire Weekend photos, but this flu is kicking my ass so no writing for now. Soon enough.

Newsy Bits

I had a whole list of things I'd been meaning to post about, and now that I finally have time to write, I can't think of most of them. Maybe they'll come back to me. I'm sick as a dog and I don't know where it came from, but it killed my weekend. I missed Silent Comedy last night, and today I didn't even get Easter brunch with my family and I'm missing both of Film School's performances today.

• When The North Atlantic played their final shows last year, two of the three members picked up and moved to Chicago. Those two parts, Jason Hendrix and Jason Richards are now back in action with a new project called Big Science. Cullen covered it on his blog here and you can check out the new project on MySpace here.


• Drew Andrews is featured in today's Union Tribune. You can read the full George Varga article here.


• The annual CityBeat demo review issue will be distributed on Wednesday and celebrated with a party at Anthology. Transfer, Get Back Loretta, and Sea of Cortez will be performing. The party is $10, but if you sign up for CityBeat's RedList (or reenter if you're already subscribed), you'll be on the guest list. Click here for entry.

I'll write more when it comes back to me and attempt to get at least some of this week's listings up, but just in case- Don't froget Jose Gonzalez is doing a special show at the San Diego Women's Club in Hillcrest with Mia Doi Todd. It's early (listing says 6:30 pm) so don't miss it. Info available on the Casbah site here.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 22-23, 2008

Saturday, March 22, 2008:

• The Silent Comedy, Or,the Whale, Silverbird @ Casbah
• Repeater @ Beauty Bar
• The Weather Underground, Apes of Wrath @ U-31
• Entrance, Astra and Joshua Emery Blatchley @ Che Cafe
• Bushwalla (CD release) @ Skate San Diego Roller Rink (700 E 24th, National City) 8:30 pm
• Danny Secreton, Rich White Males @ Tower Bar
• Billy Midnight, Trophy Wife @ Ken Club
• The Presidents of the United States of America, Ludo, Pleaseeasaur and MaxMister Pyles @ Belly Up
• The Chevelles, Gigantic, Anna Troy Band @ Bar Pink Elephant
• The Mario Escovedo Experience @ Lestat's
• Cash'd Out @ Winston's
• Tainted Love (80's Tribute)DJ Demon @ Cane's
• The Creepy Creeps & Thee Corsairs @ Zombie Lounge
• Mother Mae I, Discord, Dying Regret, One Theory, Immolated Seraphim @ Soma
• Disrupter, Osal8, Mezi, Breakah, Dr. Nix, Tidepool @ Brick By Brick
• Emergenza Music Festival: Heaven Is or Sinners, Bridget Brigitte, Joneslagger, AS Plain As Day, Maria Straump, Starline Theorie, Societal Decay @ O'Connell's
• The Happy Casualties, Firethorn, The Mojave @ Chasers
• Ruby Dee & The Snake Handlers, High Rollin Loners @ 710 Beach Club
• Laurie Morvan @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (early show, 6 p)
• Johnny "V" Vernazza Band @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (late show, 9:30 p)
• James Moody @ Birch North Park Theatre
• Herb Alpert & Lani Hall @ Anthology (early show, 7:30 pm)
• The Detroit Underground @ Anthology (late show, 9:30 pm)

Sunday, March 23, 2008:

• Film School In-Store @ M-Theory, 3pm
• Swami Sunday Mass feat Nautical Disaster @ Bar Pink Elephant
• Film School, Ariel, First Wave Hello @ Beauty Bar
• The Rippers, The Sess, Tony The Tyger @ Tower Bar
• The Stranger's Six, Slant @ Lestat's
• Asylum Street Spankers and guests @ Casbah
• Steve Earle, Allison Moorer @ Belly Up
• The Whiskey Dicks ( Welcome Back Party), The Goddamn Gallows, The High Rollers(AZ), Dive Bomber @ Zombie Lounge
• Cheryl Wheeler, Lisa Sanders @ Acoustic Music San Diego (4650 Mansfield, Normal Heights)
• Jose Sinatra's OB-o-Ke @ Winston's
• Aubrey Fey @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (10a-4p)
• Andy VIllas-Boas Tribute to Jobim @ Anthology

I should be sleeping

I really shouldn't let my drunk friends write. I'll be back in the morning with the week's recaps.

late nite bloggin

Rosey dont care - so i'm here... KEN club!! up the punx!!!

first band - dont know your name - keep listining to Bad Religion. try again.
Breaker Breaker 1 Niner - What a difference a band name makes. pop punk in san diego?? love it! Ziggy officialy drummerized.
Rich White Males - boooooring. screach the weez. not buying it.

the wheel.- a drummer might make this band... paul trash YOU SUCK!.

gene!

Things To Do In San Diego: March 21, 2008

Friday, March 21, 2008:

• The Modlins, The Besties (from NYC), The Facets (feat. members of Red Pony Clock) @ Habitat House, 7p (21st & Broadway, 21+ only)
• Dynamite Walls, Hotel Saint George, The Soft.Lightes, The Focus Group @ Casbah
• Red Feathers (EP release), The Paddle Boat, Tobyn Clark & The Tender Faeries @ Whistle Stop
• Pacific Ocean Men, The Drowning Men @ Bar Pink Elephant
• Tiltwheel, Rich White Males, Breaker Breaker One Niner @ Ken Club
• May*Star, VV Morgue, Antiquark @ Tower Bar
• The Dollyrots, Bangkok Five, Suffrajett @ Beauty Bar
• Built To Spill, The Meatpuppets, Helvetia @ Belly Up (Sold Out)
• Reeve Carney, WAZ, The Wrong Trousers @ Lestat's
• Joe Buck (Hank III’s band), Jimmy Dean and The Sausage King Trio, Old Devil, Pushin’ Rope @ Zombie Lounge
• The Real You @ Epicentre
• Ben Jelen, Sacha Sacket, Kemistry @ Brick By Brick
• The Rocket Summer, All Time Low, The Matches, Sonny, Forever The Sickest Kids @ Soma
• Organika presents - Joker Smoker with Tristan Palma, Roots Covenant, Rashi, Irie Eyes & Chunky Roots @ Cane's
• Yakuza, Totally Serious (ex-Bad Dudes), Sentinel, Gutrot @ Chasers
• Elijah Emmanuel @ Winston's
• Dante's Boneyard, Kill The Complex, d*Frost @ 710 Beach Club
• The Corvelles @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (early show, 6 p)
• Detroit Underground @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (late show, 9:30 p)
• Blurring The Edges featuring jazz guitarists Peter Sprague & Fred Benedetti with saxophonist Tripp Sprague & percussionist Hall Sprague @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
• Herb Alpert & Lani Hall @ Anthology (early show, 7:30 pm)
• Ruby Blue @ Anthology (late show, 9:30 pm)

Duran Duran Summer Tour Coming To San Diego

I just came across the dates for Duran Duran this summer. They will be in San Diego on May 8. Tickets are on pre-sale on Ticketmaster for Citi cardmembers. The show is going to be at Valley View Casino which is quite a trek from San Diego proper, but you probably aren't gonna want to dish out the $95 per ticket anyway.

Funny memory: once I was backstage at a show with Neurotic Outsiders and John Taylor flashed me a view under his kilt when I asked if what they say about kilts is true. That was a very long time ago when that band was called Neurotic Boy Outsiders and they and Hog opened for Blink 182 at 4th and B.

Radiohead Coming To San Diego

Last night a friend of mine told me that Radiohead's long anticipated San Diego show will take place at Coors Amphitheatre on August 23. When I get confirmation, I'll post the official date, because now I'm thinking he might have said the 26th. Or the 22nd. Regardless, expect to pay big bucks to see Radiohead this summer.

update: They'll be in SF on 8/22 at the Outside Lands Music & Art Festival, so expect them here a couple days before or after that. More info when I get it...

Things To Do In San Diego: March 20, 2008

Thursday, March 20, 2008:

• Kool Keith , Black Kenan Bell @ Casbah
• Nautical Disaster, Firethorn, Death On Mars @ Ken Club
• Little Teeth, Vaginals, Forever, Trashcan Fires @ "The Treehouse" (house party, corner of 29th & Broadway)
• The Blackout Party, Drowning Men, DJ Greaser @ Surf & Saddle
• Modern Day Moonshine @ House of Blues (free)
• The Giraffes, The Vacation, Perfect Blue @ Beauty Bar
• Candlebox, Golden State @ House of Blues
• The Itals, Lloyd Hemmings with the Awah Band from Studio One Jamaica @ Belly Up
• The Jukes Family, Antigone, Border Town Bust @ Chasers
• Every Thirteen Days, Two Word Name, Born Tonight & Mad Martigan @ Cane's
• Rob Deez, Deaf Zero, Jordan Reimer @ Lestat's
• Astro Zombies, Gamblers Mark, The Strikers @ Zombie Lounge
• Toni Price, Sue Palmer & her band @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
• The Lisps, The Heartbreaks, These United States @ Epicentre
• Lady Dottie & The Diamonds @ Winston's
• Dateless Losers, Allison Gill, Inglewood @ 710 Beach Club
• Willie J Laws @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• Anthology House Band @ Anthology
• RTX @ Bar Pink Elephant

Nada Surf MySpace Transmissions

Perhaps you can get some idea of Matthew's disarming stare by watching these live MySpace sessions. Just imagine it in person. Note, after I posted this I got an email about the sessions and apparently you can buy the recording of these songs on iTunes. I've rearranged them into the order they appear on the live EP.

Always Love
Nada Surf - "Always Love" LIVE from MySpace Transmissi


Whose Authority
Nada Surf - "Whose Authority" on MySpace Transmissions


I Like What You Say
Nada Surf - "I Like What You Say" - from MySpace Trans


Blizzard of 77
Nada Surf - "Blizzard of '77" - LIVE from MySpace


See These Bones
Nada Surf - "See These Bones" on MySpace Transmissions


Happy Kid
Nada Surf - "Happy Kid" LIVE from MySpace Transmission


Here Goes Something
Nada Surf - "Here Goes Something" - from MySpace Trans


There's also some video of interviews, etc. on MySpace, so check it out if you have a moment.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 19, 2008

Look, you've got to quit your whining about not getting Vampire Weekend tickets. It's nobody's fault but your own that you missed them in the fall, and now you saw them on SNL and just have to see them or you will die. Well, the blogger spin cycle is on full speed and music snobs everywhere will be using the word "overrated" soon enough (if they're not already). Get over the fact that you're not getting into the Casbah tonight and instead, head over to U-31 for Birdmonster who gave an amazing performance to a sparse crowd a couple weeks ago at the Casbah. They're good. Believe me.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 (Happy Birthday, Brother!):

• Vampire Weekend, Yacht, Rafter Band in the Atari Lounge @ Casbah
• Audrye Sessions, Birdmonster, Aubrey Debauchery @ U-31
• Bon Iver, Phosphorescent, The Paddleboat @ Che Cafe
• Dying Days, Prosthetic Arms, The Royal Tees @ Zombie Lounge
• Portugal The Man, Foxy Shazam, Wild Orchid Children, Miscellaneous Ailments Foundation @ Soma
• Deadly Syndrome, Tresspassers William, Immovable Objects, Union Line @ Beauty Bar
• Tristan Prettyman, Whitley @ Belly Up
• Brenda Xu, Anna Troy, Isaac Hayden @ Dublin Square
• Ari Hest, Josh Damigo, Dave Boodakian @ Lestat's
• NSD Presents: Local Band Showcase, Hector's Revenge, Motus & One Inch Punch @ Cane's
• L.S.D. PROMOTIONS PRESENTS…Noisegod, Revenge Club, Tim Raldo & The Filthy Fuks @ O'Connell's
• The New Dayze, Sirens of Shipwreck, Dogsmile @ Brick By Brick
• Nate James, Steph Johnson @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
• Mike Pinto & The Mashers @ Winston's
• Stereo Summer, The Common Loon @ 710 Beach Club
• Band Of Goodmen @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge

Nada Surf @ House of Blues 3.18.08

My week so far: Sunday night I went to the Tower Bar where my ears bled to some prog rock band, then Beatless from NY played and I would've liked them a lot more if I had earplugs and if I'd known the show was gonna be crazy loud. They reminded me a lot of Tool, but at the same sound levels if Tool was playing Cox Arena. I had imagined a mellow night of sweet Rafter lullabies. Not so much. Rafter finally played and played fully plugged in, but I was happy to get my Asthmatic Kitty fix for the month.

Monday night I went to the Casbah for Anti-Monday League and was quite surprised how thin the crowd was, at least for the first part of the night. I caught the Tighten-Ups last show before Andy headed out on tour with Enon, then MEX, who never disappoint, specifically when they play my favorite, Whiskeytown's "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart". There were some people swing dancing and whatnot, which gave the impression of a larger crowd. By the time The Downs Family played, there was a larger crowd and they kicked ass as they do. Dave played a few songs wearing a black ski mask with only eye and mouth cutouts, which is a pretty intimidating look, but the rest of the set he played maskless and played some of my favorite old Downs tunes.

Tuesday was definitely a nap day. I got home from work and slept, only to get a call from Abraham that he couldn't make the show after all, so I called Natalie and we agreed to go together and I called Dagart to give him my spare ticket. We arrived at the House of Blues at 8:30 and Sea Wolf was finishing their set. I later found out that The Little Ones were not on the San Diego bill, so sorry for my incorrect listing. Still, I wish I'd known that the show was half all-ages and I might've made a better effort to get there on time because I really wanted to see Sea Wolf since I was sick the last time they played in SD. boo.

Anyhow, we got our photo passes and entered the venue only to discover there was no photo pit, so we merged into the crowd, meeting up with Chickrawker Lyn and loyal blog reader Jeff.

I was really happy to be there despite my former HoB issues. I, of course, refuse to drink there, and the line to get into the venue is a little lame and probably could benefit from a more efficient ID checking system, but overall, it was a good experience and there was no cavity search, which meant despite the "no camera" policy written on the ticket, loads of people were taking pics. It seemed more relaxed than before so I was content. Additionally, the crowd, at least where we were, seemed to be true fans and there was never any pushing or crowding and everyone seemed happy to be there, singing along to most, if not all of the band's set. I kept a set list, but since Lyn took care of that, I'll just skip that part.



No matter how many bands I see or meet, I'll never get over that little girl swoon I get over a great front man. Matthew was outside when we were getting our passes and I said "Matthew!" and he turned around and was so nice because he was like "Oh, hi!" like we were old friends, and even pulled a "what was your name again?" which was just thoughtful becuase the only time I met him was a few years back when he borrowed my Sharpie at M-Theory.

When they started, my knees definitely weakened and every song was perfect, especially the audience participation moments, with everyone side stepping and clapping in unison and singing along, usually things that I find utterly cheesy at most shows, but felt right at this one. Matthew also has this way of making eye contact that is so disarming...he stares right in your eyes and its a pause longer than comfortable but so completely enticing at the same time. I know it wasn't just me because people were screaming "i love you" and "will you have my babies?" (he responded to the latter, "shouldn't we go on a date first?") and anyone who walked in without a crush walked out with one. He's the kind of singer where couples show up together, then the girl is telling her boyfriend to give her space by the end.



My personal favorites of the set were "80 Windows", "Blizzard of 77", and "I Like What You Say". It was impressive to me, too, that Fruit Fly, a song about flies buzzing around rotted food, could sound so sad. As the room sang the intro, there was that giant "I'm sorry you've got nowhere to go" and I guess it made me realize what a softy I can be. Later, I saw a girl wiping the tears streaming from her face, so I wasn't the only one who was affected by the music.

For the final song, "Blankest Year", Matthew gave this chick a look to come onstage and she was confused, but other people caught it and I went for it. Not gracefully, I might add, and I'm sure I flashed ass cleavage to the whole room, but I got up there and made my way to the side to say hi to Daye and McHank, who had been backstage the whole show, then busted out my camera to try and capture the moment. It was a really incredible night and my only regret is that I missed my chance to buy a shirt.



But alas, the night wasn't over. Natalie and I made a couple stops along the way, and I got my car, then went to the Beauty Bar for the after party. I expected a bigger crowd but was happy there wasn't one. Heather was spinning 80's and some other friends were there and we had a good time. Matthew was in and out, talking on the phone and whatnot, but eventually he hung out, and before we knew it, Heather & Eric, Natalie, Louie (the keyboardist), Matthew and I were dancing. So yes, not only did I dance! at the Beauty Bar! but can say I danced with Mr. Caws. Well, until drunky groupie girl swooped in.



After the show, the band needed a cab, but Dan offered up a ride, so Matthew and Ira went in the cab with their merch girl (and then drunky groupie climbed in the front seat) and Dan and I took Louie and the guitar tech down to their bus that was parked at Petco. When we arrived, the cab was taking off with drunky groupie still in it. Hope her $30 roundtrip cabride was everything she hoped it would be.

Needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted today, but I'll power through because there's still some great stuff happening this week. I'll get to that later...

Obama For President!!!

For anyone who missed Barack Obama's most recent speech, the entire transcript is here. It is, at least in my mind, the greatest speech I've ever heard delivered, at least in my lifetime so far. I hope to find video, but even reading the words brought tears to my eyes, which hasn't happened as a response to politics since Maya Angelou recited "On The Pulse of Morning" at Clinton's first inauguration, embedded below.