I have debated whether I wanted to write about this for a couple weeks but I guess it's time. My dear friend Joe, whom I've known since junior high, was involved in a hit-and-run accident a couple weeks ago so I just wanted to give an update. You might know him as the drummer for The Roman Spring, to me he's been a great friend for many years, and I think he'll probably kill me for even mentioning this because he's the most unassuming person I know and does not like to be the center of attention whatsoever.
He and a friend were walking home near El Cajon and Texas and were hit by an oncoming car which fled the scene. He and his friend had similar injuries; a broken leg and injured shoulder, and she broke a bone in her neck. They are both doing well, she was released from the hospital a couple days ago and he's hoping to get out in a couple days, just waiting for some of the swelling in his leg to go down after surgery to place a titanium rod in his leg. He's been in high spirits every time I talk to him and the couple times I've dropped by (though he's definitely over hospital food). As for The Roman Spring, they're recording and fortunately he'd already laid down his drum tracks so the album is still coming together and should have no delay. His recovery may take a couple months but I wish him a speedy recovery and know he'll be back better than ever.
As for the driver, she allegedly turned herself in the next day. Send positive thoughts their way. If you are a friend of Joe and would like information on calling or visiting, please e-mail me directly and I can get you in touch with him. As for Joe, I hope he doesn't kill me for giving the update.
Showing posts with label The Roman Spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Roman Spring. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Overdue Recap: Hialeah, Bedford Grove, The Roman Spring at Casbah, 11.3.08
As a loyal Anti-Monday Leaguer, I headed to the Casbah on November 3rd to check out The Roman Spring, Bedford Grove and Hialeah. One day at work, I arrived to have a CD, sticker, and a flyer for their Bedford Grove’s CD release show at Soma. Turns out a coworker’s niece is dating someone in the band and through the wire, they heard about this little ol’ blog and next thing I have a CD. Even with that, I hadn’t had the chance to see the band until this night at the Casbah. And since they were playing with my friends in The Roman Spring, I had to make it. Roman Spring started the show off, but I hadn't intended on taking any pictures, and how many times have I posted pics of them already? Funny though that later I did end up taking pics only because I hadn't covered the other two bands here before. I'm really hoping The Roman Spring makes an album soon because they're performances only continue to get better and better, and when you're starting from good, that is saying a lot.
Bedford Grove hit the stage second. The band was stripped down since their horn section couldn’t make the show but they were really, really good. For the rest of this post and pics, click 'keep on reading'.
The band reminded me a lot of Maroon Five crossed with Stevie Wonder crossed with Jamiraquoi because of the singer’s vocal delivery and their funky sounds, and the stand up bass was amazing. I was told that I have to check out the full band because it is a totally different sound, but I was quite impressed with the version I saw.
In a crazy mix of a lineup, Hialeah closed out the night and were a totally different sound but brought it hard. I’m not sure how it is that I hadn’t seen them play before, but sometimes that happens. It was great seeing Mario and Mike rocking out, having a great time on stage and letting the crowd enjoy their old school emo/hardcore sound (before 'emo' was hijacked)
From the Casbah, I ventured up to The Ruby Room to hang out,but nothing really to report from there except that they painted the women's bathroom near the stage and it looks awesome.
For some reason, I was wired and ended up staying up all night, watching TV, writing, listening to the rain, and before I knew it, election day had arrived. I showered and walked in the drizzle to my polling place and voted with a sense of pride I hadn’t experienced in a very long time. It was fun spending the morning watching all the tweets coming in as people across the country voted.
I considered going to sleep but I was after the free cup of coffee from Starbucks and some posting, I got a call from Jason. “I don’t know if I’m registered to vote.”
Long story short, he was still registered at his last address so I drove to Clairemont to pick him up and we made our way to North Park so he could vote. We hit up another Starbucks (Yes, I had two. Sue me.), then went to lunch at this amazing taco & mariscos truck at 33rd and University that has 99 cent fish tacos that kick Rubio’s ass.
After lunch, we ventured back to my house and he decided to bus to the Ruby Room and I finally got some sleep. I couldn’t handle watching election coverage, so I was happy to skip it all, only to wake up in time to hear Obama’s victory speech and field a bunch of calls from elated family and friends. It was a pretty amazing thing and the pride I felt spilled over to a night at the Casbah, but that will be a whole separate post.
Bedford Grove hit the stage second. The band was stripped down since their horn section couldn’t make the show but they were really, really good. For the rest of this post and pics, click 'keep on reading'.
The band reminded me a lot of Maroon Five crossed with Stevie Wonder crossed with Jamiraquoi because of the singer’s vocal delivery and their funky sounds, and the stand up bass was amazing. I was told that I have to check out the full band because it is a totally different sound, but I was quite impressed with the version I saw.
In a crazy mix of a lineup, Hialeah closed out the night and were a totally different sound but brought it hard. I’m not sure how it is that I hadn’t seen them play before, but sometimes that happens. It was great seeing Mario and Mike rocking out, having a great time on stage and letting the crowd enjoy their old school emo/hardcore sound (before 'emo' was hijacked)
From the Casbah, I ventured up to The Ruby Room to hang out,but nothing really to report from there except that they painted the women's bathroom near the stage and it looks awesome.
For some reason, I was wired and ended up staying up all night, watching TV, writing, listening to the rain, and before I knew it, election day had arrived. I showered and walked in the drizzle to my polling place and voted with a sense of pride I hadn’t experienced in a very long time. It was fun spending the morning watching all the tweets coming in as people across the country voted.
I considered going to sleep but I was after the free cup of coffee from Starbucks and some posting, I got a call from Jason. “I don’t know if I’m registered to vote.”
Long story short, he was still registered at his last address so I drove to Clairemont to pick him up and we made our way to North Park so he could vote. We hit up another Starbucks (Yes, I had two. Sue me.), then went to lunch at this amazing taco & mariscos truck at 33rd and University that has 99 cent fish tacos that kick Rubio’s ass.
After lunch, we ventured back to my house and he decided to bus to the Ruby Room and I finally got some sleep. I couldn’t handle watching election coverage, so I was happy to skip it all, only to wake up in time to hear Obama’s victory speech and field a bunch of calls from elated family and friends. It was a pretty amazing thing and the pride I felt spilled over to a night at the Casbah, but that will be a whole separate post.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Overdue Recap: Adams Avenue Street Fair, B-day Weekend, etc.
I would've liked to have taken a full week off to kick around and chill out as I normally do on or around my birthday, but that wasn't an option, but I still managed to take Friday and Monday off so I had an excellent 4 day birthday weekend. After Federico, I hung out with friends and got caught up on some of my HBO shows and movies. Come Friday, I had the chance to write a bit and indulge on even more TV, had a nice lunch, Jake hung out and we watched the 1st presidential debate before grabbing some dinner and heading to the Casbah for John Meeks. Even though he's finally starting to play some more, it had definitely been a while since I got to hear his lovely voice.
We stayed at the Casbah for most of Blackheart Procession, but it was packed, and thinking I'd see them the next day, I refrained from trying to get inside for pics. Mostly it was just about hanging out and getting my drink on, which, needless to say, was pretty much the theme of my weekend. More if you 'keep on reading'.
After the Casbah, I finished the night at the Ken Club, catching just a couple songs from The Jury, but running into friends and hanging out till close, then kept the party going at my house afterwards.
Saturday I was in no rush but eventually headed out, stopping at the Ken Club for a bloody mary before walking to the Adams Avenue Street Fair. I was happy to catch The Roman Spring and it was the first time I saw them with their replacement for Jake since he's been on the road touring. I ran into friends and we had some beers at Dimille's before wandering down to see Republic of Letters who had a great crowd but the least attentive sound man ever. Even when there was awful feedback, he was nowhere to be found. Still, I thought they sounded great.
Here are some random shots from my walk over and the street fair.
After RoL, a group of people had amassed and we invaded Petro's deck and had drinks, but as everyone wandered to catch Black Heart Procession, my best friend came and we decided to escape and grab dinner at Burger Lounge. By the time I got back to Petro's everyone had for the most part gone their separate ways, so I walked back to the Ken with Christopher and Missy. The bar was a little crowded for my taste, and not very exciting at that, so when Jake called and said he was going to the Ruby Room, I was game. Except that I was confused and thought we were going to the Radio Room to see The Long And Short of It. It was fine though, and we went to check out the new place. By the time we got there it was 11:55, so when midnight hit, and officially my birthday, everyone was on a mission to get me...uh...happy. "Your birthday money is no good here," Sean, the new owner told me, and between Sean, Neal, Shiloh, T-Bone and Jake, I got plenty of drinks in me, sticking to my vodka tonics and a gazillion washington apple shots.
Jake dropped me off and I made my way to sleep, waking up to a trail of clothes in my living room. So I guess I can say it was a good night.
I once again took my time before heading back to the Street Fair. I met up with everyone back at Petro's house, even my sister, brother in law, and niece came to hang out. We watched Transfer who had a huge crowd.
After, it was back to Petro's before we all ended up going to Las M0rielanas for my birthday dinner. Though the place is a little hole in the wall, we had fun and everyone seemed to like the place a lot, and how could you not with a logo like this:
From dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Natalie drove me to my house to check on my pets before we headed to see RaRaRiot and The Morning Benders at the Casbah. It's safe to say by that point of the night, I was *ahem*, "happy", so sorry to anyone at the show who was annoyed by the drunk girl and her camera. That was certainly a fun show to celebrate the end of my birthday, for sure.
But like the energizer bunny, I don't stop, so after the show, Natalie dropped me off at the Chee Chee where I hung out with Scott and Todd who gave me a ride home. I can admit that at that point I was trashed which resulted in Scott and I fighting because he called me "Bro". No matter how 'down' I am or how in the 'friend zone' I am, I don't like being called bro by my friends. ew. But the texting that ensued was a sure sign that it was time for me to end my night. Finally.
Monday was pretty much a waste of a day as I slept off my haze and wasted away the day before heading back to the Casbah to sell merch for Filter. They had a ton of stuff, but fortunately the tour manager who doubled as a drum tech had it under control and organized by the time I arrived. The crowd wasn't as big as when they played in the spring, but the crowd loved them. As for myself, I was meah, but sometimes that happens. At the end of the night, I had to wait a while before getting paid, and no hookup on shirts or CDs, but I did get a personalized guitar pick. Woo-hoo. The band does not, like most bands, have any interest in meeting their fans after the show. I was beat after an exhausting weekend, but glowing inside thinking about all the great friends I have who made my weekend so special. Come Tuesday, it was nose to the grindstone yet again, but nothing could take away from how cool my weekend was. Thanks again to everyone who had a part in making my heart pitter-patter.
We stayed at the Casbah for most of Blackheart Procession, but it was packed, and thinking I'd see them the next day, I refrained from trying to get inside for pics. Mostly it was just about hanging out and getting my drink on, which, needless to say, was pretty much the theme of my weekend. More if you 'keep on reading'.
After the Casbah, I finished the night at the Ken Club, catching just a couple songs from The Jury, but running into friends and hanging out till close, then kept the party going at my house afterwards.
Saturday I was in no rush but eventually headed out, stopping at the Ken Club for a bloody mary before walking to the Adams Avenue Street Fair. I was happy to catch The Roman Spring and it was the first time I saw them with their replacement for Jake since he's been on the road touring. I ran into friends and we had some beers at Dimille's before wandering down to see Republic of Letters who had a great crowd but the least attentive sound man ever. Even when there was awful feedback, he was nowhere to be found. Still, I thought they sounded great.
Here are some random shots from my walk over and the street fair.
After RoL, a group of people had amassed and we invaded Petro's deck and had drinks, but as everyone wandered to catch Black Heart Procession, my best friend came and we decided to escape and grab dinner at Burger Lounge. By the time I got back to Petro's everyone had for the most part gone their separate ways, so I walked back to the Ken with Christopher and Missy. The bar was a little crowded for my taste, and not very exciting at that, so when Jake called and said he was going to the Ruby Room, I was game. Except that I was confused and thought we were going to the Radio Room to see The Long And Short of It. It was fine though, and we went to check out the new place. By the time we got there it was 11:55, so when midnight hit, and officially my birthday, everyone was on a mission to get me...uh...happy. "Your birthday money is no good here," Sean, the new owner told me, and between Sean, Neal, Shiloh, T-Bone and Jake, I got plenty of drinks in me, sticking to my vodka tonics and a gazillion washington apple shots.
Jake dropped me off and I made my way to sleep, waking up to a trail of clothes in my living room. So I guess I can say it was a good night.
I once again took my time before heading back to the Street Fair. I met up with everyone back at Petro's house, even my sister, brother in law, and niece came to hang out. We watched Transfer who had a huge crowd.
After, it was back to Petro's before we all ended up going to Las M0rielanas for my birthday dinner. Though the place is a little hole in the wall, we had fun and everyone seemed to like the place a lot, and how could you not with a logo like this:
From dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Natalie drove me to my house to check on my pets before we headed to see RaRaRiot and The Morning Benders at the Casbah. It's safe to say by that point of the night, I was *ahem*, "happy", so sorry to anyone at the show who was annoyed by the drunk girl and her camera. That was certainly a fun show to celebrate the end of my birthday, for sure.
But like the energizer bunny, I don't stop, so after the show, Natalie dropped me off at the Chee Chee where I hung out with Scott and Todd who gave me a ride home. I can admit that at that point I was trashed which resulted in Scott and I fighting because he called me "Bro". No matter how 'down' I am or how in the 'friend zone' I am, I don't like being called bro by my friends. ew. But the texting that ensued was a sure sign that it was time for me to end my night. Finally.
Monday was pretty much a waste of a day as I slept off my haze and wasted away the day before heading back to the Casbah to sell merch for Filter. They had a ton of stuff, but fortunately the tour manager who doubled as a drum tech had it under control and organized by the time I arrived. The crowd wasn't as big as when they played in the spring, but the crowd loved them. As for myself, I was meah, but sometimes that happens. At the end of the night, I had to wait a while before getting paid, and no hookup on shirts or CDs, but I did get a personalized guitar pick. Woo-hoo. The band does not, like most bands, have any interest in meeting their fans after the show. I was beat after an exhausting weekend, but glowing inside thinking about all the great friends I have who made my weekend so special. Come Tuesday, it was nose to the grindstone yet again, but nothing could take away from how cool my weekend was. Thanks again to everyone who had a part in making my heart pitter-patter.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Overdue Recap: Langhorne Slim & Silverbird @ Beauty Bar, Verso @ Ken Club, and the rest of that weekend...
It's so nice to have a free day to catch up with life, no?
A week ago Friday was a great day for me. Work was all caught up and I got to help out on a project that I can't really detail, but it incorporated local music and I was stoked to do it. I was even let off work early, and on my ride home, I was told that I would be rewarded for my efforts with a bottle of vodka. I got home when there was still a bit of daylight, straightened up my house and chilled out until Andrea and Amy showed up. We decided to have some pre-show cocktails so we called a cab who showed up relatively quickly. We were buzzing with energy and a couple drinks.
When we arrived, we met up with the guys in Langhorne Slim. Andrea had brought them some hats from The Village Hat Shop to try out, and they chose a couple. We ordered some more drinks and chilled until the bands started.
Silverbird started off the show. Justin was sporting a new haircut, and this variation of the band only had Justin's guitars, Robin's keys, and the relatively new bassist (sorry, forgot his name). Since they've been without a regular drummer, Justin used a tambourine with a foot pedal to accompany the music. They sounded really great- Justin's heartfelt voice kinda crushes me a little everytime I hear it- so I'm definitely looking forward to them getting in the studio and laying down an album.
I spend a lot of time going to shows, but it's rare for me to actively have a 'ladies night', so we kept well lubed. I finally met Sarah, the new Beauty Bar manager, and we got to hang out a bit and talk about what she's doing with the place, and I think she's got some good things planned. Dustin is helping out with the booking there, too, which I think is a good injection of new blood. Sarah also hooked me up with a couple poker chips, so our good night was propelled to a great one. On top of all that, Abraham was there and said he'd drive us home. Night set, we went back on the patio to watch Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles.
I love this band, and I'm glad that they've got a full length because listening to an EP can only hold you over for so long. I've seen them a few times now, namely with Two Gallants and when they toured with Rocky Votolato, and the energy they have on stage is great. Even with Slim jumpin all over the stage, the other musicians hold their own and really, Paul just kills on that stand up bass.
After the set, we briefly hung out, and Andrea gave one of the hats she brought to Brandon, so here's him reluctantly modeling his new hat. (Check out the Village Hat Shop Online.)
After the show, we headed back to Kensington. I guess that is the point in the night where I had that moment of clarity...like perhaps I should've had dinner before all those cocktails. Oops. We walked over to the Ken and caught the end of The Verso's set. I'll have to check them out again when I'm not all googly eyed.
Afterward, we all came back to my house, and I quickly made my way into bed while my friends entertained themselves. The next morning, they were all up, shiny and bright after crashing in my living room, and convinced me that we should get some lunch. We headed to Bluefoot for some beer while our stuffed pizza was cooking at Lefty's. I'd only ever had fries from Lefty's before and let me tell ya, call me converted. They have some of the best pizza sauce I've ever tasted and it was delicious food to cure the h.o. The Upas Street football crew rolled in and we hung out for a bit, but after a couple hours, it was nap o'clock so I suppose you could say my Friday night finally ended about 3 pm Saturday.
Later that night, I rallied and went to the Ken Club for Swim Party, The Roman Spring, and the Focus Group. It was a great show for all three bands, though I didn't take pictures (you can read Natalie's review here). Late in the night, my friend Sara came to hang out, so we hopped between the band room and the bar, catching up with one another since it had been ages since we'd hung out. Of course, convenience is key, and after the bar, some friends came over. My neighbor was gone so we blasted MgmT and Sub Society and Prince and a whole bunch of other music until it was time for everyone to head home around 4 or 5 in the morning.
Last thing for me for last weekend was SuperBowl Sunday which was really chill with my family at my sister's house in PB. The game was great, but of course, I was obsessed with my niece Johanna. Talent scouts, my e-mail is in the about me section of this page :)
A week ago Friday was a great day for me. Work was all caught up and I got to help out on a project that I can't really detail, but it incorporated local music and I was stoked to do it. I was even let off work early, and on my ride home, I was told that I would be rewarded for my efforts with a bottle of vodka. I got home when there was still a bit of daylight, straightened up my house and chilled out until Andrea and Amy showed up. We decided to have some pre-show cocktails so we called a cab who showed up relatively quickly. We were buzzing with energy and a couple drinks.
When we arrived, we met up with the guys in Langhorne Slim. Andrea had brought them some hats from The Village Hat Shop to try out, and they chose a couple. We ordered some more drinks and chilled until the bands started.
Silverbird started off the show. Justin was sporting a new haircut, and this variation of the band only had Justin's guitars, Robin's keys, and the relatively new bassist (sorry, forgot his name). Since they've been without a regular drummer, Justin used a tambourine with a foot pedal to accompany the music. They sounded really great- Justin's heartfelt voice kinda crushes me a little everytime I hear it- so I'm definitely looking forward to them getting in the studio and laying down an album.
I spend a lot of time going to shows, but it's rare for me to actively have a 'ladies night', so we kept well lubed. I finally met Sarah, the new Beauty Bar manager, and we got to hang out a bit and talk about what she's doing with the place, and I think she's got some good things planned. Dustin is helping out with the booking there, too, which I think is a good injection of new blood. Sarah also hooked me up with a couple poker chips, so our good night was propelled to a great one. On top of all that, Abraham was there and said he'd drive us home. Night set, we went back on the patio to watch Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles.
I love this band, and I'm glad that they've got a full length because listening to an EP can only hold you over for so long. I've seen them a few times now, namely with Two Gallants and when they toured with Rocky Votolato, and the energy they have on stage is great. Even with Slim jumpin all over the stage, the other musicians hold their own and really, Paul just kills on that stand up bass.
After the set, we briefly hung out, and Andrea gave one of the hats she brought to Brandon, so here's him reluctantly modeling his new hat. (Check out the Village Hat Shop Online.)
After the show, we headed back to Kensington. I guess that is the point in the night where I had that moment of clarity...like perhaps I should've had dinner before all those cocktails. Oops. We walked over to the Ken and caught the end of The Verso's set. I'll have to check them out again when I'm not all googly eyed.
Afterward, we all came back to my house, and I quickly made my way into bed while my friends entertained themselves. The next morning, they were all up, shiny and bright after crashing in my living room, and convinced me that we should get some lunch. We headed to Bluefoot for some beer while our stuffed pizza was cooking at Lefty's. I'd only ever had fries from Lefty's before and let me tell ya, call me converted. They have some of the best pizza sauce I've ever tasted and it was delicious food to cure the h.o. The Upas Street football crew rolled in and we hung out for a bit, but after a couple hours, it was nap o'clock so I suppose you could say my Friday night finally ended about 3 pm Saturday.
Later that night, I rallied and went to the Ken Club for Swim Party, The Roman Spring, and the Focus Group. It was a great show for all three bands, though I didn't take pictures (you can read Natalie's review here). Late in the night, my friend Sara came to hang out, so we hopped between the band room and the bar, catching up with one another since it had been ages since we'd hung out. Of course, convenience is key, and after the bar, some friends came over. My neighbor was gone so we blasted MgmT and Sub Society and Prince and a whole bunch of other music until it was time for everyone to head home around 4 or 5 in the morning.
Last thing for me for last weekend was SuperBowl Sunday which was really chill with my family at my sister's house in PB. The game was great, but of course, I was obsessed with my niece Johanna. Talent scouts, my e-mail is in the about me section of this page :)
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Monday Photos: The Weather Underground, The Roman Spring, Fing
I started feeling sick on Sunday, but I chose to ignore my body. By Monday, I was a little achy and my chest felt hollow, but I wasn't quite convinced I was sick. I worked, I took my nap, then went to the Casbah for The Weather Underground and the Roman Spring, and while I was sad to hear that The Secret Stolen had canceled, I was stoked to hear that Fing had been added to the bill to take their place.
The crowd was pretty sparse in the beginning, but it slowly filled throughout the night. I wish more people were there for Fing, because they are such a funky rockin dancey band. The also made me believe that any band I see with a Korg from now on should be required to do the robot to at least one of their songs, as Pascal did. If you get a chance to pick up their CD, it's pretty awesome.
The Roman Spring were up second and by that point the room was more crowded. I think people not only like the band's music, but Jake's contributions to the music community generates a ton of good will from other musicicans. In the crowd were Swim Party, some of the Modlins, and Manuok among others. I really like the couple of covers that they've been rotating in their recent sets. I think local bands should take the lesson...establish your band with originals first, then later it's ok to mess around with a couple covers.
The final performance of the night came from The Weather Underground who are from LA. Abraham swore I wasn't at their Beauty Bar show back in September, but I was and have the pics to prove it. The band is really good; fans of Delta Spirit should definitely check them out. Turns out they're incredibly nice guys, too, so we chatted briefly before the bar closed down.
It was still kinda early, so I stopped by the Jewel Box since I hadn't been in a while. Little did I know that I was a night's sleep away from getting more sick than I've been in at least four years. Hopefully now I can safely say that is behind me, but man did it suck. Fortunately I was somewhat better by Friday, and was back at work and back on the town by Friday night.
The crowd was pretty sparse in the beginning, but it slowly filled throughout the night. I wish more people were there for Fing, because they are such a funky rockin dancey band. The also made me believe that any band I see with a Korg from now on should be required to do the robot to at least one of their songs, as Pascal did. If you get a chance to pick up their CD, it's pretty awesome.
The Roman Spring were up second and by that point the room was more crowded. I think people not only like the band's music, but Jake's contributions to the music community generates a ton of good will from other musicicans. In the crowd were Swim Party, some of the Modlins, and Manuok among others. I really like the couple of covers that they've been rotating in their recent sets. I think local bands should take the lesson...establish your band with originals first, then later it's ok to mess around with a couple covers.
The final performance of the night came from The Weather Underground who are from LA. Abraham swore I wasn't at their Beauty Bar show back in September, but I was and have the pics to prove it. The band is really good; fans of Delta Spirit should definitely check them out. Turns out they're incredibly nice guys, too, so we chatted briefly before the bar closed down.
It was still kinda early, so I stopped by the Jewel Box since I hadn't been in a while. Little did I know that I was a night's sleep away from getting more sick than I've been in at least four years. Hopefully now I can safely say that is behind me, but man did it suck. Fortunately I was somewhat better by Friday, and was back at work and back on the town by Friday night.
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