FM 94/9 About the Music feat. Republic of Letters & The Duke Spirit 7.15.08

Tuesday night was a great night. Petro & Andy picked me, we picked up Eric from his place and headed up to the Belly Up. I was looking forward to seeing The Duke Spirit, but mostly because I love the way Republic of Letters sounds on the stage. With a designated driver, I was stoked to see the Belly Up reinstated their 'beer of the month', so we couldn't pass on Dos Equis for $3. We hung outside for a while until Republic of Letters took the stage. The set was great and because it was an "About the Music" show the venue was packed. It made for a great showing for Republic of Letters and I was proud of their set. They played some new songs and it looks like they'll be recording soon. For some reason there were no front stage lights for their entire set, so you'll have to checkout pics on their MySpace page, but I did post video of them here.

After their set, we hung back outside, and by the time we re-entered the venue, it was insanely packed. I liked The Duke Spirit, but I didn't love them. They're good at what they do, there are just a lot of bands doing what they do...The Ting-Tings, The Noisettes, and Killola come to mind. As it was, their CD was a grower for me- it took several listens to get into it. This is as close as I got to the stage.


With that many people crowding the venue, and Petro having to work early the next morning, we stayed for about half the set. On our way out, I ran into Daye, and he suggested I stay and catch a ride home from him, so I did, but we ended up standing in front of the Belly Up catching up with friends for the remainder of the night.

After he dropped me at home, Dag texted me, so we met for a nightcap at the Ken where all my neighborhood buddies were hanging out. Needless to say, I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

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Weekend Recap (rewind) (7.11-12.08)

This is more of a diary post than a show review post, so read if you feel inclined, after the jump.

Thursday was not a good day. At all. Don't really wanna go into it, but after working late, I felt no motivation to do anything. So I didn't. By Friday, however, I was good to go. Only problem was that after a brain blip, I realized I was gonna have to stretch the little cash I had to last me through the weekend. This resulted in me being really, really stupid. I knew I was going to the Ken Club, so I had a beer and a shot before I walked. Then I arrived and my friend Todd took care of my first round at the bar. And another. The night seemed to keep going the same way.

Writer started off the night and sounded perfect. Seriously, with Justin on sound and Andy's gorgeous voice and lyrics, and Ely and Jaime hitting every note, the band was phenomenal. I didn't take pictures since I've captured them frequently lately, but don't sleep on this band. They'll be playing with Swim Party at the Whistle Stop this Friday for Swim Party's CD release.

The way my night was going, I didn't see The Howls or Lisa The Lush, and instead spent the rest of the night hanging out with my friends who were at the bar. Thanks to the generosity of friends, I got sufficiently inebriated and walked home at the end of the night.

Saturday was a lazy day, hung out with friends in the day, napped, cleaned, then decided to spend that night at home watching movies and writing.

Sunday I was up early for Claudia's birthday at Kate Sessions park. It was family day there, so there was a bounce house and an inflatable slip and slide (that I decided I was way too big to attempt). There was a band playing reggae- songs that are supposed to be reggae, and then covers of songs converted to reggae. I'm not really a fan of reggae. Still, it was fun and it was a day all about the kids. Claudia will be going home soon, so it was alittle bittersweet, but we tried to keep spirits up and enjoyed a day in the park.

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My Weekend Recap: Belly Up, Casbah, BBQ, Ken Club, etc.

I wouldn't feel right if I didn't write about my weekend, so excuse the diary post. Strangely I didn't feel compelled to take pictures, or as in the case of Saturday night, I did, but they came out like shit, so I'll just kinda recap how my weekend went, but I'll put it after the jump so as not to clog my front page.

Starting on Thursday night, I took a really short 20 minute nap before driving up to the Belly Up to sell merch for The Album Leaf. Jimmy asked me last time I was at the Casbah if I was for hire and gave him a resounding yes. I'm all about making a little cash on the side to support my show attendance and bar tabs, so I was happy to do it. Little did I know just how much merch they had. The quantity wasn't so bad because we didn't do a count-in, but I learned throughout the night that it's really hard to dig through 7 boxes and a trunk with low light and even less space. I did my best.

More important, the show was a great one. Calico Horse started off the night and aside from a couple moments of feedback, the band sounded made for the Belly Up, with their rich, warm sounds. Manuok was second up and I realized it had been some time since I'd seen them perform as a full band and it, too, sounded great. For mellow music, it was loud and there was no chance of the crowd drowning the sound. Last up was Album Leaf, and they alternated songs with vocals with instrumentals and it was one of those moments where I kinda pinched myself at how talented this whole group of guys really is. Seriously, the number of projects these guys have their collective fingers in is astounding, and their fans were out in full force to appreciate it.

After the show I packed up all the merch and chatted with the band before making my way back south, getting home a little after 2 a.m. I'll tell you, it was my first solid sleep in a while. I was beat.

Friday, after a full workday, I got off work a little bit early and was really energized and took the time to clean up my house, which had pretty much gone to shambles over the course of the week since I'd been out every night since returning from vacation. It was nice to have a clean house, but perhaps I shouldn't have skipped dinner, because when I went to the Casbah for Fleet Foxes, I was in the wrong state of mind.

The show was sold out and a lot of my friends were there that I hadn't seen in a while, and I was hyper. Not exactly the right energy level for this particular show. I missed Fantastic Magic, but the Dutchess and The Duke were this kinda plucky, quiet band and Fleet Foxes definitely fit their My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses comparisons. The crowd was packed in and I really wished the show was on a Tuesday night instead of a Friday because I was just as much a 'weekend warrior' as the usual Friday nights, unable to stand in one place. I attempted three pictures but gave up and retreated to the patio to chill with my friends. I definitely want to see both bands again, just not when my brain and body are racing. Needless to say, I hit the Ken Club after the show, and ran into more friends who came over after, but I crashed out pretty quick and was happy to not have to wake up at any specific time come Saturday.

I loafed around most of the day, except for my trip to Gabriel's tortilleria/carniceria to get goods for the BBQ. I know I said I wasn't gonna buy anything, but what kind of hostess is that? I picked up some beer, set up the backyard, and made some of my rice and beans before everyone arrived.

When I first moved to Kensington, I used to have several parties throughout the summer, but last year I slacked a bit, so it's been good to get the nudge from Abraham and others to host more daytime parties. A lot of people showed up with a lot of beer and though we got a later jump on the afternoon than intended, I think everyone had a pretty good time. (we said 5 pm, most people showed up after 7pm) And like I said, even then I didn't feel any need to take out my camera. Team Abraham, Hotel St. George, and a couple dozen of our friends were here and we ate good food and had yummy beer until we realized it was time to head to the Ken Club. Sorry to The Stereotypes, because I think they were supposed to play second but were tired of waiting and went ahead and set up in everyone's absence.

The show was great...all three bands were damn good, and though I'd paced myself in the afternoon, sticking to beer alone, at the bar I decided to move on to Cazadores. I think after all afternoon of sun and fun, boozin' and schmoozin', there really was no after party. When the bar was done, so were we. Some friends crashed out, but it was all about sleep.

That lead to Sunday when I was ready for some quiet time. I stayed home all day and stayed almost completely unplugged all day, though I couldn't resist checking out Twitter.

On Thursday night, one of my cat's had popped out my screen and Kiwi, my oldest cat, hadn't come home since, though she was just next door hiding any time I'd try to get her in. I was concerned, so finally was able to coax her home with some food, but she managed to get back out, so that night, while I was trying to sleep, she was outside crying. I found her and brought her in. Back to sleep, only to be awaken by one of my cats barfing. Gross. Back to sleep, only to be awaken by my dog barking her head off at something. I was worried my cats were sick and I'd gotten no sleep, so I took Monday off of work. I had scheduled it anyway, but wish I could've saved the day for later in the summer, but mommy duty called. I think my cats are ok now, but I was a little worried for a while.

All this lead to Monday night. Anti-Monday League at the Casbah, with Writer, Henry Clay People, and Swim Party. That show will get it's own post. It was definitely a great weekend, and inspiration enough to have a couple more parties this summer so keep an eye out. Huge thanks to everyone who came over and made it such a killer weekend. Looking forward to the next time around.

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Thursday Nite Thing & Annuals

Thursday Night I was ready to get out and take in some bands. My night started at TNT at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Natalie and I carpooled downtown and got there really early, thinking that with just one band, they would play early, but we found out there was an opener and The Silent Comedy wasn't playing until 9:15.
The alcohol sponsor for the night was a new collection of flavored rums, but I really prefer my drinks to not be flavored. The black cherry cokes were too sweet. We made soaps at one of the display tables then waited for the music. It was
a really beautiful night and unfortunately I forgot the name of the band- I think it was Green Switch? (Correction: band is called Green Pitch) I can't find them online, so if anyone knows, please email me. They're from Denmark and apparently the singer is studying at UCSD and has been here for about a year. She had a sweet voice that reminded me of Frente; Natalie suggested Lisa Loeb? Here's a song performed in Danish(though the rest of the set was in English)





By the time Silent Comedy came onstage, we were kinda stressing about getting to the Beauty Bar ontime, so we compromised and watched most of the set, but left before the last song, which was good because by the time we got to Beauty Bar, both openers were done. The Silent Comedy killed, as they always do, so we made sure to stay for "Bones" and the big "I am alright!" singalong, then we took off.


We completely missed Frantic Romantic and SayVinyl, which was really unfortunate. I'm gonna do a birthday show in Sepetmber and I'm hoping to get both of them to play so we'll see about that...

Anyway, we got there in time to catch all of Annuals set and their stage energy is so great. Actually, I'd say that's true for the whole band except Anna, who really looks like she couldn't be bothered. It wasn't until their last song that I actually saw her smile- but the rest of the band- happy as hell to play. Their set was over by about 11:20 which was a bit of a bummer, because the whole show should've been pushed back a little bit, but it was all good.





After the show there was this green light on the dancefloor that just made my eyes trip out; I couldn't adjust my eyes, so Jeff, Daniel, Abraham and I decided to go to the Ken. Earthless was playing so it was really loud, but we had fun just hanging out at the bar and making fun of the really drunk guy who they kicked out for groping some girl. He had a broken foot and hobbled around telling everyong they're not metal. He was entertaining to say the least and it was a fun way to bring out night to an end.

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Grand Ole Party, Ken Club, 5.9.08

I violated some of my own personal rules on Friday. After work, instead of napping, I cleaned my house, wrote, surfed the net, and by the time I as all done, it was time to walk to the show, having only eaten a small piece of chicken. By 10:30, it was packed in the bar and Thin Man was finishing up in the band room. I made my way down the bar where I ran into my neighbor Jim, who usually doesn't stay past 10, but he was there and he was buying me drinks, which quickly became mistake number two. Then, I made the critical error of my night. I made fun of the really, really drunk girl who tried to pay with a credit card when she ordered two mind erasers. "Oh my god, like she's not already wasted enough, and she's ordering MIND ERASERS."

Oh, judgmental one. How that came back to bite me in the ass. I stayed on the bar side and didn't realize I'd missed all of Wild Weekend's set. Oh, how the time can pass when sucking down vodka tonics in the Ken Club amongst friends.

Anyway, Grand Ole Party was about to get started so I made my way in to the bar and of course, they killed it. It was really cool to see them back at the Ken Club and the room was packed with people singing along to every word.







And then they finished. And I was more than a little buzzed, but not one to let that stop me, you know, stayed. I also was sure I wouldn't be having any after party action, so perhaps I wasn't pacing myself properly. I stayed, I drunk-twittered, and came home and some friends and randoms came over until for a while and the second the last one left, I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow. Poor planning, but it was good fun, and other than my crytic tweet and my googly eyes I get when I'm over the edge, no major damage done.

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Grand Ole Party At The Ken Club Tonight

For anyone planning on seeing Grand Ole Party, Wild Weekend and Thin Man tonight at the Ken Club, this is a public service announcement, since for many people I'm sure it will be your first time there.



The Ken Club is a cash only bar. Bring cash (or your ATM card for the WAMU across the street).

There will be a cover. I was told it will be $10-$15 so be prepared for that. No free or $5 show tonight. C'mon, it's GRAND OLE PARTY.

This show will sell out. On nights when bands play, you can just hang on the bar side without going into the band room, but on occassion, when they deem a show "sold out", unless you're a regular, they will not let you into the bar at all without a stamp. Get there before 11 and you should be fine.

Be prepared to stay late. Most bands play right up until last call. It's just the way it is. If you have to call it an early night, check out Frantic Romantic and Red Pony Clock at the Whistle Stop instead.

If you're under 21, stay home. Seriously, these guys know what they're doing and just because you think you're cute doesn't mean you're getting in, not even if you're wearing a Kristin-esque headband.

Tip your bartenders. They remember faces and how much you tip. A good tip=good service. If you holler out to them, call them by name, flag them down, or the worst, snap your fingers, they will ignore you until you realize you're being an asshole. Stand at the bar, hold your money in your hand, and when they ask you what you want, don't ask the 6 people behind you what they're having. Order your drink and move along.

Don't ask the doorguy for a cigarette. If anything, you should be offering him one. Clem's across the street is open till 10 and the gas station varies, but it's supposed to be open 24/7, so buy your own fags, dude.

It funny to me as I type this that I even have to say any of this shit, but the Ken Club is my home away from home and if you piss off the bartenders, you're messing with my family. And nobody fucks with my family.

Oh, and for my after party regulars...bring booze. You guys cleaned me out...no vodka, no jack, no beer. If you wanna hang out, you betta bring it.

keep on reading...

Saturday, 5.3.08...the rest of the night

Saturday was a marathon night for me, and after Roots Fest and the Belly Up, Daniel and I were all over the place. He picked me up as soon as Natalie dropped me off and our first stop was at Chasers for Fkenal who were really kick ass.

They're all instrumental and the room was dark with all the lights out that allowed their projector to provide some video to their music. Definitely high energy and really smart song structures made for an entertaining set.



After they finished, we picked Natalie up from her house, but before U-31 we stopped at the taco shop across the street because I needed a quick taco, and the three of us were quite amused by the misspelling of "fajita".



We went across the street to U-31 and saw the Antic guys from Filter Magazine who were silkscreening t-shirts on the spot, but ain't no medium tee gonna fit these boobies, so I passed on the swag. While waiting outside for Natalie and Daniel's shirts to be made, we found out we'd already missed Wallpaper, and also that they were not gonna do the planned pop-up concert at La Posta, so I'll have to see Wallpaper some other time. We went in the bar and had a round, but we weren't really feeling the tijuana-esque scene and the bumping and grinding and people making out everywhere we looked, so we slurped our drinks and went to Bar Pink Elephant.



On our way, we were sad to see that Big Lots has closed down. Boo.



We got there before Two Sheds hit the stage and the bar was full of friends, and of course, my $4 stoli & tonic, so I was happy to be there. Two Sheds was pretty awesome and were a nice backdrop to us hanging in a couple booths with some friends. The vocals were beautiful and this style of music sounds better in the bar than the hard rock of Birds of Avalon, so maybe I wrote off Pink Elephant as a venue prematurely.



After the show, we swung by the Ken Club for one final bevvie and were greeted by my neighbor, Kittyhead who followed us home.



Then of course, we stayed up super late watching silly YouTube videos until Saturday turned to Sunday, putting the seal on another great San Diego weekend.

keep on reading...

The Ringers & Hotel St. George, Beauty Bar, 5.1.08

After Cut Copy, I bolted out of downtown and headed to the Beauty Bar because I was hoping to catch The Howls, and it seems I keep missing them, but no such luck, I missed them again. I arrived just as Hotel St. George started their set, said hi to some peeps, then made my way to the patio. They sounded great and Matt seemed in a better place than when they played at the Ken Club a few weeks ago and it shone through in the performance. I've always appreciated Matt's stage attitude. "Go ahead and clap, that was a good one," or "we literally wrote this song about three hours ago, so I hope we don't fuck it up." They didn't. Or if they did, we couldn't tell.



Then came LA's The Ringers. They have to be one of the best live bands around and they bring it every time. Singer Joe goes from the stage to the crowd back to the stage, moving around, dancing, jumping, and high-kicking, that I realized I need better action shot skills. The man doesn't stand still.



At one point, I was taking pictures of the band and Joe had left the stage, and all the sudden he's writhing on the floor pulling on my leg at my ankle. The thing is, there can be 5 people in the room or 200, and he brings it every single time.
For more pics and video, click "keep on reading".








I forgot to post last week before the show, but Joe is also in several television commercials, and currently he's the center of the "White Gold" campaign to promote milk.

White Gold "One Gallon Axe"


And here's the band performing a San Diego favorite, "Beaver Fever".
The Ringers, "Beaver Fever"


After the set, a few of us hung out, and my Ken Club homies showed up, so we chilled for a bit, and then we all made our way back to Kensington. The Ringers came by, too, so we chatted outside the bar before they took off, and then closed the bar down. My friend ended up hanging out at my place for a couple drinks and crashing at my place, so Friday I was pretty spent. When I got home from work, I went straight to sleep, and by the time I woke up, didn't motivate for anything more than walking to the Ken, but that ended up being a good call because my friends came and met me there, too. Since I'd gotten such a late start on the night, inevitably I ended up staying up until 6 in the morning. Abraham and I even went and laid in the park during sunrise to listen to all the birds of Kensington go crazy in the trees there. This, of course, resulted in me getting a late start on Saturday, but it all worked out, and I'll post about Saturday later.

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The Henry Clay People, Ken Club, 4.4.08

Again, I know I've been really brief on my show recaps, but I've been busy. I've been working some overtime at the day job where I have no down time to keep up with things like I did at my last slacker job, and when I get home, I'm usually tired and need to rest up for whatever lies ahead that particular evening. This blog is never supposed to feel like a job or responsibility, yet sometimes I find myself skipping out on things just to keep it updated, so it's times like these when I'm up too late, already thinking about the nap I'm gonna have to sneak in sometime tomorrow.

I didn't write much about the Ken Club show on Friday, but it was awesome and I was glad to have been there, which I briefly mentioned here. Honestly, on this night I wasn't even gonna bring out my camera, but when The Henry Clay People called Alex to the stage and demanded a dance party in the crowd, I had to take it out for just a few snapshots. I love when I get to see a beautiful show in my hood, then just stumble home knowing I have nowhere I have to be and nothing I have to do for the subsequent 48+ hours. It's quite a beautiful feeling.

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A rundown of my last few days

I guess I haven't really posted since the Beto Cuevas show so here's a quick rundown on how the last few nights have been for me.

Thursday, my friend Kristian and I went to the Pearl Hotel in Point Loma for a "Yelp Elite" party. Thanks to Ruggy for the invite. I love the hotel though it's been a while since I stopped by(you can read about the last time I was there here. Booze was provided by Effen Vodka (yay!) and there were some delicious tray passed appetizers. When we got there, we went straight for a cabana- I think a lot of people didn't know they were out by the pool and confined themselves to the bar- and it was great to hang out with other friends...Daye, Aaron, etc.

From there, we went to TNT where Absolut Grapefruit was the sponsor. Excellent. I liked F.U.Z.Z. though I didn't expect to because any band described as "funk" usually makes me turn and run. Then Ex-Friends played and the patio was more crowded. I love TNT and really look forward to some of the summer shows, when it's warm out, the days longer, and more people show up.

I said my goodbyes to Kristian and his friends and made my way to Chaser's, though by the time I arrived, I missed Di Nigunim, and ended up just sitting at the bar with Gene. It was a full on Punkboard night there. Sandra showed up and we ended up at my house after while she waited for Taxi Rob to come get her.

Friday night was a one stop night for me. I met James at the bar so we were on the bar side while Witt played but we got a booth when the Henry Clay People and Swim Party played. There weren't a lot of people at the bar, maybe everyone was at "The Fest" at the Casbah, but those of us who were there got a great show. The Henry Clay people are from LA and their original stuff is great, but I was especially taken by their cover of The Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait" and they did a fun version of Operation Ivy's "Don't Know Nothin'" and I was finally able to pick up their CDs. Then of course Swim Party rocked our socks off, and I was glad there was an intimate crowd of good friends there for what was their last show in a while since Eric is getting married soon, and Petro's got to take some time to get ready for his late summer wedding.

Saturday was a lazy day punctuated by dinner at Lefty's. I decided to take a nap before heading to the Casbah, but when the time came, I never made it to the Casbah. I was tired and needed the rest, but ended up waking up in the middle of the night and rediscovered my new best friend, Hulu.

Hulu is a site that hosts tons of tv shows and movies. Watching is free if you don't mind a few commercials. I watched half of the third season of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, then shut down and went back to dreamland. Now I'm home and scratched my plans for that Vegan BBQ to hang at home. I think James and I are going to Habitat House in a little while but until then, I'm signing off. If I don't sign back on, don't forget to check out 91X in the morning. Mat Diablo makes his morning show debut. He's a great guy and has shared some of his plans for the show and I think people who enjoy some talk and music will be pleased. I hope.

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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.

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Weekend Recap: Old Man Hands, River City 3.13.08 & The Boredoms 3.15.08

Sometimes I feel like bands would gain more interest if they didn’t play as much as they do- over-saturation can be a problem. On the other hand, there are musicians who, as far as I’m concerned, don’t play nearly enough. One of those is Old Man Hands. Anytime they play, I try to catch them because they’re so talented and honestly, Gabriel’s is the only voice in San Diego that makes me cry on the inside everytime I hear it. Conveniently, they played at the Ken Club on Thursday night and I made sure to arrive early enough to see them.

There were quite a few people there, but honestly, it was the first time I ever wished there were less people in the room because the crowd was incredibly rude. Old Man Hands, even with a full band, are quiet, and their music deserves a hushed attentive crowd. Instead, they got a bunch of chatty people who took the bands playing as a sign to talk even louder. It was really disappointing to see a band a band basically helpless and they were noticeably frustrated toward the end of the set. It’s a Catch-22 for a band- say something and you sound self-important, don’t say anything and the people there to see you wonder why you didn’t speak up. Gabriel handled it as well as he could and asked, “Can you guys turn it down?” Despite the crowd, the band sounded great. Rachel wasn’t playing violin with the band on this night, but they still sounded lush with the drums, guitars, mandolin, keys, and my favorite, the accordion. I was also happy that my ATM is across the street because I’ve been meaning to buy their CDs for a while but never had the scratch on me when I’ve seen them before. They started with my favorite song, Slip Away, and played a solid set, mixing in a couple all instrumental songs. I don’t know what the last song was called, but the mandolin sounded so beautiful and really helped distinguish the song.







River City were up second and had a louder sound and therefore weren’t bothered by the still loud crowd, and for a Thursday night there were quite a few people in the crowd. It was my first time seeing River City and I was really impressed. I’m always impressed when a band switches around instruments, and in this case the female drummer jumped in and played bass to join in vocals and the bassist picked up drum duties. I’ll definitely need to keep an eye out for these guys playing again.







The Common Loon finished up the night but it was kinda late for a Thursday night- I don’t think people knew they were gonna be on the bill, so the room pretty much cleared out. I, too, only stayed for a couple songs. They were pretty smart and had put out some free CDs so I’ll have to take a listen and check them out again, too.




Friday night came and went and I took such a lengthy end of the week nap, that by the time I went to the Ken, I’d missed Secret Apollo, then got so caught up talking to friends that I missed The Airlines and Anna Troy. I’m really disappointed that I missed The Airlines because they made such an impression on me the last time I saw them. I talked to Blake for a while after their set and he told me they’ve been recording a lot lately, mostly in LA, but they also were able to record a couple tracks in Nashville, so I’m really looking forward to that release.

I did my ritual of going home and catching up on the past week of In Treatment. If you have HBO, I highly recommend this show. It’s really well done, the characters are well developed, and it definitely builds tension in anticipation of each new episode.

Now it’s Saturday and I’m sitting in The Boredoms tour bus. They’re from Osaka, Japan, and they’re playing tonight at Cane’s. I’m babysitting the tour manager’s three year old, so we wandered around Belmont Park for a while, rode the carousel, played some video games in the arcade, made a quick stop on the beach, then hung around Cane’s.




He briefly wanted nothing to do with me which was a sure sign that he was tired, so I carried him to the bus while he shrieked in my ear screaming bloody murder. It was pretty cute, to be honest, because then some of the band guys came in and he was trying to get them to take him back to his mom, but everyone went about their business and eventually he snuck off and put himself to sleep in his bunk.

These are some pictures from inside the bus.






His mother is gonna try and come in here in a bit so I can see the band sound check and hopefully take some pictures. The bands setup is incredible, with three full metal drumsets. They’re not actually playing until 11, so I’ll probably be babysitting well past midnight, which is just fine by me. Maybe I’ll actually get to bed at a normal time.

That’s all for now. This bus is swaying side to side because it’s so windy down here. Get ready for the news to announce “Stormwatch 2008” or some exaggerated gimmick. I’m signing out now so my battery doesn’t die.

postscript: I went in for a couple sound check songs while Toma's mom watched him on the bus, but then she came in the venue so I went back to the bus. Here are some pics from the soundcheck:






It wasn't until fairly late that I discovered the pass word for the satellite wi-fi, so I didn't get to post this until today, Sunday. We all ate dinner on the bus, though most of the band and crew were up in the front and I was in the back room on the bus so as not to crowd them. After everyone ate, they all slept for an hour before they had to go onstage at 11, and of course that's precisely when Toma woke up crying for his mother. He kept saying something that I'm sure translated to "I hate you" because he thought I was just being mean not letting him see his mom.

I took him outside and it was freezing, but he screamed for close to an hour, then finally the band went into the club so we went back on the bus and I entertained him for a couple hours finding videos on YouTube of Dora The Explorer, The Backyardigans, and a Japanese DVD he had. He'd cry between clips, but anytime music was on he seemed to be ok. The band finished about 12:30, but they all had to load out, so I didn't leave until after 1 am. It was an interesting day to say the least, and I was so exhausted that I actually slept in really late today, which happens frequently but not when alcohol hasn't been involved, so I'd say my body needed it. Now I'm all rested for the upcoming week. I'm gonna work on this week's listing now.

keep on reading...

Weekend Recap: Transfer, Delta Spirit, Port O'Brien, Morning Benders, After Party

It was quite a weekend and I just finished cleaning up my house that was looking pretty skanky after a late night after party, but I'll get to that in a sec.

Since Thursday was a big night, I came home from work and took a well deserved deep sleep. I was torn about what to do and where to go because there were quite a few great shows around town, but I slept a bit longer than intended, had a late dinner, and got sucked into Joe Scarborough being his usual obnoxious self on his appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher. By the time all was said and done, I decided to just walk down the street to catch Transfer. I decided to leave my camera at home since I have a gazillion pictures of the guys rocking out the Ken Club from the past. This time I hung back because I lost my earplugs at Chaser's the night before, but the sound there is so good these days, I didn't need them anyway. Jeremy isn't playing bass anymore, so there was a new guy filling in but the band still sounded tight as ever. They played right up until the bar closed and I alternated between the band room and downing some red headed sluts at the bar. It was a chill time and I was in a good mood. I chatted with Lyn out front for a bit then walked home and unintentionally stayed up til 6:30 a.m. I somehow didn't realize that I'd missed two weeks of In Treatment on HBO so I watched until I was all caught up.

Saturday I had planned on going to the skating event at the Clairemont YMCA, but my parents called and reminded me that it was my brother in law's birthday, so instead we all headed down to Point Loma Seafoods. (Why "seafood" is pluralized, I cannot say) The food was delicious and the day was beautiful. After food and cake, we went on a family shopping trip which was actually quite entertaining, then we all went back to my sister's to hang out and have a couple beers.

From there, my sister, Johanna and I went to Ray At Night. I've always planned on going, but something always seems to come up, so this was my first time and we had a good time strolling through the shops and galleries. From there, she dropped me at the Casbah.

I was glad to get there in time for The Morning Benders because they're a great band and I felt bad for them that the crowd was pretty thin when they played the Beauty Bar a couple months back. They're about to head out on tour with The Kooks, so I'm glad to have caught them at a venue I love, since I'll likely not be going to their Kooks show at HoB.




After the band finished, the patio was packed with people and we were enjoying the night hanging on the zebra bench just kinda people watching and shooting the shit, bouncing from the patio to the back bar, back to the patio. Before I knew it, Port O'Brien was onstage. I asked if anyone had heard of them and my friends had not, but from their first song, I had to see what was going on inside because they sounded amazing. The band rocked. Paco Diamante suggested that they had a Neil Young sound, but I was taking in with the sheer energy onstage and the banjo just added something really unique. At one point Van, the singer, got pretty pissed because he wanted his sound adjusted and the sound guy was nowhere to be found or he was on IM chat or some shit. He brushed it off and continued their set, but in talking to him after, he was upset, and I guess had some words with Chad. He was bummed that Jake wasn't doing their sound which seems to be a recurring theme with bands- Jake is in high demand these days and is going on the road with Delta Spirit and a couple other bands in the next couple months. Anyway, here are the pics:









Delta Spirit was up last and the venue was packed. I stayed on the patio for much of their set, talking to the Morning Benders and Port O'Brien.



I made my way in to try and take pics but all I could do was get a spot over near the side exit so they didn't really come out, and Natalie was up front taking photos, so check her site for better pics. Anyway, we were supposed to leave midset to catch Blackout Party at the Ken Club. Abraham was lagging, however, so Paco and I left without him. We stopped at my house, since I knew people would likely come over, I asked Paco to vacuum quickly while I straightened up a tiny bit.

We went to the Ken, did a couple shots, then made our way in to see the band. They sounded so clean and I was in a great mood. Seemed like everyone else was, too, so it made for a great time.






Abraham finally showed up and we all hung out until the bar was shutting down. I knew Abraham and Dan were coming over, but I didn't expect half the bar to come home with us. Not that I minded, of course, but we were up till the wee hours and the drinking didn't stop until it was all gone. And I mean ALL GONE. Every bottle and can of beer, a whole bottle of Jack, half a bottle of vodka, and any tequila I had...all gone. Eventually I went to bed and some people crashed in my living room. When I woke up on Sunday, my house was filthy. I'm hoping my recycling guy comes by soon because my recycle bins are to the max with bottles and cans. I was pretty lazy, however, and caught up with some of my other posting, so I saved the cleanup till tonight, washing every shot glass, digging cigarette butts out of my sink, dusting, vacuuming, and finding random glasses under my furniture, in my bathroom, in the bedroom. Someone left a shirt, which I think is pretty funny if someone went home shirtless, and I have someone's broken cell phone, too, so if you were here and lost a Verizon with no LCD screen, give me a holler.

It's nearing 10 pm on Monday and I can't decide if I should do my weekly listings or head out...it's Andy's b-day at Wit's End, there's mechanical bull riding at U-31 with Laura Jane, and Chaser's and the Casbah have good shows. dilemma...

keep on reading...

Save The Date: Tuesday, March 11 "Across The Bridge"

I was supposed to start doing a once a month show at the Ken Club but never got around to setting them up, and I'm sorry about that, but there's been several mid-week shows there lately, so there's plenty of people putting together great shows. But some friends and I got to talking and lately a lot of people have migrated to the Kensington & Normal Heights areas, so we're doing a little local's night.

If you live in the Kensington or Normal Heights (or anywhere in the vicinity), we're gonna have a local's night.

Tuesday Night
Ken Club
8:30 PM

Drink Specials: $2 PBR/Bud/Bud Light Drafts
$3.50 Guiness
$4 Skyy Vodka

keep on reading...

Wed Recap: This Holiday Life & Writer @ U-31, 2.27.08

Show by show, I'll get my pictures posted. Last Wednesday, I headed down to U-31 to catch Writer, as they were told they'd be on at 9. There was some confusion, however, so they actually played third in the lineup. For me to take pictures, there's a certain comfort I have to feel in a venue, and at that early point in the night, I wasn't feeling it, so I found the Swim Party guys who were hanging out in the back, and we all found a booth and shot the shit during the first two acts, though while hanging outside with Andy, he pointed out that Red Letter Agent sounded a lot like Travis. So for every song, we would name the Travis equivalent, until it was time to load their stuff on stage.

I wanna mention quickly that I was told there were over 100 paid people through the door, which to me, was pretty remarkable for a fairly new venue, and bands that aren't necessarily in the Casbah loop just yet. However, it also should be noted that it would be nice if the DJ matched the bands. To go from a sounds-like Travis band to dancey nightclub stuff was odd, and even more weird was the dude who was playing drums along to the dance music. WTF with that?

At that point I was over my camera shyness, and stepped right up with Alex, Petro and Eric to watch them and take some pictures. I was happy for once to take pictures with a colored background- note to Natalie that I think your photography would be amazing here.





After Writer, it was already kinda late, so I knew I'd missed the Muslims at the Ken Club, so I stayed for the first half of This Holiday Life's set. This was more rocking than I remembered from the Beauty Bar, but that was also the night I left after a couple songs because I'd forgotten my camera battery at home, so maybe this was just the half of the set I missed. I like them, though perhaps I should've picked up a CD because I can't really put my finger on their sound. I should also note that the singer's wife/girlfriend/partner brought their baby to the show, so it was adorable to see this tiny baby with giant air traffic controller ear protection on.



I had been playing phone tag with a friend, so when I got the call that the Ken Club was still going off, I headed back home. There I talked to the Muslims and was told that for the kick off of "Commune", there were over 130 through the door. To me, that was pretty damn good evidence that for the right events, people will come out to play on school nights, so good work to the girls behind Commune and to Erika and Peggy at U-31 for building a really strong and usually ignored weeknight. I'll be back to U-31 on Wednesdays for sure and look forward to seeing where the next Commune is held.

keep on reading...

Friday Recap: Team Abraham, Swim Party, Jamuel Saxon 2.22.08

Friday was a good night, wasn't it? I worked a little late but it was just fine because when I did finally leave the office, I was ready for my weekend to get going. I mentioned I sat at home reading a movie script, the I got ready and headed out, arriving at the Whistle Stop right around 9 because I'm never quite sure when everything's gonna get started there.

Team Abraham took the stage at 10, which gave plenty of time to catch up with friends and ease into the night. I think the band sounded great, no mic problems like they thought they had at the Casbah a couple weeks back, so from start to finish, they sounded clean, and the harmonica sounded beautiful accompanying the music.

Team Abraham




Then, of course, after Swim Party got all their equiment and lights set up, they got
to playing to a pretty crowded Whistle Stop. We know I love them, end of story there.

Swim Party




After they finished, I quickly left and made my way to Chaser's to catch Jamuel Saxon. It wasn't until Randall pointed out that its a mock of Samuel Jackson that the lightbulb clicked. I'm so dumb sometimes. But anyway, there was a good little crowd at Chaser's dancing and getting down, and Jamuel Saxon was awesome. There's some prerecorded beats, a dj, and Isaac from Get Back Loretta and another guy banging their hearts outta a couple drums and bongos, all the while Keith singing and sounding killer. Those brothers Milgraten never cease to amaze me with not only their talent, but their diversity of talent.

Jamuel Saxon




of course I chatted with T-Bone a bit and took a pic of the best hoodie I've ever seen...


After Chaser's, I hit the Ken for last call and it was packed for Roses on Her Grave and Desert Diamonds, even though they'd already finished. I ran into Aaron and we played half a game of pool, I did a couple shots, and for once actually went home after closing time and went to sleep.

keep on reading...

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 :)

keep on reading...

Overdue Recap: The Frantic Romantic CD Release, Ken Club, 1-26-08

I was certain for a while that I'd go to Gram Rabbit's CD release show at the Casbah on January 26. However, when the day came, I was feeling pretty unmotivated. It had been a late night with friends over, it was raining almost all day, and I knew there was going to be a great show in my own hood. I was glad that I opted for the Ken Club. Unfortunately, I missed Long Live Logos, and while watching The Fascination, I realized I'd forgotten my camera so I went home to grab it. By the time I got back and was well lubed with some cocktails and the Ken Club was packed.

I love these guys, and I've been enjoying their CD a lot, but I hadn't seen them live before and they brought it in a big way. Their show is very energetic, and Ryan's voice kinda reminded me of a band I used to love called Sonichrome.





The crowd was loving the set for sure, and there was a whole bunch of dancing going on up front. When the band finished, they urged everyone to pick up a CD. They started to pack up when one of their friends jumped onstage and whispered in Ryan's ear. Ryan said they were done, but the dude started the crowd chanting. Apparently at one show once upon a time, the band played a Journey cover and they've been stuck playing it ever since. I was pretty happy about it, I have to say, but I can imagine how on a CD release show, a band might wanna avoid covers. Still, they gave the crowd what they wanted.



Since I did feel bad about missing Gram Rabbit, I asked Greg to write a review of the show. Below is an excerpt:

The show last night started off quite ominously when the laptop that the band uses for sound effects on some songs died, which forced the band to scrap about 4 songs from the set; mostly from their new record, Radioangel and The Robotbeat. That is one reason I'm not a big fan of having sounds computer generated on-stage during a show. Maybe it was the frustration of having their computer crash, the rain, their upcoming tour of the South and East Coast, or the fact that the Casbah is one of their favorite places to play, but the band regrouped and delivered their wildest, loosest, and most unpredictable show I have seen from them yet. Starting with the space rock of "Waiting In The Kountry" from their second album "Cultivation", the band played songs ranging from crowd favorites like the disco beats of "Cowboy Up", the country-folk sing-along "Dirty Horse"; the high desert rap tune "Cowboys And Aliens", and the rocker "Land Of Jail" from "Music To Start A Cult To"; to songs from their excellent new album "RadioAngel and The Robotbeat."

While they we're limited to some songs they could play from it because of the computer crash, they did play some stand-outs from it like "American Hookers", "The Rest Of Us Sleep", and "Something Fuzzy"; and the gorgeous "The Places We Go" sung by the balladeer of the group Todd Rutherford. The show included alot of band talk between songs; which was almost non-exsistent in the past shows I've seen; and alot of crowd interaction as well including Jesika crowd surfing a few times and actually throwing herself in my arms one time during the show. Thankfully she is a very petite lady, not to mention quite beautiful, so I was very honored. By the time the last song ended the stage looked like Godzilla had stomped a mud-hole in it. It has been a very long time since I have seen a band literally destroy their stage set-up like that; and defintiely the first time I had seen them do it. The snare drum almost landed in my arms. After a short break the band came back out amongst the post-apocalytic mess strewn about the stage and preformed the encore, which consisted of very loose, shambolic version of "Devils Playground" which was quite surreal with the instrument carcasses laying everywhere. It seemed to fit the moment beautifully. And finally, after cleaning up the mess a little and getting some semblace of a stage set-up organized again the band closed with one of their signature songs and defintie crowd favorite, "Bloddy Bunnies" which quite appropo as well and was the perfect end to the show.

Incidentally, what Greg called "loose" others told me was just a total mess. Another friend of mine who was at the show said the band seems more concerned with their pre-party and post-party than they are about delivering a good set and said the band's performances have gotten progressively worse every time he's seen them. With that opinion, I was glad I kept my ass in the 'hood.

keep on reading...

Huge Casbah Weekend

I wasn't expecting to hit the Casbah last night, but after overdosing on the Gaslamp I just needed a REAL drink poured by a REAL bartender with REAL alcohol in it. That's the thing about downtown that I hate; it wasn't the d-bag factor that everyone talks about- I mean, everyone has the right to like what they like- but if I'm paying $6, $8 or even $10 for a drink, I expect more than a two count pour. That's not the point of this post, however, and I'll have to get to all my recapping some other time when my computer is functional again and I can piece together all the pictures that go with the posts (The Long and Short of It, Shaky Hands, Lonely H, Rafter, ASR, Iglu & Hartly, A Scribe Amidst the Lions).

Anyway, it appears that I'll be at the Casbah for the next three nights straight.

I already posted about MGMT, who are performing with Yeasayer and Calico Horse (both awesome in their own right). The show is tonight and is a show I've been anticipating for a while.

Saturday night is the CD release party for Gram Rabbit. Time to pull out your bunny ears and your cottontails and get ready for the mayhem that always ensues at their shows. Last time there was wrestling, near nudity, and a crazy as hell after party. I think I'm still recovering from that one...I got an advance of the CD and it's just as awesome as their live shows, so bring some cash to pick up merch when you're at the show.





I would also be remiss if I didn't mention The Frantic Romantic's big CD release show at the Ken Club. If the Casbah lets out early, I'll be heading over for sure. (Their CD is definitely worth picking up, too. Pyles has been playing a lot of it because it's so damn good.


Sunday night is the big FM 94/9 Local Pyle show. It's free, it's early, and has not only some of my favorite local bands, but some of my best friends performing. Hotel St. George, Team Abraham, Desert Diamonds, and the Tighten-Ups.

This weekend is gonna be a doozy, which means please refrain from calling me anytime before noon :)

keep on reading...

Friday Recap: Shuffleboard Showdown, Drew Andrews, UBUV

After returning to work on Friday, I was still feeling kinda weak, so I took a nap after work and was planning on sleeping right up until I was going to head to the Whistle Stop. That plan changed when I woke up to my mom's voice yelling into my voicemail that I hadn't answered her calls all day and was I ok. It was kinda funny, actually, but being awakened from my nap gave me the momentum to get ready early and go catch up with the Shuffleboard Showdown, which was already at the Jewel Box. Frank won the first game at Downtown Johnny Brown's and the competition was entertaining to the rest of us who were there to witness. I never realized how long one game can go. We were there for a while, until eventually Larry took game 2.



From the Jewel Box we went to Hamilton's which was pretty crowded so our group was spread out in the bar. There was some dude- I guess he gave up the shuffleboard for them- but he thought that gave him the right to dictate the rules and then he talked shit about how long they were taking. Other than the ass, Hamilton's was a good time.








It was getting late, so I said my goodbyes and went to the Whistlestop. Drew Andrews was already playing, so I grabbed a drink and maneuvered around the side to get up close. Unfortunately from where I was, my camera just wasn't doing very well focusing, so I only got a couple decent shots. Drew sounded great and the full band helped drown the Whistlestop talkers. I'm really looking forward to his record coming out and hopefully he'll get a handful of shows in before he heads off to tour Europe later this spring.






Youtube of Drew covering "Send Me An Angel"


After the band I hung for a little while then headed back to my hood. Over at the Ken Club, the last band was finishing up. They're called UBUV and were really cool. Maybe a little more Kava Lounge than Ken Club, but interesting. I don't know how to describe the music...definite Eastern influences with their instrumentation, complete with a couple belly dancers, all backed with a DJ on turntables. I would definitely check out the band again. Plus, the Belly Dancers had live snakes which you just don't see very often.









Finally it was time for my night to be done so I came home and went to sleep. I woke up to a text message from Larry, who informed me that he took the shuffleboard championship in 5 games. I'm ready for them to have a ping pong tournament myself...I'll take them all.

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