once again, tales of my running away to chicago. and once again, a super last minute decision. they make life more fun, i've decided. and it's probably good therapy for my problems with change and weird obsessive compulsive and perfectionist problems. so i packed up the car and left saturday morning, headed north by around nine. made excellent time and got to sam's house by around two, who was so kind as to let me and michele stay with her for the weekend. we took the train [my first experience with public transportation!] to wicker park and oh man. milwaukee avenue. swarming with hipsters and scenesters and everything in between.
michele, sam, her little sister caitlin and i walked around for a little while exploring and decided on the kid's zone to occupy caitlin for a while. we then headed over to the south stage to see cavashawn. jesse unfortunately had his bag stolen which has his ipod, blackberry, and a bunch of clothes in it. so cavashawn didn't match today - jesse stuck out in red. but it was a nice change; also interesting was scott's vast amount of chest hair peeking out everywhere. we finally met up with stephanie and nikki and a whole slew of other people that i only sort of know based off of faceboook pictures. well cavashawn put on a great show as always. they had a few sound problems with the mic cutting out, but overall it went well and we all noticed quite a few new fans venturing over to the merch table. it was probably around six at that time and we still had a few hours to kill before treaty of paris played. so we hung out for a while and hipster-watched, got huge lemonades and took a trip to the disgusting bathrooms.
treaty played at around eight thirty and they had quite the crowd. granted it's their hometown and a huge outdoor festival, but it seemed like most people knew the music and were singing along. this was my first time seeing them and it was just as wonderful as everyone has described. i'd met phil at beat kitchen back in january, and chris a few show's back at mojoe's, and finally got to meet mike and dan who were super nice. didn't get a chance to say hey to fonzi, but they'll be in columbia soon; no worries there. chaos of course ensued after the set because every single fan girl was trying to get a word in with treaty, and our group was still standing up front talking with the cavie boys. [please give me a few seconds here, to express my deep love and adoration for scott salmon. what a sweetheart; even more so when he's drunk. ladies and gentlemen, this man knows how to hug so if you ever need one, go find him.] we soon left and made our way back to the el station. A MESS is the only way i can describe it. we'll skip the harrowing details. let's just say that we made it back to jefferson park and went to big top restaurant for dinner. perfect end to a fantastic day.
day two - sam made us some fantastic breakfast, we watched fern gully like fools, and decided we needed to take an adventure. so what did we do? we took filipino food [sam's mom's orders] to the cavashawn apartment. we hung out and gossiped for a while and chelsea made various hysterical comments [all in good fun of course] and we were on our way to a very late lunch by around four. noodles and company the the rescue! michele had to be on her way home since she lives a grown-up life, so we headed home and sent her on our way. sam and i then decided to drive back down the wicker park fest instead of taking the train... BAD IDEA. it took us about forty minutes to find parking and by the time we walked our sorry asses all the way to the gate, then all the way to the opposite end of the festival, company of thieves was already playing and we had both missed our favorite song, oscar wilde. but oh well. we met up with nikki and steph again and enjoyed the rest of the set. next up was margot and the nuclear so and so's, who put on a very good set. they're on those bands that would be a favorite if only i had the time to give them. but regardless i really enjoyed it. we then ventured to seven eleven for massive dr. pepper slurpees, and made our way back to sam's house where we burned cavashawn fliers for our bonfire [once again, all in good fun]. i had made a curfew for myself of midnight; leaving then would get me home by a solid five am. well i didn't end up leaving until two... and got home at a disgusting seven am and crashed hard. fantastic weekend with fanstastic people. i'm sad i won't be seeing cavashawn or chicago for a while. and i mean it this time... no more running away before i move back to columbia. [except for kansas city on saturday, but that's been planned for a while].
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
st. louis: incubus and coldplay
what an intense two days. incubus played thursday night at verizon wireless and coldplay on friday. i bought the tickets ages ago and had really been looking forward to both concerts. well, by the time incubus rolled around, i had a million and a half other plans for that same night. paper route was playing at the firebird and i've ever seen them before. so i tried selling my incubus ticket but alas. no one wanted it. katie didn't really want to go either and we didn't really feel like putting up with our wild group of that friends that we were supposed to be going with... but i paid thirty bucks so i went anyway. it was a good show, don't get me wrong. i really did enjoy myself. but i wasn't quite feeling them like i used to. music comes and goes in phases, i guess. last summer was an incubus summer... this one, not so much. but over all it was a good time and katie and i spent some really good quality bff time together. deep and meaningful conversation about life is my favorite and that's precisely what we did in her driveway for an hour.
coldplay was the next night, and i was STOKED. any misfortunes from the night before i knew would be made up tenfold. and they were. katie, bri and i went together and had a fantastic night. katie was absolutely beside herself; coldplay is her absolute favorite band. coldplay is to katie as brand new is to me. [which means she was crying tears of happiness and on the verge of a massive heart attack for about two hours.] i'm not even gonna try and claim that i'm a crazy huge fan of them. i own all their albums, i love viva la vida, and i know their big hits. but that's about it. regardless of any and all of that though, THIS SHOW WAS FUCKING AMAZING. there were gigantic yellow balloons during yellow, butterfly confetti, shooting out of cannons, thousands of people singing along and overall a great atmosphere. the band even came out onto the lawn for a few acoustic songs and i got pretty close. such a good time. not so much of a good time when we sat on the parking lot for almost two hours trying to leave though. that sucked because katie had to get up at five thirty the next morning and i had to get up at seven. rough times. but so worth it.
coldplay was the next night, and i was STOKED. any misfortunes from the night before i knew would be made up tenfold. and they were. katie, bri and i went together and had a fantastic night. katie was absolutely beside herself; coldplay is her absolute favorite band. coldplay is to katie as brand new is to me. [which means she was crying tears of happiness and on the verge of a massive heart attack for about two hours.] i'm not even gonna try and claim that i'm a crazy huge fan of them. i own all their albums, i love viva la vida, and i know their big hits. but that's about it. regardless of any and all of that though, THIS SHOW WAS FUCKING AMAZING. there were gigantic yellow balloons during yellow, butterfly confetti, shooting out of cannons, thousands of people singing along and overall a great atmosphere. the band even came out onto the lawn for a few acoustic songs and i got pretty close. such a good time. not so much of a good time when we sat on the parking lot for almost two hours trying to leave though. that sucked because katie had to get up at five thirty the next morning and i had to get up at seven. rough times. but so worth it.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
st. louis: the noise fm
yet another show review. i'm sure i'm losing audience members who don't give a shit about what concerts i attend, but i like to keep my memories in written form. and plus i don't really care who reads this or who doesn't. it's more for me, so when i'm fifty with kids we can all go back and read about my ridiculous shenanigans and teen angst.
last night was the noise fm at cicero's. i'd yet to meet them and see them perform, so like always i was really excited and of course a little nervous. for some reason i always get really jittery before shows. i was also not too happy that i was going all alone, but that's the brakes. i've done it before and survived so this was no different. i did have one friend who wanted to come along, but she was in the midst of family tragedy and had to bail on me, so i had to be okay with that answer. well it turns out, i was THE only person there for the noise fm. literally. and there weren't many other people there at ALL so my social awkwardness was at it's all time high. it wasn't until maybe two minutes before they went on, did sonja and veronica show up [two girls from chicago who always show up in st. louis]. so just as i was about to SIT during the show, they walked up front so i at least had someone to stand next to. well the noise tore it up and blew my mind. it's always great when a band sounds like their record, but when they sound BETTER... well shit. it was great. alex, lead singer and guitar player, came up to me afterwards [i was singing along and gave him the date to their next date in stl with state & madison because he couldn't remember, ha] and asked who i was, and when i told him my name all sorts of recognitions light bulbs went off. ohhhhhh, YOU'RE devon. not really sure what that means, but cool. he then proceeded to ask if i knew the two girls who were in from chicago [yes] and if i knew of urbanites and state and madison [yes and yes] and if i had met their manager mike racanelli [yes]. "well damn" is the answer i got back. ha ha, funny kid. with the cutest accent ever! so i bought a shirt and ended up getting the cd and a poster for free which was nice of them. i took off right after the set promising to see them again soon at the firebird and then again at the artisan in columbia.
as for the rest of this week, it's gonna get crazy. tomorrow is incubus, unless someone buys my ticket off me so i can go see paper route instead... the next day is coldplay. i'm not even a die hard fan, but it's fucking coldplay. so i'm excited. and the following day i'm running away to chicago. that's right, more last minute plans; wicker park fest to see cavashawn and treaty of paris on saturday and company of thieves and margot and the nuclear so and so's on sunday. plus seeing michele and nikki and the wonderful sam who is letting me stay at her house. STOKED.
last night was the noise fm at cicero's. i'd yet to meet them and see them perform, so like always i was really excited and of course a little nervous. for some reason i always get really jittery before shows. i was also not too happy that i was going all alone, but that's the brakes. i've done it before and survived so this was no different. i did have one friend who wanted to come along, but she was in the midst of family tragedy and had to bail on me, so i had to be okay with that answer. well it turns out, i was THE only person there for the noise fm. literally. and there weren't many other people there at ALL so my social awkwardness was at it's all time high. it wasn't until maybe two minutes before they went on, did sonja and veronica show up [two girls from chicago who always show up in st. louis]. so just as i was about to SIT during the show, they walked up front so i at least had someone to stand next to. well the noise tore it up and blew my mind. it's always great when a band sounds like their record, but when they sound BETTER... well shit. it was great. alex, lead singer and guitar player, came up to me afterwards [i was singing along and gave him the date to their next date in stl with state & madison because he couldn't remember, ha] and asked who i was, and when i told him my name all sorts of recognitions light bulbs went off. ohhhhhh, YOU'RE devon. not really sure what that means, but cool. he then proceeded to ask if i knew the two girls who were in from chicago [yes] and if i knew of urbanites and state and madison [yes and yes] and if i had met their manager mike racanelli [yes]. "well damn" is the answer i got back. ha ha, funny kid. with the cutest accent ever! so i bought a shirt and ended up getting the cd and a poster for free which was nice of them. i took off right after the set promising to see them again soon at the firebird and then again at the artisan in columbia.
as for the rest of this week, it's gonna get crazy. tomorrow is incubus, unless someone buys my ticket off me so i can go see paper route instead... the next day is coldplay. i'm not even a die hard fan, but it's fucking coldplay. so i'm excited. and the following day i'm running away to chicago. that's right, more last minute plans; wicker park fest to see cavashawn and treaty of paris on saturday and company of thieves and margot and the nuclear so and so's on sunday. plus seeing michele and nikki and the wonderful sam who is letting me stay at her house. STOKED.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
inspiration
i found this last night. it really struck me; hit me so hard over the head i think i'm still seeing stars. really makes ya think, huh?
we were attracted to this life for a reason.
we sing the songs of rebellion and raise our fists against it all.
we chant slogans and read books and find music in opposition.
in protest of a life we don’t want.
a refusal of common and boring.
our dissent boils over with middle fingers and blue hair.
because fuck them, right?
they don’t get it.
they don’t see what we see.
they don’t live the lives we do.
no one understands but those singers and those with the heart to hold the protest signs.
and that’s fine.
better than fine...
but why?
for what?
be different. be weird. be unique. be gay. be free. be fucked.
color your hair. rip your clothes. tattoo your skin. read books your parents told you not to. watch documentaries. listen to artists. love who you want. stand for a cause. raise your voice. oppose the haters. speak up.
but remember why you do it.
if you have green hair and you don’t know why, fuck you.
if you sing along to the rally song for the hook, fuck you.
if you pick up a cause and don’t know why, fuck you.
if you tour the country in a broken van and don’t see the beauty in three am gas station dinners, don’t do it.
i don’t know your inspiration, i only know mine.
this scene. this culture. this community... is a parachute, not a destination.
it’s a scope for your high-powered rifle of splendor and wonderment.
there is supposed to be a purpose behind all of this.
not all that DIY/punk ethos i’m always talking your ear off about... but about building a better life for yourself.
we are attracted to this for a reason.
in the beginning it all seems so clear but after time, tends to lose its luster.
the image gets smudged by back-stabbing, scene points, who got to the barricade first, list spots, message board drama, backstage passes and name dropping.
don’t you remember why you wanted this?
when it was more than music.
when it was a fight.
and not a fight against your parents and the kids at school or even the popular radio dance crap you hear day in and day out, when it was about a real fight... the fight to save yourself from yourself.
see, this isn’t about that hot and sweaty feeling of being smashed in a sea of a thousand people or dressing up for the show on friday or throwing elbows at the dude who is sweating all up on your back or winking at the bass player or impressing boys or girls or bands or security guards or getting on tour buses... its about being alone in your room with headphones on and feeling it so hard it brings tears to your eyes.
its about driving home alone at night and screaming at the top of your lungs to words that at that moment in the world, only you understand.
it’s about not being scared anymore.
it’s about the refusal to sit on a couch and rot.
it’s about forcing yourself out the door to be productive.
and it’s about wanting to live so hard you just know you're going to shred this world or go out trying.
while you're off playing 'punk' or whatever it is your crazy kids do these days, remember one thing... this is not here by accident.
groups of people across this world make this possible because a few groups of people before them had a crazy idea that life is ours for the taking and we get to paint it any fucking color we like because it’s the only one we got and we need to make the best of it.
to make it fun.
so that one day, we can learn to have fun and smile when it snows and get excited to pass on the secret we learned about life.
that it’s not about playing things safe, because safe fun is for retards in bike helmets and knee pads.
real fun is in the adventure of the leap from the stage to the crowd.
and real living is in the faith of knowing someone will catch you.
because you would for them.
-christopher gutierrez
we were attracted to this life for a reason.
we sing the songs of rebellion and raise our fists against it all.
we chant slogans and read books and find music in opposition.
in protest of a life we don’t want.
a refusal of common and boring.
our dissent boils over with middle fingers and blue hair.
because fuck them, right?
they don’t get it.
they don’t see what we see.
they don’t live the lives we do.
no one understands but those singers and those with the heart to hold the protest signs.
and that’s fine.
better than fine...
but why?
for what?
be different. be weird. be unique. be gay. be free. be fucked.
color your hair. rip your clothes. tattoo your skin. read books your parents told you not to. watch documentaries. listen to artists. love who you want. stand for a cause. raise your voice. oppose the haters. speak up.
but remember why you do it.
if you have green hair and you don’t know why, fuck you.
if you sing along to the rally song for the hook, fuck you.
if you pick up a cause and don’t know why, fuck you.
if you tour the country in a broken van and don’t see the beauty in three am gas station dinners, don’t do it.
i don’t know your inspiration, i only know mine.
this scene. this culture. this community... is a parachute, not a destination.
it’s a scope for your high-powered rifle of splendor and wonderment.
there is supposed to be a purpose behind all of this.
not all that DIY/punk ethos i’m always talking your ear off about... but about building a better life for yourself.
we are attracted to this for a reason.
in the beginning it all seems so clear but after time, tends to lose its luster.
the image gets smudged by back-stabbing, scene points, who got to the barricade first, list spots, message board drama, backstage passes and name dropping.
don’t you remember why you wanted this?
when it was more than music.
when it was a fight.
and not a fight against your parents and the kids at school or even the popular radio dance crap you hear day in and day out, when it was about a real fight... the fight to save yourself from yourself.
see, this isn’t about that hot and sweaty feeling of being smashed in a sea of a thousand people or dressing up for the show on friday or throwing elbows at the dude who is sweating all up on your back or winking at the bass player or impressing boys or girls or bands or security guards or getting on tour buses... its about being alone in your room with headphones on and feeling it so hard it brings tears to your eyes.
its about driving home alone at night and screaming at the top of your lungs to words that at that moment in the world, only you understand.
it’s about not being scared anymore.
it’s about the refusal to sit on a couch and rot.
it’s about forcing yourself out the door to be productive.
and it’s about wanting to live so hard you just know you're going to shred this world or go out trying.
while you're off playing 'punk' or whatever it is your crazy kids do these days, remember one thing... this is not here by accident.
groups of people across this world make this possible because a few groups of people before them had a crazy idea that life is ours for the taking and we get to paint it any fucking color we like because it’s the only one we got and we need to make the best of it.
to make it fun.
so that one day, we can learn to have fun and smile when it snows and get excited to pass on the secret we learned about life.
that it’s not about playing things safe, because safe fun is for retards in bike helmets and knee pads.
real fun is in the adventure of the leap from the stage to the crowd.
and real living is in the faith of knowing someone will catch you.
because you would for them.
-christopher gutierrez
Friday, July 17, 2009
st. louis: urbanites
i was really looking forward to this show because i've never gotten much of a chance to talk to urbanites. brad keeps the banter going via facebook, but face to face conversation is a different story. summerfest was great don't get me wrong, but kind of a let down when it came to catching up with the musically inclined friends. well no one was coming from out of town and urbanites don't have quite the following built up in st louis yet [this was one of their first times out of chicago], so i was preparing for a night of hanging out by myself. but i coerced tim into coming with me [shut up, steven] and he seemed to genuinely have a good time. as for the show, what a fucking set. i always underestimate them for some reason, i guess i just need to give it a little time; i've only seen them four times. but holy hell, this was nothing short of epic. they produce such a powerful wall of sound and it absolutely floors me. every time i hear them, it just sounds better and better. this was by far the best i've heard them. yeah, i'm nice but i tell it like it is. this was by far the best. vocals were really clear and everything was balanced. i usually complain about too much bass with them, but this was perfect. it's too soon for such bold statements, but they could possibly be working their way up to Brand New status. *gasp* some of the other bands weren't so bad tonight either; a rarity at cicero's. the winter sounds and pico vs island trees were both great. the latter really reminds me of another band, but i can't put my finger on who it is. somebody go take a listen and help me out.
well i got my chance to finally chat with urbanites and let me tell you, they're hilarious. and ruthless in their comments and enjoy making fun of everyone [me] and everything. luckily that's my favorite kind of conversation. that, and mike telling me i smell good... thanks. favorite compliment, hands down. all in all, great night. looking forward to all the upcoming excitement of next week. be prepared for many a show update; the only updates this blog has seen in a while.
well i got my chance to finally chat with urbanites and let me tell you, they're hilarious. and ruthless in their comments and enjoy making fun of everyone [me] and everything. luckily that's my favorite kind of conversation. that, and mike telling me i smell good... thanks. favorite compliment, hands down. all in all, great night. looking forward to all the upcoming excitement of next week. be prepared for many a show update; the only updates this blog has seen in a while.
Monday, July 13, 2009
indianapolis: cavashawn, paramore, no doubt + mini family reunion
last minute decisions rule my life. sometimes i wonder if i'll regret doing crazy shit like this, driving so many miles for a half hour show, blah blah blah... but i know i won't. it's worth it. so it was at summerfest that amanda and i were talking about cavashawn's next show. they were playing an acoustic set at the VIP lounge at verizon wireless in indianapolis before the paramore and no doubt show. well neither of us were about to pay for the actual show, so i didn't think much of it. it wasn't until later that we were talking to jesse that he mentioned he might be able to get us on their guest list. i put it out of my mind [and was halfway planning a trip to columbia to see augustana instead], but a few days later amanda called to see if i was still interested in going to the show. jesse was able to get two VIP passes for us, so of course i said yes, like any lunatic would do.
i left around nine thirty on friday to meet amanda at her house in carmel. made good time, got a tour of the house and went out to dinner. we headed over to the venue around five and chaos ensued. we went to the box office to ask for our tickets, explaining we should be on the guest list. we both gave our names and were sent over to guest services. guest services promptly sent us back over to the box office. long story short, no one had tickets for us. so i called jesse [who was already an hour late] and he didn't answer. amanda called ben. he had no clue. jesse texted me and said he'd call me back in five minutes. forty minutes later he calls me back and we find out we have to walk to the complete opposite side of the venue to the VIP entrance. we make the hike and finally spot clifford and a tiny spec of a human being wearing a white v-neck with a vest. we had finally found the right place. jesse led us in through some bushes and a fence and got us our wristbands. scott and chris were already playing since they were so late, so we grabbed a table and sat down to enjoy the rest of the set. what an adventure, let me tell you. this was the first time for both of us seeing cavashawn play acoustic, and it was amazing! definitely hope it happens more in the future. background and the wonderwall cover just about made my heart melt. good times.
we hung out for a while and eventually made our way to the lawn to catch the end of paramore. they played the four or five songs i know very first, so that was kind of a bummer. but it was still cool to hear them live. no doubt was up next and wow... i'm not a big fan or anything, but they put on an amazing show. i knew more songs than i thought i did too. every time a new song would start, i would turn to amanda and freak out. "oh my god, this is no doubt TOO? i remember this song from first grade!" and gwen stefani is a BEAST. this girl has some rock hard abs and was doing push ups on stage. so cool. i wish i were half as cool as her. we ended leaving before the encore to beat the rush of people leaving, and it was a really good idea because we couldn't find the car for a good ten minutes. we finally found it though and saw clifford on our way out! we waved like idiots but who knows if they saw us. what a good night. we then made a taco bell run and proceeded to drink an entire 1.5 liter bottle of arbor mist and take shots of terrible vodka. then for some reason we decided karaoke was a GREAT idea, which involved some sir mix a lot and panic at the disco... it was epic.
i spent all of saturday with my some of my favorite family members who hadn't seen in FOREVER. my cousin faith lives in indy and ended up being only twenty minutes or so away from amanda's house. so i headed over to her house and we went out for a late lunch and talked and talked and talked. i finally got to meet her one year old daughter hope, who is absolutely adorable. i'm not really a baby person, but she is just the cutest thing. we decided to go visit my other cousin nathan [faith's brother] who actually lived about thirty seconds from the show i was at the night before. small world. so faith, brian, hope and i all piled in the car and headed over to nathan and his wife lachelle's house. i was on the road back to st. louis by maybe seven thirty or so and got home by around eleven.
and just when i thought the weekend couldn't get any better... i was about an hour out of st. louis when i got a call from my friend maria who i used to do gymnastics with. she told me our friend nicole was having a party and that i should come because she was only in town for a week. i hadn't seen her in AGES because she's on a gymnastics scholarship in alaska. naturally, she doesn't come home very often. so even though all i wanted to do was crash in my nice comfy bed, i swung by my house for five minutes, cleaned up a little and drove yet another hour out to o'fallon to nicole's house. back in the day me, nicole and maria were the three muskateers. we were inseparable. but things change of course and people grow up and grow apart. it ended up being a huge reunion of gym girls, some of them whom i hadn't seen in about two or three years. so we had a great time that night and took way to many obnoxious pictures. i crashed there for a few hours and drove home in the morning, only to crash once again in my own bed. i think i woke up in time for dinner. such a great weekend. then there was the underwear party that katie hosted on monday... lots of black lights and glow in the dark paint, way too much sour apple pucker. good times. great weekend.
i left around nine thirty on friday to meet amanda at her house in carmel. made good time, got a tour of the house and went out to dinner. we headed over to the venue around five and chaos ensued. we went to the box office to ask for our tickets, explaining we should be on the guest list. we both gave our names and were sent over to guest services. guest services promptly sent us back over to the box office. long story short, no one had tickets for us. so i called jesse [who was already an hour late] and he didn't answer. amanda called ben. he had no clue. jesse texted me and said he'd call me back in five minutes. forty minutes later he calls me back and we find out we have to walk to the complete opposite side of the venue to the VIP entrance. we make the hike and finally spot clifford and a tiny spec of a human being wearing a white v-neck with a vest. we had finally found the right place. jesse led us in through some bushes and a fence and got us our wristbands. scott and chris were already playing since they were so late, so we grabbed a table and sat down to enjoy the rest of the set. what an adventure, let me tell you. this was the first time for both of us seeing cavashawn play acoustic, and it was amazing! definitely hope it happens more in the future. background and the wonderwall cover just about made my heart melt. good times.
we hung out for a while and eventually made our way to the lawn to catch the end of paramore. they played the four or five songs i know very first, so that was kind of a bummer. but it was still cool to hear them live. no doubt was up next and wow... i'm not a big fan or anything, but they put on an amazing show. i knew more songs than i thought i did too. every time a new song would start, i would turn to amanda and freak out. "oh my god, this is no doubt TOO? i remember this song from first grade!" and gwen stefani is a BEAST. this girl has some rock hard abs and was doing push ups on stage. so cool. i wish i were half as cool as her. we ended leaving before the encore to beat the rush of people leaving, and it was a really good idea because we couldn't find the car for a good ten minutes. we finally found it though and saw clifford on our way out! we waved like idiots but who knows if they saw us. what a good night. we then made a taco bell run and proceeded to drink an entire 1.5 liter bottle of arbor mist and take shots of terrible vodka. then for some reason we decided karaoke was a GREAT idea, which involved some sir mix a lot and panic at the disco... it was epic.
i spent all of saturday with my some of my favorite family members who hadn't seen in FOREVER. my cousin faith lives in indy and ended up being only twenty minutes or so away from amanda's house. so i headed over to her house and we went out for a late lunch and talked and talked and talked. i finally got to meet her one year old daughter hope, who is absolutely adorable. i'm not really a baby person, but she is just the cutest thing. we decided to go visit my other cousin nathan [faith's brother] who actually lived about thirty seconds from the show i was at the night before. small world. so faith, brian, hope and i all piled in the car and headed over to nathan and his wife lachelle's house. i was on the road back to st. louis by maybe seven thirty or so and got home by around eleven.
and just when i thought the weekend couldn't get any better... i was about an hour out of st. louis when i got a call from my friend maria who i used to do gymnastics with. she told me our friend nicole was having a party and that i should come because she was only in town for a week. i hadn't seen her in AGES because she's on a gymnastics scholarship in alaska. naturally, she doesn't come home very often. so even though all i wanted to do was crash in my nice comfy bed, i swung by my house for five minutes, cleaned up a little and drove yet another hour out to o'fallon to nicole's house. back in the day me, nicole and maria were the three muskateers. we were inseparable. but things change of course and people grow up and grow apart. it ended up being a huge reunion of gym girls, some of them whom i hadn't seen in about two or three years. so we had a great time that night and took way to many obnoxious pictures. i crashed there for a few hours and drove home in the morning, only to crash once again in my own bed. i think i woke up in time for dinner. such a great weekend. then there was the underwear party that katie hosted on monday... lots of black lights and glow in the dark paint, way too much sour apple pucker. good times. great weekend.
Monday, July 6, 2009
milwaukee: summerfest + lots of shenanigans
what an amazing weekend. i could go on forever, but i'll try to just hit the highlights. i left around eight on saturday and headed towards milwaukee. i have the worst luck it seems, and it rained for almost the whole drive. i made pretty good time though and decided to just meet everyone at the hotel instead of at the summerfest grounds. this was a relief because it saved some parking money and some stress of trying to actually find my way down there alone. all in all, i think it only took me about six and a half hours to get there. sweet deal.
the lovely chelsey foster was working for summerfest so michele, amanda and i got free tickets from her at the gate. we met up with the other group, said excited hellos after having not seen each other in an ENTIRE YEAR, and made our way to the us cellular stage. a cool band from norway called katzenjammer was playing, and oh boy. let me tell you. these girls were bad ass. we weren't really sure what to think at first. it definitely wasn't your average rock and roll. these girls had some crazy voices and even weirder instruments. a huge three string bass with a cat face painted on it, an accordion, a banjo, and a mandolin, not to mention their crazy outfits and hair. well we went from being pretty weirded out to floored. they were GOOD. after that was dear and the headlights. i've heard of them before and really enjoyed their set. by this time "our people" were arriving left and right. unfortunately i didn't get a chance to talk to many people due to general craziness, but mike and phil from treaty of paris were spotted, tony of state and madison and mike wearing his lovely sea foam green shirt. urbanites were up next and they played a great set as usual. really enjoyed their music and i can't wait to see them at cicero's next week. cavashawn was up next after them and they sounded fantastic as well. they all seemed to really be enjoying themselves and it was one of the best sets i've seen them play, despite the kind of stoic crowd. didn't get a chance to talk to scott or chris, but benton and jesse said they both really enjoyed themselves. jesse's facial expressions were absolutely killing me.
after that, we left our [absolutely great front row] spots and walked around for a bit. we came back and caught the end of quietdrive which was great. i'd forgotten how much i love seeing them live, and it was neat to see them with a huge crowd. details are fuzzy at this point, but i believe we finally found some dinner and headed over to see jet. i guess i suck at keeping up with foreign bands because i had no idea jet was so popular. amanda, michele and i were debating how long we wanted to stay since we wanted to see a little bit of anberlin, and right when we were trying to make up our minds they played are you gonna be my girl. well that was all any of us really needed to hear. such a surreal experience hearing that song live. so when it was over, we headed back to see the end of anberlin's set. i'm not a big anberlin fan, but holy crap did they put on one hell of a show. makes me wish i knew more of their songs. it was also pretty cool to see a bunch of our friends on the big screens since they had waited it out all day and kept their front row seats.
the lovely chelsey foster was working for summerfest so michele, amanda and i got free tickets from her at the gate. we met up with the other group, said excited hellos after having not seen each other in an ENTIRE YEAR, and made our way to the us cellular stage. a cool band from norway called katzenjammer was playing, and oh boy. let me tell you. these girls were bad ass. we weren't really sure what to think at first. it definitely wasn't your average rock and roll. these girls had some crazy voices and even weirder instruments. a huge three string bass with a cat face painted on it, an accordion, a banjo, and a mandolin, not to mention their crazy outfits and hair. well we went from being pretty weirded out to floored. they were GOOD. after that was dear and the headlights. i've heard of them before and really enjoyed their set. by this time "our people" were arriving left and right. unfortunately i didn't get a chance to talk to many people due to general craziness, but mike and phil from treaty of paris were spotted, tony of state and madison and mike wearing his lovely sea foam green shirt. urbanites were up next and they played a great set as usual. really enjoyed their music and i can't wait to see them at cicero's next week. cavashawn was up next after them and they sounded fantastic as well. they all seemed to really be enjoying themselves and it was one of the best sets i've seen them play, despite the kind of stoic crowd. didn't get a chance to talk to scott or chris, but benton and jesse said they both really enjoyed themselves. jesse's facial expressions were absolutely killing me.
after that, we left our [absolutely great front row] spots and walked around for a bit. we came back and caught the end of quietdrive which was great. i'd forgotten how much i love seeing them live, and it was neat to see them with a huge crowd. details are fuzzy at this point, but i believe we finally found some dinner and headed over to see jet. i guess i suck at keeping up with foreign bands because i had no idea jet was so popular. amanda, michele and i were debating how long we wanted to stay since we wanted to see a little bit of anberlin, and right when we were trying to make up our minds they played are you gonna be my girl. well that was all any of us really needed to hear. such a surreal experience hearing that song live. so when it was over, we headed back to see the end of anberlin's set. i'm not a big anberlin fan, but holy crap did they put on one hell of a show. makes me wish i knew more of their songs. it was also pretty cool to see a bunch of our friends on the big screens since they had waited it out all day and kept their front row seats.
[me, amanda, nikki, chelsey, sam, meesh, and addy]
we finally regrouped and headed back to the hotel, where everyone went a little bit insane, i do believe. michele, amanda, chelsey and me were in one room. sam, nikki, annie, alex, and addy were in the next room adjoined to us. all of us were laughing and cracking jokes and saying ridiculous things and about to pee our pants. oh man. good times. alex finally got back maybe a half an hour after we did since mike had gotten her in to see jack's and the fray. and she informed us that anberlin was staying at our hotel. ANBERLIN at OUR hotel. well we all freaked the fuck out and had some pretty crazy fan girl moments. composure was quickly regained though and we all laughed about how ridiculous we were. everyone finally crashed at around three thirty and got up at nine thirty. zombie shuffled down to breakfast, took a shower, said goodbyes and i think i was on the road by around eleven. the first hour was really rough, but i stopped for some red bull and that helped a lot.
what a weekend. i really hope it's not another year before we're all together again. as for now, i'm in st. louis for a few days. went to six flags yesterday with a bunch of friends and had a great time riding rides. bought an acoustic guitar today in hopes of teaching myself how to play. my dad flipped a shit so now i REALLY need to learn, just to spite him. also got my hair cut today. it's short. really short, like at my shoulders. i haven't had hair like this in years. but it's summer and it's hot and i'm lazy. and it'll grow out sooner or later. i like it though, it'll just take some getting used to. friday i'm going to indianapolis to meet up with amanda and see cavashawn who is playing the vip lounge before paramore and no doubt. jesse was kind enough to get us in, so that should be a lot of fun. i love last minute decisions.
Friday, July 3, 2009
respect - [in defense of the genre]
i'll never understand how people just won't go to shows. "oh, i don't feel like it." "oh, i don't have the money." whatever the excuse is. i just don't get it. these up and coming bands work their ASSES off and sacrifice EVERYTHING to put on a good show. the least you can do is show up. musicians are some of the hardest working people i know to exist on this planet, why aren't there more people out there paying to see their shows, buying merch and promoting the SHIT out of them? i just don't get it. how does music NOT give you the ultimate high? don't you want to see these people succeed? this is their CAREER. if not for them, if not for the music, if not to earn your daily scene points, do it for ME. as my friend [or blog stalker], GO. be appreciative. look at just what these people do for YOU. so many years in the making for YOU. so many long days and nights, hours upon hours of driving for shitty shows with ten people in attendance, countless rehearsals, countless times loading and unloading gear, literally thousands of flyers going out, posters to hang, myspace, facebook, twitter and blog comments to keep up with, video blogs, and actually playing shows. for YOU. the friend. the listener. the fan. the audience member. the person they're trying so desperately to reach. take a minute and look at the sacrifices these people make in their daily lives to please YOU. yeah, maybe they're lacking in showers and haircuts, but i don't think there is anyone else out there that i'd be willing to have so much respect for. i don't know about everyone else, but it humbles me to the point of putting my face on the floor. that's why; that's the reason i bend over backwards for these people.
now, you may or may not be thinking i'm a hypocrite right about now. this is about the music i feel passionate about, and the people and the bands that i feel are worth my time. there are indeed bands that i couldn't care less about. maybe someone or something else really strikes a chord in you. whatever it is, go after it with all you've got.
end rant.
now, you may or may not be thinking i'm a hypocrite right about now. this is about the music i feel passionate about, and the people and the bands that i feel are worth my time. there are indeed bands that i couldn't care less about. maybe someone or something else really strikes a chord in you. whatever it is, go after it with all you've got.
end rant.
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