a belated happy new year to all of you! i hope it treated you well and you're ready to face 2012 with a fresh start and a clear mind. i know i am. i'm ready to take on the next phase of my life. i just graduated from college and am ready to conquer the real world. whatever that means.
here's my abbreviated year in review:
i attended:
43 shows
in 5 different cities
and wrote:
119 articles for popwreckoning
with 18 of those being album reviews.
it was a good year. now let's make 2012 even better.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Saturday, December 24, 2011
st. louis: a very ludo christmas
with treaty of paris and ludo
the famous "a very ludo christmas" show! they're so much fun and this was my... third? fourth? i'm not sure. but i was extra excited this time around because my good friends in treaty of paris were coming down from chicago to open the show. treaty isn't exactly broken up, but they tend to stick close to home and only play a select few shows in chicago here and there, not touring anymore and the like. so it was really good to see them again and in such a big venue no less. abby and i went together and eventually met up with molly and claire, and katie, shannon, grant and ryan. we got there in time to catch the tail end of the opening band's set, and then made our way into the pit so i could get rowdy for treaty of paris. clearly only a handful of people in the crowd new who treaty was, because i got some strange sideways glances from people while screaming along and dancing like an idiot. oh well.
after their set we ventured out to meet up with more friends and watched ludo from afar. i've had my fair share of intense ludo pits and it's nice to watch their antics from way back in the venue. they played a good mix of old and new songs as well as some acoustic christmas carols, which they performed in the middle of the pit with the audience sitting around them.
we snuck into the merch room right after the show and talked with the treaty boys for a good while, and eventually gathered the troops for some ihop nomz. another yaer, another great ludo christmas show.
the famous "a very ludo christmas" show! they're so much fun and this was my... third? fourth? i'm not sure. but i was extra excited this time around because my good friends in treaty of paris were coming down from chicago to open the show. treaty isn't exactly broken up, but they tend to stick close to home and only play a select few shows in chicago here and there, not touring anymore and the like. so it was really good to see them again and in such a big venue no less. abby and i went together and eventually met up with molly and claire, and katie, shannon, grant and ryan. we got there in time to catch the tail end of the opening band's set, and then made our way into the pit so i could get rowdy for treaty of paris. clearly only a handful of people in the crowd new who treaty was, because i got some strange sideways glances from people while screaming along and dancing like an idiot. oh well.
after their set we ventured out to meet up with more friends and watched ludo from afar. i've had my fair share of intense ludo pits and it's nice to watch their antics from way back in the venue. they played a good mix of old and new songs as well as some acoustic christmas carols, which they performed in the middle of the pit with the audience sitting around them.
we snuck into the merch room right after the show and talked with the treaty boys for a good while, and eventually gathered the troops for some ihop nomz. another yaer, another great ludo christmas show.
st. louis: the noise fm
the noise boys are back! i feel like i hadn't seen them play a show in ages and it was good to catch up. i went by myself, but met up with molly and claire (who had just gotten back from her study abroad in oxford!) and hung out with hawley and carolina who tagged along with the boys for the show. there were four bands on the bill and the show got started pretty late. i had driven from columbia after a long day of class and work and was so. freaking. exhasuted. but austin was supplying me with a never ending supply of drinks, so that kept me... energized? on my toes, at least. they played third and it was a killer set as always. i believe there were three new sons, which i'm sure we'll see on a new record sometime in this coming year. normally we all get some late night food together, but i'm pretty sure i was hallucinating from tiredness by the time the show was over so i headed home and crashed hard. good times with some of my favorite southern gentlemen.
Friday, December 23, 2011
columbia: empires
this was a last minute decision, but it was a good one. i'd never seen empires live before, nor have a listened to a lot of their music. i have so many friends that love them though, and my friends have damn good taste in music. so when cortney asked if i wanted to with, i said "sure!" plus, it was stop day at school and what better way to celebrate my last day of class EVER than by going to a show and having a couple drinks with friends?
abby, cortney, lizette, and stephanie and i tried to time things well enough to where we would just see empires since they were headlining. none of us had ever heard f the opening bands and we didn't feel like sitting through them. we guessed fairly well and had enough time to get drinks before empires went on. i also met kati, a mutual friend of a ton of my friends, so that was cool. she was sweet and now we're twitter bffs. i love social networks. but empires played a great set, cortney bought a poster, and we headed to steak and shake for some late night dinner. good times. check out empires they're worth your time.
abby, cortney, lizette, and stephanie and i tried to time things well enough to where we would just see empires since they were headlining. none of us had ever heard f the opening bands and we didn't feel like sitting through them. we guessed fairly well and had enough time to get drinks before empires went on. i also met kati, a mutual friend of a ton of my friends, so that was cool. she was sweet and now we're twitter bffs. i love social networks. but empires played a great set, cortney bought a poster, and we headed to steak and shake for some late night dinner. good times. check out empires they're worth your time.
chicago: sixth annual fall formal
featuring: south jordan, super happy fun club, tommy and the high pilots, and state and madison
ohh, fall formal. it didn't go quite as planned this year, but it was a fun time nevertheless. as always, i spend thanksgiving with family and head to chicago early friday morning; i drive five hours while the crazy shoppers shop. this year was even more perfect because urbanites were playing friday night, and formal was on saturday. two shows in one weekend!
but then i got sick. like, really sick. it started a couple hours after thanksgiving and i pretty much spent the next twenty four hours crawling from my bed to the toilet and wimpering and crying the whole time. not a pretty sight. there was no way i could have driven anytime on friday and i felt awful because molly was riding with me. i didn't know when i'd start feeling better so i had to play it be ear and listen to my poor body. we left as late as we could on saturday and while i was nowhere near one hundred percent, at least i could hold food down. we got to meesh's, put on fancy clothes, and headed down to a sold out beat kitchen. south jordan played first and they were lovely. my good friends jesse and benton, formerly of cavashawn, play drums and bass respectively and i hadn't seen them in aaaages. so it was nice to catch up. super happy fun club just got back from touring europe for a month and this was their first show back in the states. they were lively and hilarious as always. next was tommy and the high pilots who i am absolutely enamored with. they blow me away every time i see them and i just can't get over how. damn. GOOD. they are. and finally was state and madison. i probably sound like a broken record talking about them as much as i do, but they're wonderful. wonderful people who make wonderful music.
we hung out for quite a while afterwards and shenanigans were had with very drunk noise fm brothers, and eventually meesh, sam, molly and i ended up at the traditional big top for a late dinner. meesh made an amazing brunch the following morning and sean and pete (of the heyday) came over to eat and hang out for a while since they flew in from denver for the weekend. i had to head back to school and the seven hour drive was looming over me, so i bit everyone farewell and headed south.
i can't believe i was in chicago for less than twenty four hours. it was nuts, but i'd do it again in a heartbeat.
ohh, fall formal. it didn't go quite as planned this year, but it was a fun time nevertheless. as always, i spend thanksgiving with family and head to chicago early friday morning; i drive five hours while the crazy shoppers shop. this year was even more perfect because urbanites were playing friday night, and formal was on saturday. two shows in one weekend!
but then i got sick. like, really sick. it started a couple hours after thanksgiving and i pretty much spent the next twenty four hours crawling from my bed to the toilet and wimpering and crying the whole time. not a pretty sight. there was no way i could have driven anytime on friday and i felt awful because molly was riding with me. i didn't know when i'd start feeling better so i had to play it be ear and listen to my poor body. we left as late as we could on saturday and while i was nowhere near one hundred percent, at least i could hold food down. we got to meesh's, put on fancy clothes, and headed down to a sold out beat kitchen. south jordan played first and they were lovely. my good friends jesse and benton, formerly of cavashawn, play drums and bass respectively and i hadn't seen them in aaaages. so it was nice to catch up. super happy fun club just got back from touring europe for a month and this was their first show back in the states. they were lively and hilarious as always. next was tommy and the high pilots who i am absolutely enamored with. they blow me away every time i see them and i just can't get over how. damn. GOOD. they are. and finally was state and madison. i probably sound like a broken record talking about them as much as i do, but they're wonderful. wonderful people who make wonderful music.
we hung out for quite a while afterwards and shenanigans were had with very drunk noise fm brothers, and eventually meesh, sam, molly and i ended up at the traditional big top for a late dinner. meesh made an amazing brunch the following morning and sean and pete (of the heyday) came over to eat and hang out for a while since they flew in from denver for the weekend. i had to head back to school and the seven hour drive was looming over me, so i bit everyone farewell and headed south.
i can't believe i was in chicago for less than twenty four hours. it was nuts, but i'd do it again in a heartbeat.
st. louis: the strummalongs, architects, and am taxi
first night of thanksgiving break, what better way to celebrate than with a punk show?! molly was my obvious sidekick and we had ourselves a wonderful time. the lineup was, funnily enough, the exact same as the last time am taxi was in town and played at the firebird. i definitely can't complain though because it's one killer band after the next. the strummalongs are a great punk rock band from st. louis and they get better every time i see them, which turns out to be a lot because they always seem to open for friends of mine. next up was the architects from kansas city, missouri. i must have been too preoccupied gabbing with friends the last time i saw them. because damn were they great. i have no idea why i didn't buy all of their music the first time around, but you better believe i bought three albums this time. they played a fantastic set and all of them were so nice. molly and i chatted with their bass player for a bit after the show.
and finally, there was am taxi. they came, they got drunk, and they tore that fucking venue apart. i've been to my fair share of taxi shows, but i've never been in a sea of people so drunk in my life. molly and i were squished up front against the monitors and kept getting knocked over onto the stage because it's so low at cicero's. crazy times! we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves though, and they even played maydays and rosaries (normally featuring genevieve of company of thieves) and restless ways. molly and i hung out and talked to luke and adam for a bit after, and eventually parted ways. we probably went to steak and shake afterwards? maybe? but i don't remember. my brain was rocked pretty hard that night.
columbia: harrison hudson
so my friend casey texted me one thursday evening and said "hey, what are you doing tonight?" knowing that she lives in kansas city, i was a bit confused. but nevertheless said "nothing, what's up?"
turns out she was at a show. (where else would she be, let's get real.) there was a band playing who had a a show the following night in columbia and needed a place to stay. she wanted to know if she could offer them my apartment floor to crash on. so of course i said yes, because it's what i do. i let bands, both friends and strangers, sleep on my floor when they need it. so she gave harrison my number and we texted away. they got into town, we had some beer and shared many laughs. they're signed to favorite gentlemen records, which was started by manchester orchestra's lead singer andy hull. so we talked about manchester, and we talked about brand new, and i tried my best to maintain a calm demeanor. we also talked about who they're touring with next and while that's probably not something i should spoil before the band actually announces it... let's just say that i'm pretty stoked. they passed out in the living room, i stumbled to my bed and the night was a success. we watched the goonies and ate pizza the next afternoon, and they eventually headed out to run some errands before the show.
i dragged abby along with me to sideshow and the guys were kind enough to guest list us. there weren't many people there to see them play, but their set was great and abby and i both bought CDs.
it was a short and sweet two days and i made some valuable connections thanks to casey. good times.
check em out: www.harrisonhudson.com
turns out she was at a show. (where else would she be, let's get real.) there was a band playing who had a a show the following night in columbia and needed a place to stay. she wanted to know if she could offer them my apartment floor to crash on. so of course i said yes, because it's what i do. i let bands, both friends and strangers, sleep on my floor when they need it. so she gave harrison my number and we texted away. they got into town, we had some beer and shared many laughs. they're signed to favorite gentlemen records, which was started by manchester orchestra's lead singer andy hull. so we talked about manchester, and we talked about brand new, and i tried my best to maintain a calm demeanor. we also talked about who they're touring with next and while that's probably not something i should spoil before the band actually announces it... let's just say that i'm pretty stoked. they passed out in the living room, i stumbled to my bed and the night was a success. we watched the goonies and ate pizza the next afternoon, and they eventually headed out to run some errands before the show.
i dragged abby along with me to sideshow and the guys were kind enough to guest list us. there weren't many people there to see them play, but their set was great and abby and i both bought CDs.
it was a short and sweet two days and i made some valuable connections thanks to casey. good times.
check em out: www.harrisonhudson.com
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