Category: music

Sierra Nevada World Music Festival – June 22,2008

Yesterday, I went to the World Music Festival in Boonville.   There were some really amazing acts that played, Chris Murray Combo, The Expanders w/ Pat Kelly, Stranger Cole, and Roy Shirley, and Cornel Campbell to name a few.   I think Stranger Cole was my favorite.  It was also great because a lot of friends were there.   The downside was that there were wildfires in the area, so there was a lot of smoke in the air, and my throat is a mess today.  It’s like I smoked a carton of cigarettes and drank a case of whiskey.   On the upside, I’m sure the guys would say it’s hot.

Anyway, I took a whole lot of pictures, so here’s a few:

Soul Captives ft. Liz & Kolle of Strange Manor

I saw The Soul Captives on Monday night. During one song, our friends joined the band on stage to sing back ups. I shot a little video. This is my first YouTube video, too.

The sound is a little rough and distorted, ’cause I took it with my little Kodak EasyShare piece ‘o crap camera, but it’s not too too bad.

I took a bunch pictures, too.

Carrying on the Crazy

I think that to say that I overdid it a little this weekend would be an exceptional under statement. I’ve been nursing a serious yucky feeling and a headache all day. I needed to drop off the face of the planet, and the planet obliged. I’ve been in extreme hermit mode all day.

This all started on Friday. I had my birthday get together at Albatross Pub. Things got off to an hectic beginning, and I was pretty late. Once we settled in, everything was pretty cool. The turnout was much better than I had expected. I have a history of terrible birthdays, and usually there’s only one or two people who show up. It was cool to have so many of my worlds collide. My oldest friend in the world, with my some of my newest, bandmates and friends in bands, theater folk, college friends, and former roommate. Many rounds of beer and cocktails were shared. I got some really cool gifts that weren’t expected at all. I even got a chance to show off just how poorly I play pool.

So after all that, I got up early the next morning, feeling like crap, and got myself dressed and over to the Command Center. The Phenomenauts were playing at Live 105’s BFD, which is one of those day long, multiple bands on multiple stages, radio festival concerts. It was a very long day. A long, sunny day. I managed by to avoid getting burnt. I reapplied the sunblock at least six times. Oh, and we were drinking from the moment we got there at around 10:30 in the morning. Drinking beer in the sun. And not eating enough, because the food was ridiculously priced. But The ‘Nauts put on a helluva show on the Local Band Stage, and I got to see something I never thought I would – Cypress Hill live.

So, yeah, I needed to do nothing today, and today I did nothing. I watched a lot of crap on TV. A lot. I also watched the Giants’ game. I napped. Oh, and I watched the last 20 minutes of “Coyote Ugly”.

And my head still hurts. I should probably drink another gallon of water before I go to bed. I should probably go to bed.

Maybe it was too much fun, but I doubt it. It was just a whole lotta fun, and a whole lotta beer.

Just sayin’.

New Phenomenauts Video on YouTube

I love this new video for the song “Infinite Frontier.”

From MySpace:

The Phenomenauts have teamed up with Emmy Award-winning animation writer RICH FOGEL (Justice League, Batman Beyond, Transformers: Animated) to produce INFINITE FRONTIER, an animated music video based on the song from their new album FOR ALL MANKIND.

It’s great when one of your favorite bands are also some of your greatest friends.  I hope some day

I am very proud of these guys, and happy to call them friends.

Who Does That “Woo Ooh Ooh” Song?

So I’ve had this song sort of stuck in my head all day.  It’s not one of those ones that’s running in the foreground of my consciousness, but more like a score, in the background of the action.   it’s been pleasantly keeping me company all day, as opposed to that time that I had “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” blasting inside my brain for six weeks.  It’s not bombarding me, and it’s not fully distracting either.   It was lulling around in the corners of my thought processes, and I didn’t even fully understand that it was a presence until just a little while ago.

But then when I realized that I’ve had a song running through my head for most of the day, I started to think about what song it was.   Then it came to the forefront, and for a second, I didn’t even know what song it was.

And then I realized something.  It’s one of our songs.   This is a first for me.  I have one of the songs of my own band stuck in my head.   This is a really cool kind of feeling.  Much cooler than Marilyn Monroe.

The Fringe Benifits of Working From Home

I had no idea that this was going to happen today, but I’m getting to watch the silliness that is the New Kids On The Block on the Today Show. I had no idea that this had gotten this far. I remember hearing that they were reuniting, but I had no idea that they had already started selling tickets, and they have a new album, or something.

I can’t lie, I was one of those girls when I was 12. I had posters, shirts, all the TAPES, etc. Watching this, though, I’m not getting very nostalgic. I’m looking at this with much more critical eyes, and how did I ever notice this before? Those two guys that aren’t Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, and Jordan Knight look so awkward and uncomfortable. And if rumor is truth, those were the two who were always hesitant to get back together in the first place. Also, my tastes have changed so that Joey McIntyre is not nearly as cute as he used to be, and I’d much rather talk to that Danny Wood, if I was going to go there.

Also, these songs suck.  Or maybe it’s just the weirdness factor of a grown man singing “Hanging Tough” and doing that “Right Stuff” dance.  It’s kind of amusing how they are trying to update the music and rhythms, but yet still very sincerely singing “Please Don’t Girl,” albeit a few octaves lower.

But, it is kind of cute to see them doing those ridiculous dance moves again, and remembering what a nerd I was back then. I have no desire to go to their concert though, or any other revisiting of my adolescence, for that matter. I would much rather fly out to Honolulu to see Go Jimmy Go. They’re as close to a boy band that I’d be interested in. Them or Maldroid.

All joking aside, I wish them and their fans well.

My Lip is On Fire

I wrote this on Saturday, but I guess I hit save instead of publish, so it’s not as current and “breaking news” as I was hoping it would be.

It’s the best kind of awful sensation I’ve ever loved, to be in physical pain from practicing. I had my second get together with my band today. We really got into some more of working out exactly how things are going to go together on certain songs. I never thought I’d see the day where someone would be truly impressed by anything I could come up with musically. but Ruckus was digging some of what I came up with on one particular song. I wanted to do back flips, but I think I did a good job of playing it cool.

Even if it wasn’t fulfilling to hang out and jam with those guys, they’re all pretty cool, too. I would probably hang out with them just to hang out with them. They had me cracking up in full gerbil laugh mode. In case you didn’t know, and they didn’t before today, when I laugh really hard, I squeak like a small rodent.

The giggles were brought on by our further attempts to find a name for this damn band and the ruminations on penis jokes that that inspired. The name I came up with last week was so cool that it’s already been taken by a trio in Canada, so it’s back to the drawing board on that.

I’m sure there will be many more stories to tell.

Crazy Single Girl Life, Pt. 2

Went out last night, and saw a couple of bands I like and know, Deal’s Gone Bad and The Slackers. Missed a lot of The Slackers set, actually, as I got too wrapped up in the socializing and silliness. I think I’m a little bit spoiled, because I know they’ll be back and I’ll catch them next time.

Went to a gathering after, and found myself trickling in my door around five this morning. Normally that’d be fine, but I have practice and my mom is coming in this evening. It’s going to be one very long and interesting day.

Still crazy. Still single.