How Do I Know That Name?

For any artist, name recognition is a big deal.  If you've ever read a story about how your favorite band came up with it's name, you know lots of thought goes into it.  You want your name to say something about the themes in your music, or your vision as an artist.  Most of all, you want people to remember you.

I remember Tracy Bonham.

The memory wasn't specific at first, but when Tammy and I arrived at the Hotel Cafe and saw her name on the list of artists at the door, it was nagging at me.  "Tracy Bonham....where do I know that name?"  With a quick Google on my iPhone, it started coming back.

The year was 1996.  The album was The Burdens of Being Upright, which I always thought was a genius name.  And the monster single was "Mother, Mother."













I loved this song.  It kicked ass in a way that made me want to go out and conquer the world.


More than 20 years later, Tracy Bonham is still knocking around, making fantastic and interesting new music.  Key tracks from her latest record Masts of Manhatta performed at Hotel Cafe included "Big Red Heart" and "Devil's Got Your Boyfriend."  I bought them on iTunes as soon as I got home, along with "Mother, Mother."  Because she performed that one at Hotel Cafe as well, and it rocked my face off just as much as it did in 1996.  Good music becomes great music over time that way.


The other intriguing discovery of the evening was Kasier Cartel.  They're an unusual duo out of Brooklyn, NYC who made me think of a folked-out version of the White Stripes, but with distinctly non-Rock-and-Roll musical instruments included.  Remember those little multicolor xylophones you played with as a kid? Yeah, they do too.  They used one!  And they also used a slightly more grown-up version on the same instrument, but played with a Dremel tool so it sounded like a phone ringing....

What can I say..I'm intrigued.  This is the fun part about discovering new music.  You should try it.   Just make sure to remember the artists name, even if it just hangs out in the back of your mind for years before you need it again.

New Music: Empire of the Sun

I didn't know anything about the band Empire of the Sun when Tammy invited me to check out their show at the Music Box in Hollywood last night.   But given her current musical tastes are running in the vein of foreign and electronic, I knew it wasn't gonna be anything like John Mayer.

Going to a new venue in LA is always interesting, because there are a ton and a lot of them are great.  The Music Box was a great set-up for an act like this, although I will admit I was a little worried about what I was in for when I saw this.

Thank goodness I left my Sharpie and studded belt at home!  And the velvet rope Nazis made me spit out my gum when I came in, but somehow plenty of cameras made it.

Things started out weird with an opening DJ set that included a Lady Gaga-like set piece.  And by set piece, I mean her.

She never moved from the chair the entire 30 minute DJ set, although she did uncross her legs once while she was reading and eat one potato chip after 2 minutes of robotically slow movement.    And I think she fed a potato chip to the DJ when he came over to check on her.   Yeah, I don't dig performance art so much.

As for Empire of the Sun, the band's My Space page describes them as pop/electracoustic/alternative, which is pretty much what the recorded versions of their songs sound like.  Translated to live performance, the show was part Kabuki theatre, part NYC disco rave party.   The music was so loud the floor was vibrating,  and I'm pretty sure there were more dancers than band members.

I couldn't help but think the experience was a little like it would have been seeing Prince for the first time.  It's a little on the weird side, but the overall vibe is good.  Or maybe I just had Prince on the brain since the DJ included "Controversy" in his set.  Lots of synthesizers, some grooves better than others, but overall not the worst time I've had in my life.  And I hope they sell lots of records because guitars (sadly) were destroyed at the end....as in smashed on stage.  Yeah, Prince has smashed gear too.  I think the comparisons work.

Hopefully my ears stop ringing by Friday....

Dave Barnes @ The Roxy

The last time I saw Dave Barnes in LA was at The Hotel Cafe back in April of 2009, almost a year before the release of his current album "What We Want, What We Get." I always enjoy Dave's recordings, so I snapped up his latest release on pre-order several months ago and have been listening to it non-stop in the car since it arrived in the mail. But nothing beats a Dave Barnes live show, so I was happy to see him making an appearance at The Roxy on Sunset Boulevard.



The best part was running into Cissy and Suzanne, two new friends I made at the Hotel Cafe LAST YEAR! Catching up made standing in line a lot more fun!



One of the great things about Dave is his support of young, up and coming artists, and I'm always curious to see who comes along for the ride to open for him. At the last Hotel Cafe show, I discovered Andrew Ripp, who is currently working on a new album, produced by none other than DAVE BARNES, and opening for Dave on some Midwest dates.

The first act was Julian Moon, a San Diego based college student who sounds kind of like Jewel without the yodeling.



The thing stood out most about her was her awesome shoes. She's cute, but the music is pleasant yet unremarkable. Her band mates were more interesting than she was -- a one-armed drummer (one arm was in a sling) and a guitar player that could pass for Kings defenceman Matt Greene.



So much for that.

But the REAL new talent discovery of the night was Allen Stone.



Don't let the long blond hair, geeky black rimmed glasses, and acoustic guitar fool you -- this guy has a HUGE voice tailor made for R&B. Think James Morrison or Marc Broussard, two of my favorite singers, and you get the idea. The son of religious parents, he grew up singing gospel, and you can tell. All of his original music is passionate, thoughtful and melodic, and the cover he pulled off of the Marvin Gaye classic "What's Going On" had the whole room singing right along.

Stone's performance more than justified further exploration with a CD purchase, which is now on constant rotation in the car right next to Dave's record.



Key tracks to check out include "Better Off This Way," "Figure It Out," and "Poison."

Then it was time for the man himself...THE Dave Barnes.



If you look up the term "cutie-patootie" in the dictionary, you'll find Dave's picture next to it. Or as Suzanne said several times throughout the evening, "He's just so adorable!"



The set list kicked off with selections from the new album, then mixed in a nice variety of old favorites from previous albums with classic Dave story vignettes sprinkled throughout.

********************
Chameleon
What I Need
Butterflies
My Love, My Enemy
Grace's Amazing Hands
Someday, Sarah
What We Want, What We Get
The L.A. Song
I Have and Always Will
God Gave Me You
Little Lies
Until You
Greyhound (Encore)
********************

My only complaint about the show was the venue, or more specifically, the crowd. During the portions where I was standing in the back, it was hard to hear and a bunch of unappreciative people were talking through some really nice moments. After the epic campfire sing-along harmonizing at Hotel Cafe, this one was a little bit of a let-down.

To Dave's credit, he worked his butt off to keep his audience engaged right up until the end, even coming down into the crowd to get everyone snapping, clapping and singing along to "Greyhound."



Because whether the whole crowd knows it or not, Dave Barnes is a talent worth seeing under any circumstances. And the next time he's in LA, I'll be there.

Hotel Cafe: Old Classics and New Discoveries

One advantage to the NHL's involvement in the Olympics is a little break in my busy hockey schedule, making it slightly easier for me to get out and see more live music with Tammy. Last night, we hit Hotel Cafe, one of our top 3 live music spots in LA and an always dependable source of great music. And it's a great bargain too...we saw 4 acts for a mere $15, which tells you exactly how much artists are struggling to make a buck in the current marketplace.

The main purpose of our visit was to check out songwriter extraordinaire Dan Wilson. The last time we saw him at this same venue, he was promoting Free Life, then his most recent release. He doesn't have a new disc ready yet, but he's been holed up at home writing all winter, so we got to hear some new things planned for an eventual album in addition to some old Semisonic tracks and my personal favorite song - the title track from Free Life.



In addition to writing graceful and beautiful songs, Dan is incredibly funny. He's got this hot music theory professor vibe I just love - he's older, he wears glasses, but he's got this undeniably hip style at the same time. And watching him collaborate on stage with a pianist and back-up singer for a couple songs was a treat - a smile kept sneaking across his face as the professor appreciated the contributions of his students on a certain chord or harmony. I can't wait until he has a new album.

Dan alone would have been well worth the $15 door for me, but we got to see some other great artists as well. The first was Laura Meyer.



Laura is the kind of artist Hotel Cafe was made for - a tiny girl with a beachy-hippie style playing lovely finger picked guitar and singing sweet, sad songs about love and traveling the world searching for and experiencing it. She' s a beach babe and fellow sister of uncontrollable curly hair, so she resonated with me. And I give her credit for smart marketing - her website has 4 songs available for free download, and I already got an e-mail from her this morning thanking me for coming to the show last night. I hope she goes places.

Jim Bianco is listed under the genres Rock, Music, Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Country, Americana, Adult Alternative in iTunes, and he actually fits (at least partially) in all of them, which is a strange and rare feat. It's an even stranger feat to assemble a band of dopplegangers for some notable celebrities. Tammy and I renamed them the "Separated at Birth" band.

Jim himself bears a small resemblance to Bradley Cooper, and the guitar player to his right strangely resembles Geoffrey Rush.



The sax player looks like a shorter haired George Clooney, and the keyboard guy could pass for Johnny Depp, don't you think?



OK, maybe it was the drinks talking. I can tell you that the opening song had me swearing I was hearing the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and loving every minute of it. Song titles like "Shut Up and Kiss Me" and lyrics including "My friends and I are sinners...." confirmed we were dealing with a rogue talent in the best way possible. And any band that can rock a strip tease song as part of their set is fine by me.

But my favorite new artist of the night was Joey Ryan, who is in the middle of a month long residency at Hotel Cafe to promote his newest album, Kenter Canyon.



There isn't anything NOT to like about Joey Ryan. He's good looking, the songs are solid, and he's smart enough to entice the amazing Sara Bareilles to guest on one of his songs ("Broken Headlights"). "Off Chasing The Wind," a new unrecorded track he performed at the show, pretty much sums up his style - beautiful harmonies combined with thoughtful, intelligent lyrics that are romantic and touching without being syrupy.



You can find Joey at Hotel Cafe Thursday nights for the next few weeks, so if you're in town, check him out. And tell him his "front row cynic" sent you.

Bob Schneider at The Troubadour

It takes a rare performer to transcend labels and categories and create music that mixes elements of rock, country, acoustic, blues, ska, and even rap into something completely original. That performer is Austin's own Bob Schneider, and the common thread weaving through everything he creates musically is a GROOVE. The kind that gets into your soul, makes you want to shake what your momma gave you, and never lets go.



This was my second Bob Schneider show. The first was in Austin is 2007, when Tammy and I were in town for the annual Austin City Limits Festival. On a recommendation from Tammy's friend, we caught Bob with one of his many bands, The Scabs, playing at Austin's legendary blues club Antone's. Antone's has hosted the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughn over the years, so we knew Bob was no slouch. After that night, I knew he would be worth seeing again if I ever had the opportunity.

So it was perfect timing when Tammy and I spotted the poster for Bob's show last night on the wall of the Troubadour when we checked out Daniel Merriweather back in January. He is currently on tour promoting his latest release, Lovely Creatures.



I'm not an expert on Bob's catalog, but from flipping through some of the song selections on his website, last nights set was a combination of Bob classics and newer material, with the common theme being that it all rocked. And Bob even pulled a few surprises, like pulling out the trumpet and showing off some serious multi-instrumentalist skills.



Of course, he's no stranger to the guitar, and he makes it look good.



REALLY good.....



(Photo courtesy of Bob Schneider Facebook Fan Page)

The set ended after midnight, so it was a long night but the best time I've had musically in quite a while. So if you see him coming through your town, check Bob out. And bring some friends, because I guarantee it will be a PARTY!


(Photo courtesy of Tammy Good)

New Music Alert! Daniel Merriweather

My friend Tammy discovered Aussie singer-songwriter Daniel Merriweather in Paris last year, and was kind enough to share some of his music with me. So when he announced a show at LA's Troubadour, we had to be there. And we got a huge bonus seeing Samantha Ronson spin to start off the night (her brother Mark Ronson produced Merriweather's album).



Most people know Samantha Ronson mostly from her association with Lindsay Lohan, which has been well documented in the tabloids. Music aficionados know she's a hell of a DJ, and I was thoroughly impressed with her mash-ups and wide ranging musical taste. Here's a little sample of her playlist featuring some unique sequence choices...and they all worked!

• "California" (Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre)
• "Fidelity" (Regina Spektor)
• "In The Air Tonight" (Phil Collins)
• "I Want You Back" (Jackson 5)
• "Under Pressure" (Queen)

My favorite move of the night was Guns & Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" cutting to Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl." How Sam's brain comes up with this stuff, I don't know. But I loved it.

Then it was time for Daniel Merriweather's set.



As he walked on stage, he looked a bit like the love child of Michael Buble and Brian Setzer. And he's got a serious case of John Mayer "Guitar Face" when he sings. But get past all that, and he's a soulful, emotive performer who connects so well with the audience he had everyone doing a two-step in unison by the end of the night. His voice reminds me a lot of Marc Broussard, another underappreciated singer with a major set of pipes. All of Merriweather's original music was great, but the highlight of the night for me was his cover of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed." It absolutely blew me away.



And any guy smart enough to put a jamming female bass player in his band is OK by me. Look out boys! She was holding it DOWN!



Merriweather's single "Red" is available now on iTunes. It's listed under RB/Soul, but don't be deterred by that. He's got a lot more range and is well worth your time. His album drops February 28th here in the States.

And what better way to end a great night than with the promise of more great music in the near future...



The Kings don't have a game due to the Olympic break, so unless work takes me out of town, you can find me at the Troubadour with Bob!

Battle Studies: My Album Review

After listening to the new John Mayer album constantly since it arrived on my doorstep, I've come to the conclusion that Battle Studies is a terrible title. A better one would be "The Curious Case of John Mayer." Why? Because in the constant duality that is John's universe, somehow this album manages to take a step forward (musically) and a step backwards (thematically) at the same time. Leave it to John to perform that feat and still have me end up thinking, "Damn, but the bastard is talented."

In a way, 2006's Continuum almost set John up for failure this time around. That album was so strong, top to bottom, that it had to be hard to envision a follow-up that could top it. And in fairness, I don't think John really tried to accomplish that. I think he set out to make a good set of pop songs that most people would like listening to, and in that respect he succeeded. But for hard-core Mayer fans like myself, the stakes are higher, and for that reason this album left me happy, but not completely satisfied.

Long time Mayer followers are well aware our muse has a split personality - half lovelorn balladeer and ladies man, half second-coming of Clapton-guitar God stature shredder. Part of the greatness of Continuum was it's ability to merge the two sides so seamlessly they seemed made to be together. In the case of Battle Studies, much of the music is stunningly beautiful, but the heartbreak feels forced and too overwrought to be sincere. Make no mistake about it - no one crafts more intelligent and insightful lyrics than John Mayer, and the ladies (present company included) that swooned over phrases like "I'll never let your head hit the bed without my hand behind it" will find plenty to like here. Whether the emotion is real or contrived is the question.

Musically, the guitar is still the center of the party, although the sounds are more varied on this record than anything John has used before. His past efforts have included a very distinctive Stratocaster sound which is sadly missing on this record. Yet the choices are unique and beautiful across the board, and I'm liking this slightly different side of my favorite guitarist. Keyboards are also much more prevalent in the mixes this time around, and although not credited in the liner notes, there are additional backing vocals that do a nice job rounding out the sound.

With that little summary in mind, here is my track-by-track review of John's latest effort.

*********************************************

Track 1: Heartbreak Warfare
This is one of the songs on the album that feels the most immediately radio friendly. The music is so catchy, I wish the theme was more upbeat. Although this IS a clear winner in the creative lyrics sweepstakes. Anyone who can work in the lines "Red wine and Ambien/You're talking shit again" to a song has some serious lyric writing chops. The synthed-up intro hooks you and doesn't let go, so in the end it gets a thumbs up, and provides a solid start for this record.

Track 2: All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye
For me, the vocal harmonies in the chorus are the big draw of this song. They're simply gorgeous, and when I close my eyes it sounds almost reminiscent of The Beach Boys. "I love you more than songs can say" is the kind of lyric that hooked legions of fans in the Room For Squares era. Overall though, the thematic tone of the song is a serious downer.

Track 3: Half of My Heart

I was prepared not to like this track just because of Taylor Swift's involvement. Not that I don't like her, but because the whole concept of having her guest on the album just seemed too gimmicky, and maybe even beneath John's talent level. But I like it, the lyrics are tongue-in-cheek romantically ("Half of my heart is the part of a man who's never truly loved anything"), and it's gonna be an instant hit. This track was made for radio. Taylor really just comes in dominantly at the end, but if you listen closely you can hear her singing along with the entire chorus.

Track 4: Who Says
John debuted this little ditty at the "Secret Show" I saw at the Troubadour back in August , and based on this recording it was pretty much finished by the time I heard it performed. He tweeted at the show that he was finishing the lyrics in the bathroom, but I'd have to dig up the bootleg recording I made of it at the show to tell you for sure. Musically, it feels like a reworked version of Stop This Train from Continuum, but I suspect the lyrics most honestly reflect John's current romantic notions ("I don't remember you looking any better/Then again I don't remember you"). Cheeky and cute, it would be a radio hit except for the references to getting stoned. Always the rebel....

Track 5: Perfectly Lonely

This track features a more bluesy sound reminiscent of Continuum. Come to think of it, this song would have fit in perfectly on the last album. The chorus is catchy, and features more nice vocal harmonies. This has potential to turn into a great concert singalong at shows this winter..."I'm perfectly lonely....yeah."

Track 6: Assassin

It took me a while to get into this track, because there's a lot going on. The obvious grab is the storytelling nature of the lyrics, which cast John as a stealthy Lothario leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake, until he meets his match in female form ("I'm an Assassin and I had a job to do/Little did I know, that girl was an Assassin too"). Combined with the music, the song feels like a smoky bar tryst on a foggy night by a river somewhere. Then the guitar solo hits, the underlying groove picks up, and I picture John soloing the shit out of this in concert. And dammit, it whole thing just works. The Assassin hit his mark. I'm toast.

Track 7: Crossroads

This cover of the Robert Johnson blues classic is interesting as a stand-alone piece, but it's inclusion on this album left me scratching my head. Where the Jimi Hendrix Bold As Love cover fit Continuum perfectly thematically and musically, this song accomplishes neither. The deconstructed, synthed out guitar sound is a brave and interesting choice, but John has covered this song so many times in concert SO MUCH BETTER. It feels like something thrown in at the last minute to satisfy the hard core guitar folks that are gonna buy this record hoping for another John Mayer Trio project. Either that, or Steve Jordan and John were sitting in the studio sequencing the record and said, "Man, this album is a BUMMER...it needs some energy" and decided the toss this in to bring the excitement level up a little.

Track 8: War of my Life

If Crossroads left me scratching my head, this song didn't restore my faith that things would get sunnier. Thematically, this song is a huge downer, and the music doesn't contribute anything interesting. Determined to give it a chance, I listened to this song over and over to make sure I wasn't missing some hint of buried genius. I wasn't. By far, the low point of the record and the one true throw-away song on this album.

Track 9: Edge of Desire
This is romance as only John Mayer can do it - conflicted and passionate but not syrupy ("Don't say a word, just come over and lie here with me"). "I want you so bad I'll go back on the things I believe" is my favorite lyric on the entire record, and the music has the potential to be big and anthemic played live. Or it could be stripped down, played acoustically, and rip your heart out. This is why I love John.

Track 10: Do You Know Me

This track is simple, beautiful, and meditative. The guitar arpeggios flowing under the chorus are the musical high point of the album for me, and the lyrics are like a little poem set to music. The entire feeling is like a beautiful dream, and I love it more than I probably should. It's music for cuddling in front of a fire on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Track 11: Friends, Lovers or Nothing
Another radio friendly pop song, without too many bells and whistles and just the right amount of guitar. And damn you John, it's catchy and the lyrics are honest with a touch of well placed humor ("You whisper 'come on over' 'cause you're two drinks in) It's as upbeat as anything else on the record, and feels like the right place to end thematically.

*********************************************

The bottom line is that once again, John Mayer proves he's the king of mid-tempo, well-crafted pop songs. Battle Studies isn't the best album John has made, but it's still worth the investment, even if you're not an ardent fan. And his current reputation with the ladies aside, the likelihood is that the longest love affair John will ever have will be with his guitar. I, for one, like it and hope it stays that way.

"Battle Studies" Is Here!

Well, dear Mr. Mayer's ears must have been burning during my concert ticket beefing, because he rewarded me with the delivery of my pre-order copy of Battle Studies today in the mail!



And part of the pre-order package also included a t-shirt to promote the new album. Now THIS is motivation to get back in the gym !







Time to crack this baby open and give it a listen. And there may have to be an album review blog...you'll just have to wait and see!

Sex on Fire

I am always entertained when I talk to different people who follow my blog. Most of them are friends and relatives, since this is more of a"personal diary" type blog than a professionally thematic one (i.e. devoted to a specific subject). And several of my best "followers," including my mother, have all made me laugh recently when they admitted the same thing - "I love your blog, but I gotta be honest. I mostly skip the hockey stuff....I hope you're not mad."

So I thought maybe it was time to branch out a little in the subject matter area and talk about something else I love, which is music. Though if you find the particular music I'm choosing to discuss isn't your taste, tough cookies! Be happy I'm branching out at all. You'll read what I write....SO THERE.

OK, enough silliness. Let's talk music! I will freely admit, I like lots of different kinds of music and am open to checking out pretty much anything at least once. However, when it comes to buying music, I tend to gravitate towards the same kind of thing over and over. Singer-songwriter (John Mayer, Sara Bareilles, Sheryl Crow, Dave Barnes). Often acoustic (see singer-songwriter listings). Pop-dance-diva stuff (Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Madonna). Ballady, lovelorn, sometimes over-wrought scholck (Barry Manilow...yes, I am a HUGE fan. "Could This Be The Magic" WILL be played at my wedding).

I also don't normally buy a CD on the strength of one single. I prefer to get a bigger feel for the artist, and while every one of their songs may not be a hit in my brain, if I appreciate the general oeuvre I can justify spending my hard earned money knowing most of it will be my taste. But occasionally, something different will grab me and not let go. The latest band that grabbed me is Kings of Leon.



"Use Somebody," the Kings huge hit single, is all over pop radio, which is how it started seeping into my brain. Then a while ago, a read a great feature article on them in Rolling Stone and was intrigued. When the story lead reads like this, how are you NOT intrigued:

"Sixteen years ago, they were preacher’s sons living under a strict religious mandate that prohibited music other than church songs, movies and short pants. Today, they’re the hottest band in America, bringing their dirty brand of Southern rock & roll to sold-out arenas around the world while traveling in luxury planes and running up $10,000 bar tabs."

So I bought the album on a random shopping trip to Target, popped it in the car CD player, and let it roll. Over, and over, and over. This is my normal method for getting acquainted with music. When I'm sitting in traffic, I have nothing else to do, so I can concentrate on what I'm hearing. And the repetition helps me get a feel for the flow and sequencing of the album, and the mood of each song. Some tracks caught me instantly (the haunting guitar chirps of "Closer" an the rolling bass line of "Crawl") and some took longer but became my absolute favorites ("Manhattan" and "Revelry"). But the one song I immediately liked, and still think is the strongest single on the album, is "Sex on Fire."

As coincidence would have it, I was traveling to Carlsbad, CA this week with my co-worker Tammy Good, who shares my love of music. We got talking about this album, and she turned me on to a great cover of "Sex on Fire" by the band Sugarland, from their CD "Live on the Inside." Jennifer Nettles has one of my favorite voices in all of music right now, and she more than does the song justice, turning it from a rocking anthem into slow-burning, acoustic guitar-piano jam. It's a small musical world we live in.

Of course, I also love reading lyrics and liner notes, a very positive habit I picked up from an old boyfriend with impeccable musical taste. The song titles are easy enough to see, but where are the lyrics, and what is all that white space?



Peer closer, and you can see there are actual lyrics in the white-on-white typeface. So you guys want to tell me what you're singing ("Just know it was you all along that had a hold of my heart/But the demon and me we were best friends from the start"), but you want me to work for it. I think I love and hate you in equal parts for that.



I haven't had the patience (or proper lighting) to go through these yet, so I guess that will be the next stage of my journey getting to know Kings of Leon. And I think I like this branching out process. Music may become a regular blog feature, but hockey will NEVER go away...

Guys & Dolls

It is a fundamental truth of the universe that for most men, putting the words "musical" and "theatre" together equals "Please don't make me go with you." No one embodies this truth more than Nadine's husband John. So when her sorority alumni group was planing their annual outing to the Hollywood Bowl, and the entertainment was "Guys & Dolls," she knew better than to even tell him about it. Lucky for me, because that meant her extra ticket was a gift to me for my birthday! And I, like most women, actually ENJOY musical theatre. Even if Jessica Biel is playing one of the leads.



Now, I was never in a sorority, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the band geek thing (practices every day for a couple of hours, football games every weekend) got in the way of Rush Week events, as well as all the ongoing parties and things you had to attend until you hopefully got accepted. Then there's that whole thing of having to work to impress people enough to want to be your friend. Now, I know it isn't like that everywhere, and I'm not judging, but at that stage of my life my attitude was pretty much "You either like me or you don't. And I don't care if you don't like me. Your loss." Now that I think of it, I'm STILL pretty much like that. But Nadine seemed to think I was likable enough to hang with the Zetas, so I wasn't too worried. Although I did check dress code with her. Didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb and all.

Her sisters are a HOOT! What an amazing bunch of women. We had an awesome time, complete with a picnic before the actual show, then seats together with the whole crew and a ton of chuckles throughout the night. Someone was even thoughtful enough to bring a pair of binoculars and pass them around so we could scope out the hot dude playing Sky Masterson in the show.



The entire ensemble cast was really good, including Scott Bakula and Beau Bridges. And I have to admit, Jessica Biel surprised me. Granted, I wasn't expecting much, but she did a good job. The higher end of her soprano range is a little thready, but she held her own. Plus she got to make out with the cute Sky Masterson guy. Justin Timberlake should be just a little jealous!

It was really great night, so big thanks to Nadine and her Zetas for making the continuation of my birthday week a blast! And being the excellent friend she is, Nadine also got me these really cute earrings!



The only less-than-perfect part of the day was the drive home. Only in LA can there be a traffic jam at 11 PM...took me almost 45 minutes to get home (the drive should only take about 20 minutes tops).



And of course, who called me on my way home looking for his wife? That would be John. He's probably sorry he missed the fun...at least he should be.

I Love Rock & Roll!

Joan Jett's album "I Love Rock & Roll" was the soundtrack of my early high school years, but I've never had the opportunity to see her perform live. So when Tammy alerted me that she was on the artists roster for this years Orange County Fair (one huge benefit of living in LA), we went. You can't beat this deal, either. A ticket for $12.50 includes the show AND entry to the fair!

Getting there was a little stressful due to a delayed flight home from Phoenix, but Tammy and I both made it in one piece and didn't miss any of the show. And Joan did not disappoint. She's still rocking the leather pants and studded bracelets, and sounds as great as ever. I think she's a testament to the fact that when you do something you really love, age and time have no meaning. Just throw yourself out there and rock it out!



Of course, I had to shoot some video of the ubiquitous title track. Enjoy! And don't stop rocking and rolling!

Jewel @ The Roxy

Tammy scored big when she found a notice on-line about a free show Jewel was doing at the Roxy in Hollywood to celebrate the release of her new album, Lullaby. So after fun and sun at Disney and a quick run home for a shower, I joined Tammy, who already got a spot in line. What great friends do I have?!



I bought Jewel's first album, "Pieces of You," at the same time most of the world was discovering the little girl from Alaska with the guitar, the unique voice, and a talent for yodeling. I love the album, but she never became one of those "must-have" artists for me, and although I enjoyed the singles from other albums she recorded, I never bought another one. After seeing her live, I have some record collecting to do.



You see, Jewel is one of those artists where the recording process shortchanges you as a listener in way. It only gives you one interpretation of a song, a limited little window to view the sunlight. Her live performances are more akin to holding a crystal up the to the sunlight and watching millions of colored points of light dance through the facets and onto the ceiling. Her strength is in the subtle nuance in the bend of each note, the dynamic highs and lows, and the syncopated delivery of each poetic line.

The fact that she's an incredible storyteller is where it all starts. For over 2 hours, Jewel told the stories behind the songs, and recalled her journey to a life she never expected and clearly appreciates because of how hard it was to get there. She's an old soul who survived living in her car, broke, sometimes shoplifting so she could eat, all the while playing in coffee shops, clubs, and even on the street trying to realize her dream. Her stories are beautiful, heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure, and the fact that she's so open in sharing them makes her heroic.



Time to go record shopping.