If you ever want to know what your mother went through when you were a teenager, try losing your roommate.
As crazy as she is, Taz is a creature of habit. She goes to bed early, gets up early. She hangs out with boys but won't let them touch her. She's random, but not reckless. JW, Jo Yo and I invited her to come see Adam Ezra Group with us tonight, but she declined on the grounds that her sleeping pattern had had a rough week and she wanted to get to bed early.
She made plans to watch an Adam Sandler movie with Abs, one of JW's apartment mates who she might be crushing on a little bit. Last I saw her she was vacuuming our living room in anticipation of his arrival, which was not at all extravagant for her - she goes all out for her boys. She will make a wonderful girlfriend when she finds the right dude.
Fast forward.
Went to the show. Paid three times more than we should've for parking because there was an event at the Agganis Arena next door. Lost tickets, found Rob (bassist), got new tickets for free. Got deafened and danced upon. Didn't stick around for drinks because the show went so long that last call was already over by the time we got out. Came home at 2:10AM to an empty room.
I was just going to go to sleep when it struck me how very odd it was that Taz was still out. It would have been less odd if she hadn't specifically said she wanted to go to bed early... but it still would have worried me. So I did what my mother always taught me I should do at at time like this.
I panicked.
Cue frantic phone calls, texts to JW asking if Abs was in the apartment (his light was off and JW was worried he'd wake up the roomie, so we never did find out), midnight wake-up call for Mnomanoms, and (half an hour later) a last-ditch effort sprint to the dining hall. I expected Lane to be closed at such an hour, but it was the last place Taz had told anyone she would be and the last place I could get into without a key to search for her.
It was open. This was the first time I've ever looked at our dining hall as a beacon of hope, and will most likely be the last. Sure enough I found Taz and Abs sitting on a couch downstairs, just talking. Taz was quick to point out that my fly was down. I was quick to point out that I'd been halfway into my PJs before the notion struck me that she was probably floating face down in Coy Pond and I had better go find her.
So, Mom, this post is for you. For the random times I didn't make it home when I said I would, or somehow failed to communicate what time I would actually be home, and for all the times I was over friends' houses with no cell phone reception (which was usually, because everyone I know lives in dead zones)... I'm sorry.
Peace, love, and undead roomies,
Miss Rex
Showing posts with label concerts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concerts. Show all posts
Let's get ready to raaaaamble
This Sunday was Adam Ezra Group's Ramble at Salisbury Beach. If you saw my Ramble plug, you know that buses were supposed to pick up concertgoers and take them to the venue for a pre-amble complete with sand, snacks and the obligatory meet and greet. All fabulous in theory. In practice, though...
My bus never came. Turns out that the driver got so turned around by the Walk for Hunger in Boston that he just forgot to come to Go-Co. My car effed up again on my way back to school Friday afternoon, so I was wary of taking the poor guy on a 45-minute road trip, but I was desperate. It would've taken more than twice as long for the bus to drop off the rest of the kids and come back for me. On the bright side, it was a gorgeous day for a drive and my route took me through some really nice scenery. And I didn't have to leave the show as early as everybody else did, which equaled chill time with the band, which you know was a big perk in my book!
Salisbury Beach was a town in a time warp. There were old-school arcades with games from the early '80s, if not earlier. I imagine Hull used to look like this back in its heyday. Wish it still did. I took on Rob, AEG's bassist, at air hockey and tried all the cookies in the fundraiser contest, but I didn't get much hang time with the band because I was so late and they had to go warm up. Adam felt really bad the bus forgot me. Turtle said, "I told you it wouldn't work."
I took many a picture with my new camera, which I've dubbed "Cassie." Here I'd like to share the best of them with you. Concert photos first; later I'll post pictures of the town once I've had a chance to sort/fix them.
I helped the guys pack out after the show and we chilled outside with a couple girls who go to even more of their shows than I do. I found out Chappy (the one playing the weird drum thing that looks like an urn) grew up in the town next to mine. Small world. Then they all decided to go to a bar, and they were going to pretend I was 21 so I could go in with them and I just wouldn't order any drinks, but alas, they were checking IDs at the door, so I left. Apparently I am now cool enough to get a kiss on the cheek from Adam when I say goodbye. That's kind of rad.
The rest of the night turned into a fiasco of epic proportions, but that is a story for another time.
My bus never came. Turns out that the driver got so turned around by the Walk for Hunger in Boston that he just forgot to come to Go-Co. My car effed up again on my way back to school Friday afternoon, so I was wary of taking the poor guy on a 45-minute road trip, but I was desperate. It would've taken more than twice as long for the bus to drop off the rest of the kids and come back for me. On the bright side, it was a gorgeous day for a drive and my route took me through some really nice scenery. And I didn't have to leave the show as early as everybody else did, which equaled chill time with the band, which you know was a big perk in my book!
Salisbury Beach was a town in a time warp. There were old-school arcades with games from the early '80s, if not earlier. I imagine Hull used to look like this back in its heyday. Wish it still did. I took on Rob, AEG's bassist, at air hockey and tried all the cookies in the fundraiser contest, but I didn't get much hang time with the band because I was so late and they had to go warm up. Adam felt really bad the bus forgot me. Turtle said, "I told you it wouldn't work."
I took many a picture with my new camera, which I've dubbed "Cassie." Here I'd like to share the best of them with you. Concert photos first; later I'll post pictures of the town once I've had a chance to sort/fix them.
I helped the guys pack out after the show and we chilled outside with a couple girls who go to even more of their shows than I do. I found out Chappy (the one playing the weird drum thing that looks like an urn) grew up in the town next to mine. Small world. Then they all decided to go to a bar, and they were going to pretend I was 21 so I could go in with them and I just wouldn't order any drinks, but alas, they were checking IDs at the door, so I left. Apparently I am now cool enough to get a kiss on the cheek from Adam when I say goodbye. That's kind of rad.
The rest of the night turned into a fiasco of epic proportions, but that is a story for another time.
Shameless plug for my buddy Adam Ezra
I posted this on my other blog, The Amandangle, and it's also on the Gordon College News Service blog. But I think it's an important story that needs to be seen by as many eyes as possible (especially Boston-area eyes, because you folks are within driving distance of this thing and therefore had better be there!)
---------------------------
When local folk rock band Adam Ezra Group sold out the Paradise Rock Club for their CD-release-turned-Haiti-benefit show in January, it was not the first or the last time the band would use their music for the good of others. On Sunday, May 2, AEG will play a concert to benefit Haiti through Partners in Health.
PIH is a Boston nonprofit organization that strives to establish working hospitals in Haiti and around the world, thus providing health care and job opportunities for indigenous people. It is the same organization AEG partnered with in January.
“They’re setting a standard worldwide for what you can do with a grassroots organization,” said Adam Ezra, singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the band.
Through his work with other nonprofits, Ezra has seen how difficult it can be to ensure the money goes where it’s needed, but he’s found that isn’t a problem with PIH. The band looks forward to sending all proceeds from their May 2nd show, the Ramble, directly to Haiti for relief efforts.
AEG isn’t the first band to play a benefit show, but the Ramble promises to be an utterly unique experience. In fact, it already is one. The band has been working with fans since winter to rally groups of 20 or more concertgoers. These groups will be shuttled to the venue, Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury, MA, free of charge from all across New England.
“We’re empowering students and fans who care about not just the music but about doing good things,” said Ezra. “The show is less about the money we’re raising and more about the community we’re building.”
In the spirit of community, a pre-amble will take place on the beach outside of the venue starting at 4:00 PM. The Hall will serve inexpensive meals and the bar will be open for drinks to those who are over 21. Ezra hopes other local nonprofits will set up camp on the beach so fans can get informed and get involved.
There is even rumor of a fan-run cookie contest. Anyone can enter and anyone can try the cookies for free, but they must make donations to vote for the winner. Whoever raises the most money for Haiti will be declared the winner.
650 people packed out the Paradise Rock Club for the January benefit show, but Ezra’s hopes for the Ramble are still modest. “It’s an experiment,” he said. “We’re not sure what’s going to happen. But it will be a success no matter what.”
Charlene Bemis, Ramble coordinator, said that more than a dozen buses are already lined up. She estimated there would be about fifteen the day of the concert.
More information is available at GetRambled.com and on the Ramble’s Facebook page. Ezra hopes everybody will think about joining the party, and only marginally out of self-interest. It seems his real goal is to make friends with everybody in the greater Boston area while fighting together for a cause.
“If you love music and you love the beach and you love people and you love doing good things for other people, then you should check it out,” said Ezra. “And I can’t think of too many people who don’t fit one of those categories.”
--------------------------
And that's the scoop! If you're at or near Go-Co, we've got a bus stopping here, so let me know and I can make sure you get a seat.
On a tangential note, I bought fresh blueberries from a farm stand and they are delicious. This is really weird but I eat them in milk. No cereal, just blueberries in milk. Try it sometime (it's even good with soy milk!)
On a furtherly tangential note, some of my friends put a toilet on top of a dorm last night. <3
---------------------------
When local folk rock band Adam Ezra Group sold out the Paradise Rock Club for their CD-release-turned-Haiti-benefit show in January, it was not the first or the last time the band would use their music for the good of others. On Sunday, May 2, AEG will play a concert to benefit Haiti through Partners in Health.
PIH is a Boston nonprofit organization that strives to establish working hospitals in Haiti and around the world, thus providing health care and job opportunities for indigenous people. It is the same organization AEG partnered with in January.
“They’re setting a standard worldwide for what you can do with a grassroots organization,” said Adam Ezra, singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the band.
Through his work with other nonprofits, Ezra has seen how difficult it can be to ensure the money goes where it’s needed, but he’s found that isn’t a problem with PIH. The band looks forward to sending all proceeds from their May 2nd show, the Ramble, directly to Haiti for relief efforts.
AEG isn’t the first band to play a benefit show, but the Ramble promises to be an utterly unique experience. In fact, it already is one. The band has been working with fans since winter to rally groups of 20 or more concertgoers. These groups will be shuttled to the venue, Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury, MA, free of charge from all across New England.
“We’re empowering students and fans who care about not just the music but about doing good things,” said Ezra. “The show is less about the money we’re raising and more about the community we’re building.”
In the spirit of community, a pre-amble will take place on the beach outside of the venue starting at 4:00 PM. The Hall will serve inexpensive meals and the bar will be open for drinks to those who are over 21. Ezra hopes other local nonprofits will set up camp on the beach so fans can get informed and get involved.
There is even rumor of a fan-run cookie contest. Anyone can enter and anyone can try the cookies for free, but they must make donations to vote for the winner. Whoever raises the most money for Haiti will be declared the winner.
650 people packed out the Paradise Rock Club for the January benefit show, but Ezra’s hopes for the Ramble are still modest. “It’s an experiment,” he said. “We’re not sure what’s going to happen. But it will be a success no matter what.”
Charlene Bemis, Ramble coordinator, said that more than a dozen buses are already lined up. She estimated there would be about fifteen the day of the concert.
More information is available at GetRambled.com and on the Ramble’s Facebook page. Ezra hopes everybody will think about joining the party, and only marginally out of self-interest. It seems his real goal is to make friends with everybody in the greater Boston area while fighting together for a cause.
“If you love music and you love the beach and you love people and you love doing good things for other people, then you should check it out,” said Ezra. “And I can’t think of too many people who don’t fit one of those categories.”
--------------------------
And that's the scoop! If you're at or near Go-Co, we've got a bus stopping here, so let me know and I can make sure you get a seat.
On a tangential note, I bought fresh blueberries from a farm stand and they are delicious. This is really weird but I eat them in milk. No cereal, just blueberries in milk. Try it sometime (it's even good with soy milk!)
On a furtherly tangential note, some of my friends put a toilet on top of a dorm last night. <3
Tales of the Kiros
I got back to my room at 3:36 this morning after One Awesome Night. My friend the Spontaneous Concert Enthusiast took me and his girlfriend to see Kiros in Maine. I didn't have very high hopes for the show after hearing it was at a church, because let's face it, have you EVER seen a GOOD concert in a church? No. You haven't. They don't happen. But this thing was legit for three important reasons.
1. People were lined up across the parking lot in the pouring rain in hopes of getting decent spots.
2. They had epic security. The guys outside the show seemed determined not to let the three of us be the first ones in, but we got there at 3:30 in the afternoon and we DESERVED to be the first ones in, darn it, so we shoved our way to the front of every new line they tried to stick us at the end of. Then we finally get in only to find that there are tall, grumpy looking men stationed every few feet in front of the stage and that made seeing the show a wee bit problematic. But SCE danced his face off, which the guards near us apparently found endearing, and they chilled out a little after that.
3. There were lights. Big, bright, flashing lights of many colors and in great numbers that made me very happy in spite of probably costing an obscene amount of money.
Kiros sadly had a very short set, I think about five songs, which was such a bummer after that long ride, but it was still worth it because they played "As Long as You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys and SCE got to go up on stage and dance like a BSB. Also, Ryan told me to stand at his end of the stage so he could steal my heart-shaped sunglasses for the last song. It was priceless (and me without a camera, for mine decided to fail last month).
The second band, DecembeRadio, really got the crowd excited and their set was in general a lot of fun even though I didn't know any of their songs. But I did not like Seventh Day Slumber, the third band. Their music wasn't terrible, but between the hard rock hymns and the liquid nitrogen shooters, I got this icky feeling they were trying way too hard to prove that Jesus can be cool.
Then the singer spent about an hour giving his story of faith. I couldn't not respect the guy after hearing all he went through, but all the same, I didn't drive to Maine for a sermon. If you want to read my whole rant, be my guest. For now, back to tales of the Kiros!
Picture this (I giggle every time I do). Tyler, the drummer, borrowed my brand new pink paisley umbrella to go outside before the show and introduce himself to the kids. Now this guy has long hair, facial piercings, a full sleeve on one arm as well as tats on his feet and possibly elsewhere that I don't know about, and gauge piercings in his ears. Furthermore, after meeting a kid who said he was a rapper, Tyler proceeded to rap with the kid, still holding my pretty pink umbrella. Again, where is my camera when I need it?
Barry convinced SCE to pretend to break up with his girlfriend after Barry asked her why she loves Jesus and she only gave him the "Sunday School answer." Luckily Barry and I were laughing in the background so she knew SCE wasn't serious.
After everything was packed up, we all went to Wendy's, crossing our fingers that it would still be open since it was 12:50 and they close at 1. There was a guy in a pickup truck right in front of us and we watched him get his food, but the Wendy's workers totally ignored us. So we pulled up to the pick-up window and tried to reason with them, but they wouldn't hear it, so instead we went to a gas station.
Ryan dared me to hit on a couple of drunk ladies in there, but I wasn't entirely sure I could even pull of hitting on a dude, so he took it upon himself to make sure these gals got hit on. It was great.
Then we all did these weird little espresso shots we found next to the creamer, and the guys stole a bunch of them to put in the glove compartment for long drives.
Then we just sat around in their short bus for a while. Yes, they tour in a short bus. Their van blew up in Washington state or thereabouts and now they have this. It's pretty sexcellent.
Around 3ish, the band decided they should probably go to the house they were staying at that night (my parents would murder if a band showed up at our house at 3 in the morning), and there ends the tale of the Kiros.
Peace, love, and fog machines,
Miss Rex
1. People were lined up across the parking lot in the pouring rain in hopes of getting decent spots.
2. They had epic security. The guys outside the show seemed determined not to let the three of us be the first ones in, but we got there at 3:30 in the afternoon and we DESERVED to be the first ones in, darn it, so we shoved our way to the front of every new line they tried to stick us at the end of. Then we finally get in only to find that there are tall, grumpy looking men stationed every few feet in front of the stage and that made seeing the show a wee bit problematic. But SCE danced his face off, which the guards near us apparently found endearing, and they chilled out a little after that.
3. There were lights. Big, bright, flashing lights of many colors and in great numbers that made me very happy in spite of probably costing an obscene amount of money.
Kiros sadly had a very short set, I think about five songs, which was such a bummer after that long ride, but it was still worth it because they played "As Long as You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys and SCE got to go up on stage and dance like a BSB. Also, Ryan told me to stand at his end of the stage so he could steal my heart-shaped sunglasses for the last song. It was priceless (and me without a camera, for mine decided to fail last month).
The second band, DecembeRadio, really got the crowd excited and their set was in general a lot of fun even though I didn't know any of their songs. But I did not like Seventh Day Slumber, the third band. Their music wasn't terrible, but between the hard rock hymns and the liquid nitrogen shooters, I got this icky feeling they were trying way too hard to prove that Jesus can be cool.
Then the singer spent about an hour giving his story of faith. I couldn't not respect the guy after hearing all he went through, but all the same, I didn't drive to Maine for a sermon. If you want to read my whole rant, be my guest. For now, back to tales of the Kiros!
Picture this (I giggle every time I do). Tyler, the drummer, borrowed my brand new pink paisley umbrella to go outside before the show and introduce himself to the kids. Now this guy has long hair, facial piercings, a full sleeve on one arm as well as tats on his feet and possibly elsewhere that I don't know about, and gauge piercings in his ears. Furthermore, after meeting a kid who said he was a rapper, Tyler proceeded to rap with the kid, still holding my pretty pink umbrella. Again, where is my camera when I need it?
Barry convinced SCE to pretend to break up with his girlfriend after Barry asked her why she loves Jesus and she only gave him the "Sunday School answer." Luckily Barry and I were laughing in the background so she knew SCE wasn't serious.
After everything was packed up, we all went to Wendy's, crossing our fingers that it would still be open since it was 12:50 and they close at 1. There was a guy in a pickup truck right in front of us and we watched him get his food, but the Wendy's workers totally ignored us. So we pulled up to the pick-up window and tried to reason with them, but they wouldn't hear it, so instead we went to a gas station.
Ryan dared me to hit on a couple of drunk ladies in there, but I wasn't entirely sure I could even pull of hitting on a dude, so he took it upon himself to make sure these gals got hit on. It was great.
Then we all did these weird little espresso shots we found next to the creamer, and the guys stole a bunch of them to put in the glove compartment for long drives.
Then we just sat around in their short bus for a while. Yes, they tour in a short bus. Their van blew up in Washington state or thereabouts and now they have this. It's pretty sexcellent.
Around 3ish, the band decided they should probably go to the house they were staying at that night (my parents would murder if a band showed up at our house at 3 in the morning), and there ends the tale of the Kiros.
Peace, love, and fog machines,
Miss Rex
Fame! (Doodlybop)
SO MANY GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. I don't even know what to do. Maybe like, dance party plus eat cookies times hug people squared....
Saturday was Adam Ezra Group's CD (re)release party at the Paradise. As I mentioned before, I got to chat it up with Adam freakin' Ezra last week, as I was hyping the party in this article I was writing for my journalism internship.
Said article is now on BOSTON.COM!!! This is.... (I'm searching for an adjective that could possibly encompass my excitement)... Radical! Stellar! Fan-freakin'-tabulous!!! Yes, the plethora of exclamation points is NECESSARY!!!!!
Ahem. So, that's the big news.
The party was great fun! I was one of the first people inbecause I'm a groupie like that because I seriously overestimated how long I would be lost in the labyrinthine, unlabeled streets of Boston even with my new GPS. Said hello to Turtle and Robin Vincent on my way in. Claimed the best spot in the house - front and dead center, leaning on the speakers - and waited that last agonizing hour between doors and showtime.
The first band was called Girls Guns and Glory. They're the sort of band that are a lot of fun live but not really something I'd listen to in my car, or anywhere else. Too western-sounding. But there was a guy with an accordion, which rocked, and the bassist had this weird upright bass with no body, just all neck. And of course, I was close enough to reach out and play the lead singer's guitar if I'd wanted to, but I'm not into the whole interfering-with-the-show bit.
But some people are into that sort of thing. This one young lady clambered over all of us in the front row and started dancing on stage. ("I thought this place used to have security," said the woman next to me. Yeah, I thought so too.) The band just kept playing; I don't think there was much else they could do. Then the song ended and Very Drunk Dancing Girl gave them all kisses and hopped off the stage. Good gravy. People.
Then it was Adam Ezra Group's turn to play. I've never seen people so jazzed about them, yelling and singing and dancing like that - I mean, it was more upbeat than the last Relient K show I saw! Somehow that just shouldn't happen. Even I, who had spent two and a half days with my face buried in a tissue, was singing my heart out. In fact, I might even credit this show with curing me. Anyway it cured, or at least boosted, my rather drab outlook on life. AND, Adam bent down away from the mic mid-song to tell me, "Great article!"
It's hard NOT to be inspired when a band you love decides to share the spotlight on their big night and give all the money they make to Haiti relief efforts. They passed around the Love Bucket (a.k.a. a re-labeled recycling bin) and people filled it with even MORE money, after they had already donated just by buying a ticket. Adam dumped it all out on stage and they played the rest of the show wading through a sea of cash. I was devastated that I hadn't brought my camera. You'll just have to use your imagination.
But it would have been inspiring even minus the Haiti angle and minus the "great article" comment. Adam is one of those people, like Jon Foreman, that can make things seem better just by being in the same room. I don't get how people can do that. Granted, he was pretty giddy himself; Aerosmith's bassist came out and played a song with them, and Adam's only looked up to the guy for like, his entire life.
Then Very Drunk Dancing Girl returned for an encore (I couldn't believe they hadn't made her leave). This time she brought a friend. Security actually showed up and tried to get them to leave, but the friend wouldn't go until she'd told Turtle "I love you!" and kissed Adam on the cheek. God. No shame.
We all had a great time being rowdy and obnoxious during the new song, "Scandal," but I think the most fun was when everyone from both bands came out on stage for Bob Dylan's "Wagon Wheel." It was one of those bighappyfamily moments, with everyone on stage and the whole crowd singing and dancing along. That's why AEG is different from other bands. Other band have fans; AEG has a family. Aww cute.
Well that's all for now; stay tuned since I've got a new scene to post after tomorrow's playwright's workshop!
Peace, love, and FAME!
~ Miss Rex
Saturday was Adam Ezra Group's CD (re)release party at the Paradise. As I mentioned before, I got to chat it up with Adam freakin' Ezra last week, as I was hyping the party in this article I was writing for my journalism internship.
Said article is now on BOSTON.COM!!! This is.... (I'm searching for an adjective that could possibly encompass my excitement)... Radical! Stellar! Fan-freakin'-tabulous!!! Yes, the plethora of exclamation points is NECESSARY!!!!!
Ahem. So, that's the big news.
The party was great fun! I was one of the first people in
The first band was called Girls Guns and Glory. They're the sort of band that are a lot of fun live but not really something I'd listen to in my car, or anywhere else. Too western-sounding. But there was a guy with an accordion, which rocked, and the bassist had this weird upright bass with no body, just all neck. And of course, I was close enough to reach out and play the lead singer's guitar if I'd wanted to, but I'm not into the whole interfering-with-the-show bit.
But some people are into that sort of thing. This one young lady clambered over all of us in the front row and started dancing on stage. ("I thought this place used to have security," said the woman next to me. Yeah, I thought so too.) The band just kept playing; I don't think there was much else they could do. Then the song ended and Very Drunk Dancing Girl gave them all kisses and hopped off the stage. Good gravy. People.
Then it was Adam Ezra Group's turn to play. I've never seen people so jazzed about them, yelling and singing and dancing like that - I mean, it was more upbeat than the last Relient K show I saw! Somehow that just shouldn't happen. Even I, who had spent two and a half days with my face buried in a tissue, was singing my heart out. In fact, I might even credit this show with curing me. Anyway it cured, or at least boosted, my rather drab outlook on life. AND, Adam bent down away from the mic mid-song to tell me, "Great article!"
It's hard NOT to be inspired when a band you love decides to share the spotlight on their big night and give all the money they make to Haiti relief efforts. They passed around the Love Bucket (a.k.a. a re-labeled recycling bin) and people filled it with even MORE money, after they had already donated just by buying a ticket. Adam dumped it all out on stage and they played the rest of the show wading through a sea of cash. I was devastated that I hadn't brought my camera. You'll just have to use your imagination.
But it would have been inspiring even minus the Haiti angle and minus the "great article" comment. Adam is one of those people, like Jon Foreman, that can make things seem better just by being in the same room. I don't get how people can do that. Granted, he was pretty giddy himself; Aerosmith's bassist came out and played a song with them, and Adam's only looked up to the guy for like, his entire life.
Then Very Drunk Dancing Girl returned for an encore (I couldn't believe they hadn't made her leave). This time she brought a friend. Security actually showed up and tried to get them to leave, but the friend wouldn't go until she'd told Turtle "I love you!" and kissed Adam on the cheek. God. No shame.
We all had a great time being rowdy and obnoxious during the new song, "Scandal," but I think the most fun was when everyone from both bands came out on stage for Bob Dylan's "Wagon Wheel." It was one of those bighappyfamily moments, with everyone on stage and the whole crowd singing and dancing along. That's why AEG is different from other bands. Other band have fans; AEG has a family. Aww cute.
Well that's all for now; stay tuned since I've got a new scene to post after tomorrow's playwright's workshop!
Peace, love, and FAME!
~ Miss Rex
Short Story Long... pt. 1
I don't know about anyone else, but I am immensely relieved to bid the holidays adieu. This season usually holds a lot of magic for me, but for some reason it just didn't click this year. It was December 26th before I even realized that, in spite of partaking in all the usual traditions, I had completely missed Christmas. And I was okay with that.
In fact, I'm really glad it's over. Soon we'll be able to drive places without getting stuck in shopper traffic (which will be fab since my closest friends live half an hour away from me... in opposite directions). We'll be able to bum around at the mall without getting stampeded. Of course, all the gyms will be packed with New Years Resolutionists in a week's time and working out will suck for the next month, but at least things are starting to get back to normal.
I've slept a lot this break and have been complaining perpetually of my boredom, but it's actually been a pretty eventful vacation thus far. I shall attempt to summarize, but you know this is going to become an epic game of Short Story Long.
Episode One:
Last Saturday I was sick of my family and needed to get out of the house (I'd been home for a day and half so far) so I called Wanda, who was still at school in the city, and said to get ready for an adventure; Adam Ezra was playing a show all afternoon and we were going. I had just decided. Well, no, I decided in November that I wanted to go; I just failed at planning to do so until the thing had already started.
So we get to this thing. It's upstairs in a brewery I saw Adam at once before with my roomies and Jo-Yo. But that time it had been late at night and there had been lots of drunken grown-ups dancing like horny teenagers. One woman lassoing men with her scarf particularly stands out in my memory. We kept a tally of how many people she danced with, giving her extra points for dancing with multiple guys at the same time. We didn't know what else to do with her. Oh and a creepy old guy may or may not have hit on Mnomanoms.
That night, Adam played two of my requests, Another Sunshine and Desperate Plea from the Heart of a Shit-head. The second one is not really a noisy brewery kind of song and the rest of his band didn't know how to play it, so Adam played it solo acoustic. I felt so special. Then after the show I talked him into sending me an mp3 of it even though he's only got a rough copy so far. This has not happened yet, and I suspect it's because he's been drunk both times I've actually spoken to him about said mp3.
Which brings me back to the original story of last weekend with Wanda. Adam had already been playing for a while when we got there and took an intermission just a few songs later. When I went to say hello, he remembered me and that he owed me an mp3. I was impressed. We didn't talk for long, but after the second half of his set I went over to say goodbye and ended up writing a reminder on his hand in bright orange Sharpie. Wanda was disappointed later on when I told her I wasn't giving him my phone number. She thinks we should get together. Aaand I might have a little crush on him, as well... ^_^
But I didn't have much hope of seeing the mp3 because once again, Adam had had a bit to drink. I can tell because he does what I do when I've had a bit to drink - i.e., he gets rather cozy with everyone regardless of how well he actually knows them. I got about five hugs from him before leaving that day (and he told me the way I spell "Mandii" is cute ^_^).
Wanda and I both made it home before a foot and a half of snow swamped the entire state. And that concludes adventure number one. Lest this post become so long that no one wants to read it, I shall leave off there. Stay tuned for episode two, in which I and everyone I know had our minds blown by Avatar.
Peace, love and The Half-Blood Prince,
Miss Rex
In fact, I'm really glad it's over. Soon we'll be able to drive places without getting stuck in shopper traffic (which will be fab since my closest friends live half an hour away from me... in opposite directions). We'll be able to bum around at the mall without getting stampeded. Of course, all the gyms will be packed with New Years Resolutionists in a week's time and working out will suck for the next month, but at least things are starting to get back to normal.
I've slept a lot this break and have been complaining perpetually of my boredom, but it's actually been a pretty eventful vacation thus far. I shall attempt to summarize, but you know this is going to become an epic game of Short Story Long.
Episode One:
Last Saturday I was sick of my family and needed to get out of the house (I'd been home for a day and half so far) so I called Wanda, who was still at school in the city, and said to get ready for an adventure; Adam Ezra was playing a show all afternoon and we were going. I had just decided. Well, no, I decided in November that I wanted to go; I just failed at planning to do so until the thing had already started.
So we get to this thing. It's upstairs in a brewery I saw Adam at once before with my roomies and Jo-Yo. But that time it had been late at night and there had been lots of drunken grown-ups dancing like horny teenagers. One woman lassoing men with her scarf particularly stands out in my memory. We kept a tally of how many people she danced with, giving her extra points for dancing with multiple guys at the same time. We didn't know what else to do with her. Oh and a creepy old guy may or may not have hit on Mnomanoms.
That night, Adam played two of my requests, Another Sunshine and Desperate Plea from the Heart of a Shit-head. The second one is not really a noisy brewery kind of song and the rest of his band didn't know how to play it, so Adam played it solo acoustic. I felt so special. Then after the show I talked him into sending me an mp3 of it even though he's only got a rough copy so far. This has not happened yet, and I suspect it's because he's been drunk both times I've actually spoken to him about said mp3.
Which brings me back to the original story of last weekend with Wanda. Adam had already been playing for a while when we got there and took an intermission just a few songs later. When I went to say hello, he remembered me and that he owed me an mp3. I was impressed. We didn't talk for long, but after the second half of his set I went over to say goodbye and ended up writing a reminder on his hand in bright orange Sharpie. Wanda was disappointed later on when I told her I wasn't giving him my phone number. She thinks we should get together. Aaand I might have a little crush on him, as well... ^_^
But I didn't have much hope of seeing the mp3 because once again, Adam had had a bit to drink. I can tell because he does what I do when I've had a bit to drink - i.e., he gets rather cozy with everyone regardless of how well he actually knows them. I got about five hugs from him before leaving that day (and he told me the way I spell "Mandii" is cute ^_^).
Wanda and I both made it home before a foot and a half of snow swamped the entire state. And that concludes adventure number one. Lest this post become so long that no one wants to read it, I shall leave off there. Stay tuned for episode two, in which I and everyone I know had our minds blown by Avatar.
Peace, love and The Half-Blood Prince,
Miss Rex
Magical Musical Road Trip Extravaganza pt. 4
My family used to play a cheesy game at the dinner table, where we'd go around the table and everyone got a chance to say the highlight and lowlight of his or her day. In Rex-family fashion, allow me to share with you the high and low lights of Rev Gen 2009. Let's look on the bright side first.
We sat in on Paul Colman's set purely because we wanted to have good seats for Jon Foreman's set, which was next. But Paul turned out to be one of the most entertaining individuals I've had the good fortune to see. We later talked to him and he said he'd love to come play a show at our school. WIN!
Jon Foreman played us a song about being an outlaw, which he literally wrote in his sleep. He also played a number on some wacky variation of a harp, which a friend had given him earlier that day and which he hadn't even had a chance to tune. Somehow the song was still brilliant. Probably because he's Jon.
No one moshed for Relient K, which I'm sure was as sad for the band as it was for me. Nonetheless, it was as great a set as always, made all the more amusing by the fact that the lead singer (Matt Thiessen)'s hair gets more wild every time I see them.
Switchfoot closed out the day with a set that would've sent the Richter scale scrambling for cover. Jon alternated between climbing the scaffolding and swinging drummer Chad Butler's cymbals around the stage, and pausing to ask everyone to look up at the stars for a minute while words of wisdomatic gold dripped from his lips. "We don't know why the dry times come," he said, "but those are the times that force us to dig deeper below the surface."
If you want all the juicy details (and lots of exciting pictures!), go here and here! Remember to click on "Entries" when you get there!
Now for the lowlight. I think this accusatory letter, which I sent to the people at Rev Gen last night, pretty much sums it up:
"...we purchased Switchfoot Interview Passes at $15 apiece and we did not receive what we paid for. The item was called "Interview Pass" on the website. So, naturally, we walked into Tent 7 expecting to see an interview with Switchfoot. Wouldn't you? Imagine our disappointment, then, when only half the band was present and the frontman, the one responsible for writing the songs, was conspicuously absent. All right, there's a little disclaimer at the bottom of the ticket saying interview times are subject to artist availability, so it would hardly be fair to lodge a complain purely on that basis.
But then the interview was cut off after ten minutes of surface-level questions whose answers could have been found on Wikipedia in under two minutes, so that the man hosting the interview can tell us about his daughter who died in a car accident and how her death taught him to seek hope from God. A wonderful message. I truly am sorry for his loss and I truly am glad that he found hope in spite of it. But this was not the time or place to discuss such matters, as the fans under the tent had paid money to watch an interview with Switchfoot. And then he had the gall to try and convert us to Christianity. At a Christian festival.
His sermonette was out of place and condescending. I have never felt so emotionally manipulated in my life. Moreover, it was dishonest and unjust to take kids' money and not deliver what was promised. This is the least Christian thing anyone has done to me in quite some time...."
Total LAMESAUCE, right?! And worse than the injustice to us, it was disrespectful toward the band (or anyway, the half of them that were there.) I know this because I'm a journalist. You don't ask people questions you could've looked up answers to. It's a waste of the interviewee's time and it makes you look unprepared, uninformed and unprofessional. The poor guys were bored silly. Joanna and I agreed that Drew was definitely texting under the table.
But the rest of the day was so wicked awesome that getting ripped off, driving 16 hours, and sleeping just ten across the entire weekend WAS SO FANTABULOUSLY WORTH IT!
We sat in on Paul Colman's set purely because we wanted to have good seats for Jon Foreman's set, which was next. But Paul turned out to be one of the most entertaining individuals I've had the good fortune to see. We later talked to him and he said he'd love to come play a show at our school. WIN!
Jon Foreman played us a song about being an outlaw, which he literally wrote in his sleep. He also played a number on some wacky variation of a harp, which a friend had given him earlier that day and which he hadn't even had a chance to tune. Somehow the song was still brilliant. Probably because he's Jon.
No one moshed for Relient K, which I'm sure was as sad for the band as it was for me. Nonetheless, it was as great a set as always, made all the more amusing by the fact that the lead singer (Matt Thiessen)'s hair gets more wild every time I see them.
Switchfoot closed out the day with a set that would've sent the Richter scale scrambling for cover. Jon alternated between climbing the scaffolding and swinging drummer Chad Butler's cymbals around the stage, and pausing to ask everyone to look up at the stars for a minute while words of wisdomatic gold dripped from his lips. "We don't know why the dry times come," he said, "but those are the times that force us to dig deeper below the surface."
If you want all the juicy details (and lots of exciting pictures!), go here and here! Remember to click on "Entries" when you get there!
Now for the lowlight. I think this accusatory letter, which I sent to the people at Rev Gen last night, pretty much sums it up:
"...we purchased Switchfoot Interview Passes at $15 apiece and we did not receive what we paid for. The item was called "Interview Pass" on the website. So, naturally, we walked into Tent 7 expecting to see an interview with Switchfoot. Wouldn't you? Imagine our disappointment, then, when only half the band was present and the frontman, the one responsible for writing the songs, was conspicuously absent. All right, there's a little disclaimer at the bottom of the ticket saying interview times are subject to artist availability, so it would hardly be fair to lodge a complain purely on that basis.
But then the interview was cut off after ten minutes of surface-level questions whose answers could have been found on Wikipedia in under two minutes, so that the man hosting the interview can tell us about his daughter who died in a car accident and how her death taught him to seek hope from God. A wonderful message. I truly am sorry for his loss and I truly am glad that he found hope in spite of it. But this was not the time or place to discuss such matters, as the fans under the tent had paid money to watch an interview with Switchfoot. And then he had the gall to try and convert us to Christianity. At a Christian festival.
His sermonette was out of place and condescending. I have never felt so emotionally manipulated in my life. Moreover, it was dishonest and unjust to take kids' money and not deliver what was promised. This is the least Christian thing anyone has done to me in quite some time...."
Total LAMESAUCE, right?! And worse than the injustice to us, it was disrespectful toward the band (or anyway, the half of them that were there.) I know this because I'm a journalist. You don't ask people questions you could've looked up answers to. It's a waste of the interviewee's time and it makes you look unprepared, uninformed and unprofessional. The poor guys were bored silly. Joanna and I agreed that Drew was definitely texting under the table.
But the rest of the day was so wicked awesome that getting ripped off, driving 16 hours, and sleeping just ten across the entire weekend WAS SO FANTABULOUSLY WORTH IT!
I dare you to move
Last night Boyfriend and I drove to New Hampshire to see Switchfoot (which was really excellent of him since he doesn't even know their music). The show was at the same place I saw Cobra Starship last fall. Boyfriend was amazed at how much the town resembled his hometown, but we concluded this place was better because it had a lot more stuff to do, even if it was a little on the seedy side.
It was 7:20 when we got to the venue. I must say that I am entirely sick of getting huge black X's drawn on my hands every time I go to a show. It used to be a bragging right - I'd go to school the next day and it was like "LOOK AT ME! I went to a show last night." But now they're just a Scarlet Letter (as I told the bouncer) that makes me look and feel inferior. I don't want to drink at shows. I want to rock out. I just don't want to sport the double stigma, especially if they're giving out wristbands to people over 21 anyway.
We showed up just in time for Ours, the opening act. At first I was impatient to get to the good stuff, but one song was enough to convince me that this WAS the good stuff. Imagine that Freddy Mercury of Queen and Matt Bellamy of Muse somehow pooled genes, add a dash of Anberlin's Stephen Christian and a pinch of Dream Theater's James LaBrie, and you've got the vocalist of Ours, a real skeleton of a man but with a vocal versatility I've never seen in anyone before. He got his highs and his lows, steady and vibrato, and every so often he'd get really into it and lavish us with a scream.
In spite of my many comparisons, the musical experience was something entirely new. One of the guitarists played part of a song on the teeny tiny little strings between the nut and the tuning knobs. There was a girl playing keys and a guy rocking the violin, one of the guitarists had dreads, and the bassist was out of this world (talentwise, not lookswise - I qualify this because usually when I talk about bassists it's to say how sexy they are, but this one was just downright talented). Then there was the drummer - ohmygosh the drummer. I was reminded of Mute Math's Darren King; he was that good. Not as intense, maybe, but his beats were every bit as inventive.
On top of all that, the dark sound was augmented by really excellent lighting - lots of red. I bought their CD the second the set ended. It's not as good as the live show but still worth a listen, especially this one:
Switchfoot played second, and to me it was everything rock shows should be but aren't. Again the lights were an integral part of the set, creating something of an old-skool atmosphere while adhering to new-skool rules. Flashy but classy, you know? They played us a few new songs and I'm super stoked for Hello Hurricane, coming out this fall (wiki says November 10, which is too far away if you ask me!)
I've always loved Switchfoot concerts because they're like the albums on steroids. Everything you love, but with the added bonus of singer Jon Foreman's energy and charisma. He climbs the drum set, he screams into the pickups on his guitar, he jumps off the stage and wanders around the audience.
Which brings me to the highlight of the show! Jon jumped down from the stage and started meandering toward the back of the club, where we were standing. There was one of those metal bars a little way behind us to keep people away from the sound and light equipment, and he decided it looked like a jungle gym so he climbed it. I moved closer to take pictures.
The song ended and people were all crowding around to touch Jon's hand. Having endured six years of failure to have any interaction with this legendary band, I was naturally among them. And here my five feet, ten inches of tall served me well: Jon decided I was the right height to be his spotter, took my hand, and leaned on me as he walked the bar.
At the other end he stopped and, still balancing, introduced the band members. I was a bit too starstruck to remember anything he said beyond that except for this: "Hope is not something you keep in your back pocket... sooner or later it takes form and becomes something real." There is something different in that man. Every so often he'd look down at me and I could see it in his eyes. It's enough to make me live a different kind of life.
Then, STILL LEANING ON MY HAND, he started the next song - "Dare You to Move." "Everybody's watching you now," he sang, with a smile at me because everyone was.
Boyfriend was none too happy with me after Jon went back up on stage. "He would've fallen if I'd just walked away," didn't make things any better, nor did "he's married with children" or "I've only looked up to him for six years." But I bet if he meets Blind Guardian, he'll understand.
After the set, we found my friend Jo-Yo and I tried to figure out where the after-show acoustic show was taking place, but the band hadn't tweeted it and all our companions wanted to leave so we gave up. BUT NEVER FEAR, for the two of us may take a little road trip to see them again next weekend! To be continued!
It was 7:20 when we got to the venue. I must say that I am entirely sick of getting huge black X's drawn on my hands every time I go to a show. It used to be a bragging right - I'd go to school the next day and it was like "LOOK AT ME! I went to a show last night." But now they're just a Scarlet Letter (as I told the bouncer) that makes me look and feel inferior. I don't want to drink at shows. I want to rock out. I just don't want to sport the double stigma, especially if they're giving out wristbands to people over 21 anyway.
We showed up just in time for Ours, the opening act. At first I was impatient to get to the good stuff, but one song was enough to convince me that this WAS the good stuff. Imagine that Freddy Mercury of Queen and Matt Bellamy of Muse somehow pooled genes, add a dash of Anberlin's Stephen Christian and a pinch of Dream Theater's James LaBrie, and you've got the vocalist of Ours, a real skeleton of a man but with a vocal versatility I've never seen in anyone before. He got his highs and his lows, steady and vibrato, and every so often he'd get really into it and lavish us with a scream.
In spite of my many comparisons, the musical experience was something entirely new. One of the guitarists played part of a song on the teeny tiny little strings between the nut and the tuning knobs. There was a girl playing keys and a guy rocking the violin, one of the guitarists had dreads, and the bassist was out of this world (talentwise, not lookswise - I qualify this because usually when I talk about bassists it's to say how sexy they are, but this one was just downright talented). Then there was the drummer - ohmygosh the drummer. I was reminded of Mute Math's Darren King; he was that good. Not as intense, maybe, but his beats were every bit as inventive.
On top of all that, the dark sound was augmented by really excellent lighting - lots of red. I bought their CD the second the set ended. It's not as good as the live show but still worth a listen, especially this one:
Switchfoot played second, and to me it was everything rock shows should be but aren't. Again the lights were an integral part of the set, creating something of an old-skool atmosphere while adhering to new-skool rules. Flashy but classy, you know? They played us a few new songs and I'm super stoked for Hello Hurricane, coming out this fall (wiki says November 10, which is too far away if you ask me!)
I've always loved Switchfoot concerts because they're like the albums on steroids. Everything you love, but with the added bonus of singer Jon Foreman's energy and charisma. He climbs the drum set, he screams into the pickups on his guitar, he jumps off the stage and wanders around the audience.
Which brings me to the highlight of the show! Jon jumped down from the stage and started meandering toward the back of the club, where we were standing. There was one of those metal bars a little way behind us to keep people away from the sound and light equipment, and he decided it looked like a jungle gym so he climbed it. I moved closer to take pictures.
The song ended and people were all crowding around to touch Jon's hand. Having endured six years of failure to have any interaction with this legendary band, I was naturally among them. And here my five feet, ten inches of tall served me well: Jon decided I was the right height to be his spotter, took my hand, and leaned on me as he walked the bar.
At the other end he stopped and, still balancing, introduced the band members. I was a bit too starstruck to remember anything he said beyond that except for this: "Hope is not something you keep in your back pocket... sooner or later it takes form and becomes something real." There is something different in that man. Every so often he'd look down at me and I could see it in his eyes. It's enough to make me live a different kind of life.
Then, STILL LEANING ON MY HAND, he started the next song - "Dare You to Move." "Everybody's watching you now," he sang, with a smile at me because everyone was.
Boyfriend was none too happy with me after Jon went back up on stage. "He would've fallen if I'd just walked away," didn't make things any better, nor did "he's married with children" or "I've only looked up to him for six years." But I bet if he meets Blind Guardian, he'll understand.
After the set, we found my friend Jo-Yo and I tried to figure out where the after-show acoustic show was taking place, but the band hadn't tweeted it and all our companions wanted to leave so we gave up. BUT NEVER FEAR, for the two of us may take a little road trip to see them again next weekend! To be continued!
Ban the tube top!
I just ordered these sexcellent new galoshes! I've spent way too much money today but I really do need new rainboots, it was a fabulous deal, and I mean, look at them:
Soooo.... I went to this Reel Big Fish concert with Ravin and The Pantsless One foreverrr ago and I'm finally getting around to blogging about it. Life's been that way. No time, busy busy busy. But in a good way. More on that later. Anyhow, the concert was great. The venue was awkward in a new-agey-meets-parent-of-a-kindergartener's-fridge sort of way. There were these weird paintings that looked like my campers could've done them, with nonexistent words painted clumsily across the page. A big oval plaque up front over the stage bore the image of what I'd say was a hand, but with three fingers and a curly thumb on each side; it read, "All is one. Who do you love?" Perhaps supposed to be endearing, like our "Home is where your Mom is" sign, but really it only managed to be unsettling. The ladies' room was circular, which also made me uncomfortable, and the coloring/lighting did not help my phobia of public restrooms.
The openers were good enough, but you know how it is when you don't know any of the songs and you're waiting for the main act to take the stage. When they finally did, I let the circles sweep me away. Somehow I hardly got bruised at all in the melee. Although I did get knocked to the ground during "Beer" and while down there, managed to trip another three or four people before someone pushed the crowd back and helped us up. I love it when moshers are kind and helpful. Ravin had a personal protector all night. He kept pulling her out of messes and saying things like, "you'll be safe now."
We had to leave before the encore because we thought we'd miss our train. But then we weren't sure where the station was and walked past it, at which point we encountered some random dudes who had a question for us.
"Hey, hey, can I ask you an honest question?" one of them asked in this brilliant accent that made us all melt a little more than we wanted to admit. "Does it look like I am wearing eyeliner?"
I was confused why he was talking to us and didn't manage to say anything, but finally Ravin or TPO was like, "no, no - you just have, uh, really dark eyelashes." So I nodded and agreed. Then they asked us to go to the Roxy with them and we were like ummm no. Then it was double awkward because we realized we'd passed the station and had to turn around and walk by them again.
Then, on the train, we befriended this one kid who was also at the show, and he was a sweetheart and didn't hit on any of us, which was great of him, because as soon as he left, two more guys came up to us with another question.
"Does he look drunk to you?" said the first guy, pointing to his friend.
I didn't particularly think so or care, so I was like "no, not at all... tra la la la la" and went about my business. But then, after me Ravin and TPO had a long and loud discussion about the Disney channel, they tried to get us to come for a ride in their limo (what? What is attractive/seductive about discussing the Disney channel?). We told them unless their limo had ice cream, we'd have to pass. Then we got in TPO's car and drove to Wendy's, where I got ice cream. The end!
Oh, but I did promise to explain why I've been so absent. Aside from work, my social life picked up and I've spent 80% of my waking hours (and a lot of my sleeping ones, too) at Ravin's and Boyfriend's houses. I've been swimming in Deluxebury countless times in the past two weeks (my poor gas tank, but well worth it anyway). Ravin's friend from school, Bear, who we befriended when he visited last summer, came for another visit and I basically moved in at Ravin's for the week he was there. But not as much as TPO, who literally moved in.
I have many a story about said visit, but it shall have to wait until my eyes no longer burn from staring at a computer screen and not sleeping in order to make this 30-second short I'm entering in a scholarship contest. I found out about it a week ago. Shot it this weekend. Captured yesterday. Rough cut done today. I mean business here; $5000 are on the line! I'm supposed to show how I'm saving money for college. It's allowed to be funny and creative. I hope that encompasses "fictional" because my concept is that I try to sell a few things we don't need and end up selling everything we own. So, final cut will hopefully be done tomorrow, which coincidentally is Boyfriend's birthday!! Yay, happy birthday!!!
And now this post is officially over.
Soooo.... I went to this Reel Big Fish concert with Ravin and The Pantsless One foreverrr ago and I'm finally getting around to blogging about it. Life's been that way. No time, busy busy busy. But in a good way. More on that later. Anyhow, the concert was great. The venue was awkward in a new-agey-meets-parent-of-a-kindergartener's-fridge sort of way. There were these weird paintings that looked like my campers could've done them, with nonexistent words painted clumsily across the page. A big oval plaque up front over the stage bore the image of what I'd say was a hand, but with three fingers and a curly thumb on each side; it read, "All is one. Who do you love?" Perhaps supposed to be endearing, like our "Home is where your Mom is" sign, but really it only managed to be unsettling. The ladies' room was circular, which also made me uncomfortable, and the coloring/lighting did not help my phobia of public restrooms.
The openers were good enough, but you know how it is when you don't know any of the songs and you're waiting for the main act to take the stage. When they finally did, I let the circles sweep me away. Somehow I hardly got bruised at all in the melee. Although I did get knocked to the ground during "Beer" and while down there, managed to trip another three or four people before someone pushed the crowd back and helped us up. I love it when moshers are kind and helpful. Ravin had a personal protector all night. He kept pulling her out of messes and saying things like, "you'll be safe now."
We had to leave before the encore because we thought we'd miss our train. But then we weren't sure where the station was and walked past it, at which point we encountered some random dudes who had a question for us.
"Hey, hey, can I ask you an honest question?" one of them asked in this brilliant accent that made us all melt a little more than we wanted to admit. "Does it look like I am wearing eyeliner?"
I was confused why he was talking to us and didn't manage to say anything, but finally Ravin or TPO was like, "no, no - you just have, uh, really dark eyelashes." So I nodded and agreed. Then they asked us to go to the Roxy with them and we were like ummm no. Then it was double awkward because we realized we'd passed the station and had to turn around and walk by them again.
Then, on the train, we befriended this one kid who was also at the show, and he was a sweetheart and didn't hit on any of us, which was great of him, because as soon as he left, two more guys came up to us with another question.
"Does he look drunk to you?" said the first guy, pointing to his friend.
I didn't particularly think so or care, so I was like "no, not at all... tra la la la la" and went about my business. But then, after me Ravin and TPO had a long and loud discussion about the Disney channel, they tried to get us to come for a ride in their limo (what? What is attractive/seductive about discussing the Disney channel?). We told them unless their limo had ice cream, we'd have to pass. Then we got in TPO's car and drove to Wendy's, where I got ice cream. The end!
Oh, but I did promise to explain why I've been so absent. Aside from work, my social life picked up and I've spent 80% of my waking hours (and a lot of my sleeping ones, too) at Ravin's and Boyfriend's houses. I've been swimming in Deluxebury countless times in the past two weeks (my poor gas tank, but well worth it anyway). Ravin's friend from school, Bear, who we befriended when he visited last summer, came for another visit and I basically moved in at Ravin's for the week he was there. But not as much as TPO, who literally moved in.
I have many a story about said visit, but it shall have to wait until my eyes no longer burn from staring at a computer screen and not sleeping in order to make this 30-second short I'm entering in a scholarship contest. I found out about it a week ago. Shot it this weekend. Captured yesterday. Rough cut done today. I mean business here; $5000 are on the line! I'm supposed to show how I'm saving money for college. It's allowed to be funny and creative. I hope that encompasses "fictional" because my concept is that I try to sell a few things we don't need and end up selling everything we own. So, final cut will hopefully be done tomorrow, which coincidentally is Boyfriend's birthday!! Yay, happy birthday!!!
And now this post is officially over.
Everything is always for the band.
This is the second update I promised earlier this week. You see? I keep my word (usually ^_^).
The Spontaneous Concert Enthusiast called me up the other day around noon to ask if I wanted to go to a show that night, and of course, that's an offer I can't refuse, even if I don't know the band. So we drove about an hour to this sweet-in-a-really-tacky-way little venue to see a band called Kiros.
Except when we got there, the place was still closed. The doors were supposed to have opened, but even the bands hadn't gotten inside yet. SCE sort of knew the guys in Kiros from the time he met them at Soulfest and he introduced me to a couple of them.
Finally someone opened the place and we helped unload the equipment from the trailer. I was freezing because I never bring anything into concerts, so I'd left my coat in SCE's car and was toting equipment wearing just a t-shirt. Well I mean, I obviously had pants on. But it was still really cold. Then Neil, who plays guitar for Kiros, let me borrow his gloves, which were big enough for me to fit both hands in one glove and looked positively ridiculous on me. So, naturally, I wore them all night and even threatened never to give them back.
SCE and I talked to Kiros a bit more while the other bands set up and played. The first thing Ryan (also guitar) said to me - and the only thing he kept saying to me all night - was that I smelled like poop. He even wrote it on the poster he signed for me. But I think I talked to Neil the most. And at least he knew how to be a nice person (i.e. he wrote on my poster that I smelled good ^_^). Not that I had a problem with Ryan being a goofball. Hello, think about the guys I hang out with at home....
The first couple sets were okay. Nothing spectacular musically, and the crowd was really tiny - like maybe 50 people? I'm bad at estimating. Anyway, SCE and a couple other people got the semblance of a mosh pit going (if 3-5 people can be considered a mosh pit) and I joined in. Because there was so much space to run around, we were going pretty fast and it was scary when we actually collided with each other. But really flipping awesome.
Kiros' set was good times. Ryan started by lighting Tyler's cymbals on fire, which created a massive fireball when he started playing. And the songs were downright catchy regardless of whether I could sing along, although Barry, the lead singer, taught us newbies some of the words so we could join in.
SCE and I helped Kiros pack out after the show. At this point, it was like half an hour to SCE's birthday and he used that fact to his advantage by inviting the guys to fast food after the show. So when we finally left around midnight, Neil came with us in SCE's car and we followed the van. But Wendy's was closed, and so was McDonald's, so we wound up at Taco Bell.
Hi, I'm a vegetarian. At least at Mickey's I could've gotten a fake-shake (they don't use real milk, I'm told). Neil recommended the apple empanada so I got that and cheese quesadillas. Then we all squished into the back of the van to eat.
Hehe, Tyler's face in this one....
Barry gives SCE a birthday hug.
Barry tried to pretend like some brownies they had in the van were actually for SCE's birthday, but they were totally sketchy brownies. I have a feeling they left out the vegetable oil or some other crucial ingredient that boys wouldn't understand the importance of. I promised to make them amazingtastic brownies someday. (If I'm going to make a habit of keeping my word, I should probably not make promises that aren't easy to keep...)
Ryan with the brownies.
Barry tries to carve SCE's name into the brownies.
After we'd all eaten and enjoyed a few good laughs at ridiculous names we made up for tours (such as "The Velocirap-tour"), it was time to go. I was having so much fun I would've stayed all night, but by then it was probably around 1:30AM and we had at least an hour's drive back to school. I totally fell asleep on the ride back. I think I even snored a little, which always happens when I fall asleep sitting up. How embarrassing. ^_~
Priceless quotes:
"So when I turned seven, she turned... existing." (Neil talking about my sister, who has the same birthday as him.)
"You smell like poop." (Ryan)
"Tour baby! We're taking your baby on tour with us!!" (Neil)
"Come on! Give me a high five!" (Ryan, chasing a little girl around trying to get her to give him a high five. But Neil told her not to, and she wouldn't even look at Ryan after that.)
"I'm not gay; I'm just in a band." (Neil)
"Oh! Excuse me for interrupting myself with that awesome fart." (Neil)
"The Rugrats Rep-tour!!" (Barry)
"The... God is our Lord and Crea-tour!" (Ryan)
Me: Can I have a sip of your soda?
Neil: Only if you call it by its proper name. Say "pop."
Me: Okay, can I have a sip of your pop?
Neil: Sure!
The Spontaneous Concert Enthusiast called me up the other day around noon to ask if I wanted to go to a show that night, and of course, that's an offer I can't refuse, even if I don't know the band. So we drove about an hour to this sweet-in-a-really-tacky-way little venue to see a band called Kiros.
Except when we got there, the place was still closed. The doors were supposed to have opened, but even the bands hadn't gotten inside yet. SCE sort of knew the guys in Kiros from the time he met them at Soulfest and he introduced me to a couple of them.
Finally someone opened the place and we helped unload the equipment from the trailer. I was freezing because I never bring anything into concerts, so I'd left my coat in SCE's car and was toting equipment wearing just a t-shirt. Well I mean, I obviously had pants on. But it was still really cold. Then Neil, who plays guitar for Kiros, let me borrow his gloves, which were big enough for me to fit both hands in one glove and looked positively ridiculous on me. So, naturally, I wore them all night and even threatened never to give them back.
SCE and I talked to Kiros a bit more while the other bands set up and played. The first thing Ryan (also guitar) said to me - and the only thing he kept saying to me all night - was that I smelled like poop. He even wrote it on the poster he signed for me. But I think I talked to Neil the most. And at least he knew how to be a nice person (i.e. he wrote on my poster that I smelled good ^_^). Not that I had a problem with Ryan being a goofball. Hello, think about the guys I hang out with at home....
The first couple sets were okay. Nothing spectacular musically, and the crowd was really tiny - like maybe 50 people? I'm bad at estimating. Anyway, SCE and a couple other people got the semblance of a mosh pit going (if 3-5 people can be considered a mosh pit) and I joined in. Because there was so much space to run around, we were going pretty fast and it was scary when we actually collided with each other. But really flipping awesome.
Kiros' set was good times. Ryan started by lighting Tyler's cymbals on fire, which created a massive fireball when he started playing. And the songs were downright catchy regardless of whether I could sing along, although Barry, the lead singer, taught us newbies some of the words so we could join in.
SCE and I helped Kiros pack out after the show. At this point, it was like half an hour to SCE's birthday and he used that fact to his advantage by inviting the guys to fast food after the show. So when we finally left around midnight, Neil came with us in SCE's car and we followed the van. But Wendy's was closed, and so was McDonald's, so we wound up at Taco Bell.
Hi, I'm a vegetarian. At least at Mickey's I could've gotten a fake-shake (they don't use real milk, I'm told). Neil recommended the apple empanada so I got that and cheese quesadillas. Then we all squished into the back of the van to eat.
Hehe, Tyler's face in this one....
Barry gives SCE a birthday hug.
Barry tried to pretend like some brownies they had in the van were actually for SCE's birthday, but they were totally sketchy brownies. I have a feeling they left out the vegetable oil or some other crucial ingredient that boys wouldn't understand the importance of. I promised to make them amazingtastic brownies someday. (If I'm going to make a habit of keeping my word, I should probably not make promises that aren't easy to keep...)
Ryan with the brownies.
Barry tries to carve SCE's name into the brownies.
After we'd all eaten and enjoyed a few good laughs at ridiculous names we made up for tours (such as "The Velocirap-tour"), it was time to go. I was having so much fun I would've stayed all night, but by then it was probably around 1:30AM and we had at least an hour's drive back to school. I totally fell asleep on the ride back. I think I even snored a little, which always happens when I fall asleep sitting up. How embarrassing. ^_~
Priceless quotes:
"So when I turned seven, she turned... existing." (Neil talking about my sister, who has the same birthday as him.)
"You smell like poop." (Ryan)
"Tour baby! We're taking your baby on tour with us!!" (Neil)
"Come on! Give me a high five!" (Ryan, chasing a little girl around trying to get her to give him a high five. But Neil told her not to, and she wouldn't even look at Ryan after that.)
"I'm not gay; I'm just in a band." (Neil)
"Oh! Excuse me for interrupting myself with that awesome fart." (Neil)
"The Rugrats Rep-tour!!" (Barry)
"The... God is our Lord and Crea-tour!" (Ryan)
Me: Can I have a sip of your soda?
Neil: Only if you call it by its proper name. Say "pop."
Me: Okay, can I have a sip of your pop?
Neil: Sure!
I never tire of sleeping with giants.
-------------------
Oooh myyy. My body hurts. And it was so worth every push and shove, every moment my lungs couldn't find the space to fill up, my shoelaces getting untied and unlaced, the time I got knocked down and pigpiled upon, and the time someone crashed into me and I sort of bit off a little bit of my tongue. Why?
Because after all the blood, sweat, and tears (okay, mostly just sweat), I was only ten feet away from the band's beautiful faces.
I managed to hand Billvy the present I made them, and I was sort of bummed that other people had already handed him presents. BUT, he got theirs in the middle of songs; I gave him mine between songs and he actually thanked me. He didn't say it into the microphone or anything. He just mouthed it to me. We had a moment. It was beautiful.
Bill sang right at the edge of the stage for most of the show and I was just inches short of being able to reach his hand when he would reach out into the crowd. A little further into the set, I wiggled my way just a few inches closer, which put me in range. At one point he was leaning completely on my hand. And I got to touch his pretty hair. And during "About a Girl," when he sang the line, "I'm not gonna waste these words about a girl," he reached out and held my hand and looked right into my eyes!! *fangirl squeee*
Then, at the very end of the show, Sisky came right up to the edge of the stage and I stroked his bass. That was pretty sweet, too. The lights went down for a minute and we saw the Butcher holding up my present, which was glowing in the dark!! Aaand Billvy played a brand new song called "Winter Passing" on his acoustic guitar (*melts*). Obsessive fan that I am, I already knew some of the words and sang along.
Oh, mid-show, Bill decided to announce that a couple off to the side of the stage had been making out the entire show. And that they were still making out, even after he made the announcement.
After the show, Wanda ran into Sisky and took a picture with him, but Schneckleface and I didn't get a chance to. But the night wasn't over yet. Wanda, Schneckleface and I went out behind the venue to lurk the tour bus. That SAME psycho little girl from the Cobra show was there. Not the one with the AA-cup bra, but the one we actually talked to who said she was gonna stay there til 3AM and tried to tell everyone she was 15 (a blatant lie; we're not sure she's even reached puberty yet, actually).
Luckily, we also ran into cooler people, such as Sisky Business and Michael Guy Chislett. We saw the Butcher for like 30 seconds but he was just looking for his art supplies underneath the bus and wouldn't speak to us.
I also saw Jack the camera guy and asked if I could help him make TAITV this week, but he said they weren't filming anything tonight. Maybe I can help next time they're in Boston. And maybe I'll actually get to meet Billvy next time (but being serenaded by him was enough this time).
In a last ditch attempt to attract Billvy's attention, I wrote backwards in the dirt on the tour bus window, "BILLVY!! COME OUT! <3" But I guess he didn't see it. I also wrote "TAI is wicked awesome" (a true Bostonian remark) and my blog address, strategically placed under the address of the William Beckett blog. Did anyone see that....? XD
Then we got Schneckleface to the commuter rail and pigged out at Dunks. On a side note, their white hot chocolate is wack. Not wiggity wack; just regular type. Hahaha. When I bought it, I said, "My moves are white hot. No they're not. But my chocolate is."
