moving thru december

Alright, gonna try and get everything covered, get up to date before the Holly-Daze hits….

so much to do in the next couple of weeks, and i just wish i could curl up with the pups and sleep for a while…

November ended with a very good thanksgiving meal at our house with Amy and Ben, and lotsa good food, champagne, vodka, and lying around on the couch watching Metalocalypse.

Then it was off to Vancouver for a very quick weekend trip, to see my parents, do a little shopping, drink them canadian bloody caesars, and take our friends Legion and Elsie to the Metallica show…

first off, alcohol and the new fluevog store……

then out for some great sushi with my mom – and a little driving through the Vancouver Fog…

It was definitely good hanging out with the parents – and it’s always such a strange memory head rush for me going back to that city.  not bad, just – a little overwhe,ming at times. it’s like every street holds a different memory, and not all of them are good.  So it definitely helped to have Shelley there with me… making new and better memories for the future…. like that one time on the floor in the closet? remember?

heh…

anyhows, thanks to good timing and all, our trip coincided with the Vancouver RAWK show, so we took our friends out, and “OMIGAWD” as they say… i cannot believe how much more the canadians rock out compared to the last coupe of shows i saw…  even Shelley was impressed by the crowd, and she’s been to a whole lot more of these shows than i have… i knew it was going to be a good one from the very start – because when the lights dimmed at the first SF and AZ shows, the crowd raised all of their cellphones and waved them around in that concert stadium way… in vancouver it was pretty much the same, but they all used lighters. i mean, these canadians were kickin’ it old skool style. and it just kept getting better…

lighters above, rawk below…

afterwards, we went backstage for a very quick hi hello, and then it was off to get late night pie, and then our fun Metal Night in Canada was over.

So, Hell’s Kitchen, Wazubee, Jericho Beach at MIdnight, Granville Island, Commercial Drive, Main Street, Gastown, And some Cemeteries, and then home to LA on Wenesday morning, and straight to work by 10 AM…

Friday December 5th, and it was off to the Roxy to see Keane… and it was also the day marking 4 years together for Shelley and I, so we celebrated that the next night at the Smokehouse.

and now, a little Keane….

Then it was pretty business as usual, work, band practice, dogs, cookies….

We had our annual Christmas work party on Friday the 12th, which was nice – hanging out at the Jonathan Club drinking free vodka… but the Black Kites had some recording to do over the weekemd, and Shelley was going to be driving to Fresno, taking Carl to that Metallica thing, so we didn’t get drunk, we left early, and fell asleep at a decent time, waking up without hangovers.

Saturday at 10 AM Nicki had picked me up and we were at the studio, ready to record – just a little two-song session, to get some new songs down and see how it was working with a different producer / engineer… and it was great. I think the songs, while still not quite finished, are sounding pretty damn cool… hopefully we’ll have something solid enough to pass around in the next couple of weeks or so…Sunday, more recording, Shelley was back from what sounds like another great show, and then in the evening it was just mellow night with Sushi and episodes of Dexter.

Now, monday. work. tired. Wrists are achey. head is tired.

Coming up, Christmas, Dinners with Friends, San Francisco, some more Metallica, and the beginning or 2009.

metallica, madonna, mayhem

Time flies when you’re, you know, busy doing stuff….

It’s almost the end of November, and I thought I’d get some words and pics up here, now, before this holiday season hits too hard.

October 17th Shelley and I drive up to San Francisco to meet up with Audra and Brennan and hit the Cow Palace for the official Metallica friends & family rehearsal show. On the way, we drive through smoke, then fire on both sides of the highway, then a road full of carrots from an overturned truck.

So after that – it was smooth sailing, right?

Actually -after that, a passing truck threw a pebble from underneath one of it’s tires, which flew up and hit our windshield with enough force to cause a quarter-sized star-shaped crack, which slowly started to spread across the glass as we drove. So Shelley was driving carefully as I was trying to contact some windshield replacement people we could meet up with in SF.

after that, it was pretty smooth… for the most part.

we got to the show, met up with our friends, and then – it was time to rock.

Great show, and for a Metallica concert, pretty darn intimate. We said farewell to A&B, and then went off to meet up with Kirk, and then out into the San Francisco night to drink Champagne at Bubbles, then off to the SF house to crash, before waking up early to meet the windshield replacement people, and drive back home, after a failed attempt to have lunch in Carmel, ’cause everything closes there way too early.

A couple of days later, it’s off to Arizona to see the first official show of the tour – it’s pretty much the same, but a lot bigger… and a whole lot more lasers and fire and crazy people. Rawk… what can i say.

We get up to the stage for a little bit, but for most of the show we watch from above it all – at the light board – which gives us a nice unobstructed view of all the Metal that’s going on below.

We fly back too early on Wednesday morning, slightly hungover after hanging out all night with Mark, Eric, and JB at some strange Arizona middle-of-the-desert mall, eating and drinking and talking… and go straight to work.

thankfully there’s a couple of days of quiet before Halloween hits. We get our wonderful portrait from Natalia on the 28th, which is also my dad’s birthday (Happy Birthday there!) – and hopefully I’ll have an image of the portrait to put up here soon – before Christmas. Really. I think.

So then it’s Halloween, and Shelley and I are Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett – and we feel good, look good, and win a prize at work.

Then, still all dressed up, it’s off to the Halloween Haunt at Karen & RJ’s – which is a blast – thousands of kids coming through, and great people to hang out with….

Then November hits…

November first Shelley and I head over to the Hollywood Forever for the Day of the Dead celebration, wander, looking at graves and altars, taking lots of pictures (which aren’t edited yet – soon, i think…). Then it’s Miceli’s for dinner, and off to the Egyptian to see a screening of “Curse of the Werewolf” – which is Excellent.

A very spooky weekend, which is all we wanted.

November 3rd, Lunch at the Counter with Shelley & Stuart, the 4th – I had my Canadian fingers crossed, Shelley went to vote,  and we witnessed a historic moment in the evolution of the United States of America.

Thursday November 6th – the Black Kites play at the Scene. small crowd, but it’s still a great place to play.

The night after, dinner with Audra & Brennan… and Pie!. They’re heading off to SF soon, so it’ll suck not being able to do our Daichan dinners, but – on the plus side – it means people we can visit in San Francisco.

Saturday November 8th, it’s quick travel time again, Driving to Vegas to meet up with Karen & RJ and have a nice dinner…. and hit the Madonna concert – we got soundboard seats – so it should actually be alright…

And we had a blast. First, it was an old school steak dinner at Hugo’s Cellar in the 4 Queens Casino, and then off to the show….

Then Alcohol, Vegas, Hotel, Sleep, Hangover, Home…. and lie in bed for the rest of the day.

November slides along, band practices, work, and then Friday the 14th we meet up with Carl for a nice sushi dinner (Cafe Sushi) and then we all head to Molly Malone’s to see Paul Freeman play – or i guess it’s just “Freeman”… it was fun, good to hang out with Carl – and Paul’s getting some good songs into his set.

Sunday the 16th the Black Kites do the practice thing, and then head off for some quick photos to be used in an upcoming video – created and designed by Kathryne Layne Paxton. It should be pretty interesting when it’s all done and together…

Wednesday the 19th, Shelley and I have a nice just-the-two-of-us dinner at Lawry’s. I’ve been living in LA for just over three years now, and that’s pretty crazy…

November 21st, and the Black Kites hit Spaceland – playing with some other interesting bands and surrounded by a strangely into-it Silverlake crowd. It was us first, followed by the Human Value, and then Shiloe and the War Tapes were playing as well. Spaceland. It can go either way there, but i think we pulled it off nicely.

Then Saturday night, Shelley and I, along with Peggy and Patrick – were out with the stars – hanging at a bungalow at the Chateau Marmont for Lucy’s birthday party. It was actually quite fun – i felt a little awkward, but a few drinks – and i was dancing alongside everyone else. Go with the flow, y’know, and i ended up with a good story to tell, and Shelley got to talk to Danny DeVito, so – it was definitely a night to remember. maybe that’s just the kind of place it is – only been there twice, but both times were pretty intense.

Then, slightly buzzed, slightly star-struck – it was a late night sushi bite, and then off to home.

Now – it’s now. Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday with Amy & Ben, and then off to see my parents (and, again, Metallica), and back to work.

Onwards we go…

Montreal Pop, Wiggle Waggle Walk, and a Weezing….

Friday October 3rd and it’s off to Montreal to play the Pop Montreal festival… I have to fly to Chicago, change flights, continue to Montreal, and hopefully have enough time to rest a bit before hitting the Stage at the Saphir at 8 pm. The rest of the band flew in a day earlier, so they’re waiting, exploring, getting a little of that French Canadian flavour. I end up on an early morning flight that gets delayed, so i miss my connecting flight, and end up spending hours in airports, and make it to the hotel around 3 pm, with a club check in time of around 5 pm. Exhausted and hoping for a second (or third – by this time) wind.

All is seemingly going well – we get to the club – the soundman is there – one of the other bands is there (the I Spies) – but it turns out we are all waiting for the “Headlining” band – Crystal Moustache – to arrive, because we are borrowing some of their equipment (i wasn’t about to fly a drumkit with me). We start at 8 pm – the band shows up around 7:30, so we have a real rushed soundcheck and then just start right up – with a broken drumkit, a few technical sound problems on the keyboards, no real monitor sound, and random floor / stage experiments with smoke machines and lights.

The crowd is very not there at this point…. we got a nice little write up in the Montreal Hour, and some good words in the official Pop Montreal description, but i think we were playing a little early and we are – well – unknown – in Canada – so a few more people started arriving by the time we were on our last song – and the I spies got a decent crowd, and the headliners pretty much packed ’em in. I don’t understand those crazy Canadians….

we had a few drinks, got our stuff back to the hotel, and wandered the late night streets looking around and then finding a little late night cafe  / diner for some much needed food – and in the process discovered the wonderful meal that is Poutine….

The next day we pretty much just explored – some touristy sights, some not so much. Old Montreal was kind of like a French reproduction of Vancouver’s Gastown, Some amazing architecture, and all the people seemed very friendly – we stopped in a couple of the Pop Montreal Craft / Record Swap  Fairs, i met my old friend Ralph, we chatted, then off to wander – hit a gallery, ate more food, drank some beer, and later hit a surreal and empty karaoke club.

Then bedtime and early Sunday wake-up to get to the airport and fly straight back to LA – exhausted, and happy to have made it out of LA, even though the show could have been better.

Back in LA – and Diesel is a little better, Shelley having stayed home to nurse and watch the dogs, but Kiku is now a little sick, so it’s to the vet again – and about a week of watching and worrying – but now Kiku is back to her hyper happy little self…

Friday the 10th – it’s Solley’s time again – with Tina this time, and then Saturday Shelley and I get up early to head of to the Wiggle Waggle walk at the Rose Bowl – part of the Punk Rock Rovers – Cosmo with us – and we rock the walk…

Cosmo did great – barely had to carry him at all, and he was a little nervous around all the dogs, but didn’t bark at all, and just seemed a little more shy than usual…. and found a few butts to sniff as well, which seemed to make him happy. You can find more info about this event here:

Wiggle Waggle

Then – home, change, and dinner at Daichan, and to bed early – ’cause we got up even earlier on Sunday to head down to the LaBrea Tarpits to do our volunteer work at the Super Adoption… a weekend overflowing with dogs… but it felt good to be doing good for all them pups….

Shelley and I drove around on our little cart – loading and unloading crates and dogs and merchandise for various vendors and pet groups – from about 7am until 6 pm – when we finally got the last of everyone loaded out – and weary and smelly and exhausted even more – it was dinner at 4’n’20 and then home, some Freaks and Geeks on DVD, and bed crash.

Now it’s wednesday – halfway through October – and we’re heading for halloween.

Last night we went down to the Forum – to see Angels & Airwaves and Weezer play – which was… interesting. I haveta say that seats at the soundboard are definitely a good place to be. sometimes a little special treatment goes a long way.  a long day, long night, and now back to work and getting ready to head up to San Francisco for a little visit with friends and a Pre-Tour Metallica show.

somewhere between hawaii and montreal

Caught briefly in LA for a couple of days, between Hawaii and Montreal. Go Go Gadget JetSetter…

It’s the end of September, and we get one last black kite practice tonite before hitting the Pop Montreal stage on Friday night. A little nervous, but mostly in a good way.

September moved by pretty fast – some good times and some bad bad times. Like the black kites playing a show in Modesto with the Solar Powered People – and the Foreign Resort from Denmark.

We played a nice set at a well attended show, so everything seemed alright, but that was Saturday evening… Sunday morning getting ready to head back, we noticed Alan’s car, broken glass, and that was bad. Guitars and other gear stolen. Luckily they didn’t get everything, but still there was some heavy value, sentimental and financial, attached to what was gone, and it kinda put a big cloud of depression on everyone’s day. For whatever reason – this happens a lot in the modesto area, but nobody bothered to mention that to us, which kinda sucked.

Shelley hadn’t been feeling too well the whole weekend, and then around 2 am on Tuesday morning, it was suddenly really bad, and we went to the emergency room, where we sat and waited until about 6 am or so – when she finally got a little doctor time – we were there until 10 am, and they weren’t sure what exactly was wrong, so we went home, and just let whatever it was slowly get better… luckily it didn’t get worse.

So Shelley stayed home for a couple of days, I bussed to work for a couple of days, and then a few more days… and then Nick Cave.

Nothing like a Nick Cave concert to make a shitty week a whole lot better.

The Hollywood Bowl was packed, but not full, as we got there about halfway through the Spiritualized set. We sat in sound, and waited… and then the Bad Seeds hit the stage, full of thunder and fire and proceeded to just hit everything just right. Nick Cave in his western bad man moustache, Warren Ellis and his scary beard, lights and guitars and rock. The hit most of the new material, throwing in some nice moves and banter along the way, and managing to pull out some songs from Murder Ballads, Your Funeral, My Trial, Henry’s Dream, The Firstborn Is Dead, Tender Prey, Let Love In… so yeah. No complaints here.

Then it was my turn to get sick, and I’m still nursing a little chest cold – nothing like hanging out in Hawaii and coughing constantly…

We had a nice Daichan dinner with Audra and Brennan, did some band practices, did some el pollo loco… and then on the 24^th we took off a little early from work and headed straight for LAX and a pre-flight Bloody Mary.

Restless sleepless airplane flight to the island Oahu, and then it’s 4 days of the Best Blueberry Cream cheese scones ever, sunshine and sunsets… beaches, oceans, rainbows, palm trees, and tuna poke. We even ventured into Costco, where it was huge and empty and wonderful – and a poke bar. Found our Shabu Shabu place, had ramen in Waikiki in a little hole in the wall ramen house, went to Hanauma Bay – where Shelley went snorkeling and I sat and watched, Shark’s cove, same thing, and then – off on a boat – three miles off shore, where Shelley jumped in a cage with three other people and got lowered into the water to watch the Sharks Swarm. I would’ve gone in the water if I hadn’t felt all chest constricted – coughing the entire time. I do love being on a boat so much more than being in the water though. I could boat for days….

We found some interesting little thrift stores, got some great Hawaiian shirts in the goodwill, rummaged thru the salvation army, and then – more scones!

Hit the Pali Lookout, chased a rainbow, argued with the GPS, went to see Kirk and Lani and the kids on Friday night, and then again on Sunday for Angels birthday # 2. perhaps it’ll be another year before we hit the island again, but really, if it was sooner than that, I wouldn’t mind. I’m surprised at how much I enjoy the island life, but yeah – I do. K-POI Rocks. So a short, but full visit.

Then an even more restless and tiring airplane ride home – getting in to LA late Monday afternoon.

Tuesday, a last pre-canada practice, and then now – it’s Wednesday. It’s October. It’s Falling straight into Winter.

We take Diesel in to the vet at 8 am for her to get a little dental work done, and then it’s afternoon, and the vet calls Shelley, saying that the anesthetic triggered something, causing diesel’s heart to slow to almost a stop, and they had to quickly revive her. So everything is all of a sudden a little bit sadder and worry is in the air. The trip to Montreal is still happening, but unfortunately it looks like it’ll just be me, traveling alone and then crashing with the rest of the band when I get there. The show must go on, eh?

Shelley is going to stay at home and monitor little Dee, both of us hoping all will be well, and she will be her fine bratty self…

And now I finish up another day, and get ready for a bus ride home, and hope that the next time I write there will be more of that good, less of that bad, and maybe you won’t have to wait for another month for the next little entry…. and maybe canada will love them black kites…

Maybe.

Popping Montreal and Modest in Modesto

First off, It’s September.

things keep moving on and on. I guess the big news is that the Black Kites were invited to play the Pop Montreal festival in October. it just sorta happened, and we’re all very anxious and excited. First – it’s ok, we’re playing Friday Night at the Saphir, at 10 pm. good time, but there’s going to be an awful lot of competition going on at the same time. I’ve never been to this particular music festival, but i’ve been hearing good things – so i’m hoping that regardless, there will be an audience.

and then it turns out there’s some voting thing going on for some of the bands – who’s going to play the Sirius stage. so we’re all – vote for us vote for us – and i guess it worked, because we started kinda down on the list, but when the “contest” ended on AUgust 30th – it was like this:

	Artist	Track Title	Pop
	Black Kites	What To Do In Case of Emergency	34
	Flufftronix	Shark Attack	31
	The Craft Economy	OK.Ciao.Bye.	29
	Black Kites	Glass Parade	27
	Rachel Margaret	Fade (Master)	26

that was the top 5. we still have No Idea what it means, but we’re hoping it means something good.

Yay Montreal!

but before that, and before now… lessee…

I left off – on my birthday. August 14th – it was Shelley’s birthday. Together, we had a joint “party” or i guess more of a very nice gathering – of friends on Saturday the 16th. Food from Porto’s, wine, beer, brownies, great people, great conversations, and everyone finally went home by 2 in the morning. it was good.

August 18th – the Black Kites played at the Silverlake Lounge – i really like that place, except for the drinks – the prices, and how the drink tickets don’t really work for anything you want to be drinking (at least – what i wanted to be drinking…) but other than that – it was a good night.

August 20th – Shelley & I went to Daichan with Nicki. always a great place to go, and the next night it was our first full band practice with Gabe – expanding the black kite guitar count to 2. Thinking it’s going to sound great when we all start writing new songs together. It’s always a bit awkward when you join a band and start relearning old songs… i definitely know how that goes. it’s the fresh and new songs that you all hit together that really tell you where the band is going to next.

Then a quiet weekend – dinner with Amy at Damon’s, practice, practice, work, work…

and on the 29th, our first show with Gabe – at the Echo Curio. very small, very very hot. but a good place to start with a new line-up. felt like playing at the practice space whith a bunch of friends hanging out –

(pic “borrowed” from gabe’s site…)

August 30th, off to Daichan again – with Audra & Brennan. Next night, Natalia and Amy came over – we had some food and drinks (Absolut LA… we love it!). Natalia took a bunch of photos of the 3 dogs and Shelley and I – for some artwork she is going to be doing – very interested and curious to see how it will turn out. It was a nice evening – all of us hanging out.

September 1st, Steven & Tomi stopped by for a little bit – and then the long weekend was over, and it’s back to that daily grind. Saturday the black kites head up to Modesto to play with the Solar Powered People, and that should be fun.

until then – it’s just waiting for some good Canadian news to come our way….

38 is the magic sum for the Magic Hexagon.

well – today i’ve been here (on this planet) for 38 years, starting now into my 39th. kinda the same, kinda strange, and kinda like new year’s eve, it’s a time i start looking back on my life. what i’ve done and what i haven’t. unfortunately, while new year’s i kinda take stock of my year, on this day it kind of hits with a whole life sort of thing.

i don’t know. maybe i’ll never be satisfied, never be done, never accomplish everything. there is death within completion, so perhaps it’s for the best. There’s been a hell of a lot of living in the past 38 years, that’s for sure. bad memories, good memories, great memories… good times and bad.

38 – Strontium. i’m a Strontium Dog.

The Number 38 is essential to understanding the Grace Manifest Holograph. It relates to Christ’s Glory, His Sufferings, Wounds, and Gologotha through the meaning of the Number 19 and the Nineteenth Letter Quph.

No Idea what that’s all about, but it’s kinda interesting – even taken out of context. If we are to be heirs of God, we inherit all, and we partake of all, including the sufferings of Christ. – but 38 = His Glory…. so maybe it’s gonna be a good year. There’s also 38 slots on the Roulette Wheel, so maybe it’s a good year to attempt gambling. i did that once, lost a dollar, never bothered again.

so, yeah –

as far as my life goes, i’ve got a whole lot of past, but even more future, and my present – well – it’s pretty darn good. so i shouldn’t be down about it.  So let’s just look at the past month, ’cause i’m not about to start going on about the past 38 years quite yet…

July 17th – got some hip new fluevogs. stylin’. The next day Shelley and I went to the Shawn Barber art opening at Billy Shire – some very nice artworks – portraits of tattoo artists, and their hands, their arms… and our friend Paul was one of the artworks, well – his arms were. Then off to Daichan to meet up with Audra and Brennan.

July 19th – met up with Karen and RJ – had a great dinner and conversation and good time with them at Mijares.

Shelley started getting some of her tattoos retouched, on an almost every 3 week schedule to get the faded ones brightened and the way old ones slightly changed to make it all flow into something new. Band practices, Work, then on the 24th we went to see the premiere of the new movie our friend Christine is in – Route 30 – and it was pretty good. funny, cute, interesting – and definitely worth watching.

25th it was dinner at Barone’s with Tina and Nathan, 27th – the Black Kites got played on KROQ, which was a kinda cool thing – even though i don’t think we’re really a KROQ band – it still made us all happy.

sushi, angel on DVD, and some Shark Week shows.

on July 31st, we went to Malo to celebrate amy’s Dirty Thirty Moustache Party – where everyone sported a moustache, and i even wore a Fez – there should be pictures sometime. i made some little new wavey moustache pins for everyone, and… i got to play DJ for a rew hours. felt good to be behind the decks, spinning the vinyl – DJ Justin Crash back in action.

August hits. some more Daichan (always good and always affordable, can’t beat that!) and on the 2nd the Black Kites play at Crane’s Tavern. A strange show – but we all had fun, until the end of the night, when Shelley got a little sick, but it wasn’t serious, thankfully, and was pretty much recovered the next day.

August 3rd – it’s off to the Egyptian to see…. War Of The Gargantuas.

all i can say is Awesome. If you like the old classic godzilla style monster movie, the Japanese special effects and miniatures – it was wonderful to see on a large screen.

And now, it’s august 11th – and tonight – it’s Damon’s. Shelley’s birthday hits on Thursday, and our joint party is on Saturday, so – off to a good start for the middle of summer.

locals only / quake town

Playlist 7/27/08

 

End Roulette – Paper Bullets

Cold War Kids – Something Is Not Right With Me

I Am Ghost – Killer Likes Candy

Run Run Run – Good Company

Black Kites – Paper Heart

The Briggs – Charge Into The Sun

Tanner Horn $ The A.B.B. – My Perverted Mind

Oedipus – Tonight

The Fling – Lonely Fool

Hello Dragon – Millons Of Terrible Moths

The Weather Underground -Trainwreck

The Airborne Toxic Event – Papollon

The BFoundation – Spliffed

Thinking Aloud – What’s My Number

 

==========================================

 

A moderate earthquake occurred at 11:42:15 AM (PDT) on Tuesday, July 29, 2008.
The magnitude 5.8 event occurred 3 km (2 miles) SW of Chino Hills, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 12 km ( 8 miles).

 

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Magnitude	5.8 – local magnitude (ML)

i stab propulsively

So Tuesday the 15th came and went, with another black kites set. This time outside in the courtyard – big stage gazebo. Fountains of candlelight.  A Japanese subtitled Jean Cocteau film playing on a big wall. Hipsters, gazers, indie-kids, brit-poppers, mod rockers, smokers and jokers… all watching and waiting and swaying and rocking and talking and moving thru the night.

Black Kites first, for the Let’s Independent! show at Boardner’s, followed by EXITMUSIC and then the headliners – The Black Pines – finishing the sonic flow of the evening.

The bands I didn’t play in were great – very solid and tight and the sound was really nice – especially for basically being in a big tent. The band I did play in – well – I was on stage at the time, so it sounded like a strange unwalled practice space rehearsal to me. That’s the hardest part for me – I mean – I know we know the songs, and I know the songs are good, but in my ears at the time – I hear us on stage, then I hear the next band from the audience, and I’m just like – wow, there’s no way we sounded that good….  it’s not something I’m not used to, but I have a couple of times had the opportunity to hear a fantastic mix while on stage, so I’m just anxiously waiting for that to happen again.

The EXITMUSIC set – was some head expanding wonderful shoegazed dark jazzy Pj Harvey Sonic Youth touched episode that I swear made me dream strange things that night… The Black Pines, though Shelley and I had to make an early getaway due to Early Wednesday Work Obligations (EWWO), were an extremely tight but still effortlessly flowing band of musicians that seemed to take the entire night of music and build it up and stream it into a perfect ending. Rock, Drone, Violin. Now that’s something you can just melt down and Gaze at.

And what about us Kites? well – I just have to rely on the ears of others to figure out how we did. Thankfully, there’s a whole lot of blogging going on these days, so it’s a little easier to find the words of people who heard the sounds.

Like Web In Front:     A lush bed of burbling, ringing keys beneath a cirrus-streaked skyscape of dronepopped guitars and the warm, electric arcs of Evelyn Reyes’ sunburst vocals, the Black Kites’ music was a pearl-strung chain of dynamic mini-epics—songs that moved from meditative lulls to explosive, fuzz-layered catharses with a hook-filled economy. With Reyes and guitarist Alan Petherick’s vocals spiraling together amidst the propulsive stabs of bassist Nicki Nevlin and drummer Marcel Feldmar, the Black Kites were not only an effective, effects-pedaled gateway to the show’s remainder of crepuscular beauty, but a one-band, guitar-jangled revival to a scene that no longer celebrates itself nearly as much as it should.

(amidst the propulsive stabs… me likey!  As Nicki said to me, “now we are officially propulsive stabbing friends.” )

and Feed Your Head:     The Black Kites played really pretty indie-rock with great vocal and keyboard work by Evelyn Reyes. The band of four, singer/guitarist Alan Petherick, bass player Nikki Nevlin and drummer Marcel Feldmar delivered a really tight set of tunes you couldn’t help but bounce or sway to.

then once again, from the very-nice-to-black-kites-blog, Classical Geek Theatre:     

CGT darlings Black Kites played first. I’m such a big fan of Evelyn Reyes’ voice, its like a fancy cherry cordial chocolate candy that melts in your ear. (Say nothing of the rest of the band, who have mastered the zen art of being energetic without physically moving about.) “Paper Heart” and “What to Do In Case of Emergency” were my two favorite songs of the set, which did have some unfortunate breaks between songs. It was a little hard to keep my head in their set with the long between-song gaps… but not too hard. As soon as the music kicked in again, I was re-hooked. A friend of mine thought they were the best band on the bill.

So there’s you have it. And if you are checking out the blogs above, make sure to check out what they all said about the Exits and Pines that followed… and of course all the wonderful things they say about a whole bunch of other good LA bands.

As for me,
Well – tonight there’s a sale starting at Fluevog.

And if i’m supposed to Gaze at my shoes – i might as well have damn fine shoes to gaze at….

‘Nuff Said.

Cure Waits, Arizona Disney. or something like that

wow. end of june already. summer is here, and a couple of spins, and it’ll be next year.

so – to fill in the gaps, a little pre and post boston updates.

May 29th – Black Kites played at the Scene – our last show until July 15th – which is coming up soon. It’s been crazy with band members alternating out of town times, but we manage to get a practice in here & there – working on some new material – possibly to be performed in the next couple of months, but more than likely it’ll be saved and perfected and placed on the upcoming album.

speaking of albums – somewhere out there is the Black Nite Crash album. look for it. get it. on vinyl, no less, though there is a CD included (so I hear). I’m so happy it’s finally done…. called “Array”. Yours truly hitting the drums. On Custom Made Music.

“Black Nite Crash is one of [Seattle’s] finest offerings, featuring impenetrable layers of guitar effects, bombastic drumming and vocals that sound as if they were screamed down through the communication system of the faulty Mars rover. This gives the band a gritty edge and frightening intensity, unlike some of their more melodious and dreamy peers… ” The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

So yeah – Black Nite Crash – find it hear it love it.

now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

May 31st, Shelley and I hit the Hollywood Bowl for the Cure. Now, I’ve been a fan for decades, but have never seen them live. It seemed like the Bowl would be a good place to see them, and yeah – we had good seats, and it was a nice night, and they played their songs, and played them from all over their catalog… but something was missing…

the audience! where were all the old goths, punks, all the death puppies and shadowy rockers. why was everyone all kinda middle aged and hawaiian shirted? But yeah – i am glad i went….

It’s just kindof a shame that i was expecting to see something like out of the film -The Cure In Orange- and ended up feeling like i was at some gothic jimmy buffet show. but still, that’s an experience in itself.

Then, it’s June…. and Massachusetts (see previous post).

we get back to LA, crash, and then get up – as i gotsta get to the practice space for a little photoshoot / interview with scenestar – it went well, i think (still hasn’t been posted on their scenestar website yet – but hopefully before our next show….

And then on june 16th it’s off to Phoenix to see Mister Tom Waits.

my first time in Arizona, my third time seeing Mr. Waits – and while Phoenix was hot and heated and hotter than here, Tom Waits was fantastic. we had fantastic seats – 2nd row – and we had a great time. another artist i’ve loved for decades  – and here the crowd was as expected. from the part-time punks to the hippie stained hipsters. from the eclectic artists to the birkenstocked college kids (who all just want to hear “Goin’ Out West” for some reason –

but yeah – he wasn’t coming any closer to us this time around, so we had to head to him…

other than that – we had 2 days to hang out, find arizona graveyards, take pictures, and find some great thrift / antique stores.

and then – back home…

with a couple of dinners with friends – Paul and Laura one night – at Buddha’s Belly, Amy & Ben at Solley’s, and a Pasadena Animal League party/gathering at Karen & RJ’s… Throw in a work related seminar at the House of Blues, a lot of “end of quarter” work to get done, and a trip to Disneyland at 7 in the morning on Sunday the 22nd to get some “collectibles” for the Tiki Room’s 45th anniversary, and it’s been a full month.

(yeah – disneyland – 8 am – really – who woulda thunk i’d be doing something like that…. we got up before 6 am – on a sunday – drove there – got there around 8 am – and stood in line for 5 hours, because by 8 am there was already about 400 people ahead of us… can i just say  CRAZY.)

we did make friends with the people in line around us, so we could all take turns wandering off – corn dogs, drinks, and we actually managed to go on the Pirates ride… but by the time we got in to the disney store, got some nifty tiki items, and got out again – all we could do was go back home –

 

now…. on to July. 

show to show (to show)

So – seems like i’m managing a post about as often as the Black Kites play live – gotta pick up the pace a bit.

Tonight – the band hits The Scene – for a benefit show – and who knows – could be a good turn out, but there seems to be a little lack of promotion – as far as i’ve noticed – so maybe the good crowd will appear at our July show. we’ll see. I do enjoy playing at the Scene – it’s small, but kinda relaxed – and it’s playing live, on stage – so – we’ll have fun.

gonna make it short and sweet.

May 14th – Metallica. now that was an interesting show – also a benefit – but – the crowd was definitely there. I’m not too familiar with the musical output of the band – unlike Shelley – but we had nice seats, a good view – and those guys are performers. A pretty stripped down stage set, but they were definitely enjoying themselves.

 

 

May 16th – It was a nice dinner at The Valley Inn for the two of us – other than some annoying customers – it was very good, as per usual. Old timey steak houses just have that coolness. The next night we met up with Amy & Ben for dinner at Barone’s. The one that used to be the Matterhorn (from Fast Times at Ridgemont High). so – a weekend of 80’s referencing food (Valley Inn from Valley Girl).

on sunday we took the dogs out to the Dog Beach at Oxnard – they weren’t so sure about the waves and water, but they loved running through the sand – Cosmo was pretty freaked out by the big water – until he got wet – then he didn’t mind so much. got a couple of nice pictures – but, along with so many other pictures, they aren’t quite ready to post (still gotta get those last Vegas pics edited…. oh – time….).

Monday -19th – the band finds out about our acceptance / invitation to play in Toronto for SXSE… in like a month and a half. Not really a lot of time to prepare and be ready, and other plans had already been made – so we aren’t all going to be here… so – no SXSE for us, but hey – at least we were invited, which i think is a good thing.

Friday – 23rd – we get out of work early thanks to that Memorial day thing – and head straight to the Sherman Oaks Arclight to see the new Indian Jones film – it was good – fun.. and definitely nice to see on the big screen. we don’t make it out to movies much – partly because of ticket prices, partly because of our mutual dislike of annoying people who go to movies – but the theatre was pretty empty – and it was worth it.  Followed by a nice dinner at Katsuya – and the long weekend was off to a good start.

Saturday we ran a few errands – i ddid the practice thing – we watched The Orphanage – went to Krispy Kreme… love sitting around in the living room watching good videos and eating good donuts. very relaxing. Sunday we took the dogs to the park, walked around a couple of times – chased squirrels, enjoyed the outside…  and Monday – no work – met up with Audra and Brennan for a brunch / lunch type thing at a place called Home. Mimosas on a monday afternoon. pretty smooth. and that was a holiday weekend.

So yeah, there you have it. Tonight – the scene… Saturday it’s the Cure. (and Friday I’m in Love?)