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. 

vancouver to disneyland…

Friday October 26th, get up, finish packing, head to work. Shelley and I leave for the airport around 1, get there just in time… to find that our flight has been delayed for a couple of hours. it’s times like this that i’m so thankful for technology. we plug in the computer, pull out a DVD, and watch a few episodes of Metalocalypse (Dethklok Roolz!).

so, we fly, hit vancouver where my parent’s pick us up, and head straight to Miko Sushi for a nice dinner.

back to the parent’s house, sleep…

Saturday, it’s up and eat’em, as my dad makes his usual delicious coffee and offers us a whole mess of pastries to go with it. Mango Cheesecake for me, thanks. It’s a weekend of rich foods and belly aches, but that’s ok – it’s a vacation.

then Shelley and i grab my mom and her car and head down to 4th for some shopping – Zulu Records for me, of course, where i run into my old friend and ex-bandmate Nick. we chat, reminisce, talk about them good ol’ days – we stop in at Gravity Pope and look at the shoes, and hit a couple more stores before heading to Gastown for some food and Bloody Caesars at the Irish Heather. A little more gastown shopping, picking up a very cool little hoodie for Kiku. Not just ’cause it’s so cute on her, but because she’s always cold. Then it’s off to Main Street, some store stopping, like at the crazy Burku’s Angels, and then a little coffee across the street. I wanted to hit Cafe Calabria, but that’ll haveta wait until next time.

Back to the house for a bit, my Aunt Suzanne comes over, visiting for a couple of days from Cortez Island, and then the 5 of us head over to the Mountain View Cemetery on Fraser to take pictures and wander around the small gathering that our friend Marina co-ordinated for the second annual “Night Of All Souls”. It was cool, but compared to the Hollywood Forever festivities, it seemed a bit… quiet and mello. Some nice pictures though, and the cemetery itself is beautiful.

 the people gather, the flames burn, the skies darken, we meet up with Elsie and Legion, it starts to rain – that October Vancouver Cemetery Rain that covers so many of my memories, and we all leave and meet up again at Chongqing for a warm Szechuan meal with family and friends.

Sunday, it’s birthday day for my dad – so Shelley and I head out for some gift shopping and to pick up the cake, but we start out with a couple of Caesars (bloody mary’s are good – but when in canada… it’s definitely caesar time) at Hell’s Kitchen on 4th, and that’s definitely a place we’ll be going back to for the Sunday brunch… again… next time. stopped at a couple of stores, got my dad a few silly little psycotherapy related presents, like the Freud finger puppet set, a human torso you can put together yourself, and other items…

Then we meet up with my parents for lunch at Kaplan’s. Good little deli with some nice Loxalicious bagels. My dad opens his presents from us, and then we are off again – Shelley and I head back over to Main St., wander a little, find the Thrift Store crowded with pre-halloween shoppers up on Victoria, get a couple of things, and then pick up the Dobos Cake at the Budapest bakery/restaurant – and head back to the house with a little coffee stop on the way.

It’s just the 4 of us then, going out for a Japanese Birthday meal at Zest, and then very full and a little tired, back home in time for a few guests who arrive around 9 pm. Elsie, Legion, Sharon, Pat, Marshall, and lots of Champagne. tired, full, tipsy, bellyachey, bedtime.

Monday morning, up, coffee, and airport to home.

we get in monday afternoon, and Shelley and I are supposed to head off to see the Queens Of The Stone Age Performance, but it seems we really can’t imagine doing anything other than getting into bed and lying there…. which we pretty much do, until tuesday morning, and i’m back at work.

wednesday – it’s Halloween. and we both have taken the day off. the sacred holiday of the household.

and we get up, get ready – and head off to disneyland. it’s like a nightmare before christmas, and it’s perfectly uncrowded, with kids in costumes running around. We hit all the rides we need to hit, take pictures, and just wander around happy in the Halloween covered Disneyland.  we leave around 5 pm – and head home to feed the dogs, and then out for a nice and romantic October 31st dinner at Sparks Woodfire Grill.

then, although lacking in costumes – we went through a couple of ideas, but we just didn’t manage to get it together – Next Year! – we head over to Tina and Nathan’s to hang out at their party, have a couple of drinks, a couple of conversations, and then home, happy and halloweened.

now it’s friday –

tonight my band plays at the Echo,

and i’m so ready to sleep this weekend.