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…

a san francisco weekend

Black Kites hit San Francisco this weekend – we had a wonderful time in a great city – opening up for The Prids and Loquat at the Café Du Nord – so we were excited to play out of LA – and we were even happier to arrive at the club and find that everybody working there was cool and nice – the doorman, the bartenders, the soundman – all amazingly cool. We definitely want to go back!

Shelley and I stayed at the Hotel Rex, we got there after taking the BART in from Oakland around 2pm on Friday – a few hours to spare before our 7:15 “show-up-at-the-club” time, so we had a little snack next door at the Persimmon café, and relaxed a bit. The rest of the band had driven up the day before so they were busy doing some SF shopping and looking after the equipment at their room at the Phoenix – evidently they managed to get some Black Kites love from a local winery, and then also Explosions in the Sky, who were in the room next to them. Spread the word, spread the music.  

Amy and Ben drove up to hang out, watch us play, and that was very cool – it’s always nice to have friends in the audience. 

So – there was a good crowd when we started around 9:30 – and the crowd just kept growing, so by the time the Prids had finished (a very good and energetic set for a very happy and crowded audience), the place was jam packed.

Shelley and Amy were dancing behind the merch table, selling some t-shirts and EPs and having a fun time – like demented cigarette girls  – and I definitely mean that in a good way.  

 We played a nice strong and short set – better to end early and leave ‘em wanting more than to over stay our welcome… and we were all definitely having fun up there on stage, and we were all very happy when we finished – a rare occurrence – for all four of us to be pleased with our performance. I really have no idea how it sounded, it just felt really good playing. I couldn’t see the audience, but I could hear them, and felt nothing but a good energy.  I think that energy followed all of the bands that night – the Prids were fantastic, and Loquat definitely killed it – playing their hometown crowd. Definitely a band that has a buzz.

So – after the traveling, the playing, the dancing, the drinking, we needed to get some food – so off we went, Shelley, me, Amy, Ben – to Sparky’s for some perfect late night breakfast food – just what we needed – and then it was around midnight – and time to head off to some bar to meet up with some friends of Ben’s – we ended up at the Hemlock Tavern, which was packed – and Shelley and I managed to stick around for a beer before we let the tiredness take us over and we said g’night – and cabbed it back to our hotel home. 

Saturday morning we got up around 9:30, which was a bit too late for the rest of the band – so we said goodbye – and they went off to do their breakfast thing and head back to LA, while we got ready and met up with Amy and Ben and then found our way down to Yank Sing for some Dim Sum. Not my usual choice for day after show breakfast food, but it turned out to be pretty good.  

Then it was up to Haight street to do some shopping – shoes and records and coffee and clothes – can’t go to SF without hitting Amoeba, which is strange, because I really never go to the one here – maybe I should… but on the other hand, it’s probably better for my wallet if I don’t… Amy and Ben left Shelley and I in the record store and headed of for some Lake Tahoe adventure – I was good, didn’t spend too much time, and only grabbed a small handful of records – I can never go there and buy CDs for some reason – It has to be vinyl… so that’s what I got, including a nice Gary Numan 7” picture disc, a Bubblemen 12”…. Ahhhh …. What else – LP’s by The Lilac Time, Congo Norvell, New Wet Kojak, The Magnolias, and Sons of Freedom… and a couple more 7”’s – like the Black Angel’s Death Song “rollercoaster” on clear vinyl, and a nice little sixteen deluxe single. Sigh – I love music….  

Saw some nifty shoes at Fluevog, but didn’t get them – might have to hit up the LA store soon, though. Shelley got herself a pair of the Johnny Ramone Vans – so now we got matching Ramones shoes… we wandered, took photos, and enjoyed the city. 

 Saturday evening we made our way to our friend Raoul’s place – which was very nice – to hang out for a bit before dinner – and see his dogs, Fiona and Truman – Fiona being the mother of our Diesel. It was pretty astounding seeing the family resemblance in dog features – Fiona is a little more brown, a little older, but her eyes and her facial expressions – were so much like Diesel’s – even the little sounds she made. So that was cool – we chatted and drank  – and then made our way to dinner at Maverick – which was very very good. We thought about doing some more walking and photographing – but we were just too stuffed and tired, so – it was just bedtime for us.

Wake up early Sunday – pack – hit the airport – fly home – rest for a very quick little bit – and then off to have dinner for Shelley’s sister’s birthday at Tokyo Wako. Wacky.  And now, it’s Monday – at work, listening to the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, and ready for another vacation….

BK SF

january radio

as i mentioned before – i’m no stranger to radio – i don’t really isten to it, but i’ve experienced it on other levels – and while i’m very happy that my band is getting some indie 103.1 interest, and that the KXLU peoples like us, and we’re going to be hitting the internet radio thing soon on killradio.org – i am really happy that they played us up in Seattle recently. it kinda made my month, and i’m not sure why. i think it’s kind of that i pretty much feel a home town affinity for Seattle, and KEXP is one of the brighter stars in the radio stratosphere as far as i’m concened, and John Richards is a very respected  DJ in terms of the music i know and love… and play.

so, i was at work, and i got an email from nicki bass, and evidently we got thrown into the mix on KEXP on the John In The Morning show on January 17th. falling between Nick Cave and the Mountain Goats – which isn’t really a bad place to fall. so yeah –

good way for a band to start the year – and the music just keeps on coming.

 we play our first show of the year next week at The Scene – with a seattle band, the Feral Children, and that’s a KEXP sponsored event – which i like – and then we get to play Spaceland (heading for the big time!) on february 2nd… we have that internet radio thingy coming up in April – and before that (March) we play San Francisco at the Cafe Du Nord.

so yeah – busy black kites. busy busy.

oh yeah, and we are filming a video end of february and if all goes well financially, recording a full length album this summer….

whew, i’m getting tired already – ’cause i’m going to be working the regular job and finding time to do some travelling with Shelley on top of all of that…

more news as it happens. 

over and out