Braved the big suck that is Los Angeles to see Jason Mraz's sold out show at the House of Blues. Through my connection at Aware Records I was going to be selling merch for the young upstart which has it's good and bads. It's cool to get to talk to people and hang out before and after the show but inevitable you don't get to really enjoy the show for all it's worth. It's also good for people watching which in LA can be quite the sight to see. There were some 12 year old girls that were dressed in knee high soccer socks, micro mini skirts and I swear one had a furry Russian winter hat on with ear flaps and all.
On to the music though, which is what it's all about right? Can't recall the first opener but second up was Martina Sorbara who I'd never heard of. She's Canadian. Right on, eh. I'd downloaded some tracks to listen to at work the day of the show so I had an inkling of what to expect. Vocally she shounds like Jewel but her music isn't annoyingly whiny. It's not often that I come across a female artist that I like (ex. Shea Seger - I still just don't get it) so it was a surprise to find that for days after the show her album was spinning in my stereo. I highly recommend you pick it up or at least check her out. You won't be sorry and if you are, it's probably because you said something nasty to your coworker after they took the last of the coffee forcing you to make more and wait for the caffeine fix.
Now to the main attraction of the night. Mraz didn't disappoint all the fans who seemed to have come out of the woodwork. Thought he put on a damn fine show even though there were times where it was just silent buzz coming out of the speakers. Just little lags here and there in between songs and water drinks, guitar tunings, and such. Just wish I could have caught one of his intimate coffeehouse gigs before the masses discovered what they were missing out on. His is another cd I would suggest but if you are going to spend the money I'd go for the live cd available off of his website. For me something is lost in the production of the songs. A rawness and energy.
So I can check one more experience off my list for having lived in Bakersfield for 3 and some change years. A few weeks ago I attempted to go see the legendary Buck Owens not only once but twice to be denied the Buck. Sure the Buckaroos played but they ain't no Buck. But I'm not talking about Buck. If you flip over to the other spectrum of music you have the genre that is punk and the stuff that plays at Jerry's Pizza. I've only been in the upstairs "eating" area of the place once before. I'd drug (dragged? which is it damnit?) some friends to go see Luce there. My attempts in musical seduction included a description of the band of "they are sort of Dave Matthews-esque" all the while in the back of my mind thinking "What the hell is Luce doing playing Jerry's?!?" It's just not there sort of venue. Needless to say I wasn't too surprised when the band bailed on the gig soon after setting foot in the place.
I digress though. Through my hook up with Aware Records I was able to get a couple guest list spots to see the Riddlin' Kids. NIce to be able to actually go to a show that only takes 10 minutes to get instead of the 2 hour drive to LA. Kathy was game for the show seeing as it was free and hey, free is good. After partaking in the salsa goodness that is La Costa we ventured on to Jerry's. I wasn't exactly sure what I was in for - had slight expectations from talking to a kid at work and reading the local music columnists blurbs about the place.
Preconceptions in no particular order:
1. Hot.
2. High School kids with piercings in places that make you wince just looking and who knows whereelse.
3. Loud.
4. Dangerous seeing as there no doubt would be moshing.
Observations in the same no particular order:
1. Hot in some areas but not so bad if you stand in a 3 ft area towards the back and the soundboard.
2. Lots of youngin's there and a handful of older folks and as Anthony (kid from work said) "You two are probably the most educated people in here".
3. Loud but managable from where we were standing. I was actually impressed with the quality of sound.
4. Danger level depends on where you stand. At times I flinched when the mosh pit got a little unruly and the one time a kid nearly ran into me he actually stopped, then continued forward progress and proceeded to grab my ass with a smile.
As for the band - they rocked. There were a handful of songs that were familiar from EPs and the Aware compilation so that probably helped. All we were able to see from our sanctuary in the back was the bouncing head of one of the guitar players. Good enough that I'd go see them again if they roll through Bakersfield.
I think I felt this. That or I was just having some dream that made me shake in my bed with one violent jerk of motion. Going back to sleep...yea, that's going to be easy.
I have to say that it's so very sad that the most show that I've seen this winter has been in California. There was the smallest bit of a flurry while I was home for Christmas but that was about it. A couple of weekends I was up in Mammoth and got a squinting eyeful of the crisp cold stuff but it wasn't until this last weekend that we, the snow and me, really bonded. My new roommate (who will remain nameless and who I can't bitch about in here even though she's the freakiest of freaks....heh) and I attempted to drive up to Balch Park last weekend. I say attempted because technically we never got there. Evidently when there is a road closed sign you should listen to it. We didn't and drove as far as we could until the snow blocked the path of my puny truck. A little hiking was had as well as some extreme snowman making.
That's right - look ma, no gloves.
I also attempted to make a snow angel in hard, hard snow. Needless to say it didn't work very well.
And I wonder why visions of earthquakes shake my silent slumber. Ever since moving into this new building at work the floors have shaken when people walk by (I'm on the second floor). I recently moved locations down the room to a more central location whereas previously I was nestled near a wall away from high traffic. The shaking has gotten worse. Slightly amusing though when the bounce of the floor matches the beat of the music I'm listening to (Ben Folds' "The Ascent of Stan").
Well, I'm glad I didn't resolve to get to bed early this year because that's not happened yet. Been trying to bring some semblance of order back into my life and apartment. Which means I'm still trying to recover from before the trip to South America. It got to the point I was just tossing things aside since I was trying to pack my bags, burn cds, and work a little. Got back, and BAM it was Christmas like that. Just today I mailed out some of my gifts and my brother's family won't be getting theirs until sometime in February if I remember it then. Nothing like the impending arrival of a guest or a roommate or both within a day of each other to make you reexamine how clean things are or how much of a pack rat you are.
Mmmm. It's that time of year again when Bako smells like fresh pine trees. Okay, so only when you are in close proximity of the large pile of former Christmas trees that are being turned into mulch, but it's much better than the normal smell of the town (which is at times a cross between crude oil and cow pies).
Night and day should be seperated by more than 30 minutes sleep.
The end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003 sort of blur together for me right now. I keep trying to put it down in words but brain waves are waining. Drove down to LA to have dinner with a friend and see Toad the Wet Sprocket ring in the new year at the Roxy. After standing in line waiting for doors to open, we ended up standing inside for nearly 2 hours before the opening band. Not that it wasn't interesting standing behind the hardcore Toad fans (wow...note to self, don't be like that) but I was ready for some rocking. The opener - The Red West - did a good job of that. They have some edge to them and the singer's got great range. Meant to pick up their cd but never made it over the the merch booth after the concert started in fear of never making it back to my spot.
After the earlier waiting I was stoked when Toad hit the stage at exactly 11:15 as was earlier promised. That's when the 2 hour music extravaganza began. I've been a fan of Toad since a friend in jr. high(? high school?) got me to listen to Fear. Instantly hooked but I never got a chance to see them live before they broke up. I took solace in catching Glen Phillips' solo performances over the past couple of years. Honestly I'm not sure which I prefer (Toad or Glen solo) but last night was rocking. Jammed in as many songs as possible including a newer one, "Falling" and a Lapdog song.
Anyway - the show went on and on and after two encores ended a little after 1am. Just when you thing the fun is over...oh no...I then had to endure the traffic on Sunset to drive over to Pasadena. I took up a friends offer to crash and go see the Rose Bowl Parade the next day. What I didn't understand at first was what I was getting myself into though. It's her families tradition to wake up at 3a and help serve breakfast to 900 people at their church. Needless to say pulling in at 2:30a didn't leave much time for sleep with the 3a wakeup. So with 30 minutes seperating the night of rock with the morning of eggs the blurring began.
It was definitely an experience though. I don't think I want to see scrambled eggs for a while but I did learn "the egg dance" to entertain the customers while waiting for a fresh batch to serve up. And the parade? Wow. So much better to watch in person than on the television. The floats are that much more amazing to see close up and get an idea of the detail. We also saw O-Town on a float which was really the highlight of the whole day (sarcasm...). Actually, the highlight of the day was the 5 hour nap I took after the parade was over. Not even the cheering of the rest of the family watching the football game could wake me up. Speaking of sleep...that sounds too tempting to pass up. I just hope I don't dream of eggs or Karen's "ham dance."
After putting in a few hours of work I was able to hit the road to LA early due to the fact that the network "fall down, go boom." I tried to buy a new computer chair at IKEA but they continue to be sold out of the one I wanted - yet I still walked out of there with a rug, a pot, and a basket. They must pump something into the air there that just makes you buy crap.
