Guess I don't have to worry after all. The Rick Springfield date is the night before the Def Leppard/Bryan Adams date so I'm doing both! That will be an awesome weekend.
I have been having so much knee trouble over the last month. It's almost like I don't have feeling between my knee and ankle, except for muscular pain. I also get a weird bone popping sensation mostly in my right knee. When I go to bend it forward it feels like the knee joint wants to take my knee sideways. I hope to see the doctor on the 15th, but I have to find out what the up front costs are. I have the best coverage at my job, but there always seems to be some initial out of pocket expense that costs a fortune. I still haven't seen a chiropractor due to that. It stinks getting old and feeling it.
It has been a wonderfully quiet weekend. I've seen a couple of movies, watched a Dead Zone marathon. Got a new battery backup so that my second PC can run now, and have done a few chores around the house. We are grilling out tonight. It might be a roommates evening hanging out.
The movies I saw were War Of The Worlds and The Longest Yard. War Of The Worlds is such a tough story to translate to the screen. I can see why the family story was done so that you have someone to cheer for. The real draw back is that humans don't defeat the aliens. The aliens just can't survive in Earth's atmosphere. That makes the end kind of dead. I expected that so the movie was pretty good, in my opinion, but I can see where others will have trouble getting it and it won't be the blockbuster that everyone expected it to be.
The Longest Yard was hilarious! I know it isn't a true remake of the original since it isn't as gritty, but this is still a very funny and entertaining movie. I was very impressed. My roommate, Derek, loves funny movies, but he doesn't usually laugh out loud. During this movie, he was laughing out loud. I'm not really a big Adam Sandler fan, but he does make some good movies. This one was hilarious!
Next weekend I have my daughters and I will take them to see either Herbie: Fully Loaded or Fantastic Four. I grew up on the Herbie movies and I love them all. I'm also a superhero fan. I will see them both, but they get to decide which one they want to see. I'm just nice like that.
Hopefuly, we will have some nice weather and get to go swimming, too. I'm actually getting tanned in a few spots!
Monday, July 04, 2005
Sunday, July 03, 2005
What Do I Do?
There are two concerts I'm dying to see on July 31st. Def Leppard and Bryan Adams will be in Davenport, IA. I've seen the mighty Lep before, but haven't seen Bryan Adams live. Steph and Anne are going to that one and it's on a Sunday. It's songs like Summer Of 69 that really made me love guitar and rock music.
On the other hand, that same night in Ames, IA, will be Rick Springfield. Jesse's Girl is the first song that put me over the edge as a rocker. That guitar lick got me started so that I sought out songs like Summer Of 69, bands like AC/DC, and any other band that had great guitar riffs and rhythms. I will never forget watching some music awards show and Rick and his bnad came out to perform this song. I was glued to the TV and everything else was shut out of what I was listening to. My roommates are dying to go to this show.
I'm thinking of going to Rick on Sunday and then see Lep and Adams in Lincoln, NE. The only bad thing is that I'd have to go alone to that one. I don't like travelling alone and concerts are a great experience to share.
Oh, the decision...
On the other hand, that same night in Ames, IA, will be Rick Springfield. Jesse's Girl is the first song that put me over the edge as a rocker. That guitar lick got me started so that I sought out songs like Summer Of 69, bands like AC/DC, and any other band that had great guitar riffs and rhythms. I will never forget watching some music awards show and Rick and his bnad came out to perform this song. I was glued to the TV and everything else was shut out of what I was listening to. My roommates are dying to go to this show.
I'm thinking of going to Rick on Sunday and then see Lep and Adams in Lincoln, NE. The only bad thing is that I'd have to go alone to that one. I don't like travelling alone and concerts are a great experience to share.
Oh, the decision...
Friday, July 01, 2005
The Last Two Weeks
Last week was an excellent week. I got a raise, a promotion, found out that my church is going to look into bringing my favorite Christian rock band to Des Moines, and spent some great time with my kids.
I've been at this job for over a year and got the promotion to Technical Specialist II. It came with a raise and some praise from my supervisor. That always makes a guy feel good.
The very same day, I got a message from my preacher that he would like me to get the information together on Petra's last tour. He would love to have our church associated with bringing Petra to Des Moines. This could be huge! I've gotten most all of the information together and we are going to present it to the elders next Wednesday night. I am a pretty good salesperson, but this will be the best thing I've ever sold, if it goes through. I'm already envisioning this entire event.
Last weekend was such a blast with my kids. We went to Adventureland as part of Wells Fargo Day on Saturday and saw the iCubs for free on Sunday.
At Adventureland we went on some mild to slightly wild rides. The craziest being one called The Mixer. This thing goes upside down and spins. Brittany went on it with me. I had tried to convince her all day and she finally relented. It was awesome, but she swore she'd never go again. During the day we went on the TeaCups, the Star Fling, Bumper Cars, the Log Flume, and the girls went on several together. We went to the circus and they had fun there, too. It was muggy and slightly cloudy so there wasn't much sun to be had. It wsa such a refreshing day to just walk around, ride on some fun rides together, and just laugh a good part of the day with my children. Derek went along to help out and the girls had a great time with him, too. Derek and I have a similar sense of humor and he's great with the kids. It was just a great time.
On Sunday we went to see the iCubs with tickets I had won at my church on Father's Day. We sat right by the Omaha Royals bullpen and the girls thought it was pretty cool sitting right near the players. They actually enjoyed the whole game. It was quite sunny that day and I got a nice burn. Paige caught a T-Shirt that turned out to be a Post Office shirt instead of the iCubs, but she was glad she got something that was tossed into the stands. Brittany took her glove just in case there was a foul in our direction, but she ended up sitting on it to protect her from the heat of the seat. We watched and visited and I tried to point out some things I thought they might find interesting. The iCubs got stomped 9-4. There were 3 homers in the game that they thought were pretty cool to see.
It was such a fantastic week. I hope to have many more like that!
This week has been pretty good, too, but not in the same way. My softball games got rained out on Monday, but many of us rode in a van together and that was a great time to visit with everyone. We went for some Dairy Queen since we couldn't play ball. We did have a practice last night that went well for those that were able to show up. On Tuesday, my married girlfriend :) (Anne), thought she'd take pity on this old man and get me out for some exercise. She is quite the runner and since I can't run we walk around Gray's Lake in Des Moines. It's about 3 miles around it and we do two laps. We did this on Tuesday, Wednesday, and plan to go this evening. It's been hard on the legs, but at least I'm getting a workout. I hope to build up to a jog. I did jog about 1/4 mile the first night, but had to nix that idea on night two. The knees are getting to feel like they must belong to my dad. It's good exercise and good conversation. With 6 miles of walking, you gotta talk to make the pain seem less. I'm sure Anne isn't breaking a sweat, though, as she has been able to jog up to 8 miles a day. I think she just walks with me and then goes home and gets a real workout with her running.
Oh, and I got more pictures from Waterstock! Steph is a real sweetheart, but I'm sure she'd be mad for me saying that. She was kind enough to send the pictures and my program from Waterstock to Anne with something she needed to get to Anne. Most people would just wait until the next time they see them to get stuff to them, but Steph mailed these things out. Ain't she sweet? I'm sure she is rolling her eyes as she reads this and hoping it doesn't ruin her reputation! :) I will post the pictures this weekend. She got some great shots!
Well another month, another party. Not sure how big tonight's will be, but we've had over 100 each of the last 3 and a contest each time. It's been great and the revellers are making less and less mess outside the house each time. I may post some details on the festivities this weekend as well.
I've been at this job for over a year and got the promotion to Technical Specialist II. It came with a raise and some praise from my supervisor. That always makes a guy feel good.
The very same day, I got a message from my preacher that he would like me to get the information together on Petra's last tour. He would love to have our church associated with bringing Petra to Des Moines. This could be huge! I've gotten most all of the information together and we are going to present it to the elders next Wednesday night. I am a pretty good salesperson, but this will be the best thing I've ever sold, if it goes through. I'm already envisioning this entire event.
Last weekend was such a blast with my kids. We went to Adventureland as part of Wells Fargo Day on Saturday and saw the iCubs for free on Sunday.
At Adventureland we went on some mild to slightly wild rides. The craziest being one called The Mixer. This thing goes upside down and spins. Brittany went on it with me. I had tried to convince her all day and she finally relented. It was awesome, but she swore she'd never go again. During the day we went on the TeaCups, the Star Fling, Bumper Cars, the Log Flume, and the girls went on several together. We went to the circus and they had fun there, too. It was muggy and slightly cloudy so there wasn't much sun to be had. It wsa such a refreshing day to just walk around, ride on some fun rides together, and just laugh a good part of the day with my children. Derek went along to help out and the girls had a great time with him, too. Derek and I have a similar sense of humor and he's great with the kids. It was just a great time.
On Sunday we went to see the iCubs with tickets I had won at my church on Father's Day. We sat right by the Omaha Royals bullpen and the girls thought it was pretty cool sitting right near the players. They actually enjoyed the whole game. It was quite sunny that day and I got a nice burn. Paige caught a T-Shirt that turned out to be a Post Office shirt instead of the iCubs, but she was glad she got something that was tossed into the stands. Brittany took her glove just in case there was a foul in our direction, but she ended up sitting on it to protect her from the heat of the seat. We watched and visited and I tried to point out some things I thought they might find interesting. The iCubs got stomped 9-4. There were 3 homers in the game that they thought were pretty cool to see.
It was such a fantastic week. I hope to have many more like that!
This week has been pretty good, too, but not in the same way. My softball games got rained out on Monday, but many of us rode in a van together and that was a great time to visit with everyone. We went for some Dairy Queen since we couldn't play ball. We did have a practice last night that went well for those that were able to show up. On Tuesday, my married girlfriend :) (Anne), thought she'd take pity on this old man and get me out for some exercise. She is quite the runner and since I can't run we walk around Gray's Lake in Des Moines. It's about 3 miles around it and we do two laps. We did this on Tuesday, Wednesday, and plan to go this evening. It's been hard on the legs, but at least I'm getting a workout. I hope to build up to a jog. I did jog about 1/4 mile the first night, but had to nix that idea on night two. The knees are getting to feel like they must belong to my dad. It's good exercise and good conversation. With 6 miles of walking, you gotta talk to make the pain seem less. I'm sure Anne isn't breaking a sweat, though, as she has been able to jog up to 8 miles a day. I think she just walks with me and then goes home and gets a real workout with her running.
Oh, and I got more pictures from Waterstock! Steph is a real sweetheart, but I'm sure she'd be mad for me saying that. She was kind enough to send the pictures and my program from Waterstock to Anne with something she needed to get to Anne. Most people would just wait until the next time they see them to get stuff to them, but Steph mailed these things out. Ain't she sweet? I'm sure she is rolling her eyes as she reads this and hoping it doesn't ruin her reputation! :) I will post the pictures this weekend. She got some great shots!
Well another month, another party. Not sure how big tonight's will be, but we've had over 100 each of the last 3 and a contest each time. It's been great and the revellers are making less and less mess outside the house each time. I may post some details on the festivities this weekend as well.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Waterstock 2005
My head is now pounding and I wouldn't have it any other way. First it was Vixen on Friday night and then Waterstock yesterday. I got more sun, I saw some friends, heard songs I've grown up on, heard some new songs, and met some great people in some great bands! How's that for a short review? Oh, all right, here is the breakdown of Waterstock.
Slaughter was frst up. I know a lot of people bag on these guys, but they do have some great songs and they were great to me and my friends after the show. Their set list was:
Wild Life, Take Me Away, Burnin' Bridges, Spend My Life, Mad About You, Eye To Eye, Heaven And Hell (Black Sabbath), Real Love, Fly To The Angels, Up All Night.
Mark Slaughter was still hitting all the high notes with ease and they sounded great. Jeff Blando is a great guitarist and it was good to hear them play Take Me Away from Back To Reality. Dana Strum always puts on a good show. He was the most hyper of the group on stage.
It was cool to hear them cover Sabbath and they were just plain tight. I had the pleasure of meeting the guys after the show and got them to sign my Back To Reality CD and take pictures. I asked when some new music would be out and they are supposed to be writing for it soon. I also asked about Blas Elias' participation in it and they really want him to be involved. It sounds like every other drummer is just keeping his seat warm while he's doing Blue Man Group.
Skid Row came roaring out to Slave To The Grind, Piece Of Me, Makin' A Mess, and All New Generation. They hit us hard and didn't let up. Johnny Solinger is just getting stronger each time I see them and I really don't miss Sebastian Bach much at all at this point. Johnny is putting on an energetic show and is great at getting the crowd involved. Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill were all over the place getting some head banging going. Rachel Bolan looked a little spaced out for a while and even kind of pale, but he still got around to each side of the stage, sang Psychotherapy with energy, and held the bottom end rock solid. I'm not exactly sure who the drummer is, but he held it tight and Scotti and Snake helped him out in a few spots by coming back and reminding him of a couple of fills and breaks. The drummer kind of has the Phil Varone tattooed look going on and sported a spiked mohawk.
The rest of the set was 18 & Life, Monkey Business with a guitar trade off, Riot Act, I Remember You Too, Get the F&ck Out, Psychotherapy, I Remember You, Thick Is The Skin, and the encore of Youth Gone Wild.
I always love hearing All New Generation and Thick Is The Skin. I told the guys at one point I had those two songs on the Best Buy music CD they would play when customers were shopping at my store. I always had people asking who was doing those songs.
(We heard from several sources that there was a misunderstanding with Scotti and he had to leave Waterstock after their set. I hope he's doing fine and still had a great day.)
Skid Row had so much energy and got the crowd pumped in a crazy way. They know how to work that stage and get the crowd going nuts for them. This was the most energetic show of the day and most everyone I talked to was at Waterstock to hear Skid Row.
Bret Michaels came out with the energy everyone expects of him. He is the consumate showman and keeps things loose and fun. Backing him up was the band Evick, who some of you may know from Metal Sludge's 10 Questions. Evick sounded great backing Bret up and they had all of the solos and rhythms down and fairly tight. This was only their second show out and you can tell them have put in some time getting things right for Bret. There was some stage volume problem, but they took care of that and the sound was great out the front anyway.
Evick kind of surprised me with their playing and some improvisation. During Unskinny Bop they each got a turn at their instrument to shine and used it to good effect. They are still learning some of the less obvious cues of Bret and as this tour goes on, you will see one very tight band. I'm going to have to catch Bret's tour again soon.
Bret's set started with my favorite song, Talk Dirty To Me. He followed with Look What The Cat Dragged In, Bittersweet (I wish more people knew this song!), I Won't Forget You, Something To Believe In, Sweet Home Alabama (He had to get Pete from Evick to sing the right verse. Pete, you should know this song! :), Your Mama Don't Dance, a new song that had the lyric I Like The Way You..., Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Unskinny Bop, Fallen Angel, and the encore Nothin' But A Good Time. Not a bad set list. I did miss Raine, New Breed Of American Cowboy, and thought he might do Open Road (Bret did this on Nashville Star.) or All I Ever Needed. My wish list would include It's My Party and Menace To Society! Bret knows best, though, as the crowd did go nuts over every move he made and every song he played. It helps to have a young and hungry band backing him up, too!
Bret made the promise to be back next year and I hope that means he is bringing Poison!
While Foreigner was playing, I had the absolute pleasure of meeing the guys in Evick. I honestly didn't realize that was who I was talking to, but the bass player, Ray Schuering, and I chatted away and we eventually hit the topic of Metal Sludge. I then asked him what his band was called and once he said Evick I knew I had read about them on the Sludge. I asked him if he had broached the subject with Bret and he said they hadn't. We all know of a long standing fued between Bret and Stevie Rachelle, but I told him that he ought to just ask Bret about it in an innocent way and just let Bret answer the question about how he feels about Sludge. At this point Ray brought Pete and Chuck over. We talked about their band backing up Bret, more about Sludge and the idea of Pete writing a tour diary (He isn't doing it. They need job security and how much can you really talk about the fans you meet in every town. You gotta have some dirt and some juicy stuff! What could possibly happen backing up Bret on tour? Well some stories about Big John might be fun, but Rikki Rockett has already given us the scoop on Big John, hasn't he?), and who the guys in Foreigner are. The drummer apparently lost a bet on Kelly Hansen being the singer and Jason Bonham playing the drums. Of course, once I shared this information, it was time for them to move back to the backstage area where they could watch Foreigner in action. I had Evick sign my program before I let them head out, though. This is a fun group of guys and now I have to find a way to catch Evick live with their own tunes!
Foreigner headlined, but the crowd seemed thinner at this point in the day. Foreigner rocked and they really put on a great show. They started out with Sad Monday, Double Vision, Head Games, and Cold As Ice before slowing down with Waiting For A Girl Like You. They launched into Blue Morning and then my favorite, Dirty White Boy. At this point I was visiting with Evick, but I could hear Foreigner being the tight band they are and playing songs I knew by heart. They wrapped up with Juke Box Hero (with a little Led Zeppelin interlude) and then came out and encored with a Led Zep tune in dedication to Jason Bonham's father and then Hot Blooded.
Kelly Hansen is a great singer who hits all the notes Lou Gramm used to. Kelly also has a great stage presence and energy and really looked like he should be fronting Foreigner from here on out. Jeff Pilson really seemed to be an invigorating energy for Mick Jones. Jeff was all over the place with that bass of his. Jason Bonham was the rock solid drummer you would expect from a Bonham. He and Pilson were tight on everything. Mick Jones looked like he was having fun and I hope he continues to tour with this lineup and even record with them. This is a great band. He had a Sax player who played some guitar and a keyboard player that knew every note. This is one tight band and I hope they keep it going.
It was such a great day! I saw people from my softball team there. I saw J-Dub. I saw another guy I used to work with at Best Buy, and best of all I got to hang out with Steph and Anne all day. Steph took lots of pictures and I hope to have them up in the Concert Pictures section of my blog later today. If I remember anything else as the day wears on, I will add it.
Go see and support these bands!
Slaughter was frst up. I know a lot of people bag on these guys, but they do have some great songs and they were great to me and my friends after the show. Their set list was:
Wild Life, Take Me Away, Burnin' Bridges, Spend My Life, Mad About You, Eye To Eye, Heaven And Hell (Black Sabbath), Real Love, Fly To The Angels, Up All Night.
Mark Slaughter was still hitting all the high notes with ease and they sounded great. Jeff Blando is a great guitarist and it was good to hear them play Take Me Away from Back To Reality. Dana Strum always puts on a good show. He was the most hyper of the group on stage.
It was cool to hear them cover Sabbath and they were just plain tight. I had the pleasure of meeting the guys after the show and got them to sign my Back To Reality CD and take pictures. I asked when some new music would be out and they are supposed to be writing for it soon. I also asked about Blas Elias' participation in it and they really want him to be involved. It sounds like every other drummer is just keeping his seat warm while he's doing Blue Man Group.
Skid Row came roaring out to Slave To The Grind, Piece Of Me, Makin' A Mess, and All New Generation. They hit us hard and didn't let up. Johnny Solinger is just getting stronger each time I see them and I really don't miss Sebastian Bach much at all at this point. Johnny is putting on an energetic show and is great at getting the crowd involved. Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill were all over the place getting some head banging going. Rachel Bolan looked a little spaced out for a while and even kind of pale, but he still got around to each side of the stage, sang Psychotherapy with energy, and held the bottom end rock solid. I'm not exactly sure who the drummer is, but he held it tight and Scotti and Snake helped him out in a few spots by coming back and reminding him of a couple of fills and breaks. The drummer kind of has the Phil Varone tattooed look going on and sported a spiked mohawk.
The rest of the set was 18 & Life, Monkey Business with a guitar trade off, Riot Act, I Remember You Too, Get the F&ck Out, Psychotherapy, I Remember You, Thick Is The Skin, and the encore of Youth Gone Wild.
I always love hearing All New Generation and Thick Is The Skin. I told the guys at one point I had those two songs on the Best Buy music CD they would play when customers were shopping at my store. I always had people asking who was doing those songs.
(We heard from several sources that there was a misunderstanding with Scotti and he had to leave Waterstock after their set. I hope he's doing fine and still had a great day.)
Skid Row had so much energy and got the crowd pumped in a crazy way. They know how to work that stage and get the crowd going nuts for them. This was the most energetic show of the day and most everyone I talked to was at Waterstock to hear Skid Row.
Bret Michaels came out with the energy everyone expects of him. He is the consumate showman and keeps things loose and fun. Backing him up was the band Evick, who some of you may know from Metal Sludge's 10 Questions. Evick sounded great backing Bret up and they had all of the solos and rhythms down and fairly tight. This was only their second show out and you can tell them have put in some time getting things right for Bret. There was some stage volume problem, but they took care of that and the sound was great out the front anyway.
Evick kind of surprised me with their playing and some improvisation. During Unskinny Bop they each got a turn at their instrument to shine and used it to good effect. They are still learning some of the less obvious cues of Bret and as this tour goes on, you will see one very tight band. I'm going to have to catch Bret's tour again soon.
Bret's set started with my favorite song, Talk Dirty To Me. He followed with Look What The Cat Dragged In, Bittersweet (I wish more people knew this song!), I Won't Forget You, Something To Believe In, Sweet Home Alabama (He had to get Pete from Evick to sing the right verse. Pete, you should know this song! :), Your Mama Don't Dance, a new song that had the lyric I Like The Way You..., Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Unskinny Bop, Fallen Angel, and the encore Nothin' But A Good Time. Not a bad set list. I did miss Raine, New Breed Of American Cowboy, and thought he might do Open Road (Bret did this on Nashville Star.) or All I Ever Needed. My wish list would include It's My Party and Menace To Society! Bret knows best, though, as the crowd did go nuts over every move he made and every song he played. It helps to have a young and hungry band backing him up, too!
Bret made the promise to be back next year and I hope that means he is bringing Poison!
While Foreigner was playing, I had the absolute pleasure of meeing the guys in Evick. I honestly didn't realize that was who I was talking to, but the bass player, Ray Schuering, and I chatted away and we eventually hit the topic of Metal Sludge. I then asked him what his band was called and once he said Evick I knew I had read about them on the Sludge. I asked him if he had broached the subject with Bret and he said they hadn't. We all know of a long standing fued between Bret and Stevie Rachelle, but I told him that he ought to just ask Bret about it in an innocent way and just let Bret answer the question about how he feels about Sludge. At this point Ray brought Pete and Chuck over. We talked about their band backing up Bret, more about Sludge and the idea of Pete writing a tour diary (He isn't doing it. They need job security and how much can you really talk about the fans you meet in every town. You gotta have some dirt and some juicy stuff! What could possibly happen backing up Bret on tour? Well some stories about Big John might be fun, but Rikki Rockett has already given us the scoop on Big John, hasn't he?), and who the guys in Foreigner are. The drummer apparently lost a bet on Kelly Hansen being the singer and Jason Bonham playing the drums. Of course, once I shared this information, it was time for them to move back to the backstage area where they could watch Foreigner in action. I had Evick sign my program before I let them head out, though. This is a fun group of guys and now I have to find a way to catch Evick live with their own tunes!
Foreigner headlined, but the crowd seemed thinner at this point in the day. Foreigner rocked and they really put on a great show. They started out with Sad Monday, Double Vision, Head Games, and Cold As Ice before slowing down with Waiting For A Girl Like You. They launched into Blue Morning and then my favorite, Dirty White Boy. At this point I was visiting with Evick, but I could hear Foreigner being the tight band they are and playing songs I knew by heart. They wrapped up with Juke Box Hero (with a little Led Zeppelin interlude) and then came out and encored with a Led Zep tune in dedication to Jason Bonham's father and then Hot Blooded.
Kelly Hansen is a great singer who hits all the notes Lou Gramm used to. Kelly also has a great stage presence and energy and really looked like he should be fronting Foreigner from here on out. Jeff Pilson really seemed to be an invigorating energy for Mick Jones. Jeff was all over the place with that bass of his. Jason Bonham was the rock solid drummer you would expect from a Bonham. He and Pilson were tight on everything. Mick Jones looked like he was having fun and I hope he continues to tour with this lineup and even record with them. This is a great band. He had a Sax player who played some guitar and a keyboard player that knew every note. This is one tight band and I hope they keep it going.
It was such a great day! I saw people from my softball team there. I saw J-Dub. I saw another guy I used to work with at Best Buy, and best of all I got to hang out with Steph and Anne all day. Steph took lots of pictures and I hope to have them up in the Concert Pictures section of my blog later today. If I remember anything else as the day wears on, I will add it.
Go see and support these bands!
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Vixen in Des Moines, IA
Ok. You can make fun, laugh, and say whatever you want, but if you weren't there, what you say doesn't count. Vixen...kicks...ass!!! They rocked the hell out of the people that showed up to their show at House Of Bricks in Des Moines, IA. I took a 21 year old female friend who had never heard of Vixen and she will tell you that they rocked! She is planning on scooping up everything Vixen has recorded now and in the future.
Vixen set the tone by opening with Rev It Up. I've always loved this song and it's a great choice for an opener. This led into Streets In Paradise, which I honestly didn't remember, but it sure grooved live.
I was surprised that they did 6 new tunes, too. The first one was Live And Learn. The rhythm guitar in this song was pure Jan. She is so under-rated. Her rhythm and lead work during the solo just flowed so seamlessly. The riff she came up with for this song was groovin'! I'm going to use that word a lot because they just had everything in the pocket. They launched into How Much Love and Love Made Me before going into another killer new tune called Anyway. The bass took the main rhythm here while Jan had a wonderful harmonic rhythm on top of it. I can't wait to hear this tune on CD. She almost had a wall of sound going with that guitar part.
Love Is A Killer fit perfectly between Anyway and another new song called Pacifist. To be honest, I can't remember too much about this song, but I know that everything sounded good tonight. Not A Minute Too Soon then led into another new and heavy song called Angy. There were bursts of rhythm in this song that truly sounded angry and it was one of the heavier tunes of the night. I'm kinda liking the direction that they seem to be taking the new tunes. They all sounded different and this one just had it's own unique dark feel while still sounding like Vixen. Each new song stood on its own and didn't sound like anything before or after it.
Two familiar tunes came back to back in Cryin', one of my favorite Vixen tunes, and I Want You To Rock Me. They put some of Queen's We Will Rock You in the latter and had everyone there singing along. I'm tellin' ya that red headed singer (Jenna Sanz-Agero) and the long haired blond bass player (Lynn Louise Lowrey) sure made you want to rock them! Jan has always looked good and their drummer (Kat Kraft) has an awesome smile (and a nice caboose!), but the interplay on Rock Me with the way the new bass player moves was such a turn on! Ah, they're all hot! Even the girl I took with me was really into Jenna and Lynn! (I have to admit that it was fun hearing her talk about that...)
The 5th new tune of the night was Love Song, which had a bass line combined with Jan's rhythm that reminded me a bit of some early Sabbath. The bass line had almost a stomp in parts and really made this song move. They were so tight tonight in every song, but their sense of timing really shown through here and right into the fast paced Cruisin'. Now, Cruisin' is my favorite Vixen song and I was banging my head right up front in between Jan and Jenna!
The bass came through again in You Wish, another new song. I can't remember if it was this one or Love Song, but both had great vocal parts and one of them really had some wonderful harmonies. You can tell the work that went into these new songs to give them a timeless feel. The drum lines, the guitar work, the bass, the melodic structure of the vocals were all spot on and helped blend the old and new songs. I can't wait to get more familiar with these tunes.
They finished up wtih Edge Of A Broken Heart and then encored with Bad Reputation, which I had almost forgotten about. Believe me, that tune is getting some airplay at my place this weekend! Edge is another of my favorites, probably third after Cruisin' and Cryin'. Wonderful guitar riff and killer vocals.
You have really got to see Vixen if they are anywhere near where you live. I know the sound guy for House Of Bricks and he had Vixen dialed in perfectly tonight and they are just plain tight as a band.
The only thing I can recommend, and it isn't a big thing, is for Jenna to move more. She hits every note with ease, but it would be great to see her perform with more energy. There were moments when she was the calm between the storms of Jan and Lynn. This isn't anything major, but I'd love to see her perform in high gear. She would look good with a major sweat by the end of the set! Glisten!
I had the opportunity to meet Vixen and get some pictures and autographs after the show. They are hoping to have their new CD out in September. I'm hoping that schedule stays intact and doesn't get pushed back. Jenna's vocals are strong and will be great to hear in a setting where I can absorb more of these songs. Vixen are great at writing vocal lines and harmonies and they pull them off live with ease. Kat and Lynn sound like they have been playing together forever as a rhythm section. They hold down the bottom and add some fills that are very fluid. I will be crankin' the bass on that new CD, Live And Learn. Jan's guitar work has always been top notch and I can't wait to hear what else she has come up with. She effortlessly moves between styles and makes her rhythm and lead work sound like her own style. (I'm a sucker for rhythm guitar. I think Rick Springfield ruined me for that with Jesse's Girl! Hey, that's just how old, or young, I am!)
Really. Go see Vixen. They will blow you away!
Vixen set the tone by opening with Rev It Up. I've always loved this song and it's a great choice for an opener. This led into Streets In Paradise, which I honestly didn't remember, but it sure grooved live.
I was surprised that they did 6 new tunes, too. The first one was Live And Learn. The rhythm guitar in this song was pure Jan. She is so under-rated. Her rhythm and lead work during the solo just flowed so seamlessly. The riff she came up with for this song was groovin'! I'm going to use that word a lot because they just had everything in the pocket. They launched into How Much Love and Love Made Me before going into another killer new tune called Anyway. The bass took the main rhythm here while Jan had a wonderful harmonic rhythm on top of it. I can't wait to hear this tune on CD. She almost had a wall of sound going with that guitar part.
Love Is A Killer fit perfectly between Anyway and another new song called Pacifist. To be honest, I can't remember too much about this song, but I know that everything sounded good tonight. Not A Minute Too Soon then led into another new and heavy song called Angy. There were bursts of rhythm in this song that truly sounded angry and it was one of the heavier tunes of the night. I'm kinda liking the direction that they seem to be taking the new tunes. They all sounded different and this one just had it's own unique dark feel while still sounding like Vixen. Each new song stood on its own and didn't sound like anything before or after it.
Two familiar tunes came back to back in Cryin', one of my favorite Vixen tunes, and I Want You To Rock Me. They put some of Queen's We Will Rock You in the latter and had everyone there singing along. I'm tellin' ya that red headed singer (Jenna Sanz-Agero) and the long haired blond bass player (Lynn Louise Lowrey) sure made you want to rock them! Jan has always looked good and their drummer (Kat Kraft) has an awesome smile (and a nice caboose!), but the interplay on Rock Me with the way the new bass player moves was such a turn on! Ah, they're all hot! Even the girl I took with me was really into Jenna and Lynn! (I have to admit that it was fun hearing her talk about that...)
The 5th new tune of the night was Love Song, which had a bass line combined with Jan's rhythm that reminded me a bit of some early Sabbath. The bass line had almost a stomp in parts and really made this song move. They were so tight tonight in every song, but their sense of timing really shown through here and right into the fast paced Cruisin'. Now, Cruisin' is my favorite Vixen song and I was banging my head right up front in between Jan and Jenna!
The bass came through again in You Wish, another new song. I can't remember if it was this one or Love Song, but both had great vocal parts and one of them really had some wonderful harmonies. You can tell the work that went into these new songs to give them a timeless feel. The drum lines, the guitar work, the bass, the melodic structure of the vocals were all spot on and helped blend the old and new songs. I can't wait to get more familiar with these tunes.
They finished up wtih Edge Of A Broken Heart and then encored with Bad Reputation, which I had almost forgotten about. Believe me, that tune is getting some airplay at my place this weekend! Edge is another of my favorites, probably third after Cruisin' and Cryin'. Wonderful guitar riff and killer vocals.
You have really got to see Vixen if they are anywhere near where you live. I know the sound guy for House Of Bricks and he had Vixen dialed in perfectly tonight and they are just plain tight as a band.
The only thing I can recommend, and it isn't a big thing, is for Jenna to move more. She hits every note with ease, but it would be great to see her perform with more energy. There were moments when she was the calm between the storms of Jan and Lynn. This isn't anything major, but I'd love to see her perform in high gear. She would look good with a major sweat by the end of the set! Glisten!
I had the opportunity to meet Vixen and get some pictures and autographs after the show. They are hoping to have their new CD out in September. I'm hoping that schedule stays intact and doesn't get pushed back. Jenna's vocals are strong and will be great to hear in a setting where I can absorb more of these songs. Vixen are great at writing vocal lines and harmonies and they pull them off live with ease. Kat and Lynn sound like they have been playing together forever as a rhythm section. They hold down the bottom and add some fills that are very fluid. I will be crankin' the bass on that new CD, Live And Learn. Jan's guitar work has always been top notch and I can't wait to hear what else she has come up with. She effortlessly moves between styles and makes her rhythm and lead work sound like her own style. (I'm a sucker for rhythm guitar. I think Rick Springfield ruined me for that with Jesse's Girl! Hey, that's just how old, or young, I am!)
Really. Go see Vixen. They will blow you away!
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Old Friends
I found out an old friend was searching for me online. I sent her a couple of messages at the various addresses I found. I hope she gets in touch. We were friends in junior high and high school through our churches. I have a phone number, but have been hesitant to call it.
I've always been bad about keeping up with friends. When I move I try to keep in touch, but the distance and the convenience make it tough to do. I wouldn't mind running into old friends and I do enjoy seeing them, but I rarely ever keep up with them until I see them again. Maybe I'm not exactly the nostalgic type. I don't leave friendships in a bad way or don't consider them less of a friend. We are just out of touch until we meet again, I guess. I do wish that I had kept up with more people as my life has progressed. There are some I do wonder about. Mostly girlfriends that I hope are much happier now.
I do have good friends and have always had good friends. I've moved around a lot in life and have met some great people. I am thankful for my friends.
I've always been bad about keeping up with friends. When I move I try to keep in touch, but the distance and the convenience make it tough to do. I wouldn't mind running into old friends and I do enjoy seeing them, but I rarely ever keep up with them until I see them again. Maybe I'm not exactly the nostalgic type. I don't leave friendships in a bad way or don't consider them less of a friend. We are just out of touch until we meet again, I guess. I do wish that I had kept up with more people as my life has progressed. There are some I do wonder about. Mostly girlfriends that I hope are much happier now.
I do have good friends and have always had good friends. I've moved around a lot in life and have met some great people. I am thankful for my friends.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Guantanamo Bay Is A Prison?
I'm not sure how many people realize this. Guantanamo Bay is a prison. It houses prisoners, those who have been accused of crimes against the United States. There are about 550 detainees held there. They eat wonderful meals like Lemon Chicken with Rice. They have arrows inside pointing to the East so that those who are Muslim can pray several times a day. They have foot print markings so that soldiers know where to step so that they don't disturb the prisoners while they pray. They are given a vast library and the Koran to read.
There are accusations of torture in this facility. The torture described in these accusations is people being led around in the nude, wearing women's underwear, standing in "stress positions", and having water dripped on the head. Eating the same rations as our military is considered torture, too. Nobody has ever died there.
Gitmo, as this place is commonly called, doesn't sound like much of a prison. They eat better than my kids do at school. My kids certainly don't get the kind of meals that this place offers. They are allowed to pray and offered their meals according to their beliefs. Our public schools are in an uproar if our kids pray for safety and sportsmanship before a sporting event. Our public buildings aren't allowed to have a copy of the 10 Commandments on the walls. Some of this so-called torture is the equivalent of college hijinks or strange sexual practices.
What is a prison supposed to be? When we detain prisoners of war, aren't we supposed to get information from them? If this means we have to run bamboo under their fingernails, so be it. If it means they have to walk around in women's underwear and have water dripped on their head, great! It's prison. It's supposed to be rough. War isn't pretty. It isn't easy and it shouldn't be easy on prisoners. To be honest, if I was in charge, they wouldn't even be able to worship with the Koran. They would have to understand that their way of worshipping lead them to believe that we are their great enemy and they committed acts of terror on us. Let their god save them or they will suffer the consequences.
Not all Muslims believe we are the great enemy. As a matter of fact, I would venture to say that most all Muslims don't agree with what this minority did in committing acts of terror. I grew up with a best friend who is Muslim and he loved living in this country and also loved his homeland of Bangladesh. His marriage had been prearranged as his family's custom is and he gave me a few tips when meeting members of his family so that I didn't offend anyone. He was a great friend and we listened to music together, hung out and goofed off with comics and toys, and pretended to be super heroes. We got along well. He never considered me an enemy and I'm a Christian preacher's kid.
I do wish that the media would quit portraying the US as bad guys and I also wish that these groups like Amnesty would do the same. The United States is a great nation and a nation to be proud of. You don't have to agree with everything we do, but we are still a great nation and we are not bad guys. This nation is made up of great people from all walks of life. When you insult or attack our country, you insult and attack our people. When you insult or attack or government, you insult and attack our people. We vote on our leaders. We are allowed to speak freely and vote on changes in our leaders when we feel the need. It's not perfect, but as close as I've ever seen in history for a free representative republic. Now if we can only get a bunch of the political correctness out and common sense back in... Freedom is awesome! Pass it on!
There are accusations of torture in this facility. The torture described in these accusations is people being led around in the nude, wearing women's underwear, standing in "stress positions", and having water dripped on the head. Eating the same rations as our military is considered torture, too. Nobody has ever died there.
Gitmo, as this place is commonly called, doesn't sound like much of a prison. They eat better than my kids do at school. My kids certainly don't get the kind of meals that this place offers. They are allowed to pray and offered their meals according to their beliefs. Our public schools are in an uproar if our kids pray for safety and sportsmanship before a sporting event. Our public buildings aren't allowed to have a copy of the 10 Commandments on the walls. Some of this so-called torture is the equivalent of college hijinks or strange sexual practices.
What is a prison supposed to be? When we detain prisoners of war, aren't we supposed to get information from them? If this means we have to run bamboo under their fingernails, so be it. If it means they have to walk around in women's underwear and have water dripped on their head, great! It's prison. It's supposed to be rough. War isn't pretty. It isn't easy and it shouldn't be easy on prisoners. To be honest, if I was in charge, they wouldn't even be able to worship with the Koran. They would have to understand that their way of worshipping lead them to believe that we are their great enemy and they committed acts of terror on us. Let their god save them or they will suffer the consequences.
Not all Muslims believe we are the great enemy. As a matter of fact, I would venture to say that most all Muslims don't agree with what this minority did in committing acts of terror. I grew up with a best friend who is Muslim and he loved living in this country and also loved his homeland of Bangladesh. His marriage had been prearranged as his family's custom is and he gave me a few tips when meeting members of his family so that I didn't offend anyone. He was a great friend and we listened to music together, hung out and goofed off with comics and toys, and pretended to be super heroes. We got along well. He never considered me an enemy and I'm a Christian preacher's kid.
I do wish that the media would quit portraying the US as bad guys and I also wish that these groups like Amnesty would do the same. The United States is a great nation and a nation to be proud of. You don't have to agree with everything we do, but we are still a great nation and we are not bad guys. This nation is made up of great people from all walks of life. When you insult or attack our country, you insult and attack our people. When you insult or attack or government, you insult and attack our people. We vote on our leaders. We are allowed to speak freely and vote on changes in our leaders when we feel the need. It's not perfect, but as close as I've ever seen in history for a free representative republic. Now if we can only get a bunch of the political correctness out and common sense back in... Freedom is awesome! Pass it on!
New Pictures
Until I learn more about posting as many pictures here as I can at my MSN site, go check out the new pictures I posted at http://spaces.msn.com/members/sonofapreacher of Paige's 7th birthday and a couple of pictures of my roommates. I will be adding many more concert pictures next Sunday and hope to have some from softball up soon as well.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Paige Turns 7
Softball sucked last Thursday. We lost both games. We found out that we are a very good team, but we made too many mistakes and beat ourselves. Against the 7-1 team, our mistakes cost us 7 runs in one inning. If we would have gotten out of that one inning, we would have won. We are better than that one inning and we proved it the rest of the game. The second game I didn't play, but I umpired. Still too many errors and I wish I would have pitched it. Our other pitcher and I just have different styles and they seem to get fewer hits off of me. Don't ask me why because the only explanation I have is the backspin I put on my pitches. We take on two week teams this week so I hope that gives us two wins. We need upward mobility in the standings.
The girls and I had a blast this weekend. We celebrated Paige's 7th birthday. Her actual birthday is on the 16th. I got her a pink futon chair, which she just loved. She didn't sit on any other furniture the whole weekend. She just loved curling up in that chair. It's so comfortable. I got her a couple of stuffed animals that she picked out, too. She has this new things about Care Bears so I got her one that glows in the dark. I got her a bubble gun as well and she used that at the park on Sunday. We had her favorite food Saturday night when we grilled out and ate at her favorite place for lunch, which was McDonald's, of course. I had the girls take a pair of socks so they could play on the equipment. Brittany really likes to play air hockey now. She beat a couple of boys close to her age.
I had to do some computer work Saturday morning and found out that there is a very nice swimming pool near my house. The business owner gave me directions which I thought had to be wrong. I've been by there many times, but have never noticed this pool. Turns out they even have two slides. The girls had been pretty upset about not getting to swim the day before with their Grandma. She had promised them and then it ended up raining. Since I found out about this pool, we went for a couple hours and had a great time! This will be a summer hang out on several weekends for us. I even got some sun! I hope to get more sun at Waterstock now.
I had purchased Wonder Woman Season 1 last week and wasn't sure how the girls would react to it. They love it! Between this and Greatest American Hero, my kids are really devoloping good taste for TV shows!
This is going to be a good week, too. I will see Batman Begins on Wednesday, play softball on Thursday, go see Vixen on Friday, and Waterstock on Saturday. I will get to see some friends I don't get to see that often at these concerts, so that will be fun, too.
I have to get a few DVD's this week, if I can afford them. Lois & Clark Season 1 is out. Superman is cool. Coyote Ugly Extended edition is out. Do I really need to comment about needing a copy of this movie? Star Trek Insurrection Special Edition is out. Star Trek is cool, too. There are a couple others, too, that slip my mind now. Soon I will have to get seasons 2 & 3 of Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter was so fine!
There are also plenty of good movies coming out that I want to see. I haven't seen The Longest Yard, yet, but I did see Star Wars Episode III. I want to see it again. Of course, there is the new Batman movie, Fantastic Four, and War Of the Worlds. I'm a bit of a comic book person so movies based on super heroes are fun for me.
So much to do, so little time. So many things to buy, so little money. I'm TRYING!
The girls and I had a blast this weekend. We celebrated Paige's 7th birthday. Her actual birthday is on the 16th. I got her a pink futon chair, which she just loved. She didn't sit on any other furniture the whole weekend. She just loved curling up in that chair. It's so comfortable. I got her a couple of stuffed animals that she picked out, too. She has this new things about Care Bears so I got her one that glows in the dark. I got her a bubble gun as well and she used that at the park on Sunday. We had her favorite food Saturday night when we grilled out and ate at her favorite place for lunch, which was McDonald's, of course. I had the girls take a pair of socks so they could play on the equipment. Brittany really likes to play air hockey now. She beat a couple of boys close to her age.
I had to do some computer work Saturday morning and found out that there is a very nice swimming pool near my house. The business owner gave me directions which I thought had to be wrong. I've been by there many times, but have never noticed this pool. Turns out they even have two slides. The girls had been pretty upset about not getting to swim the day before with their Grandma. She had promised them and then it ended up raining. Since I found out about this pool, we went for a couple hours and had a great time! This will be a summer hang out on several weekends for us. I even got some sun! I hope to get more sun at Waterstock now.
I had purchased Wonder Woman Season 1 last week and wasn't sure how the girls would react to it. They love it! Between this and Greatest American Hero, my kids are really devoloping good taste for TV shows!
This is going to be a good week, too. I will see Batman Begins on Wednesday, play softball on Thursday, go see Vixen on Friday, and Waterstock on Saturday. I will get to see some friends I don't get to see that often at these concerts, so that will be fun, too.
I have to get a few DVD's this week, if I can afford them. Lois & Clark Season 1 is out. Superman is cool. Coyote Ugly Extended edition is out. Do I really need to comment about needing a copy of this movie? Star Trek Insurrection Special Edition is out. Star Trek is cool, too. There are a couple others, too, that slip my mind now. Soon I will have to get seasons 2 & 3 of Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter was so fine!
There are also plenty of good movies coming out that I want to see. I haven't seen The Longest Yard, yet, but I did see Star Wars Episode III. I want to see it again. Of course, there is the new Batman movie, Fantastic Four, and War Of the Worlds. I'm a bit of a comic book person so movies based on super heroes are fun for me.
So much to do, so little time. So many things to buy, so little money. I'm TRYING!
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Jumper Didn't Jump
I went out to my car after work yesterday only to be partially blocked in by an ambulance, police car, and fire truck. Their were people on the corner looking at the top of the parking garage across the street. Apparently, some nut job was sitting up there threatening to jump. I heard later that he came down with the officer who was talking to him. What a coward. Either way, if you jump you are a coward for not facing life head on and if you don't jump you are a coward just seeking attention.
I've considered suicide in the past. I'm too smart to ever go through with it. However, a cousin of mine wasn't. He hung himself in the back of a grocery store. He had cleaned up his life and we were becoming good friends relating to music, being a teenager, and him being new to the family due to marriage. He apparently got back in with a bad crowd briefly and thought this was his easiest way out. I feel for him and his family. They were heartbroken as they had really tried to reach out and assist him in getting his life on track. Broken homes can be tough on youth and it was tough on him.
I don't admire anyone who has committed suicide. I think it's tragic, stupid, and a coward's way out. I don't hate them for doing it. In fact, I understand the thought process. I don't agree with it, though. There is always a way out and a constructive way of dealing with things. If you are caught in something bad, do the time, ride out the illness, do whatever it takes to make things right with those you've crossed. Life is precious. Enjoy it and quit worrying about it so much!
I've considered suicide in the past. I'm too smart to ever go through with it. However, a cousin of mine wasn't. He hung himself in the back of a grocery store. He had cleaned up his life and we were becoming good friends relating to music, being a teenager, and him being new to the family due to marriage. He apparently got back in with a bad crowd briefly and thought this was his easiest way out. I feel for him and his family. They were heartbroken as they had really tried to reach out and assist him in getting his life on track. Broken homes can be tough on youth and it was tough on him.
I don't admire anyone who has committed suicide. I think it's tragic, stupid, and a coward's way out. I don't hate them for doing it. In fact, I understand the thought process. I don't agree with it, though. There is always a way out and a constructive way of dealing with things. If you are caught in something bad, do the time, ride out the illness, do whatever it takes to make things right with those you've crossed. Life is precious. Enjoy it and quit worrying about it so much!
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