Out & about – Page 2 – The Boring Old Man

Concert Review: Magic City Hippies at The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA

Alright, once again we’re off to see Magic City Hippies! This is (I believe) our 9th time seeing them. They’ve become sort of an annual Birthday tradition for our daughter, as they always seem to be in the Bay Area on the week of her birthday, and we’ve been to every Bay Area show they’ve done. As my constant visitors may have gathered, we go to a LOT of shows, it is hands down our #1 form of entertainment, and MCH are our favorite live band so we do everything we can to see them when they are in town.

Tonight they played the Regency Ballroom, a venue we’ve been to numerous times. It’s really a great place, aside from the fact that it’s in San Francisco… (Seriously, any bands or managers or promoters out there reading this – for the love of God, STOP booking everything in San Francisco! There ARE other cities in the Bay Area you know!?!)

Anyhow, my loathing of SF aside, we were all super excited to see the guys again, as their shows are just pure magic (no pun intended!). The musicianship, the songs, the energy, the vibe…there is nobody like them!

The trip into the city was the usual mania. The people up there drive like they don’t want to live!! I always, ALWAYS get stressed out driving in SF, but for the Hippies I’ll still do it, even on a “school night”.

The opening act tonight was a young man by the name of Josh Fudge. We got there after he started his set, so we only got the last portion of it, but what we saw was really good. It was just him and a drummer, so not a lot visually, but the songs were good and his enthusiasm was infectious. He really seemed to be enjoying his moment on the stage. I’d certainly be interested in seeing more.

Up next in the middle support slot was The Palms from Los Angeles. I was vaguely familiar with them having heard a few of their songs, which I liked. I had a feeling they might be better live than on record, and I was right!

They are what you’d call a proper band – drums, bass, a keyboard player that doubled up on guitar and lap steel (!!), a lead guitarist and a vocalist that also played acoustic guitar on about half the tunes. Refreshing!

Don’t know what happened to my pics of the Palms… I took them, but they’ve gone missing…

For me, the shining star of the show was their lead guitarist, he was really impressive. He incorporated a number of styles in his playing as well as a full pallette of tones, and he was just fantastic. And if I’m being honest, he himself had about 70% of the charisma of the band. Don’t get me wrong, the band was solid as a rock. They’re playing was darn near perfect, they just didn’t give much of a “performance” on stage. Which is fine, not everyone is a showman. It just took the excitement level down a couple of notches. I’d give them a solid B+ on the set. If they keep it up they could be something to behold with a few more tours under their belts.

The Hippies opened up with Body Like a Weapon, which is a mid-tempo number, and the set opened with a slow burn. It didn’t take long before they were just tearing it up on stage.

Guitarist John was his usual extraordinary self. His playing is so fluid and he’s an absolute wonder to watch when he’s in the zone. I still miss the growl of his hollowbody guitar, which I haven’t seen him use in several years now and it appears the guys have traded in the Fender tube amps for digital pre-amps going straight to the PA, so there is a certain grittiness that is missing from the overall sound. BUT, I must admit the tones are much more true to the sounds on the records… A trade-off I can accept and most people that aren’t tone-snobs like myself would likely not even notice.

The greatest guitarist nobody knows about!

Robbie Hunter I still consider one of the best front men in modern music, and I was again reminded of what a stellar guitarist he is too!

Bassist Guillermo Belisario just keeps getting better and better. His bass playing has always been excellent, but he’s been taking on more duties on stage, playing some keyboards and singing harmonies. Clearly an outstanding musician and he really holds it all together when the other guys are really going off.

Drummer Pat… What can I say? He’s a true force behind the kit. Watching him play reminds me of Keith Moon – not the parts he’s playing, but the WAY he plays. It’s a straight up attack, and yet he never loses that deep Hippies groove. I’m a fan. I consider myself a better than average drummer and I’ve played a bunch of Hippies songs over the years, but I CANNOT play them like Pat. He’s one if a kind.

Jake Pinto really has gelled with the boys now that he’s been on the road with them for a couple tours. It’s almost like he was always there… And when he, John and Robbie play 3 part harmonies on guitar? Holy smokes! It’s really special and frankly unheard of in modern bands.

There was also a new element to the show this time around that turned out to be an excellent addition. I didn’t catch his name unfortunately, but MCH had added another player on stage playing trumpet and percussion. Let me tell you, this guy was off the charts impressive. His horn playing was excellent, his percussion playing very tasteful and in the pocket and his stage presence and style was super high energy and fun to watch. A really pleasant surprise and a great addition to the world’s best live band!

All in all, it was was an outstanding show. Not that I expected anything less. The Magic City Hippies are a shiny, gleaming needle in a haystack when it come to live music. They have great songs, exceptional musicianship and it’s obvious to everyone in the room that they’re having a great time on stage, doing what they do best.

A big thanks to everyone involved, it was a GREAT night and a great way to end what turned into a Birthday Week for our daughter’s 30th!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip: Monterey, CA

This trip marks a very special occasion, our “baby” is celebrating her 30th birthday this week! Hard to believe…

We’ve always been a “beach” family, as you might have gathered if you’ve read any of my earlier posts, but Monterey has ALWAYS been our daughter’s favorite. While my wife and I grew up haunting the Santa Cruz Soquel and Capitola areas, if we ever asked the kid where she wanted to go, it was always Monterey.

This time around we stayed at the Portola Hotel and Spa, and it was really nice. Beyond expectations even. We had booked weeks ago and much to our surprise and delight, they gave us an unexpected “upgrade” to one of the Presidential Suites. No kidding. The room was bonkers.

I haven’t stayed in a room this nice since the 90’s when I was lucky enough to be on the road crew with Dogstar in Australia and New Zealand. It was off the charts for a hotel room, certainly bigger than our apartment!!

The trip was pretty mild and rather uneventful, in a good way. Mostly, we ate really fancy foods in nice restaurants (Jack’s & Schooner’s amongst others) and just hung out. We also hit the touristy spots – Fisherman’s Wharf and the Monterey Bay Aquarium – too. They were nothing new as we’ve been to both more times than we can count, but it was a good time nonetheless. The Aquarium is truly spectacular. If you’ve never been and you enjoy wildlife, you should definitely check it out once in your life.

All in all, it was a really nice time. The forecast had called for rain, all day, every day for the time we were there, but luckily the weather people were waaay off and we had really mild weather. Very little rain and even a touch of sun. As a bonus, the weather kept the crowds down to a level that didn’t drive me out of my skin!

Still coming to grips with our daughter turning 30, but this nice, mellow weekend sure helped keep smiles on our faces! And we can’t help be feel grateful that our kid still likes to hang out with us! We must have done something right along the way…

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Missing Persons & Bow Wow Wow at the Guild Theater, Menlo Park, CA.

Welcome to my first concert review of 2024!

This was a last-minute decision…the Mrs. and our daughter are on a girl’s overnighter so I had to decide if I wanted to go bad enough to go alone, and since the venue is right up the road from my workplace and I was going to be alone anyway, I decided to pull the trigger on a single ticket.

Now, I am a longtime, HUGE fan of Missing Persons and have been since the first time I heard “Mental Hopscotch” on KFJC back in middle school. The next year as a freshman in high school I got a copy of their “Spring Session M” album and DEVOURED it. I seriously could not get enough. I loved all of it, but it was drummer Terry Bozzio that got me obsessed with the band and he would become my #1 influence as a drummer for the next… well, he’s STILL my #1 influence some 40 years later!

Even though I let go of MOST of my vinyl records (READ: sold them ‘cuz I was damn poor and needed to make ends meet!), I never let go of my Missing Persons collection – all 3 studio albums, their first EP ( which took nearly a decade to source!) and 12″ singles are still proudly in my collection.

I LOVE all the MP albums, but this one in my favorite! Criminally underrated!!

As I was only 12 when they first broke out and the band only lasted (in it’s original lineup) until 1986, I never got a chance to see them live. Until about 2001 that is, when they (mostly) reunited and played a club show in LA. That was the first and only time in my life that I actually took a flight to go to a show!

I had “friends in high places” back then and actually got to go backstage before the gig and met Terry, his (by then ex-) wife, vocalist Dale Bozzio, and guitarist Warren Cuccarillo, who were all very nice and gracious to the blithering idiot that was I, telling them all how much they’d shaped my musical life for the last (at the time) 20 years. Then they went out and played one of the most phenomenal sets I’ve ever experienced!

I only tell you all this to get around to saying that I was iffy on this show because for the last 20 years or so, Missing Persons is really just Dale Bozzio with a bunch of hired hands, not the band I was obsessive about. Now, Dale is a GREAT performer and was undoubtedly a big part of why the band got the attention it did back in the day, but she was always the least interesting part of the band to me. They had the best drummer I’d ever heard in my life, an unbelievable bassist and an absolutely amazing guitarist, so the weird squeaky vocals to me were just sprinkles on the icing of the world’s greatest cake!

However, when I saw the opening act was Bow Wow Wow?!?! Ok, I was sold.

I was also a fan of BWW back in the day, though not nearly to the level of Missing Persons. I was actually a massive Adam and the Ants fan BEFORE I ever heard of Missing Persons, and Bow Wow Wow was an offshoot of the Ants, so naturally I was interested when I first heard about them. I still have their “Last of the Mohicans” album in my collection too, but this band was so short lived and I was so young when they hit that I never got the opportunity to see them in their heyday. So when I saw it was them playing with Dale and MP, I just couldn’t say no! Of course, similar to Missing Persons, Bow Wow Wow is now working under the name “Annabaella’s Bow Wow Wow”, after the singer, so I can only assume it’s the same sort of deal – the original vocalist with a bunch of hired hands. Nonetheless, both bands have great songs so I figured if nothing else it will be some fun nostalgia.

Well first things first, Bow Wow Wow exceeded all expectations, by a mile! Annabella sounded great after all these years and still had that spunky energy she had back in the early days. Her band though, holy smokes! These guys were OUTSTANDING! Their guitarist nailed not only the original parts, but his tone was spot on too. His musicianship was excellent and he was fun to watch as well, just exceptional. The bassist was rock solid, groovy as hell and didn’t miss a thing the entire set. The drummer was on fire all night and just tore it up. The man got a serious workout up there with all those tribal-type of drum beats, just a pulsating rhythm, driving song after song, it was a very impressive.

They played all their hits, some deep cuts, some newer tunes and even a Bob Marley cover. It was great fun, highly entertaining and well worth the wait!

Missing Persons opened their set with Mental Hopscotch which was exciting for me as it was the first song I ever heard from them. But here’s where things go weird… You’ll recall a couple paragraphs back how impressed I was with the Bow Wow Wow drummer? Well, Missing Persons used the SAME drummer and it was (in my incredibly biased opinion) a disaster. His drum parts were just the beats with none of the amazing drum parts that made Missing Persons music so unique and special in the world of “New Wave”.

They followed up with Noticeable One, another one of my faves. I will give credit to the guitarist- he did an excellent job recreating Warren’s spacey guitar tone and his playing was really excellent. And Dale sounded as good as ever. But it all just sounded wrong because of the drums. I just couldn’t get past it. The songs are so ingrained in my head that I “hear” the music that is missing and it was like an itch I couldn’t scratch. Up next was Words, one of their biggest hits, and despite the outstanding guitar work it just sounded all wrong.

Imagine, say Jack White – an amazing guitarist in his own right – filling in for Eddie Van Halen… No matter the talent, it just wouldn’t sound right in that context.

I’m not gonna lie, I was getting bummed out.

I’m not trying to sound like an arrogant jerk here, I’m not he saying he wasn’t a good drummer, he just wasn’t playing the songs as written and to me it seriously diminished the music.

After Words, Dale went into a really long rambling talk that didn’t really go anywhere and I was getting a little perplexed…and then they started up “Simon”, from a late 80’s solo album and that was my cue to leave…

I have such strong memories of Missing Persons and their reunion show is still in the Top 10 of the hundreds of shows I’ve been to. I didn’t want to stay any longer and have my love of the band’s music tainted in any way, so it was best that I left early.

When all is said and done, I’m glad I went because Bow Wow Wow was great and I really enjoyed their set. And both of the bands had extraordinary guitarists which was a real treat. But unless all the stars align and there is another Missing Persons reunion with the original cast, I believe that will be my last MP show.

Are they still one of my all-time favorites? Yes. But it simply wasn’t the same…

I will say, if you’re not a hard core MP fan and you just remember them from MTV or the radio and you want some nostalgia, you’d probably be OK with their new sound. But if you’re like me and their entire catalog is committed to memory and ingrained into your soul I cannot recommend. To each their own, as they say…

Thanks for stopping by!

NYE in Napa, CA. Out & About/Concert Review/After Action Report…all rolled into one!

NYE was a busy day! Got up and hit the gym, came home and whipped up some healthy smoothies, then set about doing some chorin’ around the house, including taking down the Christmas tree. Then it was packing bags, feeding the critters, gassing up the ride and hitting the road 2 hours north to Napa.

Our first stop was the hotel. We stayed at the Westin Verasa this time around. Swanky place, let me tell ya! Check-in was super smooth and afterwards we met up with our daughter and her fiance, who’d arrived about an hour prior, to grab a bite. We stumbled into a place called Gott’s Roadside and had a great dinner – the gents dined on bacon cheeseburgers, while the ladies went for the poke tacos, and we split some sweet potato fries and onion rings. Healthy eating? Not today, my friends!

We then walked back to the hotel and split up to our different rooms so the ladies could get ready for the night’s festivities.

The main event took place at the Uptown Theater – a NYE celebration with Dogstar. Yes, I know, this is the 5th Dogstar show in 13 months, it may seem I’m a bit obsessed. But this was a chance to spend NYE with my lovely wife, and the kids and my best friend AND it’s the last show of the tour and who knows when/if they’ll ever play a live show in these parts again? Get while the gettin’s good as my Pops likes to say.

Archer Oh was the opening act- you may remember my raving about them in my review of the Menlo Park show this past summer. Well, once again, the band brought their A-game and left it all on stage! I’m still incredibly impressed with these guys, particularly their lead guitarist. He’s a stellar talent with a very unique style. Which is not to diminish the rest of the band, far from it! They are one of those bands that I believe is far greater than the sum of their parts. Their chemistry as a BAND just works and it’s delightful to experience them live!

Dogstar hit the stage to a nearly sold-out audience and played a longer then normal set, which included a couple older songs from previous records that I hadn’t heard them play on the tour, as well as a couple cover tunes – something they don’t usually do. When they charged into “Just like Heaven”, the mid 90’s gem by The Cure, the crowd was on their feet and going wild!

The band’s signature beer, with the Mrs’ “formal sneakers” in the background!

A little later in the set they tackled the Ramones classic “I Wanna be Sedated” which was a super fun flashback for many of us old geezers in the crowd!

Bret’s playing was on fire – even better than just a few weeks ago in SF. It just goes to show how much practice and playing shows can improve one’s craft. It was really a standout performance, no question. I cant help but to think back on the days in his mother’s living room when we were all of 14-15 years old, trying to figure all this rock band stuff out. To see how far he’s come as an artist is really special and inspiring.

Bret, delivering the performance of a lifetime!

The other thing that really grabbed my attention was that Keanu actually seemed to be HAVING FUN on stage! Generally he looks very serious and he’s “all business”, but that night, his sense of joy was palpable. It was an absolutely perfect way to end the tour and I’m grateful that I got to experience it with my family in tow.

After the show there was quite the gathering backstage, all friends and family of the band(s) and crew(s) and we had a really. nice time chatting with folks. We shared a New Year’s toast with Keanu, and I got to talk to 3 of the 4 members of Archer Oh, which was cool. Very nice young men. Humble and grateful for the opportunity to do this tour. I wish them nothing but continued success!

After the After Show party, it was back to the hotel around 2am… A couple light snacks and it was lights out for the Mrs. and I.

Before we knew it, the next morning was upon us. Time for showering, packing up, checking out and meeting up with the kids for brunch a few miles away at Olive & Hay.

Brunch was terrific. I ordered French Toast with berries which was delicious, and everyone else was equally pleased with their selections. This is most definitely a place to return to!

After brunch it was back on the road to home. Talk about a whirlwind trip! Less than 24 hours and we combined outstanding food, excellent entertainment, catching up with old friends AND celebrating the rolling in of the New Year!

As I look back on 2023, mostly I see a dark and grim year, but for all it’s doom and gloom, Dogstar stands out as a shining point of brightness. They had a great year in 2023, and I hope they can keep that train rolling throughout 2024 and into their European summer tour that is already in the works.

All in all, this was an exceptional New Year celebration for us and I’m thrilled that the new year is off to a great start.

Happy New Year, y’all! Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: X at the Golden State Theater, Monterey, CA

I can vividly remember the first time I heard X. It was the summer of 1982, right before the start of my freshman year of high school. A music show on TV back in the day debuted their new song “The Hungry Wolf” and I was completely blown away – I’d never seen or heard anything like them in my life.

Back then, pre-interwebz days, it was MUCH harder to find out about bands and in the case of X, hard to find their records in shops, but I became more aware of them thanks to college radio putting them in regular rotation.

Over the next few years their first 3 albums became part of my collection and a big part of the soundtrack of my life. To this day there is nobody in music that sounds like X, they are utterly unique unto themselves. To me, they are an American treasure, wholly underrated, and there will never be another band like them.

That being said, for some reason I’d never had the chance to see them live… Part of that I’m sure is because I was all of 12 years old when their first album came out, but I digress. Anyhow, our chance finally came – an early Christmas present for the Mrs and I, and we were thrilled!

Dead Rock West was the opening act. Never heard them before, which is not all that surprising as their type of music isn’t exactly on my radar or my cup of tea. That being said, they kinda won me over! They are a duo consisting of a female vocalist who also plays tambourine and maracas and a male vocalist/guitarist. Their opening song had me settling in for a yawn-fest, but the 2nd tune snapped me right out of it. What I will say about them is this; they had voices that blended exceptionally well with each other, and the vocal arrangements were very well done. The guitar work, while simple, was solid. The songwriting was good pretty much all around. But to me, this isn’t the kind of music I go to a live show for. It’s the stuff you put on in the background when you have friends over, or that is playing in the corner of your local coffee shop… I can say honestly that I did like them – much to my surprise – but they didn’t exactly get us fired up for the main event.

When X hit the stage, they didn’t waste any time, they just let ‘er rip! Hearing John Doe and Exene harmonize for the first time in the first song brought a huge smile to my face! And finally seeing guitarist Billy Zoom in a live setting was spectacular!! He was one of my favorite guitarists of the 80’s, and let me tell you, he is still a force to be reckoned with!

The band played about an hour and fifteen minute set, covering their entire history, from the first album all the way to a brand new, unreleased song. And they were firing on all cylinders. The set would have been impressive by any band, but when you stop to consider John Doe and Billy Zoom are 70 and 75 years old, respectively?!?! That they were able to still crank out such a high energy show at this stage of their lives, gives credence to the power of music!

All in all, it was an outstanding show and frankly I’m still a bit flabbergasted by what we witnessed! My only “gripe” is they didn’t play “The Hungry Wolf”, which is STILL my favorite song by them. But hey, they played a great many other legendary songs and put on an excellent show. The Mrs. and I left grinning ear to ear and just ecstatic over the show. I don’t know if we’ll every get the chance to see them again, but I am truly grateful for catching them this time around. If you’re a fan and you get the chance, go see them, you won’t be disappointed!!!

And since I didn’t get to hear it last night, I’m going to post up my all time favorite song from these guys, enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Des Rocs at The Independent, San Francisco CA

Another night at The Independent, one of our favorite venues, to see one of our favorite live bands, Des Rocs!

Christopher Shayne from Phoenix, AZ was the opening act tonight, and someone we’d never heard of. When they took the stage I didn’t know what to think – the first guy I see is sporting a cowboy hat, the next guy has long hair reminiscent of Chris Cornell, followed up by a dude with a foot tall Mohawk! Once they hit it, it all made sense! Lynryd Skynyrd meets Soundgarden with a good ‘ol boy meets punk attitude. Let me tell you, these guys KILLED IT! It was fantastic from start to finish. “All killer, no filler” as the saying goes. I was beyond impressed, the drummer was rock solid, powerful and right in the pocket through the whole set. The guitar work was excellent, particularly when they broke into harmonized leads, just mesmerizing. Really, the whole band was straight up professional and they tore the roof of the place. I was actually bummed when the set was over, they left me wanting more!

The second act – Starbenders – we’d also never heard of, and they gave up a mixed performance. Musically, they were pretty good. Drums and bass were pretty basic, but solid. The lead guitarist looked like a younger version of Slash minus the top hat and tattoos, and played some impressive stuff wrangling his Les Paul around. My biggest gripe came from the vocals…most of it was ok, but she used a weird voice + effect thing – a lot – that was frankly just grating. Like literally the sound frequency was painful…I don’t know how to describe it exactly but it really distracted from an otherwise decent set. What I will say, certainly some of the songs were really good and they all gave 100% on stage. It was definitely a performance, not a recital.

Finally the main event, Des Rocs! What can I say, this guy is simply one of the best live acts on the scene today. This was (I think) the 5th time seeing them in SF, and once again they just knocked it out of the park. The energy they put out on stage is electric and it is the kind of show that ALL rock shows should aspire to. If you like live music at all, you owe it to yourself to see them at least once, you won’t regret it!

When all is said and done, it was a fantastic night! Excellent musicianship all around, tons of energy, cool venue. An all around win!

Thanks for stopping by!

Here, there and everywhere…a quick catch-up

I’m feeling a bit neglectful of the ol’ blog these days and I just got back to town, so I figured I’d re-cap the last 10 days or so…

The first week of October was not unlike a big punch in the face. Work was ridiculous and on top of the ridiculousness of the day-to-day stuff, we were also hammering out the operational budget for next year. Now, I wear many, MANY hats in this gig, and do a lot of different things, but accounting is something I simply despise. I recognize that it’s a necessary evil, but I just really loathe that part of the job. A week of eyes glazing over and constant, recurring headaches, it was unpleasant to say the least. The Polyphia show was supposed to be the highlight of the week, but that was a bit of a bust too, so the week was just grueling. There was a light at the end of the tunnel though, an impending road trip, kicking off on Sunday, October 8th.

Sunday, October 8th we hit the road to Anaheim, CA for an out of the ordinary trip. For the last 25 or so years, the Mrs. and I have wanted to experience a Disneyland Halloween, and this year we finally did it. We tried to make this trip last year but our planning started only 3 months ahead of when we wanted to go and there was NOTHING available. Seriously, nothing. So this Halloween excursion had been on the books now for 10 months – a long time to wait! And to be honest, I’ve kinda lost my appreciation for Disney over the last few years, between them gobbling up so many other companies and intellectual properties, putting out crap movies and all their “woke” nonsense, I had considerations of calling the whole thing off. Nonetheless, a Disney Halloween was a bucket-list thing since I wanted to go long before the company started going down hill…

The last time we’d been to Disneyland was for our daughter’s 5th birthday – she’ll be 30 this coming February – it’s been a while!

We were expecting long lines and exorbitant costs for everything, and we grossly underestimated both. I’m a maniac for roller coasters, but waiting 2 hours (no, I’m NOT exaggerating!) for a 2 minute ride takes a lot of the fun out of it. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about the entire thing. When we first got there I found myself grinning ear-to-ear at the “magical” aspect of the place. Part of that was nostalgia, but really if you take in the architecture and the design and the special little touches everywhere, it really is unlike anything else in the world.

But the crowds! Good grief! It was just a non-stop, undulating sea of people everywhere you turned. And let me tell you, after seeing thousands upon thousands of these folks doing their best to make it an awesome day for themselves, I started to lose what little faith I had left in humanity.

This is not to say that no fun was had, there were some fun moments…just hours of waiting in “cattle chutes” in between those moments of fun. The Mrs. and I decided upon our departure that we won’t be back unless we end up with grandkids to take. Even then, it would be a tough sell…

On the bright side, we did get to ride the “Incredicoaster” at the California Adventure park on our last day, and I just gotta say WOW!!! Hands down the best roller coaster I’ve ever ridden – by a country mile!

As for the Halloween aspect, the main reason we went, it was underwhelming. There were a lot of decorations put up for it, some pretty stunning in fact, but overall it wasn’t all that different. Maybe the 80 degrees and sunny weather kept the Fall spirit at bay, I dunno. All I can say is Halloween didn’t seem to make it any more magical than it already is, it just brought in a ton of extra people.

After roughly 48 hours in Disneyland across 3 calendar days, it was back home for a layover/re-pack/car swap and a single work day for the Mrs. (and I got to put in some volunteer time at the school too, while she was working). On the 12th we set out again for one of our favorite destinations, Pismo Beach, CA.

I’ve said before that Half Moon Bay is our “home away from home”, but Pismo is a close second. The fact that one of my oldest friends lives there AND I can always count on him to head out into the surf with me, makes Pismo a very welcoming destination indeed.

This time around we tried out a few new places – the new food destinations were awesome, the outdoor hot tubs at Sycamore Hot Springs, eh, not so much… Nonetheless, we had a really relaxing time and I got to surf two days in a row, which almost never happens!

Pablo (right) and the B.O.M. (left) heading into the Pacific!

The whole reason for this trip was in celebration of the Mrs. and I hitting our 32nd (!!!) anniversary. Still having a hard time wrapping my head around that one… Add to that another 3 years together before we got married and we’re approaching double the years together than years we’d lived up to that point. It is staggering. Heck, our daughter is nearly 10 years older then we were when we got together, how time flies, eh?!?

We got back home late Sunday afternoon and the girls had a spa appointment to go to, so I headed out to my studio for some much needed drum time. I decided before I left on this trip that I wanted to change things up with my kit, and started tearing it down before I left. Last night I got a new, much smaller configuration set up and took it for a test drive. It’s pretty close to a “standard” set up now, which kinda rubs me the wrong way, but I’ll keep messing with it ’til I find a set up I love…Or I’ll go back to the “everything but the kitchen sink” set up, cuz I’m weird that way…

Monday was back to the grind, sadly. Morning commute traffic, 444 emails waiting and back to trying to solve everybody’s problems “yesterday”. Thank goodness for the recharge!!

All in all it was a great week, in spite of the hiccups, and I’m feeling invigorated and ready to seize Fall – my favorite season!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Polyphia at The Warfield Theater- San Francisco- CA

So tonight I did something I haven’t done in a long, long time – go to a show solo!

Back in the day, I used to do this all the time but its been decades. So I felt a little out of sorts, if I’m being honest.

I got there late due to the sucktastic San Francisco parking, and the opening act was already underway when I got to my seat. It was an usual act, a duo comprised of a keyboardist and a drummer, by the names of Domi and DJ Beck, respectively. I will say they both clearly spent time on their instruments and were obviously talented. That being said, their frantic jazz fusion music wasn’t my cup of tea. I was a little glad I got there late honestly, 3 songs was enough to get the gist and that type of jam just isn’t my thing.

I don’t know if it was the unexpected heat wave we were experiencing out here in the Bay Area or if the Warfield’s mechanical systems were on the fritz, but it was BLAZIN’ hot in there, which made the wait between the opening act and the headliner grueling!

Polyphia finally hit the stage about 9:20 The opening song started off with a slow burn, but quickly built up and they were off to the races!

I’ve been waiting a couple years now to see these guys live, and sat on the tickets for a few months in anticipation but to be honest, the show was a mixed bag.

On the positive side, the guys played great. Their guitarists outshine pretty much every modern fusion/prog player I’ve heard in the last decade. They really are phenomenal, especially when playing harmonized parts in unison. It is really something to behold.

That being said, the sound, the actual mixed sound from the PA system was horrendous. The bass guitar was so heavy in the mix that when things got really going with all the players, the sound just devolved into a rumbling, distorted mess. The drums too, we’re just completely buried – you could hear the back beat just fine, but ZERO of the finesse of his complex drum parts. He was also using very “dry” cymbals with little to no sustain – which can sound great recorded or in a small club, but here they were utterly lost in the mix.

Long story short, between the immense heat (along with some disturbingly rank body odor from someone seated in my general vicinity!) and the auditory assault from the bad mix through the PA, after 45 minutes, I’d had enough. I made for the exits before the set was over, not to mention any encore tunes.

I was glad that I got to see them, even if it was mildly disappointing. Knowing these guys CAN pull it off live was highly encouraging in this age of backing tracks and fake performances. That being said, I doubt I’d rush out to see them again any time soon.

As for the venue, I’ve decided to avoid the Warfield for a while, unless one of my “bucket list” performers comes through. Not that there is anything “wrong” with the venue (air conditioning aside, which was the first time I’ve experienced that there, and I saw my first Warfield show in 1982!), but the neighborhood has become so unbelievably bad I just want to stay out of it. Oddly, it’s not that I feel unsafe (thought truth be told, the Tenderloin District, where it is, happens to be either #1 or #2 of the most dangerous places in San Francisco according to crime stats) it’s just that it is really depressing. I’ve hung out in that area since my early teen years and I don’t even recognize it anymore. One “sidewalk shantytown” after another, up and down every block. Crazy people walking around screaming at nobody or everybody, drugged out zombies wandering aimlessly, and the non-stop, overwhelmed stench of urine and general filth. It really drags you down, being in the environment, even when nothing “bad” happens. It’s a real shame. San Francisco used to be THE place to be in Nor Cal, but over the last few years it is increasingly becoming the place to AVOID.

The best part of the ride out of town was this handsome devil

So like I said, a mixed bag. Keep up the good work Polyphia, and maybe find a different sound man to run your boards – it would make a world of difference!

Thanks for stopping by!

LMAO: Chris Porter at The Punchline, San Francisco

Saturday night was our third time seeing Chris Porter and once again he was fantastic!

The Emcee for the night – Marcus Howard – had some great bits about his day job as an elementary school teacher. Considering both the Mrs. and our daughter (who was there with us) are both elementary school teachers, that got a lot of laughs! He did a great job getting the crowd revved up and kept things rolling in a positive way.

The opening act was a guy we’ve never heard of, Kris Tinkle. This guy was hilarious! Seriously, we were cracking up through his entire set. I can’t imagine why he isn’t more well known. I’d happily go see him again.

Chris Porter killed as usual. A few of the bits were repeats from previous shows, nonetheless they were still dang funny and he kept the show flowing and had us in stitches the entire time.

I got a chance to meet Chris after the show, and he was so different than his stage persona. His act is very cynical and a bit angry – in a HILARIOUS way, mind you – but face to face he was so mild mannered and friendly, it was a bit of a surprise. I picked up a copy of his new record and he graciously offered to sign it for me, so I got a cool souvenir from the show on top of an aching gut from all the laughs!

All in all, it was another great night of hilarity. If you have a chance to see either of these comics, don’t miss it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Qveen Herby at the Rickshaw Stop, SF, CA.

I debated writing this review due to being raised with the ethos of “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”… But after some reflection I figured honesty is the best policy so I’ll tell it like it was in my not so humble (musical) opinion.

First off, I’m a huge fan of Qveen Herby and have been for several years now. The Mrs. and our daughter are too. There is literally NOBODY like her. We’ve been waiting a LONG time for her to finally hit the road and do some live music, so when she finally announced a limited tour, we JUMPED! We were so excited for this show, more than many others we’ve been to recently. Seeing an artist you love for the first time can be such a thrill!

My daughter and I been to the Rickshaw once before and loved it. We were really looking forward to getting out there again. But something was really outta whack this time and we did not have the excellent experience that we did the last time around.

Things got off to a rocky start, right off the bat. The show was listed as “doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. We got the venue at 8:02, and there was a line of people down the street and around the block… Not a good sign.

We didn’t actually step foot into the club until 8:45. Pretty bad for a show scheduled to start at 8! Anyhow, once we get in, I’m immediately drawn to the fact that there is essentially NO musical gear on stage. Just a table, center stage, and I can see some sort of device with a few protruding knobs and that’s it.

We stand around in the room that is getting increasingly packed and the next thing you know the “opening act” comes out at 9:15 – and it’s a freakin’ DJ. <Insert MASSIVE eye-roll here>. Good grief. The DJ proceeds to “perform” a 30-40 minute “set” of the most inane, generic disco night club crap you can imagine. About halfway through I commented to the Mrs.,”I find it odd that someone who clearly doesn’t like music chose to become a DJ…” It was absurd. As boring as watching paint dry. And certainly not something I’d ever expect to see at a concert.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, it was over.

Then we wait. Then we wait some more. Then we wait a little longer. And after just a little more waiting, the main attraction hits the stage at 10:10 with…no band. What. The. Hell?

Qveen Herby looked great and her voice sounded fantastic. Her singing is great and her rapping is as good as any rapper I’ve ever heard. BUT! There is only so much one person can do to fill a stage, no matter how talented.

Long story short, we ended up leaving early – we’d seen enough. Frankly, it was kinda like watching a music video. All the music, all the background vocals and harmonies were simply play-back tracks. Essentially the “band” is a laptop. That does not make for an exciting show.

All that being said, we’re still glad we went to see her. I was really happy to see her get a packed house on her first gig in SF and it was cool to see/hear darn near everyone in the building singing along, word for word. I’m happy that she’s getting the recognition and love she clearly deserves. She is very entertaining and unlike so many other performers these days actually has a great voice – it’s not studio gimmicks and trickery. She’s the real deal. But for my money, if you’re doing a LIVE show, you better have some musicians on that stage! Otherwise, you’re just selling tickets to a Karaoke night.

Qveen, we still love you and your songs, but you need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to a live show. Costumes and lighting and props are great for plays and musicals, but live MUSIC needs live MUSICIANS!! If you put the care and feeding into the live act that you do for your videos, you’ll be unstoppable! I hope to see you continue to grow as an artist, and I hope this won’t be the one and only time we get the Qveen Herby experience IRL!

And to the Rickshaw staff…I’m willing to give y’all the benefit of the doubt due to my initial visit to your venue, but last night was a DISASTER. Y’all need to get your shizz together to make these events more successful. Just sayin’…

Thanks for stopping by!