Once again, we were off to the Felton Music Hall for an epic night of musical mastery with Balthvs.
This was my second time catching the band live and the first for the Mrs. And much to my delight she also thought they were great!
Truthfully, sometimes I think I’ve lost my mind when I get as obsessed as I’ve been with Balthvs. I tell anyone that will listen about them. I turned a guitarist buddy of mine, whom I consider one of the best guitarists on the planet, on to the band and he said he was digging them so I figured there must be something there. But for the Mrs, a non-musician, to see them live and state – they were great – I finally feel validated!
Yes ladies and gentlemen, they were great!
I wrote a review about them the last time I saw them play in Santa Cruz a little over a year ago, and while that review was maybe a little over the top with the gushiness, I stand by it. And this time around they were even better.
The primary difference this time around was that founding bassist Johanna was back with the band. Don’t get me wrong, the bassist on the last tour, covering while Johanna was on maternity leave, was absolutely fantastic and did an incredible job, But clearly, Johanna belongs in this band. The chemistry between the players was obvious from the start and they just flowed. From the first note to the last, it was just seamless and beautiful.
And I will reiterate what I said in my last review – guitarist Balthazar Aguirre is a legend in the making. His style is so absolutely his own, his guitar seems like an extension of his person. I’ve seen a lot of amazing guitar players in my time on this big blue rock we call Earth, and Balthazar is in my not-so-humble opinion the best guitarist to hit the scene in the last 20 years. If not longer. If I were granted a wish to spend a day in a recording studio with anyone, it would be Balthazar Aguirre. He is simply phenomenal.
And I don’t say any of that to diminish the contribution of the rhythm section – they are a well oiled machine. Precise, fluid and eminently groovy. Just an astounding combo.
The band played a fantastic set, old and new material, including ALL my favorite tracks of theirs, as well as a couple surprises. During one song they took a seamless segue way into Blind Melon’s No Rain, which frankly isn’t even a song I particularly care for, but they did it so well and arranged it so beautifully, I couldn’t help but be impressed. Later in the set they whipped out a fantastic version of the Grateful Dead’s Shakedown Street and just knocked it out of the park. These musicians have some serious depth to them!
All in all, I give Balthvs an 11 out of 10 for this show. I’ve had an unbelievably exceptional month of music this October and this show topped them all. I don’t make that claim lightly, I assure you. They really are that good.
This tour is almost wrapped – they played SF tonight, then a couple shows in the PNW and that’s it for this leg. But I’m telling you, put Balthvs on your radar and watch for them to come to your town. You DO NOT want to miss this band. See them now before you need to see them in an arena!!
Thank you Balthazar, Johanna and Santiago for a stunning, spectacular night of music!
This is a review I never thought I’d be writing. I had assumed, along with just about everyone, that with the passing of Neil “The Professor” Peart in 2020 that the days of RUSH on stage were over forever.
Imagine my surprise when I heard they were hitting the road again.
Now, I have seen RUSH 3 times prior to this engagement, and I considered myself fortunate to have been there, but I did not realize the last time I’d seen them I was saying goodbye, so to speak. I wasn’t ready for there to be no more RUSH.
And while I had always considered myself a fan of RUSH, taking into account what I’ve learned in the lead-up to this show, I may have to downgrade myself to merely an appreciator of the band. Their die-hard fans are so off the hook with their granular knowledge of the band and their music, I don’t think I qualify as a fan in this day and age. Nonetheless, I was very excited to see this new version of the band and to put a final bow of the present of RUSH’s live music experience.
I’ll admit right up front that I was skeptical when they announced Anika Nilles as Neil’s understudy. I was familiar with her work prior to RUSH, and while she’s extremely proficient and talented technically, I had my doubts as to whether she could fill the absurdly enormous shoes Neil left behind.
While I can’t really say Neil was a direct influence on my playing as a drummer, I am, and have always been, a great admirer of his. And I regard him with the utmost respect as a musician, a lyricist and simply as a man. He was not only wildly skilled on the technical side, he was also a very “musical” drummer – his drum parts were always so much more than simply a beat. And on top of all that, he was incredibly powerful. Not just loud, powerful. He played with an authority, a conviction that absolutely did influence me directly. And based on the interviews I’ve read over the years, and what everyone said about him after his passing, and in the recent documentary that was released about him, he just came off as the genuine article. A serious man, with a serious work ethic but also a great sense of wonder and a desire to learn. And a goofy sense of humor as the cherry on top. So like I said, massive shoes to fill for this young lady.
I did not honestly expect that I would be able to get tickets to this show, nor did I expect the Mrs. to be enthusiastic about attending, but much to my surprise, both items worked out better than anticipated. The Mrs. has seen them once before, and it was before she and I were an item, so tonight was her first show with RUSH in nearly 40 years!
The SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks hockey team is a pretty decent place to see shows. Generally speaking I try to avoid arenas and stadiums, but every now and again, you have no other choice. I’ve been to probably a dozen or so concerts and other events at SAP (though it’s changed names so many times since it was built, who knows what it was called for all the others… We locals refer to it as the Shark Tank. Not that I’ve ever seen a hockey game there. But I digress.) I’ve seen The Who, the Rolling Stones, Imagine Dragons, Parliament Funkadelic, Duran Duran, and RUSH there before (amongst others I can’t recall) so there was no mystery or anything new and exciting about the venue. The good points for me are that it’s close to home. And generally speaking it’s easy to find a parking spot, though what they charge for parking is borderline criminal. It is what it is.
Shameful…
The show’s start time was listed as 7:30pm, which honestly is awesome for us old geezers, especially on a school night. (If I haven’t mentioned it before, the Mrs. is a school teacher, this isn’t simply a turn of phrase!) But it didn’t exactly start on time, and they played a full set, took an intermission, and came back for another full set, followed by an encore! An early night was not in the cards!
Overall, the show was fantastic. The band played a bit of everything from throughout their career, but thankfully they seemed to lean heavily towards the classic RUSH era – 2112, Moving Pictures, A Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres… It was a great selection of music, and performed extremely well. Geddy and Alex both seemed to be having the time of their lives, and you would never guess both these guys are now in their mid-70’s by the sound and energy coming off the stage! Honestly, they played every bit as well last night as they did the first time I saw them back around ’87 or so. It was an inspiration!
The lighting and the artistic visuals were all top notch, not that I’d expect anything less from a RUSH show!
As for Anika on drums… She nailed it. Her playing was absolutely precise and you could see from the very first note, that she was completely locked in, 100% concentration. There was no room for fun, she was at work, and work she did! Was her performance as good as Neil? No. There is a difference when playing a part you personally brought forth from the Ether and playing a part you’ve memorized. She played everything nearly as close to note-for-note as any human could. It was dang near perfect. I could find no fault in her playing whatsoever. But despite that, it just wasn’t quite the same. Neil would add to the magic of what was on the records, Anika played what was on the records, pretty much exactly as they were recorded. Which is highly impressive, don’t get me wrong. Those are some of the most difficult drum parts ever conceived, and she executed them like an absolute, stone cold professional. She truly was great. But no, it’s not the same. It was however, better than I anticipated, and undoubtedly better than I could do in her shoes!
The one and only thing that besmirched the evening was the sound system. It was, if I may be so bold, atrocious. Seriously, the WORST sound I’ve ever experienced at a RUSH show. The first few songs or so were positively excruciating. They had the kick drum turned up so high in the mix that it felt like getting punched in the chest by a heavy-weight boxer with each and every bass drum note. Seriously, it was painful. The first 20 minutes felt like a physical assault. And to make matters worse, the drum mix overall was just lousy. There was good definition when she played the high pitched concert toms, but the moment she dropped to the lower pitches, it just turned into auditory mud. Which is a shame really, here she is, giving these ultra complex parts her all, and the audio guys are asleep at the wheel. There were other problems here and there when Geddy would swap to a new bass – one Fender Precision in particular just sounded god-awful. Not sure if the bass itself was having severe problems or if it was the Front of House mix, but it was in the Top 3 worst basses I’ve ever heard at a live show. Thank goodness he only played it on one song! And the overall muddiness had a tendency to swallow the guitar here and there.
Someone here should be fired…
But like I said, overall it was a great show. The Mrs. and I were very glad we went, we were very impressed with the playing, the energy and just the overall vibe of the show. In all likelihood, it will be the last RUSH show of my lifetime, and I’m perfectly OK with that. Nothing wrong with going out on a high note! I’m grateful that Alex and Geddy persevered and gave it another go-round. It was clear watching the crowd that this music means a great deal to a great many fans, and this show was a real cathartic experience for a lot of people. While I’m sure they both had some self-serving reasons for embarking on this tour, the impression for me was that this was a big Thank You gift to the throngs of fans they have all around the world, as well as a fond farewell and a celebration of The Professor. And I’m grateful that I could be part of it.
I don’t know how much longer the tour is continuing, but if you like RUSH even a little, it’s worth your while to check out what could possibly be the very last time they grace the stage!
Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of my marriage to the Mrs.
Thirty Five Years.
It’s hard to believe. And something to be proud of. According to the Interwebs, the average length of marriage in the US before divorce is 8 years. The average length of marriage in the US before the death of a spouse is 19 years.
Not to brag, but for the first time in my life I genuinely feel like I’ve beaten the odds on something!
It’s all the more shocking when you consider that we were both 20 years old when we first started seeing each other… We’ve spent nearly twice the amount of years together than we’d been alive before we got together. It doesn’t seem possible sometimes.
It hasn’t always been easy. We’ve been through richer and poorer. We’ve been through sickness and health. We’ve been through better and worse. We’ve been through a lot in our lives together. Everything you can imagine life throwing at you. And still, somehow, we prevail.
Sometimes (especially over the last decade) I’ve felt like I got a raw deal from life. That I’m a magnet for bad luck. That every important decision I’ve ever made has been wrong. But in this regard, I couldn’t have been luckier.
Nobody, outside maybe a professional stand-up comic, makes me laugh like the Mrs. does. Nobody else shares my weird music tastes. Nobody gets me the way she gets me. And that is something special, something to celebrate.
Not many people get to spend their entire adult lives with their best friend, and I feel extremely fortunate to have been one of the lucky ones that has. And God willing, if we make it to the ripe old age of 73, I’ll be back here celebrating our 50th!
If you have someone close to you, take a minute and tell them you love them. Time flies, and nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. Celebrate your connection. It’s something special!
Ok kids, this one was a show for the ages. I don’t even know where to start… I suppose a little background is in order, to explain my pre-conceived expectations and bias!
If you’ve never heard of BEAT, you’re not alone. And it was a curious choice of a name, considering we have The English Beat, aka The Beat AND The Paul Collins Beat, aka The Beat… and then along comes a Supergroup to end all supergroups, calling themselves BEAT. Whatever, they could have called themselves anything, and still outshine any 4 piece band on the planet.
BEAT is the brainchild(?) of guitar maestro Adrian Belew and bass virtuoso Tony Levin. As they describe it on their website BEAT is “a creative reinterpretation of the music of KING CRIMSON including the iconic albums, Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair, and beyond.“
When I was a young’in coming up, I first heard King Crimson around 1982 and I was absolutely blown away. They were so completely weird, yet technical and futuristic that I couldn’t help but go bananas for them. At the time, I had NO idea of their pedigree, I didn’t know they’d already been around my entire life, I had no idea they had released half a dozen albums before I ever heard of them… I just thought they were another New Wave band and I was all in. (Remember, this was more than a decade before the interwebs, and being able to find out everything about anything with a couple mouse clicks…) Their drummer at the time, Bill Bruford, became a big influence on me and I was totally obsessed by Tony Levin on this new fangled instrument called the Chapman Stick. They were like aliens compared to the music that was on the radio in the day, and if you met somebody that was into King Crimson, you knew you had found one of your kind. They were undoubtedly NOT for everyone.
Long story short, I’ve gone down the King Crimson rabbit hole, discovered the many variations of the band and their music, the lineup changes, etc., and for me that Classic 80s lineup of Belew, Levin, Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford was the pinnacle of the group. But sadly, I was too young in this era to have seen them play live and figured that ship had sailed.
Then a couple years ago I found out about BEAT, a group put together by Adrian and Tony featuring Steve Vai in place of Robert Fripp and Danny Carey (from TOOL) on drums, playing my favorite generation of King Crimson music. Unfortunately when I found out about them, I couldn’t make the show. I don’t recall why, I’d either already missed them coming through my area or I didn’t have the scratch for the tickets or maybe had tickets to another show that same week…I don’t recall. Nonetheless, I was bummed. Again, I figured that ship had also sailed, it would be a one-off, and I’d missed my chance to see Adrian Belew, one of my “bucket list” artists.
But a few weeks ago, much to my joy and amazement, I heard they were making another round, only this time with my all time drumming hero, Terry Bozzio, on the drum throne! So this time, there was NO WAY I was missing the show!
Now that’s what I call a tool kit!
I have seen Terry Bozzio play a few times and he’s mesmerizing. I also met him a number of years ago, and he was just a fantastic guy. And I couldn’t wait to see how one of my heroes interpreted the work of another one of my heroes, Mr. Bruford! I’ve seen Steve Vai live before and he too was out of this world. If anyone can fill in for the genius of Robert Fripp, Steve is the guy. And I once saw Tony Levin when he was playing bass for Peter Gabriel many moons ago, but the bass in Gabriel’s music is nowhere near as tantalizing as his work with King Crimson. And as I mentioned, Adrian Belew has been a bucket list artist for me for decades. Between his work with King Crimson, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Nine Inch Nails and The Bears, he’s been a favorite of mine as a guitarist for 4 decades. The very idea of these four together on stage gave me a level of fevered anticipation that I haven’t felt since I was a teenager just discovering live music.
The Quarry Amphitheatre is a new venue for me, despite being around some 50 years. Evidently they did a major renovation of the place in 2017 and started hosting rock shows there, but honestly I’d never heard of the place until this show came along. Located on the UC Santa Cruz campus, which is only about 20 miles from home. It’s been dubbed “Red Rocks in the Redwoods”, but since I’ve never had the pleasure of attending a show at Red Rocks, I can’t compare it myself. (A Red Rocks show is another Bucket List item for me though!).
The venue was cool. Parking was a bit of a walk, but I’ve had worse. (Looking at you, Shoreline Amphitheatre!). But the staff was pretty easy going and once I found the entrance, it was a breeze. Nothing but Porta Potties though, so the ladies might be less than thrilled. But generally speaking, not too shabby. It’s definitely got a vibe to it. Kinda like the Greek Theater at UC Berkeley, but more natural and a bit smaller.
A beautiful venue on a beautiful Fall night.
No opening band tonight, it was straight to business. And let’s be honest, who could open for this collection of living legends?!?
The Man, the Myth, the Maestro
The band came on stage (promptly at 8pm, like true professionals) and right off the bat, they were firing on all cylinders. To be honest, it was a little overwhelming. So many awesome things happening at once, it was hard to decide where to look! Adrian, Tony and Steve were all in suits, like the old days, and they just ripped out one barn burner after another for about 25 minutes straight. And Terry? My goodness. I haven’t seen him play with such power and intensity since I last saw him play with Missing Persons. It was, to put it mildly, awesome.
My All-time Hero, Mr. Bozzio
They slowed things down at the 25 minute mark, with a newly written song, performed for the first time evidently. Then into an unhinged instrumental section , that started with what sounded like sound effects from an old Sci-Fi movie – played on guitar, mind you which somehow turned into a wild, syncopated guitar jam that I simply don’t have the vocabulary to describe. And then at the 48 minute mark, they broke for an intermission. Thank goodness for that, my brain needed some time to catch up with what it has just witnessed. It’s times like this I wish I were a better writer, as I have no words…
A Sorcerer in a Zoot Suit!
After the intermission they came back for another hour of non-stop, master class level virtuosity that was mind boggling. They played a selection of classics, some improvisational instrumentals and next to last, played my absolute favorite King Crimson song Elephant Talk. And then an encore on top of everything else. What a night! I’ve now seen things I can’t even describe. I’ve heard sounds from guitars that have no business coming from a guitar. I’m flabbergasted. Awestruck. Bewildered. And I couldn’t be happier.
Upright bass, electric bass, Chapman Stick and Synthesizer, Tony covered a LOT of ground
I started seeing “real” bands play shows at the ripe old age of 14, and in the years between then and now, I estimate I’ve seen between 450-500 concerts, from small clubs to massive arenas and I can say without hesitation that from a strictly musical standpoint, tonight was the best concert I’ve ever witnessed. It wasn’t flashy, there wasn’t some crazy light show, no video screens, no pyrotechnics. Just pure mastery from each and every musician on stage. It was a night I’ll not soon forget. As it turns out, tonight was the very first night of the tour, which means not only will it continue to get better (which I can’t really even fathom) but it means you still have a chance to see them! They are on the road through December 3rd, traveling Coast-to-Coast. If you love music, if you appreciate true mastery of instruments at the highest level, you owe it to yourself to see BEAT. Let’s face it, these guys are no Spring Chickens – Steve Vai is the youngest of the group and he’s eligible to collect Social Security benefits! These guys won’t be around forever, and while I’m not gonna say there are no up-and-comers that may be great players, there is nobody that matches the caliber of these guys when they are together in a group. It’s literally a once in a lifetime experience.
Mr. Belew, Mr. Levin, Mr. Vai and last but certainly not least Mr. Bozzio, THANK YOU for an absolutely unforgettable night of auditory magic. It was beyond delightful and a dream come true for this music lover.
Here we go again folks, Dogstar is back in town, roughly 4 months into their All In Now tour, which has taken them across the U.S.A., over to Europe for weeks on end, then back across the States once again.
This is maybe the 7th Concert Review of Dogstar on this blog, and I don’t know at this point how many times I have seen them. Maybe 30? It’s hard to say… And no, I’m not some middle-aged fan boy of Keanu – though he is a delightful gentleman – no, in fact every single show I’ve been to is because of Bret, their guitarist/vocalist. Bret and I go back 40+ years. We played our first gigs together at school events and house parties. We wrote our first songs together. We played our first night club shows together. Our first time in a recording studio was together, the first time our song got played on the radio… He was my Best Man when I got married nearly 35 years ago, his family is like my own. He’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother. And I couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s come a long way and worked his hind end off to achieve the level of musicianship he’s reached.
So yes, every single time I have an opportunity to see him and his band, I’ll be there. And now you all get to hear about it too!
The opening band was The Backfires, whom I’d never heard of before today. Because it was a show up in the city and I had to work today, I didn’t get there until their set was almost finished. I heard one song as I was coming into the venue and actually got to see them perform the last song of the set. But that was it. I can’t really say much about them other than their lead guitarist seemed pretty darn good. I wish I’d been able to see a little more of them.
This guy was smokin’!
Dogstar put up a solid set, pulled from their most recent album and their last. They definitely seemed tighter as a band after all these months on the road and knocked out a good hour-plus before coming back for an encore. I still think they should pull out some of the tunes from their earlier albums – Our Little Visionary has some absolute bangers that deserve to be played live, but for whatever reason they’re just sticking with the Dogstar v2.0 repertoire. One really pleasant surprise was them whipping out “Can’t Hardly Wait” by The Replacements during their set. They did an excellent cover of that song and for me personally, it brought back some great memories. The Replacements were a big influence on Bret and I when we were coming up and it was a touching homage to some wonderful days gone by…
Keanu played great, and honestly I expected no less of him. I know he takes his instrument seriously, and it shows. A lot of people were there just to “see” him, and it’s a shame, cuz he’s actually a fine musician that deserves an audience’s ears more than their eyes.
Rob did his thing on the drums. I try not to say much about him, as I’m afraid it’ll come off as petty. I can’t help but hear Bret’s songs with what I would play behind them, and that’s not fair. Rob does what he does and I do what I do, and they’re simply different. He held it down, and that’s what works for Dogstar.
Bret was in fine form. The tour has certainly pushed his abilities and he’s just getting better all the time. His voice sounded great, which honestly was a bit of a surprise, I half expected him to be worn out a bit after dozens and dozens of shows for months on end, but his voice sounded really strong. And his guitar playing was absolutely on point all night. Great tone, great solos, just all around impressive. And I could tell it meant a great deal to him to be back at The Fillmore, “hometown” shows are always just a bit extra.
So once again I’d say it was a great show. Am I biased? Undoubtedly. But they are a seasoned band. They’ve been putting in the work, and it shows. This ain’t no vanity project, this is the real deal and Dogstar puts out good, solid rock and roll as good as anybody out there on the road today.
They’ve still got maybe 10 or so shows left on this tour, if you have the opportunity, go check them out. If you like tasty guitar and thumping bass, you will not be disappointed! And if you happen to meet any of the guys, tell them the Boring Old Man sent ya!
Today was my last day at my “new” job. Although I didn’t plan it out this way, my last day is EXACTLY one year apart from my first day at this place – August 28, 2025 to August 28, 2026.
I have never, and I do mean never, held a job as an adult for this short amount of time before, and I feel kinda weird about it. Even my last “temporary” job, that was supposed to be a 3 – 6 month gig, turned into a year and 5 months… But I guess this is the world we live in nowadays. I’d estimate my average tenure at a job is 6 years, and I’d fully intended to stay at this one until I hit retirement age – which would be somewhere around 10 years – and I missed that mark by a WIDE margin. But if I’ve learned anything in my work life, it’s that staying for the sake of staying and hoping things improve is a mistake. In those situations the juice is never worth the squeeze.
I knew coming in that it was gonna be hard here. And it was. Much harder than I anticipated in fact. But it was also fun. I had a great boss that “got it” and knew what we were up against – years of neglect and a constant churn of staff, and the place was nearly off the rails. But we were all on the same page, we had assembled a great new team and we were crushing it daily and turning this place around. We were making an impact and every metric pointed to us moving in the right direction. So much so, that the ownership decided to pull the plug on the existing management team and “self manage” the operation. They pulled the rug out from under us with 29 days notice, sent my great boss to another property and installed a new one from their internal team, who promptly let go of some of our great team and imposed his will on every aspect of the operation, while placing undue blame on the rest of us that had pulled this place outta the sewer and made it profitable and an exciting place to be. He not only let the wind out of our sails, he sucked the very life outta the place. In three short months, he undid what we’d spent 8 months building and I reached the conclusion that the fork in the road I’d been forced into, was NOT the path I wanted to be on.
As luck (?) would have it, two days after I’d decided that it was time to pack it in at this place, I got a call from an old boss of mine. He was in a new facility and needed somebody with my particular skill set. A round of interviews were set in motion, I had to go through background checks, fingerprinting, drug screen and all that good stuff, and I dropped my notice of resignation on the new boss’s desk.
I’m leaving behind some really great people; colleagues that I hope to stay in touch with for the long haul, a couple guys that I hired that I really, really like and an absolutely gorgeous building, but I knew I would come to despise the place if I stayed there. Simple as that. But I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in months, my diet and exercise routine has gone to hell and I’m constantly stressed. That’s no way to live, and I’m too old to go down that path again.
So the new gig starts Monday. I’m quite anxious about it honestly as I swore I’d never go back into the “healthcare adjacent” field after my experiences during The Plague, but they kinda made me an offer I couldn’t refuse… I always had a good rapport with this former boss I’ll be working with, two of the guys on my team there are guys that I personally hired at other facilities in the past and they’re both outstanding at what they do. My daily commute will be less than half of what it is at my current place, I’ll get my.preferred health benefits package back (that was ALSO snatched away during the management transition at the current job) and my paychecks will be a bit fatter. On paper it’s a no-brainer. I just need to get myself back into the mindset of bureaucracy and endless regulations. I ain’t skeered of it – I spent 17 years of my life in that world – but I’ve been out of it for 2 1/2 years now, and it’s absolutely gonna be an adjustment to pick up where I left off.
Things might get a little (more) quiet on these pages as I re-adjust to my new reality, but I’ll be back, and better than ever I expect.
And for the sake of my diminishing memory banks, I’m gonna add some behind the scenes pics from this place with the hope that, in time, I’ll come to remember it fondly…
I’m not sure what’s happening to me, but lately I find my taste in music has been changing drastically. So many of the songs I’ve enjoyed, loved even, over the last decade, I can’t even listen to anymore.
It’s kinda disconcerting.
I’ve always been a lover of music. All kinds of music. And certainly my tastes have changed over the years, but this feels different. Once upon a time (right around 1982) I vividly recall giving my entire music collection to my older next door neighbor because I’d discovered New Wave and punk music. I told him “I’ll never listen to this stuff again. You can have it all.” I said goodbye to AC/DC, Cheap Trick, Foreigner, Aerosmith, Van Halen…and more, so much more. He said, “let me know when you want it back”, and I laughed. But sure enough, a few years later I had come to accept that even though I preferred modern rock, there was still a place in my heart for all the classics I’d grown up on. Alas, he’d since joined the Navy, his parents had sold their house and moved out of state, and I never saw him or my old collection again.
But this time it’s different. Back then it was a conscious decision – I didn’t WANT to listen to those old bands anymore. I’d discovered a whole new musical world and I wanted nothing to do with the dinosaurs of old. Now, it’s as if I CAN’T. It’s not like I’m just bored of it, the music seriously aggravates me.
The only thing I can find that is a sort of common thread is, for lack of a better term, negativity. Which is weird, as generally speaking I don’t pay attention to lyrics. While I recognize that lyrics are part of the overall vibe of a song, I just never really thought about a guitar part, for example, as being negative. But it’s not like I’ve been listening to screeching post-hardcore or Norwegian death metal or some crazy stuff. It’s been primarily (though not entirely) stuff from the last decade, but across genres – hard rock stuff, alternative, hip hop, even what I guess would be classified as pop music – it all has the same effect on me. A song – from a playlist I personally curated, not just some random song – will start up, and within a few seconds I just get the ick, as the kids say, and I have to move to another song. And like I said, it’s not just a matter of being bored with a song ‘cuz I’ve heard it too many times, they make me borderline nauseous.
What gives?!?
I’ve also been listening to a lot of the same stuff I’ve listened to for decades, from Pablo Cruise to the Plimsouls to the Cult, and they all have lyrics that deal with heartache and loss and being left behind and whatnot, not exactly cheerful, zippity-do-dah lyrical content, but those songs don’t have that same effect on me. I tell ya, I’m baffled.
On the bright side, since I’ve had to pass on so many of my recent favorites I’ve taken the time to rediscover some oldies but goodies like the Ventures and Link Wray and some classic rockabilly stuff (the music they used to just call rock-‘n’-roll) and I’ve been enjoying that on a different level than I did in the past. It’s not a nostalgia trip – the vast majority of that music was released before I was even born – I just find I greatly appreciate the authenticity of it. Real people with real instruments, writing actual songs that can move you on a primal, subconscious level. Vocal harmonies like you simply don’t hear any more. You know, music!
I don’t know if it’s just because I am truly getting old. When I started this blog, the Boring Old Man thing was firmly tongue-in-cheek, as I was in my 50s, still going to rock concerts and playing the drums and surfing and doing a lot of stuff I loved when I was truly young, and that was something we used to say as a bit of a slur to the squares we encountered back in the day. The “geezers” that would tell us to turn it down! or not to ride our skateboards on the sidewalk. But now I wonder if I REALLY am turning into a square, or if there is something else – spiritually, metaphysically? – going on with me that is beyond my grasp.
I mean, I do sorta pine away sometimes for the simpler life we had back in the 70s and 80s. Back when you got your news in the morning paper and maybe if you were really into current events or politics you’d also watch the evening news, but you weren’t bombarded with it all day, every day. When you could take off for a day to have some sort of adventure and not be tethered to your phone. Solitude was exceptionally easy. When we just lived life without having to document everything with the prefect picture to post online. Before YOLO, before FOMO, before Insta… Back when you had to call your local radio DJ to request your favorite song and pray that they actually put it on the air. When we did what we liked to do, not doing what we thought would get us “likes” on social media. Sure, back then we had our share of fear-mongers and zealots and serial killers…gas lines and acid rain and the unending threat of thermo-nuclear war hanging over our heads, but we also had fun. We were hopeful and had dreams – bolstered by science fiction – that the future was going to be AMAZING. And we danced! Man, did we dance! We had an innate sense of abandon that I haven’t seen, much less felt, in decades. We were ALIVE. And to me and my cohorts, music was a MASSIVE part of that.
Now we’re incessantly swamped with bad news. With negativity. Everyone is afraid of something, whether it be losing a job or health insurance, being a victim of some random crime or being “cancelled” because they didn’t follow the herd with their comment on an X post. Not to mention the non-stop proliferation and accusations of “xx-phobias” these days. Bars and clubs are going out of business at an alarming rate because, as I understand it, women are afraid of being drugged and/or assaulted and men are afraid of being either labeled a creep for speaking to a woman, being ridiculed because they aren’t 6 feet tall with 6-pack abs and a 6 figure income, or just being straight up used for free drinks. And nobody dances anymore for fear of being recorded and posted online. The “amazing” future we all thought was around the corner turned into 24/7 surveillance, phishing scams, identity theft, dating apps and catfishing, a complete lack of faith in our government and voting systems, data centers gobbling up arable farm land and water sources and starting next year, cars that the jack-booted thugs, that work for us, will be able to disable at will. Not to mention nearly everything in life requires either a subscription or at the very least a log-in and password. I don’t know about you, but NONE of that stuff is what I imagined coming from the digital revolution. And I gotta ask, other than for the few that have made bazillions of dollars off this stuff, what’s the true benefit? Can we honestly say that our quality of life is better now than it was 25 years ago? Sure, it’s nice being able to pay your electric bill without writing out a check, putting it in a stamped envelope and dropping it off at the Post Office, and things like eBay and Amazon are convenient, but I swear I would be content with the capabilities of year 2000 interwebs, and could do without all the nonsense of the last decade-plus.
Ok, I realize this has turned into a bit of a tirade, that may or may not have anything to do with my initial statement. My apologies… When I get some random idea or queries in my head, sometimes things go a little sideways as I explore them.
That being said, maybe I just inadvertently fell into the reason that music I (until recently) really liked is making me sick. Maybe it’s simply that my negativity tank is just full to overflowing. The brain, with all its mysterious ways, has been known to produce physical manifestations due to psychological stressors. And let me tell you, I’ve been positively loaded down with psychological stressors as of late. Perhaps my brain is simply telling my body, “if you purposely indulge in any more negativity, I’m gonna make you toss your cookies, bud. I’m hanging on by a thread here…”
Anyhow… that’s what’s on my mind these past few days. Now that I’ve delved into the depths of my wonky brain, I’m gonna sign off and go listen to something uplifting. Perhaps a little Flesh for Lulu? ‘Cuz why not?
This weekend the Mrs and I headed South to visit some of our oldest friends.
Our destination was Templeton, CA located in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County, which is commonly referred to as the “Central Coast” region of California. A region near and dear to my heart.
I have a lot of great memories of this area, going all the way back to childhood, and new adventures in my teens there and we’ve visited consistently our entire married lives. A home away from home, if you will.
SLO County is a curious and interesting place. It’s equally well known for agriculture, surf culture, ranching and equestrian pursuits and wine making. An odd combination to be sure.
Our friends live just 5 miles off the 101 Highway, and yet from the freeway exit to their driveway, it’s like a completely different world. You drive through the usual commercial zone right off the 101 with supermarkets and the usual assortment of shops and such, hook a left on a two lane road and before you know it, you’re in the middle of nowhere.
Our friends have a great little place up towards the hills and keep a small barn with a few livestock animals – a goat, a sheep and some chickens – and a barn cat, of course. As well as those critters that nature brings through daily. In fact, we woke up to a family of California Quail making their way up the driveway in the morning and one of the most amazing displays of a contingent of Dragonflies I’ve ever witnessed.
It was SOOO quiet and peaceful up there. Utterly different from what we’re used to at home. Just delightful, honestly.
We rolled in early Saturday evening and had a really nice dinner with our friends, just catching up and listening to some old records (vinyl of course!) and then we set out for our event, the “California Mid State Fair”, held at the Paso Robles Event Center.
Now, the Mrs and I are not what you’d call “event” people. Yes, we go to a lot of concerts, more than a few comedy shows and soccer games and our local Farmers markets, but outside of those things, we aren’t into crowds, we don’t generally attend fairs or carnivals or things that happen with thousands of people crammed into a centralized location. And quite frankly when our friends invited us to come down for the Fair, we weren’t too excited about the idea. But they were excited for it and we decided to just jump in with both feet and see how they do things on the Central Coast.
Let me tell you, the difference between the SLO County experience and what you’d find in Santa Clara County (our home region) are night and day! Yes, it was crowded, and even at night it was still pretty darn warm, and everywhere you turned there was alcohol for sale. At home, this would be a recipe for disaster. Down there? We had a great time! Everyone was polite, friendly even. No screaming, spoiled children. No roving gangs of *youths* looking for trouble. No drunken louts getting into fights. It was like stepping back in time a few decades. We stepped back into “real America” and it was actually quite refreshing and wonderful!
We spent a lot of time going through the stalls of livestock brought in by the FFA (Future Farmers of America) and the 4-H kids. The cattle and hogs, goats and sheep were all seemingly well cared for and the caretakers all in good spirits. Additionally, they had a good number of other things on display, from Art to flower arrangements, leather work and textiles. Kinda all the basics you need to get by in this world, without tech and computers mucking it all up. Just people doing what they do when left to their own devices without the electronic leashes everyone is tethered to these days. It took me back to a simpler, and yes, I’ll say it, a BETTER time. A time in history, not that long ago, that I greatly miss.
We took a break from all the walking, grabbed some adult beverages and took in a fun band for a while – Dante Marsh & the Vibesetters – playing a cool mix of funky, soulful, island influenced jams. Lots of folks, from tiny kids to great-great- grandmas, were up on their feet dancing and just having a good ‘ol time.
All in all, it was just a wonderful event and it renewed some hope for the state of the world for me. I enjoyed the festivities much more than I thought I would and I’d absolutely go back next year.
The next morning we were moving kinda slow (no pun intended) and had a lovely, leisurely breakfast on the deck, listening to some Jimmy Cliff and Beatles records and just taking it all in. We had to be back on the road by 11am, so there wasn’t much time to dilly-dally unfortunately. Nonetheless, we left refreshed and grateful for the quick respite and the unexpected outing we had at the Fair. All things considered, it was a great weekend!
A big thanks to D & M for their hospitality and for the invite to an event we would have NEVER attended on our own volition, it was really wonderful and well worth the drive!
Seeing how this blog is primarily a place for me to jot down my personal memories and my occasional rant and/or rave, I’ve never paid all too much attention to my “stats” on this website, other than visitor count. But something caught my eye the other day – my stats page shows the country of origin of my visitors as well. This, I did not know. I will say, it piqued my interest. Granted, in the age of VPNs, these “overseas” visitors could be literally in the apartment below me, not across the globe and I’d never know the difference. Nevertheless the idea of my blurbs in their 1s and 0s, traveling across the world struck me as kinda cool.
If I can’t travel the world, at least my thoughts can!
While the vast majority of (what little) traffic I see comes from the US, in the last month I’ve visitors registered from the following (in no particular order):
Canada, Belgium, Germany, Slovakia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Serbia, Romania, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Australia and the UAE.
If only my passport had so many stamps!
Anyhow, that’s all I’ve got today. I just noticed it and thought it was pretty cool. A warm welcome to all my international friends!!
It just wouldn’t be Summer without a show at the Greek Theater. I went to my first show there (The Truth, The Hooters and Squeeze) around 1985, and it’s been a favorite venue of mine ever since.
Berkeley on the other hand, I’m not a big fan of, but I digress…
This show was courtesy of the Mrs and our daughter, who got the tickets as my birthday present back in early June, so the anticipation had grown for some time. We’d seen Young the Giant before, but despite being fans since their first record, had never had the chance to see Cold War Kids.
And as it turned out, this show was a triple bill, so we were in for a surprise. Listed on the bill was Kenny Hoopla as the opening act, but Kenny was MIA – in his (their?) place, we had a band by the name of Beach Weather open the show.
An ironic side note, earlier in the day we had gone to the beach in Half Moon Bay, and it was decidedly*NOT* beach weather – cloudy as far as the eye could see and a little chilly…
I knew of a couple songs by Beach Weather, just in passing. I didn’t even actually know the name of the band before the show, I just recognized a few tunes when they played them. And I will say, they were a pretty good band. Nothing earth shattering, but a solid, tight “alternative” band with some catchy tunes. The highlight of their show, for me, was the lead guitarist. He played some really unexpected parts, that fit just right, and he was frankly just fun to watch. All in all, it was a good set that left me wanting to dig into their discography.
Beach Weather
Cold War Kids were next up, and boy did they deliver!! I can remember hearing their first single on the radio, nearly 20 years ago, and being totally knocked out by it. So much so I took the leap of faith and bought the CD (Robbers & Cowards) for the one song. And I was so glad I did! That record is really a masterpiece. If you’re not familiar with this band, look them up. They are special. I don’t know how to describe their sound, as nobody really sounds anything like them. The best I can come up with, is if Talking Heads decided to play Americana music, you’d wind up with Cold War Kids… Or something along those lines. Great songwriting, excellent musicians and a very distinctive voice. Really an exceptional band. And like I said, in the live setting they really delivered! They played a little bit of everything from across their catalog, and the entire band was on point. Quite honestly, it was much better than I had dared hope for. Absolutely a highlight of my 2026 concert run thus far!
Cold War Kids bringin’ the goods!
The headliner of the night was Young the Giant. As I mentioned, we’d seen them before and I had really enjoyed them, much more than I thought I would, actually. They were another one of those bands that I knew a lot more of their songs than I realized. I guess they were somewhat low-key alt-rock superstars. We’d gone to that show for the opening band, but we were pleasantly surprised by Young the Giant, and they wound up on my heavy rotation playlist for quite some time afterwards.
Young the Giant
Unfortunately, their show this time around was a little underwhelming. Not to say it was bad, it just wasn’t as good as the last time. The sound wasn’t quite as crisp for starters. Their vocalist spent an inordinate amount of time yapping between songs, which in my not-so-humble opinion brings down the energy of the show. Their drummer seemed neutered -for lack of a better phrase – this time around. And to be honest, their newer material just doesn’t hit me the same way the music from their first few records does.
All that being said, it wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t great. Musically, all the guys were playing well. Visually, the lights and the stage setup were great. All the elements were there. But for all the sparks, the fire just smoldered and never really built into a burner. That being the case, we decided to call it early and left before the encore… I’d certainly go see them again, but I’m not exactly going to seek them out.
All things considered, it was a fantastic night. The Greek Theater is a spectacular venue, we heard a LOT of great songs played by a lot of great musicians and even if YtG had an off night, they still put on a show, it wasn’t a matter of them phoning it in. And yes, Cold War Kids rocked the joint and delivered an outstanding set that left a huge smile plastered across my face. That set alone made our trip to the East Bay well worth the effort. I sincerely hope I get a chance to see them again!
