Hotter Than a Pepper Sprout

Just as Resting Bitch Face has re-emerged as one of the great issues of our age, I've discovered I have Resting Bitch(y) Drummer Face. Or, to be more accurate, Active Scary (or Scared?) Drummer Face. (Don't try to figure out an acronym). I present Exhibit A from our most recent Twin Town recital at Whiskey Junction:  "Don't mess up or someone's going down."  Actually, this is a really cool photo, and we were very lucky that Twin Cities Media took professional photos of us and even wrote a blog post: http://twincitiesmedia.net/blog/?p=19252 . But I do look very "intense." I guess that's better than looking like I'm phoning (or should I say "IM-ing"?) it in.  I've given a lot of thought to my drumming stage presence in the last couple of years, as I've gotten the impression that it's disappointingly low-key and mild-mannered. (Or thankfully low-key for one of my older friends who was worried I was going to fla...

I didn't see this exact cat shirt, but this conveys the idea... Much has already been written about last weekend's inaugural Eaux Claires Festival, but I can't resist adding my observations to the mix. The sound quality was amazing. Even pretty far away from the stage, the sound was clear and the mix was great. Big video screens also helped the crowd-averse enjoy the event while maintaining our personal space. The sound was also good because, for the most part, the festival goers were really into the music and not too loud and drunk or constantly talking during the sets. IT WAS HOT. STICKY AND HOT. The guidebook for the festival that included poetic descriptions of the musicians was beautiful. I stopped reading it at lunch on Saturday because I was starting to cry at the restaurant.  Not as many man bun sightings as in Uptown, but they were a noticeable presence. The other fashion highlight was all the awesome cosmic cat and kitten shirts.  Oh, Eau Claire(s) ...

Based on my suggestion (so I can take the credit or get the blame), our student Kinks tribute band is performing "Come Dancing" as part of our set at the Whiskey Junction on August 7. I should probably be embarrassed to admit this, but as a preteen of the early 80's, this song from 1982 was my first real introduction to the Kinks, and holds a special nostalgic place in my heart. Not only does it remind me of my preteendom, but my brother had his own version of his song that went "The day they knocked down the Co-Op, my sister stood and cried. The day they knocked down the Co-Op, part of my childhood died, just died." Despite Chad's often warranted critique that my posts are way too long, I'm now going to dive into a long explanation and exploration of that one simple lyric. There are just too many amazing and enlightening layers to it that I don't want my gentle readers to miss: Check out the video for this (which I can't link to, sorry!...

...and a cool glass and a MEDAL. That's right, a freakin' medal. And I feel like I totally deserved it. This Fourth of July, I ran my first half marathon, (the Twin Cities Red, White & Boom), and it made me feel pretty darn mighty. It also blew my mind. Even though I've been running/jogging for over fifteen years, I wasn't at all "athletic" in my formative years, so still don't always think of myself as the running type.  Aforementioned Race Loot (sans cool glass) And how did it go? One cool thing about running is that it's very personal, so it's hard to say what is objectively awesome. You have to take your age, sex ( your sex, not if you've had it or not), sleep deprivation level, the humidity, how many people you have to dodge, how hilly the course is, your previous race and training times, if you're sick or hungover or being chased (and by what), etc., etc., into account. I really did not know what to expect for my first ha...

Tonight Chad and I got to hear one of our favorite musicians, Craig Finn, talk about his new album at a "listening party" at the Bryant Lake Bowl. It was a real thrill, even though there wasn't a convenient opportunity to take photos or schmooze with Craig. (In other words, we were too shy or polite or Midwestern to do these things, but then again, no one else really seemed to be chatting or taking photos, either.) Only the contest winners got to bowl with Craig. That was both disappointing and a relief (I would have been SOO nervous!) Craig Finn's new album (release date: September 11) Some observations/insights/takeaways from the evening: It was cool that we were brave enough to sit in the front row, VERY close to the stage, and also a little awkward. The whole evening was a little awkward. As Craig said, for him, it was awkward listening to his music in front of other people. Even host Jill Riley (from the Current) said she didn't know what to do with...

I'm supposed to be tapering. Yes, this could mean many interesting things, but there is a specific context. It's one week until I'm running/jogging/staggering my first ever half marathon (13.1 miles). According to conventional training wisdom, the week (or even two) before the big race you should cut back on how much you exercise. The goal is to give your body a chance to rest up and recover from all your previous training madness, and give you more energy for the big event. Tapering also reduces your chances of injuring yourself in a training run. Makes sense, but that still leaves me with the danger of tripping over Oscar, who no longer has any sense of personal space, or one of the cats, who love sleeping at the top of the stairs. (Apparently Olive is our only pet not trying to kill us by such stealth.) So tapering sounds simple, right? But how much tapering is too much? Dig a little deeper, and the advice on tapering gets a little conflicted and complicated. ...

At our last Twin Town Guitars recital, I stepped out of my proverbial comfort zone for our Pretenders tribute band and traded in my drumsticks for the keyboards and a stab at lead vocals on a couple of songs. Why?  I'd been kicking around this idea for a while...I actually started playing the piano before I started drumming, and was fairly good at it way back in junior high. And of course, I always have delusions of singing grandeur (who doesn't?)  My interest in the keyboards was rekindled when I played them on  "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" with our Hank Williams band. And this opportunity was hard to pass up. We had another amazing drummer willing to take over the percussionist duties (and no, I'm not at all threatened by his awesomeness) and I didn't have to go drumming cold turkey, as I still got to play drums for the other band we were in (Howlin' Wolf).  So, some observations, musings and reflections: My "comfort zone" isn...