Category Archives: Music

Life Sounds Like

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Hello friends, it’s been quite some time.  Since I managed to get to the Jack Johnson show, our little gaggle has been going non-stop.  There’s been work, girl scouts, y guides, and lots of soccer.  What I desperately needed and have had circled on my calendar for months was a quick trip to Charlotte for a respite.  It is always a great thing when such a trip can be combined with seeing more live music.  Well, wouldn’t ya know it, Michael Franti and Spearhead just happened to have a show scheduled.  I suppose it should be made clear that the only reason I was willing to go to Charlotte in the first place was for the show.  I am not the biggest fan of the State of Charlotte.  A friend who went with us put it best when he said that Charlotte lacks soul.  He’s right, there just doesn’t seem to be any heart in the town.

The boss went down on Thursday for a work thing.  After I got Lucy and Ethel at school on Friday the 8th and dropped them off at my parents, I was on my way.  We made reservations at a hotel where we had previously stayed.  We booked 3 nights at the Hyatt House City Center.  The location is good, right near the Epicenter and a short walk to the restaurants in the area.  The only drawback is the proximity to the main bus terminal.  If I were a solo female traveler, I would not feel entirely safe walking past the depot at night.  The rooms are nice though with a separate sitting area, full sized fridge, and kitchenette.  One can save some money buy stocking the fridge in the room-just sayin.  The breakfast is solid as well though if they would open the bar for mimosas and bloody marys, they could make some additional revenue.  Once I got there, we headed to Fuel Pizza for dinner.  I had been to one of their locations in DC before and found the pizza to be quite good.  We got a couple of pizzas, ate til full, and then took the leftovers back (another benefit of having the kitchenette).  My Hawaiian was tasty as was the boss’s tomato and ricotta.  Also, they have gf beer.  By six pm, I was doing what every parent longs to do.  I was in bed, watching tv, and reading without a care in the world.  At one point, I stood up, looked out the window and thought that in this city, there were lots of folks getting all dressed up to go out and prowl.  Me, I crawled back in bed and pulled the covers up.  I simply did not care.

At some point I fell asleep, it might have been 7 or it could’ve been 9 I really don’t know.  But we got up on Saturday, had some breakfast and then went and looked in the two stores we could find.  I really wanted to buy stuff, but Charlotte doesn’t want my money apparently.  So to Five Guys at the Epicenter!  We got a lovely to-go order and went back to the room to watch, for the first time all season, a UNC football game.  Heck, we even won!  By the end of the game, our friends had arrived and they wanted to go to a movie so we joined them for a showing of Thor. It has been 4 days and I am not sure what happened in that film.  No clue.  From there we tried to find somewhere for dinner and we were marginally successful.  We all ate, but sadly I was glutened (though I wouldn’t realize it until Sunday morning).  We hit a couple of bars and made it safely home.

Ok, Sunday.  I had been looking forward to this concert for months.  There was no way my gluten gut was keeping me away.  I slept a lot on Sunday trying to power through.  By 4:30 I felt reasonably better and was willing to venture out.  We met up with our friends at a bar (water, thanks) and passed some time before dinner.  The boss found a winner in Basil Thai Restaurant.  The food was great and out server was awesome.  I wasn’t 100 percent yet so I didn’t go spicy.  I stuck with their gluten-free chicken fried rice.  The boss had gf pad-thai and bottles of wine were 1/3 off on Sundays.  I am not sure how they made fried rice gluten-free, but it was good and went a long way towards making me feel somewhat human again.  I would definitely return to Basil.  And now, time for the show!

The Fillmore is a great venue to catch a show.  It is not overly large, but it is big enough that there is good energy in the room and good views.  If a band you like is playing there, it is well worth your time.  I love a Michael Franti show.  If you have seen him, you get it.  If not, go.  There is such a positive, fun energy that is hard to describe.  I appreciate the fact that he leaves the stage to perform in and with the crowd.  You truly feel that you are a part of his show, not just a spectator.  I don’t think my friends who went with us were very familiar, but by the end of the night, they were all fans.  Sometimes you leave a concert and feel a bit deflated that something wasn’t quite right.  You will never feel that in a Franti show.  I can’t think of another artist who performs as he does and then when the house lights come up, he stays in the crowd for photos or to chat.  He seems to genuinely appreciate his fans and is living to the fullest.  A good show should inspire us.  If you aren’t familiar with him, check him out.  I’ll just go ahead and say that you are welcome.

I was so inspired that I was willing to do one of the things I hate the most- go bowling.  The crowd wanted to go so we did.  It was fun, especially, the winning part.  This was the kind of weekend that parents need.  I love my kids, but I think we can all agree that sometimes we need a respite.  I think getting away for a time and being me helps me to be a better dad.  There is no better way to breathe than to head out of town and catch a show.  I am also glad that we had some good friends who were willing to take a chance and go with us.  I feel like our batteries have been a bit recharged as we head towards a hectic holiday season, one where I try harder to be present and not let these moments slip away.

Live Music, Good Times

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Do you remember your first time going to a concert?  Do you remember the sights, the sounds, who took you?  The first concert experience I have goes back to October 10, 1988.  Yep, almost twenty-five years to the date.  On that auspicious occasion, I ventured to the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill to attend Def Leppard’s stop on the Hysteria tour.  Somehow, my mom managed to secure floor seating, roughly 15 rows or so back from the stage, a stage in the round!  My mom also worked it out where my older cousin would take me to the show, thereby sparing her of the ear splitting guitar licks and screams of both band and crowd.  I thought my cousin, who was roughly 25 at the time, was just about the coolest thing in the world, so going with him was awesome.  While his recollections of that night will no doubt be different than mine, I think he’d agree it was a blast.  I remember the lasers, the ripped acid-washed jeans, and just how loud it was.  I believe it took my hearing days to come back.  And when I got to school the next day, I was actually cool, if only for a time.

Last night, I had the great opportunity to take Lucy and Ethel to what I consider to be their first show.  I pointed out to them that not every parent will take their kids to a concert on a school night.  I am sure that when they went to school they were essentially worthless, but memories were definitely made.  But what about the show?  First off, we went to Mellow Mushroom in Durham beside the DBAP for dinner.  Our server was attentive and I was glad to see Omission Beer on the menu.  The pizzas were great and we had enough to bring home.  The ‘Shroom is always a good choice for a gluten-free meal.  After eating, we walked to the DPAC for the local stop of Jack Johnson’s From Here to Now to You Tour.  They let us up to the seating area and we hopped in line to grab a shirt or something at the merch stand, and I’m glad we were near the front because that line was loooooong.  There was a display board where you could take your picture holding a pledge sign promising to do something positive for the environment.  Once you did that, you got to drop your name in a hat to win a signed ukulele.  Since I haven’t heard from them, I’ll just assume I didn’t win but at least I have a group photo.

By now it was time to head to the seats.  We were up on the balcony in Section 10, Row F.  We were high up there, but there isn’t a bad seat in the joint so all was good.  The opening act was a band called Bahamas from Toronto.  I thought the lead singer’s rapport between songs was more enjoyable than the actual singing.  I felt all of their songs were too similar.  However, the two backup singers were great and I think, carried the band.  Once their short set was up, we quickly went to the bathroom and to grab the girls a snack to keep them from crashing.  Again, speed was of the essence because the line were again loooooong.  Finally, at 8:30 the lights went dark and Jack walked out.  He picked up an acoustic guitar and plowed through three songs before the band came out.  I’m not going to provide a set list.  I will say that I did not leave feeling he kept a few songs back.  I appreciated that he played some of the older songs from his catalog like “Flake”, “Bubble Toes” (Lucy’s favorite) and songs from his most recent album.  He played hard for a solid two hours and once he closed with “Home” I knew that we had been a part of an experience.

I enjoyed watching my girls take in the sights.  I enjoyed answering their questions (What is an encore?).  I most of all enjoyed being with them and sharing that time with them.  I hope that by listening to music with positive vibrations behind it makes them as happy as it does me.  It feels like a more fleeting thing now-to be able to attend live music with your kids without having to worry about profanity, inappropriate lyrics or dancing, or obnoxious concert-goers.  Last night, we had that chance and I hope that we can keep on attending shows together for some time to come.  If you have the chance, take your kids to a show, introduce them to live music.  Maybe it’ll just spark something in them like it did to me all those years ago.

Mahalo, Jack!

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It is interesting to me how powerful music is.  For many of us, music is such a powerful force because of the events it can remind us of, people we’ve known, and places we’ve gone.  I can remember going to Best Buy and buying more CDs than I could afford and getting lectured about my irresponsibility.  Many years later, the boss has mellowed a bit and now I look forward to “New Music Tuesday”.  Every now and then, one of those artists releases an album that we eagerly anticipate.  Last Tuesday, Jack Johnson did just that with the release of “From Here to Now to You”.

Quite simply, you need to buy this album.  The sound is much mellower than his last album “To the Sea”.  It calls back to his first couple of albums and the sound could not be more welcome.  I really appreciate musicians that draw on their past, their experiences, and their families for inspiration.  On the first track, “I Got You”, Jack gives a shout to his wife.  The best thing is that it is not sappy, but a song that someone who has been with his wife for years can understand.  It is subtle and it works.  “Radiate” is a song written for his son.  In my opinion though, the best tracks are “Tape Deck” and “Home”.  “Tape Deck” is an upbeat track that tells of his time as a kid starting a band.   “Four guitars and zero drums/ we wanted to sound punk/in a world post-punk”  The song makes you want to smile and brings back those times when we all thought we were going to be the next big thing in music.

“Home” is the perfect way to close out the album.  Lyrics like “get out my machete and battle with time once again/but I’m bound to lose because I’ll be damned if time won’t win” reminds all of us of how brief our time is and that “home is wherever we are/if there’s love here too”.  This album doesn’t bring back memories of any particular place in my life.  What it does remind me of is what is important in life and for that I am thankful.  I can promise that it will be on my playlist the next time I’m on the Kam Highway heading toward the North Shore or crossing that single lane bridge into Hanalei.

This is a CD that is well worth the money.  Buy it, play it, and see where it takes you or what emotions it raises in you.  That is the great thing about a great song-it can mean something different to each of us.  Mahalo Jack and I’ll see you at DPAC on October 3rd!