April 12, 2015 in 101 Things To Do List, 50 Concerts, Entertainment, Live Music, Music, New Discovery

Win! Wait…who is playing again?

#46 GO TO 50 CONCERTS OF 50 DIFFERENT BANDS/MUSICIANS (6/50)

Concert 6:

03/27/2015 at The Crocodile (Seattle, WA)

Joe Pug with Special Guest Field Report (Solo)

 

I love Silver Platters! They have been responsible for me going three concerts in the past two years for free. All bands I have never heard of, but no complaints because they have all turned out to be entertaining. My favorite show I won tickets to was Tom Odell with Special Guest Vance Joy in October of 2013. But that isn’t this show.  This show was Joe Pug with special guest Field Report (who was playing solo instead of as the full band so really it was just Chris Porterfield).

I didn’t know who either of these bands were but that has never stopped me before. It took a bit to convince someone to go to the show with me since it was so last minute and apparently, like me, no one knew who they were. I listened to them a bit on Spotify and found that Joe Pug had a country feel to him. I’m not a huge country fan but he was from Austin, TX so totally worth a shot. I mean, wasn’t that the point of this 50 bands/50 concerts list item, to find new music? So that left Field Report. I didn’t get a chance to check out Field Report but figured it would be fine.

That morning I happened to ask a friend if she had plans, to which she said no, so I asked her to come to the show. Finally had someone to go with. We hit dinner at Pintxo, this little tapas bar in Bell Town near the Crocodile. Food was fantastic, great sangria. We chilled there for a few hours before the show started. It had been awhile since we had spent time together, so we played catch up. Mostly venting about work and the cost of living in Seattle. Then off to the show.

Field Report was great! I loved Chris. The music was a little on the more melancholy side but it was beautiful and he was hilarious. His in between song banter kept the mood light. Again, since I didn’t know his music I can’t really tell you what he played. I did find out later that one song was called Michelle. He played for probably 45 minutes. I enjoyed it a lot.

After a short intermission Joe Pug and his band took the stage. I have to say I enjoyed his recorded music on Spotify a little better than I did live. Its not that the music wasn’t good, its just that everything he played staying in the mid tempo range. I expected that he would kick it up a notch since he was with a full band. He was charming and funny and full of energy, but the music never seemed to really pick up. Just stayed in that range. There was a part where he came out and played solo. I did enjoy that part. He sounded smooth, the music was emotional. I connected with it. We didn’t stay the entire set because we were both really tired from work, but we stayed until the encore. Tracy didn’t seem to really enjoy Joe at all, I would say I might listen to his recorded music but I don’t know that I would buy tickets to see him play.

Overall I would say it was a good night, good music, a new discovery. I would go see Field Report again. Joe Pug, I would go see if someone else I liked was also playing. I didn’t walk away a huge fan, but I didn’t dislike him. I just, expected…more.

April 12, 2015 in Uncategorized

A night at the Owl

#46 GO TO 50 CONCERTS OF 50 DIFFERENT BANDS/MUSICIANS (5/50)

Concert 5:

03/11/2015 at Owl N’ Thistle(Seattle, WA)

Buckets of Rain Trio

March 9, 2015 in 101 Things To Do List, Exercise, Getting Healthy, Healthy Food, Weight Loss

Just do it!

Today could have been horrible but a girl has to do what a girl has to do. I was exhausted this morning, it had nothing to do with daylight savings time, but rather on me getting to bed after 1 am. Still, lets just pretend it was Daylight Savings time, because everyone hates it, right? Although, it was wonderful leaving work with the sun still up and warmness surrounding me. <3

After work I forced myself to hit the gym. I printed out my Intro to Weightlifting workout plan from Krissy Mae Cagney (www.krissymaecagney.com) that I bought when I stopped using a trainer and was healing from my broken foot. I never made it all the way through the first time. My workout partner and my schedules didn’t jive and I couldn’t lift without help (crutches make it hard to carry weights) so it all fell apart. It wasn’t her fault, it was mine. I gave up. I should have found a way but I let myself off the hook. I didn’t expect to still be trying to heal the foot 10 months after I broke it. But now Im back, I can’t run or do burpees, lunges, and a few other things but I can walk without crutches. So that means I can carry weights.

I got through Day 1: Back and Bis. Not impressive weights, but I made it through 3 sets of each. I pushed myself and I know if I stay motivated I will get through the 4 weeks and up my weights. I also walked on a treadmill for 20 minutes. It wasn’t a fast pace, but I made it through. I’m not allowed to go for longer or at a fast pace. No running. I’m following the rules. I want to be able to do a 5k this summer, maybe even a 10k. That means letting my foot heal. It wasn’t until tonight that I really noticed what my physical therapist was talking about with my leg muscles in my right leg not firing. The muscle has atrophied. There is a distinct difference in the feel of my right calf vs my left calf. Its disappointing but its not the end of the world.

This just pushed me to do my physical therapy workouts without giving up because I’m frustrated. I made it through the balance exercises, the tap back, the calf raises, and hip stuff. Fun times, painful but complete. I will get there.

After all this, the next piece of the “getting healthy” challenge was taken. I had to figure out what to eat. Which meant cooking. I left my leftovers from the night before  at work. So tonight, I made a …wait for it…stir fry hahaha Potatoes, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, and broccoli. I also cooked some chicken longanisa for my protein. Used a little black bean chili pepper oil and seasonings. Everything in a pan and go. It tasted really good and I have more leftovers for tomorrow’s dinner. Go me!

I can do it! Tomorrow is shoulders and abs. Woohoo! haha

March 9, 2015 in 101 Things To Do List, Breaking Habits, Getting Healthy, Healthy Food, Weight Loss

Healthy Changes

hahaha Okay, so I’ve been able to cook for a while but it’s mostly been by recipe. I’m not usually very creative in the kitchen but every once in a while I make a delicious, yummy, gem. They don’t always look pretty but they taste wonderful. Last night was one of those “throw stuff together and see if it works” cooking nights.

Ever since I broke the sesamoid bones in my right foot I have been on a slow decline of healthy habits. I slowly stopped working out and stopped eating healthy. I picked up a lot of old bad habits that were pretty unhealthy and destructive. I also gained back about 25-30 lbs of the almost 90 lbs I had worked so hard to lose in the first place. I needed to get out of this trend, so I decided yesterday to start with eating healthy and (mostly) clean. I hit up the HT Mart in the OakTree Plaza and did some grocery shopping. It was hard at first, about 15 minutes into the shopping trip I noticed I had ginger beer, taro and cassava chips, asian cookies and a few other “junk” food items. I stopped myself to start over. I put everything back (except one bag of Taro chips. Baby steps!!!) and started again.

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March 9, 2015 in 101 Things To Do List, 50 Concerts, Entertainment, Live Music, Music

Like we were just kids…

#46 Go to 50 concerts of 50 different bands/musicians (4/50)

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Concert 4:

03/07/2015 at The Moore (Seattle, WA)

Mat Kearney with Special Guests Judah the Lion and Parachute

I’ve been listening to Mat Kearney since 2005-ish. In my college years I had become an Aware Records Rep. This included promoting musicians, bands, and sometimes movies and even gum (yes, gum!). There were a lot of perks to being an Aware Rep. Free concert tickets, free autographs swag, feed CDs (often advance copies) and money. It was a great deal for someone like me. I loved music and live music was my drug. Unfortunately as a college student at a private university, I wasn’t exactly rolling in the dough so free tickets = win! Big WIN!

Promoting Mat Kearney was one of the projects I took on. Aware had sent me a copy of his first album and I liked his sound. He was different than most singer-songwriters I had discovered. He had a hip-hop feel to his music, but yet not quite entirely hip hop. It was like spoken word, meets pop, meets rock, meets singer songwriter, meets…I don’t even know, folk? Anyways, next thing I know, Aware has sent me 300+ copies of the chicago ep to hand out around Seattle at shows and at records stores, coffee shops and etc. I think overall I handed out 1000+ of those. They went quick at most places and at shows people seemed to appreciate the freebie. And we know what happened to Mat…10 years later and I’m seeing him at a sold out show at The Moore in Seattle. He pretty much has sold out almost every show since 2006, so this wasn’t a surprise. He’s from Eugene, OR so he’s a Pacific Northwest local. Lots of support.

So how did I end up at this show? I lucked out. My friend Allison had an extra ticket. It turns out her friend couldn’t go so she texted me a couple weeks ago and asked if I was up for it. I of course jumped at the chance. I had missed my opportunity to buy a ticket as I just bought a new car a few months ago and had foot surgery, so like college times…extra money is scarce. But I digress, I ended up at this show out of the pure awesomeness of a friend. Since she was providing the ticket, I provided the transportation. I was running a bit late so we got there right before the first band, Judah and the Lion, took the stage. We had balcony seats, and it was GA, and we were late, so basically we were pretty high up there. It wasn’t bad though. We had a great view and the sound up there was amazing. No complaints.

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As mentioned, Judah and the Lion was the first band of the night. I looked them up that day before the show. They were from Nashville, TN and apparently live really close to Mat. I would describe their music as americana rock. I liked them. I have to admit that while I looked them up, I didn’t listen to anything so I can’t tell you what songs they played but I can tell you that they enjoy performing and that carries though. Each instrument had a crisp clear sound (not like an apple or anything, but they just rang clear through the crowd) and I enjoyed the addition of the mandolin and accordion.

Next up was Parachute. I remember seeing them open for Kelly Clarkson. I loved that album Losing Sleep. I listened to it for months straight. I even went out to meet them after their set. Super sweet guys. I think the last time I saw them play was while they were promoting Losing Sleep. I know they have toured the area for their other albums but the stars didn’t align for the most recent tour. Since it had been awhile I was ready to be won over again, and they did not disappoint. They were energetic and fun. Will is a great front man. They played a few songs I knew but the majority were unfamiliar to me. (Sorry Guys!) I did play catch up and grab the latest album off iTunes if that makes up for it. I also gave Will a big hug after the show, or rather he went in for the hug with a huge smile on his face and I couldn’t resist. You can’t say no to that face haha

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Then it was time for the main event! Judah and the Lion were fantastic at starting off the night but I was ready for some Mat Kearney. The crowd reacted instantly when the lights went down and as bodies came in to view it only got louder. Mat walked in with a swagger, I normally wouldn’t use that term but he really did. It was a pretty smooth walk out right into his music. For his first song, he performed only vocals. He would pick up his guitar and even play some keys later on. But to start, he was walking the stage singing and interacting with both the crowd and his band.

He played a mix of music from all his albums, and not just one off of each of the first 4 but a few off of each including: Undeniable, In the Middle, Nothing Left to Lose, Count on Me, Ships in the Night, Just Kids, Heartbreak Dreamer and a bunch more. He also invited Judah and the Lion out to do a cover of Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars. Their version was pretty rad. I never thought that a americana rock/soul version of that sound would be as amazing as it was but the mandolin and banjo fit perfectly with Mat’s and Judah’s vocals. I loved Just Kids and In the Middle was as always, infused with emotion. Closer to Love remains one of my favorites live just because the crowds always seem to respond so well to it. I was hoping he would play Chicago but alas, that is still just a dream. I haven’t heard that song live in quite awhile and it looks like that will continue to be the case. C’est la vie.

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I forget what song this was on but at one point Mat got on top of his piano (again) and turned halfway towards the back hiding something behind him. Then, he turned to the crowd holding a disco ball. He held it up as lights were directed at it. He held that thing for a good while during the song. It was entertaining and also had a really cool lighting effect. Later in the set he did a little two step dance routine with his bass player. It seemed practiced but at the same time spontaneous. I don’t care either way, it was great. Then, before we knew it, Mat was wrapping up his set and saying thank you and goodbye. Of course I’ve been to enough shows to know that this wasn’t the final goodbye. There would be an encore, but I was still instantly sad when he walked off to the side of the stage.

We had remained seated throughout the entire set because when people stood it blocked others views, but as people started to leave before the encore I figured it wouldn’t be a huge deal to stand if the chance arose. We continued to sit for the first song of the encore but then, the familiar beat to start of Hey Mama began and I leaned over and said “I’m going to stand for this one!”. After a quick check behind me to see if I would block anyone with my 5’2″ frame and seeing that I would be fine, I stood and started to dance. My friend stood to as did most people in the audience. I mean, you cannot be still while that song is playing. I dare you to try. You might be able to manage to stay seated but there will be seat dancing, butt wiggling and all that good stuff so you might as well stand. Since we were already up we stood for the final song and then, then it was over. I was too happy about how awesome the show was to be sad it was over. Now I can’t wait until the next time I get a chance to see him, and this time I will not hesitate and buy the ticket early.

I can feel it in the way we try
I can feel it in the way we fight
We’re standing side by side
Like we were just kids
– Mat Kearney (Just Kids)

(I’ll add some video clips and more photos when I get a chance. Ive got a little clip of the dancing and Uptown Funk.)

March 6, 2015 in 10 Movies, 101 Things To Do List, Entertainment

Emotional Roller Coaster via film

#36: Watch 10 Movies in a movie theater (1/10)

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http://www.focusfeatures.com/the_theory_of_everything

Movie #1: The Theory of Everything

Let me explain this goal first. I am not a movie going person (caveat: I do watch movies with my nephews at the theater but these are usually age appropriate…meaning their age). I’m not even a big movie watching person but when I do watch, I’m usually alone. This goal serves two parts:

1) Get out of the house and do something, stay in the now, see what everyone is talking about

2) Spend time with friends

So here we are with my first movie of the year. My friend Holly lives in the apt complex across the street. Reading that, you would assume we see each other all the time and are always together. This is not true. We rarely see each other, sad I know. At the end of each hang session we say the same thing “We need to hang out more. I mean, we live across the street from each other.” Yet, that still didn’t really happen. We’re both busy with work and life and usually when home (which for me is rarely) we just want alone time. However, every friendship requires effort. Really, any successful relationship whether friends, family or other requires effort. So effort was made.

Holly texted me asking if I wanted to catch a movie the next week. I of course said yes so we finally settled on a date and then on a movie. The last time we had watched a movie we saw a trailer for The Theory of Everything and both had made the comment that we wanted to see it. So, the choice was “easy” (we’re both kind of indecisive so…you know. Easier haha) and we settled on the movie based on Jane Hawking’s book about her and Stephen’s life together.

Knowing who Stephen Hawking was, I was prepared for some sadness. However, I was not prepared to cry…a lot. I laughed quite a bit too, there were many funny parts of this move but there were so many emotional moments. I commend the two actors playing Stephen (Eddie Redmayne) and Jane (Felicity Jones). They were amazing in their roles bringing the characters to life. I was so enthralled with the story, I felt it all. Happiness, sadness, anger, the urge to comfort, support, and be there for these characters. I felt invested, even though this was a story of times past. I just wanted to hug everyone and to have someone hug me. Luckily I had taken a handful of napkins when we got our popcorn or my clothes would have been a mess of smeared make up. To say I enjoyed this movie would be an understatement. I LOVED this movie. I would watch it over and over. It was simply delightful. i definitely recommend watching.

(Shout out to Blinc mascara www.blincinc.com for being amazing and staying put! No racoon eyes.Win!)

March 6, 2015 in 101 Things To Do List, 50 Concerts, Entertainment, Live Music, Music

This is for Real

#46. Go to 50 concerts of 50 different bands/musicians (3/50)

Concert Number 3:

02/17/2015 At The Showbox Market (Seattle, WA)

Motion City Soundtrack w/Special Guest William Beckett

 

Aww yes, Motion City Soundtrack. Motion City Soundtrack is one of my favorite live bands. I know I have a lot of “favorite bands” but really, I listen to great music and there is so much out there that it can’t be helped. I found out that MCS was doing a Commit This to Memory  anniversary tour and the venue just so happened to be The Showbox Market where I get one free pair of tickets/month. I knew my friend Allison would be down for the show so I told her I would request tickets. (If you haven’t noticed by now, we go to a lot of shows together. She is definitely one of my top concert buddies and hang out friends.) Thanks to my awesome and completely badass contact Whitey, tickets were granted and we were set.

A couple of years ago, Allison had done this great drawing symbolizing each of the members of MCS with their hair style (facial and on top of their head) and printed it as a poster. She was even able to get most of the guys to sign the poster at El Corazon. Unfortunately some of the guys were unavailable, so she was two signatures short coming up to this show. Well it turned out as luck would have it, Matt and Jesse were going to be hanging out across the street from the Showbox before the show and invited fans to stop by and drink and hang with them. Jesse was one of the missing signatures she needed so we decided to stop by.

We weren’t sure what to expect. Would they be be sitting at a table facing us, would they be in the middle, would there be a line, did we need passes/tickets/something? None of the above, it was actually a very very informal thing. Everyone was just in an open room off to the side of the bar. You walk in, grab a drink at the bar and sit wherever and hang. If you wanted to talk to one of the guys, you just went over and did so when there was an opening. Initiative was definitely required and for an introvert…it was kind of nightmare situation. Good thing I have always had a “sink or swim” attitude in my back pocket when it comes to social events.

A nice guy offered us some open space next to him and someone else (i think they may have been MCS’s manager or in somewhat attached to the event) suggested we grab some chairs and move them to that spot. So we grabbed some chairs and awkwardly sat there until Allison went to go grab us some drinks. The guy next to me seemed nice and started talking. I didn’t get his name but he kind of explained what was going on and when the person talking to Matt left, he told me that was my chance. So I moved over a bit and said hello.

I ended up talking to Matt for awhile. We have a mutual friend named Patrick and we ended up spending most of the conversation talking about how awesome Patrick is and how we both missed him. Next thing we know, they are letting the group know that the guys would be posing for pictures with everyone if people wanted. We take a quick photo and then head back to our seats. I strike up a conversation with the guy sitting next to us (different guy than previously mentioned). I had seen him holding a shirt while talking to the guys right before photo op time so I asked him if he got it signed and the conversation was started. We talked for a bit. Turns out he’s a big MCS fan but never met them before.

After the photo session concluded, Jesse came over and said “I know you must be tired of hearing this but, what did you do?” as he pointed to my boot cast. I told him it was ninjas. He laughed and said “Of course, I should have known.” We ended up talking to him and the guy next to us about music, beer (Matt and Jesse are in to craft beers and try to hit a brewery at every tour stop), tattoos, art, and his move to CA. It started to get late and the guy next to us had already left, so we said goodbye to Jesse and made our way to the show. Their show. hahaha

We missed the first band, but go there in time for William Beckett. I had loved Academy Is and was bummed when they broke up. Allison hadn’t been able to eat so we went into the bar so she could get good. But once William started, I really wanted to be on the floor so I told her I was going to go down there for awhile. William played a mix of solo stuff as well as Academy Is classics. You could tell that there were Academy Is fans in the crowd because they sang along to quite a few songs. It was interesting hearing him play everything solo and acoustic, still good though.

Up next was MCS. The crowd was pumped. So pumped that I had to move from my spot because a really enthusiastic fan jumped on my boot a couple times. Thank goodness I work it. We moved to the side, which actually got us closer and a much better view. Jesse has energy, EN-ERRR-GEEE, ENERGY! He was more pumped than the crowd, and that is saying a lot. I love watching him play keys. Dancing, jumping, headstands, hes an all around bad ass. Justin was on fire as well. Vocals sharp, witty banter, great front man. Claudio was rocking those drums, Matt keeping it real on the low end with his bass and Josh killing it on guitar. When they played This is for Real I couldn’t help but join in on the dancing and jumping (on one foot). I also sang at the top of my lungs for most of their set and danced like no one was watching, and really, I dont think they were. Eveyrone was dancing and jumping. They played a mix of old and new. Highlights for me were This is for Real, The Future Freaks Me Out and Make Out Kids but everything was great. I wouldn’t pass up the chance to see them again live (like I ever do), plus I met a cute guy at the bar/show. The night was a win.

Pictures to be added.

March 6, 2015 in 101 Things To Do List, 50 Concerts, Entertainment, Live Music, Music

Valentine’s Day Adventures

#46 Go to 50 concerts of 50 different bands/musicians (2/50)

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Concert Number 2

02/14/2015 At The Paramount Theater (Seattle, WA)

Hozier (www.hozier.com)  w/Special Guest Asgeir (www.asgeirmusic.com)

Ah Valentine’s Day, a day that has so much pressure attached to it because its a “day for lovers”. I hate that people freak out so much, its a day. If you are in a relationship you choose to celebrate or choose to not and if you are single then you do whateva you want. I’m single so rather than freak out and be all its “Singles Awareness Day” or “F*ck Valentine’s Day” and be all bitter, I made plans with my childhood best friend.

I found out back in October that Hozier was coming to Seattle again, however I was in Austin at the time. My best friend saw my post and asked me if I wanted to go, I said yes and she grabbed the tickets. Fantastic. Plans made. (Last year I spend Valentine’s day on a music cruise with friends so really, Valentine’s day is the ultimate fun friend’s day for me).

As the day approached so did the onslaught of “woe is me, I’m single, blah blah feel bad for me” posts on all the social media. As well as the posts from people in relationships stressing about making plans. My favorite posts were the ones where people were just like “what are you doing Saturday?”, because again…its just a day. They had the right idea. Don’t get me wrong, romance is awesome and I was kind of hoping for a certain guy to make a move but alas, no move was made and I had plans to rock the night away anyways so basically, no f*cks given.

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The day was pretty uneventful. Had brunch with my cousin then did a little shopping and laundry before getting ready for the show. I did make the executive decision to forgo common sense in regards to the still healing broken foot and decided to wear “cute shoes” instead of runners/tennis shoes/whatever you want to call them. Unfortunately, most of my cute shoes wouldn’t fit an insole (I’m not a complete idiot in terms of rehabilitating my food), so I went with my boots. Put some good insoles in them for cushioning and wore thick socks. Plus we would be sitting most of the night so I figured I was okay, and if I wasn’t then I would just have to wear the boot cast the next day. I was fully prepared to deal with the consequences of my actions. Thank goodness I didn’t have a problem.

I got to the show, the line was already down the block but lucky for us, most of them had floor GA tickets and we were GA balcony. So the competition for a close up seat to see the show would be less of a fight. In line we met this really cool girl, that we actually had a lot in common with. We spent most of our line time talking to her. I can’t remember her name for sure, but I think it was Heather (I’m horrible at names). She was at the show alone, but had a floor ticket so once we got in we had to say goodbye.

We made out way up to the balcony and got front row seats in the balcony GA area, great view with awesome sound. It wasn’t right at the edge as those seats were “Paramount Club” member seats, but close enough. No one would block our view. Ky and I spent the interim time catching up, talking about life, music, food, and people in general as well as showing each other funny pics on the internet. There was also some instagram/FB time.

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The lights dimmed and Asgeir and his band (two other guys) took the stage. Honestly, I’d never heard of him but from the start I was mesmerized. I could tell he was going to make me fall for him. The music surrounded you and made you feel like you were floating on an invisible cloud of awesome. He seemed more instrumental with less words, but I realized later he was singing more than I though but his voice just blended right in with the music. I know people say the voice is an instrument, which I agree with that but with him it really did sound like another instrument in the mix not just instruments with the vocal overlay. I found myself “feeling” the music rather than just listening. It was fantastic.

Another thing I noticed was the response to him when he finished his set. Most openers get a “polite response”, you know, some applause a couple screams and Wooos but this was a real response. Lots of applause and cheering. The crowd genuinely liked him. If they weren’t fans going in, they definitely were going out.

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Hozier was up next and the crowd “went wild” so to speak. He was amazing, Its funny because he seems so unassuming but on stage you can’t take your eyes off of him. Its not that on stage he is boisterous or glitzy and flamboyant, he just has this way about him when he performs that commands attention. Maybe because I assumed his personality was bashful I expected his performance to be a little more reserved. But he is confident and projects well and just moves you.

The crowd was feeling every bit of his performance. In a Week was beautiful. He introduced the song talking about where he was from and what is was like there as well as his inspiration and then performed it along with his cellist completely stripped down. Work Song was just as powerful as it is on the album, and I love love love Jackie and Wilson live as well as Someone New. Hozier is soulful in his singing and has the Rhythm and Blues down. There is a lot of depth to this man, this artist, musician, performer.

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When he sang Take Me to Church before leaving the stage, it seemed like the show was over. I mean, that’s his big hit, right? But the crowd was not done. This was the first show in a long time that I have attended where the crowd demanded an encore with every fiber of their cheering beings. The crowd noise was kept at a level that showed they wanted to capture his attention, hoping, trying so hard, even begging for him perform more. He was off the stage for a few minutes and the noise did not die down once in those 4 minutes. People gave him a standing ovation. It was crazy how much we were all trying to get him to understand how much we wanted and needed him to keep going.

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He finally came back out and scratched his head, thanked the crowd (he seemed to be genuinely moved) then began to play. It was silent, everyone was enraptured in him and his music. He played 3-4 more songs. I lost count, I do remember Cherry Wine being breathtaking. A solo effort on his part. I didn’t want the night to end, but alas, all good things come to an end. He thanked us all for making that night a amazing and one to remember. HE wished us all a happy valentine’s day and then he was gone. This time for real. Another standing ovation and the crowd began to file out. I couldn’t have asked for a better night.

We were not done though. Ky’s ferry wasn’t coming until 12:50 am and it was only 11 pm, so we needed to kill some time. My guitar teacher Justin’s band was playing at Fado so we headed there. It seemed perfect, Hozier is irish and Fado is an irish pub. Done deal. We drove down and listened while the True Romans played some covers. I was distracted by Justin’s outfit (tiger striped velvet pants, an “I love boobies” shirt (later replaced by a shirt with muscles on it) and what appeared to either be a member’s only jacket or a really loose cardigan-esque jacket. I loved it! hahaha Not sure if anyone else could pull that off, but he has a pretty awesome personality so it worked.

One Guinness (me) and Irish Coffee (Ky), great conversations, lots of laughs and an epic Tool cover and the night was over for us. Ky’s ferry would be arriving so she left around 1240 am and I was tired so I headed home around 1. With one last goodbye to Justin, I walked out and drove home. It was a fantastic night. I have no qualms with Valentine’s Day, we’re pretty good friends I’d say.  🙂

February 9, 2015 in 101 Things To Do List, 50 Concerts, Entertainment, Live Music, Music

G. Love and Special Sauce w/Special Guest Matt Costa

# 46: Go to 50 concerts of 50 different bands/musicians (1 out of 50)

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Concert Number 1:

01/30/2015 At The Showbox Market (Seattle, WA)

G. Love and Special Sauce w/Special Guest Matt Costa

First concert down, I saw G. Love and Special Sauce with Matt Costa as his opener. Its been a long time, at least 5 or so years since I last saw G. Love, at I think it was at this same location. I love the Showbox Market, it is easily on my list of top places to see a show in Seattle. G. Love and the guys played some new stuff while still mixing in the old favorites. I mean,  you can’t go see G.Love and Special Sauce and them not play “My Baby’s Got Sauce”. Sadly he didn’t play much off of the Hustle except Booty Call, but it was a great night of dancing and having a grand old time (do people still say that?).

The last time I saw Matt Costa was at the now defunct Chop Suey (I think, I may have seen him somewhere else more recent but that one stands out to me most). I still remember him coming out of Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco to play songs for those of us in line waiting to get into Swedish American Music Hall to see Matt Nathanson. He asked if he could play for us and then offered us CDs for sale at $5. I think I was one of the only ones that bought a CD after. A lot of people ignored him and laughed, little did they know what the future held for that guy. I love his voice and his music. He didn’t play my favorite songs that night, but they are a bit older so I understand. However, what he played sounded great. So no complaints.

February 9, 2015 in 101 Things To Do List, Sports

Sportsball!!!! (aka #2 Watch a Football Game at a Bar)

I can cross number 2 off my list! A couple of friends and I hit the Market Arms in Ballard to watch the Superbowl and root on our Seahawks. While the outcome wasn’t what we hoped it was a great experience and a lot of fun. That game was insane.

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We arrived around 11 am, about an hour after the bar opened, which was still a good 4.5 hours until the game started. Even then it was pretty full. Lucky for us, they serve breakfast/brunch food. The eating had just began at that point. I wasn’t quite ready to drink though so I left that to my friend who ordered a mimosa. For anyone wondering, The Market Arms has great breakfast and their breakfast potatoes are so good. Their mimosa is pretty tasty too. It made me almost want to grab one, but I refrained for a bit longer.

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To keep ourselves entertained until the big game we played UNO and ate food. We were not the only ones who brought games, I saw quite a few card decks around. More an more people showed up and we put the cards away to people watch and chat and eat more food. haha I also finally gave in and got a Guiness. I’m not a huge beer fan but apparently I like a good guiness from the tap.

The local tv station was also playing a lot of “How they got here” clips from the season and a lot of it geared to pumping up Seattleites and Seahawks fans everywhere. They excitement was palpable. It was great. We even had some Skittle promo peeps shows up. They threw packs of Skittles to everyone and also gave out some colorful rainbow Skittles headband swag. It was fantastic. We were having a great time.

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Game time approached, we ordered a pitcher of Strongbow Apple Cider and wings (you have to have wings!). Then the game started. It was an intense game filled with highs and lows, lots of cheering and screaming as well as sounds of sadness and panic at times. There were high fives galore and Skittles showers every time we scored or did something badass. We were riding on pure adrenaline up until that last play. The play that changed everything. Then there was just silence and a little anger but mostly you could hear the disbelief and disappointment in the absolute silence all around. It was that evident. We couldn’t believe that play, that catch. The interception that rocked our world in a bad way, but it happens. The luck was not in our favor and the Pats anticipated that play. I’ve got to give them credit for that. While I am still a little disappointed, I love my Seahawks and that sure was one hell of a game.

What a great first experience watching a game at a bar, huh? I’d say my adventures to cross off number 2 on my list were a success…and We’ll get’em next year. GO SEAHAWKS!!!

 

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