Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Concerts, Concerts, and More Concerts

Okay, so I go to a lot of concerts. And I see bands twice (sometimes 3 times) in one year. Can't help it if some of my favs were on tour this summer! Here's a recap...

February - The Raveonettes, for the first time, at The Black Cat in DC:
March - Gomez, the first time this year, at Rams Head Live in Baltimore:
March - opening act for Gomez, the 2nd time, at 9:30 Club in DC:
Gomez, the 2nd time...only 3 days later:
My best concert going buddy...my dad:
May - Embassy Open House weekend...Benin Embassy:
May - opening act for BTE's opening act, at House of Blues in New Orleans, Marianne _____:
Tyronne Wells, opening act for BTE, at House of Blues in New Orleans:
Better Than Ezra CD release party in their hometown of New Orleans, at the House of Blues:
June - Cracker at Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis:
Johnny rules!
Johnny's guitar:
Me & Johnny after the show:
June - David Stein (http://www.davidsteinmusic.com/), my friend's band, at Art-o-matic in DC:
June - summer concert series in my 'hood:
June - BTE, again, Tyronne Wells opened again, this time at 9:30 Club:
Kevin!
August - August was all about the free concerts...The Pietasters at a park near my brother's house in Alexandria:
Yes, those are little kids and big kids skanking:And yes, I did see BTE for a 3rd time...at a free concert in Baltimore at Power Plant Live! Because of a torrential downpour, the show moved inside at a nearby bar:
September - Porter Davis at Madams Organ in Adams Morgan (practically across the street from my apt):
October - Lou at 9:30 Club, opening for his former, now reunited band...
...Dino Jr:
The Raveonettes again, at 9:30 Club this time, opening act:
The Raveonettes:
Rave On (missing the Ettes) speakers:November - Corrin's 1st piano recital (hey, it counts as a concert):
November - They Might Be Giants at 9:30 Club:"Puppets" who sang two TMBG songs:Here's to concert season 2010!
Only scheduled concert so far is Flogging Molly in February...

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Mini Vacay - 1st Stop Phoenix

With grad school mostly done, I took a mini vacay to AZ and CA to visit friends and family. While a blizzard was pounding the east coast, I was in my rental convertible driving around with the top down!
I stayed with my friend Maria in Ahwatukee, here's her tree:We went on a hike at my old stomping ground, South Mountain Park:
(AZ sunset...looking north toward Camelback Mountain)Also, climbed "A" Mountain. Hard to get a good view of the yellow ASU "A" while on the mountain:
View of downtown Phoenix from the top:Camelback and Papago:ASU Sun Devil Stadium:
Tempe, with its new really tall buildings:
Besides the three wise men (see next post), and a star, there was also a menorah on A Mtn:Abandoned grainery near downtown Tempe:
New parking garage on Tempe Town Lake:
weird, Mystery Castle-esque garden at a house in Scottsdale:
(yes, that's a buddha...there were a bunch of them)

Overcompensation...

Since most people in Phoenix are from somewhere else, somewhere where it snows and gets cold for the holidays, they have to overcompensate with lights...
These pics start off okay, and then go downhill quickly:
this one wins:
This is actually cute:
The Three Wise Men on A Mountain in Tempe?
...and a candy cane in a scraggly tree: