Preview of George Thorogood

 With my finals fast approaching I can't give George the proper write up he deserves just yet.  All I can say is the man hasn't lost a step and my face was sufficiently melted!

I promise a full write up, plus pictures and videos, is coming soon!

Ontildawn

Ontildawn 

Saturday, November 12, 2011 

15 West, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 

     I was very happy to finally check out Ontildawn Saturday night.  Ontildawn is a three man DJ group.  They played the opening of a new club in downtown Ft. Lauderdale called 15 West.  For those of you who are local, it is located at Andrews and Las Olas where Automatic Slims used to be.  I  know two of the members of Ontildawn from high school.  This might make me slightly bias, but I really think they did great!  To witness people you knew as a kid thriving in their field is a real pleasure.  I am aware that I'm a newbie when it comes to house music and may not have the qualifications to judge.  However, since my discovery at this past Bonnaroo in June, I've been submersed in house.  I've seen world famous DJ's, as well as up and comers.  I can safely say Ontildawn has the right sound and enthusiasm to be among my favorites! They sampled great songs, threw in interesting beats and had fun doing it!  I don't care what genre of music an artist plays, if they are having fun, they will grab their audience!  My still aching feet can attest to the dancability of their music!  Members MikeyRo, Anthony Mazzeo, Eric D also took to the dance floor when they weren't manning the DJ booth.  This three man team trades off seamlessly throughout the night for non stop beats.  I called their music house but according to them, their genre of music is "Baby Making Music." I enjoy their sense of humor and overall attitude.  Lucky me that these guys are local and my repeat of Saturday night can occur sooner than later!  If I didn't have tickets to the Dolphins game on Sunday I would have attended their pool party at Exit 66.   I'm sure my dancing feet were happy with the rest and the Dolphins finally achieved a home win aftter almost a year (364 days to be exact)!

     I spoke to a bartender at 15 West and Saturday nights will feature house music regularly.  Good to know!

Boyz II Men

  Boyz II Men

James L. Knight Center

Miami, FL

November 5, 2011

     Out of all the shows I’ve been to recently, this was the one I was looking forward to most.  Unfortunately, I would not call a six song set a good show.  They came out with high energy belting out “Motown Philly,” I was so excited.  ‘It's long overdue but now Philly is slammin’, Boyz II Men, ABC, BBD, The east coast family’  They immediately followed with “On Bended Knee.”  This is my personal favorite Boyz II Men song.  It was like being ten years old all over again.  Courtney (my best friend) and I were dancing and singing every word!  Then came the inevitable “song from their new album.”  That is to be expected and it wasn’t half bad.  Every once is a while the unveiling of a new song at a show is an instant hit, but for the most part, we just want to hear the old stuff.  Nathan obliged and told us, “Here’s a classic.”  My heart jumped and I waited for the familiar pangs of one of my old favorites.  Four notes told me it was “I’ll make love to you.”  I cheered!  The guys went to the side of the stage and each grabbed a bouquet of roses that they proceeded to hand out to their screaming fans!  Such charmers!  It reminded me of bands like the Four Tops or the Temptations with their synchronized dances and matching outfits.  The roses were Boyz II Men’s powder blue suits.  It was a nice touch and their voices have not faded in the last seventeen years since I saw them the first time.  “I’ll make love to you” is one of their more challenging ballads with high vocals and sustained notes.  They were still very impressive.  But, they took the wind out of our sails and sang another new song from their new album.  Ok, ok, get to the good stuff.  If you’ve been keeping track we are already at five songs.  That means there is only one left.  They ended the show in the only way they could with, “End of the Road.”  This song is a classic.  It can hold its own among some of the best love songs of all time.  I was in my happy place.  That is, until they started thanking the crowd.  What? Wait…they just started.  They just buttered us up and left.  Where are they going?  Six songs total with two new songs.  The crowd just stood there in disbelief as they walked off the stage.  The lights went up and the roadies started packing up the stage.  This was not a promising scene for an encore.  The crowd looked around at each other and said things like, “Is that it?” and “They’re not coming back out?”  It was over.  The building anticipation of the night was over in thirty minutes.   

            Lets explore why this may have happened.  We can rule out age.  Band members Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, and Shawn Stockman are all in their late thirties, early forties.  Original band member Michael McCary left Boyz II Men in 2003 due to chronic back problems resulting from scoliosis.  He was their famous “deep voice” man.  My hypothesis on their short set is either they ran out of time or they don’t realize how loved they still are, or both.

            In respect to time, there were four acts before Boyz II Men.  We arrived around 8:30pm, a half an hour after show time, and no one had started.  There were two newbie acts not listed on the show.  After, were the scheduled opening acts of Faith Evans and Keith Sweat.  This show was billed as the Best of the 90’s.  I remembered both Evans and Sweat, but they were fillers.  I was there to see Boyz II Men.  Both acts complained that they had to cut their show short.  I guess time was an issue, but then I wonder, “Why have the newbie acts?”  So time was crunched.  But I have been to many shows that go over time.  Bonnaroo 2008, Pearl Jam played two hours longer then originally scheduled.  It messed up the rest of the show schedule, but they still played because they knew their fans wanted them.  This may be the issue here.

Earlier this week I was upset to see Boyz II Men as glorified back up singers for Justin Bieber on Dancing with the Stars.  Justin Bieber was singing some Christmas song and they backed him up.  What?!?  This was embarrassing.  That’s like having Aretha Franklin as a back up singer to Miley Cyrus.  I was not happy.  I hope Boyz II Men don’t see themselves as has-beens.  To me they are one of the great classic bands of all time.  Everyone in that room felt that way last night and would have stayed to watch them for hours.  If the show producers were telling them to wrap it up, they should have kept on singing.  They have power in their voices and in their fans.  As one of the premier R & B bands of all time, they have clout.  I hope they know that.  

            To end on a positive note, this venue did not check my purse at all.  Therefore, my camera and zoom lens got to come along!  I hope you enjoy the pictures and the videos I took with my phone.  I love this band and always will, they are too young to give up on themselves.  I am seeing George Thorogood Thanksgiving weekend.  This will be the fourth time I’ve seen him.  He plays for hours, is much older and gives encores.  If George can do it, Nathan Wanya and Shawn could have too! 

Me on the way to the show

Faith Evans

Keith Sweat

Nathan Morris

Shawn Stockman

Wanya Morris

Pardon my ridiculous singing voice in these videos.

Bassnectar

Bassnectar 

October 22, 2011 Filmore at 

The Jackie Gleason Miami Beach, FL

      Concerts can be portals into another world.  Saturday night was like slipping into Alice's rabbit hole.  The music genre of dubstep or electronica brings a unique atmosphere and fan base out to their shows.  The crowd was very young and very enthusiastic.  There was a sea of glowsticks, tutus, fur boots, face paint, masks and glitter.  This was not because it's the week before Halloween.  This is the norm when attending a show like this.  It is similar to seeing lots of leather or spiked collars when attending a heavy metal show.  Only this is the complete opposite.  Anything 80's, neon, glittery or whimsical goes!  I talk about the crowd and the scene because the people-watching was half the entertainment.  
     As for Bassnectar himself, the show was epic!  He is an exciting DJ to watch because he is constantly moving.  Check him out in the video below, he enjoys the music as much as the crowd.  He moves from turn table to laptop and back again all while dancing and shaking his long locks. Bassnectar's real name is Lorin Ashton and he hails from Southern California.  His style of dubstep includes original music and "mash ups" using other artists.  There is a reason he calls himself Bassnectar...so much bass!  He has songs like "Bass head" and lyrics like "we drop bass in your face."  The extra boom his bass provides for his songs gives something extra that really makes you feel like you're in the music.  The bass is so heavy that you can feel it in your chest.  To me, this is a good thing.  His songs are up beat with incredible crescendos while staying true to the sounds of dubstep.  The crowd was dancing for the entire show, including myself!  This type of music is not for everyone, but if you are in the mood to shake your body and not care what anyone else thinks, Bassnectar is perfect!
     There is a community feel to shows like this.  I mentioned the funky people before and it is almost like being part of an exclusive club.  At the end of every show Bassnectar steps off his podium and takes a picture with the crowd that he calls a family photo, and Saturday night was no exception.  He stood against the railing with his back to the crowd and took a photo with the audience.  People stood on chairs and their toes and put on their best family photo smile!  It's always nice to see an artist who appreciates his fans. A very enjoyable evening indeed!

  

Albums

• 2001: Freakbeat for the Beatfreaks
• 2002: Beatfreak Bohemia
• 2003: Motions of Mutation
• 2004: Diverse Systems of Throb
• 2005: Mesmerizing The Ultra
• 2007: Underground Communication
• 2009: Cozza Frenzy
• 2011: Divergent Spectrum

Ghostland Observatory

Ghostland Observatory, Sunday, October 9, 2011

Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

My post Ghostland “high” is still going strong.  This two man band really knows how to put on a show!  You might not have heard of Ghostland Observatory (most people haven’t), but you do have ears (most people do), so get on it!  You may ask, “What type of music do they play?”  Or, “Who do they sound like?”  These are not easy questions.  They have been described as elecronica, rock, funk, new wave, etc.  But Ghostland doesn’t easily fit into a genre, and they sound like no one.  All I can say is that from the time they took the stage Sunday night, until their synchronized bow at the end, I never stopped dancing!  Days later, my calves hate me but my smile and rock heart are happy!  So who are these guys?

 The band consists of two dudes from Austin, Texas.  The lead singer and guitarist is Aaron Kyle Behrens and the keyboarder, synchronizer, drummer and robot voice dude is Thomas Ross Turner.  But to me Aaron is better known as the “man with the braids who can really dance” and Thomas is the mysterious man in the body sized Texas state flag cape.  Yes, body sized Texas state flag cape.  Their stage setup involves multiple strobe lights, lasers and fog machines.  They define the old saying, “Two is a party!”  But wait….lasers? Robot voices?  Is this band really any good?  Let me paint a picture for you.

The venue’s piped in music finally ends and the lights go down.  The start of a show creates “butterflies” like no other, except perhaps a plane taking off.  The stage is dark and there is a quiet beat growing louder.  The first sign of life is a security guard with a flashlight pointing to the ground.  He leads the band across the dark stage and with the first glimpse of the band, the crowd erupts.  Thomas takes his place at his percussion command center and Aaron takes the mic with his back to us.  The crowd quiets in anticipation and the sound of Aaron’s voice masked by echo starts filling the room.  The sound is low, guttural and indiscriminate.  It gets a little louder.  And louder still.  Then all in an instant the sound of a familiar song explodes, the lasers come on and Aaron spins to life!  The audience is euphoric and sings along, dances and cheers!  When Aaron was not behind the guitar he was moving along the stage like a cheetah stocking prey.  He has such range of motion with his body that the only adjective to describe his style of dance is fluid!  He obliged his fans by dancing close to the edge of the stage and shook hands with us!  The show continued like this for two hours and seemed to pass by in minutes.  There was an encore thrown in there somewhere but lasted mere minutes.  We were all sucked in to a different world for a few hours.  A world of funky beats and endless dancing! 

          I left the show with ears ringing and a tired body.  Fortunately, the venue is small and my car was a hundred feet from the building.  It was a Sunday night after all and this old lady had work in the morning.  But for those two hours, I was 16.  Concerts are real time machines.  I know a few blonde ladies who would agree with me!  A handful of blonde women in their early fifties were there this time and the last time I saw Ghostland.  They were the first in line to get in, and they were at the front of the stage the whole night.  I mean pressed against the front of the stage, as close as you can get.  They danced and knew every word to every song, at both shows.  This is the power of music… it knows no age.

Me with my sweet cheetah glasses

I’ve seen them before, and I’ll see them again and again!  Enjoy the pictures and videos.  Break out of your rut and try something new!  Check out Ghostland Observatory!!!

          Pardon the quality of the pictures, I wasn't allowed to bring in my real camera.  These are all brought to you by the iphone.  I am working on how I can get a press pass for upcoming shows so that I can bring in my badass camera!

"Stranger Lover," Paprazzi Lightning

"Dancing on my Grave," Robotique Majestique

Albums:

delete.delete.i.eat.meat (2005), Trashy Moped Recordings

Paparazzi Lightning (2006), Trashy Moped Recordings

Robotique Majestique (2008), Trashy Moped Recordings

Codename: Rondo (2010), Trashy Moped Recordings

Trashy Moped Recordings is Thomas Ross Turner's record label.  

A Few Friends, a Guitar and Some Bongos

Current countdown until my next live show: 2 days until Ghostland Observatory

     As you have learned from my other posts, live shows flow through my blood.  I live for that rush when the lights go down, the crowd roars and the curtain goes up.  However, live music doesn't have to be an expensive concert performed by a famous artist.  The sound of human fingers plucking the strings of a guitar and palms gently tapping the skin of a bongo are enough to get that live music mojo flowing.  Last Friday night, we were on our way to Megan's house with supplies of wine and musical instruments.  The wine was poured and the guitar was taken out of the case.  What followed can only be described as one of the many great times brought to me by live music.  We had hours filled with off-key sing-alongs and the musicians were gracious enough to grant our requests!  Through our voices, guitar plucks and bongo pangs, we were joined by Jack Johnson, Sublime, Bob Marley, Lynard Skynard and even silly childhood songs!  We might have even took a turn or two around the dance floor.  In our case, the pool deck.  The night wound down and there were no tickets to save, no bartenders to tip, no huge parking lot to wander around looking for our car.  There were only hugs and and sore throats from singing and laughing!  I highly recommend picking up a guitar if you can or paying a little more attention to that random guitar player on the street.  The sweet sound of music is everywhere, pay attention!                         

Good times always follow when Fernando has guitar in hand!

  

 

6 Year Bonnaroo Vet

   With more than a week until my next live show, I thought I'd fill you in on what exactly being a "Bonnaroo Vet" means. 

Fernando (my husband) and I at this year's Bonnaroo

   For those of you who don't know, Bonnaroo is a 4 day camping music and arts festival located in Manchester, TN and takes place every year around the second weekend in June.  http://www.bonnaroo.com/  Thousands of people from around the world flock to this small town in Tennessee for one reason: Live music.  In other words for a lifetime concertgoer like myself, it is music mecca!  There is no other place on the planet that you can see concerts like Pearl Jam (one of my own personal favorites), music legends like B.B. King and Willie Nelson and newcomers like Death Cab for Cutie and even DJ's like Tiesto all in one weekend, at one location.  That was just a snip it from one of my favorite Bonnaroo lineups, 2008.  Bonnaroo truly is the promised land because every genre of music is represented.  You could hear some good 'ol classic rock in the morning, catch a crunchy jam band in the early afternoon, fall asleep under a gigantic tree listening to the latest singer song writers, gear up with some metal or even rap, have your face melted by any number of true rock and roll headliners, and dance the night away with the most talented DJ's in the world.  In one weekend, you could experience a lifetime of concerts and memories.  This is why I have attended every Bonnaroo since 2006.  You can't beat standing in a field with 80,000 other rooers dancing and singing in unison to the sounds of Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks.  That is exactly what happened my first year.  Not only was I hearing Tom Petty, but Stevie Nicks decidees to go ahead and join him on stage!  Hands down, one of my top 5 Bonnaroo moments! 

    Bonnaroo isn't just magic and sunshine.  You live outdoors for 4 days and with that comes a little dirt and a little adventure!  Like my friend Courtney says, "No concert is worth pooping in a bucket for."  To some, this may be true.  I have two arguments for this.  One, there are tons of concerts worth pooping in a bucket for.  Second, she hasn't seen the alternative...port-o-potties!  The bucket is not my first choice, but it offers privacy and a clean toilet seat.  Two very hot commodities!  But the bucket seems to be a popular subject when discussing Bonnaroo.  The people I know who have not experienced it get a kick out of picturing us using a 5 gallon home depot bucket as a toilet.  Last Halloween two of our friends dressed up as us, my husband and I, and they brought a Bonnaroo poop bucket as a prop!  Like the bucket represents something significant in our life.   They may laugh, but I know the truth!   

   However, camping at Bonnaroo is more than just sleeping outside and getting a little dirty.  It kind of takes you back to Woodstock.  Where it's all about the music and there's no time to drive to a hotel, eat at a restaurant, find parking, or sleep!  There is music to listen to and if you don't hurry you're going to miss a sweet set that starts in 10 minutes!  I have gone to Bonnaroo with a variety of my best friends and family members.  Some of them can handle the rough accommodations better than others.  But every person I have ever gone with comes away with a sense that they were part of something.  I can't promise this will be the last time I mention Bonnaroo, somehow it has become part of me.   

 These are 6 years of tickets and wristbands from Bonnaroo 2006-2011 hanging in my hallway.

I also had printed photobooks made for every year we've gone from www.mypublisher.com.

I love how all the books look stacked up so you can see all the years!

Hello and Welcome to my Journey!

   First off, I just want to officially say hello! This is my very first post as a blogger. I have been thinking about creating a blog for some time now, as I love to write and take pictures of my experiences.  I have been attending concerts since my childhood and love that I can share something with you that brings such joy into my life!  Every year I attend the Bonnaroo music and arts festival and I see tons of shows at home or wherever I happen to be!     

   My first concert was probably Styx or the Doobie Brothers at Sunrise Musical Theater (which no longer exists) in Fort Lauderdale, FL when I was about 6 or 7.  Seeing bands like this at such a young age is definitely why I have a such a strong love for live music!  I love these bands, but at the time, they were my parents' favorite bands.  My first concert of my choosing was when I was 10 years old and my parents took me to see Boys II Men.  It was such a thrill because I was a big fan!  Mary J. Blige opened for them and I remember not knowing who she was.  Obviously I know who she is now and it's so cool to look back and know that I was there!  I remember so many details from that show because I was so awestruck.  When Boys II Men performed their song, "Water Runs Dry" it actually rained on the stage.  For 1994 this was very impressive.  At the end of the concert, all four of them got into a huge white box that was closed and lifted to the ceiling.  A crack of lightning went off and the box was opened in a flash and all four of them were gone.  As a ten year old this was awesome!  I am still a fan of Boys II Men and I am actually attending their show in Miami November 5th with one of my best old time friends! Music has the power to take you back in time and I'm ready to go back to 1994! 

    I'll share my musings on music and specific experiences as they come.  Here's a list of upcoming shows I have tickets for:

  

October 9th - Ghostland Observatory - Fort Lauderdale, FL 

http://www.ghostlandobservatory.net/   

October 22nd - Bassnectar - Miami, FL
http://www.bassnectar.net/

November 5th - Boys II Men - Miami, FL
http://www.boyziimen.com/

December 17th - Skrillex - Miami, FL 
http://www.skrillex.com/