At this show they did mostly songs from their new album, Truth Decay (2009).   It included songs such as Dark Star, The March, Rusty Moon, Things Will Never Be The  Same and Welcome To The Future (my favorite, I think).  Strangely in the middle of the set the band performed “On The Radio” originally performed by Donna Summer (1979).  It was a fun sing along and with the sweet harmonies of singer Jason “Shyboy” Arnold and Keyboardist Mark Nubar Donikian it proved to fit in the line up well.

As seen in this picture (left), the band sported a second guitar player (to the right).  The regular guitar player (on left) has a great mellow, rock star quality about him adding to the “this is easy” feel of the band.  I am not sure if the band is growing, or this is just the live set up for the band…. but on the CD it just lists 4 band members.  Either way, during one song, both guitarist played the song together sporting a deeper sound and rockin’ intensity ~

Hard to see, but not hard to hear is drummer Adrian Barnardo.  I am a big fan of drums knowing that sometimes, especially in rock, it can be overwhelming live.  Adrain doesn’t let you forget that he is there, however, allows for each of the other members to be heard during each song.

They ended the show with Worship Me (I’m On TV) ~ not my favorite song on the CD, but the one that is mostly likely to get stuck in my head for days!  The lyrics are very appropriate for LA and our culture of TV obsession….

Overall, a great band!  I was so glad to see them for a 2nd time and look forward to shows in the future.  And until then I will rock out listening to their CD in my car on the way to work.  ~

I read The Lord of the Rings
as a child and re-read them as an adult.  When I worked in a group home for boys, I read it to them.  Several things stick out for me when I think back to seeing this movie on New Years in 2002.

One is how impressed I was with the character development and how much I could easily care about all of them, just as I had when I was reading the book.  Not just the “good guys” either ~ the movie actually made me appreciate characters that I had ignored or not focused as much on while reading their journey.

I know that some things were missed, some things were changed, but the overall story had passion for each character.

Another thing that impressed me was the how much of the story they were able to do. And with such skill.  It would have been so easy, and so Hollywood, to make this beautiful book into one movie.  But three movies!  So wonderful! To fully take us on the journey of “The Fellowship of the Ring”.

One more thing.  The love story.  It is not the most important part of the book ~ but it was important to me.  The three LOTR movies did it with a beautiful subtle romance.  It could have taken over the movie, it could have been taken out and replaced with more fighting scenes.  Instead, it was done with care.  I will also admit I am a fan of Liv Taylor.

If you have not seen them, or you were put off by the obsession that some have for this story, I recommend that you at least read the book.  The movies are beautiful and impressive (and very long) but the book is a classic work of art.

~I would say more about The Hobbit, but I hope to be able to write about THAT movie soon!

Book covers shown above:  The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy) done by J.R.R. Tolkien.  I did hear somewhere that Tolkien could not get The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy) published as one book, so he split them into three and was able to get them published that way.  He was way ahead of his time.  ~

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (film) 1990

My favorite movie of all times is
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990) ~ the screenplay was done by Tom Stoppard, the same man who wrote the play by the same name (first staged in 1966). The movie stars Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Richard Dreyfuss and Joanna Roth. I actually still have a VHS copy of this movie and like to watch it at least once a year.

One year the actual play came to Kirkland, WA in February 2001 and I got to ~

Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead (2001)

It was very well done and fun to see the play vs. the movie. Live theater is such a treat and I don’t do it often enough. To truly love this play, or movie, you need to know the play Hamlet by Shakespeare ~ there is just no way around it. Rozencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is an inverse of Hamlet. So, if you know your Hamlet, you will love this story ~ if you don’t I still believe it is a must see if you like any of the actors in the movie. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth are so much fun to watch in this movie. So when I saw the play it was wonderful but really wanted Gary Oldman and Tim Roth to be the ones on stage.

Disneyland (1997)

These pix and tix are from my trip to Disneyland in 1997 ~ which is funny to me now (12 years later) because I now live so close.  I had never been to Disneyland as a child, but got to go as an adult (I was 23 or so).  The cool part was that my boyfriend at the time had an Uncle that worked there.  And I don’t mean running a ride, or serving up fries, he was the Director of Operations of Disneyland.  It was great to see the “behind the scenes” and get an explanation of how it all works.  I think if I had been a kid and had the same tour it would have ruined the magic of the place.  But as an adult I found knowing the Disney secrets made it much more fun!  I rode the rides, got pictures of Winnie the Pooh and got a pair of Mickey Mouse ears to wear around for the day.  I know a lot of people say that when you go as an adult, it isn’t really that fun ~ but I have to say I had a great time that day.

Disneyland 1997

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

Not everybody keeps movie tix, not every movie would be worth it anyway, but I used to keep my movie tix to keep in my photo albums. It is fun to look back at pictures to myself, my friends, where I used to live ~ and see the movies I was seeing at the time. You can almost go right back to the time when someone asks, “Did you see Top Gun (1986)?” or “Who did you see Usual Suspects (1994) with?” I can often answer that question ~ Movies have become crazy expensive, but I still make sure to see some movies in the theatre.
In 1996 I saw Long Kiss Good Night (for just $3.00), staring Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Yvonne Zima. I personally really liked Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson and wouldn’t normally put them together in a movie, but in this movie, it worked. I have two favorite parts of this movie, one is when Geena’s character is starting to remember her past life through strange skills she has. She is in the kitchen, cutting veggies, and suddenly becomes VERY skilled with a knife. She does a great job being a sweet mommy and badass chick at the same time. The other part I like is when being chased by the bad guys, Geena and Samuel have to jump out a window of a building onto a frozen lake ~ which I believe she shoots as they jump so that the ice is broken when they land! The dialogue is great for this type of movie and if you haven’t already seen it, I recommend it for sure! ~

I lived in Portland, going to graduate school for Social Work, and always a political person ~ I got very excited to see Mr. Jackson speak at my school.

It was Jesse Jackson motivating people to vote in the 1996 election.  For me personally, Bill Clinton was the obvious choice over Bob Dole, but for Jesse Jackson it was about more than just voting. It was about participating, about being heard, about change and about Being Somebody.

That day in 1996 I was able to shake hands with Jesse Jackson and get a hug!  I have seen him speak since and I have never been disappointed!  I AM SOMEBODY!

Here is the original poem by Jesse Jackson.

Jesse Jackson in 1983 ~ from Wikipedia

I Am
Somebody
I Am
Somebody
I May Be Poor
But I Am
Somebody
I May Be Young
But I Am
Somebody
I May Be On Welfare

But I Am
Somebody
I May Be Small
But I Am
Somebody
I May Make A Mistake
But I Am
Somebody
My Clothes Are Different
My Face Is Different
My Hair Is Different
But I Am
Somebody
I Am Black
Brown
White
I Speak A Different Language
But I Must Be Respected
Protected
Never Rejected
I Am
God’s Child
I Am
Somebody

By Jesse Jackson

Calobo (1997)

I had never heard of Calobo before this show.  I was in Portland going to Grad School and had some great friends that also lived there that I knew from Michigan where I grew up.  They invited me to see Calobo and to hang out for the day.  The Rose Garden is a beautiful outside amphitheater in Washington Park and like the name implies is IN a beautiful rose garden in Portland, Oregon.
This show was in August and the weather that day was amazing ~ Calobo performs really well and the sound of the band is original and innovative. They have played live at the Crystal Ballroom in downtown Portland as well, but I was happy to see them this day ~ outside, in the beautiful amphitheater, with sunshine ~  and with great friends ~

Sarah Maclachlan (1995)

Ahhhhh….  this was an amazing show, with opening artist, Paula Cole, who had released the album “Harbinger” (1994) ~ Later became more well known for the single “Where have all the cowboys gone” on her next album “This Fire“.  She was a cutie with short hair, black clothes and black boots.  At the time I could totally relate to her and her words.

Strong women musicians were taking over ~ and I was a very happy Gurl both learning to love a whole new sound to music but also feeling empowered and understood with every new song….  ~ Sarah McLachlan released “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” in 1994 and is one of the most amazing albums for me to date and this was the tour!~
The show was at the 5th Ave Theatre in Downtown Seattle that normally hosts the Broadway Musicals coming through town.  It is a large, beautiful theatre and I would say a formal way to see a music show.  With these two amazing women, I think at first I was disappointed that it wasn’t a smaller venue, but when they took the stage ~ I was so in awe of their talent and impact on such a large crowd.  The room didn’t feel so big anymore.

What truly sticks in my mind about this show is the amazing way the sound of their voices and the words they sang that night touched my soul.  I did not need to be closer to them, didn’t need to meet them, didn’t need an autograph ~ I really just needed that night with them. I am thankful.  ~

Phish (1996)

I am pretty much open to any music ~ I have my favorites, I was a child of the 80’s after all ~ but really if you sit me down and have me listen to any music, I will listen, and often I will like it.

Phish was new to me before moving to Seattle and Portland….once in the Northwest however I heard the name often and their music was everywhere.

The music had a pretty big following and people who used to follow The Grateful Dead were now seeing Phish with the same loyalty.  When they were coming to Portland to the Portland Memorial Coliseum some of my friends were big fans and said, “let’s go!”
So, I saw Phish and it was OK!  I am not a loyal fan, haven’t really listened to them since but it was a good show.  As you can see from the tix I wasn’t really close to the band, but once everyone was high and in their groove ~ we moved up closer and enjoyed the music and the show.  Everyone was totally friendly and dancing and in the Phish Zone.  I am not sure I made it into the Zone that night but I kept the tix for the memory of a great night with wonderful friends ~

Sinead O'Connor (1997)

If you ever have an opportunity to see a show in Oregon at the Champoeg State Park ~ GO!  Even if it is a band you kind of like, it will be worth the money and time.  It is a beautiful park with a wonderful outside amphitheater ~ On a clear and sunny day it is a little bit of heaven.  I saw Sinéad here after her release of ‘Gospel Oak‘.  I was mainly a fan of her earlier work such as “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Written by Prince) which was on the album ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got‘(1990)  which featured Marco Pirroni and Kevin Mooney of Adam and the Ants (Adam Ant being my all time favorite).

I lived in Portland at the time and had already seen Ani DiFranco at Champoeg State Park earlier that summer and knew it was going to be a beautiful day.  We got there early to enjoy the park and sunshine, took a swim in the river that is right by the amphitheater and took long walks around the park.  I sadly don’t remember the opening band’s name, a beautiful Irish band I think and I do remember thinking they were great!

As the time got closer we got our food and drinks then sat down in the grass….  

I was expecting a strong, loud, angry woman to come on stage with a shaved head and crazy fun boots.  This is how I had seen her in the media, on MTV and when listening to her music how I pictured she would be in concert.

However I was (happily) mistaken!  ~

Sinéad came out on stage with a girl-like excitement ~ sang with such power and grace, and after each song shyly said, “thank you.”  She also had a cute little bob hair cut that gave her angelic face a softness that I had never seen in pictures of her before.  It was an amazing day that gave me a new and deeper appreciation of Sinéad as a musician and performer ~