Last Year

Last year at this time was this:

Saturday, May 26, 2007

The sounds we hear Thus far, Chicago has proved to be much more entertaining than Cleveland. We have been using our weekends as wisely as possible and have stumbled upon some good music. First, we took our newfound knowledge of public transportation to new heights when we traveled downtown to see Owen play a free show at the Apple Store. Great stuff, as always. It was refreshing. Nothing beats a man and his acoustic guitar, in my opinion anyway. This was my first time seeing him, and though the set didn't last long, it was well worth it. Finally, I got the see the inspiration behind all those tragically depressing songs Dave creates at home. Afterwards, full of good spirits, which any decent artist will give you, we walked around a while, looking in shop windows we cant afford and then onto the beach. All in all it was a pleasant night and a great kick-off of the "Weekends Together Out" movement. It proves to be one of my most promising movements. This weekend, the infamous, highly coveted Memorial Day 3-day weekend if off to a surprising start. I can't reveal all the detailed plans of the rest of the weekend, but I can share Friday night's festivities. Many thanks to Kevin for the thought and the tickets to the show at the Metro here in town last night. The venue was reminiscent of the Newport in ye ole Columbus, Ohio, but... like most things we've encountered so far, BETTER. The Metro is a small venue, with old style moldings around the stage and small but cozy seating in the upstairs balcony. The big difference you ask? Yeah... the Metro has a bar upstairs. Like I said, better. Plus, it honestly only took maybe 6 minutes to walk to from our apartment. The only complaint with the venue... A/C. where we were hanging out was a bit chilly, though I'm sure it was a much more comfortable place downstairs in the myriad of rock fans. We showed up early, mostly because we were bored and lacking living room furniture tends to motivate you to leave the apartment. The first band, or shall I say two dudes on stage were loud. That sums up the entire performance, loud. The second act, whose name I didn't even catch, included a very energetic tambourine player we nicknamed TAMBO. Similar to Rambo, but with a tambourine vs. automatic weapons. The only people who enjoyed their performance are those who are friends of the band, and possibly the lead singers mother. We were sitting upstairs, and looking through the grated railing, and in this case, the slight blur caused by the obstructed view actually added to the positive qualities of the show. They tried. They failed. And no matter how much Tambo jumped and clapped and cheered, it wasn't happening. The headliners of this particular show were This is Me Smiling. They were good, but not great. We didn't even stay for their whole set. Decent show, nothing fancy, nothing new, and nothing to get too excited about. However, the real stars of the show were the band Skybox. We loved them. They put on a great performance, including awesome stage presence and even candy thrown to the crowd. Their music is slightly off the beaten track if you know what I mean. I'm unable to assign it to a specific genre, but perhaps that is part of the appeal. We have become fans. These guys are good. Are they for everyone? Certainly not, but they should be for anyone who has an open mind and a passion for the weird. Granted, to please me you can't go wrong if you include violins and wear orange shoes.

Now, here we are, rapidly approaching the 3-day Memorial Day weekend once again, and what has changed? We still love Skybox, in fact we just saw them play an acoustic set at Schuba's a week or so ago. ( Awesome) They were there to help Joe Pug kick off his record release. Pug, or shall I say the reincarnated Bob Dylan was very good, excellent lyrics. We are looking into that more. We do live a little farther from the Metro, but, also farther from Wrigley Field, which is a major plus for us. We recently moved into a larger ( upgraded) apartment in Rogers Park a little north of the city. We are still getting to know our new neighborhood, but thus far we are very happy, and enjoying life.

Things are going very well. We have had a successful year. And, this coming weekend will prove to be full of good times as we plan a visit from our dearest family members.

Let the good times roll. See you soon.
A.