Weekend!!!

What a super-fun, but kind of crazy weekend!! Two gigs, a great third birthday party, and one train ride later, I think that I'm finally ready for the 40's. At least things haven't slowed down at all!

The weekend got off to a not-so-great start with a weird gig on Friday night. We were really looking forward to playing at the Cinema Bar in Culver City since the people there seem pretty cool, but when we got there, they had booked someone else to play at the same time! Despite our best efforts to keep everything civil (well, maybe not our best efforts), it did get a little contentious. When the other guy was finally done (it was a solo performer), he introduced us with: "And now here's the other f***ing band." Since we were (both) supposed to open up for the main attraction, and since the guy before us had gone 1/2 an hour longer than he was supposed to, we only had about 45 minutes left to set up and play. For us that's about a song and a half, so unfortunately we weren't really in the mellow groovy mood that is essential for doing what we do best. It was pretty bad to start off with (too fast, too loud, yuck), but luckily the headliner was about an hour late, and people were actually digging it, so we kept on going, and it ended up to not be a complete disaster. One guy even put a $20 on my effects pedals!


Anyway, Friday wasn't too bad, but Saturday was much better!! We had a great party in the afternoon at our good friends Josh & Adrienne's house. They have a beautiful house that is perfect for parties - especially with kids!! There was awesome food, great people, and perfect 70's music. The pictures really don't do it justice, since I was too busy enjoying myself to take many pictures (as is often the case). With all the kids running around and Gordon Lightfoot playing, it really did have a wonderful 70's kind of feel. Huge thanks to Josh and Adrienne, and Em of course for ending up a perfect 40th birthday!!

Saturday night was pretty great too. After the party, we had another gig at Dave's Chillin' and Grillin' in Eagle Rock. Again, no pictures, but it was a long hot crazy night. After the usual technical difficulties (forgot the mic stands; bass amp blew up), and especially after the screwey night before, we really played up a storm. People were having a great time (especially Dave who chills and grills), and it really turned out to be one of our most enjoyable gigs. For those who care about such things, we played a burning Uncle Johns' -> Playin' -> Wheel -> Playin'. Our vocals were a little sore (especially with the forgotten mic stands), but it was pretty groovy : ) Also, a niiiiiiiice Bird Song! So Dave says he's going to bring us to play in Hawaii, but he was doing a little chemical chillin' and grillin', so we'll see how that works out.

So by today, about the only thing that could top it all off was a ride on the Griffith Park train. We walked there from our place with the boys and Julie's daughter Scarlett, and had a nice trip around the park. With a late afternoon swim, it was the perfect way to end a truly memorable weekend!