27 July, 2005

But I'm caught up in a whirlwind and my ever changing moods (part 1)

ok, so maybe 3 pints of stout was too much for me. but what else do you do when you listen to bands? i woke up this morning slightly hungover (what a headache!), wondering why my clothes are all over the floor (what the hell!), where's my money (oh ya, the beers and the cd's), and how did i get home (i think i drove)? at least i can say i partied on my birthday.

i was making dinner when my pal gerri called me. (the kids lit candles and did all the dishes for my bday dinner) as cosmic luck would have it, my foray to the makeout room turned out to be a mini girls' night out. when we got there the bittersweets was already halfway done with their set. i didn't get a chance to pay much attention to them, as gerri and i talked about the "problems with men" over beers. it was just as well, the bittersweets sounded a little too lilith fair for my taste last night.

gerri left to meet with her "problem man" midway during the joel streeter set and i was left to enjoy the rest of the evening with my pints of stout. there is something comforting about being a solitary listener in a dark crowded room filled with the sound of music and conversation, small white lights reflecting off the silver tinsel chandeliers hanging daintily from the ceiling. i thought joel streeter's music reminded me very much of my other favourite band, luce. i was grooving happily to his tunes, until they played elvis costello's pump it up and that just shifted it to overdrive.

"I've been on tenterhooks, ending in dirty looks
List'ning to the Muzak, thinking 'bout this 'n' that
She said, "That's that, I don't wanna chitter-chat"
Turn it down a little bit or turn it down flat
Pump it up, when you don't really need it
Pump it up, until you can feel it"

from this song they segued back into one of streeter's originals, keeping the driving tempo and the guitars and electric keyboards yowling. very cool! i bought their cd (it was a cd release kind of show), and later that night i met mr. joel streeter himself. i asked him point blank how old he was, 27 he says. then he signed my cd... Happy Birthday!

even elroy played the last set of the night. and i have to say, i enjoyed their sound immediately. it was a trio, base, guitar and keyboard. i'm a big fan of any kind of music with lots of piano. i bought their cd as well. in the jacket it reads "thanks to .... Tom Luce for the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that got the whole thing started (and for explaining to me precisely what the word 'melody' means)". [i'm a big fan of Luce and i can't wait to see them perform at Slim's next month. interesting i kept getting all these Luce references last night.]

i particularly enjoyed their lively and upbeat song "going back to bed". i thought it described my day succinctly and it made me laugh.

"see, once you were a dreamer
that's long since gone away
another lonely victim
of another sunny day
if i might have seen
if i might have known
if they might have told me which way the winds will blow
i might have told them
they can have it instead
to heck with the morning
and i'm going back to bed..."

after their set, and by then i was all tanked up, i walked up to the band to congratulate them.

LG to Jeff Michaels: "i loved your sound man"
JM: "oh thanks glad you liked it"
LG: "ya, i enjoyed it very much. i thought some songs were quite clever, except the sound system is so loud i could barely hear anything"
JM: (laughing) "ya it was a little loud in here"
LG: i'm not as young as i used to be, and the hearing is always first to go as they say"

then the lady who sold me the cd's interrupted: "it's her birthday today! she's 28!" (she kept insisting i was)
LG: "ya, 28 for 9 years now."
JM: "it's your birthday? no way!"
rest of even elroy: "wow, happy birthday!, etc etc"
keyboard man from joel streeter band: "wow! but you look flawless"
LG to self: hmmmm, how are 37 year olds supposed to look anyway?
LG to to keyboard man: "well i only go out at night. and my hearing's going."

after more talk about birthdays, music and hearing loss, i bade them goodnight.

not a bad way to end what started off as a not so promising day. (and the hangover's gone after a couple of advils).