So, night one of the giant rock and roll weekend exceeded all expectations. We started out going to the Sharp Edge for late afternoon refreshments, only to find to our great delight that they also now have MAGIC #9 on tap!!! That makes Oakland Cafe(where I would never really venture without a very good reason), Harris Grill(which I love to support, although their service tends to be hit or miss), Brillobox(where I find myself often enough, but I doubt I would go there solely for beers) and Sharp Edge, where we tend to go pretty damn regularly anyway. It's the dawn of a new era in Pittsburgh, in addition to Pennsylvania and the whole freakin country! Woohoo!
So yeah, Magic Hats and burgers were had. I really enjoyed the barbecue burger although it was a little overcooked. Eh. I indulged in the belgian frites also and they were delicious.
We followed our meal and beers with a disco nap, then got ourselves stoked to go out by cranking some Judas Priest. Went to the QS for coffee and to catch our poet in the kitchen, Greg, do his spoken word set for sound kitchen. He was awesome. We hung around there a while and then it got too hot, so we left for the pub.
Arrived around 9:45 and got some beers and a table. I talked to Joel about booking the pub for the upcoming new wave cabaret....official announcement coming VERY SOON! He said he is really looking forward to more rickety things in 2007---and after that night, I feel like it might be a good idea. There was a lot of talk amongst the assembled about how we are all really 10 years older and not liable to go out even once a week to a rock show anymore(except for some of the more hardcore folks) but once a month I'll bet we could swing it. I do love being at the pub for some rock.
I hung out with J a bunch like old times, and it was great to see all the brains boys(and ben's brother, who I haven't seen for years!) It was a good crowd, and much beer and tequila was consumed. The Skinks started off the night just before I got too antsy. This was the third or fourth incarnation of the Skinks I have seen, and I gotta say it's definitely my favorite. There was some beatlesque and some glammy stuff going on, and a nice solid back beat. Someone(I can't remember if it was Mike Bonello or Tommy Amoeba or maybe even someone totally different) said it sounded like a return to the old viragos days, and I could definitely hear that too. I loved it!
Next up was the brains...oh my. I went ahead and just let myself get all crazy, though not as crazy as the wild flailers like rebby and mueller who showed up next to me at precisely the right moment. They really had the joint jumpin. I love to watch each and every one of them...they are all very entertaining rockers. Logan brought a new tune and it was terrific....good things are on the horizon for the Human Brains. I couldn't be happier to have one of my favorite bands back in rotation! I had to take a seat after that madness, and had some nice conversations at the bar with various old heads from back in the day. I also drank a bunch of coronas...I couldn't tell you how many. I don't think I ever got all that drunken, though. I did get pretty worn out by the time the Faces took the stage...I watched most of their set from a comfy table in the back. Except for "Cleopatra"--that one got me out of my seat. I was really impressed with their set...I've seen a lot of barely controlled chaos from the Faces, but this was really about the music, and it sounded REAL GOOD. A lot funkier than I would give the Faces credit for. I was suitably blown away. It took a while for us to extricate ourselves at the end of the night....lots of drunken people were congregated around the door and in chatty moods. Eventually we got out, got home safely, and into bed. Ah.
I woke up early despite my behaviors and made coffee and started laundry. I'm hopeless. Rebby had to go in to work at 11am to show some dailies to the people who are making a movie in town, but when she was done we got on the road to McKnight for some serious shopping.
We started at the pancake house where I had the swedish pancakes (ha!) with lingonberries. It was delicious. We hit Gabriel bros where I ended up getting some jeans that don't quite fit right, and a pair of lace footless tights that are awesome. Also a long underwear shirt and a plain lightweight black t shirt, which is now my new favorite thing. From there we went over to the mall that time forgot where I got some more tights at marshalls and some good cheap bras at the value city. I also picked up a few kitchen implements and a bag of kona coffee, because it was there. Then we cruised on down to the Exchange, where the fun started in earnest. After feeling defeated three times, I finally found the Skid Row Cd with 18 and Life and I Remember You and Youth Gone Wild on it. Additionally, I got one called B-Sides Ourselves, which has them covering "Psychotherapy", "Delivering the Goods", "C'Mon and Love Me" and "Little Wing", in addition to some Rush song with which I am unfamiliar. It's all really funny. I also got the Judas Priest CD Sin after Sin which has several slow burning screamy ballads. And a bizarre Cd which is goth/industrial remixes of Sweet songs. I'm not sure how I feel about that one yet. Then I found a VHS copy of the first XMen movie for a dollar! Woohoo! Rebby went nuts with the Judas Priest, but she claims most of them will be xmas gifts. Yeah right.
We got home from the wild commerce and I made a delicious pasta dinner of whole wheat spaghetti with fresh tomato, spinach, onion, garlic, and cajun sausage. Yummers. By the time we were done eating and listening to our new purchases (the Skid Row was played MANY, MANY times over, believe me--and it's playing again right now!) it was time to get ready to go out again. I decided to wear my new fishnets and black t shirt with this awesome orange paisley skirt I got thrifting quite a while ago and have never worn out of the house. I love it. I put on my Alice Cooper button and my Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs LUST oil and we headed out the door.
Got there sort of early-ish but there were already plenty of people in the house. Joel gave me some shit for not calling him, but we did manage to officially book the new wave cabaret date. I'm so excited! He told me that the last one we did there is still the record attendance of any show at the pub. WOW!
I switched to straub for night two of pubbing...and I scored a free pack from the camel girl. Hallelujah! We sat at a table across from the Genders but I don't know if it was being kinda tired or some weird social anxiety, but I never said anything to them. I don't know why this keeps happening to me....it was the same way with the seven shot screamers. Back in the day I had no problem chatting up rock stars...I don't know if it's my relative lack of rocking these days or what. Anyway, it was nice to watch people treat them like super big shots with photos and autographs. They were really sweet to everyone. Such nice guys!
It took a thousand hours for the cheats to take the stage....turns out that the bass player was late. He rolled in looking like a super rock star and went right on stage, then they finally began. I really heart this band...real old skool punk with a glam rock edge. Todd the singer is hilarious and totally over the top. He did this thing he used to do with his old band Silver Tongued Devil where he set the cymbals ablaze and breathed fire. It was AWESOME! People went nuts. The Genders loved them.
Next up was the new Science Fiction Idols line up. Bobby was so nervous, but it went off without an obvious hitch. They sounded great, everyone seemed to be having a good time on stage, and the crowd went absolutely WILD! It was nice to see so much love and support. Oddly enough, the second song in their set was "C'mon and Love Me"!!!! I couldn't believe it. It's like my theme song this weekend. They also did a rockin cover of "Neighbors" by the Stones off of Tattoo You, one of my favorites from back in the day. Also lots of hits from Spooky Sugar and the first Sci Fi Idols Cd, which was nice to hear. We boogied down all the way.
Then the Genders....wow. I didn't think they could possibly be MORE rockin than when I saw them at Garfield Artworks last year, but...yep. Amir is one of the sexiest frontmen alive, and they have a second guitarista now too which adds so much. Not just eye candy, although I must say that he is a tasty morsel of axeman. They did lots of rock posturing and the small crowd who stuck around(People are CRAZY for leaving before they played!) got way into it. They ended their set with a cover of "If You Want Blood" by AC/DC and Todd jumped on stage to take the vocals. It was a beautiful mess. We cut out of there right after they were done and got the new Genders album on the way out....it's incredible. Their lyrics really give me hope for the power of rock and roll to bring people together.
We got home and fell into bed again....I still woke up at 8am despite being exhausted. That's how it goes. I made some coffee and watched some of an episode of Now I've seen before (about the GM plants closing) and then got ready for the real political commentary. I made waffles during To The Contrary, where there was an actual real live black female republican on the panel. I don't get it. We are our waffles during the McGlaughlin Group...Lawrence was there, as he said "just to gloat." God I love that man. Next up was Religion and Ethics Newsweekly with a bizarre story of some guy who "owns" all this land around a sacred native american mountain and he wants to build a giant biker bar and "tepee camping village" on it. He can't understand why the native americans have a problem with it. Of course, they hold a treaty which says the land belongs to them, but somehow these treaties don't hold up in court. I was trying not to listen to closely to avoid boiling my blood.
We got ourselves ready and headed over to the east end for the Handmade Arcade.
Holy WOW. It was SO PACKED! There was lots of great stuff, and so nice to see a bunch of my friends selling their wares. I got a couple of early gifties and chatted with some friends and had a hot dog, but mostly I just suffered from agoraphobia and really couldn't concentrate. I hope everyone had a great day!
After we left we walked back to rebby's place in the rain and had a little nap on the couch with the kitty until she had to go to work. She dropped me off in Shadyside so I could go to the swedenkaffe in search of salty licorice fish. Of course it was pouring down rain by this point, and I had only a knit hat and scarf and my thin cardigan to protect me from the elements. I arrived at the Swedenkaffe just in time to see the proprietor go to walk her dog, so I wandered around a bit to kill some time. I checked out Williams Sonoma and then went to Kawaii gifts, where I have NEVER been before. Seriously! What's wrong with me! It's an awesome little shop. I got some more early gifties and a mexican cocoa candle and the cutest tiny little stickers! they have a wonderland of stuff with my all time favorite little japanese character...the burnt toast head guy! In addition to all the standard hello kitty and friends stuff. Finally I wandered back to the Swede shop and saw the salty licorice fish the minute I walked in the door. I swooned! Had a nice conversation with the lady...I think I must have given her the impression that I was Swedish without really meaning to, but I would have felt weird blurting out "I'm not really Swedish" so I didn't say anything. I will be going back for more fish though...hers are really fresh because she gets them sent over direct from relatives. Yum!
I walked to the grocery store in the drizzle to get fruit for brunch tomorrow and some stuff to have around the house. I made myself a delicious germanic dinner of egg noodles with brussels sprouts, onion, pork and bread crumbs. And I added some cottage cheese in there too. I can't believe how fresh and delicious these brussels sprouts still are after being in my fridge for almost three weeks...but then again, they are from my pirate farmboy secret lover, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
Whew! That was long! I think it might be bedtime!