The Sounds of Seattle

The Sounds of Seattle is a multi-band (kinda) tribute to Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains that came into town on Friday. I bought several tickets expecting it to just be a good time to hear some great throwback songs and have a few beers if nothing else. Little did I know that the show would exceed any and all expectations I had. 

Thinking that the show would consist of 3 different bands, there were actually only six members who morphed into three bands: Bleed the Freak (Alice in Chains), Badmotorfinger (Soundgarden), and Ten (Pearl Jam), who's lead singer channeled Eddie Vedder so well that a blind man would swear it was him.

(Howard (lead guitar), Mike (bassist), Nick (Pearl Jam lead singer)) 

(Shane- lead singer for Soundgarden)

One reason the show was even more enjoyable was because we managed to score front row center spots, and then stuck around and (ahem) met the band afterwards. Nice, hot, and smily guys. If these dudes are in town next year (which they will be, according to Howard), I'll definitely be first in line.

(Mike and Howard)

(Ray on drums)

(Howard (aka SMILES McGee) and Shane)

(Howard and Shane)

(Nick and Shane after the show)

(Mike and some groupie... oh wait, that's me)

I'll spare everyone the rest of the pictures of me with the band where I'm over-smiling and my eyes are practically closed. 
What an amazing night.

Crossing Neil Young Off My Bucket List

He's too ugly to have sex with, so I did the next best thing and FINALLY saw him live the other week here in Houston. Seeing Neil Young live has been on my bucket list since I was about in the 8th grade, and moved to the top of the list after I started playing the harmonica about 5 years ago. 

Neil played an acoustic set at Jones Hall (which was a cool choice in venue) and was completely solo- just him and the stage that was equipped with 5 guitars, 2 pianos, an organ, and of course his harmonica. I brought my dad as a hot date and overpaid an insane amount for the tickets, but the show truly exceeded all of my expectations. 

I know that his show had been getting good reviews, but you never know how a music legend is going to sound in the flesh - especially a 65 year old burnt out hippie. In my opinion, he sounded better live at age 65 than he did when he was 26 on the Live At Massey Hall album.

He played many of the greats: Cinnamon Girl, Old Man, Ohio, Southern Man, Cowgirl in the Sand, After the Gold Rush, Like a Hurricane, Rockin' in the Free World, Down by the River, etc.

But also left many classics out, namely Heart of Gold and The Needle and the Damage Done (the latter being my favorite, which I was very disappointed about).  But I can't blame the guy-- if I had to play the same fucking song over and over again (especially Heart of Gold) for 40 years straight I would jump off the ledge.

I could ramble for hours about this, but bottom line is:

Cheers to you, Neil Young, for putting on a show that was one of the best shows I've seen and facilitating the best night I've had in a long time.

Thank You, NPR

Thank you, NPR, for all of your free Tiny Desk Concerts. They have truly made my life more enjoyable and I have discovered several new favorite artists from subscribing, as well as being able to see old favorites perform in an intimate setting.

An old favorite artist as well as my favorite Tiny Desk Concert thus far is Maria Taylor. If I could carry her around in my pocket all day, especially on rainy days, it would be the greatest thing ever.

My favorites to check out: Time Lapse Lifeline and Clean Getaway