A Little Story About Russell and Me

I already told you about my magnificent night spent at the Other Lives/Rosebuds concert a few days ago.

But I didn't tell you the whole story.

Something weird happened.

During the intermission between the two bands, a man walked into the venue who looked like this...

minus the hat.

Meet Russell, an 82-year old ready to rock it out with a bunch of music aficionados, hipsters, and drunk, dancing skanks.

Weird, you say, Badgers? It was. But we are just getting started.

Walking into the room, Russell singled me out, put his arm around me and remarked, "Here's a cool guy right here!"

Right you are, Russ. I am a cool guy.

Then things got uncomfortable.

Russell decided to tell me all the details of his night (art, dancing, and wine tasting) while he continued to have his arm around me and alternated between rubbing my arm and my flank.

For ten minutes.

Yeah, I didn't feel like there was any romantic/sexual intentions on Russell's behalf. He was pretty sauced and really, really old.

I've never been so happy for a band to start, ever.

Another Other

I need to give a shout-out to Other Lives. Their performance from a week ago is still resonating with me on a pretty deep level. Here is a live performance of my favorite OL song, Paper Cities. Listen. Emote. Ponder. Love. Forgive. Promise. I dunno. Just give it a try! It's good!

Two for Two

Last week I was able to spend two days doing what I do best, go to concerts.

Thursday was the opening night for the 2011 Twilight Concert Series. I must say, it started off with a thud. The opening band, No Age, was so horrendous they will forever be enshrined in my Hall of Fame of Crappy Live Bands. (Hello, A Place to Bury Strangers) Luckily, the headliner Explosions in the Sky saved the day. Their music was perfectly fitting for dusk on a summer evening. After all my friends bailed, I remained at the show alone until they played Your Hand In Mine. Totally worth it. Not the best TwiCon overall, but it certainly had its moment.

The next day I was lucky to attend The Rosebuds and Other Lives at The Urban Lounge. I have been a big fan of Other Lives ever since I saw them at Lollapalooza two years ago. Their self-titled album is one of my go-to albums whenever I need to chill. Seriously, give it a try. Much to my surprise, they didn't play a single song from that album. Every song they played came from the new one, Tamer Animals. Despite my disappointment, the show was great. Their folksy sound filled the venue and reminded me of my experience listening to them for the first time. The Rosebuds (listen to this) were also a delight despite playing to a crowd well below 100. (Other Lives has some family connections that attended the first act and then left) The band highlights a couple who married and wrote their most recent album as they went through a divorce. The best moment of the night came when the band all gathered near the front of the stage to perform an acoustic version of "Nice Fox" (see below) They had what was left of the crowd huddle around the band and lead us in a sing-along. It was perfect. I wish you could have been there.

Can't Do It Justice

It's been nine days.

Nine awesome days since I went to the roller derby.

Since the moment I walked out of the event, I have kept thinking how I need to blog about it. I need to tell people about how my already high expectations were kicked in the shins by an even greater reality. I want to tell you all about the hits. The crashes. The drama and anxiety that went along with watching "my team" fall way behind and then make a stunning comeback for a close win. I want to tell you about how grasping the seemingly difficult rules created a satisfying learning experience. (What?) I want to tell you about the movie I went to see after that made me pee my pants multiple times. (Actually, no, I don't want to tell you about that at all.) I want to tell you about the camaraderie of three good friends having a great night on the town. The death metal band playing next door. Fresh fruit slushies from Sonic. The names! I must tell you about the names!

But I can't do it justice.

Roller derby night was too awesome to be put into words.

I Love These Kind Of Mornings

The Dog Days Are Not Over

So I have come to a startling revelation.

Whenever someone throws a frisbee in my general direction, I take on the characteristics of a dog.

Seriously.

My eyes get really wide.

I stick my tongue out.

I start panting.

I wag my tail and catch the frisbee in my mouth.

OK, so the last two are not true, but the rest are. I might have a problem.

But I like this kind of problem.

Oh Happy Day

Need I "say" more?