Ramblings on my personal musical history...

Last night, I got to sing with Danny Byram, a fantastic musician who has been part of my life and my family's life for over 25 years now. It was really fun to be a backup chick again and learn some challenging oooh's and aah's with a bunch of very talented musicians. In addition to opening the concert with Randy, my favorite part of the night was the big carol singalong. I am a nerd for a big carol singalong (especially if I get a microphone). It must have something to do with my parents' Christmas parties in the 1970's.

My mom's family is very musical and while my dad's guitar skills left something to be desired, he was better than he ever claimed to be, and he always surrounded himself with good musicians. In fact, Danny was one of those. He came to stay and work at the camp my dad ran when I was about 15 and gave me some of my first voice lessons.

Growing up in Buena Vista was pretty boring, but Danny would entertain us by coming over and playing cool pop songs on the piano and letting us all sing along. My best friend Roni always made sure she was spending the night if my parents were out late and Danny was in charge so we could sing Huey Lewis and Billy Joel songs with him. ;)

Speaking of the 1970s, another highlight of last night’s concert for me was singing “Two Hands” with Danny as an encore. I have a very distinct memory as a three year old of being held up by the hips by my mother at a concert listening to this song (originally recorded by Love Song) performed live by a group at our church, one hand up in the air and the other reaching forward and thinking that it would be cool to be in a band. I may have been singing along. It was my first live show.

My mother today informed me that the band I saw that night was "Mr. Jeff's band." Mr. Jeff was a musician who moved in with my family when he was about 30 and I was 6. The deal my father made with him was that he could live with us rent free following his divorce as long as it was okay with my mom, but he had to write down one of his songs a day. He had written and performed hundreds of original songs but never written them down!

I had to move out of my bedroom and share with my sister so that he could have a room, so I made a deal with him that he had to sing me any new material first. He taught me James Taylor songs and was the first person ever to tell me that I was off key and show me how to work out a harmony. He was very frustrated with that process and so was I because everyone tells a 6 year old that everything they sing is beautiful but I will forever be grateful for the moment he looked at my little 6 year old face and said, "You're off key! Stop going sharp!"

He put of a few of the poems I had written at age 5 to music, and wrote me a bluesy song about my stubbed toe which became a hit with the neighborhood kids, then went on to write some kids' songs and a musical called "Doodlebugs" after he left our home a year later. I like to think we helped him learn to work with the kids' market.

At rehearsal the other night, Danny told me I was going sharp as I completely botched his arrangement of "O Little Town of Bethlehem." Dangit! It still happens all the time. I am fortunate to have friends with perfect pitch and lots of patience.

Getting the metal out!!

For the first 12 years or so, four different dentists told me nothing was wrong. Finally a few years back, the x rays at Endodontics of Cherry Creek found it!

"It" was a broken dental file lodged in the tip of my root canal since a procedure in the early 90s.

Not only did it mean I had a foreign object in my mouth, but it also meant the original infection was blocked from being completely cleared. Every 4-6 weeks for the past 17 years or so, my body loses the fight and I experience the symptoms of an abcess tooth for a few days til I can fight it off again. A second root canal proved unsuccessful.

Yesterday Dr. Ellen Sachs removed IT.

If you want to gross yourself out, look up apical surgery on youtube; otherwise just take my word for it.

At the moment, I'm recovering well but a little frustrated that the only way to rig an ice pack involves a gag order. Randy must think this is hilarious!

Fall Fell Fallen

FALL!

FALL!

FALL!

I am soooo ready for fall! I already have pumpkin scented votives purchased and am longing for weather that is boot friendly! This summer has been one of the hottest I can remember in Denver, with more days than not lately in the 90s and a big tease of a sky that looks like it will rain but never does.

MUSIC NEWS
There is an ep written. Put a scratch vocal down tonight. Randy is strumming away in the other room. I hope we can make it available in January. So far, on the list of songs up for possible inclusion there are four songs that start with the letter L, and two that include the word "bound" in the title.

NOT SO FAST...

THE SUMMER IN REVIEW:

Here are some things that happened this summer, in random order:

On 7/20, we celebrated our 20th anniversary. We got a whole 36 hours to do so, so we drove to Glenwood Springs for an overnight, but first...

PICTURES

Our friend Kristol Kumar took some fun pictures taken for our 20th anniversary. I think we still look in love...because we are.

Since these pics were taken, I have cut all my hair off and signed up for boot camp. Thanks Groupon. I am probably going to die, and there won't be a ponytail to provide relief, but I'm going to die trying because with 42 looming (I hate the even numbers!) my thighs are betraying me.

On our anniversary getaway, I was pretty excited about the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park Alpine Coaster. So worth it! I wish I had done it ten times!

On the way home, I took a picture of the scenery but the windshield caught the reflection of my feet. It made me think of that worship song...

Finally, the rocks are gone! The gravel in our front yard has been removed and Randy being the nurturer that he is has gone Hank Hill all over our little patch of land. It's green and beautiful and passes the bare feet test!

Red Rocks has been a frequent hangout for me between tours and volunteering for Love Hope Strength and corporate events. The only show I actually bought tickets to was Peter Gabriel, but I wound up there for several rainy evenings anyhow. Here's a brightly colored crowd in their rain gear waiting for the storm to pass.

and a shot of the first-ever dinner seating for thousands IN the amphitheater itself. So bright it could be seen from the highway.

The pianos returned to the 16th Street Mall!

Kathy finished her ep "Little Seasons" and we had the release party at Solid Grounds. CDs arrived last minute as they always do, and this UPS guy had no clue what to think when he was greeting with cheers and a camera by three women--one with a mandolin and one with an accordion!

It was tons of fun and Kris flew in for it, which meant we had to rent an accordion from Alice who teaches accordion and you can bet her students have a good time.

Another of my events jobs had me petting an 800 lb. pig named Lola.

My brother Matt & his family came to visit and we had a good time catching up with Matt, Kate, & Asha. Uncle Randy and Asha acting all mature at a happy hour...the owner gave Asha some dough to play with.

Asha in the dustpan downtown. We went to the art museum but it was closed, so we played checkers at the Children's Library and went to the top floor of the Hyatt Regency where we met some German tourists and took the stairs down.

In other work-related news, the big construction box was finally removed from the airport! No more fountain, no more construction mess. No more people rolling their eyes at me when I have to push past them because they have blocked the only narrow entrance to the TOE. I'll miss my righteous indignation a bit.

I had my first lobster at Ocean Prime when a group was under their guarantee. Not bad. Better than crab. (The steak was better though).

Two Days After

Lately, I've been interested in the A&E show Hoarders., primarily because I live next door to some. After more than a year of consistent contact with neighborhood inspections along with several other neighbors who are fed up, significant progress has been made and the complaint regarding outdoor storage was closed two days ago.

No sooner was it closed than this trailer full of used tires rolled into the back yard! The sad part...this is the best this yard has looked in three years. Behold! The view from my kitchen window!

Here we go again.

Great Lyrics

I was really struck by these great lyrics this week:

The last remaining high leaves me low down and alone
-Justin Currie, "Gold Dust"



I knew a man a refugee
Survival was his art
All that he had valuable
He carried in his heart

-Sam Phillips, "Same Rain"

I love my job.

I just finished a long streak with no days off. I count 16, and because I am a contract worker for several companies, on some days, I wore three different uniforms racing from shift to shift. My little Honda became a makeshift studio apartment with polo shirts hanging from hooks, my makeup bag on the front seat, phone charger in the backpack, layers for every kind of weather (It's Colorado after all), and granola bars and bananas anywhere they wouldn't get smooshed. I downloaded a new app called Timesheet that lets me keep track of time spent on each project. Receipts were meticulously scanned with the cell phone the moment they were obtained. Clipboards were everywhere. I ran out of cell phone minutes.

The thing is...I don't mind at all.

Don't get me wrong. I'm so happy to be off this weekend and spend some time with Randy & Diego, and I slept a LOT on that first day off, but my job is cool. I am a people person and I get to interact with all kinds of people as well as see events and eat food that I could never afford.

Here are some highlights:

-One on one time with a retired civil engineer from Wolverhampton, England (where I just was in January).

-A free Rockies game with $25 in concessions credit.

-Seeing U2 not once, but TWICE, and getting paid to do it!!!

(a) Friday night, U2 gave a full dress rehearsal for the private jet company that supplies their jets and Special Olympic kids. I worked coordinating transportation for the jet company (and inadvertently got recruited to help coordinate for Broncos player Tim Tebow as well). In-between, I got to see all but the encore of U2's dress rehearsal with just a few hundred others.

(b) Saturday, I gave a city tour for a group of Venezuelans who had flown in for the U2 show. Actually, my translator was quite confident that he knew everything so I just let him give the tour and sat back waiting for questions he couldn't answer and telling the bus driver where to turn.

Afterwards, we went to Cherry Creek Mall where they shopped and I got paid to read a book, have lunch with Randy, and shop around myself. In the evening, we were given suite tickets to the U2 show to escort them to their seats and invited to join them there. Because of this, I gave Randy my ticket, which turned out to be just three rows outside the suite window. I spent the show hanging out with him, my co-workers, and back and forth to the suite to check on the group and grab a soda.

-Getting fed fantastic Italian food at Venice Restaurant, not once, or twice, but three nights in a row. Not every restaurant I do "dine-arounds" with is able to feed me so often I sit in a fancy restaurant in a dorky polo shirt sipping water because I cannot even afford a side salad in places like these! The assistant manager at Venice insisted on feeding me every course every night...calamari, bruschetta, bread, salad, pasta or salmon, tiramisu. Mmmmmm. And somehow, miraculously, I lost 5 pounds!!!

This was an especially good week, but often I find myself getting paid to mostly people-watch in the airport alongside my co-workers who are generally interesting and really fun, hanging out a museum, meeting people from all over the world, and learning more about Denver. It's really tough to beat.

So, with a few days off, I've sent out several invoices, and all there is left is to get paid and gear up for the next wave of conferences, meetings, events, and tourists. What's not to love?

2011 Shows

2011 CONCERT BLOG

This is already shaping up to be a great year for concerts. It's costing me a fortune due to the following:

-My first concerts of the year were in WALES & ENGLAND!

-Tickets now come with unconscionable CONVENIENCE CHARGES!

-Tickets are unobtainable at the box office due to SCALPERS snatching them all up and wanting ridiculous prices for them.

-A 1-2-3 PUNCH in the rare occurence that Duran Duran plays a small venue, U2 plays a mile from my house, and Peter Gabriel plays Red Rocks within a THREE MONTH WINDOW.

I shall prevail...

-Peter Gabriel tickets in hand. I sucked it up for the inconvenience charges.

-U2 ticket sold at face value from a Chicago friend whose friend happens to be due that weekend. (I had a friend here in Denver in the 80's that went to see U2 on her due date!)

-Duran Duran tickets are nearly negotiated via craigslist for $5 above face value + fees.

4/15 Update: Duran negotiations fell through the full band show at the Ogden; however, I won a radio contest for the exclusive Mix Lounge acoustic performance at the Hard Rock Cafe on the following day. Still working on the "real" show tickets.

Sheesh!

1/27-29

The Alarm

Big Country

Glen Matlock & the Philistines

@Pontins Prestatyn Sands, Wales

1/30

Justin Currie w/ Heidi Spencer

The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton, England

2/18

The Wedding Singer starring Ben Dicke

Fox Theater, Aurora, CO

Surprise: During the show, I noticed that the last name of one of the cast was the same as Randy's mother's maiden name. When we went to karaoke with the cast after the show, Randy figured out that this guy is indeed his 2nd cousin from his Cedar Rapids branch of the family.

3/12

The Hollands & Katey Laurel

Edgewater Coffee, Edgewater, CO

4/5

Wanda Jackson & the Dusty 45's

The Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO

High points: Lots of high points..."Cool Love," because I used to sing it with This Train. Wanda giving her testimony--we should all be so graceful. Wanda singing one of her hits recorded in German acapella especially for a few Germans in the crowd.

4/20

Duran Duran

the Ogden Theater, Denver, CO

SETLIST:

Planet Earth, Hungry Like the Wolf, All You Need Is Now, Notorious, Misled, Leave a Light On, Friends of Mine, Blame the Machines, Ordinary World, Girl Panic, Careless Memories, Reach Up for the Sunrise, Rio (Encore: View to a Kill, Girls on Film w/ band intros and a bit of Lady Gaga's Poker Face).

High Points: Friends of Mine, and the dance moves Simon gets away with. Seeing Roger play!

Low Points: Too short, and opening with videos for about 7 of the songs on their new albums. Lame.

4/21

Duran Duran

Acoustic mini-show @ Hard Rock Cafe with Q&A

Leave a Light On

All You Need is Now

Hungry Like the Wolf

High Points: Seeing Dave Casillas (D2 security) again and finding out he got married to his girlfriend and has two kids! Hearing Simon answer a question about the lyrics to Box Full of Honey - "It's basically about the love of my life, Yasmin, and well, fucking up...and being forgiven."

Low Point: Simon wearing sunglasses inside and not saying hello to anyone on the way in or out...then again, maybe he's just trying to be a good boy.

Upcoming:

4/29 Able Archer & Yellow Second

This was a super fun show. My brother Josh plays in Yellow Second, loud catchy pop music that stays in your head. Scott Kerr has a real way with melody and phrase, and our friend Chris Callaway plays in Able Archer, but I think this show will be best remembered for the screamy metal bands that got booked on the same bill, one of whom was fronted by a former inmate who recognized Randy as the "coolest deputy in the joint," and then looked me up and down and asked "Who's the babe?"

Notable: First show with John Warne, who also plays bass in Relient K.

5/20 U2 Dress Rehearsal

An unexpected bonus! I was hired by a limo company who was shuttling the private jet company that supplies U2's jets while in the States to the U2 dress rehearsal open only to them and a few busloads of Special Olympics kids. In addition to being able to get in, eat, drink, and see all but the encore of U2's dress rehearsal, I also got my friend Melanie in! A serious blast.

Celeb sightings and near misses: Scott Hamilton was standing very near us at the show. When I went down to get Melanie in, I made arrangements for Tim Tebow's golf cart to the show but never saw him AND I missed Bono's appearance at the party upstairs. :(

Bono whizzes by Adam during dress rehearsal.

5/21 U2 & the Fray

It was U2. It was amazing, of course. Although I have never seen them in anything but a stadium, the big ones are always a little less "something." Bono has the incredible ability to create intimacy in a huge space, but 80,000 is a stretch. The music and video content was really fantastic though.

I was coordinating transportation for a group of Venezuelans who were in the US for an incentive trip and scheduled their Denver time around the U2 show. This gave me & my coworkers suite access to sodas and snacks, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the suite was only three rows away from where Randy and our friends Keith & Rebecca (who provided us with a free ticket for Randy) were seated!

Notable: To avoid parking issues, Randy, along with Keith & Rebecca walked the 1.5 miles each way to the stadium from our house. First big walk since total knee replacement on 2/23.

6/13 Peter Gabriel & the New Blood Orchestra

The day before this show, I had a job to do the airport greet for the "PG Orchestra" and my paperwork specifically said Passengers: PETER GABRIEL/JULIE GUERRON. I worked very hard to be composed when I went to the airport, only to find that there was no PG. Just the orchestra. The French tour manager Julie was unimpressed with everything so no love on the "guest list" aspect of things either. I was a little heartbroken, but I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and prepared for the next day.

After making an Asian salad and a pitcher of white sangria for the occasion, Randy had some knee troubles & I wound up going with Kathy.

As we cleaned up the picnic, my friend Ian who was the New Blood Orchestra's Denver driver, pulled up and offered us a ride.

I have mixed reactions. The show itself was punctuated with lightning storms and a short rainfall under a full moon at Red Rocks. That alone is worth the price of admission. Gorgeous. The orchestra was amazing, but I still think I would have preferred a band. So much of Peter Gabriel's stuff has such a great groove and I missed that.

Certain songs were magical with an orchestra though--highlights were Red Rain, Don't Give Up (though seriously, the Norwegian girl singing it just didn't do a thing for me. Despite my jealousy, I am just being honest when I say I can easily do better! Call me Peter!), Blood of Eden, and Mercy Street.

7/9/11 - LHS Volunteer

Avett Brothers

@Red Rocks

Didn't stay for the whole thing, but loved what I did stay for.

7/10/11 - LHS Volunteer

Sarah McLachlan with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra

@Red Rocks

Saw the second half of her set and enjoyed it a lot. Glad that Butterly was in the band but sad that she didn't get to open or do any of her stuff. She's coming in October w/ Sandra McCracken tho. Promising...

7/22/11

Christina Aguilera

Nickelback

@Red Rocks

Due to my work requirements for a Microsoft convention, I regret that I must include this if my concert calendar for 2011 is honest and complete. Transparency. Yikes.

8/5/11

Lee Ann Rimes

@Red Rocks

Another work requirement. She was really good though.

9/30/11

Colin Hay

w/ Chris Trapper

@L2 Events Center

So good!!! Love Colin Hay.

We thought Chris Trapper was really good too. He used to be in a band called the Pushstars who had the same college agent as us so we're pretty sure we were at the same Tulsa NACA showcase.

Made an idiot of myself talking about Pontins, but got a great story from Colin about how he won holidays for his family by winning diving competitions in freezing cold Scotland, and he even posed for pictures. Kathy had him sign her CD "Goats appear and fade away."

10/6/11

Duran Duran

Neon Trees

@1st Bank Events Center

Broomfield, CO

Melody & I scored last minute tickets under face value in a great spot.

Um, I could say how great they were but I'd just be repeating myself. Duran. Duran. Stunning.

10/15/11

Howard Jones

performs "Human's Lib" and "Dream Into Action"

@Summit Music Hall

Denver, CO

I had lots of fun going to this show and dancing and singing with my friends Fred & Tracy and their friend Steve. Still, it should have been better, and it didn't help being so close on the heels of a Duran Duran show. HoJo didn't seem to excited about doing his mid-80's hits 25 years later and his band members looked like they might have been just about as happy in a dentist's chair. Howard sounded good tho, and I still love those songs!