Category Archives: Music

Dec20

38 years ago today Bobby Darin died at the young age of 37

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38 years ago today Bobby Darin died at the young age of 37

My favorite artist, after Elvis and U2, Bobby Darin died 38 years ago today at the young age of 37. I first learned of Bobby Darin at age 4 while watching my favorite tv show Happy Days. Potsie, Richie and Ralph would sing Bobby’s hit Splish Splash every time they played Arnold’s. Of course I called it ‘Pish Pash.’ I didn’t speak too well back then, but I loved that song.

Splish Splash was pretty much the extent of my knowledge of Bobby Darin until I became an adult. I heard and fell in love with Beyond the Sea, and I was hooked. I read every biography I could find. I first read Me and Bobby D by Steve Karmen, Bobby’s boyhood friend and first music partner. Then I read Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin by David Evanier, Bobby Darin by Al DiOrio, Bobby Darin by Michael Seth Starr, and finally Dream Lovers by Dodd Darin about his parents Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee. I also bought the three movies Bobby Darin starred in with Sandra Dee: Come September, If a Man Answers, and That Funny Feeling.

I learned many interesting things about Bobby Darin while reading all those biographies. The most attractive to me was his passionate performances. The main reason I love Elvis and U2 is for their passion. Actually passion is probably the most attractive and admirable quality to me. Bobby Darin was so passionate about performing that he wore a condom on stage while singing because he would get so excited. Music moved him that much! Of course after reading this, I had to find DVDs of his performances. I bought Bobby Darin: The Darin Invasion, Bobby Darin: Singing at his Best, and my favorite and his last Bobby Darin: Mack is Back.

 

Bobby Darin was born Walden Robert Cassotto in 1936 in the Bronx. He grew up poor and sick. He was stricken with recurring bouts of rheumatic fever, which weakened his heart. Bobby lived his life knowing that it would be a short one. This motivated him to do as much as he could as quickly as he could. Bobby grew up with his mother and his sister. The man who he thought was his father died in jail before he was born. Bobby Darin married Sandra Dee in 1960, and they had one son Dodd. Unfortunately they divorced in 1967. A year later Bobby, at age 32, was shocked when his sister Nina told him that she was actually his mother and his mother Polly, whom he adored and had died years before, was actually his grandmother. Bobby never learned who his real father was. Later that same year Bobby was devastated when his friend Bobby Kennedy, whom he had been traveling with on his campaign, was assassinated. After all of this, Bobby sort of lost his way. He spent some time in seclusion in a trailer in the woods and turned to folk music. He eventually returned to the stage. Bobby Darin died in 1973 at the young age of 37 from an infection after forgetting to take his medication to protect his heart during a dental visit. Bobby Darin was a great singer, a great performer, a great actor, and a very passionate man. He starred in many movies and was even nominated for an oscar. Bobby also played many instruments, including the drums. But what I admire so much about Bobby Darin was his singing – he was so passionate and versatile. He sang all types of music really well. He could sing 1950s pop like Splish Splash, big band standards like Beyond the Sea and folk music like If I Were a Carpenter. Today I remember the great Bobby Darin, taken from us way too soon.

Dec8

I Melt With You – the movie, not the song by modern english

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I Melt With You – the movie, not the song by modern english

I added the movie I Melt With You on my list of movies I wanted to see when I saw Rob Lowe and later Jeremy Piven talk about the it on The View. Those two actors alone are enough to make me want to see the movie. They billed it as a movie about guys and their friendships. This sounded interesting to me as one of my favorite movies, Swingers, is also about guys and their friendships. But make no mistake, this movie is not Swingers. Although there is also great music in this film, such as U2‘s Out of Control!

I Melt With You opens in theaters tomorrow Dec 9, but I was able to watch it last night on HD Movie Net. It is a dark movie, one that is hard to watch at times. But it is the kind of movie that you like more and more as the hours pass after you’ve watched it. The kind of movie that sticks with you, that you can’t get out of your head. I don’t want to give away the plot because that would do a disservice to the film. But I can say it is about four old college roommates in their mid-40s who get together for a week. They do this every year on the one friend’s birthday to catch up with each others’ lives. Please let me know what you think about I Melt With You after you see it.

In the words of Modern English, “I’ll stop the world and melt with you.”

Dec4

Million Dollar Quartet – Dec 4, 1956

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Million Dollar Quartet – Dec 4, 1956

55 years ago today four of the greatest musicians of all time had an impromptu jam session in a little studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins played together in Sun Studio on December 4, 1956, and Sam Phillips was smart enough to record it. Carl Perkins was recording at Sun Studio that Tuesday night in December. Jerry Lee Lewis, who was not yet famous, was a session pianist playing for Carl. Elvis Presley, who had left Sun for RCA, just happen to stop by to visit Sam Phillips. Then Sam called Johnny Cash to come over. And The Million Dollar Quartet was born. The best things in life are unplanned. Please watch this video of The Million Dollar Quartet.

Jerry Lee, Carl, Elvis, Johnny - The Million Dollar Quartet

 

Last summer while I was in Chicago for Lollapalooza, I decided to see the play Million Dollar Quartet at the Apollo Theatre. The Apollo Theatre is very intimate. The stage is level with the front row, which is where I sat. Million Dollar Quartet was a fantastic play! It brought a tear to my eye. The guy who played Sam Phillips, Tim Decker, was amazing. He was completely transformed as Sam. And Elvis was played by David Lago, who I remember from Young and the Restless and 7th Heaven. I was completely in my element. This is my music, rockabilly. I was definitely born too late.  I am just so proud that this play is popular, so America can learn that Rock n Roll started in Memphis, not Cleveland where the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is located. Please watch my video of my night at Million Dollar Quartet in Chicago.

Apollo Theatre Chicago

Million Dollar Quartet Chicago

Carl, Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny

‘Sun Studio’

my million dollar quartet stuff

Nov13

2U plays the Maryland Irish Festival

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2U plays the Maryland Irish Festival

2U, U2 tribute band from Long Island, NY, played a 15-song 90-minute set at the Maryland Irish Festival Saturday night. It was a fun show. It was better than I expected, especially after seeing the band members set up. Fake Larry was no Larry at all. He had long black curly 80s rock band hair. Fake Bono sort of resembled Bono, as long as he wore his Bono shades. Fake Adam was very Adam. He had bleached blond hair and interacted with the crowd like Adam. Fake Edge from a distance looked like Edge with his knit hat and fu manchu. But at closer look, he was no Edge at all.

2U at MD Irish Festival

When I moved back to Maryland over a month ago, I was excited because I would be closer to my U2 friends and hopefully some U2 tribute bands. I did a search and couldn’t find any U2 tribute bands in Maryland, but saw that 2U from New York was playing the Maryland Irish Festival on November 12th. This happened to be my friend Abbey’s birthday. Our new friend Anisha, whom we met this summer on the 360 tour, wanted to go as well, so the three of us made a plan to see 2U at the Maryland Irish Festival. To make things even better, Mary Yeaple with the Maryland Irish Festival gave us free tickets on Twitter.

Maryland Irish Festival

Abbey, Anisha and I met at the Maryland Irish Festival in Timonium at the Fairgrounds at 6pm Saturday. The festival was indoors at the Cow Palace, which was three big halls. There was music on 3 stages, crafts, historical recreations and even dog adoptions. But first we were hungry and wanted to eat. Unfortunately, the line was too long for what I really wanted, so I settled for a $7 sandwich, but the $2 iced tea was really good. We got our food and sat down. We ended up sitting across from two photographers, Phillip and Allison of The Susquehanna Photographic, who also knew Mary Yeaple. They were there to photograph 2U. They saw our U2 shirts and asked me how many times I had seen U2. When I answered 75, they thought I was joking.

After we ate, we walked around to look at all the vendors. There was a lot of reasonably priced Irish goods, including silver jewelry, crafts and clothes. Luckily I did not buy anything, although I was very tempted. Anisha came across this A-Z book about Ireland and of course U was for U2. The members of the band were listed as Bono, The Edge, cool Adam, and Larry. Cool Adam?! Yes, he is cool, but why is he the only one who gets an adjective. Why not hot Larry?!

why is Adam the only one who gets an adjective?

We took our seats in the front row around 8:15. 2U was supposed to come on at 9. There was a woman standing right at the stage in her Walmart War night shirt. She was wearing a white U2 War night shirt with black hose and black high heel boots – really? While we were waiting, Mary Yeaple came over to introduce herself. She is such a nice lady and so generous. She told us about the Penn-Mar Irish Festival in June, which Abbey, Anisha and I now plan on attending.

waiting for the band

Just after 9:30, 2U finally took the stage. I wasn’t expecting to get too excited, but when I heard the chords of Beautiful Day, I could barely contain myself. And by the second song Until the End of the World, I was on my feet dancing in the crowd. I just can’t stay seated listening to U2 music, even if it’s not really U2. The audience seemed much older than a real U2 crowd, or at least the crowd I’m used to in GA on the floor. They were very into the old songs, but didn’t really know Magnificent.

2U

fake Adam

It was a good show, but I would have preferred newer songs – like those played on the 360 tour. I feel like U2 tribute bands should play shows that resemble the most recent U2 tour. But 2U did play most songs like U2, with a few exceptions. There was a Led Zeppelin jam in the middle of Bullet the Blue Sky and a snippet of a Journey song at the end of With or Without You. But like the good old days of U2, I really enjoyed the Ruby Tuesday/Sympathy for the Devil/40 mix at the end of Bad as well as the addition of Dirty Old Town, even if it was sung by the fake Edge instead of the real Larry. The set list was as follows: Beautiful Day, Until the End of the World, New Year’s Day, Desire, Magnificent, One, Bad / Ruby Tuesday / Sympathy for the Devil / 40, Where the Streets Have No Name, Dirty Old Town, Bullet the Blue Sky / Led Zeppelin snippet, Mysterious Ways, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Out of Control, Gloria, With or Without You / Journey snippet. Please watch my video of the 2U show at the Maryland Irish Festival.

2U

To learn about my travels to see the real U2 (all 75 shows over 20 years), please visit my other blog at http://ontheroadwithu2.com

Nov12

Shadowplay – a great new band out of Philly

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Shadowplay – a great new band out of Philly

Shadowplay is a great young rock band out of Philadelphia. Their sound is a mix of classic 70s rock and Soundgarden. Coincidently I met the lead singer, Andrew Corkery, at a Soundgarden show in Philadephia July 13th. After talking, we realized we were both at the Soundgarden show in Chicago the previous summer at Lollapalooza. Even though I have yet to see Shadowplay live due to geographic reasons, I am captivated by their music, their energy and their passion thanks to YouTube.

Shadowplay

All five members of Shadowplay are 19 years old. They started the band while in high school. Andrew Corkery, lead vocals, and Dan Holden, lead guitar and backup vocals, originally formed the band in 2006. A year later bassist George Legatos joined. In 2008 John Sellers, who plays bass, guitar, and keyboards joined the band. Shadowplay was complete in 2009 with the addition of drummer Tim Bear.

The boys of Shadowplay like alternative and rock music of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. They are inspired by that music as well as their own, but more importantly by playing that music together. According to lead singer Andrew Corkery, “Our goal is to inspire people with our music and rock out til the end of time. And become successful and huge in the world of music.” He goes on to say, “I see myself inspiring people with my music and helping to make the world a better place.”

I would say Shadowplay is on their way to doing just that. They remind me of U2 in the early days, not their sound, but how they started and their outlook. They both started a band in high school, even though they didn’t have a lot of talent. But what both groups did have was that special something when they played together in front of an audience. And the more they played, the more their talent grew.

Keep an eye out for when Shadowplay comes to your town. You won’t be sorry. For a full listings of their shows, check out shadowplayrocknroll.com and their page on ReberbNation.

 

Aug16

Fans remember the 34th Anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley with the annual Candlelight Vigil at Graceland

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Fans remember the 34th Anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley with the annual Candlelight Vigil at Graceland

34 years ago today, August 16, 1977, I was watching tv and they told me Elvis Presley died. I ran to tell my mom who initially did not believe me. I was 4. It is hard to believe that after all these years people know exactly what they were doing when they heard Elvis had died, and it is even harder to believe that tens of thousands of people make the pilgrimage to Memphis every August to honor Elvis Presley with a candlelight vigil at Graceland.

Elvis Presley Candlelight Vigil at Graceland 8.15.11

I arrived at Graceland just after 6pm because that’s when you can park for free and just before they shut down the road. I took my chair and cooler and secured a nice spot in the median on Elvis Presley Boulevard in front of the gates of Graceland. It was a beautiful night – cool for Memphis in August. It was great to be sitting in front of Graceland listening to Elvis music with people who love Elvis as much as I do. I saw my friends Caroline, Kimberly, Rhonda, Lisa and Marr,  folks from the Elvis world Jack Soden and Ernst Jorgensen and popular Memphians Jack Oblivian and Kerry Crawford.

line for the vigil at 6:30pm

Jack Soden mingling with the fans

sunset over Elvis Presley Boulevard

At 8:30, the opening ceremony began with a note from Lisa Marie Presley saying that she and Priscilla and the rest of the family would be in Memphis next year to celebrate the 35th anniversary. Then everyone lit their candles and sang along with Elvis’ If I Can Dream- “there must be lights burning brighter somewhere…out there in the dark there’s a beckoning candle.”

and the candlelight vigil begins

'there's a beckoning candle'

After the opening ceremony, I watched the first people in line pass through the gates and make their way up the driveway to the meditation garden to Elvis’ grave. I walked around a bit admiring everyone’s Elvis sidewalk art and sat back in my chair for a few hours enjoying the night.

elvis vigil sidewalk art

even dogs love elvis

At 11pm, I got in line to make my way up the driveway. I passed through the gates of Graceland at 11:15 and was at the Meditation Garden by 1am.

lining up for the vigil at 11pm

34th anniversary candle

passing through the gates of Graceland at 11:15pm

lighting my candle

meditation garden at 1am

we miss you Elvis

Graceland 8.16.11

Please watch my video of the Elvis Presley Candlelight Vigil on 8.15.11

Aug14

ELVIS WEEK 2011 – Sam Phillips documentary and Elvis Live concert

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ELVIS WEEK 2011 – Sam Phillips documentary and Elvis Live concert

Tuesday August 16th will be the 34th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death and the fans still remember. In fact, each year more and more fans flock to Memphis to pay their respects and remember the King of Rock n Roll. This is my 6th Elvis Week. I went to the 25th anniversary, then the 30th and then every one since.

Yesterday was a great day. In the morning I went to the screening of the documentary Sam Phillips: The Man Who Started Rock n Roll hosted by Knox Phillips and Peter Guralnick at the University of Memphis. Knox is Sam’s son and Peter is the great music biographer. And for those of you who live under a rock, Sam Phillips opened Sun Studio in Memphis in the 1950s. It was here that Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich, Howlin Wolf, BB King and Rufus Thomas and many others got their start. Because of Sam Phillips, we have Rock n Roll.

Sam Phillips documentary 8.13.11

It was a great documentary. I actually learned a few things I didn’t know, because quite honestly I could give the tour at Sun Studio I know the history so well. I love the quote that ‘Sam Phillips was his own best friend, and he loved his own company’ – sounds very familiar. After the documentary, Sam’s son Knox and author Peter Guralnick told stories about Sam and Elvis. It was a great couple of hours.

Knox Phillips and Peter Guralnick

Later that night I went downtown to the Orpheum Theatre for the Elvis Presley Live: the King in Concert. I was excited because I haven’t seen one of the Elvis Presley concerts since the 30th anniversary Elvis Week. But I was also a bit skeptical because it was not Elvis’ band playing this time.

Elvis Presley Live: the King in concert 8.13.11

It was a fantastic show! Elvis’ conductor Joe Guercio introduced the show. When the curtain opened and the music started, the audience went wild. Elvis on stage, at least he looked as if he was on stage, with the band behind him. They used footage from Elvis ’69 performances in Las Vegas on a big screen that covered the entire stage top to bottom, but you could still see the live band behind it. I was so into the show that I forgot Elvis has been dead for 34 years and wasn’t really singing in front of me. From the screaming and cheering I heard, everyone in the audience agreed with me. In fact,  every time Elvis shook his hips the girls, I mean the women, squealed. At intermission The Imperials, the gospel quartet who toured with Elvis, performed a few songs. It was a great night, and the most fun event of Elvis Week for me.

ELVIS!

Please watch my video of the screening of the Sam Phillips documentary and the Elvis concert.

 

Tomorrow night is the annual candlelight vigil at Graceland, the pinnacle of Elvis Week.

May3

Beale Street Music Festival 2011

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Beale Street Music Festival 2011

Tasha flew in early Friday morning for our annual weekend at the Beale Street Music Festival. We have gone every year since 2003, except for last year’s tornado incident where we spent a lot of time in the closet. I picked Tasha up at the airport Friday, and we were at Harrah’s Casino in Tunica by 9am. We played the slots until Paula Deen’s buffet started serving lunch, which was our real reason for beging there. We gorged ourselves on all of Paula’s magnificent creations - macaroni and cheese, sweet tea, biscuits, green beans, mashed potatoes. So fantastic! We came back to my house and relaxed for a few hours before heading downtown for MusicFest.

We had dinner at Majestic Grille on Main Street and then strolled in and out of the art galleries on South Main for Trolley Night. We didn’t buy anything, but had a nice walk to work off all the food we had eaten that day. We got into the Beale Street Music Festival around 7pm. I went straight to the hat tent because I wanted to get a new cowboy hat. The prices were much lower than when I bought one a few years ago, so I bought another one. I may be wearing it a lot this summer while I’m On the Road with U2.

Tasha wanted to see both Everclear and Cake, but they were playing at the same time. I didn’t like either, so I didn’t care who we saw. She decided to see Everclear, and I was so glad. They were good. I had issues with them because I had met the lead singer years ago in a bar in Baltimore I used to hang out in and he wasn’t the coolest guy. But I did enjoy Everclear’s set, although they played the songs a bit slower and his voice was a little lower than I remember.

Everclear 4.29.11 BSMF Memphis

Please watch my video of Everclear’s performance of Santa Monica http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEAsuwcn2XQ

After Everclear, we were walking toward the stage of the next band we wanted to see when we heard Cake’s last two songs – which were also their most famous. So Tasha got to hear both bands. I am really glad we were at Everclear’s set because I actually enjoyed it, and I was right about Cake – I don’t like them.

We both really wanted to see Flaming Lips because everyone had said they are a great live band. There was a huge crowd waiting and the anticipation sure did not match the performance. They are visually pleasing, but not musically. Not my thing – maybe because I wasn’t high. The lead singer got in a bubble and rolled on top of the audience and then balloons and confetti were launched into the crowd. Visually exciting, but not musically. We left after the first song.

Flaming Lips 4.29.11 BSMF Memphis

Please watch my video of the Flaming Lips opening performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiPS2QXOz7E

Tasha loves Stevie Ray Vaughan, so she wanted to see his brother Jimmy Vaughan play. Off to the Blues Tent we went – couldn’t get away from Flaming Lips fast enough. Jimmy Vaughan was great. He was more than just blues – he was sort of rockabilly as well. And I love rockabilly! They even had a sax in the band. More bands should really play the saxaphone. I love the sax! We were really tired as it was closing in on midnight, so we only stayed for a few songs.

Jimmy Vaughan 4.29.11 BSMF

Please watch my video of Jimmy Vaughan’s performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odAvemzwG7o

On our way out of the festival we heard a couple songs by Stone Temple Pilots. I originally wanted to hear their entire set, but was just too tired. So we just listened as we walked by. I did get to hear two of my favorites by them though.

Saturday Tasha and I decided to go downtown early and have breakfast at the Arcade diner. When we got there, they were lined up around the corner. So we decided to go to Beale Street to see what was open. It was around 10:30am. We parked on the street for free and went to Lil’ Anthony’s because I had heard they had good breakfasts. They don’t. I don’t know if they were just having a bad day, but it was terrible – the service and the food. We ordered sweet tea, and got regular tea. Our waitress apologized and said she would get us sweet tea. She then told us they had to make it, and then told us they had to find the sugar – we never got our sweet tea. Our order came out and mine was wrong and Tasha only got half of her’s. We didn’t have silverware, but we did get that. Tasha ate the food she was brought, and I still didn’t have mine. I cancelled my order and the rest of Tasha’s, and we left. We walked down Beale to Alfred’s, and by this time is was about 11:45, so we had lunch. I love Alfred’s - best food on Beale! Don’t ever go to Lil’ Anthony’s, go to Alfred’s!

After walking around Beale Street for a bit, we went to MusicFest around 2pm. Tasha’s main purpose of Saturday was to see one of her favorite bands Mumford and Sons. Luckily everyone I wanted to see Saturday were on the same stage as Mumford and Sons, so we secured our spot at the front rail and camped out at the Budweiser Stage all day.  Amy Lavere was up first. I had seen her once before and she was great. She was great Saturday also. Tasha really liked her too – and even bought her cds the next day. Amy has a very unique, passionate voice and plays the stand up bass – and she lives in Memphis!

Amy Lavere 4.30.11 BSMF Memphis

Please watch my video of Amy Lavere’s performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZhvrZzkGtI

We had not heard of Paul Thorn, but he was up next. His drummer looked like he was right out of the 50s with his sideburns, rolled up sleeves, and Elvis tee shirt – he is even from Tupelo. I also found Paul Thorn very attractive with kind of a raspy country Ryan Bingham sort of voice. I may get his cd.

Paul Thorn 4.30.11 BSMF Memphis

Please watch my video of Paul Thorn’s performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEcPBiQJLac

The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis, was next. This was the 8th time we have seen Jerry Lee Lewis, and the 8th time we’ve seen Elvis’ friend George Klein introduce him. Jerry Lee performs every year at the Beale Street Music Festival, and he never disappoints. He is 75 years old and as ornery as ever. And he can still play that piano! He is one of my favorite artists. He is the last of the original rock and rollers, the last of the Sun Studio stars, the last man standing.

Jerry Lee Lewis 4.30.11 BSMF Memphis

 

the Killer

Please watch my video of Jerry Lee Lewis’ performance of Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWa3JP65y88

Although Tasha was really excited to see Mumford and Sons, I was not. I had seen them on the Grammy’s, and they just aren’t for me. But I stayed there, even though the crowd was jumping and freaking out. I liked every song that the banjo was not played. I’m still not a fan and wouldn’t buy their cd, but they are very talented and passionate – it’s just not my thing. Tasha loved them and was even more excited when she saw Jake Gyllenhall watching from the side.

Mumford and Sons 4.30.11 BSMF Memphis

Please watch my video of Mumford and Sons’ performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY9S8GnDZO0

After Mumford and Sons, we were exhausted so we left the festival and went to Central BBQ for dinner. It was fantastic! We sat out on the deck. It was Tasha’s first time there, and she thought it was the best bbq she’s had in Memphis. I love their BBQ portabella sandwich! After we went to the new YoLo’s for dessert. I had their amazing death by chocolate cupcake with icing like parfait.

Sunday we decided not to go to the Beale Street Music Festival because it was pouring rain. We went to the Cupboard for lunch. We have been going there for years. We stumbled upon it back in 2002 when we visited Memphis. I love their eggplant casserole, and Tasha loves their catfish. We then went to Sun Studio. We didn’t take the tour, as we could give the tour by now. We just sat in a booth and hung out for a bit, soaking in all the music history.

Sun Studio

After Sun, we went to see Water for Elephants. Tasha had read the book and really wanted to see it. Although I liked that it was set in the 1930s and starred Reese Witherspoon, I was little scared to see it because of the animal abuse. And I was right. I cried through a few scenes. It was an ok movie, a little slow for me, but Tasha liked it. After the movie, we walked out to discover a tornado was heading for midtown. We stayed in the lobby and watched the news for a bit and then decided it was safe enough to go home. By this time, I had developed a terrible migraine and took a little nap on the couch. After a couple of hours, we went to Bosco’s for dinner. Yummy humus andveggie burger for me! Tasha wanted gellato, so we went back to YoLo’s. Although my migraine had subsided, I wasn’t totally 100% so we just went back to my house and watched Up, which was really good.

Monday morning we woke up to no power – again! It had gone off during the night for a few hours, came back on and then went back off again. It came on just after 9am and luckily stayed on. We drove out east in the pouring rain to Blue Plate for breakfast – our favorite breakfast spot. They have the best biscuits! We then went to Flashback, which is a cool store on Central that has 1950s and 1960s clothes, furniture, decor, etc. I love it there! I bought a silver Johnny Cash cigarette case, even though I don’t smoke. I may use it as a wallet. Tasha bought a cool silver, peace sign painted belt buckle and belt. We went back to my house for a bit before I took Tasha to the airport for her flight back to Pittsburgh. I spent the rest of the cold rainy day on the couch catching up on my dvr and eating our leftovers from the weekend.

My 9th Beale Street Music Festival weekend was a success! Please watch my video overview of MusicFest 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZK2PBUUINU

Apr16

It’s All About U2011

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It’s All About U2011

I haven’t written much in my DeenasDays blog this year because this is the year of U2011, so I have been writing in my On the Road with U2 blog. I will probably blog about the Memphis Grizzlies playoff games and definitely about the Memphis in May Beale Street Music Festival in 2 weeks, but that is probably it until August.

The U2 360 Us tour starts in just over a month, and I leave one month from today for my summer-long road trip across America to attend all 16 shows. I have been blogging and posting constantly about U2 the past 4 months because I am trying to reach as many U2 fans as possible, so they will follow my blog and my articles on U2TourFans during the tour and hopefully buy my book after the tour. I have been writing a book about my travels on U2 tours I have been on from ZooTv to 360 and will continue with this summer’s road trip across America on U2 360. I will also be filming my entire trip with hopes of making a documentary.

When I return to Memphis in August, I will get back to blogging here on DeenasDays about Lollapalooza, Elvis Week, and all things Memphis. So please excuse me for a few months while I’m On the Road with U2.

Mar19

My St Patrick’s Day at Murphy’s in Memphis with EweToo 3.17.11

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My St Patrick’s Day at Murphy’s in Memphis with EweToo 3.17.11

I already wrote about my St. Patrick’s Day on my other blog http://ontheroadwithu2.com/ because it had to do with U2, but I thought I would post it here as well since it has to do with Memphis too. I had read there was going to be an all-girl U2 cover band, called EweToo, playing at Murphy’s in Memphis for St. Patrick’s Day so of course I had to check them out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything about the band online and the bar’s website was no help either. I called Murphy’s to confirm that a U2 cover band was playing.

So shortly after 3pm, I put on my U2 360 I’ll Go Crazy tee and drove a mile down the road to Murphy’s bar. The bartenders did not know what time EweToo were playing, so I got a Guinness and found a seat on the deck in the shade and waited. I met a lot of great people, long time Memphians who all knew each other for years. Although I did get propositioned by a fortune teller to give her a ride to the pawn shop since she had made enough money that day to claim her item – I declined. But the other folks I met like Susan and Alan and Paul made up for it, and there were also a few dogs celebrating. I may have to bring Elvis and Cilla to Murphy’s next year.

Murphy’s in Memphis for St. Patrick’s Day
the view from my spot at Murphy’s

Around 6pm or a little after, and 3 Guinness later, EweToo finally took the stage. They weren’t an all girl band – there was a male guitarist, but I think he was just helping them out. And they weren’t really a U2 cover band. They used to be a band, but the lead singer moved away. They learned U2 songs to play specifically for St. Patrick’s Day. They were ok, but it was great fun to hear U2 live - in any form. They played Two Hearts, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year’s Day, Still Haven’t Found, I Will Follow, With or Without You, Pride and Desire. There were maybe 2 other U2 fans in the crowd, but mostly everyone was just singing the chorus and having fun.

EweToo, girl U2 cover band

Please watch the video of my St. Patrick’s Day, including EweToo’s performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu-VW5fUgVg  After listening to the video I took of EweToo, they sounded better when I was screaming the words along with them.

I had a great time at Murphy’s in Memphis for St. Patrick’s Day and will definitely return next year. In fact, I think I’ll check out their music schedule to see who is playing because it is such a great laid back non-college kind of hang out and only a mile from house. I had a great time!

my St Pats swag