It's hell to get old -AND- a public apology to RPC

So, tonight, I seriously threw my back out picking up a sock. A fucking sock. Granted, it was wet, and a little heavier than usual, but still. It weighed maybe 5 ounces. After I picked myself up off the floor (writhing in agony, of course), I finished loading up the drier, put my coins in, and nearly crawled across the parking lot to my apartment, where I commenced to call my mom the paramedic. Her professional advice? Take some ibuprofen, drink some beer, ice my back, finish my laundry. Done, done (Delirium Nocturnum is delicious), done, and nearly done.

Then, to add (literal) insult to (literal) injury, I decide to go on myspace a little and check stuff out. I figure I need to leave a comment for my old friends Rock Plaza Central, saying that they need to play in KC sometime. A couple hours later, I get a comment back, saying that they were just in Kansas City. They tried to play it off as being one of their worst publicized shows, but still, as a fan, it's my duty to know these things, I really dropped the ball there. It was A WEEK AGO. 7 DAYS. I feel like a grade-A doofus. I failed. It would have been infinitely less frustrating to see you guys play on Monday, compared to what I actually did. So if you're reading this Chris Eaton and Co, I'm sorry. I will make it up to you. Next time you head this way, I've got a place for everyone to stay. I can even hook you up with a place to play! If you like barbecue, I know a couple good places. If you don't, I know a good Indian place, a couple awesome Mediterranean places, good pizza, some decent bars, and have a number of friends I can bring to a show. Need a sax player? I'm your man. Need a scratch guitar player? I can do that too. Just watch out for the laundry rooms in this town. They're killer.

I am an excellent steel horse

Adam is out of town until Sunday, so I have the place to myself for a few days. He's barely been gone for a day, and I already feel like I've trashed the place. I have a shirt laying on the floor, I moved some of my computer stuff around, and have books everywhere. Hold on, I just picked up the shirt, this place looks better. Never mind.

Last night, Rock Plaza Central played with o'death at Mohawk here in Austin. I think that Mohawk may have become one of my favorite bars in town. The inside part kind of looks like a dive, but the outside is amazing. It has 3 different levels of patios, along with a good-sized area for shows, which you can see from all of the levels.

The show was most excellent, I wasn't familiar with o'death, but was blown away with their performance. They're kind of a country/punk band, complete with a banjo and fiddle, with lots and lots of energy. Definitely a band I'd see again.

I had seen RPC before, but it was a set cut short due to time constraints, so I was anxious to see them play a full set. Even without the full band (a couple members weren't there last night, the violinist and the accordion/flugelhorn player), these guys remain one of the better live bands I've seen. And nice guys, too. I talked with the lead singer Chris Eaton for a while afterwards, about the Iowa City show and other stuff. So go see these guys (Jad, they'll be a Zaphod's in 3 weeks!), and tell them I say hello!

Damn Good Times

I'm sitting here reflecting on a beautiful day in Iowa City, and also on a perfectly mixed Tom Collins, listening to Rock Plaza Central. Times like this make me feel that life is good. After the constant rain that we had during the week (not that I minded), some days of sun and warmth are welcome. I worked 7-3 today, which is not a bad shift at all. Sure I get up early, but it's nothing I can't handle. And the day goes by quickly. Plus, I was working with some good kids, that's always nice. Afterwards, I followed the NFL Draft a little while, took a short nap, and went for a walk. People were out in full force, soaking in the last rays of light, eating in the recently re-opened outdoor cafes of the local restaurants, and just having a good old time. I stopped by Oasis and had a delicious falafel, then came home to chum it up with my roommates. Daren's band, Raccoo-oo-oon, is playing a show tonight, which I will be heading to shortly. I figured a night like this can only be topped off with a cool drink, and what is more refreshing after a warm day than Mr. Collins?

Tomorrow's looking like it'll be a fine day, temps in the 80's, sunny, and not a lick of work in sight. I may hit up the frisbee golf course with my buddy, do some grilling, and maybe try to catch a matinee of Hot Fuzz. Now I'm really living. If I can fit it in, I'll head to Three Samurai to hit up the all-day sushi happy hour. Damn, that is sounding like a mighty fine day. I hope everyone else is having such good times with their own weekends. If not, I'm sorry. I don't want to rub this in your face. But really, I can't help but gloat. My weekend should be put in the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce's brochures about the city. People would come. Just have a picture of me on the front, all smiling with one hand in the "thumbs up" position and the other holding a cool cocktail (umbrella optional, it can be photoshopped in if warranted).

Rock Plaza Central

I just got back from the RPC show at the Picador in Iowa City, and liked it a lot, but was disappointed at the same time. Disappointed because Rock Plaza Central was only able to play a little over half an hour, due to time constraints. I thought it would be a late show, it was supposed to start at 9:30, there were 4 bands playing, and bar close is at 2. And of course, as shows usually do, this one started about an hour late. I'll write more about the other bands playing soon, maybe tomorrow, but I just wanted to quickly write about how impressed I was by Rock Central Plaza. They were tight, and enjoyable to watch, every member looked like they enjoyed what they were doing, making the music and entertaining the few that remained. They were one of the better live acts I've seen, even in an abbreviated set.

I'd write more, but I didn't sleep worth a darn last night, and have been running on empty all day long. So excuse me, I'm heading to bed. But not before giving a shout to my brother, who not only picked the Final Four correctly, he also chose the championship game match-up correctly. For him, I will be cheering on OSU. And because I hate Florida. thanks

Music recommendation for the day

I'm going to try to do this one a semi-regular basis, to share some music that I like with everyone. It may be a band that I've loved for years, or a new one that I just found. If there's any story behind the band that I can provide, I will try to do so, whether it be how I found out about them, a concert that I've seen them play, or just some random tidbit. And I'll do my best to at least link to some songs, most likely a myspace page and maybe a band's official site. This is the official first post in this new line, but really it started yesterday with my mention of Feist. If you haven't done so yet, you should check her out.

Today, I'm suggesting that everyone look up Rock Plaza Central. A friend from work had said that she was listening to them recently, and since we have a similar taste in music (which I learned tonight!), I thought I should give them a listen. I had kind of forgotten about them until I was in bed, falling asleep. I bolted up, remembering that I had written down their name, and began searching for the scrap of paper. And naturally it fell out of my pocket in my car. So I put on some pants, my sandals, and my new coat and stocking cap, and run outside to frantically search my car, of course it had fallen in between my seat and the console, it couldn't have been right on top of anything. Luckily I found it without any frostbite setting in, and scurried back inside.

After explaining to Dan why I had run outside in the middle of the night, I looked them up and listened to a few of their songs, and checked out their bio. Megan, the girl who had mentioned them earlier, had said that their album was a sort of concept album, but the concept was too ridiculous to not read it for myself. She was right. Apparently, Are We Not Horses is an album about robotic horses thinking that they're actual horses. I dig that. And I dig the songs, my favorite being "My Children Be Joyful." They kind of have a Neutral Milk Hotel meets Modest Mouse with they tiniest hint of They Might Be Giants sound, but it's hard to describe. Just listen to them. Love them. And come to Iowa City on March 31 to watch them in concert with me.