TagCapitol Hill

Pinback @ Neumos

Last night I met up with Dave, a new friend I met on Capitol Hill the weekend prior. Coincidentally, he’s from Mt. Clements, Michigan. Dave highly recommended that I checkout Pinback, from southern California, so there we were. East Side crew in full effect for a concert at Neumos. Dave is a musician. He shared with me stories where he almost played for some very well known bands, and that he would do just about anything to play with Pinback.  Well, little did we know, life had some interesting stuff in store for him.

The opener, Little White Teeth opened. They were pretty good, though we only caught the last half of their set.

Next, Pinback came on stage.  One of the two members of the band was not able to make it to the show due to a recent addition to his family.  The newborn child was projected on the screen to emphasize the point. Daddy was not going to make it to his performance. So, Rob Crow performed solo, so that his partner could be with his newborn baby.  Rob was having a hard time, as he only had one day to prepare. Luckily, members from the opening band helped out a bit.

Soon the crowd was making requests that Rob was having a hard time fulfilling. At one point, he said, “I just need someone to sing this.”  I pushed Dave forward, toward the stage.  He turned and smiled before running up and jumping on stage.

Rob said to the crowd, “I don’t know what lyrics he singing, but it sounds better than ours!”  At times like this, it certainly pays to be a musician… because Dave nailed it. A little flower girl ran up to Dave as he stepped off the stage. That was the last I saw of Dave that night.

Night Out In Capitol Hill

Friday morning was an early morning, despite having gone to bed at 3:30am. Toy Story 3 was good. Simple & sweet… as expected. I have yet to be disappointed.  Thank you Pixar.

Friday night I was determined to go out dancing.  Though I’d prefer not to go dancing alone…  well…  it was time to use my car for some downtown exploration. I took a 90 minute nap in the evening and then head towards downtown.

I ended up on Capitol Hill (where I took a picture so I would remember where I parked).

I walked around for a little while, stopping into an art gallery that was hosting an art show opening. The hip-hop tunes and crowd standing outside were what caught my attention.  Familiar artsy crowd and nice beats. I spent a little time there before continuing on.

I walked all the way up the hill before asking someone where The Baltic Room was.  He told me that it was, “back down at the bottom of the hill…   and one more street up.”  Doh!  I was on the wrong street.

On the way back down the hill I met “J”. Our conversation was priceless. We ended up walking around talking for over an hour, before being led back to The Baltic Room. I bought a round of drinks and we hit the dance floor. Later in the night some guys showed up that had some great dance moves.  The floor was packed and everyone was going nuts till 2am.

My head was distracted earlier in the night, but the dancing brought me back into the moment.  Even got some dance tips, which included, “I love your style… but you should slow down. Focus on every other beat.”  Slow down.  Such a nice coincidence that brings me around, full circle. So much time spent locked into the details, missing the bigger picture.  Somewhere during the last 3 years I tripped off my path.

Simplicity, patience, positive intentions & determination.  These core elements, in the right balance, are amazingly powerful. Keeping things simple has always helped me see the bigger picture, but only when I am patient. Determination has helped me work through the hardest challenges, but if I’m not patient, then I tend to lose my intension.  Seems complicated… but it’s simple…   SLOW DOWN (again).  I did it 7 years ago when you decided to move into a creative field, but then I got pulled into the world of tech support. At least this time, I remember how…    and it’s working.

“Slowing down”, is why I’m here. Only through slowing down can we see the big picture. My eyes are open… as is my heart.  I’m aware of my intentions and there are no more excuses to hold me back. I have bought myself some time, so I must use it wisely. I know what I will be doing and, most importantly, I know HOW and WHY.

I have been aware that something was missing and I have been searching for what it might be.  Lost in all the overlapping challenges, with no break. The funny part is that it was me that was missing. A wise man once said, “You can’t save the world till you find yourself.”  How true…   how very, very true.

Now I understand why so many artists take long vacations between jobs. Unfortunately, my situation never allowed for it…  till now.

I remember you…   you are Jeremy, right? Glad you stayed in touch, I’m looking forward to seeing what you will build out of this chaos.

This posts seems a little too emotional for a “Night Out” posting…  but it was a hell of a night. It’s been a hell of a week.  Shit… it’s been a hell of an hour!!  However, if you’re read this far then I should reward you with something a little lighter… especially considering how AWESOMENESS the night was. The most interesting part…  I present to you, the tree biting girl! One night only.

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