August 27, 2009

What's Up This Weekend?

There are a number of things I could write about. An attorney in Michigan is hassling me about my use of the phrase "Rock and Roll Lawyer", claiming he has the rights to it. Fortunately, I have a killer trademark attorney on the case! Thanks, Lee. I wrote a song during my morning bike ride inspired by a canoe trip I took over the weekend on the Tuscarawas River. I'll include the lyrics at the end of this email. Speaking of lyrics. I went to Cincinnati to see a film of a musical, "Imagine This", for which my cousin, David Goldsmith, wrote the lyrics. It was a dramatic tale of a theater group in the Warsaw ghetto during the Holocaust putting on a play about the the Jews defending themselves against the Romans and eventually committing mass suicide at Masada. Not exactly "Springtime for Hitler" but it was very entertaining.

But I really wanted to write about the soap I use to wash my face. My girlfriend sent me two bars of this nice pumicey soap many months ago. I always hoped they would outlast her absence. Now, the last bar is slightly larger than a beer can tab. I'm very frugal, which I've always jokingly attributed to my Jewish heritage, and I use a bar of soap until it is an untenable translucent wisp. But my soap can only last so long.

Tonight, Thursday, get hammered with The Spikedrivers at Rumba's happy hour. Later, Ghost Shirt is one of four at the Treehouse.

Friday, Waterfire returns to Columbus lighting up the Scioto River to the sounds of the "Big Band Bash" provided by the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and Byron Stripling. 7:30 PM Genoa Park downtown. Sick Thrills is at Carabar, Grassahol is at Dick's, The Wahoos do the happy hour at Rumba followed by Matt Hoover and the Super Saints and Megan Palmer and the Hopefuls.

Saturday. Sandwich and The Flashing Clock are at Carabar, The Floorwalkers are at Park Street Tavern, The Wet Darlings and Cellar Hounds are at Rumba and Mt. Carmel and Jason Quicksall are at the Treehouse.

Lead on Blue Heron, lead on
Lead on Blue Heron, lead on
I know not where this river turns
I only know I wish to learn
Lead on, Blue Heron, lead on

Spread your wings in an elegant glide
Take me for a peaceful ride
I wish that I could stay all day
Or should I just fly away
I guess I'm waiting for a sign
That will reveal your grand design

August 21, 2009

What's Up This Weekend?

What an awesome birthday weekend! Started Friday at The Thirsty Ear with the Randys doing their usual great repertoire plus an entire set of Elvis followed by dancing with lovely girlfriends to The Sons of Gladys. Saturday, there was skinny dipping in my favorite Lithopolis pond, then later being blown away by The Spanish Harlem Orchestra at Latino Festival followed by a road trip to Athens with the top down to dance and sing along all night at Jackie O's with Stella and then The Lennon Orchestra ending with an after-hours trip to O'Betty's hot dog emporium to indulge in a Blaze and chili-cheese fries that sent me right into a heavily buzzed orbit. It was a challenge to get up at 9 and do the mandatory huevos rancheros at Casa Nueva so I could get home in time to have a bagels and lox brunch and all the trimmings with the family. Finally, the icing on the birthday cake was a beautiful summer evening at the LC with good friends, The Pretenders and the fabulous Chrissy Hynde. Thanks to all the friends for the neat gifts, free drinks and loving salutations. Happy birthday to me, indeed.

Thursday, tonight, Frankfest at Hidden Lakes beginning at 4 PM for Friends of Frank, The Cellar Hounds do the happy hour at Rumba followed by quite the avante-garde rock show with Brainbow, Shin Tower Music and Monolithic Cloud Parade.

Friday, Ravari has Cotton Jackson and Hellsfire Sinners, Paper Airplane and Super Desserts at Ruby's, Bush League All-Stars at Treehouse.

Saturday, Jen Miller is at Dick's, Deadsea is at Ruby's, Couch Forts is at The Shelf located at 57 E. Gay St., Fourth Floor and Soul Satyr is at Thirsty Ear.

Sunday its The Breeders and TImes New Viking at Newport.

Sunday, Jim Maneri, Joe Crump, Joe Ong and Roger Hines satisfy whatever jazzbo cravings you might have at Dick's. I might head up to Dover, Ohio for a little R & R at a B & B in Amish country.

Still waiting. Still waiting. mark

August 13, 2009

What's Up This Weekend?

On the 40th anniversary of Woodstock (at age 16, I had a chance to go and and didn't) I wake up to find in a CNN interview that Arlo Guthrie is a Republican. Come on, Arlo. I know that many Democrats are just as much in the pocket of corporations as the Republicans but Dems aren't the ones spreading lies to scare people so the health insurance companies can keep bleeding all of us. In the last election, it was a simple matter of electing somebody with some intelligence. Now, we have this incredibly complex issue and we are at the mercy of politicians who don't have a history of looking for answers beyond their lists of campaign contributors. I'm convinced Obama has the right idea. It's only the Democrats that can make it happen. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, crossing my fingers and looking for my religion.

Thursday, tonight, there's lots to choose from. Lydia Loveless shares the stage at Bernie's, Joey Hebdo is at Victorian's, Old World's is at Oldfield's, Brasiliera is at Dick's and Lollipop Factory and Ghost Shirt are at Rumba. Wait, there's more! Maia Sharp isn't local but I highly recommend her. She's an extraordinary singer-songwriter from LA and she's performing at The Thirsty Ear.

Friday, Yummy! is an art show put on by the Couchfire Collective and a fundraiser for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank (great organization!) at the Junctionview Studios in Grandview 6 PM- 9 PM. Just bring a non-perishable food item or make a donation. The Twang Alliance has the happy hour at Rumba with among others, the wonderful Heartbreak Orchestra. Later Super Desserts are on the menu. The Lost Weekend Records Summer Show comes to Ruby's with The Kyle Sowashes at 9, Mt. Carmel at 10 and Family Night, Marcy Mays' heavy-metal project, at 12. But my pick of the weekend is the Elvis Tribute at The Thirsty Ear which begins with The Randys at 8 and continues with The Sons of Gladys.

Saturday, Festival Latino is back to being free and now it is at Genoa Park which if you haven't been there is a pretty nice venue. Starts at noon and ends at 8. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra headlines at 6:30 but the music looks interesting all day and I do love eating there. The Lost Weekend show continues at Ruby's with Day Creeper at 10, Moviola at 11 and Times New Viking at 12. If a certain someone hasn't shown up yet, I might celebrate my birthday eve by heading down to Athens where there is lots of good stuff going on including a Stella reunion and The Lennon Orchestra.

Sunday, Festival Latino continues and it's my Heinz 57 birthday and the day Elvis died. I'm hoping I get that gift that Santa never delivered.

Happy birthday to me. mark

August 6, 2009

What's Up This Weekend?

I have a dirty little secret. I majored in English undergraduate and read a lot back then. I love to write and I have a decent vocabulary, but, generally speaking, I don't read books. Maybe one a year. It's embarrassing. Intellectual stimulation and the acquisition of knowledge are so much easier to get in magazines and television. Reading a book is something I often think about doing but I just never seem to get started. Well, Monday I decided to get in line early to buy Leonard Cohen tickets, so I brought a book to pass the time. I enjoyed it so much, I've gone back to it every evening. Hopefully, reading at night will turn into a habit like exercising in the morning has become. I just have to watch Keith Olbermann at 8, start reading after Rachel Maddow from 10 to 11 and stay up until midnight to watch The Daily Show and Colbert Report. I know, I'm hopeless.

Thursday, tonight, Faux Real, The Lost Revival and TV Eye are at Rumba. Interesting combination of music, Heidi.

Friday, a killer happy hour at Rumba with Happy Chichester, solo, then joined by former members of his band, Howlin' Maggie then followed by The Wonder Power Twins and the Superfriends Hip-Hop String Orchestra. Wow! All that and cheap drinks too! Later, the good stuff continues with two good old bands, Old Worlds and Old Hundred with the Phantods. If you prefer some fun, Alice-Cooper-style heavy metal, Razorbliss has a CD release at Skully's. Langhorne Slim and Couch Forts are at Summit.

Saturday, The Spikedrivers hold down the fort at Rumba.

Wednesday, country punkess, Lydia Loveless and her sister's bluegrass duo, Dottie and Clyde, will be at Bernie's. Nice to see an article about Lydia in The Other Paper. Despite what the article says, I went to high school with her mother and Loveless isn't the name she was born with.

I wonder who wrote The Book of Love. mark