What's Up This Weekend?

Sunday, almost exactly 35 years after my son Ruyd was born, my son Raad was born. I don’t remember much about Ruyd’s birth or taking care of him as a baby. I was 23. Who knows where my head was at? This time it will be different. I won’t have that much time to forget but also this time the memories are going to be indelibly etched into my mind. I’ll remember the brown, yellow and green colors of the countryside under a sunny morning blue sky dotted with clouds, driving down Route 33 to the hospital in Athens, bobbing my head to the Happy Chichester CD while she moaned occasionally in the backseat. I’ll remember standing in front of her while she sat on the bed with her head on my shoulder, watching the monitor, learning to spot when the next contraction would occur, and when they came, leaning into her, pressing my hands on her shoulders, feeling her grab and pull down on the sides of the open front of my warm-up jacket so she could control the pain and not make a sound. That type of teamwork only succeeded for an hour or so. If you want an idea of what most of it was like, just imagine watching a nine-hour version of “The Exorcist”. They explained the complication as “His head is tilted up as if he’s looking at the stars.” A poetically hopeful image that caused her many hours of constant excruciating back pain. I’ll remember seeing him emerge, a bloody, wavy-haired conehead with perfectly formed miniature hands, fingers flexing in slow motion, taking his first breaths and his large, dark eyes searching in wonderment. I’ll remember comfortably reclining in the vintage olive green leather Lazy-Boy holding my boy swaddled in a blanket tight as a burrito, warming my body and my soul, sharing a small private room with her and her friend, recounting the experience and feeling like I had all the time in the world to just be happy and content. The beginning of the journey was memorable. Now, will I be sailing away on a new ship or is there just a new sailor on board?

Thursday, tonight, Joey Hebdo and Rent Party do Dougan's Listening Hour in the Purple Box at Gateway. There is a Nile Carpenter Benefit at Kobo with Phantods, Kuan and Steamboat. Dick's has Brett Burleson, Ruby's has Miss Molly, Kyra Show and The Funky Roots and Rumba has The Wet Darlings and The Andy Shaw Band. Wooden Ships and Times New Viking will be at Columbus Discount Records headquarters at Oak Street and Parsons.

Friday, the Hot Times Festival at Parsons and Main begins featuring Megan Palmer at 7:15 and The Mendelsonics at 8:15 and ending with the Willie Pooch memorial show with Dave Workman. It is also Comfest Volunteer Appreciation Night so wear your 2010 Comfest Volunteer Shirt and get lots of free good stuff. Wonder Twin Powers and Chickenhawk are at Ravari and Skully's has Love Culture and The Receiver. The Lost Weekend Records Summer Spectacular at Ruby's features Daycreeper, Eye, Puh-leeze, Total Foxx and Lo-Pan.

Saturday, Hot Times continues and I recommend checking out No. 1 Cat at 1 PM. They will be doing my street party in about a month. Los Straightjackets and Vegas 66 are at Rumba. New City Gypsy has a CD release at Skully's with Phantods and Shin Tower Music.The Lost Weekend show at Ruby's continues with Righteous Buck & the Skull Scorchers, a Media Whores reunion and The Skilletlickers.

Sunday, Hot Times finishes up with CJ Chenier at 6:45.

Monday, Jesse Henry and Happy Chichester join Jason Quicksall in the Cowtown Round at Rumba.

Sail on sail on sailor

mark