a few posts back i got a comment from a super excited Paper Tongues fan saying that they play an amazing live show. i think i talked about this and how happy it made me to receive the comment.
and then! on my Crash Kings blog from Boston last week i got ANOTHER comment from a super excited Crash Kings fan!!!! and they gave me a link to a great YouTube video of 'Carry On,' which i then turned into an mp3 and now am listening to it on my ipod/itunes all the time.
and i just wanted to talk about how excited this makes me. i think you all can see how excited i get when i am really into something. or, really loving whatever i am loving at the moment. i like to think of myself as an excited person in general. so, when complete strangers leave wonderful comments in my blog being excited about the things i am excited about - i love it. i really, really love it.
so, THANK YOU SO MUCH to the Paper Tongues fan and to the Crash Kings fan who commented in this blog. i have no idea if you are reading now, or if you will ever read this. but, you rock. and i hope you have enjoyed my concert recaps from both bands.
and actually, i clicked on the name of the Crash Kings commenter and it took me to this wonderful selection, or should i say, 'compilation,' of quality Crash Kings videos that this person had put together. and it made me oh so very excited. so great to meet other fans.
alright! that's it!
oh! one more thing...
it was tweeted by Rooney this morning that celeb blogger Perez Hilton had posted about Ned and his wife Sarah having a baby! so, i figured i had to post it here, so you can all read about it too. and it's a totally gorgeous picture of Sarah. and, when Perez talks about Ned he calls him a "drummer/hottie," which is why i love Perez Hilton.
ok! now that's it. have a great night!
<3,
Julie
06 February 2010
CRASH KINGS YEAAHHHH!!!!!
is it possible to be too excited to blog? yes, it appears it is. but, for an entire week? well, i suppose so.
why is this week so exciting, you ask? you may refer to the post below this one, if necessary. not only did Kara and i drive to Boston last weekend to see Crash Kings, but we met them afterwards, stole their set list and had them sign it.
this past thursday night, we found ourselves in Providence, about to see them again. after a brief (but super stressful) time when kara said, "actually, i don't think i want to go," we drove over to The Colosseum, in the "nightclub" district of the city, where they were performing.
now, not only was i excited to see them, but i was excited to get to The Colosseum, because they have the absolute WORST website ever. it's the most confusing piece of crap on the web. and no, i don't feel bad at all saying that. seriously - Colosseum people - you need to fix the site. stop being cool and start being useful.
anyways. we get to the show and show ID. i was worried about the show turning out to be 21+, but since there is absolutely NO useful information on the website, i figured it was probably 18+. it was. and i got a bracelet showing i was over 21. then we pay the entering price.
95 CENTS. yes. the show did, in fact, cost us only 95 cents each. we win again.
walked into this place, and there's like neon lights shooting through the floor, a video screen with colorful stars, and very loud music playing.
Kara was VERY FIRM in telling me that SHE DID NOT WANT TO SEE the opening band, Violent Soho. we once again tried listening to their music on their myspace, and couldn't get through one song. it's like, heavy metal screaming music. at first, i felt bad about not seeing them, because they're just some kids from Queensland trying to make it in the music business. AND, we had never heard of Crash Kings until we heard them as an opening band, and they are so fantastic.
but, once we got there, and saw that there were very little people there, i didn't feel so bad. we got to the place around 9:25pm, and they were already all through their set, and had already cleared all their instruments off. Mike was on stage setting up his amps. and Tony's stuff was pretty much all set up. so, i have no idea how long Violent Soho played for, but it must not have been long.
anyways, then i look around the room and see a gorgeous guy with a scruffy face and wearing a red plaid shirt. that was exciting. and it wasn't Tony. just a random hottie.
i look around some more, and eventually see Tony hanging out at one of the tables with some other people, drinking. AND. he was wearing his glasses. oh boy, was this exciting for me. i pretty much died right there. he has these gorgeous glasses he wears sometimes.
ooohhh look at that face. that's him wearing glasses. i know, it's too much hott to handle. we didn't take that picture, i found that on their facebook.
and, um, also while looking for pictures on their facebook, i found pictures of Tony wearing a headband. now, for those of you who don't know - boys wearing headbands are one of my weak points. for instance, when Zac Efron comes out of the gym with his hair pulled back with a headband, i go crazy.
i was not expecting to find these pictures of Tony wearing a headband. but i'm glad the only other person with me is Ruby, because i am pretty freaking excited about this.
are you ready? i'm going to show you one. prepare yourself for HOTT.
WHOA. oh boy. i am lucky i haven't found a picture of him wearing both the headband and the glasses. because i would lose all control.
anyways.
wow, he's beautiful.
ok, anyways. again, he was just hanging out in the middle of the crowd and nobody seemed to notice that it was him. except me and kara. kara was keeping it calm. but, i might have been getting a little crazed.
then i said, "should we get drinks?" kara said she would get a sprite if i wanted to get her a drink.
i decided i would get a vodka cranberry. why the heck not?! i was at a freaking nightclub about to see a rock concert.
immediately after i started drinking the drink, i didn't want it. it wasn't very good. and the cup was so cold that it hurt my hands to hold it. it was a bad experience. i couldn't stand drinking that drink. and there were no trash cans anywhere to throw it away. what's with bars and nightclubs not having trash cans? after kara was done with her sprite, we went over and put our cups on the bar. i couldn't finish the drink. yuck.
so then, we find a good spot in the middle of the floor with neon lights shooting through it. there's aren't very many people, so we're pretty close to the front. it's a much bigger stage than in Boston.
and then a person from the sponsoring radio station comes out to introduce them!
AND THEN Jason comes out on drums!!! AND THEN Mike comes out on bass!!!! AND THEN Tony comes out on the keys!!!
Tony looks kind of like a vampire in this picture. still a hottie. see the video screen with stars to the far left? he was wearing a shirt with the periodic table on it. this made me happy.
Mike! on bass! with the orange amp. funny story - on our way to the concert, we were listening to 95.5 WBRU, the station sponsoring, and we heard an advertisement for a guitar store, and they said they sold Orange amps. great!
Mike with a little bit of Jason.
ok, Jason totally ROCKS on the drums. we really got a great view of him this time. it's super cool because he plays in his socks! or, bare feet, we couldn't tell.
Kara and i knew the words to every single song. YEP. it was a proud night. listening to their CD for over a month straight had definitely paid off. there were some people who knew the words to 'It's Only Wednesday,' which is the one from Zombieland, which Tony said he had finally seen. it came out on dvd this past Tuesday. kara was like,
KARA: I can't believe he knew the song was in the movie and didn't go see it in theaters!
and people also knew the words to 'Mountain Man,' which is the song they play on the radio.
but, since nobody really knew the words, nobody was really dancing and rocking out. DON'T WORRY - i was. and kara was for the most part.
Mike getting hott and sweaty! it was strange - Mike and Jason were totally drenched with sweat and hottness by the end of the show, but Tony was not. like, not even a little sweat on his shirt. i thought that was odd. you would at least think his arms would get sweaty, right? but, nope.
they played the same set as they did in Boston on sunday night. i was hoping they would switch it up a little, but it was fine.
AND, during the song 'Raincoat,' Tony TOTALLY looked at me, saw that i was singing/rocking out, and he smiled. oooo if you could only see him smile. he has one of those smiles that lights up his whole face.
wait! you can see him smile! go back and look at that picture of him with glasses!!!! yes. whole face lighting up.
and, remember how in Boston there was that gorgeous brother moment where Tony and Mike looked at each other and smiled? YEAH. there were MANY MORE during this show - and it was great. even Kara noticed that there were more.
Mike is so pretty. he looks so soft. i love it. and he has great stage presence. he's funny.
SO, during their last song, 'Mountain Man,' the crowd REALLY started to get crazy. i think because it was almost time for the place to turn into a nightclub. so the kids there started to get drunker and skankier. and, the crowd just went WILD. and then they ended and these two guys in back of us started SCREAMING, "EN-CORE, EN-CORE, EN-CORE!!!!!!!" and then the whole crowd was screaming it.
so, the guys met up for about two seconds in the back of the stage and then resumed their places.
TONY: So, we just had a band meeting. And, we don't do encores for every show. It really depends on the crowd. But, you guys asked for it. So, we're gonna play this one more song that we were fortunate enough to play with Chris Cornell when we toured with him. It's a cover song. Sing along if you know it...
and then they started playing Black Sabbath's song 'War Pigs,' which i had heard they do an amazing cover of, but had never heard them do it.
BUT HOLY MAN. they KILLED on that song. it was soooo crazy insane. and the people in the crowd ALLLLL knew the lyrics and EVERYBODY WAS ROCKING.
and then there was this part towards the end of the song where the band just totally jams the hell out of the song, and Tony went absolutely crazy. i wish wish wish i had gotten it on video, but i couldn't take my eyes off of him because it was so awesome to watch.
he is jumping off the ground, like a hardcore rocker. he's headbanging. his hair is just everywhere. all while he's rocking on the clav. it was the best thing ever happening in the world at the moment.
how does he rock on the clav so hard and still play the right notes?! i have no idea. he was getting air in those jumps. like, high off the ground. all while headbanging. oh man, it was so freaking crazy.
and i never thought i would ever go to a concert where this was happening. i mean, Phantom Planet gets loud and rocks out at some points. but, this was just so hardcore. so awesome.
NOW. you may not believe this - but it gets even better. EVEN BETTER.
so, the show ends. people are crazy. i'm in such a daze, i have no idea what's going on. then i hear kara scream,
KARA: He threw the pick!!!
JULIE: What?
KARA: Mike threw his pick and I didn't see anyone get it...
JULIE: FIND IT!!!!!!!!
and, you might not know this about kara, but she has a secret ability to find guitar picks. after the Rooney show, we were waiting in the merch line and a girl said,
GIRL: Oh no! I dropped the guitar pick!
GIRL'S FRIEND: Where?!
GIRL: I don't know!!! I can't find it!!!!
KARA: (looks down for one second) There it is.
GIRL: Oh my God thank you SO MUCH!!!!
kara was being a good citizen by using her ability to help others. i probably would have pretended not to see it, but really did, and then stole it. but hey, that's just me.
anyways, Kara knew the exact spot where Mike's guitar pick had fallen and her eyes fixed right on that spot. finally, enough people moved away, and there it lay, that beautiful guitar pick that Mike had been holding all night in his hott and sweaty hands.
Kara picked it up off the ground. you could almost hear symphonies playing in the background. angels began singing sweet harmonies of joy. she moved in slow motion as she turned to me, holding out the pick.
KARA: Happy Birthday.
she said, and handed it to me. it was one of the greatest moments of my life.
once we got into a more well-lit area, we were able to examine the pick more. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, it looks like Mike and I are meant to be together.
LOOK at this pick:
IT HAS BUCK ON IT. it is a Buck pick. for those of you who don't know, yes, i still sleep with a stuffed animal. am i ashamed of this? heck no. what is the stuffed animal, you ask? it is a turtle named Buck. and he has slept with me every single night (save for one) since i was in.... 9th grade? 8th grade? 7th grade? and Buck is the best. he's been to Ireland. Canada (multiple times). Boston. Providence. Newport. Florida (where he came from). Savannah. D.C. NYC. he comes with me wherever i am sleeping.
and, you should know, that every time i see a turtle, i say, "it's Buck!"
so, to see Buck on the guitar pick that Mike had, was a pretty freaking big deal.
can you see how the tip is frayed? HARDCORE playing. i don't know which songs he uses a pick for.
but there it is. Mike's guitar pick. i love it. i basically have not let it out of my sight since getting it. i'm so worried that Ruby Tuesday will think it's a new toy.
and i asked Kara on our drive home,
JULIE: Do you think getting the guitar pick at a concert is the same thing as catching the bouquet at a wedding?
KARA: Oh, definitely!
JULIE: Ok, good.
KARA: Yeah, it definitely means you're gonna marry Mike. Then, you'll be Tony's sister-in-law, and you can probably have an affair with him at some point.
JULIE: Wow, I'm gonna have a good life.
yep. pretty exciting stuff.
i'm not sure what to do with the guitar pick. if i should put it in a frame with the signed set list? if i should sleep with it under my pillow? turn it into a piece of jewelry?
anyways. now i'm going to post videos. i was on a strict video mission to get all my favorite parts of all my favorite songs on video.
you can watch them if you want, but i am mainly posting them so Kara can see. it's funny, because the way the lights were, Mike is pretty much a different color in each video he's in. in one he's blue, another yellow, and another red. it's quite amusing, in my opinion.
so, i've uploaded all the videos to YOUTUBE so you can watch them there in better quality and in a bigger window.
14 ARMS - one of my favorite songs. i got the second verse on video because it's my favorite, for some reason.
NON BELIEVER - i really wanted to get Tony on video singing the lyric, "i would love you Monday through 'til Sunday" and i did! ALSO - in the end when there's a shot of Mike, i believe i got one half of a "Tony and Mike smile at each other" moment.
IT'S ONLY WEDNESDAY - got the chorus. loves it.
COME AWAY - my favorite song. the most beautiful song about winter ever. Tony said before they started playing it that he wrote it about when they used to go skiing up at Killington. then people in the crowd started screaming and Tony was like, "yeah!! go Killington!!!"
this song should be the theme of the winter olympics.
CARRY ON - yep. the song that i wanted them to play twice in Boston, and Tony totally laughed at me. whatevs. i got my favorite part on video. i decided that it might just be my favorite part of the whole Crash Kings experience. it comes at about 20 seconds into the video. it's like the headband picture, only in audio form. YEAH.
i actually think Tony has a really great singing voice.
SAVING GRACE - again, i really wanted to get Tony on video singing the lyrics, "stay with me late into this night, and lay with me and i'll promise to make you feel....whoooo!!!!"
ALL ALONG - another new song. so freaking good. the song gets really loud and rocking, but the beginning is sweet and pretty and that's what i got. it's just Tony and piano.
and actually, i found another person had uploaded videos from the providence show and they had a waaaayy better view than me! and, they got a totally, totally, super hott video of Tony in one of his 'rocking out on the clav' moments during 'All Along.' i kind of can't stop watching this video. it's sooo freaking good. and you wouldn't believe it's the same song of the video i posted, because it totally sounds different. please watch. you will be amazed.
you should really watch that video. there's a part close to the beginning where Tony knocks the microphone out of the way with his shoulder so he can rock out more, and for some reason, it reminds me of a lion. i have absolutely no idea why. like, the motion of his shoulder hitting the microphone looks like something a lion would do. i can't explain any more. i have no reasons.
MY LOVE - on Sunday Tony said that he wrote this song about coming home. meaning, coming home to Boston. but, man it's romantic. he must really love Boston. again, i had to get him on video singing the lyrics, "all the little pieces of the world come together so well....you're taking me home." so, so pretty. (both the song and the man.)
MOUNTAIN MAN - i only got a small piece. the chorus, mainly. this is a really good song. i watched an interview with the band and Mike said that Budweiser was thinking of using this song in one of their commercials, but decided not to because the lyric, "she's drunk by the daytime" goes against their, 'drink responsibly' motto. i'm glad about this. they're not singing about getting drunk on beer anyways. it's about being drunk on sunshine. way more cooler.
AND THAT'S IT!!!!! whoa, that's a lot of videos.
what a great week of Crash Kings!!!! i could seriously see them in concert every night of the week. i decided that they need to go on tour with Rooney and Hanson. hott, right?!
or, they should tour with Hanson and the Jonas Brothers. call it the BRO TOUR. and.... Oasis? were they brothers too? and Robert and Jason Schwartzman can be special guests.
man, brother bands are so great.
once they finish up this headlining tour in a few weeks, they are immediately going back on tour with the band JET. they sing that slow song, "oooohhhh look what you've done you've made a fool of something something something...." and that fast song, "1 2 3 take my hand and come with me because you look so fine that i really wanna make you mine!"
and they're coming BACK to boston on 9 March! and playing at The Paradise, which is pretty much right down the street from where we were last Sunday. it's where i first saw Rooney. great little club. i'm not planning on being able to go, because we have a baby that is due right around then. but, they have a very long list of tour dates in other cities and if they are playing in a city near you, i would strongly encourage you to consider going.
now that i'm part of the Crash Queens, i have a responsibility to promote this band to the max. because i haven't been talking about them enough for the past two months.
alright. i thought i had more to say, but now i can't really think of it. lucky you, right?
so, have a great rest of the weekend. now that all the excitement in my life is over, i can go back to normal blogging and focusing on the fact that it is my birthday month.
i might update you later. maybe not. i think this is a pretty good entry. i really hope you're listening to Crash Kings music after you read all this stuff. because they're seriously good and seriously cool. and, in total honesty, every single song on their CD is awesome. like, there's no songs where i'm like, "oo i'm gonna skip this one." for realz. it's all good.
ok. now i have to go to work!!!!
talk to you soon, friends. have a lovely evening!!
<3,
Julie
why is this week so exciting, you ask? you may refer to the post below this one, if necessary. not only did Kara and i drive to Boston last weekend to see Crash Kings, but we met them afterwards, stole their set list and had them sign it.
this past thursday night, we found ourselves in Providence, about to see them again. after a brief (but super stressful) time when kara said, "actually, i don't think i want to go," we drove over to The Colosseum, in the "nightclub" district of the city, where they were performing.
now, not only was i excited to see them, but i was excited to get to The Colosseum, because they have the absolute WORST website ever. it's the most confusing piece of crap on the web. and no, i don't feel bad at all saying that. seriously - Colosseum people - you need to fix the site. stop being cool and start being useful.
anyways. we get to the show and show ID. i was worried about the show turning out to be 21+, but since there is absolutely NO useful information on the website, i figured it was probably 18+. it was. and i got a bracelet showing i was over 21. then we pay the entering price.
95 CENTS. yes. the show did, in fact, cost us only 95 cents each. we win again.
walked into this place, and there's like neon lights shooting through the floor, a video screen with colorful stars, and very loud music playing.
Kara was VERY FIRM in telling me that SHE DID NOT WANT TO SEE the opening band, Violent Soho. we once again tried listening to their music on their myspace, and couldn't get through one song. it's like, heavy metal screaming music. at first, i felt bad about not seeing them, because they're just some kids from Queensland trying to make it in the music business. AND, we had never heard of Crash Kings until we heard them as an opening band, and they are so fantastic.
but, once we got there, and saw that there were very little people there, i didn't feel so bad. we got to the place around 9:25pm, and they were already all through their set, and had already cleared all their instruments off. Mike was on stage setting up his amps. and Tony's stuff was pretty much all set up. so, i have no idea how long Violent Soho played for, but it must not have been long.
anyways, then i look around the room and see a gorgeous guy with a scruffy face and wearing a red plaid shirt. that was exciting. and it wasn't Tony. just a random hottie.
i look around some more, and eventually see Tony hanging out at one of the tables with some other people, drinking. AND. he was wearing his glasses. oh boy, was this exciting for me. i pretty much died right there. he has these gorgeous glasses he wears sometimes.
ooohhh look at that face. that's him wearing glasses. i know, it's too much hott to handle. we didn't take that picture, i found that on their facebook.
and, um, also while looking for pictures on their facebook, i found pictures of Tony wearing a headband. now, for those of you who don't know - boys wearing headbands are one of my weak points. for instance, when Zac Efron comes out of the gym with his hair pulled back with a headband, i go crazy.
i was not expecting to find these pictures of Tony wearing a headband. but i'm glad the only other person with me is Ruby, because i am pretty freaking excited about this.
are you ready? i'm going to show you one. prepare yourself for HOTT.
WHOA. oh boy. i am lucky i haven't found a picture of him wearing both the headband and the glasses. because i would lose all control.
anyways.
wow, he's beautiful.
ok, anyways. again, he was just hanging out in the middle of the crowd and nobody seemed to notice that it was him. except me and kara. kara was keeping it calm. but, i might have been getting a little crazed.
then i said, "should we get drinks?" kara said she would get a sprite if i wanted to get her a drink.
i decided i would get a vodka cranberry. why the heck not?! i was at a freaking nightclub about to see a rock concert.
immediately after i started drinking the drink, i didn't want it. it wasn't very good. and the cup was so cold that it hurt my hands to hold it. it was a bad experience. i couldn't stand drinking that drink. and there were no trash cans anywhere to throw it away. what's with bars and nightclubs not having trash cans? after kara was done with her sprite, we went over and put our cups on the bar. i couldn't finish the drink. yuck.
so then, we find a good spot in the middle of the floor with neon lights shooting through it. there's aren't very many people, so we're pretty close to the front. it's a much bigger stage than in Boston.
and then a person from the sponsoring radio station comes out to introduce them!
AND THEN Jason comes out on drums!!! AND THEN Mike comes out on bass!!!! AND THEN Tony comes out on the keys!!!
Tony looks kind of like a vampire in this picture. still a hottie. see the video screen with stars to the far left? he was wearing a shirt with the periodic table on it. this made me happy.
Mike! on bass! with the orange amp. funny story - on our way to the concert, we were listening to 95.5 WBRU, the station sponsoring, and we heard an advertisement for a guitar store, and they said they sold Orange amps. great!
Mike with a little bit of Jason.
ok, Jason totally ROCKS on the drums. we really got a great view of him this time. it's super cool because he plays in his socks! or, bare feet, we couldn't tell.
Kara and i knew the words to every single song. YEP. it was a proud night. listening to their CD for over a month straight had definitely paid off. there were some people who knew the words to 'It's Only Wednesday,' which is the one from Zombieland, which Tony said he had finally seen. it came out on dvd this past Tuesday. kara was like,
KARA: I can't believe he knew the song was in the movie and didn't go see it in theaters!
and people also knew the words to 'Mountain Man,' which is the song they play on the radio.
but, since nobody really knew the words, nobody was really dancing and rocking out. DON'T WORRY - i was. and kara was for the most part.
Mike getting hott and sweaty! it was strange - Mike and Jason were totally drenched with sweat and hottness by the end of the show, but Tony was not. like, not even a little sweat on his shirt. i thought that was odd. you would at least think his arms would get sweaty, right? but, nope.
they played the same set as they did in Boston on sunday night. i was hoping they would switch it up a little, but it was fine.
AND, during the song 'Raincoat,' Tony TOTALLY looked at me, saw that i was singing/rocking out, and he smiled. oooo if you could only see him smile. he has one of those smiles that lights up his whole face.
wait! you can see him smile! go back and look at that picture of him with glasses!!!! yes. whole face lighting up.
and, remember how in Boston there was that gorgeous brother moment where Tony and Mike looked at each other and smiled? YEAH. there were MANY MORE during this show - and it was great. even Kara noticed that there were more.
Mike is so pretty. he looks so soft. i love it. and he has great stage presence. he's funny.
SO, during their last song, 'Mountain Man,' the crowd REALLY started to get crazy. i think because it was almost time for the place to turn into a nightclub. so the kids there started to get drunker and skankier. and, the crowd just went WILD. and then they ended and these two guys in back of us started SCREAMING, "EN-CORE, EN-CORE, EN-CORE!!!!!!!" and then the whole crowd was screaming it.
so, the guys met up for about two seconds in the back of the stage and then resumed their places.
TONY: So, we just had a band meeting. And, we don't do encores for every show. It really depends on the crowd. But, you guys asked for it. So, we're gonna play this one more song that we were fortunate enough to play with Chris Cornell when we toured with him. It's a cover song. Sing along if you know it...
and then they started playing Black Sabbath's song 'War Pigs,' which i had heard they do an amazing cover of, but had never heard them do it.
BUT HOLY MAN. they KILLED on that song. it was soooo crazy insane. and the people in the crowd ALLLLL knew the lyrics and EVERYBODY WAS ROCKING.
and then there was this part towards the end of the song where the band just totally jams the hell out of the song, and Tony went absolutely crazy. i wish wish wish i had gotten it on video, but i couldn't take my eyes off of him because it was so awesome to watch.
he is jumping off the ground, like a hardcore rocker. he's headbanging. his hair is just everywhere. all while he's rocking on the clav. it was the best thing ever happening in the world at the moment.
how does he rock on the clav so hard and still play the right notes?! i have no idea. he was getting air in those jumps. like, high off the ground. all while headbanging. oh man, it was so freaking crazy.
and i never thought i would ever go to a concert where this was happening. i mean, Phantom Planet gets loud and rocks out at some points. but, this was just so hardcore. so awesome.
NOW. you may not believe this - but it gets even better. EVEN BETTER.
so, the show ends. people are crazy. i'm in such a daze, i have no idea what's going on. then i hear kara scream,
KARA: He threw the pick!!!
JULIE: What?
KARA: Mike threw his pick and I didn't see anyone get it...
JULIE: FIND IT!!!!!!!!
and, you might not know this about kara, but she has a secret ability to find guitar picks. after the Rooney show, we were waiting in the merch line and a girl said,
GIRL: Oh no! I dropped the guitar pick!
GIRL'S FRIEND: Where?!
GIRL: I don't know!!! I can't find it!!!!
KARA: (looks down for one second) There it is.
GIRL: Oh my God thank you SO MUCH!!!!
kara was being a good citizen by using her ability to help others. i probably would have pretended not to see it, but really did, and then stole it. but hey, that's just me.
anyways, Kara knew the exact spot where Mike's guitar pick had fallen and her eyes fixed right on that spot. finally, enough people moved away, and there it lay, that beautiful guitar pick that Mike had been holding all night in his hott and sweaty hands.
Kara picked it up off the ground. you could almost hear symphonies playing in the background. angels began singing sweet harmonies of joy. she moved in slow motion as she turned to me, holding out the pick.
KARA: Happy Birthday.
she said, and handed it to me. it was one of the greatest moments of my life.
once we got into a more well-lit area, we were able to examine the pick more. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, it looks like Mike and I are meant to be together.
LOOK at this pick:
IT HAS BUCK ON IT. it is a Buck pick. for those of you who don't know, yes, i still sleep with a stuffed animal. am i ashamed of this? heck no. what is the stuffed animal, you ask? it is a turtle named Buck. and he has slept with me every single night (save for one) since i was in.... 9th grade? 8th grade? 7th grade? and Buck is the best. he's been to Ireland. Canada (multiple times). Boston. Providence. Newport. Florida (where he came from). Savannah. D.C. NYC. he comes with me wherever i am sleeping.
and, you should know, that every time i see a turtle, i say, "it's Buck!"
so, to see Buck on the guitar pick that Mike had, was a pretty freaking big deal.
can you see how the tip is frayed? HARDCORE playing. i don't know which songs he uses a pick for.
but there it is. Mike's guitar pick. i love it. i basically have not let it out of my sight since getting it. i'm so worried that Ruby Tuesday will think it's a new toy.
and i asked Kara on our drive home,
JULIE: Do you think getting the guitar pick at a concert is the same thing as catching the bouquet at a wedding?
KARA: Oh, definitely!
JULIE: Ok, good.
KARA: Yeah, it definitely means you're gonna marry Mike. Then, you'll be Tony's sister-in-law, and you can probably have an affair with him at some point.
JULIE: Wow, I'm gonna have a good life.
yep. pretty exciting stuff.
i'm not sure what to do with the guitar pick. if i should put it in a frame with the signed set list? if i should sleep with it under my pillow? turn it into a piece of jewelry?
anyways. now i'm going to post videos. i was on a strict video mission to get all my favorite parts of all my favorite songs on video.
you can watch them if you want, but i am mainly posting them so Kara can see. it's funny, because the way the lights were, Mike is pretty much a different color in each video he's in. in one he's blue, another yellow, and another red. it's quite amusing, in my opinion.
so, i've uploaded all the videos to YOUTUBE so you can watch them there in better quality and in a bigger window.
14 ARMS - one of my favorite songs. i got the second verse on video because it's my favorite, for some reason.
NON BELIEVER - i really wanted to get Tony on video singing the lyric, "i would love you Monday through 'til Sunday" and i did! ALSO - in the end when there's a shot of Mike, i believe i got one half of a "Tony and Mike smile at each other" moment.
IT'S ONLY WEDNESDAY - got the chorus. loves it.
COME AWAY - my favorite song. the most beautiful song about winter ever. Tony said before they started playing it that he wrote it about when they used to go skiing up at Killington. then people in the crowd started screaming and Tony was like, "yeah!! go Killington!!!"
this song should be the theme of the winter olympics.
CARRY ON - yep. the song that i wanted them to play twice in Boston, and Tony totally laughed at me. whatevs. i got my favorite part on video. i decided that it might just be my favorite part of the whole Crash Kings experience. it comes at about 20 seconds into the video. it's like the headband picture, only in audio form. YEAH.
i actually think Tony has a really great singing voice.
SAVING GRACE - again, i really wanted to get Tony on video singing the lyrics, "stay with me late into this night, and lay with me and i'll promise to make you feel....whoooo!!!!"
ALL ALONG - another new song. so freaking good. the song gets really loud and rocking, but the beginning is sweet and pretty and that's what i got. it's just Tony and piano.
and actually, i found another person had uploaded videos from the providence show and they had a waaaayy better view than me! and, they got a totally, totally, super hott video of Tony in one of his 'rocking out on the clav' moments during 'All Along.' i kind of can't stop watching this video. it's sooo freaking good. and you wouldn't believe it's the same song of the video i posted, because it totally sounds different. please watch. you will be amazed.
you should really watch that video. there's a part close to the beginning where Tony knocks the microphone out of the way with his shoulder so he can rock out more, and for some reason, it reminds me of a lion. i have absolutely no idea why. like, the motion of his shoulder hitting the microphone looks like something a lion would do. i can't explain any more. i have no reasons.
MY LOVE - on Sunday Tony said that he wrote this song about coming home. meaning, coming home to Boston. but, man it's romantic. he must really love Boston. again, i had to get him on video singing the lyrics, "all the little pieces of the world come together so well....you're taking me home." so, so pretty. (both the song and the man.)
MOUNTAIN MAN - i only got a small piece. the chorus, mainly. this is a really good song. i watched an interview with the band and Mike said that Budweiser was thinking of using this song in one of their commercials, but decided not to because the lyric, "she's drunk by the daytime" goes against their, 'drink responsibly' motto. i'm glad about this. they're not singing about getting drunk on beer anyways. it's about being drunk on sunshine. way more cooler.
AND THAT'S IT!!!!! whoa, that's a lot of videos.
what a great week of Crash Kings!!!! i could seriously see them in concert every night of the week. i decided that they need to go on tour with Rooney and Hanson. hott, right?!
or, they should tour with Hanson and the Jonas Brothers. call it the BRO TOUR. and.... Oasis? were they brothers too? and Robert and Jason Schwartzman can be special guests.
man, brother bands are so great.
once they finish up this headlining tour in a few weeks, they are immediately going back on tour with the band JET. they sing that slow song, "oooohhhh look what you've done you've made a fool of something something something...." and that fast song, "1 2 3 take my hand and come with me because you look so fine that i really wanna make you mine!"
and they're coming BACK to boston on 9 March! and playing at The Paradise, which is pretty much right down the street from where we were last Sunday. it's where i first saw Rooney. great little club. i'm not planning on being able to go, because we have a baby that is due right around then. but, they have a very long list of tour dates in other cities and if they are playing in a city near you, i would strongly encourage you to consider going.
now that i'm part of the Crash Queens, i have a responsibility to promote this band to the max. because i haven't been talking about them enough for the past two months.
alright. i thought i had more to say, but now i can't really think of it. lucky you, right?
so, have a great rest of the weekend. now that all the excitement in my life is over, i can go back to normal blogging and focusing on the fact that it is my birthday month.
i might update you later. maybe not. i think this is a pretty good entry. i really hope you're listening to Crash Kings music after you read all this stuff. because they're seriously good and seriously cool. and, in total honesty, every single song on their CD is awesome. like, there's no songs where i'm like, "oo i'm gonna skip this one." for realz. it's all good.
ok. now i have to go to work!!!!
talk to you soon, friends. have a lovely evening!!
<3,
Julie
02 February 2010
"hi, we're here to CRASH the party."
yes - i know i said i would update before we went to Crash Kings on sunday. and i realize that i did not update. i don't have a good excuse. i just didn't.
the weekend at home was great. arrived saturday around 12:30ish, maybe. i didn't stop at Old Navy on my way home. i left later than i wanted. and decided that i just wanted to get to maine. especially after my apartment cleaning extravaganza which took place into the early hours of saturday.
so, i arrived home and it was sooooooooooo sooo great to see my mom. she was in the middle of making my FAVORITE kind of cupcakes!!! that was awesome. we basically just hung around and talked all day.
oh, but then we went out. she had read this article in the newspaper about Neti Pots and how they are supposed to be super helpful for allergies and colds and general breathing. it's a nasal irrigation system that looks like a little tea pot. and you mix a little bit of this special salt with some warm water and pour it in one side of your nose, and then it's supposed to circulate through your sinuses, and drain out the other side - making your life generally better!
and she really wanted to go to this place called The Healing Garden to look at them for me. this place is right in Dover, NH on central ave. right next to Papa Ginos. it's a natural pharmacy.
so, we went and learned all about them. it was exciting and disgusting at the same time. and she said she wanted to get me one as an early birthday present. (IT'S FEBRUARY!!!!) so, i picked out a pretty green one.
and now i'm going to skip ahead to last night when i tried using the Neti Pot. i mixed the warm water with the salt and prepared myself. i was very nervous. but everyone swears by them that they have never had any cold or allergy medicine work as well as these pots.
so, i lean over the sink and pour the water into one side of my nose. and i'm standing there like that for a few seconds and thinking, "okay, now what?!" because, it wasn't draining out the other side like it was supposed to!!! and then i started to feel all this pressure build up and it started to burn really bad and hurt really bad. so, i stood up. and then my eyes started tearing. it was not a good first experience.
and i thought, "i wonder why it didn't drain out the other side like it's supposed to?"
i tried it again, with the same results. only this time the back of my throat also started burning.
then this afternoon i thought, "okay, i'll try this again." and i did. and i stood there again for abotu 10 seconds trying to get this water to circulate up in my sinuses. and it just wasn't!
i thought, "are my sinuses really that bad?" so then, i tried it on the other side. and then! i started to feel something. like, maybe the water was getting further up in my nose. and then my ears started popping!!!!!
but, it still wasn't draining out the other side of my nose. so i said, "okay, i'll try the other side again." and then i tried the other side. waited about 10 seconds AND THEN FINALLY, the water started draining out the other side.
and i tried it on the other side, and waited about 15 painful seconds and finally it started draining as well. but it was painful! and the back of my throat was burning.
and STILL, like, 6 hours later, it still feels like i snorted a bunch of chlorine.
i don't think i did it long enough. but it makes me think that something is wrong with my sinuses if it takes that long to drain, and there's that much pressure. i mean, my eyes teared up all these times. it hurt!
i think i just have to keep at it like, everyday. perhaps it will get better.
and that's my Neti Pot story.
SUNDAY was a big day in my life. i'm sure you can imagine. let's recap:
- super excited for the Rooney concert on 12/13/09
- had never even HEARD of Crash Kings before
- Crash Kings start playing. BAM. they freaking rock. and they totally steal the show.
- Julie buys their CD on iTunes the next day and hasn't stopped listening to it since
and now here's the happy ending:
- we saw Crash Kings play on SUNDAY, and we're seeing them again on THURSDAY.
here's how the day went down:
- kara and i spent all day being super excited
- then we gussied up
- we left the house at around 6pm.
- got gas. got ATM money.
- then went out for sushi!!!!! YUM. it was awesome. i had been craving sushi for a long time now.
- around 7:45pm we were finally on our way to boston. (we played 'shipping up to boston' once we saw the skyline and 'mass pike' once we got on the mass pike.)
- we were driving right to the club because with all the green line switchovers, and the concert not getting out until midnight, we didn't think we would be able to make it back anywhere. and my 'google map street view' skillz told me that it looked like there was, in face, plenty of street parking.
- and we found a spot almost immediately!!! right on Commonwealth Ave, across the street from the club, Great Scott.
and Allston, MA is full of cute hipster people. and the club was super cool. really tiny and also full of lots of people that were way cooler than me. i felt like i was in Prescott. (hampshire college reference)
ANYWAYS. it wasn't very crowded and people were just kind of milling around. kara and i debated about whether or not to get drinks. we decided yes.
for some reason, i was channeling Aliya and ordered vodka with orange juice. my under 21 year old sister tells me that is called a "screwdriver." i don't know these things. but, it reminded me of Aliya for some reason. kara got a sprite.
and then we made our way over to the stage area. which was about as big as my kitchen. SUPER tiny. but a good kitchen size. and the stage is super SUPER tiny and immediately i say
JULIE: HOW are they going to fit SEVEN guys up there?!!
i was very concerned for Paper Tongues.
so, we got to the club about 9.15pm. and only had to hang around for like, 45 minutes. and then PAPER TONGUES came out!!!!
now, i had heard via anonymous comment in this blog that the lead singer was full of energy. and i had seen via youtube that it looked like there set was pretty insane.
THEY WERE FULL OF CRAZY ENERGY.
they managed to fit all seven of them on stage. and it ROCKED. i'm pretty sure the kid playing bass is Danny, and i think he is the one who just turned 21. he changed his outfit like, 4 times.
that hottie was the guitar player slash backup singer. he semi-reminded me of Taylor Hanson.
where's the lead singer?
oh, there he is!!! he jumped down into the crowd and kara snapped this killer shot. during the first song he grabbed as many people's hands as he could. yes, kara and i were among those people due to our close proximity to the stage. it was awesome. it was less like a "grab" and more like a "hold." i guess i should say, "he held hands with as many people as he could." it was great. Aswan, is his name.
once i got a few good glances of the drummer, i realized he absolutely totally reminded me of Chris Gallot. who was my date to high school prom. strange, because Chris Gallot was also a drummer. only less tattooed.
other guitar player to the far right. and also Aswan goes crazy.
he borrowed someone's hat from the audience to wear for this song. it was great. he doesn't play anything while he sings, which gives him all the time in the world to DANCE AROUND. he was the best dancer ever. and he just kept moving. it was so insane. for real. he was so awesome.
LOVE this shot. great hair.
it looks like he's doing my signature move, the robot, in this picture. but i don't remember him ever doing the robot.
their set was so good. and they mentioned like, 4 or 5 times that Boston has always been their favorite city to play in. and they said that still definitely holds true. they were so awesome i can't even describe it. ENERGY. so crazy. so good.
AND THEN. it was time for Crash Kings to come out.
so, Paper Tongues is unhooking their stuff and moving it all off the stage, and i happen to look over to kara and see a familiar face in the crowd.
MIKE. super hottie bass player for Crash Kings. just standing around, talking to someone, drinking a beer.
JULIE: OMG IT'S MIKE.
KARA: Where?!
JULIE: The hott one with the beard.
KARA: Whoa!
JULIE: OMG he's right there! How come nobody is freaking out about this!!? Does anybody know it's him!?!? Wow, he's so beautiful.
he is quite a beauty. and he was just hanging around for a while and then,
JULIE: OMG IS JASON.
KARA: Who?!
JULIE: Standing behind Mike. OMG.
KARA: Wow!
JULIE: I can't believe nobody knows it's THEM!!!!!
Jason is the drummer. him and Mike were just hanging around drinking!!! it was GREAT. and then Paper Tongues cleared out all their stuff, and Crash Kings set up.
this made me very happy. even though this was their first headlining tour, they still set up all their own equipment. i mean, they had help. but, Jason brought out all the drums. Mike set up his pedals and ORANGE amp. Tony set up his keyboard and the clavinet. it was nice to see. especially because they're so gorgeous...
Jason set this right in front of us while he was moving other things. kara got this awesome shot.
TONY TONY TONY!!!!!!! setting up the keys!!!!! note the hottttt tattoo.
i REALLY wanted kara to get a shot of Mike with the Orange amp. because DARREN also played with an Orange amp when he was in Phantom Planet. and i remember the first time i saw Darren's orange amp. it was very exciting. and it was also exciting to see Mike play with one. he also uses some special thing to split the bass guitar so it also sounds like an electric guitar at some points.
the full set up. see how tiny the stage was? Mike is at the end of the stage, and the clav is right at the other end. and there's Jason. it was not an ideal set up to get a good picture of Jason. that symbol was right in his face.
in these photos of Mike, please notice the "sweat progression" on his t-shirt. it's intense. they were all gorgeous and sweaty by the end.
notice how Tony isn't wearing the black sweater anymore? that's because he took it off. i saw the whole thing.
ROCKING the clavinet. he is the best rocker out on keyboards EVER. it was the best to watch him. he was jumping around all over the place. but still at the keys. like, jump playing. hardcore. also great tattoo shot.
HOTTIE. (no sweat)
there was this GREAT 'tony and mike' moment during like, the first or second song. they were rocking so hard and they just looked over at each other and smiled SO BIG. it was totally the best out of anything else happening in the world at that moment.
HOTTIE.
BROS!!! i said to kara, "make sure you get a good brother shot."
love Tony in this.
CLAV ACTION!!!! there was one part about 3/4 of the show where they were just ROCKING OUT. and Tony was going crazy on the clav. and after they finished Tony was like,
TONY: And that's how you rock without a guitar.
because, the clav sounds like an electric guitar. and so then he explained it to us. and, what i didn't know, was that there are actual guitar strings INSIDE that top wooden part. and he took off the whammy bar and opened it up. crazy. it's like an electric guitar inside a keyboard. only 12 in existence.
(note Mike's chest sweat)
(also note Jason's chest sweat)
(also note Tony being hott)
(drenched!!!!)
there was one part where it was just clapping,
TONY: Hands up!
(everyone clapping with their hands up)
MIKE: Hands up Mom and Dad! Come on Mom and Dad, hands up!!!!!
that was very sweet and exciting. he named some other people too, which made me very excited because obviously all their friends from home came to the show!!! so great!
and then Tony was like,
TONY: So, Mike and I are brothers, we grew up in Andover, and our parents are here tonight. (crowd goes wild) I mean, really, without them none of this would be possible....(crowd goes wild)....and that one special night....
JASON: Two!!!
TONY: ....those two special nights.....
totally hott and sweaty.
ROCK.
yeah, there was a lot of rocking that night. OH MAN, it was the best. it was just so awesome.
so, then they leave the stage and are just standing around by the side. and, i look up on the stage, and nobody has grabbed Mike's set list yet. "um, hello! there's a set list right there!" so, i go up and grab it. YESSSSSS.
i guess because even though they are making a name for themselves, they're not quite there just yet. and me and kara were really the only super fans there. (oh, and this boy next to me.... that's another story....)
so, we got the set list and then kara says,
KARA: We should have them sign it!!!!!!
um, brillz.
so, we're hanging around in front of the stage while the guys are talking to a bunch of people. and it seems like they are mainly friends from home. i got this feeling by the number of instant hugs these people got. but there were a few non-friends talking to them as well. and then we see their parents come up. Kara actually recognized them from the Rooney show. how awesome is that? (or creeper....?) (no, awesome.)
so then Tony is free and me and Kara inch up to him. my crazy insane excitement level goes from 100 to 1,000 in about one second.
JULIE AND KARA: Hey!
TONY: Hey!
KARA: Awesome show!
TONY: Thank you!
JULIE: You guys rocked so hard.
TONY: Thank you so much. Thanks for coming out!
JULIE: It was so good.
TONY: Great, I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
JULIE: We're actually seeing you guys again in Providence on Thursday.
TONY: Oh, wow! Great! That should be fun.
JULIE: I really wanted to hear 'Carry On' again.
TONY: Oh yeah?
JULIE: Yeah. That's such a good song.
TONY: We'll play that on Thursday.
JULIE: Will you play it twice?
TONY: Twice?
JULIE: Yeah!
TONY: In the same set??!!
JULIE: Yeah!!!
TONY: (laughing and smiling so beautifully) No!! (laughs) Why would we do that!?!
KARA: Back to back!
TONY: (laughing) Just keep doing encores.
JULIE: Yes!
TONY: This voice can only handle so much!
JULIE: (laughs)
KARA: (laughs) Hey, do you have a pen?
TONY: Umm...let me see.....
(and then he went looking for a pen and eventually got a sharpie.)
KARA: We stole the set list.
TONY: Great. (signs the set list) Well, thanks for coming!
JULIE AND KARA: Great show! See you Thursday!
and then Tony walked away. no tequila shots. and he went to go talk to his parents. and then we waited for Mike, who was talking to another fan.
me and kara were totally hyped up.
MIKE: Hey, do you guys have the set list?
JULIE: (ohmygod Mike just walked up to US)
KARA: Yeah! We're stealing it.
MIKE: What was the first new song we played?
(the other fan walks up too)
MIKE: Oh, 'Carry On.'
OTHER FAN: That was awesome.
MIKE: Thanks, man.
JULIE: That was my favorite. I love that song.
MIKE: Really?!
JULIE: Yeah, I wanted you to play it again.
MIKE: Wow!
JULIE: I totally love it.
MIKE: I actually wrote that song!
JULIE AND KARA: No way!!!
MIKE: Yeah! That's awesome.
JULIE: It's such a great song.
MIKE: Thanks so much! Thank you for coming!
JULIE AND KARA: Sure! We loved it!
JULIE: You guys rocked so hard. We'll see you in Providence on Thursday, also.
MIKE: Cool!
KARA: Do you have that sharpie?
MIKE: Ummm....no....(looks around)
ANOTHER FAN: I have a sharpie.
JULIE: Oh, wow! Thank you!
KARA: We have one.
MIKE: Great. (signs his name. sees Jason.) Hey! Come sign this.
JULIE AND KARA: Thank you so much!
MIKE: Have a great night!
JULIE AND KARA: You too!!
JULIE AND KARA: (to Jason) You guy are so awesome!
JASON: Thanks! Thanks for coming! (signs his name.) Oh, let's do this. What's the date? (checks his watch) (writes the date on the paper.)
JULIE AND KARA: Thank you so much!
JASON: Sure! Have a great night!
JULIE AND KARA: You too! Take care!
and THAT was when we met Crash Kings.
YEP. their signatures are way more "autography" than i would have thought. Mike is the one on the bottom "MB." Jason is above that, also in purple, "JM." he also wrote the date at the top. and then Tony is in black on the left. i have no idea how to read his signature. i can see the "B" but nothing else. it almost looks like an "A," which would make sense since his first name is Antonio. but, why wouldn't he just write a "T" if everyone calls him Tony.
SUPER COOL, RIGHT?!?!? we have the set list!!!!!! "Mountain Man" is their single. the one that they play on some alternative radio stations. "It's Only Wednesday" is the song from the movie Zombieland. which is out on DVD yesterday.
so technically, it's Wednesday today. which means we're seeing Crash Kings AGAIN TOMORROW. omg. i'm so freaking excited.
we realized that Kara's camera is better at taking pictures and my camera is better at taking videos. so, we'll both have important jobs tomorrow.
it was the best. such a great time.
and then the people at the Merch table were super awesome! it wasn't crowded at all, so we got to talk to them a bit. and every time we asked to see a shirt, the guy would hold it up to me and say, "let's see how this one looks." in the end, he said, "i think the darker colors look better." thanks, man! he was cool. and very excited when Kara bought a Paper Tongues t-shirt.
both bands were great and sooo much fun to watch.
okay. thanks for re-living the concert with me! no GO CHECK OUT Crash Kings. if you haven't yet. i promise they are awesome. if you like piano ROCK music. emphasis on the rock.
and it's taken me 3 hours to complete this entry. the first hour was spent waiting for pictures to load. so now i'm going to go eat supper. it's 12:35am.
i'll update again later!! i have no plans today. except hang around.
have great days!!!! great wednesdays. hope your weekend rocked just as hard as mine. although, it's doubtful.
OSCAR NOMINATIONS CAME OUT TODAY!! i'll talk about those later too. promise!
if there ever was a day that you should get away
i feel it in my bones, i think today's the day
<3
the weekend at home was great. arrived saturday around 12:30ish, maybe. i didn't stop at Old Navy on my way home. i left later than i wanted. and decided that i just wanted to get to maine. especially after my apartment cleaning extravaganza which took place into the early hours of saturday.
so, i arrived home and it was sooooooooooo sooo great to see my mom. she was in the middle of making my FAVORITE kind of cupcakes!!! that was awesome. we basically just hung around and talked all day.
oh, but then we went out. she had read this article in the newspaper about Neti Pots and how they are supposed to be super helpful for allergies and colds and general breathing. it's a nasal irrigation system that looks like a little tea pot. and you mix a little bit of this special salt with some warm water and pour it in one side of your nose, and then it's supposed to circulate through your sinuses, and drain out the other side - making your life generally better!
and she really wanted to go to this place called The Healing Garden to look at them for me. this place is right in Dover, NH on central ave. right next to Papa Ginos. it's a natural pharmacy.
so, we went and learned all about them. it was exciting and disgusting at the same time. and she said she wanted to get me one as an early birthday present. (IT'S FEBRUARY!!!!) so, i picked out a pretty green one.
and now i'm going to skip ahead to last night when i tried using the Neti Pot. i mixed the warm water with the salt and prepared myself. i was very nervous. but everyone swears by them that they have never had any cold or allergy medicine work as well as these pots.
so, i lean over the sink and pour the water into one side of my nose. and i'm standing there like that for a few seconds and thinking, "okay, now what?!" because, it wasn't draining out the other side like it was supposed to!!! and then i started to feel all this pressure build up and it started to burn really bad and hurt really bad. so, i stood up. and then my eyes started tearing. it was not a good first experience.
and i thought, "i wonder why it didn't drain out the other side like it's supposed to?"
i tried it again, with the same results. only this time the back of my throat also started burning.
then this afternoon i thought, "okay, i'll try this again." and i did. and i stood there again for abotu 10 seconds trying to get this water to circulate up in my sinuses. and it just wasn't!
i thought, "are my sinuses really that bad?" so then, i tried it on the other side. and then! i started to feel something. like, maybe the water was getting further up in my nose. and then my ears started popping!!!!!
but, it still wasn't draining out the other side of my nose. so i said, "okay, i'll try the other side again." and then i tried the other side. waited about 10 seconds AND THEN FINALLY, the water started draining out the other side.
and i tried it on the other side, and waited about 15 painful seconds and finally it started draining as well. but it was painful! and the back of my throat was burning.
and STILL, like, 6 hours later, it still feels like i snorted a bunch of chlorine.
i don't think i did it long enough. but it makes me think that something is wrong with my sinuses if it takes that long to drain, and there's that much pressure. i mean, my eyes teared up all these times. it hurt!
i think i just have to keep at it like, everyday. perhaps it will get better.
and that's my Neti Pot story.
SUNDAY was a big day in my life. i'm sure you can imagine. let's recap:
- super excited for the Rooney concert on 12/13/09
- had never even HEARD of Crash Kings before
- Crash Kings start playing. BAM. they freaking rock. and they totally steal the show.
- Julie buys their CD on iTunes the next day and hasn't stopped listening to it since
and now here's the happy ending:
- we saw Crash Kings play on SUNDAY, and we're seeing them again on THURSDAY.
here's how the day went down:
- kara and i spent all day being super excited
- then we gussied up
- we left the house at around 6pm.
- got gas. got ATM money.
- then went out for sushi!!!!! YUM. it was awesome. i had been craving sushi for a long time now.
- around 7:45pm we were finally on our way to boston. (we played 'shipping up to boston' once we saw the skyline and 'mass pike' once we got on the mass pike.)
- we were driving right to the club because with all the green line switchovers, and the concert not getting out until midnight, we didn't think we would be able to make it back anywhere. and my 'google map street view' skillz told me that it looked like there was, in face, plenty of street parking.
- and we found a spot almost immediately!!! right on Commonwealth Ave, across the street from the club, Great Scott.
and Allston, MA is full of cute hipster people. and the club was super cool. really tiny and also full of lots of people that were way cooler than me. i felt like i was in Prescott. (hampshire college reference)
ANYWAYS. it wasn't very crowded and people were just kind of milling around. kara and i debated about whether or not to get drinks. we decided yes.
for some reason, i was channeling Aliya and ordered vodka with orange juice. my under 21 year old sister tells me that is called a "screwdriver." i don't know these things. but, it reminded me of Aliya for some reason. kara got a sprite.
and then we made our way over to the stage area. which was about as big as my kitchen. SUPER tiny. but a good kitchen size. and the stage is super SUPER tiny and immediately i say
JULIE: HOW are they going to fit SEVEN guys up there?!!
i was very concerned for Paper Tongues.
so, we got to the club about 9.15pm. and only had to hang around for like, 45 minutes. and then PAPER TONGUES came out!!!!
now, i had heard via anonymous comment in this blog that the lead singer was full of energy. and i had seen via youtube that it looked like there set was pretty insane.
THEY WERE FULL OF CRAZY ENERGY.
they managed to fit all seven of them on stage. and it ROCKED. i'm pretty sure the kid playing bass is Danny, and i think he is the one who just turned 21. he changed his outfit like, 4 times.
that hottie was the guitar player slash backup singer. he semi-reminded me of Taylor Hanson.
where's the lead singer?
oh, there he is!!! he jumped down into the crowd and kara snapped this killer shot. during the first song he grabbed as many people's hands as he could. yes, kara and i were among those people due to our close proximity to the stage. it was awesome. it was less like a "grab" and more like a "hold." i guess i should say, "he held hands with as many people as he could." it was great. Aswan, is his name.
once i got a few good glances of the drummer, i realized he absolutely totally reminded me of Chris Gallot. who was my date to high school prom. strange, because Chris Gallot was also a drummer. only less tattooed.
other guitar player to the far right. and also Aswan goes crazy.
he borrowed someone's hat from the audience to wear for this song. it was great. he doesn't play anything while he sings, which gives him all the time in the world to DANCE AROUND. he was the best dancer ever. and he just kept moving. it was so insane. for real. he was so awesome.
LOVE this shot. great hair.
it looks like he's doing my signature move, the robot, in this picture. but i don't remember him ever doing the robot.
their set was so good. and they mentioned like, 4 or 5 times that Boston has always been their favorite city to play in. and they said that still definitely holds true. they were so awesome i can't even describe it. ENERGY. so crazy. so good.
AND THEN. it was time for Crash Kings to come out.
so, Paper Tongues is unhooking their stuff and moving it all off the stage, and i happen to look over to kara and see a familiar face in the crowd.
MIKE. super hottie bass player for Crash Kings. just standing around, talking to someone, drinking a beer.
JULIE: OMG IT'S MIKE.
KARA: Where?!
JULIE: The hott one with the beard.
KARA: Whoa!
JULIE: OMG he's right there! How come nobody is freaking out about this!!? Does anybody know it's him!?!? Wow, he's so beautiful.
he is quite a beauty. and he was just hanging around for a while and then,
JULIE: OMG IS JASON.
KARA: Who?!
JULIE: Standing behind Mike. OMG.
KARA: Wow!
JULIE: I can't believe nobody knows it's THEM!!!!!
Jason is the drummer. him and Mike were just hanging around drinking!!! it was GREAT. and then Paper Tongues cleared out all their stuff, and Crash Kings set up.
this made me very happy. even though this was their first headlining tour, they still set up all their own equipment. i mean, they had help. but, Jason brought out all the drums. Mike set up his pedals and ORANGE amp. Tony set up his keyboard and the clavinet. it was nice to see. especially because they're so gorgeous...
Jason set this right in front of us while he was moving other things. kara got this awesome shot.
TONY TONY TONY!!!!!!! setting up the keys!!!!! note the hottttt tattoo.
i REALLY wanted kara to get a shot of Mike with the Orange amp. because DARREN also played with an Orange amp when he was in Phantom Planet. and i remember the first time i saw Darren's orange amp. it was very exciting. and it was also exciting to see Mike play with one. he also uses some special thing to split the bass guitar so it also sounds like an electric guitar at some points.
the full set up. see how tiny the stage was? Mike is at the end of the stage, and the clav is right at the other end. and there's Jason. it was not an ideal set up to get a good picture of Jason. that symbol was right in his face.
in these photos of Mike, please notice the "sweat progression" on his t-shirt. it's intense. they were all gorgeous and sweaty by the end.
notice how Tony isn't wearing the black sweater anymore? that's because he took it off. i saw the whole thing.
ROCKING the clavinet. he is the best rocker out on keyboards EVER. it was the best to watch him. he was jumping around all over the place. but still at the keys. like, jump playing. hardcore. also great tattoo shot.
HOTTIE. (no sweat)
there was this GREAT 'tony and mike' moment during like, the first or second song. they were rocking so hard and they just looked over at each other and smiled SO BIG. it was totally the best out of anything else happening in the world at that moment.
HOTTIE.
BROS!!! i said to kara, "make sure you get a good brother shot."
love Tony in this.
CLAV ACTION!!!! there was one part about 3/4 of the show where they were just ROCKING OUT. and Tony was going crazy on the clav. and after they finished Tony was like,
TONY: And that's how you rock without a guitar.
because, the clav sounds like an electric guitar. and so then he explained it to us. and, what i didn't know, was that there are actual guitar strings INSIDE that top wooden part. and he took off the whammy bar and opened it up. crazy. it's like an electric guitar inside a keyboard. only 12 in existence.
(note Mike's chest sweat)
(also note Jason's chest sweat)
(also note Tony being hott)
(drenched!!!!)
there was one part where it was just clapping,
TONY: Hands up!
(everyone clapping with their hands up)
MIKE: Hands up Mom and Dad! Come on Mom and Dad, hands up!!!!!
that was very sweet and exciting. he named some other people too, which made me very excited because obviously all their friends from home came to the show!!! so great!
and then Tony was like,
TONY: So, Mike and I are brothers, we grew up in Andover, and our parents are here tonight. (crowd goes wild) I mean, really, without them none of this would be possible....(crowd goes wild)....and that one special night....
JASON: Two!!!
TONY: ....those two special nights.....
totally hott and sweaty.
ROCK.
yeah, there was a lot of rocking that night. OH MAN, it was the best. it was just so awesome.
so, then they leave the stage and are just standing around by the side. and, i look up on the stage, and nobody has grabbed Mike's set list yet. "um, hello! there's a set list right there!" so, i go up and grab it. YESSSSSS.
i guess because even though they are making a name for themselves, they're not quite there just yet. and me and kara were really the only super fans there. (oh, and this boy next to me.... that's another story....)
so, we got the set list and then kara says,
KARA: We should have them sign it!!!!!!
um, brillz.
so, we're hanging around in front of the stage while the guys are talking to a bunch of people. and it seems like they are mainly friends from home. i got this feeling by the number of instant hugs these people got. but there were a few non-friends talking to them as well. and then we see their parents come up. Kara actually recognized them from the Rooney show. how awesome is that? (or creeper....?) (no, awesome.)
so then Tony is free and me and Kara inch up to him. my crazy insane excitement level goes from 100 to 1,000 in about one second.
JULIE AND KARA: Hey!
TONY: Hey!
KARA: Awesome show!
TONY: Thank you!
JULIE: You guys rocked so hard.
TONY: Thank you so much. Thanks for coming out!
JULIE: It was so good.
TONY: Great, I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
JULIE: We're actually seeing you guys again in Providence on Thursday.
TONY: Oh, wow! Great! That should be fun.
JULIE: I really wanted to hear 'Carry On' again.
TONY: Oh yeah?
JULIE: Yeah. That's such a good song.
TONY: We'll play that on Thursday.
JULIE: Will you play it twice?
TONY: Twice?
JULIE: Yeah!
TONY: In the same set??!!
JULIE: Yeah!!!
TONY: (laughing and smiling so beautifully) No!! (laughs) Why would we do that!?!
KARA: Back to back!
TONY: (laughing) Just keep doing encores.
JULIE: Yes!
TONY: This voice can only handle so much!
JULIE: (laughs)
KARA: (laughs) Hey, do you have a pen?
TONY: Umm...let me see.....
(and then he went looking for a pen and eventually got a sharpie.)
KARA: We stole the set list.
TONY: Great. (signs the set list) Well, thanks for coming!
JULIE AND KARA: Great show! See you Thursday!
and then Tony walked away. no tequila shots. and he went to go talk to his parents. and then we waited for Mike, who was talking to another fan.
me and kara were totally hyped up.
MIKE: Hey, do you guys have the set list?
JULIE: (ohmygod Mike just walked up to US)
KARA: Yeah! We're stealing it.
MIKE: What was the first new song we played?
(the other fan walks up too)
MIKE: Oh, 'Carry On.'
OTHER FAN: That was awesome.
MIKE: Thanks, man.
JULIE: That was my favorite. I love that song.
MIKE: Really?!
JULIE: Yeah, I wanted you to play it again.
MIKE: Wow!
JULIE: I totally love it.
MIKE: I actually wrote that song!
JULIE AND KARA: No way!!!
MIKE: Yeah! That's awesome.
JULIE: It's such a great song.
MIKE: Thanks so much! Thank you for coming!
JULIE AND KARA: Sure! We loved it!
JULIE: You guys rocked so hard. We'll see you in Providence on Thursday, also.
MIKE: Cool!
KARA: Do you have that sharpie?
MIKE: Ummm....no....(looks around)
ANOTHER FAN: I have a sharpie.
JULIE: Oh, wow! Thank you!
KARA: We have one.
MIKE: Great. (signs his name. sees Jason.) Hey! Come sign this.
JULIE AND KARA: Thank you so much!
MIKE: Have a great night!
JULIE AND KARA: You too!!
JULIE AND KARA: (to Jason) You guy are so awesome!
JASON: Thanks! Thanks for coming! (signs his name.) Oh, let's do this. What's the date? (checks his watch) (writes the date on the paper.)
JULIE AND KARA: Thank you so much!
JASON: Sure! Have a great night!
JULIE AND KARA: You too! Take care!
and THAT was when we met Crash Kings.
YEP. their signatures are way more "autography" than i would have thought. Mike is the one on the bottom "MB." Jason is above that, also in purple, "JM." he also wrote the date at the top. and then Tony is in black on the left. i have no idea how to read his signature. i can see the "B" but nothing else. it almost looks like an "A," which would make sense since his first name is Antonio. but, why wouldn't he just write a "T" if everyone calls him Tony.
SUPER COOL, RIGHT?!?!? we have the set list!!!!!! "Mountain Man" is their single. the one that they play on some alternative radio stations. "It's Only Wednesday" is the song from the movie Zombieland. which is out on DVD yesterday.
so technically, it's Wednesday today. which means we're seeing Crash Kings AGAIN TOMORROW. omg. i'm so freaking excited.
we realized that Kara's camera is better at taking pictures and my camera is better at taking videos. so, we'll both have important jobs tomorrow.
it was the best. such a great time.
and then the people at the Merch table were super awesome! it wasn't crowded at all, so we got to talk to them a bit. and every time we asked to see a shirt, the guy would hold it up to me and say, "let's see how this one looks." in the end, he said, "i think the darker colors look better." thanks, man! he was cool. and very excited when Kara bought a Paper Tongues t-shirt.
both bands were great and sooo much fun to watch.
okay. thanks for re-living the concert with me! no GO CHECK OUT Crash Kings. if you haven't yet. i promise they are awesome. if you like piano ROCK music. emphasis on the rock.
and it's taken me 3 hours to complete this entry. the first hour was spent waiting for pictures to load. so now i'm going to go eat supper. it's 12:35am.
i'll update again later!! i have no plans today. except hang around.
have great days!!!! great wednesdays. hope your weekend rocked just as hard as mine. although, it's doubtful.
OSCAR NOMINATIONS CAME OUT TODAY!! i'll talk about those later too. promise!
if there ever was a day that you should get away
i feel it in my bones, i think today's the day
<3
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