complaints and arguements

Got ya with that title didn't I? It's funny that I write one liners like that and expect a response...as if people are actually reading this blog. Anyway, This week has been busy for us. Both Monday and Tuesday we have had our fair share of battles at work. We have overcome them for the most part, but it sucks we had to face them in the first place.

Ella is just fine and dandy. She is standing by herself now for long moments and can just feel the walking will be coming soon. Grandma Joni is coming over to babysit tonight which Dawn and I go to this Release Party that we are pretty stoked about. Maybe rub elbows with Mr. Oake, or Brandi...God only knows.

So here is my beef (hence the title of the post)...I think the success of Taylor Swift is bunk (and Miley Cyrus for that matter). I have felt this way for some time and have even shared my opinion on some talk radio shows here in town. And here is why: Taylor Swift started as a country singer, marketed herself as a country singer, dressed-up like a country singer. I don't know if this was her choice, or the choice of her label, but at some point in her career, it was decided that every track of her would be recorded in two formats...one which would be looped on Country stations and Pop stations. In my opinion, the country music industry is one of tradition, respect, and history. The fact the she (or they) intentionally recorded in her releases in two formats for the sake of being played on multiple stations and marketed to multiple audiences for the pure sake of making more money is total bullshit. And it is incredibly disrespectful to the workhorses and pillars of the country genre (i.e. the George Straights, the Clint Blacks, etc.), and for that I am pissed off. There you have it...mentioning George Straight made me think of another beef...but thats for another post.

I wrote the first few paragraphs of this post on Wednesday afternoon. I am glad I waited to post this until now, cause, let me tell you, I have a few stories about the Release Party. I don't expect this to happen again anytime soon, but because Concordia has been playing commercials on Clear Channel stations, the sales rep gave my boss four tickets to the release party. So Dawn and I were able to have date night last night. One of my co-workers and her boyfriend were also going to the party. We had expected to see them, but because of the size of the venue and and the amount of people there, we never connected. We showed up during the middle of Erin McCarley's set. Unfortunately each set was only about 8 songs long, but still awesome to see the sweet mix of artists. Anywho...after her set finished, we went downstairs to see the rest of the Bayview Event Center in Excelsior. We really flippin' lucked out because it just happened that NeedtoBreathe's set was starting in a few short moments. Most of the party-goers had not yet migrated downstairs so we ended up standing about 10ft way from the band (see crappy picture). This is the same band that I included in my song link a few posts back. So I am a huge fan of the band, their history, and their sound. Their set was killer, and a memorable one. After their set, they scooted off stage and we headed back up stairs. Brandi Carlisle's set was next. We were hanging out waiting for that to start when Bear Rineheart (lead singer from NeedToBreathe) was hanging out behind us. No one recognized him or paid any attention to him (which may be what he wanted, but I wasn't going to let it stand). So Dawn and I turned around and chatted with him. We mentioned how we love their style, their sound and everything else. He was a stellar dude. Big moment for me.

On to Brandi's set. Of course, her vocals were amazing as ever. In addition to her hits, she also covered Hallelujah and Cash's Folsom Prison Blues...stellar to say the least. As I do, I stepped out for a cigarette (and Dawn accompanied me). During a convo we were having, Dawn froze and didn't say anything. Little did I realize that Brandi and her guitarist were walking right behind us heading to their tour bus. Since Dawn was still tongue tied, I say, "Thank you guys for coming, we love you music and you killed it tonight". Like teenage school girls, Dawn and I turn to each other and freak out. It was a pretty surreal moment and one we won't forget.

Song: Guitar picking cover of Michael Jackson: Black or White (sometime of tribute had to happen eventually, right?)

Memory: I will have to get back to my Buckle memory...See the next post.

Hope to get another post up tomorrow night. - Laters