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Washington Monument

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This past weekend Nancy was in North Carolina for a baby shower, so I had Saturday to myself.  It is not often that I get a day by myself so I took the opportunity to walk around Arlington and DC.  The weather started off below freezing but the high was going to be near fifty and for the middle of winter around here, that is not bad.  I saw Nancy off around 8 and by 9 I was out the door and headed north.

My first stop was to Arlington National Cemetery, weird I know.  A good friend of mine died a few years back and I have always wanted to go back to his grave and smoke a cigar.  I sat there for 45 minutes or so, smoking my cigar and just enjoying the early morning.  I left one on his grave for him, I hoped he liked it.

From there I was in a walking mood and took the Mount Vernon Trail north to Roosevelt Island.  The trail was filled with runners and bikers also out enjoying the weather.  The island is a little slice of nature just outside the city.  It is an 88 acre island in the Potomac between DC and Virginia that years ago was last purchased by the Theodore Roosevelt Association and given to the American people.  On the island is a memorial to the 26th president with several hiking trails that cross the island.  I took the longest trail around the island and was pretty impressed with the amount of wildlife I saw for such a small island.  I managed to photograph cardinals, robins, a woodpecker and strangely, saw a couple of deer roaming around.  I ended at the memorial which is rather large.  In the center is a giant statue of Roosevelt depicting him giving a speech with several sayings of his on either side about manhood, democracy, etc…

smoked a cigar with a friend

By now I had worked up an appetite so I walked back across to Virginia and had lunch in Rossyln.  I wanted to head to the Mall and enjoy a cigar but decided to cheat and take Metro.  For a beautiful day, the Mall was packed with people taking full advantage of the nice weather.  Most of the lawn was occupied with Frisbee football games, regular football and even a couple of rugby games at the far end.  On each side runs and bikers zipped by the tourists and pedestrians who where out in droves.  I just sat on one of the benches and did some people watching while enjoying my second cigar.

To end my day, I headed to the National Gallery of Art that just reopened their French masters section for a little reading.  I was disappointed I had to check my bag at the door but I grabbed my book and found a nice comfy couch to relax in and catch up on some reading.  I was trying to close to place down but I needed to get to my dad’s house for dinner.  For an entire week me and Nancy were not eating meat, out of choice, but tonight I was going to break that fast and enjoy a nice steak.  To wash all this down we headed over to Rustico after dinner to sample some beers.  We lucked out and got a booth in the back as some people where leaving as we were arriving.  We took the opportunity to sample some different Belgium and Germany beers from their extensive list.

Pileated Woodpecker

After a long exciting day I was happy to get home around 11:30 that night.  According to my GPS logger I walked about 6 miles in total and I was feeling it.  I didn’t get much sleep the night before, then up early to see Nancy off and all the walking wiped me out.  On my adventures that day I did get a few ideas of things to do with Nancy.  I can’t wait for spring and the cherry blossoms, if they bloom, I would like to have a picnic on the Mall again.  This winter has been crazy and is causing the plants to get confused.  There were the tulips starting to bloom on the Mount Vernon trail and some cherry blossoms at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden starting to bloom as well.

Jersey Boys marquee

When Jersey Boys announced they were coming back to the National Theatre for a limited engagement Pat and Nancy started working out when we could go.  Shortly after tickets went on sale my Dad and Pat got tickets for Nancy and I as part of a combined birthday gift for us.  The day of the show it rained all day and there was a tree lighting ceremony on the Mall that night.  Fortunately traffic was surprisingly good and we made it to M&S Grill well before our dinner reservation.  In fact I got rock star parking on the street and with the money we saved, we got a round of drinks!

Not long after we sat down Tracy walked in followed by my Dad.  Tracy walked from her office a few blocks away and my Dad drove from his job in Maryland.  We had a great time at the restaurant, finished off two bottles of wine and a few beers before we headed to the theater for curtain call.  I unfortunately was a little disappointment with the food.  McCormick and Schmick’s is known as a seafood place, unfortunately the Grill has very little.  Of the three seafood options they offered I went with the stuffed flounder.  It was good but it didn’t blow my socks off.

We arrived at the theater just in time to grab another drink and take our seats on the middle balcony.  I am sure that the floor cost more but I thought I seats we had were better.  We had a clear view of the entire stage from this vantage point.  The stage setup was interesting as it had a balcony of sorts and wire fence everywhere.  I thought it was a little small but they had plenty of space for the performance that night.  Props would be rolled onto the stage or dropped from the ceiling to set the scene.

I am of course to young to have heard the Four Seasons when they where in their prime creating hit after hit.  The performance follows the members of the band from their humble beginnings on a street corner in New Jersey all the way to their introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  I found the story fascinating, their personal lives and the careers were intermingled tightly.  The story is told mostly through songs with very little dialog which was cool.  My Dad said the time he saw it before the dialog and singing was reversed.  The entire cast was fantastic, the guy that played Frankie Valli (with an “i”, see the play) did a great job and had the dynamic range of the original Frankie.  Nancy turned the show into one long karaoke session, she was having a blast all night.

nice view from here

After the performance we went to rooftop bar at the W Washington hotel just down the street.  I have never been here but Tracy highly recommended it.  I must say that the hotel lobby was decorated very trendy, I certainly didn’t fell like this was my type of hotel.  Even the bar was all trendy with bird cages hanging from fake trees and a white bar that was all lite up.  The place was packed when we arrived with lots of people, the bar was a sausage fest.  Luckily we found a small table and chairs in the corner over looking the Washington Monument.  For the view alone the price of the drinks was worth it.

It was just after 11pm when we walked out of the place and started making our way home.  It was a good night out.  We had some good food, saw a play and had drinks on a rooftop bar overlooking the White House and the Washington Monument.  The next morning I was hurting from the long night, but the pain was certainly worth the effort.

Airborne Toxic Event at the 9:30 Club

I got a call from Nancy several weeks ago, she wanted to see a band at the 9:30 Club.  I love seeing concerts and if she wanted to see one, I was all in.  Her first choice, I don’t even remember who, was already sold out so she got tickets to the Airborne Toxic Event the week of Thanksgiving.  I don’t normally listen to alternative rock now, I did when I was younger but have strayed in the last decade.  Despite not knowing the band I was interested in going to the show with Nancy.

We planned to get home early and head to Shirlington for dinner before the show.  Holiday traffic started earlier than anticipated, it took both us several hours to get home to immediately turn around and head to the city.  We stopped at the Capitol City Brewing Company again for drinks and dinner.  We were there a few weeks before for dinner before the moe. show and decided to head back.  Their Octoberfest beers were finished for the season and they had new seasonal offerings.  I got the Heller Keller which was a traditional, unfiltered German style beer.  Not bad, a little sweet, I wouldn’t drink it all the time, but it was good.

A quick bit to eat and we headed to the club early to try and snag a seat at the bar upstairs.  With the show sold out I didn’t hold much hope of us getting a seat.  We got there a little after 8, The Drowning Men was already performing, and the upstairs bar was full.  The place was pretty empty this early with lots of people sitting in the balcony and the floor half empty.  We got a drink and just sat stage right with a bunch of others.

Sitting there I was shocked at the crowd, it was much older and more mature than I imagined, felt like the young guy at the show.  Even saw a guy in a full suite and many others you could tell came straight from work to the show.  I remember the crowds for alternative rock shows being much edgier years ago, but I guess we all have to grow up sometimes.  I went through this same revelation when Phish started touring again back in 2009, the crowd got older, but then again so did I.

A quick set from The Drowning Men and Mona was up next, this was another reason Nancy wanted to come to the show.  They are from Nashville and have this Johnny Cash, rockabilly, twangy sound.  The band members all wore skinny jean with slick black hair in tight t-shirts, quite a sight if you ask me.  They rocked the house for a good 40 minutes with passion and feeling.  For their last song they lead guitarist hit a note and put his guitar down in front of the amp and everyone walked off.  It reminded me in a way of Jimmy Hendrix leaving the stage or Green Day at HFStival many years ago.  They happen to make a statement without destroying their equipment.

Next up was the headliners, Airborne Toxic Event.  By now the club was pack but both Nancy and I agreed that the moe. show we saw a week earlier had more people.  They put on a great set, playing all four songs that Nancy wanted to hear.  At one point Mikel Jollett dropped the guitar and walked off the stage.  He started off on the right speaker stack and eventually jumped onto the bar to sing a song.  He ordered a whiskey from the bartender, after being carded of course, which was cool.  The band  is certainly talented with each member switching instruments during the night.  They actually put a lot of thought into their arrangements and I found out they have played with several orchestras around the country.  After an hour, and the last song Nancy wanted to hear, we decided to bug after a long night.  The band happened to walk off stage but Nancy was ready to go, not wanting to hear the encore.  When we got back to the car, Airborne Toxic Event was playing on the radio, we got our encore.

Between sets Nancy asked me how long it had been since I saw an alternative rock band.  I had to think about it but it was over 10 years ago, Vans Warp Tour.  Since then it has been to many jazz shows, jam shows, with a few classic rock bands thrown in for good measure.  I hope in the future Nancy is inspired to see more alternative bands, I enjoy the scene and the music.  Maybe My Morning Jacket, The Boxer Rebellion, The Killers, or Arcade Fire.  The 9:30 Club is perfect for seeing bands like this.

My annual birthday show. This time around Medeski, Martin and Wood came early so I needed to find another show to attend.  Fortunately moe. stepped in and provided a wonderful night of music two days before my birthday for a Saturday performance.

copyright: Capitol City Brewing

Nancy and I started the evening off at Capitol City Brewing Company in Shirlington for a few drinks and dinner. If I can help it I always eat dinner before seeing a show in DC. It is not often I get up there so I like to eat at a local place when possible.  We picked this place because I love beer and they brew there own onsite.  We arrived about 5:30 for a quick drink before rest the family arrived to help celebrate.  I wanted to try their Oktoberfest but it was out, very disappointing.

The Amber Waves was the best, my only repeat of the night. Their Kolsch was pretty good, light in color but some decent favors going on.  Their Pale Rider was a knock off of, fill in any domestic beer.  No flavor, clear as water, not worth your time.  Nancy got the other seasonal offering, Pumpkinator.  Surprisingly there is no pumpkin in this one, all you can taste is the variety of spices they use to make this one, not a fan of this one either.  If only they had Oktoberfest I would have been a happy man.

We stayed at the restaurant till almost 9 before leaving for the show.  Fortunately it is not far from Shirlington to the 9:30 Club, even with crazy city traffic.  At dinner Nancy convinced Matt to come along which was cool.  His first moe. show and first time at the 9:30 Club.  I knew parking was going to be difficult at best, but we lucked out and got a spot close to the club.

Right when we walked in the lights went out and the band stepped on stage.  It was after the official start time of 9, but within the requisite delayed start time many jam bands adhere to.  We headed to the upstairs bar while they played Blue Jeans Pizza. The show was not sold out, in fact neither night was, but the place was packed regardless.  I quickly got a beer and joined Nancy and Matt at the far end of the bar, from here we had a good view of the stage.

All night they played some good tunes.  I don’t know what the energy level was on Friday but tonight it was high. They jammed out. Like I predicted, the first set was an hour long, ending by 10:30. Nancy by this point was getting a little bored and her feet were killing here.  She was a trooper and stuck it out for most of the second set.  When I spoke to Matt he was enjoying himself, having never heard the band and spending $25 to get in, he liked what he heard.  I spoke to him again on Sunday about his impression, it was not the “fucking kick ass experience” I had, but he had fun.  One thing he didn’t like was the jams.

The second set started just after 11pm, just like I thought. I tell you I could have written the play bill that night. I later nailed the house lights at 1am. I didn’t predict the amazing 20 minute Recreational Chemistry encore, stuff like that is out of my league.  The house lights came up and we joined Nancy who was already in the car. She bugged out late during the second set. I don’t like leaving her alone in the city, she is a stubborn woman, at least the club is next to Howard University so the cops are always patrolling, keeping the peace.

We headed home, dropped Matt off and continued south, stopping to get some burgers before heading home.  There is something about eating greasy burgers after drinking and a late night show that I love.  We finally made it to bed

around three in the morning.

Asbury Park, NJ copyright: Chris Paul

Set 1 (9:20pm start)
01. Blue Jeans Pizza
02. Skrunk >
03. The Bones Of Lazarus
04. Happy Hour Hero
05. Kyle’s Song >
06. Kids
set ends at 10:26pm

Set 2 (11:03 start)
01. Dr. Graffenberg
02. Wind It Up >
03. Understand
04. Chromatic Nightmare
05. Blue Eyed Son (1)
06. Gone (2) >
07. Faker >
08. Moth
set ends at 12:22am

encore: (12:26am start)
09. Recreational Chemistry
show over at 12:51am

Notes:
(1) with al on mandolin
(2) with al on ’74 Gibson Double-neck guitar

three shows only!

This year MMW decided to role through town a little early, they didn’t contact me when putting the tour together which was unfortunate. Usually their yearly winter trek to Washington is in November.  I convinced Rob to join Jeremy and I for the show this year.

Rob meet me at the shop and we headed into the city early to get some food and have a few drinks before the show. We had hope to eat at a Greek restaurant but the one we found, despite its great reviews, was carry out only. We continued to walk and I saw a sign for $2 drafts at the Tap and Parlour. We needed to wait for Jeremy and his date to arrive so we headed in for a quick drink. Unfortunately for us it was the bartenders first day on the job and it showed.  It took forever for Rob and I to get our first drink and she gave the wrong change to another guy. When I got my second beer it had a huge head and was the wrong type. With all the trouble we had just getting our checks and my second beer, we were just happy to get out of there..

By now Jeremy and Sam arrived and we decided to stay for dinner and some more drinks. Thankfully the food was pretty good and the waitress was able to keep up with our simple requests for drinks. I got the crab cake sandwich and it was pretty good, Sam got some jerk chicken pasta that was really good.  We stayed here pretty late before heading to the venue.

Opening for MMW was the Antibalas, which I later found out was an afrobeat band. Michael Ruetten’s podcast has introduced me to many afrobeat bands and I dig the rhythmic jazz sound they have.  In particular, I encourage everyone to check out Fela Kuti and his music if you want to get a taste of what afrobeat has to offer.  I would have loved to catch the entire set, the few songs we heard were great.

MMW came out a little late but played a solid set. All year they have been slowly releasing songs from their newest album 20, in celebration of their 20th anniversary. The first set included a few tracks from it and a few older ones as well. At the conclusion of the set we found out it was an all request set which is something they never do.  If I had know I would have submitted my own playlist, in fact I have a well put together playlist they can use anytime.  I have a feeling that it was a Facebook thing, something I am proud to say I am not on. They also announced that they would be returning shortly with the Antibalas for a joint set. Are you kidding me!

a horrible picture, but you get the idea

I used the set break to get a double shot of coffee for Rob who looked like he was about to pass out. He had been working twelve hour days leading to the show so for him to come out and stay so late was a bit of a stretch. I advised him to stay for the first set but he persevered and was staying into the second. The whole time the stage crew is setting up the stage for the Antibalas.  You should have seen the stage setup with twelve members of the Antibalas and three from MMW with their large presence on stage.

Usually when a band is about to take the stage it is somewhat of a surprise, tonight there was little. I saw the band members congregate on both sides of the stage and then it was on, took the light guy by surprise. Billy quickly addresses the crowd and announced the winner of the pumpkin carving contest, there was only one entrant.  He made a short speech about working with the Antibalas in the past and that they would collaberate in the future on more songs, onto the music.  The entire second set with both bands together kicked total ass.  The guys played a mix of both bands songs.  When they would play an Antibalas song the groove was tight, when it was an MMW song the horn section in particular added a nice rhythm to the mix.

The two bands played for a solid hour before the house lights came on just before midnight.  I couldn’t believe my luck, seeing the two bands play together like that totally made the trip worth it.  On my way home that night I was energized for some afrobeat and played Fela Kuti. It was after 1am before I finally crawled into bed and Friday I was hurting most of the day.  My old bones can’t take many late night concerts in DC and then working the next day. I hope the next tour they stick to their traditional Friday or Saturday night gig in middle November.