Rock N Roll Friday Night!

No overall point to this post other than, man, I just had a great Friday night.

We were supposed to go to this show with some friends of Nicole's (mine too now, but through her). After being out late at karaoke the night before, not really being all that familiar with the band we were seeing, and it being way over in Silverlake, I wasn't excited about going.

So we're going out to dinner prior to the show with some friends of theirs. Just my luck, they're Vegan (ever notice how Vegans are eerily similar to Vulcans?). I toiled between the faux-cheese quasedilla and the organic pancakes (would you be considered Vegan-by-association if you just liked to eat pancakes for every meal?) and ended up with the Rock N Roll Noodles which were at least fun to order. Let's go with the Rock N Roll!

After dinner, we're in the car on the way to the show at Spaceland when the phone rings like a hippy Paul Revere announcing The Vegans are bailing, The Vegans are bailing! And sure enough...So our sacrifice to not eat meat, milk, or anything normal was, as it turned out, quite in vain. It was, however, cheap which is nice.

Now all night up until this point, Nicole's friend Jason, the big fan of the guy we were going to see play, had been saying how there was the headliner Jason Isbell, some other guy named Will Hoge none of us had heard of, and an opening act that was probably some local kid that we would not be at a loss to miss. Seemed about how these things usually go. So we walk in and the first guy is up there setting up. I say to Jason, "It's not him, but that guy looks a lot like this guy I have been listening to non-stop lately, Jeremy Fisher." I then went on to describe his music a little bit when the singer on stage opened by saying, "Hi, I'm Jeremy Fisher." It was a cool kind of weird. He played. He was great. I was immediately glad I had come along to the show and would only become more glad as the night went on.

Sidebar on Jeremy Fisher: If you like catchy, mostly upbeat, infectious acoustic rock, you have to listen to this guy. His album is one of those you won't be taking out of your CD player for a couple weeks after you get it (it's sad how that experience has no translation to ipod technology). Kind of a Ben Kweller meets Paul Simon if you will. My favorites include "Sula," "Cigarette," and "Left Behind."

Next up was this Will Hoge guy who looked like a bearded Ryan Gosling with a cool hat on. Important to note that he was the only singer I have ever witnessed who chewed gum whilst singing. Normally, I would have been put off by this to the extent that I would not have been able to get into the music, but his music and his performance was so unstoppably fucking incredible that I quickly wrote it off. This son of a bitch had soul, my friends. Southern-fried, classic rock/country-influenced blues-rock that makes you want to dance, drink whiskey, and sing/scream along. It was one of those rare times when you hear something for the first time where you know you have to have it and you feel like a fool for not finding it sooner. I got two of his several CDs the following day and will be getting the others soon enough. Kind of a mix of Counting Crows, Wilco, The Black Crowes, Ottis Redding, and Hank Williams.

I won't go on to gush about the headliner, Jason Isbell, because I need to go to bed, but he and his band also kicked my ass.

By the time we walked out of there at 2 a.m., I was dead tired, more than 60% deaf, and walking like Phil Jackson after a road trip in a Mini Cooper. I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was a great night.


P.S. Is everybody loving this rain as much as I am? Keep it comin!!! (Sorry, Joe)

Tune in tomorrow for my impassioned endorsement of a Presidential candidate because I'm sure you've been waiting.