End o' week musings

I have a cool weekend planned so I'm hankering to get out the door, but not without sharing some of my life with my fans.

Last Friday I planned to head out to The Hub out in Colton to catch the Joe Walla Band with my mother. She called while I was getting ready to tell me that she had woken up in the morning with a sore throat and felt ill, so she was going to pass. Undeterred, I made the drive and it was worth it. JoeWalla Band always gives their audience a good show. Joe is one of the hottest guitarists around and he's a competent songwriter as well. His band, bass player Rich and drummer George, provide a strong foundation and aren't afraid to share the humor between tunes and Friday was no exception.

During a cover of "Voodoo Child," Walla went into a long solo and then off on a tangent that had Rich and George slightly perplexed. They stopped playing and watched him with half-grins on their faces before figuring things out and joining in to bring the song back around for an over-the-top ending. People danced during both of their sets, as well as sang along, whether the songs were originals or covers. My mother missed a good show, but there will be plenty more-- Joe Walla Band gigs several times each month. http://www.joewalla.com/

Saturday I went to yoga, then out to L.A. for the Esotouric's Blood and Dumplings Crime Bus Tour. On board there were cushy seats, air conditioning and TV screens. Kim and Richard led the tour, telling us about various crimes (from gory to just plain strange) throughout the San Gabriel Valley. The TVs were used to show us vintage photos, some of the crime scenes, other purely historical, all fascinating. We had a dumpling lunch at Monster Park and I took time to try out all the slides- the one with the monster and the lighthouse was the best. I would definitely take another one of their tours and bring my friends. Esotouric presents all kinds of fun tours with themes ranging from crime to literature to rock and roll. http://www.estouric.com/

In the evening, I split my time between two bands. First I went up to the Dockside Grill to see The Subs and enjoy lobster bisque. The trio was playing requests like crazy and had a good crowd. They'll be back there again on Oct. 12 and 13.

Next I went to Rude Dog's in Covina to see Aluminum Marshmallow. I like to call this band Sierra Madre's darlings, as they play at just about every major event I attend in that city. The core of the band is five guys who play classic to current rock covers and have a great time doing it. When they play large venues or big gigs, they add on the Age of Aquarius Horns for extra splash. They were a quintet this night, but still gave out lots of energy and good vibes. The crowd here was happy too, as they kept returning to the dance floor song after song.

Sunday I went to St. Nectario's Greek Festival. There was a live band playing traditional music and atttendees were unafraid to show their knowledge on the dance floor. There were also vendors and lots of food. I went for a combination plate, which I shared with a friend, so I could have a taste of almost everything. We also split a few desserts that were decandently delightful. The tour of the church was fantastic-- the structure itself is intriguing.

From the outside, the architecture appears akin to almost any church or fancy building, it's inside where you realize how marvelous it truly is. Center of the church, look up and you'll see a high rotunda graced by stained glass windows and there's plenty of other beautiful touches. There are also paintings of saints on all the walls, as well as Jesus and Mary and, of course, St. Nectario. I understand the services are in Greek and English and include traditional chanting. Perhaps one day I will visit for the full effect.

The rest of my week was quiet, except for interviews. I spoke with Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth, members of the Southern California Welsh Choir and Aluminum Marshmallow for a story about their upcoming show at Sierra Madre's centennial celebration finale. Tonight I'm hoping to catch the Skallywags at City Lights in Hacienda Heights. I have yoga tomorrow and then off to the Heaven and Hell concert in Irvine with my brother, Jason. Also on the bill there are Queensryche and Alice Cooper so it will be a good show. On Sunday I plan to sit in on Jean-Michel Cousteau's presentation on our changing oceans at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. And yeah, I do sleep sometimes!

In rotation this week: Gram Rabbit, Framing Hanley, McRad, Joe Walla, Nirvana, Electric Six, Buffalo Killers, The Birthday Masacre and Rob Halford's latest - "Metalgod Essentials."

Last week my yoga teacher ended our session by saying kiss slowly, forgive quickly, laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that made you smile. I think these are wise words. Perhaps we should both think about them some more over the next week.

Keep on rockin'

Mickie