Tough Breaks

Where to begin?... I suppose I'll go at this chronologically. Saturday night was fun. Very fun. I was in usual BTHOMP form, dancing up a storm, taking tons of pictures etc. Ended up falling asleep, finally, at around 5am on Sunday. At about 7:30 I was awakened by some girls who needed a ride back to their apartment, so that was the start to my day. 2.5 hrs of sleep is hardly enough to keep a machine like me going at full capacity. I had enough time to go home, change, grab my boarding gear and get over to the Eastside to Tal's house. We then headed up to Alpental at Snoqualmie. Neither of us had much sleep, and we weren't too excited for a full day of boarding. What was exciting was the fact that we had both borrowed passes, so it was free. That's always cool because you don't feel pressured to board the whole mountain, and if you only get in a few runs, you didn't waste any money.

Well, about 2 hours into it, Tal and I were boarding down to the lodge to grab lunch. He got a bit more speed than me, so I yelled that I meet him down there. Not too long thereafter, I was speeding over this crest, when all of the sudden, my board caught this mogul and I flipped right onto my head and shoulder. I heard a crack, but I thought that was just the sound of my body slamming onto the ice. I've fallen pretty hard a few times, so I was surprised when I 'came to' that my shoulder didn't seem to be attached. I felt a sudden rush of nausea and began to sweat profusely. Though I've never before been injured, I was convinced that I had dislocated my shoulder, and proceeded to snowboard to the base of the mountain cradling my right arm. My muscles tightened and became all wobbly. Just boarding nice and easy was very difficult for me, and I fell once more...on the same shoulder. Yeah, I know.

So, I eventually reached the base of the mountain, pale as a ghost, and luckily Tal was there to meet me. After helping me unstrap, we walked to the First Aid room and they sprung into action. There was a whole team of volunteer doctors attending to me, though one of them was clearly the boss. Dr. Strafford. They helped get off my gloves and jacket and laid me out on a medic bed. I was boarding under my buddy David Plutko's pass, so they kept calling me David. They even asked "What kind of name is Plutko?” which confused me. "Italian..." I painfully mumbled in response. The doctor determined I had indeed dislocated my shoulder, and started systematically wrapping sheets around my arms. What none of us knew at this point was that I had not only done that, but I had broken my collar bone in three places. THAT explains why the pulling and pushing of my arm back into the socket was so painful. Once my shoulder seemed to be back in its right place, the scene calmed down, and I was then attended to by two people. The whole time I was going back and forth between swearing and cracking jokes. They all said that I handled myself better than most patients they've seen. I was advised to go into Issaquah and get X Rays at Urgent Care to assess any further damage.

Tal was really helpful and patient, taxiing me from place to place all day. After the X Ray, it was clear I had fractured my clavicle, and the question was now "Will he need surgery?". A few pain pills and episodes of Family Guy later, I passed out on Tal's couch. The sling they gave me really prohibits movement and even without it I've been having a very difficult time performing simple tasks, like changing my shirt, typing or applying deodorant. I found out this morning that I most likely will not need surgery, which is good, but I'll still need as much as two months to recover. That sucks. Summer is my time of the year, where I really come into full BTHOMP. It's gonna be rough.

As if all this wasn't enough, my car was broken into last night. Yes, I live in the hood, and yes I leave my valuables in plain sight, but still... I was walking to my car this morning, and noticed papers spread all over the floor mats. Then noticed that my ipod and $300 sunglasses were gone. Upon closer inspection, I found the giant slash in my convertible soft top that they used as an entry point. They took everything. Money, 5 pairs of designer sunglasses I had collected over the past few years, my beloved iPod, CDs, a nice pocketknife, my 3 pairs of expensive driving gloves and who knows what else. I filed a police report and an insurance claim, and now I have to deal with all of that crap.

When it rains, it pours. In this case, it will literally pour into my car and all over me and my cloth seats due to the huge "vent" I'm sporting now. Mama Mia!...Do I really deserve all of this? I didn't think so, but now I'm beginning to wonder...

Franz Ferdinand Started A War

The immediate origins of The Great War lay in the decisions taken by statesmen and generals during the July Crisis of 1914, the spark (or 'casus belli') for which was the assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by Gavrilo Princip, an irredentist Serb. Decades after his assasination, "The Duke" as friends called him, went on to form a polka cover band in Michigan. Franz and The Great Lakes toured relentlessly across the U.S. playing the hell out of Frankie Yankovic tunes such as "Who Stole The Kishka?" and "Pennsylvania Polka". While on the road, The Duke became acquainted with a family of travelling jugglers from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. These three brothers, along with unparalelled knife juggling skills, could play drums, guitar and keyboards as well as any band on any major label. Franz parlayed this random meeting into a series of garage rehearsals, which in a few years spawned the self-named project Franz Ferdinand. Incorporating heavy polka riffs and knife juggling into their live performances, the band has climbed up the international rock and pop charts and into the hearts of music fans worldwide. The Duke has recently released an official apology for starting World War 1 with his assassination, and "hopes (his) music will make up for the 15 million deaths that were the result of something that was ultimately out of (his) control". Apology accepted, Duke.

Las Vegas is Plural and so are the ACMAs

Nashville, TN. Never been. However, I feel as though I have, since the entire city was supplanted to Las Vegas for the Academy of Country Music Awards show at the MGM Grand last weekend. By the time I got home, I was speaking with a distinctly Southern drawl and even tipping an imaginary hat to female passers by. In other words, I'm insane and should be under protective care. I digress...



I was fortunate enough to be invited by THE Lola Montgomery of 100.7 The Wolf fame to be her "plus one" at the awards show and associated events. I KNOW! I had the time of my life, rubbing elbows with established country stars and enthusiastic up-and-comers all weekend long. This included being a fly-on-the-wall at an interview session in the MGM Grand's Studio Ballroom. Artists would sit at a table, give an interview with a radio station, take a couple pics and then move on to the next table. Lola and I were allowed to sit with KBWF, our sister station in San Fran, as long as we agreed not to take pictures or do any interviewing. Naturally, I took a bunch of pictures and she interviewed several artists(on the down low). These artists included: Billy Ray Cyrus, Mily Cyrus, Carrie Underwood, Trailer Choir(coolest people), Kelli Pickler, Taylor Swift, Gloriana, Little Big Town, Joe Nichols, Zach Brown and Love and Theft. I was diggin' the whole experience, like a kid in a candy store, except this candy is good looking and sings top 40 country hits.

Later that evening, Lola was invited to attend a sushi dinner at Shibuya with up-n-comer Jimmy Wayne, and I tagged along. Jimmy was about as fun and lively as any professional musician I've met, and charmed the pants off the entire table, which included music directors from other parts of the country. Singing and smiling the whole time, Jimmy knew exactly how to market himself...By being himself! Based on his voice, looks and personality, I think Jimmy Wayne may just be a household name within a few years time.

On Saturday, Lola and I joined a group hosted by Showdog Entertainment at an Italian restaurant in Harrah's. We enjoyed wine, great food and great company. There were music directors from Salt Lake, Spokane and Las Vegas at the table and their dates. I had a blast. We headed from dinner to Toby Kieth's I Love This Bar and Grill just upstairs. That's when the party began. Thanks to Lisa and Gary with Showdog, we all got wristbands which gave us not only VIP access, but access into the EXTRA VIP room where Toby himself hung out for about 3 hours. Maybe 25 people were in the room with him, Lola and myself included. Very cool. Toby was a gracious host, giving time to a long line of admirers and picture takers. Trailer Choir performed on stage and did an awesome job. I had the chance to hang with Big Vinny Van Zant and learn more about his jobs, the industry in general and life in Nashville. That guy is definitely special and will find success in anything he chooses to do in life. It's now a goal to go to Nashville, hang with Vin and see the town from an insider's perspective. I can't wait. Trailer Choir performed their hit "Rockin' the beer gut", for which a slightly intoxicated, Bud Light-weilding Lola took the stage to "rock" hers. It was hilarious, to say the least. She can work a room, that's for sure. Here's a link to a video of the show.

Sunday was a day of rest and then off to the Academy of Country Music Awards Show! We couldn't go on the red carpet, but we were able to get a peak or two of stars all done up in their fancy duds. As before, no camera were allowed inside the auditorium, so I snuck mine in and managed to get several good shots, including Carrie giving her acceptance speech for Entertainer of the Year, with Dierks Bentley looking on. Lola stepped outside for a smoke before the end of the show and I basically didn't see her again for the rest of the trip. She was so tired from the long, long night before that her body demanded she rest up or officially die. So, I went to the ACM All Star Jam thanks to my boss Traci who scored me a ticket, expensive at that. It was a catered event and we had the Dr. Pepper connection, so we got free drinks all night. Nice. The entertainment was really thrown together, which was cool because I was ablt to see TONS of huge stars perform only 15 feet in front of me. Lineup included: Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Gloriana, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins and a bunch more. John Rich of Big n' Rich comondeared the emcee position, and drunkenly called artist after artist on to the stage to do their thing. "Can I get a HELL YEAH?!?!" John yelled that about 275 times throughout the evening. I complied every time.

I ended up stumbling back to my room around 3am, and the vacation was pretty much over. I squeezed in about 30 minutes of sun before checking out the next day and before I knew it I was back in Seattle. I managed to take about 500 pictures in the three days we were there, and probably would've taken 500 more if I hadn't had to have snuck so many. Thanks again to Lola, for sharing a once-in-a-lifetime experience with a crazy kid she had just met. (that's me)

White Lies and Friendly Fires

Caught Friendly Fires and White Lies at NEUMOS last night. Wicked good show. White Lies opened, and were so damn good live. I was floored. Their lead singer, Harry McVeigh, was spot on with vocals and lead guitar, sounding as good if not better than their recordings. The music swooped and swung and all congealed together seamlessly. Then Friendly Fires took the stage and the party began. Not as good vocally, they compensated with a high energy dance fest, which resulted in band and crowd members drenched in sweat, myself included. The Fires' drummer, Jack Savidge, definitely serves as the heart of the band, endlessly bashing out intense, catchy and complicated rhythms. I look forward to seeing them both again, and I'll bring a towell next time.

A Eulogy For The Books

A good buddy of mine, Mac Attack, sent me an email today. I've cut and pasted here (hope that's okay Mac...):

ok, I'm a horrible person and this is not funny at all but it totally is. So this woman that worked at my old job who is like a total Stepford wife and has a really ugly baby just had to put her cat down, which is sad, but then she posted this poem about it on facebook which reads like something I might have written when I was 5:

Our little greeter, our special little friend.
You are in a better place now with no pain.
Even till the end when you looked into our eyes.
You told us everything would be o.k. and that we were doing right.
I will miss playing fetch with you and your cuddles in the dark.
You were always under foot, just like a dog with no bark.
Your sister is wandering around the house crying out your name.
We will hold her much closer and tell her it’s o.k.
You were such a beautiful kitty and gave us so much love.
We will miss you but not forget you for you will always be loved.

Anybody who rhymes "love" with "loved" should be published immediately.

Interestingly, I wrote a poem for an ex-girlfriend, in which I wrote the lines:

"I will miss playing doctor with you and your cuddles in the dark.
You were always under the influence, just like a dog with no bark."

This woman must know my ex...

BTW, Mac commented on her favorite line:

"Your sister is wandering around the house crying out your name.
We will hold her much closer and tell her it’s o.k."

I wanted to leave a facebook comment that said "with the money you can make with that talking cat, you'll be able to buy thousands of replacement cats."

Mother Mother with Sister Sister

Last night I caught an AMAZING show at the High Dive, to which I took my sister for her birthday. Mother Mother is a newer band out of Vancouver BC that has really zeroed in on a unique sound. Drummer is hyper-talented, Bassist plays bass, clarinet and sax (maybe more), two backup female vocals also play keys and the lead singer/songwriter/wicked guitarist runs the show with complete control. They all seem under 25, yet the sound they produce sounds like it's taken decades to cultivate. The harmonies and chord progressions and rhythmic syncopation were staggering. I've never heard a band make sounds the way they do. The lead singer was so eccentric and spot on he reminded me of early David Bowie. I know that's saying a lot, but this guy has what it takes to be something important in music. I hope the industry is kind to this band. They deserve it.