Skyscrapers irradiated with rock music

Lo and behold, my band is fortunate enough to have not one, not two, but three gigs on our calendar in the span of about a month. (Actually, fortune didn't nearly as much to do with it as the hard work of our singer-slash-manager Charlie.)

The first of the shows was last night at the Beale St. Bar, and we rocked the vinyl roof off the place. Three bands preceded us, and they ranged from decent to spectacular. I was especially impressed by the local hard rock band Deeper, who I may have convinced to play with us again sometime. Kristy blasted the audience with the stage presence of a true rock star. Grrl rkrs rule!

Our next show is on next Saturday. It's not hard to imagine that it would be fun to do this full-time. But I think I know better.

Bay Bridge construction worker mixtape

Here's one for all the guys working on the bridge this weekend. Enjoy!

1. "Singing Bridge" by Rachel's from Systems/Layers
2. "Terremoto Tempto (Earthquake Weather)" by Beck from Guerolito
3. "Riding The Skies (remix by Mass & Simon Emmerson)" by Afro Celt Sound System from POD
4. "No Cars Go" by The Arcade Fire from Neon Bible
5. "C-C (You Set The Fire In Me)" by Tom Vek from We Have Sound
6. "Time 2 Build (feat. Blade)" by The Herbaliser from Something Wicked This Way Comes
7. "Crane/White Lightning" by The RZA & Charles Bernstein from Kill Bill, Vol. 1
8. "East Of Paradise" by Tribe Of Judah from Exit Elvis
9. "Subtle Hustle" by Clutch from Blast Tyrant
10. "Simple Design" by Breaking Benjamin from We Are Not Alone
11. "Dig (Everything And Nothing remix)" by Mudvayne from Resident Evil
12. "Positive Tension (Blackbox remix)" by Bloc Party from Silent Alarm Remixed
13. "The Colossal Gray Sunshine (feat. The Flaming Lips) (Paul Oakenfold Remix)" by Faultline from Perfecto Presents: The Club
14. "The Bridge" by The Knife from Deep Cuts
15. "Never Gonna Come Back Down" by BT from Movement In Still Life

The road to Houston

At some point in the last few months, Sib got restless. Working at 7-11 and living in a big California city started to bore him, and he and I started discussing potential regions of the country he could visit to break the cycle. I recommended that he take an extended road trip across the country to see the U.S. from eye level and get a sense of where he wanted to be. After deliberating for a few weeks, he decided to skip the trial period entirely and move to Houston to work in a Thai restaurant.

I tried to explain the differences in culture and climate between California and Texas to him, but I'm not sure he completely absorbed it all. Like anybody who grew up watching American movies, he was familiar with (and actually seemed to admire) the concept of a cowboy, but I feared this wasn't enough to prepare him. In the days before he left, he kept saying, "I'm going to Houston," as if the next time he said it would magically transport him there.

He left on a Tuesday morning, with his black Audi full of the few things he owned, snacks for the trip, and a U.S. highway atlas which I had carefully highlighted for him the night before. He decided to take I-80 to Denver, then I-70 to Kansas and south to Texas. The path was simple, and I told him it would take three days.

Somewhere in Kansas, he decided he really wasn't so bored of California after all, and did a U-turn. Luckily, he decided to stop in a small town diner, where he was immediately greeted by the typical Midwestern hospitality. They gathered around him and excitedly asked questions about where he was from and where he was going. They offered him food and driving advice, and generally restored his faith in humanity. He got back on the interstate and continued to Texas.

He's been there for almost two weeks now, and he's ready to come back. He calls me every night complaining about the hot weather, the rain, the crazy drivers, and asking about how life in California is without him. I'm guessing it will be mere days until he gets in the car and starts driving back. And then we can continue our Thai food and racquetball traditions.