No Hablog Español

I'm going to start off by apologizing to my friend Jo for being an Indian giver. When she moved to to Spain last year, Jo decided to start up a blog and was looking for titles. I gave her my opinion that she should use something like, "Hablog Español" which eventually became the title of her blog. So while I'm not actually stealing it, I'm re-appropriating said title for the title of this post.

For those of you who don't know me, I can be classified as someone with extremely limited wanderlust. My love and comfort with the U.S. knows no bounds. And as far as my wanderlust goes, it's mostly limited to traveling all across this great country of ours. Whether this is a result of my love for the U.S.; my comfort with only speaking in English; or my addiction to American television (conversely, aversion to foreign television), I don't have an exact reason for you. I moved out of my travel-box this year for two things: 1) I had a good friend in another country that had said that I could crash with her should I decide to get over my xenophobia and visit her. 2) A concert with a band that I liked in a foreign country.

This actually all started back in December of 2009. I had playfully taunted Joanna with information that the 2 Skinnee J's were playing an acoustic show at the Birchmere shortly after my birthday in February. She then commented that she needed to check to see if any bands she would like to go see would be touring anytime soon. I pointed out that I had learned that Vampire weekend would be playing in Spain at the end of February, as I had become frustrated at the fact that the closest they were playing to me was a series of shows in NYC in January that started on a Sunday. She was super-excited and as a result I got excited for her; and then it struck me. This might be enough for me to leave the safety and familiarity of my country for the untamed wilds of a gypsy-laden land. My solo trip across the Atlantic to a joint trip with our friend, Ryan, meeting us in Barcelona for the proposed show. At a Christmas get-together, the duo was joined by a third and our triumvirate of intrepid travellers was complete. The next few weeks were laden with e-mails including dates of possible arrivals and departures and where we would stay and what we would see (I had already done my part by notifying everyone of the show, and left the rest of the planning to those better suited). I purchased my tickets and expedited my passport; and before I knew it I was off!

The Flight:

I should preface this experience with the fact that I purchased my tickets with Iberia, which is like Spain's American Airlines. Unlike American Airlines, which is quick, easy, and efficient; Iberia is nearly the opposite. Tasks that should be easy enough for a retarded palsy victim, like online check-in, were made nearly insurmountable by a finicky website and 4 semesters of poorly received, unused Spanish. Once at Reagan, Iberia's affiliates, American Airlines, took care of checking me in for my flight to Boston, but warned me that I would have to deal with Iberia's clerks to check-in for my flight to Madrid. I can only imagine what difficulties would have come up if I had to check baggage. I must admit, Iberia's American clerks, while not terribly hospitable, efficiently handled my check-in for my flight to Madrid and the subsequent flight to Seville. The flight itself was uneventful except for the fact that I could not sleep on any of them.

Seville, Day 1:


Seville (Sevilla over there) was an incredible town. Kyle remarked early that it was so much quieter than other cities he'd visited. To his credit, it was much quieter, but I felt he exaggerated a bit much. We checked into our hostel and found that we were sharing a quad with an as yet unnamed room mate. We, of course, decided to name our imaginary room mate Hans. We would each take on some sort of Norse accent throughout the trip mimicking what Hans would be like when he met us and eventually joined our merry trio. We saw some sight in Seville, the outside of a big cathedral (Never got the name. Thanks, Jo), but having not eaten since the "meh" plane food, we were starving.


We ate lunch at a tapas bar called Duplex. It was phenomenal. As a staunch beer drinker and somewhat of a oenophobe (not really, but wines don't do it for me), I reluctantly agreed to share in a pitcher of Sangria with the other kids (hey, when in Rome, right?). The tapas themselves were incredible. Jo insisted we order croquettas which were these fried treats that were crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. They were in spinach and ham flavors, both of which I thorougly enjoyed although I think I preferred the spinach ones. There was some fried Cod which was cooked perfectly, a prawn omelet that was a table fave, some grilled pork which was alright, and this eggy mushroom thing that was easily the star of the show. Joanna and I also later indulged in a local beer, Cruzcampo, which tastes like Bud heavy that's been left outside for two months. When the rickety card table at which we were eating collapsed, we decided it was time to go.


We strolled by the river and checked more of the main drag watching some sort of band dressed in faux military garb (their commanding officer adorned with medals fashioned out of candy). We stopped in a local McDonald's because I just had to see how our menus differed. I can already tell you that they have way better sandwiches over there. Their desserts rule as well, on top of the additional cakes and doughnuts that are offered there, they have way more options for helado McFlurries, like Toblerone. Afterwards we stopped in a bar where we drank more Cruzcampo. I was astonished to see children with their parents as they smoked and drank in front of them. We headed back to the hostel to pregame and get ready for the rest of the night.

We picked up some 40's of Cruzcampo (you have to be classy in Europe) and retired to the rooftop area. But not before noticing that our beloved Hans had already come and gone, evidenced by the bed having been tousled and a random backpack that wasn't there before we had left. On the rooftop, our drunken revelry was only interrupted a few times by some of the meek occupants of the hostel making and having their dinner (one of which we thought was Hans). After my backup 40 was carelessly kicked to the ground, we decided it was time to head to the flamenco show.


The flamenco show was supposedly a "local act that was free" which translated into "dive bar tourist trap". I couldn't complain though, the music was good and the Agua de Sevilla was intoxicating (really, I dunno what's in it, but it's fantastic). Looking around we saw the guy we had assumed was Hans. A pretty Spanish girl was making eyes at me and I returned in kind but left it at that as she seemed to have a boyfriend; and I wasn't looking to become an international incident. I was looking for an opportunity to use this line, ¿Haaaaas conocido Kyle? (Have you met Kyle?) But alas it was not to be, as the only ones to sit next to us were Americans. We tried to encourage our young cohort to indulge, but he stayed stoic as ever. After the show we headed back to the hostel but not before running into the girl at the front desk of the hostel when we arrived and Jo's Spanish teach when she arrived in Spain. I peed in a doorway in an alley, thus accomplishing a really immature goal of publicly urinating in public place, (in all fairness they don't really take care of their stuff, there's graffiti everywhere, and also they stink). Not having slept in 48 hours I crashed out after noticing that Hans was still out probably partying the night away at some super-exclusive euro-orgy.

Stay tuned for more on my trip.

While Looking for a Place to Stay

Hello, friends! Those in the know, have been aware of my recent need to do the room mate shuffle once again. This housing search has me once again perusing ol' craigslist and as a result I've come across some pretty peculiar ads.

Like these for instance: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/roo/1634053934.html

This ad is for a "sham" apartment. You wouldn't even be living here. This is merely a way for you, as a consumer, to lie to your parents about not having moved in with your significant other. If your parents have forbade you from moving in with your girlfriend or boyfriend, you can tell them, "Oh no, I moved into this great place in Alexandria". The people here will set up a room in their apartment to look like you live there. Given ample time, they can put some of your clothes in the drawers and closets and even mess things up to give it a "lived in" look. Each six month lease allows for two in-home dinners with your parents and significant other. It's an elaborate ruse worthy of sitcom considerations. I think that this is a brilliant idea on the part of whoever came up with this ad. If even one or two people buy into this, they have a pretty nice monthly stipend for discretionary spending. Kudos savvy craigslisters, kudos indeed.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/roo/1634055344.html

I imagine that the poster of this ad is in a situation close to that of Seinfeld's Kramer character. There is an episode where he somehow attains an intern by claiming he is starting his own company, Kramerica Industries. He is offering to exchange rent for work in keeping up the apartment and assistance with his startup business. Note, dear reader, that he mentions that he is willing to share his room. The strange ordeal of exchanging rent for work in his version of Kramerica is not enough, you have to be sharing a room that may or may not contain a chicken. And with your help, they'll get that chicken.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/roo/1633096878.html

Now, this one is not so bad. It might actually be innocuous. I can't tell if a male or female posted this ad. The title suggests that perhaps it is a classy, professional female posting for a similar room mate. It's just that I never see chicks talk about their TV's, surround sound, or various sundry other gadgets. That's what has me leaning toward some sketchy dude, looking for a classy woman room mate.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/roo/1632547110.html

This one is definitely one of the sketchier ones I came across. I'm really astonished by the sheer amount of people who will exchange rent for some kind of labor around the house. This one goes that extra creepy mile by stating that you should be height/weight proportional (HWP). I had to look that up, I didn't even know what that meant. You are this person's personal errand boy, and you must also perform sex on demand. So you're a whore/personal assistant. Are there really people who buy into this situation? It's frightening that there might be.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/roo/1642353154.html

This ad, while seemingly more friendly and accommodating still has an air of creepiness peppered amongst the flowery descriptions of your "part time job" and the relationship you two will share. He doesn't mind if you "walking around the house with your shirt off or your gym shorts low" *shudder*. "Let me know what you're comfortable with, and we'll go from there".
"Are you only comfortable with angry handy-j's in the bathroom? Or can we escalate to full-on reacharounds and voyeurism?" It's ads like these that make me wonder about the ads that post as "gay friendly".

This of course, as many of you know, is not the average craigslist experience, just the few very strange outliers. I've actually found some decent group houses that don't involve some sort of sex for rent exchanges. So here's hoping I won't be couch surfing in a week or two.

The Last Pash Show: A Review

So I already gave you my own personal take on what it was like to watch one of my favorite bands from school break up. But now I'm going to take some time out and actually review the music I heard while I was at the Black Cat.


So first up for the night was Olivia Mancini of Olivia Mancini and the Housemates or Olivia and the Mates or whatever the full band goes by (or if there is even is a full band anymore). I've never seen her live, and I'm only familiar with material off the Housemates' album, This Kind of Life. I saw that she was playing alone on the billing, and yet I somehow assumed that she would be playing with the full band. A little background information for those of you who have never been to the Black Cat: most people are familiar with the main room located upstairs but there is a smaller venue located downstairs behind the Red Room bar area. Often at these shows, I will wait outside in the bar area until the band takes the stage. I was waiting outside when Olivia took the stage, and started playing. Without the noise of the full band that I was expecting, I was unaware that she was playing until I glanced through the window of the door to the Back Room. Once I made it inside I was pleasantly pleased. Despite having missed the majority of her set, I was able to catch two songs and the tail end of another. Off the bat, Miss Mancini has a natural talent for stage banter that is almost a requirement for playing venues this intimate. Albeit she can tend to ramble, but overall the banter is friendly and entertaining. She asked the crowd if they had read In Cold Blood. In turns out reading it had nothing to do with the song so much as knowing what Doc Savage is. The character Doc Savage is a silver age comic hero who was super smart and occasionally experimented on criminals. I already find women that play music attractive, but couple that with the fact that she has a song that is reference to an obscure silver age pulp comic hero? Forget about it. She closed with Jealous Type, which is my favorite song of hers. So I only heard two songs from her set, but frankly I feel like I heard the cream of the crop. I'm definitely checking out her next show.


I already mentioned what Ryan McLaughlin was like throughout his band, Typefighter's set and the subsequent Pash set. I did not mention that despite being incredibly inebriated he and his band were able to deliver incredibly catchy semi-folky pop music. His voice is somewhat reminiscent of a higher pitched John McCauley of Deer Tick. While of similar ilk they do not run into that problem with many folk bands of having their music all sounding the same. I was incredibly impressed with the McGuyver-ish rigging of a mic to the autoharp utilized by McLaughlin. Again, the banter, while impishly slurred, was very entertaining. The band interaction, even though fueled by Ryan's drunkenness, was friendly and somewhat endearing. This was increased when the band left their places on stage and went down among the crowd only accompanied by the autoharp and sang their last song. Just having returned from Spain (more on that in a future post), I was really pissed that I was broke and had no cash for the EP. I'll be sure to check them out when they return from SXSW.


Pash. I already gave my impression of the event. They played a lot of new stuff (Well, new to me). If they've published it, I can't find it. If anyone has it, I'd love to get a copy of it. As I said in my previous post, their sound has only matured and layered in new sounds making each track more enjoyable than the previous album. Despite Ryan's many interjections, I felt that it was an adequate send off for the band. I would kill for a set list just to be able to better give the run down. I just remember one song being a little harder than I'm used to from the band, but in a good way. They kept things dancy on other songs which I've really come to enjoy and makes it easy to compare to bands like The Kills or Gossip. Again, being tapped on cash, meant I couldn't grab a limited edition shirt at the end of the show.

Overall, a great show for a Tuesday night; would've been a great show on Friday night, in my opinion. I love this city and everything about it: the music, the food, the art, the people (well most of them). I don't quite know where that came from but I'll just say this: shows like this remind me why I push and support local music and I'll continue to do so as long as bands like these keep making music.

We are Very aMUSEd

All dumb puns aside, I have only been to one other arena show in my life, and that was Tenacious D on their Pick of Destiny tour. I feel like as great as the D is, their idea of arena show is as much of a caricature of what it's supposed to be like as their band is a caricature of what a rock band is supposed to be like. I have been advised in the past that Muse shows are something else to behold. I've been told that they have light shows that rival bands that were great in the 60's and 70's.

The concert started with the Silversun Pickups. I was actually pleasantly surprised. Thanks to Lazy Eye, I had all but written them off as some limp-wristed, pussy-pop rock band along the lines of Goo Goo Dolls (yes, I'm aware of their original more punk-ish roots, but lets be honest, Iris? Kill yourselves). To be honest, given the sound I heard at the concert (and I admit I am partial to live performances) Silversun Pickups were a perfect compliment to Muse with their high energy, fast rock. I couldn't really make out any words in that auditorium, none with any meaning to me at least. I did notice that their drummer seems to have the highest crash of any drummer I've ever seen play. He was literally reaching over his head with hook shot like motions to hit this thing. Overall a good set.


Throughout the Silversun Pickups' set, I was taking notice of these three towers on stage. I leaned over to my friend and told him I really hoped that they were going to light up. I was not disappointed. As the music started with that familiar keyboard riff, the towers lit up like buildings. The LEDs changed to a picture of staircases with silhouettes marching up the stairs. Eventually those silhouettes began falling and as they did, so did the LED screens, to reveal that what I thought were towers were actually three platforms with three huge LED rigs hanging above them. I don't think I've ever seen such elaborate set design that was set up for such a spectacle. Almost immediately the crowd was immersed in a lattice of eerie green laser light. If my mind was already shattered by the lights and spectacle, the shredding guitar and lead vocals of Matt Bellamy pieced it back together pretty damn fast. Now I've always really enjoyed Muse and their high energy songs that are so epic they border on rock opera; but to see it in this venue like this, any words I tried to use would only short changing the experience. I should however mention that I had already bought merch for some friends of mine for one reason or another could not make the show; but after seeing the opening I had to leave and buy a shirt for myself.

The platforms lowered to the stage (a relief because I was wondering if they were just going to stay on these pedestals throughout the night), and the show really kicked off. I've often told people that if I could play guitar, I'd love to play the guitar the way Erik Bruner-Yang of Pash plays guitar. I can now expand that to Matt Bellamy. During an extended solo, Bellamy drops to his knees for an extended shred. Who does that any more? Not many shows that I see. Not any more. This was only a prologue to the archetypical rock show that was in store for me.


Keeping with Bellamy and his showmanship, let us please discuss the piano. I noticed that they had supplementary musicians located in the back of the stage, one of which was playing keys. I was hoping this did not mean I wasn't going to see Bellamy play. Luckily I was not let down in this area. Once again on the pedestals the band played through United States of Eurasia and Feeling Good. All the while, Matt Bellamy was playing on perfectly white grand piano. The piano was fitted with lights on the underside of the cover that lit up in correspondence to what he was playing. Showmanship. Learn it, other bands out there that aren't Muse.


I hope you don't think because I haven't mentioned them, that they weren't as good as showmen. Because bassist, Christopher Wolstenholme and drummer, Dominic Howard deserve just as much praise. Bellamy even left the stage for a moment, leaving the two on stage to have their own rock out session. As if the pedestal were not cool enough, the center pedestal where Dominic was located had a second, circular pedestal on it. Christopher joined Dominic on this pedestal as it was lifted to its original height. The bass and drum duet that followed was incredible. And this sonic miracle to which we were being treated became one for the eyes as well as the thing started effing rotating! I'm pretty sure I died and went to heaven. Shows don't get any better than that. They just don't.

The band closed their encore out with one of my favorite songs, Knights of Cydonia. If you don't know what I'm talking about, do yourself a favor and watch the video. Again, as if the music wasn't incredible enough what I saw was icing on the cake. Hopefully by now you've checked out the video and can now understand why the fact that I saw kids in the pit galloping around on imaginary horses was all at once hilarious and awesome. At the end of the song, giant smoke geysers erupted all around the edge of the stage. Perfect end to what I would call the perfect show.

The Oscars: Live...Sorta

So it's the Academy awards and I've decided to blog and write down my impressions as they happen:

- NPH when is he going to go crazy with a Broadway show?
- Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have amazing chemistry
- What's with Clooney's face? I think this is a bit but have no idea to what
- That's a bingo! Christoph Waltz should be up for best actor. Period. Great acceptance speech and can't believe he stuck with the expedition theme throughout. I really hope he breaks out here in the states.
- I didn't realize that John Hughes was responsible for so many of the movies I loved from my youth.
- I really want to check out this Secret of Kells flick. It looks like it's drawn by the same guys who did The Critic.
- Still haven't seen Fantastic Mister Fox and I really want to if anyone's interested.
- Big surprise, Pixar wins the best animated movie
- Is Jason Bateman with Jane Seymour?
- The animated shorts looked cool, how do you get to watch those?
- I'm pretty sure the guy who accepted for best documentary short subject was not expecting that lady running up at all.
- Ben Stiller in Avatar makeup is freakin' awesome!
- District 9 was a book?! What?! That's incredible, I want to read it.
- Lauren Bacall still looks like a classy broad.
- Really? A balls joke, Robin Williams?
- If Penelope Cruz is with Javier Bardem, they're going to make one hot Spanish baby.
- That's a whole lot of woman for that little man (on Monique winning Best supporting actress)
- Can someone please tell me what Lenny Kravitz is doing at the Academy Awards?
- Paranormal Activity parody murders me.
- Salute to Horror, awesome. Putting Twilight actors as the presenters makes me gag.
- Something hilarious about Morgan Freeman narrating an explanation on sound in movies.
- Looks like the Oscar's are running a little behind schedule if they're not rollin clips any more.
- Demi Moore is the exact same color as her dress.
- I always feel like these tributes to people who've passed in the past year are kinda scary.
- Dom Delouise is dead?
- The dance being linked with composed scores music does not look right. Well at least with members of America's best dance crews.
- There! A break in Clooney's caustic facade!
- It's not part of the Oscars, but now I want to watch ABC's Happytown
- You're right, Tyler Perry. I hope they never say your name at the Academy Awards again, ever, either.
- They're really running over time if they're cutting off the whole announcement who wins.

--This is where I asked a room mate of mine to DVR the rest of the Oscars because I was leaving for some late night Korean--

- I didn't know that Quentin Tarrantino has one an Academy Award. Maybe it was for Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction.
- I feel it odd that they mentioned how many nominations the nation of Argentina has had as a whole.
- Poor Argentinian guy made an Avatar joke and no one laughed...also continued to get played off.
- After hearing Michelle Pfeiffer's praises for Jeff Bridges, I might just have to start taking "The Dude" seriously. I don't know if I like this.
- Finally George Clooney is smiling like he's actually amused.
- I really want to believe that Tim Robbin's anecdote about Morgan askin him to get him a cup of coffee and getting his name wrong actually happened.

--This is where my DVR cut off the Academy Awards because apparently it ran way over time...so now I'm angry but will give my impressions about what I learned about the rest of the awards second hand--

- Jeff Bridges wins an Academy Award for Best actor and I'm very pleased by that, as stated before, I'm not sure if I like having to take "The Dude" seriously.
- Sandra Bullock wins an Oscar for best actress. I'm sorry, I like her, I really do, but best actress? That accent alone should have excluded her from the running. I've never seen either The Blind Side or An Education, but I feel like I've heard way better things about that chick's performance.
- Kathryn Bigelow wins for best director. I think that's awesome. Not only did James Cameron not win, but his ex-wife beat him. On top of that, I'm pretty sure her movie beat his out in every category that wasn't special effects.
- The Hurt Locker wins best picture after yet another rushed presentation.

I have to admit this was the least prepared for any Oscars I've been in recent years. I think this is in part to a huge reduction in me going to see movies in theaters, and a lack of people with whom to see them. I'm excited for this upcoming year's movies and blockbusters. I already hope that costumers for Alice in Wonderland get a nod next year.

Death of a Dream: An Outsider's Standpoint

If you've known me for some time, chances are I've forced this band down your throat at one point or another. I discovered Pash in college. At the time, the members were students at Mary Washington College, where I went to school. I saw them play at the school's smaller venue, The Underground, and was instantly hooked. With speedy geometric guitar riffs and poppy hooks, it was hard not to catch everyone in the crowd personally rocking out at one point or another. I've followed them relatively closely since I graduated, spreading the word as best I could, taking friends to shows when they would relent. I've watched them grow and mature and develop a sound that I find comparable to DC legends, The Dismemberment Plan, or garage bands gone dancy like Gossip, or The Kills.

I've never been really talented, musically speaking. It's been frustrating for someone like me to love it so much, and not be able to create anything significant. I've often compared myself to Salieri; but even that is generous. At least, Salieri had a modicum of musical talent to compose. The height of my compositional career has been whistling aimless tunes on my way to work or writing parodies of pop music to cater to servers. I've been a nerd my entire life desperately wanting to be cool, but never really doing anything about it. By knowing members of Pash on a peripheral basis (friends of friends, etc.), I had come to live vicariously through them, an outsider looking in. So tonight, at their last show, I found myself feeling a loss akin to having your team miss the playoffs. Having missed final shows before (Dismemberment Plan and the Low Life) I was glad that I would be able to attend their last show.

I, as was I'm sure at least some of the band, was hoping for a fun show to send off lead singer, Merideth Munoz, to Austin, TX. Maybe there would be some funny stories, some unreleased songs, and even some kind of final goodbye to fans. What we all got, was something else entirely. While the show did provide the fast, noisy pop that I had come to love, the interludes were much like watching a dysfunctional family at dinner. I cannot speak to the inner workings of the band itself as I've never really been close with anyone in the band. I may have had a few conversations with members before or after shows, but nothing too deep. I can only speak from an outsider's perspective and only guess at the motivations behind some of the behaviors of the band members.

I was able to speak very briefly with lead guitarist, Erik Bruner-Yang, before the show. He could only comment on how tired he was as evidenced by the McCafe coffee in his hand. I don't know if it was this information that influenced my perception, but I could sense a certain weariness in his performance. Erik plays with a frenetic energy that I often describe to people as the way I wish I could play guitar. You just don't see people play guitar with this kind of energy anymore (save for a few exceptions). Pogoing, kicking, throwing the guitar about, Erik moves across the stage like some kind of graceful musical twister. Tonight was different. It seemed more subdued; he spent a lot of time with his back to the audience. There were bursts of the kind of energy I had come to expect, and a genuine smile even crossed his face a few times throughout the show despite several drunken interruptions from bass player, Ryan McLaughlin.

In keeping with the metaphor used earlier, Erik was the dad who has already checked out of the family but is occasionally reminded of why he loves it, dysfunctional as it is.

Merideth would have to be the mother of the family who just tries to get through dinner with as much grace as possible despite the flaming wreckage it has become. She has a voice that has the sweetness of cotton candy with the edge of whiskey reminiscent of Beth Ditto of Gossip; or Alison Mosshart of The Kills. While playing a shredding guitar of her own and dancing in a way that can only be described as spritely she manages to belt out songs that range from poppy ditties like Down, to ones with a more mature, serious tone like The Best Gun or Enough Said. Several times she had to power through McLaughlin's drunken interjections thanking fans and bantering with Erik and the crowd. Again, you could see something on her face that indicated this show as a relief. Even though it seemed as though she was glad to be moving on, there were still signs of fond memories coming to mind as she spoke of personal anecdotes about the band.

Replacing original bassist, Ryan Little, is Ryan McLaughlin long-time friend of Bruner-Yang. Ryan's band, Typefighter, played earlier in the night. He told the crowd that "I have a pass to get drunk tonight". And he did. Very. By the time he took the stage with Pash, he was dropping his bass, interrupting what looked to be meaningful moments for Erik and Merideth, and even having his mic muted at times. He tried several times to derail genuine moments for the band offering quick quips and sarcastic remarks, even calling other members of the band assholes in a way that says, "I'm just joking...but not really". If Ryan played a role tonight in the family, it would be the petulant child making a scene at the table because dinner isn't what he wants. It was kind of sad. Not in a pathetic way; but in a genuinely sad way. I felt as if Ryan was a child acting up at a divorce.

I'll admit I've never really known anything about the drummer that replaced John Bibb; but apparently his name is Joe "Or-something" (as McLaughlin put it). I felt bad for the guy. He just wanted to get through the gig, and Ryan was attempting to draw it out for as long as he could and make it as awkward as he could. At one point Joe even got up and unplugged Ryan's mic telling him to "just play the song". I remember walking by the Black Cat bathrooms on the way out with him sipping a dark beer with his arms crossed. "What's next for this one", I wondered.

I don't know if they'll ever read this; but if they do, I hope anything I've written hasn't offended, and if they want to put the record straight, they're welcome to contact me. Pash is defined as a passing infatuation as reference to how lead singer met lead guitarist. And while it may have been several years, perhaps this passing fancy has run its course for those involved. I think it's ironic that an obsolete definition of the word is to be broken to bits, as I feel Ryan feels the same way now. Erik plans to open a restaurant later this year on H St. NE here in DC. Ryan will continue to play with his other band, Typefighter. Merideth is moving to Austin, TX and I'm sure great things await her there. I'll probably try to follow each member's new efforts as long as I can stay abreast of them; but rest assured, Pash, that this is no passing fancy for me, and that you'll always have a special place in my playlists.