Music For Black Friday

Holidays are on their way, these decorations have so much to say.

"In The Mall," Weezer

I personally don't brave the mobs to hunt down bargains on Black Friday, if you do, may I suggest downloading Weezer's song, "In The Mall," into your ipod. This song takes me back to shopping days of yore, when my biggest concern was sneaking a box of Mike & Ike's Hot Tamales candy into the movie theater for the premiere of The Princess Bride.

Have a wonderful Thanskgiving holiday, everyone.

Full Moon Howl

How do you improve a Weezer concert? Make it a Bleezer show, by having Weezer open for the reunited band, Blink 182. Those two alternative rock bands' songs go together like ying and yang. Throw in Chester French and Taking Back Sunday--two other fun bands to hear live--and you got yourself a great concert lineup.

And, thanks to internet-enabled phones, college football fans didn't have to choose between seeing the concert or the much-anticipated University of Colorado/Colorado State University game going on at the same time. "CSU won!!!" a slightly drunk, very happy alum told me in a stunned voice, after checking the final score on his Blackberry. I pictured my brother, another CSU alum, jumping up and down for joy over the news back at home.

Other than the $9 beers, there wasn't too much to complain about at this concert/sporting event/tailgate party. Near the end of the show, Blink's lead singer Tom DeLonge pointed out how pretty the full moon looked. "Hold up your cell phones so they look like stars!" he told the crowd. We happily obliged.

I Want This Job

Last weekend I watched a recap of the Glastonbury 2008 Festival on Palladia. The band Goldfrapp did its song, Happiness, and I perked up. Not because of the song, but because of the dancers in rag costumes. What a sweet job! These people danced so crazily they started to look like those spinning sponges in an automated car wash.
How could you develop stage fright when you're in a costume that completely masks your identity? There's no pressure whatsoever--you just get paid to have some crazy dancing fun.

A Hippie-Style Hootenanny

You can take the boy out of Kentucky, but you can’t take Kentucky out of the boy, especially when it comes to music. My husband is a big fan of bluegrass music, and has converted me over the years. Fortunately, Planet Bluegrass offers a few bluegrass festivals in Colorado, the biggest being The Telluride Bluegrass Festival. It also produces Rocky Grass, a three-day bluegrass festival in Lyons, Colo., which is about an hour north of our home. We had fun at the festival we went to a couple of years ago, so we decided to go again last Friday.
Since then, bluegrass music seems to have grown wildly popular because the festival was jam-packed. Either that, or people just want an excuse to drink beer and wear Grateful Dead t-shirts over their swim suits while they wade in a stream.
As much as I wanted to feel the love, I just felt stressed. Making my way through a swarm of mellow, happy people with two hot, whiny kids in tow wore me out.
But once we set up base camp under a tree, I could listen to the music and knit while Ethan and James played in the stream next to us. Finally, the mellow, hippie vibe took hold.

Weez Going To See Weezer

Weezer is on tour with the reunited band, Blink 182, and—you guessed it—I got tickets to see them Labor Day weekend. Unlike all the trauma-drama I went through to get tickets for my first Weezer concert, this time around was smooth sailing. The radio station, 93.3, which is sponsoring the show, gave away 500 lawn seats for an affordable $20 each before the tickets went on sale to the public on Saturday. So I went to Ticketmaster’s web site, typed in the password “dammit,” and got two tickets for $46 total! These aren’t great seats—we’re waayyy in the back of the venue. But the bargain hunter in me trumped my inner groupie this time around.

No Way!

Today in my car, listening to Denver's Indie 101.5, I had what NPR calls a drive-way moment. The station's morning DJ, Whip, shattered all my preconceptions of the band when he said the lead singer of the Silversun Pickups is a MAN!
"You're kidding me!" I exclaimed to James, whom looked at me like I needed a life. Once I got home, I check the band's web site, and, sure enough, I watch Brian Aubert, a man with the most feminine voice I've ever heard, sing "Lazy Eye."

The Cuteness Factor

I really like the Tennessee-based band, Kings of Leon. Their good looks and catchy riffs help them get away with lyrics like, "your sex is on fire," which my friend said, makes her think the singer is having intimate relations with an STD-infected woman.

Insanity's Song

On days when I repeatedly tell my sons to put their shoes on, it’s time to go, and they give me the “make me” look, I listen to “My Name Is Jonas” from Weezer’s Blue album. The song is about a guy who’s losing it, probably from taking too many drugs. While I can’t relate to the cause of his dilemma, I sure can emphasize.

Here is my favorite verse from the song:

My name is Wepeel
I gotta box full of your toys
They're fresh out of batteries
But they're still makin' noise (makin' noise)

Battery-free toys still making noise—to me, that aptly describes a rattled mind. Plus, my sons actually have a few battery-operated toys that make noise even when I think they are turned off. Scary.

Click here for more Musical Monday.

Best Seats In The House

Bruce Springsteen, one of mine and Terry’s favorite performers, is coming to Denver April 10. Terry half-heartedly looked into getting tickets a couple of weeks ago, but the show was already sold out. We made a half-hearted effort because, even though it would be awesome to see The Boss live, between paying a babysitter and shelling out at least $65 a ticket, it would cost more than we would want to spend.
Luckily, since we’ve upgraded our cable TV, we’ve found the next best thing to being there. We saw Springsteen in concert at Madison Square Garden via are our new favorite station, Palladia. This station shows concerts and rock documentaries. And, I’m not talking “The Best 100 Heavy Metal Songs,” which VH-1 plays weekly. Since I’ve discovered Palladia, I’ve seen concert footage of some of my favorite groups—Green Day, Oasis, The Raconteurs, even that group near and dear to my heart whose name starts with a =W=.

The other evening I watched the 2008 Glastonbury music festival on Palladia, whose lineup consisted, among others, Amy Winehouse, The Raconteurs and The Verve. The folks at this three-day music fest looked pretty happy scrunched up next to each other in a massive field, rocking out. But, as lame as it sounds, I was perfectly content watching Jack White play while I folded laundry in the comfort of my home.
Hey, as long as you’ve got one of these, it’s all good.

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Interactive Metronome therapy—what is it and how can it help kids with autism? Click here to learn what I found out about it.

Serendipity

I’m doing my usual thing, which is listening to 93.3 on the radio while I drive my kids around town, and I hear the DJ state that 93.3 plays more Weezer than any other station in the country. “So if you’re a Weezer fan,” he said a little sheepishly, “listen to us!”
You bet!! Ethan's narrow taste in music won't allow me listen to any other radio station while he's in the car. Plus, it was while I had my chauffeur hat on that

• I heard my first Weezer song, Pork and Beans,


• which made me buy their Red Album,


• which made me go to their concert in the fall,


• which made me buy all their previous albums,


• which made me mention them so much on my blog it might as well be a mini-Weezer fan site.
  

How fortunate am I that I can get a daily Weezer fix while schlepping my kids around suburbia?

That's what I'm talking about: serendipity.

He Said What?

Last week the radio station 93.3 gave away tickets to the upcoming Rise Against concert in Denver. Not only did winners have to be caller #9 to win tickets, but they had to listen to a verse of a Rise Against song and sing the rest of the lyrics.
That didn't sound too hard, especially if you're a huge fan of group, as these people claimed to be. But every day, the DJ nixed two or three hopefuls before someone got the lyrics right. Is stating the exact lyrics to a song really that hard?
I decided to test how well I knew the lyrics to one of my favorite Weezer songs, Pink Triangle, which is about a guy whom falls for a lesbian. Here's what I think the chorus is:

I'm dumped, she's a lesbian
I thought I had found the one
We were good as married in my mind
But married in my mind is no good
Pink triangle, honestly,
Let me know the truth.

How did I do? Not so good:

I'm dumb, she's a lesbian
I thought I had found the one
We were good as married in my mind
But married in my mind is no good
Oh, oh, oh pink triangle on her sleeve
Let me know the truth.

I don't feel too bad about thinking singer Rivers Cuomo said "honestly" instead of "on her sleeve"--the word "honestly" doesn't change the meaning of the verse. But why did I think Cuomo said dumped--why would a lesbian dump a guy?

I knew I'd get the "married in my mind" line right because it makes me laugh every time I hear it. I've yet to hear a better description of unrequited love.

From The Mouths Of Rock Stars

I had been moping a bit around the house yesterday. With the Weezer concert over with, life here feels a bit like the day after Christmas. You know, that feeling of magic evaporated because there's nothing left to look foward to except the daily grind. And frankly, reality at the Bowen household hasn't been too fun, lately. Ethan's autism has made first grade a difficult adjustment. Going from a three-hour day of kindergarten to a full day of school has been stressful for him. He's got the social pressure of trying to interact appropriately with his peers, as well as academic stresses of learning to read and write. Every evening we have to coax him to do 40 minutes worth of homework--not a fun task.
My anxiety from dealing with these issues has pushed me to the point where I don't enjoy being with Ethan lately. I know that sounds awful, but it's true. I've been looking forward to my time away from him, like at this Weezer concert, where I can leave mommyhood behind and just be for a while.
I never expected Weezer to make me confront my parenting problems. But in the middle of the concert, Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer, talked to the audience about how he and his family spent their day off from the tour at a water park in the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska. He mentioned how his 17-month-old daughter loved playing in the kiddie pool, and how much fun he had trying out the water slides. How ironic--every week I take my kids to a pool with water slides. What's mundane for me is pure novelty for this rock star.
The next day, the image of the Cuomo family having a great time at some Nebraskan water park still haunted me. It made me think of when we took Ethan to a pool when he was a baby, and the joyous look on his face as he splashed around in the water. Those moments of sheer happiness between a parent and child are so fleeting you don't realize how precious they are until they are gone.
After all these years, Ethan still loves swimming. So this afternoon, when we do our weekly visit to the pool, I'm going to put all other worries aside and try to treat this fun time together as the gift it really is.

Weezer, Baby

Yes, this much blogged about event has come and gone. And did it live up to all the hyperbole in my head? I have to say it did. As you know, I don't get out on the music scene much, so I really don't feel qualified to write a critique of the show. Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer, had a head cold, which I'm sure affected the band's energy level.
Maybe my standards are low because it's been so long since I've seen a rock concert, but River's hoarse voice didn't deter from my overall concert experience. Like that "OMG--there they are!!" moment when the band you really, really like walks out on stage for the first time and starts to play. And belting out the words to all your favorite songs along with fellow giddy fans.

That beats singing along to a Weezer CD while you're chauffering your kids around town any day.

This Geezer Is Going To Weezer

Last weekend I told my 30-year-old brother I was going to the Weezer concert in October. He looked shocked and said, "I like Weezer." As in, "Holy crap, my over-the-hill big sister likes the same music I do???"

To be fair, I just started listening to Weezer this summer, thanks to Ethan, so my brother could have meant he didn't know I liked the group. We don't talk about music. But, the comment hit a sore point for me, which is, how do I age gracefully?

I'm 37 years old, been married almost 15 years, have two kids, a cat, a mortgage, a pathetic IRA for myself and modest college saving accounts for my sons. The last time I went to a real rock concert, I had a husband, a cat and school loans. I focused on working my way up the editorial ladder of some business-to-business magazine. In other words, all I had to worry about was myself.

Those were the days I should have been going to Weezer concerts, but I was too busy trying to get established in a career and accumulate assets, like our first home. Then it was time to procreate, and after Ethan was born, we were too tired and broke to go to anything except "sing-song time" at the library.

And that was fine, really. But fast-forward to this spring, when Ethan forced me to listen to KTCL every day while we were in the car because he can only stand to listen to alternative rock music. That's when I first heard "Pork And Beans" from Weezer. Ethan would be nodding his head to the song while I was tapping my hand against the steering wheel to it. I hadn't felt this spontaneous in ages. I HEART Weezer!

So when I heard they were coming to town, I had to go, and managed to get the tickets. Now that I'm going, I'm nervous. I know this sounds silly, but what do I wear to a Weezer concert? Like I said, it's been years since I've been to a rock concert. Plus, I'm going with my girlfriend instead of my husband. I'm planning on wearing a tasteful, yet flattering, black top with jeans and possibly high-heeled boots. I want to blend in, but not look like a COUGAR. Because, let's face it, looking hot at a rock concert at my age probably sends off a cougar vibe.

I feel frustrated that I have to worry about this! Like I said, it would have been so much easier if I had discovered Weezer in my 20's instead of my late 30's. But I don't think I could have related to Weezer in my 20's. Back then, Rivers Cuomo, Weezer's lead singer, wrote songs about loving his hash pipe and surfing. I lived in Chicago in my 20's and didn't smoke pot. But, in the "Red Album," Rivers, whom is 38 years old, sings about how he needs Rogaine and has to "work out at the gym to fit in my underwear." Now that's something I can relate to!

And if there's one thing I learned post-kids, it's to be a little more "carpe diem." I look back at all the weekends I spent "recovering" from a hard week at work, when I could have been a) training for a marathon; b) knitting that stupid Aran sweater I started when I got out of college; c) teaching adults how to read; or d) all of the above. I feel ashamed that I actually thought I was too exhausted back then to do those things, because no one knows the meaning of exhaustion until he or she is up night after night with an infant.

So now that I want to live my life more fully, I'm going to this Weezer concert whether I look like a poser/cougar/WHATEVER. Maybe aging gracefully is worrying less about what others think and, as Rivers puts it, "doing the things I want to do."

A Trip Down Neurosis Lane

Yesterday I played around on my computer until the clock struck 10:01 am. Then, trying to breathe normally, I logged onto Ticketmaster and scrolled down to the Weezer show. I found last week that in October Weezer was going to play at an auditorium about 10 minutes from my house, and I had to go. I'm not sure why this event became so do or die--midlife crisis perhaps? Or maybe it's because I haven't seen a rock concert in seven years? Probably both.

At any rate, I thought of nothing all morning except the moment I would buy my two Weezer tickets online. I saw that American Express cardholders could buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public on Friday, and I've got an Amex card! I clicked on the "look for tickets" button. I then typed in the security word and clicked the "continue" button. I watched a row of rectangles flash across the screen, then a message appeared: "You're order could not be processed, try again." So, I did. I got the same message. I tried again, and again, and again.

These are times when I wished I worked, because then I would have a boss looking over my shoulder, keeping me from fixating on these tickets. But, since I keep my own schedule, I can put everything else aside and drive myself crazy clicking buttons, typing in security codes and getting the confounded "try again" message over and over again.

I called my husband and bitched to him about it. "Why don't you try calling Ticketmaster?" he asked. Oh, yeah. That snapped me out of my delusional state.

After talking to a machine and still not getting tickets, I hit the star key for a customer service assistant. I told Laura my problem, that I couldn't get Weezer tickets even though I have an Amex card. "Oh, this offer is only for Blue cardholders," she said. "You'll have to wait until Friday when tickets are available to the general public."

What??? I tried to keep my voice from raising two decibels. "If that's the case, why does the web site say tickets are available for ANY American Express cardholder?"

"Oh, let me check." After a few moments, she said, "Sorry, it's just for Blue cardholders."

I wanted to strangle her through the phone. So Ticketmaster can post certain information on its web site, and have its customer service assistants give different information, and there's nothing I can do about it. At that moment, I knew I just had to let it go.

But thank goodness for blogging! Today I went back on the Ticketmaster web site to walk through the horrible ticket buying process again so I could write about it. But after I clicked the "continue" button, a new screen popped up. Two tickets were available! I had 2 minutes and 15 seconds to accept them. I looked at the page again to make sure I was reading it correctly. I managed to regain my composure and secure the tickets before the clock struck 2:15.

So all's well that ends well, and I'm going to the Weezer show after all. But it'll probably be another seven years before I go to another concert again. Ticketmaster took me to hell and back yesterday, and I'm just getting too old for that kind of stress.

"Heart Songs"

I'm a music glommer--I don't seek out new music, I just glom onto what someone else listens to. When I was a teenager, one of my sisters liked U2 and INXS, and another liked The Smiths and The Cure, so that's what I listened to. Then I met my husband, and he got me into classic country, like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, as well as bluegrass.

Now my 6-year-old son Ethan is influencing my musical tastes. Ethan started to like rock music last summer. Terry's acoustic collection didn't cut it for Ethan. The best we could come up with for him was Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA." Ethan loved that CD, and, after a while, I did, too. That album was so overplayed when I was a teenager, it was like background music to me. But listening to it now I began to appreciate Springsteen's songwriting abilities and became a major fan.

After a few months, however, Ethan wanted to move on from The Boss, so I asked my friend to help me out. Her husband has a huge music collection, and he made Ethan a mixed CD he called "HEthan Rock." Ethan loved it. That CD had a White Stripes song on it called Icky Thump. After listening to acoustic music for so many years, it was refreshing to listen to what Ethan refers to as "loud music." I bought Ethan the latest White Stripes CD, but listen to it almost as much as him.

Then Ethan got over the music CD thing when he listened the radio station KTCL. It only plays alternative rock music. While some of the songs have atrocious lyrics that make me turn off the radio, there are some good bands, such as Weezer. Ethan's graduation from kindergarten was my excuse to buy him their latest CD, The Red Album.

Even though Weezer has been around since 1994, I haven't heard of them until now. That's been the case for me all along my musical journey--I'm way behind the curve. I've still, however, managed to find what Weezer calls my "heart songs--they never feel wrong."