Tuesday, December 26, 2006

christmas

one of the only things my mom
ever stood up to fayez on
was christmas
she fought hard for our right to party
on D day
like regular american kids
we were already different enough as it was
i think she knew that not participating
in the biggest american holiday tradition
would have only further alienated her 4 children
i remember heated arguments about it
my dad fought her all the way
at least at first
and although she always backed down on everything else
she held her ground firmly on this
and now i greatly appreciate that
i guess she picked her battles wisely
and we got christmas
it came every year in the nourallah household
even though it wasn't supposed to
and the funny thing is
many years later
christmas became dad's most precious
and sentimental day
because it's a day we've shared as a family
ever since the beginning
of our family

i think this year was my favorite christmas
of all-time
i guess the reason being
our son is at the perfect age
watching him fill up with excitement
and wonder
was the best part of it all

Sunday, December 24, 2006

christmas eve

before i'd met my wife
somewhere between childhood
and twenty something
i'd lost christmas
something that used to be magical
wonderful
a beautiful day of peace
from this big bad ugly world
had been replaced by
bah-humbugs
and endless rants about
the over-commercial blah blah blah of it all
the spirit was gone from me
it was a drag
christmas had lost whatever meaning it once held
for me
before jayme
i'd never met any adult
who didn't have kids
that was so caught up in the spirit of this holiday
she loved it
the music
the lights
the giving
the fantasy of it all
i'll never forget our first christmas together
it was like discovering it all over again
we drove for hours listening to mellow music
and taking in the lights
and that year i had the biggest surprise for her
she wanted to be a pro photographer
but didn't have the lights she needed
i bought the whole kit she'd pointed out to me
one day when we were looking at photo gear
it was a pretty big box
i'd wrapped it at my folks house
and stored it there
until christmas eve
when i stashed it in my apartment
which was on the opposite side of the apartment complex
we both lived in (we'd met there too - about 4 months earlier)
anyway
that night i waited in bed until J was fast asleep
then edged myself slowly out of bed
i crept downstairs ever so slowly
i think it must have taken me half an hour to get
30 feet
then i ran all the way to my apartment in my pajamas
and coat in the freezing cold
lugged this gigantic box
up two flights of stairs
and into her apartment
i can't believe i never woke her up
the next morning the best christmas surprise
i'd ever pulled off
was waiting for her
she was floored
it was fun seeing someone i loved so happy
i think i'd finally got part of the point to it all
she ended up using those lights for 5 years
achieved her dream with them
so many photos taken with them
and this christmas i got her some
that are even better
i can't wait to see the photos she takes with them

it's christmas eve 2006
and all is quiet in my house
it's a cold rainy night
i'm having some warm tea
my son is in bed
hopefully
dreaming of all the robots santa is going to bring him
i watched him fall asleep earlier
in a state of blissful anticipation
tomorrow is going to be so much fun
not only for him
but for all of us

we have plenty of daily reminders
of why this world we live in
is sometimes a drag
no matter what your religious beliefs are
there is something to be had from
what this day does for children
for at least a little while
i'm going to lose myself in the spirit of it all

i hope you all have a wonderful christmas

love

salim

Friday, December 22, 2006

don't pick on 4th graders

i went down to club dada tonight
to see my friend danny delamatyr play
it's amazing what's going on down there
a. newman has breathed so much life
into these thursday night shows
incredible
such a great vibe
and so many friendly faces in attendance
sadly
if i'm not playing
i never go to deep ellum anymore
too much hassle
the thugs
and parking
the doug simmons cartel
why bother?
no fun
except these thursday night dada shows
now they are FUN
and this one was no exception
danny was spectacular
he played "every night" off of p.m.'s first lp
a great semi-obscure mccartney tune
performed effortlessly
and flawlessly
by my friend
i was proud
danny's own songs are really good
him holt and paul davis singing together
actually gave me the chills
that rarely happens to me
unless i'm cold
so go buy the sheers debut
it's good
look them up on myspace!
listen for free

afterwards
j.d.'s tunes came blaring out of the P.A.
they sounded GREAT
especially "face"
i was like a proud papa
which reminds me
gavin got to meet santa
at neiman marcus
around 1
we had to wait a while
santa was "on break"
but it was a historic meeting
the first time G didn't burst out in tears
instantly
upon meeting mr. claus
no
this time he was really excited
and happily told s.c. he wanted
"lots of robots for christmas"
and libbby the robot did this and that
and such and such
and poor old santa just nodded
and went along with it
he was a good sport
that santa
after that
we went to scalini's and i consumed an entire small pizza
and the guilt afterwards
overtook me
oh the guilt
it was a little weird
and i started thinking about my recurring
post unhealthy meal guilt tripping
that i've always had
let's see
ever since i was a child
why?
where did it come from?
oh
i remember now
i was a bit on the plump side
when i was in 4th grade
and the other kids
made fun of me
mercilessly
relentlessly
i remember this one kid in particular
darren durrell
nice name, huh?
i remember praying
actually praying
even though i wasn't entirely convinced
there was anyone listening
but i prayed anyway
for darren to please stop humiliating me
in front of my classmates
but he kept at it
day after day after day
it never stopped
so i decided to start playing basketball
to lose weight
and i played every day
at lunch
and afterschool
and i lost it
and then the only thing they could pester me about
was my lousy name
but ever since then
i've always been so paranoid
of gaining the weight back
and i'm always worrying
when i don't eat right
and it comes from these things
that happened as a child
kind of sad i guess
it's still with me
probably always will be

that's all for now
this blog has made me hungry!!!

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

tis the season to be busy

i feel like i just time warped
from saturday to tuesday
where'd it all go?
these last few days have been a blur of activity
saturday we went out to the gaylord ice sculptures
with L and L
i had a nice time because of the company
but i don't recommend it to anyone else
at $23 a person
plus hidden fees
it was $52 for 2 people
the whole thing smacked of rip-off
plus the gaylord resort is pretty much just that
gay
a super-sized overdose of texas camp
ice was the ploy that roped us in
it was worth a few laughs though
we were greeted by
happy shiny smiling singing and rapping teens
putting on a ridiculous dance pop christmas show
while we waited for our viewing time
lines full of bumpkins
ready for the ice spectacle of a lifetime
carved by little chinese men
imported for 2 yen an hour
and the all you can eat beef buffet
we were handed parkas that were more like windbreakers
leftover from a star trek episode
gold and black flimsy and shiny
supposedly our protection
from the 9 degree temperatures inside
the sculptures were nice but they forgot to do anything
about the sky
so it looked a little weird
in this carpeted convention center
with carved ice blocks
and a black tarp sky
G got stuck in the middle of the ice slide
but didn't complain
i think he just tried to go back up and start again
we came home and jayme made some curry
i felt like a stuffed footballer on turkey day
slumped on the couch and nodding off
we opened presents from L and L
in the glow of our christmas tree
G got in to this very much
and helped me open all of mine
we'd planned on going on the horse drawn carriage ride
through highland park
but when we looked it up online
the info said it was $135 an hour
we decided to pass
mainly because we were broke after the gaylord fleecing
so instead
we drove our own honda drawn carriage
right through highland park
at 10mph or slower
it was free
and odorless
a beautiful night

on sunday and monday night
i spent a lot of time working on my record
paul a. dropped by
with D.L. too
we worked on "days disappear'
lefler came over last night and we stayed up 'til
2:30 working on "it's ok to be sad"
my quiet is the new loud
i don't think i'm going to have a chance to do any more
until thursday
lot's of work
carter a. is coming over tonight
i'm anxious to get back to his record

i hope you've done all your christmas shopping
it's a zoo out there

Saturday, December 16, 2006

basking in the afterglow

i finally did it
it doesn't happen often
i played a set and enjoyed every last second of it
i felt satisfied afterwards
i was totally in the moment
lost
loving it
all your smiling faces
looking on
singing along
clapping your hands
some of you even dancing
it was one of the best nights EVER for me
thank you
my mom even came to see the show
she'd only been once before
as i told you earlier
el paso in '92
she had a great time
"you were soooo professional
and you looked very handsome and young..."
way to go with the compliments mom!!
the noise were as good as they've ever been
i think they cranked it up a notch for k
holt was on fire
stomping his pedals and making an atmospheric racket
then the next second playing the most beautiful guitar melodies
i've ever heard
daniel
singing along
quarterback on the drums
the epitome of cool behind the kit
richard
musical rock of gibraltar
never faltering
and a wry knowing smile whenever i looked his way
eric
dominated the bass guitar
so many complex lines
pulled off with power and finesse

today i'm basking in the afterglow
no work for me
i took the weekend off to visit with L and L
it feels great
we're going to go see the ice sculptures
maybe go for the horse drawn ride through highland park
to look at christmas lights
it's a beautiful sunny day
right now it feels more like summer
than the heart of december
it's the perfect day for a post gig party

for those of you who came out last night
thank you
it always makes me happy to see you
it was the perfect ending to an amazing year
i'm really excited about '07
there's still so much ahead

love

s

Friday, December 15, 2006

friday december 15

i stayed up late last night
doing some mixing
and song herding
now i'm back on the double album kick
i thought i'd made up my mind
i guess not...
so many songs i'm happy with
i've always loved the double
maybe i should just go for it?

L and L driving up from austin today
for the show tonight
it's been months since we've seen them
i'm really excited about hanging out
and playing tonight
there's still a 50/50 chance that kfn might come
that would mean a lot to me
i hope she's able to make it
i'm trying to get ameer to escort her
if miriam and kenny bail

the granada marqee says "sorta and salim"
so am i like sting now?
or even better
bono?
cher?
joined the ranks of the one-namers?
it cracked me up
i have to get a picture of it before they take it down

yesterday was another idyllic one
a sunny cloudless 70
G and i had the best time
doing not much of anything
we watched some christmas videos
and ate pizza
before i had to go out to the cave
J and G are having fun right now
i don't want to miss any of it
so i'll see you later!
maybe tonight?

love


s

Thursday, December 14, 2006

hit records

G money jabbed me in the ribs
all night long
so i'm feeling a bit like mo ali this morning

i don't know what came over me last post
i didn't quite feel like myself
it was like someone else
someone else named dave was writing those firm
yet poetic words
half Shakespearean
1/3 vermilion
i could've been a contender
now i'm a comedian

last night
matt john and i
agreed to launch HIT RECORDS
our motto...

"it ain't worth a shit if it's not a HIT!!!"

remember STIFF?
the only label ever with a personality
well
the plan is to shamelessly cop every move
STIFF ever made
including the signing of elvis costello and the damned
anyone know what they're up to these days?
'cause there's a new megalabel in town
looking to sign EVERYBODY without a deal
we offer no stiffs
only hits
we're already in litigation
with everybody
our interns
have gold records
our janitors
platinum
the medallions around my neck
didn't get there from mr. T concerts
HIT records is ready to conquer the universe
a kamikaze record label
with a barcode army

i'm getting really anxious about the show tomorrow night
my mom might even come
although i'm expecting a last minute bail
she's only seen me play once
which is one more time than dad
it was way back in '92
when the MF played el paso
i remember how excited she was after the show
she kept saying how impressive and professional we were
i'd like for her to see me now
that i'm myself
and not someone pretending to be someone else
i hope she decides to come

ok
gotta go work on my next hit record

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

barley hause thru mein little eyze

Wow
Some nights you want to go on forever
to never end
that's what forever means
I'm sure you know that
I don't mean to be condescending
That's when you talk down to people
If you didn't know
You probably did
I kissed Danny B last night
Not a soul kiss
I reserve those for J
Roberto really can't dance
And should never attempt the robot
Daniel
Chris
Eric
Are special people
But they're better than people
They're musicians
It may seem like I'm rambling
Lost
With No direction HOme
A Complete Unknown
I love Billy Joel
I bet you never thought I'd say that
I never thought I would, either
I blame it on the shots
Key Lime Pie
Not just one
Dos
That means "two" in espanol
That means Spanish
I'm not much of a drinker
I know my limit
And my limit knows me
We're close friends
Friends don't let friends drink two shots of key lime pie
My limit let me down last night
At least I kissed Danny B

http://www.lovedavelittle.com/

Monday, December 11, 2006

happiness is a warm cd

the pleasantry lane cd
has finally seen the light of day
looking good
like i knew it could
this cd was so easy to record
yet so difficult to get mixed
and released
it was recorded
june 22 24 and 30
way back in 2004
about 6 months after
i'd first started playing
with le polaroids
how could something so simple
have taken so long?

this was intended all along
to be for fans all over the world
(the few and the brave!!)
who would most likely never get to see me
perform with my band
maybe they'd imagined what our racket might sound like?
maybe they didn't?
i wanted to press a small number
only made available at shows
and online
the band had come up with several exciting re-workings
of songs that were recorded before i'd had the musical pleasure
of performing with steve meri john and jason (aka: the polaroids)
"missing funerals" is one good example
of how the polaroids' versions differ from the original recordings
the PL version bears almost no resemblance
to the acoustic guitar dominated version
found on my solo debut
dufilho and garner work a pumping drum and bass groove
while the last verse features one of my favorite guitar parts ever
with steve finger picking his italia ala: georgie harrison/guy chadwick
"model brothers" is also radically transformed
more like belle and sebastian
less like one nourallah with a casio
and beatbox
"she'd walk a mile" the accidental co-write from nourallah brothers
when my melody stuck in f's head
after i'd played him "1967"
and s.w.a.m. came to him the next day with same melody
different words
a better song than '67
i'd always wanted to sing this one
so now i do

PL's "a way to your heart" is loosely inspired by n. finn's live
"i got you"
did you ever hear that?
better than the enz version i think
with thumping drums and more atmosphere
speaking of mr. finn
my friend scott mcpherson
who played with neil around one nil
and also with elliott smith
happened to be passing through dallas with blue eyed son
when we were making these recordings
i'd always wanted to play at least one of my songs with scott
so i eagerly asked him to jam "missing you" with us
steve and i knew it
but no one else did
we learned it on the spot
and recorded it
all in about half an hour
i think i prefer this version to the original
scotty p's drumming is just what it needed
"constellation" had been unreleased until now
it was supposed to be a nourallah brothers song
problem is
there was/is no nourallah brothers to record it
so i played it with the polaroids anyway
its title is the name of the street where i grew up
in el paso
most of my pre-adult life was spent there
i like this song but all atempts at recording it
have been aborted by me
including a recent one for snowing in my heart
i now kind of regret including it on the PL disc
my only second guess
oh well
i hope you enjoy my regret!
the live version of "a family disease" rocks
another example of how radically different a great band
can make a song sound
the polaroids' impromptu jam at the end
franz ferdinand style
still makes me smile
the snippets of sound
in between songs
is my favorite part of the record
i also love the photo on the back
taken of us at art con 1
texas theatre
last december

i miss the polaroids
i think we've sadly played our last show together
as jason g. is now in san antone
so this cd is a document of something
that no longer exists
and for those of you who never got to hear us play together
all the better that this cd made it out!
it's a nice aural snapshot of songs played
by a group of people at one point in time
the noise is going to inherit some of these tunes soon
a couple will even be dusted off this friday night
at the granada
but there will never be another group like the polaroids!!!

a footnote
for those of you who haven't been to my studio
the album cover is a painting that hangs
over my piano (which faris wrote his first 3 records on)
and dominates the main recording room
it was made by an old friend of mine
j. hawkins
after i told him
"happiness is a warm gun" was my favorite song
on the beatles' white album

Sunday, December 10, 2006

party mission accomplished

it was a christmas party weekend
friday night
we attended the bales and revival party
the revival has no religious connection
they are a band
it was nice to get out with jayme
and socialize a bit
i've never been to a white elephant swap
that was more bizarrely fitting
kiss "the trivia game"
went to the kiss maniac
"the good the bad and the ugly" dvd for johnny
who happened to have it on his ringtone
"zoolander" for brian
whose fiance had been calling him that for months
the bath extravaganza for jayme
perfecto for her
i picked bath products too
handed them straight away to a thrilled jayme
more perfection
last night we went to the bend studio party
with lindsay and andria
G money dropped off at the granadparents
to spend the night
i think this has only happened 3 times
in 3 years
so we were gonna rip it up for sure
a very lovely and mellow scene at the studio
people sipping wine and nibling on the vast assortment
of treats
the spread was fantastic
we saw the entertaining commander steve
r.r. made a rare and welcomed social appearance
i ate rollled grape leaves to my heart's content
bend always makes me feel at ease
peaceful and relaxed
it was nice to hang out there in the dim soothing candlelit room
and not play
i was feeling very peaceful and pleasant
we got a spontaneous invite to aubrey's birthday party
on marquita
so around 11 we left for that
it was in full swing when we arrived
loud and hopping
music jamming on the stereo
a gigantic bowl off egg nog
looking like cake batter
a crotch sniffing hound with no shame
holt was festive
and apologizing for his alcohol consumption
jayme started getting revved up
the pace of her speech doubled
the pitch of her voiced a bit higher
it was fun to see her having so much fun
i was happy just to be out
amongst friends
but we couldn't be tied down to one party for too long
we were party hopping fools
on a hangout mission
just past midnight we headed to barley house
to see i love math
it was a mob scene there
jenkins holding court in the back
at the bowling machine
with sidekick nick
various ex-members of the d.r.d. scattered about
throngs of inebriated SMU kids
one of them took a head first dive on the concrete floor
behind roberto
then sat for 15 minutes in a wobbling daze
it all could have been annoying if i'd been in the wrong mood
but fortunately
i was in the right one
i enjoyed watching all the carrying on
math sounded great
although i wish i could've actually seen them
the standing crowd blocked any view of the sitting band
they rolled through tunes on the record we made together
a great record
i hope it finds its way out into the world someday
we finished it over a year ago!!
then before we knew
the blaring lights were on
big bartenders screaming for us to get out
one pushed my shoulder
they looked more than slightly aggitated
and aggro
so we didn't linger long
off into the night
christmas party mission accomplished

Friday, December 08, 2006

the drum light at the end of the funnel

ok
cross all fingers and toes for me today
the pleasantry lane cd is supposed to arrive
re-pressed
error free
and looking fabulous
just in time for the year ending show
at the granada theater
next friday
paisley pop
has generously paid for the 2nd run
even though we've sold none of the first batch
so hopefully i can help make up lost for them ground
soon

yesterday double r and i
had a really good marathon recording session
probably the most productive day i've had yet
d.h. came over first
we toweled up the drums
got them nice and super dead
then he contributed greatly
to the continued rehabilitation
of "the terror"
this song has become "the otherside"
of "snowing in my heart"
a real beast
at 90 tracks
and going strong
the computer has even started having problems playing it back
the file is too large
this almost never happens around here
we've had to start submixing to get it to play!
i scrapped terror once but came back to it
because i think it's worth getting right
now it's slowly edging its way back on to the record
we'll see...
"this soft existence" also got some drums
compliments of daniel
that one is pretty much finished now
only in need of a bit of mixing
do you remember the poem?
first seen on this very site

i've been concentrating heavily
on the back half of the record now
i've had the first 4 tracks ready to go for some time
"hang on"
"so down"
"the wicked are winning"
"don't be afraid"
i felt like i wanted one more really strong tune for that group
and we finally got it down yesterday
dufilho came over after daniel split
and we started "days disappear"
i think this one is going to be a good one
we'll see
don't want to jinx it
it'll also be a bit of a surprise
for some people
who've been listening to my music over the years
you'll see
be patient...
(a hint: it's not a rap tune!!)

today jason garner is coming over
he's escaped S.A. for a week
to work on the new deathray davies record
and he's taking some time this afternoon
to come help me start one last song
for snowing
"it's ok to be sad"

it really is
even though happy is a lot more fun

have a good friday
maybe see you at a christmas party soon?

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

denton (still sucking wind)

why do they still ask me to play denton?
too many painful memories
i'm going back to those days
so i can get it all out of my head
then i can walk away from them right?
and never go back

we had this metal storage shed
on the edge of town
that we used to rehearse in
it was truly charmless
once we got started making our racket
the drums sounded like metallic canons
the cymbals
reflecting off of the tin walls
so you could shave your eardrums with them
no immenities
no air conditioning
vicious in the summertime
we had to play with the doors open
but it was still blistering
dust got on all our amps and guitars
no heat too
froze our asses off in the winter
sometimes we'd just cancel practice
because we couldn't bear to go suffer
the elements
and horrible sound
i remember the girlfriends coming by the shed once
to listen to our new tunes
i don't think they lasted long
rich
our drummer (aka: the sproutman)
was a charming and funny fellow
with a kind narled face
and large round nose
just like ringo
he talked really slow
in an "aw shucks" kind of manner
he always had lots of funny stories
and wry insights into life
and this chuckle
i can't imitate on this keyboard
but it was one of a kind
i always loved rich
he was a great guy
and still is
lives in S.F. and we're still friends
almost 20 years later
too bad rich wasn't much of a drummer
we worked him and worked him and
worked him
made the poor guy practice with headphones
to our favorite records
chained him too a click track for hours and hours
still
he could never 'get it'
he just didn't have it in him
even after buying the big red yamaha drumkit
that faris had sold his car for
rich sounded like a mouse
tap tap tapping on those
powerful looking drums

there aren't many people in my life
left over from those days
ken b. is one of the few
rob rich and ken
shared a house together
it was sort of like animal house
ken was always on the couch
drunk
or stoned
dishes piled high in the sink
months worth of them
totally disgusting
and they never took out the trash
it was everywhere
beer cans
candy wrappers
fast food remains
you name it
it was on their carpet somewhere
i didn't even know ken played a musical
instrument
or did anything at all
other than drink beer
until years later i saw him playing the guitar
with old 57s
i'd met rhett and murray
before they even knew ken
while i was riding around with rich one day
in his sprout truck
i have no idea why i was on his route with him
i must've been really bored
i mean REALLY BORED
i did live in denton after all
we were hitting all rich's exciting dallas stops
whole foods
and tai restuarants
then we stopped by this house
off of lower greenville
very close to where i live now
and there was murray
sitting indian style in the middle of the living room
hair down to his ass
plucking a sitar
sometimes when i see him play with the 67s
i still see that vision of him
and have a good laugh to myself
i don't remember rhett much
other than he was always really nice
and very pretty
i'd run into him at clearview sometimes
and he was always so polite
asking what we'd been up to
really listening
no L.S.S. (lead singer syndrome) for him
rhett was always kind
and always considerate
i had no idea that years later
we'd end up such good friends
go to japan together
play conan
travel all around the u.s.a and canada
and even make records
funny how we met
way back then

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

the lost denton years (numero uno)

going back
back back back
back to bad years
the denton years
why do i avoid this place like the plague now?
turn down any and every offer to play there
well you see
i want to forget it ever existed
i've banished it
like a blight on my memory
the place may not be so bad after all
but it represents misery to me
my empty wasted years
the lost years

first observer i ever picked up was in denton
edie brickell and the new bohemians
they were on the cover
i remember reading about them blowing
part of their big record advance
on motorbikes
it didn't seem like i would like their music
by the looks of them
i was right
still don't
hippie jam band tripe
and denton was full of that stuff
denton denton denton
oh how i hate thee
your one-way streets
empty at night
all the little commuters gone and left you
for the weekend
no place to go
driving in a square
round and round and round
dreaming of escape
up elm
down maple
through the campus
past the burger king
back around again
no fun at all
no music i liked
at least when i was there
only the funky
like billygoat
or the grungy
and nowhere good to play either
rick's place
frat central
was the only room with a decent p.a.
but they treated us like spacemen there
and we never got paid anything
the red rooster
was a barn we played
with pop poppins
in their high socks
up to their knees
and frocks
they were good
and quirky
two weirdo brothers
like us
dr. smith's
a converted pizza hut
run by this bizarre nigerian transplant
with a heavy heavy accent
he was a real character
that dr. smith
fast talking and underpaying
i first saw mexican chicken there
looking like spinal tap
hard rocking tongue in cheek
derek welch (now known as ricki derek)
was the frontman
swinging his long black wig
side to side
his between song banter was hilarious
he still has the touch to this day
with his cabaret performances
(he later went on to direct the world renowned
"the world is full of people who want to hurt you" video)
i noticed their lead guitarist
was pretty good
tall skinny kid
sporting a vest
with no shirt
i introduced myself after the show
asked him if he was in a "real" band
"nope" he said
i went home and told my brother about him
we were looking to sack swenson
who'd moved up from el paso to play guitar in MF
he was so timid
and couldn't write parts
we invited tommy to come over to our apartment one afternoon
to jam on some of ours songs
i remember peering out of the stained yellow mini-blinds
waiting for him to roll up
how were we going to tell poor james he was out?
it was going to break his heart
another notch in our bad karma belt
contributing to the ongoing curse of the moon festival
that would follow the band around
even until after it was dead and gone

Saturday, December 02, 2006

dallas music revue

saturday was another great day
and night
G and i went
to william and meridith's
birthday party
we'd had an invite to look at for 2 weeks
with pictures of W and M's heads
put on stick figures
G had never met them before
he would pick it up from time to time
and ask
"who's that dadda?"
that's william and meridith
we're going to their birthday party saturday
"we will have birthday cake?"
yes gavie - we will have birthdaycake
when we got to the party
he wanted to meet them straight away
he knew their faces well by now
after formal introductions
the games begun
jumping in the bouncatorium
swinging
sitting on the frog
building a castle with alphabet blocks
then the grand finale
the eating of THE CAKE
and chocolate ice cream
G got a pair of blue maracas
to boot
as a parting gift
after that we went down to soundcheck/rehearsal
at the sons of hermann
i ran through my two songs with the band
i knew he'd been wondering why i'd been listening
to these 2 songs
over and over again in the car
non-stop
when we started in on the first one
he was sitting in front of the stage
and i saw the twinkling look of realization
he got up and joined me onstage for the next tune
"dadda - picka me up!"
i sang "western union"
holding him in one arm
as he sucked his thumb diligently and look all around
at what was going on onstage
it was probably the best musical moment i've shared
with my son so far
a magical moment for me

the show was another barnburner
highlights for me were
holt doing meatloaf
balis sounding exactly like junior brown
carter's soulman singing
bobby patterson capped off the night
with some old bluesman lunatic stage banter
and great singing
shibboleth were amazing (as always)
even bobby noticed
everyone was phenomenal
a good time had by all
and for a good cause too

it's been a great weekend
and we still have sunday ahead of us
i hope you're enjoying your life too

love

s

art conspiracy II

last night
was full of those beautiful moments
i didn't want to go by so quickly
i tried to slow them down
i tried really hard
to take in every sip
slowly
like a fine wine
it didn't work
it sped past before i knew it
over and done with
saying our goodbyes like we'd just arrived
and now i'm here
the next morning
trying to put it all down for you

i'd been going on and on
about how cool art conspiracy was
ever since last year
the first one was held at the texas theater
where oswald was arrested
i even used a photo taken of me and the polaroids
that night
for the back of the pleasantry lane cd
such a cool setting
and that old theater had an amazing vibe
history had been made there
art colliding with rock'n'roll
like the '60s
unlike any event i'd ever attended
we could've been in london
or new york
but not in paris
not enough berets
it was adventurous
and classic
so
ummmm....
pardon me...
un-dallas

but then again
if we pause long enough to really look
at this "scene" of ours
it's rife with talented
underappreciated musicians
and artists
art conspiracy is the proof
that they're out there
lurking in the cultural underbelly
of metroplex USA
conspiring
to make something cooler than
big addison hairdo's
and jerry joneses
and suburbia
and hick accents
and bizarre texan spectacles like
carrie underwood performing in her underwear
with a bunch of cheesed out turkeys
in texas stadium
do not forget
there is an alternative
alive and kicking here
fighting for something else
other than the ridiculous true to life texas stereotype
we're surrounded by on a daily basis
art conspiracy is a big part of the fight
for an alternative

i loved the bizarre texas vibe of the longhorn ballroom
i'd been watching footage of the sex pistols
playing there
ever since i was a teen
they came in '78
sid bleeding profusely
from a punch from a girl
horrible sound
things being hurled their way
as rotten egged the crowd on
every inch of the way
with a shaking fist and a snarl
it was a legendary collision of london punkart revolution
and texas
they came to wave their middle fingers
at texas' fat bloated ass
it made an impression
that has lasted over 30 years
hard to believe it was that long ago...
the LHBR looks like it hasn't changed a bit
since that very day
it's frozen in time
a relic from the past
texas style
from the gigantic cow that graces the entrance
to the rodeoesque decor that adorns the place
the comedy factor of this room
is immense
it was perfect
6 or 7 stations
displayed the works
that would be auctioned off to the highest bidders
they were spread throughout the vast ballroom
which looked about as long as a football field
probably specially designed
to those exact dimensions
for rabid cowboy fans
looking for a good boot scoot
the bands played on the highest stage i've ever seen indoors
in front of the sunken wooden dance floor
tailor made for those boot scootin' cowboys
in tight wranglers
with their big haired women

jayme spent thursday
freezing her ass off
'cause the ballroom owners couldn't be contacted for
HEAT
working on her wonderfully dark/funny painting
(top right)
i was so proud of her
it was the coldest day of the year
and she and her fellow art comrades
were dedicated enough to go do that
to try and do something
to help make a better community
for us and our kids to live in
$210 from her put toward the cause

tonight we rock for the homeless
sons of hermann hall
the dallas music revue
come out and feed your dollars to the revue
so they can help feed others