Summertime blues

I was afraid this might happen.

In recent years, I’ve gone to Summerfest wondering whether my run might end -- the kind of feeling I suppose an athlete has when his career is in its twilight. … At Summerfest, it’s the notion that the crowds appear to be getting younger and more immature, the music sounds louder and the array of bands less appealing.

Last year, when I went to the magnificent festival for a record-low two nights, I figured maybe the time had come. I figured my youth may have finally escaped me and my concert days were waning.

I prepared myself to move on … And I have. Literally.

Then Summerfest started rolling out its lineup for this summer …

Colbie Caillat. The Moody Blues ... O.A.R.! ... Sheryl Crow!! ... She & Him!!! (... A good read about She & Him in today's Boston Globe.)

A few weeks ago when Cubs tickets went on sale, I was gritting my teeth and doing all I could to hold back on purchasing a couple seats. The mantra “Wait ’til next year” has taken a whole new meaning now.

And then today, the most painful announcement of all. The New Pornographers are playing the Pabst Theater. The announcement via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ...

Indie-pop darlings the New Pornographers - made up of some of the best and busiest in the music scene - will play the Pabst Theater at 8:30 p.m. June 12. The eight-member outfit, including mastermind A.C. Newman and songbird Neko Case, releases its fifth album, "Together," in May.

The New Pornographers. Indie-pop darlings. Songbird Neko Case ...

The New Pornographers. A band that’s hovered around the top of my Concert Bucket List for a couple years now -- along with Matchbox Twenty (so close! ), Belle & Sebastian, The Weepies, Dave Matthews Band, Mates of State (whose “For the Actor” I've heard on multiple Royal Carribean commercials lately!) and The Shins (oh, oh, so close!)

Ugh.

Last night, an old friend of mine tweeted, "don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great."

When I saw her statement, I smiled and thought so true, especially right now ... But it won't keep me from thinking of ways I can still enjoy the great things that came with the good.

Hair goods

... I've long had a crush on Rob Thomas's hair. For as long as his music has been on the charts, I've wanted a hair cut like his.

Tonight, Phoebe was sporting it pretty good ...

Bummer Tuesday

… I’m officially bumming tonight.

… For weeks I had been looking forward to this night. I had a solid lead from a cohort on a ticket to tonight’s Matchbox Twenty / Alanis Morissette / Mute Math show in Milwaukee …

I’ve already seen Alanis and Mute Math, so that would have been a bonus to see them again. But it was the idea of finally crossing Matchbox Twenty -- one of my favorite bands of all time -- off my list of bands I must see before I die. For weeks I had been imagining the exhilaration of hearing and seeing the guys do “How Far We’ve Come” …

But it’s not happening.

And now we’re getting a snowstorm that’s supposed to drop like 22 inches on us before it's over.

Seriously, even as the snow was pouring down at 4 this afternoon I was looking out my office window and thinking, if she gets back to me before 5, I can still make it through the storm and get up there.

But it’s not happening.

I’m heartbroken for sure. It’s like The Shins downer all over again.

* * *

But 22 inches of snow? Right. I’ll believe it when I see it … Especially since that snow we were getting this afternoon has stopped.

And I’m not sure how much more of this crummy weather I can take. Getting up at 5:30 in the morning and killing my back to shovel …

Sunday night, in all the Super Bowl excitement, Kates and I had no idea it had snowed several inches until we started watching the local news and the station had a report on it. Then we looked out our windows and realized what we’d missed …

And then yesterday, after I’d gotten up early to shovel once more, we got a serious dose of rain. Cold, hard, pouring rain. Rain that was so harsh it was the definition of nasty.

I hate winter.

* * *

So now Kates and I have spent the night catching up on some TV …

First of all, last night’s Letterman.

His recap of the Giants’ Super Bowl run was HA-larious. Few people can tell a story like him …



And then Hillary Clinton was on -- one night before tonight's "Super Tuesday," no less … I’ll just say, I thought she was really impressive …

* * *

We finally got around to watching the "Lost" premiere (Seriously, it did strike me also that the premiere didn't open with another eyeball ...), too ...

I didn't immediately like it, but I'm thinking as I let it sink in over the next couple days it will grow on me ...

There were a couple mind-boggling things that smacked me the moment they were thrown, including Hurly yelling out that he was one of the Oceanic Six. The Oceanic Six!? Great, so only six people survive this whole ordeal!? And now we have to figure out who they are!?

And, whoah, how crazy are the flash forwards!? It changes the whole dynamic of the show! Now the island scenes are the flasbacks!

Also, for the record, I would have gone with Locke. He's been right on a whole lot of stuff -- when it's going to rain, Juliet being a traitor (going against The Others) ...

"Lost" reads ...
a 'Lost's' fab start to Season 4, and a chat with co-creator Damon Lindelof
a 'Lost': Questions We Need Answered
a Q&A: Michael Emerson on 'Lost'

Cranked up

The writer's strike continues. And the TV in our house tonight is off ...

Kates is celebrating the eve of her last master's class ... by putting the finishing touches on her final project ...

And that means I've got some me time. The amps are cranked and I'm spinning whatever moves me ... All day I was yearning for John Mayer's Continuum, so I popped that in soon after I arrived home tonight. Now Mute Math is playing (so good!!), and I think I'll be going with some Shiny Toy Guns after that ...

It's going to be a long night.

Man. Music is great.

* * *

Around this time in year's past, I've posted our Christmas wishes ...

Not this year, I've decided. With the sluggish economy and tightened budgets everywhere you look, it just seemed, well, selfish to post a list of things we want. Kates and I have resigned to the fact we won't be trading gifts this year ... We're having a baby and that's our gift!

In the midst of tightened budgets and baby talk, it's also me coming to the realization that a whole lot of things are going to be changing in the next several months...

There's been a good run of concert announcements lately that under other circumstances I'd be booking tickets for immediately ... But not this year. No matter how much I beg, Kates keeps shutting me down. She's good at keeping it real. If she can shut me down, she's got all the makings of a good mom ...

The Mute Math / Alanis Morissette / Matchbox Twenty show on Feb. 5 ... For several years now, Matchbox Twenty has been at the top of my list of bands that I'd like to see live before I die or they break up. And I badly want to see Mute Math again ... Not happening.

Or how about The 5 Browns on March 1. The dazzling piano quintet. That's sure to be an unforgettable show too ... Yeah, that one's not happening either.

And today came the announcment of Glen Phillips. The Toad the Wet Sprocket singer-songwriter. April 12. In Milwaukee ... We could be having a baby that very day. So that one's definitely not happening ...

Big sigh.

* * *

This one was too cool (and cute) to not post ...

Kates' mom is a big fan of the popular Jane and Kidd morning show and recently delivered some canned goods to their Stuff the Bus event. Chloe got to go along for the ride too ...

Said Kates' mom: "Jane ooed and aahed over Chloe, so I held her up to get petted. I told Jane Chloe was a long-time fan, and Jane said, 'Yeah, we're very popular with small dogs!' "

Good stuff. Here's the picture posted of them on the station's Web site ...

Taking in the 'Mountain'

... The DVDs sitting on our mantel have begun to stack up, and with no Cubs or Brewers games tonight, I was a perfect night to start watching ...

We popped in 'Brokeback Mountain.'

... I'd never been very excited to watch this movie. Yeah, it was highly-acclaimed, and yeah, it was nominated for a host of Oscars. But gay cowboys or not, for some reason it just didn't appeal to me. Still, I kept thinking at some point I was going to have to see it simply because it became such a talked-about, culturally-relevant film ...

One thing I'd heard over and over again about the film was how beautifully it was shot ... Um, yeah. That was evident just minutes into the film. Whether you like the film or not, at least it gives you two solid hours of amazing scenery ...

But it turned out I did like the film. Quite a bit actually (aside from that repetitive guitar strum theme music ...) ... Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, even more so, and everyone involved for that matter, turned in the performances of their careers. The characters mature in front of your eyes on the screen, while pulling you deeper and deeper into their relationships. And their stories tug at your heart strings every step of the way ...

That said, I still think Crash is the better film ... but, I have a better understanding of why Brokeback finished a close second ...

* * *

On a lighter note ...

When Kates and I turned off the DVD, the TV switched to the local PBS station where, lo and behold, an episode of Soundstage was featuring Rob Thomas ...

I gasped, seeing that there as only 10 minutes left ...

Catching my breath, I looked at the DVR and saw it had been recording the show the whole time ...

My face lit up. Be still my heart. We started it at the beginning and we're watching it now ...

I've always loved Matchbox Twenty and held a lot of admiration for Rob Thomas's music. The dude's a genius ...

On this particular show, he's appearing at the famed Red Rocks amid a roaring crowd. He's playing a wonderful mix of his new stuff and, in my opinion, his more superior Matchbox Twenty stuff. Mellow arrangements of Bent, If You're Gone, 3 a.m. and Smooth ...

Awesome.