Saturday night was amazing. For any of you live music nonbelievers, they played a completely different set. Between the two nights, I got to hear nearly everything the Ron Hawkins Acoustic Revue plays. (Including Jen’s favorite Low song….which they, uh…did NOT play. Yeah.)

And got some good news. Lowest of the Low is back in WNY in a month! Woohoo.

Lawrence sang the song I asked to hear. I’m going to pretend he did it for me. Shut up. I can’t hear you. Lalalalalalala….

Anyway, it’s called “First Addiction.” It’s actually not my most favorite Temper tune, but it is a wonderful song, and it lends itself well to the acoustic set. He told the story of how it originated, and I just had to laugh.

“So I went through this disastrous relationship, and called up one of my good friends 3,000 miles away to tell him about it. He listened. And then he wrote a song about it. But he changed a few things and made the whole thing my fault. ”

So no, Lawrence didn’t write it, but it’s actually kind of nice to know that the pain was his. Makes it more authentic or something. And lordy, does he sound good singing it:

Well I’m one year older.
I know myself better. I’ve forgotten how to cry.
And no, you haven’t seen me lately.
I keep ducking to safety when I hear you’re coming by. It’s warm, warm lover’s skin–my first addiction
Bringing all the need in me outside
Torn, torn paper thin, I can’t claim anything
I’ve lost that thing that made me feel alive.

As I began to “suffocate” you
I guess in a way you just got out in time.
‘Cause I, I was not what you dreamed of.
And people crave new love, and that’s not a crime.

And it’s warm, warm lover’s skin–my first addiction
Bringing all the need in me outside
Torn, torn paper thin, I can’t claim anything
I’ve lost that thing that made me feel alive.

My whole heart’s deep within, my first addiction
Bringing all the need in me outside
Torn, torn paper thin, I can’t claim anything
I’ve lost that thing that made me feel alive–

Will I be alive again?

Sigh.

One thing that I can’t stand about concerts is obnoxious concert-goers. Both nights, pockets of people kept screaming out the names of songs they wanted to hear. Dudes, they have a set list. I’m guessing they’re going to play what’s on it.

And the new CD is supposedly going to be out in September. I cannot wait. They kept making fun of people who mouth the words to the new music. Ummmm…yeah, that would be us. So what if we’ve seen them so many times that we know the new songs before the CD is out? 😉

All in all, a great music weekend. And the one coming up promises to be outstanding as well. Oh, I can hardly wait!

It’s true! My Lowcrush Lawrence Nichols  is now officially a member of the Lowest of the Low! (There are some issues with the page. I don’t know what’ s going on…) 
 
The show last night was awesome, but for the stupid crowd that kept shouting out songs they wanted to hear. I was ready to smack most of them. But I did speak briefly to Lawrence, and asked him if he’d play one of my favorite songs from his former band, Temper. He said he’d play it tonight. I’ll keep you posted. 🙂

Oh, and I had to add…I am quite enjoying the shaggy-haired Ron as well.

Last night, Jen and I headed out to Mickey Rats to see the Jackdaw boys along with a band they brought with them from a show in Cleveland the night before. Since we were a little bit late, we only caught the end of the first band’s set, but they were very cool. Check out the Kissers.

Mickey Rats is a “beach club” on the lake in Angola. It is a place I would not be likely to frequent, but to see my favorite Celtic rockers.

We walked up to the entrance, and the bouncer held out his hand, waiting to see my id. I handed it to him, and he stood there, staring at it, for what seemed like ten minutes. He squinted, scanning the license for…something. He held it up next to my face.

“1974?”

“Yep,” I said.

He looked at the license again.

“I’m 1971, and I’m old.”

“Well, I guess I’m old too.”

Random guy standing near the door says, “Wow, you look really good.”

So, what do MOST 30-year-olds look like? Hmmm. Anyway…

We enter, and accidentally wander to the right instead of the left, and end up in the wrong club. (There are two, connected to each other…) There’s a small dance floor, some awful hip hop dance music is playing, and one lonely old guy is on the dance floor.

“Jen,” I said, “We need to be on the other side. This is not where the band is playing.”

So we go through the bar, outside to the back deck, and around to the other side. Ah, there’s the band. Good. The Kissers are on the stage. I see some familiar faces. I also see quite a few trucker hats.

Jen says, “You know you’re at Mickey Rats when you see people wearing trucker hats and they’re not trying to be cool.”

Heh.

A couple of girls walk by who are way overdressed. Little strapless dresses and strappy sandals.

“What are they wearing?” I say. “That’s a little much.”

“Well, where else are they going to go?” Jen says. “It’s like the Chippewa of Angola.”

“Yeah, but most of the people here are wearing normal–”

And then I saw them. The leather couple. Complete with fringe!

David saw Jen and me, and came over to greet us. The Kissers finished their set with a cover of “Teenage Wasteland” (which was very cool) and another song that I didn’t know. As soon as the band was finished, the DJ put on some tunes. A few minutes later, a group of about three girls (one of them looking a little like Cameron Diaz, only not as cute) and one crazy dancing guy.

Now, let me just say that I had been ready to get my groove on since about 8, when “Hella Good” played on my Real Player.

So crazy dancing guy sees me kind of bopping to the music, and encourages me to come and dance with him and his friends. The girls are doing that silly grinding girl-on-girl thing that I find so annoying…except, apparently, when dancing on the bar at Roxy’s. Er…anyway…

“Footloose” comes on, and crazy dancing guy is just getting the Kevin Bacon thing ALL wrong. Probably because he’s too young. So I have to show him how it’s done. 😉

Then, thankfully, the Jackdaw boys come out. I’m standing between Jen and this girl Tina that I know from the shows. Suddenly, out of nowhere, this couple comes and stands directly in front of us. The woman is wearing white capri pants with a loud black pattern. The guy has a mullet. And then…white pants lady and mullet boy started to grind. Ack! My eyes!

Our good friend David seemed to have a fan club forming…a little group of girls alternated taking photos of him with the same camera. I could just imagine the conversation.

“Here, you do it.”

“No, you.”

“I just went up there. It’s your turn.”

(in unison) “Hee hee hee.”

Immediately following Joe Davies’ way cool fiddle solo, David said “Dude, if I was wearing underwear, I’d throw them at you.” Hee. And also, ew. 😉

At some point, I went into the ladies’ room and got incredibly annoyed by the very, very young girls talking about their sexual encounters.

“Well, yeah, I slept with him, but I didn’t give it up right away. I made him wait, like, a month.”

(puff on cigarette. fluff hair)

Me: exit bathroom quickly.

During the break, the music started again, and some strange man stopped behind me on his way to the bathroom.

“Watch out, that guy’s dancing with you,” Jen said.

I turned and looked behind me.

“Sorry. I’m really not dangerous,” he said. Heh.

During the second set, I had my personal space invaded a bit by the guy behind me (eek!). I was very happy that the boys played “Proofrock,” but somewhat disappointed that they didn’t play “Sorry Again.” (sigh…probably better for me that way!) The guys had the Kissers join them on stage for a cover of “Sunny Side of the Street” by the Pogues, which was very fun.

As soon as they were finished, the DJ started up again. With some Def Leppard! Whoo! I loves my 80s hair bands. I got all excited and started dancing, which gave some guy the inclination to start talking to me.

“Is this Motley Crue?”

“No, it’s Def Leppard. Pour Some Sugar on Me?”

I chatted politely for a few minutes, and then told him we had to go. Jen, not quite getting it yet, said, “I thought you wanted to listen to the song?”

So we left, but not without a brief spin around the dance floor (hee) and a hug from David. Being friends with the guys in the band is cool.

“That dumb guy totally saw that,” Jen said.

Is that evil? 😉

NO!

Here’s a quick rundown of the weekend…

Friday night, met up w/Stephanie and her sister Stacey to go to the piano bar Howl at the Moon. (Sidenote…this place is such great fun. Why can’t Buffalo-Niagara get in on this action?) Sadly, Stephanie’s favorite guy Billy was not working. However, the girls and I quite enjoyed T, with his happy-smiley demeanor and oddly Weird-Al sounding voice. (more to come, on the Britney-clone whore and her white hat, bachelorette Stacey and Stacey’s mom, and Pauly Shore) I did, in fact, dance on stage for one number…at the urging of my friends, of course. 🙂

Saturday, we experienced lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. But for the long wait (nearly an hour…at an OFF peak time…), it was fabulous. I had the Chocolate Pecan Turtle cheesecake. Yummy.

Saturday night, of course, our Jackdaw boys at Brendan O’Neill’s in Westlake. It turned into an all-out crazy dancefest on a dance floor approximately the size of my office cubicle. Every single man in the place danced with us. Two drunken Irishmen and their bald friend asked me if my breasts were real, tried to teach me Gaelic, bought me a drink…and one of them turned into a dancing machine. It was insane. 🙂 The boys played “Rattlin’ Bog,” which was fun, because we haven’t heard that one in quite a while…complete with covers of “Low Rider,” “Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)” and even a little Modern English and Sting. Great fun. People were dancing on bars and tables, jumping onto the railing in front of the stage, dragging strangers onto the dance floor. It was wild. 🙂

And today, we enjoyed a Cleveland Indians game, lodge seating, courtesy of Stephanie’s law firm. Wow! Very nice. I could get used to the VIP treatment. 🙂 And the Tribe won, which always makes a baseball outing all the better…

But before I start…images! Yay!

Okay. So we were all invited to the Conservation Club in lovely Dunkirk, NY to see the band Big Leg Emma. Jen’s Auntie Carroll, as well as Tim and Dayna, became big fans of the band at a music festival last summer. We had quite a time with the name of the band…Jen once mistakenly called them One Leg Emma (no, no one’s leg has been amputated. hahaha) and I couldn’t get that out of my head. But I didn’t feel so bad when I learned that Brenda had called them One Leg Enema. : )

So Jen and I drove down a little early to have some cheap eats at Sullivan’s, and then went to meet Carroll and her fiance Dan at the Italian restaurant where they were celebrating a friend’s birthday. My brother would have loved this place…all decked out with posters of the Rat Pack, the Sopranos, Pacino, etc. There was one guy who was a dancing maniac. Those of you who know me know that I cannot resist a dance floor, so I agreed to dance with him. At some point, he asks what he would have to do to take me out….

Nice enough guy, but: a) he’s almost 50; b) he lives in Cleveland; and c) just not interested. But dancing was fun. : )

On to the Con Club. Located at One Mullet Street. I couldn’t make this up if I tried. ; ) I did only see one actual mullet, but it was a good one. Long and curly. And he was wearing a Scorpions t-shirt. I looked around at the club, and it was a familiar enough place…we have places like it in Elk County, but we tend to call them stuff like “Sportsmen’s Club.”

“What are they conserving?” I asked. ; )

Lots of mounted animals and fish. There was even a jackalope. Dayna, did you get a photo? Hee!

Jen, Brenda and I missed the first set trying to finish a game of darts. I was kicking butt, but couldn’t seem to end the game…I needed ONE MORE BULLSEYE to win, and just couldn’t get it. The game timed out when Carroll stole Jen and Bren away for a family shot. I think Jen did it on purpose…she just didn’t want me to win. (kidding!)

So then we made it over to see the band. LOVED them. Seriously. They have quite a following, mainly of the pseudo-hippie variety. Lots of tie-die and dancing bears. But the music was happy and infectious, and the musicians were very talented. Also, I have a lot of respect for talented female fiddle players! The other girl in the band was adorable…short blondish hair, and played multiple instruments. I think I had me my first girlcrush…at least the first on someone who is not on television. Ah, good times. Great weekend, but exhausting!