yo. wow. this is some exciting news coming atcha.
i performed at the magic stick. in detroit. yep, the motor city's premiere indie-rock landmark, where you go to see "tomorrow's rock heroes today." (that's quoted from rolling stone magazine....cut to everyone singing "on the cover of the rolling stoooone" in the restaurant.) (almost famous, duh) but wait--there's more! not only did i haul out my old horsehair and box (that sounds vaguely dirrrrty), but we also opened for someone that you should all know about--formerly songs:ohia, now known as MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. they are awesome. they are so swank. i met them all. we chilled. i felt famous. lots of people loved us. we might cut a record. is this a dream come true or what!?
it's funny, though. as much as i would like to say it's what i've always wanted, it feels like a bit of a let-down. rock and roll has always been my christ. i believe in the promise of rock, i believe the music will save me, and if there is any truth or justice in the world, when the train comes to take the believers to heaven, bruce, jackie, john, buddy, otis--the messiahs'll all be reaching out their hands to me. and playing in a band--well, it changes it a little. it's just different. it's sort of like seeing the man behind the curtain. the promise and the glory are both still there, and certainly we didn't attain any sort of revolutionary status, or really break down any boundaries, or do the stuff a new band showing lots of potential is supposed to do, and it's not like we toook ourselves that seriously, but....i don't really know what i'm trying to say. i guess i just mean, it felt like a performance. any other performance. and i always thought that playing rock and roll would transcend that and i'd feel like i was a part of something bigger.
honestly, it could have had a lot to do with the fact that i barely played. i didn't have a special mic, just a regular microphone that i had to hold the violin up to, which is hard because yes everyone, i move to the music. tricky. it also meant that i couldn't hear a goddamn thing i was playing. and i play everything by ear, like, i can read music and everything, but i sort of just put my fingers down and if it sounds good i play it and if not i change it. so of course here's me, putting my fingers down, playing, and then wincing because i don't know what it sounds like, pulling away from the mic, turning away from the audience, checking it, moving back, wincing, checking it, etc. so it was sort of like, well, if i screw up i screw up, i won't know the difference and i have a pretty good excuse. not to mention i was sharing the stage with chris bathgate and matt jones, two of the best musicians i've ever seen, and then jansen is so comfortable onstage and pretty much sounds awesome no matter what, and i just figured, you know, these guys will rock whether i play or not. so i wasn't nervous. so maybe it wasn't the most representative rock experience.
in other news, i have today, tomorrow, and thursday to do the following things:
*get my hair cut
*get a pedicure (those can be lumped into one aveda visit)
*clean my whole apartment
*sign a lease
*buy shoes
*reconfigure 100 subscriptions to the not just for kids series
*run my JMF workshop by myself
*housemanage at the theater
*do all my laundry
*pack for two weeks of fun
*decide whether or not to go to austin on the 25th
*sleep? eat?
*figure out how to move, think, or breathe in this freakin' heat
i guess i have to stop writing now, seeing as i have so much to do. i hate writing out to-do lists and then going "...oh, shit."
take care, lovies.
