13 September 2014: Infamy Remembered By OED With Nancy Silva Project

“Some people never go crazy, What truly horrible lives they must live.”~ Charles Bukowski

Let me just start off with a couple of things.

#1- The idea of giving myself a break before posting this blog post was probably not a good idea as I am beginning to forget a number of things that happened during the event and I don’t want to feel bad or let others down. So I am going to do the best that I can with what I can remember as I compose. And if that means I have to come back and edit even days later, then so be it.

#2- With scattered memories come scattered story telling so I am going to break up the evening’s activities in parts and pieces so this will take up a small number of posts. Stay tuned and keep reading!

After a week of drama of breaking my eye glasses and having to pay so much for it, and then saving my sister’s posterior and having given her money, I was on the edge because I knew that I had a choice for the evening. I could either LEAVE the venue after watching NANCY SILVA PROJECT perform and miss out on my first experience at a One-Eyed Doll show. And if I left, just how late would I stay because I would want to be able to spend time talking with Nancy Silva and hang out a bit.

The other option was to stay and watch One-Eyed Doll and then take a taxi home which would take $20 that I was not sure that I would have.

On the 12th, I was able to accomplish two things: Get a haircut and buy roses for Nancy Silva. A tradition that seems to have been lost along the years but long lost traditions will be a post for another time, if the readers want it.  I wasn’t quite sure if I should buy roses for Kimberly Freeman of One-Eyed Doll since I did not know her and she did not know me. I didn’t want to send the wrong message.

Nonetheless, I would pull an audible and buy roses for Kimberly Freeman as well… keeping in mind the old time traditions of presenting performers with flowers after their show.

Then as I returned home, I had a personal message waiting for me from Nancy Silva herself. She wanted to know if it was okay if her group would come to my home to get ready for the show and relax and hang out.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??????????????????????????

I do not usually say this but OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!!!

The one brilliant, musically talented, and beautiful woman that I adore coming from San Antonio to do a show. Someone I have not seen face to face in six months plus one day was asking me if she could come to my home.

I thought to myself, “Dear Lord, these are the things that only dreams are made of. And its slowly showing signs of becoming true!”

After a few hours of bantering back and forth I agreed to the arrangement. And as I was doing so… I was scrambling to get everything in my home straightened up and clean and everything at least in the condition to be acceptable for having company over.

My apartment manager defines a clean apartment (for me at least) as “If you would be embarrassed to bring a girl back to your home… then you need to clean it.” And at this point, there was this great possibility of a girl coming over. So I made sure that the apartment was up to those standards. Then I sat back and waited. Noticing that the request to obtain my address had not been given. The longer it went on, the more I thought that this would not happen or that something was going to defeat me.

So on the 13th the day of the show as I was watching my favorite college football team beat the crap out of their opponent, I received word that it was not going to happen. And this was the official decision. It had been raining too and that was  getting annoying. Would I be going out in the rain again?

As deflated as I became I knew that in a few hours I would be there at the Dirty Dog Bar and that I would see NANCY SILVA PROJECT play.

There was just a few details that life hadn’t given to me in the memo.

Doors were supposed to open at 7:00 PM. They were not.
There was a LINE to get indoors. What the hell is up with that?
Staff who normally are warm and friendly were nothing but hulking statues of not giving a rat’s ass.

Everyone in line ahead of me and everyone in line behind me had some kind of memorabilia for One-Eyed Doll. I was the only person there with a NANCY SILVA PROJECT. Damnit, I am gonna wave this flag!!!

And some how when I got inside, there was already so many people inside. Why are THEY inside and I am not? I figured it was a lost cause and dropped it.

One-Eyed Doll Nation was everywhere. This place was totally packed and there were scores of people already lined up along the edges of the stage from the front and wrapped around to the one side.

But I would find Rai de la Cruz, the guitarist for NANCY SILVA PROJECT. I had never in my life conversed with him before and now it was like we had been friends forever and had connected again.

His continuous plaguing me of John Malkovich stood throughout the entire night. But I never fought it and that probably threw him off.

He’s now threatening to make an unannounced visit to my home… now that the band has my address. And again, I responded with “BRING IT ON.” If it was a fear tactic to pick on me, it wasn’t working. I would LOVE to have NANCY SILVA PROJECT in my home. Of course I’d have to take a photograph or two to have proof of it actually happened. But I got along with Rai pretty well. And Raj Arenas, the drummer. These two guys clearly remember me from SXSW Festival six months prior.

And then at long last, I saw Nancy Silva but she moved into the restroom and I lost her there.

And as I was digging out the roses to give to her she sprung out of the restroom and spotted me there. She hugged me, I gave her a kiss on the cheek and then gave her the roses.

There was this really bizarre color on one of the bouquets of roses that I couldn’t pass up, so I gave Nancy Silva BOTH.

Then a well known local photographer took our photograph together. Then I let her go, knowing that she was busy with preparations of her set on stage coming soon. Six months plus one day I had waited and the patience was paying off in spades.

So then I learned something about these events:

Rule #1 & 2 in attending a One-Eyed Doll show: If you are there for them or even some other band that is playing the same venue, get there early and grab your spot and DO NOT MOVE THE REST OF THE NIGHT.

Geez. I had to fight to get a place near the stage where I would be able to see. And still to that point I had not made up my mind as to how long I was staying.

Some gentleman saw me and then sacrificed his standing position that was right up against the edge of the stage and said that even if I was in front of him, that he could still see because I was so low.

I had thanked him and found myself next to a cute redhead who was even shorter than I was sitting down in a wheelchair with X’s on her hands.  Wow. Just when you think that they cannot make women any smaller you get proven wrong.

But I sat there and waited for NANCY SILVA PROJECT to set up.

I saw someone who I had just made friends with that was there who also is in a wheelchair. He and I together were calling ourselves “ROLLING THUNDER.”

So this conversation happened in the crowd between my newest colleague, the guy who gave me his spot, and myself about whether or not I was going to the VIP after show party.

Umm no. I could not afford that.

Then the guy who sacrificed his spot became my personal hero for the day. He had bought two and he just gave me the other one and didn’t ask me for anything for it. I couldn’t believe it.

Then my newest colleague promised to give me a ride to the party and then drop me off at home.

Honestly, could this have become any better???

Nancy Silva Project- Photo by Maurice Eagle

The VIP passes were $100 a piece. $150 for two. Before I could turn into a thankful blubbering mess the set started and NANCY SILVA PROJECT was rocking it from right out of the gate!!

The One-Eyed Doll crowd was blown away.

I started keeping track of the set by writing down the song titles on my hand with a permanent marker, knowing that this blog post was going to happen but because I waited, its nothing but a blurry mess that looks like a tattoo on my hand from far away.

They had nine songs on the set list but had to cut it short. Two songs were clipped. And when I heard the sound guy say “one more” I began to panic because my favorite NANCY SILVA PROJECT had not been performed.

What if they didn’t perform it? Would I feel cheated? Would I be angry? What the hell?

But all of that would not be necessary as they finished their set with “Lift Me Up” … my favorite song that has taken me through quite the huge emotional roller coaster ride over the past half year from tears to goosebumps to feelings of love and pride to support. And everything in between. No other musical performer has been able to do that to me or has had that much or that kind of impact on me. And so I love Nancy Silva and NANCY SILVA PROJECT so much because of it.

And then I made the costliest mistake of the night. When NSP was off of the stage, I moved away from my spot by the stage. It was time for me to hang out. Although it didn’t really work out as well as I had wanted.

There was two bands in between NSP and One-Eyed Doll and honestly, I could have cared less. I mean, the opening band “Force Of Rage” sounded okay but of course in my singleness my mind was focused more on the two female led bands ahead. I cannot even tell you the two names of the bands without looking it up.

Those wrist bands that bars give up, I finally found a way to not hate and loathe them as much any more. I presented Nancy Silva with a number of odd items and handed her my permanent marker, asking for her to sign it.

First was my bus pass. And since I had a return ride home, and I was not going anywhere the following day, it was useless for travel. So I had her sign it as a piece of memorabilia to remember that I had to take the bus and ride it for nearly an hour before I got to the venue.

Then I stuck my hand out wanting her to sign the wrist band. I turned my head and she started writing on my hand. I had to clear up the confusion. She signed the wrist band and then I told her that since she already started writing her name on my hand to finish it. Otherwise it would look odd with “NA” on my hand the rest of the night. Comical errors are very comical.

After a while, Nancy Silva discovered that the band’s equipment was going on unprotected. Nobody was around to kind of keep an eye on it and this look of frustration crawled across her face. I volunteered to watch it with no argument and then just kinda sat around near the stage area where bands stash their stuff. I wondered if that was a mistake because I felt tethered to it all. But in the end, it was fine.

I was so happy. The world could have blown up that night and I would have gone out happy and feeling like the king of kings.

I take Rai’s words seriously. I think that if he could get away with driving up from San Antonio to crash my place, that he would do it. Nancy Silva seems to be supportive of the idea. The band suffered 20/20 hindsight wishing that they all would have come by. And all I could do was shrug.

I told Rai that I did NOT want to wait six months to see them again. Six months from now will bring us back around to SXSW 2015. Rai claims that they will stop at my place for SXSW, and they’ll do it over and over and over again as long as they are in town and in the area.  BRING IT ON, RAI!!!! LET’S DO IT!!!!!!

Now I wait and pray to see them all sooner than six months.

The next blog post: One-Eyed Doll’s performance at the Dirty Dog Bar. And then the VIP party. 

1 May 2014: Resisting Vegas @ Dirty Dog Bar w/ FILTER

 

“I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.”~ Muhammad Ali

More Dirty Dog Bar.

I’ve become the rolling version of “Norm at Cheers” at that place as staff and patrons alike both know who I am or who I come for.

Even the guy at the door said to me that he had a feeling that he would see me there last night when I came through.

Man on a Mission.

After taking advantage of the opportunity for a ticket to the show to be brought TO me, and very well discounted I might add, I was getting ready to attend the my third ever show with RESISTING VEGAS. And the second time where I was paying close attention.

In a span of less than two months time, I made friends with the band, they know who I am and they know what I do and they know that I love what they do and I spread the word like your nasty uncle’s STD.

I bumped into the one they call “HOLLYWOOD” and I settled in. It would turn out to be a night of free drinks at the Dirty Dog Bar (too bad I couldn’t get that same deal at Shiner Saloon a couple of hours before!)

At any rate, members of RESISTING VEGAS were already there and waiting and to be honest they saw me first before I saw them.

I finally got my hands on a physical copy of their newest EP that just was released. That made for Dambreaker to be one helluva happy and cheeky monkey.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been growing and learning more and more about lead singer, Maranda Vegas. She’s been quite social with me via Facebook. And I think that is cool. She understands that my favorite song of theirs is “Limbo” although the band outvoted her to change the name of the tune to “Should’ve Prayed.”

Ugh. Leave it alone, guys.

But I would learn more about her and her likes and dislikes. I never thought that I would find a woman who didn’t care for flowers. But I did. So I asked what else she liked. She had no clue that I was actually paying close attention. Or she probably just didn’t suspect that I was.

The social convention for stage performers are flowers. But since she doesn’t care for them, I had to go with the next best thing. And that would be donuts.

She’s got a sweet tooth apparently. But honestly who doesn’t? 

However I got both. Roses AND donuts. I decided white roses so that there was no misunderstanding involved.

Then very quickly it was time for them to set up their stage to perform. It was just so fast. I was trying to take a photograph with Maranda but batteries were dead and now they had to set up. I ran across the street, bought more batteries at more ridiculous downtown prices and ran back across the street to and back in.

So I set up camp. And nobody else came forth. It was strange. I was the only person within miles of the stage no matter from which angle that you measured.

It had to be upsetting for the members of the band. Maranda even just came close to me and simply said “hey thank you for coming!” because it honestly looked like I was the only one there. Anyone else was just there doing their own thing and ignoring the stage.

Of course I sat there, I figured that something had to give and soon both Maranda and Fernando was able to convince about eleven more people to approach the stage and that included lead singer to Black Heart Saints who played first before them.  

After that everything was set on cruise control and the night just rocked itself until the end of the set.

Although I was kind of proud of Maranda. The only thing that matters for her is that I think she’s got a terrific singing voice. I could listen to her sing all day long. And I wouldn’t even mind if she wanted to try a lullaby to put me to sleep. I do think she would end up being successful at it.

During “Limbo” I totally forgot about the shout during the middle of the song by Fernando. He crept up to the microphone and belted it out and I about shit my pants in terror. This is what I get for not paying attention to everything going on around me.

Later, I took the EP that I had and tossed it to guitarist Cameron Stewart. He pointed out that everyone in the band now had stage names and he was intending on autographing the EP with his stage name. The CD was then passed along to other band members with him insisting the stage names be signed. And so there you have it. My first RESISTING VEGAS CD and its signed with stage names.

The night was capped off with band shenanigans. And I got to witness every last one of them. I believe that the members of the band forgot that I have a blog. Or did they????? 

I could list their activities, but then again maybe I won’t. All I have to say about it is that if you are in the area and you don’t show up to one of their shows ….. you miss out. Period.

I laughed so hard that I totally forgot about that one time last week about that one thing that made me sad for a few hours.

I laughed so hard that I totally forgot about the disappointing results prior in the evening at Shiner Saloon.

That’s how hard I was laughing. Nevermind the lack of oxygen, the drool on the corners of the lips, the tears welling up in the eyes, and the skin turning red. I laughed so hard I started forgetting stuff.

The next band that was playing on stage while I was in the midst of ruckus laughter was called Downfall 2012. They finally got my attention when they did a heavy metal cover of the R&B classic “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot.

Think about that one for a moment: heavy metal version of “Baby Got Back.”

Yeah, you’re welcome…

It was fun to listen to. Not a single person in the place was NOT singing along to it, even HOLLYWOOD was “Quick to retrieve it.”

I did not stay for FILTER as I made the stupid mistake of deciding to go back to the Shiner Saloon. So I said my farewells and left. Shocked all of the members of the band in the process of departing.

In a few weeks RESISTING VEGAS will return to the Dirty Dog Bar and I am hopeful that I will come back as well. The Dirty Dog knows me and I, it. Is it possible that I am turning into a regular??

Wherever RESISTING VEGAS shall go in town, I shall make quite the effort to be there. Hell or high water.

I Am A Valentine’s Day Deity

“A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world.”~ Leo Buscaglia

A few years ago, there was an article that talked about how a man had met a woman, and he was attracted in some manner to her and he left this really nasty message on her voice mail about how much of a “great catch” he was and that she was missing out and all of that. It actually serves two purposes: For one, a good laugh. And two, it teaches men how NOT to be around women.

I have broken the mold today in what I have done this morning at the local grocery store while waiting for a ride to return home.

Being that everyone who knows me personally knows that Valentine’s Day can just go ahead and suck on it and die already.

However this morning, I took a different approach.

What I am about to tell you actually did happen, nothing has been changed to protect anyone. Just the hard up truth.

I know that there are going to be millions of people out there like me tomorrow with absolutely NOTHING. And I mean N-O-T-H-I-N-G! ! ! !

So I decided to go over into the floral department where they had their displays of long stemmed single roses out for their Valentine’s Day promotions. I picked up a few of the single roses and paid for them.

Then I went out to the edges of the floral department and with anyone that passed by me, I offered to buy them a rose so that they could say that they had something this year on Valentine’s Day.  It didn’t matter if they were young, old, married, single, divorced, widowed, engaged, in a relationship, MALE OR FEMALE… I offered to anyone that went by me.

I am planning on saving some extra money on the side each month so that by next Valentine’s Day, I can offer more than “just a rose” for people. Because I AM the great catch.

Wish me luck. And yes, if you’re in this area next year. I will definitely BUY you some roses for Valentine’s Day.

The Rose Thief

“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.”~ Emma Goldman

I do not know who these people think they are and I do not know where they come from, but the last that I knew is if you walk onto another person’s property and take something from their garden without prior permission, that’s stealing.

Yesterday I saw exactly that and I had caught them in the act. This was not the first time either that I had caught this person messing around in the rose bushes and clipping off roses.

I do not know who planted them. They were here when I moved in. And I personally never mess with it even though I am aware that you have to deal with them once in a while to make sure that they bring back more beautiful blooms.

But I like them. If I didn’t, I’d have them removed. What I do not like is the fact that anyone walking around outside on the property thinks that they can just come up and take a rose or two without asking.

After a brief meeting with my apartment manager, he said that there was nothing that he could do or say other than “Don’t do that” to enforce people to stop stealing the roses. I then gave the retort that if he was not going to do anything about it, then I would. He nodded and I took that as the blessing to do whatever it takes.

I forgot to mention to him that he might wanna have some bail money set aside just in case I find the same people are doing it over and over and over again.

Yesterday morning, I had three small buds that were beginning to bloom. By the afternoon I had only two. And when I caught the person doing it, they were trimming back some of the stems on the rose bushes. But I gave no permission for them to do that, nor did I ask them to help prune the bushes. I don’t care if they think or believe that they are only doing something to help, stealing is wrong. And wrong is wrong. I also do not care if they think that they are entitled or deserving of a rose or two because they think that they are helping. If you do not ask, then you are in the wrong.

And its not like I would deny anyone IF THEY WOULD ASK FIRST.

But I only had three starting to bloom. And after the fact, I found three more buds that haven’t started to open yet. I would have had six. After that, I wouldn’t have cared if they asked for one. But now I have two and I don’t know if/when the other three will begin to open up.

I’m also sick of finding that those who are doing this aren’t even people who live here! They are people who are hired by home health agencies to help those who do live here. What the hell are they doing spending their time in my corner of the world? That’s not what they are here for!!

So I’m off for now to buy a slingshot and fill a squirt bottle full of water.

 

 

Diamonds Are Not A Girl’s Best Friend

It appears as if the days of the stereotype sung by Carol Channing in the Broadway production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, might be over with.

With the advent of several birthdays, anniversaries, and the soon approaching Christmas holiday, I find myself in a rather odd position. The stereotype in what women want as gifts doesn’t seem to be the case anymore at all. The things in which we (as men) grew up to learn about what women wanted has been thrown out the window entirely.

It used to be a safe bet for a man to buy a woman either chocolate, flowers, or jewelry, or all of them. But I am finding out that within the group of female colleagues and friends that its not really what they want any more.

Sure, I don’t see a woman turning down these things. I don’t see how a woman would want to turn away from FREE chocolate. But it really isn’t what they WANT from anyone. It appears that the female population (at least within my circles) want things that are less tangible and more meaningful. They seem to want to hang on to the bond of friendship more often than not. That they want that to grow and develop, rather than a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates.

I will say that some of my female friends are already married. So perhaps if it is chocolate and flowers and jewelry that they want, they could probably seek it from their husbands. But, not all of my female friends are married or in a relationship. And they still would rather pass on the objects and maintain the emotional bonds.

I have a friend’s birthday that is coming up and I have absolutely no clue at all what she would like or would want. Perhaps the first step would be to ask. Yet with previous conversations I have had, she’s not exactly the “material girl” either.

That is not to say that ALL women have abandoned the stereotype and aim for less tangible things in which they desire. There are still those who want these things. I am just saying that through my social life, those women that I speak to regularly are NOT those kinds of women.

I personally have no problem giving my female friends chocolates or roses. I am not opposed to ordering a small and simple vase of flowers for their special day. Whether they are married or not. My intentions are always true… “This is for your special day. Be happy!”.

I recall one time that I sent a half dozen roses that were white, to a female friend of mine who was married. It was for her wedding anniversary. She was thrilled. But when she got home, the gift in which her own husband had purchased for her, she found less endearing than the white roses. Oops!!

They do laugh about it now.

Clearly, it was not the objective to outshine her own spouse. That’s just what happened. I’m also not opposed to “downgrading” a gift, just in case that may happen again.

One thing that I always run into over and over and over again is “Don’t spend your money!”. Well, I am creative. I can create greeting cards, write poetry, give simple gifts in lieu of roses, chocolate, and jewelry and it would be tons cheaper if not at any cost at all. But what exactly is it that women want any more??

Perhaps it all depends on who the woman is. And that would make sense to me. If I was friends with a woman, and I knew she loved Chinese food. I’d probably buy her a gift certificate for the nearest Chinese restaurant. I think that it’s really, all a matter of paying attention.

If she’s been raving about a particular film that is about to come out, then I’d get her free movie passes.

Each woman is individually unique. That goes for anyone in this world. And I love all of my friends, male or female, in my own unique way.

It is just- what in the world do women want??

 

Contest Winnings

Just when I thought that the weekend was going to be a total boredom festival. I went out Friday afternoon and stumbled across some organization hosting a Flower Naming contest.

The contest was basically a fund raising event from some group of people that want to build a flower & rose garden. They were needing to raise funds for it. I didn’t think I had much to lose, except the money that I spent entering the contest by buying certain flowers and roses and then naming them. The entry fee was the cost of the flower that you bought. EACH flower, that is.

I was in a good mood at that point, and so I bought a dozen. Not all of them roses, but most of them. And then I had the task of naming them all. What I did not understand was that the point of the contest of naming the flowers was that the winning rose overall would actually be the name of the flower & rose garden that they were wanting to build.

The first few were easy. Then it became more difficult. I had twelve to name. By the time I got to my last rose (which was a Fire & Ice rose), I struggled to come up with something. So I sent a text message to one of my dearest friends and asked how to correctly spell their child’s name. It took a while, but when I received the response back I named the last rose that I had and then entered the contest with my dozen.

Many people were in awe of the roses that I had selected. After I left, I saw a sudden rush of people going to pick roses instead of other flowers like lillies, daisies, and violets. I guess you could argue that roses are cliché, but there’s a lot of people out there that enjoy them. Even though they don’t really last long.

In a perfect world, I would always be surrounded by Fire & Ice roses. But this world is not perfect, and they no longer grow that kind of rose. Or at least not as much as they used to. Fire & Ice roses can still be purchased from florists but you have to hunt for them. And when you do find them, they are EXPENSIVE!!

I am no botanist. That is for sure. But I really do enjoy the look and the smell of roses, particularly Fire & Ice. It was so strange because I was not able to wrap my mind around why there was a rose contest going on in this part of the nation in June. Not sure if roses are thriving during this time of the calendar year. Maybe its just my favorite that doesn’t. Who knows?!?

So this early afternoon, I receive a phone call to inform me that FIVE out of my twelve flowers that I entered into this contest had won or placed for one category or another. One of my Fire & Ice roses actually won the contest overall. I was thrilled.

Now this organization wanted to name this future rose & flower garden the same thing that I named the winning rose. And because it was a fund raising event, they asked me that if I made a $1,000 contribution to their organization, that I could keep the name of the rose section of the garden as my winning rose.

Sorry Bubba! Not happening.

But I still wish them luck in the future. The organization is not actually something that I would personally support. I was there for the beauty of roses. So at some point, there will be some roses planted and a section of them will have the winning name attached to them.

What I find particularly funny is that some of the judges called me later to find out what had inspired me to name the flowers what I did. They misunderstood me, and thought that the winning rose was named after my son. And the other roses and flowers were named after my wife and other female family members.

I bit my lip so hard as to not laugh. But hey, whatever. People think what they want anyways. I simply got creative and it paid off. I ended up breaking even from what I had paid to what I received in contest winnings.

But I am thrilled and excited. I thought I would share.