SolitaryRoamer

Rockin' with Frampton and more

Another busy but fun week is gone and I’m not quite ready for the next one to start. Yes, it’s 5:49 a.m. Monday as I begin to type this. I took a nap for a couple of hours Sunday evening then got up and began to edit photos, write a travel story and write a blog for work. So I decided I would just stay up since I’m interviewing the drummer from Shinedown in a few hours and don’t want to sleep through it.

The week started off slow. I didn’t feel that great on Monday so I went home early but began feeling better in the afternoon. After making 72-hour kits at my singles branch’s family home evening activity, I took my friend Shiree out to the local Spoon Me frozen yogurt shop for a food review. Obvious jokes aside, it was a fun time with a good treat (I’m talking about the yogurt).

But Tuesday I was still feeling exhausted and didn’t get into work until late. So I ended up staying there late too, but did go out to dinner with a few coworkers.

Wednesday, however, was where the real fun happened. It was the day of the Peter Frampton concert and my friend/upstairs neighbor Janell was going to the concert with me. But I had a fun Frampton moment earlier in the day as I logged onto Twitter and saw that Peter Frampton himself had re-tweeted one of my earlier posts, which read: “Tuacahn comes alive tonight! @PeterFrampton will rock the red rocks.” Finally, I had achieved my goal of getting a celebrity RT.

I was told I would get meet & greet passes but wasn’t sure if it would work out. I was supposed to be able to meet both Gladys Knight and Foreigner earlier this year at Tuacahn concerts but they canceled their meet & greets. But I did get to meet Charlie Daniels, the guys from America and four of the American Idols, including Melinda Doolittle.

The concert was great (you can read my review for TheSpectrum.com here). And we did get to meet Frampton very briefly after the show. Since it was toward the end of his tour he was apparently quite tired. He didn’t sign anything and we were all basically limited to a quick photo with him (photo is coming). But right after the photo I told him I was the reporter who interviewed him for the local paper and also thanked him for the re-tweet earlier. He made the connection and a big smile formed on his face. He thanked me for the article and shook my hand.

Then the next day I logged onto Twitter again and found a surprise. Frampton had found my review of his show online and tweeted the link. And he sent me an @ message via Twitter: “Thanks so much for the review. I am sorry we didn't get to spend more time after the show. I WILL be back thanks to all there!!”

I spent the bulk of Thursday in the Enterprise area writing about Jason Knowles, a young man with some developmental and physical challenges who wanted to help his community. So he began collecting recycling from his neighbors and talking it to the local bins. You can read my story here and watch the video I helped our photo editor shoot here. I also did a little scenic drive along the Crestline Road between Enterprise and Panaca, Nevada, for my Backways & Byways column.

I spent Thursday night on the phone telling my dad about my adventures with Peter Frampton and calling to set up about a dozen appointments for my branch president at church. I had big plans to write a couple of stories that night but it didn’t happen. So I spent Friday morning and early afternoon finishing the Jason Knowles story and the story about Ramadan that came from my dinner with the Muslim family in Cedar City the previous week.

My plans for Saturday included one event: The first Zion Canyon Music Festival in Springdale. Because it was $20 to get in and I planned to be there all day, I didn’t think anyone would be interested in going. But Janell sent me a text late that morning and said she was interested. And I was happy to have the company. You can read more about that festival on my work blog here.

We did take a break from the festival to visit some of the galleries and grab dinner. We stopped by to see my friends Tim Campbell and Dave West, who both own galleries in Springdale. Janell was just as impressed with Dave’s photography as I am every time I visit him. And he’s just a genuinely nice guy, as is Tim. We a tasty dinner at Casa de Amigos, which is probably the best Mexican joint in Southern Utah.

Then it was back to the park to finish out the festival. Unfortunately a rainstorm decided to shut it down early. We initially fled in search of an umbrella and returned. But the rain was coming down so hard we decided to call it a night, completely forgetting that we had taken my cheapo camp chairs to sit on. Apparently they now live in Springdale.

On the way home we consoled ourselves for missing the headliners, The Mother Hips, by listening to some Frampton and singing along to “Baby I Love Your Way.”

It was probably good we got home a little early because I had a long day of church ahead of me Sunday. Because my branch president had so many appointments I decided to go into church early to make sure they went well. So I got there at 9:30 a.m. and didn’t leave until after 5 p.m. It was a long, long day, but my branch president’s day was much longer so I can’t complain too much. And it felt good to serve.

This week probably won’t be quite as exciting but there are some fun things planned for a few evenings. Thursday and Friday I’ll be reviewing a couple of plays at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City. Then on Saturday night I’m attending a couple of art openings out at Kayenta. Plus I have to try and work ahead to get some extra stories done because I’ll be covering the LDS General Conference the first weekend of October.

Rockin' Robin and Michael Jackson

So it seems as if I’ve made it a habit of blogging on Sunday nights. But at least I’m blogging.

It was yet another busy week. I’m beginning to think those are the only kind of weeks that exist now. But I am hoping this next one will be a little slower-paced. I kicked off Tuesday with yet another impromptu interview with my branch president. Since I’m often sitting outside his office during interviews I usually end up getting called in for an impromptu discussion at some point in the evening, especially if one of the schedule interviewees doesn’t show. So, of course, my dating life was a topic of concern for him (I’m quickly approaching the magic age of 31 where you are not supposed to attend the YSA branch/ward anymore). I think he’s just as confused about my dating life as I am.

Wednesday took me north to Cedar City where I interviewed director/actor David Ivers for a story I’m working on for the fall season of the Utah Shakespearean Festival. I’ve admired Ivers’ work for a number of years (he directed last year’s “Cyrano de Bergerac”) so it was a neat opportunity to meet him. And later that night I had dinner with a Muslim family for a story I’m writing about Ramadan. I’ve been trying to track down a local Muslim family willing to talk with me for about five year now, so I’m pretty excited.

The next day I continued Shakespeare interview in Cedar before returning to St. George. And that night I took my friend Jana with me to see a concert at the Kayenta community featuring songs from musicals. I was expecting some good music, but the entire performance was actually very entertaining. There were great moments of both comedy and drama — though most of it was funny. Yet a few of the more dramatic elements were among the highlights, including “Bring Him Home” from “Les Miserables,” “Music of the Night” from “Phantom of the Opera” and “Johanna” from “Sweeney Todd.”

Friday night brought a different kind of concert as six friends and I traveled out to Springdale to see the amazing Janet Robin in concert. She’s probably the best guitar player I’ve ever seen live. She does things on the acoustic guitar that you didn’t know were possible, often playing it like an electric. Plus she’s just a nice lady. I’ve interviewed her a few times and she’s always fun.

Friday also marked the day that my Peter Frampton story and blog ran in The Spectrum and on our Web site. And I wrote about the night hike with Jeremiah. So check them out.

I was supposed to rise early Saturday for a hike but was exhausted from the week. But I did manage to get up for a picnic at Sand Hollow Reservoir with Jen and a few others. It was a beautiful day with clear water and cool puffy clouds in the sky. You can see my photo gallery from the lake on my Facebook page.

Saturday just got better as the day progressed and it came time for my friend Brent’s Michael Jackson party. Brent had tickets to see MJ in London before the King of Pop passed away, so the party was in honor of that missed opportunity, and the chance to host a rockin’ BBQ at his pleasant backyard/patio. I tried to replace Michael by playing a thrilling version of “Beat It” on the guitar and, of course, many sported white gloves. Here is my iPhone gallery and Brent's Facebook gallery.

Plus, I got to rock my fedora for the first time.

But with the picnic and the party, I was distracted Saturday from my church calling and forgot to do a few things, which left me scrambling for much of my 6.5 hours at church today. But it all turned out OK and I even ended up joining the branch choir, just in time to perform in sacrament meeting a few hours later.

Downtime for some updates

I came down with a cold today. So while I was under self-imposed house arrest I decided to finally update my music blog for the last three months. See my new reviews at What Do You Hear In These Sounds?

Also I finally added a photo gallery for the Vegoose musical festival I covered back in October of last year. You can click here to see the photos or see the the link on the left side of this page.

Music updates

I've finally updated my music blog, What Do You Hear In These Sounds? This is the first update since July, I believe. So go on over and check it out. It contains all the music reviews I've written for The Spectrum and St. George Magazine since that time. You can look at the reviews chronologically — from the newest to the oldest — or search by categories such as genre or star ratings.

I'm also currently mulling over which albums I'll pick for my top 25 of the year. I'll be writing a story for The Spectrum's Where It's @ entertainment guide sometime in the next month that lists my favorite 25 albums of the year and 10 others that disappointed me. So far The Arcade Fire, Wilco, Bruce Springsteen, Band of Horses, Bright Eyes, John Fogerty, Tegan and Sara and Mandy Moore (yes, seriously) are all in the running for my top five. Disappointments include Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Chris Cornell, Jimmy Eat World, Eisley, Joss Stone, America and Fountains of Wayne.

Rage is all the rage

I feel as if I've been hit by Rage Against the Machine's tour bus. But, man, it was great. I got home at 2 a.m. from my two-day coverage of the Vegoose Music Festival in Las Vegas. Rage Against the Machine was easily the highlight, even though I like the music of The Shins much more. It's just hard to beat the show that Zack de la Rocha (left), Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk bring. Zack has an unbelievable amount of energy and ferocity. I've wanted to listen to nothing but Rage for the last 24 hours. Testify! But after two days of packing around my camera equipment and my MacBook I'm worn out and sore. Still, it was a great experience.

And to make it even better I had my first photo ever published in USA TODAY (and online). And to make it even better it's a photo of punk legend Iggy Pop. As much energy as Zack de la Rocha had, he wasn't as entertaining to watch as Iggy. But there was one performer that put on a show to match Iggy's: Aaron Behrens (left) of Ghostland Observatory. He pranced around on stage with all the confidence that comes from years in the business yet he doesn't look a day past 21. He was like Freddie Mercury with duel braids. And to top it off, the only other member of his band — Thomas Ross Turner — wore a cape while playing the synthesizers behind a silver curtain. They totally lived up to the hype from the Austin City Limits Festival.

More to come on Vegoose in my music blog, What Do You Hear In These Sounds?

Gypsy punk to Daft Punk

I'm finally wrapping up my first day of Vegoose coverage. It's 2 a.m. and I just sent my coverage of the first day to USA TODAY. This is the second time I've covered the two-day, outdoor music festival in Las Vegas but my first time for USAT. I'm not as excited about the lineup this year as I was for last year's, but I had plenty to keep me entertained.

I started out the day with the gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello (pictured at left). Then I hit some math rock (Battles) and hip hop (Lupe Fiasco). Next it was Blonde Redhead's indie rock, Mastodon's metal mania and STS9's techno vibes. Hip-hop royalty Public Enemy blew me away with Chuck D's and Flavor Flav's showmanship and their viciously political chants (let's just say Dubya and Dick would not have found it flattering). I caught a brief taste of Cypress Hill (and mostly likely a contact high from the band's pothead crowd) before watching nearly all of The Shins' fantastic set. Natalie Portman was right in "Garden State," The Shins' music will change your life.

Queens of the Stone Age were good for that one song, Iggy Pop was wildly entertaining and more energetic than most people half his age and Thievery Corporation had a belly dancer and a sitar (what more could you ask for?). But it was Daft Punk's (left) awesome light show (conducted from within their robotic outfits and sitting inside a giant pyramid) that stole the show as the crowd turned Star Nursery Field into an outdoor dance club during the hit "One More Time."

And for Sunday's lineup I'm ready for some Rage.

'Feelin' about half past dead'

I need a road trip.

Yeah, I just had a pretty good one at the end of April, but I’m just dying to see something new, to explore a place I’ve never been. I want an experience I’ll remember for a lifetime.

This desire springs forth from watching “Easy Rider” earlier today. The quintessential ‘60s counterculture and motorcycle movie is impossible to watch without feeling a maddening desire for the open road. As the notes of Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” and “The Weight” by The Band still ring in my ears from the film’s soundtrack my mind wanders along with Wyatt and Billy as they rev their engines and “head out on the highway.”

And to make me desire travel even more I have the task of writing a travel story for Tuesday’s newspaper. It’s the third in a three-part series on southwest Colorado that culls from my late April road trip. Part of the deal I worked with my editor was that I would get about seven stories out of the four-day trip if they continued to pay my hourly salary as well as reimburse me for expenses. I’ve written four stories from the trip so far and this will be my fifth. The problem is that I’ve been putting it off all weekend. Now it’s nearly 3 a.m. Monday and the story is due by noon.

For some reason I’ve decided it would be easier to write tonight. Of course, I did sleep until about 2:30 p.m. thanks to complete exhaustion stemming from lack of sleep and three hours of laying sod for my friend Brent on Saturday night. So I’m still awake. I’m just suffering from a case of writers block. I’d rather be traveling somewhere new to write about than writing about a place I traveled to three months ago.

My yearning for travel also coincides with a my most recent idea for The Great American Novel. I’m actually quite excited by my initial storyline ideas but it’s an impossible novel to write without at least one major road trip across the United States. And financially that is impossible. I technically have the vacation time to do it, but the funds simply are not there. So I guess I have to figure out another plot to write about and hope to make enough money that I can quit and take the road trip. Then I can write The Great American Novel.

What do you know? Another poor journalist dreaming of writing The Great American Novel and escaping the poverty of his profession. Will I be any different from all the others?

Maybe as long as I get paid far below average for someone with a bachelor’s degree and continue to celebrate our journalistic accomplishments as a newsroom with potluck lunches (off company time of course) I’ll have something to inspire me. Maybe it is possible to do something I love and actually make some money. Then again, maybe I’ll cave in, sell out and start writing press releases so I can pay the bills.

I need a road trip.

Mmmm ... twin lesbian Canadians

I’m in love with twin lesbian Canadians. Yes. It’s true. I’ve fallen for Tegan and Sara. Well, I’ve fallen for their music at least.

I’d heard about the Quin twins for a while. I always imagined their music as breezy, acoustic folk stuff. I like that kind of stuff, so I had thought about checking them out but never got around to it. Then I heard comparison to Meg & Dia, St. George’s own sister singing duo that is now making it big on MTV and the Warped Tour. Of course, Meg & Dia are not twins, Canadian or lesbians (at least I don’t think they’re lesbians) but after hearing Tegan and Sara’s latest album, “The Con,” I see the sonic similarities.

While Meg & Dia’s punk leanings make their brand of power pop more like a female version of the All-American Rejects, Tegan and Sara’s power pop is more like Rilo Kiley meets Death Cab for Cutie. There is definitely more of an indie pop sound to it, partly thanks to a couple of Death Cab musicians who play on more than half the album.

But “The Con” is also the catchiest damn thing I’ve heard in months, maybe years. I played it through five times in a row. FIVE! That’s unprecedented for me. I believe my previous record was three times with Norah Jones’ first disc. Of course, I was reviewing the CD for our weekly entertainment guide at The Spectrum, but I played it two more times after the review was finished. It’s simply that good.

So yes, I’m in love with twin lesbian Canadians. And I know they’ll never love me back but that doesn’t mean I can’t dream.

I love Immi

I just had an epiphany. And for a music junkie like me it was kind of a big deal.

I realized that for the first time in about 10 years I have a new favorite musical artist. My favorites changed around quite a bit in the ‘90s. I believe I went from Aerosmith to Pearl Jam to to Smashing Pumpkins to emmet swimming and finally to The Samples, which has been my favorite band/musical artist for the last decade.

While many of The Samples’ songs still have major emotional attachment, I haven’t been as excited about most of their new music, especially anything from the last six years or so. But since May 2006 I’ve been infatuated with Imogen Heap. That was when I saw her live in Las Vegas. And although I only had two of Immi’s albums (“Speak for Yourself” and Frou Frou’s “Details”) it was possibly the best concert I’ve ever seen.

While her debut, “iMegaphone,” is not the strongest, I never seem to tire of “Speak for Yourself.” My dad agrees on this one. He too was bitten by the Imogen bug. Her music is simply intoxicating. From every little sound to each subtle nuance in her remarkable voice, Imogen Heap is an absolute artist of music.

My epiphany came while watching a video for her song “Hide and Seek,” which has also been my ringtone for nearly a year. I just posted the video on my new facebook account. And the fact that the video played through without freezing was a bit of a comfort to me. I’m worried that my beloved iBook may be dying. And that’s a financial nightmare for me. At this point of my life and career, it’s almost impossible for me to function without a laptop.

Yet, despite all my worries, Immi brought comfort.

Now it’s time to celebrate Independence Day. So I’m off to see “Transformers.”

Rockin' in the condo world

I rock.

Yes. I just broke a guitar pick for the first time because I was rocking out in my living room. That’s how I’m spending my Memorial Day — rockin’ the condo. And I have Neil Young to thank for it since it was his masterpiece, “Rockin’ In the Free World,” that I just happened to be rocking out to when my beloved Budweiser guitar pick broke. It’s been my favorite guitar pick for the last year or so ever since my sister, Becca, got it for me on the Budweiser Brewery tour in St. Louis. Unfortunately the pick has passed on, but at least it went out in style.

I was inspired to rock today by Will Ferrell and his brilliant “Stranger Than Fiction.” I just finished watching it with the new neighbor girl upstairs. Of course, my guitar, Sexy, isn’t sea foam green like Will's guitar in the movie, but she’s sexier.

Aside from rocking out and watching “Stranger Than Fiction,” it’s been a fairly uneventful Memorial Day weekend. I’ve cleaned the condo quite a bit, but not nearly enough. And I played a few games with some friends last night. Otherwise it’s been pretty quiet. I’ve been catching up on some reading (Barack Obama’s “Dreams From My Father” and Gregory Maguire’s “Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister”) and frequenting the new bubble tea smoothie place (I tried a mango smoothie Friday then an avocado bubble tea smoothie Saturday — it’s really not as gross as it sounds).

Oh, and I got a new haircut Friday morning. It’s quite a bit shorter than anything I’ve sported for about five years. And it’s fully my natural color for the first time in nearly five years. And, unfortunately, the shorter hair revealed what appears to be a receding hairline. Here I’ve been worrying about how young I might look if I shave my beard but now I’ll have a receding hairline to go with the boyish looks. I just can’t win. But here’s the new ‘do: