mewzak

Sharing My Kirsh Fan Fics

2026-09-10T22:25:43.408-04:00

I have a confession to make... I've become a fan of a fictional character haha. It's Kirsh from Alien Earth. I loved the first season of the show last year and while Timothy Olyphant has always been an actor I casually liked, as in, he would pop up in stuff I watched and I'd be like, oh I like that guy... I feel like he took on a whole new persona with Kirsh. It's my favorite character he's ever played.

For the record, I've been a fan of the Alien franchise, and Predator too, since I was a kid. I'm not a critical judgemental fan, I enjoy all of the movies. Of course I like some more than others. Michael Fassbender was of course amazing as David and Walter, he's a fave actor of mine too. I like the characters in the movies and I'm just fascinated by the xenomorph. I won't ramble on about the specifics of my fandom there right now.

My main purpose of posting this blog entry is to share something I've been working on for fun. I used to write stories all the time when I was younger, and actually my fandom of Kylo Ren from Star Wars is what originally led me to certain online platforms for smutty fanfic. I've been a casual reader on and off for several years now, and read stories about different characters as well. So last Fall I found some Kirsh fanfic and read what was out there, but I found myself wanting more. At some point I had the brilliant idea that I could write it myself to satisfy my fantasies. I originally only planned to write one story, then it kept multiplying...

I debated sharing this on here, and I don't know if blogger allows particular content of this nature, so instead of actually posting my stories on here directly, I am going to share links to them on platforms that are designated for such content. I have completed 5 stories and I'm currently working on the 6th one. I have them all posted on 2 different platforms: wattpad and archiveofourown. Both locales are free to read, but wattpad is more aestheicially pleasing, and includes images of my choosing for each chapter. You can also choose dark mode and your font for reading. Wattpad does have ads though. Archiveofourown is basically just text only.

Please understand that these stories are explicit and mature, but they also do have plots haha. Do not read them unless you are prepared for that type of content. You have been warned.

Also, just a side note, I wrote these stories for pure personal creative enjoyment, I do not make any money off of any of this. I just like writing and like sharing with others, and I have enjoyed reading countless other stories by fellow writers.

Archiveofourown links below:

Wattpad links below:

A Rainy Night with Sting 3.0

2026-05-24T18:46:13.821-04:00

I finally got the chance to see Sting in concert. I've been a fan of his since I was a little kid. He's up there with the likes of Phil Collins and U2 for me with his solo songs and his songs with The Police. And one thing that makes him stand out even more for me is the fact that he's a bassist. It's a rarity for a bass player to be a frontman and singer and bass is my favorite instrument. Sting is probably my second favorite bassist after Duran Duran's John Taylor. He's also probably the one who got me into reggae bass lines, as he plays that style quite a bit.

Right now he's doing his "3.0" tour which is just him, guitarist Dominic Miller who was awesome, and drummer Chris Maas who was formerly with Mumford & Sons. Ironically I was also trying to see Mumford & Sons this summer but not sure if it will pan out. But this 3-man band had the stage presence and sound of any larger lineup. The Police was only a 3-piece band too.

As for Sting himself, first of all, that man has got some strong lungs. He blasted out some long notes several times that were impressive enough to get cheers from the crowd and I of course admired his bass skills as well. Also I assumed he was in his 60s like my other fave English blokes in Duran Duran, but afterwards I found out he is 74! I remember hearing about him being into yoga back in the day (along with that taboo scandalous claim haha). But apparently he eats super healthy too. Whatever he's doing it's working.

He played 3 sold out nights at Wolftrap. He's played multiple times there in recent years because I had tried to go before. He even made a comment at the beginning of the show about him playing there so often it was becoming almost like home.

This is only my third time seeing a show there and I will say they have some of the best lighting of any venue I've been to. Also the wooden Filene Center is prettier than most outdoor venues. It's much smaller capacity so it can be pricier and harder to get tickets but you also get closer seats to the stage than the larger venues. And side note, they have a good Maryland Crab Cake sandwich at the concession stand. Just make sure they include the remoulade and arugula haha, cuz I luckily checked it before walking away and they fixed it for me. It was on a really good brioche bun too. They boast a lot of locally sourced food there. Also per Google: "Wolftrap is the only national park dedicated to the performing arts. It was established from a donation of farmland by Catherine Filene Shouse, who envisioned a cultural haven combining nature and the arts."

It was raining and unusually chilly for the end of May and we had to park in the grass, plus deal with holiday weekend traffic, but it all worked out. You can actually hear the rain in the background of some of the videos. Sting gave a shout out to the people who still braved the lawn seats in the weather. It looked like most of them brought chairs though. And everyone was decked out in rain gear and ponchos and such, including myself.

As far as the songs, they played my favorite, "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic." And there were a few songs I liked that I had forgotten about despite brushing up a little on their catalog a few days beforehand. "Roxanne" was the encore and then Sting surprised me by closing with a softer song, "Fragile." That was one of the ones I had forgotten about that I liked. He made a comment about ending with it so everyone could leave quietly. That was a nice touch. It seemed that they kept a little flexibility in their setlist for the mood because once I heard him ask the guitarist what song they should play next.

Oh and a funny moment was when Sting sang "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" and he got to the lyrics, "You could say I've lost my faith in the politicians, they all seem like game show hosts to me." The audience reaction was great! 😆 Who knew Sting was ahead of his time?

I got most of the songs except for maybe 2 or 3 that I wasn't familiar with. The songs I got were: Message in a Bottle, If I Ever Lose My Faith in You, Englishman in New York, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Fields of Gold, Never Coming Home, Wrapped Around Your Finger, Driven to Tears, Can't Stand Losing You, Shape of My Heart, Walking on the Moon & So Lonely, Desert Rose, King of Pain & Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, Fragile.

Footnote: I've been slacking on my blog posts again so you can always watch my videos on my YouTube channel mewzak from concerts during the gap. Since my last blog post I had the pleasure of seeing Janet Jackson, Santana, Marley Brothers and a few others in concert.

Vid links below:

Message in a Bottle

If I Ever Lose My Faith in You

Englishman in New York

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

Fields of Gold

Never Coming Home

Wrapped Around Your Finger

Driven to Tears

Can't Stand Losing You

Shape of My Heart

Walking on the Moon & So Lonely

Desert Rose

King of Pain & Every Breath You Take

Roxanne

Fragile

Duran Duran, Gordon Ramsay, a Boat and a Birthday

2022-09-04T19:55:00.000-04:00

I didn’t realize till now that my 40^th birthday celebrations had kind of a British theme going on haha. Duran Duran and Gordon Ramsay? Ironically, near my birthday I got another update to my heritage on Ancestry DNA that I got a few years ago. I think it’s cool that they update their info as more technology and data become available. So since most of my DNA is in fact British, it’s not really too unusual for me to be into British bands and chefs to commemorate my birthday right?

But first, I went out to a nice dinner in my hometown with my family to celebrate the night before my actual birthday. I chose one of our local favorites, Ristorante Renato. We’ve been patrons of that restaurant for over 20 years because I know we went when I was in high school, and maybe even before that. They have delicious food, excellent service, and I really like their makeshift outdoor patio seating that they started since the pandemic in part of their parking lot. I had oysters on the half shell, filet mignon, and sangria. I had a great evening with my awesome family and my mom also got me a birthday cake from another local favorite, Paul’s Bakery.

The next part of my festivities was my Duran Duran concert on a Tuesday night with my mom at Merriweather Post Pavilion. It was less than a month since I saw Incubus there. The advantage was this time I knew about the parking haha so we got parking much closer! So let me dwell on Duran Duran for a moment so you understand the significance of this being part of my birthday celebration. John Taylor was the musician responsible for inspiring me to pick up a bass guitar when I was 14. I became a Duranie at the age of 11 when “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone” reeled me in, and then I proceeded to buy every album they ever made on CD and listen to all of them. Their “Rio” album originally came out the year I was born.

Now in the late 90s, John Taylor actually broke off from Duran Duran for a few years and pursued a solo project. It was either my freshman or sophomore year of high school, so I was 14 or 15, when John Taylor actually played a solo show at Jaxx, this hole in the wall club in Springfield, Virginia. I begged my parents to take me to that show and it was 21 and over. So bless my parents for taking me to that show and convincing the door guy to let me in. That’s actually the closest I’ve gotten to JT and it was awesome. It was also Halloween night and he was wearing werewolf contacts. I can’t remember if I put this in my blog before, but there was a moment when JT was actually on social media several years ago and I posted a comment about that show and he actually replied and remembered that show. I thought that was so amazing. So funny thing about all of these things reconnect and come full circle… Nile Rodgers and Chic opened for Duran Duran at this show I just saw for my 40^th birthday. Well Bernard Edwards, the original bassist for Chic, was one of John Taylor’s main influences. JT actually performed a cover of Chic’s song, “Good Times” when I saw him at Jaxx all those years ago. And now I got to hear Chic perform that song before Duran Duran took the stage in 2022. I just thought that was really cool.

Something else that’s cool is I found out from a friend in the Incubus fan group I’m in on Facebook, that Ben Kenney, the bassist for Incubus, is also a fan of John Taylor. He told me about this interview with the two of them from several years ago so I found it on youtube and watched it and the way Ben talks about listening to John’s bass playing on the “Rio” album and how it drew him into bass was exactly how I felt. So I just thought it was really neat how two of my favorite bands are also connected in that way and it just proves to me even more how music connects the universe and all of us. I also made a little comment about it on Ben’s Instagram and then the official Duran Duran Instagram account liked my comment. I don’t even know how they saw that but I was like, well ok then haha.

So back to a little of my Duran Duran history, after that solo JT show, I did get to see Duran Duran in concert in 1999 and my memory must be going with age because I can’t honestly remember now if JT was with them at that show, but I’m thinking he was not. I know for sure he was not at the next show I went to which was after the “Pop Trash” album and it was a bit of a smaller venue and my friend and I got like 3^rd row I think. So that’s the closest I’ve been to Simon, Nick, and Warren, who was still the guitarist at that time. Roger Taylor wasn’t back with them on drums yet. It was several years later when I saw them again and that was for the reunion tour they did with the original lineup, so John and Roger were back with them then and Warren was not. Andy didn’t stay for the whole reunion tour and they replaced him with Dom, who’s been their guitarist since. Then I saw them again in 2012 and on New Year’s Day in 2017 I think. So this show was my 6^th time seeing the band overall I believe. I was actually supposed to see them one other time between 2012 and 2017 too but I didn’t make it that show unfortunately. That’s another story…tied into that 7-year gap in my blog that included my bad marriage, so put together what you will with that little hint.

Anyway, back to this show. So we got there earlier than the Incubus show I went to so we had to stand in line waiting outside the gate for awhile. There was a guy in line with a funny shirt on that said, "My aunt made me come to this." And then when we did get in, the concession counter had a funny sign on their tip jar that made me laugh too. It was good that we got there early so I could get in the merch line for a tshirt because later that line got crazy. There were a few shirt designs I liked, but only one had big enough sizes for me. And funny thing is, when it was hanging up on the display it looked like it was black with red but it’s actually navy blue with orange. I was kind of happy it was different because I wear a lot of black and I like orange a lot. I tried Merriweather’s burger this time, which was quite good and my mom got the chicken tenders. I ate one of those leftover around 1 a.m. when we got home cuz I was suddenly hungry again and it was good too haha. And later we split some of their frozen chocolate and vanilla swirled custard and that was good too.

As for the show, I was looking forward to Nile Rodgers & Chic opening because I knew Nile Rodgers was a music legend and I knew he produced Duran Duran’s album “Notorious.” But I did not know he wrote and/or produced songs for Diana Ross, Sister Sledge, Madonna and David Bowie. So it was a real treat to hear all these famous songs live and somehow I totally forgot about the “Get Lucky” song he did with Daft Punk. I felt guilty about that because I love that song haha. I’ll blame it on turning 40. He also told a touching story about his inspiration for doing that song after he beat cancer for the second time. I got clips of several songs on video and their performance was a real treat.

I got 2/3 of Duran Duran's set on video: Velvet Newton/Wild Boys, Hungry like the Wolf, Notorious, A View to a Kill, Come Undone, Friends of Mine, Careless Memories, Ordinary World, Planet Earth, Hold Back the Rain, clip of White Lines, Girls on Film/Acceptable in the 80's, Save a Prayer and Rio. I pretty much got all of the hits and older songs, but didn’t get the ones they played from their newest album, Future Past. I do like some of the songs on the new album though so don’t knock the newer stuff! I was a little surprised at “Wild Boys” for an opener because they usually use that as a song more toward the end of the show so that was a switch up. I’m also a James Bond fan, so “A View to a Kill” is always a fave. I liked that they did “Friends of Mine” which is a darker more obscure song for them. And “Hold Back the Rain” is a fun one I don’t think I’ve heard in person live from them before. I did have the pleasure of hearing “Careless Memories” before and I was happy to hear it again. For some reason this time many of those lyrics stirred up some thoughts of my ex and I was into it ha. As for all the other songs, every word and note of every song from every album is practically engrained in my brain permanently. I don’t even have to consciously think about singing along with them, it just happens instinctually. Dancing to their music also happens kind of the same way for me haha. There are few things in life that are more fun than a Duran Duran concert for me. They had cool special effects on the video screens during the show on the live video footage. I personally have not seen that done before so I’m not sure if they’re the first to do that but they are always on the edge of innovation. I did not get any pics that turned out because they always have these super bright stage lights during their shows. So the visual quality is bad in my videos, but the sound is great which is the most important to me. And contrary to the video quality, I was actually able to see them on the stage during the show, it’s just not in focus in the videos. I thought it was funny how Simon pronounced "Mary"land, not how the locals say it. We kinda say, "Muraland" haha. He said a little heartfelt speech about supporting Ukraine and dedicated "Ordinary World" to them. So the combination of that emotional moment and then my theme song to my life, my anthem, my favorite song ever, and singing the lyrics, "...but I won't cry for yesterday..." I cried y'all. I actually choked up and could barely sing along. But that's the power of music. A funny thing I remember him saying near the beginning of the show was that we had people in the roof! Haha, it is kinda like that since they redid Merriweather. Oh and the beginning of the show felt like we were going on a spaceship haha, you can see it in the first video. But that is kind of what it's like at a Duran Duran concert, it's an otherworldly experience. Oh and let me just say, the lyrics, "Happy birthday to you..." in Come Undone and "...it means so much to me, like a birthday or a pretty view" in Rio, definitely stood out for me since I was celebrating my 40th haha. Also, shout out to JT for wearing a women’s rights shirt toward the end of the show.

The Saturday after that, exactly a week from my actual birthday, I had made plans for the finale to my 40th birthday celebrations, which was dining at Gordon Ramsay Steak and going on a sailboat ride in Baltimore. Was the food expensive? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Seriously, I have never had food that tasted so good in my 40 years of living. It was so amazing… I was impressed with every little detail like even down to the table settings and the fact that my dessert fork was warmed. Our server was so awesome. She was so much fun and informative. I loved how she described all the food in detail when we were ordering and asking questions. They also refold your napkin every time you lay it on the table haha. I went to the bathroom and it was like it hadn’t been touched before. And there were at least 5 other people who brought out things or cleaned up things from our table or just asked how everything was. Everyone was great. The atmosphere was so fancy and I liked how even the music they were playing tied into the British theme. I heard Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears and The Eurythmics to name a few. I had two glasses of the cheaper Moscato and that was delicious. My friends had different cocktails. Now for the food… the bread was served with salted butter and Old Bay butter, to fit in Maryland. I really liked the Old Bay butter, very different. I was debating between the lobster risotto and the Maryland crabcake for my appetizer but I went with the crabcake because I wanted to see his take on a local dish too. Despite being called “Maryland” crabcakes, the Chesapeake Bay is very much in Virginia as well. So we Virginians eat our fair share of blue crabs too, even though Maryland gets most of the credit. This was an amazing crabcake, mostly pure crabmeat with just seasoning. And the Asian pear slaw with it was a great accompaniment. I mean, when even just the slaw is amazing quality, you know it’s good. There was so much crabmeat that could have been an entrée, which explains why I couldn’t hold all of my entrée and dessert haha. But don’t worry, we took home the leftovers. I actually enjoyed the rest of my dessert for breakfast the next morning and it was still amazing reheated. For my entrée I got the Beef Wellington. I wanted to try it because it’s one of Gordon’s specialties and I normally like my meat a little more cooked, but in this Beef Wellington it was perfect. The pastry was crisp on the outside but also soft and buttery underneath and the meat just like melted in your mouth. The potato puree with a little bit of carrot and turnip and the red wine demi-glace tasted amazing with it. Even that little bite of turnip was the best turnip I’ve ever eaten. I also tasted a bite of the smoked beef tartare appetizer one of my friend’s got and a bite of the biggest shrimp we have ever seen, that another friend got with his prime filet. It was almost more like eating lobster than shrimp. We got four sides to share: green beans, brussel sprouts, fingerling potatoes and truffle mac n cheese. The fingerling potatoes seemed so simple but those were my favorite of the four sides. The green beans were good with the walnuts and while it was good, we were not expecting the romesco sauce with them to be so spicy. It burned my tongue for like five minutes haha. I actually like spicy food but my sensitive digestive system can’t tolerate it so I didn’t have anymore of that. I’m not huge on truffle mac n cheese, but it was very good if you like truffle mac n cheese. And I don’t care for brussel sprouts so I didn’t try those, but my friends liked them. And those even had pomegranate in them. Even the sides had these special little enhancements of flavor. I got the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert since that is another of Gordon Ramsay’s signature dishes and I do not regret it. I still wonder how they made that cake so fluffy. The cake was fluffy and warm and they actually pour the sticky toffee on top when they bring it to the table so it was like a little show too. And the little brown butter ice cream was in the shape of a little stick of butter! It was decadent heaven… And they told me happy birthday when they brought out my dessert but I didn’t even notice at first that there was a little piece of dark chocolate on the plate with “Happy Birthday” painted on it. Even that little bite of chocolate was delicious! Then a little after that they surprised us by bringing out four glasses of champagne for us for my birthday. I thought that was a really cool touch. By the way, I had put on the reservation that I was celebrating my birthday so make sure you do that if you want a few extras! The bag to carry our leftover food was even a cool souvenir and they even gave me a little birthday card. I had a wonderful, decadent time with great friends and I highly recommend this place!

So after that we had made reservations for a sailboat ride in the Inner Harbor. I originally had looked at trying to get the Sunset one but that was booked so I got the Moonlight Sail. That actually worked out better with our dinner time and being at night I think it made it more peaceful in the harbor too. The authentic sailboat was called "Summer Wind," which also fit with my summer birthday. It was my first time on a real sailboat. The owners/captain (and skipper?) were very chill and it was such a peaceful, relaxing sailboat ride around the Inner Harbor. We passed a few other bigger more commercialized boat tours and I was like, our boat's better than yours haha. I love the water, especially at night. And they also have water and sodas for you and cups if you bring your own drinks. I had brought a bottle of champagne from my friend’s winery to have a champagne toast. I didn’t know the restaurant was also going to give us a complimentary one haha. So I had quite a bit of champagne on the sailboat and I was feeling pretty good. They also played nice music on the boat. I particularly liked the Hawaiian style songs in their mix. The city lights reflecting in the water were nice and you could see a few stars but it was a little cloudy so we couldn’t see the moon. There was also this cool building that looked styled kind of like a big lighthouse with changing lights at the top but it looked like a hotel or something. We were talking about it and then the captain told us it was apartments or condos and the top penthouse belonged to Jada and Will Smith. He also told us Jada Pinkett Smith was from Baltimore, which we did not know. You can see the Baltimore Aquarium and the Domino Sugar plant in my pics and I also spotted a mini Statue of Liberty on a dock, which I thought was cool and also kinda funny. We were like, did we go to New York? So I also highly recommend these guys at American Sailing Tours too! I had a wonderful night with friends! And I'm grateful for my friends who celebrated with me and made the ending to my 40th birthday so special.

Incubus Double Whammy with a Little Bit of VIP on Top

2022-08-01T19:06:00.000-04:00

Here I am still coming down from my greatly anticipated two nights of back-to-back concerts and VIP experience… I waited two years for this and it was SO worth it. I kind of felt like I was on the road with them because my schedule was just a tad hectic there in between. I’m just glad it all worked out.

So where to begin my story… my best friend went to the first show with me. Luckily, he lives about an hour drive from me and then from his place it’s about an hour drive to the venue. So because of our abundant traffic in this area it can take longer than that and it did, but I went up to his place earlier in the afternoon so we would have plenty of time. He even had ordered lunch waiting for me when I got there so I had a delicious poke bowl while he finished up teleworking. Looking back on this, it’s actually even more significant that I had a decent lunch at that time, because over the next 48 hours I didn’t really have a decent meal after that haha.

We headed to the venue which wasn’t too bad of a drive, just a little rush hour traffic, but we were prepared for that. The parking arrangement at Merriweather Post Pavilion is just a little confusing though so we had to hunt around some and parked at least a few miles away. Later we found out we could have gotten parking closer but oh well. I was concerned about stormy weather in the forecast, because we have been having some fierce summer thunderstorms lately, but mother nature was on our side thankfully. It did start raining when we were walking from the parking garage to the venue, so we got a little wet, but it wasn’t too horrible. It at least cooled us off a little cuz it was very hot and humid. I’m glad my VIP wasn’t that night cuz I looked like a hot mess haha. And I did decide to wear a dark tshirt instead of a tank top for the rain which was a smart call.

We had no issues getting in and we got hot dogs and fries for dinner. I got a big soda that lasted me the whole show (I needed the caffeine cuz I’m getting old haha) and I had my bottle of water too, so I stayed hydrated. We got to hang with another friend for a minute before the show who had separate seats. And she got a shirt so I went with her to check out the merch. I’m glad I did now cuz then I knew which shirt I wanted the next night.

Then it was getting close to show time, so we decided to go to our seats. So when I bought these tickets back in March, on the concert map I knew we were pretty close to the stage, but I thought we were in the first tier of seats, like raised up one level. When we get down there the ticket person directed us down further and I was like, whaaaaaat? We were actually on the ground level in the second to back row of the FLOOR seats. So immediately my excitement went through the roof. I was like, I knew I got good seats, but I did not know they were THIS good!

The first opening band was The Aquadolls, an all-female rock band, and I really liked them. They had some fun originals and also did a cover of The Go-Go’s “Vacation” and that song from the Lindsey Lohan movie “Freaky Friday.” They were very fun and I also loved the singer’s pants. I’ll be listening to them again, you gained a new fan.

Next up was Sublime with Rome, and I was curious how much I would be into them since I really only know their hits, but they played ALL the songs I knew, and a few others, so it was great. And I am such a sucker for reggae-style bass lines, as a bass player myself, so I was feeling it. Also, with how close our seats were, that bass was vibrating in our bones and I loved it haha. At one point, I can’t remember if it was during Sublime or when Incubus was getting ready to come on, but my friend was like, “I can feel the air move.” HAHAHA! I was like, YESSSSSSS. That is how I like it! So I just recorded some short clips of the songs I knew from Sublime with Rome, but I had fun dancing to them and I forgot I knew all the words to “What I Got” till they started playing it and it was like a reflex action, I just starting singing along without even thinking about it. They have perfect summertime music, and even the song to prove it, which is one of my faves. They were a great warm up to Incubus.

Y’all, when Incubus came on… I know I saw them in March, and that was a great show. But this night, I don’t know if it was the long anticipation, the hot and humid summer night, being with my best friend, or just the energy of the crowd was on point, and being so close to the stage and feeling the sound waves bouncing, the drums in my chest, the bass in my bones, and the vibrations pulsing through my veins, but I was so pumped. I was rocking out and singing at the top of my lungs. Everything was perfect. And I had looked at a setlist from the previous two shows so I already had certain songs in mind that I wanted to get on video. I was sad that they didn’t play “Aqueous Transmission” but they threw “Echo” in there unexpectedly and that ending they did to that song was TRANSCENDENT. It was amazing, all the feels… Otherwise I tried to video a few different songs that the show I went to in March for variety. I was also happy they played “Mexico.” They did a great cover of “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over” by Lenny Kravitz, who I also love and still want to see in concert someday. I thought Brandon’s voice sounded great singing that song. Then, “Vitamin.” You guys… that is one of my absolute favorites, especially that drum break, cuz I was a band nerd, like Lizzo said in her show “Watch Out for the Big Girls” that I watched recently haha. I was captain of the drum line in high school, so besides bass, drums and percussion are my second love. I have always enjoyed Brandon jamming on the djembe and I think Jose is an awesome drummer overall. In the video you can hear my excitement because I am “Woo”ing before many people could even tell which song was coming. I knew it by those first few teaser notes and I was so ready. I loved every second of it. Then came my all-time favorite Incubus song right after that, “The Warmth.” Those whale sounds, that bass, and those smooth, sultry vocals and poetic lyrics… I was up on cloud nine the entire time. And no, I don’t do drugs, and I don’t usually drink at concerts either because I want to absorb the full experience of the music, and boy did I. Also, on a random note, since some people are against doing pics or videos for that reason, I will just say for me, when I do record I hold it above or below my face so I don’t actually “watch” the show through my phone. But I also like to preserve some of the memories that way so I can go back and relive some of those moments afterwards.

Oh and a funny moment during the show, was when DJ Chris Kilmore did this really loud, funny sound effect in between songs and Brandon imitated it vocally like, “Beh beh beh bowwww.” We cracked up about that! I was still laughing about it on the way home. And my friend was like, “That is like a sound I would make with my mouth.” And Brandon also said, “Someone on the lawn is tripping on acid right now like, “What is going on…” And fun side note, toward the end of the next show I went to I caught Brandon signaling to Chris about it again and he make that sound effect again but not when it was as quiet. So only if you were at the Friday night show at Merriweather, would you have caught that inside joke moment on Saturday haha. But I laughed.

So I crashed at my friend’s place for the night since we knew it would be a pretty late night. And I had to set my alarm pretty early Saturday morning because I had to be at the other venue at 2:00 for my VIP package. So referencing the nutrition factor again, my friend made me an espresso shot and I ate some weird little healthy mini muffin type thing he gave me haha. I don’t remember what it was called or what was in it. Then I drove about an hour home so I could get a shower and change into something a little nicer for meeting a band and getting my picture taken. I had maybe a 2-hour window to chill and get ready at home before needing to leave again to drive about another hour to the next venue in Doswell, which by the way, has like several names so I don’t even know which one to go by haha. After Hours? Meadow Event Park? Something, something, Doswell, Virginia. This was my first time going to this venue and I wasn’t that impressed honestly… I think the sound quality was better at Merriweather myself. And they also did not seem organized. Perfect example, was getting to my VIP experience. It said I had to arrive between 2:15-2:45 for the Meet and Greet and Pre-Show Jam. So I left early in case traffic was bad. I got there around 1:30. First off, there are at least three different gates to a farm/field area right on the main road. So the first entrance I saw said Fairgrounds so I was like, ok that’s not it. I go to Gate 1 which is literally just a gate across a private road surrounded by grass. That was closed, so I saw there was another gate on the other side of the main road if you crossed the median. I drove over there to Gate 2, which was also closed. There were no people around anywhere to ask anything. So I decided to just go and sit in my car at Gate 1. I tried calling the phone number for the venue several times, never got through to anyone. And then other cars start lining up behind me. I mean they were in the main road, so blocking traffic, nowhere to park. Luckily this road didn’t have a lot of traffic going through I think except for events for this place and a few other places nearby. A few different times cars would drive toward the gate but then make a u-turn and go back. I kept thinking, ok maybe they’re here to open the gate, but no, turns out they were people who got in a different way and were lost too. A few other fans came up to my window and we were all on the same page, clueless and getting antsy. I was getting to the point where I was worried I might miss the VIP experience and I was going to be so upset if that had happened. So thank you to the random man who took matters into his own hands and said, “Well I’m gonna open the gate.” I honestly assumed it was locked so I didn’t think to try that. But he just opened it right up haha so me and this other woman who had gotten out of her car to ask me if I knew what was going on were like, ok if you open it we’re going in. God bless you sir. My foot was on that gas pedal and I just drove around the windy road until I saw the stage area and there was a fence. I noticed a person behind the fence so luckily they walked over to me and I rolled down my window and was like, “Is this where I go for the Incubus VIP?” And they were like, “Yeah, park right over here.” So then I was relieved. From there it was just a matter of checking in to get my VIP items and waiting. I think it was about 30 people or so that ended up doing VIP, and some of them just did the Pre-show Jam without the Meet and Greet. For some reason I thought the Meet and Greet was first, then the jam, or I think that’s how my email confirmation made it seem, but it was reverse. They also did say they were running behind, so I don’t know if that’s the normal order of things or if it was different due to timing. But at least they let us wait under a tent so we had some shade. I was happy they weren’t calling for any rain or storms that day but then on the other hand it was sunny and a little hot. And guess who didn’t think to bring sunscreen? But somehow I didn’t get burned thank goodness. I did get a cool tan design on my shoulder from the shirt I was wearing though haha. And I’m glad my face wasn’t red in the pic with the band, cuz that’s what usually happens when I’m in the sun and heat.

I really love the Incubus totebag I got with the VIP package. I love the colorful design and will use that a lot. And they also gave us a VIP laminate with an Incubus lanyard, a cool little tour poster that was autographed by the band members ahead of time, a few drink koozies and a patch. I bought a tour tshirt with all the dates on the back and I love the colors in that too, purple and green on black. I love contrasting colors so the black with neon colors is just my taste. Mike also gave me a guitar pic during the Pre-Show Jam.

So back to the story, the hostess escorted us all to the stage to sit in the front row for the Pre-Show Jam. I really enjoyed it. I would do that again. I like seeing behind the scenes stuff and the vibe was very relaxed. The band members gradually came onstage one by one and waved and said hi to us. I was almost directly in front of Mike and Chris. Unfortunately there was a piece of stage equipment that was kind of blocking Brandon from my view for some parts but that’s ok. I snapped a few pics and got a few video clips, but I didn’t want to record the whole time because I wanted to be in the moment too. I did have to record them doing my favorite drum break from “Vitamin.” I couldn’t help myself on that one haha. And then I got them jamming “Circles.” They also jammed “Monuments and Melodies” just instrumentally without vocals, but I loved that. That’s such a beautiful song. And Brandon did look at me once and smile. Chris and Mike made eye contact with me several times and smiled and Chris was like goofing off making me laugh. A funny thing I remember Brandon saying was, “It looks like we’re about to play the coolest wedding ever.” He was referring to the style of chairs they had at this venue. They did look like outdoor wedding chairs haha. And Mike gave Jose and Brandon some constructive criticism on an element of the drum part they do on a song and then Brandon was like, “Did we just have a band fight?” It was funny, and in all seriousness they were perfectly calm, just talking through changing something.

When that was over, the hostess took us to a tented area over to the side of the stage to wait for the Meet and Greet. Oh and somehow, not really intentionally, I ended up being first in line for that too. Haha I was the first car in line and the first in the Meet and Greet line. So after waiting some more for the band and photographer to get ready, the hostess came out and told me to start. So I walk up the steps and into the tent and I was trying to get my bearings for the pic. I knew they were still doing it social distancing so they were behind a table and then there were two chairs in front for us to use. So I picked a chair and was preoccupied trying to put my purse and water bottle in the floor behind me, I also had to focus on not tripping on those steps and making a fool of myself haha. I immediately got super shy and just said, “Hi…” and like sat down haha. But then Jose was like, “What’s your name?” So I did turn around for a second and look him in the eyes and said, “Kristen.” Then the photographer started snapping pics so I turned back around and I heard a few of the guys say, “That’s a cool name.” “That’s a great name.” “That’s an awesome name.” But my back was to them so I’m not sure who said what. I think they were trying to make me feel comfortable cuz I’m sure they could tell I was nervous and I felt like I had no idea what to do or say haha. So then when I got up after the picture, Mike asked me if it was hot outside sitting in the sun during the jam, so I looked at him and I think all I said was, “Yeah, it’s hot.” Like an idiot hahaha. That was a great response! So he asked the hostess to try to bring the others in the shade while they waited. And then I know I said thank you and I think that was it. They were like, “Nice meeting you.” And I walked out the other side of the tent and did not know what to do with myself. I was kind of standing around awkwardly waiting for the rest of the people to finish since I was the first one. And then I was thinking to myself, what happened? I like totally dodged Brandon. I mean I love the whole band, but I have the biggest crush on Brandon, and for some reason it was like I couldn’t look at him directly that close up haha. I saw him like out of my peripheral vision while I was up there, but the only ones I really looked at were Jose and Mike I guess because they spoke directly to me. So apparently that one little moment of eye contact and smile from Brandon when he was onstage during the jam was all I could handle. Maybe one day I’ll do a Meet and Greet again and actually be able to speak and LOOK at them haha. I realized I’m much more comfortable with them onstage.

After that we were allowed to stay inside the gates and shop merch and basically just stand around and wait awhile until show time. I did take the opportunity to buy the shirt I wanted before everyone else came in so that was nice. But it was a little hot just standing around in the afternoon sun. Then back to that food issue haha. I ate a granola bar in the car when I was driving, so that’s all I had to eat after that mini muffin thing earlier that morning. I realized I should probably get some kind of sustenance. They were opening the food trucks so I found smoothies and I was like, oh that is perfect. I got a yummy strawberry smoothie so that cooled me off some and at least was fruit I guess haha. Most of the food options looked like bad/greasy ideas for my sensitive stomach, so I went with a hot dog and fries again like the night before. This hot dog was not very good so I don’t think I even ate half of it. The fries were decent so I ate most of those. Then I got a little thing of Dippin Dots because ice cream seemed like a good idea to help cool me off too. I finished my bottle of water earlier so I bought another one to try to stay hydrated. And that was all I had until the end of the night. Oh except I did try to buy a bottle of water when the show was over and the guy was nice enough to just give it to me for free since they were closing up. So I had water to drink on the way home.

For the show, I heard some of The Aquadolls set from the picnic tables where I was finishing up eating. I will say the picnic tables were a nice touch, maybe the best detail of this venue in my opinion. So then I made my way up to my seat. I knew I got the third row for this show and it was kind off further off to the side of the stage. So the advantage was I had plenty of room to dance around because the second row cut off right near my seat. I lucked out with that at the Friday show too because were on the end of like a corner row so we had a little extra space on the side to move around. My stepdaughter and her mom met up with me for this show so that was nice. They were more excited to see Sublime with Rome so that was the highlight of the show for them. I didn’t do as many videos this night for a few reasons. I think where my seat was, or the way the sound system was, the sound wasn’t as good as Merriweather to me. It was still good, but I felt like Merriweather was just a better venue to me. Plus I got the songs I wanted to get the night before and I was also kind of tired from rocking out hard Friday and probably traveling and waiting and standing in the sun and heat for several hours. So I still got a few video clips of Incubus just to have some evidence of the show later and I tried to get a few I hadn’t gotten before like “Megalomaniac” and “Karma, Come Back.” And I had to get that wonderful ending to “Echo” again. I also tried to get a few pics since I was a little closer this time. I got some ok pics Friday night and my friend got some decent ones. A lot of mine still come out blurry though so I don’t usually take a lot.

Also, I’d like to acknowledge two taller guys with good concert manners. One was at Merriweather when I was recording, “The Warmth” you actually see him near the end coming back to the row in front of me but then he realized he was blocking me so he was nice enough to move over so I could still see. And Saturday the guy in the seat next to me held up his phone to record at the beginning of Incubus and he looked back at me to check if I could still see. You can hear me in my video telling him, “You’re good, you’re good.” So as a short girl who many times gets her view blocked by tall people, I appreciate both of you guys for being considerate of me. That is good concert etiquette and I didn’t run into any negative types either night. The energy was very positive. The only part that was rough was trying to get in for the VIP but it ended up working out so it was a great experience.

Ending of "Echo" 7/30/22 Clip

So overall I had a wonderful weekend of concerts and special moments. At Merriweather they also advertised my next concert, which is Duran Duran shortly after my birthday soon so that will be my next adventure. As for Incubus, they’re not playing nearby the rest of this tour but maybe on their next go-round I can catch another show. I can get the cheaper VIP package for just the Pre-Show Jam, which I wouldn’t mind doing again. The Meet and Greet is more expensive so I’m not sure if I will try that again or not… since I didn’t have the nerve to even talk to Brandon or look at him directly hahaha. And here I was thinking I would ask for a hug if there wasn’t social distancing. HA! I was a chicken. But who knows? Maybe one day. Also, I know my Meet and Greet pic is not the best picture, Jose and Mike were distracted by something, but at least Ben, Brandon and Chris were looking at the camera. I wish the venue hadn’t had a white background and I would prefer standing instead of sitting for a pic just personally. But I understand the way it was set up to be safe and all. And I’m still happy about it because that’s freakin Brandon Boyd behind me! ;^p

Also, as usual, you can always watch my videos on my YouTube channel outside of the blog at www.youtube.com/user/mewzak

Light at the End of the Tunnel

2022-03-25T18:41:00.000-04:00

"I haven't felt the way, I feel today, in so long, it's hard for me to specify..." Hearing Brandon Boyd sing those lyrics from "Nice to Know You" at the Incubus concert in South Carolina last Friday really hit me because it was my first concert since the pandemic started and also my first concert in about 4 years. It was also my first road trip for a concert since 2018 when I drove to Pennsylvania to see Johnny Depp play with Hollywood Vampires.

So I did a bit of a whirlwind road trip just to see Incubus, approximately 7 hours down Friday and 7 hours back Saturday. And whirlwind is a pretty accurate description because it was quite windy, I could feel it blowing the vehicle as I was driving.

Oh by the way, since my last entry I actually got a new vehicle about a month after writing that blog. My old 2002 Chevy Cavalier died in the snow on the way to work one morning that February. That car lasted me almost 19 years! It took me on many road trips and adventures. But now I have a new steed, a 2021 Chevy Equinox, and I love it. I even drove it all the way to Florida and back last summer for a family vacation. Road trips are kind of liberating to me, especially when I can blast my music the whole time. And with my new Equinox and the technology differences adjusting from my 2002 car, I now use the Amazon Music Unlimited app on my phone to listen when I drive. I made an 8-hour Incubus playlist for my trip to SC so I wouldn't even have to touch it.

Let me back track a little bit... I bought a ticket to this show in February because they only had a handful of dates scheduled for awhile and I kept eyeing that SC show, thinking how I had taken several road trips to SC in the past so it was familiar. And I worried that those summer tour dates that were canceled in 2020 would never come, so when I read a post in an Incubus fan group that basically spoke my thoughts, I commented and this other fan persuaded me to go for it. So I got a ticket and made a new friend from Ohio at the Incubus show in South Carolina.

What's funny is, the Monday right before this show they announced a summer tour and in 2020 they were coming to Jiffy Lube Live, which is convenient to me. But I'm assuming that venue was booked already so they're coming to Merriweather Post Pavilion, where I saw them in 2001 with Moby's Area One Festival, AND After Hours, which is super close to me and kind of a smaller scale outdoor concert setup. I was super excited! So I got tickets to both and my tickets for Merriweather are pretty close, about the same as this SC show, but my tickets for After Hours are in the third row! I'm so happy about it! And I got the VIP package for that show since it's the closest to me and also a smaller venue so I thought that would make it even better. I got the same one I had back in 2020 that got canceled, so I'm supposed to see the pre-show jam and do the meet and greet. So it seems like the 2-year wait and disappointment of 2020 might end up working out for the better!

Besides Incubus, then I also found out Duran Duran is playing at Merriweather Post Pavilion in August right around my 40^th birthday. Yep, already got tickets for that too. Those are not close seats but it’s hard and expensive to get close seats for Duran Duran. It will be like my 5^th or 6^th time seeing them and they are my favorite band EVER, so it is perfect for my bday. I also already started planning some fun to celebrate my 40^th… I’m going to eat at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in Baltimore, which I’ve been wanting to try ever since it opened, and then do a moonlight sailboat ride in the harbor with a few friends. So I’m looking forward to a lot of fun this summer.

Let’s see, what else did I do since my last post? I got to see the Van Gogh Immersive Experience in DC in December. That was very cool. I got a new crush on Adam Driver after developing a crush on Kylo Ren, after experiencing the Star Wars Rise of the Resistance at Disney World hahaha. I already liked the movies, but I don’t know, something about that animatronic Kylo Ren and then later a live actor in costume made me realize I kinda had a thing for the character. So then I got on an Adam Driver kick, which is what I usually do anytime I like an actor or musician. Then I watch or listen to everything they’ve ever done. The cool thing is, Adam Driver had 3 pretty big movies come out last year after theaters started opening back up. And I got hooked on “Annette” from the first trailer I saw and that came out on my 39^th birthday. It was the first movie I saw in the theater since the pandemic and I love it. It’s very unique and you should check it out on Amazon Prime. Then later I also went to the theater to see his movies, “The Last Duel” and “House of Gucci.” “Duel” is very good but also very sensitive so it’s not for the faint of heart. “Gucci” was good but honestly of these 3 films, it was the least impressive for me.

As for some of my other actor crushes, I am stoked about Ewan McGregor in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show coming on Disney Plus in May. “Phantom Menace” was the first thing I ever saw him in and I instantly fell for him and have been a fan ever since. Also, Cillian Murphy is back for the final season of “Peaky Blinders.” It’s already out on BBC but I’m eagerly awaiting it to be on Netflix after the long wait due to the pandemic delaying things.

Now let me circle back to music… In my last post, I mentioned Brandon Boyd writing a type of blog back in the day and emailing these entries to subscribers. Well he recently started doing this again! (Are you reading MY blog Brandon? Did I have some influence on this?) Or maybe it’s just things cycling back around as they do, just like I am with writing here as well. Whatever the reason, I’m enjoying it! I’ve also been following his project “Moonlight Arts Collective” and just purchased my first Brandon Boyd art! It’s also a collaboration with Sarah Hay, the lovely ballerina featured in the art, and Brian Bowen Smith, the photographer. I got “Tiny Dancer III” which is the one with blue and rainbow colors. I was debating between that and the gold one, but the colorful one fits me better. I don’t want to post a photo because I’m not sure about copyright and all that when it comes to art and I always try to be respectful of music and film rights as far as paying artists for their work, so I will share a link to the Moonlight Arts Collective where you can view and purchase the art. moonlightartscollective.com

It was actually delivered on Friday when I was driving down to SC for the Incubus show so I was a little worried because sometimes I have delivery issues at my condo building. But luckily they used UPS, who is usually good to me. We’re not going to talk about Fedex… So I was happy to find my artwork safe and sound waiting at my door when I got home on Saturday. It is beautiful and my first piece of real authentic artwork too. I got number 46 of 100. I need to get a frame for it, right now it’s just safely stashed away so my cats don’t mess with it. Also, on the subject of art, I still need to get myself back into exploring my own painting creations. I have some of the supplies, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. But I WILL.

Brandon also released his solo album and I really love the video for “More Better.” That is also my favorite track on the album. Some others I like are “Dime in My Dryer,” “Ad Infinitum,” and “New Dark Age.” It is quite different so some people like it, some people don’t, but those are the songs that struck my attention so far. I bought the mp3 album from Amazon so I could listen in my app and I also decided to order the vinyl mainly just for a keepsake and because I like the album artwork. I don’t have a record player but I have a few records on vinyl of my favorite artists like Filter, U2 and Duran Duran.

Now back to the Incubus concert, if you are still reading after all my rambling… I took a few pics with my phone and they all came out blurry so I just put a few in here that were the most decent of them, which still weren’t good. However, I am very happy about the good sound quality I got in my videos. The visual isn’t great again, also because I don’t like to be obnoxious and hold my phone up high a long time and block other people’s view. So you’re basically seeing the concert from my perspective and height haha. I will post them here and you can also see them on my youtube channel. youtube.com/user/mewzak

I regretted not recording, “Nice to Know You” but I think at that point in the show I was still soaking it all in. Later I found someone else got a video of that song though so it’s cool I can still savor the moment. I got a clip of "Stellar" which is one of my faves. I was psyched that they played "Sick Sad Little World" and got the whole thing! It was my first time hearing that live in person, but I had seen performances on youtube before so I knew it was awesome live. I got the second half of "In the Company of Wolves" cuz I LOVE that groove. Then another amazing surprise was "Defiance!" That was a treat. And last but not least, I got the closer of the encore, "Warning" another fave. And I made sure to keep recording for the group bow at the end! Some other highlights on the setlist were “Karma Come Back” and “Glitterbomb.” Those both sounded great live and are a few of their newer tracks since the last time I saw them in 2012 at the DC101 Chili Cookoff. I also loved hearing "Quicksand" and "State of the Art." The new friend I made managed to get a setlist from the stage afterwards.

So that’s another thing, I had seen Incubus 4 times before but always at festivals. This was my first just Incubus show and I’m so glad I ended up going with them being the only band because I feel like I got to experience a longer set and some special treats that they may not play on the summer tour with Sublime with Rome and The Aquadolls. I need to check out the Aquadolls but of course I know Sublime, so I’m looking forward to seeing them on the summer tour as well. I’m kind of disappointed I didn’t get to see 311 though, who was supposed to tour with them for the 2020 shows.

I feel like this blog has ADHD so forgive me if I’m skipping all over the place. I used to write these the day after the show back in the day but now I’m getting older and life distracts so I’ve been doing bits and pieces of this at different times and it’s already been a week since the show! But I’m also out of practice because I haven’t been going to concerts like I used to back then. So far this summer is looking very promising on that front though, so hopefully I will be posting several more blog entries in the coming months.

What else regarding this particular concert adventure? Well my road trip was fairly smooth so there’s not much to share about that, but my new friend from Ohio and I did have a little bit of traveling drama at the hotel. It took forever to get a room. They were very backed up. I mean I have never seen a hotel lobby full of people waiting for rooms. She had been there for a few hours already before I got there, so we waited about an hour at that point and then went to get dinner at Bonefish Grill, which was nice. Then by the time we got back they had rooms ready but we still had to wait in line. I think we had maybe 30 to 45 minutes to chill before we needed to start heading toward the concert. But I will say the guy working the front desk was a champ and he ended up giving us free breakfast which was very yummy the next morning. The cool thing was this hotel had a nice walking path to the venue. It was like a raised wood bridge over a swamp so it was like a little nature walk. I had brought a small flashlight with me as a precaution but they had it well lit. We did joke about alligators though. So I got plenty of walking in after my road trip, which was a good thing.

Speaking of the flashlight, another new thing for me was the clear bag policy for the concert. That’s something that has changed since all my previous concert adventures. I’m glad I found out about it beforehand so I ordered a clear purse from Amazon. I feel like I’m really promoting them in this blog… I’m cool with the bag policy though, it’s all in the interest of safety.

As far as the weather that night, they were calling for scattered thunderstorms. We got lucky on that too. It drizzled a little when we were outside but mostly we were good. A storm came through while we were eating dinner in the restaurant but cleared up when we were leaving to go back to the hotel. Then it stormed during the concert but cleared up when we were leaving afterwards. The only thing that disappointed me was there was a full moon that night and you couldn’t see it.

Incubus put on a great show. The band sounded awesome, the sound in the venue was perfect quality, and they also had nice lighting effects. The place seemed a little fancy for a rock concert but it was a nice venue. The crowd was sold out, which I found out afterwards, and it was just satisfying to be in that positive energy again. People were singing along and rocking out and it filled me with a sense of hope and anticipation for more concerts this year and life getting better after the last few years of disarray.

Here's to the future…

The 7-Year Itch

2021-01-09T21:42:00.002-05:00

So it’s been about 7 years since I’ve posted a blog entry… What persuaded me to post now? Well, in a roundabout way Brandon Boyd of the band Incubus inspired me. I ordered his 3 books around my birthday in August and just recently got around to reading them all. I ordered them because at the beginning of 2020 I had bought a ticket and a meet and greet package for an Incubus concert that was supposed to happen in the summer and we all know those plans got canceled due to the pandemic. So the books were my treat to try to give me a little substitute for missing out on that experience.

Brandon's books which you can purchase at brandonboyd.me

Now I’ve been a fan of Incubus since 1999 and had the pleasure of seeing them in concert in 2001 at HFStival. Seeing them live made me love the band even more. I remember Brandon with his dreads at the time, not only singing, but playing a didgeridoo and rocking out on a djembe drum, and I instantly had a crush. Anyone who knows me knows I get crushes rather easily. But he was one of my fascinations from that point on.

He used to have an email list you could subscribe to and he would send out emails at the time, similar to what a blog is nowadays, with random journal entries he would write. I used to love reading those emails. He’s a very deep, enlightened human being with a great perspective on the world and he’s also quite amusing too. His thoughts make me think and also radiate a positive energy. If you’ve listened to any Incubus music, it’s also evident in his clever lyric writing.

I didn’t intend for this to be all about Incubus but I might as well tell the whole story since I started… I got to see Incubus again at Moby’s Area One Festival in 2001 as well I believe. He had cut off his dreads at that point. Then I saw them in 2003 at Lollapalooza and my last time was in 2012 at the DC101 Chili Cookoff. So I’ve never actually been to a full Incubus show, it’s been kind of an inside joke that if I went to a music festival, Incubus was there.

Something drew me back to them early last year. I think it was the release of their new song “Our Love” and I really liked the video for it too. Then I found that YouTube has a ton of live concerts and music content now, and with the help of my RokuTV I got hooked on watching music videos and live performances and even found a few years of music I had missed out on. They have continued to be a comfort for me during this pandemic.

So back to Brandon Boyd’s books… They are full of his art, journal entries and randomness. Yes, he also paints and makes art in addition to fronting a band. This is interesting to me now especially because after my divorce I found a love for painting. So going through his books made me realize something about myself… Since I was a kid I loved writing. I wrote stories during elementary and middle school age, then in high school I leaned more toward music so my words delved more into writing poetry or possible song lyrics. I also got into journalism from taking that class and working on the school newspaper during high school. So my writing transformed into journalistic styles as well.

In reading some of Brandon’s writing, he started out with art and then later got into writing and then music. For me I started with writing, then got into music, and much later found art. These connections are what inspired me to write this blog today. I realized I hadn’t written in a long, long time and it’s my most familiar form of creative self-expression. I don’t know if all creative types delve into all the forms of the arts, but maybe many of us do experiment with different forms. I still love music, but making music isn’t my strongest talent. I wish I was better at songwriting and performing music, but perhaps it’s not my deepest calling. Writing is the easiest or most natural thing for me so I really should get back to it more often. Even if it is just blogging, it’s something.

So to fill in the gap a little bit from my last blog entry about 7 years ago… What happened in 7 years? Well I got married and divorced, got a new job, got 2 new cats after my former 2 passed away, still live in my condo and still drive the same car. My 2002 Chevy was given a 1-2 year life expectancy last year though, so I’m trying to hold off another year or so before having to buy a new one, just so I can catch up on some debt first. Those are the boring life details haha. I didn’t go to many concerts during that time period… I did get to see Dead Sara, Kiss, Transiberian Orchestra and Hollywood Vampires. I think those were it besides my ex’s band. You can catch up on some videos from all of those on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/mewzak

Back to art and such… As I mentioned earlier, after my divorce I discovered painting. This actually started with the fad of these little painting and sipping wine places popping up. I decided to try one at Painting with a Twist and loved it. Unfortunately the location near me closed permanently during the pandemic, but I went there about once a month for about a year to make paintings and sip on a few glasses of wine. I started out with the instructor-led classes but then found I preferred the open studio classes where people are doing different paintings of their choice from the selections and given an example to reference and minimal instruction. I liked going at my own pace and figuring out how to do it on my own with a few tips more than going by the pace of an instructor and the whole class doing the same painting. This became a sort of creative therapy for me. It was a way for me to be expressive and create something I can keep hanging on my walls.

I also tried a paint pouring class once that a lady just did out of her own home. I really enjoyed that but I’ve been wanting to experiment more with it. Whereas regular painting focuses more on the details and usually trying to copy or mimic something, such as trees, the moon, water, and other landscape imagery I did at Painting with a Twist, paint pouring is almost the opposite. It’s more random or chaotic, a sense of letting go and letting it morph into its own thing, and I really liked that too. You can pick the colors or the framework so to speak, but the end result is mostly out of your control. It’s strangely releasing to find beauty in the chaos. I recently finally got most of my own supplies to try more of that on my own at home and also do some more regular painting on my own. I might share some pictures of my creations on here in the future.

Besides painting, I also got into wine. Perhaps Painting with a Twist started that little spark, and then the pandemic ignited it. Not in the way you would think necessarily… My former bass guitar teacher runs a winery and I saw posts on Facebook about struggles with the state of things, so I joined their wine club to help support a friend’s small business, and in return I’ve learned about different kinds of wine and found out which ones I like. Rogers Ford Farm Winery is also off a back road, secluded kind of in the country, in the woods and an old farmhouse tasting room. The setting was a welcome stress reliever over the past year as well.

My other best therapy during the pandemic was nature therapy. I have been walking in the woods at Alum Springs Park about once a month since this craziness began and it’s been my breath of fresh air to have some quiet moments amongst the trees and babbling springs and scampering squirrels and I even had a magical encounter with a deer one morning. I like going earlier in the mornings before more people show up. Sometimes I’ve been the only one there at the time and it’s very peaceful.

I think that’s all I have to say for tonight… Until next time.

My Rockin Boyfriend Ronnie Dixon: Digging up some of his bands from the past

2014-07-19T11:31:00.000-04:00

I decided to do a blog post of some of the bands my boyfriend used to be in. I used to go to some of these shows. There's quite a bit for Method of Friction that you can find online, but the other one, Dirty Sanchez, is from about 10 years back and pretty rare. So check out Ronnie Dixon rockin out on guitar.

http://youtu.be/9i_JdwOnruo

http://youtu.be/yPt9DqPsEvc

http://youtu.be/rDMRIjd71Fk

http://youtu.be/XWLBm3l0ONs

http://youtu.be/4_seG8NYQWg

http://youtu.be/zVv0zt2SW2E

http://youtu.be/IQ5XbSArdyY

http://youtu.be/9_bSnmwSvrs

Fuel and Tantric in Fredericksburg

2014-07-19T08:49:00.002-04:00

Hard Times Cafe in Fredericksburg, VA, my home town, has been getting some bigger acts in this year. I got to catch Fuel there in May and Tantric in June. It's been awhile since I posted a blog due to being busy with my personal life and a new job, so I haven't had the chance for any big concerts lately. But luckily a few decent ones came to me so I was able to go. Both bands were rocking and it was a good time. Here are some pics and videos from those shows. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/nync8-3V708

http://youtu.be/k4h72sUdvyE

My favorite Fuel song.

http://youtu.be/9sUbyFH8ldA

http://youtu.be/kaq_2VMNuRA

http://youtu.be/VtBT67_mZSQ

I loved the bottom of his mic stand.

http://youtu.be/1j8IMazpZpI

http://youtu.be/o8gHeF-Ec_8

http://youtu.be/mUx4JKXA-TE

http://youtu.be/Yw2WMwpKMc4

Farewell Filter/Thank You Dido

2013-09-28T00:43:00.000-04:00

A lot has happened in my life the past few months, which is what delayed this blog posting. This will be my last blog entry regarding Filter. I will still keep my blog, because "mewzak" is MY blog. I just used it as one of many tools to help promote one of my favorite bands that I've been especially focused on the past few years. I will not get into personal details, except that the reason I will no longer be going to Filter shows or posting blogs about them, IS just that, personal.

The first week of June I went to 4 Filter shows and it was also the new album release week for "The Sun Comes Out Tonight." I love the album and wish the band success with it. Two of the shows were the closest the band has ever come to me, as part of the Summerland Tour. And I also won entry into an acoustic performance for 102.1 The X in Richmond. Musically, that was a highlight of all the Filter shows I've seen. It was very intimate and I'm glad I got to attend a rare acoustic performance.

Here are some videos and such from that week:

We also got to meet Everclear

I also have some more videos of Everclear and Live on my mewzak youtube channel.

Now, as I said, a lot has happened the past few months. Amid troubles, I got a Samsung Galaxy tablet as a gift for my birthday. And when I registered it online, I got some free credits to the Google Play store. So I got Dido's latest album, "Girl Who Got Away", which I didn't even know was out. I love her and as usual, the right music came to me at the perfect time. So here are some songs and lyrics from that album that fit my life the past few months. The music can say it all better than I can. So thank you Dido (which is kind of funny because one of her earlier well known songs was "Thank You" haha).

"End of Night"

Only now it's gone
I can see the year
See for what it was
And start another day
All the liberty you took
The love that you abused
The friends that you turned
Against me if you could
And youre twisting what I say
All that saying you were scared
It doesn't matter anymore
Cos Im not there
You were careless when the beat kicked in
And careless when it left
And careless all the way
I didn't see it till the end

I feel nothing
When you cry
I hear nothing
See no need to reply
I can smile now
And turn away
Come over here
So you can see me walk away
And celebrate
The end of night
The end of night

It only takes one lie
To bring this house down
Behind closed doors
No one tells the first time round
Pain is worse when you bring it on yourself
The sweetest bully building
A love that couldn't last
You were ugly when the beat kicked in
And ugly when it left
And ugly all the way, I didn't see it till the end

I feel nothing
When you cry
I hear nothing
See no need to reply
I can smile now
And turn away
Come over here
So you can see me walk away
And celebrate
The end of night
The end of night

After the fall comes love
I hate to hate and love to love

I feel nothing
When you cry
I hear nothing
See no need to reply
I can smile now
And turn away
Come over here
So you can see me walk away
And celebrate
The end of night
The end of night

"Love To Blame"

Helen of Troy was the kind of girl

Who really had it all

Not a care in the world but her head was turned

And forever changed

She said one love is lost but another is found

So just take the keys and let's just go, birds fly south

Nothing ventured

Nothing gained

It's all about love

So I'm not to blame

I'm not to blame

She said I've dotted my i's and I've crossed my t's

Had time for friends when they needed me

I try to make sense of senseless things

Try to live how I believe

And of course I leave things behind that I'll regret

But there's time enough for new things yet, for new things yet

When the dust covers the sun

And all you hope for is undone

Will you turn and say

Nothing ventured

Nothing gained

It was all for love so love is to blame

Love is to blame

When the dust covers the sun

And all you hope for is undone

Will you turn and say

Nothing ventured

Nothing gained

It was all for love so love is to blame

Love is to blame

"Go Dreaming"

Another summer coming to an end
And I'm still walking on without a care
And even if the birds have flown, the sun has gone
I'll still be here

Oh I want to walk with kings
Oh and take a chance on things
And though I may give way to those who could cause me pain
And step aside to threats and bullies
I still believe, I still believe

I'd rather go dreaming, believing in something, better than in me
I'd rather die loving, lost in the feeling of letting go
I'd rather die caring, working for something, seeing it as good
I can let it go, I can let it go

They're all flying flags and making noise
Bringing on their speeches drinks and boys
But when they're gone I'll be standing here
And picking up the mess they left
I still believe, I still believe

"Loveless Hearts"

I can find the good news in anything

But without you, that's all gone

No one could have told me how much I'd miss you

And how soon the world moves on

How can they not hear me

When I say

Oh, we're not safe anymore

Did loveless hearts build the world

Only to tear it apart

How did those gods tempt you to leave

Just when we needed you most

The sun will rise today as it did yesterday

And I'll keep on going too

But every hour that I get through it breaks my heart

That I am losing more of you

Did loveless hearts build the world

Only to tear it apart

How did those gods tempt you to leave

Just when we needed you most

My Friend April Parsons

2013-06-22T16:56:00.001-04:00

This week I was shocked and saddened by the death of a friend, April Parsons. Sure, she was kinda kooky, but she was also honest, generous and had a huge heart. I'm going to go into some things here that I would not share normally, but I feel sharing them now would honor her life.

April and I met through being fans of Filter. We talked online for quite some time and we confided in each other quite a bit. I only actually met her twice in person, the two times we went on ShipRocked.

The first time she was one of my roommates on the ship. Close to the time of the cruise, some extra things were announced for special experiences with the artists. I had spent my last dime on the trip expenses and could not afford any of them. April, never having met me in person before, paid $300 for me to go to the dinner with the singers. One of the best memories I will ever have of ShipRocked and Filter, I owe to April. I will never forget that favor.

I did pay her back months later when I could, but I just put the check in the mail without telling her, because I knew she would say not to do it. She was surprised when she received it and told me I shouldn't have done it. But she actually needed some money at that time, so I hope my karma ended well on that deed.

Also while onboard, she used her photographer access to get me in early for the Filter set in the auditorium, so I was able to be up front and center for their performance. That was the night Richard handed me his guitar pick to make the scratching noises on his guitar in the breakdown part of "Dose." Yet again, I have her to thank for that moment and memory.

The second time we were on ShipRocked, there was a night I hung out with her by the bar out on the deck and we had a heart to heart. She needed a friend and I'm glad I spent that time with her.

We hadn't kept in contact that much after that, but just a few weeks before her death, I did give her some complimentary comments on some of her photos of Filter from their recent show in Florida. While it was a small gesture, I am glad my last few words to her were kind and I hope they meant something to her.

I only wish I could have said or done something to prevent her from ending her life early... but being someone who struggles with depression myself, I know that sometimes you can't stop someone from resorting to it. I wish she would have still had hope for life. She was beautiful and talented and I hope her spirit now knows that and is at peace.

My condolences to her family and friends, especially her son. I hope he learns how special his mom was as he grows up.

Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) in Roanoke

2013-04-08T21:27:00.001-04:00

Glen Phillips is one of my favorite musicians. He has one of my most favorite singing voices in the world. I remember listening to Toad the Wet Sprocket on the radio when I was a kid playing with my brother outside. I was 9 when their album Fear came out. Then Dulcinea was a staple of my teeny bopper years. I learned how to play the bass line to "Fall Down." I also have a soft spot for the album of their rarities, In Light Syrup. "All She Said" on that album is one of the most gorgeous songs that displays his voice. That one hits me right in the heart.

I remember hearing the announcement on the radio that the band was breaking up when I was in high school and I was upset! But then luckily I got the pleasure to finally see them in concert at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach on their reunion tour during my early 20s. They played a 3 hour set nonstop, it was awesome.

I followed Glen's solo projects as well. Live at Largo was my favorite CD that he did, and the DVD for Abulum was my lullaby during a period of time when I had trouble falling asleep. His voice and acoustic guitar were so soothing to me. His lyrics are raw, heartfelt, twisted, clever and poetic, making him one of my favorite songwriters.

Glen Phillips is one of the few musicians I kept up with who were connecting to their fans online before all the social media sites came about. I remember him sending out emails to his mailing list that he had personally written. And I ordered his solo stuff directly from his website through an independent label. He was one of the first ones I remember doing that.

I've wanted to catch one of his solo shows live for years, and he's passed through this area a few times, but I never made it. So this time I finally got to see him play at Kirk Avenue Music Hall in Roanoke, Virginia. My friend conveniently lives there, so it worked out to go to the show and have a weekend visit.

We got seats front and center, it's a little hole in the wall kind of place, but considering he did a bookstore tour before, I knew it would be small and intimate. It was just Glen, his guitar, and a microphone. He is a very entertaining guy, even besides his music, his witty banter in between songs made the atmosphere that much better. He's got a different way of looking at things and a warped sense of humor, as all of the best artists should.

He played an even mix of solo material and Toad songs, going by his own setlist and then taking some requests as well. There were two solo songs I don't think I've heard before, that I now love, "Blue Sky" and "Blood Pressurize." You can listen to and download a lot of his solo stuff at glenphillips.com

I got videos of about 75% of his set. I wish I'd recorded them all, I regret missing a few of them. But I got the most popular ones and my favorites of his solo songs that he played. "Darkest Hour," "Sleep of the Blessed," and "Back On My Feet" are some I would have loved to hear too. But as he responded to a moment when several requests were shouted out from the audience, he said, "There are so many songs to play..." Which was so true haha, he couldn't play them ALL.

As with a few other favorite musicians of mine that I feel a special connection to, it's always a rush the first time you make direct eye contact during a performance. I was sitting right in front, so it was pretty inevitable haha, but I still felt that intensity when he looked right at me during the first song of the evening. According to my friend, I was smiling the whole time haha, and the best way I can describe how I felt, is what I posted in a comment to him later on facebook, "You made my heart happy."

I was also happy that he came out to mingle afterwards. I bought his most recent solo CD there for him to sign. And it's kind of funny that he wrote "be happy" on it. He's very mild mannered and kind of shy and sweet. I'm glad I got to finally meet him and get a picture with him. It was a heart warming experience.

And here are my videos of the show:

"Crowing"

http://youtu.be/YBT5_mdlPgM

"Dam Would Break"

http://youtu.be/w_JSx8rbyBc

"Small Dark Movies"

http://youtu.be/XFwGHcHVFY0

"Easier"

http://youtu.be/cWyeBEik3dQ

"Solar Flare"

http://youtu.be/CZ-2adW9U1E

"Walk on the Ocean"

http://youtu.be/AbElxJwBZzQ

A NEW Toad the Wet Sprocket song from their upcoming album!

http://youtu.be/stuLzU_W68w

"Fall Down"

http://youtu.be/PO7aNGsI2OU

"Rise Up"

http://youtu.be/rJS37SLH8P8

"Whatever I Fear"

http://youtu.be/Og-bmRndblQ

"Duck and Cover"

http://youtu.be/VsBy6gNcoJs

"Something's Always Wrong"

http://youtu.be/GeeX4YUTvlA

"Thankful"

http://youtu.be/14-d38lCSqk

"All I Want"

http://youtu.be/3Li8pRVsKZ8

FILTER Summerland Tour with Everclear, LIVE and Sponge! Richard Patrick on Lunatic Radio TONIGHT!

2013-03-25T18:11:00.000-04:00

Filter is going to be part of the Summerland Tour 2013 with Everclear, LIVE and Sponge.

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 29th at www.summerlandtour.net

Check out officialfilter.com/tour and facebook.com/Filter/events for tour dates and info!

After a wildly successful trek last year, Art Alexakis, frontman for the alternative rock outfit Everclear, announced today that he's bringing Summerland back for 2013, hitting more than 35 U.S. cities. This time out, Everclear will share the stage with fellow rock bands; Filter, Live and Sponge, for a decidedly edgier Summerland trek.

Rolling Stone: 2013 Summerland Tour Unites Everclear, Live, Filter

Date	Venue	Location

May 29	Lee County Civic Center	Fort Myers, FL
May 30	Mahaffey Theatre	St Petersburg, FL
May 31	Red Hat Amphitheatre	Raleigh, NC
Jun 01	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre	Alpharetta, GA
Jun 02	Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre	Charlotte, NC
Jun 05	Innsbrook After Hours	Glen Allen, VA
Jun 07	Celebrate Fairfax Festival	Fairfax, VA
Jun 08	House of Blues	North Myrtle Beach, SC
Jun 11	State Theatre	New Brunswick, NJ
Jun 12	Theatre at Westbury	Westbury, NY
Jun 14	Casino New Brunswick	Moncton, Canada
Jun 15	House of Blues	Boston, MA
Jun 16	Penn's Peak	Jim Thorpe, PA
Jun 19	Stage AE	Pittsburgh, PA
Jun 20	Electric Factory	Philadelphia, PA
Jun 21	LC Pavilion	Columbus, OH
Jun 22	Horseshoe Casino	Hammond, IN
Jun 23	Myth Live	St Paul, MN
Jun 26	Ogden Theatre	Denver, CO
Jun 28	Wiltern Theatre	Los Angeles, CA
Jun 30	Brighthouse Networks Amphitheatre	Bakersfield, CA
Jul 02	Humphrey's	San Diego, CA
Jul 05	Avi Resort & Casino	Laughlin, NV
Jul 06	The Marquee	Tempe, AZ
Jul 11	L'Auberge Casino Pool Stage	Lake Charles, LA
Jul 12	Venue TBA	Dallas, TX
Jul 13	ACL Live, Moody Theatre	Austin, TX
Jul 16	Wildhorse Saloon	Nashville, TN
Jul 19	Ives Concert Park	Danbury, CT
Jul 20	Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom	Hampton Beach, NH
Jul 21	Capitol Theatre	Port Chester, NY
Jul 28	Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre	Kansas City, MO

http://youtu.be/JUeoEodd1R4

And tune into Lunatic Radio tonight at 8 p.m. East/5 p.m. West to hear a call in from Richard Patrick! These guys are known for hosting quite entertaining radio shows with Richard as a guest.

Here's a link to the show archive.

There are also a handful of dates Filter is playing before Summerland as well:

Apr 18 The Black Sheep Colorado Springs, CO

Apr 21 Granada Theater Dallas, TX

Apr 23 Scout Bar Houston, TX

Apr 24 Varsity Theater Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Apr 28 Welcome to Rockville! Jacksonville, FL

May 25 Blazefest Niceville, Florida

What Do You Say? I say, FILTER.

2013-03-20T20:54:00.000-04:00

Filter has a new album teaser video for The Sun Comes Out Tonight, featuring a sample of the first single, "What Do You Say?" It includes some fun studio footage. You can pre-order the album on April 2nd and get the full single!

http://youtu.be/RN7vVMlt1Z8

And don't forget to stop by officialfilter.com to enter your email address and receive a limited time freebie song from the album, "We Hate It When You Get What You Want."

http://youtu.be/mY6zvWyKiqI

There is also a new Filter bio up:

Shoving a fist in the face of tradition has been Filter's modus operandi since the release of their self-produced debut album, Short Bus. The album's rough-around-the-edges production consisted of inebriated answering machine samples, lavish bass lines, and jagged guitars set to a backdrop of drum machines punctuated by the unfurling of Richard Patrick's vocal prowess and signature roar. Patrick, Filter's magnetic, profoundly intelligent nucleus and frontman jubilantly admits that his creative process is unorthodox, whether he's staring down and conquering new technology or coalescing with new bandmate and co-conspirator Jonny Radtke on Filter's current release, The Sun Comes Out Tonight.

Patrick believes in adapting and improvising in the name of achieving results, fully aware of what he's rebelling against. He addresses his unconventional methods with utmost conviction in his voice, "Let's break the rules, let's put a finger up to the establishment and do something wrong. If William Shakespeare was alive today, he'd be using a word processor. He'd be copying and pasting. Does that change things? Yeah, but at the same time, it's flexible and different. It has to be done." This perspective is evident on The Sun Comes Out Tonight's lead single, "What Do You Say", an explosive track featuring Patrick's rousing howl, hypnotic synthesizers, smoldering guitars, biting lyrics, and the triumphant resurrection of the pulsating drum machines that cemented Filter's reputation for delivering a distinctive sound unlike any other band in existence. Patrick laughs, "It's all drum machine, just like Short Bus! I like that we're getting away with something that's wrong. There's almost this notion that someone like Skrillex is less of a talent because his music centers around making a computer do incredible things. Music is an interpretive art form."

"The Only Way (Is The Wrong Way)" isn't merely a stand-out track from 2002 release The Amalgamut, it's an integral component of the career Patrick has fabricated with Filter as a truly capable multi-instrumentalist and vocalist hell-bent on releasing top-notch material and delivering electrifying, intense live performances. Patrick's many collaborations and side-projects have transcended the boundaries between rock, industrial, and electronic music by utilizing the talents of musicians Trent Reznor, Robert and Dean DeLeo, Ray Luzier, Josh Freese, John 5, The Crystal Method, Danny Lohner, Clayton Worbeck and Wes Borland.

The Trouble With Angels, Filter's inaugural venture with producer Bob Marlette culminated in Patrick cleaning the slate and solidifying a new live band line-up before embarking on tour across North America and Europe in support of the album. Filter's affiliation with the organization Stars For Stripes allowed the band the honor of entertaining US troops on military bases in Kuwait, Iraq, and Cuba's Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Patrick, a fervent supporter of the men and women serving the United States, takes immense pleasure in meeting and performing for deployed fans; he and his bandmates gained deeper insight into the lifestyle those serving face on a regular basis when the band survived rocket attacks in Kirkuk, Iraq.

The Sun Comes Out Tonight heralds the return of Marlette in the roles of producer and co-writer, and marks the introduction of Filter's newest addition, co-writer, and guitarist, Jonny Radtke. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Radtke's rapturous vocals and elegantly furious guitar playing mesh expertly with Filter's ambiance. "Jonny is the little brother-slash-guitar player I never had, he's just incredibly talented," Patrick affectionately admits. "Because of his talent and my connection with him, it was such a joy to make this album, it's a very inspired record. The chemistry was there. I really can't say enough about Jonny." Radtke's own predilection for rebellion and versatility are hallmarks of his own one-man musical project, the ethereal Polar Moon. Prior to joining Filter, Radtke's guitar styling's were best known for gracing the stage with his previous band, Kill Hannah, and the live incarnation of Ashes Divide, led by Billy Howerdel of A Perfect Circle.

Patrick proclaims, "It's a new guitar player, a new label - we're so grateful we signed with Wind-up Records, [label co-owner and Chief Creative Officer] Gregg Wattenberg is so supportive, the label is amazing; it's a whole new idea. It was so easy to be angry on this record, there are songs about betrayal and pure evil, there's so much heavy stuff [on this record] but there's moments of light, songs about happiness and love. It's our analysis of the human condition."

Tracks "What Do You Say", "This Finger's For You" and "We Hate It When You Get What You Want" seethe with vicious guitar riffs, blasting beats, Radtke's lilting background vocals, Patrick's gruff delivery, and captivating choruses that were made to sing along to. "With our first single, 'What Do You Say', it's about all the noise - noise from the media, people talking and having so much to say but not really listening," Patrick thoughtfully states. One of the album's brightest moments of light comes courtesy of the shimmering, euphoric "Surprise", a track reminiscent of the delicate song structure that made runaway hit "Take A Picture" one of Filter's most beloved offerings.

The whimsical "First You Break It" draws you in with lush guitars and surging harmonies. The lyrics for "Watch The Sun Comes Out Tonight" paint an intimate portrait of Patrick's adventures at age 22 wandering around under the influence of psilocybin in the chill of Cleveland, Ohio late at night. "We'd search for things to look at, something that would trigger a profound thought of some kind," Patrick recalls, "I love writing about those times; I was young and angry but optimistic at the same time. Gregg Wattenberg took all of what he loved about early Filter and reminded me of it, he was like, 'you need to get back there and do what you do!', I've always been about pressing forward and stretching my audience's imagination but there's got to be a point of reflection."

The Sun Comes Out Tonight's synthesis of tools from the band's past and brand new attributes facilitate the stereophonic assault that only Filter circa 2013 can deliver.

And here are some fun linkie poos:

Wind-up Records: Filter: An album teaser trailer and new song snippet

Wind-up Records Free track from Filter

Wind-up Records Filter new album release

Noisecreep: Filter, 'The Sun Comes Out Tonight': Alt-Rockers Announce New Album, Offer Free MP3

Blabbermouth: FILTER: New Album Details Revealed

100% Rock: FILTER SET TO RELEASE THE SUN COMES OUT TONIGHT JUNE 4

Loudwire: FILTER TO UNLEASH NEW ALBUM ‘THE SUN COMES OUT TONIGHT’ IN JUNE

Stay tuned to officialfilter.com, facebook.com/Filter, and twitter.com/officialfilter for MORE upcoming news!

FILTER Gave Me What I Want!

2013-03-18T20:34:00.001-04:00

This morning, the day after St. Patrick's Day, I awoke to a sight I did not like...snow. I am ready for spring and warm weather. But after posting a few pics of the dreary day online, some sunlight broke through for me on officialfilter.com... I saw this promising album cover, Filter The Sun Comes Out Tonight...and then I saw a track listing, and release dates, and a FREE download of a new song as an appetizer. I eagerly grabbed my ear buds and entered my email address to receive the mp3 of "We Hate It When You Get What You Want." My ears were stimulated by a variety of sound effects, a thrashing guitar riff, and alternating screaming, melodious vocals that can only come from Richard Patrick's mouth. This song and news made my whole day better, quite the sunlight coming out of the dark... And it's still pouring down rain outside by the way, but I don't care now.

If this song is the appetizer, I am salivating for the main course. This song reminds me of my favorite Filter album, Title of Record, with its wonderful mix of electronics and rock, all thrown together in a blender, like a luscious smoothie to my ears. Sorry, I've been on a homemade smoothie kick lately, might explain the metaphor there. And this first taste is not to be mistaken with the first SINGLE "What Do You Say," which will be released April 2. The album will also be available for pre-order that same day. The official release date for the album is June 4.

Oh and to finish my little story of the day, after listening to this song twice, I immediately burned it onto a CD so I could put it in my car. Yes, I'm old skool, and my 2002 model car does not have an mp3 hookup. So I blasted this on my lunch break and after work in my car. Dare I say I may have taken a cruise around some back roads, despite the nasty weather, just to blast it a little bit longer...

And now, for some more professional news from the Wind-Up Records site:

FILTER – NEW ALBUM RELEASE

MARCH 18TH, 2013

MULTI-PLATINUM BAND SET TO RELEASE THE SUN COMES OUT TONIGHT JUNE 4, 2013

FIRST SINGLE ‘WHAT DO YOU SAY’ AND ALBUM PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE APRIL 2, 2013;FREE TRACK ‘WE HATE IT WHEN YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT’ AVAILABLE TODAY ON FILTER’S WEBSITE

ALBUM ART AND TRACK LISTING REVEALED

New York, NY (March 18, 2013) – Filter will make their Wind-up Records debut with the release of their sixth studio album, The Sun Comes Out Tonight on June 4, 2013. Recorded in Los Angeles at Blue Room Studios with producer Bob Marlette, The Sun Comes Out Tonight follows 2010’s The Trouble with Angels. The band’s decorated history also includes such platinum and gold recordings as Short Bus(1995), Title of Record (1999), The Amalgamut (2002) and Anthems for the Damned (2008).

The album was written and recorded by leader Richard Patrick and guitarist Jonny Radtke, as well as collaborator Marlette. The first single,“What Do You Say” will go to rock radio on May 7, 2013. Fans can get a free track, “We Hate It When You Get What You Want” today, March 18, 2013 through Filter’s website.

Formed in 1993, Filter has enjoyed significant success over the past two decades. The band released their critically acclaimed first albumShort Bus in 1995, a disc Rolling Stone praised as “a timely combination of grunge heat and industrial ice.” Fueled by the top 10 hit “Hey Man Nice Shot,” the album rocketed to # 3 on Billboard‘s Heatseekers Chart and went on to sell more than a million copies. They raised the bar with 1999′s Title of Record which featured the top 10 rock hit “Welcome To The Fold” along with a blockbuster crossover smash in “Take A Picture,” a song that shot to # 3 on Billboard‘s Modern Rock Chart, # 7 on its Adult Top 40 Chart and # 1 on its Dance Music/Club Play Chart. The years that followed saw the band releasing three more albums – 2002′s the Amalgamut, 2008′s Anthems For The Damned and 2010′sThe Trouble with Angels, while touring the world and amassing a huge international fan base whose members number in the millions. Filter has also contributed songs to several blockbuster soundtracks, including 2012, Judgment Night, Spawn (the Crystal Method collaboration “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do”), Little Nicky, Demon Knight, Stepfather, Anger Management, Crow 2, Girl Next Door, Cable Guy and many more.

TRACK LISTING FOR THE SUN COMES OUT TONIGHT:

1. We Hate It When You Get What You Want

2. What Do You Say

3. Surprise

4. Watch The Sun Come Out Tonight

5. It’s Got To Be Right Now

6. This Finger’s For You

7. Self Inflicted

8. First You Break It

9. Burn It

10. Take That Knife Out Of My Back

11. It’s My Time

12. It’s Just You

Pass the banner around and download the track at officialfilter.com

FILTER UPDATES! New Studio Video Clip! Welcome to Rockville!

2013-01-21T20:23:00.000-05:00

Filter updates! New single in March! New album in May!
Feel free to copy the above Filter banner and share it all over the internet to build up the hype and anticipation for the new album. Stay tuned, b/c I'm sure from here on, there will be more exciting updates coming as it gets closer to the release date!

http://www.officialfilter.com/

http://www.facebook.com/Filter

http://twitter.com/officialfilter

There's a new Filter teaser video up! Great guitar riff!

New fast heavy song! See Jonny tracking!!!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4666583294825

A few pics from the studio via Richard's Instagram.

Workn
http://instagram.com/p/USMO5EBWiQ/

PonyBoy the Ruddy!
http://instagram.com/p/UXRLLHBWsg/

Post from Filter: "The Record company came out and listened to what we got so far and they are PUMPED! We have really upped our game and feel so energized! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! Expect a more electronic sound but still heavy and intense! NOT DUB-STEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The album is being written and recorded by Richard Patrick and Jonny Radtke.

There will be performances by Jeff Friedl, Phil Buckman...

and Elias Mallin.

Filter will be playing at Welcome to Rockville in Florida in April!

http://www.welcometorockvillefestival.com/

Linkies!

Hollywood Reporter: Filter Signs With Wind-up Records

WIND-UP RECORDS: SIGNS FILTER

Blabbermouth: FILTER Signs With WIND-UP RECORDS

Loudwire: FILTER TO RELEASE UPCOMING ALBUM VIA NEW LABEL WIND-UP RECORDS

NEW FILTER ALBUM ON THE WAY IN MAY! Single out in March!

2013-01-16T21:10:00.000-05:00

WIND-UP RECORDS SIGN FILTER

Multi-Platinum Band Readies Release for Spring, 2013

New York -- Wind-up Records has announced the signing of rock act Filter. The band is currently readying a new album in Los Angeles at BLUE ROOM studio’s with producer Bob Marlette. Formed in 1993, Filter has enjoyed significant success over the past two decades, This will be the band's sixth studio album, and follows the 2010 offering The Trouble with Angels. The bands decorated history also includes such platinum and gold recordings as Short Bus (1995), Title of Record (1999), The Amalgamut (2002), and Anthems for the Damned (2008).

The album is being written and recorded by leader Richard Patrick and guitarist Jonny Radtke, as well as collaborator Marlette. There will also be performances from touring members Jeff Friedl and Elias Mallin (drums) and Phil Buckman (bass). The lead single will impact radio in March with the album following in May, 2013.

Wind-up Records President Ed Vetri shares, "We're thrilled to welcome Richard Patrick and Filter into the Wind-up family. This is a successful band with an extremely impressive body of work and I'm happy to say that based on the demos I've heard, this new album could very well be their best to date. Filter is more committed than ever to delivering great repertoire and bringing these songs to life at their live shows throughout 2013.” Filter singer Richard Patrick adds, "We're excited to enter a new phase of our career with Wind-up. They're expecting great things from us and we plan to deliver."

About Filter

www.officialfilter.com

Eclecticism has been a hallmark of Richard Patrick’s career in Filter, and he's administered it with crushing efficiency. The band arrived on the scene in 1995 with the critically acclaimed album Short Bus, a disc Rolling Stone praised as "a timely combination of grunge heat and industrial ice." Fueled by top 10 hit "Hey Man Nice Shot," the album rocketed to No. 3 on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart and went on to sell more than a million copies. They raised the bar with 1999's Title of Record, which featured the top 10 rock hit "Welcome To The Fold" along with a blockbuster crossover smash in "Take A Picture," a song that shot to No. 3 on Billboard's Modern Rock Chart, No. 7 on its Adult Top 40 Chart and No. 1 on its Dance Music/Club Play Chart. The years that followed saw the band releasing three more albums (2002's the Amalgamut, 2008's Anthems For The Damned and 2010's The Trouble with Angels), while touring the world and amassing an international fanbase whose members number in the millions. Filter has also contributed songs to several soundtracks, including 2012, Judgment Night, Spawn (the Crystal Method collaboration “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do”), Little Nicky,, Demon Knight, Stepfather, Anger Management, Crow 2, Girl Next Door, Cable Guy and many more.

About Wind-up Records

Wind-up Records is a privately-owned, full-service music entertainment firm founded in 1997. The Company has successfully launched numerous multi-platinum artists, including Evanescence, Creed, Seether, and Finger Eleven and has further built on the successes of The Darkness, Five for Fighting, James Durbin and O.A.R. In addition to these marquee acts, Wind-up has scouted and developed several award-winning, newer artists, such as Civil Twilight, Young Guns, Company of Thieves, Jillette Johnson and The Virginmarys.

Wind-up brings a unique approach to developing and breaking bands. Since its inception nearly 15 years ago, the Company has shipped over 60 million units worldwide. Wind-up has garnered seven multi-platinum albums (including one diamond – sales over 10 million) and seven gold albums.

Additionally, Wind-up has licensed music to high-profile television shows and motion pictures, including several movie soundtracks, most notably, the platinum selling “Walk the Line”. Combining a team of creative A&R scouts, in-house writers, and engineers with its own recording studio, Wind-up cultivates a fluid and collaborative recording process with its artists, independent of points in their career. Additionally, as pioneers of the 360-degree deal, Wind-up umbrellas several other entities, including various publishing companies, a touring division, a television corporation, and Pronto Merch, a full-service merchandise company.

New Filter Album Coming, Shows with Guns N' Roses, and Help Make the New MENEW Record!

2012-11-16T21:59:00.000-05:00

Filter is in the midst of working on their new album! They've been posting studio teaser videos and pics on Facebook, so make sure you "like" them! facebook.com/Filter

Doing a double take? Haha, that's just Filter's rotating drummers, Jeff and Elias!

Filter has some shows coming up, INCLUDING opening for Guns N' Roses THIS weekend!

There are TWO shows at The Joint at Hard Rock in Vegas, Saturday at 10 and Sunday at 9.

Get yo' tickets here ticketmaster.com

Other shows coming up:

11/24 Brewster's Roc Bar-Jacksonville, FL Tickets

11/25 State Theater with FUEL-Saint Petersburg, FL Tickets

11/27-12/1 ShipRocked! Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, Nassau

12/1 House of Blues with FUEL and LIT-Orlando, FL Tickets

Here are some of the teaser videos from the studio!

Guitars for a good heavy.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4341960099448

Vocals today! This is what they do to singers to get the best performances.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4306202485530

Behind the scenes from the new Filter recording sessions.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4287716503392

No practice! Just write and record.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4239904748128

Studio Footage 2

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4232831091291

Studio Footage 1 New Heavy Rock Song

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4229023596106

And some linkies:

ShipRocked 2012: Filter's Richard Patrick on Being One with the Public and 10 Years of Sobriety

Filter Psyched for ShipRocked 2012 Cruise

Rock-themed cruises combine intimate concerts and a tropical getaway

Filter's new album is with Wind-up Records

And as always, check out officialfilter.com!

Donate to help make the next MENEW Record!

MENEW toured with Filter earlier this year, and I had the pleasure of meeting them and seeing them perform several times. So everybody please check this out and make a donation! These guys are great! Support real talent and awesome music! There are incentives for your donations and they need to meet their goal by December 31st!

Remember to look, listen and love!

Turning 30, Filter in a Field, and things to come...

2012-09-11T22:19:00.001-04:00

Well, I turned the big 3-0 on August 20th...I think I was expecting it to be a bigger deal to me heh, but I don't think it really has been. It just felt like another birthday really...Of course, it IS a bit strange when filling out any surveys or forms or whatnot online and such, and I have to remember I'm 30 now haha.

I had kind of my own little birthday treat to myself by seeing Filter in West Virginia the following weekend. It was at Shiley Acres, about a 2-hour drive from where I live in Virginia. And it was only about 30 minutes from a friend. So I got to make a weekend out of it, spend a day and night with my friend and her family, then go see Filter the next day.

This was my first time at Shiley Acres and I had to laugh when I pulled up on a farm and had to park in a cow pasture hahaha. I thought it was kind of funny for Filter to be playing there. But there was a huge crowd and an awesome show!

I didn't hear the first opening band, Silvertung, but I heard some of My Darkest Days. I was surprised when they played a cover of "Come Undone" by Duran Duran. That was an unexpected treat, since I also LOVE Duran Duran and it's one of my favorite songs.

Here's a recorded version of their cover.

The weather was iffy that day, it was cloudy and rainy off and on all day. When Filter took the stage it was raining, and it was for their whole set. It made it more fun to me though. Rocking out in the rain in a field to Filter felt pretty wild and uninhibited. It was perfect for my own personal birthday celebration.

Cameras weren't permitted, so I didn't get any pics or videos. Plus, the rain and the insanely loud sound would have made pics and video bad anyway. Before Filter came on, during sound check, I was standing in front of the speakers/amps to the left of the stage, and I could actually feel the air from the bass and drum hits haha. That was a concert first for me! I was thinking, I might be deaf after this show...but surprisingly I was not! I still believe my theory that I have ears of steel for music, due to lots of ear infections as a kid, and lots of fluid production in my ears.

Filter played "Under" again, which made me happy. They haven't played that one as much lately and I missed it! And it was my second time hearing Jeff Friedl play drums for that song. It's one of my favorite drum and bass parts, and the first time I heard Jeff play it in Syracuse back in May, he blew me away. He got my instant approval as Filter's drummer from that song alone. So it was awesome to hear him play it again.

Also, when I said the show felt wild and uninhibited, it wasn't only me haha. At one point, Phil Buckman had 3 bras hanging on his bass guitar. No, none of them were mine. ;^p But I found out one of the reasons the bass was so powerful that day, was from Phil's new Hartke amps. Be careful with those things man, they might blow us away like Marty McFly in the opening scene of Back to the Future!

I have to give mad props to Jonny Radtke too. He amazes me more each time I see him on guitar. I'm going to let out kind of a little biased secret about myself...guitar is usually the LAST thing I pay attention to in music. I love bass and drums, and then of course the vocals and lyrics, and guitar is the last element I notice. But there are a select few guitarists who have a certain style and talent that grab me, and Jonny sir, you are one of them. I've also become a fan of his solo project, which hasn't officially been released yet. But you can listen to some songs on the Polar Moon page. He also did a remix on the deluxe version of Julien-K's new album.

Richard Patrick gave an intense performance, as usual. The stage had a concrete base and was up pretty high so he couldn't get down to the audience easily. It's funny because I can tell now when he's looking for a way to come down to the crowd haha. In front of me, and those crazy speakers, was some kind of scaffolding, that had been shaking like crazy from the powerful sound. He decided to climb onto that scaffolding to make his way to the audience. I was kind of afraid that thing might collapse after the way it was shaking. But he came down and got to crowd surf to "Best Things."

It really was a wild show all around. I forgot to mention, when I went up front for Filter to come on, some girl was unconscious on the ground and got taken out on a stretcher. I don't know if she had just fainted or what. Hopefully it wasn't too serious, but that kind of displays the intensity of this crazy WV show haha.

Here's a crowd shot that Richard Patrick took. You can't see me, but I was further over to the right side in the front.

I have to be honest, I bailed before Buckcherry finished their set. I'm not really into them, so I left to beat the crowd so I could get home at a decent time on a Sunday night. But Shiley Acres was pretty cool, I'll have to keep an eye on their summer jams for anymore cool bands coming up.

I'm going to see Garbage at The National in a few days too. I've never seen them so I'm excited about that! Their latest album is great too, so check it out. And I'm thinking about catching Cat Power at 9:30 Club and Alanis Morissette at the Fillmore in October...But those depend on money, so they're iffy ones for now.

I also got the latest Silversun Pickups CD for my bday. Check that out too if you haven't heard it! I love them. I saw them once at The Norva and they were awesome.

I haven't officially announced it, but I am now...I'm going on ShipRocked again! I'm excited about that. I've been working a second job since May to help with that, as well as help me financially overall because I need the money! So I'll get to see Filter on the high seas again. :) The second band I'm the most excited about is Dead Sara. I really like them and was thrilled to hear they would be on the cruise too. I'd probably be more excited about Godsmack too, if I hadn't seen them before. But I'm looking forward to them too. And we'll see if I get turned onto any new bands too!

If you haven't heard Dead Sara, here is their most popular song.

OH! I almost forgot...John Taylor's book is out in the UK now, and will be out in the US in October. You can read a teaser: 'I never had a regular girlfriend at school... but in Duran Duran I only had to wink in a girl's direction': John Taylor's shamelessly honest inside story of THE pop phenomenon of the 1980s. Just from that sample, I am SO excited to read this book. If you're a new reader to my blog or don't know me personally, John Taylor is my favorite bass player EVER.

And here are some recent interviews with Rich:

That's all for now. Remember to look, listen and love!

Filter in Baltimore/Lynchburg, New Menew Fan, Richard Patrick WILL be in a movie!

2012-08-01T23:35:00.000-04:00

Filter played two shows within a 2- to 3-hour drive from me in one week! Since I rag on them so much to play more in this area, I HAD to go out and support them on both Tuesday and Saturday.

I took the day off on Tuesday and planned to drive up and arrive around noonish to avoid the morning and evening rush hour traffic. Ram's Head Live is right by Inner Harbor, which has plenty of things to do. I like Baltimore and hadn't been to the National Aquarium in years, so I decided to spend most of the day there. I was also planning to have an early dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, because I have a weird thing that if I go anywhere that has a Hard Rock Cafe, I have to go there...haha. Sometimes it's just to get a souvenir though. It didn't work out this time because the timing of the dolphin show at the aquarium interfered. So I ate something at the aquarium's cafeteria, saw the dolphin show, and had time to make it to the show before doors opened. I HAD been to that Hard Rock Cafe before too, so I let myself off the hook this time...

My Baltimore Pics, mostly of the aquarium

This was the first time I'd been to Ram's Head Live, it's a cool venue. And there's a parking garage right there that you can park in all day, so that was convenient. Oh and I stole a flyer off the wall hehehe. They did not allow cameras though, so I didn't bother taking mine in. Some people got some shots with cell phones, but my battery was actually low and I wanted to save it for the drive home.

Show Flyer and a used drumstick from Jeff Friedl

I had only overheard a little of Menew's set at the last show in NY, but I listened to some of their stuff online prior to this show and wanted to see them this time. I saw them and the first opening band, who were locals I believe. I'm sorry I don't remember their name. They were pretty good. But I became a fan of Menew that night after catching their performance this time. To me, music without dynamics is like chocolate without cocoa beans...it's not even considered chocolate, or music haha. So Menew made me an instant fan because they are extremely dynamic. I can hear the slight comparison to Muse that some claim, but I think they have a style that's very much their own.

The vocals, partially due to one of the effects used in a few songs, reminds me of The The. If you're not familiar with that band, here is their most well known song, which I love:

Filter put on a very powerful set after Fuel. There was one chic near me who was screaming so incessantly, the security guys almost kicked her out hahaha. And some guy was wearing makeup like The Crow, which was interesting. He happened to be friends with the screaming girl too...Always a mix of people at concerts! After the show Filter signed autographs at the merch table, which by the way, check out all their cool stuff! I have two of the newer girl's tshirts, the travel coffee mug, keychain, bracelet....It's all cool.

The rest of the night I spent hanging out, and ended up not heading home until about 2:30 a.m. haha. That was NOT planned well on my part since I did not take off work the following day! So I got to bed around 4:30 and then got up around 7:30 to go to work haha. That was a long day...But it was worth it!

Saturday actually seemed to roll around fast after that. It felt kinda funny that it was already time to go to another show. And like a crazy woman, I agreed to pick up a shift on Sunday at my second job because they needed someone to cover. Again, not the best decision haha. But hey, I need the money to keep up this traveling/concert lifestyle. ;)

Phase 2 in Lynchburg is a relatively new venue. It used to be a different place and got revamped into this concert venue. I liked it, and it's kind of off to itself in the middle of the trees and mountains of good ole Virginny (that's Virginia for you non-state natives haha). I was happy that Filter finally played a show in my actual state. Before this, the closest they came to Virginia was DC. I saw them twice in DC, once last year and back in 2008 when I finally got to see Filter for the first time.

I was able to get videos at this show. I took some pics but didn't really get any good ones. Since I was staying with a friend and didn't have to drive that night, I actually had some alcoholic beverages for once....and had quite a few hehe. So I blame my lack of photography skills on that. ;^p It probably looked in focus to me at the time...haha.

There was another local opening band first, then Menew. I bought one of their CDs at the merch table beforehand and was going to ask them to sign it after they played. Well, during the last song of their set, I realized I no longer had the CD in my hand....and recalled setting it down in the bathroom earlier. So I went back in there to look for it, but sadly it was gone...So yes, I went back to the merch table and bought the CD AGAIN haha, because I am hardcore like that. I just want to put out there that whoever took my first CD from the bathroom, karma is watching you! You better be blasting that CD everywhere and telling all of your friends about Menew! I am a firm believer in buying music and supporting the artists, so consider that a gift from me to a stranger to help spread the music.

The SECOND one I bought haha, that the guys signed.

THIS is why I still buy physical CDs instead of downloading mp3s. I think the liner notes and album artwork add to an artist's album experience. And I LOVE this original idea. Each CD has a copy of handwritten lyrics to one of the songs on the CD. I got track 10. I wonder which song was in the FIRST copy of the CD I bought haha.

I was able to get front and center for their set and got two videos. "Wide Awake" is the title track and "Don't Give Up On Us Now" is my favorite song on the album so far. These guys are also very sweet and dare I say cute, and I think I have a crush on the entire band...hahaha. So DEFINITELY check out Menew!

www.MENEW.com

I did catch Fuel's set. They put on a great performance, I'm just not a hardcore fan of Fuel so I don't get into them as much. I do like some of their songs and I'm not trying to knock them at all. I still enjoyed their set.

But of course, Filter was the big deal for me haha. I was surprised, but I actually got front and center again! By the way, thanks to the nice guy who let me up there both times, for Menew AND Filter. I didn't get your name, but I appreciated your courtesy. :)

I was totally in the zone for this performance. Sometimes it's great at concerts, sometimes it's mediocre (not talking about Filter though), and sometimes it's just dead on. This night it was magical for me. I don't know if the alcohol had any influence on me haha, but I was feeling completely surreal during their set. Just totally connected, singing all the words, and almost oblivious to my surroundings. It was just the music and the band and that was it, I was all caught up in it. That's what I love about concerts, when those awesome experiences happen. I got some videos and they're kinda dizzy, but it's because I was trying to get more shots of the crowd per request. And I wasn't turning around, I was just pointing the camera behind me and moving my arm back and forth haha. So hey, I don't think they came out too bad considering!

After the show and hanging out and all, I ended up going to bed again around 5 a.m. Then I got up around 7:30 to pack, shower and drive about 3 hours home, changed clothes and went straight to work haha. When I got home that evening, I was whooped. But I survived and I had a blast and I look forward to the next show!

NOW, in other wonderful news...I put a plug in my blog before for people to back an indie film project on kickstarter.com that would debut Richard Patrick in an acting role...and on the way home from the concert, I found out they met their goal! And it was even met a day early! So that news made me very happy. I'm also a movie buff, and if you don't know, Richard's brother, Robert Patrick, is an actor whose most notable role was the T-1000 in Terminator 2. So I know there is talent in Richard's blood! And I've been pushing for him to be in a movie ever since I first heard him mention the idea about 2 years ago. Go back in my blog archives to August/September 2010 haha. Listen to that Suicide Girls Radio Show link when I called in and you will hear me ask Richard about getting into acting! So needless to say, I am very excited and also happy and proud for Richard. I hope the movie is awesome and gets lots of attention.

Stay posted about the movie here: High and Outside

And as always, keep an eye on officialfilter.com for tour dates and stuffs...and don't forget to check out Menew too!

Soldiers of Misfortune: Filter FALSELY associated with Aurora shooting by dumb blogger

2012-07-25T19:58:00.000-04:00

THIS has really gotten under my skin. Some blogger, who has a free blog on wordpress, just like I have a free blog right here on blogger, has accused one of my favorite bands, Filter, of being associated with the Aurora shooter.

The only thing I regret about posting this, is giving this ignoramus more views on his blog. But he's practicing his freedom of speech, so right back at ya!
The inaccurate blog posting by this dummy.

I posted a comment on his blog to correct his inaccurate assumptions in an attempt to develop a conspiracy theory, but he deleted my comment. So let me post my ACCURATE report on the internet to counteract your BS sir.

Here is what my comment said: I don’t know what that DVD is but it is NOT related to the music video of the Filter song “Soldiers of Misfortune.” Filter wrote that song and that entire album “Anthems for the Damned” in 2008 as a remembrance of one of their fans/friends who died in the war. They are anti-war/pro-troops. The video’s symbolism is obviously referencing the war being based on oil. It has NOTHING to do with this psycho who killed people in a movie theater. You just turned something that was a eulogy to a friend into something horrible and you’re totally wrong. Check your facts before you throw this crap out on the internet. I just saw Filter LAST NIGHT and right before they performed this song live, they said just what I have said here, that it was for a friend/fan who was killed in the war and they were against war but for the troops. Does anyone LIKE soldiers being killed in war? You need to take this down.

Hey look, here's that stupid paintball movie that the shooter had--NOTHING to do with Filter.
Derder Soldiers of Misfortune Paintball Movie
And here's a description of the movie: "Soldiers of Misfortune takes you into the life of Hybrid Technologies "Contract Killers." Hybrid has taken considerable time and effort to assemble a group of paintballers notorious for their unique style and personas."

Oh and look! I just also found a book by the same title! Again, NOTHING to do with FILTER. Soldiers of Misfortune: Washington's Secret Betrayal of American POWs in the Soviet Union

Look I'm a big fancy pants legitimate reporter now because I can google stuff on the internet and pretend that everything with the same phrase in it is uber connected and a big conspiracy. Whoopdee DOO! You don't know nuthin fool!

Now, why don't you intelligent people out there go buy this Filter album that has nothing to do with this crap, and check out some meaningful, emotional music: Filter "Anthems for the Damned"

Might I add that Filter went to the middle east personally to perform for the troops 3 times during the war. If this guy had looked into ANYthing, he would have realized how ridiculous this is.

I have not found any proof anywhere else that the shooter listened to Filter's song or watched their music video. It is completely unrelated.

But this isn't the first time Filter has faced false controversy. Their first hit single in 1995 "Hey Man, Nice Shot" was met with rumors about it being written about Kurt Cobain. These rumors were also incredibly untrue. Richard Patrick wrote the song prior to Kurt Cobain's death. It was coincidence that it was released afterwards and people jumped to conclusions.

Only positive thing is, I hope this draws more attention to Filter in a GOOD way. They're touring and working on a new album right now. Check them out, they're awesome. officialfilter.com

And don't even get me started on the subject of movies or music causing killings like this...War, murder, violence, weapons and psychos were ALL going on way before movies were being made or music was protesting government.

Filter at Irving Plaza, Richard Patrick in a Film, and more!

2012-07-16T23:09:00.001-04:00

Well I got to see Filter in NYC at Irving Plaza last week. We took the train from VA and had quite the adventure in the big apple. Got to see some Filter friends and meet some new ones and see the Filter guys of course!

Richard Patrick

Jonny Radtke

Jeff Friedl

Fuel played before Filter and they put on a good show too. They're doing several shows together the next few months.

We also got to meet Matt Pinfield haha! I remember him from MTV.

Matt Pinfield

Filter played a short set but brought it. I was in no attire to deal with moshers, so after a few encounters toward the front, I moved further back this time. One disadvantage of getting girlied up for NY. The other disadvantage was my feet hated me from the shoes I was wearing.

I didn't get good shots of the show itself because the lighting was awful. So I won't post anymore pics in here, but you can see the album here.

This is the only video I got this time. Security made my friend stop recording it, but meanwhile other people got plenty of videos. If you're going to say no video, you need to be consistent Irving Plaza!

Let me backtrack about the train trip. This was my first time taking a real train trip anywhere. The way up was pretty smooth. It was funny though waiting at the train station in the morning with other people who were mainly going to work. We were in our night clothes and we got some interesting looks. We also had no clue what we were doing, so a few businessmen gave us some guidelines haha.

When we got to Penn Station it was a HUGE contrast to the Fredericksburg station. We have like two tracks...Penn Station was like an airport. We wandered around a little bit and found an Irish Pub to eat at called Pig N Whistle. I got some yummy shepherd's pie there. And then I didn't get a chance to do my makeup before we left, so I brought it with me. I ended up doing my makeup in the bathroom at this place haha. So thanks Pig N Whistle! It was very dimly lit in there though. And I also put in my earrings in there, which will come up again in just a moment...

We caught the 3 a.m. train to come home, because the whole point of the train was to avoid driving in NYC, the cost of gas for the trip, and the cost of a hotel room. So we were pulling a 24-hour trip here basically. The train ride home was quite different and the weird thing is, the train was packed. It was mostly empty on the trip up there in the morning. Strange...

My friend slept most of the way home, I have trouble sleeping in situations like that for some reason. I remember staying awake on 14-hour bus trips for band in high school. But I did manage to doze off at one point. So when I woke up again, I touched my hair and noticed a matted section. I was wondering what I had gotten in my hair. Then I look down and there's blood on my chest. Turns out in the dim lighting in that bathroom, apparently putting in one of my earrings, I somehow made a new hole or something. I really don't know how I did that. But I had taken my earrings out on the train because they get irritated very easily. So then I guess it bled a lot. So when we made it home I know we were looking rough at that point hahaha. Still in our night clothes, half worn off makeup, and me with blood in my hair. What a hot mess. But it was fun!

And now for some other Filter stuffs!

Richard Patrick is supposed to be in an indie film, but the project needs your support to get completed! Please pledge even just $1 and spread the word! I really want to see him get into some acting!

Go to kickstarter.com to help out! They only have 13 more days to reach their goal!

Filter also has a lot of new merchandise for sale online as well as goodies only available at shows. So be sure to check it all out! I got two shirts and a coffee mug and I think I'll be grabbing some other things at the next show that aren't online. Filter Store

Be sure to keep an eye on officialfilter.com and their Facebook events page for tour dates! New ones are being added here and there so don't miss 'em! And don't forget the VIP and Roadie packages!

7/20 River Rockhouse St. Charles, IL
7/21 The Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI
7/24 Ram's Head Live Baltimore, MD
7/26 Sammy T's Huntsville, AL
7/28 Phase 2 Lynchburg, VA
7/29 Altar Pittsburgh, PA
7/31 Fillmore Charlotte, NC
8/1 Cherry Civic Center Paducah, KY
8/2 Mojoe's Joliet, IL
8/4 Sioux Empire Fair Sioux Falls, SD
8/7 The Garage Kearney, NE
8/11 Hard Rock Hotel poolside Las Vegas, NV
8/14 Roxy Theatre West Hollywood, CA
8/16 4th and B San Diego, CA
8/25 Famously Hot Music Festival Columbia, SC
8/26 Shiley Acres Inwood, WV
9/16 XFest Dayton, OH
11/27-12/1 ShipRocked

And here are some links and videos: Look, listen, love!

Photos Filter Fuel played Irving Plaza

Filter and Fuel light up New York City

Filter Rocks El Paso

Richard Patrick of Filter talks about Hey Man Nice Shot and Kurt Cobain

Richard Patrick of Filter talks about hitting rock bottom

Richard Patrick of Filter Talks About NIN Days, Life on the Road and the new Filter album

My May: Filter, The Cranberries, Awolnation, Incubus, Cake, Neon Trees...

2012-05-30T23:12:00.000-04:00

May was a bit of a concert adventure month for me...I saw Filter at Krock's DFB in Syracuse, NY, The Cranberries at the 9:30 Club in DC, and several bands at the DC101 Chili Cookoff.

DC101 CHILI COOKOFF
The first event was the Chili Cookoff...which my first impression was actually disappointment at the news that Angels and Airwaves were not going to be there. They were the top band I wanted to see. I WILL see them one of these days! But I was also eager to see Awolnation and Cake for the first time, and having seen Neon Trees and Incubus before, they were also welcome to the bill for me.

It's been a few years since I've gone to a big festival style concert...and that crowd was ROUGH. I got worn out pretty quickly, the thought that I might be getting old actually crossed my mind haha! It was on asphalt for one thing, which made it feel even hotter with the sun beating down. And being short just makes you feel even MORE smushed inbetween all the sweaty people, almost stifling. The crowd surfers were even annoying just because they were so constant. I couldn't focus on the bands and the music much, which kind of defeated the purpose for me...Maybe if I'd been drunk like 99% of the attendees, then I would have been happy haha. But instead, I was mostly annoyed.

Neon Trees gave a great performance though, I really like them, ever since I saw them open for Duran Duran last year. The singer is full of energy and at the end he announced that their drummer was currently 6 months pregnant, and she was still performing! That was pretty amazing.

Awolnation was good, but I didn't think the vocals were loud enough. And it may have been the crowd that made it less enjoyable for me, but I was kind of hoping for more from them...I really like their album. Live didn't do it for me as much. But that's the only band I got a picture of because it was just too hard to try and snap pictures in that audience.

Awolnation

Cake sounded great, even though the singer complained about his voice giving out. I still really liked their performance, despite not being able to see absolutely any parts of the band, due to the crowd and my lack of height....

Incubus was great as usual, I've seen them three times previously, but it's been a few years. I stayed for about half of their set, then I had enough. The crowd surfers got to a ridiculous point of frequency. I saved one girl's life I think...and she may not even realize it. But she was almost dropped directly on her head on the pavement. She fell onto my shoulder and somehow I got her in like a headlock with my arm and held her up until more people got her back to surfing. Some other people had her feet still, but if I hadn't caught her she would have cracked her skull open I'm sure. So shortly after that incident, I decided to leave and beat the traffic of everyone else leaving when it was over. Sorry Incubus...

THE CRANBERRIES

Now, a few days later, I had the pleasure of catching one of my favorite bands for the second time in my life. I've loved The Cranberries since I first heard their hit "Linger," and did get to see them once back in 1999. This show was sold out at the 9:30 Club, and after the cookoff experience, I didn't feel like trying to get to the front of the audience that night. So I just stayed toward the back and saw some of it from inbetween people's shoulders, and enjoyed the music. They sounded awesome and it was an amazing, positive vibe circulating in the air. It was one of my favorite kinds of concerts, when you feel that extra something special, like the music is connecting to you.

I got some pictures, nothing great. And I didn't know I could record video that night, so I missed out on that opportunity. But it was a great concert and I would love to see them again in the future.

The Cranberries

My Cranberries Pics

FILTER

It was a road trip to see Filter again, but I think that's kind of becoming a habit for me now haha. I go on little adventures for Filter. :) This time was no exception. It was about a 7 hour drive to Syracuse, New York. But it was very pretty through the mountains and trees and wasn't a bad trip at all. Due to Memorial Day weekend, I got a free hot dog at a rest stop, and a ladybug landed on my hand, which I consider good luck.

I bunked up at the Best Western which was right down the street from the New York State Fairgrounds where the show was being held. They were the closest and cheapest hotel, therefore the most convenient, and it was a very nice hotel. I even got awesome room service food there, as well as an impressive free breakfast.

I missed the first handful of bands at Krock's Dysfunctional Family BBQ, since I was traveling. But I arrived in time to see Hurt, who went on before Filter. I also caught Flogging Molly after Filter and they were great too. I had heard of both of those bands before, but wasn't that familiar with their music. I left wanting to look up their songs. So needless to say, I liked their performances.

I managed to get up front for Filter, since I planned on trying to get some videos, which I did. That crowd wasn't quite as jam packed as the DC101 Chili Cookoff, but they were rougher. At least I didn't have the annoying crowd surfers there though. There was an intense mosh pit, that luckily stayed far enough away from me most of the time. But one girl next to me was rather annoying, intoxicated, and kept bumping into me and stuff. So my camera work came out shaky. The security guys also blocked my view a few times, as you can see in some of the videos too haha. But I still had fun and Filter killed it!

Jonny Radtke

Phil Buckman

One part of the show that was disappointing was when they were about to play "Best Things," when Richard Patrick typically crowd surfs. They were cut off and informed of a time constraint, so they didn't get to play the song. So they jumped right into "Hey Man, Nice Shot" to finish up their set. That was kind of a bummer and some of the audience was even yelling their objections, especially the ones who were ready for Richard to jump in the crowd.

Richard Patrick

So it was a bit chaotic, but still a blast of a performance. It was also my first time seeing Filter with their new drummer, Jeff Friedl. I was very impressed, especially when he tore it up on one of my fave drum parts in "Under." So Jeff has my approval as the new Filter drummer haha.

Jeff Friedl

That was about it...we'll see when and where my next concert adventure will be...

In the mean time, enjoy my pics and videos and such. As always, look, listen and love!

Also, check out Filter's tour dates and go rock out with them! http://officialfilter.com/tour/

6/2 Cajun Heartland Fair, Lafayette, LA

6/10 Rockin on the River, Cedar Rapids, IA

6/29 Street Festival, El Paso, TX

7/6 Paramount, Huntington, NY

7/7 Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ

7/12 Irving Plaza, New York, NY

7/14 Rock USA, OshKosh, WI

8/4 State Fair, Sioux City, IA

My Filter Pics

Filter Updates/Upcoming Cranberries & DC101 Chili Cookoff!

2012-04-22T22:47:00.001-04:00

Filter News! And a few upcoming concert adventures of mine...The Cranberries at 9:30 Club and DC101 Chili Cookoff. Unfortunately, neither of those events allows video recording, so pictures might be my only documentation to share in my blog afterwards. I also tacked on some other random songs at the end that have recently caught my ear...So per usual, look, listen, and love!

And now for some fun pics from the dudes of Filter. These guys are such goofs, I love 'em hehe! ;)

Jonny Radtke and Jeff!

Richie wakey wakey...

Jeff's kit (which I am strangely fascinated by b/c it's a left-handed setup).

Rich in the studio working on the new album! I think the wacky mind behind Filter is truly revealed in this pic hahaha.

Sound check with Filter's new drummer Jeff Friedl! And yes ladies and gentlemen, Phil Buckman stuck around.

http://www.loveforluca.org/ Love for Luca is an organization developed in honor of Lucca Assante, a remarkable four year old Annapolis, Maryland native who has battled and is currently in remission against rare form of cancer, called rabdomysarcoma. The purpose and mission of Love for Luca is to raise money for The Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center Musculoskeletal Tumor Research Program.

Enjoy some nice vids from the Florida Music Festival:

I like when Rich says, "Put your ovaries into it!" bahahahaha

Some new merch at the Filter store! I would like the shirt AND the coffee mug please...

Filter Album preview! This is the sound of the new filter album work in progress!

Richard Patrick interview on The Buckethead Show

Fernando Perdomo of Dreaming in Stereo's Favorite Filter Songs

aXis magazine FMF interview with Richard

Title of Interview: Sitting Down With Richard Patrick of Filter

Filter's Richard Patrick to guest on new Stayte album

Besides our first show in years, our recent trip to California also included a very special recording session for the new record. Hours before we played in Hollywood, we had the pleasure of tracking Richard Patrick (Filter ) for the new album. The session went better than planned and will see the Filter frontman duet with Joshua on two new Stayte tracks.

Richie on Dance Party USA with Nine Inch Nails back in the day haha.

Here's an oldie but goodie...lesser known video.

Keep an eye on officialfilter.com/tour for tour dates! They just played in Florida and have a few shows coming up in Texas too.

Filter is going to be on ShipRocked again this year! I'm doubtful I can go again because I'm not able to afford it right now, but take it from me, it's worth the trip! So if you can go, don't pass it up! Jump aboard here!

I'm excited about seeing The Cranberries for my second time! I saw them the first time in 1999 at Nissan Pavilion and it was an awesome show. This is going to be a club show so it will be much more intimate, which makes me even more pumped! Dolores O'Riordan is my fave female singer and a huge influence on my own attempts at making music. It would be awesome to meet her, so maybe I'll get lucky.

One of my fave songs off their new album.

I'm ALSO excited to go to the DC101 Chili Cookoff this year! There are FIVE bands I want to see. I've never seen AWOLNATION, Angels & Airwaves or Cake, and I like all three of them. I saw Neon Trees once when they opened for Duran Duran last October and they're good. And I've actually seen Incubus three times haha because they always seem to be at festivals I go to. I saw them at HFStival, Moby's Area One Festival and Lollapalooza. They always put on a good show too. So it should be a blast! And it's been quite awhile since I've gone to an all-day concert event too, so that will be nice for me too. I'll probably have to skip the chili though b/c I don't wanna spend the whole day in the port-a-potty...

Here are songs from each of the bands I want to see there!

And here's a song I heard on the show "Being Human," which I recently got into...I really like this song by Absofacto.

Another song I liked from that show, by LP.

New Silversun Pickups song, love them too! Their new album "Neck of the Woods" comes out May 8th!

This song reminds of me Sting and The Police, but I like it, Gotye.

I like this song by Fun too...

FILTER in Atlantic City! Joe Vex Band and Coast2Coast Radio on St. Patty's Day!

2012-03-24T17:32:00.000-04:00

This was my 8th Filter show and as always they rocked the house. No matter the crowd size or venue size, Filter always brings it onstage 100%. This particular concert was at the Backstage Bar of the House of Blues, which is within The Showboat hotel and casino. It was my first time to Atlantic City and I'm not much of a gambler, so I just came for the music. Here are some pics and vids I got. Look, listen, love!

The mohawk! This might be my favorite Richard Patrick hairstyle haha.

Sorry the camera drops at one point, he was giving me a hug haha.

Jonny and Richie

Phil

Only decent shot I got of Mika. It was his last show with Filter. :(

Action shot! hehe

This is one of my faves and I really felt the emotion in this performance too.

My favorite! *heart*

He took my camera this time hehe and right before that Phil was throwing his pic up and trying to catch it with the lyric, "like a pin drop," but he kept missing and we both started laughing.

Richie's legs! haha

Phil catching the mic stand with his foot haha. It is unsure right now if Phil will be staying with Filter or not...

The rest of my photos

And some other Filter goodies:

Filter NYC by AVaguener Awesome vid of "Take A Picture" from '99ish and my goodness Richard Patrick is hot in this. ;)

Filter Rock New York Fans

Interview with Richie and Jonny

Filter to Enter Studio in April: audio interview

Richard Patrick Interview

Now, the following weekend on St. Patrick's Day, I went to see some old friends of mine. Jojo and Geoff used to be in Elephant Boy and now they're doing a radio show and Jojo started his own band. So they played some songs and Geoff stepped in on a few too. It was a fun time and I always have a good time on St. Patty's Day. I say it must be Irish luck from the bit of Irish in my blood.

And I will close with my favorite Irish Prayer:

May God give you,

for every storm, a rainbow,

for every tear, a smile,

for every care, a promise,

and a blessing in each trial;

for every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share,

for every sigh, a sweet song,

and an answer for each prayer.

Filter: Tour, VIP stuff, NAMM! Cranberries: New album "Roses," Tour!

2012-02-20T23:03:00.000-05:00

Richard Patrick with his new Schecter Guitar "Rosie"

I'm getting to see Filter AGAIN! I've never been to Atlantic City and it seemed like a nice weekend getaway since the show is on a Saturday night. I'm getting excited because it's getting close! I also just got my own Flipshare camera (won't have to borrow a friend's this time haha), so hopefully I can get some good video of the concert. And...I'm doing the VIP package, so that's going to be even more fun! Check out the other tour dates and the link to get VIP and Roadie for a Day packages!

Filter's March Tour Dates:

3/1/12 Wally's Pub, Hampton Beach, NH

3/2/12 Wolf Den @ Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT

3/3/12 Boston Billiard Club, Nashua, NH

3/4/12 Mulcahey's, Wantagh, NY

3/6/12 Jillian's, Albany, NY

3/7/12 Showcase Live, Foxborough, MA

3/8/12 Gramercy Theatre, NYC

3/9/12 Station 7 Live, Laurel, DE

3/10/12 The Showboat, Atlantic City, NJ

Go to officialfilter.com/tour

My friend heard an interview with Nicolas Cage on the Opie & Anthony show, and shared this audio clip with me. I used it and threw it up on youtube.

Someone got a video of "The Take" on Shiprocked and at :35 Rich touches my hand and says, "What's up Kristen." It's very subtle and quick, but I remember it hehe. And I love when he says, "Dag nabbit!" Haha, there was no cussing allowed on the deck stage.

Nice, subtle pic Rich shared of him recording the new Filter album!

Some vids from NAMM:

Here's a very interesting short film Filter made as an enhanced feature on the Amalgamut CD. I think mine has gotten too scratched up for a computer to read the enhanced stuff anymore...

Music Tour Reviews: Karen Mandall's Filter NAMM review with great photos

The Cranberries

Another one of my favorite bands, The Cranberries, is coming out with a new album "Roses" on February 28. They are also touring and will be coming near me in May! I already got my ticket. I've only seen them once, back in 1999, and they were amazing. That was a big pavilion show, this is a club show. So I'm excited that I might be able to get close to the stage. Dolores O'Riordan is my favorite female singer.

Buy "Roses" with an autographed CD booklet from The Cranberries

Pre-Order "Roses" by The Cranberries