Posted in travel blog on 09/24/2009 03:14 am by Queenkv
After passing by this nursery in Lockport, I think it would be cool to add a Statue of Liberty to my front yard.
This was one of the many roadside landmarks we passed by on our Buffalo vacation.
We also had a chance to check out the Artpark in Lewiston. I knew about the spot from Ruth Reichl’s memoir: “Tender at the Bone.” In the 1960’s, the New York Times food critic spent a summer at Artpark. Inside the artist commune, she made a name for herself
by baking some amazing brownies without weed.
Our trip to Artpark was a blast to the past. Thousands showed up for Tuesday in the Park. It’s a free concert series and on that night, Peter Frampton was the headline act.
Frampton performed this interesting cover of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun. He’s old, but still a fine guitar player. People went wild for “Baby I Love The Way,” and other Frampton classics. That was one of the only songs I was able to ID in his line-up. I felt a little out of place because I didn’t fit the audience demographic. I was under 40 and one of 3 Asians in the crowd of thousands.
Still, it was a fine night to listen to live music under the stars. I also had a couple of Mike’s Hard Lemonades. That helped me make it through the rest of the night.
I felt more comfortable at a Emo Rock concert in Williamsville. Red October is not easy-listening music. However, the band had a fresh, raw sound and they were willing to challenge the boundaries of Emo and Punk music. They didn’t have to rely on tired crowd-pleasing tunes to get fans bumping around on the dance floor.
Posted in cali_lovin on 08/22/2008 12:29 am by Queenkv
Meet Little Al. We featured this State Fair star on our morning show this week. His handler said I had to mind his personal space when leaning in for a picture.
He’s a cutie!
We had a blast at the State Fair this week. Our $8-admission ticket also granted us access to the Weird Al Yankovic concert. It’s the best concert I’ve been to this year.
Weird Al and crew played their own twisted, at times polka-lovin’, versions of hip-hop, rock, R & B and pop hits. I was tickled to hear the Weird version of Complicate, Beat It, Gangster’s Paradise and Don McLean’s epic American Pie. Weird Al is brilliant, sharp and outrageous with his lyrics. According to Wikipedia, he’s been cranking out hits since his first parody tune aired on the radio in 1979.
Earlier this month, we checked out the Davis music scene with a KDVS concert. One of my favorite bands from my KALX days, Casiotone of the Painfully Alone, headlined the $5 concert at on the UC Davis campus.
Foot Foot had a sweet, indie folk sound. At times Josh and Robin Brown flirted with country twangs…but they stayed grounded with solid string harmonies on guitars, banjo and any other percussion tools they can get their hands on. Robin’s airy voice wrapped around lyrics looking back on memories of childhood, love and more wistful times.
Casiotone at UC Davis from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.
I fell in love with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone almost 8 years ago, back when I was a KALX DJ. During my midnight DJ shifts, Owen Ashworth’s electronic landscapes helped ease me into the world of free-form, independent music. “A Normal Suburban Lifestyle Is A Near Impossibility Once You’ve Fallen In Love With An International Spy,” from his album “Answering Machine Music,” was one of the first songs to show up on my playlists. That album had me hooked on glitches, tinny keyboards and electronic-pop harmonies.
His lyrics were conversational, funny and sarcastic, with a timeless touch of hope.
At this KDVS concert, I was amazed at the lush sound he produced all by himself. He was wizard on the mixer, keyboard, vocals and anything that could be plugged into his show. He played a couple of songs off his 2006 Album, “Etiquette.” After his set, I introduced myself and told him I’ve followed his work since my Berkeley radio days. I sounded nervous and stupid, I’m sure and Ashworth’s such a down-to-earth kinda guy…
In any event, my hubby and I walked away with my own copy of “Answering Machine Music” and on the way home, we listened to the origins of my aural fixations.
