Wishes Do Come True

Ever since the brutal disappointment of not seeing a shirtless Sully Erna last fall at the Godsmack concert in Calgary, I have been wishing on the early star every night for a shirtless rocker.  That may sound a little sexist slutty of me, but fuck it, I don't care.....we all need a little flesh.
I've been to many rock shows since Godsmack last fall, and have had a great time at every fucking one of them.  And my wish has come true twice!  I didn't have to wait long for the first time... October 27,  Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters gorgeous sexy drummer, stripped off his to expose rippling strong biceps and smooth pects at the Scotia Saddledome in Calgary AB... omg that was good!!
But as good as that was, a shirtless Taylor Hawkins on the Big Screen in Calgary cannot compare to the spectacle I beheld in the intimate setting of the Medicine Hat Esplanade and Heritage Arts Centre on July 19th!  First let me tell you about the Esplanade in Medicine Hat... it is an intimate theatre that doesn't quite hold 800 spectators (that's right 800 is not a typo).  The acoustics are beyond great and the small intimate venue is starting to attract some very big names... as a matter of fact, Chris Cornell recorded at least one (maybe two) of his songs from his live Songbook album at the Esplanade.  Big names such as City and Colour (I was at that show... see my blog post Dallas is Worth the Green for more), Alice Cooper and Snoop Dogg, but never in a million years would I have guessed that Slash would play such a small venue!  Well, he did!  And even though the tickets to his show sold out in a couple of minutes (if that) I was one of the lucky ones to score a pair!  Fuckin A doesn't even begin to describe how I felt about that accomplishment!!
For those of you who are not familiar with Slash... first, where the fuck have you been? ...he is the guitar fucking god formerly of Guns N Roses and Velvet Revolver as well as having a very successful solo career performing with many artists including Myles Kennedy of  Alter Bridge.  It was with Myles Kennedy and a very hot band - The Conspirators - that he played with at the Esplanade.  I was in the balcony and to put it into perspective for you, it was comparable to 5th row floor seats at any other venue!  It was fucking unreal... even though I couldn't reach out and touch them, I almost felt as if I could, they were that close!
The show opened up with Canadian rockers, Monster Truck and they blew us away with their hard rock/alternative style.  These guys are making quite a name for themselves here in Canada and I have no doubt they will be driving their sound into the hearts of fans around the globe before too long... here take a listen!

After a short intermission Slash, Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators took the stage... talk about hot fucking rockers!! I was practically panting!  Hell, who am I kidding, I wasn't practically panting... I was literally panting!  I have mentioned music and musicians turn me on, right?  But don't take my word for it... check it out for yourself!

It was an incredible show!  Myles is as an amazing singer as Slash is on guitar.  When they performed Velvet Revolver's Slither I couldn't stop myself from headbanging and the crowd went fucking crazy when they performed Guns N Roses songs Sweet Child O Mine and Paradise City.  It was Slash himself though, that made my night when for their encore he came out on stage shirtless!  He was fucking beautiful bare-chested in his jeans and tophat! Sigh... it still gets my panties and mouth wet when I think back on it!  The Esplanade is way to small and intimate for anything like pyrotechnics but the show was ended with cannons bursting and blowing tons of silver and black confetti into the air!  It was the most fucking awesome spectacle I had ever seen.  And THAT, boys and girls, is what rock n roll is fucking all about...............; )

A Stopover in TrevorTown

Hold on boys and girls... I'm bringing a fresh country scent into the Litter Box this week.  I haven't written about country music before in my blogs and I'm happy that my first is going to be about local boy Trevor Panczak.  Trevor was recently the honored Guest Speaker at my twin sons' graduation commencement ceremonies at Foremost School.  He is also such a sweet, polite and nice young man that I'm inspired to try and write this one without my usual trucker tongue...
Now I have to tell you about small country high school graduation commencement ceremonies.  The graduating class is small.  The Foremost School 2012 Graduation Class had 16 students graduating and two of them were mine.  The nice thing about a very small graduating class is the students have the time to showcase their school days to the friends and family that pack the school's gymnasium.  Most of these students came up through the small school together from ECS (Early Childhood Services) - another more governmental name for Kindergarten (? I don't know....) - all the way to grade 12.
We as parents and members of the same small community know each other and have watched our babies grow into young men and women together.  This makes for a very intimate celebration.  You don't sit through all the boring stuff about everyone you don't know before they get to your child...every moment of the ceremonies is a treasured moment.
It would only make sense that the guest speaker chosen to motivate these young adults with words of wisdom would be someone who comes from a very similar place.  The fact that the guest speaker was also a musician was a bonus as the two young men that belonged to me in this class are musicians themselves.
Trevor Panczak was farm raised just outside of Magrath Alberta...about an hour's drive from where we are located.  He's been playing music for more than half his life and for the last 10 years with his band Rough Stock.  Trevor's music is quite popular across Alberta and he plays more than 100 shows a year... I myself have seen him play a number of times.
I loved that Trevor spoke to our graduates.  He's the perfect example of one who refuses to give up on their dreams.  The music business in Canada is a tough nut to crack and many popular musicians have to work day jobs to put food on the table.  Trevor is no exception.  For years we saw him behind the counter at UFA (United Farmers Association is a chain of co-op stores for farm supplies in Alberta and Saskatchewan) and now he's part of the the sales team at North Lethbridge Dodge.  Regardless, Trevor is still recording and performing his smooth country stylings for fans in Alberta Canada and beyond.  I hope my sons take his example and continue to express themselves through their own music, regardless of the measure of  success they receive from the industry.

Even though the above video is of Trevor covering a Merle Haggard tune and not one of his originals I did want to share it because not only does it showcase Trevor's amazing musical talent but his easygoing sense of humor and charm as well!  Thank you, Trevor for your words at our grad ceremonies and for the example you set for young musicians.  Thank you, Marco and Moe for growing up so bright and good... I'm very proud of you and I look forward to your accomplishments as you make your mark on this world.......... ; )

Be sure to drop by Trevor's official website:

Trevortown

I Pity the Foo'

In the infamous words of Mr. T, I do pity the foo' who missed the Foo Fighters Wasting Light tour.  I was almost that foo' myself, but  thanks to Lethbridge radio station, Rock 106, I was one of the cool kids at the sold-out Calgary show.  The contest was text4tix.  Just text foo to a certain number then they would draw for tickets.  43 texts later at $0.25 a text and I got the call from Vince and Rosie, morning show hosts, that I won tickets!!  That's right, 2 tickets to the Foo Fighters for $10.75...score!!

I grabbed my BFF, Jeannine and off to Calgary we went.  Admittedly I was a little disappointed when I found that my tickets were fucking nosebleed seats near the back of the ScotiaBank Saddledome.  Although, if it's true that you get what you pay for, I still came out way ahead...I was in the fucking building with the Foo Fighters for just over ten bucks.  As we took our seats I still looked longingly toward the floor, where I would've been...if only I could have afforded the tickets when they went on sale.  The bonus from this height was I could see the stage had somewhat of a guitar shape.  The main stage was the body of the guitar,  the neck was represented by stairs running from the main stage to a pathway running down the center of the floor and ending at a second stage - the headstock - in the soundboard pit at the back of the floor. 

I hadn't heard anything about who was opening so when I saw the Mariachi El Bronx banner over the stage, I got out my BlackBerry and started a search for Mariachi El Bronx.  I hadn't heard of them before and my search wasn't helping much either.  It was even stranger when the lead came out and started yelling at the crowd, "Hey MotherFuckers!  You ready for the Foo Fighters tonight!"  He looked and sounded like a bad ass biker and then proceeded to play mariachi music.  It was something I had never heard at a rock concert and it was fucking awesome!

But that wasn't even the real opening treat.  Fuck, Kentucky rockers Cage the Elephant came out next and proceeded to shake down the house.  Those dudes are crazy, man, and they put on one hell of a show.   I especially enjoyed  "Shake Me Down", "Back Against the Wall" and of course "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked."  The boys were amazing and although I was getting used to seat dancing...damn seats, I once again looked longingly to the floor as Matthew Shultz, lead singer, vaulted off the stage and into the crowd. 

Now, I've mentioned in previous posts how I hate sitting at a rock concert and I've also talked about how I just can't bring myself to be rude enough to stand in seats forcing those behind me to stand as well.  Well, someone up above must have taken pity on me, because the two huge guys sitting right in front of us proceeded to stand up as soon as the Foo Fighters took the stage and stayed that way throughout the whole concert....of course forcing us to stand so we could see the show.  Fucking A!  Thank you very much, you rude motherfuckers!

The Foos rocked for two solid hours without a break in a high energy show, that included Dave Grohl, lead vocalist and founder of the Foos running several times down that guitar neck of a stage to the rear stage.  Highlights included a shirtless, muscles glistening with sweat, sexy  Taylor Hawkins on drums....and a kick ass guitar battle between Dave Grohl and guitarist Chris Shiflett....sorry Dave, Chris won it.

As they varied between new songs from Wasting Light to old favorites, they definitely were playing to a receptive crowd.  I have been to a number of concerts at the Saddledome including The Who and Neil Young, yet I have never before heard Calgary make so much noise!  I thought we were loud singing along but holy fuck, the noise really started when the Foo's took their break, before coming back and encoring.

Dave Grohl and the boys are genius at keeping the crowd engaged during the encore break.  They have a camera backstage and encourage the crowd to make more noise for more songs.  We had Dave up to 4 songs when Taylor took over the negotiations.  We got him up to 6.  Dave came back out alone at first....to the fucking rear stage, to sing solo with his guitar to the bad seats.  His stage rose at least 20 feet in the air, and I finally got a half decent look at him without the aid of the big screens.

When he asked the crowd how many songs Taylor said they would do, we all answered 10.  Dave did 2 or 3 songs on his own and then the rest of the band joined him for about 4 or 5 more!  It was a fucking awesome show and 5 hours after arriving at the Saddledome we were on our way home.  I had even got over my disappointment about not being on the floor...I was just so fucking happy that I had been there for this amazing show!   I was so wired with adrenaline from dancing, singing, smiling and laughing all night, I didn't hit my bed until 9:30 the next morning.  The Foo Fighters are an amazing rock band with a lot of fucking talent, energy and great songs.  Dave Grohl is multi-talented, sexy and in my opinion the coolest fucking guy since the Fonz.  I know that dates me and I don't fucking care.  Any readers who haven't heard of the Fonz....oh, just fucking google him.........; )

Shooter's Kingdom of Many

I'm a country girl with a rock and roll heart...and every now and then I get out of the country and head to the big city.  This October I had the opportunity to go to Calgary, Alberta on business.  With that opportunity I had the excuse to trade in my jeans for a pretty (tight) dress and my leopard boots and catch some weekday night life!  Don't be so quick to laugh....

I headed to a neighborhood bar, Shooter's Bar and Grill, to catch a new friend of mine perform on open mic night.  Let's get something clear right off the bat....open mic night is not fucking karaoke night...it's an opportunity for talented musicians to jam and to try out new stuff in front of a live audience....it's fucking awesome!  I met Curtis Butala, my new friend, in Lethbridge this fall when rock band Kingdom of Few performed along with Punk Metal band Silo.  Curtis's amazing lead vocals, backed up by John Clarke on drums, Reno Serani's awesome fucking guitar, and Alex Parks' cool bass guitar make up Calgary rockers Kingdom of Few.  All the guys sing back up vocals and the band has a very solid rock sound.   I loved their fucking sound and I had told the guys then, that if I was in Calgary I would definitely check out a show in the city.

I didn't have to wait too long for the excuse to travel to Calgary to present itself.  The only downfall was I was only going to be in the city during the week...what were the chances that Kingdom of Few would be playing anywhere?  Well, turned out they weren't playing anywhere in Calgary that week, but Curtis mentioned he did some solo stuff and would be at Shooters on Wednesday night.  Curt really does have amazing vocals, so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.  And I wasn't at all, because as I came through the door I couldn't help but notice Kingdom of Few were playing!!  Fucking A!

The boys were tearing it up, playing originals "On the Corner", "Rich Man" and "All Night Long".  I would find out after their set that they were practicing for a big gig the next night.  They were going to be competing in the Battle of Bands competition in Olds, Alberta.  Again, fucking A!  I loved it that these boys were seeing some great success and I loved it that I that I had been lucky enough to see the whole band perform live again!  By the way....they fucking won that competition the next night!

But the fun doesn't stop there, boys and girls, oh no....
Kingdom of Few weren't the only ones to play open mic night.  Danny Nix was next to take the stage..fuck man, what a treat!  Danny started performing 20 years ago, when he was 14 years old.  Fuck, he's been playing the piano since he was 4 and writing his own songs since he was 8!  His performance of his original song "Lucky One" was enough to impress me, but then I was fucking delighted as he covered favorites of mine from Tom Petty, Def Leppard, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.  Kingdom of Few gradually joined him, starting with Curtis on the tamborine and backing vocals, John joining on drums, and then Reno and Alex on guitars making it a full accompaniment.  Fucking A!

And yet there is still more!  Do you remember in the movie, Roadhouse, the skinny chick that slings beer in the bar gets up and rocks out with Jeff Healy....and blows the fucking place away.  Well, that came to mind when Tiffany the chick who was serving me, strapped on a fucking guitar and started singing.   Oh my god...she has a incredible husky voice that would give Sheryl Crow a run for her money!  Sorry girl if I spelled your name wrong...or fuck, got your name wrong!  Yikes, I hope not.....I did had a little bit to drink that night...

Next up was Barbie....Barbie is the persona of good and light!  She is the cutest, sweetest, most positive person I've ever met.  And the chick can fucking sing and play too! I couldn't believe my luck, being there, listening to great music and chatting with the artists after.  Fucking A!  I wish these artists all the luck in the world, because they already have all the talent.

Kingdom of Few is having a CD Release party in Calgary on October 28th at Original Joes Avenida, where they will be performing live along with Danny Nix and Silentpanic!  Congrats guys!!  You fucking rock \m/ ...............; )

Kingdom of Few links:
http://www.kingdomoffew.com/fr_kingdomoffew.cfm
http://www.facebook.com/kingdomoffew
https://twitter.com/#!/KingdomofFew
http://youtu.be/28MuPkMqiGo

Danny Nix links:
http://www.myspace.com/dannynixmusic
http://youtu.be/fEz-seVI-58

Hey Danny...what happened to the fro, man? Nevermind...way too windy here :).

Shooter's Bar & Grill:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/3wu5h35
http://shootersbarandgrill.ca/