Quiet In The Cave Please
Posted on March 4, 2006
Well, a couple shows with the band later, we are now amping up for the SXSW week. And I have to get ready for some other dates that I have been asked to do as Nakia and not Vic Odin. (Although Vic will be getting his share of attention during SXSW as well.)
The benefit for Kirk Rundstrom was a lot of fun. Gatesville was the highlight of the night for me. Chris Gates‘ new band made what I believe was their debut performance, but I could be wrong. I heard from Chris that they would be playing again at Saxon this Wednesday night. I highly suggest going if you are nearby. The Damnations were cool and the Shivers provided their usual fun set, even without Cella Blue, but honestly, the crowd just wasn’t as good as I would have liked to have seen, especially for a benefit. But we kicked serious ass anyway, and lucky for us, INsite Magazine sent out a photographer to capture the night’s performance for a piece later this month or next I believe.
Last night we played with a band called Mi and L’au at The Cavern in Dallas. It was a really good show, short but good. When Roberto The Driver and I arrived to the venue around 10:30, Curtis Heath of The Theatre Fire was about half way through his mystic set that really brought to mind what it must have been like to see acts like Donavan in the ’60s. They used some great instruments and I dug it a lot.
We got through the sound guy fiasco after about 30 minutes of waiting to finally just get up on stage and go. Like I said, our set was short, but sweet and the crowd was actually about 1/2 full of Stars fans. I noticed several folks singing along and then when I passed the mailing list around I discovered some kids that had seen a show at DaDa and some from AllGood. The general consensus was that the sound was much better and the vibe was right on for our show. We gave it hell and then left the stage to make way for the sweet souls that are Mi and L’au.
I felt bad for them at first because there was a lot of talking when they finally went on. At one point, the tall foreign male of the duo let out a loud request, “Could you be quiet in the back, my girl is trying to sing!” It was sweet of him but it only helped a little. I said goodbye to Tania who booked the show with me and then my goodbyes to the band as Roberto The Smoky and I followed our friend David and his date home to use his shower in an attempt to rid our selves of the stench of smoke. This was a moment that I realized that I really appreciate the smoking ban in Austin. We stayed longer than we should have at David’s laughing and cutting up talking about everything under the sun and finally we took to the road at about 2:30 or so. About an hour later, as we were both falling asleep, we realized that this wasn’t a good idea. We should have crashed there, but we finally made it back to the cul-de-sac at about 6:30 or so.
Today, I finally got to see the video of Billy Preston performing, That’s The Way God Planned It at the Concert For Bangladesh. Check it out! It’s fucking amazing! I can’t wait to perform this song with Matt and a full band. I don’t know who else is playing on it yet, but I know it will be bad ass. I hope we get to rehearse it. The show in question is going to be a recreation of the Concert For Bangladesh and it will take place at thhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gife Hole In The Wall. Paul Minor puts something like this together every year the night after SXSW as a closing thing and it’s usually always a benefit. This year will be no different. You can catch me doing that Billy Preston tune at Hole In The Wall, as well as Miles doing a tune or two? March 19th.
The day before that, Vic Odin will be co-hosting the annual Rajiworld+1 Party at Big Red Sun with the infamous groupie-turned-author, Pamela Des Barres. More on that soon too. For now, I should go to bed. It’s late and I have a lot of cleaning to do.
~kia
NAKIA.NET
Willie’s, Gay Cowboys, ANT, And Kinky - Oh My!
Posted on March 2, 2006
OK - it’s been a crazy 24 hours!
Matt called last Friday when I was on my to Texarkana to the NA convention and asked me if I wanted to go out to Willie’s ranch with him and I had said yes, but I had completely forgot about it until he called me back yesterday morning.
The event? LOGO, the new MTV spinoff was filming this show The U.S. of ANT where the comedian ANT throws a dart and goes off through America in search of signs of gay life. Hmmm… Now why would Matt invite ME to this?? LOL! Of course I was game. Turns out that ANT happens to be friends with Tom Hester and Tom is friends with Paula Nelson. Now, Matt plays with Paula in her band. That’s the connection for Matt. I guess he figured having an extra gay friend around couldn’t hurt!
Upon arrival we caught up with David Zettner. He lives out on the ranch and is one of Willie’s best friends. He also happens to be an amazing artist and musician. Here’s a pic of Zettner, Matt, and myself inside the Luck, TX World Headquarters.
The first thing we noticed was that something else was going on at the ranch besides the LOGO special. It just so happened (totally by coincidence) that they were filming the video to Willie’s new song about gay cowboys during the day! Neither film crew had a clue the other would be there! How funny!
All of the cowboys were authentic too! Not authentic cowboys… But gay! It was really a trip to watch them dancing around! They even saddled up one of the guys for a shot! Of course I snapped of a shot.
Finally the LOGO crew arrived about the same time the video crew were packing up and the cowboys had changed. They were just going to leave, heading out the door…
Then ANT walked in and everything changed! Those boys were upstairs and back in their cowboys outfits faster than you can say Bareback Mountain! ANT had some fun interviewing the guys and having them do a little bit of the dance from the video. It was a trip!
Inside, I was having a blast sitting in on a jam session with Paula’s band (Landis, Kevin, and Matt) and Tom Hester, Johnny Hardwick (Dale Gribble from King Of The Hill), Eric (didn’t catch his last name - former member of Bronski Beat), and several other people. I think there was Dee, Becky, and Rachael. I know our friend Fai was there. I hope I spelled his name right. Tom played some songs up front and we all listened in and followed along a bit. Everyone got a turn basically. Highlights for me were singing and playing tambourine on Paula’s “Lonely Joe” and be responsible for the same duties during Matt’s “Weedaholic” - that really swung! I was honored when I was asked to play a tune on my own. Because I had seen a crescent moon in the sky earlier, I took that as a sign from God to play, “Texas Crescent Moon.” Everyone seemed to like it. I know they filmed it, but not sure they will use it. I hope so.
Here’s a really cool picture of me and Johnny Hardwick. This dude is way cool. He writes for King Of The Hill and does the voice of Dale Gribble. He did my new outgoing voicemail message for my cell phone. Call it - it’s hilarious! I had a good time hanging out with him. He played the spoons on a song or two.
Then there’s this picture of me with comedians Tom Hester and ANT. ANT was a trip. His interview with Paula was really good and he was very genuine. I enjoyed the whole night. It made me feel good to be a part of something so special. Of course Mom couldn’t believe I was out there, but I was. Good times. Thanks to Matt for the invite.
Now - for a quick check in for today…
So, then it’s time for lunch today, right? Roberto the Faithful wants to meet myself and our friend Brian at Top Notch Hamburgers. (You might remember this place from the movie Dazed and Confused.) This place was super busy. We ordered, actually got a nice table up front and waited for our food. Rob got his, we got ours, we’re eating. Then, Robert says, “Kinky just walked in.” So, I turn around, but I can’t see him. Then I notice the entire restaurant pointing and staring that way and I know he’s right. Kinky commands so much attention. He’s just that kind of guy.
Ah, but there was no room in the inn, remember? We had taken one of the last tables. And it just so happened that our table had 2 extra chairs. Just the right number for the Governor and his friend Cleve (who knew of The Small Stars). So, I did the right thing and offered a seat to Kinky and they took them. Had a nice chat with them, talked about some upcoming benefits and then we went on our way. Kinky was still waiting for his number to be called.
Now I am back home and something else cool has happened. I got a note from the folks at the John Lennon Songwriting Bus and they have asked me to come out March 9th to participate and maybe perform a song! Killer, huh? You may remember my original involvement with getting the bus stopped in Austin and writing a song and making a video with some other local folks. If not, the video is right here.
I’ll keep ya posted.
Thanks for reading!
~kia
NAKIA.NET
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40 Days Of Lint?
Posted on March 1, 2006
When I went to dinner last night, I wasn’t really thinking about Lent. In fact, the thought of giving up something for 40 days was completely out of my head. I mean, I already gave up smoking, drinking and drugs - GEEZ! But alas, as soon as it came up, I immediately knew that I was going to take part in this year’s “festivities” and give up something dear to my daily life.
What? You ask? What something in my life would be so internally bothersome that I feel the need to rid myself of it for at LEAST 40 days? (I mean, truth be told, I would rather give this up forever… Who knows? Maybe I will.)
Dr. Pepper. Or more specifically… Sodas. I am ready to cut the carbonated criminal out of my life. I was later asked why by a good friend who chastised me a bit and it really boils down to the fact that I want to. I want to dammit!
I should be able to accomplish this task relatively easily. I have done it before. There was the time I lived in Africa for 3 months… Easy - I just couldn’t find it even if I wanted it. Then, there was my trip to California last year when I got all healthy and stuff. So, I know I can make it happen.
Last night I had the weirdest dream that I went into a grocery store with my Mother and she left me there naked. I found my way into a room where they allowed customers to surf the net and used the computer until the store management found me and freaked out and called the police. Finally, my Mother showed up with my clothes and all was well. The weird thing about it was that I went in not knowing I was naked. In fact, in the dream no one knew I was naked until I was discovered in the dark little Internet room. Like I said… Weird. Later, in another segment of my dream, I got drunk and was abandoned by my friend Bo after driving drunk. What’s even weirder is that when I caught up to him… He was at the grocery store.
I love dreaming.
It’s 20 minutes after 12 and I need to prepare to head out to Willie Nelson’s ranch in Luck, TX. Apparently, MTV is filming some special there with gay comics from Texas. I guess it was spawned by Willie’s new song about cowboys (which is great by the way). Anyway, I was invited by my friend Matt to go out and be a part of it all. So, who knows? Maybe I will end up on TV! I will keep you posted.
Thanks for reading…
~kia
NAKIA.NET