I’m Back From Suffragette City
Posted on April 27, 2004
OK - So, once again, I have updated my all-time best concerts list. David Bowie just kicked John Mayer’s taping at Austin City Limits down a notch to #3, claiming the #2 position in all his “Thin White Glory.”
Yep. I am very fortunate to say that I was one of the folks at tonight’s David Bowie concert at Austin’s coolest outdoor venue, The Backyard. I don’t know what else to say, but “wham bam thank you mam!”
Robert and I headed down to the venue early enough to get good parking and then we got lucky and bumped into Mr. Chris Petkus, my very dear friend from my former job at Apple. (Chris and his lovely wife, Kelly, are the couple who gave me the “Tempo Of Terror” that made the Broken Spoke tour possible. May that car RIP.) Chris was attending the concert with another friend of mine from Apple, the very beautiful Katie Pruitt. (Who just happened to be playing pool with none other than Luke Wilson the night before. Go Katie - I hope you broke his balls! DOH!) So, anyway…The laidback line was easy to hop into. We waited a few minutes and the gates opened. The show was general admission, as are most of the shows at The Backyard, and after a couple of drinks and some merchandise browsing, we settled on a location a little step to the right of the stage, pretty damn close. I would say 15-20 feet from the stage, max.
Very shortly after, we were enjoying the lovely sounds of David’s support act, The Polyphonic Spree. For those of you not in the know yet, these guys are headed up by former Tripping Daisy leader, Tim DeLaughter, and it’s essentially a shitload of people on a stage, singing, playing everything from a harp to a therimin! I bet you’ve seen the VW/iPod commercial featuring their song. Anyway…They rock. I love them! They have lots of energy and hey…They’re TEXANS! They did a great set that ended with a quick nod to Bowie by singing some lyrics from “The Memory Of A Free Festival” and then closing it out with a HARP solo. Very nice.
Very quick set change.
Enter David’s band, which included some of his long-time players (*see Chris Petkus for full bios!) and then of course…Mr. Bowie himself.
For a guy who was born in 1947, he looks great! He came out in a thick corduroy PURPLE jacket with tails and FRINGE! HA! Very cool. He gave a quick hello and then just kicked into “Rebel, Rebel” and man it rocked! From that point on, I really couldn’t say what the exact setlist was, but I do know that there is a site that keeps up with them and when I looked at the one from the last show, it is VERY close to the ones he played and the order. If you care to see, it’s here at BowieWonderWorld.com
I had not looked at any setlists prior to going in detail, but by the time he was heading off before the encore, he hadn’t played a thing off of Ziggy Stardust, which is, of course, my favorite record. It literally changed my life the first time I heard it. I remember looking at the back and noticing the “To Be Played At Maximum Volume” label and thought…hmmm…OK? And boy am I glad I did. Anyway…He came back and claimed that the staff at the venue allowed him some extra time (who says no to Bowie anyway, right?) and that they would play some 15-20 minutes more. Then it was all Ziggy from that point on. In the order from that setlist I linked above too, and holy shit, I was REALLY moved. Well, OK, I was moving the whole friggin’ time, but I was moved tremendously during “Five Years.” That album came into my life during a particuarly black period and it really helped to get me out of it and back into the swing of life. So, needless to say, I was very pleased to hear it, especially under a gorgeous Texas sky and with the beautiful trees as the backdrop at The Backyard. He ended the night with Ziggy and of course the place was just going nuts.
I must say that his attempts at humor with the Austin crowd wasn’t flying too well. He has a very dry sense of humor I think. I loved his jokes. He made puns all along the way. I was very fond of the whole “bats, flying squirrels, televisions, and elephants” joke about how he didn’t know Austin was famous for bats and he had been in town for the last two days and was at the park on the first day, down at Town Lake, (which was also a cute joke…”Let’s name it…………Ugh…..Oh…..Town Lake! That’s original!”) and discovered the bats as they emerged for their nightly feeding.
During the talk of Town Lake, I wondered aloud to Chris, “you think he will talk about Stevie Ray Vaughn?” After all, the statue is right there, kinda hard to miss. And recently on DavidBowie.com I read a snippet of a question a fan asked about SRV and his first official response in years. Unfortunately, the snippet was just that, and it’s a costly move to join his site, so I didn’t get to read the full response. If someone knows where I can find it, please post it in the comments. But anyway…Chris nailed it, as he did most of the first 4-6 songs on the list. “Nope.” he said. And then he proceeded to rock out like a school girl. (as most of us were the whole way through! And by most of us, I mean everyone but my friend Josh, who just kinda swayed. But he was busy checking out girls I think…Anyway)
But quite honestly, I am not sure I will ever be able to say that I have seen such great concerts in such a short time. Since February, I have seen Particle, Rufus Wainwright for the 4th time (still waiting for the picture that some kid took of us after the show - hey kid! SEND THAT PIC TO ME! I gave you my card! AND I took your pic for you! But here’s the blurred cell phone version that my friend Bo took below.), SXSW (which included several!), Prince (number 1 on the list by the way after he knocked John down to #2…Poor John)ANDIndigo Girls!! GEEZ!!
I love my life tonight. God is being extra nice to me lately. Thanks God!
I am pretty stoked about Friday’s gig in Corpus Christi. If you’re near the area…Get out there to SWELL on Friday and let’s kick it! If you wanna go and need a ride, hit me up.
Well, it’s WAY past my bedtime…AGAIN.
All the best to you and yours!
Until a local news outlet posts pictures from tonight’s show, I found these online:
Did I mention the robes up there when I talked about them? I don’t think I did. Yes, they not only wear the robes…they SELL them now too. For $40! They joined Bowie for a song called, “Uncle Floyd” where they came out in colored robes. I liked those better!
And now for the blurry Rufus pic I promised you earlier!
OK - The Austin Chronicle has a review of the Bowie show. Here’s a pic from the show that I saw:
~Kia
NAKIA.NET
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The Microphone Smells Like A Carnival And The Piano Sounds Like A Beer?
Posted on April 25, 2004
Tonight’s show at Graffiti’s was an interesting one. Oddly enough, although there wasn’t a very large crowd out tonight, the folks that did come out were really into the tunes tonight. It was a good feeling.
Here’s the set list:
Move On
ez
My Yearly Passage
Sunshine
Leaving Chattanooga
Weather Man
Broken Spoke
The Kind That Stays
Nuthin’ But
Blood And Fire
L.U.C.Y.
Christened Heart (Daniel)
Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’
Where The Stars Go Blue
Caffeine Blues
Wading In The Velvet Sea
Weather Man (someone requested it who was a late show)
Family Veins
One More Try
Piano Man (The North Carolina Version)
OK - So, I have to say that this set list isn’t exact, but close enough. I know I did all these songs, just not sure if this is how it went. If someone else knows, let me know. I think the best part of the night was clearly the last two songs. “One More Try” by George Michael has really turned into a great crowd pleaser, and I discovered tonight that if people are drunk enough, they are totally cool with lyrical slip ups on Billy Joel’s, “Piano Man”. A VERY special thanks to my three new friends from North Carolina. Raleigh to be exact. These guys got there mid night and really made my evening a lot more fun.
Sold several CD’s, signed some folks up for the list, and made some new fans. That’s what it’s all about, right? Thanks to Joe and Debby for putting up with me again.
Added a whole bunch of pics from the show tonight to the Photo Gallery.Also added a couple of cool flyers I have just finished. Please feel free to surf over there and print them out and staple and/or tape them to any surface you can!!
Saw the new Prince CD packaging tonight. (I had the disc already from attending the concert.) I must say, I was kinda disappointed. It’s a nice glossy look, but the booklet just falls out. Nothing to hold it in. Nice pictures, but that doesn’t counter the other issue enough to matter. So, it shall sit on the shelf until I have money coming out of my pockets.
Well, I am tired and due some sleep.
All the best.
~Kia
NAKIA.NET
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Take A Bite? A Time To Push Forward
Posted on April 23, 2004
You know me. I am the first one to say up front that I am not perfect and that the things I do in this life aren’t always the right thing to do.
However, lately, I have begun to see things a bit differently. Not to say that I think I am becoming perfect, but I realized a few key things about myself this week that I am trying to put in perspective. So stick with me if you wanna get inside my head for a minute. Otherwise, skip this entry…
OK - So, you know that when I first moved here I had the wonderful opportunity to work for Apple. Very fun, but at the end of the day, my contract didn’t get renewed and I went on tour, THANK GOD. Well, I have another opportunity to work for Apple, except this time as member of the elite Apple Store retail team. Yes, Austin is getting an Apple Store and according to the email I got from the recruiter my “resume was selected from a very large pool” of folks for a Mac Specialist position. Interestingly, she couldn’t seem to find my resume when we spoke on the phone today as part of the initial “chat” about the position and my interest in it. Along with the normal questions, we were able to discuss my music a good bit, and how if I decided to taken an offer that it would only be for part-time and that my focus would remain music. She was immediately open to this idea, which I was happy to hear.
OK - The first real issue for me is will it work? Will I be able to enjoy this job without losing focus on the music. I believe the answer is yes, but I want to speak with these people in person. Then I will make that decision. Also, I”m not too sure how I feel about working for Apple Retail after they interviewed Robert for a Mac Genius job and didn’t give it to him. I mean…come on. EVERYONE and their brother knows that Robert was born for a job like that and the fact that they skipped him kinda doesn’t sit well. But that’s just me. I am sure Robert will find his way back to Apple there. There is even talk of him going back to the Server Group. Who knows. Good luck, buddy.
So, I guess I really don’t have a negative that is really too harsh. I think that I am a smart guy. I will figure it out.
Things are looking like I am going to be taking aim at going at it solo for a while. I think it’s time to really focus on my craft and just play and write anywhere and everywhere. A band will come when the time is right. I think I really want one…even a keyboard player (HINT JAMIE), but I know that people have lives and families and stuff. At some point I know things will be right for a band feeling for my songs, but I am not going to stress about it. I have worked a long time to come this far and I can continue on now, stronger than ever.
In a conversation I sat in on earlier about real estate and jobs and “6 figures” talk, I suddenly realized that the only thing really keeping me from any sort of monetary happiness is myself. Not that I need to be a billionaire or something. I don’t. I just need to be comfortable. But I can be that and be a musician. I know that now. Things are working toward that anyway and it feels good. I see this time on my own as a chance for me to prove to myself that I can accomplish all my goals on my own.
If I can’t do it for myself, then why should someone else want to. That’s my take. (Thanks MC)
I have been living a life for so long that belonged to so many others. I did what made others happy. That’s all changed over the last 3 years. When I left Alabama in the GoGoGeoMetro with 13, 50-gallon trash bags filled with clothes, 2 department store shipping boxes, and a laundry basket, I had $165 and some friends I made on the Internet to crash with and an internship at the hottest independent record label in the business. That move didn’t take place because someone thought it was the right thing to do or because I thought it would make this or that person happy. I left the hills of Alabama for the windy city for the sole reason that I knew it was going to make me happy. I wanted it. I needed it. I made it happen. From that point forward…when I crossed that state line into Illinois (OK - I didn’t know there was a $1 toll and it took me a while before some people got pissed enough and came from behind me and paid it!)…I knew it was a story waiting to unfold. MY story. And the events that followed have all been learning experiences, amazing things have happened and good friends have been made. My heart is different.
When I got to Austin, I was whirling. I had left Chicago on yet another whim, but of different circumstance. It wasn’t my first choice to come here, and that was never a secret, but in hindsight it was of course my best choice. I miss Chicago, but Austin is my home. I know that now for sure. The friends I have made here and the life I begun are like nothing I have experienced before and because of that, I feel better.
It’s also no secret that when I arrived in Austin, my bi-polar disorder was really out of whack and I was in need of meds really bad. The recent interview I did with KXAN talked about that part of my life but the part of the interview you didn’t see was how even though the services were made available to me through SIMS, how it was still a fight. It was tough. It is tough. To maintain and keep it together, but it’s honest. It’s who I am. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I have friends back home in Alabama. People living these incredibly slow and misunderstood lives and I wonder why they do it? I wonder why when they hear from me and others how it’s affecting their lives and those around them, why don’t they change? But the answer is simple. They don’t want to. And when they do, they will, and if it’s right it will be, and it’s not, it’ won’t be. Tonight, I made the statement that I have lived more than 4 people my age combined and it’s true and I wouldn’t change a bit of it.
My life has been shaped by the many moons I have seen and by the many suns I have felt on my back. The people, the places and the experiences have all been part of an amazing history being written by me and the world around me. I am in a unique position now to continue with what I have started here in Austin. My life is prime for harvest and I am going to push forward and plant now while I’m ready.
Starting with the show this Saturday at Graffiti’s, expect to see a difference in my performance. A more intense and more in focus performance. Now is the time for me to show you what I have to offer. I need to know you’re out there listening and that you like it. I need to hear from you. I want that request. I want that feedback. Time won’t surrender and because of that, I have to push forward.
Did anyone else see the moon tonight. If you did, you will understand what I mean in my new song, “Under A Texas Crescent Moon.”
All love -
~Kia
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