Monthly Archive for August, 2006

Scott Blasey, Jason Eady, and Tim Locke at Bend Studio

Published on August 25, 2006 in Dallas Area Live Music. 0 Comments

Most people wake up to their wives, children, pets….. Maybe a hot cup of coffee, the smell of breakfast being cooked, or to a glance over the morning paper. The first thing I saw yesterday morning was an e-mail from Ally asking if I would like to come take pics of the Thursday night show at Bend. What the hell, I had no plans for the night and hadn’t been to a show in a week or so. I had no idea who the bands were, but I thought I’d give them a shot.

Where I messed up is that I didn’t take a date to the show. I could have been the hero if I took a date. No no no… I went solo, so instead of impressing someone who I would like to impress. The story of my life.

Jason Eady at Bend Studio

The show last night started off with Jason Eady and his guitar. This guy has to have it made in the world of being a full time musician. He look a little like Matt Damon, and at times sounds a little like Randy Travis. He had a good stage presence and sang very well. His sound is a moderately paced folk/country vibe. I enjoyed listening to him very much and would highly recommend seeing him if he’s in your area.

Scott Blasey atBend Studio

Next up came Scott Blasey. I think Scott is about 14 feet tall. Maybe a little taller, but it’s hard to tell in a huge stadium like Bend Studio. Scott also played alone with just his guitar, voice, and stature. His sound was a more rocky than Jason, and while he played the guitar well, it was his voice that made the performance. I can’t put my finger on who he reminds me of, but his sound is very sophisticated and developed accented by amazing power when accent is necessary. I guess you should expect as much from a guy who is 14 feet tall. His music was very witty and well written. He also put on a killer set, and I would also recommend that you catch one of his shows. He noted that he is working on a record with Salim nourallah (another Friend-o-Bend). I will be interested to see how that turns out.

Tim at Bend Studio

The last performance of the night was Tim Locke from Calhoun. He sported a guitar, and was backed up by a stand up bass. I didn’t catch the bass players name, if anyone knows from the pic, please send me an e-mail or post a comment. Their sound was nice, and I really enjoyed how the Bass added to the acoustic/indie music. They seemed to have several friends in the audience, and were very comfortable and conversational on the stage. It was defiantly easy to listen to, and I would like to see the full band play some time. I feel like I may have seen them play before in Denton, but I can’t be sure. Hummmmmm. Maybe they are fiends of Warren.

So all in all the night was a great surprise. I didn’t know what to expect, and I got to hear some fantastic music and take a few good pics. All of these guys have their music and schedules on their myspace. The links are below, so check them out!!!

Bend Studio
Calhoun’s myspace
Scott’s Myspace
Jason’s Myspace

Just a post…why do these have to have titles… WHYYYYYY????!?!?!

Published on August 24, 2006 in Photography and This and That. 1 Comment

Once again, it has come to my attention that I have been slacking off when it comes to the world of my blogging efforts. I’ll see if I can’t whip up a little something something to make it up to you guys.

The Supra in front of Health Camp in Waco

Hummmm. So what has been going on since my last post? Last weekend Viv and I drove the Supra down to Austin to help Novie get some of her things moved to Dallas. That was a very cool trip. We stopped in Waco and ate at the Health Camp. I trained Viv on the tradition of getting a great old time hamburger and a malt at the classic burger joint that been there and remains largely unchanged since the late 1940’s. Viv took it to a new level by ordering not one, but two of their combo meals. It was dark when we left Waco, so we pulled over and took off the T-Top on the Supra and rode the rest of the way with the top off. It was a beautiful night for a cruse in a fast car with the top down. We had a good time while in Austin even though we had to leave the Supra behind and drive a huge U-Haul back home.

Viv and Novie at brunch in Austin

Viv is out of town this week and asked me to take care of his dog Toby. I’ve had a bit of a long week this week, and Toby decided to add insult to injury last night while I was playing with some of my new camera gear (more on that below). Keeping in mind this is a house trained dog (well… trained might be a strong word….house broken is probably more appropriate).The little monkey walked right up to me, and no more than 3 feet from me he crapped on my floor. I think that’s how dogs say “SCREW YOU!” in dog-speak. Nonverbal communication…..he didn’t say a word but I got the message. It was all in the body language. :)

It rained yesterday. I think that was the longest amount of time t hat I can remember between rain storms. They say we are in the worst drought that we have had in 50 years. I felt like a little kid. I couldn’t help but go outside to play in the rain. You would have thought I had never seen, or didn’t understand what the wet stuff falling from the sky was.

WHAT ELSE? Hummmmm. I got some new toys to play with for my photography habit. I ordered a few slave flashes, umbrellas, and backgrounds. I’m still getting the hang of it, but getting some good results already. I told my Yoga Jedi Master Ally that I need a girlfriend, if for no other reason than the fact that I need a model so I don’t have to take so many pictures of my ugly mug while practicing and testing all of this stuff out.

test pic with teh new gear

Dinner with Eric, Kristina, and Gram

Published on August 11, 2006 in This and That. 0 Comments

Eric, Kristina, and Gram

Last night was a good night.

I got to see my cousin Eric and his wife Kristina last night as they made their way through Dallas on a long haul from Phoenix to North Carolina. Eric was basically my big brother figure when I was growing up and learned a lot about what it is to be a good person and how to lead your life from him. So many of the great adventures and memories that I have growing up involved Eric and his two younger brothers. As we have grown older, the miles between us have grown and sadly we are just a hair better than “weddings and funerals” being the only time we get to see each other. So it was very cool to be able to hang out with them last night and have dinner with Gram. Afterwards we got to spend a few hours over a cocktail or two at my place.

Yes, it was a good night.

Kristina Taylor Lewis

Duncan Sheik and Vienna Teng at Sons of Herman Hall.

Published on August 5, 2006 in Dallas Area Live Music. 1 Comment

Blake, Keni and Zach

Last night’s adventure: Head downtown with Blake and Keni to see An Evening with Duncan Sheik and Vienna Teng at Sons of Herman Hall. This show was produced by Ally at Bend Studio and I was interested to see the atmosphere would change from her little listing room to a large hall with seating for a few hundred with a full bar. I really enjoyed the venue with it’s high ceilings and 90 year old wood every where you looked.

Vienna Teng at Sons of Herman Hall
Vienna opened the show with about an hour long set. She has an amazing voice and was a wizard on the keyboard. She was on the stage with her two girls singing back up vocals sporting a cello and violin/viola. On one song she borrowed Duncan’s drummer; a favor that would be returned in spades during Duncan’s set when he would borrow the string section for a few songs. I was telling Blake and Keni that I don’t think I’ve ever been to a show with that combination of instruments, and I was very impressed with the sound that came forth. Her music was very easy to listen to, and very vocal. What impressed me most about Vienna was how well she interacted with and engaged the crowd. She put on a fantastic set, and I would highly recommend checking out her music and going to a show if she is in your area.

Duncan Shiek started his set shortly there after accompanied by a full band (bass guitar, drums, and lead guitar). For the most part, his music was pretty mellow and low key. There were a few songs that were pretty “rocky” and a few other songs that were very subtle and light. I was very impressed with his guitar player. He was a king of the whammy bar, but not at all in an classic Van Hallen style. He used it to create a very interesting sound that reminded me of a slide guitar, or even a little bit like the sound that Kullen Fuces creates by playing the xylophone with a bow. Duncan has a very strong voice with a huge range. I would be interested to see him in an acoustic set that really showcases his voice. The show entertained the crowd who came from all over north Texas to see Duncan perform.

Duncan Sheik at Sons of Herman Hall

So, how did Sons of Herman Hall compare to Bend? While it was still a nice atmosphere, I felt like I was at any typical bar show. Most of the audience was there to enjoy the music and have a few drinks. Some of the audience enjoyed the drinks more than the music, but that’s to be expected. One of the girls on my row enjoyed her drinks and the music up until she passed out in her friends lap. I’m still waiting to see that happen at Bend ;) . Some other local musicans were in the crowd, including Dave Wilson.

Duncan’s Myspace

Vienna’s Myspace

Sons of Herman Hall

Bend’s myspace

Downward Facing Dumbass- Zach’s Yoga adventure:

Published on August 3, 2006 in Fitness Journal. 0 Comments

I thought it would be interesting to try out some new things in the world of staying fit and healthy. Since I’ve been spending a lot of time at Bend Studio for their music shows, I thought I would give Ally a shot at teaching this non-flexible guy a little Yoga. After all, I have two friends who are very into it and very fit, and the price for Bend’s beginner class was negligible. On top of that, I was, and still am very interested to learn how yoga helps in fitness and wellness because I don’t really understand it.

The first class went pretty well. I felt like I was a little bit more flexible than I was giving myself credit for (but by no means “flexible”). I felt a little bit uncoordinated while dong some of the poses, but didn’t find any of them to be taxing on muscle strength. The one really strange thing that I didn’t expect was that I got an endorphin type head rush a few times. I think it was caused by all of the expanding and opening up of the chest/spine, but not sure. The last 10 mins of class in the “corpses” pose was worth the entire course fee! I left feeling so loose and relaxed….. Good stuff. My obliques were a little sore the next day, but otherwise didn’t notice anything.

The second class last night was a little bit more taxing. Some of the poses were more difficult, and the less difficult ones were harder on me because I was really trying to make sure I was doing them right (welll… let’s just say …. less wrong). I’m afraid that Ally might think that I was being rude or disrespectful because I laughed out loud several times during the session. I was laughing at myself because for some reason I felt stumpy and uncoordinated as hell last night! I know I’m my fathers son…and stumpy by nature, but I felt like someone cut off 8 inches from all of my limbs, and gave me the coordination of a little girl taking dance for the first time. I’d get my arms set up, and my legs would be all out of wack. I’d fix that and then something else would be messed up. At one point we were doing a pose that when it was demonstrated…. It looked easy. It looked as simple as someone saying : touch your nose with your finger tip. Then I tried…. It looked so simple but I couldn’t get my knees anywhere CLOSE to being together like they were supposed to be, and I had to cheat and sit on a blanket (not the floor as demonstrated) because I’m pretty sure I would have pulled a muscle if I went for the floor. I laughed because it was as funny as trying to do the simple task of touching your nose, and for some reason not being able to get more than 8 inches away from it. I was the downward facing dumbass!!! That’s why I was laughing. It was either get frustrated or laugh at myself…so I laughed!

I’ll keep you guys updated. So far so good. It’s very different for me and I’m enjoying it.