Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

Oliver’s been bugging me to see Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies for FOREVER! I finally got around to it this weekend. Superfun! I took some video:

When I moved to Raleigh, I knew one person: Christopher Thurston. He and I dated in 1987/88 when I was living briefly in Athens, GA (Which is why I always call him “my ex from the 80s.” I left Athens for Oberlin College in Ohio, and as these things often go, he and I broke up soon thereafter. We lost touch for years, but reconnected when online social networking was young – I think on Friendster, if memory serves. Back in the day, music was a huge part of our relationship. I was young and interested, and he was a little older and knew stuff, and in our short relationship, I soaked up a lot of new information and favorites. He’s the one who turned me on to The Velvet Underground, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and my favorite band of all time, Throwing Muses. He and I have both changed in lots of ways, but we are both still VERY into music. I went and got that degree in Vocal Performance at Oberlin Conservatory, but that’s not what I’m really talking about. I’m talking about myself as a music fan. I’ve never stopped listening to new music and going to gigs. “Gig girl” has been a central part of my identity since I was about 12, and not much has changed. It’s the same for him. He’s continued to participate in musical projects of all kinds playing both bass and double bass. He does some DJing, too. Xopher is the one who hosted me when I came to check out Raleigh as a potential place to live, and when I got here, I lived at his place for the first few weeks. He’s one of my best friends now – as is his mom, as a matter of fact!

Back in the day:

Now:

Me and Xopher’s mom, Margaret:

The day after Valentine’s Day last year (2/15/2007), I stopped into King’s Barcade (R.I.P.) to see a performance called Love Hangover. There were pairs of performers – usually a man and a woman – singing duets. A friend of mine named Billie sang that year with a guy named Roger Gupton. Their performance that night really blew me away, and I was so happy I’d decided to stop by before heading over to The Pour House to see The Old Ceremony. I met Roger that night. After some months and another performance or two, Roger became a regular reader of (and commenter on) this very blog. He dropped in around the time of the baby birds on the back porch and a period of illness, when he introduced me to the neti pot. He and I became friends, and we decided to spend some time together rehearsing. He sings and plays the guitar. I do both as well. He has more guitar experience. I have more voice experience. That project has been a little backburner lately, but I’ve not lost hope that we’ll get it done.

And so anyway, a little while back, on the day of Katy’s wedding, I ran into Roger at The Borough during the wedding’s reception/after party. He told me that he was trying to get together a new band and was looking for a bass player. I looked across the table and said, “Roger, you need to meet Christopher.” And apparently, Air Croatoa was born. I got to see them for the first time weekend before last. What a success! I’m so pleased that the world remains so small.

And so let me present to you Air Croatoa:

• Roger Gupton – guitar & singing
• Gina Dalmas – guitar, singing and assorted instruments
• Jubal Creech – percussion
• Xopher Thurston – double bass

(Speaking of small words, check this post by my friend Hugh from yesterday.)

I was interviewed about blogging by NBC-17 at the Blogger Bash:

Haha! I had NO idea that Wayne was videotaping that whole time. What cracks me up is that he clearly wants to interview me, but he was waiting patiently for me to stop talking to people… something that wasn’t about to happen any time soon!

John Darnielle (of The Mountain Goats) has written a novel about a kid in an inpatient treatment facility who is denied his tapes, most particularly Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality. This novel is part of the 33 1/3 series. John read excerpts from the novel at Regulator Books in Durham. I bought a copy, and I definitely recommend you do that same. His ability as a songwriter definitely translates to prose, and his experience in a past life as a psychiatric nurse certainly adds to the realism of the piece.

Listen to a little bit:

John also played an AIDS Walk Benefit in NYC this past weekend. In his introduction, he said, “Thank you for coming out to support AIDS Walk. When I was a young nurse, I worked with people with AIDS in Los Angeles, and I’m not going to get all maudlin about it, but I really appreciate your support of this wonderful organization. In that spirit, I’m going to play a bunch of songs that I hardly ever play.”

NYC Taper has MP3’s of the entire set. It’s so worth a listen. I finally got around to it yesterday. Pop Tarts Suck Toasted has several videos of the gig posted.

The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton (chosen because it’s Brooklyn John’s favorite!)

John Darnielle keeps on keeping on. The proliferation of songs and writing from this man is endless. A hundred years after his death, rabid fans will still be trying to collect everything he ever did. Yeah, he could sit on his laurels for a long while, and his fans could try and catch up, but that’s what I like about him. He’s always one step ahead.