2nd anual Moon Lawn Metal Fest (hapy birthday)

Oliver, goodly frend who goodly is, hostd a sho at th house of him. Aditionl musicl beings included al-so-fabulus: The Space Rifle Rangers, Slaughter Scope, Belligerence, The Black Guards, and th lovly Epilogue. Durng th outsidely-ocurng set of me, did th rain com. It came in muchness, and folks scrambld about to rescu things from th great wetness. I continud doing mandolinngs thruout th ordeal. It was very metl.

.. song of th Protoss [improvised, to countr Teo's song of th Terrans]
.. th posm
.. e blu apratus > rokn' out > deposit 1 tanjlo > e blu apratus
.. Lucretia [formrly named 'hapyness is prune havng']
.. fists of smite
.. Sober [a covr of a song by Tool]
.. Children of The Damned [a covr of a song by Iron Maiden]

Hapy birthday to al, say I to al.

words I do like

socle
oxter
hodmandod

Nim solo @ th Muddy Cup

I playd from about 9:30 to 11:15 or so at th Muddy Cup, and it was fun. Thanks to ya'l who came out!

set 1
.. sience
.. brown dwarf
.. th slipry toad
.. cal it Home
.. stripes
.. 25% mor monstr > cmene
.. Pablo [request]
.. fists of smite
.. Alan th Duk > lov song 1
.. 5 songs of fish
.. Deenmark
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep

set 2
.. stelr nursery
.. superjiant
.. nutron star
.. this ladybug
.. u'v got yr own life
.. e blu apratus
.. lov song 6
.. 2G's > chupacabra
.. I am systms
.. fly this kite
.. hapyness is prune havng
.. th posm
.. lov song 5
.. levl 1 [request]
.. 25% mor monstr [request] > vejtbls u'v nevr herd of [request]

Coffee Planet OM hostd by Nim (again)

I had a delicius time at th Coffee Planet tonyt, gest hostng th opn mic. Thanks to evryone who came out and playd! I hope u felt wel-hostd.

opnng set:

.. Hapyness is prune havng [request]
.. 25% mor monstr
.. cal it Home
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of
.. lov song 5
.. Deenmark

closing set:

.. 5 songs of fish
.. lov song 1

Nim dos Planet

I just returnd from an aftrnoon sho on a lovly sumr day at Coffee Planet. It felt good to play a real gig again.

Ther wer a bunch of 'firsts' - first mini-CD sold not to a close frend, first drawngs 'sold' (these litl drawngs I'v made on colorful cardstok - "Leve a tip, take a pic!"); first time using my mando case for tips (workd great!); first time playng a sho with mutn chops. ;<) Also, first time playng Amy & Beth's songs for stranjrs (they went ovr suprisingly wel).

one

.. cal it Home
.. 2G's
.. u'v got yr own life
.. acrobasebombal
.. Colrbone Faro
.. in my poket > vejtbls u'v nevr herd of
.. this ladybug
.. hapyness is prune havng [public debu]
.. e blu apratus
.. great Pan is ded
.. fly this kite
.. th posm
.. lov song 5

two

.. stelr nursery
.. red dwarf
.. troglodyt
.. I am systms
.. Pablo
.. Maroon Dots > 25% mor monstr
.. chupacabra
.. 5 songs of fish
.. th slipry toad
.. cmene
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?
.. levl 1
.. lov song 6
.. fists of smite [public debu]
.. Deenmark

Grind OM 37 & frendlys

At th Grind, I was joind by th spify Dave Shaver, brothr o' mine, who did drumngs. In tandm, we playd:

.. I am systms
.. 5 songs of fish

AND

Later, at th hous of Amy, I playd two new songs, each for frendlys: first Amy, then BethLucretia:

.. fists of smite [debu]
.. hapynes is prune havng [debu]

-

If u like to, leve poems on my myspace.

Gallery Cabaret OM 1

So we finaly found an opn mic, and it was a doozy. We came acros a very towny bar cald Gallery Cabaret, and altho I considrd leving, I thot wy not, and stuk around. It wasn't my "crowd," but I figrd it wud be amusing. Som hylyts of th Gallery Cabaret experience included:

- constnt refrnces to th "brat," [bratwurst] that was on special. "U can al thank th gy in th ponytail with th mustache for th brat tonyt." Said gy continud to walk from th bak room with new paper plates of brats thruout th nyt.
- sculpturs of pink feti with wires comng out, remnisnt of H. R. Giger.
- scary intrpretiv dance army lady who had obviusly taken som balet classes a long long time ago. It was imposbl to wach th musician wen she felt inclined to join in. Very intense, very drunk.
- gy with no ybrows singng such hits as "Let's Get Wasted," and "Tough Guys that Live with Their Parents". He was obviusly a locl favorit. Also intense, also drunk. I think th intrpretiv dance lady is his girl, so don't get any funy ideas.
- old man who made th host chanje his capo for him. "Put it on three." "Just take that off, wud ya?"
- very sexy Russian womn singng with her laptop such songs as "China Girl" by Bowie and "Too Drunk to Fuck" by th Dead Kennedys. I bot her band's CD, and it is good -- rathr like a Russian Portishead.

I playd, but I don't think I was a hylyt. Th host, who may hav ben one of th few peple yungr than me, said he liked it, and that I was like Primus without al th pesky bass. Th crowd mostly ignord me, wich is betr than heklng me, ryt?

.. th posm
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?
.. I am systms

Andrew's Boring, Cranky, and Frustrated Travelogue

11:30

I embark, disembark, something like that, on my Chicago busking adventure. My challenge: $20 before Tiffany gets off of work at 5:00

11:38

Caught a Red Line train going south, toward the Loop, which is the big metropolitan downtown. I'm going to get off at Chicago Ave., before the Loop, and hit up some places on foot. It's a somewhat hazy, humid day. I hope this doesn't suck.

Unless they already know each other, people sit quietly and keep to themselves on the "El," so when somebody provides an exception, it seems to disturb people. There's a large and loud stereotypical baseball fan (Chicago Cubs, in this case) throwing things off today.

I think my nose is getting ready to break out. I hate sweating.

If I start to do this regularly, I should get some snazzy clothes to wear. People give you more money if you are wearing snazzy clothes (unfounded hypothesis).

11:52

Disembark from train.

12:06

I set up to play by the Pumping Station at Chicago & The Magnificent Mile. Lots of traffic here, but we'll give it a try anyway.

.. brown dwarf
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of
.. sience
.. Pablo

12:20

It sucks here. I'm moving around the corner to do a few more.

12:23

There was somebody over there passing things out. The last thing I want is a territorial dispute. Time to scout some more.

12:29

Not far away, I'm trying out a new spot: N Mies Van Der Rohe & E Pearson.

.. cal it Home
.. lov song 1
.. lov song 5
.. in my poket
.. 5 songs of fish
.. chupacabra

12:54

That was mostly dismal. One guy gave me three bucks and told me, "Chicago needs more musicians," to which I thought, "Chicago needs more music lovers." Ah well. I'm across from the Museum of Contemporary Art. I considered playing on the stairs to the museum, but chickened out. Maybe next time. Now, to plot the next show . . . west to Dearborn, south to Randolph, east to Millenium Park.

1:01

A white pigeon -- weird.

1:56

I've been walking since last I wrote, and I'm hungry and parched. I'm waiting outside Tiffany's work to join her for lunch. I was originally thinking that I'd take all food & drink purchased during this journey out of my funds, but since I'm up a whopping $3, I don't think that'll be the way to go. I'd like a big honking smoothie really really soon. After lunch, I'll decide what to do next.

Someone approached me and asked what instrument I play. I told her, and she told me she was in a band, and we had a little chat, and she left. I thought she was going to try to give me a pamphlet or sell me something. Chicago's making me paranoid.

I'm starting to think that if I want to stand any chance of making it to $20 today, I'll need to go straight to the tunnel and plant myself there for a long time. I guess that sort of defeats the purpose of scoping things out, but I might get the job done.

2:40

I'm spending way too much on lunch. I had a pizza, a juice, and a fruit cup at Caffe BACI for $12.67, and now I'm waiting on a kiwi-mango smoothie with pearls that I spent $4.13 on. So we're talking a $16.80 lunch. If I play strict, my goal for the day becomes $36.80 . . . $33.80 to go. . . .

3:06

I'm sitting by some steps in Grant Park at Michigan & 9th. There's a massive statue behind me of, presumably, Grant, frozen in mid-gallop with a flag and a moustache. I just walked through parts of the park where there's a festival going on. It was swarming with humanity. Chicago is so frickin' big.

This doesn't seem like the best place to busk, but that's ok. I'm sitting here mainly to digest. I'm going for the Museum Campus Tunnel . . . soon. That smoothie was a bad idea.

3:24

There's a homeless guy trying to sell newspapers in my tunnel. Can't say I blame him; lots of good traffic there. At any rate, unless he leaves, it won't be a good idea to try to play there. I'm sitting nearby in some shade. The sun has come out.

3:32

My adversary appears to be leaving. Maybe he does that, though -- moves back and forth so he can follow people. I'm thinking about going back inside.

4:29

I played in the tunnel. Made $5 again. Total of $8. I haven't made my lunch back yet. This is absurd. Actually, it was rather fun, but no way to make a living.

.. I am systms
.. levl 1
.. red dwarf
.. Deenmark
.. this ladybug
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?
.. th posm
.. Maroon Dots
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of
.. lov song 5
.. bodymind
.. th slipry toad
.. e blu apratus
.. 25% mor monstr
.. chupacabra

There's a truly ridiculous-looking fad of taking tours while standing on these two-wheeled electric motor-powered thingies. People on them are tall and, naturally, glide. They're also bright yellow or orange most of the time, and clustered together in a group. They look like a very bizarre alternative species of human.

Ok. That's enough of this. I'm heading out now to meet Tiffany so we can ride home together on the El. I return $8.80 poorer.

10:11

So the day went on. It was a sleepy and uncomfortable El ride home. I took a bath and Tiffany took a nap. Then I took a nap. We tried in vain to find a cool purple wig for Tiffany at a store down her street (they didn't have her color). I ate some mac&cheese, played Tiffany in mancala, and am currently listening to the Boredoms, burned CD courtesy of George, as I type up my stupid travelogue.

In spite of my failure and discomfort, it was fun. It's not much different from a regular gig, really. More spontaneous. Writing the ridiculous travelogue was fun for me. It occurred to me earlier this week that I should take notes on my experiences in Chicago and post them in this blog (or some other). Seeing what I did write, it's clear to me that I shouldn't take that idea too seriously. If you read this far, then I do apologize for boring you to tears.

I do like Chicago, a whole bunch. But "living" here just a few days, I'm starting to see some of the things I'll miss about Troy. There are just so many people here, moving so fast. Why should you talk to people on the El if, chances are, once you get off at your stop in 20 seconds, you'll never run into them ever again? It's lonely to be out in public.

I guess it's like that with anyone, anyway. You find your friends at work, at the places you go on your days off, and in your neighborhood. I wish I could take my friends with me to Chicago, but I can't. Except George, of course!

Anyway, I'm thirsty again, so I think it's time to fill up the ol' water glass and find something else to do. It's stuffy in this little apartment.

Love to all,
Androse