duskdevils "green door" youtube / POST #200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

art fein put a new (old) video up on youtube of the dusk devils. (also videos of candye kane & carlos guitarlos!) it's listed on his page at www.sofein.com (look for screen shot of me looking like the wicked witch of the west) :)
you also can see it at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc18WHzIsJE (copy & paste that address into your browser)
ps - if your comment disappeared below, it's cause of a misunderstanding w/art over what he wanted posted as a comment... i had to hide all comments under that date so's not to inconvenience/embarrass mr. fein, who's been so kind. you can't delete just one on here...

9/30, bakersfield sound music, fishlips, high noon

here in backwardsfield tomorrow, the real deal, the good stuff!... google "fishlips" & "bakersfield sound" for more info... hope you can go! :)

vinyl fetish

you have to click on it to open the coolest web graphic ever (below) :)

the unifying of "opposites," the illusion of separation, myspace, & the boring lives of teachers

today's local paper had a postage-stamp tiny color pic of dusk devils from yrs back on a pg 1 story re myspace. then in class today, coincidence?, we talked about media products & manipulations, like myspace, so i told the kids to for extra credit find my pic in the paper ("why were YOU in the paper?!?" they exclaimed, maybe a little horrified, because how possibly could a TEACHER be interesting enough for print?)... as pt of the lesson, we analyzed bakotopia a little, since the school district has myspace blocked. after, 3 girls got bkotpia's url. on the small chance they'd go in & find my profile, i figured i should write a short bio, do some positive propagandizing...
after writing it, i realized it's sure nice not to have to hide. i don't have secrets w/these kids. i play music, i write, i worry, i fret, i ponder, i'm wimpy & vacillating & bossy at times, i'm kinda weird, but i know in a good way: just a human, in other words. there's no worry about running into them or their families when drunk or being somehow else inappropriate because i'm just not that way, haven't been for a long, long time. i'm even trying not to cuss, tho everyone stubs their toe now & then. (and i do enjoy creative cussers like aunt rita & tammy.) it's good to feel clean & mostly true...
i thank the secret society that saved my life. they're a bunch of do-gooders & lifesavers, & i learn all the time from them how to live somewhat peacefully, usefully, & happily, w/my dreams & goals in line w/the greater good, i trust. my recent masters degree experience in sf at new college, a life-changing deal, didn't hurt, either. :)
here's the updated profile: http://www.bakotopia.com/home/User/jennyangel

red bulls + monsters + vitamins = no sleep

of course, like some curse, i got sick three days ago, w/a showlet tonight. bolstered w/vitamins & red bull, i was dragging myself out the door when brian got popped right in the eye w/a flying bungee - blood everywhere, just horrible!!! i thought we were gonna have to take him to emergency, but once we got him patched up, he insisted he didn't need stitches & wanted to go to the show... later we were so grateful the bungee hadn't hit 1/4" lower because (mustn't go there -- shuddddddder)... as is, he told everyone all night, "you shoulda seen the OTHER guy!" he's gonna have quite a shiner. i was so thankful he wasn't hurt worse & was so willing still to go to the party. brian is quite dear... :)
tammy's party was such a success!! i knew that girl had tons of friends, but tons of family, too? she is widely & well-loved, it is obvious: there must've been 150 people there for her! :) i saw people from the distant past, & longtime pal, writer greg goodsell, showed up as "doctor death" (the party's theme was funerary)... after the basque feed & tammy tributes, byron played acoustic tunes, opening w/"6 days on the road" & "little red riding hood"! vince galindo & i approved; byron has great facial expressions & personality for the stage. next up was an old-timey country-bluegrass trio from kernville, very professional, would've sounded right at home on prairie home companion: david nigel lloyd & daughter ursula fully enjoyed their set, & their woman singer/guitarist had a lovely warmth. then i was up, & as i suspected, i couldn't hear (should've gone w/instinct & used keyboard amp, too: monitors never seem set up for high female voice/keyboard, or maybe it's sound guys who aren't used to dialing that in), & my dang high hat took a crap halfway thru the 2nd song!! shantell then let me use hers, which was a marked change (much nicer), but then i was thrown off by playing the stiffer drum & i know my timing stunk in too many spots. oh well; the audience cheered like i can hardly remember ever hearing, seriously: it was amazing -- & i know tammy was happy! (looking at the pix from brian, i see i never should wear this dress again when i have to sit... it was very flattering til i sat down & some circus tent effect took over!! i know i need longer hems now that i have to sit to play drums, but i guess not quite this long & puffy & bustled... this is something i guess i'll figure out as i go...)
"FINALLY we could hear your singing," said david kindly. (i guess, therefore, the singing sounded ok - i couldn't tell! good news from david!)
"that must be like going for a run," commented nathan (glen), a guy i knew 20 yrs ago. funny, i didn't sweat tonight like when i have practiced. maybe it was all the red bull i drank (no sweat left!) to get myself off the sick bed. no dinner, either! too nervous from brian's eyeball incident! anyways, yes, it is quite a workout to do all the music by myself.
"i've never seen anything like that," a guy remarked about my set-up. and yes, ladies & gents, i DO believe what i'm now doing is unique! the good part is, it's bound to get better, so heads up, bloodshot bill, i'll be hopping on your traincar pretty soon here... :)
next was 3 chord whore. those gals are really onto something!! their eff-it, liberated, woman-love punkrock presence really goes over big, w/gals dancing wildly every time they play. darcy has the most wonderful expressive pretty frontwomanly face, & heather does, too. i'd love to have big popping violety eyes like those two have, but i have to make do w/my squinty hispanic-mediterranean ones, instead. shantell is a heckuva hard-rock drummer, & i'm always impressed by how much sound those 3 women make, w/heather's punk power chords, shantell's thunder-drumming, & darcy's full throated singing. they speak to lots of gals in the audience - guys, too. i hope whatever they want to have happen for them career-wise, flat does.
... now it's 1:45 am & here i is. bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......... tired, but heart palpitating. good old energy drinks.
thank you, tammy & byron, for your extreme generosity & friendliness to many, including me. a good night to be alive it was, once again.
ps - thank you thank you thank you to all my friends who showed up... :)

AARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!

note to self (& you, if it applies): when teaching middle school, don't ever go to work when sick.

sat set list, county fair fun, birthday bashes

woohoo, am i excited!! not only is the kc fair starting this wk, i get to do my one-wmn act this wkend! i need to stop exercising so much, tho... it's darn tough to drum w/shin splints!!! tammy's party's gonna be great - she sent funeral-style invites instead of bd party-type ones, & everyone's wearing black! she & hubby byron are feeding basque food to all invitees! then me, 3 chord whore, byron & hard rock, & more music. brent milton's doing sound. all in all, yahoo!
here's my lucky-13 set list: 1) ready teddy; 2) mercy; 3) googoo muck; 4) mean mean man; 5) rock house; 6) running scared; 7) tearin' my hair out; 8) rock boppin' baby; 9) fujiyama mama; 10) heartbeat; 11) me & my chauffeur blues; 12) funnel of love; 13) railroad bill.
next mo, my childhood bud kris(ti), who 12-stepped me so long ago & helped save my life, will hit her big bd, too, but her bash is at a socal yacht club... that same wkend, i'll go record with frank lee sprague in "noho" (haha - that makes me laugh near as much as "we-ho")! fls is quite a talent, writing all from rootsy americana to classical, award-winning. here's his site: http://duckking1.tripod.com/ ... i know frank'll do me up right & know just what sound i'm looking for. wow!!!!
last wk was the la fair w/the chinese acrobats (donna & i were in the 1st row!! i couldn't even watch in some parts -- too hair-raising!) & this wk our fair will have cinnamon rolls, rides, lights, music, exhibits, kettle corn, smells, people, hay,... oh, is there anything much better than a county fair????? i'm happy & expectant, but autumn does that, don't it? :) be toujour gai, like mehitabel sez...

trout's on a friday night, tour d'backweirdsfield

the best thing that happened at trout's tonight was when joyce simpson kindly forgave me for something stupid i did yrs ago... she & red were there, & chris sprague said he was "shaking" to be in red simpson's presence. i stuck close to friendly frank lee sprague, who provided burly barrier between me & drunk fellows not put off by a wedding ring. i forget what can happen when people start bar drinking on a friday night, since mostly i'm in such places (& then only rarely, esp lately) only to play music myself... standing around not playing can be a spooky deal. larry petree was dressed to the country-gentleman 9's, wide-smiling & inviting as usual, & rockwell shook my hand. lovely joyce told me her grand daughter just graduated from berkeley (in 3 yrs!) & is coming back HERE to teach! i was happily stupefied to think someone so obviously precocious & idealistic would bring her talents back to this place so known for "brain drain"... the honky-tonk & truck-driving tunes rocked the dark saloon & tho a bit scary to me, the large drinking young cowboys were nice enough in the end, as well as were the line-dancing gals. i would go back to trout's again, in a second, especially if i had burly barrier, which my electric piano might nicely provide... i made the spragues a tour d'bakersfield, suggesting spots like okie ray's, the old river theatre, oildale saloons, el taquito, downtown signs & residence hotels, the arizona cafe, & the usuals like luigi's, old eastside basque places, & of course the palace, where buddy allan plays tomorrow night w/the buckaroos... i'll meet the spragues there at that time if they stick around, but i think hollywood'll call them back 1st.
frank gifted me TWO of his merseybeat cds, as well as the offer of use of his recording studio, stories of musicians far & wide, & talk of tx, from where he & bro chris hail, then walked me to my car so i wouldn't be killed (not that i would, but i'm a chicken). a nice evening, in other words. and like i said, best of all, forgiveness. dang ego sure makes me an ass sometimes. i was grateful joyce touched me with her grace. oh yeah, & tonight's meeting was good, too, & i even got a nap in earlier. :)

chris sprague & 18 wheelers @ trout's this fri

chris & frank asked this local to help promote their bako show, which'll be a palomino night at bakersfield's trout's - woohoo! here you go, fellers.

we got five years, my brain hurts a lot, five years, that's all we got, five years, what a surprise...

i guess the time it takes a band's name to get round (bands made of peons like me & us, that is) must be five years. i formed the dusk devils w/other humans, specifically brian p, in fall 2002. now, 5 yrs later, the dusk devils have 3200 myspace friends and i get show offers 3 times a month (as compared to never to 3 times a yr in the past): festivals, one setters, all nighters, stuff out of state, out of country, waaaaaah!!! it'd be fun. or maybe the idea of it is funner than it'd actually be.
one thing's clear - it sure don't matter right now.
oil well, as people say round here!
it's nice to feel wanted, tho for now it's posthumous. :)
happy weekend to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!