I'm not going to make it to see Nanci Griffith tonight.





I did get to see an excellent talk by Donna Beegle today.

I wish that I could give hope to people who are suffering.

Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings were great last night. No opening act, I made it just in time. It reminded me a bit of the Lucinda Williams shows in Santa Monica with Gurf Morlix.

I skipped the Wed. night free downtown concert to go out with Lori and her friends. I'm very glad. Maybe I made some new friends for myself tonight.

It was national French Fry day. I had some sweet potato fries.

I'm still a little mopey. Full moon is nearly here.

Maybe tomorrow I'll go to see John Doe.

Tonight was a night for appreciating all that is great about Portland. Portland Cello Project's Extreme Dance night had all kinds of local musicians playing music from before many of them were born. Two MCs, one who looked like the Hebrew Hammer and sang like Prince. The other could have been the Baby Ketten Karaoke guy.

I think that Jennie Wayne was in one of the groups. Jack Loves Jackie?

Afterwards I talked to some guys who talked to me about Baroque music and offered me mushroom chocolates.

Fair Hoes

Henry's birthday present was to come with me to see Neko Case at Edgefield. Eliza and Nick (hers, not mine) dropped in for a bit.

I got to see a few song from the opening band the Cave Singers whom I've liked since the Pickathon last year. Henry wasn't impressed and read while they played. But Neko said she'd been trying to play with them for a long time, and I trust her taste in music better than his. It was light out until we were on the highway heading home.

I can't say that this show was better than the one I saw at the Crystal Ballroom when The Middle Cyclone came out. But Edgefield wasn't a crowded nightmare tonight and the half moon was nice.

Tomorrow the boys leave for SunRiver with their dad. Doh stays here. Maybe I'll get some housecleaning done. Maybe I'll sunbathe.

Accordions

I have been driving a lot lately across town and back. I guiltily admit to turning on the air conditioner a bit.

Despite giving rides to two people whose cars were out of commission, I was only 30 minutes late to see Jason Webley. As it turned out, he was second on the bill not first, so I was early. I got to see many songs by 3 Leg Torso, whose accordion player is a Reedie who cleaned the SU in 1981. Then I left to drive some more and got back for the end of Jason's set, right before he was starting to do an exciting climax amidst the crowd, just in time to see him fall face first off the stage onto his accordion. He went on valiantly, but the encore set with the band was cut short.

I got to shake his hand (a hand that has touched Amanda Palmer's) and introduced myself to Courtney Von Drehle. I wanted to tell one or the other that I am not a newcomer to accordion love--that my favorite bar in LA was the Red Lion Tavern on Glendale Blvd. because of the old guy who played his one-man chest band there. But I couldn't remember the name of the Red Lion Tavern.

Sunny blue holiday weekend

I'm being a mom this weekend. While I want to connect to my kids, as teenagers there is a limit to how much they want to be with me. Saturday night I ended up biking down to the waterfront to catch the end of Lucinda's show after getting Henry from the airport, having dinner and trying to find something fun for all of us to do.

Yesterday Henry had a party, Nick and I tried a new Chinese restaurant and then turned in early. There were a lot of explosions, more that I expected. I was up intermittently checking for news from Henry. About 2:30 he confirmed he was sleeping over at his friend's house (same place where he fled from the cops in the middle of the night earlier this year.)

I want to get tan today but it is getting harder and harder to impose the site of my huge white body upon any innocent passers-by.

OK music

I already mentioned Rush right?

Then I saw Celilo at the first downtown Wednesday night concert. It was cold and not crowded.

Friday I went to the Blues Fest and heard Norman Sylvester, Maceo Parker, a band that was good who played recognizable riffs from people like Michael Jackson and then Robert Cray. I had a great time selling KBOO T-shirts.

Afterwards, I rode my bike to Dante's to see The Fleshtones, a band I saw long ago when I was young. I had Hexbreaker on cassette. There is a certain fast tempo that I like and they hit it. Bands that came later in the 90s slowed down.