Pitiful CMJ-ing

This morning my monthly Metrocard ran out. You'd think that I'd keep better track of things like this, but no. I usually don't find out until I'm rushing to work in the morning and I realize that no matter how many times I swipe my card I can't seem to get through and I hear the train slowly leaving the station.

Well, as usual I found that I couldn't get past and as I went to dump my card into the little used card bin someone called out, "Hey!"

I turned around and a dude just coming out asked if I needed a swipe. I was still a little groggy and I thought he was trying to sell me a swipe, but I mumbled something like, "Uh, sure..."

He swiped his card and stepped aside. I was in shock and barely let out a "Thanks" as I passed through and barely caught the train that was just pulled into the station. A couple of stops down it seems I was lucky to have been able to hop on that train since it seemed like there was some craziness going down on the track behind us. In fact it was announced that we were being held at one station because of "a delay behind us." How fucked up of a delay does it have to be that you somehow affect the trains in front of you? It's like you fucked up at the speed of light and fucked up the future or something.

What does this long drawn out exposition have to do with anything? Well, nothing quite honestly. Then again, maybe kind of? I guess since it's all about you never know what happens until you go out and do it.

I didn't do much for CMJ. I don't know, it always hits me when I have a ton of work and I feel like I should go just for posterity's sake. I will do a more thorough crawl one of these days.

I ended up being able to attend only one show on Saturday. I was going to go to another to see Colin and his friends' band play (as well as check out some more Irish bands) on Sunday, but ended up being straddled with work guilt and stayed home to do some work only to come down with some sort of cold. I don't know, I'm thinking I should've gone, but then again I know I would've hated myself this morning if I came in tired with a lot of work to do.

On Saturday I went to go see The Photo Atlas with Marc. I'd never heard of them until Marc said he was going and it ended up being a good set and it was a nice little break out of my day. Got outside, got some fresh air. Good live act. Actually I think I prefer them live. I remember afterwards when talking to the drummer Devon he mentioned something about how he played different on recorded tracks so it makes you wonder if they all play differently when they play live.

They played loud, and it was a good kind of loud. The venue itself is smallish and intimate. VERY intimate. I was practically standing between two of the mic stands on stage...and there wasn't a stage. It was just the performance ground. I liked it very much actually. You always have that awkwardness at venues where you find yourself either too far from the stage, or if you're close it's elevated up into the sky or some ridiculousness like that. Or sometimes there's just that gap? Where you're just thinking, "Oh, come on." This was good.

I (supposedly) got a guitar named after me by being a total nerd and asking the guitarist Bill if he named his guitar. Marc likes this band he got a chance to talk about Colorado and previous gigs he'd seen them at. What do I contribute to the conversation? Well, I asked him what kind of guitar he played, just so I could follow up with a:

"It's real pretty..."

I don't know a lot about guitars, but I do like pretty ones.

"Thanks, I think so too," he answered.

"Do you name your guitar?"

No, I never do," Bill said. "But since you're the first to ask I think I'm going to have to name it after you."

I don't know, it just seemed like it was pretty enough to have a name in my head at the time. I vowed that I'd show up the next time they were in town to check up on whether or not the name stuck. I mean come on, it's kind a cool to be an instrument's namesake, no? Ha, at least it's the thought that counts.

We ran into the drummer outside.

"You bought our album!" he said spotting me still holding onto the CD, "You're awesome!"

"You guys were great," I said, then added. "And may I say? You have awesome drumface."

And it wasn't an idle complement. He indeed had great drumface. I personally think drumface is awesome. It just is. I mean say you're getting into a song and you lock onto someone performing and they're into it too? It's just an awesome moment. And drumface totally guarantees that moment. He was killing it on the drums too. Practically beating the shit out of his kit. At one point I saw his drum kit key fly off.

Oh, so for once of those, "You can't make this up" comedic moments. This must be recorded.

Devon seemed like an affable chap and caught up the moment of just talking with us he said, "Wow, you bought our CD and you gave me a cigarette. You're like my favorite person in the world right now. It's like what else could you do for me?"

OK I knew exactly what he meant, but come on. COME ON. It's funny! I looked at him then looked at Marc and just went, "Uuuuuuummmmmmmm..." and just laughed.

Actually at that exact moment it was like my brain was going a mile a minute with all the comebacks that could've been. I had to reign myself in and my head almost exploded from sheer comedic possibilities.