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Showing posts from June, 2008

East by Southeast, one night only

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EAOE photo by Jonathan Purvis Tomorrow night , June 27, Every Alice on Earth , takes the stage, or floor space rather, at the Upside Plaza with Andrew Vladeck and Balthrop, Alabama . We will be the last act to play and the UDP is a notoriously late club -- typically the place people go after they're done with there first or second bars since the Plaza stays open so late. That being said, we have no way to predict what time we'll take the stage. We're hoping that Andrew will start by 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. which might put us on stage in the ballpark of 1:00 a.m., but that's pure speculation and no promises can be made. If you're coming out, be prepared for a worthy, but potentially late night show. Get you a nappy nap and hope to see you all there. Here are directions for those who need 'em. The other two acts are traveling here from NYC and here's a little background information on Balthrop, Alabama , whose lead singer

Best pets ever ...

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... were enjoying the chairs in Clare's new house that have a magical draw for cats. Even though there are two of these chairs in close proximity, I like that Maddy Lou and Gus chose to share one.

City Stages unwound

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This year I had the honor of covering City Stages for The Birmingham News and it was one of the most hectic yet thrilling journalistic opportunities of my career. I saw many great shows, got a breaking news story on three kids who were asked to come sing on stage with a hot young indie act and in the end got to see The Flaming Lips while off the clock and hooked up with many members of my favorite girl gang. I reviewed Griffin House , Michael Franti and Spearhead, Elizabeth Cook with my breaking story at the Ingrid Michaelson show. Some of the biggest acts like Al Green, Diana Ross, Ben Harper and and Innocent Criminals and The Roots I didn't get to see sadly, but I was pleased with the less crowded smaller stages. To me they show the heart and soul of the festival and what makes all the sweat, overpriced food and stupid drunk people worth it. I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story. (Although these reviews are credited to entertainment editor, Alec Harvey,
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There's nothing in the world like the smell of fair food. It's intoxicating and hits the nostrils about 10 seconds from the gates. Ingrid Michaelson Ingrid Michaelson and light saber donated from a fan. This was one of the "gotta have" toys from the festival. Jessica Lamb, 15, left and Carly Putman, 15, both of Birmingham got to live out their own rock 'n' roll fantasy by getting to sing on stage with Ingrid Michaelson. Allie Moss, guitarist and singer with Ingrid Michaelson. Beautiful woman, beautiful guitar. Elizabeth Cook -- a sassy little thing from Nashville. I didn't think I would like her set, but when she played "Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be a Woman," and dedicated it to "all the women out there, even though it's Father's Day," she had an instant fan in me. Pieta Brown Mose Snyder, 2, and his mom Laurel drove from Atlanta to City Stages with their family. The crack cocaine of food Michael Franti and Spearhead Michael F

And while I'm on the subject of being grateful

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Here she finally is, looking very serious, but healthy, beautiful and very very loved Harper Jane June 5th 4:51 PM 8lbs 4oz 19 inches Emergency C-Section A huge amount of congratulations to my good friends to Angela and Tim in on the scary but successful arrival of bambino #2. After a very difficult pregnancy, we are all breathing a huge sigh of relief and newborn baby gushiness. (Photo by Tim or Angela. I didn't have time to get official permission from either party since they were in the hospital. Please don't pursue copyright infringement litigation! For those who don't know, Angela is CEO of My Daily Struggle and inspired me to get this blog up and going.)

Hope springs eternal

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Me and Andrea in 1989 with my kitten, Mojo . (photo by Dr. Jere Colley) Last Tuesday marked the fifth anniversary of the worst day of my life. On June 3, 2003 my best friend from high school, Andrea Bridges Carpenter, was killed instantly in a car wreck. She was six months pregnant with a baby girl to be named Lydia Ruth, after her paternal grandmother. It is a day that I will never forget and one I don't like reflecting on at all, but also refuse to ignore. Andrea wouldn't want me to get weighed down with missing her and waxing sentimental for too long, but I do and I always will. She made a permanent mark on my soul and I will never forget her and will grieve the absence of her and the baby girl I never got to hold or know for the rest of my life. I'm left with no choice in this matter. You can't judge it until you've been there. On the flip side of this sadness, I have felt Andrea's presence twice now on the anniversary of her death which gives me faith in

Team Hustle 2008

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We found this Batman sinus headache mask in Clare's freezer and it became a sign of team unity. Of course that meant that we needed a poster to mark the occasion.

A moving experience, part one

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A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. So lady lucky continues to swing my way as my other best friend, Clare, has bought a house in her hometown of Montevallo and is back in my vicinity. She enlisted her posse of wild women (and one wild almost woman) to help her move. I can't say I was looking forward to spending my Memorial Day packing and moving, but I knew we had a good posse with myself and the fierce tag-team mother/daughter duo of Carrie and Codi Jane McGrann. We've always had a knack for having a good time together no matter how rough the going, as history has shown. In just about 35 hours, a full household was moved 212 miles. Clare was wise enough to hire José, her yard man, and two of his compadres to take on the major bulk of the back work -- couches, bookshelves, dressers and TVs and they did a very impressive job of filling a 26 foot long truck completely full with hardly an inch to spare. Carrie called it "Tetris" and she was dead on. After the first truck