Between us, four shows in four days.

This is from Saturday night. (The Hot Noodles' Grateful Dead tribute at New Deal.) Also, I got to see Wilco twice in three days (more on this in a later post... I'm trying to go pro on the lazy circuit right now.) If I go to Norway and Sweden, I can do it again this summer. Sigh.

Hot Noodles this Saturday Night

The Hot Noodles plays a Grateful Dead show from the vault: July 1989. Twenty years ago. For some reason, there are a lot of people that we know that attended these RFK shows, although we didn't know them at the time. Coincidence?

The Noodles will be at our favorite Greenbelt, Maryland establishment, the New Deal Cafe, 8:00 to 11:00pm. Hope to see many friends there...and maybe 20 years from now you'll be talking about who you met on Saturday, July 11, at the Hot Hot Noodles show. It is entirely possible.

The best-laid plans have run amok.

Okay, maybe not the best-laid plans, but this week is not turning out quite the way I thought it would. Tonight, Paul is having an MRI -- we're trying to find out why this kid has so many bad, bad headaches. In fact, he's had some level of headache for the past four days. Miserable for everyone. Everyone.

Anyhow, since I'm not sure what the rest of the week holds, I thought I'd post this hint for something fun to do this Saturday now. Mayorga is a cool place and they have really good local coffee. And the band is not too shabby, either.

Also, in case you're curious, I'm posting graphic design/web-related stuff I'm doing on the old pricklygirl site. You can also reminisce about the old days, if you're so-inclined.

Time for Another Listen...

Time for another fun installment of What's on Your iPod? You know the rules: 20 songs in shuffle mode, no skips. I've been very pleased with shuffle mode of late, so let's see what happens...

1. Cheap Trick: Big Eyes Live at Budokan When we first moved from SF to DC and had NOOOOOO money, Charles and I would sing Cheap Trick songs for entertainment. This brings back strangely good memories of the Christmas we tied free pine branches together and stuck them in a crystal ice bucket that we received as a wedding gift. That was our Christmas tree.

2. Rod Stewart: Maggie May Greatest Hits I love Rod Stewart's voice. Could pretty much ignore most of the work he's done, but this is one of the songs I love. And for some reason, it reminds me of driving around Bethany Beach in the rain.

3. TV on the Radio: Tonight Return to Cookie Mountain Right before I got hooked on Wilco -- the night of my first show, in fact -- we were listening to TV on the Radio on the way to Merriweather Post Pavilion. Sadly, although I loved it at the time, I've never got back into it the same way I did pre-Wilco obsession. What a great band.

4. Laurie & John: If I Hadn't Blinked My Eyes Arabella Okay, I admit it. I really like this album, even if it is, as Charles puts it "an emasculating Wilco side project". I don't care -- brother and sister duo John & Laurie Stirratt sound fantastic together. I drive around DC singing along and wishing that I could be Laurie. (Or Sue Miller, but for different reasons, and not the ones you might expect. I'm not going in to this now, because I'll sound weird. More than usual.)

5. The Rolling Stones: Ruby Tuesday Hot Rocks Did you read the book Exile on Main St: A Season in Hell With the Rolling Stones? Don't. It's bad. If you already have, I'm very sorry. Still, this song reminds me of hanging out in the stacks at Wax Trax in Denver trying to decide what to buy.

6. Prince: I Feel for You Prince Ah, high school. And undergrad. Good times...I think.

7. The Beatles: Love You To Revolver I'm pretty sure that this is one of those Beatles songs were certain inferences can -- and should -- be made. Did you hear that Paul & Ringo are performing at a benefit in NY this spring?

8. Elliott Smith: Independence Day XO Makes me think of driving around -- very pregnant with la Mag -- hormonal and crying for no obvious reasons. But I still love it.

9. The Velvet Underground: Cool It Down Loaded Every time The Velvet Underground comes up, I'm glad they're in the rotation.

10. Badly Drawn Boy: Born Again Have You Fed the Fish? This guy. Can. Write.

11. Spoon: Chloroform Series of Sneaks This is another "When we first moved to DC" band...makes me think of walking in downtown DC around the holidays. Also, saw them in a great show at the Black Cat right before they really broke. Charles understood their geeky appeal to a glasses-wearing girl like myself. I guess that's why I have to appreciate his appreciation of The Donnas. Actually, I don't really get the Donnas. Which is to say that I really don't get the Donnas.

12. Special AKA: Gangsters The 2Tone Collection I still love ska. Makes me think of high school. Then I start wondering what ever happened to Buff and Tim and the whole lot of them.

13. The Strokes: When It Started Is This It? You know those bands that you're just a little embarrassed to like?

14. The Beatles: Oh! Darling Abbey Road Fantastic vocal -- I don't know how Paul does it. I've tried to sing along (our secret, okay?) and I sound like an idiot. Grade A.

15. Fun Boy Three: Alone Fame In high school, I had a few musical crushes that I'm not proud of today: Marc Almond (Soft Cell), Robert Smith (The Cure), Boy George (Culture Club) and Terry Hall (The Specials and Fun Boy Three). Now you know. You are now in the inner circle.

16. The Clash: Long Time Jerk Black Market Clash I feel a lot better now.

17. Whiskeytown: Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight Strangers Almanac I'm new to this old band. Good songwriting. Good playing. Having said that, a whole day-long folk/country event would make my brain hurt. Also, a lot of this album sounds like a Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers side project.

18. The Selecter: Three Minute Hero The 2Tone Collection This song reminds me of the seasons I spent at Sarasota Opera. I listened to this album a lot. Because hanging out in Sarasota, FL for three months at a time is not as cool as one might imagine, so improving the situation is vital.

19. Sonic Youth: Providence Daydream Nation I have no idea why, but Sonic Youth makes me think of returning home from the beach. Arty, arty, arty. Farty, farty, farty.

20. Grizzly Bear: Colorado Yellow House Have you heard Grizzly Bear? Charles and I saw them do a great show at the 6th & I Synagogue last summer. A head-spinningly great show.

Okay. Once again, no Wilco and only one side project. Weird. I think my iPod gets shy.

Looking for something fun to do this Friday night?

This is going to be lots of fun -- New Deal Cafe is a really great place, full of character and characters. It's family-friendly, and they have delicious Lebanese food, wine & beer. The only downside? It's not in Cheverly. But Greenbelt is only 10 minutes up the pike, and if enough of your friends and neighbors show up, it'll be just like home.

And make sure to visit the home of the hot noodles on the web...you can hear a couple of their songs and check out their full schedule.

LIVE ALL AGES Rock 'n' Roll Extravaganza This Saturday!

This Saturday morning at 10:00am, join the families of Cheverly Weekday Nursery/Mother's Day Out for a very special all-ages rock 'n' roll morning show featuring SOUL REVOLVER. Admission is only $5 per person (it's a tax-deductible contribution.) And there will be snacks available for a small fee.

Soul Revolver is Cheverly's very own Beatles cover band, and has played private parties as well as several times at The Surf Club on Kenilworth Avenue. Members are Charles Andrews (bass, vocals), Kelly Fisher (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Brian Jarboe (guitar, vocals), and Brian Youmans (drums, vocals). All four members have some relation to the Weekday Nursery/Mother's Day Out programs or to Cheverly United Methodist Church, so it's definitely a family affair.

The concert will take place in the historic church's Sanctuary, and we encourage dancing in the aisles!

We hope that many families are able to take advantage of a fun, inexpensive opportunity to hear (and see up close!) live music in Cheverly. This is the second concert in the Music at School series, which benefits the Cheverly Weekday Nursery and Mother's Day Out programs for young children. We bring a variety of music to children and their families in the Cheverly area, allowing them to experience live music performed by familiar people -- parents and other people the kids know. We encourage children to take an active interest in music, and families to pursue more opportunities to expose their children to a wide array of musical styles. In our first year, we've offered performances by classical pianist Naoko Maeda and rock band Soul Revolver. Next year, we will continue to expand the offerings of this exciting new outreach program.

For more information, visit the WDN/MDO website or read about it on your friendly neighborhood blog or its' close personal friend.

Charles & Kelly This Sunday Night

Hope you can join us at New Deal Cafe this Sunday night for one last rockin' celebration before we start having to set the alarm clocks again (sigh). It's an early show, so come eat dinner and hang out!
And while you're there, tell me what you're doing for Inauguration Day! We're still trying to decide about trekking downtown for the big event...

I'm a bad band wife.

I'm failing in my mission to become Cheverly's answer to Sue Miller Tweedy if I forget to tell you that Soul Revolver is playing Saturday night! I've been told that there's a very special encore, though -- try as I may -- I haven't been able to figure it out yet. I guess we'll all just have to go to the show.

Did you know about my mission? I'm trying to be the second best band wife of all. There are plenty of bad ones (I'm looking at you, Yoko. Lisa Bonet? You too. And definitely you, Nancy Spungen.)

Big goals here at pricklygirl central. Big goals...