Tag Archives: cricket on the hill

Housekeeping

By lytspeed Posted in Computers, Music, Writing Leave a reply

Today was a day for housekeeping on the website, and I didn’t do much that was creative. Basically, I organized the files behind the scenes of the site, which will probably confuse the spiders, but the site is active enough that they will be back soon to index it.

The only change that will be visible to readers is the absence of the Current Rant link. Since I started this Creativity Journal, most of the things that I was inclined to rant about have appeared here. The Creativity Journal has really become the focus of the site, so I reordered the links down the left side of the page and removed the Current Rant link.

In the afternoon, a fast-moving thunderstorm passed over Boulder, where I work. The clouds were a dark, roiling gray, and they carried a short, hard rain. As the thunderhead approached, we could see the leading edge of the cloud rolling in upon itself. Half an hour later, blue sky was spreading over the Flatirons. Welcome to Colorado, where we can have all four seasons in one day.

I had planned to go see Flex Luther tonight at Cricket on the Hill, but I have had less than 15 hours of sleep in the last three days due to my writing groups and the Johnny A concert. I think I’d better stay home tonight and get some sleep.

Blogs, Bryant and Bands

By lytspeed Posted in Music, Writing Leave a reply

I’ve been reading bluejack’s blog daily since I first heard about it. The more I read it, the more impressed I am by his page design. I’m considering altering this journal to a format more like his, with one daily entry per page and a link to recent entries. I’ll contact him today to see if he is okay with that. I’ll probably make some changes anyway, so if you see any links that aren’t working, please consider them to be works in progress.

Today is the Stories for All Seasons celebration of Ed Bryant’s 50-mumbleth birthday. Keith and I will be going there tonight to listen to him read stories from his (still) forthcoming collection, Flirting With Death, and he’s hinted in his Mathom newsletter that he will read a new science fiction story. That’s a treat, because he has been writing primarily horror for quite some time now.

I also heard from Brad the Drummer today that Dante Spumante may have gotten a Friday gig at Cricket on the Hill based on their (our?) performance on the 13th. I hope they call me to fill in again; I enjoyed playing that gig very much. I don’t know if this will be an original set or a cover set, but I’m hoping for an original set or a mix. That will increase my chances of getting a phone call from John.

John and Theresa from Dante Spumante will be playing at the Singer/Songwriter showcase at this year’s Taste of Colorado, on Sunday, September 1 at 2:00 PM. Go see them if you get the chance.

I also found out that Willy Porter, one of the most talented singer/songwriter/guitarists I’ve ever seen, will be playing in Ft. Collins and Denver on September 20th and 21st. Check his website for details. The Denver show will be at the Soiled Dove, downtown, which should be a great intimate venue for his music. I’m there. I hope I get to meet him.

This morning, I actually got up and exercised, then did some work on the computer for a little while. I’m trying to get into the routine that I told myself I would get into when I got the office set up. With my son starting school again next week, I have even more incentive, because we have to arrange our showering schedules. (That’s probably more information than any of you wanted to know!) The point is, I’m getting closer to writing in the mornings, like I wanted to do. I may make these entries part of that morning ritual, too.

At lunch today, I read some more of Sophie’s World, and passed a critical juncture in the story. The plot has thickened, as the saying goes. It’s pretty cool when I can say anything about plot in a novel that’s primarily a survey course in philosophy.

Dante Spumante at Cricket on the Hill

By lytspeed Posted in Music Leave a reply

I played with Dante Spumante again tonight, this time at Cricket on the Hill. This gig went much better than the last one; I had a lot more confidence and felt more comfortable with the original songs. We also threw in a few covers: “Dreams,” “Rockin’ in the Free World,” “Brown-Eyed Girl,” and “All Along the Watchtower.”

The crowd seemed to like what they heard, and in general, we were much tighter than at the Herman’s Hideaway gig. Hopefully this will lead to more gigs at Cricket for Dante Spumante, and in turn, maybe more gigs for me with the band.

Thanks to everyone who showed up for this show. It helps a lot to know that there are friends out in the crowd.

Dante Spumante at Cricket on the Hill, 8/13/02. I’m the one in blue, with the Fender Stratocaster®. Brad the Drummer is hiding behind a cymbal.

Come home, Son

By lytspeed Posted in General, Music Leave a reply

The Rockies beat the Cubbies 2-0 last night, and I finished painting the stairwell in its entirety this morning. Did I mention that I hate painting?

In the early evening, I went to the airport to pick up my son, who had spent the last four weeks with his Mom in Texas. I’m very glad to have him, and eternally guilt-ridden that he has to split his time between his parents because we couldn’t make it as a couple. It’s not his fault; if anybody’s, it’s mine, because I’m the one who asked for the divorce. But he’s the one suffering. I tell myself that he would be suffering more if we were together, though. I think that’s true …

While eating a late dinner at Gunther Toody’s, I got a phone call from Brad the Drummer, giving me a heads up that John from Dante Spumante was going to be calling me in the morning to see if I would be able to play with them on Tuesday night at Cricket on the Hill in Denver. I haven’t played much since we started working on the house, so I dug out the guitar and played along with the CD of our performance at Herman’s Hideaway on July 23rd. I hope John actually does call tomorrow.