Jimmy Gnecco (of Ours) - Studio at Webster Hall, NYC, 7.17.2011

So I'm doing things a little out of order here, but that's what keeps life interesting, right? I originally wasn't planning on going to this show, since it was a Sunday night and weeknight shows can be hard for me with travel and work. But I was already going to be in NYC that weekend for the Culture Fix show the previous Friday so with a little bit of convincing, I decided to stay the full weekend and wrap my 4-show run at the Studio at Webster Hall. I'm so glad I did - it was one of the most awesome shows I've been to. But let me back up and start at the beginning.

Plain Jane Automobile - Fontana's, NYC 6.25.11

Photo Credit: Lisa Gansky Photography

I was really glad I was able to catch this show since Plain Jane isn't coming to Boston on this tour, and I love seeing them live. When it turned out they were playing in NYC the same weekend that I was already in the area, I decided to stay an extra night for the show. Fontana's is an interesting venue - its tiny, first of all, and second of all, the music room is downstairs, so its almost like being in someone's basement. PJA wasn't playing until 11, so Lisa and I got there around 10:30, right in the middle of the opener's set. Liat was really interesting - very folksy and bluesy, and sang a great medley of the Cranberries' Zombie and Dreams, along with her own original music. From what I heard, I liked a lot. She finished and Plain Jane got ready to take the stage.

Jimmy Gnecco - Northstar Bar, Philadelphia 6.24.11

Photo Courtesy of Lisa Gansky Photography

This was the show that we almost didn't make it to thanks to the traffic from hell. But we made it, just as Lukas Rossi was finishing his set, so we didn't miss any of Jimmy.  Northstar is a cool venue with a high stage, so even if you're standing in the back of the room, you can still see the performer. When we first walked in, Lukas Rossi was just finishing up and was sitting on a chair on the stage. Even though I was at the bar, I could still see him and the acoustic were great. In addition, there is an upstairs balcony that pretty much hangs right over the top of the stage. Its a nice alternative that gives you a different perspective. Its also nice when its super crowded. The show that night wasn't, but there was still a good crowd.

Ryan Star - Wolf Den, Mohegan Sun 6.10.11

I'd never been to the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun before last weekend - but its a place I will definitely be back to. Its such a unique venue - literally right in the middle of the casino, and open, so anyone can see in but it's intimate and only holds about 300 people. Perfect for a night rocking out with Ryan Star and his band. I arrived around 530, as I wasn't sure what time doors were going to be opening and met up with Melissa, Emily and Christy. There wasn't a real long line when we arrived but as time went on (and we listened to soundcheck), the line got longer. Finally, around 645 we were allowed in, and seated. I was off to the left side of the stage, but at one of the front tables. We all got up once Ryan came out and stood at the stage anyway, so seating really didn't matter. The show was free, but not sold out - there were some empty booths along the back of the room.

Plain Jane Automobile - Bowery Electric, NYC 5.14.11

Saturday night was Plain Jane Automobile's last CD release show at the Bowery Electric to celebrate the release of Your Tomorrow, and I was glad I got to be there. The turnout was really fantastic - I had arrived a bit early (doors were at 730) and there was really no one there by the time the first opening band, Two Lights, played to an almost empty room (too bad, they were quite good) and then the second opening band Sons of George continued to warm the crowd. By the time Plain Jane was ready to come on, it was pretty full. They never fail to put on a great show, and Saturday night was no exception. The set started off with the single, You Were Only a Song and it did the exact thing that it does on the album - really set the tone for the rest of the night. I loved hearing these songs live - they are so fabulous on the album, and live the songs just came to life.

Mike Robins - Rockwood Music Hall, NYC - 5.14.2011

While I was in NYC last weekend, I found out my good friend Mike Robins was playing a show at Rockwood after the Plain Jane show - so once that wrapped up, I headed over, as it was pretty close and he wasn't playing until 1am. I'd never been to Rockwood before. Its a fantastic intimate venue, with kickass acoustics and no cover. It's probably one of the best kept secrets in New York, and no matter who's playing, its a great time. When I arrived, I met up with Serena and we hung out with Mike for a little bit before it was time for his set. A couple of the other bands had run a little over, so by the time he took the stage, it was after 1, but it didn't matter. There was still a good crowd there and since it was so intimate, you could be anywhere in the room and still see, but like to be right up front because its all about the connection. And connect Mike did. Even though it was him and his acoustic guitar, he had me captured from the first note he sang to the last. His stage presence is just incredible. I'd actually love to see him fronting his band as well - because I think that'd be amazing.

30 Seconds to Mars - Agganis Arena, Boston 5.1.11

I was not only lucky enough to win tickets for this show, but I also won meet and greet passes to meet the band beforehand. I had never seen them live before, but have loved This is War since I heard it and I'd heard nothing but good things about them in concert, so I was excited. I had no idea if my tickets would be GA floor or if they would be assigned seating, so I arrived at the Agganis Arena early. Apparently, arriving early paid off - I got street parking - score! I picked up my tickets and stressed a little as no one seemed to know anything about the meet and greet for the radio station.

Jimmy Gnecco - Railroad Playhouse, Newburgh NY 4.9.11

Last Saturday night, I had the innate pleasure of seeing Jimmy in an intimate setting, performing The Heart straight through, from start to finish. And to top it off, it was my birthday. It was one of the most amazing and incredible things, to sit and hear Jimmy give us a taste of the way this album was recorded. But I'll back up and start at the beginning.

Middle Class Rut - The Met Cafe, Pawtucket, RI 2.7.11

"After they're done playing, you're going to feel like you've been punched in the face," said Tiffanie DeBartolo to me right before I headed to find a spot at the front of the stage for Middle Class Rut's set at the Met Cafe in Pawtucket last Monday night. And well, she was right. I felt like I'd been sucker punched in the gut, the wind knocked out of me. But let me back up to the beginning.

Lion of Ido - The Sad Cafe, Plaistow NH 12.11.2010

I was pretty thrilled when this show was announced as I was very surprised in the best way when I saw Lion of Ido open for Ryan Star in Boston back in June. They'd been doing some shows in NYC, but never when I could get down there to see them, so when they booked a show about 45 minutes from me, I jumped at the chance to go. It was also the day of my mom's holiday party, but I was able to do both things. I met up with Brooke at the venue around 7, in which we walked in and saw the band hanging out in the lobby. We said hi and then decided since they weren't going on for about an hour or so since a bunch of local bands were also playing, that we'd go get coffee and come back - she also had no cash so that was a stop that we needed to make.

Better Than Ezra - Paradise Rock Club 12.9.10

I won tickets to see Better Than Ezra play at Paradise when they were in town a couple of weeks ago, and while I was hesitant to go since it was a last minute thing - I couldn't find anyone who would go with me, and I didn't know anyone there - I'm glad I did. I was also interested to see the renovated Paradise. I had been there earlier in the year to see a different show and hadn't been back since they'd reopened. I like Paradise a lot - even though its 850 capacity, it still feels really intimate - plus its in a great location in Boston and very easy to get to. Its easily one of my favorite music venues. Doors for the show were at 8, as the show was at 9, so I arrived about 20 minutes after doors opened, picked up my tickets and headed in. There was a good crowd of people already in front of the stage and I started out third 'row' for the opener.

Ryan Star w/Hope & Days Difference - Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge 11.8.2010

Last Monday night I headed into Boston to see Ryan Star play a headlining show at the Middle East, which for me started off a busy week. When I saw a show in NJ appear the following night, I was hoping there'd be a Boston show, and was hoping that it'd be before I left for Atlanta that Wednesday night. Sure enough, a few days later, the Boston show was announced and I was psyched to see that it would be indeed that Monday, and not that Wednesday.  Doors opened at 8, and once I got into the venue I was surprised at how tiny it was, but it's a great space. The acoustics were great all night, and I'm really not sure how Ryan and his whole band fit onto the tiny stage!

Jimmy Gnecco w/Plain Jane Automobile - Don Hills, NYC 10.2.10

I was pretty stoked when this show was announced, as I try to get down to NYC/NJ for Jimmy's shows when I can swing it, and being on a Saturday night, there was really no excuse not to make plans to go. I talked Lisa into coming with me (it didn't take much convincing, honestly) and that Saturday once she got out of class, we headed to NYC. I called Bill when we arrived so he could come down and show us where to park as he let us park in his neighborhood- and let me tell you, trying to find a parking space in New York is an entertaining experience. After driving around for about a half hour, we finally found one and parked and hightailed it to the subway to get where we were staying.

Kris Allen & Lifehouse - Orpheum Theater Boston 10.16.10

Saturday night I headed into Boston to see Kris Allen and Lifehouse play the second show of the Smoke and Mirrors tour. I was at the kickoff show Friday night at Foxwoods as well (Blog to come on that soon), but Saturday night was definitely the better of the two shows, mainly because the crowd was way more into it. Anyway, after hitting traffic and missing the entrance to the Boston Common parking garage, I met up with Sandy and Reenie and we walked over the venue together. Doors were open already, so we headed in to find our seats. The Orpheum Theater is pretty tiny - I believe it only seats about 1500, and even though we had 3rd row mezzanine, we were much closer then I thought we'd be. Actually even though I was farther away in Boston, I felt that those seats were better then my 9th row that I had at Foxwoods (off to the left side).

Jimmy Gnecco w/Plain Jane Automobile - Hard Rock Cafe, Boston 9.28.10

I was excited about this show when it was first announced as it's been about 2 years since Jimmy's played in Boston and headlined. He was here opening for Greg Laswell in May, but the last time Jimmy was in Boston with his band was September 24, 2008. Fun fact about that date - it was the first time I'd ever seen Jimmy play live - and as you can see, it certainly hasn't been the last. The fact that this show was almost 2 years to the date of my first show made it a bit more special. Michelle came up from Philadelphia to go to the show with me, and it was fun to see her - I really can't believe she did the trek from Philly for a day - but I'm glad she did!

I met up with her around 5:30 and we went, had dinner and caught up before heading over to the Hard Rock. We arrived a bit early and doors weren't open just yet, so we poked around in the store and wandered outside to see if we'd run into anyone we knew. Instead, we found that we could see Plain Jane soundchecking and watched them for a few minutes before Duke turned around, saw us standing there and waved. We hung for a little while longer before heading back into the Hard Rock where doors had just opened, so we made our way into the venue and grabbed a couple of seats on the floor close to the stage. There were plenty of tables which started to fill up, but we wanted to be close enough to stand up close to the stage later.

Trent Hancock - Harper's Ferry, Boston 9.27.10

An upcoming singer-songwriter, I first met Trent earlier this year in NYC at a Jimmy Gnecco show. A friend of mine heard him singing along behind her and introduced me to him, and he in turn introduced me to his music. Unable to catch some of his shows in New York over the course of the last 6 or so months, I was excited when I found out he was playing at Harper's Ferry in Allston, opening for Jason Reeves and Brandon James. I'd been listening to his CD that he had given me back in February and I'd also been listening to his solo EP that released over the summer - but I was absolutely impressed with him live.

He opened with Me and You, a catchy track off the new EP, which is one of my favorites, and also played Caroline (from the old EP and which was a bit of a surprise), Sunflower (a song he wrote for his brother's wedding that is beautiful), Strong Hands (a song that's about being in a bad relationship and when you actually listen to the words is really touching), Forgiveness (a Patty Griffin cover), and one other song that is escaping me at the moment.

Ryan Star & Matt Hires - Aloft Hotel, Lexington 7.12.10

Monday night I had the opportunity to see Ryan Star play an impromptu show at Aloft Hotel in Lexington, MA. It was very last minute, as I had only found out about it at about 3pm that afternoon, but needless to say that when I saw it pop up on twitter, I knew I wanted to go. And I'm glad I did. I arrived around 6:45, met up with some friends at the bar, ordered drinks, and wandered outside to the courtyard where the show was going to be. Ryan had finished sound checking at that point so he came over to say hello to Brooke and myself while Matt Hires sound checked. They eventually both left to get ready for the show, and we went back inside to the bar (Where it was air conditioned!) and killed time before everything got underway. And I'm going to say now that for once, I didn't take a ton of pictures because my camera battery had very little in the way of juice in it since I hadn't charged it for a few weeks. I made do. :)

Beach Days and More

I'm not sure how I post an entry and then somehow, its become two weeks or so later. But maybe I just feel like I don't have anything exciting to talk about? I also really am not quite sure how it's the middle of June. Seriously - where has this time gone? I have to say, it is significantly nicer this summer then it was last summer. Today is a total beach day. And I'm working, which is a bummer. But tomorrow's going to be just as nice, which I'm pretty excited about. So, lets see if I can't sum up what's been going on.

I've been totally slacking on the 30 day shred and my eating is starting to get a bit out of control, but I've been maintaining my 10 pound weight loss. Since the weather's been nice and the bike path is open near my house, I've been going for bike rides a couple of nights a week after work. It doesn't totally do things for me that Jillian does for me - but it's still better then nothing. I've decided that my next goal is to lose 5 more pounds before July 20 - which is a month away and also the date of Jimmy Gnecco's album release. If I can lose more than that, that's great too! I actually bought a bikini the other day at Old Navy because a) I needed a new bathing suit and b) it was surprisingly a lot more flattering on me then the tankini that I tried on. I was pleasantly surprised that I looked as good in it as I do and I'm comfortable and confident in it. So, go me.

Last weekend was my cousin's high school graduation party. It rained (ugh) but I still had fun. I went up with my dad and we spent longer then either of us planned on. But it was fine, and it was a good thing I was not driving because I had enough wine that I definitely should not have. I got home late afternoon, watched the NCIS marathon on USA, had chicken fingers and french fries (which is my total, I'm drunk and want food, food) and went to bed early, only to be awoken the next morning around 7 by my roommate calling me. He had been in CA for the weekend, and took the red eye home, arriving Monday morning. He said he was going to to work Monday, so I assumed (stupid of me) that he was going straight from the airport to work, so I had locked the screen door (I do at night) - so he was locked out. Oops. At that point I wasn't going back to bed so I vegged on the couch before I had to get ready for work - and proceeded to get stuck in the WORST traffic jam, thanks to someone getting killed early that morning so the highway was pretty much shut down. It took me almost 2 hours to get to work - not the way I wanted to start my Monday morning. But I digress.

Kris Allen - I Need To Know & Paranoid Android

And the surprises keep coming from Kris this week! At his concert in Grand Rapids, MI last night, Kris for the first time, sang I Need to Know live. And it was amazing. Check out the video, you won't be disappointed.


He also did a cover of Radiohead's Paranoid Android



Can't wait to see what else he has up his sleeve!

Jimmy Gnecco - Paradise Rock Club, Boston 5.27.10

Last night was my second Jimmy concert - and it was a hometown show for me. Out of the 9 times I've seen him, I have only seen him in Boston-ish 3 times. I've traveled for the rest. Not that it matters, because I don't mind traveling, and he's always worth it. Anyway. I digress. I left my house early last night - knowing I would hit traffic, and hit traffic I did. I arrived at the venue around 7:30 (doors at 8), met up with Lisa for a drink at the bar, and killed time before the doors opened. Funny enough, I had ordered a drink and then gone to the ladies room, and promptly almost ran into Jimmy as he was coming out of the hallway where the bathrooms were. He didn't see me, and was kind of engrossed in something he was doing, so I didn't want to interrupt.

Anyway - we got right up front (I was pretty much sitting ON the stage) and Brian Wright opened the show. The sound was much better in Boston then in Philadelphia, and while I am not a huge country-folkish fan, Brian was really quite good. I enjoyed his music a lot, and he was funny too, interacting with the crowd. He played for a good 40 minutes or so, and the last song he totally jammed out with Marco and Eric from Greg Laswell's band. It also bears mentioning that Brian is Greg's band as well, but he's done some solo stuff on his own. I don't think I'd ever buy his album, but I definitely enjoyed it for what it was. He wrapped up around 9:40 or so, and we had about a 15 minute break while Brian broke down, and they set up for Jimmy.

Jimmy took the stage about 10, and opened with Here is the Light. That song has so much energy and I really love when he plays it acoustic - he just wails on the guitar and its awesome to watch. The entire set list was as follows: Here Is the Light •
Light On the Grave • Mystery • The Bells • Bring You Home • Gravity •  Darling • Ran Away To Tell The World • The Heart