So my lady friend, also known as my “wife”, but never my “lady wife” and I drove to Portland, Maine last weekend for the 16th annual Maine Brewers Festival.  It was fun and delicious, thank you very much.  However, I am afraid that I will not romanticize the weekend for the obvious bullet points (10th year anniversary of our first date, first out of state weekend away from our son, and, oh right, gallons upon gallons of delicious hopped infused craft brewed beer).

Sadly I will remember this particular weekend as the weekend that I realized the Cylons have already infiltrated our lives, and if the Battlestar Galactica reboot has taught us anything, our days are numbered, or in the words of Lieutenant Starbuck, are frakin’ numbered.

I should also mention here, that days before our trek to Portland, the lady wife and I finally started watching the Battlestar DVDs for the first time.  For those of you who haven’t seen the series, the Cylons are robots that the humans of the 12 Colonies (roll with me here) created in an effort to make their lives easier.  Needless to say, the Cylons turn on the humans and all hell breaks loose.

Hmmm.  Robots that make my life easier?  Sounds far fetched, right?  That’s what I thought, until this mini road trip in which we realized that not only do we have a robot that makes our life easier, but we have been interacting with her for two years now, and refer to her on a first name basis.

She is the GPS system in my Prius.  Her name is Pria (pronounced pree-ya), and she speaks in a warm and caring female voice.  She’s been everywhere with us, and even babysits Arlo sometimes. Only on really hot days.

So after capping off a lovely weekend with breakfast on the bay, courtesy of Becky’s Diner, we headed back to CT.  A trip we have made a few times before, but never with Pria.  We were driving through Springfield MA, about to enter CT.  

Bare with the hyper-local minutiae here, but the hands down most efficient way for us to go is Route 291 to Route 91 then Route 91 to Route 20, onto some backroads that lead us home.

Pria, however, didn’t want us to go this way.  She wanted us to take Route 91 to Route 84, go way south through Hartford and then take some far off back roads home.  Just dumb, and I told Pria just that, as you are about to discover in the upcoming recreation of the event:

“What crazy way are you taking us Pria?” my wife says, talking to the car, not me.

“Yeah Pria,”  I go on, “That’s just dumb! You can no longer be trusted.”

I hit the “Suspend Guidance” button and we were done with her.

We drive a few more miles and Pria says “Next Exit, then, left turn”.

“Dammit Pria!  I thought I told you to shut up!”  Then I smacked Pria’s interface with the backside of my hand, took the Skoal dip out of my mouth and so I could swear more clearly, and told her “you best not be talkin’ back to me woman!”

Then it hit me.  This is why the Cylons go to war with us.  We take them for granted.  Scratch that, we take them for granted, then we start flat out rejecting their help all together.  Leaving them feeling hurt, confused, and resentful.

Think about it.  How many times has your iPod offered up a song you didn’t like?  Yeah, not a big deal at first, but when said iPod incessantly starts favoring that Simply Red Greatest Hits album, much to your chagrin, you better think twice before you reject that iCyclon’s choice of song.  Otherwise don’t be surprised if your headphones start taking the shape of an earbud garrote next time you hear the opening notes of ” Holding Back the Years”.

We fraked up people.

Big time.

Alright. So the Grolsch Identity post yielded little results. Tcarpent remembers going to the show with me, but I should note that it took him reading the setlist to jar his memory, furthering my conclusion that it wasn’t that great of a show. Qua checked his records remembers that he went to his first Elvis Costello show the same night. Then proceeded to rattle off the setlist. I am curious as to what “his records” consist of. I am also wondering if I am having starting to have selective memory. Listen to the file I posted. Does it not sound like the intro to the show I was describing? I swear the Q101 people had a similar episode at the 10/15/99 show, but not nearly as priceless as the K-Rock intro (above).

Came across this ticket stub yesterday. Happy Birthday Buddy!!! You are 10 years old today!

I barely remember anything about this show. I vaguely remember liking this show, I don’t think I was blown away. I definitely remember being really psyched to go, not only because I love(d) Pavement, but also because it was a few blocks from my pad

This post pretty much represents my own mundane version of the Bourne Identity. A trained slacker in his twenties, who’s memory was wiped when he moved to the suburbs of CT. Trying to piece his life together via a tumblr.

Rather than having flashbacks about being a brainwashed trained assassin, I am having flashbacks about succumbing to the Slinger at the Diner Grill, drinking whiskey while watching old episodes of SCTV, and flipping through an endless vinyl bin at Reckless Records.

I very much remember the dudes from the Q101 who introduced the band. They were basically taunting the audience and getting heckled by them as well. Definitely a weird energy to start the show. These DJs were trying to announce upcoming Q101 sponsored gigs and were just getting crucified. It turned a little weird because you couldn’t really tell if they were serious or not. Yeah…those Q101 dudes are definitely a part of the Grolsch Identity puzzle.

I look forward to the next time I am in Chicago, and I will hear the DJs voices on the radio in the cab, and unexpectedly demand the Cabbie to drive me to Evil Clown Records, then break the cabbie’s neck, as I am exiting on Halstead. Repressed memory involving Bea Arthur and the Manhole will probably come to light as well.

okay, just looked at setlist from the show (see below). It’s all coming back to me. Terror Twilight tour. Malkmus kept making Billie Corgan references through out the show and mockingly waving towards “Billy” in the balcony…then he broke into sarcastic snippet of Pumpkins’ “1979”. Oh, we all had such a good laff. Another Corgan ref in “Billie’ as well.

I remember being pretty psyched about “Frontwards” and “Debris Slide”, so was the crowd.

I am pretty sure I saw two shows on this tour, and it was starting to feel like our fearless heroes were ready to call it quits. They recorded with Godrich. No Spiral Stairs songs. Seemed like they were going through the motions. Promoting the new record. Crowd would only really come alive during the CRCR/S+E stuff.

I don’t even remember who I went with. Sigh

Arful? Qua? Were you with me? Vrabel? Nikkles?

Oh internet, when will you have a search engine for my mind!!!

Pavement - 10/15/99 Chicago, IL The Vic
1. shady lane
2. platform blues
3. spit on a stranger
4. date w/ ikea
5. rattled by the rush
6. frontwards
7. grounded
8. stereo
9. the hexx
10. conduit for sale
11. zurich is stained
12. folk jam
13. killing moon
14. stop breathin
15. 1979
16. billie
17. cut yr hair
18. you are the light
19. debris slide

5 YACHT ROCK MOMENTS WORTH NOTING:

Thanks again to @brainofjoacohen for setting me up with “The Yacht Rock On Stage Experience” via Late Night at Jimmy Fallon, featuring Christopher Cross backed up by the Roots and Michael McDonald.

5) Overhearing an ebullient ?uestlove gush “that was my Jonas Brothers!” in regards to playing “Ride Like the Wind” with Cross and McDonald.

4) Backstage sighting of Cross and McDonald hugging it out.

3) Being about five feet away from ?uestlove’s hypnotic rhythm track and snare rim shots during “Sailing”.

2) Michael McDonald walking over to @brainofjoacohen and thanking him after the show, then looking into @nikwesgro’s eyes and giving her a heartfelt thank-you as well.

1) McDonald giving Cross the on-air captain’s salute as he began his background vocals.

SOME POST FALLON MOMENTS WORTH NOTING

Grand Schuezuan & Clandestino - Party of 13!

Gabrys as Steve Jobs.

Rubes’ Cat Stevens like beard makes him Rubeshef Islam

Sitting next to Young Michael McDonald (Sly Ry)

Seeing Jenny Jones, Sonia, Andrew, Chris, Jo, Amelie, Adam, Qua, Allie, Holmes, Sly Ry for the first time in forever.

Even the artwork is staring into your soul.  Just wait until the music hits your ear canal (pronounced like “anal” only with a “c” infront of it.).

CAN YOU FEEL IT! Here is a first pass at the cover art for RUN WITH THE WOLF.  The mix will knock your sub-urban socks off!

Headed to California in a few hours on business.  Wanted to share this song.  A teaser of from the upcoming mix.  JOSFR of Black Beauty turned me onto this soulful number.

BTW, it looks like the mix titles have been narrowed down to:

“Run With The Wolf”

“Rock N’ Roll Children, Recharge Your Souls”

“Like a Beast in a Field”

Sequencing in progress.  Artwork to commence!  Westward Ho!

I logged on to do two things: pay my oil bill and make a kick ass mix.  Looks like I just paid my oil bill.

Stay Tuned.

Shameful trip to Denny’s.  Even more shameful music marketing tie-in.  Shame on you, bands I’ve never listened to, shame on you.

Came across this little setup at work the other day, in some dude’s work space.  Such a bummer.  Deserves to be broken.