Shake Down at the Ritz

Originally, I went to see Rooster Sauce, because I loved Adelaide, now incarnated as Sara Lee Rooster. Now, I go see them every chance I get, because they are one of the truly fun bands appearing in Zootown. They opened a special Monday night event at the Badlander, inside the historic Ritz Building.

Did he say, "Jack Burton?" Rooster Sauce performed a sensational set and prepared the audience for the wildness to follow.

Expectation filled the Badlander, because these guys had a rep as heavy-duty, kick-ass and wild.

To say the singer of the Legendary Shack Shakers is intense would be a vast understatement. This dude puts the psycho in psycho-billy. Colin Hickey was right up front congratulating himself for booking this bunch, but when the spittle began to fly, he did a fast fade. Others treated the flying spit and sweat as a baptism and danced in religious ecstasy. These guys lived up to their billing with a rousing, roof-raising performance.

It was not my intention to be out late on Monday night. I figured I owed Rooster Sauce one, because I had missed their recent shows. I planned to leave after a few minutes of evaluating the headliners, but... They started playing, and this madman cavorted around the stage spouting subversive lyrics and mugging ferociously, with a touch of carnival barker and clown. I was hooked.

To make up the lack of sleep I was in bed, tonight, before 10pm, when my landlady and her boyfriend fired up a lawnmower outside my bedroom window. I'm getting pissed off again just remembering it, now. People who know me will tell you the old kitchen poet is usually pretty mellow, but this night I flew straight to rage, without breathing deeply, counting or anything else. I leaped to my window and shouted, "Shut that fucking thing off, and get the hell out of here." The machine soon died, and as he tried to restart it, I asked him if he had heard me. He said he did and continued with the mower. After reminding him of the time, I repeated my previous order. He left griping bitterly about just trying to clean the place up and do a good deed. He also shouted that I should show my landlord some respect.

So here I am early in the morning catching up on the blog and some other photo work, wishing I wasn't humming like a high-tension wire. I don't need this shit. The trip to Arkansas was stressful enough. Did I mention the night of my return, at a little before 11pm, pulling the U-Haul down the street to home and finding the landlady in the yard waving a weed-whacker around? She didn't have the boyfriend with her that night, but she was making plenty of noise on her own. When I told her she had to be violating a noise ordinance, she said she had to get those dandelions, because they had been on her mind.

Did I rape and murder nuns in a former life? What did I do to deserve this? Where do these people come from?

On a positive note: a thorough physical at Partnership Health Clinic found me to be in great shape for an old fart. My blood pressure was excellent then. I'll bet it isn't now.

Caras Parties

When the scheduled act canceled their Out to Lunch appearance, Chuck and the band were ready to step in. Zeppo had the crowd swinging on a Wednesday afternoon.

The second Downtown Tonight event produced the largest crowd of the season in Caras Park. Part of that was due to Joan Zen, who sings with her whole heart, and part the improving weather.

These events in Caras Park are a real deal. The music is terrific, and there's a diverse array of food available under the big tent. Out to Lunch is every Wednesday, 11 to 2. Since it is after midnight, I can say Full Moon Prophets are playing today's event. See their photos in previous posts, or in the flickr archive.

Downtown Tonight is every Thursday, 5:30-8:30pm.

Now, you might be asking yourself why, when I swear I'm too old to handle the late night music scene, I am posting this time of night. Well, it's a long story, and I'll just go right into it in the next post, after I work on some Legendary Shack Shakers images I captured last night. Holy shit, did those guys rock the Ritz, at the Badlander.

Zeppo will play the Top Hat this Friday, June 19th, and play again the next evening at the Pig Roast. The following Friday, June 26, they will play their monthly spot at the Union Club. You all know I love this band, which means once more I have to say get your dancing shoes on and get out to hear them.

Walking Zootown and Thinking

Did the roadtrip completely derail my thought processes or just put them on a new track to which I haven't quite adjusted? I hope, of course, it is the latter. Things seem jumbled, at the moment, and I hope they start to sort out soon.

One of the aspects of Arkansas I haven't mentioned yet is my sister's hoarding disorder. It seems to be growing in popularity, among current dysfunctions, and has been featured on Oprah. Maybe, soon, I will go into more detail about how I came to Missoula, covering the years in Arkansas, nursing my parents through the last years of their lives. It was a shock to return to Pop's house (I still consider it his house, although he's been dead three years.) and find it full of garbage up to the windows, wall to wall.

I can't get those images out of my head, and they are depressing me. Maybe a little walk will help.

This could be a map of my brain. How many of you can identify this wall? Being an old alley-runner, I have seen it many times, and photographed it often.

A small piece of art states clearly that art can be found anywhere, not just in museums and galleries. That's not art, you say? Are you old-school, or just a purist?

Seeing happy people always improves my mood. These folks made my day.

Kitchenpoet Kisses the Ground

Of course, Louis would be there backing up Andrea at Caras Park for the first Out to Lunch of the summer. And, over on the other side, another regular.

But who are these other guys? Oh, yes, Schmed is on the keyboard, and...Joe Nickell on the drums. I didn't know what the "and Band" on the promotion meant, but I didn't expect this development. Joe talks about it in his regular column Nickellbag.

Sweet jumping Jesus, I am glad to be back in Missoula, I've just had a roadtrip to hell and back. I mean It wasn't like having your village bombed day after day, because someone suspects militants are hiding there, or hastily burying a friend or relative and running for cover, but it was damned traumatic to me. I didn't want to go to Arkansas, I couldn't afford to go to Arkansas, and I had to go to Arkansas.

There are good people, even in the armpit of America, and I must thank some family and friends for helping me make my trip.

But, holy mother of god, am I glad to be home. I missed Missoula, my favorite hangs, the Saturday Markets, the music and my friends.

Kitchenpoet is back, but he has some catching up to do. Please, be patient with the old man. This trip has caused some life changing thought processes. There may be a change of focus at hand. In the meantime, I have some images in the can to work on. First Friday was a busy one, and I went to Love Your Mother on Sunday. Today was another Out to Lunch.

Kitchenpoet on the Road

The lyrics to the song, On the Road Again, are playing in my head, as the showers are playing hopscotch on the plains. 

Somewhere in Wyoming, my attention is captured by a field full of...

I'm at a red light, on the streets of Denver, when some dancing maidens catch my eye.

I hate to drive through Denver without stopping at one of the Tattered Cover locations. For those who don't know, it is the flagship bookstore of Colorado, with three locations in Denver. I have been accused of having a potty mouth, and I will admit my mind is often in the toilet. Did anyone expect me to photograph books in a bookstore? Please, that is just too banal.

When my friends in Kansas outgrew their house, the barn was converted into a new home.

Ataloa Lodge was the home of the founder and first president of Bacone College, in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He and is wife were interested in Indians and spent a large part of their time visiting them and collecting their art. Their old home is now a very nice little museum, which doesn't get the attention of the Museum of the Five Civilized Tribes, which is also in Muskogee, but it is a sweet secret.

This is part of their point collection. My favorite thing is a huge case full of Kachina figures from the southwest. 

Chief Joseph was imprisoned at Tonkawa, and the founder and his wife were regular visitors there. These items belonged to Joseph. That's one of his tobacco pouches at the bottom of the photo. The situation was grim for the prisoners at Tonkawa, and two of Joseph's children died there. 

I didn't want to make this trip, and I really miss Missoula, but I'm making the most of it and hope to head home soon. 

First Friday's Hottest Art Show

This was a personal favorite at the skateboard art show at the Badlander on First Friday. There was action all over town, as recorded in the previous two posts. Let this be the exclamation point to end the Friday report and move onto Saturday, which was just as busy, and lasted all day. This show and Great American Taxi at the Top Hat get the top ratings for this evening's events. 

There are more images from this show and the night in general in a set titled First Friday, over on the flickr archive. 

A Busy Weekend, Part 1: First Friday in May

My favorite torch singer was up front with Zeppo in the Loft, above Higgins Alley. It was just one of many major attractions around Zootown on First Friday.

The grand gentleman of zootown musicians, Russ Nassett, was playing the Union Club, and really rocking the place. The rugby people on the dance floor were a mass of flying elbows and knees. Too dangerous for an old goat like me, but I managed to capture some good looks. Russ's son is on the right. 

The drummer's wife wanted photos. There are a bunch on the flickr archive in the set with the matching title. 

This fellow looked almost as big as the truck he was in.

Elephant Revival opened for Great American Taxi (see previous post), at the Top Hat. Their bus barely made it to the venue. 

Yes, the cello player is back, and he's the real deal. That is to say he can play that thing. 

This piper advertised live music at Celtic Connection. 

Broken Valley Roadshow works the street, near the Badlander. They were playing later at Zootown Brew. 

Computer Central had their own street band, and an exhibition of b&w film work inside. As usual, there are many more images on flickr.