11 After

First of all, I wanted to take a moment to say Happy Birthday to my father. I don't know if it is pathetic or endearing that the only picture (see below) I could find of us at my house was one taken 25 years ago.

At the Melissa Ferrick show last night I met this woman in a band called 11 After and I found it ironic because it was her first Melissa Ferrick show and it was my 11th time to see her live. The show itself was okay. It seems like each time I see her I become a little more disenfranchised with her music. Last night she didn't play any of what I consider to be her best songs. She played about half of her new stuff, which was very good and then what some would consider her "B side" songs. I just wasn't all that impressed, especially with her rendition of Drive. I realize she must now play the song with this constant monologue, but I miss the way she used to play it on her "Freedom Tour" when the album was released in 1999. Sometimes I am just never sure what to think of Melissa Ferrick. It almost seems like a love/hate relationship for me. At times I find her to be a total snob and a little dorky but watching her play guitar is a religious experience for me so I have to go to her shows. Plus I always want to support women who run their own record label, therefore I purchased the "Right on Records" mouse pad.

The crowd was also really weird. I felt like the oldest person at the Grog Shop, which I knew would probably happen someday but not before I turned 30. It was like I was at a high school dance the way some of these people were acting-running around, making out the whole show, talking during songs. Of course how many girls who are sixteen or seventeen years old get to go to a concert with their girlfirend when they are in high school? And, as we all know, prom for these kids is out of the question, so I guess I should find some joy in the fact that they are just being themselves at such a a young age. www.rightonrecords.com