Monday, May 23, 2005

Hollywood/Seattle here we come!


Rock School doing Zep - and yep, that's my son on drums, wearing a fake mustache and looking scarily like John Bonham. He was totally in Bonham character for the show (but no, he was stone cold sober) and if you closed your eyes, you'd have thought you were hearing the real thing. But better, of course. Ha.

So, the household is in an uproar right now - we're doing last minute packing for our trip to Hollywood today. Our flight leaves at 6:00 p.m. but of course we have to be at the airport by 4:00 p.m.; we're staying at a top of the line, really cool hotel right on Hollywood Boulevard and after the private screening of the movie tomorrow, the kids will perform at the LA Knitting Factory with Jon Anderson and possibly...this just in...Alice Cooper. He was a Yes, he was a No, now I hear he might be a Yes again. But speaking of Yes, yep, Jon Anderson is a definite and he will be performing Heart of the Sunrise with my daughter on bass, my son on drums, my "adopted" son Louie on guitar and Larry Allen on keyboards. In a perfect world, Teddi Tarnoff, who owns that song (via her performances at Rock School) will be doing the harmonies but I guess that all depends on Jon and how things go at soundcheck/rehearsal tomorrow prior to the show.

What's really cool is that we have a big chunk of down time tomorrow in L.A. - and this hotel has all the amenities. So I'll be sitting in a jacuzzi all day and soaking up some sun prior to the festivities and this time I can have a giggle and take the kids to see what Hollywood Boulevard is really like. When we went on tour last summer, the kids had no sight seeing time at all and I was horrified by the tourist stuff to which I was exposed (because I did have down time and was basically dropped off on Hollywood Boulevard while the kids rehearsed) but now that I know what to expect and exactly where to go, I can show the kids a fun time. Oh yeah, I can easily live like this 24/7 and I will have both the digital camera and laptop with me after all and since both hotels have high speed internet in the rooms, I'll hopefully be popping by daily with reports and photos.

On Wednesday morning we have to leave for Seattle at 6:00 a.m. after partying all night Tuesday in LA so who needs sleep - I'll nap on the plane, and then again, we have down time all evening until soundcheck at 6:45 p.m. So to all my friends in Seattle, if you are free during the day, call me on my cell phone or drop me an email. I'm going to email all of you with my number as soon as I finish this post but in case you guys don't get it, we'll be staying at the W Hotel so you can find me there.

Also, there is a chance the Seattle venue for the kids' concert with Eddie Vedder and Ann Wilson of Heart may be changed from Neumos to the Experience Music Project, which is this totally cool museum highlighting musicians from the Seattle area so you know I'm going to go there regardless to see the Jimi Hendrix exhibits, etc. -- if it turns out the show is in fact at Neumos as still advertised, I'll hit the Music Project during the day.

So yep, I'm way excited and sorry about no Zep review or further comments about that in my blog yesterday...I was too busy working on my novel and doing wash and packing for the trip out west. Worse, the kids weren't home and I didn't have anyone around to remind me of the names of the performers I don't know. So all I can say is, the concert was fantastic, there no clunkers, every kid was so terrific it was like viewing an All Star show. I have to be honest, I wondered how Philly Rock School was going to keep up its level of excellence losing people like Allie Hauptman, Max Rothstein, Cameron Sima, Max DiMezza, Eric Slick, Larry Allen, Lauren Pollock, and Jeremy Blessing but I needn't have worried. There's a whole new slew of All-Stars waiting in the wings and I was fortunate enough to see them this weekend.

Rock Music rules and it lives! And yep, we have our Uberlord, Paul Green, to thank. And of course the parents rule, too, because we put up with his bullshit. (Hahaha - just poking some fun at Paul - our battles over the years have been legendary but I'm also probably his biggest fan because I look at my own kids and am flabbergasted at how far they've come - both musicially and confidence wise -- and I know he's played a major, major part. Oh, and did I mention I get to go to Hollywood today courtesy of Rock School? And of course thanks to Rock School directors/producers Don Argott and Sheena Joyce, and Newmarket Films as well. Yay!)

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