Julie Slick on stage at the Troc in Philly; Eric Slick on tour with Project Object
So yesterday was way weird -- we dropped Julie and Eric off at the airport for their flight to Nashville and for the first time in over twenty years looked at each other and said "Oh my god, we're the only ones home now." Ha ha - we've had a steady parade of friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, their friends' parents...you name it, in here ever since the two of them could walk/talk. And I'm anti-social! But that's nothing compared to how surreal it is to have both of your kids about to go on tour with a guitarist you've idolized for years...
Anyway, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Michael Klein was kind enough to write about J&E touring with Adrian in today's newspaper right here...but of course me being me will cut and paste it due to the excitement factor:
"ON THE ROAD
Brother-sister Eric and Julie Slick, who live near the Art Museum and were original students in the Paul Green School of Rock Music, are the backup band for guitar legend Adrian Belew. (Eric, 19, is a drummer, and Julie, 20, is a bassist.) They're in Nashville preparing for the tour, which begins Thursday and hits Europe before landing on the East Coast. (No Philly date as of yesterday.)"
Cool, huh?
Look for a possible daily tour blog written by Eric to appear in the on-line version of the Philadelphia Inquirer starting later this week...I will furnish details as soon as they are available.
So that helped ease the pain of missing the two of them this morning though I will probably have to hold Gary's hand tonight when he hears the fireworks down at the Art Museum -- it was his job to take the kids there since they were little while I stayed home because (1) I hate crowds and (2) I abhor the music they play with said fireworks (Can you say Neil Diamond's America and Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA? Arghhhh...) and (3) We have a dog who is a neurotic mess during thunderstorms let alone fireworks and when they start going off at the museum, they sound like they are in my living room.
Even when the kids were no longer kids, Gary continued with the tradition and we always had a yearly open house barbecue here for their pals until dark after which they would race outside for Gary's infamous annual illegally purchased in Maryland fireworks display in the schoolyard around the corner followed by a group trek down the street to the official display.
We're still barbecuing today but it's just the two of us, well, three of us if you count the dog who truly does believe he's one of our children most likely because we treat him that way so yeah, he'll have his own burger on a real plate (he apparently is just like me and does not care for the paper version because he tears them to shreds when he's finished har har). And we would have had to barbecue some type of freaking spinach/tofu/cardboard burgers for Julie and Eric today anyway since they are now both officially vegetarians and oh my god, I'm rambling, aren't I.
Ah well. The older I get the more apparent it is: The only thing constant in life is change.
Bleh.
But hey, it's worked out okay so far. My kids are about to have the summer of their lives (and beyond - as I said before, the tour extends throughout November) and I have a new book out...may as well pimp it again right here.
Later,
xo
That's cool about the Inquirer! I'm sorry you're feeling blue, Robin. :(
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried Dr. Bach's Rescue Remedy for Monty? I give it to Darby for his two meals on the 4th and it does seem to help calm him down some.
xo
myf
Aw, thanks for that info, Myf. Dr. Bach's Rescue Remedy - ha ha - it sounds like something a traveling salesman would sell a la medicine men back at the turn of the century. I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteYou should have seen Monty yesterday. As soon as he saw Julie and Eric with suitcases, he went into a total panic, and then when I went out the front door with them, he ran out with us to the car. This would not be remarkable if Monty wasn't terrified of cars and has to be physically lifted into one where he throws up after one block (despite any and all medications). So we somehow got him back into the house where he uttered these ungodly howls I've never heard him make before once we closed the door behind him. He stuck both paws out the mailslot somehow, too. The airport is less than an hour's roundtrip from our house and when we arrived home, no Monty greeting us at the door, which NEVER happens. Why? He was upstairs in our bed like a little kid, shaking. He was like "They went on vacation and left me HOME ALONE!"
He broke my heart but I couldn't stop laughing.
He hasn't left my side since and at this very moment is asleep on my foot while I attempt to type.
Our dogs are twins! Allen and I played hooky and went to the beach yesterday and when Darby saw Allen loading up the car (he's already freaked out because I have my suitcases out--have to get them out early to get him used to them), he FREAKED out. No feet in the mail slot (god, that must have killed you! Poor Monty!) but barking and howling at the window as we drove away.
ReplyDeleteDr. Bach's does sound like a traveling saleman thing and in a way it sort of is, but I swear it's great--can be used by humans and animals (though I've never tried it--but I might for my upcoming travels).
Hope your day is a nice one and not too sad, Robin.
Hi Robin,
ReplyDeleteFound you on Publishers Marketplace and I really enjoy your blog. Can't believe you haven't heard of the Bach Flower remedies -- great stuff, although so far I have only used it on humans (myself, for instance, my daughter for another).
Anyway (not to talk politics, but) last night I was up thinking how patriotic it would have been for Bush to have officially asked all Americans to abstain from using fireworks this year --to encourage us to unite in a practically effortless way on behalf of our environment. Oh well, guess he didn't think of it.
Happy Fourth, such as it is.
From Polson, MT
Claudia
Monty ended up being remarkably calm during the fireworks but then mysteriously disappeared upstairs. I waited five minutes before checking on him, which in retrospect was a highly stupid idea.
ReplyDeleteHe went into the upstairs bathroom, which is farthest from the sound of fireworks, and proceeded to empty the wastebasket and tear up every single thing in there -- some of which was not pretty.
Amazing how much damage can occur in five minutes and how my eight year old mutt reverted back to being a puppy. I couldn't even yell at him. He looked so pathetic - he knew he was a bad boy and I just started laughing.
Claudia - nice to meet you! I will have to check out your site further when I'm in a calmer head. Still waiting to hear from J&E as to how the first night of the tour went last evening.