Nora's Funkiest New Favorites - John Butler Trio, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe feat. Nicki Bluhm, & Mingo Fishtrap

Hello, fellow music lovers! Sorry for the radio silence - this funfilled New Orleans Jazzfest trip is proving more difficult than I thought, probably because there's so much cool shit to write about. It'll be up soon!

In the meantime, I wanted to share my favorite new jams that I am purely amazed by, like to get down to, and a new album by one my favorites - Mingo Fishtrap.

First of all, at Bonnaroo (post to come soon), I witnessed a hippie Australian man who does otherworldly things on an acoustic guitar. His name is John Butler, ladies and gentlemen. His band is named John Butler Trio - expanded to a quartet, but who's counting. We were pretty close to the stage and the first half of the show, I kept looking around the stage confused. My buddy Kevin goes "Nora what are you looking for?" I said "the lead electric guitarist, of course!" He told me how silly I was to think that John Butler needed a lead guitarist, as he WAS the lead guitarist, making crazy awesome electric sounds coming out of his rickety 12-string. The show was funky and fun until he got to the awe-inspiring instrumental 'Ocean', where all the sounds were coming from him and him alone. As you can see in the video below, his drug dealer-long nails help him make some pretty beautiful sounds out of that one instrument. I think the entire song, people around me were jumping up and down going apeshit and I was standing with my mouth open. Like HOLY SHIT this guy is something special. A truly beautiful song.

Next is the fun shit. I came across this particular song/performance on my role model/hippie spirit guide Nicki Bluhm's Facebook page. Little did I know that I would get so FUNKED up. Wasn't a fan of Karl Denson before but now I am. You all should know by now the softspot I have for horns and generally fun music. This song is the pinnacle of all of that fun. 'Nuff said. Check it out.

Finally, in early June, Austin, Texas funky soulsingers Mingo Fishtrap released a new album "On Time". Just saw them live on a Wednesday night in DC and they blew the roof off. They just emanate good vibes and put you in a good mood. They are from Austin, Texas but their sound is very New Orleans and Muscle Shoals.

Trombone Shorty and Rebirth Brass Band and Gregory Porter, OH MY!! - DC Jazz Fest - June 28-29

Ok. As if my June 2014 wasn't already music-filled enough, I just got some fantastic news about DC Jazz Fest at the end of June. When I first heard about this jazzfest, I was like SHOOOT THIS AIN'T GOT NOTHIN' ON NEW ORLEANS. Not impressed with the initial lineup.

Well, apparently the organizers of the DC Jazz Fest felt the same way and hired some of the best New Orleans jazz artists out there - Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Rebirth Brass Band. I just found this out and am actually FREAKING OUT.

DC Jazz Fest actually goes on for a good part of June, but this is the only part of it I really care about. And by that I mean the only part of it where I won't be out of town. This portion of it will be at the new Capitol Riverfront at the revitalized Yards area near Nationals Park. Tickets can be purchased here.

So what are you waiting for? Get tickets if you are ready for this New Orleans invasion of your eardrums.

The Desert - done differently: Arizona road trip, Vegas and Aunt Lynn's 60th - 2nd Leg of Nora & Dan's Arizona-Las Vegas Fantastic Road Trip of Fun

After a very full weekend of music, baseball and skin burning, it was time for the last full day in Phoenix and MLB Opening Day with the Diamondbacks. Every day we were there, we had a full schedule of activities, so for Monday to not have anything scheduled was weird, yet welcomed.

We hadn’t really had a chance to check out the beautiful red rocks that Arizona is famous for (more on that once we reach Sedona), so we went to a public park in Tempe - Papago Park. By public park, I mean a place that would be like a national park to most other people in the U.S. The park centers on the red rocks that make Arizona’s landscape famous. It is set right outside downtown Tempe and next to the Phoenix zoo. The setting is peaceful, yet desolate. You can see downtown Phoenix, Tempe and the surrounding areas due to the flat desert landscape, but you feel far enough away that you feel a sense of peace and reflection.

The next thing on my Arizona bucket list was to get some REAL Mexican food. This led us to the barrio section of town (not the official term, obviously) to Mariscos Playa Hermosa. Thanks to Yelp’s helpful advice, we ended up at a Mexican seafood restaurant, complete with colorful Mexican-style decorations, Mexican soccer leagues on TV and lots of regulars. I realize we were at a seafood restaurant in the desert, but…whatever. Trust in Yelp. There was lots of Spanish being spoken and people ordering things not found on the menu – so I figured this must be the type of place we were looking for. Although we could have ordered some more exciting items, we stuck with fish ceviche and fish tacos. Both delicious and not overly processed like many of our fine country’s attempts at quality Mexican food.

Monday night was our last night of actual planned activities – Dbacks opening day! As many of you can imagine, the beginning of baseball season is one of my favorite times of year – more than Christmas or any other religiously affiliated holiday – although I would argue that the journey to a baseball season is as much a religious experience as any other. We discovered our seats were wayyyy up high, but who cares? IT’S OPENING DAY! We got to Chase Field just in time for the Opening Day ceremony and the ultimate freedom fest of the Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America. Please see the photo below for a reminder why you love freedom.

The following day was checkout from our beloved Sheraton with free food and drink galore – they were setting us free into the Arizona wilderness. We made our way out of town in the 80 degree weather in shorts and sundresses. After 2 hours of driving, I had changed into jeans and packed away my flipflops, clinging onto the one jacket I had with me – the power of elevation. But with elevation came the undeniable beauty of the American southwest.

One of the things I was looking most forward to about Arizona was shopping for all of the beautiful Native American turquoise jewelry – and Jerome, AZ delivered in spades. This was the quintessential Arizona town I was looking for. Like the Eagles lyric, “standin’ on a corner in Winslow, AZ” – well we didn’t make it over to Winslow – but in my imagination this is was what the all-American western town that Jackson Browne wrote about looked like. I walked in and out of store after store, getting shown the very expensive turquoise goods the store clerks were hawking ($500 FOR A BRACELET?! I DON’T THINK SO.) All of the store clerks would say things like “this is authentic jewelry made on local reservations” and unfortunately, it started to sound more like a gimmick than a fact. Finally I found some reasonably priced turquoise and we rolled on to Sedona.

Sedona was as beautiful as everyone made it out to be. It reminded me of Uluru in Australia – it seemed every time the sun moved even an inch, it was a new photo-op moment for the red rocks in Sedona. The ways the shadows and sun hit the rocks was awe inspiring at the least and it seemed I couldn’t take enough photos. The most disappointing thing was the overcommercialization of Sedona. In one respect, I could understand why this has happened – people from all over the world want to experience the beauty of Sedona. In another, it surprised me that the people of Sedona allowed this to happen. I always imagined it to be like Big Sur – hippies in all their splendor – minus the ocean. Dan and I took a tip for where to go for dinner, met a lovely couple from Germany, and made our way to a popular cliff to watch the red rocks at sunset. It was as beautiful as you can imagine.

We decided staying in Sedona was both overpriced and unnecessary, so we just made our way to Flagstaff for the night. As anticlimactic as the LaQuinta Inn of Flagstaff was compared to our beloved Phoenix Sheraton, it was surprisingly nice to get to Flagstaff. It was incredible to me to that after driving for only a day, we went from warm desert in Phoenix to Arizona’s skiing outpost. Locals in Flagstaff were looking at us funny because we didn’t have winter coats on. The best part to me was that no matter where we went – desert or mountains – everywhere we went in Arizona seemed quintessentially western – and felt like freedom.

The Arizona part of the trip is officially over. It’s time for VEGAS.

At this point, Aunt Lynn knew we were coming to town and that Grandma and Uncle Dave were coming to town – a Vegas family reunion of sorts. BUT she had no idea about the birthday party yet. Of course Dan and I were running late for dinner at our favorite sushi spot ($25 ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI?! EVERY DAY PLEASE.) Wednesday was really our only night in Vegas to just chill with Lynn and Tony, as every other night would be consumed with family activities.

Grandma Thomas, the matriarch of the Thomas clan, was flying in from Buffalo Thursday morning, so Dan the Man and I went to McCarran to pick her up (it’s very strange to be on the receiving end of the Vegas airport – it seems that I should only ever be arriving ready to rage or leaving with my head held in shame as I go home – picking someone up from this dichotomy of scenarios is quite soul crushing). What Aunt Lynn didn’t know about this journey to the airport was that her and Tony’s dear friends from Buffalo, Rich and Deb, were on the same flight as Grandma, coming into town for the shindig.

After Grandma’s initial shock and awe and Aunt Lynn and Uncle Tony’s very sweet digs, Dad and I went out for a drive and respite, meeting our good friend Mike Hoffman at his new real estate office. My aunt suggested we go to a place called Twin Peaks. Of course this is Vegas and very tongue-and-cheek. I can’t believe I didn’t realize this would be a Hooters-esque situation. We were waited on by a snappy tattooed young lady (I suppose it’s because the finest strip clubs in Vegas did not want her and she had to settle for Twin Peaks). Mike caught us up on his rock star lifestyle and we commiserated on our mutual love of San Francisco. He let us know that he would be attending his weekly bowling league at the Southpoint casino (of course he’s in a casino-centric bowling league) and that we should stop by.

Friday was a bit busier as my dad’s brother Dave and my mom arrived. My mom was a surprise to Lynn for the party on Saturday, Dave was not. We took Grandma to do a little light gambling at the local  casino, Green Valley Ranch. They have an incredible pool so I chilled there while the Thomas siblings had some quality gambling bonding time with Grandma (sorry dad haha).

That night Lynn and Tony were playing the part in high society and going to an American Heart Association benefit at Mandalay Bay. So what would be more appropriate than taking your Bentley sportscar to the benefit? Nothing actually, which is why Lynn and Tony did just that. I obviously was not permitted to, nor did I want to put my clumsy self at risk by driving the car, BUT I did sit in it!

Pam and I had gotten a surprise for dad by getting tickets to see the ‘O’ Cirque de Soleil show at Bellagio. This is one of the most sought-after Cirque tickets in Vegas and rightfully so. Each Cirque show has its own theme, and ‘O’s theme is water. All of them are a bit trippy and feel like a bad acid trip, but once you get beyond the weirdness, the amazement wofts over you. All of the cast in the show were incredible swimmers, divers and gymnasts. There were always four or five things going on in a scene, much like a circus, but much more impressive. There would be synchronized swimming, advanced tumbling, acrobatics and skilled diving – all in one scene. We were all thoroughly impressed.

You know you’re a music junkie when you pass by Bellagio’s club ‘Bank’ and go “no, I definitely don’t wanna do that – I’d rather go see a funk band at the Brooklyn Bowl”. Which is exactly what I did with my super cool parents. There are 3 locations for Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY; London, UK; and Las Vegas, NV. Whenever seeing the acts that come to Brooklyn Bowl in New York I knew I needed to check it out. And what better time and place that Vegas? I think I am attracted to Brooklyn Bowl’s style because it has a similar music promotion model as places like The Hamilton – heavy on New Orleans-based music and other solid funk/jam band acts. Also – it’s just pretty cool that you can go bowling while at a sweet live show. The show started around 11pm and I was impressed at how awake Pam and Dan both were. Anyone who knows my mother knows she could fall asleep runnin’ to catch a bus (thanks, Irene). So this was a feat. The band was Galactic from New Orleans, heavy with horns and keyboards. Then came a funk angel from above named Maggie Koerner. Her voice was reminiscent of Joss Stone with a bit more edge. She was basically my hero in a maxi dress and boots, rockin’ the mic. The band played some New Orleans classics and closed out the show with the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” – Maggie rocked it of course. At this point it’s about 3am and Pam is crashing hard. Overall, great night on the Strip.

Saturday had finally come – the big day for the party. With a couple hitches, we had successfully kept the secret from Lynn. The men were playing golf during the day and I was going to hang out with Lynn and Grandma. As Grandma wasn’t feeling up to much, I told Lynn I would “go shopping and hang out at Green Valley”. This was code for going to spend the day with my mom and sightsee a little. Neither of us had been to the new City Center (Cosmopolitan, Vdara, etc.) so we wandered there. Cosmopolitan is definitely the new hotspot for the 20-something crowd with a see-and-be-seen pool and dayclub, ‘Marquee’. My favorite thing we did that day was go to the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas. Probably the most luxurious hotel I’ve ever been in. It’s a nice departure from the rest of the Strip, as the Mandarin Oriental does not have a casino. It was a beautiful day in the desert so my mom and I went to the hotel pool/lounge. I just imagined that if I ever win the lottery I will go to this pool for a straight week and order my weight in fancy pool food. We got delicious cocktails and basked in the sun for a bit before it was time to go get ready for the party.

As far as Aunt Lynn knew, they were going to take the out of town family to their hangout, the Las Vegas Italian American Social Club. Tony had organized a beautiful party with family and friends from out of town, a live Sinatra-esque band and enough nostalgic photos to make anyone teary. The Italian American Social Club was very understated and old school. Mind you, as soon as we parked, the smell of garlic in the air was beyond pungent and there was a reserved parking spot for an ambiguous Luigi. Needless to say, Lynn was absolutely blown away by the amount of people who made it all the way from Buffalo and elsewhere to be there for this special occasion. Lynn and Tony’s niece, Deborah, did an incredible job planning and took all of the photos at the party. I was thrilled we were able to be there and share in such a special time for my aunt.

Sunday was an early morning to the airport and just like that the trip was done. 10 days together was surprisingly easy and always memorable, solidifying that Dan is not only a great dad and travel companion, but the best friend.

Ray LaMontagne's New Album "Supernova" Finally Released! Nora reviews.

I haven't been this excited for a new album in a while - probably since Amos Lee's new record was released. (I realize this makes me an old soul, but I think we've established that already). One of my favorite folk-Americana singer-songwriters, Ray LaMontagne, released his latest album, "Supernova", on April 29th. I had heard bits and pieces of it on iTunes radio and YouTube but couldn't wait to hear the full progression of songs. It does not disappoint.

All of Ray's albums have a bit of a different sound with the same type of Americana roots, which to me signifies a growing, dynamic artist. His earlier works had a more rootsy country vibe with some gripping lyrics, songs like 'Jolene' and 'Trouble'. Even though he had this rootsy sound, he has a unique soulful voice that comes right from the gut. He really showcased that soulful voice on his more blues-inspired album "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise". Ray shows the funky side of roots music with the opening song on the "God Willin'" album, 'Repo Man'. Most of the other songs had a more country feel, but nonetheless with genuine and intriguing lyrics.

Ray performing 'Repo Man' on Letterman




I was curious to see where Ray would take his new album musically, since he showed a diversity to his sound on the last album. Anxiously awaiting the album's arrival and before writing this post, I did a bit of research on Ray's influences musically. After reading one of his primary influences was Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills & Nash fame), I realized even more why I loved him and his music.

"Supernova" is the ultimate nod to '60s and 70s' folk music and psychedelic rock. The album was produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, explaining some of the psychedelicness. Opening song 'Lavender' has a Jefferson Airplane and the Doors sound (think the drums in White Rabbit). 'Airwaves' is a song I wish was released for me and Dan's epic road trip through the American Southwest - perfect road trip song. 'She's the One' represents the most rock-forward song on the album, showcasing Ray's soulful voice. 'Julia' and 'No Other Way' sound like songs straight off Crosby, Stills & Nash's 1970 album "Deja Vu". And finally, title track "Supernova" has an eerily familiar Joni Mitchell sound.

Bottom line: I love the album. But I also love this type of Ventura Highway driving music. If you are like me, you'll love love love it. If not, give it a listen anyway. Because I told you to.




(Also readers, never fear. The tales of Nora & Dan's Fantastic Arizona-Las Vegas Road Trip of Fun will continue in a second installment. COMING SOON!!)

Music & Baseball, that's what the Thomas' does: Nora & Dan's Fantastic Arizona-Las Vegas Road Trip of Fun - 1st Leg - Phoenix, AZ

After a several year hiatus of any serious father-daughter road trips, we decided it was time to embark on (and continue) our tradition of spring training baseball games and overall adventures. From the time I was in middle school through part of college, we would go to south Florida for Orioles and Cardinals spring training, some R&R and some good times with our friends, the Kinsloes. This year we decided to flip it and reverse it and give Arizona’s Cactus League a try – for a few reasons. We found out that 2 of our favorite artists – Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers and Allen Stone – would be performing at the McDowell Mountain Music Festival, there would be an Arizona D-Backs exhibition game and Opening Day 2014 on Monday. Following that, we would road trip to Sedona and Las Vegas to visit Aunt Lynn and Uncle Tony. This will be an epic week off work.

The trip began at an entirely too early hour of 4am on Friday. Thankfully we didn’t have to function at a high level to park the car and navigate our way to the terminal, as we were dropped off by my mama (BLESS HER HEART). Dropping bags off was relatively easy, but TSA proved to be as reliable and functional as ever (pause for sarcastic laughter), opening the TSA lines late and therefore making many of us late for flights. Since I’m a federal employee possessing a federal ID (not really, but the House of Representatives was irresponsible enough to give me one anyway. Freedom.), I found about a week prior that I could skip the security line by flashing my federal ID. Take note, friends. I got to the gate as boarding began, and Dan the Man made it on the plane about 10 minutes before the plane was to leave. Way to go, Thomas clan. The plane ride itself was fairly mundane, as we both slept a good portion of it and consumed way too many Lorna Doone cookies given the time of day.

We finally landed in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, which basically looks like Las Vegas without the hotel skyline. I was so stoked to not wear a considerable sized coat for 8 days. The forecast while in Phoenix was 80+ during the day and lows of 60s. I considered kissing the ground and thanking Mother Nature for this precious gift of tanning, continuous sunshine and happiness. I restrained myself.

We took the Phoenix Valley Metro light rail from the airport to downtown Phoenix to check in to our hotel for the trip. The light rail is awesome – I wish the one on H Street NE would be that nice, but let’s be honest…. The hotel was the downtown Sheraton convention hotel which meant a sweet location for the baseball games and music festival. To us, it was about noon, but realistically, by the time we got to the hotel, it was only about 9:30am. Luckily, they let us check in that early on the CLUB LEVEL (HOLLA), which meant free food everyday! Awesome! Because all we had eaten at that point was more shortbread cookies than any human should eat before noon. We ate, settled in the room (and by that I mean I attempted to unpack my body bag of a suitcase) and headed to the pool. There was no way I was passing up the ability to get tan before noon in April. After getting sufficiently (and unevenly) sunburned, we regrouped for some quality wandering time. We started by going up to the park where the music festival was to be held – we weren’t going until Saturday, but figured it would be a good idea to have some sense of direction. The park was unassuming, right next to the Phoenix public library and a square teeming with homeless folk. Naturally, we found ourselves at the closest head shop to the festival, the Glass Joint, as they had a solid marketing plan (seen below).

This is what I call advertising...

Friday night consisted of some further wandering, enjoying walking around in less than a winter coat, and the D-Backs’ last spring training game of the season at Chase Field. This was an addition to me and Dan’s baseball stadium repertoire, and we were particularly impressed with the retractable roof and most importantly, the pool and hot tub in center field! Why isn’t this universal in all stadiums?? We realized that we really had no affinity to either the Cubs or D-Backs teams, as we recognized a total of 2 players on both lineups…we had some learnin’ to do.

Me and Dan at Chase Field

Pool and hot tub in center field?!?!

 At this point, Dan and I had been up since 4am (eastern time) to 10pm (Pacific time). But were we done? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Funk-jazz band Lettuce had played at the festival earlier in the day, and was doing an after-hours show at a local club, the Crescent Ballroom at 11:30pm. We rallied with 5-Hour Energies and musical devotion and headed out. The show eventually started around 12:30pm and it was time to get funky. It was the perfect way to start off the trip and introduce Dan to Lettuce. A DC friend, Kahlil, happened to be in town and met up for some funk and catching up.

Lettuce sounded as good as ever and induced a good amount of groovability. They covered a friendly band of their’s, Soulive’s, song ‘Reverb’ and welcomed a powerful voice, Alecia Chakour, to sing on a few songs. She fit perfectly with the band’s R&B sound. If you take Brittany from Alabama Shakes and add even more soul, you have Ms. Alecia Chakour.

Lettuce @ Crescent Ballroom

Saturday was another beautiful day in Phoenix and also our day for nothing but music. We had an all day ticket for the McDowell Mountain Music Festival with some great acts – Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers, Allen Stone, Dispatch, Slightly Stoopid and Disco Biscuits. It was a very small festival with one main stage and one stage for local acts. It had the typical festival setup of food trucks, hippie garb, and depictions of Jerry Garcia from every angle. After some wandering, Dan and I posted up in front of the stage. Nicki sounded as great as ever with an outfit that I truly envy. They played my favorite cover of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Somebody to Love’ and generally just rocked. Allen Stone brought the soul to this festival (weird dance moves and all) and Dispatch brought the reggae rock (think OAR, but better). I must admit that after a long day in the Arizona sun, we left before Slightly Stoopid and Disco Biscuits, but Slightly Stoopid will be at Bonnaroo and Disco Biscuits…well, I just don’t care that much. The most exciting thing was getting to see long lost Baltimore friend Allison and boyfriend Jimmy who live in Scottsdale!

Me, Dan and Nicki Bluhm!

Me and Allison! Missed you girl!

McDowell Mountain Music Festival - Phoenix, AZ

Allen Stone - Quit Callin'

After napping for 3 hours (yes, it was necessary), it was time for another after-hours show with Allen Stone at the Crescent Ballroom – I was starting to feel like a regular. For a Saturday night, Allen Stone put on a great show, with a great groove and engaging demeanor. I tried to get Kahlil into Allen Stone, but I must admit, it was tough to get past the weird O faces throughout the performance. As fun and warm Phoenix is, it has a serious downside when it comes to ending ALL alcohol sales after 2am – I guess it’s not totally perfect. After searching high and low for any form of alcohol, AND severely annoying the Sheraton hotel staff, we called it a night.

Sunday was the first day we’d had since we arrived that we didn’t have anything specific planned. It was time to get my shop and NCAA tournament on. This was also the first day we had a car, so it was prime for exploring. Dan wanted to take me to Sun Devils stadium, as it’s built into the side of a mountain, so there we went. There just happened to be a Tempe, Arizona Arts Festival the day we were there, so naturally I was on the hunt for some Arizona turquoise. The festival was on Tempe’s Mill Avenue (think Five Points in Columbia or Route 1 in College Park, but better). There were hundreds of artisans and craftspeople, which was like going to Sedona without the sweet red rocks in the background. Before it was too late, Dan and I realized that we needed to catch the end of the Elite Eight games with beers, margs and wings – FREEDOM. Kahlil even joined while his flight from hell was delayed.

As if having a sudden Great Lakes epiphany, Dan realized that the only Ted’s Hot Dogs (Buffalo, New York’s tradition since 1927), outside of western New York is in Tempe, Arizona! Clearly we were making a bee line for Ted’s. As soon as we arrived, it looked like Ted’s had just been lifted and transplanted from Buffalo. There was Buffalo paraphernalia everywhere inside and the menu looked just the same with only a few additions. The best part was eating a Ted’s hot dog outside in shorts in Arizona – what could be better? I think Dan had a religious experience.

Ted's in Arizona!

 At sunset we drove up to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s pride and joy in Arizona. Although we couldn’t get inside, I was able to see my first desert sunset with saguaro cactus. From there we saw where the other half lives – in Scottsdale. We ended the day wandering around Old Town Scottsdale and playing an embarrassing round of pool. Some mellow sightseeing with Dairy Queen was the perfect end to a great weekend. More baseball and roadtripping were to come.

Musical soulmates, Terminal 5 & Coconuts - The Black Crowes, Terminal 5, New York, NY - October 26, 2013

New York City, specifically Manhattan, has always been an enigma to me – both logically and spiritually. How do so many people fit on such a tiny island? How many yellow cabs can fit in such a small area? How in the name of atheism do you navigate this feat of cartography that would make Lewis and Clark’s heads spin, that we call the New York Subway? Why must every street corner wreak of homeless urine and pizza and/or kebabs?

A trip to New York in 2011 was underwhelming to say the least. I went with a friend, as we wanted to see New York at Christmastime and it was understood that we would have somewhere to stay for free. As a graduate student not having the funds to make my stay in New York as luxurious as I would like, I took this opportunity immediately. The sightseeing was great as was getting to see my bestie Andrea and her equally as awesome husband, Peter. On the downside, the people we were staying with were essentially living amongst filth, bad decisions and illegal substances. Have you ever seen an episode of animal hoarders? People with chickens or cats or rabbits living among them with all of their shit and filth? This is what I felt like for a night. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but SERIOUSLY. This was a 400 square foot 3 bedroom apartment on the east side – already sounds a bit ridiculous doesn’t it? Fairly sure there was the use of illegal white substances AND I got kicked out of 2 places I was sleeping in order for 2 different people to engage in drunk intercourse. Needless to say, the next day I couldn’t get out fast enough.

Also needless to say, this trip left a taste in my mouth of New York similar to vinegar and I was not in a big hurry to head back to New York. So when my music soulmate Kevin moved there and suggested that I come up in October 2013 for a Black Crowes concert, I thought, “OK, this will definitely be better than my last trip, but I’m still somewhat weary.”

Kevin is the frontman of a band formed in South Carolina called Broken Compass Society. He lived in North Carolina for several years after finishing school in South Carolina (where we discovered our mutual love of blues rock and specifically, the Black Crowes). He made the rounds in clubs and venues in North Carolina/South Carolina but decided that in order to properly pursue his music career, he needed to move to a mecca of live music – New York City. So he packed up and took himself and aptly name puppy companion, Morrison, to Manhattan. When we had a South Carolina friend reunion last year in Charleston, SC for Hootie & the Blowfish’s annual reunion show in August, we decided we definitely needed to experience some Black Crowes magic together. So then and there, we bought tickets to the October 26^th show and it was locked in.

 We look antisocial, but really we are just buying Black Crowes tickets - totally acceptable

One of my fav BCS songs, "Falling With You"

Fast forward a couple of months, the time was here for our rock n’ roll weekend. I was excited to discover that a South Carolina friend and Bonnaroo companion, Steven, would also be visiting for our weekend festivities, as well as some other friends who live in New York – Aubrie, Dani, and new friend Renaldo. This was to be a weekend of epic proportions.

I arrived on the Bolt Bus from DC on Friday evening, Kevin and Steven welcoming me with open arms. I felt a tad homeless carrying around all my stuff for the weekend to 2 different bars, but this just makes the ‘vagabond’ label that much more meaningful. Our first stop was a bar at the top of a Hilton hotel in Manhattan with fancy drinks and breathtaking views of the city. This is where we were joined by Dani, Aubrie and friends. We hung out for a bit, caught up, and quickly realized this bar was well above our levels of class. This realization led us to cab back to Kevin’s neighborhood, the East Village, and patronize some of the bars in that neck of the woods. As soon as we entered Spanky & Darla’s, I knew this was my new favorite New York spot – complete with a fantastic southern rock jukebox, cowboy boot decorations hanging from the ceiling and most importantly, a Lemmy (Motorhead lead singer) impersonator (whom also turned out to be an accomplished New York comedian). Next came the ORIGINAL Coyote Ugly bar (ACROSS THE STREET FROM KEVIN!) complete with dancing on the bar and looking tirelessly for that Australian guy in the movie. Finally was Kingston Hall, and yay! Renaldo joined us!

At Spanky & Darla's with Lemmy wannabe

This was the highlight of the night for me because – yes, I said it – they had coconut drinks! They were some kind of rum concoction served in a coconut. Because I’m me, all I cared about was eating the coconut but I was quite frustrated because I couldn’t get at a good angle to eat the coconut. So, LIKE A BOSS, Renaldo smashed the coconut against the brick wall in the bar just so I could go to town on a coconut. What a guy. (See photo below – it’s OK, I know I’m ridiculous). The rest of the night included hanging out on the roof of a local boutique hotel and eating solid late-night pizza.

Coconuts!!!

The next day was quite touristy in nature, as we had the entire day to kill until the Black Crowes rocked the stage. In New York, everything stays open until about 5am, so it is just the norm in New York to stay up that late. After trying that on Friday night, I was in no position to function until about 1pm on Saturday. ‘Breakfast’ consisted of New York bagels in the park near Kevin’s house, where of course there was a dog costume parade taking place. Steven and friends, Kevin and I took the subway to Rockafeller Center to go on the Top of the Rock experience. As someone who isn’t a huge fan of heights, I was way more willing to do this than the Empire State Building option. It had amazing views of the city AND free popcorn! Little victories I suppose. We then wandered through Central Park on to the Museum of Natural History. We also saw one of the sadder things I’ve seen in New York, the cooperative apartment building where John Lennon was shot. Unassuming, but sad nonetheless.

The crew at Top of the Rock

After realizing we couldn’t get into the Whales exhibit at the Natural History museum without paying 30 bucks, Kevin and I began our journey to the West Side to be closer to the show’s venue, Terminal 5. Of all the snooty restaurants in the Upper West Side, Kevin and I ended up in a divey Irish bar where we devoured buffalo wings and watched college football for a bit. Finally it was time to meet up with Kevin’s buddy from home and head over to the show!

At Terminal 5!

The opening band was the Blind Boys of Alabama who, to my joy and surprise, played a fabulous rendition of “Way Down In the Hole”. (For those of you who don’t know, The Wire is my favorite show of all time, and this is the theme song to the show).

Blind Boys of Alabama - Way Down In the Hole

Next it was time to rock. I haven’t been this excited about a concert in a long time, as besides the Eagles, the Black Crowes are my favorite band ever. I love how pure their version of rock n’ roll is and how any time I hear them, it reminds me of good times.

They opened with ‘Under A Mountain’, a great note to start the night off with. The next few songs were a jam sesh of some of their lesser known songs, which to Black Crowes fans everywhere, is the best since they have such a huge anthology of music to choose from. One of my favorite moments in the show was when they played a 20 minute jam of ‘Thorn in My Pride’. Chris Robinson was his usual crazy self, flailing arms and signature dance moves included. The band was tight as ever and sounded fantastic. Most of the show was hard to handle for me (pun most definitely intended), as there was so much musical stimulation, it was a lot. But, this all led up to the encore when I most definitely began to cry – they played one of my favorite Crowes songs ‘We Who See the Deep’ and THEN, most epic of all, they ended the show with the Zeppelin classic ‘Hey Hey What Can I Do’. I’m pretty sure Kevin and I looked at each other and thought we were pretty sure this is what rock heaven must be like.

Black Crowes - Under a Mountain

The Black Crowes show was everything that I wanted it to be and more and cannot wait for the next time – hopefully outdoors in a festival scenario.

Since the show ended around 11pm and this is New York, we still had about 5 hours of partying to do before we hit the hay. My lack of sleep on this particular Saturday does make the details of the evening a little hazy. However, I do remember going to an Irish bar to meet up with everyone and debrief about the show, Kevin getting pretty hammered, and bonding with Renaldo over the most delicious empanadas ever.

The weekend ended with a sleep hangover at a bar before I was to catch my bus back to DC. This was a short trip to New York, but definitely of trip of New York redemption. I even went back a few months later and enjoyed it equally. I had found the formula to a great New York existence – great friends, great music and of course, coconuts.

A little Spontaneity ain't never hurt no one - Sting & Paul Simon - March 13th, 2014 - Verizon Center, DC

As many of you know, my pops and I have a wonderful relationship filled with baseball, music, travel and spontaneous adventures. So it is not uncommon for me to call up my pops and say, “hey wanna grab food/beers/live music after work? I’ll meet you at [insert DC restaurant/bar/music venue.” So last night’s spontaneous catch-up sesh was not out of the ordinary. We decided to meet up for food in Chinatown as a middle ground. As I walked to meet my dad, I kept noticing way more people in Chinatown than usual (and for anyone who knows DC’s Chinatown, that means full on claustrophobia). I also noticed that it wasn’t the usual adolescent Chinatown crowd hanging around the Chipotle – it was a very Eagles-esque crowd – you know the type. Older. Don’t seem to venture into DC much. Stand on the left side of the escalator. Not as awesome as my parents. THOSE people. I noticed a bunch of guys outside Verizon Center scalping tickets and just thought “whatevs, must be a Wizards game. Moving right along.”

I get to the restaurant where my dad is waiting and it is PACKED – like Saturday night packed. We were like “hmmm must have good happy hour – we’ll keep checking around.” Five bars later, we had come to the conclusion that something big was going on. And then it dawned on me. PAUL SIMON AND STING AT THE VERIZON CENTER! How could I forget?! I mentioned it to DT (my dad) and he was intrigued.

We decided that all the Sting and Paul Simon fans weren’t exactly going to be adventurous in the depths of DC’s Chinatown, so we decided that was the route to go for dinner. We were right – just us and a few Chinese regulars at Ming’s (I didn’t make up the name). We chatted over orange chicken about work, family and our general annoyance with the plethora of faith-based movies in Hollywood recently.

Dan the Man, for the past 6 years or so, has been taking the green route and taken the bus to work every day from Bowie. While inspiring, it does not bode well for urban spontaneity. Good thing this girl is a DC resident now! The deal was if we got tickets, not a big deal, I’ll take him home. If not, we’ll get him back to New Carrollton before the last bus. We walked to Verizon Center to scope out the ticket situation. Besides being quite green in the way of his transportation options, my dad is also an avid ticket scalper – yes, he buys the tickets from those sketchy guys outside arenas/stadiums yelling “GOT ONE!? NEED ONE!?” As long as I can remember going to concerts and baseball games with my old man, I can never remember him fretting over whether he had tickets or not – if we wanted to go to a show or a game, we were going. We would just have to look for the most unsavory individuals outside selling tickets and we were golden. 9 times out of 10, it was a success and we got some of the best seats in the house for 70% less than face value.

This Thursday night was no different. As he probably thought my younger, more urban disposition would produce more favorable results in the ticket department (and to see if he had passed along his scalping skills successfully), he handed me the cash and told me to GO. I went up to my first victim and said “how much” in the coolest way I could. The man hands me two tickets and explains the tickets are $150 each, club level. I had $100 in hand ready to go to my new friend Scalper McScalperson, but he wasn’t having it when he aptly explained “NOT FOR 2 BABY, NOT FOR 2!” I looked at him with my most serious “don’t mess with me” face and started to walk away. As soon as I took one step, he told me to hold up and we exchanged dollars for tickets. We were in business.

So this was definitely happening. In true Nora and Dan style. We got to the club level and were walking to our seats – as soon as we heard ‘Fields of Gold’ playing, we realized “oh shit. This is real.” We rushed to our seats and immediately realized our spontaneous gametime decision had paid off.

Sting and Paul Simon played the first few songs together and then Sting played solo for a while. Solo is hardly accurate though because each of these legends had a full ensemble of world class musicians with them. Every instrument in the spectrum of rock bands was represented, and then some – French horns, accordians, a Zydeco rubboard, recorders. It ran the gamut – and was glorious.

Paul Simon played a few songs made famous by his original duo, Simon & Garfunkel, but of course many of his solo hits. Paul Simon has had a unique and wide ranging career of music with his to-be-expected folksy sound, to a full on African chorus and drums ensemble, to a Cajun zydeco party on stage. All of these were exhibited on Thursday and executed flawlessly.

Sting had his signature worldly, somewhat psychedelic sound. There were times when I felt like I was at a Santana or Gipsy Kings show, and then Sting’s trademark voice would come through among the chanting, conga drums, and nylon-stringed guitars.

The encore performance was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes. One of my favorite songs, Bridge Over Troubled Water, was saved for a duet with Sting and Paul Simon and done beautifully. A very special moment for me and Dan to see that song done so well by its ever-so-talented songwriter. To end the show, put so eloquently by Paul Simon, “this whole thing started with 2 guys, 2 guitars and a microphone. We’ll end the show that way.” In true Simon & Garfunkel fashion, Sting and Paul Simon faced each other, almost singing to each other, finishing the show with the Everly Brothers’ “When Will I Be Loved”. Nicely done, gents.

Overall, a very successful night of spontaneity and live music, ending with Dan the Man experiencing the pleasure of riding the X2 bus back to my neighborhood from Chinatown. To say the least, it’s always an experience riding this particular bus.

If you couldn’t tell by this overly long post, my pops is one of my besties and I love anytime I can spend with him – especially when it involves hanging out with some musical legends on a weekday.