Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
Happy Hour Meetup a success, as I'm tired and drunk and happy, posted at 11:04 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com A strange day that saw school let out two hours early because of a power outage (which seems a fitting metaphor for how the school year has gone so far) ended well, with a successful happy hour at Lulu's in Fell's Point.Baltimore bloggers attending included:
Intellectual Defenestration (he arrived first, giving me a welcome break from the essay grading I was doing at the bar)
Jeff Price (a great guy I talked baseball with for almost an hour)
Liveinlove (the first female to arrive, she was as charming as ever)
Virginia Hawthorne (Rocky Run bartender who hopefully I can swindle some free drinks out of now)
Calculator on fire (Interesting guy, just as funny as his blog is)
Argyle (Another cool guy, I'd never read his blog before)
Messy Hair Girl (I finally got to meet a favorite blogger of mine. By the way, her hair wasn't messy at all.)
Chaos Theory and Porcupine Pie (great to catch up with them again)
Russell (met him for the first time, seemed like a really interesting guy, very friendly)
A Fool's Fate (it's always good to see her, plus she's going to get her dad to fix my furnace so I can have some heat)
Dabrettman (he made an appearance towards the end. Congratulations, man!)
I think I might be missing a person or two, but I think I got most people. If not, let me know.It was a very nice time. I was nervous about it for a bit - would the place be too loud/smoky/dingy? would they be out of ginger beer? - but all turned out well. We missed a few people, but everyone who came seemed to have a good time, and I know I had a great evening. I have so many papers to grade that I brought a stack to the bar, but it was well worth getting away from them for a few hours and letting loose a bit.
As of now, though, I'm exhausted and need to get some sleep. I'll be thinking of the pretty girls who were sitting in the corner tonight, who came up and asked me for a flier to my house concert on Friday and then proceeded to talk to me for about five minutes about it before promising to come. You should, too; it's one of the biggest of the year. Let me know if you want to come via an e-mail or comment:
Wally Pleasant performs at (Name of house concert venue) House Concerts on Friday, Nov. 19!
What: Wally Pleasant LIVE!
When: Friday, Nov. 19 (Doors 7:30)
Cost: $10
Where: (Insert address here). Baltimore, MD 21214
More info: 410-ask-me, www.wallypleasant.com
Excessive forwarding of this e-mail is strongly encouraged.
Wally Pleasant, who performed at the first Holden's Lair house concert in March of 2002, returns for his second show as he rolls through town promoting his new CD, "Music for Nerds and Perverts."
If you've never been to a Wally Pleasant show, they are an experience you'll not soon forget. Smart lyrics and bizarre observations on life are rolled into catchy choruses and satirical humor. His stories are often twice as long as his songs, and his songs often involve singalongs and much audience participation.
Wally Pleasant is a legend back at Michigan State. We used to head over every Wednesday to see him play at Cuppa Java, and were excited to see him get some national attention. His recordings have charted in the Top 20 nationally on the CMJ and Gavin College charts. He's been featured in Billboard Magazine and the New York Times, and on such nationally syndicated programs as Acoustic Cafe, Dr. Demonto, and The Difference, not to mention Ted Nugent's morning radio show in Detroit. All told, he's sold over 75,000 units of Wally's music, all independently. Wally has toured all over the country (except Oregon), once opened up for Bill Clinton, and has just signed to Spat! Records, a punk label out of Nashville.
"Music for Nerds and Perverts" is Wally's sixth CD. His first, "Songs About Stuff," came out in 1992 and was an instant hit on college radio. Subsequent albums have been packed with such hits and crowd pleasers as "The Day Ted Nugent Killed All the Animals," "Stupid Day Job," "Denny's at 4am," and "Two-for-one Coupon."
Wally is the quintessential every man who uses humor to pull the listener in and irony and sincerity to provoke thought and warm the heart. His live shows are like escaping to a planet where everyone is nice. And it's well worth the trip!
Info about (name of house concert venue): (Name of house concert venue) is a house concert venue doing monthly shows since May of 2002 in Baltimore, MD. If you've never been to a House concert at (name of house concert venue), they are a laid back affair. Everyone usually brings a dish to pass and everyone chats in between the breaks. If we know you're coming, we often wait until you get here until we begin. The artist mingles with the fans, signing CDs and schmoozing. A box is passed around and the money is collected, and all of it goes to the performer. Children are welcome, and don't be surprised if a friendly cat jumps in your lap or starts mewing to the music, or if a slightly overweight dog gives you sad eyes, hoping for a treat off your plate. A few rules: Please try to get here before the performer begins, please bring something to pass, and please have fun. If you need to sit on a piece of furniture and not the floor, come early to grab a seat. It never hurts to bring something - a pillow, a beanbag - if you want something comfortable to sit in. I offer no illusions that the house is nice or ideal for concerts. What it is, though, is a community of people who appreciate the independent spirit in music coming together to support art and free expression. With our radios dominated by just a few corporations, this is a way for non-mainstream voices to be heard. It's also just a way to hear great music. And you'll hear it every time at (name of house concert venue).
Please RSVP (leave a comment).