Harmonic Journal 09/11/15

Harmonic Journal
September 11, 2015

"Fever" by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, as performed by Peggy Lee

Harmonic Journal 09/10/15

Harmonic Journal
Thursday, September 10, 2015

"I Will" by Paul McCartney, as performed by The Beatles

Harmonic Journal 09/09/15

Harmonic Journal 
Wednesday, September 9, 2015

"Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone

Harmonic Journal 09/08/15

Harmonic Journal
Tuesday, September 8, 2015

"Finlandia (This Is My Song)" by Jean Sibelius

Harmonic Journal 09/07/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, September 7, 2015

"Summertime, Summertime" by The Jamies

I Shot Some Pics in Reno

Rockapella West Coast Road Trip

Day 2 -- Saturday, August 29, 2015

Reno Sings Under the Stars II

Hawkins Amphitheatre Bartley Ranch

Reno, NV

After somewhat of a restful night's sleep, KP and I got ready for the next leg of our road trip.  She sat out on our balcony for a bit, and I wanted to get a picture of us there in the daylight.

Our beautiful view of the Jack in the Box drive thru

We met up with Weff and went downstairs for our free hotel breakfast.  I was annoyed by the color scheme of the new renovation.  Yeah, I'm crazy.  The room just doesn't feel the same without eating breakfast with FFE.  We said our goodbyes to Weff for the day, and went to the car.  I don't know what was up with this car, but we had trouble opening the trunk.  I couldn't figure out how to unlock it, and KP was able to open it right away.  Whatevs.  She then noticed my license plate, and said, "How did you manage to get a license plate that was only one letter off of 'FFE'?"  I hadn't even noticed.  (The letters of the license plate were "FGE").  As we were leaving our hotel room earlier, I told KP about the cool Haiku door signs at our hotel in Indianapolis.  We decided that we should document the rest of our road trip with Haiku.  

We drove to Reno and listened to the songs on my iPod.  Lots and lots of Pella-centric songs came up, even though it was on shuffle, and I swear that I have more than just Rockapella on there.  We thought up a lot of haiku.  A LOT.  Some of them made the cut, and they will be posted on a separate trip report.  You're looking forward to it already, aren't you?  Well, you have more to read here, so please sit tight.  At one point, we stopped at a rest area.  One of the trash cans was originally labeled something about "glass", but somebody scratched off the "gl", so it made for a funny comment.  When we arrived in Reno, we had a little bit of time before Cindy's flight was due to arrive, so we had lunch at Chipotle.  We tried to go to Peg's Glorified Ham and Eggs to reminisce about our morning with Fred, but they had just closed before we arrived.  Bummer.

We went to the cell phone lot at the airport and waited for Cindy to get off of the plane.  Then she got off of the plane but we missed each other and we had to circle around the airport.  Twice.  When she finally got into the car, "Didn't I Blow Your Mind" by Jordan Knight/NKOTB was playing.  (I told you there was more than Pella on there).  The trouble is that the "r Mind" was not showing on the display, so Cindy wondered what the heck car she had just joined.  It was hilarious.  We drove to the hotel and checked in, then got ready for the show.  

Since the show was General Admission, we wanted to get there early to reserve our seats.  A bunch of people were already in line.  When I went to pick up my ticket, they had my name listed twice, each with 1 ticket.  I don't remember buying more than 1.  So I took both, because I didn't see Cindy's name and wanted this one just in case.   When Cindy went into the same line, they told her that she wasn't listed.  Then they tried to help somebody else, leaving her just standing there.  She complained about that and they finally helped her and gave her a ticket.  This event is on its second year, but they need to get faster people to help with the ticket process, and also make it so that they're more aware of what to do.  I felt like I was at that voting polls because I told one person my name, she said it out loud, told the other lady, and then I got the ticket. 

There were a lot of seats that were reserved for people, so I was glad that we arrived early.  We found 3 seats in the second row, but KP and I eventually moved to the 2 seats in front of us because Cindy didn't mind sitting apart from us.  Thanks, Cindy!  Before the first group performed, I walked over to get some water and maybe a drink.  The water was being sold separately from the alcohol, so I had to stand in the long food truck line even though I didn't want their food.  I wish they would have had other choices there, but I guess I'm totally spoiled because I'm used to going to food truck events that have variety.  Little did I know that Pella was in the trailer about 20 feet away from me, getting ready for the show.  I was wondering where they were, but didn't know they were in there.  It's good I didn't know, or I might not have gone in to watch the other 2 acts.  :)

SILVER DOLLAR CHORUS

This is an award-winning community barbershop group of about 20-25 guys of all ages.  I heard them singing the Star-Spangled Banner while I was in line for water.  It was good, as well as the US Armed Forces Medley.  When I finally got back into the amphitheatre, I was subjected to the same talking that KP and Cindy had to endure while I was gone.  The emcee was OK and I laughed, but I don't think that he needed to introduce every single song and tell jokes for each one.  Maybe they could have him there to stretch a show, but there were 3 acts tonight, and each one did more than 5 songs, and they just didn't need the additional prattle.  I did enjoy the singing, but he was a bit much.  Probably my favorite pieces were the Calypso medley (they had bananas, they had a guy dressed as a banana, how could I not love this?!)...and How Great Thou Art, which was my grandfather's favorite hymn.  They had 2 people doing sign language for this one.  I don't know why they didn't do that for all of the songs, though.

See the bananas?

While they were singing, Fred arrived.  KP and I were pretty much distracted from that point on....but still, bananas!  Also, the emcee guy had a shark.  It reminded me of the Velvet Knights drum corps that liked to spoof stuff, and at one point had a shark on the field.  Emcee guy: "Do whatever you want to do to my banana."  Well, OK, then!

DAVID JOHN AND THE COMSTOCK COWBOYS

Emcee guy told us check out the pedal steel guitar, saying, "If you had a seizure, you could really kick some ass with that thing."

They played some Johnny Cash, which included "Folsom Prison Blues".  Well, how can you not, when you're in Reno, and one of the lines is "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die"?  But, but....Rockapella has that song in their repertoire now, so I wondered if we'd hear it twice tonight.  I couldn't help but repeatedly say to KP:  "CHOO CHOOOOO!!!"  Then they played an awesome version of "Orange Blossom Special" (with 2 fiddlers), and I about lost my mind, again saying "CHOO CHOOOOOO!!!!"  The band was quite talented, and the emcee wasn't talking anymore, so we were happy.  We were still being impatient about seeing Pella, but we were happy.

Singing Cowboys

During their show, various Pella members came to the stage wings to watch a little bit.  Steve waved at us.  We happily waved back.  HI!!!

Members of the Silver Dollar Chorus were handing out free bananas.  Of course I wanted one, and got all excited when we each got one.  It would have been more awesome if the guy was dressed as Bananaman, but hmmm...maybe it would have been more awkward.  Never mind.

I'm sorry, I can't hear you.  I have a banana in my ear.

We needed to take a picture of Cindy for Geo, and the guy sitting next to Cindy overheard us and offered to help.  I mean, I was ready to just call FFE over to do it because everything was taking so long, but this was more appropriate.  

He's Still The Man

Awards and thank yous happened.  I was concerned when they thanked someone whom couldn't really walk very well, and they were waiting for him to get to the stage, and then one of the speakers got knocked over.  We wondered if Fred was freaking out.  Then the Raffle Disaster happened.  KP decided that these folks were not Catholic, because they couldn't use the raffle drum properly.  Tickets fell to the floor.  It was just a mess, and there were a lot of prizes that we didn't care about because they were all from local businesses, so we'd need to come back to redeem them.  So that took forever.  We were 20 minutes past the time that Rockapella was supposed to take the stage.  AUGH!  They are your headliner, and you're making them wait that long?  WTF?


ROCKAPELLA

Finally!  The emcee said that they would have "buckets of catchy songs".  Buckets.  I need to buy a bucket for them one day, and ask that they place all of their catchy songs in it.

Rock Around The Clock
FFE's hair was very spiky today.

Rockin Us

Jailhouse Rock
APPARENTLY, CSL4 did not get the white shirt memo.  I couldn't help but be happy when they did Folsom Prison Blues, and said, "Choo CHOOOO!!!"  FFE got a big cheer when he sang that he shot a man in Reno.
CSL4:  Reno is our second home now.  We started the first 17 months of the year here.  (Did he say "weeks"?  I wrote down "months".  Either way, that's longer than they were here).  We know the path to the 7-11, the path to the Walgreen's...

Dancing In The Streets
Hi, Steve!  

Just My Imagination / Imagine
The crowd really likes Calvin's voice.  I don't blame them a bit.

"Two...Four...Twenty!"

Satisfaction
We noted that there were no doors to lock and hinder FFE from doing his audience participation bit.  While he was out there, one guy got up to go to the restroom, and FFE started to follow him out, ending up right in front of us.  We just laughed at him.  

CSL4:  Steve has a new CD, his first country-rock crossover CD.  He played it for us today and I tell you, it's OK! 

CSL4:  Our CD is available in the lobby...  We don't like to go too far out on a limb with the titles of our albums.

My Cherie Amour
I tell you, they really love Calvin here.  Huge applause when he began the song.

CSL4:  Ryan has those low tones...they just rumble me nicely.  Jeff has been our vocal percussionist for over 20 years.  He started in utero. Anything that requires any degree of intelligence, we give to him.  

While CSL4 was telling people about records being a round thing with a hole in the middle, Calvin and Ryan were demonstrating to each other like they were DJs scratching.  People "whoo"d.
CSL4:  What was that "whoo!" for? The hole?  You have questionable taste.

Paper Doll
FFE was kind of far away from our vantage point, but he still managed to Flirty Flirty Eye me.  Awwww....happiness!

See that FFE Action?  That's for ME!

Blame It On The Boogie

That Bass

Blame It On Him

When CSL4 said that he felt a connection with someone in the audience, somebody in the back loudly called for his attention.  He saw that it was way up in the lawn area, started to walk up there, and said, "I. Cannot. Go. That. Far. Up.  Dear Lord, we're at altitude here!"  He finally got to Callie.

Stand By Me / Ain't Too Proud To Beg
Callie was having a good time up there, singing and dancing. FFE was sliding all over the stage.  Sher:  "He is going to fall down."

Callie and The Boys

JT pointed at us at the "Do It, Rockapella!" point.  
CSL4: We sang this song every day for 53 years.

Carmen
Sounds like CSL4's voice was hurting at this point, maybe due to that altitude, and the fact that they were tired.  We noticed that FFE was setting up his phone on a music stand, and I figured that maybe he was doing another Periscope session from the stage.  I told KP.  We waved at the camera.  The guys came back onto the stage, one by one.  

Up On The Roof / Wonderful World
They were still using their microphones this time, probably because of the venue.  We were outside, and it was pretty big, and people had started to leave, which I thought was rude, but it seemed to be older people, so OK.

We didn't know if the guys were going to do a meet and greet, or where they would have it, so we hung out for a few minutes at our seats before going outside the gate.  That's when we realized that they were in the trailer.  That, and the post on FB of a picture of them inside the trailer.  KP paid $8.00 for Scott's new sheet music.  I had only paid $5.00 the night before.  Maybe the proceeds were going to the benefit?  I don't know.  Maybe it's the effect of the Supermoon.

Supermoon!

Cindy told Calvin that "My Cherie Amour" was awesome.  I told him that I almost cried.
Cal:  Me, Too.  Could you hear my voice kind of losing it at the end?
Sher:  No...
Cal:  Just kidding.
He said that the venue was beautiful, and wanted to take pictures inside before they closed the doors.  We told him that we noticed that he got lots of cheers really early on in the show, and he smiled.

We talked to Scott and I told him that I wished he could release his Bee Gees CD again, and that I had told Cindy about it.  He said that he couldn't release it because the music belongs to Sony.  I told him that I had 2 copies from Angela and they are now somewhere lost in my house.  I just want the recording of "Massachusetts" at this point, because I love the way he sings it.  I also said that I had told Cindy that he'd be singing in my house.
Scott:  Yeah....
I asked if he was worried about Steve getting all rich and famous and leaving the band.  He said that he wasn't worried.  I didn't ask him why he wasn't worried, because I kinda don't want to know.  
KP told him that we tagged him on Facebook with bad poetry, and we discussed the haiku format.
KP said that Rockapella needs to sell new t-shirts because they were getting...Scott offered the word "ratty"...KP preferred the word "crusty".  We told him that he has Ryan now and he could probably do them.  I asked him if he needed me to talk to Ryan.  Was he shy?  He looked at me like I had grown a few more heads, and said that he could talk to Ryan.  Gosh, I hope he knew that I was kidding.  We also mentioned that they should have Sun Brothers glasses, because we'd buy them.  He said that was a good idea.  

Later when KP was asking Fred if his wife Fran was the person that was interviewed while serving jury duty with Donald Trump, Scott joined in on the conversation because he hadn't heard about that yet.  Honestly, what does Fred ever talk about with them?  I know he wasn't in their car, but still, I wonder.  (It was Fran, by the way, and she won't be voting for Trump.  YAY!).

Jeff was holding stuff when I asked him to sign my program, so Cindy offered to hold it for him.  He ended up treating her like she was some kind of pack mule.  One of the items was a box of peppermint tea.  After signing my program, he was trying to get Steve's attention, but Steve was busy showing me the video that he took while they were on stage.  Clearly, he wasn't asking us his question, so I said, "Steve, Thacher's talking to you."  Steve apologized and answered his question.  Sorry about that, JT!  He kindly asked about our drive.  Sweet.

We talked to Ryan about the glasses, and he told KP that he was going to get them as he went back to the trailer.  When he exited the trailer, he gave them to me.  I didn't realize that he didn't give any to KP until later, so I gave them to her.   I guess KP and I look alike?

Steve wanted to sign on the dark part of the program, and declared that he needs a silver sharpie.  Perhaps his wish will come true some day.  :)  I had all of the EPs that I bought from him the night before, and he said that he would sign them there, in the dark, while standing.  He put a heart on mine.  :)   I got irritated at Cindy because she was spelling whatever while he was making sure to write my name correctly, because he was getting confused.  I told her to stand elsewhere, and she wouldn't.  My friends don't listen to me.  She's lucky that I was distracted by his blowing on each EP to dry the ink before handing it over to me.  I told him that I noticed that he put my name first in the paragraph of pledgemusic supporters.  He said, "That was by design."  Awwww....thank you!  "Yeah, you and Carol" (the other person that hosted a house concert).   I told him that I didn't realize he was going to do that, and had pledged to have my name on the EP liner notes, so he said that he owed me one, and not Double N.  I asked him what he was going to do.  He said, "Anything you want."  He really needs to stop telling me that.  :)  He offered to do a video of him singing, so I asked for "Weightless", a song that he sang in my house but had to leave off of the EP.  He agreed to do so, and seemed happy with my decision.  Then I gave him the others to sign.  For Bro's, I said, "This is for Bro.  Or Ryan.  Whatever you want to write."  He asked if B-r-o was the correct spelling and did that.  I beamed.  When I handed him Dodie's, I said, "This is for Dodie.  Or...Dic."  He said, "Oh, that was soooo embarrassing!"  You know I'm never going to let him live that down.  That was a priceless moment during our raffle.  Not the raffle disaster.  I'm going to let Dodie wonder what the heck he wrote since she hasn't received her EP yet and I like to torture people.  He talked about designing his studio at home, and I asked if he wanted the backdrop that we used for the photo op at the house.  At first, he seemed excited about it, then said, "Oh, but you should keep it."    I said that we had planned to sign it and give it to him, and we were all happy to do so.  He said that he'd like that.  He asked for us to put pictures of that day all over it and keep it.  I told him that we had something else planned for the pictures, and he'd find out around his birthday.  He gave me a puzzled look, and I asked if he'd be in California in November, and he said yes.  I reminded him that it was a few days before his birthday, and he figured it out.  KP told him how excited we were when he shared our haiku with the picture of "Living".  He said, "Yeah, I did!"  I asked him to take a picture with me and the EP, and he made sure that we stood in the light.  We smiled and said, "LIVING!!!"  So cute.

#Living

We said our goodbyes and safe travel wishes to the guys, and walked the long dark walk back to our car.  Most of the guys were going to Hussong's because they wanted to see the place that they frequented when they were in Reno earlier this year.  We were hungry and found a Denny's after circling around a bit while directions were being found.  The server told us that she enjoyed her late shift because the people that come in at night have more interesting stories to tell her.  No, we didn't tell her any.  She was quite busy.  When we got back to the hotel, Cindy and I agreed on a meeting time for our morning walk, and we went to sleep, all of us counting 5-7-5 in our dreams, I'm sure.  

Next up: Napa

Harmonic Journal 09/06/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, September 6, 2015

"Bodyboard" by Scott Leonard and Elliott Kerman, as sung by Rockapella

Harmonic Journal 09/05/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, September 5, 2015

"No Pressure" by George Baldi III and Paul Sipio, as performed by Rockapella

That Door Is Locked

Rockapella West Coast Road Trip

Day 1

Bankhead Theater

Friday, August 28, 2015

Livermore, CA

The week before the show, my oven decided that it didn't want to work.  So I figured,OK, if it can be repaired in time, I'll bake for the boys.  Well, whaddaya know.  I order the part that my dad says I need, Dad comes over to fix the oven, and he leaves  a note for me that says, "Happy Baking!"  Well, I guess I'm going to bake for the boys, then!  Therefore, I spent most of my Thursday night baking stuff in the kitchen.  Luckily for me, I had been packing since the week before, so I didn't have that much more to do.  Of course, as always, I woke up in the middle of the night, remembering stuff that I needed to place in my bag.  The biggest challenge for me was transporting all of the goodies and the containers, but it got done!

I made my way to the FlyAway on Friday, then to LAX.  Terminal 1 is undergoing some renovation, which I knew from the Drum Corps trip.  I hope it gets done by the next time I fly out, because it seems even more crowded than usual with all of the construction walls around.  I arrived in Sacramento, said hello to Spider-Bunny, and took the shuttle to the car rental building.  The guy asked me about my trip, and I told him how much I'd be driving, and asked if he could find me an economical car.  He had a talk with his manager, and offered me a hybrid for $8 more per day.  I did the calculation in my head of the gas we'd need for a conventional car, and decided that it would be a good deal.  He told me about a lady he met that followed her favorite band around, some Swedish group that rarely comes to the States.  I'm lucky that my band is much closer than Sweden.  He then taught me how to turn it on and off, then I got everything prepared for my solo road trip to Livermore.  The drive was pretty easy, and I rocked out to tunes that included stuff from Steve's new solo EP, "Living", which I had downloaded earlier in the week.

I checked into the hotel and got in touch with Weff, whom were staying down the hall.  I had time to get the boys' goody bags ready, take a shower, and get ready for the show.  Weff and I went to the show together.  We arrived after KP did, whom did her own travel bonanza after she got out of work, onto the plane, onto the BART, and onto a taxi.  Phew!  She made it!  She was able to leave her suitcase with the box office, and I talked to the house manager, whom was willing to take the goody bags to Pella's dressing room, with a request to tell them that they were from Sherry.  (I didn't make any cards this time, but I'm pretty sure that once they saw the bags, they'd know where they came from).

Our seats were front row center.  Thanks, Wendy!  Wendy was wearing her "Steve Dorian" tattoo.  She's so funny.  KP was also in the front row, on the aisle, next to a guy that arrived at the same time as her.  I gave KP a monkey bracelet.  We were excited.  It had been 5 months since we'd seen Rockapella proper, and Weff had never seen the current lineup.  But first, the theater folks threw some plush lobsters into the audience for people to take selfies and advertise their lobster bake fundraiser.  They should have given one to Rockapella!  People don't listen to me.  They introduced Rockapella.  It wasn't them.  Well, not really.

SUN BROTHERS OF TAMPA BAY

The Sun Brothers entered the stage, wearing orange sunglasses.  All I could think of was that Karla needed a pair of them.  Well, that and I was thankful they weren't wearing blue suits.  

L-O-V-E

OK, so this is what I'm thinking during this song:  "I sang along to this when Steve was in my car!!!"  Yeah, that happened.  So I had this huge grin on my face for the entire song.  I couldn't see if he was looking at me, but I'm kinda glad because I would get all blush-y.  Love that trumpet section, guys!  

Change The World

So nice.  A baby gurgled.

CSL4:  We put babies to sleep.

CSL4 was wearing a sparkly belt.  I told Wendy.  I don't know why she still wonders why I look at his pants.  I can't help it!  It's SPARKLY!!!  Not, like, bedazzled, but there are shiny bits in the leather or something, and the lights make it sparkle.  

ROCKAPELLA

Rock Around The Clock/Tell Me Something Good

Hi, FFE!  They've added a vocal percussion drum line section to this, and that makes me very happy.  I bang my head along with them, because I feel the need to do so. This song will always mean "Reno" to me.  They debuted it there, they made the video for it there, and the time they spent there has many special memories for me.  I wonder why.  :)

Jailhouse Rock

When they picked up their mic stands during "Chain Gang" and walked around yelling "Hoo!  HA!", Steve directed his shouts at Weff.  Theguys put JT behind bars.

CSL4 regarding the name of the town:  Your town is more than liver...it's extra pate.

CSL4:  Who was here 2 years ago?

Most of the applause was from me and Wendy.

CSL4:  We're really pickin' em up!

Dancing In The Streets

FFE went a little astray there.  Cal and CSL4 kinda looked at each other, but they were all able to get back on track.  JT did some pelvic thrusting during his dance solo.  He may not dance often, but when he does, watch out!  FFE almost walked off of the stage right in front of us and I got all nervous that he was going to fall down.  I do not want to have to visit you in the hospital, Steve!

Satisfaction

When FFE left the stage during "Cupid", I turned to Wendy and said, "He sang this in my house!!!"  He talked to someone.  He went to the other side of the room.  He tried to go back to the stage, but all we could hear was, "That door is LOCKED!" and then he made his way back into the theater house, saw that there were no stairs back to the stage, and kind of rolled his way onto it.  Wendy was concerned that the stage was dirty because JeffEvs was able to write his name in the dust on the stage in front of us.  I could not stop laughing about the door.

CSL4 said that he was told that their new CD was in the lobby, called "Motown and More":  There's some Motown, and then there's some more.  We figured, "Let's not get too specific."

I got a wave from FFE.  I'm pretty sure I was still giggling at that point. Actually, when am I NOT giggling during a Rockapella show?  Oh, well maybe when I'm listening to the actual music.  

My Cherie Amour

I have heard this song many, many times.  Why is it that tonight I wondered about FFE and CSL4: "Are they singing in French?"  like it's new or something?  Calvin is so awesome at this song.

CSL4 said that he had to really concentrate while singing the song, because he was so busy enjoying Calvin.  He said that Ryan just got married and has a new baby...dog.

RC said "Livermore", and people swooned.  

CSL4:  It sounds good when YOU say it.

Paper Doll

Hello, Flirty Flirty Eyes!!!!  Once Cal started singing, the dude in back of me was all loud, saying, "Oh my God!  I can hear them!"  I wanted to turn around and tell him, "Yes, and they can hear YOU."  But I didn't.  I needed to concentrate on FFE.  Also, the looks that JT makes at RC when he's singing the lead.  I did my Beautiful Eyes thing back at FFE at the end of the song and blew him a kiss.  Awww, he's SO DREAMY!

Blame It On The Boogie

Cal pointed his mic directly at me for the echo of "Moonlight!"  Cal was in FFE's space when they were dancing, so FFE pushed him back in order not to run into him.  Well, now FFE's leg is out of control, too, not just CSL4's.  I like how they all point at JT at the end, because the boogie is all him.

<INTERMISSION>

Hi, JT!  We saw him waiting in the wings.

Draggin' the Line

I think that's a good place for this song, after intermission.  I wasn't fond of it when it was the opener of the show.  JT slapped Ryan's butt during his solo.  Hmmm...what was that about? (Later that weekend, JeffEvs asked Ryan about this.  Ryan wasn't sure.  JeffEvs asked if maybe he was dragging the song, and JT wanted him to hurry up.  I think it was, like, "Giddyup, already!").

Used Ta Be My Girl

They are having so much fun up there tonight!

Commercials

CSL4:  We sold our souls to the corporate devil for a quick buck.

Audience Member:  YAY!

CSL4:  Ah, Silicon Valley.

My cheeks hurt from laughing.  

After they sang about Dr. Pepper, CSL4:  Wow.. Not. A. Dime.

CSL4 went into the audience and talked to Liz.  Not our Liz.  Some other woman.  He asked her to come on stage.  "Put your shoes back on."

JT:  California!

CSL4 asked Liz where she's from.  APPARENTLY, between New Jersey and Livermore, it gets complicated.  She works in QA for a software company.

CSL4:  That's a California thing, isn't it?

Stand By Me

Liz did a great job.  CSL4:  I think you have a career in singing.  No more software for you.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Oops!  Her shoe came off!

Thrift Shop

While Ryan sings the opener, the guys walk in while bent over like they're grandmas. 

Carmen

JT's solo:  So. Very. YES!  That was way awesome.

Encore

A*Punk

Ay! Ay! AYYYY!!!  Do you think that the Fonz co-wrote this song?

Wonderful World (off mic)

I love being able to hear JT singing RIGHT. THERE.

Another wave from FFE, which I didn't notice at first because I'm an idiot.  He kept waving until I saw him, I guess.  Hi, Steve!

After the show, I just had to take a picture of the locked door.

Somebody forgot to tell the ushers to open this.

Also, Elvis, in Jailhouse Rock pose!  

JeffEvs was strategically positioned outside the ladies' room so that he could hold programs.  Thanks, JeffEvs.  KP went to the box office to get her luggage while we waited for our turn to talk to the guys, and she gave a Thank You card to the house manager for being so nice.

Baggage Claim

Meet and Greet

KP talked to Fred at the sound board, and saw that he had taken his goody bag there, mentioning that he got cookies from me.  He told her that they all got cookies, just to make sure that she knew he wasn't being singled out.  Yeah, Fred, but they didn't bring them on stage to eat them during the show.  :) He kept telling everyone that he'd been up since 2:00 a.m., our time.

There was sheet music for sale, Scott's "Don't Tell Me You Do".  I didn't think I had it.  I'm glad I bought it that night, because Scott said that it was, indeed, new.  I asked him to please not sign over his beautiful face.  KP told him her saga of getting to the show.  He thanked her for the effort.  Weff talked to him about the pets, Cutie and Princess.  I do not think that Scott named them.  He also said that Jesse is now in NY, but attending Florida State via online courses.  Scott said to me, "I heard that you guys had a good time with Steve at your house."  (I thought, "Uh oh").  Then I steered it to tell him that he should come to the house for a house concert, especially because we have a name for it and everything.  He liked the name PellaPosse Palladium.  I told him it was Wendy's idea.  

Sher and her future house guest.  Right, Scott?  Right?!

It was Geo's birthday, and Wendy made signs so that we could send him a joint birthday greeting.  I asked Scott to take the picture.  This is what it's come to, folks.  Pella is taking pictures of us for former Pella. 

Awww, he's still the man.

Ryan showed Wendy a picture of his dog, and she showed him Barney.  He purposefully took a knee on an ottoman to talk to KP.  She said that she noticed he did that because she's short.  He added, "I'm also wearing boots."  He took a selfie when KP asked him to take a picture of our Calvin sandwich.  We talked about the sunglasses that the Sun Bros wore, and he said that he got them through his day job.  She said that she wanted a pair because they're orange and her school colors, and he said he would give her one.  Aw, how sweet!  He wants to make some that labeled "Sun Brothers".  I asked him, "Why is it not Chap-elle?"  He said it used to be, then somebody changed it to Chapel, then somebody was being fancy and added the "E".  He had posted on FB that week that his wife talks in her sleep, and I told him that he needs to see the blog "Sleep Talkin' Man", even though she doesn't post anymore.  He said that the post got more likes than anything else he's every posted.  I told him that my BFF and I had a full-on conversation with each other once after we went to sleep, and her dad told us about it in the morning.  

With the Bass Man

Calvin is happy that his son is now in college.  One down, one to go.  His son is majoring in sports medicine at a small college in Georgia.  When Ryan was taking forever while taking our picture, Calvin was irritated because he was really tired.  KP has the progression of 4 pictures that Ryan took, with Calvin more frown-y in each one.

When KP was talking about the saga of her trip and the number of shows she's attended, Jeff said, "She's reached Platinum status."  Ryan:  "How about Diamond?"  He said that KP was having a good time in the front row.  KP:  "I earned it."  He was telling Weff that he was hungry, and they reminded him about the In-N-Out nearby.  He said that he and Ryan went straight there after they arrived, but still asked how late it was open.  I told him that it was open until 1 a.m., and he got all excited.  He asked me, "Did you bake today?  I'm sure it's delicious, but I'm saving it for the road."  I said, "Well, not today, but yesterday.  I figured that I needed sustenance for the road trip because I was going to be driving a lot, and thought you all might need sustenance too, since you're doing the same thing." He told me that I'm really smart.  Aw, thanks, JT!  He told me that he'd be listening to podcasts, so I should, too.  I asked him what podcasts.  He recommended Bill Maher's show (they do podcasts, too, which I didn't know), and RadioLab.  He said that I would get addicted to RadioLab.  I still need to check it out, but it sounds cool.

Steve asked KP, "What has it been?  Like, a month?"  He said to me, "Hi, Sherry," all cute-like.  Hi!  He brought out his new solo EPs in the goody bag that I gave him.  I was concerned that he ate everything already.  He said that he put them in a different container, so that he could put the EPs in something for me.  (I had asked the folks from the house concert if they wanted me to order for them, so he had a BUNCH of them just for me and my friends).  Then he apologized profusely to Double N for not including him in the Thank Yous, saying that he didn't realize that Double N was a contributor.  He said he owes him one.  I didn't know exactly what he was talking about, except maybe that Double N was one of the core posse contributors for the house concert.  He then told Wendy what all of the pictures were from the disposable camera that she received as her pledge.  His cousins were there, so we let him go and take pictures with them while we got ready to leave.  We ended up seeing him and Ryan in the parking lot as they left with his cousins.  

We went to In-N-Out because we were all pretty much starving.  When we arrived, an employee named Logan was exasperated because #63 was not picking up their order.  KP offered to just take it because she was hungry and was waiting for her food.  He was quite entertaining as he tried different ways of getting #63 to come up and get their darn food already.  Entertaining and still respectful.  It must have been tough for all of them, because a high school football game had just let out, and there were a LOT of customers.  I didn't see anyone wearing marching band apparel, though, so I was disappointed and didn't care about the other kids.  Finally, #63 arrived, and then #80 took forever to pick up their french fries, which might have sent Logan over the edge, because he had to take a break after that, which was AFTER I got my food.  I was #94. We loved Logan.  He was awesome.  While we were eating, KP got excited because somebody was wearing a Varsity jacket with the name "Leonard".  

We went back to the Hawthorn.  I took a look at the credits on Steve's EP.  There's my name!  There's Weff!  He didn't mention Cindy or KP, so I don't know why he felt bad for not listing Double N.  I figured that maybe it was for the get-your-name-in-the-credits pledge that I made, which I paid for, even though it was on Double N's card (pledgemusic payment issues).  I figured I'd tell Steve that he's off the hook with Double N, not that he would really care that much anyway.   KP and I talked for a little while before going to sleep.  I needed to rest.  Long drive in the morning.

Next up:  Reno

Harmonic Journal 09/04/15

Harmonic Journal
Friday, September 4, 2015

"Duel of the Fates" by John Williams

Happy #ForceFriday!

Harmonic Journal 09/03/15

Harmonic Journal
Thursday, September 3, 2015

"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars

Harmonic Journal 09/02/15

Harmonic Journal
Wednesday, September 2, 2015

"Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss, as played by the 2013 Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps

Harmonic Journal 09/01/15

Harmonic Journal
Tuesday, September 1, 2015

"My Life Would Suck Without You" by Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald, and Claude Kelly,as sung by Kelly Clarkson

Harmonic Journal 08/31/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, August 31, 2015

"Please, Mr., Please"  by Bruce Welch and John Rostill, as sung by Olivia Newton-John

Harmonic Journal 08/30/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, August 30, 2015

"Zombie Jamboree" as performed by Rockapella

Harmonic Journal 08/29/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, August 29, 2015

"Orange Blossom Special" by Ervin T. Rouse, as played by Billy Hill and the Hillbillies

Harmonic Journal 08/28/15

Harmonic Journal
Friday, August 28, 2015

"L-O-V-E" by Bert Kaempfert and Milt Gabler, as sung by the Sun Bros.

Harmonic Journal 08/27/15

Harmonic Journal
Thursday, August 27, 2015

"Blueberry Hill" by Vincent Rose, Larry Stock and Al Lewis,  as sung by Fats Domino (and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days)

Harmonic Journal 08/26/15

Harmonic Journal
Wednesday, August 26, 2015

"Let's Hear It For The Boy" from Footloose by Tom Snow and Dean Pitchford, as sung by Deniece Williams

Harmonic Journal 08/25/15

Harmonic Journal
Tuesday, August 25, 2015

"Full Moon Feeling" by Steve Dorian