Zoey Monroe

Just born




















Kitty





Boppy goodness




It's good!
This is how she sleeps when she is completely passed out: arms straight up and frog legs


First bath

Mmm...bacon donuts

Mission Tobacco Lounge

April FOOLS

Let the games begin!



Mmm...leper pizza



My castle by the freeway. What is this? Mexico?



Da da da da da duh duh da da duh...



Seriously?

The Luck O The Half Irish

Another day of searching for gold and replacing my blood with Guinness has come and gone. The cafeteria at OCC was actually serving corned beef and cabbage and, after an eternity of waiting, I consumed it with Irish vigor. A brief nap followed, History class, then a case of Irish milk aka Guinness was procured and later accompanied by yet another case brought over by Cadbury, Matty, and Amanda.
Fiddles were played, beers raced down throats, and many laughs were had. I woke the next morning in my bed, surprised to see that my clothes were off. Veg comes home from the gym and recants how I am a terrible drunk. Apparently I stumbled into his room at 4 am and he woke up to me grabbing his work shoes. Guess I have a drunken shoe fetish? Cherry on top of a fun night.

Pink Parlour Festival

This hottie is the epitome of the Pink Parlour Festival we had the opportunity to play last week. Pink was everywhere as rows upon rows of tables and booths littered with rockabilly inspired clothing, jewelry, and even jams. The event was held at the Santa Anita racetrack and was the first time I had seen a live horse race. After a bass debacle, we watched a sexy runway show that featured a lot of the wares the venue had to offer.








The all female band Rocket rocked the stage before us. Great sound and a lot of energy. We hit the stage in fear of the giant chandelier above us and after a few hiccups we played a concise set and made some new fans. All-in-all a great experience and definitely excited for our upcoming shows!

Hail Queen Mary!!!

Are you serious? 100 bands on 10 stages in two nights? Madness to even conceive. Matt and I park outside the historic Queen Mary and unload our instruments as cat-suited girls and mo hawked guys pass us and have us (?) pose for photos. Guess the suits are working. We meet up with the rest of the Ready For Vegas crew and load our gear down by stage 6 as numerous bands are playing in various corners of the ship. The three floors of the galley were littered with stages, vendors, and food stands. The traffic of bands and fans was immense up and down the multiple flights of stairs and non-working escalators.




Many of the bands were emo-style along with a few rockabilly and scream-o. Only a few of what I heard really stood out. One of such was Red Devil Squadron, a fresh take on classic punk/rock n roll.



As stage 8 screamed 'music' to their awkward fans, we set up and got ready to blow some minds. Ruby and Beulah wore their sequined dancing girls outfits, which got more attention than the other band alone, and the rest of us had our shirts buttoned up and instruments tuned. The last note of stage 8 resonated through the galley and two seconds later the clicks of Dans sticks summoned the start of One Guy. Our horn sections load had been lightened by the lack of Lackey and was tight and collected while accenting Ruby's wailing voice. The beats were held tight by Dan and Beulah kept the bass in check. Chris's guitar echoed during Mikey's ripping solos. The crowd grew and grew until the sides of the stage were overflowing with patrons. Our set was cut short due to the massive time restrains but what was played was awesome! Many new fans made and pictures taken we unloaded, shed unnecessary layers and enjoyed a few other bands before disembarking the ship.



A few texts and calls later, we joined some friends at the Slidebar in Fullerton to catch Starpool at midnight. They always put on a great show. While in line for the bathroom I saw a shadowbox of Save Ferris signed by the majority of the band I was there to see. Surreal. The original drummer for Save Ferris was there and joined them to play a few old songs sung by random audience members.



A great night and another great show with Ready For Vegas.

Flying ghetto at the Airliner

Our equipment rocks and settles behind me making clicks and rattles like an old house in anticipation of playing. I'm surprised by the amount of traffic there is on a early Sunday night and come to find that a roadkill coyote is the culprit. After diverging around the sporadic parking lots of traffic we finally reach the Airliner, a unique bar nested between nothing and next to nothing. At least it was right off the freeway. Tonight both of my bands play: Stupid Flanders and Ready For Vegas. RFV goes on first on the tiny stage tucked in on the left before the bathroom. The stage upstairs is much larger and another one outside would be much more ideal, but we'll take what is give. A few new faces joined us in the crowd and the set went great. Heads bopping and hips swaying to the lounge rock n roll.
The Decision were up next, a punk rock girl-powered band with a lot of style, then our old friends Failed To Victory. As I changed outfits for my set with SF, I was serenaded by a drunken transient doing a performance in front of a 99 cent store across the street. Black shirt and tie donned I joined my fellow Flanders on our little stage. The clock read midnight and most of the crowd had left already. The remainder was just friends and family. We cut a song or two and focused on the new songs to give them a chance to reach new ears. A few laughs were had and all-in-all a good night. Taco Bell put the cherry on top of a double duty evening.

House of Blues in detailio

Image via Wikipedia

The view from the cheap seats

Beulah, Ruby, and Mikey

Our eclectic Horns

Most of the band

So my Valentines Day treat came a few days early when I had the pleasure of playing at the House of Blues Anaheim with Ready For Vegas. HOB has been my top venue of desire to play at for the last decade or so. So many amazing acts have graced that stage, many of which have inspired and shaped my musical prowess, as it were. Matt and I park around back at the well guarded band entrance and take the elevator backstage. The rest of my fellow band mates wait anxiously as our call time creeps closer. Our intimate greenroom is shared by all the other bands but we manage to take it over. The ladies do their hair and makeup as the guys wax idiotic about chicken tenders and Bryans sweatshirt. So much history is tied to this place and I am backstage soaking it all in.

After a brief all-band meeting, we get everything ready and take a few sips of my pre-show Jack. No more time to be scared or nervous, the 20' tall patchwork curtains are parting. I scan the room, then my music, then the room again in search of friends whom are scattered everywhere. The sound and lighting was unreal. This is most definitely not a hole-in-the-wall operation. Our set goes off nearly flawless minus the usual hick-ups. Mikey had to Macgyver his guitar strap with screwdrivers and duct tape mere seconds before we began. After a great set we joined our friends on the balcony for drinks and fries. An unbelievable night to say the least.