Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A-Rod, Michael Phelps, and Chris Brown
So it's been a crazy week for these three men. One had a photograph surface of him smoking marijuana, one had a positive steroid test released from 6 years ago, and one allegedly beat is famous girlfriend and then left her on the side of the road. Phelps and Brown have had several sponsors and upcoming performances dropped, Brown has yet to make a comment (but charges have been confirmed), and A-Rod came out and fessed up to the Performance Enhancing Drug use.
Let's start with Phelps. Already with a DUI on his record, this isn't the first time Phelps' partying has gotten him in trouble. This time it was not a run in with the law, but a perhaps jealous or greedy party attendee that decided Phelps fate. Let's be honest, he isn't Bode Miller who has become infamous for his partying, he's a 23 year old who has set world records and won tons of medals for his country. As a result of his success, he has been put up on a pedestal to be a role model for young people. One commentator said that while he has been put in this position it is not necessarily a position he asked to be in. He accepted endorsements and in many ways was a representation of what hard work and determination will get you. So he's celebrating his accomplishments. Did his smoking marijuana that night take away from what he's done? Probably not. One comedian said parents are concerned about what to tell their kids when they ask if they can smoke marijuana like Michael Phelps and her response was "When you win 8 gold medals for your country you can smoke all the marijuana you want?" Marijuana in many states (such as Massachusetts) is slowly becoming decriminalized. I do not think that Michael Phelps career should be over over this. I don't even know if he should have been suspended, but I guess that had to make a statement. Luckily for them, the statement comes at a time when he wouldn't normally be competing for them.
Up next A-Rod (see also A-Roid, A-Hole, A-Fraud, etc). Was I disappointed when I read that A-Rod had tested positive for steroids? A little bit. Was I surprised? Not at all. Baseball is the one sport where I don't think I'd be surprised if there was a list of 104 players who tested negative for steroids. I think A-Rod's smartest move was coming forward and saying, yes I did it. I took Performance Enhancing Drugs, I didn't necessarily know what I was putting in my body, but I knew it would help me compete at a higher level. I can't believe how excited Red Sox nation was about this revelation. I'm sure if A-Rod had ended up on the Red Sox, they wouldn't be so happy about it. Again though the issue is this information was leaked. Someone with a vendetta against A-Rod or maybe the Yankees took it upon themselves to make it known 1/104 positive test results to the world. If they were concerned for the state of baseball they might have chosen to release all the names, but oddly enough they chose only one. Some are calling for the release of the other names (Curt Schilling) while others are probably shaking in their boots. I think that if we keep sweeping this under the rug it's just going to keep going. Perhaps we just put it all there and start with a clean slate. Some people will probably choose to deny it and others might admit it like A-Rod, but to punish A-Rod now is just not fair. After at the time of this testing non of the substances he tested positive for were banned by the MLB. It will be interesting as teams start reporting to Spring Training the end of this week how things progress.
Chris Brown, 20 years old, on the top of the world. Hit singles, Top 40 dominating collaborations, and a pop princess for a girlfriend. Then something went terribly wrong. While there are limited details and tons of speculation this much is known, after leaving a pre-Grammy party Chris Brown and Rihanna got into and argument that quickly escalated. It moved from the car to the park where Brown allegedly attacked Rihanna and left her on the side of the road. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. Is this the end of Chris Brown? No. Is it the end of his clean cut image? Probably. Brown is talented and an assault charge and possibly jail time isn't going to change that. People will forever think differently of him, but I'm sure it isn't the end of Chris Brown. Rihanna will come out with a killer album with Supergirl attitude and rise back to the charts, this isn't the end of her either. Domestic abuse isn't a laughing matter, but the sad part is that millions of people are involved in domestic abuse every single day. They don't have the support that Rihanna has and they don't have the money for attorney's that Chris Brown does.
All of these stories happen to ordinary people everyday. I work at Berklee with a ton of musicians, do people smoke pot? Yup. Do they have multimillion dollar endorsement deals? No, but does that make them any better or worse as people? (Financially is a whole different story.) I go to the gym almost daily, I don't necessarily know people who use performance enhancing drugs, but do they exist for sure. Are they setting records? No, but are they trying to out do the next guy or live up to a public image? And Chris Brown, Ike Turner, Bobby Brown and other celebrity's who let money and power get the best of them, their actions are not justified or acceptable, but let's remember we don't know the whole story. We're just reading all of this through the eyes and ears of 'sources' and tabloids.
Heading home for a couple days this weekend for much needed family time.
-Sh
Let's start with Phelps. Already with a DUI on his record, this isn't the first time Phelps' partying has gotten him in trouble. This time it was not a run in with the law, but a perhaps jealous or greedy party attendee that decided Phelps fate. Let's be honest, he isn't Bode Miller who has become infamous for his partying, he's a 23 year old who has set world records and won tons of medals for his country. As a result of his success, he has been put up on a pedestal to be a role model for young people. One commentator said that while he has been put in this position it is not necessarily a position he asked to be in. He accepted endorsements and in many ways was a representation of what hard work and determination will get you. So he's celebrating his accomplishments. Did his smoking marijuana that night take away from what he's done? Probably not. One comedian said parents are concerned about what to tell their kids when they ask if they can smoke marijuana like Michael Phelps and her response was "When you win 8 gold medals for your country you can smoke all the marijuana you want?" Marijuana in many states (such as Massachusetts) is slowly becoming decriminalized. I do not think that Michael Phelps career should be over over this. I don't even know if he should have been suspended, but I guess that had to make a statement. Luckily for them, the statement comes at a time when he wouldn't normally be competing for them.
Up next A-Rod (see also A-Roid, A-Hole, A-Fraud, etc). Was I disappointed when I read that A-Rod had tested positive for steroids? A little bit. Was I surprised? Not at all. Baseball is the one sport where I don't think I'd be surprised if there was a list of 104 players who tested negative for steroids. I think A-Rod's smartest move was coming forward and saying, yes I did it. I took Performance Enhancing Drugs, I didn't necessarily know what I was putting in my body, but I knew it would help me compete at a higher level. I can't believe how excited Red Sox nation was about this revelation. I'm sure if A-Rod had ended up on the Red Sox, they wouldn't be so happy about it. Again though the issue is this information was leaked. Someone with a vendetta against A-Rod or maybe the Yankees took it upon themselves to make it known 1/104 positive test results to the world. If they were concerned for the state of baseball they might have chosen to release all the names, but oddly enough they chose only one. Some are calling for the release of the other names (Curt Schilling) while others are probably shaking in their boots. I think that if we keep sweeping this under the rug it's just going to keep going. Perhaps we just put it all there and start with a clean slate. Some people will probably choose to deny it and others might admit it like A-Rod, but to punish A-Rod now is just not fair. After at the time of this testing non of the substances he tested positive for were banned by the MLB. It will be interesting as teams start reporting to Spring Training the end of this week how things progress.
Chris Brown, 20 years old, on the top of the world. Hit singles, Top 40 dominating collaborations, and a pop princess for a girlfriend. Then something went terribly wrong. While there are limited details and tons of speculation this much is known, after leaving a pre-Grammy party Chris Brown and Rihanna got into and argument that quickly escalated. It moved from the car to the park where Brown allegedly attacked Rihanna and left her on the side of the road. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. Is this the end of Chris Brown? No. Is it the end of his clean cut image? Probably. Brown is talented and an assault charge and possibly jail time isn't going to change that. People will forever think differently of him, but I'm sure it isn't the end of Chris Brown. Rihanna will come out with a killer album with Supergirl attitude and rise back to the charts, this isn't the end of her either. Domestic abuse isn't a laughing matter, but the sad part is that millions of people are involved in domestic abuse every single day. They don't have the support that Rihanna has and they don't have the money for attorney's that Chris Brown does.
All of these stories happen to ordinary people everyday. I work at Berklee with a ton of musicians, do people smoke pot? Yup. Do they have multimillion dollar endorsement deals? No, but does that make them any better or worse as people? (Financially is a whole different story.) I go to the gym almost daily, I don't necessarily know people who use performance enhancing drugs, but do they exist for sure. Are they setting records? No, but are they trying to out do the next guy or live up to a public image? And Chris Brown, Ike Turner, Bobby Brown and other celebrity's who let money and power get the best of them, their actions are not justified or acceptable, but let's remember we don't know the whole story. We're just reading all of this through the eyes and ears of 'sources' and tabloids.
Heading home for a couple days this weekend for much needed family time.
-Sh
Thursday, February 5, 2009
25 Things You Might Not Know About Me.
Ok so, for those of you not on facebook, or not on my friend (you are really missing out), there is a thing going around where you write 25 things about yourself that people may or may not know. Then you include 25 other people and they have to do it. It's like an epidemic and I was bound to catch it, so I felt like I would share all with you. Enjoy!
1.) Music is my life, even though I'm not musical. If I had the time and effort I would learn and instrument, I still might.
2.) Along those lines I have an unnatural and sometimes creepy obsession with Bruce Springsteen. I blame my Aunt and Mike. The first time I heard him I sat outside Fenway Park freshmen year of college. Mike took me to my first show, my aunt was with me on my 21st birthday for my 3rd show and my best friend and I got soaked before my 4th show at Gillette Stadium.
3.) My best friends are like family. I'd do anything for them. Sometimes even if it's detrimental to me.
4.) I lived in Australia and it was some of the best and worst times of my life.
5.) I want a tattoo, but I'm afraid that I'll get one and then I'll be covered.
6.) I'm a Gemini (Some may read bi-polar)
7.) I love to travel and if I was independently wealthy, I would constantly be on the move.
8.) I enjoy cooking and I do it pretty often.
9.) My parents are two of the greatest people I know and sometimes I hope they outlive me.
10.) I will live in NYC again.
11.) It was once a life goal to be on the Real World and I've been to multiple casting calls. When I was in Australia Real World was too and I hung out with them, and bought a couple rounds of drinks before they told me they have an alcohol budget. I bummed a cigarette of Isaac. I did not make it on TV.
12.) I auditioned to be an MTV VJ, then they got rid of music on MTV.
13.) More often than not I work out to really embarrassing pop music.
14.) I've been working on a movie script/TV pilot for years, someday I might just finish it.
15.) I'm really 5 11 and 3/4 but I tell everyone I'm 6'. Sometimes I wish I was taller.
16.) There are very few things I regret in life. Although I regret not trying harder sometimes.
17.) I may or may not have a gambling problem. I once lost a $100 and lied about it. I once spent 2hours driving between different gas stations buying scratch tickets because if I won I refused to go back to the same place twice. I went to the Casino or played poker EVERY night in Australia. I was broke.
18.) I started a blog to share my thoughts with the world. I have a journal to write my thoughts that I will probably never share.
19.) If I'm not drinking Bud or Guinness, it's Jack and Coke or Soco. (Or water, I'm not that bad, anymore)
20.) I'm not a 'typical frat guy' but my Fraternity experiences are very much a part of who I am today.
21.) I wish I were Peter Pan, not because of the tights and weird hat, but because he could fly and never had to grow up, and to be honest growing up sucks.
22.) I think the only time I've ever cried watching a TV was the episode of ER where Mark Greene dies. Devastating.
23.) I hate the thought of teeth. If I hear about someone cracking a tooth or root canals I get the chills. I also have recurring dreams where I'm brushing my teeth or flossing and my teeth fall out one at a time.
24.) I hate cold weather and don't know why I've chosen to stay in the Northeast for so long. I'd rather be hot than cold any day.
25.) I sing in the shower, sometimes at the top of my lungs. I catch myself thinking out loud sometimes. This was way harder than I thought.
1.) Music is my life, even though I'm not musical. If I had the time and effort I would learn and instrument, I still might.
2.) Along those lines I have an unnatural and sometimes creepy obsession with Bruce Springsteen. I blame my Aunt and Mike. The first time I heard him I sat outside Fenway Park freshmen year of college. Mike took me to my first show, my aunt was with me on my 21st birthday for my 3rd show and my best friend and I got soaked before my 4th show at Gillette Stadium.
3.) My best friends are like family. I'd do anything for them. Sometimes even if it's detrimental to me.
4.) I lived in Australia and it was some of the best and worst times of my life.
5.) I want a tattoo, but I'm afraid that I'll get one and then I'll be covered.
6.) I'm a Gemini (Some may read bi-polar)
7.) I love to travel and if I was independently wealthy, I would constantly be on the move.
8.) I enjoy cooking and I do it pretty often.
9.) My parents are two of the greatest people I know and sometimes I hope they outlive me.
10.) I will live in NYC again.
11.) It was once a life goal to be on the Real World and I've been to multiple casting calls. When I was in Australia Real World was too and I hung out with them, and bought a couple rounds of drinks before they told me they have an alcohol budget. I bummed a cigarette of Isaac. I did not make it on TV.
12.) I auditioned to be an MTV VJ, then they got rid of music on MTV.
13.) More often than not I work out to really embarrassing pop music.
14.) I've been working on a movie script/TV pilot for years, someday I might just finish it.
15.) I'm really 5 11 and 3/4 but I tell everyone I'm 6'. Sometimes I wish I was taller.
16.) There are very few things I regret in life. Although I regret not trying harder sometimes.
17.) I may or may not have a gambling problem. I once lost a $100 and lied about it. I once spent 2hours driving between different gas stations buying scratch tickets because if I won I refused to go back to the same place twice. I went to the Casino or played poker EVERY night in Australia. I was broke.
18.) I started a blog to share my thoughts with the world. I have a journal to write my thoughts that I will probably never share.
19.) If I'm not drinking Bud or Guinness, it's Jack and Coke or Soco. (Or water, I'm not that bad, anymore)
20.) I'm not a 'typical frat guy' but my Fraternity experiences are very much a part of who I am today.
21.) I wish I were Peter Pan, not because of the tights and weird hat, but because he could fly and never had to grow up, and to be honest growing up sucks.
22.) I think the only time I've ever cried watching a TV was the episode of ER where Mark Greene dies. Devastating.
23.) I hate the thought of teeth. If I hear about someone cracking a tooth or root canals I get the chills. I also have recurring dreams where I'm brushing my teeth or flossing and my teeth fall out one at a time.
24.) I hate cold weather and don't know why I've chosen to stay in the Northeast for so long. I'd rather be hot than cold any day.
25.) I sing in the shower, sometimes at the top of my lungs. I catch myself thinking out loud sometimes. This was way harder than I thought.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Sun is back!
The sun is back, but it's still super cold out. Definitely ready for some warm weather. Looking forward to my work trip to Austin, TX in March. I'm going down for the music conference/festival known as South By Southwest. It's going to be awesome. Tons of up and coming bands that I've been wanting to check out, plus some panels/presentations from Quincy Jones and Steven Van Zandt (Miami Steve/Little Steven). This weekend I'm hoping to get tickets to the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee which I've been wanting to go to since it started and I think this year I'm just going to get tickets and go. It's not until June, but Bruce and the Band are headlining one night and Phish on two nights with a million other bands. Time to buy a tent :)
-Sh
-Sh
Monday, February 2, 2009
Superbowl
So because I had no attachment to either team in the Super Bowl this year, I was of course excited that the one and only Bruce Springsteen would be providing the halftime entertainment this year. According to several reports requests for his performance date back almost 30 years. It was only see bands such as The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty 'legitimize' the performance that he agreed to do it. Oh and he has a new album and world tour coming up. It's a different world in the music industry and I wouldn't consider it 'selling out', more making a smart business move. Bruce promised that the show would be like you got stuck on the Jersey Turnpike and circled for two and half hours and only made into his concert for the last 12 minutes. He held his promise. A silhouette of the boss and the Big Man reminiscence (but not quite) of the cover of the Born to Run album started the show and it was right into "10th Avenue Freezeout", the tale of how the E-Street Band came to be. Next a trimmed down "Born to Run". All the time the energy was as if backstage they had been playing for a few hours. The new Working On A Dream was a small bump in the road, but showcased his new stuff, backed by a full choir. Then it was right back to the "Glory Day". 'Speedball' became 'Hail Mary' and the momentum was back. It truly was Boss Time and if they let him go, he probably could have played into overtime, but no it came to an end. From "Is Anybody Alive Out There?" on top of Roy's piano, to his knee slide (into the cameraman) and jumping right out into the crowd, the whole world got a taste of the E Street Experience. Oh did I mention he'll be 60 in September.
Let's back it up a few though. Jennifer Hudson's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner was phenomenal. I don't think people are saying that because she's overcome so much and they wanted her to do so well, but because she actually blew that song out of the water. I saw a survey comparing her to the Whitney Houston rendition from 1991 and she was winning by almost a 50% margin. She is truly a talented vocalist and she may not have had the popular vote on American Idol, but she will be very successful and perhaps our generations Whitney Houston.
The game was pretty unexciting to start, but as it got closer to the end I was really pulling for the Cardinals. That last touchdown was awesome, except I knew that there was way too much time on the clock for the Steelers. I still think the last fumble was a incomplete pass, but I'm not an official. Congrats to the Steelers on a job well done. I heard a report earlier last week that if they won, the city of Pittsburgh was not sure if they would be able to throw them a celebration based on the state of the economy and the budget in Pittsburgh. I hope that they are able to do something at least for the fans.
Overall it was a good night. Can't wait to see Springsteen on tour. Apparently the scalpers were watching the Superbowl too, tickets are already going for between $100 to $1000 above face value. They went onsale 4 hours ago.
-Sh
Let's back it up a few though. Jennifer Hudson's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner was phenomenal. I don't think people are saying that because she's overcome so much and they wanted her to do so well, but because she actually blew that song out of the water. I saw a survey comparing her to the Whitney Houston rendition from 1991 and she was winning by almost a 50% margin. She is truly a talented vocalist and she may not have had the popular vote on American Idol, but she will be very successful and perhaps our generations Whitney Houston.
The game was pretty unexciting to start, but as it got closer to the end I was really pulling for the Cardinals. That last touchdown was awesome, except I knew that there was way too much time on the clock for the Steelers. I still think the last fumble was a incomplete pass, but I'm not an official. Congrats to the Steelers on a job well done. I heard a report earlier last week that if they won, the city of Pittsburgh was not sure if they would be able to throw them a celebration based on the state of the economy and the budget in Pittsburgh. I hope that they are able to do something at least for the fans.
Overall it was a good night. Can't wait to see Springsteen on tour. Apparently the scalpers were watching the Superbowl too, tickets are already going for between $100 to $1000 above face value. They went onsale 4 hours ago.
-Sh
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Weather
I hate this weather. It's cold and rain and snowy and sleety (if that's a word). It's nasty. I don't know a single person who enjoys this weather. I'm looking forward to warm weather again. It sucks, I don't want to wish time away but seriously enough with winter.
You know how bad it must be if I'm writing about the weather. I usually tend to hold off until I have something meaningful to write about but it was like today was just awful. I didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't want to go to work. I would have been content just hanging on the couch. From the moment the snow turned from snow to rain the day just seemed to go downhill. So many things have been falling into place lately and I just have to strange sense of ying and yang and balance because it seems for everything that seems to fall into place something else somewhere falls apart or gets knocked around.
I guess what I'm looking for is some consistency and some sun. I watch Lost and I see how crazy things are with the time warps and whatever is going on (if you've figured it out, please let me know). And sometimes I wish I could go back in time. Not that I would change anything, but to go back and enjoy something that I took for granted. Maybe be more aware of my surroundings. We are really lucky to be able to look back learn from the past and reminisce about things that you did.
I used to be a yes man. I would say yes to anything, I used to be the good cop, I feel like I used to be fun and I'm not anymore. I'm constantly saying no, or constantly have to be the bad cop and the hard ass and I hate it. I prefer the go with the flow, kick back and relax, take things as they come attitude. Lately I'm so tense and annoyed and short. It's not fun to be the responsible one. I can't possibly go to the gym anymore. Maybe I need yoga or something. Maybe I just need to have a social life. I've been going back to Conor's the past couple weeks and it's awesome. I thought I'd be the creep old guy back at the college bar, but the great thing about NU is that I'm definitely not the oldest guy, and the best thing about Conor's is I'm definitely not the creepiest. I guess I want to go back to being fun me. I don't feel like I'm fun anymore and that sucks.
This past weekend I will say I did go to a Chinese New Years party and had a really great time. I laughed harder than I've laughed in a really long time. It was at Sarah's house and she has an 8x11 photo of Liz and I at a prom on her night stand. Well I don't think it's prominent enough in her room, so I took down the cross over her bed and put up our picture. Before I left, I made sure to point it out and we laughed so hard our stomachs hurt. But then I missed the last train in the city, so there is that balance thing again.
I think while coop was awesome and I had a great experience it kind of messes with your head. Or at least mine. I had this idea that you work your ass off to prove yourself for 6 months, you make some great connections and great friends and then you go back to class. I think it's finally sinking in that there is no going back to class. This is it. I'm in the real world. I've never really done well staying in one place for an extended amount of time and it's getting that time and I'm getting the itch, but now I don't have that freedom I had in school. I have responsibilities and obligations and people that rely on me. Sometimes that really sucks
Also I need boots, because my feet are wet and have been since I got to work. Today sucked.
-Sh
(Sorry I used suck so many times Mom. Sometimes it's just necessary.)
You know how bad it must be if I'm writing about the weather. I usually tend to hold off until I have something meaningful to write about but it was like today was just awful. I didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't want to go to work. I would have been content just hanging on the couch. From the moment the snow turned from snow to rain the day just seemed to go downhill. So many things have been falling into place lately and I just have to strange sense of ying and yang and balance because it seems for everything that seems to fall into place something else somewhere falls apart or gets knocked around.
I guess what I'm looking for is some consistency and some sun. I watch Lost and I see how crazy things are with the time warps and whatever is going on (if you've figured it out, please let me know). And sometimes I wish I could go back in time. Not that I would change anything, but to go back and enjoy something that I took for granted. Maybe be more aware of my surroundings. We are really lucky to be able to look back learn from the past and reminisce about things that you did.
I used to be a yes man. I would say yes to anything, I used to be the good cop, I feel like I used to be fun and I'm not anymore. I'm constantly saying no, or constantly have to be the bad cop and the hard ass and I hate it. I prefer the go with the flow, kick back and relax, take things as they come attitude. Lately I'm so tense and annoyed and short. It's not fun to be the responsible one. I can't possibly go to the gym anymore. Maybe I need yoga or something. Maybe I just need to have a social life. I've been going back to Conor's the past couple weeks and it's awesome. I thought I'd be the creep old guy back at the college bar, but the great thing about NU is that I'm definitely not the oldest guy, and the best thing about Conor's is I'm definitely not the creepiest. I guess I want to go back to being fun me. I don't feel like I'm fun anymore and that sucks.
This past weekend I will say I did go to a Chinese New Years party and had a really great time. I laughed harder than I've laughed in a really long time. It was at Sarah's house and she has an 8x11 photo of Liz and I at a prom on her night stand. Well I don't think it's prominent enough in her room, so I took down the cross over her bed and put up our picture. Before I left, I made sure to point it out and we laughed so hard our stomachs hurt. But then I missed the last train in the city, so there is that balance thing again.
I think while coop was awesome and I had a great experience it kind of messes with your head. Or at least mine. I had this idea that you work your ass off to prove yourself for 6 months, you make some great connections and great friends and then you go back to class. I think it's finally sinking in that there is no going back to class. This is it. I'm in the real world. I've never really done well staying in one place for an extended amount of time and it's getting that time and I'm getting the itch, but now I don't have that freedom I had in school. I have responsibilities and obligations and people that rely on me. Sometimes that really sucks
Also I need boots, because my feet are wet and have been since I got to work. Today sucked.
-Sh
(Sorry I used suck so many times Mom. Sometimes it's just necessary.)
Friday, January 23, 2009
REVIEW: Ryan Cabrera and Jesse Ruben at The Red Room @ Cafe 939 1/22/09
The first girls arrived at noon and they were also the last to leave. "But Ryan always does load-ins at 2PM". This was a sign that the night was either going to be a disastrous mess of teenage crazed fans or that it was going to be die-hard fans provided the background for a great show. It was definitely the latter.
While most casual fans might know him as the former boyfriend of Ashlee Simpson, Cabrera has tried hard to shake himself of the Simpson clan (including manager-dad Joe) and get back to making catchy pop-rock, which rang true on Thursday night. A mix of old and new, Ryan came out to the stage having cleaned up from his recent longer hair goatee look with just a his guitar and friend/opener Zach Hexum. Zach provided some backing vocals, guitar and sax support, but it was all eyes on Ryan. Hits like "On The Way Down" "True" and "Shine On" were sing-a-longs and most of the crowd knew more than that. The energy was high for a stripped down show and you wouldn't know that this was only the second night of the tour. On a cover of Paul Simon's "Call Me Al" Ryan brought out friend G. Love (of G. Love and Special Sauce) to play some harmonica. After the show, Ryan stayed and signed something and met everyone who wanted to meet him. When I first saw Ryan in 2004 opening for Jewel he did the same thing. In a cutthroat business, it's nice to see an artist who still appreciates and respects the fans.
Jesse Ruben's set kept the audience captivated with his melodic tunes. A Berklee alum and no stranger to the stage at The Red Room, Jesse hit the crowd with humourous chatter and songs "Lack of Armor", "Impossible to Find", and my personal favorite "Advice". If I was a gambling man, (and if you don't know that I am by now you obviously don't know me) I'd say Jesse is going somewhere and you should check out his music on his myspace or catch him on tour. www.myspace.com/jesserubenmusic
While most casual fans might know him as the former boyfriend of Ashlee Simpson, Cabrera has tried hard to shake himself of the Simpson clan (including manager-dad Joe) and get back to making catchy pop-rock, which rang true on Thursday night. A mix of old and new, Ryan came out to the stage having cleaned up from his recent longer hair goatee look with just a his guitar and friend/opener Zach Hexum. Zach provided some backing vocals, guitar and sax support, but it was all eyes on Ryan. Hits like "On The Way Down" "True" and "Shine On" were sing-a-longs and most of the crowd knew more than that. The energy was high for a stripped down show and you wouldn't know that this was only the second night of the tour. On a cover of Paul Simon's "Call Me Al" Ryan brought out friend G. Love (of G. Love and Special Sauce) to play some harmonica. After the show, Ryan stayed and signed something and met everyone who wanted to meet him. When I first saw Ryan in 2004 opening for Jewel he did the same thing. In a cutthroat business, it's nice to see an artist who still appreciates and respects the fans.
Jesse Ruben's set kept the audience captivated with his melodic tunes. A Berklee alum and no stranger to the stage at The Red Room, Jesse hit the crowd with humourous chatter and songs "Lack of Armor", "Impossible to Find", and my personal favorite "Advice". If I was a gambling man, (and if you don't know that I am by now you obviously don't know me) I'd say Jesse is going somewhere and you should check out his music on his myspace or catch him on tour. www.myspace.com/jesserubenmusic
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