Stuff and Junk

BLISS has a new sponsor, Venom Energy Drink.
25 calories a serving, and lots of good flavors.
The grape mixes well with vodka.

Our T-shirts are cool but whoever printed the banners must have quit work at 4:20, because the band's logo should be the main focus instead of getting tacked-on in the bottom corner.
Hopefully, this relationship will feature a little more attention-to-detail in the future.



My roadies tonight were Halloweiners.

This is a perfect example of how NOT to do it.

A Beautiful Mess

Our New Band debuted last Sunday at PediCab on Cevallos (next to LaTuna near Blue Star)
When BLISS is over early next year, A Beautiful Mess will be ready to keep me busy--on Sunday we had an opening act and only played 1 set.

Steve and I have worked together with The Hollering, Simmons Allison Group, The BeWires, The Hitmen, BLISS, Loud Nine, and a few more acts over the past 20-odd years.
We both consider ourselves lucky to have found a partner in music that is at the top of their respective job in South Texas, and we're also great friends.
Basically, he joins bands and when their soundman proves to be a tool I get the call and stay until the band breaks up years later.

John is from Kerrville, and is perfect for the new band's country/rock sound and look.

Valentino knows a billion songs and is quite a character.
Put a nice shirt on this guy and we have a star.

The opening act was an all-woman band whose name escapes me, but they were alright. The crowd at PediCab loved them.
Our set ignited more dancing, since it was now dark and our music was less serious and the beat was far more infectious.

Rikk is in charge, and it's been a real pleasure to work with him over the last few years. We have that mind-reading thing going, so the work gets done with minimal aggravation and always to our shared professional standards.

I worked with Stephanie for over a year and it was great to hear her sing again.
It's about time she found a band that's going to be able to bring her talents to a wider audience.



I suggested "Gravel Avenue" as a name for the new band, but it didn't make the final cut.
I'm going on record right now as claiming that name for future projects.


Halloween preparations are proceeding nicely.
I have work to do tonight on one of the scenes, and have started buying candy.
So far I have Snickers, Starburst, and Skittles, but the bowl must have a hole in the bottom because it doesn't look as full as it did a few days ago.

No More Chalk After This

I used to own a mini-Marshall amp. My Peavey practice amp sounded much better, so I sold it.


Yes please cheese.

These bike adverts were everywhere. Notice the motorcycle batteries used to power the internal lights.





I waited for a long time to get anything decent from this artist, but we both failed.
She was using a Roomba to drag her chalks around but instead of embracing the random nature of this device, was hovering over it with the remote trying to control it.
Etch-A-Sketch at best.
Roombas aren't heavy enough to provide the required downward pressure, so the chalk lines were wimpier than a 2-year-old's worst efforts.
We were on a very tight schedule (how did I get so many pix in under an hour?) and I had to wait while she changed batteries then either stand in my way or drive the thing into the shadows.
To add insult to WTF?, her "canvas" was the very best location that usually hosts the top showcase artists.
I was expecting a masterpiece on this corner, and saw nothing.

We were asked to be on the volunteer staff this year but couldn't do it.
Next year, I really hope we can.

Chalk 2 +

Some more photos from Chalk It Up! 2010:

A guy in my camera club met this guy in a bar that night and drank beer with him for hours.













The stolen chair project continues:
That's the largest wooden roller coaster in Texas back there, so obviously I was parked behing Neiman Marcus.



When did my visitor counter pass 50,000?
Last time I looked it was at half that, and I'm pretty sure that it only passed 20K less than two years ago.

Chalk It Up! (6 years in a row)

I started this blog in early 2005, and that October we first heard about Chalk It Up! and decided to check it out.
Been back every year since, and there are more photos of it than any other annual event including the rodeo.
Last year it took me four posts to show them all, but I'll try to do it in 3 for 2010.



The late great Linda Pace, of Pace Picante Sauce fame, started this whole thing among many other art projects and endowments.





Chalk Tacos





I see funnel cake

More to come...



At tonight's show, during the first break I spotted a suspicious drunk sitting on our stage...
He kept losing track of our tip jar, then finding it again and trying to move it behind him without anyone noticing.
I noticed.
After telling the guitarist to "watch this!" I went back to the stage and somehow a wad of bills had moved from the jar to the dude's shirt pocket!
(Hanging out in a wad, I might add).
I snatched back our money and tore him a new asshole, then got the rent-a-cops involved, and they also had a ball with this idiot. Threatening him with jail if he didn't confess, calling him an ungrateful bitch for stealing from the band, etc.
Meanwhile, his friend tried to explain to me how "he has a good job and doesn't need to steal", which didn't hold much weight against me actually seeing him do it.
On my recommendation he got sent home with a stern warning.
If I see him again, no mercy.

Introspection (Looking Inside)

I've had this photo rattling around in my head for well over a year and tonight I finally decided to just give it a try, fully expecting to learn something but then have to do the whole thing over.
But it turned out just like I imagined, and was far easier to make than expected.
10-15 minutes was all it took, with a handful of lighting tests, three exposures to get one of me I could live with, then 4 or five of the skull to get it placed exactly where it belongs so I didn't have to screw around in PhotoShop for an hour.



I wish I had so many teeth!

It's been a LONG time since I posted anything on Flickr or changed my FaceBook profile picture, so that's why I got off my ass and finally just did it.

Got A SPURS Fix Today

For the second time in recent memory, server error caused me to get a LOT more bacon with my breakfast than I ordered. Oh darn.

Fortified by my extra pig meat, I braved the crowds on too-little sleep to see the SPURS practice at the ATT Center.
Free parking, free admission, this little gift to the fans is a yearly ritual for us.
$1 hotdogs and sodas.
With training camp only just begun it's a very early look at all the new faces, many of whom will likely be gone before the season starts.

And it's nice to see the vets out having fun.



I was bummed when Tiago Splitter hurt an obsolete tendon and had to sit out. The best player in the Spanish league last season, we've been waiting for him for years.

I didn't know what the Coyote was doing until reviewing pix in the car. Just...wow!

Did I mention that the place was infested with little kids?
Most were of an age where they won't rate a paid ticket during the regular season, so it was nice that families can give 'em a taste of the excitement.








More than once I just closed my eyes and reveled in the sounds and smells of a game.
Almost brought a tear to my eye--I love my team and city so much.

If anyone cares, the Blacks beat the Silvers with George Hill and DeJuan Blair putting up the most points out of all the SPURS.
James Gist, Alonzo Gee, and Garrett Temple showed a lot of hustle.
McDyess and Jefferson looked more comfortable than last year.
Coach Popovich was funny as usual, and it was great to see the return of Jacque Vaughn on the coaching staff. He's a school for our young guards, and will be a big help (for less money than Avery Johnson).


Afterwards, we went to DQ for mini-Blizzards and onion rings.

"The Chair" and Halloween Preparations

Now that we have a truck, I've been trying to remember to drag the bar stool around with me so I can add location pictures to the project.



Halloween will be here before too long, so I'm already planning this year's upgrades(?) to the show:

I'm trying to increase my use of sound this year, and last night thought of a way to assemble some spare parts laying around for a new gag on the trick-or-treaters.
Wired and tested successfully tonight.

Not your typical "spooky" trick--more like a life lesson.