The Best Birthday Ever: Birds And Arrows, Free Electric State and Gray Young - Tir Na Nog - 07/21/11

(quick pre-note, pics in this entry are much smaller than usual, as there are way more pictures than usual. click the images to embiggen in a separate window!) 

This morning I woke up in my old bedroom in my parents house, as my mother had doctor appointments today which required her to have a chauffeur. As we sat at the kitchen table sipping our identical coffees (which we both destroy with countless Splendas and too-much-cream,) we chatted about the news and typical things. she then remembered suddenly to show me the scrapbook she has been making for my now 10 year old niece. (this is ironic, because I'm fairly certain my mom doesn't know it, but I've been keeping a journal for my niece since before she was born, telling her all about her life and stories about her family as well.) Mom brought out the scrapbook and it is filled with my niece's silly drawings and comics and stories she has written over the years. Mom smiled at me and asked, "guess who she gets this from." We didn't have to say anything. It got me thinking about the typewriter, something I had written about long ago, back before this blog was about shows and was just about music.

The best birthday present I ever received as a child was a baby blue, steelcase mini-Brother typewriter for my 6th birthday. I had decided, even then, that it was my destiny to be a writer. Pre-typewriter, there were stacks of my scribbly stories stuffed in drawers, I needed the typewriter so I could begin to transcribe them; even thought I probably didn't know what "transcribe" meant. I begged and prayed and hoped for months that it would be my "big" present. And it was; I got to work. Stories like "Robin Hamster", "The Hamster that went to Space" and "The Dog that ran through the Woods" came to life.

Other birthdays that stand out in my mind were my 12th, in which I had my first boy/girl "party" at Rock-O-la in Mission Valley; I had made the invitations myself to look like tiny pianos, to match my deeply obsessive committed relationship with my piano lessons. note: the only thing that has ever really mattered to me has been being able to express myself artistically... can you tell?

I spent my 21st birthday in the alcove stage right at the Berkley Cafe on Open Mic Blues night with Summer and Rob Roy. I had my first beer and hated it; didn't drink again until i was 32.

then around the age of 23, something happened. I started abhorring birthdays. I was horrendously depressed for weeks before the day actually came, then the day of I would find myself in bizarre circumstances like, lying by the creek half a mile into the woods behind my parents house, crying my eyes out about my grandfather or Vivien Leigh. I felt lost and behind everyone else's expectations. I felt like I was missing some big piece of the puzzle everyone else had figured out in their teens and I had no idea what I was looking for, much less how to find it. All I knew was that everyone else seemed to have it figured out, I didn't, and my birthday would come and I'd start taking this mental or financial or educational inventory on myself and my inner-critic would drop-kick the shit out of me. I was unbearable for years around birthday time.

There have been, so far, only 2 birthdays wherein I was not the most wretched, suicidal mess on the planet my 34th, which you'll hear about in a second and my 25th, when I was living in a townhouse beside my friends. My best friend J9, her husband, and my then boyfriend, Rob Roy, took me out to dinner to a teppanyaki place in Cary (I'm not kidding when i tell you how much I love that stuff.) They had crafted this entire scenario to make me believe that everyone on the planet had, in fact, forgotten my birthday. I got not a single call, save from my immediate family, telling me happy birthday. I was keeping it together to the best of my ability. After dinner, J9 didn't even offer to cover my birthday dinner.  I paid for myself. I didn't really care too much, I never assume anyone is going to buy me anything....  well except for my pop, because ...hey.

After dinner, J9 and her husband lead me to believe they were begrudgingly following me back to my townhouse to stop in to visit the girls next door and watch the Muppet Movie with them. I, in driving the BF and I back to the house, finally let myself unleash the pity party within and cried my heart out all the way home. We pull in, I notice J9's car out front, and I decide I need to go into my own house and hide for a bit until I calm down. Rob Roy was insistent I just stop in for a minute. after about 2 or 3 minutes of a misplaced screaming-match, (entirely my doing,) I finally agreed to walk over. Upon walking in the door, I hear a SURPRISE and every god damned body I think I had ever known was standing in the living room. I stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, letting it sink in; then proceeded to jump into the air and run around the room high-fiving everyone, as if i had just been called down to Contestant's Row on the Price is Right. It was my first and only surprise party; and trust me kids, I was surprised as hell. It was absolutely amazing.

This night was also, coincidentally, the second time in my life I ever ate "special" brownies, a gift from one of my closest friends at the time. I had a couple, then had a curious feeling that sent me searching for more things to nosh on; OH HEY LOOK, BROWNIES! I wound up eating, oh, say.... 5 or 6? there was a period of about 2 hours where I was afraid to move a muscle on the couch. I later found myself on the phone with a friend from New York, walking a circle of about a 4 foot radius on the back porch. god knows how long i was out there, but it felt like days.

Until my 34th, this past year, the surprise party birthday and the typewriter birthday were the two best birthdays I'd ever had.

I never really plan my own birthday things, I have a general idea of what I'd like to do, and I go along with whatever everyone else thinks is cool... (for example, 33rd was the year I FINALLY got a barbie cake! YEAH! Childhood dreams come true!) This year, months in advance, as I have gotten semi-addicted to my reverbnation fanpage (I can track local shows with much more obsessive voracity than via facebook invites or my google calendar,) I noticed my little Gray Youngsters were playing on July 21st at Tir Na Nog.... oh.... snap. you guys... my birthday is July 22.

Then, more information began to surface; Gray Young was to be playing with NOT ONLY Birds and Arrows, but ALSO Free Electric State.... are you kidding me? This was cosmic. Did they plan this or was it entirely coincidental? My three very favorite local bands playing the eve of my birthday, with the completely obvious possibility that my VERY favorite local band would be on stage as it in fact, did turn midnight and become my actual birthday? Too much, too good. The plan was set, I knew what I was doing for my birthday. I pretty much told everyone, "hey, this is where I'm going to be if you want to hang with me on my bday." I found myself for weeks, checking my iPhone calendar, counting down the days. I NEVER count down the days to my birthday. I HATE my birthday. this year, oh man... I LOVED my birthday.

I went to see Mom at her shop (she's a hairstylist, btw,) and she trimmed my bangs and gave me an ultimate bouffant Rhoda-esque flip-do. I squeezed into my ultra-retro Mod Cloth red dress and Roo, Patrick and I wandered down to Tir Na Nog a little early to have dinner and set up shop. The evening quickly became a blur of love, as people I adore started appearing in droves and the music I love the most began to fill the room.

Just an FYI, as I find myself writing this, I'm not going to be giving you a straight-up "this is who this band is and this is what they sound like" review. As many times as I've seen and reviewed these bands, I think you i know what's up... What I'm telling you this time is pure and simple "i am in love with these bands and this is how i felt."

First up, My sweet B&A. If you've been here before, you've heard me gush before. This is a band full or so much love, imagery, and depth; hearing these songs when I was already in so much of the greatest loving mood I can remember in years was sort of like the chocolate sprinkles on the banana split of love. True, not that many people had shown up yet, but I selfishly found myself appreciating this fact, as I managed to convince myself this was a private concert just for me. It is a well known fact that there are more than a few Birds and Arrows songs that turn me into a huge crybaby, so I found small, distracting ways (PBR) to distract myself form becoming too emotional. Still they got me, dammit. They always get me.

Between sets, I found more True Loves outside. and more people handing me birthday drinks; always welcomed.

Next, the Best Rock-n-Roll band I have known in real life. The band, in which every time I see them live, I think... how in the world am I lucky enough to know these people? Why are they not the biggest superstars in the universe? Seeing Free Electric State live is a treat every damned time. I can't remember if I ever told the story, but I'll tell it now: I was riding in my car back behind Hillsborough a while back and I hear one of the coolest most rockingest damned songs I think I ever heard on WKNC maybe ever - I pop on WKNC's site asap and see it is a song called "marshes" by FES. I turn my happy ass right around on Brooks Ave and drove straight to Schoolkids and bought the album. (This is why try and request it/bride for it to be played every time I see them.) FES are a kind of Rock that is better than pop or heavy or indie, it's like they have manifest destiny on this whole new territory of sound that no one even knows how to cross the river to get to yet. Another one of those bands I feel like I know a secret no one's figured out yet. I always wind up injuring my neck from all the banging/bobbing of the head when they play.

In later reviewing my pictures that I took this evening, I realize I somehow managed to take about 25 pictures directly of Nick. this does not at all surprise me as I have the most obvious, debilitating embarrassing crush on him ever.

oh, ffs, fes.

Between sets, the pictures of my friends and I become more and more embarrassingly drunk. I feel it in my bones... THEY ARE SETTING UP I CANNOT MISS ANY SECOND AT ALL... and i high-tail it inside for Gray Young.

At this point, I was; well... drunk.  Hey. It was my birthday, I am beyond allowed. I was overwhelmed by the amount of love and kindness all around me, the hugs and birthday shoutouts from my friends on stage, the sounds I felt so lucky to hear; then suddenly these guys get on stage and I basically just become an emotional waste of space. I am rocking out so hard, it all becomes a bliss blur. At one point, Chas steps off stage in front of me, I find myself flinging my arms around him and holding on for dear life as he plays... how this is even possible, I don't know. he didn't miss a beat, I can only assume this was my birthday present from him. (weeks later, at Slim's we encounter each other in the hallway leading to the patio. as we have still never spoken to each other intentionally and he very much has a girlfriend at the moment, i feel an overwhelming urge to thank him for this moment in my life [the birthday moment] and as i am walking towards him, i hold my finger to my lips as if to say "shhh" and hug him. for probably way too long. Mike Gray walks by and says,  "THAT'S a really long hug...." I die of embarrassment and run away. Dear Chas, that was me thanking you for the best birthday ever.)

Later review of the pictures I took this night reveal that i did, in fact, fill the remainder of my camera's memory card with some of the greatest pictures of the boys that I've ever taken.

So here's the best part. The BEST PART that i would have never guessed in a million years, not if you had given me a multiple choice option and the thing that actually happened was one of the options, this option would have been so good i would have never assumed something so magical could have happened. What happened next turned this into the greatest birthday I have ever had, trumping both the typewriter and the magic-brownie surprise party.

Throughout the evening those in the know, band members and close friends of band members approached me asking "did you find out what the last song is yet?" ...no i didn't. I didn't want to; note: I LOVE SURPRISES. i won't guess surprises because the surprise itself is so good, i would never jeopardize any chance i get to be surprised. I halfheartedly threw out "Oh, It's probably Tilling the Wind, they know it's my favorite and makes me all crybaby and shit." Everyone just smiled and nodded. I didn't hazard any other wild guesses, I intentionally avoided peeking at any setlists (however i did snatch it up later and it is on my show-wall with all the others, obvs.)

Back when this show was then officially announced on facebook and the invites were sent out; I casually joked that this was, in fact, my birthday party and "wouldn't it be cool if there was some awesome all-band singalong to a U2 song at the end of the night... haha."

you guys.
seriously, you guys.

As GY finished their set, they were then joined on stage by our sweet Andrea Connelly et. al., suddenly i feel several people standing around me, several of those friends of bands that had been taunting me with last song guesses throughout the evening. I find myself standing to the right of Joe Maz from IWTDI... He turns to me and says something like "did you figure it out yet?" and i say no. he says something like "get ready".  I then find myself alternating between Ultimate WOO-girl and the biggest weepy mess ever for the next few moments as the most beautiful thing I think I've ever witnessed happened in front of me.

I'll let the video speak for itself.


Bad (Birds & Arrows & Gray Young) For Karla from abbyladybug on Vimeo.


In Another video shot by someone I don't know, further back in the crowd, you can hear my initial "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" cry as I finally realize what's happening...

I cannot express to you fully how absolutely powerfully amazing this moment was for me. I know i gushed and hugged and cried all over everyone involved that night, and here it is over a month later and I still feel myself getting all sorts of choked up and weepy about it... but I have to say once again that I feel like the luckiest girl in the world and this was, in fact, the greatest birthday of my entire life thus far. Thank you all so much. thank you, thank you, thank you times infinity.

in other news, this gray young tattoo was my birthday present to myself. I am officially the SUPERFAN.

 

How could 35 ever top this??

Come Birthday With Me and My Three Fav-o Bands!

Hey all - if you've ever wanted to Party down with me, my god, here is your chance to see me lose my ever-loving mind with bliss... this coming Thursday night at Tir Na Nog my three favorite local bands are on the lineup: GRAY YOUNG, FREE ELECTRIC STATE, and BIRDS AND ARROWS!

But the best part is? At the stroke of midnight, signifying the turn of the 21st into the GLorious day of July 22nd, It shall be my birthday. I have it on supposedly good authority that The Gary Youngs will be on stage at this time (FINGERS CROSSED!) So please, join me!


BEST LBLB EVER!

REPRESENT!

Birds & Arrows CD Relase Party with Justin Robinson & The Mary Annettes and Gray Young - Local 506 - 05/07/11

Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is! - Anne Frank

This quote has been in my mind a lot lately. Longtime readers of this blog (hey j9) know my big love and reverence for Anne. I relate to her little heart so much and sometimes when the right feelings, circumstances, events and people align in my life and in my soul, I think of her; her joy, strength, passion, and gifts, and I thank God that she exists. That’s kinda where I’m at in life at the moment; things are going pretty good. I feel really happy and loved, I feel inspired and encouraged, and I feel challenged and rationally fearless. Opportunities present themselves and I have weighed options and made good decisions and had some great experiences in the past couple weeks; up to and including the following: I took the initiative to seek help for a medical issue I had been ignoring for a long time and I feel very mentally and physically relieved. I spent some quality alone time with several close friends and had good long discussions (the existentially and theologically deep kind that I really like.) I met a really groovy guy who seems to be on the same page with me and is treating me pretty damn well. I got a big chunk of my finances in order. I took the initiative to change certain factors in my life that left me feeling insecure and neglected professionally. And I got to see one of the best shows I’ve probably ever seen at Local 506.

Last Thursday evening, I was iffy about LBLB as I was unfamiliar with any of the bands in tow. I was still riding high from my Steve-o encounter earlier in the evening and was trying to bail, but Roo insisted I drop in at least to see Justin Robinson and the Mary Annettes. He had seen them somewhere else not long before, Durmah perhaps?, and assured me that I would probably love them. He was right, I did.  I had missed the beginning songs of the set and therefore didn’t feel it was fair to do a review on a partially attended show, so I deferred to Roo. Then, after their performance and all out dance party up front at Tir Na Nog, I spoke with the band briefly and found out they would be playing along with (dun dun DUNNNN) Gray Young at the Birds & Arrows CD Release party… A show I was not fully committed to attending, as I had originally planned to spend the last weekend in DC. However, a wicked sinus infection that kept me out of work for a few days intervened. I wasn’t able to take the time off work to visit the capital, so I stayed in town… kinda. I went to Carrboro Saturday night.

Something I noticed about this show, not nearly as many wild “Here’s me with THIS friend!” arm-reach self-portraits. Could be because I was barely drinking, due to the antibiotics. Could be I am kinda losing interest in the whole, like, “drunk” thing. I have this feeling that I tried it for a year and I’m bored now. (Those who know me know full well how entirely possible this “bored now” concept is.) Could be because this was a show I had a little reverent respect for and wanted to give my full attention to. Who knows? Either way, I filled my camera flashcard at this show. I got some of THE best show pics I’ve ever taken. I have figured something out… if you just keep taking pictures, eventually one of them will turn out pretty okay…. PS I AM A PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERT NOW.

First up in this incredible line-up were Justin & the crew… Justin is a statuesquely enigmatic and beautiful front man. His depth and kindness not only present themselves so passionately through his songs and lyrics, but also through his movements and his eyes. He loves what he does. The girls, Kyra and Sally, love what they do. Josh loves what he does. This band is four sweet souls playing something you’ve never heard before, breaking the hell out of your heart and changing your life a little. The reason you’ve possibly heard of Justin Robinson and the Mary Annettes is because he was originally part of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Let this be the reason you go see them, Let this be the reason you talk your friends into coming with you, but drop your guard and leave your expectations and gruff exterior at the door. You will hear something you never expected and it will be beautiful and it will be enchanting and it will be something you talk about to all your friends for days. Throughout their set, there were moments where I found myself thinking …. “Okay now, this was the song during the show Thursday where I *thought* I was feeling this way, let’s see if I was right…” and then sure enough… there it was.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, sorry to tangent, but I keep wondering if everyone, and I really hope this is true; If everyone has something in their life that keeps them going, gives them hope and fills them with meaning the way music does for me. Yeah, yeah, everyone likes music, I know this, but the way I experience, the way I need it, the way it feels to me, the level of intensity that I have attached to certain bands or songs or artist or NOTES for Christ’s sake… I hope everyone has that thing that means as much to them as writing this blog, seeing these bands, hearing these sounds, has meant to me.

To further my point in this vein of thought, let me continue telling you about JR&MA; the sound they create feels a little different than just about any live act I have seen in the past year or so, (probably with the exception of Valley Young.) And it’s not just the fact that they veer a little more “folk with a synthesizer beat” genre, (which, by the way doesn’t exist,) but mostly due to the fact that there is a lot of heart on stage with these songs. There is a BIG love in this sound. This is the sound of persecution, awkward first kisses, desperate midnight phone calls, strength, joy, something. This was my second time in a week seeing this band perform and Roo and I will be going to see them again this weekend, I am thrilled and honored to participate. One of my favorite moments from this set was watching the heads turn to each other all around me as people’s eyes and ears were suddenly opened to what was happening in front of them, the murmuring buzz I could just barely hear behind me, “who ARE these guys?”

A few months back I was in a dark place, we all know how to find them; some of us get lost in them and never find their way out. I know the secret; it is the music. You have to hear just the right song at the right time, you have to hear the saddest damned pop song you can tolerate about 14 times in a row until you say, “Enough!” and you claw your way out of the sadness. I have been known to put the weight of the world on my bony ass shoulders and my overactive heart and let myself get real low down. It is always the music that brings me back. Bono, Moz and Byrne have saved my life about a million times each. I can very vividly remember driving back from Cup a Joe on a weekday evening, twisting my way back towards Cameron Village and this slow, bittersweet small chord starts playing on WKNC. Suddenly a woman’s voice, clear and strong filled with love and longing; a breathy strength. The right kinda lyrics that I needed at the right kinda moment… “In a place so old with the light so new; it was always you…” and the choke, that instant little sting in the eyeballs when you know you’re hearing *your* love song, you know it will always stay with you and it will always mean that one (wo)man at that one right moment. I stayed a little too long at the stop sign to pull up the 88.1 playlist and get a screen cap; Birds and Arrows – Honeymoon Song. Thus was my introduction to the band.

Birds and Arrows, for those not in the know, consists of Andrea (guitar) and Pete (drums), a married couple, and Josh (cellist.) So I’ll admit it right now, I am a sucker for a cello. It’s almost a guarantee if you throw a cello on just about anything I am going to eat it up; it is probably one of my favorite sounds, followed closely by the oboe and practically any song written in Eb minor. I am stating this up front because I don’t want any of what I have to say about ‘the couple’ to detract from the essential element that Josh brings to each b&a song; it is necessary, it is lovely and it is perfection.

I was during their performance that I began chastising myself for not owning or knowing more songs. I suppose the point of this show, as it was a cd release party, was *NOT* to know the songs, as they were all new. But I had that nagging anxious feeling I get when I feel like I may have showed up a little too late to the party and I already missed the piñata… I’m not ashamed to admit I like knowing first. Who doesn’t? I’m mad at myself that it took me actually being at the show to come to the realization that THANK GOD I WENT TO THIS SHOW. Of course my original draw for this show was Gray Young, (let’s not fool ourselves here,) but I remembered that lonely night and my first kiss with Birds and Arrows, I knew I would like it, I just wasn’t prepared for how much.

So, hey, I am a crier. I’m a weepy, sentimental person. If I am happy, mad, in love, in pain, confused, see the right little bird bouncing across the sidewalk in the right light, it’ll bring a tear to my eye… Birds and Arrows got me very emotional *several* times with some of these new songs. These songs sounds like we got a special invite into the Connollys’ bedroom and lucky us; we get to watch them falling in love! Yeah, that potentially sounds dirty, but think of it on a more communal John & Yoko level… we are invited to fall in love along with them, with the very best of intentions. There were several instances where I was irritated with myself and completely embarrassed when Roo or James turned to tell me something and I had to quickly wipe my eyes. (Bad decision on my part to wear my contacts, by the way.) When you are open, observant and in love with love, you see it all around you, you hear it in everything. These songs are some of the clearest examples of the truest love I have heard in almost ever, in person.

When I think of my "Heavy Hitters", my big bands, my go-to’s when someone asks about my favorite artists, they are mostly men. There is an unfortunately small drop of envy that cautiously limits me form liking female leads too much. I want to do that, so in an effort to boost my own ego, I neglect more than what I should. Only a few essentials usually sneak through; Sinead, Kate, Judy, even Whitney Houston. However, as I have never seen any of these ladies perform live, I can truly say with no hesitation that Andrea Connolly has the best, strongest and most appealing lead vocals of any female I think I have ever seen live. I absolutely LOVE her voice. And the more the night went on, the more I fell in love with it. I want to take her voice to a nice hidden bistro covered in vines and sit on the patio telling stories about trips across Europe. I want to drink wine with her voice by a creek in autumn. (Apparently I want to take her voice on a date to Caffe Driade?) Several times throughout the performance I heard Roo or James or myself say “I have *never* heard a voice like this in person.” absolutely magical.  After Justin Robinson, I wasn’t sure anything was going to touch my heart in such a personal and delicate way the rest of this night, I was very touched. I was truly honored to witness this performance. I am a fan for life. Already got the next couple shows on my calendar. I have no idea why I would have ever doubted that I would like them as much as I did, given that they are such good friends with the gray youngs.

Speaking of…

I was already in a super sentimental mood, I was feeling warm and fuzzy and loved and happy. There was a voice in the back of my head telling me that I needed to keep an eye open for whatever opportunity presented itself to give me the “shtick” I needed to write YET ANOTHER gray young review. Honest to god, not two seconds of the guys getting on stage I had already decided, no shtick; only love. And my God you guys have you really not figured this out yet; I love Gray Young. I don’t feel like joking about it today, I feel like telling you more about why.

 I love Gray Young because I am addicted to the sound of Gray Young; the feeling their music evokes in me. I do not simply like Gray Young because they are my friends, they became my friends by proxy. I do not like Gray Young because I have a crush on Chas. I do not have a crush on Chas because he is a rock star. I have a “crush” on Chas because he is a huge awkward dork that I used to see at the coffee shop and the irony of his shy awkwardness compared with the person I see when he is on stage amuses the hell out of me. It is entirely coincidental that this guy is the LV for my favorite local band. Therefore, let’s be honest here people, I don’t have a crush on a guy, I have a crush on the whole band. I am courting this band; I am in love with them. I feel giddy when I see a show announced like I got asked to the prom. I worry that the “joke” about how much I love Gray Young has eclipsed the root of the root & the bud of the bud: I love the music. Everything else is entirely adventitious. I go see Gray Young every chance I get because I feel entirely blessed and lucky every time I get to see Gray Young, not unlike the way I feel entirely blessed and lucky to see U2 live. And you guys, that is some HEAVY SHIT coming from me. Do you see?

GY played last in this set, not unlike the last time I got to see them at Slim’s where they played after the headliners, essentially rounding out the show. I don’t know why this keeps happening, but I don’t mind. It allows me to perpetuate the myth in my own mind that GY are always the headliners. Although, you know, now that I think about it, I never really have paid attention to any sort of crowd at a Gray Young show; my eyes are closed like, 80% of the time, like I just dropped acid at a Dead show or something, so I am oblivious. I am enraptured by the sound. I couldn’t’ tell you who was around or behind me at any point of this show apart from James Hall or Mike G, (essential attendees as the Army must always represent!) so if there were 6 or 60 people in the audience at this point, I have no idea, but they played their hearts out for us. They always do: Reason #349 why I love them.

Highlight moment: GY and B&A are good friends. I believe, if am remembering correctly, the gorgeous GY shirt I proudly sport about town was in fact designed by b&a; The more I think about it I think the only way the lineup could have been better would have been like, Bonn and Edgers showing up to do an acoustic set out of nowhere or something (ps also I would probably never recover from that). Anyway. So, to close the show, Birds and Arrows joined Gray Young to perform one of my personal favorite songs, “Tilling the Wind.” A song that, as I have already confessed to you once in this blog, brings me to tears every time anyway; but after the big-smile-face busting, good-love, big time happyheart night of music I had just had, it felt like the crescendo of bliss my night needed. It was probably one of the most incredible things I have ever heard, despite my wavering envy that a girl was singing a Gray Young song on stage *with* Gray Young and this girl was not me, and was, in fact, singing one of my very favorite songs. The fact that it was Andrea is completely allowable, however. This was beyond perfection, it was transcendence. I cried like a bitch and I didn’t care who saw.

 

 Love you guys, no joke.

Posing in front of Gray Young like I am posing in front of the Grand Canyon. Brilliant!

EDIT: the next damned day: dude dumped me.... never. fucking. mind.