Memories to Hold

In August, I went on vacation to New York City for the first time in my life. I had decided in the spring that I wanted to make visiting that city a priority. There were two time slots I had available to travel during the summer and wouldn’t you know the second one coincided with one of my favorite bands, Toad the Wet Sprocket, playing at City Winery NYC. Of course, by the time I had made my decision to take the trip, there were only VIP experience tickets left, so I sprung for that without hesitation. Within days, the

Nothing But the Moment

I headed south to The Observatory North Park in San Diego, CA on July 9, 2016 to see one of my favorite bands, Toad the Wet Sprocket, on their summer tour. I’ve been a fan of Toad since my first year of university and saw them in concert a couple of times at the height of their popularity in the mid-90s. As they are local to Southern California, it has been easy for me to catch their shows multiple times over the past few years. This summer they are on the road with Rusted Root, co-headlining shows and taking turns

I’m Trying to Catch Some Kind of Spark

On Saturday, May 14, 2016, I headed to the South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk to catch Glen Phillips playing on a free outdoor stage. This was a rare chance to hear his solo music with a backing band, as usually I catch him solo acoustic. The band was made up of Paul Bryan on bass (who is producing Glen’s forthcoming album Swallowed by the New), Chris Bruce on guitar, and Abe Rounds on drums. Singer Khäsy Modisette provided background vocals. There were a few calls from the crowd for songs from Glen’s band Toad the Wet Sprocket,

Sing Loud While You’re Able

Glen Phillips played at SOhO Restaurant and Music Club in Santa Barbara, CA on Tuesday, April 26, 2016. I’d missed the last couple solo shows Glen has played, so I was pretty excited to get to this one. It was a slightly nerve-wrecking drive out of L.A that Tuesday evening due to various accidents on the highway and it took even longer than it normally does to get out of town. I made it to the venue about 20 minutes before the show was to start and ordered my dinner promptly. I don’t particularly like to be eating when the

A Mortal With the Potential of a Superman

On February 6, 2016, I attended David Bowie: A Musical Tribute held at the Plaza Playhouse Theater in Carpinteria, California. This was a benefit for The Young & Brave Foundation, which helps children and young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families. The show was produced by Ones to Watch Productions, who believe, and I can agree, that  “music is the universal language that connects and touches us all.”  The format was such that each musician would perform one or two of David Bowie’s songs backed by the house band under the musical direction of Tariqh Akoni.