Lost in GroVont : a blog

Photos From Chile

Most Listened To Bands Of 2011

I haven't done a top ten bands list in a couple years, but it's back. Sick of Sarah completely dominated as I listened to their latest album 2205 on repeat throughout the year. I highly recommend all the bands listed.

1. Sick of Sarah
2. Kitten
3. Brandi Carlile
4. Michelle Branch
5. Katie Herzig
6. Tokyo Police Club
7. Tegan and Sara
8. The Wreckers
9. Uh Huh Her
10. The Jealous Girlfriends

Compiled from my Last.fm profile which is not all inclusive but pretty close.

Countdown to San Francisco...1 day

Tomorrow is the day I hop on a plane and head West to San Francisco. And today is the last day of my countdown to San Francisco.

If I'm being short sighted, I think the thing I missed the most from the Bay Area is the food, but in the long term, it's the sites! I truly enjoy the most.

Did I mention how much I like walking around the city? The colors of the houses. The differences between the neighborhoods. The graffiti.

Of course, there's also the bridges and Coit Tower and walking along the Wharf. And being a Kansas native, the view of the ocean is an amazing site.

Countdown to San Francisco...2 days

Two more days! Another thing(s) I miss about San Francisco is not unique to this city and is really a combination of urban features. The culture! Public transportation!

Maybe you understand why I miss the culture - the museums, the history, the art. But you may wonder about my selection of public transportation. Everyone has a public transit horror story - see Muni Diaries and BART Musings. Regardless of the negatives, I love not needing a car. I just turned in my Prius last week as the lease was up, and I couldn't be happier.

Between BART and Muni, you can get anywhere in the Bay Area without the need to worry about parking or gas prices. It's so convenient. Plus I love walking around the city when I don't want to wait for a bus or riding my bike when the trek to my destination is not far or hilly.

Even if the stolen Picasso has not been returned to public display yet, San Francisco has plenty of other art and history museums to visit. There's also plays, musicals, ballet, comedy, and other entertainment all within close proximity and easily accessible via public transit.

Countdown to San Francisco...3 days

Monday marks 3 days until I'm in San Francisco. And a third thing about the Bay Area I've been missing is the music!

San Francisco is a must stop for nearly every band, and there are so many great venues - Great American Music Hall, Cafe du Nord, Bottom of the Hill. And with all the small and mid-size venues, it's fun to walk into a show not really knowing much about the band playing and discovering my new favorite band.

Tickets to The Velvet Teen show at GAMH on Friday have already been purchased. I hope my second attempt to see Sick of Sarah live on September 6th won't be another missed connection. And I have a dozen other shows marked as maybe in the next couple months.

Countdown to San Francisco...4 days

I'm continuing my countdown of the things I am looking forward to most when I get back to San Francisco on Thursday.

At the top of my to do list when I arrive is to check out the food! at some of my favorite restaurants.

The Mission neighborhood in San Francisco has the best Mexican food. There's typically at least one restaurant or burrito place per block along Valencia and Mission streets. Papalote on Valencia and 24th is by far my favorite, and it will likely be my first stop on Thursday.

Being landlocked in the Midwest, you know every time you order fish it has been frozen for some time. Plus sushi restaurants are few and far between around these parts. I love knowing that any seafood I order at a restaurant in the Bay Area is most likely fresh, and I plan on checking out various sushi places when I arrive in San Francisco.

Falafels. Everyone asks me to describe falafels when I say that I'm craving a falafel wrap. It's Middle Eastern in origin according to Wikipedia. The falafel wrap is fried balls of something indescribable and potatoes and cucumber sauce and hummus and it's yummy. I really don't want to know the specific ingredients. Truly Mediterranean is my favorite place to stop but there are a couple other good falafel places in San Francisco.

Countdown to San Francisco...5 days

On Thursday, I'm flying to San Francisco. After three years of bopping around the world, I'm moving back to the place I enjoyed the most. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and I've been thinking about all the things I'm excited to do in the Bay Area. With five days until my departure, I thought I would countdown the five things I'm most looking forward to in no particular order.

The first thing I expect to notice when I get off the plane is the weather!

After a couple weeks of 100+ degree weather in Kansas, I'm really looking forward to the pretty constant Spring like conditions of the Bay Area and being able to wear long sleeves.

Brandi Carlile at Starlight Theater

Brandi Carlile debuted a new song during her performance last night at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri.

Country music was a topic of conversation by both the opening acts. The Secret Sisters mixed a few original songs amongst country favorites from Patsy Cline and others. Brandi Carlile followed a similar format, including a spectacular cover of Folsom Prison Blues.

From 6th row center, I took the chance and recorded the new song, and it doesn't sound too bad: Raise Hell (right-click, save as) Brandi said that she planed to record it in Kansas City. We'll see if it ends up on an album.

Sarah Slean rocks "Combat Baby"

Typically seated at a piano, Sarah Slean was standing at the mic singing Metric's "Combat Baby" at Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. Wish I was there. Oh Canada.

From The Ruckus: Missed Connection - Sick of Sarah

 

By Jen, Guest Blogger

Hopefully Sick of Sarah's tour in support of their new album 2205 has gotten back on track. After an illness led to a few canceled shows, a plumbing problem at their venue in Kansas City resulted in the show I was going to attend being canceled. To say I was disappointed in not getting to attend a live show is an understatement.

read full post at www.whatstheruckus.com

Uh Huh Her tour, new songs

Uh Huh Her has been busy recording, scheduling a tour, and sending out merch.

Camila Grey has been playing keyboard on Adam Lambert's tour playing but is now back working with Leisha Hailey on Uh Huh Her's second album.

I love the ethereal sound of Uh Huh Her and highly recommend both Common Reaction their first album and their EP I See Red . I was fortunate to see them live a couple years ago, and regardless of the Kansas tornado warning and the poor sound in the venue, the band put on a good show. (Video from an unknown source of the show.)

Today you can get two free tracks from their upcoming release by signing up for the mailing list at their site and at Nylon magazine (click the down arrow on the right of the player to download).