Day 104: Get Towed

Waiting on the street

Funky jazz lights

     Ya like the new layout? I've been spending way too much time messing with it instead of doing things like homework and actual blog updates. Honestly, I don't know if I like it, but whatever, well see. So I went to another jazz gig with Joey to beef up our know-how for this jazz paper we have to write. We went to this jazz club downtown called Dazzle to watch the Joey DeFrancesco trio play. Long story short: we over-payed to hear some jazz, eat some garlic bread (and a complementarity ice cream Sunday cause they messed up my garlic bread), and take notes for class. It was an enjoyable time and I felt good about my small amount of new found knowledge concerning the jazz genre. The trio ended with a funky cover of "Billie Jean" by the late Michael Jackson and we left the club. It wasn't till we reached the empty parking space that had once been occupied by Joey's car that we realized that we were screwed. His car had been towed, and we were stranded in Denver. This may sound like a lame challenge/experience thing (and in some regards, it totally is), but I couldn't really do my new thing seeing how I was stranded in city with nothing but a jazz notebook. This may be a lame experience (and it was. it really was) but its still a new experience, so that means I can count it. Joey and I spent the hour or so that it took for his mom to drive down and pick us up walking around and people watching in front of a weathered old liquor store. We were solicited by a couple guys wanting cigarettes and weed, and we kept attentive by watching the flocks of dance club-bound people. It was cold and dark and really uncomfortable, which makes for a pretty crappy situation. We eventually got picked up by Joey's mom, who felt that it was her job to inform us of how stupid we are. Apparently, even though we parked on the same block as the jazz club, we were on the property of the Spicy Pickle, and thats where the towing of the car came into play. Joey got slapped a $195 fee to get his car back and was made well aware of his dumb mistake. He went to the impound lot the next day to pay the fine and retrieve the vehicle. It really sucked, but now I know that getting towed is no fun at all.

Day 63: Attend A Jazz Gig

     The jazz class that I'm taking me requires me to attend a live jazz performance so we will be better prepared for our final papers. I had never been to a jazz show before. In fact, this was only my second concert ever. I feel lame saying that but its true, I haven't gotten to go to many concerts yet. I was excited to check things out, but I was also siked cause my jazz teacher is the bassist for the band that was playing and I thought that if he saw me attend his show, I would score some brownie points. So, I met up with Mouse and headed over to The D Note. We showed up about half an hour late (which will probably deduct from my brownie point pile) and took a seat. The D Note is a cool little (really little) venue in the old part of Arvada. The atmosphere was hip and trendy, the chairs were uncomfortable, and the bathroom stalls were coated in toilet poetry. I read other bathroom goers rants and blurbs about the trials and tribulations of humanity as I peed, it was a great time. As for the jazz part of the night, it was pretty alright. I'm not the biggest fan of jazz music but that didn't stop me from enjoying the set. The trumpeter would blow away while the bassist and drummer would back him up. Then the bassist would take a solo, then the drummer would follow. Even after half a semester of jazz study, I still feel lost in the jazz world. I try to make sure to clap at the appropriate times and I make sure to keep an introspective kind of look on my face so everyone else thinks I am attentively experiencing the art. I even refer to the performance as a "gig" rather than to a "show" to sound more musically cultured. I do all these things, but I'm still totally lost the entire time the band is playing. I guess thats how I feel in class anyways. Whatever, I had a good time and wouldn't mind going back there sometime to see another gig.