The Toasted Ravioli's

I'm starting a band.
I was inspired by many things, but the straws that broke the proverbial camel's back (actually it was 2 pieces of straw) were Sara Bareilles and Raining Jane.

So far...
Schaper: bongos, triangle, tambourine
Lori: acoustic and vocals
Wamble: ivories

We're still looking for an actual drummer, and a bass player -- but really any instrument will do (might even consider the kazoo or the spoons, or the "can filled with beans" as well).

Its exciting!

Also in exciting news, I begin my whirlwind vacation (its supposed to be the SKI vacation in france, but I forgot my skis in mountainous missouri --- man, I love skiing, but like, not gonna happen...I have to live!) beginning with a week under the Tuscan sun with Miss Blythe, of Duchek award (among others) fame.
I'm bringing my St. Louis flag, and we're gonna fly it.
One of my gal pals from Penn, with whom I was lucky enough to co-write and perform the Senior Performing Arts Night Medley, "Suddenly Senior" (to the tune of that ever present favorite, "Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors, naturally --- I choreographed)...well she's got friends in italian places who are researching their Art History PhD's in florence, and well, we're going to drop an StL bomb on her friends, and its going to be fun! It's times like these I relish being a 24 year old college graduate - I know people all over the world who in turn know other people, and we all want to party, essentially. Its great.

Old Man Harig sent me a lovely email of tuscan reccomendations, and we're going to check those out, and while away the hours in Siena, the less american Florence. Excellent. Cinqueterre should be neat, and well, you, loyal reader, will hear all about it's limoncello-fed craziness. I really hope we can meet the art historys, they should ad some local flava to our rambling.
Onto the next leg of the trip its time to chill with the Northern Europeans - Hamburg to see Aubrey, who I've known since Kirkwood Children's Chorale (we'll see if she remembers "We are the Young" - I know she will) and then off to amsterdam for some tourist seeing, bike watching, and eh. I'll end my sojurn in Belgium, where I will eat waffles, have some fries, and hopefully shop in antwerp and see Brussells (OK go is playing on the 23rd, why are they sold out, don't they remember how I was the first Missourian to like them probably?)

Let me know if you want to join my band - all are welcome, even if you're just passing by. Rehearsals start June 07.

The pervasiveness of James Morrison

I heard him on Italian mtv, Italian H&M, rando jewelry store in Zurich…this man is everywhere, and admittedly, I like his bluesy Gavin DeGraw with bronchitis style.

I’m a little suspicious of his not being conscious enough that his name is Jim Morrison (cello, the doors) to change it a bit, just out of respect. I do, however, hope he does not steal Marc Broussard’s thunder…b/c he is a british soul intruder!!!
Come on Marc! Release your new album!
You are the real thing, and I know it.

Backbeat, the word is on the street

That I am no longer 12.

I learned Wonderwall on my guitar, (it’s a pretty easy song to play, but its also pretty easy to forget, as its all fancy finger moves and not memorable chords, durn) and since realized that my students probably do not know this song, as I liked it when I was 13. Oasis is an old band! Geez!

I remember - I met my first net-friend, Wendy from New Jersey, on the Oasis messageboard. Wendy was the shit! She was so fun and sarcastic, and we shared tips about how to make frames on our websites. How geeky, but how awesome...oh the days when I was on the cutting edge of HTML.

In other early net adventures, I also was on some swing music mailing list when the Squirrel Nut Daddie’s song, “hell” (I believe) made it on MTV and people on the list were freaking out. It was pretty cool to be a part of that, no matter how small, when everyone on the list was like, from San Fran, and I was some 13 year old from STL. I am old school.