Hard Work

I feel like last week wasn't the kickass starter week that it should have been, largely because I didn't do the prescribed long run and because I failed at the tempo run. If it isn't clear, I really want to PR the Athens half-marathon. Badly. But that's going to take work, like tonight's planned speed work:

1 mile - warmup
1 mile - 9:25
.5 mile - recovery
1 mile - 9:25
.5 mile - recovery
1 mile - 9:25
1 mile - cooldown

I find that daunting. That's between 6.7 and 6.6 miles per hour on the treadmill, which is where I will be attempting this workout. I just don't think that I am capable of this.

I am also not capable of predicting my time on a 4-mile trail race in snow and ice. Yesterday's prediction run turned out better than I'd predicted, but definitely not a speedy 4 miles. I predicted 50:xx and ended up with 46:25 -- always better for my psyche to run faster. It was really nice out, actually -- low- to mid-30s and clear -- so I wasn't cold or uncomfortable. I had a little left leg pain (I wanted to say hamstring, but I don't really know what's causing the pain), but it wasn't bad and it was temporary.

In the meantime, welcome to what I've been listening to nonstop since yesterday:

I know this isn't the original, but after much research (um, yesterday), I think Buckley's version is the best. KD Lang's comes in second. 

90s night

It was 90s night on Tuesday.

First, I was never a Helmet fan. Totally not my scene. And if you can't say anything nice... I'll just say that 20 years hasn't improved them. (Don't know who they are? Check out their Wikipedia page. The current band is just one original member who... looks like he could be the other dudes' dad.) Oh, and 20 years hasn't improved their fan base's ability to mosh. Hilarious. And there was vomit afterward. It's hard on the oldies to have their bellies so shaken up by the bouncing.

(I'm old too.)

I had more interest in The Toadies, on the other hand - although I wasn't a huge fan or anything. They still sound good, and they totally look like old hipsters (maybe the drummer just looks old). I think there are two original members? Many of their songs sound like they should be on the Disturbing Behavior soundtrack (they're not, btw). The newer stuff sounded more current, not just rehashing their 90s glory.

Watching the audience was hysterical. Who knew that so many couples would get all touchy-feely-grindy listening to The Toadies? Kinda gross in some cases.

The best part of the night was the encore, though (even better than The Toadies' big hit Possum Kingdom). During The Toadies' performance, you could see the drummer from Helmet (not original, of course) hanging out off-stage. He looked like he was having a blast, actually, and during the encore, he and another drummer joined The Toadies for an awesome final song.

Even better? The Toadies' drummer changed up his look for the last song (hard to see - he's wearing a squirrel head!).

I'll be truthful - I went just to check out the show. I wasn't a huge fan, I hardly knew any songs, and only a couple of songs sounded familiar. But aside from the extremely overpriced beers (damn you, House of Blues - $6.75 for PBR? And the bathroom attendants are annoying), it was a good time - and the people watching was supreme.

Those Darlins/Best Coast

Last week, I saw that Best Coast was going to be at Beachland, and for $15/ticket, I figured we had to go. I'm not a huge Best Coast fan, but I like their sound - it's pretty and I like California. Plus, I like the Beachland, although it's a pain to get to on a weeknight, especially because the shows usually end around midnight, which means we don't get home until 1. For oldies like us, it's not ideal.

But sometimes you push through, and I'm glad we did. Otherwise, I never would have seen Those Darlins.

We got to Beachland during the first opener, so I have no opinion on that band (Filmstrip, according to my ticket). I was curious about Those Darlins - country punk is how they're often described. That about sums it up. Everything I'd read previously says it's three girls and a guy, but the band was two girls and two guys (the blonde girl was missing). I found a blog post on their site finally that says she left the band. Doesn't matter - they were fun.

We were standing right in front of some speakers so the sound was interesting. At first, the vocals were too soft, but they got that figured out. Both of the girls sing lead, but the one girl - Nikki, I think - sings lead more. She's got more of a country twang mixed with punk rock, and she plays lead guitar. She struts here stuff and looks crazy and cute at the same time. The other girl I think is Jessi, and her songs were more traditional rock sounding - and maybe she was sometimes trying too hard to be sexy. Not bad, I just dig the country punk sound more - although the Wilderness song was pretty neat.


BTW, they're playing Beachland again on Halloween - go see them. It's in the tavern, which should be super-fun.

Next up was Best Coast. The crowd definitely leaned toward the feminine, although there were plenty of dudes, some of whom were rocking out during the show. Best Coast sounded very good, very polished. Bethany What's-her-name is clearly the focal point, and she's good in that role. Very romantic, but she totally reminded me of a fashion blogger (as opposed to a musician).

I don't know that I would go see Best Coast again. Although they were very good, I just don't think it would be a different experience. I did listen to a few Best Coast songs yesterday because I was still feeling it, so who knows?

Fiona Apple

Friday night, I got to see Fiona Apple again! She really puts on a good show, although watching her perform makes me feel a little like a voyeur. When she's really into something, I almost feel like I'm interrupting. It's strange. She's both engaging and awkward, but she's genuine (or so it seems), which matters most.

Source: The Plain Dealer

Her band was fantastic, and she seemed to have a nice rapport with them. I wonder if they feel like they're taking care of her? She always seems on the edge of a breakdown. Fiona and band played a ton of songs, although (of course) there were songs I would have loved to hear (Parting Gift and Mistake for starters), but she closed with a cover of Conway Twitty's It's Only Make Believe. The BEST version I've ever heard. It was fantastic and totally made the show.


One thing I really liked was how Fiona played a variety of songs from each of her albums. It wasn't heavy on the new album, and I wouldn't have minded a little more - especially if something could have replaced Carrion, which is one of my least favorite Fiona songs; Slow Like Honey is probably my least favorite. It feels a bit like betrayal to admit there are Fiona songs I don't care for.


Set list: 

• Fast as You Can 
• On the Bound 
• Shadowboxer 
• Paper Bag 
• Anything We Want Get
• Gone Sleep to Dream 
• Extraordinary Machine 
• Werewolf 
• Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song) 
• Daredevil I Know 
• Every Single Night 
• Not About Love 
• Carrion 
• Criminal 
• It’s Only Make Believe (encore)

The show was at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, and we had kick-ass seats. It's a great venue, although it seems like it's used more with an older crowd. I'd love to go back - when it's not 90+ at 9pm! If I hadn't been so into the show, I could have taken some good pictures or video. 


In any case, Fiona proved again that she is a can't-miss performer - especially because she only does a new album every 6-7 years!

Brandi Carlile

At the Cleveland House of Blues, I saw Brandi Carlile perform for the first time last night, and it was really, really great. Aaron, who is not a huge fan of the singer-songwriter genre I adore, even said, "That was solid."

Source: Brandi Carlile's Facebook page

I heard someone comment that she played a lot from her new album, and I thought it was funny because I didn't notice. She played a lot of songs I wanted to hear - Turpentine, That Wasn't Me, The Story, That Year, etc. - and the only song I can really think of that I really wanted to hear that she didn't play was Wasted (oh, and Cannonball and Losing Heart - okay, there's a ton that I would have loved to hear too). Doesn't matter - she was fantastic. She could have played longer, and I would have been thrilled.

And she did Bohemian Rhapsody, which was pretty fun.

I guess I've been listening to newly acquired albums - Brandi, Fiona, Alabama Shakes, Jack White - almost exclusively so it shouldn't be a surprise that I knew so many of the new songs.

What I liked about Brandi is how clearly she was enjoying herself. She's been with the guitar player and the bass player - "the twins" - for at least a decade (allegedly back in 2002, she said to them, "If you start a band with me, I'll get us signed and on the road in a year." She wasn't lying.). The band seemed cohesive, and she seemed to enjoy interacting with the fans.

I don't know if you can see this, but a friend posted this video from last night's show. SO. GOOD.

The only thing that was weird is that there was nearly a fight, well, TWO fights toward the end of the show. Who fights at Brandi Carlile?

Thanks so much to Anslee for turning me onto Brandi!

A Dolores O'Riordan album?

Thanks to Borders and its 70-80%, I now own No Baggage by Dolores O'Riordan.

I didn't even know she had a solo career, and this is the second album. It was released in 2009.

As a proud 90s girl, I couldn't NOT buy this thing, especially for less than $5. I haven't listened to it yet, although I am not super-optimistic about it. Seems like I would have heard about it if it were really good, but who knows? I listen to NFL Radio or my iPod.

Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power

As part of my conference, we had an opening reception last night at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (I did this after running 4 miles on the treadmill at the gym - go me!)

Always a favorite spot of mine, the Rock Hall is a great place for my introverted self. I did my best to chat while drinking my Great Lakes Burning River and eating a snack. I also came back hungry - or at least unsatisfied. Anyhow...

My favorite exhibit was the Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power. I could have spent even more time watching the interviews and the performances. The focus on the history was great (Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Wanda Jackson, etc.), but the newer artists profiled - like Gaga or Britney - just don't do much for me. When the artist is more about style or image than substances, I get bored and annoyed. Gaga apparently is a great piano player; too bad she thinks she can't make it without being shocking (also, too often her outfits are clearly derivative).

Now it's time for my first full day of the conference.