In our early years together, Bunny and I would head out to a punk club or party most nights of the week and get inspired by a bunch of Portland's rising pop bands. With the arrival of parenthood in 2003, we gradually faded from this scene. Or at least switched gears from nightlife to a host of all-ages venues where Lilly could join in the fun. But Lil' lost interest in loud music over the last year and when combined with the needs of newborn River, getting out for a night on the town has become an increasingly rare event.
Still, we do make it to live shows every couple of months when the timing's right. Like the night before BunZ birthday, I was hoping to take her out dancing to the nerdy punk beats of Guidance Counselor.
Bunny's rearing to boogie down on any night of the week, but I'm much more rigid and need a mix of retro 80s beats with a modern edge to get my groove on. So I was glad to hear that this new wave dance party band was playing the newly revamped Mississippi Studios. That is until I found out that ALL of our baby sitters were UNAVAILABLE.
But the crazy thing is the very next day we were headed back into town from sledding on Mt Hood, and I received a text from my good old friend Andy (who very recently started drumming for none other than Guidance Counselor):
"Hey! I'm having a house party tonight. Semi-private double birthday dAnce party! You're invited! Guidance Counselor plays at 9:30, dAnce party to follow...Pls COME"
Of course this is a date with destiny, but first we had to return home to a SURPRISE! party for BunZ 36th Birthday.
The surprise party was a blast with around 50 old and new friends celebrating my wonderful wife. By late evening, I scooted everyone out, and we rushed over to Andy's packed basement to dANcE. Pure joy - a perfect ending to a perfect day.
On many occasions, live music has been my salvation from the depths of depression and doubt. In the middle of last week, I had a big meeting with the Mayor's office - attempting to get a climate protection policy back on the Mayor's agenda after many months of being on hold. Despite feeling deeply connected to serving the City since 2007, this past year has really been trying my patience, and lately I often feel frustrated by the perverse politics and bureaucratic red tape that restricts government from being effective.
Later that evening, BunZ fell asleep early with the kids and I found myself alone and wired. Flipping through a weekly, I happened across a rare performance by The Gossip later that same night.
This local act's popularity exploded in the last year with a You Tube vid that's received over 10 million hits. They could easily pack a cavern in Portland, but for this "undercover dance party" they were billed as the opening act anagram "PIE GHOSTS" for only 5 bucks at the intimate Mississippi Studios! Of course the show was sold out far in advance, but nothing stops me once the stars align. Within a couple of minutes lingering outside the venue with The Gossip rocking in the background, the doorman said,
"Hey, are you just looking for one ticket to the show?"
"Yep," I smiled hopefully.
"Well then perfect timing!" he replied, crossing off one last name on the guest list.
The Gossip's edgy dance fever was a perfect remedy for untying the bureaucratic knot in my stomach. They mixed old school punk classics (Talking Heads, Nirvana, Bikini Kill) into their rocking hits, and frontwoman Beth Ditto's comic wit between songs had the audience rolling. Hands down one of the best shows that I've ever seen, plus I ran into my sympathetic friend Wing - the other counter culture champ from the bureau. Once again, I was saved by Rock n Roll.
The week closed out with BunZ and I catching a screening of All Tomorrow's Parties at Portland's annual Reel Music Film Festival and reminiscing two solid decades of being inspired and energized by live music.
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