Ah Ha!

I am not one for movies ( oh horrors! How does she live without constant mindless media input?!) (pardon the sarcasm, but I really don't get it.) so the fact I actually rented BOTH Kill Bill movies says something for the state of television this week. An hour a day of decent programming would keep me from the rental place, but,well, I don't get the big deal about sports either. The Olympics are just another political vehicle today, so why bother, and anyway, how much can one watch in an evening?
The main reason I rented either of these movies was, of course, Del Castillo. Imagine my surprise when I flip over first thing to watch the Chingon performance only to see a gig I was at!
The famous Antone's in Austin was host to Bruce Willis' band earlier this year and DC opened.
Chingon did a set too, and a good portion of the time there was a damned camera in the way. I and my buddy Casey barely saw the stage at all. To top it off, between Bruce Willis' "people" and Robert Rodriguez' "people", there was so much activity on the floor that I was beyond distracted during the gig. I actually got angry a couple of times due to the dumbass wanna-be floor show. So few people gave a damn that anything was going on on the stage. The guys in DC were fired up due to the celebrity of the evening, but frankly it was a terrible night from a fan's POV. I personally despise Hollywierd and all its fakeness, and Austin was hip deep in it that night. Due to Casey being ill, I didn't get to stay for Bruce Willis or the jam session, but I really didn't care. I was so fed up with the crowd by the time Chingon got done, it was no burden to leave.

Now, for those who weren't there, fear not. The end of this diatribe 'o mine is the fact that the footage tooted as being from the LA premiere of KillBill Vol. 2 isn't. There are pictures of Tarantino jamming to what I can tell is DC (probably out in LA) interlaced with the clean, clear footage of Chingon playing, but I know that room. Hell, I recognised the bloody exit sign over Rick's head in the early shots. The backdrop that says Antone's barely shows for a split second, but it is there.
And I was too, so I can swear to the situation. You are actually watching Del Castillo perform in Austin! They filmed a lot of DC's own set; I keep wondering if there might be another vid soon(hint hint, guys!) If it is as clean as the stuff with Rodriguez, it would make for a tremendous follow-up to the live DVD. I was just kind of tickled, because I finally got to SEE the performance. It was good; always is with these guys. It just wasn't much fun for someone who really wanted to watch the BAND, not the supposed bigwigs up in the VIP section. I am surprised the EMS folks weren't called out for all the sprained necks craning to get a view of this or that celeb. Hell, I think half of them probably walked past me, and I didn't know them from the chicks trying to get to the one restroom..... Could have cared less too.

I have to wonder how many people later on down the line, when Del Castillo becomes that household word I wrote of back at the beginning of this blog, will go "I saw them at Bruce Willis."
when in fact they barely noticed there was a band playing at all. I think they could have rolled the video and most folks would've taken more notice. At least I know from talking to some people, and watchingthat blasted crowd upstairs, that Willis himself watched Del Castillo and Chingon. I can appreciate his taste in music from that alone.

Thank You- a prayer

My boys were home last night for a quick evening. I had not known it until last night, but August 20, 2001 is their official formation date. A huge Happy anniversary guys!

And pardon my possessiveness. I know darn well I am not alone in this, just maybe one of the nuttier ones. I met quite a few folks last night who are as dedicated, and got to hang out with even more I already knew. The family is growing daily but still feels pretty small- it is the level you end up relating on that matters.

I came on here today to make some points I had failed to in the past. Thank yous are in order for a lot of people, not just the group of musicians, so here goes.

Thank you Dave, Gary, Cayle, Raul, and Steve for taking such tremendous care of these guys. I have done the work you are doing and know how stressful it can get. Everyone of you looked happy and excited, which is a great sign.

Thank you Uncle Wayne, for giving two bright eyed boys a love of the feel and sound of the guitar. Your gift to them, and subsequently to us through them, is immeasurable. I see in your eyes what I know will be in both Rick's and Mark's for many years to come.

Thank you to all the band wives, girlfriends, partners, and above all, children. It is hard to have a spouse gone for long periods, and even harder to have to hear Daddy say goodnight over the phone. I know- I am a military brat. These are not war times for DC, but the feelings that can be generated can come quite close. Your patience in letting the world have a part of your partner's time is courageous and never appreciated enough. It shows they have chosen, or been chosen by you, well. I have seen enough of these guys to know those eyes turn back toward home a lot, even on this, their first tour. And they look toward you when they do so.

Thank you to the Creator, for putting these six guys and their loved ones together in the right order at the right time on this earth. A greater voice for your own Glory I have not heard in many a year. It has touched my life deeply and I cannot imagine now living in a world without it.They are here to do your work in their own way. I hope you will continue to give them the strength of conviction and gentleness of soul to do exactly what they desire to. And always bring them home safe and sound please. A lot of other folks love them too.

Namaste.

Aging sucks

One is supposed to change one's point of view of the world and its possible pasttimes as one ages, but the mind doesn't always want to co-operate. Point in order was the time I spent the other evening with my step-brother's band. Dave is the drummer for metal heavies Machine Head, and while I am not the biggest metal fan in the world, I really like these guys. No really! It isn't just about family, though I have been lucky in that respect. Those who are semi or professional musicians in my family have all been quality ones; even those who couldn't bring themselves to follow the less-than-practical line of artist are actually very talented. We were just raised to be responsible first, dreamers second. Obviously I leaked over the sides of the mold a bit....

I went out to see Machine Head with a little trepidation, in part because I have to up at 5 AM these days for work. I forgot all about it of course once I saw the guys and got to talking and then watching their highly intense performance at the White Rabbit here in S.A. They were really revved up by the audience singing along on so many tunes, and despite the tremendous heat in this reknowned sweat pit of a club, MH tore it up. Their latest CD, "Through The Ashes of Empires" is just amazing. They have never been tighter or more powerful as a group. And I cannot brag on them enough. I told my brother that he was probably the most graceful drummer I have ever seen. I had the chance to really watch his performance and was struck by the flow of his playing. Most metal drummers pound and/or flail; there is no subtlety or finesse to the motions. Dave puts something more in to the playing, which is no small feat. He plays double kick, and I mean two DRUMS, not just two pedals. Powerful drummer on a huge impressive kit.(thank you Pearl for taking good care of him!)

My whole point in this entry was actually to moan about the passing of some of my endurance. Used to be a day when I could work all day, go to a gig in Austin, drive home, sleep maybe an hour or two and work again the next day without flinching. You just can't go back to being 25 I guess. I still do better than many folks, but I am having to pace myself more and it sucks. I can only hope this merely means I am out of practice.
I am only a little older than the guys in Dave's band. I felt like a grandmother in the audience, save for the fact that I could still headbang with the best of them. Of course, I scarfed a couple of Aleve in the AM, but hey, not bad for an old hippie. I think I am starting to understand that sometimes wistful look in older peoples' eyes. They remember when they had my kind of energy, or could walk without pain, or what have you. One sometimes thinks 'if I only had known then what I know now.' I suspect if I had, I wouldn't have done what I did, and thus wouldn't have had then fun I had. It isn't over, but it has slowed down. I just hope I don't have that wistful look quite yet.


(hopefully better entry soon. Del Castllo comes home for one night this weekend. I wonder if they will share stories about their adventures with us. I have missed them, and wondered long and hard, mostly out of selfishness. What will the weekend bring me?)

I think it's true

I am sitting here laughing all by myself. The reason is that it is raining in Tucson. For those who have never been to this hellishly hot place, rain is a rarity. So what's different enough today?

I think Del Castillo rolled into town.

They are due to play there with Ozomalti tomorrow.

You see, I have noted this unusual Trend when DC plays. It can rain before they go on, but not so much as to interfere with load in. It can rain shortly afterwards, but usually only after there was enough time for the band to get out of the club and safely to wherever. It can threaten all day, but just before the gig, everything will clear up. It has been a bizarre series of coincidences over the last year that just started falling into a discernible pattern. Only one night did I see one of them entreat the gods to give us a little rain, or just a little breeze, when it was particularly hot in Austin, to no avail. I suppose it is too hard to concentrate on both playing their incredible music and getting the weather to do what they want.

And now it is raining in the desert. I doubt that anyone out there will come close to connecting the two events. I just happen to have seen it before. I swear these guys are shamans in hiding.

Ah well, it is all inconsequential I guess. The band will realise too late that all they are doing is adding to a normally very low humidity level, which can make the heat just a little worse......of course the weather out there calls for rain everyday for at least a couple in a row, even more unusual out there. Hell, in Albequerque, the rain doesn't even hit the ground most of the time! It evaporates before it can land. You can actually watch this happening! And here in the desert, just in time for a bunch of guys from Texas to roll into town, all things which were normal go haywire.

I think that says something more for the band. They are truly unusual. I wonder if when they tour in the northern states in late fall or such if there will be unseasonably warm or snowless days? If this rain follows them home along IH 10, I will KNOW something's going on!

Just a little observation during some dry days for us DC fans in Tejas. ;)

Realization

Tonight, while DC was on stage in Des Moines, I had a sensation that I can only believe was some sense of contact with them. I felt it very specifically in the area where the heart chakra lies. I will make a more appropriate entry about it on my other blogger, Omfromheretothere.
It was just an sudden understanding of the draw to them, from yet another angle. Their music is indeed spiritual, and it touches, even opens the heart chakra, seat of love, beginnings of compassion.
Even when they are away from here, they continue to teach. I will be curious to know how this night went for them. I daresay it was amazing.

and so it begins...

I don't know for a fact when the guys in DC and their crew are leaving town, but if they are driving, I know enough about this nation's highways to know what they should do to be rested when they get to Des Moines. I dare say my mind will be on their travels for much of the next couple of weeks. And I do not envy them. I love to travel but sitting in the car 8-12 hours a day gets old really fast. Hopefully, they all read and have books or whatever to keep the time occupied. I know they have pillows to sleep with- I made them, along with my "daughter" Medrith. She has the working sewing machine.

God speed gentlemen. I hope to hear of good things when you get home, and maybe if we are lucky, people out there who discover your music will give us here in Texas updates.

Namaste.