(no subject)
Did y'all know that James' band, Ghost of the Robot is back together? After six years apart! Yes! I went to their gig at The Central Social Club and Pleasure Club in L.A. on Saturday. Waited in line for too long, considering that the crowd never got big. I'd say maybe 70ish were there? But still, I got a primo spot by the stage, and I was happy to hang with friends beforehand, so it's all good. Anyway, when James arrived, he was outside talking to other people and he noticed me and came over, gave me a handshake and a hug and said he's missed me, and that he hadn't seen me for a while. (If he'd attended DragonCon, he probably wouldn't have been missing me so much. Haha.) I said yeah, it's been a while. And I told him to have fun tonight, and he smiled real big and nodded.
I also talked to the guys in the band. Aaron (the drummer) is living in Utah and plays with a band called Fictionist. He said he didn't know about this GotR gig until the previous day (Friday) so he jumped on a plane and came down for it. That surprised me. But hey, so glad he was able to be there. He said that Kevin was going to be recording the audio from the gig through the sound board, so they could share it with us. Great news! Charlie gave us some posters promoting the concert. They were a lovely peach color because that's all the printer's had. (That seemed to bother Kevin. lol) It's got the same artwork as the new t-shirts (see pic under the cut), and it turns out that it's Charlie's handiwork, with input from the other guys. Charlie said that he wanted it to be GotR 2.oh on the t-shirts, but the printers got it wrong. Oh well. Kevin and Charlie tried to explain to me about the artwork, but it didn't help much. lol The robot's receiving a charge of electricity from above. They want us to wonder if it's helping or hurting. And that Pacman-looking ghostie has two heads. "What does it mean?" Kevin asked. Well, if he doesn't know, I'm sure I don't. :-D "Everything won't happen again." Referring to the difficulties they had before they broke up? They also talked about how talented James' son Sullivan is. I said I'd seen his videos on YouTube, and agreed. Charlie said that he was teaching him his secrets for playing guitar, and that he caught on very quickly.
Wow, the concert rocked! They mostly did James' songs, which is good because those are the ones that have resonance for him, not to mention they're in his vocal range. \o/ To make their reunion even more special, it was Sullivan's live debut as a guitar player. He initially came out with his own band called Electric Gold, and did three songs. He's quite talented, and he's only been playing for what? A couple of years or less? Very impressive. He later joined his Dad on stage with GotR, did a solo, then stayed and played with the band for about three songs. James was so freaking proud.
James and Sullivan sharing a moment:
Sullivan starting the evening playing with his band:
On the left there is Kevin McPherson, then James our MC for the evening, in the back on drums is Aaron Anderson, then Sullivan, and last but not least Charlie DeMars. Gone, but not forgotten, is Steve Sellers who passed away last year. That's his guitar sitting near the drum set as a tribute.
Sullivan's first ever solo. His proud Dad looking on:
Doing their thang.
It's time for Sullivan to go, so his Dad whispers something to him and kisses him on the neck:
And now it's time for my regularly scheduled complaints about the lighting! :-P Kevin and Charlie were both lit very well. But James? Were they trying to hide him or something? Anyway. He was in darkness for the most part. ::grumble grumble:: But still! Pretty!
That guitar you see in this pic belongs to Sullivan's friend PJ. James broke a guitar string earlier in the set, and so had to borrow another.
Having a great time:
I got the set list on the left. Which wasn't easy. Both lists were behind two pieces of equipment, so we couldn't easily reach them. I actually tried using my monopod to drag it towards me but that didn't work, and I'm sure I looked ridiculous trying. So jameslovin1, who has long arms, volunteered to grab it for me. Yay! ghostgirl13 got the other list, and I'm pretty sure she looked as silly trying to get hers. I hear there was attempted climbing involved. :-D They didn't sing the Cowboy Song because they ran out of time (late party scheduled at the venue.) But they did sing Dance Slow which was Charlie's suggestion. Punky's Dilemma is a Paul Simon cover. Oh, the autos! I eventually got all of their autographs on mine.
What they actually sang (slightly different than the list):
This Town
Looking at You
Smile
Layabout
For What I Need
Finer Than Gold
Punky's Dilemma
Angel
Truth is a Heavy Stone
First Love
Goodbye
Sullivan's solo
All That She Wanted
Button Down Vandals
Moonshot
Too Fast
Dance Slow
Dangerous and David Letterman
Over Now
Goodnight Sweet Girl
Big thanks to MrMole1 for uploading the vids!
Here's the t-shirt they were selling. They were also selling old GotR CDs. Cool. I got a Mad Brilliant.
Afterward, there was plenty of posing for pics and talking with fans out in the parking lot, which doubled as backstage.
I talked to James for a bit here and there. And I AGAIN let him borrow my Sharpie. Why do I never learn? But more about that later. :-D James said that he was glad that we who had been there from the beginning of GotR were also there that night to be with them at their reunion. He was also glad that the crowd was on the small side, because it put less pressure on Sullivan. He said that Sullivan was quite nervous, but came through without showing it at all. He was so proud. And he said his son is hot! lol I looked at James and said, "He's adorable." James went on to say that Sullivan's like himself in that he'll probably look like he's twelve for a long time. And I said, "Sometimes you still look like you're twelve." (People, I have photographic proof. Don't fight me on this. :-P) He scrunched up his shoulders and squeaked out a thank you. Sounded a bit like that Toot Toot voice he does. Hee!
James went on to say that Steve Himber is not involved with GotR since their kind of music is not his thing. All the promotion and setting up gigs is all their doing. He said he wants all of us who took vids and pics to upload them to the GotR Facebook site. (Now that's a nice change, and a great way to promote the band. Excellent.) They plan on making a documentary style video with fan vids. The audio was recorded by Kevin right off the sound board, so that combined with fan vids should be awesome. Also, James announced during the set that they're doing a live CD. Whee! Although, Aaron had already spilled those beans before the gig. Anyway, back to our convo after the gig. He said that they plan on playing at The Mint in L.A. I think he said it's on Sunset Blvd. And also they'll be at the Viper Room, the El Rey and other places they've played before. Squee! He said it'll be a challenge getting them all together because Aaron's got his own band (he also said that Aaron's the best drummer in North America), Kevin's playing bass for Demi Lovato's band, and Charlie's busy also.
So James needed a Sharpie for autos, and I had one so I let him borrow it. Later, he looks like he might be heading out, so I ask if he's done with it? He asks if he can still use it. Sure, I said. No problem. Later still, he again is saying that he's got to leave, so I ask if he's done with it? "You're such a slave driver," he says. Ha! To which I say, "Last time I lent you my Sharpie, you walked off with it." He said he'd have to get that back to me. (Yeah right, Sharpie thief. And he had the nerve to call me a Sharpie thief at Comic Con? Dude. Check yourself. :-D) So he had just taken the Sharpie in question out of his mouth, and he says, "Here, I'm wiping off my saliva using my sweaty armpit!" And he does it. lol All the while giggling and having the best time! Dude! Everyone around is laughing. I'm thinking he is so good at taking the piss. A pro. Kudos. And he probably thinks he'll gross me out so much I'll just let him keep the Sharpie. Yeah, like that will work. He holds it up, all covered in slobber and sweat, and I take it like no problem. Victory achieved. I won this round. \o/ Later it occurred to me that perhaps he thought he was actually adding value to that Sharpie. Hahaha! I've seen him wipe items on his sweaty self to raise the bids at charity auctions. So, who knows! :-D
This was such a joyful concert! I can't remember the last time I've seen James so happy. I think he loved every minute of it. And I was personally thrilled. Still on a high from that night. Like James, I loved that we who had been there from the beginning could be there again for the rebirth. I think we all felt what a special gig this was. Things are different now. Better. They've changed. There's a confidence now in James that had been lost before, and I think they all know now what it's going to take to make this work, so that they can continue making beautiful music together.
I'll have pics up soon on my site (and on the GotR FB.) I want to give big thanks to sintonia for the fuzzy dice and kind wishes, seductivembrace for the cake and waffles, anonymous for the waffles, oanimation for the waffles and foot long, and debris4spike for the foot long. ::nom nom nom:: :-D
I also talked to the guys in the band. Aaron (the drummer) is living in Utah and plays with a band called Fictionist. He said he didn't know about this GotR gig until the previous day (Friday) so he jumped on a plane and came down for it. That surprised me. But hey, so glad he was able to be there. He said that Kevin was going to be recording the audio from the gig through the sound board, so they could share it with us. Great news! Charlie gave us some posters promoting the concert. They were a lovely peach color because that's all the printer's had. (That seemed to bother Kevin. lol) It's got the same artwork as the new t-shirts (see pic under the cut), and it turns out that it's Charlie's handiwork, with input from the other guys. Charlie said that he wanted it to be GotR 2.oh on the t-shirts, but the printers got it wrong. Oh well. Kevin and Charlie tried to explain to me about the artwork, but it didn't help much. lol The robot's receiving a charge of electricity from above. They want us to wonder if it's helping or hurting. And that Pacman-looking ghostie has two heads. "What does it mean?" Kevin asked. Well, if he doesn't know, I'm sure I don't. :-D "Everything won't happen again." Referring to the difficulties they had before they broke up? They also talked about how talented James' son Sullivan is. I said I'd seen his videos on YouTube, and agreed. Charlie said that he was teaching him his secrets for playing guitar, and that he caught on very quickly.
Wow, the concert rocked! They mostly did James' songs, which is good because those are the ones that have resonance for him, not to mention they're in his vocal range. \o/ To make their reunion even more special, it was Sullivan's live debut as a guitar player. He initially came out with his own band called Electric Gold, and did three songs. He's quite talented, and he's only been playing for what? A couple of years or less? Very impressive. He later joined his Dad on stage with GotR, did a solo, then stayed and played with the band for about three songs. James was so freaking proud.
James and Sullivan sharing a moment:
Sullivan starting the evening playing with his band:
On the left there is Kevin McPherson, then James our MC for the evening, in the back on drums is Aaron Anderson, then Sullivan, and last but not least Charlie DeMars. Gone, but not forgotten, is Steve Sellers who passed away last year. That's his guitar sitting near the drum set as a tribute.
Sullivan's first ever solo. His proud Dad looking on:
Doing their thang.
It's time for Sullivan to go, so his Dad whispers something to him and kisses him on the neck:
And now it's time for my regularly scheduled complaints about the lighting! :-P Kevin and Charlie were both lit very well. But James? Were they trying to hide him or something? Anyway. He was in darkness for the most part. ::grumble grumble:: But still! Pretty!
That guitar you see in this pic belongs to Sullivan's friend PJ. James broke a guitar string earlier in the set, and so had to borrow another.
Having a great time:
I got the set list on the left. Which wasn't easy. Both lists were behind two pieces of equipment, so we couldn't easily reach them. I actually tried using my monopod to drag it towards me but that didn't work, and I'm sure I looked ridiculous trying. So jameslovin1, who has long arms, volunteered to grab it for me. Yay! ghostgirl13 got the other list, and I'm pretty sure she looked as silly trying to get hers. I hear there was attempted climbing involved. :-D They didn't sing the Cowboy Song because they ran out of time (late party scheduled at the venue.) But they did sing Dance Slow which was Charlie's suggestion. Punky's Dilemma is a Paul Simon cover. Oh, the autos! I eventually got all of their autographs on mine.
What they actually sang (slightly different than the list):
This Town
Looking at You
Smile
Layabout
For What I Need
Finer Than Gold
Punky's Dilemma
Angel
Truth is a Heavy Stone
First Love
Goodbye
Sullivan's solo
All That She Wanted
Button Down Vandals
Moonshot
Too Fast
Dance Slow
Dangerous and David Letterman
Over Now
Goodnight Sweet Girl
Big thanks to MrMole1 for uploading the vids!
Here's the t-shirt they were selling. They were also selling old GotR CDs. Cool. I got a Mad Brilliant.
Afterward, there was plenty of posing for pics and talking with fans out in the parking lot, which doubled as backstage.
I talked to James for a bit here and there. And I AGAIN let him borrow my Sharpie. Why do I never learn? But more about that later. :-D James said that he was glad that we who had been there from the beginning of GotR were also there that night to be with them at their reunion. He was also glad that the crowd was on the small side, because it put less pressure on Sullivan. He said that Sullivan was quite nervous, but came through without showing it at all. He was so proud. And he said his son is hot! lol I looked at James and said, "He's adorable." James went on to say that Sullivan's like himself in that he'll probably look like he's twelve for a long time. And I said, "Sometimes you still look like you're twelve." (People, I have photographic proof. Don't fight me on this. :-P) He scrunched up his shoulders and squeaked out a thank you. Sounded a bit like that Toot Toot voice he does. Hee!
James went on to say that Steve Himber is not involved with GotR since their kind of music is not his thing. All the promotion and setting up gigs is all their doing. He said he wants all of us who took vids and pics to upload them to the GotR Facebook site. (Now that's a nice change, and a great way to promote the band. Excellent.) They plan on making a documentary style video with fan vids. The audio was recorded by Kevin right off the sound board, so that combined with fan vids should be awesome. Also, James announced during the set that they're doing a live CD. Whee! Although, Aaron had already spilled those beans before the gig. Anyway, back to our convo after the gig. He said that they plan on playing at The Mint in L.A. I think he said it's on Sunset Blvd. And also they'll be at the Viper Room, the El Rey and other places they've played before. Squee! He said it'll be a challenge getting them all together because Aaron's got his own band (he also said that Aaron's the best drummer in North America), Kevin's playing bass for Demi Lovato's band, and Charlie's busy also.
So James needed a Sharpie for autos, and I had one so I let him borrow it. Later, he looks like he might be heading out, so I ask if he's done with it? He asks if he can still use it. Sure, I said. No problem. Later still, he again is saying that he's got to leave, so I ask if he's done with it? "You're such a slave driver," he says. Ha! To which I say, "Last time I lent you my Sharpie, you walked off with it." He said he'd have to get that back to me. (Yeah right, Sharpie thief. And he had the nerve to call me a Sharpie thief at Comic Con? Dude. Check yourself. :-D) So he had just taken the Sharpie in question out of his mouth, and he says, "Here, I'm wiping off my saliva using my sweaty armpit!" And he does it. lol All the while giggling and having the best time! Dude! Everyone around is laughing. I'm thinking he is so good at taking the piss. A pro. Kudos. And he probably thinks he'll gross me out so much I'll just let him keep the Sharpie. Yeah, like that will work. He holds it up, all covered in slobber and sweat, and I take it like no problem. Victory achieved. I won this round. \o/ Later it occurred to me that perhaps he thought he was actually adding value to that Sharpie. Hahaha! I've seen him wipe items on his sweaty self to raise the bids at charity auctions. So, who knows! :-D
This was such a joyful concert! I can't remember the last time I've seen James so happy. I think he loved every minute of it. And I was personally thrilled. Still on a high from that night. Like James, I loved that we who had been there from the beginning could be there again for the rebirth. I think we all felt what a special gig this was. Things are different now. Better. They've changed. There's a confidence now in James that had been lost before, and I think they all know now what it's going to take to make this work, so that they can continue making beautiful music together.
I'll have pics up soon on my site (and on the GotR FB.) I want to give big thanks to sintonia for the fuzzy dice and kind wishes, seductivembrace for the cake and waffles, anonymous for the waffles, oanimation for the waffles and foot long, and debris4spike for the foot long. ::nom nom nom:: :-D