Email Your Grandkids!!

The Hip Replacement was a success!

Thank you to everyone who made it to the HR show last weekend. Thank you, especially, to those who drove (through peril of detours) all the way from the lush hills of Kato--lush on many levels. I shook that tamb extra hard for you four.

And if you're reading this and your saying, "What? What show? Huh?" That's probably my fault. I did a terrible job spreading the word about our gig at the Fine Line. Publishing one measly post was a challenge that almost destroyed me. Beyond that, I failed miserably to do my duty, Judy, to increase the bodies in the room.

But since the rest of my bandmates did their part, we had no trouble filling the room with bodies. The audience made us look really good. Well, Tearra didn't need any help. SOOooOO good, in fact, that Wrinkle T wants us to open for them again! This time, I've promised myself that I'll properly publicize this gig. I'm starting my efforts now to pull my weight.

[Editor's Note: "pull my weight" is not a euphemism for masturbation.]

It all goes down at 9pm on Saturday, February 3rd, at Bunker's in Downtown Mpls. Expect a $5-ish cover and more zany Downtown parking fun!

Mace...shakers of bells, slapper of skins [EN: Again, neither are euphemisms for masturbation.]

Funk at the Fine Line

The funk band I've played with since goddamn high school has a gig this Friday, January 12th, at the Fine Line in Downtown Minneapolis. Filthy funk details and directions.

I've spoken about Hip Replacement, with many people for many years. Most people have had to just trust me that the band exists. This is because I've been playing with them off-and-on over the last seven years while attending school apart from them, so there have been painful few gigs. Now's my chance to prove I'm not a liar, and it's your chance to listen and dance to the funkiest music ever--that is, the funkiest music ever played by dorks from Lou Park. These dorks:

[Editor's Note - Clockwise from top-left: Kubes (drumset), Me (percussion), Grant (bass), Pokorny (keys), Tearra (vox), Koelsch (guitar)]

OK, so one of us in there is clearly no dork. There's also no coincidence that she's not from (or living in) St. Louis Park. That's Tearra. She's bomb. Come to listen to her; stay for my congas. That's right: congas--not bongos.

Up until now, I played drumset for HR. But this time around, I play congas, djembe, cowbell (for which I have a prescription), and more tambourine than you'd find at any Southern Baptist revival. The three reasons for my switch are as follows:

One: HR finally found a steady drummer, Brian Kubes, during the long stretches while I was away. Not only that, we've found in Kubes a friend and the coolest guy out of Grand Marais ever.

Two: Over the last six years, I've played congas/djembe almost exclusively for my much-missed dancers, deep in the bowels of Andreas building at MSU. It's a natural switch.

Three: Kubes is simply way better than me. And he's from Grand Marais; I'm not messin' with that guy.

So, you see, it has been a natural transition to go from set to percussion. Kubes offers the band a wealth of set skills, and I get to offer another layer that we've always thought Hip Replacement lacked.

It's a win-win. I hope you can make it.

Mace...not afraid to explore the space of the studio.

I Don't Do Two Things Very Much Anymore:

...the first being blogging; but the second thing I don't do a lot of anymore is go to movies. So understand that this post is important since I'm relapsing on two old habits to bring you this message:

Go see this movie.

And yes, I'm sure the book is even better, but I don't read anymore. Rather, I don't read [anything-but-Tolkien] anymore.

I'd write more about the film, but I don't want to relapse too hard. Not yet. And I hate over-hyping movies, especially one that's the best I've seen in a years--again, non-Tolkien-related ones.

Mace