New journalistic enterprises

Greetings faithful readers,

I have a new blog and journalistic experiment. Entitled, QuickFast, a coworker and I pick a different fast each week. It's a weekly mini-social experiment where we abstain from one thing each week. This week it's cursing.
Last week we avoided added sugars.
So, go ahead and click on this here link http://quickfast.wordpress.com/, and give us a look.

Thanks!

Embarasssing business cards

In my new job, as an everything reporter, I do a lot of city, health, county, development and generally big important stories. Every once in a while I'll find myself with only my "Melody Stone, Rock Journalist" business cards, a title I was so proud of in Humboldt, and now I'm a little embarrassed by.
Just because the focus of my career was music journalism, until said career was derailed by a greedy selfish media mogul, doesn't mean I'm not completely qualified to cover this California State Licensing Board contractor's sting.
I wish I owned the Rock Journalist title here, and perhaps, soon I'll get back into it. But it's not like starting out in Humboldt. There are big time rock journalists in these parts. A friend of a friend used to work at the Daily Democrat, went to Sacramento News and Review and is now freelancing for SPIN!
This big fish is realizing there are lots and lots of bigger fish in this much bigger pond, and she misses her little pond where she was friends with all the other fish.

The death of independent video stores

I loved and hated going to the video store. I rarely went alone, so inevitably I was there with a couple other indecisive people. Even the most decisive people crumble under the weight of picking out a DVD.
This scenario has all but disappeared in my life. I still have indecisive friends, but instead of spending hours arguing over what movie we should pay money for, we simply stay in the living room, browse netflix's "watch instantly" selection, and pick something random because -
a) it's free and
b) we can always turn it off if we get bored with it and not feel bad for wasting $2 bucks.
But now, I'm missing conversations with pretentious movie store clerks... I'm even missing the hours spent trying to make a decision.
I want to frequent a local video store, but they are disappearing, the closest movie rental place to my house in Midtown Sacramento is Blockbuster and I've never been a Blockbuster patron.
I work with a former owner of a video store. She had to close her shop in Davis because she lost too much business to the red box.
In college i wrote a story about businesses diversifying to stay alive. A movie rental place in Arcata started offering tanning in the former adult video room. Two tans a month brought in more money than the adult videos.
So in order to keep the pretentious movie renting, brick and mortar dream alive, they need to sell out a little. Start carrying apparel, or offering a tan, or maybe espresso.
I'm not giving up my Netflix account - the industry is already dead in within the ten block radius I wander in between the hours I have to work.
So, with a sad sigh, I say a prayer for the video rental industry and hope like the newspaper and music industries it can reinvent it's self and eventually - stick it to the man/robotic video dispensing box.

Bridge School - no glee inducing, but maybe worth a quick trip to the bay area

In 2007 I had one of the most pleasant days of my life sitting on the lawn at the Shoreline Amphitheater listening to Regina Spektor, Tegan and Sarah, Tom Waits, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Mayor, and Niel Young. It was exquisite. Since then I wait anxiously every fall to see what line-up Mr. Young pulls together for his annual benefit concert for The Bridge School. This year the headliners are No Doubt and of course Niel Young.
2008's line-up didn't cause me great glee - so we skipped the concert.
This year's line-up might spur me into buying tickets and planning a mini-break to San Jose.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Fleet Foxes, Wolfmother, Sheryl Crow, Gavin Rossdale and the Monsters of Folk are all signed up. Jimmy Buffett is playing Saturday night only, and Adam Sandler will play Sunday.
I might go for Sunday because I'd like to see Adam Sandler, and while I don't have a deep love for most of the performers, I could go for an afternoon of chill'n on the lawn enjoying good music.
Only problem, I've seen No Doubt and Chris Martin recently. Coldplay, blew me away and lodged themselves in my musical-heart forever. No Doubt, was... disappointing. Gwen lacks the believability I imagined her to have in the 90s. But what can you do, people grow up, and want to keep making money off their old stuff, and when their new stuff sucks, can you blame 'em?

So... to go, or not to go. That is the questions.
Tickets go on sale on my birthday - 9/20
and the show takes place October 24 and 25.

What came first the graffiti or the band?

For anyone who's used the restrooms at Humboldt State University the phrase "Be Brave Bold Robot," should be familiar. That restroom graffiti is also a band in Sacramento. They are playing Saturday at the Sammies (Sacramento+Grammy's) at Cesar Chavez park.

I don't know much about BBBR, but I'm excited to finally seeing them after reading their name so many times while peeing in Founder's Hall.

The show is free and there will many bands including Silver Darling, whom I've heard is amusing, these things will be verified with photos upon my return on Saturday.

Music starts at 3 p.m., hope to see you there.

Upcoming shows to get excited about

Breaking into a new music scene is hard, and I've yet to venture to far out to explore new bands, but as far as getting to see bands who have already earned a space in my heart, Sacramento has some good shows coming through.

June 23: The king of surf rock, Dick Dale is playing at the Press Club, $30 cover. 21+
July 14: Coldplay, lawn seats at the Sleep Train, two for one deal through travel zoo means we only spent $50 after fees, the discount code is TRAVEL.
July 24: No Doubt, the original cast, also at Sleep Train, with The Sounds and Paramore. Tickets are only $15 after fees. Worth a trip down from Humboldt? I think so!

This week I'm planning on checking out a Roller Derby Bout and a Woodland Chamber of Commerce BBQ. Life is grand in the Sacramento Valley.

long time no post

Greetings blogosphere,

I've been out since the Eureka Reporter kicked the bucket, but the mourning period is over and I'm writing again.

I now live in beautiful midtown Sacramento and work at a newspaper in Woodland doing hard news, and an optometrist office in Davis doing optical stuff.

New paper: www.dailydemocrat.com
New town: http://midtowngrid.com/

Reasons why i love living on the grid:

• Walking/biking distance from awesome bars, music venues, fro-yo, pizza, sushi, and friends.
  
• Lots of trees.
• Second Saturday Arts Night
• Tons of nifty thrift and vintage stores

There are more, but I'm loving city life. I miss Humboldt, but I'm excited about what Sacramento has to offer.

Accoridng to urban dictionary.com

1.	rock journalist
	one who meets with punk musicians to interview them for a zine before a concert, rocks out and headbang during the concert, parties with the musicians after the show, then retiring to a quiet room or greyhound bus to write a review and write down the interview transcript word-for-word; one who suffers the worst case of rock hangover than anyone else in the scene. Groupie 1: Hey, why is that girl over there taking notes? Groupie 2: 'Cause she's a ROCK journalist, duh!

News from an unemployed Music Editor

After last nights show at the Van Duzer, I'm now a fan of Zack Gills, look him up.

Another Zack I'm a fan of is Zack Newkirk, the brilliance behind my late section's movie reviews. Since talent like his shouldn't go to waste he put it where all laid off and wanna-be journalists put it, in a blog. So please, go to http://theforgottenreviews.wordpress.com/, before you see a movie, I've almost always regretted seeing movies he's given poor reviews for.

Another group of journalists looking for a voice that I'm a fan of would be all the folks over at http://eurekaruin.wordpress.com/, mostly my former coworkers.

The blog if frequently updated with interesting and relevant posts that warrant a read.

Now, Zack Gills. He opened for Mason Jennings last night, and while Mason Jennings left something to be desired (that something being playing more songs I liked), Gills was a glorious surprise of an opener.

If music was categorized by what the majority of the lyrics were about Gill's music would go into the "Family Section." Not like it's family friendly, his song "Handy Man" is caulked full of grown up innuendos, but it still has a feeling as if it's being sung to a wife. He can't fix the kitchen sink, but if you're in the mood he's your hand man. Only wives or long time partners want their lover to also be able to fix the kitchen sink, when you are newly dating you don't ask them things like that.

He sang a song about his daughter and how she's growing up and it got me so maternal I almost got impregnated. Another song, called Family, is an accurate picture of the "Yule Time Burn," when you come home to be with your relations and you aren't quite relating anymore - and it wears on you.

In addition to singing about family he moved around from instrument to instrument. Playing a grooving boogie on the piano, to acoustic guitar, to the accordion for a rousing round of the "Devil Went Down To Bavaria," sung with German accent and everything.

The set was too short, especially since Mason went on and on, with mostly slow songs and it being dark and quiet, it was hard to stay awake.

Final column in the ER

By Melody Stone, Rock Journalist

I just got off an airplane. My favorite part is landing, feeling the wheels hit the ground, knowing I’ve arrived. At this moment, however, I feel I’ve begun a long flight with no sign of landing, it’s uncomfortable. As you probably already know, The Eureka Reporter is no longer, and my favorite section (this one) will no longer be printed.
For the last 10 months I’ve poured my heart and soul into these pages. It’s been hard, fun, trying, exciting, wonderful, and more.
I set out to be a rock journalist and, after four years of school and freelancing, the ER took a chance on me. I can’t thank Glenn Franco Simmons and Diane Batley enough for taking that risk. Shortly after I started, e launched and I have overseen every e section printed, and this will be the last.
This scene is so wonderful and diverse. I was just down in San Francisco and San Luis Obispo County and I saw a distinct lack of hand-made concert fliers and lack of all-ages, live-music venues. We have Mosgo’s, The Placebo, Big Pete’s, and the options continue with 21+ venues. There’s never a lack of beautiful, raw, inspiring music to be had, from all genres. I tried to find a single election day concert in San Luis Obispo and failed.
Thank you to Strix Vega, The Ian Fays, The Rubberneckers, The Ravens, The Monster Women, the guys from Laden Swallow, Broken Scones, Huckleberry Flint, The Bucky Walters, Sadistic Hallucinations, The Tao Jonsers, Double Threat, Hey Eleanor, and many, many more. Thanks not only for giving me great stories and column fodder, but for being real, for being true, and for doing it for the music.
I’m going to miss a lot of things about this place, my coworkers, most of whom I knew from the Lumberjack, and the rest I became friends with here. I love talking to new people, I love asking questions and getting people’s stories, and I’ll continue to do those things. Thanks to my faithful readers. I can’t tell you the thrill I got from hearing a mention of my column on KSLG or KHUM, or a shout-out from a band during a concert.
I don’t know what comes next, but I will continue blogging about music and covering the scene at www.melody-stone.blogspot.com, and you’ll see me at shows for sure.
Thanks for reading, and here’s my show suggestions for this weekend.
On Sunday, I’ll be at Old Crow Medicine Show at Humboldt State University. On Friday, I’m going to try to get out to the Lil’ Red Lion in Eureka to see Svelte Velvet because I still haven’t seen them, but have heard lots of good things. On Tuesday, I’ll be front and center for Mason Jennings’ show at HSU.

(Melody can be reached through her blog at www.melody-stone.blogspot.com)
(Opinions expressed in columns do not necessarily represent those of The Eureka Reporter or its staff.)