Reaching For The Random ... Brad In Bolder

Reaching for the Random...Brad in Boulder

Brad in Boulder...a curious title indeed.? It's like one of those cheesy dedications on the Casey Kasem show...? "This song goes out to Brad in Boulder from?Janice, the lonely Flying J truck stop waitress that you shared a night of passion with last winter.? Brad, I will always love you..."(Whitney Houston's version of 'I Will Always Love You' follows).? Well, that's not quite how I recall it.? When I say "Brad" I'm not referring to a person, but rather a collective group of?musicians (aka, a BAND) from the Seattle area who have just released their third (much anticipated) album entitled "Welcome to Discovery Park".? Now, I assume that most of you have no idea who Brad is, but I'm going to tell you a little story about my experience with them, and then maybe you'll think they are cool, and go out and buy their disc, and get rid of your Linkin Park cd and start listenin' to the good shit.
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As eluded to in the title, our story takes place in the town of Boulder, Colorado.? Boulder is a beautiful city, and the home of the University of Colorado.? Boulder, or "The Berkeley of the West" as it lovingly reffered to by some, is a fun place to go for a show as well, as I found out one evening a few weeks ago.? Now, it should be noted here that, although I?am only 2+ years removed from college, while in Boulder, I still managed to find myself standing out like a turd in a punchbowl due to the fact that: 1) I was not sporting any sort of facial hair(besides a very faint molester mustache.? The product of not shaving that morning). 2) I was not drunk(not yet, anyways). 3) I left my hemp knecklace at home (actually, I don't own one).? Luckily for me, my good friend EvilSockMonkey was seriously upstaging me with his button-up Spider-Man shirt.? I?own a few 'loud' shirts, but nothing like that.? Damn.? Not being ones to really give a shit about how dorky we probably look(in fact, we like it), Sock and I march up to the?outside of the venue like we own the shit.? The venue in question was a little place called Tulagi.? Basically, it was a bar with a very small open floor and a stage up front.? Perfect.? Really, we were excited about this.? As I mentioned, Brad just released an album full of great music and they were out promoting it a bit.? Why they came to Boulder I will never know.? But I do know this: the show at Tulagi was one of the only "real" shows they were playing on their promo tour.? The rest of the tour consisted consisted mainly of radio studio performances, and a couple of in-store stops(one of which I happened to catch the next day in Denver).? So where was I....oh yah, we were standing in front of Tulagi.? I'm perusing our surroundings, and I notice a man standing out front of the place with a gaze permanently fixed on a little band that was playing on the sidewalk across from the venue.? Not just any guy.? This guy had 2 very long pony-tails, and a distinctive hat.? So I walk over to him for a closer look, suspecting all along that he is Shawn, the singer for Brad.? I'm sure it's him.? Sock, however, is not convinced.? So what does he do?? He whips out the album cover(which he had stowed away in his pocket, hoping to adorn it with signatures later) and has a look at the pictures inside.? I'll be damned if he wasn't wearing the same damn hat as he was in the pictures(Fred Durst style!? Fred is an asshole.).? So I politely introduce myself, hoping that he didn't see Sock pull out the album cover for confirmation(that would have really made us look like a couple of fan-boys).? He's a nice guy.? We wish him a good show, and he goes in to do the soundcheck.? By now, I know were in for a good show because the smell of alcohol is still in the air from when he opened his mouth to say "hello".? Rock 'n Roll, bitches!
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Early as we were, we spend a fair amount of time milling around waiting for the doors to open.? In line, we meet this cool guy from Omaha named Josh, who is in town on business.? We strike up conversation.? The Sock strikes up a cigarette with Josh.? Pickles doesn't smoke.? We find that, like many of the people there(including Pickles and Sock), Josh is a hardcore Pearl Jam fan.? Why would so many hardcores be at this particular show?? Stone Gossard plays in Brad.? That's why.? Stone is one of the guitar players for PJ, and a damn fine one indeed.? I'll admit that the only reason I gave Brad a try is because of their association with Stone.? I'm not one of those idiots that claim to have been with the band "from the beginning".? But, in the process, I have discovered a really great band that needs to be heard.? Anyways, we finally get into the venue and grab some beers.? We pass the time with small talk(mostly PJ related), and learn that Josh, in addition to having a good job, is a bit of an entrepenuer.? He runs his?own business called LPonCD.? He takes old vinyl records and converts them to CD for you.? We laugh about all the wacky shit that people send him to record.? Why do Chinese people want a copy of Jane Fonda's workout albums on CD?? Fuck if I know.? Ask Josh.? Anyways, a few minutes before the festivities kick off, ol' Josh about falls off his?stool as he swears he spies none other than the famed "BlackJack" McDowell, former?Major?League?pitcher (Cy Youung award winner in 1993 with the White Sox, I think...?).? Now, I really don't give a shit about baseball, but I do recall what BlackJack looks like(sans long hair).? By my recollections, this is not BlackJack, but merely a look-a-like.? Surely BlackJack wouldn't come to a tiny bar in Boulder to see a fairly?unknown band, right?? Wrong.? BlackJack lives in Boulder.? BlackJack likes music.? BlackJack even has his own band.? And he still has the goatee and is now sporting long hair.? He's also still in pretty good shape.? Probably because, as?Josh explains, he spends lots of time groovin' on the guitar with his band called "Stickman"(or at least that's what Josh said his band was called).? By this time, we've had many beers and everything is funny.??Talking to BlackJack would be funny.? So I go back to take a piss and when I?walk out of the bathroom, I see?BlackJack hangin' near the bar, chillin'.? So I walk up to him and say(slur):? "Dude, Stickman rawks!? Keep it real!", and shake his hand.? He politely thanks me and?I?stumble off very pleased with myself.? As Josh had been explaining earlier, Stickman?doesn't really rock.? In fact, according to him, they?kinda suck(hell, maybe they are great.? Never heard 'em).? So the fact that I just walked up to BlackJack and told him that?"Stickman rawks!" was really good for a few laughs with Sock and Josh.? We yuck it up a bit(more on this later) and?the show begins.? Great show.? Really great show.? Music was flowin'.? I'm standing about 10 feet from Stone.? Watching one of my heroes.? When the show ends, I walk back to my car to grab my digital camera, hoping that I could get my pic taken with Stone.? Sock stays behind and works the room in his Spidey shirt.? I return to find Sock M.I.A., and my quest to find him leads me into the alley behind Tulagi(actually I had to piss).? A small crowd gathers in the alley, and I see that BlackJack is one of them.? I make my way over there and see Stone standing there chatting with people.? I am now face to face with Stone.? This is the guy who is responsible for such songs as "Alive", and "Even Flow", not to mention countless other PJ riffs and?a brilliant solo album called "Bayleaf".? Say what you will about grunge?and the 90's music scene, but this guy had as much to do with it as anyone.? Not as high profile as some, but a cool motherfucker none-the-less.? Plus, he's not dead.? Since I talked with BlackJack earlier I figure he and I are friends, so I ask him if he would be so kind as to take a picture of me and Stone.? Can you imagine?if I had a picture of drunk me and Stone?? Then I could tell people it was taken by BlackJack!? That'd be some cool shit!? One problem, Stone ain't havin' it.? He politely says 'no' to a picture but offers to sign the Brad poster I had managed to peel off the wall after the show.? I thank him for the music, and tell him how excited I am for the new PJ album.? Shit, now I really gotta find Sock.? He's standing in front of Tulagi looking tough in?the Spidey shirt and I walk up to him and tell him that Stone is in the alley hangin'?with BlackJack.? Sock cares not about BlackJack.? He wants to see Stone.? See Stone he does, and gets his copy of "Bayleaf" signed.??We leave happy and head to Perkins for some early morning grub.? We sit in the booth and laugh at our good fortune.? We laugh about me telling BlackJack that Stickman rocks.? That's some funny shit at 2 o'clock in the morning when you have a?buzz that is starting to taper off.? Sock heads?home to?wooly Wyo, and I find my way back to my bed and fall asleep.

The next?day I get a call from?Sock.? Having left his headlights on when he got home, he is a bit later for work than originally anticipated.? Sock works hard.? Sock tells me that he was watching TV that morning and that BlackJack was on the local Denver channel doing an interview.? "Guess what?", says Sock.? "His band isn't called Stickman.? It's called Stick Figure."? Looks like the jokes on Pickles.? BlackJack got the last laugh.? At least I got to meet Stone.? And at least I got his band right.

Cheers,
Mr. Pickles????