The music business. A cut-throat, fend for yourself kind of “watch your ass” business. Sure, that can be very true. But it was not the case on 2/18/12.

Sweet Leda was part of Pirate Rob’s Bday Bash at Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore, MD on 2/18/12. Is Rob really a pirate? Not exactly. He comes from an OC-based band Pirate Radio, from back in the day. The band is no longer, but his nickname Pirate Rob has stuck around.

Now, Rob manages a few MD bands, and puts on a ton of multi-band shows throughout the year–some small, some huge. Every year for Rob’s bday, he throws a humongous concert/party and books over a dozen acts to share the stage. This past Sat, over 1,000 people attended! There were 18 acts involved…music started at 5 and ended at 2 AM.

When we look back at the evening, Jaime and I cannot believe how seamless the evening was. Normally, a concert with 18 acts is just hands-down crazy unorganized. Some would call it a cluster f—. Nope, not this time. You might expect 18 different brands of egos, or competitors talking smack about each other. Nope! It was an evening full of “Hey, haven’t seen you in so long, missed you so much!!” and “Damn, that was a killer set!” and “Hey, I’ve heard great things about you, great to finally meet you”, and “I love you man.” I think I gave/received 50 hugs that night.

After our set, I walked upstairs and noticed the slideshow. Above the stage was a screen, where they were displaying a slideshow of pics from previous shows and events. I took a few minutes to stop and watch the pics (I’m sure all or most of them were from Clark Smith, who takes pics at all these events). As I gazed at photo after photo of shared shows, instruments, and drunken hugs, I got a little choked up. Seeing all these memories at once just filled me with the happiness and love that I experienced at each and every one of these shows.

I’m so lucky to be a part of this group. I feel especially lucky when we play out of town. We have played some random out-of-town shows lately, with multiple bands. Those towns don’t have an inkling of the love that we have here in Baltimore/Annapolis. Not even a little bit. I saw bands show up, play a set, and then leave. And their fans did the same thing. As if there were somewhere better to go than to check out some great new bands? Don’t musicians want to see/hear live music? Sheesh.

Well anyway…my point is…we are so fortunate to be a part of this family. I’m proud of all the bands, I’m proud of their musicianship and that they represent our town. I’m proud of how hard they work, and of the happiness and meaningfulness that they bring to others.

If you have never attended one of these parties, be on the lookout for DNL, 1 Koast, FREEstate Workshop, and Rob Bryan events (it’s all the same family). It’s a super crazy mixed-up group, but it’s a strong family of people who have sincere and overwhelming love for one another.

Happy Birthday, Rob. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

1) Have a favorite recipe? Print it out, buy the ingredients, and make a gift basket.
2) Suppose you have young kids, and are trying to think of a gift for your spouse. Interview your kids about your spouse (e.g. How old is your mom? What does she do for work? What is her favorite food?) My sister-in-law did this, and the kids’ answers were hilarious!
3) Personalize a gift. Buy your favorite CD and write a note about why it’s your favorite. Buy a few different ones!
4) Frame a picture. You can get pics off of their Facebook account.
5) Give them a movie gift set: a DVD, popcorn, hot cocoa, and slippers
6) Make an ornament! What fun memory do you have for this person? Print out a picture (maybe you go to happy hour together a lot…print out a picture of a pint of beer?), and glue it to some cardboard. Attach a string. Ta-da!
7) Go to an organic store or Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Buy a few neat-looking things and put them in a basket. It’s a gift basket!
Buy a bottle (or several) of your favorite wine, and write a story about how you discovered it.
9) Find an interesting drink recipe on the Internet, print it out, and buy the ingredients

I’m sure many of you have made something like this before. But just in case, I had to share. I’m finding I can’t get enough of these.

Cut red potatoes into chunks (note: maybe buy organic? Someone told me if you only buy some organic stuff, buy organic things that grow in the ground, rather than on a tree or stalk.)

Lightly coat with some olive oil. Shake on salt, pepper, garlic powder, and minced onion. Put ‘em on a cookie sheet

Bake at 400 or so until they start to get crispy! It helps to turn them with a spatula if you can, but you don’t have to.

YUM

I eat a lot. Quite frequently. It makes me happy. So I’m in the break room a lot at work. Today (8/23/11) I was heating up my lunch when I felt it. Rumbling. Shaking. An earthquake? I had never felt it before. I guess I had the same thoughts as many of you did: is something going on with this building? Is this an earthquake? Am I just freaking out? Am I still drunk from last night?”

When I decided it was probably an earthquake, I had another thought: this will most likely pass, and I will probably be fine. And I’ll go on with my day, in a safe, comfortable, air-conditioned building. But there are people who have those same thoughts, and end up in tragic situations. People have been trapped in buildings, trapped under broken building pieces for days. They die, they lose limbs, they lose family members.

Ok, enough sad stuff. What I’m saying is, that stuff really does happen. No one plans to be involved in a natural disaster, but it happens. Nowadays, whenever those awful things happen, organizations like the Red Cross come up with a simple idea. They ask people to send a text, and $10 is charged to their phone bill. and that money is used to help those in need. Done. In a mere second, we are able to make a donation and make a difference. They kinda make it embarrassingly easy for us to do a good deed. But here’s the weird thing: In talking to people months ago, I was amazed at how many people chose to not donate. How come? “I’m broke. I can’t afford that. My car just broke down, I have to pay a bunch to get it fixed.” Ten dollars? Really? Bull shit. Cuz you just spent $25 on Miller Lite and chicken wings.

Here is my point! Please help. Please do something. You know those commercials where they beg you to send money to save an animal? Try it. Or go to benefit concerts. Pretty easy to do. Or send a text and donate $10 to a disaster fund. Maybe do it twice? Once a day for a week? Convince others to do it. Email your friends. Awful things happen, and it makes me sick to think about it. But whether or not I think about those things, they are happening and people are suffering. So let’s all do our part, step it up, and help those in need. With the way things are going in the world these days, our day is going to come. We will be the ones who need help.

Karma

Say your good-byes. Check my eyes.

They are clear and dry. Let me tell you why

You tried to pull me down. You see I’m still around

Words have been exchanged. Now I know your game.

Please don’t try to explain; I think you’re deranged

You know that I moved on

Thank you for the song you gave me

You tried to pull me down

You see I’m still around now don’t you?

Chorus

Oh karma, please karma

Work your magic, work it for me

Yeah karma, please karma

Work for me, work for me, work for me

I’ll still smile when you see me, but if you need me

leave me be

My time ain’t free for thee

I know I look sweet

Honey you wait

I’ll make you beg for me

You know that I moved on

Thank you for the song you gave me

You tried to pull me down

You see I’m still around now don’t you?

Chorus

What You Don’t Know (track 3 off our album)

I used to love you

I loved you real good

I’d make you feel the way that you should

I’d make you breakfast, I’d sweeten your tea

But then somethin started changing me

I played you baby, well call me crazy

I wasn’t thinkin bout the pain I was causin

I had my cake and I was eating it too

My life was perfect but nobody knew

Chorus

What you don’t know won’t hurt you baby

What you don’t know won’t hurt you baby

What you don’t know won’t drive you crazy

What you don’t know won’t hurt you baby

Now when I’d see you, I’d start to sweat

I kept wonderin had you found out yet

I was so clever, I invented the game

The lustful feelings overpowered the shame

Chorus

Don’t know what I was thinkin

I’ll blame it on the drinkin

I struggled through a difficult childhood

I know this won’t concern you

but when I love someone new

I swear that I will always be good

Chorus

Don’t turn your back on me boy…

Let Her Love Her

I know a girl

She loves a girl

She is her world

She always hides

the tears that she cries

Baby don’t hide

If you disagree

Then just let them be, just let them be

Do you see what I mean, do you feel what I mean,

Do you see what I mean?

Chorus

Let Her Love Her, Let Her Love Her

How would you feel

if they took what was real

How would you feel

I don’t know how I’d be

if someone told me

I couldn’t be me

Do you see what I mean, do you feel what I mean?

Do you see what I mean?

Chorus

[Jay Crawdad's rap, too long to type!]

What I Need (lyrics to the first track on our CD!)

Alcohol–it makes you love me

I can’t see when you’re so above me

When I embrace you, you try to shove me

When she’s with you, are you thinkin of me?

Chorus

Your lovin isn’t what I need

Your food can barely ever feed

Your lovin isn’t what I need

Baby, give me what I need

I’m hearin smack talk every other day

I’m hearin back talk in every possible way

You got yourself a cake walk, what else can I say

Excuses, abuses, what’s it gonna be today?

Chorus

W0n’t you step back, we ain’t on the same track

Step back, you’re givin me a heart attack

Hold up–watch me lay it back

I told you let me go and I know you know that

Chorus

So. This past weekend, we played two shows with Devon Allman’s Honeytribe. Yes, Greg Allman’s son!

The first was Thursday night in Chestertown. It was at the Prince Theatre, beautiful stage and lighting. Red cushioned seats. Curtains. Balcony. Beautiful! It felt like a real concert. The audience was hungry. Their applause was thunderous. So wonderful. When our set was over, I got to roam around and hang with our Eastern shore friends. Everyone was hanging together, so happy and talking about the music. We had a great time with the band guys, they were a lot of fun.

Then…the next night. We were all pretty pumped up from the previous show. We show up to Wild Willy’s. Pool tables. HUGE televisions. Cocktail tables. Huge, long bar. Ick.
This was a completely different night. Although it was still us opening the night, and it was still Devon Allman’s band as the headliner. Same cover charge. Completely different night. Some people played pool. Others sat at the bar and stared at the bartender’s breasts. Others watched the music from a cocktail table. Some watched TV. I asked around. There were certainly quite a few people in there who had no idea what band was playing. I’m sure some didn’t even realize there was a band in there. It was so incredible. Put an awesome, famous-ish and national band in a typical bar and look what happens. They just become a typical bar band to people.

Reminds me of a story that my mother-in-law told me. Something about a super-famous and talented violin player, playing in the subway for tips. Most people didn’t stop, they usually went on with their day. But hours later, that same player performed in a concert hall for thousands, and the ticket price was pretty hefty. Interesting,

What a great day! We played an Annapolis festival called Eastport a Rockin on 6/25. Tons of fun! It was our first time playing there, ever (yikes, that’s a different blog)

Festivals are tough. Imagine you are working out. You’ve been going for a while, you are all worked up and the sweat is just pouring out of you. You’re getting a fabulous workout! Now imagine doing that in front of hundreds of people. On a stage. Wearing a dress. It kinda sucks! It’s one thing for the boys to sweat, but I’m a lady. We are expected to be pretty at all times, or we are considered freakish.

So, the sweating is a problem. But even simple things like going to the bathroom, getting a drink, or even feeding yourself become enormous tasks. Try getting food, but you need tickets. And I’ll surely run into someone “hey!! you’re leda! hey i know you don’t know me, but let me give you some advice. You should [dress differently, really try to give it your all, don't wear those sunglasses, don't be afraid! run around more, run around less, etc etc etc]

or I might run into the person who came to a show two years ago, introduced himself, and is now utterly offended that I don’t remember his name. Even though it was–2 years ago.

Ok. I got through the people! Now it’s time to pee before we go on. Walk to the port-o-potties. Crap, there’s a line. Do I play the “i’m in the band” card? Nah, not usually. I’ll do it if I have to play in a matter of minutes. If it’s an hour or more, I won’t do it. Then someone in line recognizes me. “ohhhh you’re leda!! i love to see you guys but i don’t get to very often, cuz my friend doesn’t like you guys.” Super. Thanks for that almost compliment. ( i guess i should make a note that i didn’t hear all these crazy rantings at this one festival, it’s just a collection of all the good ones i’ve heard lately!)

Finally, I make it into a potty to pee. Hold my breath cuz strangers probably pooed there earlier. Drip dry cuz there’s no TP. Ok, done.

Now it’s time to get a drink! A beer would be nice. But if I drink beer, I’m gonna have to pee. And then I’m right back in the potty line. D’oh!!

So, festivals are nuts. On Saturday, even though we play at 7 I get to the festival at 2 cuz I love to support all our friends’ bands.Phone’s.ringing! we get a call from the Dirty Names, who are playing right before us. Somehow they tracked down Jaime’s number. “Dude, I’m so sorry but we are driving from New York and we hit a bunch of traffic, and I don’t think we’re gonna make our set. Can we switch sets, we’ll play at 7 and you play at 6?”

Crap. Crap crap crap. We have been telling EVERYONE that we play at 7. If we switch, we’ll be doing a good deed. But then we’re gonna hear it. People will complain that they made it over to our stage at 7 and we weren’t playing anymore. And they’ll be pissed. What do we do? Omar’s not even here yet, who knows when he’ll get here. AGHHHHHH what to do, what to do.

But we’re sweethearts. It’s true. So we say yes. As long as the 4 of us are here at 6, we’ll do it. So we started to spread the word that we are on at 6.

But at 5:40…a glimmer of light. Is it a bird? Is it the Rolling Stones? No! It’s the Dirty Names. They made it! Just in time.

Sooooooo they played their 6:00 slot. And we played at our original time, 7:10.

So here’s why I’m writing about this–these guys were classy. Not only did they totally rock the stage, but they gave us a shout-out and said thanks on the microphone. And then here’s the thing–they stayed for our set and loved us. I have seen so many veteran musicians not stick around to support others after their set. It’s lame. I’m not asking you to paint my apartment. I’m not asking you to make a monetary donation. I’m just asking you to listen to my stuff, as I did with yours. So even though these 20-something year-olds could have strutted around and collected compliments, and could have seen some of the festival, they stuck around, enjoyed the hell out of our set, and were completely sweet afterwards. Out of each one of them I heard “thank you so so so much for your flexibility.” AND…they thought we rocked   which is always nice to hear. They say “we must book a show together soon, you guys are awesome!” and we say the same.

So the moral of the story is…be nice. Even when it’s not convenient. We met some adorable smart, sweet guys who are in a great band, and we can’t wait to play with them again! Be nice, cuz you never know when YOU’RE gonna need someone to be nice, or understanding. Or both.