I’m not sure if I believe the weather forecast this week. It looks awesome outside right now, and it’s just about 100 degrees, but they say it’s going to storm all weekend? Ridiculous. Anyway, this weekend preview is so late that it’s already calling me about child support. Time to stop chit chatting and get this thing did.

Check out the weather and shows below the break!

Friday – 7/16 – Isolated T-Storms – 99/74

Saturday – 7/17- Isolated T-Storms -88/71

Sunday – 7/18- Isolated T-Storms -93/74

Friday

The Hogwaller Ramblers – Fridays After Five – 5:30PM – Free!

-I know I’ve picked on this sort of behavior in the past, but now I just kinda think it’s awesome. The Ramblers are playing 3 days of shows this weekend, and I think that’s just great. I also like the Hogwaller Ramblers, so I may be biased. I can’t not approve of a person that can make music with a washboard.

The Love Language & Drunk Tigers – The Southern – 8PM – $8/advance – $10/day of show

Saturday

The Hogwaller Ramblers  & Rose’s Pawn Shop – The Southern – 8PM – $8

-Rose’s Pawn Shop is actually the headlining band here, but screw it. It’s a Hogwaller Rambler’s weekend.

B.B. King – The Pavilion – 7PM – $33-$82

-You should go to this. If you haven’t seen B.B. King before, you need to see him once before he kicks off. I had this same theory about James Brown the last time he came to town, and he was dead within months. I’m not saying that I’m the angel of death, but I’m not not saying that either.

The Brian Patrick Band – Rapunzel’s – 8PM – $5

-A friend of mine plays pedal steel and guitar with this group, and it’s a sight to behold. Pedal steel is awesome, and you don’t find it very often. If you’re anywhere near this show, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Sunday

The Hogwaller Ramblers – Fellini’s #9 – 10PM – Free!

Lady Antebellum – The Pavilion – 7PM – $35-$45

-So… if I’ve got this right… this band is famous for a song about a booty call? Ok, maybe that’s not so bad. But still, that song is on the radio every five minutes and is a summary what’s wrong with popular country music. Meh.

Secretly Y’all: Secret Shame – Random Row Books – 7PM – $5 (suggested donation)

-Go. To. This. It’s the last SY for a couple of months, and everybody’s favorite MC may be retiring. Monday looks like it’s going to be a sick day.

What else is going on this weekend?

Ok folks, it’s time for yet another Secretly Y’all. They’re taking a month off after this one, so if you’ve been thinking about participating… the time to get your attention whore fix is now. The details are all the same: Sunday (July 18th), Random Row Books, 7PM, $5 donation, Bring a chair. I’m not exactly sure what the ‘Secret Shame’ theme means, but I’m hoping that it means we’re going to hear a bunch of really embarrassing stories. Sometimes these stories can lean to the emotional side, and I think it’s just super that everyone gets to talk about their feelings…. but I’ll tell you; I’m not sneaking in the finest bourbon $6 can buy for all that. The real gold at these things is in the embarrassing stories. The more I think about it… they’ve timed it perfectly. The theme almost guarantees all hilarious stories, and the impending hiatus adds a little bit of pressure on the folks that have been shy about participating. I’d expect this to be one of the best SY events yet.

We’ll probably be pre-gaming at W. Main, Zinc, or Continental Divide. Sunday is the last day of restaurant week, so dinner and then Secretly Y’all makes for a pretty awesome datenight. If you can get in at l’etoile, your whole night is easily within walking distance.

So, come on out and catch the Secretly Y’all crew before they break for a month. I’ve got inside info that one of the best story tellers is about to skip continent for a couple of months, so there’s a little extra pressure to catch her before she goes. And remember to bring a chair!!

It’s Secretly Y’all time again! I know this is what I say every month, but these things really do get better with each event. The details are all the same: Sunday (6/13), 7PM, Random Row Books, $5 much-needed donation, bring a chair. The theme this go-round is ‘Consumed’. I was trying to figure out how to explain that, but Lauren beat me to the punch:

me: so

Consumed is about….?

food?

Lauren: passion

things you buy

things you eat

things that eat you


So, join us for pre-gaming on Sunday and be sure to bring a folding chair for the event. It runs from about 7 to 9, so if you come out, definitely stick around until the end. By the second half, the audience usually has a buzz going and the show gets even more fun. I heard a rumor that there may be popsicles for this event, so for once they will actually be ambient temperature appropriate. I’m also told that there’s going to be a special surprise, but they won’t give me any details. My bet is on midget strippers.

See you on Sunday!

It’s that time again. It’s time to dust off the folding chairs, mix some vodka into a bottle of Powerade, and get hilarious up in this B.  This time the event theme is ‘Family Matters’; so… get ready for some hysterically awkward stories of psychological and probably physical abuse. The details are the same: Random Row Books, Sunday (May 16th), 7PM, $5, and bring 5 folding chairs (at least 1!). I hear that this is one of girls’ favorite line-ups yet, so it promises to be an awesome event.

More details below the cut…

Here’s my favorite part of these posts (the copy/plagiarize):

We’re excited to welcome back veteran story tellers and have some new story-tellers take the stage.

Got a 5 to 7 minute great family-related story, but aren’t signed up? No worries; you’ll have a chance to throw your name in the hat night of.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday night at 7pm and Random Row Books. Don’t forget your $5 donation or your portable chair.

As always, you’ll be able to find us self-medicating before the show at either W. Main or Zinc. You can also expect to find a bit more of the same afterward. I hear there are going to be popsicles at this event, and hopefully the weather is going to be nice enough to warrant them. If not, remember that popsicles probably mix pretty awesome in that bottle of sports drink/vodka that you had the forethought to bring. Remember… having an extra stash of alcohol isn’t ‘alcoholism’ when there’s no primary alcohol supply available. Then, it’s called being a visionary.

]]> http://txtnly.com/2010/05/14/secretly-yall-family-matters/feed/ 26 http://txtnly.com/2010/04/28/a-note-from-the-girls-at-secretly-yall/ http://txtnly.com/2010/04/28/a-note-from-the-girls-at-secretly-yall/#comments Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:12:20 +0000 Donk http://txtnly.com/?p=815 Lauren sent me a quick blurb, and it’s a slow day around here… so I’m happy to use her for content. Woo!

I think we all know that people LOOOOOOOVE to give you their advice. The minute you do any kind of show or party or event or website or whatever, you will finish, breathe a sigh of relief, turn around and there, behind you, will be several very helpful people with very helpful ideas about how you could do it better. And I’m not being sarcastic. They are really helpful. It’s just, the problem is that you’re only one person (or three) and there are infinite good ideas out there to spend your finite time putting into action. Well, the Secretly Y’all ladies have decided to harness the creative genius of their audience and storytellers (truly the best in the land) by holding a contest to determine the theme for their July show.

Do you think they should do more really short stories? Great, make your theme “The Greatest Shortest Story Ever Told.” Do you want to hear more about sex drugs and rocknroll (and somehow tie July 4th in)? Super, make your theme “Dependence Day.” Should Secretly Y’all be a contest? Be told entirely in piglatin? Be about trains? Be about your first grey pubic hair (that great equalizer)? Wonderful. Now is your chance to speak up and be heard.

Here are the details: You can enter the contest at our website, here, or you can just email us with your idea for the July theme (secretlyall@gmail.com). Entries are accepted until May 28th, and the winner will be announced sometime around June 3rd. For your entry, give us the theme title and a brief (under 150 word) summary/explanation of its cleverity. (Which is a word I just made up.) We’re probably going to have a poll where people can people vote on their favorite themes, but, as always, we reserve the right of final judgement. If you win, not only will you have the chance to brag all over town that you made up July’s theme, we will have a special ceremony at July’s show, crowning you the Grand Vizier of July Theme Making. Rest assured there will be a crown of some sort.

The Fest is a three-day, 8 year-old music festival all over Gainesville, FL, which was born from, and continues to be run by the local DIY/punk community. The Fest attracts both bands and attendees from around the world, and acts as both a springboard for new hard-working bands in the scene, as well as a venue for various reunions. The Fest’s founder, Tony Weinbender, who was integral in the founding of Macrock in the mid-90’s, moved from Virginia to Florida after finishing up a degree at JMU. After working for awhile at an independent record label in Gainesville, Tony decided to take the successful formula that he had learned as an undergrad, and apply it in a town with a well-established scene. Dubbed “punk rock’s South by Southwest” by Alternative Press, The Fest can easily be considered a success.

In using the word success, let me be clear that I’m not talking about the type of success that finds one rolling around in “the Benjamins”, “making it rain.” I’m talking about the type of success that brings a community together, to have a good time, expose people to vast amounts of underground music, while reuniting friends, and adhering to the ethics that the community holds so dear.

Since 2002, The Fest has grown from 60 bands in two-days to over 300 bands over three-days. While some of the bands that play have achieved commercial success, most of the bands that play are assiduous touring bands either unsigned, or signed to small DIY or indie labels. The bands that have achieved commercial success don’t have a chip on their shoulder, but will play the larger venues only to accommodate crowds. All shows are well-attended, and are volunteer-run with precision. In order to accommodate the large number of bands, the sets are short, but high on intensity.

If you’re like me, and like your lyrics screamed at you in moderation, have no fear, The Fest has something for everyone. For every day, each venue has showcases that highlight every flavor of punk rock, as well as metal, indie, and alt-country options. I still remember spending what I thought would be a Sunday of recovery, drinking Murphel-berrys, listening to countrified punk bands at Common Grounds, only to have my mind-hole blown by four awesome women in plaid dresses and cowboy boots. I moseyed my way over to meet them after their set to let them know that when they decided to play Virginia, I would help them book the shows, put them up, and cook them brunch with farm-fresh, pastured eggs. I am grateful that The Ones to Blame took me up on that offer, and will be playing my upcoming wedding show at The Box in June.

If a Sunday evening of diverse styles of punk bands sounds interesting to you (and no, Charlottesville, I’m not referring to the sped-up tempo bands, with hyphenated descriptors that include the word punk, or play in town 3 times a month, and never tour…), then come down to The Jefferson on Sunday night to see a show featuring Fest alum Against Me!, and current Fest mainstays, Worn In Red and Dead To Me. There are two things that would make this Sunday even better and more Fest-like: A street vendor selling Cubans on the Downtown Mall, and an afternoon The Ones To Blame show in Lee Park.

The girls from Secretly Y’all are back to melt some faces with hilarity and self-deprecation. The details are the same as always: Random Row Books, Sunday, April 18th, 7PM, $5 suggested donation. These events are getting bigger and better every single time. I’m not recommending that you bring a folding chair this time. I’m telling you to bring two. Without fail there are people standing or sitting on the concrete floor at every show. I don’t know about you, but I don’t drink a whole bunch before things like this just so I can stand up for two hours and lose my buzz. Bring extra chairs. My state of intoxication may depend on you. The weather outside is gorgeous again. You should have several folding chairs in the back of your car just for impromptu white trash tailgates. There is no excuse.

I don’t have anything planned for this event, but I believe that B Yo might. That’s at least one guaranteed awesome story for the night.

Other notes: Umm… drinks beforehand… possibly at West Main.. possibly at Zinc. We’ll try to let you know.

DO NOT PARK IN THE PAVED LOT BEHIND WEST MAIN RESTAURANT!!!!!*

*I got towed from there recently… It’s not actually the lot for W. Main, the restaurant. The whole situation is ridiculous. Collier’s towing sucks.

An interesting little bit of beer trivia… the name “India Pale Ale” gets the India part of its name from way back in the day when Britain occupied India. All those British troops needed beer and the crown wouldn’t allow the locals to brew it, so it all had to be shipped from Britain. This was before the days of airplanes or refrigerated cargo ships.

So, since hops is a natural preservative, they added a bunch of hops to the pale ale (a favorite of the time). The extra hops allowed the beer to survive the long sea voyage without spoiling, and thus was the hoppier IPA born.

You’ll see me use the word wort below. This is what your beer is before you add the yeast. Once you pitch the yeast, then you have beer, before then – wort.

Here’s my brewhaus… a simple propane cooker and a pot

My staging area…

4 oz of bittering hops and 1 oz of Cascade aroma hops go into this lovely IPA

The LME (Liquid Malt Extract)… I kept it in this cooler sitting in hot water to keep the malt loosey-goosey

That bag clipped to the side of the pot is my hops bag. This allows the hops goodness to get all up in yo wort, but allows for it to be easily removed when it comes time to pour your wort into the carboy. 55 minutes of boiling with your bittering hops, then on to aroma hops!

After 5 minutes of boiling with the aroma hops, straining the hops from the wort is as easy as this…

My wort chilling rig…

The submersible pump in the bucket pumps icewater through the copper coil, cooling the wort off quickly

And here the heat exchanger is doing its thing…

The wort has been added to the carboy, now filling with water up to the 5 gallon mark

Moments after plugging, this IPA already has a proud krausen. Krausen means “crown” and it refers to the head of foam that develops as the beer sits in the carboy.

Ok,

It’s Secretly Y’all time again. Due to one of the most unpredictable and not exactly awesome weeks ever, I haven’t been able to get this posted as soon as I’d like. Much Thanks to B Yo for getting the info out in a more prudent timeframe:

belmont yo :

The Secretly Y’all’s theme this month is “Ides of March: Stories of War”. Seven O’clock, Sunday, March 14th, Random Row Books.

http://secretlyall.wordpress.com/

There’s a little bit more info over at the Secretly Ya’ll site, so here goes:

Here’s what you need to know:

• We’ve heard a rumor that there’s going to be a zombie puppet show at Random Row Books sometime around 615. Having trouble finding more information about this so it’s actually a SECRET UNDERGROUND zombie puppet show. If that’s your thing, show up early for it and then stick around for us.
• Bring a chair. Bring a chair. Bring a chair.
• It’s pay what you can with $5 suggested donation. This month, after we cover our RRB costs, we will be donating all the money to Lakeview Virginia Neurocare, a brain injury center, run by the federal government, for injured veterans. We’re very excited to give them our support.

And seriously, bring a chair. Bring several. This one should have a really huge crowd, and while being chivalrous is awesome…. it sucks after you’ve been standing for 2 hours. You can expect the usual pre-gaming. I’m not sure if I can stand West Main anymore. We may have to move it to Zinc this time. Shenanigans has made special work provisions to be in attendance, so it’s guaranteed to be a really fun night.

I probably missed lots of details here, so feel free to berate me and point them out in the comments below.

We hope to see you there!

]]> http://txtnly.com/2010/03/11/secretly-yall-at-war/feed/ 0 http://txtnly.com/2010/03/04/charlottesville-derby-dames-snow-brawl/ http://txtnly.com/2010/03/04/charlottesville-derby-dames-snow-brawl/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:45:52 +0000 Donk http://txtnly.com/?p=360

Ok. It’s time to stump for another awesome local event. Coming from a similar vein as CLAW (Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers), we’ve got another group that’s mixing some of my favorite things: Sex, Violence, Booze, and Charity. If you guys haven’t been to one of these events, you really are missing out. As an extreme example of how great this can be, there is a ‘danger zone’ right up next to the track; basically operating with the same idea as the ’splash zone’ at a Gallagher show. Except, instead of being splattered with exploded watermelon… you’ll probably be hit by a flying mass of knees, elbows, and metal. Bad ass, right?

The details for this event can be found in the flyer above, or at the Derby Dames website. Or, since I need to fluff this for content, in the next paragraph:

Event: Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby

Where: Augusta Expoland   –  277 Expo Road, Fishersville, VA

When: Sunday, March 7th. Doors open at 4PM, Scrimmage starts at 5PM

How Much: $5 at the door. Bring cash for drinks!

Why: Sex, Violence, Booze, Charity.

You can get $1 off admission for each canned good  you bring in. So, the more food you donate, the more money you’ll have for drinks!

This time the Derby Dames will be scrimmaging with the Richmond Derby Demons including some members of the Rocktown Rollers.  I’m going to be hauling a Jeepload of folks over there for the festivities, and we’re all really excited about the event. This promises to be a Sunday to remember.

We hope to see you guys there!!

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