lIVE mUSIC!

I love music.

Especially LIVE music...I have ever since I can remember. I was blessed (and still am) to have a musician as a parent. Both of my parents from the get-go exposed me to a ton of music and helped me to cultivate and develop a never-ending love for the art.


Up until a few years ago, I really hadn't been able to experience LIVE music the way I have always wanted to. You see, I am a bit of an old soul when it comes to music. As a kid, sure I had a few NKOTB tapes (and yes there was even a Vanilla Ice tape too that somehow found its way into the mix), but my faves even as a kid were the The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, The Outlaws, Marshall Tucker, The Doors, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath...(I could go on for days). Anyways, my point is with such an age gap between me and my faves, seeing them live has always been impossible. The Grateful Dead for example - Garcia passed away in 1995. I was only 13, so there went that possibility. Then, The Doors, of course was ruled out waaaaay before I was even a thought of a thought when Morrison passed away in the early 70's. See the pattern here?? All the others either weren't together or touring anymore, or I was simply too young to catch them when they were.

I was lucky enough though that I eventually did catch some live shows with my parents...My first ever full-blown concert was the Allman Brothers at Walnut Creek. I was probably 15 and the bug bit me hard...I knew right then that if any of my favorite bands ever came close enough for me to go see live, that I would do everything possible to make it happen. Over the next several years, I saw the Allmans again, Boston, AC/DC, Kiss, and Lynyrd Skynyrd with my parents. The last time I saw the Allmans, I was about 8 months preggers and I almost got into a fight...When you hear frat boys a few feet away saying "Dude!! The pregnant chick was gonna swing!!" You know that it's prolly time to be headin' fo the exit. It was rainy and I was barefooted surrounded by people under the influence...'Nuff said.

After having our son, we took a break from shows...Not that we wanted to, but we just couldn't swing it with everything we had going on. Plus, you have to SAVOR those moments when kids are always sweet and totally adore you. Save adult fun for those moments when you are considered 'uncool' amongst the 6-10 year old crowd. 

Shortly after having Hudson, I heard that Phil Lesh and Bob Weir were touring as The Dead and were coming to Greensboro! Not only that, but Warren Haynes was touring with them!! There weren't even words...This was my chance to see and hear the closest I would ever get to the Dead!! One of my all-time faves!! The very day that tickets went on sale, I stood in line with about 30 deadheads at the ticket booth for about three hours (the most pleasant time I've ever had waiting in a line and boy do I HATE lines). I was eighth in line and the rest is history. It was SUCH an awesome show and I got to share it with Chris and my parents. How cool is it that you get to enjoy a Dead concert with your parents and spouse AND you know that they are enjoying it just as much as you are?? I really had a 'things come to full circle' moment...it was nice.

Us on Shakedown Street...April 2009

Also somewhere after we had Hudson, we discovered Widespread Panic. From the very first note I ever heard, I was sucked in (we both were actually). Here was a band (minus one member) that has been together for a considerable amount of time and was playing kick ass music that sounded NOTHING like what was on the radio. After hours and hours of getting lost in CDs and DVDs our chance finally came to see them live back in April of this year. The Dead will always hold a very special place in my lil musical heart, but Panic blew me away. We hit a two night run in Asheville with several friends who had been to numerous Panic shows and decided that we would all have to hit every Panic show possible together. This past September, we all got another two night run in Raleigh AND we were lucky enough to get tickets to their New Year's Eve show!

Us @ PANIC - April 2011 - Asheville Civic Center

Seeing Panic live has given me the chance to live out a few of my dreams...They are one of the first bands that I have LOVED and have been able to go see live! Seeing the band or act live that you absolutely love is like no other experience. It makes my heart feel like a kid on Christmas morning. We were lucky enough to have FRONT ROW both nights in Raleigh, so not only did we get to enjoy two great shows, but we got to really see the band enjoy putting on two great shows as well.

Sept 2011 - Jimmy, JB and JoJo

Sept 2011 - Schools in session

Sept 2011 WP makes me smile

Another thing that I absolutely love about going to a Panic show is the other fans...Everyone seems to be on the same page (okay, maybe some stray away, but everyone for the most part is at least in the same book) and is there to have a great time while enjoying the music. Sure things get wild from time to time, but for that many people to be in a confined place for several hours and have NO violence or problems is a beautiful thing.

CAN'T WAIT TILL NYE!!! 

Our most recent show was about a week ago at Ziggy's in Winston-Salem.

Drive By Truckers!!

We have been listening to DBT for a few years now and finally had the chance to catch them live. WOW. We wound up front row again and even after two nights of Panic front row, my ears rang nothing like they did after DBT. Gibson SGs cranked up will do a number on your eardrum when you are 5 ft away from the monitors.

Us @ DBT - Nov 2011

 This was an awesome show too because the opening act, The Alabama Shakes blew my socks off...I am not ashamed to admit that I now have a girl/music crush on their lead singer, Brittany. I swear, she is the reincarnation of Janis Joplin times like fifty. I have NEVER ever heard another woman sing AND play the guitar like that. Brittany Howard, you rock!!

The Alabama Shakes!

The Shakes and DBT rocked Ziggy's out! From the first note to the last beat of the drum, they sweated out song by song and shook the walls of that tiny lil place.
 

DBT doin' their thang

Patterson Hood and John Neff jammin' it out

I seriously think some of Mr. Hood's sweat got slung on us several times...Def. not a problemo

If you love music, you should definitely see your favorite band or act STAT...If fans don't support their faves, then artists can't do what they do!! The experiences you have at a live show are ones that you can't get anywhere else. Being able to actually see the people that created the music that you love actually perform it is an amazing thing. Being able to share it with folks that you love is a special thing too...Chris, my parents, our friends and I have so many memories over the short few years that we have been seeing live shows together that I will treasure forever.

They're NOT Shoes!

I'm one of those folks you see fall after fall, clinging onto my flipflops and sandals like there is no tomorrow. I don't know why either because I LOVE shoes, but I just have a hard time transitioning from ffs and sandals to straight up shoes that smother my lil piggies. Yep, I'll admit it...I'm one of 'those' you see rockin the North Face AND a toboggan with my fave ffs frozen to my feet. I know I'm not the only one that does this, so I haven't ever really felt that bad about it. To each his/her own, right?!?




Example#1
November 2010
North Face (check), Long Pants (check), Birkenstocks (check)



Example#2
November 2010
Double-Layered Shirts (check), Long Pants (check), Rainbows (check)

                                                                           

Mmkay, so you get the picture....

For some reason this year, I haven't felt the need to cling to my Rainbows and Birkenstocks the way I always have. Not that there's a shortage in the love dept for my two fave pairs of shoes, but I was ready to tell them buh-buy a lot earlier than normal and that struck me as being weird. Am I feeling okay? Am I coming down with something? WTF Abigayle?

Because of this, I have had to get way too creative with my shoe/outfit selections here lately. My body was saying I need shoes covering my toes and my toes were saying "Noooooo....don't cover us up yet!!" I have already broken out the Uggs (normally waaaay to early for me), I have pushed the business casual envelope at work with my cowboy boots and Chucks, and my beloved Mary Jane Crocs are on their last lil legs.

Enter these guys...

Sanuks!!

The Hubs and Hud surprised me with these for my birthday! I gotta hand it to my boys...They know me like no other. Chris picked up on my shoe dilemma without me even having to rant and grumble repetitively AND he knows that I have a penchant for all things funky/eclectic. He also knows that most anything that I wear to work can't push the business casual envelope too hard. BAM! My boys hit the nail right on the head with the Sanuks! (Thanks Chris and Hud...Yall are the absolute BEST)

I could rave on and on and on about these AWESOME shoes! I absolutely LOVE them! They are super comfy, lightweight and they look good with almost ANYTHING!

You want to know what the absolute BEST thing about them is though??  THESE ARE NOT SHOES. Yep...The tag even says so!

They are actually sandals (yoga mat bottom and canvas top). These shoes sandals, ladies and gentleman allow Abigayle to have her cake AND eat it too! Sanuks are the perfect transitional weather footwear. See, I'm not totally jumping from the ffs and sandals to the  boots and sneakers, but a comfy place in-between. They are lightweight enough that my feet don't get hot during the heat of the day and they are warm enough for chilly fall evenings outside.

Aren't they adorable???

I am definitely a fan of these  shoes sandals for life (or until they quit makin them, which I hope is never). Soooo, if you are like me and have a hard time transitioning your fall footwear, or if you just love shoes, you should definitely check them out HERE.

Let me know what you think!!

Halloween 2011!

HALLOWEEN FUN!!

Chris and Hud gettin one started

Boys love power tools!
And so do their mommies...because seriously I will not carve help carve another pumpkin again unless I have one of these nifty little battery powered doo-dads. Definitely worth the extra 5 bucks!

Batman is ready!

LOVE pics w/my boy. 

I'm always behind the camera, so these are usually pretty rare...

Batman at his first house of the night...The only pic I was able to sneak, I mean take of him actually in action b/c "someone" (whose name I will choose not to call) didn't want me takin' pics with people's houses in them. Understood, but really, I could care less about the house - I just wanted trick-or-treat action shots. With this being our 6th year trick-or-treating, I know that our trick-or-treating days are numbered.

Hope everyone else's Halloween was a great as ours was!!