JJ meet J.J.

Stuck in a day of frustrating slow work -- where I was only able to make decent progress on the two things I had scheduled for myself, rather than check either fully off my list -- I headed over to Melt for a late lunch.

Once again I failed to order the basic sandwich, which is superior to all else, and went with the monthly special, which was pretty good. I also had a couple beers, thus ensuring that no post-lunch work would be done.

Instead, a nice early evening nap was in store, and when I rolled over and looked at the clock to see how long it had lasted, it was 815 PM.

I got up, attempted to shake off the yucky "too long nap" feeling, and threw on the nearest t-shirt/walked the dogder/brushed my teeth and went over to the Beachland.

I stopped in at Music Saves to see if they had any of the odd selections on my "CDs to get" list, and snagged a copy of the Royal Bangs "We Breed Champions" album. Then it was over to the tavern to see local act JJ Magazine. They're one of my favorite Clevo bands, and were opening up for some pretty good LA acts, Jeremy Jay and Film School. I was absolutely new to Jeremy Jay, but had met the Film School guys at a Zaireeka listening party last fall and they seemed cool, so I planned to stay the whole time.

The JJ Magazine set was good, you could tell they were comfortable in front of their home town crowd. I think it would be cool to see them play somewhere out of Cleveland, see how the stage banter changed. Last night was one of the guy's birthdays and they celebrated on stage with hats and shout-outs. The hats also contained fun facts about Cleveland, a nod to the city's own birthday (#212) on the same day. Best moment: when a guy bought the band a round of shots, they took them, and all nearly yacked. It took the singer like 3 minutes to get it back together, and when she did, she acknowledge how un-tough the band obviously was. Priceless.

Worst moment: the one when I realized they just finished their last song and either hadn't played "Dinner" or they had and I totally wasn't paying attention.

I also noticed a presence of long pants and thin sweaters. Was that a function of the slightly cooler temps or a new fashion thing I'm un-hip to? Either way, I was happy in my shorts and t-shirt.

After they exited, Jeremy Jay (hence the J.J. in the title) and his back-up band entered. Jay had so much in common with a young (but less out there) David Bowie, it couldn't have been an accident. Very fluid, very gentle, somewhat androgynous - yep, Bowie all over. The band seemed relaxed and professional and happy, a totally different experience compared to the band behind King Kahn night before last -- guess that shows the difference in front man personalities.

In between sets, I went outside to catch some fresh air and bumped into the bass player from Jeremy Jay's band. I told her how I enjoyed the set and we chatted for a few minutes about favorite venues in Austin (she prefers Emos, which I think is second only to The Parish) and where they were off to next. When she said Schuba's in Chicago, it reminded me of many college-era trips up to see Sixteen Horsepower and, after that, the delicious chili. I told her about the chili, and she asked if their was a veggie option. I lied and said not only that, but there was vegan, but regardless, it was too hot for chili. Then somehow we started talking about chili smoothies, which disgusted both of us and we went our separate ways.

Following Jay was Film School, a band that has always struck me as a little bit more emo combination of Failure/Ken Andrews and Blinker the Star. During their live set, that didn't come across as much, but it was still good. I actually left a bit early (AGAIN! I'm so old), but not because I didn't appreciate the band's presence or enthusiasm.

Tonight I think I'll go with a night at home, catch up on netflix. There is an interesting Isreali hip-hop show at the Grog, but I'm probably just gonna save up my energy for tomorrow night (Ingenuity Fest party/Christmas in July in Lakewood) and Nina Simone's daughter @ Beachland on Saturday.