Beatles on American Idol.

I'm a sucker for "American Idol".

Never thought I'd openly admit this, but it's true. Got kind of into it last season, but thanks to Amanda and the fact that it's cheap and easy to watch, I've become addicted this season.

I know what you're saying and thinking. "Drew, you're a sell-out." Well, sell-outs usually live pretty happy lives, right? Sorry to disappoint.

This season isn't considered to have the strongest lineup of contestants, but I'm a fan of most of those who are left. To make it more interesting, they did songs from Lennon/McCartney this week, which is how my attention was originally drawn in two years ago.

A lot of Beatles fans weren't too happy about this song list, however, because they believe that the show is full of no-talent karaoke singers. I even got into a debate with a bunch of people who attend the Beatle festival, Abbey Road on the River, about whether or not it was a good thing they would be singing these classic songs. Most of them argued that it would be awful, and that it was only Sony's way of trying to exploit money out of the Beatles lineup. I disagreed, however, saying that whether the contestants did a good or bad job, it would still be exposure for the Beatles and could open the eyes of young people to a higher level of music. Think of all the kids out there who watch Idol and only listen to the spawn of Disney and acts like Justin Bieber. This episode could grab their attention and pull them in a much more dignified musical direction. Even though the songs being performed aren't the original, I know that if a cover is interesting, it makes me want to check out the way the first artist performed it. Hopefully Idol will do the same for these kids.

One of the many good things about the Beatles is that they created a foundation of music so beautiful that future performers could take it in any direction or genre. While new versions of the songs can be different, they can also be a cool and innovative new look into the original classic. The "I am Sam" and "Across the Universe" soundtracks have already done this, and I think it's fun to see where other new and old artists take the songs as well.

As for this season of "American Idol", the contestants did a pretty good job with the music overall. My top four favorites showed up with strong versions. Casey performed an acoustic blues version of "Jealous Guy" by John Lennon, which you could tell he really felt as he sang. Siobhan brought a pure and beautiful cover of "Across the Universe" that really highlighted the fundamentals of music without going overboard with crazy notes or hurting the song. Big Mike tore UP an R&B version of "Eleanor Rigby", strings and all, and Crystal brought a powerful acoustic version of "Come Together", complete with didgeridoo. My alternating fifth favorite, Lee, also did a great cover of "Hey Jude", bringing out a bagpipe player and getting the audience involved like the Beatles would do.

Here are a few vids:




The rest of the singers did OK too, and in my opinion, it was definitely the best show of the season so far. Of course, singing the Beatles could have a little something to do with this, but hey, it was awesome, and I'm gonna go ahead and say that a lot of the people who were against it that watched it probably liked it too.

Anyway, I'm gonna keep watching the show and cheering on my favorites like all of the middle-aged women and teeny-boppers who get into it. Not gonna be embarrassed or ashamed by my new-found love in this reality program. Gonna watch it with pride until the end. Might even vote for the first time if it comes to it. We shall see.

Otherwise, I'm gonna start writing to YOU people more often. I'm really feeling talking more about music now that it's spring and getting warm out. Always brings out memories of older times and good tunes, so be prepared for some of that.

Until then, be easy, and I'll be in touch.
Drew

Mayer XVI/March

Dear March,

I'm sorry that I screwed you over and didn't write a single blog during your time this year. I'll make up for it in 2011.

To everyone else, sorry I've been distant! The warm weather brought me back though! I'm ready for spring!

Some cool stuff has gone down in the last month. I'm almost done being a temporary vegetarian, and MAYER XVI was siiiiiiiiiick!

Here's the setlist from Greensboro:

John Mayer, Greensboro Coliseum, 3/15/10
Heartbreak Warfare
No Such Thing
Bigger than my Body
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Perfectly Lonely
Victoria>My Stupid Mouth>Your Body is a Wonderland
Free Falling%
Waiting on the World to Change
Say
Assassin
Vultures
Half of my Heart>Don't Stop Believing*
Gravity

Encore:
Who Says
Why Georgia

%Tom Petty cover
*Journey Cover

The show was GREAT! I got to sit third row, and took Amanda and my parents! It was sweet getting to see some of the new music live, but most of all I'm glad they finally got to see Mayer in concert! Can't wait 'til he kicks his summer tour off in Charlotte...

Anyway, here are a few pics from the night...hope you enjoy!









Get hype for more Mayer and more writing!

Drew.

Gigs and dancing AT my lady.

Amanda had a gig last night. She AND the band rocked it. Had a lotta fun dancing "at" her (not with her), since she was in the middle of a performance. They balled over a set of mostly Beatles with some C,S,N, some Doors, some Clapton, and a few other artists from the time period thrown into the mix. It was a good time. Had the 'rents come out, and the sis, and one of my cousins, so that was cool. Also managed to get some folks from work out there.

Of course, I'm not the most sociable person when it comes to her gigs. I kinda play the groupie/roadie role. Run errands. Elbow drop dudes who try to holler. Dance up front. Make faces at my girl. It's a pretty good little setup.

Time went by super-fast last night while they played. They rocked it from 9-1, which seemed like a long time, but it was over pretty much right after they started. Through the sets, they played a nice lil rendition of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Amanda knocked out the "Across the Universe" version of "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Her dad balled on the drums, and the two guitarists shredded some amazing solos. Can't forget Dan, the bass player, who covered Petty like it was his job.

I also got some sweet dancing in over the course of the night, and kept getting dragged to the floor by a woman who said I looked like John Lennon and wanted me to dance in front of Amanda while she sang. Who could turn dancing in front of her down, anyway, right? If I can't dance WITH Amanda, I'll dance AT her. Figure that's ALMOST as good. Almost.

Went to Herbie's for some late-night breakfast after the show and didn't make the trip home until about 4:45. Nothin' like a little grease to help ya sleep.

I drove home in silence last night, and didn't realize it until I was about halfway back. It was nice. I guess I had enough music running through my head, or thoughts running through my mind. (Thoughts playing music in my head?...something like that).

Anyway, after I realized it was quiet, I just LISTENED. Listened to the engine and the tires on the road and the wind. The roll of it all reminded me of being small and riding home from places late at night and trying to sleep in the car, but really only fading in and out. It was always the kind of tired where you dreaded brushing your teeth because you knew that anything other than going straight to bed would only hurt and wake you up. Know what I'm talkin' about? I definitely melted into my bed when I got home in the end there. Slept til noon today and needed every minute of it.

Could totally go back to sleep now, but it's 3:30, and it's my Dad's b'day (HAPPY B'DAY DAD!), and I've got work at 5, so for now it's time to tread on and truck it out until tonight.

And until later...PEACE.
Drew.

Vegetarian Drew.

'Ello, folks. How's everybody doing?

So. I gave up meat for Lent this year. Not something I normally participate in, but I wanted to give it a shot. Last time I actually gave up anything that I cared about to the point where it was difficult was 2006 when I gave up sweet tea, but in those days I was a little rounder, my teeth were a lil tea-stained, and I drank the stuff all the time. Don't really drink it anymore, but four years ago it was tough! I chugged a Biggie sized sweet tea from Wendy's the night before and suffered through the 40 days, but I made it. Shoot, it's probably part of the reason I rarely drink the delicious syrup anymore. Either that or because I found out that sweet tea REALLY is no better for me than soda. It wasn't as bad as finding out about Santa, or how many spiders we swallow in our sleep in our lifetime, but it was close...

Anyway, this year I'm doing the vegetarian thing with Amanda. We're still allowing fish, but we're a week into it and we haven't jumped in that pond yet (HA, get it?). The longest I've gone before this period was 10 days last month when I did it just to do it. Don't get me wrong, I still love my cheeseburgers and Carolina BBQ and chicken, but I've cut back like crazy.

Only thing I've been worried about in cutting meat for a month and a week is the protein factor and losing weight. I work out a lot, so I'm obviously concerned with wearing my body down from lack of protein consumption. The good thing is that I've got plenty of supplements and I'm compensating through eggs, whey, and other dairy products. I've also discovered fake meat made of soy and whey, which is good too. Looks like the real thing AND tastes (mostly) like the real thing. Rocked some fake ground beef in our spaghetti tonight and it was MONEY.

The first week was easy, but it'll be interesting to see how tough it gets. Shouldn't be too bad because there are plenty of good ways to get around it. I'm also interested to see how I FEEL physically, because meat has been getting such a bad rep in the press recently. Documentaries like "Food, Inc." and other programs have been bashing certain factors of what we eat, and I'll be excited to see if I feel better over all once it's been out of my system for a few weeks.

I'm not saying that I'm going to give it up once the 40 days are up, but I may continue to cut back on meat consumption. I'll still do the BBQ at family reunions and the burgers at Tailgates, but we'll see what I'm feelin' as it comes otherwise.

I'll keep ya posted on how it's coming, and I'm sure the last 33 days will go a lot faster than we think...

Drew.

Blogs before bed v.20.10.

Good evening, folks. Remember towards the end of the summer when I tried to whole "Blogs before bed" thing? Well, here's an updated, 2010 version for ya. Don't get too excited, but enjoy it while it lasts. Like seasonal beer. And Christmas.

I found myself in a hurry this afternoon. It wasn't a big deal and could have been prevented, but either way, I ended up having to rush to where I was going. I worked this morning and came home to an empty house only to waste time for a while. The house is definitely quiet when my parents are gone, but it's SILENT when they take our dog Maia with them. Kinda eerie. Anyway, I got back from work and ate a little lunch with the full intention of going to the gym after the food digested. Of course, the opposite happened, and I got online for a bit and talked myself out of working out by taking a time-out on my pillow with the lights out.

My late-afternoon nap was nice, and it turned out I needed it pretty bad, but I had the plan of waking up with plenty of time to spare. What happened? I hit snooze. Three times. My snooze is nine minutes long. You do the math. After knocking out half an hour of extra broken sleep, I made a cup of coffee and jumped into the shower. From this point on, I was in a hurry.

Anyway, the point I'm making in all of this is that it seems like whenever you're in a hurry, everyone else in the world is in slow motion. They're all on vacation on some tropical island sipping margaritas while you're plowin' through four feet of snow to get down the street.

One of the errands I had to run during this time of hurry included a stop to Target. I found what I needed, and tried to get to the registers as quickly as I could. Of COURSE, the rest of the store was oblivious to this and everything else in life, and nobody was following the rule of walking on the right side of the aisle. I finally made it to the line and got out, but not before visualizing myself in a real-life "Frogger" game where the people are the cars and the aisle is the road. Ever do that?

Visualizing is fun. I'm sure you do it. It's leftover imagination power from your childhood. I like to do it in my car too, when a hype song comes on the radio. I'll throw the pedal to the floor for a second and imagine a high speed spy chase. It's sweet.

Speaking of visualizing, how bout the torch ceremony at the Olympics tonight? I didn't realize Superman's Fortress of Solitude was in Vancouver! Or that it could catch on fire! Pretty cool though, ey? Funny, funny.

Anyway, this has been my first good ramble in a while, and it felt pretty good. It's been a fun week full of b'days, and Hershey's and Hallmark day is coming up SUPER-fast. I guess now I can say Happy B'day to my Mom as well, because it's officially the 13th, so, Mom, if you read this, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Hittin' the hay now, guys. State/UNC tomorrow, and lots more ADB b'day to celebrate.

Goodnight.
Drew

SHOUT!

I had the honor of being a groomsman in my good friend Luke's wedding this past weekend.

Weddings are great, and it's definitely starting to turn into wedding season for my friends and people of my age range. Kinda crazy, but they present a great opportunity to break away from everyday stress and have FUN.

For me, one of the coolest moments of the reception is the dancing and the music. If you don't have dancing at your wedding reception, please don't invite me (no offense to anybody whose wedding I may have already attended without music). The whole point is to let loose, because HEY, it's your wedding day, and we're all here to make it AMAZING for ya. No one wants to sit around and drink lemonade and eat tarts. I'm just sayin'...

Anyway, Luke's wedding was off the hook (bringin' that one back), and I wanted to share a little visual of how much fun it actually was with you.

There are certain songs that wedding bands play as cliches. "Wedding Crashers" showcased several of these, and the one I wanna talk about today is "Shout". Those in attendance through the ice and snow at Luke's reception were fortunate enough to rock it out to a version of this song played by an AMAZING wedding band, the "Brothership".

While the song was going on, I broke out my camera. I'd had it out a lot that night, but for this particular strand of four minutes, I took it out, danced, and KEPT taking pictures! So instead of really posing (outside of a few random ones), I got about 30 CANDID pictures of people breaking it down during the song.

So, from my lens to your eyes, here it is folks. "SHOUT" from the wedding of Luke and Katie Sirakos. Enjoy.

Groundhog New Year Promise

Hello.

I need to blog. And I will, I promise. Soon. Getting geared up for some cool things in 2010.

Talk soon.

Love,
Drew

PS: Happy Groundhog Day.