Friends Rule

You know the story.  You want to do something different this weekend like see a great band but a friend of yours would rather go to a dance club.  You can either go see that great band all by yourself or go dance to that hip hop non-stop dance beat until your feet ache and your wallet is empty from those expensive drinks.  If you follow the "friends rule" rule, you will go dancing with your friend because you don't want to go alone.

Now all that was on Thursday night when you started thinking about the weekend.  Friday comes and you get a text from your friend telling you that they have to cancel because their boyfriend just called and invited her to dinner followed by who knows what.  That's the next phase in the "friends rule" - you can call it the boyfriend/girlfriend rule.

Now you have a choice to either stay home alone or go see that band you really wanted to see.   Maybe you will make a quick phone call or text to see if you can get some last minute plans going with another friend - one who probably does not have a date.  Maybe you will take a bath or shower and think it over, remembering the infamous Clash "should I stay or should I go?"  The rest of the lyrics never enter into your mind.

Does this story sound familiar, more or less?  It's what I imagine goes on week after week for some of us.  It's the reason why we have so many choices of what to do each weekend but end up siding with whatever peers are doing.  It's the reason why bands work so hard to win your hearts, DJ's spin their tunes to a heavy beat and restaurants entice you with sumptuous meals.  It's an effort to win you over but remember.... Friends Rule!

Missing the Blues

It's been a week since I enjoyed the weekend long Riverwalk Blues & Music that took place downtown Fort Lauderdale.   What I like about attending music festivals is the variety of music and the variety of people enjoying the music with me.   This event was no exception.  Although I recognized some of the acts, most were ones which I had never seen or heard before.  The people too, seemed to be a crowd with which I was not familiar.  Many of the blues fans were baby boomers.  The music seemed to bring back memories of their childhood and forget about their present day realities.  Sound familiar?

As someone who was born after the baby boomer generation, I still enjoyed the toe tapping entertainment.  Unlike many rock shows I see, the lead singers were easy to understand.  They all seemed to make you feel good for being there and supporting their favorite charities.  There was also a lot of attention paid to remember Don Cohen, the founder of the festival 22 years ago, who recently passed away of a brain tumor.

Having observed parts of the festival starting from the "Will-Call" party at the Downtowner Saloon where volunteers were being trained the night before the official start to the "After-Party" taking place at Bourbon on 2nd, I learned to admire how much work went into putting on this event.  As with other outdoor events, uncontrollable factors such as rain and cold temperatures threatened all the efforts.  Luckily, the grounds dried up just in time and people brought blankets, ate spicy Jambalaya and drank more beer to stay warm.  My heartfelt thanks goes out to Darlene and Gerardo Lopez for all the hard work they put into making sure that we could count on in this festival to continue for years to come.

If nothing else, this event brought to my attenition two new spots to watch for great entertainment which I had not visited in the past.   As I am sure Don Cohen would have wanted, I have discovered both new music and new places to enjoy the music.  So, join me each weekend as I support the local music scene and help keep the dream alive!

Weekend Broward Blog: Poles, Pool Tables and People

Weekend Broward Blog: Poles, Pool Tables and People: "Taking photo's with a pocket camera proved to be an exercise in frustration. You probably had a similar experience - you get..."

Poles, Pool Tables and People

Taking photo's with a pocket camera proved to be an exercise in frustration.  You probably had a similar experience - you get back home after a night of snapping great shots of bands and friends only to discover that 80% of the pictures need to be deleted due to underexposure, blurr or light streaks.  So I upgraded to a DSLR that had a much stronger flash and only snaps the picture when the camera thinks the lighting is just right.  Now that I had overcome the obstacle of darkness, I find myself running into new obstacles. 

Many of the bars and restaurants hosting bands were built without the intention of making room for the entertainment.  When they decide that a band will bring in more customers, they block off an area where tables used to be and tell the band to set up.  Unfortunately, that often means no dance floors, no riser stage, poles, pool tables and walls blocking clear views - all obstacles for the "perfect' shot. 

And if the fixed objects weren't enough, the amount of room between the bands and the crowds of people enjoying the entertainment draws to a matter of inches, there isn't much room for a photographer to get in between.  This weekend, I discovered a new appreciation for those "in the biz" who need to get the perfect shot for publication.   I don't know how they do it, but I'm learning.  Climbing stools and tables to get the right angle can be embarassing but not as bad as having a wall block half the shot.  I'm still new at this but give me some time and I'll get it right.  In the meantime, enjoy the shots I do manage to get, good or bad, and keep supporting the bands that work hard to entertain, no matter how tight a squeeze it might be.

The Accidental Concierge

Every weekend, on my way to somewhere, I like to stop, look, and listen to someone new or someplace I haven't been before.  This weekend, for example, I was on the road to The Perfect Game Sports Grill in Coral Springs when I was passing by JD's Lounge.  I stopped in to see who was playing, and before you know it, I discovered the Top Priority band.

I was also pleasantly surprised at what I saw and heard when I arrived at my final destination.  Excess became SLEJJ when they found a new lead singer and it's amazing what a new vocalist and new name can do for a band.  I know of another band I saw recently that sounded ten times better with their new lead but they maintained their old name and their old reputation!

I also discovered that, like the bands with new lead singers, places that once seemed dead and lifeless can also pick up and change 180 degrees for the better.  So, if you have been staying away from a place just because it didn't seem like a popular hotspot last time you visited, you might want to give it another try - you just might surprise yourself as I did this past weekend.

Not the same old thing!

As anyone who knows me will attest, I love watching classic and modern rock cover bands.  However, this weekend, I had the opportunity to enjoy music which I would consider "off the beaten track".  On Thursday, I took in a blues jam at the French Quarter restaurant in Pompano Beach where New Orleans food is served right alongside live Louisiana-Style upbeat blues.  Then, I happened to catch JP Soars @ The Poor House in Ft Lauderdale, who will be playing next Friday at The French Quarter.  He provided a mix of Blues and Rockabilly.  Finally, on Saturday night, I took in Ever So Klever at the Coconut Creek Casino - with a 3-piece brass section, they are quickly becoming my #1 recommended non-rock band in Broward County!  They will be playing again on the 21st. 

As we approach this coming weekend, take another look at the Weekend Broward schedule, look for some new names and see if you are ready for something a little different this coming weekend - you won't be sorry!

How I started WeekendBroward.com

Less than 6 months ago, I decided to experiment with a free website creation tool from Google called Google Sites.  It allows anyone to create a website by simply selecting an existing site and then making changes to it in order to personalize it to their liking.  I wanted a website that would allow me to pull together all the invitations I had been receiving via e-mail and Facebook for local bands.  It only took me a few hours to start the site, originally called Weekend Concierge.  The site I started with had a disclaimer that it was for 21 and over which I thought would be perfect since I really did not want to promote going out to bars to watch bands to anyone under 21.  I found out soon after that Google will not publicize any website with this designation.  I put a request into Google to remove the designation, but to this day, I never received a reply. 

And that's when I started all over....

Rob, aka The Weekend Concierge