The Name Of The Band Is... COWBOY MOUTH

fresh off of a morning flight from new york and a few hours at the office, what i really needed was a full dinner and a good night's sleep.

and, well, i got neither.

new orleans-style rock band extradonaire, cowboy mouth, was in town at the independent, and i charged the show with agents galletti and gibbs.

for those not well-versed in the mouth, this band brings high energy and settles for nothing less than a full audience frenzy.

the lead singer is the drummer and a barney rubble look-alike who brings the heat like nobody's business. the guy is frothing at the mouth before the show even starts, and he's barking at the audience half way through the first song that they better start showing some life or he's gonna leave the stage.

toss out all your uptight, reserved, i'm-worried-about-work thoughts and groove like you've never grooved before in your life. yell like you've never yelled, dance like you've never danced. hug your neighbor. slam your beer. let yourself go. ARE U WITH ME??!!

mouth shows are infectious, and if you're not bouncing by the second tune you better check your pulse.

was pleasantly surprised that the rest of the band is really tight these days. some new additions have added some wrinkles to the sound and have given the band some refreshing range.

here are a couple clips from the action:

- Cowboy [VIDEO]
- Mouth [VIDEO]

right the hell on. who needs a full diner and a good night's sleep anyway?

Rolling Wit The NYC

burned through the Big Apple last week and surveyed the scene long enough to confirm that the electricity there still runs at max voltage.

thing is, everyone is important in new york. everyone is busy. everyone has a purpose.

and yet, nobody is important in new york. and no business really matters. and who really gives a rats ass about purpose.

there's just something so incredibly refreshing about the anonymity of it all.

the city dwarfs personal problems. taken the right way, the baggage you bring to new york feels a lot lighter. and if you don't lose your mind while you're there, you can actually leave with some new-found perspective.

or not.

i grabbed breakfast one morning at a classic local joint on the upper west side called Big Nick's. in fact big nick himself was there getting interviewed by some rag doing a story on local fixtures. and yeah, he was big.

anyway, i ordered some sort of omlette and a large orange juice. you know, regular breakfast fare. short, old, weathered waitress takes my order like she's heard it a million times.

except she comes back 5 minutes later and says i can't order a large orange juice before noon. in fact, how dare i order a large orange juice before noon. in fact, if i insist on ordering a large orange juice before noon she will have to charge me an extra $5 dollars.

hmmm. well, i said, any chance i can get two small orange juices?

sure, no problem, she says, and walks away about as disengaged as she was impassioned moments before.

yep, the place just oozes with character.

caught up with Downtown Brown and crew at Tortilla Flats on the first night and fired up the bingo strong. bar staff in the joint takes their craft seriously, and if you're not drinking at the proper pace, they'll harass you. and damn if you're not booted from the joint if you yell bingo falsely.

as it should be.

and a plethora of xmass lights ala our very own La Rondolla. oh, and shrines to elvis. and about 75 crayon drawings of the virgin mary that were part of a grade school competition.

yes, yes, another round of tequilla please.

excellent late night rendezvous with beermongers goldfarb, pashke, and cambell. sadly, no pictures were allowed at that point, what with all the concubines that were present and all.

night two was spent living a bit more upscale at the Tavern on the Green at an awards ceremony. as good fortune would have it, our nefarious operation took second prize in a beauty contest, and a few of us ne'er-do-wells were there to claim the prize.

good fun 'til the wee hours of the morning storming various castles in some warehouse district.

morning came quickly and with it my flight out. reminded me of vegas a bit as our plane took off. giddy upon arrival, but pretty much ready to jet after a few days...

Halloween 2005

enough halloween festivities this year to make jack skelington proud.

from the pumpkin patch to boo at the zoo to the TBC smackdown at the elk's club, this year was spooookkyyy.

here are a few shots of the action:

wrangler agent_30 playing host to some injun...

al davis, committed to excellence...

boo at the zoo...

ingrid, louisa, and the cougar patrol...

connor at the great pumpkin patch...

prego catholic school girl...

napolean dynamite...

old skghoul bros...

lady Bojon getting her DragOn...

the ghb kickin' in for brother nick...

cowboy, philosopher...

i told you i was sick...

dodgeball...

artiste imitating a monkey imitating an artiste...

and finally, there were three that day...

Long Live Huckleberry The Cat

'tis a sad day in the Kingdom.

it is with a heavy heart that i report that the patron saint of Bojon, the great Huckleberry The Cat, is with us no more. my dear compadre had to be put to sleep today as his aging heart finally gave way.

this feline road shotgun with me for the last 14 years, and i truly feel blessed to have enjoyed his company for so long. he bounced with me from the east coast to the west. from norcal to socal. and then back north. 5 cities, 9 houses... 38 roommates. and along the way, this furry charactrer saw it all.

and he took it all in stride. if i learned anything from huck over the years, it's to take life as it comes, as smoothly as possible. his motto, as it manifested itself to me over time: "might as well relax 'cause we're here now."

i will cry tomorrow when my daughter comes out of her room and shouts for "Hucky-Bear."

but i will smile too, because this creature brought more than his fair share of joy to this world, and he lived a good, long, hearty life.

and really that is all any of us can hope for.