It's 3AM...

And I'm sitting at home. In my bed. With my computer on my lap. I promised myself, PROMISED myself, that I would just do a couple of quick things and then go to bed and now it's 3AM.

I had a really nice time tonight hanging out with my friends Jill and Geoff. We played dress up and got together a bunch of fun outfits for a photoshoot and I realized, or remembered, or maybe just enjoyed the fact that spending time with friends and being silly is just about the best thing that could ever happen in life.

I remember when Katie and Kate and Tracy and Cheryl and I would walk down to the pond by Kate's house singing They Might Be Giants all in unison, laughing without a care in the world. We did so much back in those days- coffee houses, camping, running around on golf courses in the middle of the night through sprinklers, and all of that without money, without drugs, without drinking, just with the simple pleasure of each others company and the idea that this moment, right now, was all that really mattered.

It's easy to get lost and feel hopeless and get bogged down with everything there is to do in a day. Everything that you HAVE to do and even everything you want to do- but, I can't help thinking about all the little things in my life that I'm so happy for and how all of those little things are really related to the people I love and have loved in this lifetime.

I miss everybody. And I think about you guys more than you can know. For the good times and the bad, I am and always will be forever grateful.

July 7th @ World Cafe Live

First of all- I'm so sorry to everyone who came out and had to leave. I don't really want to talk about that part, but thank you to everybody who stayed, thank you to everybody who came and couldn't stay, and thank you to all our friends and family just for being so awesome. We love you all!

Second of all- other than going on at 10:20PM instead of 8PM, last night was pretty awesome. :)

We don't have a permanent bass player. We haven't in a long time. We have a lot of bass players that we prefer working with (Jim who is on our new album KICKS, Chris who is just awesome, Ray better known as "the dude with the 6 string bass.") But tonight we played in Philly and all our regular bass players are in New York so we had to find someone new. That someone was Carter Fox. Yes, say it with me folks, Carter Fox. Because we had never met or played with Carter before, I set up a rehearsal in West Philly earlier that day not too far from the club itself.

Now, as some of you may or may not know I am a huge fan of The Dead Milkmen. A huge, ridiculous, die hard fan of The Dead Milkmen. The Dead Milkmen are an 80's punk band from Philadelphia that everyone in Philadelphia seems to know about but no one (or very few people) from everywhere else seem to know about.

So get THIS: I found this rehearsal space on Craig's list that was actually a recording studio. We show up that afternoon and we're setting up and the engineer/owner guy says something about a "punk rock girl" and I said, "I love being in a city where people know what that means" ("Punk Rock Girl" is probably The Dead Milkmen's only "hit". That and "Bitchin' Camaro") Anyway, so then he says, "You know they recorded here."

WHAT?!?!

Turns out yesterday I practiced in the recording studio, THE recording studio where The Dead Milkmen recorded their first two albums, "Big Lizard in My Backyard" and "Eat Your Paisley".

Now... that probably isn't really a big deal to anybody but me, but honestly, that was a pretty big deal. It didn't really hit me until later, but now I am PSYCHED! :)

Anyway- World Cafe Live. This place is AWESOME. We played upstairs and the sound is great, the bar is really nice, my pomegranate martini (thank you Jaime!) was awesome- all in all everything necessary for a great show. And the best part about it was that I was surrounded by people I love. Matt and the gang were front and center and we had a blast listening to the band before us. ("Rock and roll!") All the girls from work were dancing in the back (thank you ladies!) And my mom, aunt Louise, and mom's friend Sam were all quietly supporting from the side.

Again, thank you so much to everybody who came out. I'm sorry I was in such a funk, but thanks for helping drag me out of it! Nothing like good friends, good conversation and a little alcohol to make even the most stressful times feel like a breeze. I ended up having a blast and I hope you all did too!

Set List:
-Consider Me Gone
-Goodbye
-Ride the Wave
-Same to You
-Gone
-My Name is Jonas
-Dance With Me
-Who We Are (Dance Remix)

ps- Dear super cute guy at the bar who knew all the words to all of our songs- I heart you. I wanted to come find you afterward to tell you how much I heart you, but you disappeared like an angel, so instead I have to reach out into cyber space and heart you here. So much heart. ;) Thank you!

Shakefire reviews KICKS!

Originally posted by Ryan Sterritt of Shakefire.com...

Based around Brooklyn, New York, pop-punks Stewart aim to surprise you with their joyous presentation of everyday disappointments. With their new album release, Kicks, comes a sound that is similar but all-too-different from what you're used to. Guitars handing out ear-catching melodies, smooth vocals in the form of lead singer Andrea Tarka and lyrics referring to everything from Lost to a man named Mr. Awesome. All of these and more can be found on Stewart's first full-length, Kicks.

One thing that is entirely noticeable about Stewart is the idea of singing upbeat songs about emotional times. It's a simple concept that catches you off-guard. It's not enough to blow your mind and have you confessing your love for the Brooklyn residents but it still turns a light bulb or two on. Maybe it's acceptance Andrea Tarka aims for. Although, the idea of irony in musical comprehension is pretty exciting. In no way is it a new idea, but it's definitely a rare one. In the beginning of "Ride The Wave", Andrea proudly claims "I'm so happy". At first, it's believable. That is, until she begins explaining why she should be happy, and it becomes apparent that she really shouldn't be content with her situation. This is a prime example of the great trick Stewart pulls on their audience.

Aside from the lyrics, not much more stands out as something by itself. And this is where Stewart finds it poison. Relying on the idea of female vocals over happy guitars is simply too insignificant to carry a band. While the praise I have given on the lyrics are 100% meant, it seems that the writers ( Mostly Andrea, although band members Kevin Cerovich and Jim Behrle each contributed a song on Kicks) never found their footing. They'd move from 7 tracks of heartbreak and then sing about a man named Mr. Awesome and the power of yourself. The songs by themselves are great representations of the band, but as an album they don't compliment each other. Something just seems to be missing.

But until the missing part is found, Stewart has plenty of hooks and jolly forms of disaster to please the ear buds and contribute a number of plays on your iTunes counter. Kicks can be purchased on Stewart's website. Be sure to catch them on their tour to World Cafe Live on July 7th in Philadelphia, Pa. Hopefully one day, Stewart will find themselves on tour with the likes of The Aquabats or Reel Big Fish.

Original article can be found here:
http://www.shakefire.com/reviews/cd/stewart-kicks