MS Walk and Wandering Dinosaurs

In the past hour, team AmandaJCR has beaten its $5,000 fundraising goal! This doesn't mean that you shouldn't still donate if you were thinking about it, but I am just super excited that we beat that goal!!!

The MS Walk is this coming Sunday, and I checked out the weather today. It looks like it will be sixty degrees and sunny, which is just about perfect walking weather. Let's hope that the weather forecasters got it right, and that it isn't so windy that we repeat the Great Tent Debacle of MS Walk 2007. :)

I'm sure that you've missed all the fun information about Wandering Bront lately. It has been several days since I mentioned it on this blog. Rest assured, the band is still together! We now have several additional members, it appears we are taking more of a rotational approach to membership...that way more people can play. Beth (now rocking exclusively on the bass), Tracy (picking up some lead guitar riffs), John (filling in on drums and also playing lead guitar) and I (still sticking with the singing) played some music on Wednesday night.

I have one complaint about Rock Band, and I really think that this issue affects mostly the singer. Why in the sam hill do so many of the songs include references to rape, murder, waves of mutilation, death, anger and general meanness??? The meanness comment mostly refers to "Celebrity Skin" by Hole, I sang that one to Beth and I think she felt I was calling her a hooker waitress (hey, maybe I was*, but I don't judge). "I'm So Sick" - the bonus song - didn't feel like much of a bonus when you look at the words. During most of the songs, I would look at the words, sing them and then think, "WTF?" All in all, that is a small complaint, but when you are the main singer, it does seem to pile on the crazy lyrics.

We have had some discussions, we're pretty sure that we are actually going to order some tshirts. They'll probably be around $15-20 a piece - let me know if you have any interest, and what design preference you like (feel free to make suggestions here - check out http://www.customink.com/ to build some fun shirts)

I'll leave you with one last photo of Wandering Bront's sometimes groupie, sometimes lead guitarist - all members of this band really go all out. :)

Peace out, friends and fans. Peace out.

-SKH

*Clearly, I was not, but still.

Wandering Bront

In case you weren't aware, I recently procured the game Rock Band, which is a video game that allows you and your friends to form a rock band and rock out to a bunch of mostly well-known songs. It comes with a drum kit, a wireless guitar and a microphone, and you can apparently hook up another guitar to the game and have a four-person band. (My basement is littered with plastic video game musical instruments, it's awesome, I need to take a photo for posterity.)

Simply put, this game is awesome. I got it on Tuesday, and set it up that night. Travis and I played a few songs (the drums are fun!), but I spent even more time playing it last night with Lisa and Beth. Beth and I had been racking our brains for good band names, and thought we had some original ones with things like "U2", the "Rolling Stones", and the "Wallflowers". Turns out those are already in use - who knew?! Enter the best band name ever: The Wandering Brontosaurus. Due to a glitch with naming length restrictions, this has turned into Wandering Bront, which in my opinion is a freaking sweet band name.

Currently the band members are me (vocals and cowbell/tambourine), Beth (lead guitar/bass guitar, depending on the song) and Lisa (drums). We have a few applicants for the fourth band member, and will be holding auditions soon. Please contact me if you would like to be considered for auditions; if you live out of town, we can arrange an audition for your next trip to Minnesota. We also accept some honorary band members, depending on where you live and just how dedicated you are to the band.

Wandering Bront will have its public debut on May 17, which coincidentally when our drummer graduates from law school. We're in the process of designing t-shirts (check out some of our concepts, we're still in design mode and open to suggestions). We can order a few extra if we have anyone who wants to be a groupie of a confused and lost dinosaur (and really, who wouldn't?)

We've made it through about half of the songs, and boy, they get harder as you go along (isn't that right, Lisa?)

I'm glad to have found a new obsession to get me through the beginning of spring, when it is cold, wet and rainy, and I don't want to spend it outside. Rock Band is pretty dang sweet because everyone can get involved!

Viva la Rock Band and long live Wandering Bront!!!!

-SKH