Getting my Kix!

I’ve had some pretty amazing birthdays  – one spent in Kauai, one at the Beverly Hills Hotel.  This year was no different!

My birthday started when I walked into the kitchen that morning and saw Thing 2 making my latte – that’s when I remembered it was my birthday!  I was gifted with a Starbucks gift card and a pink Kings shirt by Thing 1 and Thing 2.    Wow!  Presents from the kids!  I feel special!

That evening, Dr. Malibu surprised me by inviting our friends over for our favorite themed dinner – Taco Night!  He made his famous pulled pork tacos along with chicken with all the taco garnishments.  Serious yum!  I’m a professional – I go straight for the pulled pork.  Ms. Carrie Stevens made a homemade cake with coffee and a whipped Jack Daniels frosting – true deliciousness from the Centerfold Chef herself!

Centerfold Chef Carrie Stevens

The following night was spent with Buckcherry at the Viper room.  Yeah – the Viper Room.  That’s what I LOVE about LA –  sometimes you get to see your favorite band close enough to feel their sweat (if you choose to stand up by the stage which I do not)  If you don’t know – the Viper Room is a tiny venue (and it gets really hot in there – the sweat threat is real).

Buckcherry at the Viper Room

Buckcherry was kicking off their new album Confessions with 3 nights at the Viper.   This is a band you need to see live and up close!  You can feel the energy in the room ignite when Josh starts to sing!  He’s up there dancing, prancing and screaming – the crowd adores him!  Buckcherry rolled out a few of the new songs but played their hits – Crazy Bitch, Cocaine and Sorry.

Josh Todd

Night three was the pinnacle with Femme Fatale opening for Kix at the Key Club.   We started with a great dinner at the Rainbow where Dr. Malibu secured the coveted corner booth.

Corner Booth at the Rainbow

Sharise Neil walked in and spotted half of my party wearing Pink Polka Dot dresses (the other half were men… Sharise is going to have to expand her line.)

Pink Polka Dot night at the Rainbow!

Lorraine Lewis at the Key Club

Then we all went over to the Key Club and watched Lorraine Lewis from Femme Fatale kick off the night.  Lorraine rocks!  She’s the female equivalent to young Mick Jaggar! Not only is she an extraordinary woman – one of the key producers on Ex Wives of Rock currently running on Fuse, but she’s also really, really a nice lady.

Lorraine Lewis

Kix at the Key Club

Finally, finally, finally Kix played.  I sang all the words to every song right along with the rest of the audience.   There was a lot of Kix love in the room.

Kix Set List

After the show, I was too exhilarated to be sad that the show was over, that this was the last night of the Key Club and that so much on the strip has changed.  Right outside the Key Club doors – someone handed me a flyer – it brought me back to the days of Gazzarris.  The Key Club is closing – rumors have it that Jay Z bought it and is turning it into a dance club.  There was a lot of commemorating that night about the Sunset Strip and all the changes.  The Key Club used to be Billboard Live which used to be Gazzarris – and that’s the venue I miss the most.   I’m glad I got to be there.  But there’s no turning back time.  With every birthday  – we all get a little older and we treasure our memories and our friendships even more.

This was a night I’ll never forget – I’m thankful I got to spend it with my friends and my favorite band.

Red Hot NAMM 2012

Every year I attend the NAMM show – (The National Association of Music Merchants).  I have absolutely no business or reason to attend the show.  I am not a musician and I don’t work in the music business.  But I do love Rock N Roll and thus the NAMM show where where hundreds of people who attend feel the same way.  Dr. Malibu likens the show to a high school reunion, bumping into old friends and reconnecting.   Getting your hands on a NAMM badge takes some connections but it’s not a tragedy if you can’t actually attend the show.  There’s a lot going on outside the convention center walls.

This year I ran across a booth Ultra Case which had a uniquely crafted quilt backdrop.  The owner’s sister in law, Liza, made the quilt using a collection of his treasured vintage rock t-shirts.  If you don’t know anything about quilting, you should know it’s one of the most undervalued and underappreciated forms of art.  To do it well requires a lot of skill, a good eye and even more patience.  Quilts take a long time to make.   I love that the notes along the border play Bohemian Rhapsody.  Amazing!  You an check out Liza’s work here.

You never know what you’ll see NAMM.  People are dressed in some crazy gear, girls are decked out in mini skirts and fishnets, boys in their metal finest, tattoos from head to toe.  A few merchants post scantily clad girls around their booth to attract attention.  Gator Cases put this gator gal on display to capture interest from the crowds.  I couldn’t resist a quick pet and photo op.

I wore my newest and coolest Pink Polkadot Dress and ran into the designer herself – Sharise Neil – who spotted me wearing her dress!

The highlight of the event for me, was meeting Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers!  Chad tolerated my death grip on his jacket and stepping on his toes during my excitement over meeting him and getting a picture!

When the convention center shuts down for the day, the evening is just gearing up.  Groups gather in the Hilton Anaheim lobby or the Marriott.  Literally, people party like rock stars until morning.  I mixed up a few shakers of lemon drops (of course) for the gathering in our room.  Just the right way to kick off the evening where more rounds of reunion occur and new friendships are forged.  Rock on!