Fries

Last night, I felt the need to treat myself. On my way home I stopped at Starbucks for a hot chocolate and one of those ham, egg and cheese sandwiches. It was nice; I just got to sit and read my book (The Wishbones by Tom Perrota) before coming home to edit.
***Friday was the Passionistas gig at Ghost Town Gallery in Oakland. The gallery is a bit of a warehouse space/artist loft converted into a make-shift venue. It totally more DIY and punk rock than anything I've really experience in San Francisco, which made it way cool. I hung out in one of the upstairs regions (the place is huge!) with Brian Glaze and Greg Ashley for a while, also getting to talk music with Chris Stroffolino, who just finished doing some recording with Greg. Both he and Brian reiterated what I already thought - that Greg's band, the Gris Gris, should not break up.

The Passionistas were up third, following Gran Via and Carletta Sue Kay. The set was similar to the previous one at the Eagle, emphasizing the band's more Nuggets-esque pop sound. The songs are tighter, the choruses are brighter and more full, and everything about it is just really fun. With Tina on drums and Andrew singing on two songs, they really look like a strong, cohesive unit. It is like they've become a new band of sorts, but it really does make perfect sense. Even classic tracks "Going Gay" and "Wild West" have been given a new life.

The Clarences wrapped things up, maintaining an exceptionally high level of energy, despite the fact that we were passing the midnight mark. I've been MySpace messaging with the Clarences for some time - I like bands that actually have an aesthetic - so it was nice to finally meet them and see them live. They have a very genuine, "give it our all" philosophy about playing live.

Afterwards, Aaron bought some fries at the Giant Burger across the street and was generous enough to share them with everyone in the car. They were exceptionally salty and exceptionally good. Greg says that Giant Burger is the "best burger in California," and I guarantee you that Greg would know. I got home super late - like 2:30 or something, fucking up my whole sleep schedule - but it was a fun night.
***The rest of the weekend totally disappeared. I can't even say what happened to it.