Dog supplies & artist

Just came home from my favorite dog retailer, Maxwell Dog in Studio City. I love this store and so does my baby, Bella. They carry everything from toys to healthy food and treats, various colors and sizes of leashes, harnesses, collars and apparel. They also have a wide array of dog beds, blankets, accessories and publications about dogs. While there I checked out the artwork of the native Malibu artist, B.Johnson. He has garnered much praise and attention for his uniquely rendered dog paintings and has a long list of celebrity clientele who have commissioned his work. On my way out, I picked up a copy of this month's edition of BARK magazine. I am very excited about their first annual Short Story Fiction contest. I have the perfect story in mind for it and plan on writing it tonight.

James Taylor & Carol King @ the Troubadour

This morning as I was driving through the canyon, I played my new mix CD that includes tracks by Starsailor, James Taylor, Jamie Cullem, Leona Lewis, Erin McCarly and Colbie Caillat. This reminded me of the last time I saw James Taylor. It was at the Troubadour where he had a private show with Carol King.

It was the best show that I had seen all year and I saw some great legendary artists in concert last year including Sting and the Eagles. When an artists' music effects me so deeply that it moves me emotionally and conjures up memories, I enjoy it more than an artist who can put on a good show, but whose music does not strike me deeply. I have loved James Taylor's music since I was a child. I first met him when I was in boarding school and his daughters band performed there. I have seen him since then, but hearing him perform with Carol King was the best. I used to go to the Hot Tin Roof club on Martha's Vineyard that James and Carly Simon owned and would see them both there frequently.

James and Carol performed at the Troubador together back in 1974 and this was the first time that they have performed together at the Troubador since then. It was great to see how they connected with each other and hear stories of they came up with their songs. I especially loved James story of how he ended up writing "Sweet Baby James". He said that he had just come back from making his first album in London in 1969 and was driving back to North Carolina to see his brother's baby that had just been born and was named after him. He wrote the song for his nephew.

Oh, I do have to mention that the VIP seats were filled with celebrities including Colin Ferrel and Joni Mitchel. I am a Joni fan also. I love her in "The Last Waltz" with The Band.

Madonna & The Black Crowes

After ruffling through my wall of CD's, I was reminded of the last Madonna and The Black Crowes concerts I attended. I wrote my reviews of them a while ago, but thought they were worth reprinting. Here they are:

All that I am going to say about Madonna is that I have never and will never pay to see her in concert. Yeah, I was a material girl back when the lace hair berets and multiple rubber bracelets were in style and danced in my bed room to "lucky star" and "like a virgin" for hours on end in 1985, but that doesn't mean that I need to stay devoted to a rude ungrateful rock star who doesn't appreciate her fans. The two times that I have seen her she was rude to the audience and acted like her fans should all be grateful to spend $500 on a ticket to see her. I've seen Mariah Carey 3 times in concert and Cher once and would go back to see either of them 10 times more than I would see Madonna. Enough about her.

The Black Crowes I saw at the Greek Theatre in Hollywood. I didn't know anything about them or their music before I saw them last month. All I knew was that the lead singer was married to one of my favorite actresses, Kate Hudson. I thought they were o.k.. I definitely felt like I was back in prep school or college at a Phish show with the scent of whisky and pot fumigating throughout the bleachers. The only song that I recognized was their 70's remake of "Up on Cripple Creek" by The Band. It was a nice night out, so we stayed for most of the show, but I am not in a rush to see them again and was disappointed to not even have a Kate sighting there.

The Weepies

I've been listening to the latest album by a great band called, The Weepies . The first time I saw them was at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood in 2006. Thier music sounded like a mix between The Indigo Girls and Fountains of Wayne. It was two girls and a guy who had all met eachother along the east coast. The female lead singer and the male guitar player had traveled around Boston and New York playing in different clubs and lived in the Berkshires for a year which I thought was funny because I lived there for 4 years while I was in boarding school. They actually reminded me of the hippie bands I used to go see back then like Phish, The Samples, Big Head Todd and Dave Mathews Band. It was a good show.

Oh, as we were leaving the show, Keiffer Sutherland walked in. I couldn't believe it because my boyfriend loves the t.v. show 24 and makes me call him Jack Bauer on Monday nights. Crazy,huh? Anyway, we were both so excited. Apparently, Keifer has started his own record label and the band with Rocco Deluca who's album he is producing also played that night after we left. My boyfriend really wants to do the soundtrack for 24.