A Wonderful Meal: The Pains of Preparation and the Joys of Home Cooking

I like TGI Fridays; it’s a good place to eat. When I get done working on a Saturday night and I want something to eat, TGI Friday’s is quite often that which tickles my fancy. No matter how much I enjoy a crisp salad or a rotisserie chicken of some sort at TGI Friday’s the food, the atmosphere, the entire experience, is not the same as Sunday dinner at my mom and dad’s house. Please do not in any way take this tale as a derogatory statement toward TGI Friday’s, but we all know the difference between something that is good and something that you will never forget. TGI Friday’s is good; my favorite meal cooked by my mom, though, is something this hungry boy will never forget.

Possibly you’re wondering two things. First thing, dear reader, that you may be wondering is this: “I should see how late TGI Friday’s is open tonight, a crisp salad does sound quite nice.” Secondly, I can only imagine you’re wondering this: “Doesn’t Tim blog about music, slow dancing, romance, and other creepy things?”  Well, folks, all that and more is going to be related to you proper right now.

Like any meal some concerts are good, some stink, and some are mom’s turkey dinner. I recently went to concert in Cleveland at the Beachland Ballroom. The Devil Whale, Thao and the Get Down Stay Downs, and The Head and the Heart. Like a great well thought-out meal, a great concert contains so many elements.

The first thing that makes a concert either good or bad is the venue. Beachland Ballroom is a wonderful venue that provides affordable drinks, a cool staff, great sound, and an intimate environment where you can be very close to the artists. The second thing that makes or breaks a show is people and proximity. On this Sunday, Oct. 11, the people at this show were wonderful. I met a very interesting and talented writer named Amber, a guy named New Kyle and some other sincerely nice and fun-loving people. As far as proximity, we were three people from standing at the very front of the stage. The stars had lined up and conditions were primed for a legendary meal of music. Now all that I needed was for the bands to not disappoint. I don’t really care for my choice of words; I needed the bands not to not disappoint, but to be incredible!

I had never heard of the first band, The Devil Whale, so I have to admit my expectations were a bit low. The Devil Whale proved my expectations to be extremely incorrect. This band played a wonderful set, full of diverse sounding music, collaborations with the other bands and a great amount of talent and enthusiasm. A great show and a start to a night I had hope of being legendary.

Thao and the Get Down Stay Downs were next to perform. Like the Devil Whale I was rather unfamiliar with this band, but I had heard really good things about them. The lead singer is Thao, and she is a spunky, beautiful, Asian woman, with very unique and marvelous vocals. Thao played guitar, drummed and danced, and at one point had all the members of all three bands on the stage playing with her.  I was certain at this point that tonight was going to be a special night.

During the intermission, before The Head and the Heart came on stage, I stepped outside and began to talk to the bassist and the singer from The Devil Whale. After a couple moments of me being a dorky fan, the bassist introduced me to one of the singers from The Head and the Heart. So I was talking with Josiah, yea, that’s correct we are pretty much best friends now, and I told him about how this was our second and a half time seeing them this summer. I also told Josiah, my aforementioned new best friend who is totally in a band, about our friend Joi, who passed away last year, and how much the song “Rivers and Roads” means to myself and my friends because it relates to the loss associated with death and distance and not being able to see those whom you love. After a few more minutes of me being a creepy fan, we parted ways and I went to sing along and dance, and Josiah went to perform. The show was incredible. The Head and the Heart have a beautiful sound with really intelligent, poignant, and poetic lyrics. They play with great energy and bring the crowd into their music. The band begins strumming the beginning of what is to be my favorite song by them, “Rivers and Roads.” Josiah leans into the microphone and says, “This song goes out to my friend, Tim.” Turkey Dinner.

My great recommendation to any who read this is as follows, break away from fast food and get some home cooking. Go see some shows, meet some people, take a chance on a band you maybe don’t know really well, and who knows, maybe you will have the time of your life. Also any of the three bands I mentioned in this blog are hands down worth the price of admission. Buy their albums, go see them in concert, and support a group of people who are talented, kind, and frankly making beautiful music in a world where beautiful things oftentimes go unnoticed. Josiah, if ever this blog reaches your eyes, please don’t put out a restraining order on me, I realize we are not best friends, and I want to see your band again, but all jokes aside: Thanks; it meant a lot to me, and if she had been there Joi would have really loved it.