Sea.Hear.Now Festival Feels

Cool sand under my feet, the sound of crashing waves drowned out by guitar riffs and drum snares…Incubus was rocking the shore to its core. A colorful glowing stage paralleled the blackness of the sea. And a sweaty, screamy Brandon Boyd belted out lyrics to the band’s songs past and present, familiar and new. Familiar feeling new. As I tossed my hair back and forth during “Pardon Me,” the song had a freshness to it. Then,“Drive.” The ghost of break-up mixtapes past paid me a visit and I fully embraced it. A cover of INXS’ “Need You Tonight” spun me around as did the now shirtless, long-haired and bearded Boyd who strangely seemed to resemble the love child of a 90s Chris Cornell and Anthony Keidis. His high-energy hypnotic dance moves were like a yogi on rock and roll steroids. Brandon became a new front-man fave that night as I gravitated toward the tempo of the band. 

Tracks “Anna Molly” and “Glitterbomb” have been on heavy rotation since. Incubus ended the set with an interesting rendition of Ginuwine’s “Pony” which was an odd but welcome choice. 

WOW - what a spectacular ending to the first day of the inaugural Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park! 

*****

I scored tickets to the 2-day New Jersey shoreside festival months ago when I was on a YOLO concert high this past spring/summer. 

Once I saw the lineup, how close it was to home and the fact that Danny Clinch was involved, I wanted in. Clinch’s projects are gold in my opinion. From his Transparent Gallery in Asbury Park which features exclusive prints of his iconic photography of legendary musicians to his film productions, his work captures the authenticity of moments, ordinary and epic, which I admire in a world that’s forced and posey. I’ve featured his gallery and recent Pearl Jam documentary in previous posts linked here.  

Leading up to the fun, Sea.Hear.Now was well promoted on social media and kept attendees informed on all aspects of the festival including access and activities. There was even a dedicated app available full of useful information including user-friendly maps and set time schedules for all three festival stages. 

To add to the perfect pairing of live music and the beach, the weather that weekend was universally pleasing - a combination of warm and windy, the epitome of ocean-breezy, blue-skied bliss. 

As soon as we arrived, my best friend Glori and I were starving and in need of a good cocktail, per usual. We were taken back by the many tempting food choices there were by the smaller stage area, just off the boardwalk. There were so many more options than the usual empanada/taco truck or sausage and peppers on a roll stand. Not that there is anything wrong with that but these offerings were next level - seafood, hoagies, Asian-fusion, comfort food a la chicken and waffles/lobster mac & cheese and Chipotle to name a few. Fuckin’ Chipotle was at the festival. How legit were their partners?! They also had a Don Julio tequila stand. Ay Dios Mio! It was heaven. 

We ended up going with southern food since I rarely refuse fried chicken. While the menu promised pleasure to the palate, the wait was torturous. I’m talking 40 minutes of missing out on music (i.e. BLONDIE!!) while waiting in a disgruntled crowded order pick-up line close to starvation. 

After being entertained by a stoner whose meal for the day consisted of beer and edibles, we finally we got our food but lo and behold they were out of mac & cheese! Teardrop. Rice would have to do. 

We raced to cop a squat and ended up on the grass near the Danny Clinch Transparent Gallery pop up tent that featured the paintings and photographs of a few of the festival musicians. There were tons of foot traffic in and out of the gallery making it the perfect awkward spot for us to plop our asses while savagely scarfing down the fried chicken. 

After eating like we were in a contest of sorts, we were eager to enter the excitement on the beach. However, poor planning on our end and the killer wait for food led to us miss Blondie’s full set. Bummer, but there were still great acts ahead - Ben Harper, Brandi Carlile and of course, Incubus. 

From the boardwalk, we spotted two great stages along opposite ends of a long stretch of sand. Acts alternated between both stages approximately every hour so there was never overlap on those two stages. Families and friends were laid out on blankets throughout the sand enjoying the music and ambiance. Gorgeous free standing murals were spread out in between both stage areas. In the midst of these murals was a glorious arch formed by tens of colorful surf boards, some strategically adorned with letters that spelled “Sea Hear Now” across the arc. 

This is the incredible painting by 
Kelvin McClendon and his daughter. 
Check out his post and IG page for inspiration.

One of my favorite murals was by local artist and Kelvin McClendon. It was a joint project with his daughter and it's incredible. I see a fierce woman in a tranquil state with the elements surrounding her, drawing power from her peace. Reminds me of the Pearl Jam lyric, "I'll ride the wave where it takes me..." Or, maybe she is Queen of it all and is summoning the elements in all her glory. That's the beauty of art. It means what you need it to mean.

In addition to Incubus taking us by allegorical storm (the weather was still gorgeous that night), Ben Harper was a Day 1 festival highlight. His music was pure heart, soul and stellar musicianship. His bandmates were incredible and I found myself either jiving along with pursed lips or smiling big during his set. I may have also yelled “YASSSS” a few times too.

That night’s after party (which required an additional ticket) was at The Stone Pony featuring Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orleans and Tangiers Blues Band. I’ve been wanting to see Preservation Hall Jazz Band live since they were featured in the New Orleans episode of Sonic Highways, a miniseries directed by Dave Grohl. The band lived up to the hype. All that was missing was a Nawlins hurricane in hand! Jack Johnson and Danny Clinch made a special guest appearance and the crowd (and cell phones) went wild! May I remind you…this was AFTER we saw Incubus on the beach. Whoa!

Check out this great photo of Jack Johnson making a cameo during this set. 

The festival was full of surprises and pop ups! 

Photo credit: Michael Kravetsky, Watermrk Studios 

The next day was a bit cooler but the musical line up was still fiyah. Jack Johnson was the evening’s headliner. This time, we arrived earlier, got on the right food line and picked a great picnic spot and vibed to Langhorne Slim. I wasn't sure about Slim at first - he was chatty and had a gnarly accent like he was an extra in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (anyone remember that movie?!). But homeboy was a legit artist and I really enjoyed him on stage. His dialogue in between songs grew on me and gave me a chuckle. I’d totally check him out again. His catchy folksy style and tongue in cheek lyrics won me over. Danny Clinch and his signature harmonica even made an appearance during his set. We spotted Danny moments later walking through the crowd camera in hand and gave him a wave. Damn, that guy was everywhere!

Another artist I discovered while parlaying in the stage picnic area was G. Love & Special Sauce. He had a funky Beck-type vibe, only smoother, blended with a bluesy/old school hip-hop flair. Sounds like a whole lot but he was on point. 

Social Distortion was on the roster right before Jack Johnson and having never seen them, we thought we’d give them a go. But after a few songs, we didn't connect with the band so we left the show early to get a good spot for Jack. Of course, shortly after, legend Bruce Springsteen made an appearance. Ha! Well, at least we got a decent spot for Jack.

Now, if we weren't on a beach already, Jack Johnson would have taken us there. His voice is as smooth as silky sand on a tropical beach. His lyrics are beautiful in their simplicity and as evoking as the warm colors of a sunset on the horizon. The acoustic vibrations of his guitar gave me the sensation of post-yoga bliss, like lavender oil on my temples. He was also a Hawaiian ukulele king and gave us the best lei of our lives. 

Jack harbored a genuine kindness about him that you could feel even in a crowd of 25,000 people. G. Love, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band along and Danny Clinch all made appearances during his set. What a glorious way to end the weekend! 

We spotted this large photo of Jack Johnson on festival grounds. 

I found it hilarious that his tooth was blacked out. 
That's NJ for ya! Ha!

But, just after we said our goodbyes, Jack came back on stage and announced that there were 3 minutes left before curfew and sent us all off with one last song. He invited his friends back on stage for the finale and let it rip with the the most appropriate song, “Better Together.” 
All. The. Feels. 

That weekend at Asbury Park was such a magical time. It was exciting yet chill and a perfect ending to summer. I haven't attended many multi-day festivals since the thought of enormous crowds freak me out, but this one may have changed my mind. With the exception of porta potty hell (I missed most of Brandi Carlile due to a devastatingly long bathroom line), the organization of this festival was super impressive. The artists were so astonishing they changed the architecture of my daily Spotify playlists.

The dates for next year’s Sea.Hear.Now have been announced (September 21-22, 2019) and I’m totally getting my tickets as soon as they’re available. I recommend you do too!

Did anyone else get to attend the festival? Would love to hear your thoughts, so share them below. :)

The Seattle Series Part II: THE CHARACTERS

Seattleites are an interesting bunch. At first, I couldn't help but think they’re just not that into me. It’s a strange dynamic because people are not particularly rude but they aren’t openly friendly either. Even service workers serve up the bare minimum of polite. Smiling optional.

After a couple of days of dealing with this perceived “Seattitude,” I did a google search to prove I wasn't buggin’. Turns out the ‘tude is real and there is a term for it —“The Seattle Freeze.” It basically means that it is difficult to make friends in Seattle since locals come across standoffish and distant, sticking to their cliques and such. Okay, I can respect that. I’m not one to trust a stranger especially a smiling one, so I get it. It just sucked because this time I was the smiling stranger, in white Kurt Cobain sunglasses. 

I was enthusiastic to be in Seattle to say the least.
This was at the Karen Mason Blair pop up exhibit.
#TheFlannelYears

Once I knew the “Seattle Freeze” was a thing, I rolled with it and stopped trying so hard to be friendly and in turn, ended up meeting a bunch of really cool folks organically. There was our grunge tour guide, Eric, who I mentioned in my previous post who showed no sign of the freeze at all and a few others along the way. Of course, Seattleites that attended Pearl Jam events were super cool and chill since we shared a solid connection.  

Uber drivers in general can be quirky characters but the ones I encountered in Seattle definitely made the rides colorful. Here are some of them:

The ‘Too Cool for Pearl Jam’ Dude

Upon entering our uber to the PJ merch stand, we confirmed the location with our driver since we didn't know our way around Safeco Field.

“Oh yeah, I know where you guys are going,” he reassured us. “There was a long ass line there earlier.”

“I could imagine! PJ fans take our merch very seriously,” I joked.

“Yeah,” he replied in a snarky tone, “I almost bought tickets to see Pearl Jam but they were too expensive. I see these guys around all the time anyway. I always run into Eddie and Mike at this bar in Alki. It’s really no big deal around here.” 

“Wait, what’s the name of the bar?” I asked iPhone in hand ready to document this intel.

He forgot the name of the bar and called a friend. Voicemail. Great. He gave us a description of the bar and the location. Close enough, I guess.

He continued to share stories about the encounters he had with band members about town like it was no big deal. 

Then the conversation shifted to how expensive real estate is anywhere near downtown. Once his daughters are out of school, he plans on moving farther out and buying a boat. We also learned about his recent breakup with his druggy ex. I say we covered a lot in a 12 minute ride.

The Warning 

It was a typical uber ride with light conversation likely kept up by Glori because my rule of thumb is I don't shoot the shit in ubers unless a) it’s super interesting, b) I am drunk or c) I’m in Nashville. I’m friendlier in the South. 

The driver moved to Seattle a few years ago. Glori mentioned something along the lines of the people being assholes. 

“Well yeah,” he laughs. “People here can be passive aggressive, that’s for sure.”

This was before my google findings. He was right.

The Clueless

To make our trip complete, we had to visit to the Kurt Cobain benches in Viretta Park located near the home where he died. 

I entered an obscure Viretta Park address in my uber request so we were lost. 

I told the driver, “Oh, we’re going to the Kurt Cobain benches,” thinking that would be sufficient enough. 

He was quiet. 

“Do you know where that is?”

“No,” he responded, confused.

“Really? Okay, let me try to get an exact address.”

I found a street address and shared it with him. 

“Does that ring a bell?” I ask waiting for reassurance. 

Still no clue.

“Do you even know who Kurt Cobain is?” I asked with sarcastic jest. 

I mean, there was no way he was an uber driver in SEATTLE and didn't know Kurt.

“No, I don't know who he is,” he replied. 

Cue in - Monica loses her shit. “WHAT?! Are you kidding me? Have you heard of Nirvana?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of them,” he replies dryly.

Great I bet he saw a millennial with a Hot Topic Nirvana tee and that’s how he knows them.

I replied, “Well, Kurt Cobain was their singer. Look it up. You’re in Seattle, dude. You should know this history.”

We got out and I gave him a low star rating. Yes, I’m an asshole. I’ll take it, man. He was definitely from the US, maybe not from Seattle but still, come on! It was upsetting to say the least. They need to teach this shit in schools.

We then had a few quiet moments by Kurt’s bench when other fans joined us playing  Nirvana songs on their phones while we read the messages of homage written on the benches. Glori and I placed flowers on the bench that we sneakily picked from hotel and restaurant planters earlier that day. I also left my favorite choker on the bench in tribute. 

The flowers and choker I left

The Jesus People

As I mentioned in Part I of this blog series, entering the concert venue, Safeco Field was a shit show. People swarmed the place like ants on a cheetoh. So, having a dude standing on the corner of Safeco screaming God’s wrath from a muffled mic was not welcome, to say the least.

A crazy, religious radical would be a kind way to describe the mouthy man dressed in a  cardboard sign that screamed “Repent” in bold letters to the crowd. 

People seemed to ignore him as if this was a typical “outreach” scene in Seattle. I tried to ignore him as well. But when I saw he was out there again before Night 2, I couldn't take it. It was beginning to really piss me off. 

Not only was the dude overall obnoxious, he was misrepresenting Christians and people of faith. I am a Christian and am proud of my beliefs. But, this fool was making a mockery of what it meant to be a believer. He was rude, condemning and trite with dark callous, judgmental eyes.

I wondered, what was the goal of this prickly preacher? It clearly was not to share or spread the love of God. Not a single person was going to respond and say, “You know what man, you’re right. Let me leave this concert and repent for my sins.”

I felt inclined to ask him, “What do you think would happen if your message was to share God’s love as opposed to God’s ‘wrath?’ Don’t you think it would be better if you were out here asking people if they needed prayer, a hug or even providing an encouraging word in these troubling times?” 

I boldly but kindly approached the angry thick bearded man and posed these questions. Well, I attempted to ask these questions but he didn't hear me. He took one good look at my Citizen Dick t-shirt and proclaimed, “YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS,” layered with a few other out of context scriptures. 

This is our tourist pic after a harbor cruise.
Featured is my Citizen Dick shirt.

At first I found his response to my shirt funny but then I was pissed again. Glori saw my attitude shift and pulled me away from the dude. We rightfully flipped him off as we walked away. “Screw you dude!”

Middle fingers in the air, we attracted the attention of an Australian woman and her 15 year old son who traveled to Seattle for the shows. I told the lovely Aussie about my experience and thoughts on this dude and how he was misrepresenting Christians. 

She’s actually an atheist but agreed with my point of view that a message of love would be much better received. She shared that there was one time in her life where she prayed out of desperation when faced with serious hardship.

That was the only time she prayed to God and the situation was resolved. We continued to connect over our love for the band then hugged and wished each other well before we departed for our seats. That blessed me more than the cruel rhetoric from the idiot with the signs.

Save the Showbox

My love for Seattle was sealed on my last full day of the SubPop’s SPF 30 music festival at Alki Beach. 

We had purchased a couple of “Save Our Showbox" t-shirts at the Showbox SoDo location the day before at a Wishlist fundraiser party before PJ Night 2. We wore the shirts the day of the festival in support of the cause. It was really shitty that The Showbox, an iconic live music venue, was in real danger of being torn down to build yet another high-rise apartment building. There was a petition to save The Showbox that was supported by locals and many musicians including Pearl Jam, Death Cab for Cutie and Duff McKagan to name of few. The tees helped spread awareness and support. 

Before heading to West Seattle’s Akli Beach, we grabbed some grub at White Swan in Lake Union, a chill seafood joint with outdoor benches and buckets of beer. As Glori and I headed to our table in our matching Showbox shirts, this tall guy at a nearby table says, “Nice shirts.” 

As luck would have it, the dude ran the Showbox downtown and told us he got chills seeing us in the shirts. He was genuinely grateful for the support. It seemed like he needed it. On his way out, he waved and told us he would catch us at the festival. Yes! Seattleites were becoming our friends!

We made a stop at Easy Street Records and on our way there, more and more people began to comment on our shirts.

“Wow, great shirts!”

“Yeah, rock on!”

One dude asked, “Are you going to City Hall on Monday?”

“Nah man, we fly out tomorrow but we support you,” I answered with a fist pump.

We received so much love, especially at the festival! We continued to attract comments or questions about the shirts and encouraged folks to attend the meeting at City Hall on Monday. Apparently that was where the city council would vote on the fate of The Showbox downtown. 

As we shared our support for The Showbox, the more friends we made. It reminded me of something interesting our grunge tour guide shared. He basically said that during the “grunge boom” lots of musicians and such were trekking to Seattle since there was so much hype around it. Interestingly enough, local bands and those part of the “scene” were welcoming overall but wanted to see if people were being authentic and really invested in the music and community. Like, they had to prove themselves and stick around for a while and support the scene. 

I felt like that was also the case here — like ‘show love to get love’ sort of thing.

My first day back home was the day of the hearing at City Hall and I wanted to continue to support the Save The Showbox efforts. I wrote letters to each council member as well as the Mayor’s office in support of the initiative. 

I felt strangely connected and invested in this mission, more so than I ever have been in NYC. I guess in New York, it’s easy to become cynical and numb to gentrification. The city is big money and it’s ever-changing and evolving, loyal to no one. 

But, there was something different about Seattle. There, I saw people who shared a sincere love for their city, its history and culture. The pride amongst locals, especially in the music scene was palpable. 

There, Pearl Jam, a local band that made it big gave back to their community and took action against a human issue faced in their city - rampant homelessness. And, in the process, brought people together from around the world, from all walks of life to unite and support this worthy cause.

Seeing Seattle becoming a tech boom town affected me. 

Even if taking action in supporting their Showbox was only a small gesture, I felt like I had to help in their fight against corporate money and big business. Although I’m on the opposite side of the country, that’s where it hit home for me.

There was a lot more that had an impact on me while in Seattle for The Home Shows. The MoPop Pearl Jam exhibit was mind blowing - from the time you enter the  dim yet colorful staircase filled the meditative music from Ten to the astonishing memorabilia and band artifacts, awards, art, posters, clothing, masks, notebooks with lyrics…You name it - it was there and it was RAD. The Nirvana exhibit at MoPop, although vastly smaller and more intimate, yielded great emotion. Kurt Cobain was a trailblazer and seeing the documentation of it was deeply meaningful.

Until next time, Seattle...

This was the view from the Kurt benches and his former home. This was during a sun shower. Stunning.

*Showbox Update via historicseattle.org (click link below for full article)*

Update (August 29): Your calls, emails, and public comments worked! The City Council voted unanimously to temporarily expand the Pike Place Market Historic District to include The Showbox site, in effect adding protections for its use. On August 24, Mayor Durkan signed the temporary expansion into law. 

This expansion, advancing the landmark nomination we submitted, and finding a Showbox-friendly offer to present to the property owner is our comprehensive approach to this effort. We’ll need your continued support throughout the landmarks process (stay tuned), and we continue to seek ideas on alternative purchase options.