RAW HERE WE COME!
The Motives exclusively use Mac Computers. We have a variety of desktop models and 3 different Powerbooks.
Thursday, August 19, 1999

I had a good long rest and got up around 11 am. I showed Douglas the computer and did some financial entries. Douglas had hurt his leg and had an ace bandage around one of his knees. In the early afternoon we (Louie, Milo, Paul & I) picked up Laurie Webb at the San Jose Airport and it was great to see him. Otherwise I took it easy but had to go out just so the maid could clean the room. These rooms are not up to Hyatt's standards. The air conditioning unit is loud, the shower gets cold when you shower and you have to bend on your hands and knees to hook up the modem instead of having the hookup on the desk phone, and the voice mail didn't work right. (It sounds like the white man's blues!) I hate the refrigerator with stuff in it that if you eat it they charge you an arm and a leg. At least we had Barbara's Oat Squares with milk and then soy milk. Anyway I had a chicken sandwich at Johnny Rockets, one of these fake 50's soda shoppe chains (founded 1986). The chicken was OK, not a real breast but a pressed breast.
Finally our gig in San Jose, a pre-RAW show at the Waves Smokehouse. I picked up Zack at the local San Jose station right near the Arena where the San Jose Sharks hockey team plays, their only pro team, which is very close to downtown. I dropped Zack off at the club and dropped the minivan at the hotel which was an ordeal with really slow 6:00 pm traffic. We really didn't have a sound check but Liam was doing the sound and said we didn't need one. He had worked this room before and knew us from Ashkenaz. We got on and kicked ass. There was a crowd who liked us a lot and gave us much applause even for our soloing. Rick, Lori and their daughter Tabetha were there. We autographed a Motives picture for her and it was touching. During our second set she waved goodbye and I waved goodby from the stage. Rick also recommended to Rebecca a Martha Velez record produced by Bob Marley in the 70's which I guess has a similar voice quality. Is it available on CD? Who knows? The only bad part was we had to end abruptly with no encore as we had to get stuff off the stage for the DJ disco show they have every Thursday night. We did that very well and were prepared and cooperative with the club. The DJ show had two guys with turntables on stage, one guy had a cowboy hat. What up wit dat? We could hear the boom boom boom from upstairs.

Afterwards, Zack, Rebecca, Douglas, myself, Liam and the other sound guy Shannon working there that night but will be working the other RAW Club, Club Ibex, all ate dinner together upstairs at Waves. The band hangin' out... I then drove Zack and Rebecca home without Douglas (finally). It was later than I thought. The highway signs in San Francisco are very poor. I got off the exact same exit for Zack as I have done but since I came from another direction (north instead of south), the exit ended up at a completely different place. Aren't exits supposed to end up in the same place no matter which direction you approach them? Not here. I was confused, drove around but found my way to Mission Street (not the sleazy area), and finally got to Zack's house. Rebecca made a pitstop as did I. The surprise was that Amy, Zack's friend (also a friend of his dad's), offered to have me stay instead of driving back to San Jose, which I readily took that offer!

The sign problem continues. It seems that there are only two exits for central San Francisco on 101 where it turns into I-80: Civic Center and 4th Street-Embarcadero. There are no signs "last exit before bridge." Before I knew it Rebecca and I were on the Bay Bridge heading for Oakland! I had to think fast not to let her down! I remembered there is an island in between the bridge where there's an exit! I got off at Buena Yerba Island at the end of the tunnel through the island. There was a cop car there. I pulled up and explained my predicament. He mentioned they were going back to Frisco to and he would show us the way. We followed him under the highway and around the other side where we got back onto the bridge toward the City by the Bay and I finally got Rebecca home. Whew! I then drove back to Zack's. He was there and we found a place to park which was difficult since the spaces between the cars were driveways and the hills were steep. When driving in that area it feels like you're in a rocket ship when driving uphill on these streets. We wound down, talked about music and the CD collection there. I then went to bed on a couch in a room on the ground floor in a sleeping bag.

Friday, August 20, 1999 - RAW CONFERENCE - PLAYIN' AT MIDNIGHT

I got up after 10 and saw Zack stretching. We walked to the Barking Basset Restaurant on Cortland Avenue in Bernal Heights near where he was staying. It is an interesting neighborhood I never knew would have existed had I not drove him home and now stayed there.

Views from High Atop Dense Bernal Heights
Section of San Francisco

The views from their house high atop a hill. Wow! I got pix before going to the restaurant, esp. from one of the son's room on the top floor. There are sushi bars, sleazy bars and interesting stores on this road on a high hill. We had some omelets and coffee which were very good. It was then time to go back to San Jose but I was well rested. I called Rebecca to see if she wanted to go with me but no one was there and I left a message (twice). I went back to San Jose listening to some metal rock including Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and other gems.

The RAW seminars started. Louie had our badges and RAW t-shirts. I said hello to Mary and saw Kwama, the Nigerian singer who played at Ashkenaz. I listened a little to the internet seminar, sat with Laurie a little but it was all boring and I was tired. I also saw Paul a little bit. I didn't feel like schmoozing. One guy recognized me as The Motives' keyboardist. He acknowledged that I jumped around but didn't say if I was any good or not but I don't care. I didn't even know who he was! Therefore I went upstairs to write my journal which I have been doing for about an hour and a half as I sit here right now at about 4:50 pm. I will continue later.

We helped load equipment at around 7:00 or so, stored it in our designated area near the stage as other equipment was already there. I bought a Waves T-shirt that I apparently lost at the Mexican Restaurant where Laurie, Louie, Phil, Paul & I ate, the one right near Waves. Lots of refried beans and rice of course. We went back to Waves briefly, saw a little of Mary Kirk's band, Red Di (not to be confused with South American toaster Red I) and then I went back to the hotel room. Douglas was there. I also had to pick up Zack at the train station again around 9:30. I got to the train station at around 9:50 and no Zack. It pissed me off. I noticed the next train was scheduled for 10:30 and there was no way I was gonna wait around! Not me man! I went back to the hotel and figured that Zack can take care of himself.

I went back to the room, got my leather, put on my black shirt and prepared to go to the Waves Club to hang out and eventually play. Laurie, Douglas and I walked to the club together and Douglas relayed his story of the day that he needed to go to the bathroom and went to one of San Jose's public toilets, put a quarter in the slot, opened the door, and that two people were having sex in there! He quickly said he was sorry or something. I said you got to want it bad to do it in a bathroom with that smell. Laurie said the smell is an aphrodisiac. Hey whatever turns you on.

We arrived at the club and the Yardies were starting. They were pretty good, doing some funky stuff, Marvin Gaye and James Brown covers in a "stylee" and very danceable. Rebecca and Emily were there and we all talked awhile along with Phil, who was wooing the women folk.

The Yardies finished and I complimented them. They took their stuff off as we prepared the stage for ourselves. There was supposed to be a keyboard amp but the Roland was taken off stage. I argued a bit but had to settle for a stage monitor to hear myself, which I have done before. Liam and the stage manager guy managed to set one up right next to me so I heard myself pretty good! The Motives came on and we kicked major ass. The crowd loved us and we had them going. Phil was in great form and wore an even greater killer gold vest over his bare chest. Paul had his magic as I see him playing and the next minute he's still playing but has sunglasses on. How does he do it? I had my suede pants. Everyone looked cool and played well. There was a little confusion at the end with the stage manager which prevented an encore. We got many compliments from fans and other band members as well. It was sincere mutual admiration.

The best part of the night. I didn't have to drive anyone home and neither did Paul who was slated to do it tonight! Emily's friend Ray had a car and drove her, Rebecca and Zack back to 'Frisco. Yaaaayyyy!
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