My Birthday Week Was Perfect

I turned 39 on the 10th. Eeek! Forty is creeping around the corner…

But I digress.

I took vacation the week of my birthday because we had big plans – a.k.a. a concert (of course). Before the headlining event, though, my best friend and her husband spoiled me for a couple of days.

Night one involved dolling up and going to Barnes & Noble and Spirit Halloween. We were going to take some pictures; however, a storm rolled in, so we headed back to the house and had a dinner that consisted of chicken fajita nachos and Mexican street corn pasta salad.

The second night we went to 2nd & Charles, then we had a mini photo shoot. We binged horror movies while having dinner.

Tiff and I spent the next afternoon in the pool. We both burned pretty badly, but it was a really good day with 90s music and ham sandwiches.

I headed home and slept for about 12 hours. I did nothing except laze around reading until I decided to hang out with my brother and sister-in-law for the evening.

And then, it was concert day! My brother and I drove up to Nashville to see Pierce the Veil and My Chemical Romance.

Back story: I saw My Chemical Romance in 2007 with Muse, touring for The Black Parade. My brother didn’t get to go. So as soon as I heard they were hitting the road for the 20th anniversary of The Black Parade, I knew we had to buy tickets.

Y’all…it was phenomenal! I mean, obviously they performed The Black Parade in its entirety, but their B set also kicked ass. Definitely worth the money, the drive, the heat, and standing in line for 45 minutes for a tour shirt.

I had another do nothing day before we loaded up for another show. This time, it was me, my brother, my sister-in-law, and their friend JD. We hung out with The Velcro Pygmies, and it was soooo much fun!

The last bit of celebrating happened on the 19th, when my brother and I went in for our heartagram tattoos.

Anyway, here are a bunch of pictures!

Mine is the watercolor; Rick’s is the embroidered patch

The Mostly Music Podcast, Ep. 2: Rock ‘n’ Roll Messiah 101

I had the chance to interview Muscle Shoals, Alabama-based Chase “The Ace” West, aka Rock ‘n’ Roll Messiah! We chatted about his musical journey, from what inspired him to pick up a guitar as a kid all the way to this new project. 

A little bit of background: I have known Chase since 2013, when he joined The Velcro Pygmies as their new guitarist. You might think that would make this interview easier, but… I guess it did in some ways, not so much in others.

Also, enjoy my brother’s cat and his inability to be ignored 😂 He’s a giant furball and I was distracted by the risk he posed to my laptop, cords, lighting, etc.

Hope y’all like it!

Be sure to visit this page for all things Rock ‘n’ Roll Messiah, including music, merch, and his socials!

New Music Alert! Rock ‘n’ Roll Messiah: “The Best Time”

Alabama-based guitarist Chase “The Ace” West has unleashed his first solo song. He sang, played all instruments, recorded, and mixed it. Stream “The Best Time” by Rock ‘n’ Roll Messiah on your favorite service, and check out the video below!