Choices, choices

Still working on the SXSW recap . . . O.K., I'm lying. I haven't started it yet. But, I am planning on writing the whole thing this weekend. Right now, I'm still working on the mental recap, and spending a lot of time listening to some of the music we heard to trigger the creative juices. (A little glimpse into the writing process there, people.)

Anyway, one thing SXSW did for me this year was to plant the idea that I need to start going to more shows. Contrary to what some people think, Columbus is an actual city, and we get a lot of good acts coming through, and I almost never go. And there's just no excuse for that. I can afford it, I don't have to worry about finding a babysitter, and it's something I love--so what the hell is wrong with me? So, as much as I generally hate resolutions, I am resolving to go to more shows this year.

In that spirit, I just spent some time on the website of one of my favorite local venues, the Lifestyle_Communities_Pavilion. I know, the name sucks. It used to be called the PromoWest Pavilion, until, for some mysterious corporate branding-driven reason, they decided to name it after a condom instead. Still, it's a good place to see a show. They've got this cool rotating stage that can be set up for the inside venue during the winter and the outside venue during the summer. The inside venue has good acoustics, and the outside venue is a small, sloping hill, so that you can see the stage pretty well no matter where you're sitting. It's a nice size, too--not too big, not too small--and they get some great acts at times.

Anyway, I haven't been there in a while, so I decided to check out who's coming through in the next few weeks. And I gotta say, after looking at the lineup, I can kind of see why they named it "Lifestyle Communities"--they're pretty much all over the place in terms of audience appeal. Here, for example, is a slice of what they've got going on in the near future:

4/20: Lucinda Williams
4/21: Upper Arlington High School Prom
4/24: Taylor Hicks
4/28: Dublin Coffman High School Prom
5/2: Ziggy Marley
5/5: Bo Kimly's Extreme Fighting Challenge 17
5/12: Hilliard Davidson High School Prom
5/21: Mastodon--Against Me!--Cursive
5/28: Damien Rice
6/1: Insane Clown Posse

So, we've got three great shows, two really sucky shows, one show I've never heard of, three proms, and one bizarre rednecky event. (Like the color coding, there? Editors are big on that.) Apparently, they really are trying to cover all the lifestyle bases (as well as pull in some serious cash, with the proms and all). I'll be going to Lucinda Williams for sure, and I might try to catch Damien Rice. Ziggy Marley I'll pass on--I heard enough of his dad when I was in Africa to last a lifetime, and they sound pretty similar. (Seriously, in Botswana, you can't go a day without hearing Bob Marley blasting out of some store or bar or bus. I like him and all, but geesh. There are other reggae artists out there, people of Botswana!)

Bo Kimly's Extreme Fighting Challenge 17? I'll probably pass on that one too. I have managed to live my life without seeing the first 16 Extreme Fighting Challenges, after all.