Blitzened (Werewolf Slumber Party Part 2)

Image by Johnnie Cluney for Daytrotter

The boys are back in town! Blitzen Trapper was back in Chicago last night for a sold out set a Schuba's with the Fleet Foxes! I don't think anyone was even reading TKTC when they were here last time but they're officially fixtures in Wicked Park whenever they come in. Seriously- it's one thing when Jaimeson's in town. That's just one big mountain man all to myself. When BT is here? I get to be the den mother for 6 furry Portland rockers all crammed into every potentially usable part of floor space in my rather tiny little apartment. There's always room at the inn.

Before I lose all their street cred, let me explain them to those of you who may be unfamiliar. Have you ever thought about what decade you'd be best suited for if you got to choose? Leave your answer in the comments if you have, I'd be interested to hear it. For me? The Seventies. I love the clothes. I love the attitude. I love the music. Think the soundtrack to Dazed & Confused. Think Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Carly Simon and James Taylor. Neil Young and the Eagles. Think Lynyrd Skynyrd and Led Zepplin.

Brother is rolling his eyes right now. He knows that outside of the Cranberries, I listened to more "I Want It That Way" than "Southern Cross." {brushes dirt off shoulder}.

Blitzen Trapper is none of these bands but that is perhaps where their best authenticity lives. I listen to them and I'm there, not just pretending. I feel like it's a hot day in 1977 and me and my high waisted hotpants are gonna hop in a muscle car and drive around awhile. I feel like rocking out. Last night's show? Check.

I also feel like I should mention that I'm feeling really lucky that I've now come home from two live shows in one week with musical crushes I wasn't aware of until watching them live. That's a tough thing to pull off. Last night's opener, the Fleet Foxes, definitely accomplished the same thing Dan Wilson did the week before. I am smitten. Caro and I just stood there in quiet awe of the harmony. They look like werewolves too, which only added to a very legit appeal. check out White Winter Hymnal. Pitch perfect LIVE harmonizing. Fantastic. Nice call, Brother. I enjoyed them enough for both of us.
So that was the roundabout explanation as to why I like a band. I like a lot of bands. These guys are now family (even my real family has adopted them). The only thing that got me moving on Sunday was knowing that someone would likely have a sleeping bag rolled out under my kitchen table that night and there'd best not be crumbs down there. I cleaned. Then I made another batch of Chels' Double Lemon Bars. Then I picked up a bottle of Seagrams and a six of Fat Tire. Then I made a ridiculous brunch casserole from Cooking Light. I even added some baby spinach leaves to the mix cause you know those boys don't be getting enough greens on the road. And threw in a good cup and a half of my new sharp Wisconsin cheddar for authenticity.


See what I mean? Total den mother material. I am at my absolute happiest when I have a house full of mouths to feed. No joke, I get all kinds of giddy. This time I knew I'd have to leave for work before they needed to be up so I made it in advance so they could just throw it in the oven. Breakfast casseroles are easy and nothing is more appreciated (by yourself OR your guests) when you're a touch a hungover the next day and just want some goodness and some coffee on hand.

I'm overtalking it. Sorry. So the show was awesome but as soon as I got home, it was jammy time. And as it was Sunday, I needed to keep things quiet. They rolled in after load in at 1am. Everyone sat up whispering, eating lemon bars, drinking whiskey and water and smoking American Spirits till 2am. At 2am Drew read to us aloud from "I Like You" by Amy Sedaris and we all went to bed. Rather, I went to bed. They went to couch, sleeping bag under kitchen table, air mattress in front of fridge, bed roll in front of TV and blankets on white shag rug. And Tito and his girl slept in the van because she'd just arrived and can you blame them? I got a good 6 hours, got ready without waking anyone up and slipped out of my house full of sleeping mountain men. I was even productive at the office- who knew?!

I suppose it's easy to be productive when you come home to things like this. I try pretty hard to keep myself surrounded with good people. In the "Yeah, he's good people." Midwestern sense. The random people that just keep showing up in my universe is proof positive that what goes out must come back. They left treats- Cool Love #1 from one of the DayTrotter sessions (another one was recorded today so watch out for that) and the original EP which I only had digitally till today.
Fantastic houseguests- Not only that but I came home from work to find every towel folded, every dish (including the casserole and lemon bar dishes!) washed and something for someone else...

Caro's little brother is turning 13 this week. He plays the guitar. They just found their parents record player. This came up in conversation last night with all the guys talking about how much cooler it will always be to have records. They all signed one for Jack to kick off a great habit:)

Right, and as if the musical gifts weren't enough. Apparently the guys have a screenprinting friend in Portland who tries out designs for them on plain vintage T-shirts. They're all different so this is me trying to be sassy through my sleepiness and modeling the fact that I have had a lot of Blitzen Trapper kool-aid and I'm not too worried about it:)


So now I'm detoxing. I'm taking the week off. Ok, so I had a Fat Tire with my salad tonight but I'm just coming down slowly. This salad is my new favorite by the way. Baked teriaki chicken with greens and sliced almonds and topped with Paul Newman's Light Ginger dressing. Yum.TKTC Notes:
What's your decade?

MADISON PEOPLE (err, Shelley, that may just be you): Blitzen Trapper is Playing at High Noon Saloon tomorrow night! It's funny to me that BT has been about 4 days behind the Hotel Cafe this entire tour at either the same or similar venues. Totally different sound but I love em both.

I leave for England in 2 weeks and 2 days. So many favorite people in just under a week, I just don't know what I'll do with myself:)