Cabaret Idol

Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing my friend, Nick Amado, perform in the Finals of Cabaret Idol at the Hollywood Bar & Grill!  Cabaret Idol had been going on for weeks and I hadn't been able to make it to one of his performances so I was so glad to catch him in the Finals and see him at his best and in his element!

Upon arrival, there was a line out the door of people waiting to get in and find a seat.  The place was packed and there was a whole group of people there to support Nick, a plethora of people from our Saint's & Sinner's days (it was so great to see everyone) and even people from out of town, so it was great to see Nick's friends supporting him!

There were 6 singers that night and audience vote after the first round of singing voted 4 people to sing one more song, and then it was decided on by the judges.  On top of singing 2 songs for their set they also had to talk about the song and why they were going to sing it, so it gave you a little personality from each performer.  Nick's first song was 'Runaround Sue' in which two of our friends, Ian and Dave, joined him on stage doing a little back-up.  The song was a hit and after Nick killed 'At Last' serenading people's faces off, he even got a standing ovation!  Honestly, I didn't need to hear the other singers because I knew Nick was the perfect person to win Cabaret Idol.  

After the first round of singers, it went down to 4 with Nick in the last round of singing.  His closing song was Jeff Buckley's 'Hallelujah' while Travis played the music.  He blew the crowd away with his control, tone, and how he just captivated every audience member.  I'm so proud to be a friend of Nick's and get to see him do something that just comes so naturally to him!  Getting to see all these singers perform for a crowd of people really made me want to try out for next year's Cabaret Idol because everyone was having so much fun and I think it would be a great experience...I guess we'll see!

We were all glad to hear, as they announced the winner, that Nick was the Cabaret Idol winning a 3-song demo, a cash prize, and a 2 Day Show, which I can't wait to see.  Nick was the perfect Winner for the Contest...congratulations and YAY Nickels :)
Nick Amado on YouTube! 
You can check out Nick's performances and music on his YouTube page!

Buckcherry at The Viper Room :D

I've been a Buckcherry fan since 2006 when their album "15" came out and 'Sorry' became one of their biggest hits and I started singing along with it.  Along with 'Sorry' was 'Crazy B*tch' which was just such a fun rock & roll song, and reminded me that there are some great Rock Bands out there today!  *I hadn't quite gotten into The Foo Fighters yet until 'Pretender' came out and then I started to discover and fall in love with their music, as they are one of my favorite Rock Bands to this day!*  I had been listening to a CD of Buckcherry Music for the past year as Neil had gotten me into their music and not only could they write these awesome rock songs but some beautiful ballads with touching lyrics.  I was hooked.

Cocktails on Sunset Blvd at Rock & Reilly's

Neil had gotten 4 tickets to Buckcherry at The Viper Room for last Friday as they were playing 3 shows there last weekend.  Kristina, Chris, Neil and I got into Hollywood and had a drink at Rock & Reilly's (a fun and wild Irish Bar with awesome green wallpaper on Sunset Blvd) with Neil's friend, Cory, before we walked over to The Viper Room.  The Viper Room was a small venue for Buckcherry, but I found out from Kristina and Josh Todd that night as he was talking between songs that they wanted to pay homage to LA because this is where they got their start and they appreciate their fans support through all these years.  I think it was awesome that we all got a chance to see them at such an intimate venue.

I had never seen a show at The Viper Room aside from seeing Neil play in the Acoustic Lounge last year and taking a mini tour of the whole venue at that time.  The place was packed but not overly so, that we couldn't move or maintain some sense of personal space.  We got a round of drinks and found a good spot where we all could see and were about 10 feet from the stage.  I was so excited as soon as the band came out and Josh Todd was wearing a bandanna, jacket, and sunglasses as he opened the show.  By song #2, the bandanna and sunglasses were off, and just a couple songs later, he was shirtless and awesome!  The whole band was into the music and you could tell they were enjoying themselves.

H.O.T.

They played a bunch of songs off "15", "All Night Long" and some new songs off their new album "Confessions."  One of their first hit's 'Lit Up' was played in between 'Everything' which is one of my favorites and 'Gluttony' which is a new song.  Some of my favorite slower songs which I thought they might play since The Viper Room is a more intimate venue were left out but they brought the energy while they played, the lead guitarist throwing out plenty of picks, and Josh singing and dancing as much as possible.  They sounded just like they do on their album and it was fantastic to actually see them live and be that close to the stage.  One of their closing songs was, of course, 'Crazy B*tch' and I even threw in a little of my own head banging!

An absolutely amazing show and happy concert goer's!

Our American Idol :)

 Overall, I can't say enough good things about the Buckcherry show except that I wish it was longer.  It was just over an hour or so long and I wanted to hear more because they did sound so great!  I think we all wanted to hear more music from them and people of all ages were at the show considering they have been around for 15 years.  Of course, Josh Todd, had that rocker performance charisma that made me want to jump on stage, dance with him, and hug him in all his sweaty glory but I didn't...perhaps next time ;)  Seeing Buckcherry at The Viper Room definitely makes me want to see more shows there because it was so much fun but I can bet this experience will stick with me for a long time!

*A couple side notes and an exciting extra:  We found a secure parking garage down the street for $10 which was great and we only had to walk a couple blocks.  The Viper Room was actually reasonably priced for drinks, with a shot and beer for $10 or their own house shot, the Viper Venom, for $4.  Coors Light was $5 so that was certainly a pleasant surprise to get some inexpensive drinks!  Then, on our way out and as we walked back to Sunset Blvd, we ran into this wonderful guy, who happened to be enjoying Hollywood and The Viper Room as well.  Chris had actually asked to get a picture with him, when one of his friends said, he was on American Idol.  Vincent Powell had just been kicked off the night before, but as soon as his friend had mentioned that, I remembered exactly who he was and how incredible he performed.  American Idol lost out on an extremely talented singer with a fabulous personality, and I know he's got big things coming to him.  It was great meeting you, Vincent!*

Vincent from American Idol and Chris after the Buckcherry Show at The Viper Room!

Plus, I love that I'm continuing my New Year's Resolution of doing new things.  A new concert for 2013, seeing my first Rock Band, Buckcherry, at a new venue, The Viper Room, and having a blast with my friends!  Hooray :)

We missed Clint by an hour!

After a week filled with work I finally had a couple days off so my parents and I made the drive up to Carmel (which is near Monterey and about 2 hours south of San Francisco).  The main reason for our visit was because my Dad wanted to eat Dinner at Clint Eastwood's restaurant, so with a 5 hour drive ahead of me, we started the trek.

Let me start by saying I gave up Soda, Candy, and Fast Food for Lent, and of course, when you're on a road trip, all that you can really eat if you're stopping quickly is fast food, so while my parents ate their delicious smelling breakfast sandwiches from McDonald's that morning, I sipped my Chai Tea from Starbucks and pouted.  Our first stop was just beyond Santa Barbara at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, because my Mom wanted to gamble some money away.  I ended up getting $50 in Free Play because of my 90066 zip code, and actually won $60 at the end of the day, so I came up ahead!  After our quick 90 minute excursion we were back on the road taking the scenic 101 the entire way to Carmel.  Once we got close, the sun disappeared and a cloudy marine layer appeared as we made our way to the Bay View Inn in Carmel.

We got to The Mission just after 7 pm and had a cocktail at the bar while we waited for our table.  We got seated about 20 minutes later and after ordering and talking to our waiter, found out Clint came in after 6 pm stayed for a little bit and then left.  He had also come by that afternoon for a little bit and our waiter told us sometimes even pops in later at night before the bar closes down.  I know we were all a little bummed we missed him by less than an hour but were still really impressed that he was even in the area when we were.  Our goat cheese appetizer was great but I wasn't all that excited about my steak until I got my hands on some horseradish that kicked it up a bit.  Unfortunately, Mom thought it was coleslaw, so she took a hearty bite and had a nice surprise.  The asparagus was perfect and my favorite part of the meal aside from my awesome Pinot Noir I switched to from my Hendrick's Gin drink at the bar.  We couldn't end Dinner without getting the Chocolate Cake so I got some Sambuca and enjoyed my aperitif and 3 espresso beans.

Dinner at Mission Ranch in Carmel

Before the night was over we sat back at the bar to have some after-dinner Drinks and even got Mom a Brandy Alexander that was delicious!  The piano player had been playing all evening and at this point, people were getting up to sing with her, so I asked if she knew 'Baby Love,' she said she did, and 15 minutes later I was singing to all the Regulars around the piano, a few of which who gave me some dirty looks for invading their Sunday Night territory, but it's all in fun, right!  The piano player asked me to sing again so later on I did 'Dreams' by Fleetwood Mac and then we all called it a night and made our way back to the Hotel.

Pacific Ocean

The next morning we walked downtown for a little bit, bought some fun gifts and then made our way to the ocean.  It was about 20 degrees cooler in Carmel and quite windy but it was beautiful to see the ocean, trees, and houses.  I wanted to take a different route on the way back to LA so Dad drove the first part and we cut over on the 198 near Coalinga and what a drive that was!  It was winding turns, narrow roads, fallen rock, and more cows than I could count, but it was awesome.  I took over once we got to town and I had my Bagel from Starbucks while Dad enjoyed his Whopper with Cheese and Mom got her Ice Cream Cone...way to rub it in my face, Guys!  The rest of the drive on the 5 felt quick because it was mostly farmland, tons of fruit trees, and some major mountain driving before getting into Santa Clarita but neat to take a different route on the way home.

The entire week with my family was awesome and taking the road trip with them was the icing on the cake.  We had so much fun, did so many different activities and kept busy!  I was so glad to have them out here spending time with me and can't wait to see them again soon :)

Beverly Hills Friday!

After making sure Dad had Lunch and would be occupied for the afternoon, Mom and I headed into Beverly Hills for her Belated Birthday Present.  I was taking her to Lunch at Crustacean which would be something fun and new for her and since I've only been there once as well I couldn't wait to go back and share it with her!

Crustacean is so elegant and as we were seated at a table by some beautiful flowers we decided on our appetizers and got the Coconut Prawns and Rock Shrimp Tempura.  Since it was Friday we couldn't have any meat but neither of us was really interested in anything aside from fish and since Crustacean is known for their seafood we were going to be doing the entire experience!  The Prawns were good but the Marmalade Orange Sauce was the kicker, it was phenomenal!  The Rock Shrimp Tempura was a little bland in my opinion and needed a kick with the spicy mayo and I still have to say that Katsuya has the best Rock Shrimp Tempura I've ever had.

Our entree's and the Garlic Noodles came next!  The Garlic Noodles were as great as I remembered them from my first time there and Mom liked them a lot as well.  We decided to share two entrees getting the Steamed Sole and Roasted Corn & Mushrooms in this amazing sesame miso vinaigrette which really complimented the dish.  I really wanted something close to sushi so I ordered the Seared Tuna with Greens & Noodles that was served cold, so that made it interesting.  The dressing was light but once again needed a little kick to it.  I was happy to see there was plenty of Tuna and it was perfectly seared and delicious.

Lunch at Crustacean with Mom!

After Dinner we weren't too full to walk over to Sprinkles and pick out some Cupcakes to take home and sample.  I've only had a couple flavors so we decided to get the Black & White (which is my FAVORITE) the Vanilla with Milk Chocolate, Lemon Coconut, and one that was just like a Hostess Cupcake.  We brought them home to Dad and had a nice little dessert sampler and he even tried some of our leftovers from Crustacean!  Way to be adventurous, Dad!

Mom and I had a great Lunch and lot of fun chatting over some yummy food, in a beautiful atmosphere and there was no one else I would have rather shared it with :)

A Week with Family in LA!

Last week at this time my family and I were getting ready to go to Happy Hour at The Garage, get some yummy food, and have a cocktail or two before I Hosted Karaoke that night at Gabe's!  They just left yesterday but the week I spent with them was filled with plenty of activities, lots of work, and a super fun road trip to Carmel!

Karaoke was a lot of fun and my Dad even sang a couple songs with me so that was awesome.  My songs for the night were geared to my Mom and Dad so I opened with 'Because the Night' by the 10,000 Maniacs and sang 'Stop Dragging My Heart Around' with Marcus.  I remember the music video because my Mom had it on a VHS tape of videos she liked, so that was a fun song to sing for them!  Both Mom and Dad wanted to hear Def Leppard over me doing Journey, so I sang 'Bringing on the Heartbreak' and then switched it up to some Country doing 'Any Man of Mine.'  I was happy to hit all the high notes on 'Promises in the Dark' and then got a request from my family for Stevie Nick's 'Edge of 17' which I forgot had so many verses and was nearly 6 minutes long.  Would it ever end?  LOL!  Dad got a little liquid courage and asked if I would sing 'Help' with him, so we both sang that, and he also backed me up on my new song of the night which was 'I Want You to Want Me' by Cheap Trick, which had some fun and quick parts to it!  Linda Ronstadt is one of my parents favorite artists so I sang 'It's So Easy' and then closed out the night with Adele's 'To Make You Feel My Love.'

Famous Photo Recreated at the USS Iowa!

On Thursday, Mom and Dad helped me set up the bar at Irish Times and got to enjoy a fun beer tasting and later came by to have a traditional Irish Dinner of Fish & Chips and the Beef & Guinness Pie!  That night I got my parents to watch 'Les Miserables' and both of them could admit after watching 'Silver Linings Playbook' that the acting was outstanding in 'Les Mis' even though it wasn't their type of movie.  We made it a SAG Screener Weekend by watching 'Argo' on Friday before I had to leave for work too and I hadn't seen it yet, so that was cool!  Then on Saturday we drove down to Long Beach so Dad could see the USS Iowa, even though we wouldn't have time to go through the ship, he just wanted to see it, and it will be put on his To-Do List next time he's out for a visit.  They came into Bar Lubitsch with me on Saturday Night and Kristina met up with them as well, while they sampled some specialty cocktails and different whiskeys.  It was really fun for them to see all 4 of my jobs while they were here, and how different they all are.  I love taking care of them when they are in town!

I'm going to post a couple more blogs about their trip out here to LA so I can keep these short and exciting ;)  Stay tuned!

'Jekyll & Hyde'

I had the pleasure of getting to see 'Jekyll & Hyde' the Musical at The Pantages Theater in LA on Tuesday night!  Special thanks to Mr. Daly who gave me the 2 tickets as he was traveling all week and was in New York the night of the show, so I was able to take Kristina with me and have a fun Girl's Night!  Both of us grew up and were involved with theater and music, so this was right up our alley.  I already knew a bunch of the music from the show because of singing a 'Jekyll & Hyde' Medley in my High School choir and loved the songs!

Let me start by saying the women's restroom on the main floor is incredible.  I felt like I was in 'Snow White' because of the way the mirrors were set up, in a giant room with individual seats and vanity's, with diagonals and the mirrors looked like they were cracked, but weren't.  I loved it!  We had great seats, Row V in the Orchestra, so just 50 feet or so from the stage, and the show started promptly at 8 pm.  The two title roles of Jekyll/Hyde and Lucy were played by American Idol's Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox who had music on the Billboard Charts and has also collaborated with Whitney Houston and Andrea Bocelli.  Teal Wicks played the role of Emma and was definitely a stand-out with a beautiful voice that she made seem effortless...awesome!  I've been a fan of Deborah Cox and she made me fall in love with some of the songs she sang because she had some great notes and she brought so much to the character.  The acting was incredible but I do have to say Kristina and I were disappointed with some of the songs and we felt as though some of the voices were strained and there were missed notes.  Constantine was much stronger as Edward Hyde than Jekyll and once he sang 'Alive' I completely realized why he was cast, because the rocker in him came out; he was dark and mysterious, scary at times, but had the perfect voice for Hyde.  There were 2 distinct characters which was the point of the whole story, but his voice was more fitting for Hyde, in my opinion.  The ensemble and other main characters were great, some people coming from 'Rent,' 'Wicked,' and even 'Les Miserables.'

Overall, the show was good.  It would be interesting to see the show again with the Broadway Cast but it was such a fun experience to get to see a show of this caliber here in LA, and back to my resolutions, was something new for me, so that was exciting!  I loved the chemistry between Maroulis and Cox, and 'A Dangerous Game' became my favorite song because the tension between the two during the song just sucked you in, and I loved that!  I tended to like the duets more, 'Take Me As I Am' and 'In His Eyes' were strong points, and I loved Wicks performance of 'Once Upon a Dream' which I think might be a future Karaoke song for me.  The costumes were gorgeous; I love that era, and I was impressed by the quick changes (knowing how fast you have to be, since I did musicals all through high school).  The lighting was great and complimented the set well.  For a smaller venue, they changed things up a lot and that added to the show.  It's not just the cast that makes the show, it's the crew, and what they bring to the table, and all of that was spot on.

I would definitely see the show again if it came to town.  Plus, as soon as I got home, I downloaded a bunch of new music from the show because I couldn't wait to hear some of the songs again, so that was cool.  'Jekyll & Hyde' is only in LA for a couple more days but this certainly makes me want to go see more Musicals when they come to LA :)

Photo Shoot Time!

Since we all know I wasn't looking forward to Valentine's Day last week because I hate that Holiday, I can say that I was looking forward to last Friday when I had a Photo Shoot with a friend, Brent, that's also an Actor but does Photography in his free time as well!  He's super talented and I can't wait to work with him again :)

 

Before the shoot even began we both did our research figuring out different photos and styles we liked, and of course, all the pictures I found were of brunettes like Mila Kunis and Megan Fox.  Perhaps I'll post some comparison ones so you can see exactly what we were going for.  It was definitely fun to re-create certain looks and gave us something to work on and build as the shoot progressed!

 

I just wanted to share a few photos from the shoot.  We shot a bunch of different stuff, almost 800 pictures, so many different styles, and had a lot of fun.  It was a more serious shoot than I normally do, so the smiles were saved for our conversation, and the smoldering dramatic look was spot on for the camera.  Of course, when you're running around a house in your underwear, a shot to kick off the shoot is necessary ;)  As you can see, I'm wearing clothes in a bunch of them as well, so stop worrying, Mom....it's just acting!  All in all, it was a blast and I'm still going through pictures figuring out which ones to edit, and that's one of my favorite parts!

 

I love how some of the photos turned out that I could even use for headshots (cropped, of course) but there's a story behind my eyes.  I hope you see it too!

 

You can find Brent on Facebook at: Brent Bailey

You can find me on Facebook at: Lyndsey Wegner