Family, Fall Foliage, & Black Rebel Motorcycle Club...

Sorry to have been away for so long. I took Friday off and drove the family up to Ashville North Carolina Thursday afternoon to visit my brother and sister-in- law in their new hometown. They actually live in an Ashville suburb (for lack of a better term) called Bravard, NC. What an absolutely awesome place to live! Who’d have thunk it? Ashville and the surrounding communities are all best described as colonies. Ashville has a UNC campus whose curriculum is all manners, disciplines, and mediums of art. The whole shebang is nestled in the western pointy tip of the state at 5000 ft. elevation into the Blue Ridge Mountains and barely three hours drive from Atlanta. Every preconception I had was wrong about the place. Very cool people, thriving economy, and paradise like vistas everywhere you look. I saw only one sign of ignorance and redneckism and that was some hunting lodge adorned in rebel flags on the way through the mountains and far away from civilization, thank god.

It was great to see my brother and his wife. They moved down from the frozen tundra of way upstate New York (the Governor tried to give this part of the state back to Canada, but the pseudo-Frenchie’s turned their already upturned noses at it) to the Ashville area this past July and all of us Atlanta based Alva’s are very excited about having them so much closer, and more importantly, accessible (try figuring out how to fly into Malone NY). After 3 years of grueling pharmacy school my sister-in-law seems finally to be at peace and much relieved to have a life again after all that book worming. My daughter absolutely loves hanging with the two of them as do the Mrs. and I. My brother is an avid music and sports fan, so we are never without something to argue, oops, I mean talk about.

Immediately after putting down our bags Thursday night, my brother and I took off to catch the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at The Orange Peel in Ashville. Cool venue with plenty of room, great vibe, and polite fans. The orange peel sort of looked like it was once a roller skating rink at one time. The 50 foot long bar served a great selection of draft beers and had what I would say is the best system of running drink tabs I’ve ever seen. This may seem like an insignificant thing, but once you realize that instead of taking thirty minutes to get a beer for you and your brother, it only took three you’d appreciate what I’m saying here.

BMRC played a great gig. The band gets the most out of simple open tuned riffs then I’ve ever seen anyone attempt. Motorhead influenced lumbering bass rhythms with brilliant pop vocal melodies is how I’d best describe them. They all look like rock stars are supposed to and I really enjoyed the show. I’d say they might have to explore adding some dynamics to their next record given that their first four are somewhat similar in the sonic sense, but they certainly seem to be creative enough and possess solid enough song writing skills to pull off a move up the maturity scale. Perhaps work with an outside producer (they have self produced all their previous efforts).

We watched some football on TV before heading back and by the time we returned to our place in Atlanta I was confident that I might actually win this weeks football pool. Ended up getting 19 of 28 and STILL losing. Lost to a girl too. That blows.

This weekend is prime for some serious partying. I’m again taking Friday off to pick up the esteemed, the honorable, the impressible, the one and only Jackson who is coming to town to see Army get slapped around by Georgia Tech and assist me in getting my studio back on line. It all starts upon arrival at Hartsfield Airport early Friday morning. He’ll need wheelchair service to get him on his return flight. Who knows, with Jackson and a contingency of the Corps of Cadets in the house maybe our Army team deals an upset to the Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech. If it were to somehow miraculously happen, I would consider my life lived.

GO ARMY! BEAT GEORGIA TECH!!!