The Weekend - Part I (Friday)

Well, there was so much that went on this weekend, I feel as if one comprehensive post won't or can't do it justice. So I'm gonna take it day by day. Another factor that led to this decision is that Mom and Beth both blogged about this already. So, I've decided that I have to do it BIGGER AND BETTER.

I'll start with Friday night was a prime example of the advantages of urban living. The headlining event was that Beth and I went to a concert. The concert was at Brillobox, which is in the Bloomfield section of the city. The band that we saw was the band headed by a college friend of mine, Ben Hardt, performing with His Symphony.

The concept behind the band is pretty grandiose. Ben was an '03 graduate of GCC, like myself; we went on a mission trip together to Jamaica in the spring of 2001. It was on this mission trip that I discovered Ben's vast talents on the guitar. Anyway, after graduation he was working a corporate job for a couple of years after when he decided that it wasn't the life he wanted to lead. So, he quit his job. While working, he was in a few bands. He quit his safe job to pursue his first love, which is music.

He embarked on writing an epic record, telling the tale of lovers in London during World War II. The first CD of the three part project was released in spring 2007. It contains 6 substantive tracks, and I don't think I am overstating it to say that it is brilliant. Ben wrote the songs with a string section in mind, meaning that his songs contain violins, celloes and even an upright bass. He recruited some musicians from Duquesne to play with his project. The results are fabulous; you can check out his band on YouTube, just search "Ben Hardt".

Anyway, the concert was very energetic as well. There was a band that opened that was called, I think, The Meeting of the Important People. They were entertaining, playing fast paced music with just percussion, bass and guitar. Ben's set was fantastic. He played 5 of the 6 tracks from the first disc, as well as some new music. He also proclaimed a love for "80s synth songs with string sections". This led to covers of The Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams" among others. They ended with a cover of "Stand By Me."

Maybe the only downer of the night was when Ben announced that this would be their last show until September. Ben is sequestering himself in Zelienople, writing the 2nd part of the story. It will be exciting to hear what he comes up with next.

All in all, a good Friday that was a precursor to a Saturday that can only be described as feeling vacation-like. More on that later.