12 Galaxies, Twenty Minute Loop...and other lucky numbers

It's been 4 weeks and 4 days since we got back from the tour. My cats have six nipples. True Margrit has 12 appearances coming up in October/November. Today at Absolutely True Sound there were two recording sessions. And now I am 80% fried. I do in fact have 400,00 things to try to remember to do tomorrow. I try to write three lists. The phone rings 4 times--I catch it but the battery runs out--twice. Some button I inadvertently pushed on it seven months ago has caused all the messages in the caller ID display to be in French. Right now the phone beeps every five seconds and its screen is flashing the warning; "PILE FAIBLE" --which means the battery is low--feeble, perhaps (peut-etre).

I need two things: a hamburger and rock.. and you know: dreams do come true. Sarah takes me out for a burger. God bless her. Thrice.

...And then I pop on over to 12 Galaxies and catch a Twenty Minute Loop set. That's the rock.

Oh god! If you like popsongs with eerie melodies and delicious two-part harmony, you must hear this Bay Area quintet. They have clever twists, surprising turns, and cool changes, all delivered with the raw brute force of pure rock that isn't scared to part the clouds to let out whispered lines of sweetness... well, it's all here.

At one point mid-set, singer/synthesist Kelly Atkins asks the crowd, "Are we too loud?"

We in the crowd look dumbly at her.

Nobody answers--cuz it would be hard to say, caught in this spell as we are. It is a bit loud, it's true-- but a good loud that smarts in a good way, kind of like when you've been walking a long time and you are thirsty and warm and chilly drops of sudden rain feel good on your face.