Mumford and Sons

A couple of months ago I came across a band called Mumford and Sons. They have very quickly become one of my favorites! While their show tonight at the Record Bar is sold out (UGH!) I was able to see them (very briefly) at the Firefly Lounge this morning. They are amazing performers, they sound fantastic live.
However...we did wait 4 hours to watch them play 3 songs. Insanity. The first few hours weren't too bad...but the last hour was painful. For some reason there didn't appear to be any airflow at the Lounge and it was like standing in a sauna. We had sweat pouring off of us. Not fun. But once they showed and started playing, it was all good. This was a Kegs and Eggs free show through 96.5 The Buzz.
But let me say this! My friend Lauren has mad navigational skills through a crowd. When we arrived at around 5:30 we were in line behind hundreds of people. And yet when we got into the packed lounge, she walked us through the crowd and right up to the stage. Like some sort of miracle. It really made the wait worthwhile to be that close for the performance! I was standing about 2 feet in front of Marcus Mumford. Almost too close to take pictures. Awkwardly close. haha But it was very very enjoyable. Thank you so much Lauren and Melissa for sweating waiting with me! :-)



This girl stood and read her book for a couple of hours while we waited. A great idea actually...





Scoops



Afentra



They had some (very brave and/or inebriated) people come on stage to do a capella karaoke for prizes while we waited for the band to arrive.









And then we waited...and waited...



And waited...



The instruments arrived...









And then Mumford and Sons arrived...













































And then they were gone...

Workfare at Crosstown Station

I was there for the first night of Workfare's New Era's Eve celebration at Czar Bar...and the seventh and final night at Crosstown Station on inauguration day.





I can't resist having fun with a mirror...



Can't resist lots of buttons and lights either...







One group (Antennas Up) arrived with some fun accessories...



Actually, there was another accessory I enjoyed as well. Check out these drums!





First up was my father's band, the Winston Apple Group. My dad had me videotaping their performance, so I didn't take very many pics. I was able to balance the very large and heavy video camera on my lap (I turned myself into a tripod) so I was able to grab a few shots.













Breaking down the cool drums...
(His name is Pete Jacobs and he is an artist as well as a musician. You can check him out on myspace)



Next...Antennas Up!





























Last up was MDM...