The 5th Annual Lone Star Music Awards

"I think my heart is going to explode with happiness!  Last night was more fun than I ever could have imagined and I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many beautiful people.  I'd tag you all but then my computer would probably explode too.  I'm sure I told you guys a million times last night, but thank you for coming, for your support, and for being damn cool.  I love you all!"

Lauren Meckel
Marketing and Advertising Coordinator
Lone Star Music



Good evening everyone.  Sometimes things just work out...  I felt bad about posting late today and was going to apologize for it, but that gave Lauren a chance to get up and around and post the quote above as her facebook status this afternoon.  You won't read anything in the rest of this blog entry that is going to improve upon her quote...

Lauren was getting a shoutout here today even before she posted that status.  I have been friends with Lauren for a while now, and I got to know her pretty well when I worked with her last year at the Texas Music Theater, which coincidentally was the host for last night's awards show.  One of the more memorable moments of our friendship was the high-five that she gave me after she was hired at TMT last year...  :)  I contacted Lauren a few days ago after I was able to change my schedule at work, and she hand delivered my ticket.  She later made this offer to everyone on her facebook page.  Awesome - yes, I know...  :)  If you were at the show last night, Lauren was the girl in the black dress with the smile that LIT UP the venue - she just has one of those smiles...  If you had seen Lauren last night and this quote was floating around, you would have been able to point to her and say, "SHE SAID IT!..."  I'm happy to say that everyone that I know had a great time last night also.  Thank you SO MUCH Meckel!  :)

In my usual fashion (when possible), I arrived at TMT shortly after the doors opened at 6:00 p.m. so that I could relax, hang out with my friends, and watch the venue fill up.  After chatting with my friend Zane and getting my VIP wristband, I said hey to my friend Ryan and repaid him for those fresh Vegas poker chips that I referenced recently.  I also picked up my first beverage, which would be a recurring theme throughout the night (through no fault of mine).  AHEM...  Shortly afterwards I went upstairs to catch up with my friend Keller.  Going up and down the stairs would be a recurring theme throughout the night (through no fault of mine), because we all know that I don't do enough of that at work.  AHEM...  While upstairs I made my first visit to the spread put out by Cody's Bistro & Lounge..., WHICH WOULD BE a recurring theme throughout the night (through no fault of mine)...  :)  Cody's place is located near the Starbucks on I-35 South (across from the outlet malls) if you get a chance to visit.  Good guy, good food...  After finishing my fajita, black beans, and meatballs, I ventured back downstairs.  Let me interject here that the bands began performing at some point during this time, and that awards were being handed out...  :)  Last night's lineup included Jason Eady, Courtney Patton, Shinyribs, Six Market Boulevard, Rob Baird, John Fullbright, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Robert Earl Keen, and The Departed.

Okay, so I'm back downstairs, and I'm listening to music, and I'm enjoying a cold beverage, and I'm bothering my friend Kim, who is working security for the show (oh, and we'll get back to Kim later, TRUST ME)...  :)  I go back upstairs after a while to hang out with some other friends of mine - Cassie, Sandy, Danny, and Pam (oh, and we'll get back to Pam later, TRUST ME)...  :)  It seems like I went back downstairs before running into my friend Sam, at which point "through no fault of mine" began...  AHEM...  ;)  Sam probably bought me a shot, and then he decides that the group of four that I'm suddenly a part of should go..., RIGHT BACK UPSTAIRS...  Sam probably bought me a shot and another beer when we got upstairs, and then he spotted THE FOOD...  'Shy' isn't a word that I would associate with Sam, but I told him not to worry, that I would go and make him a fajita taco...  I PROBABLY made myself another fajita taco at this point too...  After drinking, and eating, and listening to some more music (yes, there is a concert going on), Sam says, "that was good Coach..."  "YES SAM, I'll get you another taco..."  :)  At this point, I PROBABLY made myself another taco too (and before you judge me, remember that I did work at TMT before, and when Cody needed a trash can earlier in the evening, I knew right where to steal one from, and this was without him even having to ask)...  ;)  So there's more drinking, and eating, and performing going on, and then Sam and Josh take out their phones and start recording video of one of the songs.  At this point, I MIGHT HAVE asked Sam, "so you're making a bootleg video of a concert that cost $5.00 to get into?..."  This was basically met with a response of "ARRGGGHHH..." (yes, evidently we're pirates...).  Anyway, the gist of the response was "whatever..."  Shortly after that, Sam decides that we're going... BACK DOWNSTAIRS...

Not long after returning downstairs, I see that my friend Kim (I told you that we'd get back to her) has HER PHONE out, and now she's recording one of the bands...  So now I decide to share my clever little joke about making a bootleg video of the concert with her...  Somewhere between that and threatening to have a heart attack ON THE SPOT from laughter if Kim WOULD HAVE fallen off of the stool that she was sitting on (it ALMOST happened), I'm suddenly getting slapped, punched, and having bottled water thrown on me (I KNOW, INNOCENT little me)...  AHEM...  ;)  Anyway, I think that bottled water is way too expensive to waste on me, and I learned that evidently girls don't talk like pirates...  #themoreyouknow  ;)

Again, there was a concert happening through all of these highlights, and it was great, and THEN there was an afterparty at the Cheatham Street Warehouse.  "You wanna drive Coach?," which was followed by a predictable, "Sure Sam, I'll drive..."  :)  The highlight of the afterparty for me occurred at the bar when I was "introducing" Sam to Pam (I told you that we'd get back to her)...  "Pam, Sam..."  At this point I was thinking that this was like a Dr. Suess book, if you give it a second look, because their names rhyme, but we don't have the time...  ANYWAY..., shortly after this, Sam wants to know her last name, and Pam says, "Sam DeLaRosa?"  It turns out that Pam was Sam's KINDERGARTEN teacher!  The impressive part to me was that Pam recognized who Sam was, after teaching him in Kindergarten...  As we've covered here in the blog before, I don't recognize all of my former students immediately, and mine were HIGH SCHOOL students... :)

And there you have it - my personal 3rd Annual Lone Star Music Awards show was a huge success, and everyone lived happily ever after...  :)  Have a great evening and I'll see you again tomorrow!