After seeing Dave Hurley, James picked me up and we drove out to the desert for a show under the stars. Earthless and Hostile Combover were playing with some other bands I didn't know for an event called Borrego Mi Diego. I saw this show listed on Hostile Combover's page but I thought it was a joke, since the venue was listed as Fat Man's Crack. Turns out, that's a small area between two hills about 13 miles from a paved road, right in the middle of the Borrego Desert.

James only told me about this show the day before, so I had no idea what to expect. As we get about halfway there, he mentions how he didn't bring a map, but he's pretty sure he knows where it is. That's when I started getting nervous, since I'm horrible with directions. I even had to google where 28th and Upas was today.

We got to the place right at sundown, and there was one campsite, with no music or people. We then spent the next 45 minutes trying to navigate our way back to civilization. By the time we got back on the S2, it was only a little after 8pm, so we still had the whole night ahead of us. I knew that A Scribe Amidst the Lions was playing at the Radio Room that night, and I've been meaning to see them for months, but it's never worked out. Of course, as soon as we decide that's what we're doing, James noticed some lights at the side of the road. We turned off to check it out, and there it was- Borrego Mi Diego had moved to a patch of land much closer and easier to get to than the original location. We had taken a very scenic route.

It was dark, cold, and we didn't bring any drinks, so to amuse ourselves, we did some night photography. That would be a problem for me, since I lent my shutter release to Natalie for her Chicago trip, not knowing I would find myself in the desert. Without that, I was limited to 30 second exposures, which is not so great for gathering a lot of light. I had to compensate by using wide open apertures and high ISO- awful for night landscapes.



Oooh. Aaah. Screw this.

We went back to check out the music, and I spent most of the time huddled close to the campfire. By the time Hostile Combover came on, I was shivering. I only brought a sweatshirt, not thinking it would get quite so cold. Other than a couple tiki torches set up behind the band, there was no light.


I'm almost embarrassed to show these shots. I could have done a lot better if I used my pop-up flash, but that just not how I do it.



After a couple minutes of shooting, I realized I might as well put the camera away and enjoy the music. There's something about the freedom of the desert that brings out another side of people. It's a lot of fun. A very loose set with pigeon noises and friends singing back to them, right in their face trying to make them crack up.

During the next couple bands, we hopped between campfires trying to stay warm. I had a really nice conversation with Ben and his wife Monique, who is a total sweetheart. When I wrote about meeting her at the Long and Short of It show, I mentioned how she wore glasses, just as my wife does, so that must mean Ben and I both like that look. Well, Monique doesn't wear glasses, which is kind of embarrassing for me, but she was very cool about it. This is why I take photos, because without my camera I can't remember anything. It was great to be able to talk to some people who I've met at various shows and not to have to yell over a loud band in a bar. This was a much more relaxed, friendly, and unique atmosphere for getting together.

We got back home in the wee hours of the morning, which totally ruined me for Sunday. Other than seeing Monsters Vs. Aliens in 3D (I give it a 6/10), I had no energy to do anything, including going to Dizzy's to see some big jazz groups. It did make me well-rested for Monday, and I had to take advantage.