Think smart when you get stupid.

Last night we went to see a battle of the bands in a little bar in Rio de Janeiro. The drummer for The Tree is a young family friend I have known since he was a baby. Okay here is where you think smart, TAKE A TAXICAB. Sure they said they were going on at 7:30, but the obnoxious sound check goes on until nine and it is always nice to see Guinness Stout in Brasil so after chasing that down with a galvanized bucket of longnecks the "Guerra das Bandas"(war of the bands) begins.

The bar was dark. The tables were sticky. The place looked like it was copied off a picture of a biker bar in the U.S. of A., like home. The young people who came out to see the original music played by their friends looked as fresh as the harsh raunch rock sounded. Our friend Joao Joannou, the drummer with The Tree was Awesome pounding the daylights out of the tubs with long hard strokes to the snare and crisp cymbal smashes. We survived the show, me with a huge smile all night long, and the taxicab... It was like a magic carpet ride home.