Loraaw's 2006 Mish-Mash

you be the mouse

I was also asked by Cheese to submit some "Best Of" lists. I'm not as organized as y'all, so instead, I submit

Loraaw's 2006 Mish-Mash:

AUDIENCE MEMBER OF THE YEAR
-The chick to my right making obscene gestures to Son Volt's Andrew Duplantis in St. Louis (9/30, Taste of St. Louis).
CD SALESMAN OF THE YEAR
-Teenage kid at Best Buy who asked if he could come over my house to listen to my Calexico CD with me (12/24, Tampa).
ON STAGE ACCESSORY OF THE YEAR (Tie)
- Brendan Benson's cowboy hat (9/20 Raconteurs, Orlando)
- Jeff Tweedy's rivet (10/30 Milwaukee)
HIP SHAKE OF THE YEAR
- Kraig Jarret Johnson, Golden Smog, (7/23 Minneapolis)
I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T HATE THIS AWARD
- Bon Jovi (2/18 St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa - my husband is a fan)
BEST THING FOR SALE AT A SHOW
- Pitchers of Pabst for $5 at Twangfest
STUPIDEST SHOW MERCH OF THE YEAR
- $125 pink sweatshirts at Bon Jovi
I'M TOO OLD TO POGO BUT DID ANYWAY (and regretted it) AWARD (Tie)
- The Smithereens (8/6 St. Pete)
- Maritime (12/13 St. Pete.)
BEST OPENING BAND WITH AN AWFUL NAME
- Dr. Dog opening for the Raconteurs (9/20 Orlando)
THEY'RE AS CHEAP AS ME AWARD!
- As we checked out of a grimey motel, there was Son Volt's van (Gainesville, 2/1)
BEST MEAL ON A ROCK 'N ROLL TRIP
- Black Thorn Pub pizza, St. Louis (several times)
BEST WAITRESS ON A ROCK 'N ROLL TRIP
- "Should I just bring you a garden hose?" upon our 3rd pitcher of water in St. Louis (6/9 Wild Bill's, St. Louis)
BEST RESPONSE TO A WAITRESS ON A ROCK 'N ROLL TRIP
- "Did she just call us hos?" Cheese's pal (6/9 Wild Bill's, St. Louis)
BEST ON-STAGE MOVE AWARD
- Will Johnson's kick (Centro-Matic, Ybor City, Tampa, 12/16)
HEY, I LIKE SOMEONE POPULAR AWARD
- Justin Timberlake on SNL in December. Didn't dig his music, but he is a funny guy.
MY HUSBAND DIDN'T HATE THEM AWARD: Centro-Matic. He liked their first Ybor City show (3/26) so much he asked to go the the second one with me (12/16) and he DANCED.

Some Serious Stuff:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Margot & the Nuclear So & So's, Dust of the Retreat
REISSUE/COLLECTION OF THE YEAR: REM, I Feel Fine
I'M STILL SINGING THIS ALBUM IN THE SHOWER AWARD: Golden Smog, Another Fine Day
TV PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Wilco, "Is This the Thanks I Get" Conan, 5/13

BEST SHOWS OF THE YEAR
1. Big Star, Taste of St. Louis, 9/30
- Is there a sexier older dude on Earth than Alex Chilton?
2. Wilco, Hunstville, Alabama, 10/9
- Nothing about the setlist of this show indicates that it was better than the other 9 zillion Wilco shows I've seen. I just really felt them that night, literally; I was in Row 1 of the balconey and feared for my life as the floor swayed with the bass and feedback.
3. Margot & the Nuclear So & So's, Ybor City (Tampa), 11/12
- Worth the wait (the fourth of four bands, they came on after midnight on a Sunday night)
4. The Dirtbombs, Twangfest, St. Louis, 6/10
5. Raconteurs, Hard Rock Live, Orlando 9/20