Incidentally

OK ... I wanna talk about LOST's Season 5 finale, aka "The Incident".

WOW. One of the best finales this amazing show has had ... maybe second- or third-best to Season 3's finale that flash-forwarded to Jack & Kate off the island.

First and foremost, JACOB. A face to the name, a story to the myth. What a reward that was to us viewers that have been watching since the beginning (or since the middle of Season 2), wondering, pondering, speculating, theorizing on who - or what - Jacob is. And even after a 2-hour season finale devoted to his story via flashbacks, we still don't know who - or what - exactly he is, but we have a much better idea, don't we?


I love, love, love the story about him and his "nemesis" - obviously the war that Widmore and Bram refer to, that's been going on for a "very long time". There are so many biblical and literary references that can be pulled from this plot line and I'm very anxious to see what the sixth and final season will reveal about this thousand-year feud.


LOCKE IS REALLY DEAD. Wow. What an incredible reveal. He had us all fooled, didn't he? Not just the viewers, but he fooled Sun, Ben and even Richard! And to think - he's probably been in and around the island since Season 1 (Christian appearing to Jack in Episode 5, "White Rabbit")!! I really do hope he keeps the appearance of John Locke, though, because Terry O'Quinn is such a great actor.


JULIET DIED! A very, very sad moment. Whether or not Sawyer really was settled down to a one-woman guy, this was a very tough scene to watch. As the actual incident was pulling Juliet down to her death, Sawyer held onto her with all he had, trying his damnedest not to let her go, with the help of Kate, no less (talk about a literary list of symbolism and irony in that scene alone). And as she finally fell to the bottom of the pit, she had enough life in her to finally set that bomb off, presumably helping her friends get to where they "needed" to be. I gotta be honest with you, I preferred Juliet over Kate - for either Sawyer or Jack. I just don't think Kate is a good person. Cute as hell, but not a good person. And yeah, I kinda think Juliet was hotter.


CUT TO WHITE (instead of black)!!! I thought I was watching Arrested Development for a second! A perfect ending to this time-skipping, plot-twisting juggernaut of a season. And now we get to wait nine months until the final season of this amazing, amazing show. We can only hope it'll be worth it, but I'm sure we all know it will ...

Later.

Ketchup

So my reason for not blogging for over a month was that I was really, really busy during the month of April. I'd like to tell you what I was up to ...

When we got back from Texas, my bass player Zack Foley and I decided to put a band together here in New York (since most of the players I played with consistently were based in Texas). So we batted around ideas for a few days and decided on the additions of Jesse Elder on piano and Sam Knight on drums.

We started rehearsing in late March and since have put a really fresh, new sound to all my songs - old and new. Our debut gig was scheduled for May 9 at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.

Also during April, I was working on my buddy Mike Swift's new play The Sinner, which opened on April 23rd at the Nuyorican for a two-week Thursday-Friday run. Zack and I composed the music for it and I was there every night running sound.


The play is about a priest who begins to realize that he's far too disconnected from society and he finds it hard to help the people who seek guidance from him when he has never experienced the troubles that these people go through. So he decides to go out and get lost in the nightlife of New York City to "experience" the good, the bad and mostly the ugly that today's society has to offer.

Zack and I opted to go for a concoction of church/choral/organ music, as well as some funky jazz, alla Miles Davis' In a Silent Way. I think it worked out beautifully.

The week after The Sinner was through with its run was the week I played twice at the Nuyorican. On Thursday May 7, I played a couple of acoustic sets - the first set was me alone, playing my songs. The second set featured duets with my sister, Lisa Vidas, and my buddy Zack. The show was great, we had a good turnout for a Thursday, and I felt pretty good about the way the sets turned out. Here's a set list:

JASON'S SOLO SET

• Now
• Rely on Fate/The Crime
• Not Guilty
• Untitled
• Rich with Red
• Take the Helm
• Alone Again
• Sad Infatuation
• Wondering If I Belong

FEATURING LISA VIDAS

• Avalanche
• Tonight You Belong To Me
• Come Home
• Valerie

ZACK & JC

• Punky's Dilemma
• The Dangling Conversation
• Homeward Bound
• Two of Us
• America
• The Boxer
• The Only Living Boy in New York
• Old Friends/Bookends

Then on Saturday, May 9, I debuted my new Citizens for Boysenberry Jam Band. The set was intense, funky, mesmerizing, and surreal ... and that was just for me. I have no idea how everyone else felt about it. Zack did his vocal bass thing, which in and of itself is both amazing to watch and very cool to hear; Sam was ridiculous on the drums, playing with and "easy intensity" if that's even possible; and Jesse is such an incredible talent, it was an honor having him play my songs.

Here's a set list:

• Deeper
• Not Guilty
• On the Cusp
• Untitled (The Man That I Am)
• Bittersweet
• My Song
• Heckle & Hide
• 1000000 Miles

OK kids. That's all I got for now. Again, I promise to blog more often from now on. Or until I get busy again. Perhaps a LOST season finale review?!?!?! Umm, yeah ... I think so.

Bye.

All Apologies

So I didn't blog the whole month of April. Terribly sorry. I know all 0 of you are disappointed.

April was incredibly busy. Plus, Twitter and Facebook statuses took up most of my thoughts. But May is on. I will try to blog as often as possible.

First of all, I promised you a blog about my Austin gig. So here you go ...


Austin was awesome. Not only did I play with Richard Cholakian (drums) for the first time in years, but I got to play my first gig with Zack Foley (vocal bass) and my best friends came in from L.A. to come and support me. Awesome time.

The gig itself was great. It was a bit early (12pm), which made getting high and driving in from Houston in the middle of the night a poor decision, but as soon as we hit the stage, tightness ensued. Richard's such a great pop drummer. He really feels what the songwriter feels and I love playing with him. For those of you that haven't heard or seen Zack play yet, I'm gonna leave the explanation of "vocal bass" as just that ... you have to come see for yourself.

Lots of people came out as Saturday South by Southwest festivities unravelled. I sold quite a few CDs, even signed a couple of autographs. Great experience. Here's my set list:

• Now
• Heckle & Hide
• On the Cusp
• Untitled (The Man That I Am)
• Mary
• Stare (Yeah, Yeah)

Short set, but it was awesome. Then we went off to Salt Lick for the best barbecue on the planet. I love Austin, man. Can't wait to go back.

Cheers.