The Face Melting Extravaganza or aka the Iron Maiden Concert

This week guys and gals I have brought you something special since it's the beginning of the season of ghouls and spooks...I found you a special spook that has been a famous mascot for years know as "Eddie"! This week I took a field trip to the heart of country music in Nashville, Tennessee at the Bridgestone Arena to watch the best metal I've ever seen in my life (and trust me I seen quite a few) the Iron Maiden show!

Now I'm sure you're asking yourself what about Megadeth since their name is up on that marquee too! Honestly I missed the entire Megadeth show which was the only opener that went on before Maiden and they hit the stage super early... and were completely done by 8:00 pm. I could kick myself for not getting to see them! Please don't make my mistake if you already have tickets for the tour get there early! I've seen Megadeth twice in the past and they are amazing so I repeat GET THERE EARLY!

 

Now back to the headliner Iron Maiden!

 

This band has been around as long as I've been alive! I can remember listening to the them when I was an angsty teenager and my "cares" would all seem to fade away back then...(haha what cares did we really have back then...no bills, no taxes, no psycho dates!) This tour the band didn't reinvent the wheel trying to create a new sound to keep up with the times, but instead they decided to do what they do great and present you with their best hits and perform the shit out of them! They played a lot of songs off of the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album and my cares of today were also melted away at the show! 

 

 

The stage show was equally as amazing as the musical show at this event! My pictures are kind of shotty due to the lighting and my quality of camera. Regardless of my photos there wasn't a bad seat in the house! When there was an explosion on stage or fire you felt it all the way up to the nose bleeds! The sound even though it was an arena venue was incredible all the way down to the most intricate tap on the guitar!

 

  

The Eddie's (yes that's plural) at the show got snuck throughout in all forms sometimes on the backdrop some in animatronic form. My personal favorite to watch was Bruce Dickinson (as I've always wanted to secretly front a metal band) throughout the show! This cat was the most agile front man I've ever seen on an arena sized stage! I could hardly catch him on film because he moved so fast from the top on the stage to the front monitors in the matter of seconds...at one time he was standing on the front monitors with his arms out to his side and pretended to fall forward straight bodied and stepped out of it and never missed a beat!

 

As you can barely seen in the above image Bruce is standing at the top of the built up portion of the stage above drummer Nicko McBrain. On the backdrop you may also get a little glimpse of Eddie.

 

 

This show the band really reached out and connected to their audience and played all of their crowd favorites such as "The Trooper" (my personal favorite), "Run to the Hills", and "2 Minutes to Midnight" along with other surprises! The music sounded as crisp as the recordings and there was no mistaking what song you were listening to throughout the show! Another thing that wow'd me was the total change of backdrop between every song a new mural was presented to reset the stage to capture the feel of each and every song. There were also so many people there that night and the comradery for the love of metal was something I haven't experienced in a long time!

 

 

 

This show definitely will leave you wanting more and then some as all of the performer were amazing which also included Steve Harris- bass Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers- guitars! Maybe at some point in the future I can snap a glimpse of Ed Force One to document as this band is still unparalleled by any modern rock band and their ingenuity keeps them moving forward!

 

Long Live Metal!

 

With all that said I'm leaving you with a Monster Tune of the week to set you back on the right track for your work week!

 

 

"The Trooper"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uq6Ax-zzkQ

 

 

I strongly urge you to not miss this tour as you can see I'm still on cloud 9!

 

til next time dearies...sweet dreams- Kat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Elvis Week 2013

 

This week I put my usual horror film watching on hold to pay respect to the "King of Rock and Roll" Elvis Presley! Even though Elvis was never in any horror flicks he still paved the path of my other love and that being "Rock and Roll". A young Presley got discovered in Memphis, TN by a lady named Marion Keisker who was the assistant to Sam Phillips at Sun Records. This brilliant woman saw the potential in the young Mr. Presley in which she influenced Mr. Phillips to let him record a couple of songs in the studio and one being his first big hit "That's all Right".

 

 

 

I'm sure as you all know after that hit was released the greatest star I believe history may have seen yet was born!

 

This past week from August 10th-18th Graceland kicked off it's annual "Elvis Week" 2013. This is the week Elvis fans from all over the world travel to Memphis to pay their respects in various events as well as a memorial service at Meditation Garden right next to his mansion. This year I myself visited a couple of sites and even got to see the final resting place of this remarkable individual.

 

This week I'm sharing with you my Elvis Week experience of Graceland 2013!

 

On the evening before Elvis was pronounced dead the candlelight vigil is held at the gates of Graceland with everyone who attends this week is present, and that's where my pictures begin.

 

The mansion

 His final resting place!

 

This is also a week where Elvis impersonator near and far gather to compete for the best performing impersonator title.

 

The performer in this pic is named Lady E who is surprisingly female and I'm disappointed that I didn't get a chance to see her perform.

 

This impersonators name is Travis Powell

 

 

The Plane "Lisa Marie"

 



 

Flight "Hound Dog One"

aboard the plane

 

Elvis's dressing area on the Lisa Marie

 

Shrines people made out on Elvis Presley Blvd.



 

That concludes my touring this week, but I'm certainly not going to let you leave empty handed as Elvis Week comes to a close this year. In tribute to "the King" we shall salute him with his favorite cocktail the "Blue Hawaii

 

 

 

 

 

First you'll want to grab a couple of these ingredients:

 

-Glass full of ice

-Vodka (I really like Kettle One)

-Rum (I used a dark rum but you may want to use a coconut flavored lighter rum)

-Blue Curacao (it's going to give the drink its color)

-Sweet and Sour mix ( I used limeade it's pretty similar)

-Pineapple juice (you really don't need but just a small amount)

Pineapple to garnish

 

 

First make sure your glass is filled to the rim with ice

Next add about a half ounce of each of your higher volume spirits (vodka and rum)

Next pour in your pineapple juice

Splash in sweet and sour mix to almost fill up your glass (leave about a half ounce worth of room)

Float about a half ounce of you curacao over the top and watch the color fall to the bottom

Lastly put your pineapple garnish on the side!

 

 

 Your finished product ought to look close to this!

 

Lastly saddle up to your favorite bar as we salute "The King" a warm farewell with your favorite Elvis tune playing!

 

 



 

RIP Elvis!

"Are you going to close the beaches"?

 

 

Hello to all you horror movie lovers! Sorry I've been on sabbatical this summer and haven't been able to catch up with things I love to do which is cooking and watching terror! Nevertheless I figured this was the week to get back at it and it's especially one of my favorite weeks of the summer "Shark Week"!

 

This week I've picked a predictable flick that is fitting to this week's theme...

 

 

 

This movie was the first of it's kind tapping into our inner psyche and reining in every one's deepest fear when we risk all by taking a dip into the ocean. This movie was first a novel written by Peter Benchley that a year later became a hit by the legendary Steven Spielberg in 1975. Even though this movie was made with a large animatronic shark that haunted Amity Island and not a real flesh eating behemoth it still tricks me to this day every time I see it! Another thing that took me for a spin in this movie was the simplicity of the era from the movie of the only form of communicating was a telephone connected to the wall and town meetings. Haha I don't believe I've ever been to a town meeting to get updates about my community. This movie  also was a vehicle of probably one of the most memorable movie scores in history...I can't remember the last time I swam in the ocean without the theme song from Jaws playing in my mind!

 

 

  

 

 

This week I've cooked up a simple bite to go along with our "dinner and a flick". As much I'm sure shark fin soup tastes delicious I can't cook one of these predators as they hold a small place in my heart to not be eaten...so instead of shark I prepared swordfish which kinda resembles the taste of shark a little bit minus the tougher texture.

 

All you need-

 

-swordfish steaks (up to as many people as you serve)

-a good marinade (I used a garlic infused olive oil with a hint of vinegar

-your favorite shake on seasoning

-butter or oil

-charcoal for the grill

 

First marinade your steaks in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (be sure to flip your steaks over halfway between the time if your marinade doesn't completely cover them up)

 

 

Once your steaks are marinated then remove your steaks to a new dish so and shake on your seasoning (be sure you shake it on both sides...nobody likes one sided flavored food!)

 

 

 

Next grill your steaks with a little extra oil or butter up to your favorite temperature from rare-well done!

 

 

 

I cooked mine close to medium...

 

 

 

Here is my finished meal ( I added a salad and risotto as my sides, but you can add whatever is clever!)

 

 

Now not to give the movie away for those of you who have lived in cave and never seen it, but I want you to notice what I find to be the real creepy element that unsettles me when I watch it. It's the lack of music throughout the film except obviously the theme song, but it's the songs that are sung by the actors that have a hauntingly morbid effect starting with the little boy sitting on the beach after the opening scene. Also my hero of this movie sadly gets eaten which is the mysterious Captain Quint... I've always been a huge fan of the underdog!

 

I hope you enjoy your dinner and your flick!

 

 

Lastly Happy "Shark Week" and sweet dreams!

 

 pin-ups by-Toy Robot Photography

 

 





 

 



 

 

 

John Murry -"Southern Sky"

 

April 29-May 5 -Here is a little tune to put you in the mood for spring time, and possibly get you out for a night drive with your convertible roof open! It is also said that that there is a gal who is a dead ringer that looks like yours truly near the end of this video! ;)

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI4HPNcul3o

Flogging Molly "Punch Drunk Grinning Soul"

Here is your tune of the week! -Enjoy!

It's Creepy and Eerie...It's the Old Sears Building in Memphis, TN.

Sears Building in Memphis, TN.

So this week I received a phone call out of the blue to go and have a unique opportunity to take a look at the inside of the old Sears building located in Memphis ,TN. This building built in the 1920's was once the distribution capital where most blue collared American citizens in the South received all of their items from when they ordered out of the Sears catalogue. The building today now stands as a dilapidated old piece of history that resembles more of something of a tower of terror. The building itself has been vacant for close to 20 years with the exception of robbers, squatters, and the occasional business developer , but I couldn't resist to see for myself what was behind those doors.



The first thing that you are overwhelmed by when you walk into the magnificent behemoth is the amount of square footage there is....the rooms and hallways seem to go on forever!

Once you get off the main floor most of the floors look similar to this, and you can only imagine how many employees once filled these now dark empty spaces!

The stairways and catwalks throughout were still in surprisingly good condition even though I had to use the crap out of my flashlight inside to see! This place seemed as though it would be a great exploration piece for a ghost hunter team!

After rounding the corner on one staircase we saw these old lettering machines in good condition which if I understood correctly they were used to stamp out the letters on the packages for delivery.



This photo above and the next few photos I took were of the old employee cafeteria on the second floor just behind the old retail store area.





The last work area that I took a photo of were the work stations where there was a pull cord that used to let out styrofoam to fill the package orders before being shipped to your home!

The last view from inside the building is over an empty parking lot that once was an image of a bustling thriving business!

As I left I had to give her one last look up and in disbelief that something once this big and powerful ever succumbed to an end. Also as I look out and see a what appears to be a ghost town surrounding the building it makes you wish this was your shopping destination like the old days instead of today's Walmart madness!

I hope you guys and gals enjoyed my little field trip as much as I did!

This photo was taken inside on the old retail floor by Toy Robot Photography.

"It's Alive"

As the month of February wraps up and the media has overdosed us all on sappy couples love stories and where they first met, like we really wanted to know... I have in store for us one more love story, but this time it's not between 2 humans, but between a young boy and his dog. This week I'm going to keep us in that mindset of bringing to life the impossible with the Frankenstein theme once again for this week's flick! Now I ask you what do thunderstorms, a cat that can prophesize the future with its poo, and a weenie dog have in common? Why its this week's "Monster Flick" of course!

 

"Frankenweenie"

 

 

 

This flick isn't so much scary, but I promise you that you'll be thoroughly entertained regardless if you're a little kid or a big kid as Tim Burton animations never disappoint. I was inspired to chose this flick due to a loss this past week of my parrot "Reet" and I could closely relate to the main character Victor Frankenstein and wishing I could still see my beloved Reet flying around my home in her almost normal self. After seeing this movie it definitely puts you back into "real life perspective" that all things are better laying to rest in peace than trying co-create a new warped form of life of your animal friends! Anyways back to the flick...Tim Burton brings you some amazing characterization in his animation on this film and doesn't add a hint of color throughout and yet the film itself is one of the most colorful I've seen in a while! Also I applaud the return of seeing Winona Ryder as the voice over for the character Elsa Van Helsing and hope to see her in more future Burton films.While not giving away the story, I will give you one of my favorite parts that tickled me was watching animation being entertained on the couch by watching real people acting in an old horror movie...brilliant! 

 

 

 

 

 

This week I was in the mood for comfort food and thought what a no brainer that to use our movie title as our dish theme as well...so this week we'll be serving up our own "Frankenweenies"!

 

Here are some ingredients I'm suggesting you can use...

 

 

 

Yes that is my weenie "Oscar" caught in this picture!

 

-I used turkey dogs, but if your adventurous and don't mind where your meat comes from go for the real frankfurters!

-buns

-pickled pepper relish

-bacon cheddar spread

-mustard

things I left off, but feel free to add...

-chili

-ketchup

-cheese whiz

-anchovies

-and if your going for that everything and the kitchen sink thing why not add some peanut butter!

(Then you'll really be making a statement that it's alive while eating your creation!)



 

 

Here is what my creation just so happened to look like!

 

 

 

 

remember...sweet dreams!-Kat