“ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE” (Another Scene Spin-off Story)
PRIVATE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION BRINGS BOTH UPDATE AND JOY
Temecula, CA – Almost a year ago, a major ‘civil war’ erupted in the local music scene that few bands and fewer music fans even knew of. This battle of ‘wills’ polarized most of the scene into one camp or another until the drama finally climaxed. The fall-out was tangible, and at least to some of those involved, still is.
Standing in the middle of this scene cyclone, I tried to direct the war traffic as to best effect a ‘cease-fire’, which came to pass when one of the main competitors moved from the valley to central California. For those left here in the dust, a few celebrated, but most sensed that a vital scene spark had gone. They were right because in this area of over 200,000 there are only two sets of people I know that share matching birthdates. Johnny, the owner of Cuppy’s (now defunct) and the young woman who returned to T-town last week to celebrate her 22nd birthday, bringing her alternative reality with her, are one such set.
And so it happened, that as most folks went about their normal weekday routine, going to work, eating, and ‘hitting the hay’ at a normal time to be ready for the next day, a small group of men and the aforementioned ‘birthday girl’ were partying until the sun
came up every day. I say ‘alternative reality’ because this revelry lasted almost a week with no one being missed from work or any other normal activities and no one pooped out from a lack of rest. Besides the drinking of ‘nukes’, ‘girls’, Stellas, rum, and white Russians, food was cooked on the ‘barbi’ as the fire pit roared into a blast furnace each night, fueled by old couches and a piano, among other memories.
The birthday girl, one Keirah Robbins, brought us all up-to-date on her future career plans, read us her very personal poems, and took us all on journeys to Sea World, her two favorite Chinese food restaurants, and Lady of the Lake, the foremost ‘new age’ store in the valley. Parents and siblings joined the birthday expedition at times as did a few old scene artist friends like Franny and Chuck D.
The depth and intensity of the almost week long celebration could be glimpsed in the silence of the car that returned from the bus station at Keirah’s departure. While I am thrilled to see the life progress made by any of the scene regulars that I have come to know and care about, without a doubt, like Mary, there’s Something about Keirah that begs definition. In a way, ‘Alice’ doesn’t live here anymore and we all miss her, a lot.