Irish Heavymetal

It was another slow Saturday in Nervion, Sevilla, Espana.
Courtney and Stefanie had a wild Friday night with foreigners and Spaniards galore and on Saturday morning, the only thing to do was sleep and drink water and eat bread.
So they did.

At approximately 4 PM, I woke up from my post-too-many-lentils-at-lunch nap and picked up an assortment of friends to go to an outdoor "alternative" concert at the Buhaira Gardens. These medieval gardens are halfway between home and school, so we pass them multiple times a day, but for whatever reason, had yet to actually enter their big metal gates.

Outside your casual medieval castle, a small stage was set with a guitarist whining along with a violin while their dad played drums in the back. Urgh, maybe I should've stayed asleep. Luckily, their set was almost over and we took front-stage spots for the next band.

"Hola, Somos Champagne SuperNova."
Yup. That was the band's name. Pronounced ShamPAHNSuepairNova.
Half the band was wearing Ramones T-Shirts. They thanked us for coming out despite the cold weather - 70 degrees.
They proceeded to cover Wonderwall, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and of course, a little bit of the Ramones. Don't forget their rendition of "Twist and Shout."

Us Americans were ecstatic, laughing and singing and dancing. Such excitement is really inappropriate in Spanish society but we were living up the afternoon.  Afterwards, the guitarist invited us all to go out with them later. Official ChampagneSuperNova groupies?

After them, a fabulous group came on, definitely playing alternative music. The bagpipes were a dead giveaway. Or the recorder. Or the black electric violin. Or the number of collective piercings and tattoos.

Well, self-expression is alive and free in Spain and I'm so glad so many Irish Heavymetal enthusiasts found each other in this city.

The rest of the day involved shopping, eating, shopping, eating, fancy drinks at the Festival de Naciones, the discovery of veggie burgers in Sevilla, and a long conversation about voting, civil society, God, man, and America with an old man who's chin looked like a butt.

Life is Irish Heavymetal in front of an Islamic Palace. Life is counting a man's tattoos at 2 AM by the river. Life is considering homework and burning toast on a Sunday morning.

Life is unpredictable. Life is funny. Laugh at me or with me or through me - I hope you're enjoying reading what I'm living.