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Adam McCauley
Zoos and Radio Shows
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A few months back I did these two images for The Oakland Zoo.  This is the third year I've done this gig and it's always great fun working with the amazing and talented Becca and Alex at Zipfly.

The event the illos are for is a fundraiser for the zoo, which has incredible grounds and houses only orphaned animals.  The zoo opens it's doors in the evening and for a $250 ticket you get to roam around eating and drinking to your Bacchanalian content, sampling local wineries, restaurants, breweries, etc. and listening to various musical acts that play away in between the pens. I did a post on this last year.
Each year the zoo asks me to use illustrate two of their animals.  This year it was Macaws (above) and giraffes.
They use the images on advertising materials, mailers, banners, award plaques and what not.  They also do a limited edition of 200 signed posters that I guess people buy for additional fundraising.
Along with the gig comes free tickets to the event, so this past Saturday evening we invited along our pals Julie and Lisa and headed to the zoo.  There's been quite a heat wave here in the Bay Area so it was a very warm night.
We bumbled around and ate and drank and looked at the animals.  I remember this giraffe family from last year's trip, except I think this is a little  new member.
The girls looked fabulous, even as they sipped wine and ogled the expansive tiger pen.
A cool feature at this zoo is you can take a sky tram over it all and see the beasts from above.  The Oakland hills are gorgeous and an ideal spot for a safari like atmosphere.  I just hope some knuckle head doesn't fall of into the lion area one of these days.
After a couple of hours Wig and I had to run, so we said our goodbyes and drove off to play a gig.
From 1992-1995 I drummed with a band called the Buckets.  They're having a reunion show in July at The Cafe DuNord in SF, and were doing a promo live gig on KALX 90.7 Berkeley.  So, we drove to the UC Campus and met the guys in the studio and got to work.
Earl Butter is the songwriter, and he's an amazing one at that.  I hadn't played with them in eons, but the songs are so great I hadn't forgotten much. They've had a slew of amazing people play with them over the years.  Here's their obligatory  MySpace page.
Kim Deal's The Breeders even covered a Buckets song, "Driving on Nine", which was actually written by Earl's old pal Dom from Ed's Redeeming Qualities.  Here's the Breeders video of the tune...I'd embed it here but I can't for the life of me figure out how to do it.
Anyway, we packed into the tiny performance space and rocked out.  Between the high nineties temperature outside and the tiny packed room it was like playing in a sauna.  By the end of the set my jeans were soaking wet.
Even though she wasn't an original member of the band, Wig got recruited to play fiddle in lieu of Wanda Taters, who's now living in the Catskills.  Wig sounded fabulous, but was taking the pictures so there aren't any shots of her in action.

Here's a link to a few of that night's performances.  Sound quality isn't the best, blame the institutional sound board!

Emma June
Empty Cage
Song of the True Divided Highway
Postmarked Virginia

Anyone in the Bay Area who wants to come out for the reunion show, here's the info:
The Buckets
July, 17 2008 at Cafe Du Nord
2170 Market St., San Francisco, California 94114
Cost : $10.00
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