This was filmed during 500 Days of Summer. Zooey is an music group called She and Him. She's so HAWT.
When she sings the Smith's Line, from There's a Light that Never Goes Out, I can't describe that sensation. And it's the Smiths! How awesome is that? I had a friend describe the movie as too EMO. Oh Hell No! The Smiths don't even fall in that category... The scene starts with Zooey and Joseph and segues into cut scenes with the actual Smiths song.
I Love Cotton. Even more so with Zooey's endorsement...
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Ty Segall covering Gloria LIVE
Man, this kid is so damn talented. I've been watching videos of his performances in Youtube. Why didn't I hear about this sooner. I'm really loving the sound. REVERB ROCKS! Thanks to the guy who took this kick ass video. It completely catches the vibe of the moment. And I love the colors in this vid. Mad Props to whitelion333. I hope you don't mind me sharing...
Monday, April 25, 2011
Culture Kids, Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, & OFF! @ Gilman 4/22/11
Last Friday I went to see OFF! with my wife and friend Jesse at Gilman. Kristi and I got there an hour and a half before the doors opened. I haven't been to Gilman since I saw Thorns of Life (Blake S. and Aaron Cometbus)so it's been a while. Got to see some old faces. It was like the good 'ol times. I was excited cause this was Kristi's first time going. She knew that it was a 'dump'. But I spent a good number of years hanging out at this place when I was younger. It's been a long time where I've been to a show where I've never seen any of the bands. But I have to say, this the strongest lineup I've seen top to bottom and I honestly enjoyed every minute. It was a good mix, of hardcore, street punk, indie rock with bits of rockabilly elements thrown in. It was a real good time.
Culture Kids were the hardcore band of the night. I could tell they brought a lot of their friends in. Ah, to be young and in a band. They were really good. I had trouble hearing the lead vocals. They seemed to be drowned out by the guitars. The lack of volume on the monitors contributed to problems on their set. But this is typical of a hardcore set.
Ty Segall is someone I have heard of but never really seen perform nor listen to his music. His band was great. I like the reverb and surf rock elements to his sound. But his sound was more raw and edgier. It was hard to pin his style down because of the many elements in their sound. Really talented... and I was really impressed by the end of the set. I would love to see him and his band play again. The most indie-rockiest band of the night award went to him. And well deserved. I'll definitely be looking for more of his stuff now that I've seen him and his band play. I expect this guy to be BIG someday, if not already. Here's a video of him playing solo at another gig.
I have to admit I was getting tired by the time we got to Thee Oh Sees but they were really fun and high energy. They had a whole lot of merch at the table, so I'm gonna have to hunt their stuff down at Amoeba's. My wife really enjoyed their set.
I found out that the frontman, was John Dwyer of the Coachwhips. I enjoyed their stuff back in the day. This material is a little bit different from the former. Really experimental in the sound, but still upbeat. I enjoyed the moog sounding keyboards in the background. What was really sweet was the female vocalist, Brigid Dawson and her harmonic components to the songs. Her voice reminds me of Kim Deal somehow... Below is a video for Meat Step Lively.
To close the night it was the LA hardcore superpunkrock group OFF! Fresh from their set at Coachella the previous week, it was surprising to see punk rock legends play at Gilman. Keith Morris from Circle Jerks/Black Flag(!!!!!!!), Dimitri Coats of Burning Brides, Redd Kross bassist Steven Shane McDonald and Rocket From the Crypt/Hot Snakes drummer Mario Rubalcaba make up OFF! and their sound is very reminiscent of Black Flag and Circle Jerks material, mainly because Coats and Morris writing the songs... although it's new, its very nostalgic for me, and it sounds AWESOME! What a way to end a night! Keith Morris was awesome. I've only seen him on old videos but never would I thought I would see an original Black Flag/Circle Jerk member. Not bad for an old man... But this guy and is band commanded respect. And surprisingly, Gilman gave it to him. He dropped some knowledge about another '80s punk band called Gun Club and OFF! covered one of their songs in homage to Gun Club frontman, Jeffery Lee Pierce, a close friend of Morris who passed away in 1996.
Their set was tight and when they ran out of songs they started over... Otherwise known as the "Black Flag effect" At least they didn't start playing Louie, Louie... (inside joke, 10 points for the reference!)
Below is a video for 'I Don't Belong'
If you don't feel like reading the post below just watch this...
Dynamite(With Me and San Francisco Giants Cody Ross & Brian Wilson)
Another reason why the Giants rule...
Friday, April 15, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
RIP Comic Relief
Last Wednesday a part of me died. It was only a matter of time Comic Relief would follow its deceased owner. It's truly a sad day. What set this shop apart from others was not only did it dabble in all aspects of geekdom, like games, toys, pop, counter and subculture literature, it was a place for the independents. One had the choice to pick from books and zines from someone's desk made from their hands and a copy machine. An outlet for creativity for the non professional and someone who just wanted to do it for fun. Making comics that is... a 5 year old, a struggling up and comer or an unknown wanting to take a crack at self publishing can make their own mark. It was a place where stars were born like Brubaker or Tomine. It was a place where professionals shopped. I would see Art Adams or Eric Larsen in the shop once in a while. A place where one can get lost in their imagination just by picking up a book. The former owner, Rory Root was a proponent of the 'graphic novel' format and made it possible for comic readers like me to just 'by the book' instead of the monthly. Comic Relief was there for me for my growing up tastes, when I graduated from superheroe to the 'rest of the stuff out there', but allowed to me revert back to a kid when I wanted to check out an issue of Uncanny or Detective Comics.
Maybe if CR reverted to its former size, there wouldn't be any need for the 'extra crap' and believe me, there was a lot. But the point was that it was there if someone wanted it. And if you couldn't find it, chances are, CR did. Maybe it was bad for business, maybe the new management ran it into the ground. We'll never know. With an incredible legacy CR has, maybe it will reemerge and go back to its basics. True its an bad economy and we're entering a digital age, but nothing beats going into a comic shop and picking up your monthlies on a Wednesday or thumping through back issue bins. I thought the good shops would weather through times like this, but maybe comic shops may be going the way of the dinosaurs. I can only think of a 2 or 3 decent shops now. Comic Relief was my escape from reality. Dr. Comics and Mr. Games, it's up to you guys now. I'll be visiting you soon.
Maybe if CR reverted to its former size, there wouldn't be any need for the 'extra crap' and believe me, there was a lot. But the point was that it was there if someone wanted it. And if you couldn't find it, chances are, CR did. Maybe it was bad for business, maybe the new management ran it into the ground. We'll never know. With an incredible legacy CR has, maybe it will reemerge and go back to its basics. True its an bad economy and we're entering a digital age, but nothing beats going into a comic shop and picking up your monthlies on a Wednesday or thumping through back issue bins. I thought the good shops would weather through times like this, but maybe comic shops may be going the way of the dinosaurs. I can only think of a 2 or 3 decent shops now. Comic Relief was my escape from reality. Dr. Comics and Mr. Games, it's up to you guys now. I'll be visiting you soon.
Monday, February 14, 2011
I'm Speechless..
And sort of guilty for loving this because I love the Simpsons. But it proves a point. Paints a bigger picture. Mad props to 'BANKSY'.
Maybe if American companies didn't outsource and exploit 3rd World people there would be more jobs for people here.
Maybe if American companies didn't outsource and exploit 3rd World people there would be more jobs for people here.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
The Best Coast is West Coast
My friend Ron posted this video on facebook and I'm was immediately hooked. I love the surf rock sound combined with the pop sensibilities. It reminds me of Wave of Mutilation UK Surf, with Kim Deal singing the main vocals... Awesome stuff... And the guitar player is an asian dude! The name of the band is Best Coast. Plus, the girl singing the vocals is cute. Plus they have the cute cat posted all over the videos and album cover... I downloaded their stuff on iTunes and every song from their album 'Crazy For You' is solid. It's been a while since I've heard a good album from beginning to end. 'The End' and 'Crazy For You' and 'When I'm With You' are my favorite tracks. In a digital era where I've been desensitized by media, it's good to find something new, throwback and cool. Makes me want to actually own the CD or vinyl. That's when you know it's good... When you want to buy it on wax...
The Song that caught my ear:
From SXSW Performance:
The Song that caught my ear:
From SXSW Performance:
Bottle
Bottle from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.
A video by Kirsten Lepore.
I saw this and was really moved. Sweet and in someway, sad.
via swiss-miss
Monday, January 03, 2011
Happy New Year
2010 was not the year we made contact. In fact it was somewhat like this...
Here's to 2011 and BBC. That is all for now.
Here's to 2011 and BBC. That is all for now.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Merry Christmas Everybody
It's been a while since I last posted. Went to Europe for the first time ever and it was great. Barcelona, Spain had to be my favorite. The people, the food and the cars were all awesome. The Giants one the World Series for the first time since they left NY. That was great. Tron came out, checked it out and I was let down. The light cycles still rule. Haven't seen Portman and Kunis make out in Black Swan yet. Looking forward to that.
In the spirit of the holiday season I just wanted to touch on a couple things. Simple things really. In a time where the economy is volatile and the future is bleak, where employment is at a all time high, where war takes place and peace seems impossible; there are a lot of bad things, negative things, these things make me really jaded, and make me think what is the point? Why try? Well I try to look towards a positive future. I'm not overy optimistic all the time, but if things look bleak, there is always hope. Hope that anything and everything will get better. And during this time especially I'm thankful for everything that is good in my life. My family and friends I can't be without. My wife and my dogs whom I love with all my heart. A job that enables me to pay the bills. My health, intact. I'm thankful for all these things.
In the spirit of the holiday season I just wanted to touch on a couple things. Simple things really. In a time where the economy is volatile and the future is bleak, where employment is at a all time high, where war takes place and peace seems impossible; there are a lot of bad things, negative things, these things make me really jaded, and make me think what is the point? Why try? Well I try to look towards a positive future. I'm not overy optimistic all the time, but if things look bleak, there is always hope. Hope that anything and everything will get better. And during this time especially I'm thankful for everything that is good in my life. My family and friends I can't be without. My wife and my dogs whom I love with all my heart. A job that enables me to pay the bills. My health, intact. I'm thankful for all these things.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Inception was bad ass...
Incredibly complex and highly intelligent sci-fi movie. You really have to pay attention and keep your perspectives straight to this one or you can get easily lost. Nolan's direction and the special effects in this movie were top notch. This ensemble cast was well picked and I hate to admit it, Leo was pretty good. He's become the new pre-crazy Tom Cruz. He's picked his projects well. It was also nice to see the 500 Days of Summer guy in a sci-fi role. I enjoy his films as well. I couldn't help but notice a lot of Batman alumnus in the film. But the most surprising thing to me is that I think I have seen almost every Chris Nolan movie there is to see and I have not been disappointed by any.
I would like to watch the movie again and try to see it from another perspective. Only then I can make a more comprehensive review. Plus, I'd hate to ruin anything.
I would like to watch the movie again and try to see it from another perspective. Only then I can make a more comprehensive review. Plus, I'd hate to ruin anything.
Friday, July 16, 2010
We Need A Gathering Instead
Happy Friday and welcome back to another friday night cover special! It's been a while since I've done this so please bear with me.
Today's video features Mike Park, owner of Asian Man Records and of Skankin' Pickle covering 'The Crowd' by Operation Ivy on acoustic guitar. Midway through the song, the original singer of Op Ivy, Jesse Michaels gets on the mic and sings the last verse up to closing.
I picked this video, cause of all the Op Ivy songs, this is always the one that sticks in my head, along with Hedgecore. Everyone knows Knowledge, and UNITY, but this is just catchy. Along with Mike Park's ageless, soft vocals and simply plain but wonderfully sounding strumming on his guitar this rendition does the original justice. Having Jesse Michael's closing the song was just icing on the cake.
Jesse Michael's since Op Ivy, has become a prominent artist and has dabbled with music off an on over the years. Since then, there's been Big Rig and Common Rider and lately, Classics of Love (after a great Common Rider song!). Check out his latest works at Asian Man Records.
BONUS CUP(s)!
Original Performance of The Crowd by Operation Ivy featuring a young Jesse Michaels, Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong.
Classics of Love by Common Rider
Today's video features Mike Park, owner of Asian Man Records and of Skankin' Pickle covering 'The Crowd' by Operation Ivy on acoustic guitar. Midway through the song, the original singer of Op Ivy, Jesse Michaels gets on the mic and sings the last verse up to closing.
I picked this video, cause of all the Op Ivy songs, this is always the one that sticks in my head, along with Hedgecore. Everyone knows Knowledge, and UNITY, but this is just catchy. Along with Mike Park's ageless, soft vocals and simply plain but wonderfully sounding strumming on his guitar this rendition does the original justice. Having Jesse Michael's closing the song was just icing on the cake.
Jesse Michael's since Op Ivy, has become a prominent artist and has dabbled with music off an on over the years. Since then, there's been Big Rig and Common Rider and lately, Classics of Love (after a great Common Rider song!). Check out his latest works at Asian Man Records.
BONUS CUP(s)!
Original Performance of The Crowd by Operation Ivy featuring a young Jesse Michaels, Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong.
Classics of Love by Common Rider
AT-AT Day Afternoon
This video is genius! My friend, LM brought this to my attention, and whenever I feel a little down, I just watch this and the sadness melts away.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Paul McCartney at AT&T Park 7.10.10, home of YOUR SF GIANTS!
When one of my best friends asked me if I wanted to buy tickets to go see Sir Paul McCartney, my first reaction was, HELL YEAH! My friend was able to buy presale tickets so we ended up getting Club Level tickets. I've never been club level before and when we went, I felt like I was in baseball heaven, except I wasn't there for a Giants game. I was there to see Paul effin-McCartney! Never in a million years would I have thunk that I would be seeing him. A former Beatle. Which is why I jumped at the opportunity. I had to dig deep to pay for the tickets for both my wife and I, but I figured that this is one of those once in a lifetime events. And he hasn't played here since he was a Beatle which was in 1966, which was their last touring concert performance. Hopefully its not another 40+ years.
Paul was always, second in my opinion to John, who was my favorite Beatle. Sometimes I would rank him under George. But you have to give it up, he was 1/2 of the main writing duo and has been responsible for some of their greatest hits. Independently they were great, and sometimes achieved greatness. But together they were the GREATEST, hands down.
But at a youthful age of 68, he still rocked AT&T park and owned the sell out crowd of 40,000 people. There was a lot of electricity in the air. A lot of anticipation. People of all ages and color. All together to roll up on the Magical Mystery Tour. And so we journeyed... We journeyed through his career at got samples of different stages of his musical journey. I was in awe to even be there. I tried to anticipate which songs he would play for the night. But his catalogue is so vast that if he played everything, we would be there all night but the material selected for set list was great. He mixed it up often playing Wings, McCartney, and some solo hits. Some of his new material, through in an occasional Beatles tune but as the show progressed he eventually ended with the songs everyone knew and love... His banter between songs was slick, he was sharp, witty and funny most times. He told a lot of stories. He covered some songs in tribute to old friends.
As he was finishing up a Wings selection, he broke into soloing and the band started jamming to Foxy Lady. I know my Hendrix! When they finished, he told a story about Jimi...
...Sgt. Pepper was released on a Friday and Jimi was in town for the weekend for a show. I went to Jimi to say hello and he asked if he could play a Beatles cover. I said it would ok and during the show he played Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band... His downstroke while strumming was so strong it would make his guitar go out of tune. So he stopped during his set and called Eric to come up on stage to help him. He was referring to Clapton. Clapton tried to hide avoid being seen...
I thought that, that story was amusing. 3 musical legends in one room, casually at a show.
At one point of the show he broke into silence and addressed his relationship to John. His other half of the writing duo when they were Beatles. It was known that their relationship was on a decline towards the end but when he played Here Today, you would know what his true feelings were, despite what anyone else had to say, or whatever ill happenstances occurred between the two. This song was a conversation that never happened between the two. When I heard the lyrics, it made my heart move. It was both sweet and sad. And yes make a manly man cry.
Paul singing John's part in A Day in a Life and ending with Give Peace a Chance.
Another memorable moment was his tribute to George, who also passed away. He played Something on a ukelele and mid song the whole band started to play at the solo portion where George would normally play. Something, in my opinion, is the BEST love song ever written. And it was written by not Lennon or McCartney, but George Harrison. Another beautiful tribute his fellow Beatle.
I always associated social activism more with John and a little with George, but I never knew Paul to write about it. Very subtle and clever of him, now that he explained about the people dealing with apartheid in South Africa was the basis for such a beautiful song. Here's Blackbird.
Band On The Run from the Wings days...
Ode to San Francisco ...
Pyrotechnics during Live and Let Die
Let It Be
He ended his second encore set with a rockin' fashion with Helter Skelter followed by "The End", whose lyrics are me and my wife's quote for our wedding programs. A fitting way to end probably the greatest show I have ever been to. In terms of personal and historical perspective, this has been the most meaningful show to me I have ever attended. To rock this hard 3+ hours straight at Sir Paul's age is a testament to his rock awesomeness. To witness greatness and genius this close is a once in a lifetime thing. This is at Beatlemania as it gets for me and I'm thankful to experience it after the fact. Thanks to Rob for getting the tickets. My wife, for letting us go, Sir Paul and his band for this memorable show I will never forget. Thanks to all for the videos.
Paul McCartney at AT&T Park SF 7/10/10 7:30PM
1. Venus and Mars / Rockshow
2. Jet
3. All My Loving
4. Letting Go
5. Got To Get You Into My Life
6. Highway
7. Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady
8. The Long And Winding Road
9. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
10. Let ‘Em In
11. My Love
12. I’m Looking Through You
13. Two Of Us
14. Blackbird
15. Here Today
16. Dance Tonight
17. Mrs Vandebilt
18. Eleanor Rigby
19. Something
20. Sing The Changes
21. Band On The Run
22. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
23. Back In The USSR
24. I’ve Got A Feeling
25. Paperback Writer
26. A Day In The Life / Give Peace A Chance
27. Let It Be
28. Live And Let Die
29. Hey Jude
Encore
30. Day Tripper
31. Lady Madonna
32. Get Back
Second Encore
33. Yesterday
34. Helter Skelter
35. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / The End
Paul was always, second in my opinion to John, who was my favorite Beatle. Sometimes I would rank him under George. But you have to give it up, he was 1/2 of the main writing duo and has been responsible for some of their greatest hits. Independently they were great, and sometimes achieved greatness. But together they were the GREATEST, hands down.
But at a youthful age of 68, he still rocked AT&T park and owned the sell out crowd of 40,000 people. There was a lot of electricity in the air. A lot of anticipation. People of all ages and color. All together to roll up on the Magical Mystery Tour. And so we journeyed... We journeyed through his career at got samples of different stages of his musical journey. I was in awe to even be there. I tried to anticipate which songs he would play for the night. But his catalogue is so vast that if he played everything, we would be there all night but the material selected for set list was great. He mixed it up often playing Wings, McCartney, and some solo hits. Some of his new material, through in an occasional Beatles tune but as the show progressed he eventually ended with the songs everyone knew and love... His banter between songs was slick, he was sharp, witty and funny most times. He told a lot of stories. He covered some songs in tribute to old friends.
As he was finishing up a Wings selection, he broke into soloing and the band started jamming to Foxy Lady. I know my Hendrix! When they finished, he told a story about Jimi...
...Sgt. Pepper was released on a Friday and Jimi was in town for the weekend for a show. I went to Jimi to say hello and he asked if he could play a Beatles cover. I said it would ok and during the show he played Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band... His downstroke while strumming was so strong it would make his guitar go out of tune. So he stopped during his set and called Eric to come up on stage to help him. He was referring to Clapton. Clapton tried to hide avoid being seen...
I thought that, that story was amusing. 3 musical legends in one room, casually at a show.
At one point of the show he broke into silence and addressed his relationship to John. His other half of the writing duo when they were Beatles. It was known that their relationship was on a decline towards the end but when he played Here Today, you would know what his true feelings were, despite what anyone else had to say, or whatever ill happenstances occurred between the two. This song was a conversation that never happened between the two. When I heard the lyrics, it made my heart move. It was both sweet and sad. And yes make a manly man cry.
Paul singing John's part in A Day in a Life and ending with Give Peace a Chance.
Another memorable moment was his tribute to George, who also passed away. He played Something on a ukelele and mid song the whole band started to play at the solo portion where George would normally play. Something, in my opinion, is the BEST love song ever written. And it was written by not Lennon or McCartney, but George Harrison. Another beautiful tribute his fellow Beatle.
I always associated social activism more with John and a little with George, but I never knew Paul to write about it. Very subtle and clever of him, now that he explained about the people dealing with apartheid in South Africa was the basis for such a beautiful song. Here's Blackbird.
Band On The Run from the Wings days...
Ode to San Francisco ...
Pyrotechnics during Live and Let Die
Let It Be
He ended his second encore set with a rockin' fashion with Helter Skelter followed by "The End", whose lyrics are me and my wife's quote for our wedding programs. A fitting way to end probably the greatest show I have ever been to. In terms of personal and historical perspective, this has been the most meaningful show to me I have ever attended. To rock this hard 3+ hours straight at Sir Paul's age is a testament to his rock awesomeness. To witness greatness and genius this close is a once in a lifetime thing. This is at Beatlemania as it gets for me and I'm thankful to experience it after the fact. Thanks to Rob for getting the tickets. My wife, for letting us go, Sir Paul and his band for this memorable show I will never forget. Thanks to all for the videos.
Paul McCartney at AT&T Park SF 7/10/10 7:30PM
1. Venus and Mars / Rockshow
2. Jet
3. All My Loving
4. Letting Go
5. Got To Get You Into My Life
6. Highway
7. Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady
8. The Long And Winding Road
9. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
10. Let ‘Em In
11. My Love
12. I’m Looking Through You
13. Two Of Us
14. Blackbird
15. Here Today
16. Dance Tonight
17. Mrs Vandebilt
18. Eleanor Rigby
19. Something
20. Sing The Changes
21. Band On The Run
22. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
23. Back In The USSR
24. I’ve Got A Feeling
25. Paperback Writer
26. A Day In The Life / Give Peace A Chance
27. Let It Be
28. Live And Let Die
29. Hey Jude
Encore
30. Day Tripper
31. Lady Madonna
32. Get Back
Second Encore
33. Yesterday
34. Helter Skelter
35. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / The End
I almost forgot I had a blog...
I've just stepped away from the computer for a couple months, except to check emails and facebook periodically. Supposedly, its the only way I can keep up with some of my friends, yet I still feel so disconnected. Hence the lack of blogging, yelping, facebooking or whatever. So I've been just living life. And working my ass off. Trying to save vacation time. The wife wants to start travelling. Looking forward to going here, which is our first stop. I'm really excited. The last couple times I went there was between 10-15 years ago. Went there gradnight when I graduated, and then with some friends for a summer road trip to LA. But I never went to Orlando. One particular story I vividly remember the last time, my friends and I were in line for the Matterhorn, which was one of my favorite rides as a kid. The ride is built inside of a faux-mountain setting and the lines are usually long and they wrap around the base of the scaled-down but realistic-looking mountain. So we were closing in to the front of the line and this little kid was slyly passing people up, cutting folks, pretending to be part of the group ahead of him. I eyed him the whole time and when he got to our section of the line he tried to go around me and I stuck my arm out and stiff armed him. I said, "Watch out dude!" He looked stumped that someone would try to stop him. Funny thing, I was a year or two out of graduating high school and here I was trying to regulate some kid trying to cut me and my friends. I guess thats just my personal Will Farrell type of moment.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Special Edition Cover Saturday
Ok, I missed posting on Friday, but here is a cover of a great band, by another great band. I know some people out there hate them, but in my parts they're local so they're cool in my book.
Husker Du, from St. Paul, Minnesota first started as a hardcore band, releasing some material through Black Flag member and owner of label, Greg Ginn's SST Records. Later along the line, their material became more melodic. The song Don't Want to Know If You are Lonely is from the 1986 album Candy Apple Gray.
The band covering this Husker Du track needs no description. Husker Du has been listed as a influence for Green Day. Imitiation is best form of flattery.
Husker Du, from St. Paul, Minnesota first started as a hardcore band, releasing some material through Black Flag member and owner of label, Greg Ginn's SST Records. Later along the line, their material became more melodic. The song Don't Want to Know If You are Lonely is from the 1986 album Candy Apple Gray.
The band covering this Husker Du track needs no description. Husker Du has been listed as a influence for Green Day. Imitiation is best form of flattery.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Current Rotation in the CD Changer
London Calling by the Clash
11:11 by Rodrigo y Gabriela
Come Over Now by Dreamdate (Oakland)
Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts by American Steel
The White Album by The Beatles
Taster's Choice Vol. 3 and 5 by Jrocc
Mos Def Wake Up Show Mix by DJ Raichous
Donuts by Jay Dee
Vibe with the Tribe by Daddy Dog (Tribe Mixtape)
Rise Up by Kevin Seconds and his Ghetto Moments
The Rockers OST (old roots reggae and ska) by VA
11:11 by Rodrigo y Gabriela
Come Over Now by Dreamdate (Oakland)
Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts by American Steel
The White Album by The Beatles
Taster's Choice Vol. 3 and 5 by Jrocc
Mos Def Wake Up Show Mix by DJ Raichous
Donuts by Jay Dee
Vibe with the Tribe by Daddy Dog (Tribe Mixtape)
Rise Up by Kevin Seconds and his Ghetto Moments
The Rockers OST (old roots reggae and ska) by VA
Good Vibration, which one?
This one...
It's really good song from a great album. Pet Sounds was a landmark recording. A lot of good cuts including this one, and really, the inspiration for the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band. Plus, there's a theremin during the hook section of the song. Very cool!
This one...
When I hear this I think of Euro Disco for Men's Club only! J/K I got love for everyone! But really, I just wanted an excuse to post this song up. Feel it, feel it! Seriously, love him or hate him, without this song Marky Mark would just be a New Kid drop out, but I have to give it up, he parlayed it into something beyond any expectations. Without this housed-out faux hip hop by a white dude hit, we would have this...
Yes, you said it. No Boogie Nights. This might have been the highlight of his career, but it was a damn good movie. Roller Girl and all. Julianne Moore's Red Bush, Cannonball Run Guy, and the funny Step Bro dude (John C. Reilly).
My favorite scenes of the movie. You can see the Walberg's range here...
Short Documentary...
It's really good song from a great album. Pet Sounds was a landmark recording. A lot of good cuts including this one, and really, the inspiration for the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band. Plus, there's a theremin during the hook section of the song. Very cool!
This one...
When I hear this I think of Euro Disco for Men's Club only! J/K I got love for everyone! But really, I just wanted an excuse to post this song up. Feel it, feel it! Seriously, love him or hate him, without this song Marky Mark would just be a New Kid drop out, but I have to give it up, he parlayed it into something beyond any expectations. Without this housed-out faux hip hop by a white dude hit, we would have this...
Yes, you said it. No Boogie Nights. This might have been the highlight of his career, but it was a damn good movie. Roller Girl and all. Julianne Moore's Red Bush, Cannonball Run Guy, and the funny Step Bro dude (John C. Reilly).
My favorite scenes of the movie. You can see the Walberg's range here...
Short Documentary...
uses of a Wiimote
I've always wanted to own a theremin. It's this musical device that you don't touch. It works like some kind of proximity sensor and depending on your hand movements and distance from the device, it can be used as to emit musical notes. I don't know how it exactly it works but just watch the sample videos. I looked up theremins on ebay and you can find a decent one for $199.99 but after stumbling on some videos, I found the perfect alternative...
Zelda!
Star Trek!
Zelda!
Star Trek!
Friday Cover of the Day... J Church on Radiohead
Welcome to a new thread I hope to keep up. Everybody loves covers, especially me. Today we have a cover from one of my favorite bands of another great band.
J Church is one of my favorite bands. Lance Hahn, the heart and soul of J church(RIP) was an SF transplant via Hawaii and eventually Austin, TX-bound was on a hardcore band Cringer. Once Cringer disbanded, Lance and one of his bandmates started up J church, named after a bus line in SF. J church was different from Cringer's hardcore punk style and adopted the east bay punk style popularized by many of the Lookout act's. JC, put out many albums, 7's and EP's over the years until Lance succumbed to kidney disease.
The song, they covered was Radiohead's Creep. They're first hit that put them on the map. Radiohead really doesn't need and intro so I'll get on with this post.
JC is known to make alot of covers and when I saw that they did this, I thought it was really well done. The rhythm guitar is well done (Lance was usually the lone guitarist). Here's to the 3 minute pop punk cover!
J Church is one of my favorite bands. Lance Hahn, the heart and soul of J church(RIP) was an SF transplant via Hawaii and eventually Austin, TX-bound was on a hardcore band Cringer. Once Cringer disbanded, Lance and one of his bandmates started up J church, named after a bus line in SF. J church was different from Cringer's hardcore punk style and adopted the east bay punk style popularized by many of the Lookout act's. JC, put out many albums, 7's and EP's over the years until Lance succumbed to kidney disease.
The song, they covered was Radiohead's Creep. They're first hit that put them on the map. Radiohead really doesn't need and intro so I'll get on with this post.
JC is known to make alot of covers and when I saw that they did this, I thought it was really well done. The rhythm guitar is well done (Lance was usually the lone guitarist). Here's to the 3 minute pop punk cover!
Caffeinated Nation part Deux
Starsucks is pretty damn good. Peets is really pretty damn good. Ritual is pretty good as well minus the hipsters. Blue Bottle is the SH*T! Man, The Ethiopian Yirg is excellent. Robust, yet delicate. Chocolaty scent with floral aftertaste. Damn, talk about complexity! I stopped by during lunch to pick up a half pound of the Temescal Blend. Look forward to trying that sometime soon.
Friday, February 19, 2010
RAAAAAAAAAANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aziz Ansari is my new favorite brown comedian. Funny as hell. I first noticed him on Human Giant and then caught the first few episodes of Parks and Recreation. I wanted to see him on his Human Glowlight tour but none of my friends wanted to go so I ended up canning the idea. I regretted it. He's touring again and the shows sold out. I waited for the green light from my wife. I snooze, I lose. Recently he's released a DVD. That's the closest I'll get to seeing him for now.
His delivery is high energy and rapid fire. He's got a swagger and confidence to his delivery so that even the joke is subpar, you'll chuckle and he'll be ahead already by 3 jokes before you know it. His material is somewhat semi-clean, and for his more adult material, he has an alter-ego with hip hop DJ sidekick to go along with it. He's adopted second stage persona from his role in Funny
People as Randy.
Here's a clip from a small role in Observe and Report. Embedding was disabled so click this link here
Here's a stand up set from his Human Giant co-star. Freakin' Hilarious!
As the fruit guy stand in Flight of the Concords.
A clip from the DVD:
AZIZ ANSARI IS A FUCKING BAD ASS!!!!!!! (You'll get it if you watch the middle clip)
His delivery is high energy and rapid fire. He's got a swagger and confidence to his delivery so that even the joke is subpar, you'll chuckle and he'll be ahead already by 3 jokes before you know it. His material is somewhat semi-clean, and for his more adult material, he has an alter-ego with hip hop DJ sidekick to go along with it. He's adopted second stage persona from his role in Funny
People as Randy.
Here's a clip from a small role in Observe and Report. Embedding was disabled so click this link here
Here's a stand up set from his Human Giant co-star. Freakin' Hilarious!
As the fruit guy stand in Flight of the Concords.
A clip from the DVD:
AZIZ ANSARI IS A FUCKING BAD ASS!!!!!!! (You'll get it if you watch the middle clip)
Monday, February 08, 2010
Caffeinated Revelation
So I've been on a coffee drinking rampage, enjoying all these new and different coffees from a over the world thanks to places like Starbucks and Bay Area's own Peet's. I had a revelation walking my dogs with my wife on First St. in Benicia on Superbowl Sunday. (Missed the first half)
We passed by Duvall's Coffee Roasters and noticed they were open. So we decided to check it out. They had similar robust offerings to what you could find from Peets, like coffees from Sumatra, which I've been drinking a lot of lately. (Peet's Blue Batak is heavenly)
I met owner Marty Duvall and he was in the middle of roasting process. It was very interesting and educational. I saw his roaster in action, waiting for the popping sound, which is what similar to what popcorn does when you heat it up. What you're looking for is that first series of pops, and then the second series. What I discovered is that depending on how long you roast (which is indicated by the increasing darkness of the coffee bean) determines the complexity of the taste of the coffee is when it is brewed. He mentioned that he buys his green coffee (coffee that is unroasted) from Royal Coffee, a wholesale importer and distributor. Problem is that I'm not in need of 100+ lbs. bags of unroasted coffee, which will probably go stale before I go through it all. I ended up buying a 1lb bag each of the Sumatra and Tanzania Pea Berry already roasted.
I went home and did some research. Then it dawned on me. Homeroasting! Yes it is a little labor intensive (not that really) and it only gets as difficult (and/or expensive) as you make it. You can spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on all the expensive equipment you need, but you don't necessarilly have to. I stumbled upon a website and a local small business called Sweet Maria's. They're here in the East Bay, they sell green coffee from all over the world WAY below the cost of what you'd pay anywhere else. I just may have found myself a new hobby, and an affordable one at that. I have yet to try it out but the prospect of it seems really exciting. More to come...
We passed by Duvall's Coffee Roasters and noticed they were open. So we decided to check it out. They had similar robust offerings to what you could find from Peets, like coffees from Sumatra, which I've been drinking a lot of lately. (Peet's Blue Batak is heavenly)
I met owner Marty Duvall and he was in the middle of roasting process. It was very interesting and educational. I saw his roaster in action, waiting for the popping sound, which is what similar to what popcorn does when you heat it up. What you're looking for is that first series of pops, and then the second series. What I discovered is that depending on how long you roast (which is indicated by the increasing darkness of the coffee bean) determines the complexity of the taste of the coffee is when it is brewed. He mentioned that he buys his green coffee (coffee that is unroasted) from Royal Coffee, a wholesale importer and distributor. Problem is that I'm not in need of 100+ lbs. bags of unroasted coffee, which will probably go stale before I go through it all. I ended up buying a 1lb bag each of the Sumatra and Tanzania Pea Berry already roasted.
I went home and did some research. Then it dawned on me. Homeroasting! Yes it is a little labor intensive (not that really) and it only gets as difficult (and/or expensive) as you make it. You can spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on all the expensive equipment you need, but you don't necessarilly have to. I stumbled upon a website and a local small business called Sweet Maria's. They're here in the East Bay, they sell green coffee from all over the world WAY below the cost of what you'd pay anywhere else. I just may have found myself a new hobby, and an affordable one at that. I have yet to try it out but the prospect of it seems really exciting. More to come...
OK I'll eat it...
So the Colts lost. Big deal. I got to give it up to the Saints, they were just a little hungrier. Just as a disclaimer I will say that I am NOT a Indy fan. First and foremost, I'm a NINER fan. The Saints did a great job, coach Payton and QB1 Brees did a great job this season. Just look at the road to the superbowl. The had to go through Favre, Warner AND Manning. Three QB giants slain in a row. Statistically, Manning is one of the best and it is debatable that he may be best ever. The numbers are there. Winning another superbowl would have cemented him as being one of top 3-5 and move him closer to BEING that, but I'm not sure if that may ever be the case. Look at his last superbowl win and who was his opponent? Rex Grossman of the Chicago Bears?!!! Barely a challenge! Plus, they ran the ball with Addai and Rhodes which contributed to their success. Manning had a great regular season, and tore up D's with a rookie head coach; some say that he was the mastermind behind most of the wins this year leaving the coaching staff to coast. But in this game, he threw a costly interception.
Real story here is Brees. He has really come to his own. Dumped by San Diego only to be picked up by New Orleans. This win is truly a masterpiece. A great regular season topped off with a incredible difficult road to to the superbowl. This has to be one of the best since the Joe Cool's Niners during the 80's.
Which leaves me to this, Joe Montana, won a college championship in at Notre Dame, he's been to 4 superbowls, and NEVER lost. Not only was he good, he was clutch, and undefeated in the big game. That makes him the best QB ever in my book. 'nuff said.
Real story here is Brees. He has really come to his own. Dumped by San Diego only to be picked up by New Orleans. This win is truly a masterpiece. A great regular season topped off with a incredible difficult road to to the superbowl. This has to be one of the best since the Joe Cool's Niners during the 80's.
Which leaves me to this, Joe Montana, won a college championship in at Notre Dame, he's been to 4 superbowls, and NEVER lost. Not only was he good, he was clutch, and undefeated in the big game. That makes him the best QB ever in my book. 'nuff said.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
2010 Comedy to start of the new year...
One of my favorite comedians ever. I didn't watch his show regularly because back in the days it was past my bed time. Now that I'm older, and he's taken over Tonight show I haven't watched it past the 3rd episode. He hasn't been that funny lately, but when drama ensues and 'ol Conan is pushed against the wall, he's dead on fire funny. Funny like a madman in hell. Recently, NBC has been pushed back into a corner, the evil boss, looking stupid while we watch closely to see what their next move is. To those that aren't aware, since Leno left he's gone primetime and Conan has taken the reigns, and perhaps it will come to end at 7 months due to stupid suits making the decisions at NBC. Conan was offered the ultimatum to go back to his late night spot, and 30 minutes at that... What an insult! The man is a proven winner and more importantly, he's paid his dues. Today he posted a statement discussing his situation and it has all the hallmarks of a Conan monologue. Funny, respectful, and self deprecating as ever, it's a big F.U. to NBC. The show tonight is still going on and it will be interesting.
People of Earth:
In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, Ive been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.
Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.
But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.
Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.
So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.
There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.
Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair: it's always been that way.
Yours,Conan
Well said and with class!!!!
The icing on the cake, he'll be at sfsketchfest in January. I was lucky to score two tickets! I couldn't get the Doogie or Reno 911 sets. =( I'll settle for Conan. It's a good 2010 so far....
Still haven't seen Avatar yet. I'll try sometime this week.
People of Earth:
In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, Ive been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.
Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.
But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.
Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.
So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.
There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.
Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair: it's always been that way.
Yours,Conan
Well said and with class!!!!
The icing on the cake, he'll be at sfsketchfest in January. I was lucky to score two tickets! I couldn't get the Doogie or Reno 911 sets. =( I'll settle for Conan. It's a good 2010 so far....
Still haven't seen Avatar yet. I'll try sometime this week.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Pixies Day 3
Word of the day: AWESOME
It was the last night of the Pixies sell out performance at the Fox Theater. Just like to previous nights, the bside warmups as well as the doolittle sets were identical. Even the banter. Elected spokeswoman, Kim Deal navigated us through the set list as if it were a cassette tape, letting the crowd know where they were at on each side. Each night, she proclaimed how beautiful the Fox Theater was, and it is. And yes, it's in Oakland. Long live the East Bay. I envisioned running into Joe Santiago and agreeing to go to Guitar Center to go buy some strings. Taking Frank Black to Bakesale Betty's and booking him to do a solo mini tour with me as his booker here in the bay. And maybe go get some feijoada at Brazil Cafe' or hit a Burrito truck in International Blvd. Ask Dave Lovering to perform some magic for me and have tea with Kim Deal and tell her how much I love her voice that it reminds me of my french bulldog, Surfer Rosa. (Yes, I love the Pixies that much)
But none of that happened. And it probably never will. (Sniff.) But I did get to see them aqain, and three times at that! My wife is probably tired and mad at me for making her go to all 3 shows. I did ask some other close friends but none were available. It pains me that a lot of people don't know about them, or how good they are. As plain and boring as they appear to be, not having the lively stage presence, that say Billie Joe of Green Day or charisma of Joe Strummer, or chatty personality like Bono of U2, I truly believe that they are one of the greatest bands that never got the paid (till '04), never got the notoriety, or acknowledgement (till now) and I wonder would they ever get inducted. Here's my push. They deserve it. They've influenced countless bands, some of them really crappy and get more acknowledgement and airtime. For an independent band that never got its due, they can really pack a place. LoudQUIETLoud, documented the reunion. The Pixies reunion was labeled the Sell Out Tour. Literally, they sold out. And they got the money paid, and it was well deserved. And it doesn't make me mad. The inner punk screaming SELL OUT, is ok with it. Like most working stiffs like you and me, this is their profession. Maybe its more glorious, but with their catalog, nostalgia and aging audience, and hipness to the new hipsters makes it all work in their favor, especially during these tough times. I can sympathize with that. To put it perspective, pre Reunion days, Kim Deal's one hit wonder band Breeder's has made more money to date that the 15 years of the Pixies existence, minus the reunion years. Dave Lovering was down and out. His father died of cancer during the reunion, and you can tell that all this was taking a toll on him. Kim, the recovering addict, triumphant at conquering her demons, put her differences aside with Frank Black, enabling this to all happen. Joey Santiago, married with children often the only bridge of communication, even though years passed between talking with each other, admitted that doing this could guarantee his children's education and better quality of life. And lastly Frank Black, usually quiet, as Kim does most of the banter between songs, is still the man behind the curtain. I refer to Black Francis, as the working showman, artist, musician. The Catholics, going solo, all this material could have been Pixies material, if the clash with Kim didn't occur. But time heals all things, and above all, money talks. In the end, you have everyone else who is happy as hell that they're back and still here to rock. A little bit slower, a little bit older, and some cases, a little bit bigger, figuratively speaking! Here is something all those cute, stupid 3 chord punk pop, emo-core bands can't contend with. This is what real music is and should sound like. This is the greatest band you've never heard...
And November 11th, it was at the Fox Theater in the Biggity 'O'!
Like I said before, 2/3rds of the show was the same. With the elaborate video set (indicator when a band is getting big with all the visuals) I never got tired watching Monkey's Gone to Heaven. Man I love simians.
At the end of the 1st Encore, each night, they ended with Into the White, and the fogged the entire venue as if they were trying to bug bomb all the hipsters that were leaving early. Kim Deal's voice is so pleasantly sounding to me, it's the voice I envision my dog Rosie having if she were able to speak.
To top it off, they ended it with Bone Machine, Broken Face, Isla de Encanta and Where is My Mind? Surfer Rosa tracks. Although each show clocked 1.5 hrs it felt all too short. Watching 3 shows in all, was enough to satiate my appetite for pixieness and in the end, I was satisfied. And a little bit sad. Will they ever release any more material? Another album maybe? Only time will tell. Hopefully it will happen.
Here's some songs I wish they played:
Winterlong
UMASS
In Heaven
It was the last night of the Pixies sell out performance at the Fox Theater. Just like to previous nights, the bside warmups as well as the doolittle sets were identical. Even the banter. Elected spokeswoman, Kim Deal navigated us through the set list as if it were a cassette tape, letting the crowd know where they were at on each side. Each night, she proclaimed how beautiful the Fox Theater was, and it is. And yes, it's in Oakland. Long live the East Bay. I envisioned running into Joe Santiago and agreeing to go to Guitar Center to go buy some strings. Taking Frank Black to Bakesale Betty's and booking him to do a solo mini tour with me as his booker here in the bay. And maybe go get some feijoada at Brazil Cafe' or hit a Burrito truck in International Blvd. Ask Dave Lovering to perform some magic for me and have tea with Kim Deal and tell her how much I love her voice that it reminds me of my french bulldog, Surfer Rosa. (Yes, I love the Pixies that much)
But none of that happened. And it probably never will. (Sniff.) But I did get to see them aqain, and three times at that! My wife is probably tired and mad at me for making her go to all 3 shows. I did ask some other close friends but none were available. It pains me that a lot of people don't know about them, or how good they are. As plain and boring as they appear to be, not having the lively stage presence, that say Billie Joe of Green Day or charisma of Joe Strummer, or chatty personality like Bono of U2, I truly believe that they are one of the greatest bands that never got the paid (till '04), never got the notoriety, or acknowledgement (till now) and I wonder would they ever get inducted. Here's my push. They deserve it. They've influenced countless bands, some of them really crappy and get more acknowledgement and airtime. For an independent band that never got its due, they can really pack a place. LoudQUIETLoud, documented the reunion. The Pixies reunion was labeled the Sell Out Tour. Literally, they sold out. And they got the money paid, and it was well deserved. And it doesn't make me mad. The inner punk screaming SELL OUT, is ok with it. Like most working stiffs like you and me, this is their profession. Maybe its more glorious, but with their catalog, nostalgia and aging audience, and hipness to the new hipsters makes it all work in their favor, especially during these tough times. I can sympathize with that. To put it perspective, pre Reunion days, Kim Deal's one hit wonder band Breeder's has made more money to date that the 15 years of the Pixies existence, minus the reunion years. Dave Lovering was down and out. His father died of cancer during the reunion, and you can tell that all this was taking a toll on him. Kim, the recovering addict, triumphant at conquering her demons, put her differences aside with Frank Black, enabling this to all happen. Joey Santiago, married with children often the only bridge of communication, even though years passed between talking with each other, admitted that doing this could guarantee his children's education and better quality of life. And lastly Frank Black, usually quiet, as Kim does most of the banter between songs, is still the man behind the curtain. I refer to Black Francis, as the working showman, artist, musician. The Catholics, going solo, all this material could have been Pixies material, if the clash with Kim didn't occur. But time heals all things, and above all, money talks. In the end, you have everyone else who is happy as hell that they're back and still here to rock. A little bit slower, a little bit older, and some cases, a little bit bigger, figuratively speaking! Here is something all those cute, stupid 3 chord punk pop, emo-core bands can't contend with. This is what real music is and should sound like. This is the greatest band you've never heard...
And November 11th, it was at the Fox Theater in the Biggity 'O'!
Like I said before, 2/3rds of the show was the same. With the elaborate video set (indicator when a band is getting big with all the visuals) I never got tired watching Monkey's Gone to Heaven. Man I love simians.
At the end of the 1st Encore, each night, they ended with Into the White, and the fogged the entire venue as if they were trying to bug bomb all the hipsters that were leaving early. Kim Deal's voice is so pleasantly sounding to me, it's the voice I envision my dog Rosie having if she were able to speak.
To top it off, they ended it with Bone Machine, Broken Face, Isla de Encanta and Where is My Mind? Surfer Rosa tracks. Although each show clocked 1.5 hrs it felt all too short. Watching 3 shows in all, was enough to satiate my appetite for pixieness and in the end, I was satisfied. And a little bit sad. Will they ever release any more material? Another album maybe? Only time will tell. Hopefully it will happen.
Here's some songs I wish they played:
Winterlong
UMASS
In Heaven
Pixies Day 2
After the first show they were selling bracelets to buy the live recordings online and I got to meet the owner of Abbey Road, formerly Disclive, Zach Blair. I was familiar of Disclive because I bought the Coachella set, Newport Acoustic Set and the SF shows from 2004. He hooked it up with an extra download coupon for being a returning customer. Thanks ! Please visit the Abbey Road site, if you want to download a concert you've attended or want to hear a particular show you've missed.
www.doolittlelive.com
I got to catch the end of the Rain Machine set. They're a twopiece drum and guitar duo with the drummer on the vocals. They sounded pretty good. I'm not familiar with their music but I enjoyed the 10 minutes I sat through. I'll definitely give their stuff a listen sometime. I did some research on the band, and its a project from TV on the Radio member, Kyp Malone.
As for the Pixies set, it was almost identical beginning, middle 1st encore, up to the second encore. The Bside warm ups, was a tribute to manta rays, with Dancing the Manta Ray, and Manta Ray. Song topics are so peculiar for Frank Black.
I hate, hate, HATE it when people think the 'Man' in Here Comes Your Man, is actually a person. The song is referencing the Fat Man/Little Boy atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the WWII. The boxcar, waiting is actually Bockscar, the plane responsible for dropping Fat Man on Nagasaki.
To my surpise, the played Vamos, which is where my fellow Filipino countryman Joey Santiago gets to shine on his guitar effects solo. I danced like a madman with the intro guitar riff. Frank Black's mastery of the Spanish language is admirable.
I made a bet with my wife that if the set list was different she had to buy me dinner. She thought that the setlist would be identical every night because almost 2/3rds of the show was the same, and that Kim Deal said that they're playing the same thing every night. They almost did, too...
www.doolittlelive.com
I got to catch the end of the Rain Machine set. They're a twopiece drum and guitar duo with the drummer on the vocals. They sounded pretty good. I'm not familiar with their music but I enjoyed the 10 minutes I sat through. I'll definitely give their stuff a listen sometime. I did some research on the band, and its a project from TV on the Radio member, Kyp Malone.
As for the Pixies set, it was almost identical beginning, middle 1st encore, up to the second encore. The Bside warm ups, was a tribute to manta rays, with Dancing the Manta Ray, and Manta Ray. Song topics are so peculiar for Frank Black.
I hate, hate, HATE it when people think the 'Man' in Here Comes Your Man, is actually a person. The song is referencing the Fat Man/Little Boy atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the WWII. The boxcar, waiting is actually Bockscar, the plane responsible for dropping Fat Man on Nagasaki.
To my surpise, the played Vamos, which is where my fellow Filipino countryman Joey Santiago gets to shine on his guitar effects solo. I danced like a madman with the intro guitar riff. Frank Black's mastery of the Spanish language is admirable.
I made a bet with my wife that if the set list was different she had to buy me dinner. She thought that the setlist would be identical every night because almost 2/3rds of the show was the same, and that Kim Deal said that they're playing the same thing every night. They almost did, too...
Pixies Day 1
Kristi and I found free parking behind the venue and we managed to get there right before we started. I didn't want to get caught in the Post-show merch rush so the line was short enough to wait. I bought a Doolittle tour shirt, for both Kristi and I. I got the black, and she got the brown one. It has the monkey from Doolittle cover. For some reason, I have a mild fascination with this little simians, so I think it's really cool to have it on the shirt. I also bought a tour poster and a set of Pixies buttons to sport. We missed, the opener Rain Machine.
I knew the shows would sell out quick when I tried to get my tickets I bought the second day first because I knew I would have a better chance getting those. For the first show, we are all the way back in the boonies in the last balcony section, maybe 3-4 rows before the end, but we were in the middle and could see the stage.
Once the show started people would get up and dance on the spot. I know this is a rock show, but this is why I choose to sit in the back, 1.) to get away from the mosh pits and avoid getting kicked in the head. 2.) I'm old and I want to sit down and enjoy the show. Surprisingly there were a good mix of old folks and kids that weren't even born yet when the Pixies were out. A lot of hipsters, punk rockers, geeks and wannabee's. The place was packed for sure.
By the time we got to the Doolittle set, they were playing their main hits and every time a fast, recognizable, danceable song came on, 2 rows ahead of me a group of very big girls would get up and dance. They weren't really in our way but I couldn't see some of Stage Left, so we moved left to get a better view. Luckily half of our row wasn't there or relocated so there were spots open. It didn't really annoy me because they weren't in front of me, but I really felt for the row in front of me because they could not see at all.
The guy in front of us was pissed and I told him he can move up to our row and he obliged. In between songs a very loud mad was yelling various comments such as: "Sit the fuck down!", "You're fat and I can't see." "Just because you're fat and think you're better than us doesn't mean you can take up space." Wow, all harsh if you ask me. At some point, I saw an unidentified flying object hit the back of one of the smaller girls. She sat down eventually and I heard that she was crying. I felt kinda bad, but block people's way and you will feel the wrath! I'm glad I wasn't involved, but to tell you the truth, Kristi and I were intrigued over this comical little feud. If anything, the only thing that bothered us was the girl dancing on the far left. She had an 80's mullet and kept on running he hands through her hair while pogoing and making little interpretative dances with songs. Annoying, but funny.
As for the show itself, Doolittle has it's share of good songs, but my favorite album is Surfer Rosa personally. However, my favorite song is Wave of Mutilation, which is on the Doolittle album. After the Doolittle album, they played Wave of Mutilation UK Surf version, which is by far my favorite song.
Overall, I was shocked how short the show was. I was still satisfied, but more songs could have been played. Some of their cool covers like Winterlong, Theme from NARC, or Lady in the Radiator song, but to no avail. I looked forward to Day 2, anxious to see what else they would play. I know for a fact, they NEVER, EVER play the same set...
Here is the end of the second encore:
I knew the shows would sell out quick when I tried to get my tickets I bought the second day first because I knew I would have a better chance getting those. For the first show, we are all the way back in the boonies in the last balcony section, maybe 3-4 rows before the end, but we were in the middle and could see the stage.
Once the show started people would get up and dance on the spot. I know this is a rock show, but this is why I choose to sit in the back, 1.) to get away from the mosh pits and avoid getting kicked in the head. 2.) I'm old and I want to sit down and enjoy the show. Surprisingly there were a good mix of old folks and kids that weren't even born yet when the Pixies were out. A lot of hipsters, punk rockers, geeks and wannabee's. The place was packed for sure.
By the time we got to the Doolittle set, they were playing their main hits and every time a fast, recognizable, danceable song came on, 2 rows ahead of me a group of very big girls would get up and dance. They weren't really in our way but I couldn't see some of Stage Left, so we moved left to get a better view. Luckily half of our row wasn't there or relocated so there were spots open. It didn't really annoy me because they weren't in front of me, but I really felt for the row in front of me because they could not see at all.
The guy in front of us was pissed and I told him he can move up to our row and he obliged. In between songs a very loud mad was yelling various comments such as: "Sit the fuck down!", "You're fat and I can't see." "Just because you're fat and think you're better than us doesn't mean you can take up space." Wow, all harsh if you ask me. At some point, I saw an unidentified flying object hit the back of one of the smaller girls. She sat down eventually and I heard that she was crying. I felt kinda bad, but block people's way and you will feel the wrath! I'm glad I wasn't involved, but to tell you the truth, Kristi and I were intrigued over this comical little feud. If anything, the only thing that bothered us was the girl dancing on the far left. She had an 80's mullet and kept on running he hands through her hair while pogoing and making little interpretative dances with songs. Annoying, but funny.
As for the show itself, Doolittle has it's share of good songs, but my favorite album is Surfer Rosa personally. However, my favorite song is Wave of Mutilation, which is on the Doolittle album. After the Doolittle album, they played Wave of Mutilation UK Surf version, which is by far my favorite song.
Overall, I was shocked how short the show was. I was still satisfied, but more songs could have been played. Some of their cool covers like Winterlong, Theme from NARC, or Lady in the Radiator song, but to no avail. I looked forward to Day 2, anxious to see what else they would play. I know for a fact, they NEVER, EVER play the same set...
Here is the end of the second encore:
Pixies Doolittle 20th Anniversary Tour, Fox Theater Oakland 11/8-11/10
I haven't seen the Pixies since 2004 at Coachella and that was truly a magical night. I didn't know the reunion would last this long, to tell you the truth. Not knowing if this would be my last chance to see them, like a crazy deranged fan I bought tickets to all three days. Mad props to my wife for roughing it out like a trooper and going all three nights. Here's a little setlist and review for each show.
Sunday 11/8
B Side Warm-up
Dancing The Manta Ray
Weird at My School
Bailey's Walk
Manta Ray
Doolittle Set
Debaser
Tame
Wave of Mutilation
I Bleed
Here Comes Your Man
Dead
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Mr. Grieves
Crackity Jones
La La Love You
No. 13 Baby
There Goes My Gun
Hey
Silver
Gouge Away
Encore:
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
Into the White
Encore 2:
Where Is My Mind?
Gigantic
Caribou
11/9
Everything was the same until Encore 2:
Where is My Mind?
Nimrod's Son
Vamos
Gigantic
11/10
Encore 2:
Bone Machine
Broken Face
Isla de Encanta
Where is My Mind?
Sunday 11/8
B Side Warm-up
Dancing The Manta Ray
Weird at My School
Bailey's Walk
Manta Ray
Doolittle Set
Debaser
Tame
Wave of Mutilation
I Bleed
Here Comes Your Man
Dead
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Mr. Grieves
Crackity Jones
La La Love You
No. 13 Baby
There Goes My Gun
Hey
Silver
Gouge Away
Encore:
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
Into the White
Encore 2:
Where Is My Mind?
Gigantic
Caribou
11/9
Everything was the same until Encore 2:
Where is My Mind?
Nimrod's Son
Vamos
Gigantic
11/10
Encore 2:
Bone Machine
Broken Face
Isla de Encanta
Where is My Mind?
Friday, October 30, 2009
Echo and the Bunnymen at the Fox Theater 10/22/09
Echo and the Bunnymen
She Wants Revenge opening
Setlist:
Silver
Nocturnal Me
Crystal Days
The Yo Yo Man
Thorn of Crowns
The Killing Moon
Seven Seas
My Kingdom
Ocean Rain
Encore:
Rescue
Show of Strength
Villiers Terrace / Roadhouse Blues (The Doors cover)
Stormy Weather
Forgotten Fields
Bring On the Dancing Horses
All My Colours
All That Jazz
I Think I Need It Too
The Back of Love
The Cutter
Encore 2:
Nothing Lasts / Walk on the Wild Side / In The Midnight Hour
Encore 3:
Lips Like Sugar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koGmhB-MBfg
She Wants Revenge opening
Setlist:
Silver
Nocturnal Me
Crystal Days
The Yo Yo Man
Thorn of Crowns
The Killing Moon
Seven Seas
My Kingdom
Ocean Rain
Encore:
Rescue
Show of Strength
Villiers Terrace / Roadhouse Blues (The Doors cover)
Stormy Weather
Forgotten Fields
Bring On the Dancing Horses
All My Colours
All That Jazz
I Think I Need It Too
The Back of Love
The Cutter
Encore 2:
Nothing Lasts / Walk on the Wild Side / In The Midnight Hour
Encore 3:
Lips Like Sugar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koGmhB-MBfg
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
7 Seconds, Echo and Snoo
I've had the chance to see some really good shows lately.
A while back, got to see , Pany Division, The Kepi Band, Thorn's of Life featuring Jawbreaker's Blake Schwarzenbach, Crimpshrine and Pinhead Gunpowder's Aaron Cometbus and Gr'up's Daniella Shea.
A couple months ago I got to see Reno's best and 7 Seconds! Kevin Seconds was really awesome. Got to shake his hand and say hello.
Recently went to see Dr. Frank and Jesse Michael's do an acoustic set at Cato's for the Andromeda Klein book launch. I haven't got to see Classics of Love yet but I'm gonna try and catch them soon.
During the wedding weeks I got to catch La Plebe and Dezu at the Plea for Peace Center. Awesome venue.... Middagh rules!
Last week I went see Echo and the Bunnymen performing Ocean Rain in it's entirety with a live orchestra backing them up. Really nice.
Next week it's a Pixies filled weekend at Fox Theater as I bought tickets for all 3 shows. Yeah, I know it's a little excessive but IT's THE PIXIES!!!!!!!!
On a side note, here's a video a friend sent me, featuring the first mention of Snoo Snoo...
A while back, got to see , Pany Division, The Kepi Band, Thorn's of Life featuring Jawbreaker's Blake Schwarzenbach, Crimpshrine and Pinhead Gunpowder's Aaron Cometbus and Gr'up's Daniella Shea.
A couple months ago I got to see Reno's best and 7 Seconds! Kevin Seconds was really awesome. Got to shake his hand and say hello.
Recently went to see Dr. Frank and Jesse Michael's do an acoustic set at Cato's for the Andromeda Klein book launch. I haven't got to see Classics of Love yet but I'm gonna try and catch them soon.
During the wedding weeks I got to catch La Plebe and Dezu at the Plea for Peace Center. Awesome venue.... Middagh rules!
Last week I went see Echo and the Bunnymen performing Ocean Rain in it's entirety with a live orchestra backing them up. Really nice.
Next week it's a Pixies filled weekend at Fox Theater as I bought tickets for all 3 shows. Yeah, I know it's a little excessive but IT's THE PIXIES!!!!!!!!
On a side note, here's a video a friend sent me, featuring the first mention of Snoo Snoo...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 07, 2009
World War Monkey
Today my friend Chris sent me an email about this artist named Chet Phillips. I clicked on the link and I entered simian heaven! Anyone who knows me knows I have a soft spot for monkeys. I read an article on his work and he does the pencils and then paints using Corel Paint. I was so into his work I ordered a set of the World War Monkey trading card set and a couple other prints of a rottweiler, french bulldog and this little card set called the Monkey Decider, which I think is genius when you have one of those moments of indecision. Just draw a card, and whatever the monkey says is the answer... Great.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Silence is the enemy, so gimme gimme revolution...
Green Day at the Fox Oakland Theater (Show #3) April 14th, 2009
It was a cold and windy night one the Ave. The newly renovated Fox Oakland look very grand and brightly lit. You would have thought it was a broadway show. You can see the sign from blocks away, with hundreds and hundreds of people lined up snaking around the building.
Just a couple months ago, we this great band play down the street at the Stork Club not as Green Day, but as the Foxboro Hot Tubs. No FHT or Network songs tonight. It was 100% pure Green Day.
As we got in line, you could see all the fans of all ages, sizes, types and what not. You could recognize the aging Punks that were probably present from GD's Gilman days during the 90's and the 'rebellious youths walking about. Soccer mom's present along with they're kids. Teens to 30 somethings and older representing.
As my wife and I walked in it felt like we were attending a theatrical presentation, as the ushers handed out Playbills and directed us to our seats. The cover of the program had the album cover art and a list of the Players is shown on the first page. Inside, lyrics to the new upcoming album 21st Century Breakdown. So I figured the first half of the show would be the album and some of their catalog afterwards.
Some point regarding the show. It was really fun and the band sounded great. But they didn't sound as fun. Billie Joe being a great frontman as well as a showman, could still command a crowd, doing the call and answer routine and seeing which section could make the most noise. There was no Making a Band part of the set list, which I thought was always cool that they did that, where they grab people from the crowd and get them to play either Blitzkrieg Bop or Operation Ivy's Knowledge.
Also, although I was hearing a couple of songs for the first time, the subject matter he was tackling was a lot more serious than before in American Idiot. Very ambitious of them. I would have to listen more carefully when I'm able to get my hands on the CD. An lastly, a lot slower songs with Billie Joe singing falsetto voice and less of his faux-English accent. I thought that was quite odd. There were signs of this trend dating back to before the Warning album, but you can really tell now. It's in his voice, and definitely reflecting in the song writing and lyrics. It's cliche to say that Green Day is maturing and coming into their own overshadowing their punk personalities and emerging as bonafide rock stars. This is not just you 3 chord pop punk band.
After performing their they rip into their vast catalog of catchy hits and punk anthems reminding everyone that they haven't forgotten their East Bay punk roots and demonstrate that they are one of the best bands around today, still. During Jesus of Suburbia he gives a shout out to 924 Gilman, a couple miles away in nearby Berzerkly. And at the end of his set he gives a truly heartfelt dedication to his home base, Oakland playing Homecoming. Overall, it was a really great show at a beautiful venue making it a recipe for a memorable event.
Setlist:
Song of the Century
21st Century Breakdown
Know Your Enemy
¡ Viva la Gloria!
Before the Lobotomy
Christian’s Inferno
Last Night on Earth
East Jesus Nowhere
Peacemaker
Last of the American Girls
Murder City
¿ Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)
Restless Heart Syndrome
Horseshoes & Handgrenades
The Static Age
American Eulogy:
a) Mass Hysteria
b) Modern World
See the Light
- Encore Setlist -
American Idiot
Jesus of Suburbia
St. Jimmy
Longview
Welcome to Paradise
She
Going to Pasalacqua
King for a Day / Shout
Minority
Homecoming
It was a cold and windy night one the Ave. The newly renovated Fox Oakland look very grand and brightly lit. You would have thought it was a broadway show. You can see the sign from blocks away, with hundreds and hundreds of people lined up snaking around the building.
Just a couple months ago, we this great band play down the street at the Stork Club not as Green Day, but as the Foxboro Hot Tubs. No FHT or Network songs tonight. It was 100% pure Green Day.
As we got in line, you could see all the fans of all ages, sizes, types and what not. You could recognize the aging Punks that were probably present from GD's Gilman days during the 90's and the 'rebellious youths walking about. Soccer mom's present along with they're kids. Teens to 30 somethings and older representing.
As my wife and I walked in it felt like we were attending a theatrical presentation, as the ushers handed out Playbills and directed us to our seats. The cover of the program had the album cover art and a list of the Players is shown on the first page. Inside, lyrics to the new upcoming album 21st Century Breakdown. So I figured the first half of the show would be the album and some of their catalog afterwards.
Some point regarding the show. It was really fun and the band sounded great. But they didn't sound as fun. Billie Joe being a great frontman as well as a showman, could still command a crowd, doing the call and answer routine and seeing which section could make the most noise. There was no Making a Band part of the set list, which I thought was always cool that they did that, where they grab people from the crowd and get them to play either Blitzkrieg Bop or Operation Ivy's Knowledge.
Also, although I was hearing a couple of songs for the first time, the subject matter he was tackling was a lot more serious than before in American Idiot. Very ambitious of them. I would have to listen more carefully when I'm able to get my hands on the CD. An lastly, a lot slower songs with Billie Joe singing falsetto voice and less of his faux-English accent. I thought that was quite odd. There were signs of this trend dating back to before the Warning album, but you can really tell now. It's in his voice, and definitely reflecting in the song writing and lyrics. It's cliche to say that Green Day is maturing and coming into their own overshadowing their punk personalities and emerging as bonafide rock stars. This is not just you 3 chord pop punk band.
After performing their they rip into their vast catalog of catchy hits and punk anthems reminding everyone that they haven't forgotten their East Bay punk roots and demonstrate that they are one of the best bands around today, still. During Jesus of Suburbia he gives a shout out to 924 Gilman, a couple miles away in nearby Berzerkly. And at the end of his set he gives a truly heartfelt dedication to his home base, Oakland playing Homecoming. Overall, it was a really great show at a beautiful venue making it a recipe for a memorable event.
Setlist:
Song of the Century
21st Century Breakdown
Know Your Enemy
¡ Viva la Gloria!
Before the Lobotomy
Christian’s Inferno
Last Night on Earth
East Jesus Nowhere
Peacemaker
Last of the American Girls
Murder City
¿ Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)
Restless Heart Syndrome
Horseshoes & Handgrenades
The Static Age
American Eulogy:
a) Mass Hysteria
b) Modern World
See the Light
- Encore Setlist -
American Idiot
Jesus of Suburbia
St. Jimmy
Longview
Welcome to Paradise
She
Going to Pasalacqua
King for a Day / Shout
Minority
Homecoming
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Heavy Metal Baghdad
I recently saw this documentary about a band, Accrassicauda (Latin for Black Scorpion) playing a type of music in an area most impossible to survive. It chronicles the beginning of the band, playing through the Iraqi War and the toppling of Saddam Hussein's totalitarian dictatorship and enduring the after effects. I've never seen a band truly go through much strife and hardship. It's almost depressing but in the end, truly inspiring and goes to show you that even the hardest music can thrive in the most unlikely places.
Thank you!
I had a whirlwind of fun for my birthday week. It was pretty eventful. Started the week going to The Food and Wine festival at Mondavi Winery. Lots of good food and wines. I liked the wines from Paradux and teas from the Numi Tea folks. I was so stuffed and semi-swoast by the end of the day. Instead of taking days off, I worked short days and it went by quick. That friday went to see Paul Rudd and Jason Segal's new movie, I Love You Man with the fellowship, Bro Montana, Bro Namath and my wife. The movie starts off a little slow and uncomfortably awkward, but Rudd's on point on the camera awkwardness and comedic timing is golden. Jason Segal is always funny. When he unveils the Bro-Cave, and all of his equipment, I couldn't help but think of his character Nick Andopolis on one of my favorite shows, Freaks and Geeks. I realized I missed it so much, I started watching it again recently.
The next day, my wife and I took it easy. Went walking around the neighborhood with Rosie and Brix and then we went to Jamba Juice. That evening, we went to Ella's in Sac. The food was phenomenal. My main dish was good. I had the scallops with bacon and some foam. On the side, I had the beet salad, rabbit pot pie and potato au gratin. The food came in a little late, and we were missing the beginning of our show, Avenue Q. We scarfed everything down within 10 minutes and made our way to the theater.
The performance was no surprise to me even though I've never seen it. I'm so familiar with the songs from listening to them so often, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
Afterwards, our party made our way to BJ's in Vacaville to meet up with another friend. It was a pizza and beer fest. I was so stuffed by the end of the night.
Finally saw my parents on sunday and we had dinner at Princess Garden back at home.
It was a great week, and great way to kick off Year 32. Thank you all to everyone who came by, said hello and hung out. Live long and prosper!!!!!
The next day, my wife and I took it easy. Went walking around the neighborhood with Rosie and Brix and then we went to Jamba Juice. That evening, we went to Ella's in Sac. The food was phenomenal. My main dish was good. I had the scallops with bacon and some foam. On the side, I had the beet salad, rabbit pot pie and potato au gratin. The food came in a little late, and we were missing the beginning of our show, Avenue Q. We scarfed everything down within 10 minutes and made our way to the theater.
The performance was no surprise to me even though I've never seen it. I'm so familiar with the songs from listening to them so often, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
Afterwards, our party made our way to BJ's in Vacaville to meet up with another friend. It was a pizza and beer fest. I was so stuffed by the end of the night.
Finally saw my parents on sunday and we had dinner at Princess Garden back at home.
It was a great week, and great way to kick off Year 32. Thank you all to everyone who came by, said hello and hung out. Live long and prosper!!!!!
Thursday, March 05, 2009
DR. MANHATTAN'S GALACTIC PROPHYLACTIC!
Sorry I just found this really amusing and had to post it... It's all over the net and I thought I'd put my 2 cents in. One would say it is marketing genius. Other's would say that it bastardizes the Watchmen "franchise". I however, amongst the Watchmen hype, think its statement/move from DC/Warner Bros. to reduce the population numbers hence preventing urban sprawl and all the social and environmental ills caused. Really, I like the play off Dr. Manhattan. It would serve as a nice accessory to a Dr. Manhattan costume. Never in a (comic adaptation film) have I seen so much wang, but at least it's faithfull to the source material.
Film falls short on a couple plots within the story but I assume they were cut to shorten an already extremely long film. I guess we have the Director's edition to look forward to. The one negative I have is that for a bleak film, Hollywood somehow makes it a somewhat Happy Ending. Even with the comic translating well to film in most instances, the ending falls a little bit short. I can see why Alan Moore doesn't want anything to do with these works. It is what it is.
So if you want the full effect, pick up the Graphic Novel. Alan Moore's gotta eat too!!!
Film falls short on a couple plots within the story but I assume they were cut to shorten an already extremely long film. I guess we have the Director's edition to look forward to. The one negative I have is that for a bleak film, Hollywood somehow makes it a somewhat Happy Ending. Even with the comic translating well to film in most instances, the ending falls a little bit short. I can see why Alan Moore doesn't want anything to do with these works. It is what it is.
So if you want the full effect, pick up the Graphic Novel. Alan Moore's gotta eat too!!!
Monday, March 02, 2009
It's March Already?
Wow, the economy is going to shit. The value of people's homes are going down. Unemployment is at an all time high. Can it get any worse? Hey, happy new year!
I realized I haven't updated my blog since last November and a lot has happened since.
Had a new edition to the family. We got another french bulldog! This time a male. He's a red, black mask frenchie with more of the bulldog tendencies. His name is Brixton, named after the Clash song "Gun's of Brixton". He's really laid back, sweet. Rosie and Brixton are getting along fine. Maybe we'll have puppies by next summer.
Project Earl Grey is coming along slowly but surely. Instead of getting coilovers I opted for OEM lowering springs courtesy of VW. Last upgrade was a Neuspeed rear anti sway bar to reduce the body rolling. I'll put up pictures some day. Next will be either some spacer or a front sway bar. I'm almost at 55k and the car is still holding up.
I've bought a couple games since and I've been playing on and off for the last couple months. On the PS3, I've been playing Pixeljunk's Monsters, which is a simple but fun and addicting tower defense genre game. I find it ironic that most of the games I play on my PS3 is the online ones available on the PSN. But I'm satisfied nonetheless. Just picked up SFIV, and it's pretty good. Still no updates on Gran Turismo.
Last week (2/27) I just went to Wondercon and I brought my wife. It was her first convention of this type. I can tell she didn't have that much fun. (Hint: Don't bring your wife) We did however, get to catch a screening of Watchmen. I've been pretty good about staying away from the reviews and hype so I pretty much got to experience it untainted. Didn't buy much. I just got a 6 issue run of Spiderman and Blackcat written by Kevin Smith and drawn by Terry Dodson. Bought a couple art prints though.
I plan on catching Watchmen again for my friend's bday and then catch Avenue Q in Sac for mines!
I realized I haven't updated my blog since last November and a lot has happened since.
Had a new edition to the family. We got another french bulldog! This time a male. He's a red, black mask frenchie with more of the bulldog tendencies. His name is Brixton, named after the Clash song "Gun's of Brixton". He's really laid back, sweet. Rosie and Brixton are getting along fine. Maybe we'll have puppies by next summer.
Project Earl Grey is coming along slowly but surely. Instead of getting coilovers I opted for OEM lowering springs courtesy of VW. Last upgrade was a Neuspeed rear anti sway bar to reduce the body rolling. I'll put up pictures some day. Next will be either some spacer or a front sway bar. I'm almost at 55k and the car is still holding up.
I've bought a couple games since and I've been playing on and off for the last couple months. On the PS3, I've been playing Pixeljunk's Monsters, which is a simple but fun and addicting tower defense genre game. I find it ironic that most of the games I play on my PS3 is the online ones available on the PSN. But I'm satisfied nonetheless. Just picked up SFIV, and it's pretty good. Still no updates on Gran Turismo.
Last week (2/27) I just went to Wondercon and I brought my wife. It was her first convention of this type. I can tell she didn't have that much fun. (Hint: Don't bring your wife) We did however, get to catch a screening of Watchmen. I've been pretty good about staying away from the reviews and hype so I pretty much got to experience it untainted. Didn't buy much. I just got a 6 issue run of Spiderman and Blackcat written by Kevin Smith and drawn by Terry Dodson. Bought a couple art prints though.
I plan on catching Watchmen again for my friend's bday and then catch Avenue Q in Sac for mines!
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
It's All About Ackbar
Nien Numb. Lobot. Kit Fisto. Countless others... These characters only appear for a couple seconds in the holy trilogy. But among the obscure characters, stands tall: Admiral Ackbar. Admiral Ackbar has always been one of my favorite characters. Severely underrated, but not to be underestimated with his couple cameos in Return of the Jedi, albeit important, he has cemented himself in the pantheon of Star Wars mythos.
The dialogue in the infamous scene in Jedi where Rebel forces come out of a light speed jump during the Death Star Battle Scene has become a popular internet meme as of recent.
He's become fairly popular as of recent due to that famous line. Here's some clips of youtube. This one takes several scenes from different movies.
Here's one mimicking the comedic styles of Benny Hill. Simple, yet amusing.
And the infamous commercial sketch from Robot Chicken.
Cut scene?
Vintage commercial for a special edition Admiral Ackbar figure.
A movie? (It's a trap!)
The dialogue in the infamous scene in Jedi where Rebel forces come out of a light speed jump during the Death Star Battle Scene has become a popular internet meme as of recent.
He's become fairly popular as of recent due to that famous line. Here's some clips of youtube. This one takes several scenes from different movies.
Here's one mimicking the comedic styles of Benny Hill. Simple, yet amusing.
And the infamous commercial sketch from Robot Chicken.
Cut scene?
Vintage commercial for a special edition Admiral Ackbar figure.
A movie? (It's a trap!)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Twitter, technology, life and roses
My friend Sandocious added me... I didn't want to join. But like always, I click the link to check it out. Twitter is a really cool site. Quick way to update folks on what your doing in a quick one -liner. So I haven't really unleashed the power of Twitter by going mobile. I'm fine with logging in online for now. I don't want to be joined at the hip by my phone.
I find myself becoming more and more less a tech junkie as I get old. I don't know if its ineptidude or laziness. I don't want to be controlled by my phone or my computer or whatever electronic device that tells me what to do. A couple months ago I dropped my data plan on my smart phone and traded it in for a simple talkie phone. I guess thats a start. On the other hand, I still go to my facebooks, my myspaces or what not... Why has information been so streamlined and easily accessible and I find myself not caring as much. I tell my friends I feel desensitized to the pleasures of media because of the access. There's no more thrill anymore.
I haven't really done this in a while, I reverted to my former self for a day.
After work, I actually went out and shop. I didn't go on Ebay. I didn't go to Amazon. I didn't download anything. I just went out... drove to Amoeba's. Bought a couple Records, CD's and DVD's. Walked around, bought a new Eastbay shirt at the Cal Store. Even though this may have cost me more money. I got to walk around, breath (semi) fresh air. People watch and interact. And guess, what? I miss it. I can't remember the last time I went down Telegraph.
I guess what people say is true. Sometimes you have to just stop and smell the roses... or my case cornucopia of smells sights and sounds to appreciate the world around you.
When I get home, its back to the daily grind. Download some stuff, read blogs, play some video games and get my news from Google reader. I feel guilty for being such a hippocrite. But tech reigns supreme and in a sense, rules my life. I just hope Skynet doesn't take over...
It was nice to be on the other side and doing things the old fashioned way. Even if they were little things. I reckon I should do this more often.
I find myself becoming more and more less a tech junkie as I get old. I don't know if its ineptidude or laziness. I don't want to be controlled by my phone or my computer or whatever electronic device that tells me what to do. A couple months ago I dropped my data plan on my smart phone and traded it in for a simple talkie phone. I guess thats a start. On the other hand, I still go to my facebooks, my myspaces or what not... Why has information been so streamlined and easily accessible and I find myself not caring as much. I tell my friends I feel desensitized to the pleasures of media because of the access. There's no more thrill anymore.
I haven't really done this in a while, I reverted to my former self for a day.
After work, I actually went out and shop. I didn't go on Ebay. I didn't go to Amazon. I didn't download anything. I just went out... drove to Amoeba's. Bought a couple Records, CD's and DVD's. Walked around, bought a new Eastbay shirt at the Cal Store. Even though this may have cost me more money. I got to walk around, breath (semi) fresh air. People watch and interact. And guess, what? I miss it. I can't remember the last time I went down Telegraph.
I guess what people say is true. Sometimes you have to just stop and smell the roses... or my case cornucopia of smells sights and sounds to appreciate the world around you.
When I get home, its back to the daily grind. Download some stuff, read blogs, play some video games and get my news from Google reader. I feel guilty for being such a hippocrite. But tech reigns supreme and in a sense, rules my life. I just hope Skynet doesn't take over...
It was nice to be on the other side and doing things the old fashioned way. Even if they were little things. I reckon I should do this more often.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Dedication
Man I love the Clash. I just watched Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten. It makes me sad what could have been. Everyone was getting back together. The Sex Pistols. The Ramones. And the Clash... It almost actually happened. So I've been on a Clash rampage lately. Listening to a whole bunch of records. London Calling, Combat Rock, and even Sandinista! (which I don't listen to much) Even listened to some 101'ers and Big Audio Dynamite. For more Joe fixes, I listened to the Mescaleros.
So back to Joe, I get sad when I think of what could have been. And a chance to maybe witness it. It would have been a once in a lifetime kinda thing. No point on wondering on what could have been.
So why the headline? It is what it is. A simple dedication. To whom, you don't need to know. If you know me, then you do know. To this person, I doubt they would read this. If so, please leave me alone.
So back to Joe, I get sad when I think of what could have been. And a chance to maybe witness it. It would have been a once in a lifetime kinda thing. No point on wondering on what could have been.
So why the headline? It is what it is. A simple dedication. To whom, you don't need to know. If you know me, then you do know. To this person, I doubt they would read this. If so, please leave me alone.
Latest Happenings...
Went to Tahoe. Almost drowned. Ate a lot of meat. Gained 4 pounds.
Came back home. I Ran it off. Went back to work. Then I went to Vegas.
I drank a lot. I ate a lot. Saw lots of girls. And drunk some more.
Spent lots of money. And now I'm broke. Now I'm getting married. That ain't no joke.
Came back home. I Ran it off. Went back to work. Then I went to Vegas.
I drank a lot. I ate a lot. Saw lots of girls. And drunk some more.
Spent lots of money. And now I'm broke. Now I'm getting married. That ain't no joke.
Monday, May 19, 2008
RIP Mr. Root
I'm really at a loss. To me he was the real life comic book guy, except cool. He was a really nice guy and always gave me really great recommendations on new books to read. Thanks for opening comic relief. Your legacy will always live on. You are the patron saint of comic book shops. Rest in peace Rory.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Reppin' the V
The past two times I've tried to post I keep getting interrupted and I end up scrapping them. A lot of things going on on my mind. So far it's been a busy '08. I've been checking out the job market and with the current economy I don't think I should leave just yet (although I keep telling myself I will)
My hometown of Vallejo is on the verge of bankruptcy due to contracts with the local public safety union. I would think the problems are a vast combination of things.
1. Bad decisions with the fate of Mare Island.
2. Not enough businesses.
3. High crime rate, and upscaling violence and homicide rates.
4. Current housing market.
5. Costs of public safety (i.e. firemen and policemen working OT)
The list can go on and on but I think these things have to be addressed.
Vallejo wanted MI to be a housing area. MI isn't built for it. It should be commercial/industrial. We don't need more houses people won't buy and probably can not afford. I'm sure the city was banking on people buying up property to cover costs, but with the slow market and dwindling house market, it just couldn't help cover the costs. Vallejo was banking on something they were projecting they would get, but in the end, would never have.
With a booming population, the citizens of Vallejo are spending their money outside of town. Pretty much everywhere except Vallejo. Ironically, everything is 10 minutes to an hour in every direction, and all we have to show is Target and Costco. The downtown is dead, except the days they have the farmers market. And no one dares to walk around at night, especially with crime rates going up. Rival gangs, shootings, drugs dealers and prostitutes are showing up. We're a smaller scale Oakland and an upcoming Richmond. I don't know how our little town can be this bad, considering that we are literally 5 minutes away from each town, all of which are booming, safe and thriving on the business front.
As for Public Safety? Yes it is important. But why should they have to be paid all this extra OT, for partying and what not? I think they should be driving around at night, especially in high crime hotspots to make our town more secure. Like I've said, the list can go on and on. Schools, teachers and education... an actual bookstore... Overpaid city officials that don't do squat. There's alot of needs, but with all the impending budget cuts that are going to happen. I foresee that our little town will be going through a long, deeper slump.
For every positive there's 3 negatives to bring it down. Although the future looks bleak, Vallejo is still my home. And it's where I'm from. I'm still optimistic about some things. I really hope the new mayor can do something, but most of all, I hope the people and citizens of Vallejo will speak their mind and do something to help improve our town.
My hometown of Vallejo is on the verge of bankruptcy due to contracts with the local public safety union. I would think the problems are a vast combination of things.
1. Bad decisions with the fate of Mare Island.
2. Not enough businesses.
3. High crime rate, and upscaling violence and homicide rates.
4. Current housing market.
5. Costs of public safety (i.e. firemen and policemen working OT)
The list can go on and on but I think these things have to be addressed.
Vallejo wanted MI to be a housing area. MI isn't built for it. It should be commercial/industrial. We don't need more houses people won't buy and probably can not afford. I'm sure the city was banking on people buying up property to cover costs, but with the slow market and dwindling house market, it just couldn't help cover the costs. Vallejo was banking on something they were projecting they would get, but in the end, would never have.
With a booming population, the citizens of Vallejo are spending their money outside of town. Pretty much everywhere except Vallejo. Ironically, everything is 10 minutes to an hour in every direction, and all we have to show is Target and Costco. The downtown is dead, except the days they have the farmers market. And no one dares to walk around at night, especially with crime rates going up. Rival gangs, shootings, drugs dealers and prostitutes are showing up. We're a smaller scale Oakland and an upcoming Richmond. I don't know how our little town can be this bad, considering that we are literally 5 minutes away from each town, all of which are booming, safe and thriving on the business front.
As for Public Safety? Yes it is important. But why should they have to be paid all this extra OT, for partying and what not? I think they should be driving around at night, especially in high crime hotspots to make our town more secure. Like I've said, the list can go on and on. Schools, teachers and education... an actual bookstore... Overpaid city officials that don't do squat. There's alot of needs, but with all the impending budget cuts that are going to happen. I foresee that our little town will be going through a long, deeper slump.
For every positive there's 3 negatives to bring it down. Although the future looks bleak, Vallejo is still my home. And it's where I'm from. I'm still optimistic about some things. I really hope the new mayor can do something, but most of all, I hope the people and citizens of Vallejo will speak their mind and do something to help improve our town.
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