T-Minus 64 (East)

My head is seriously about to do one of these with excitedness about moving back to VA.

Housing situation is locked down. It was a little out of whack for a minute, but we’re cool now.   I put my notice in at the “Big O” , as we in the industry call it.  Still don’t have a job in VA though, any help at all would be appreciated! I’m looking into working with a consulting firm, which would mean travelling a decent amount, which is not necessarily a good thing.  I have a couple leads there, but haven’t spoken with anyone yet.  Then again, one of the Wentz’s said he could probably help me at C.H. Robinson.  Something else I need to look into.  Leah starts her job August 11, which happens to be the same day Rancid plays 9:30, just noticed that little fact this morning, we’ll probably have to talk about that.

But seriously…I CAN’T FREAKING WAIT

 

 

New Aquisitions

So I got these last week.

Pretty stoked. Check this post for some more detail. Both are limited to 1000 each.

ISHC is on sweet white with red/black splatter. NFG is on white with red/blue splatter.

I actually started writing this right before we left to head back to VA for a few days and am just now getting back to finishing it. Anyway back to the ‘cords.

The art on both of these is pretty sweet, but in particular the back cover of ISHC has all the dudes fighting different villains. My favorite is Captain Straight Edge (aka Chad Gilbert, Chadball) in the middle throwing madballs at a giant snake.

Since I last wrote in this b9 announced an LA show for NFG and ISHC. May 19, 400 tickets sold, and Leah and I have two of them! Sooooooooooooooooooo hyped. Not sure the last time NFG played a show this small so it’s going to get ccccccrrrrrrrrrrazzzzzzzzzy, and then only two short weeks after that is the H2O record release with ISHC! MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH

First REAL show in a while

I have this theory that 99% of shows are played in front of audiences of 50 or less. I figure the 50 are made up this way:

20% – members of the bands playing and merch guys/girls

5% – friends of the bands

5% – people of no relation to the band that just like the music

5% – friends of the “people of no relation to the band that just like the music”

5% – %people who have no idea what’s going but are there anyway

10% – venue staff (security, bar tenders, etc)

check this sweet chart

I also believe that it is these shows that are the true representation of music, the “real” shows. People playing music and enjoying music just for the sake of music. No hype, no trends, and (most likely) no money. Every band that has ever “made it” had to play far more than their fair share of these and often these end up being the shows with the craziest antics/pranks/stupid stuff.

With that lengthy intro completed, Leah and I attended our first real show in a while on Thursday. Gravemaker, Ill Intent, Masterpiece, Truth Is…, and two other high school bands I don’t remember. We were part of the 5 people who were friends of the bands, as Leah’s friend Bailey (of Figure Four fame) plays bass for Gravemaker, who in fact were actually very good. If you like hardcore, check em out here. They’re way heavy and soon should be up there on tour with the likes of CBK, etc. Andrew from CBK is actually on their new record coming out on Think Fast! July 22nd. Get it. Ill Intent and Masterpiece were both from San Diego. Masterpiece was alright, Ill Intent was good. Both bands were not sober, and pretty funny and awesome. Good times were had by most.

New Acquisitions

Hyped on this! 300 pressed in this color, clear with silver splatter.

Side A: 1995 – Killer song, first time I heard it was a terrible recording and it pretty much sounded awful. Thankfully they reworked and made it awesome. I listened to it about 100 times in a row after I heard it the second time around

Side B: Nothing to Prove – Heard this the first time at bamboozled and was stoked. Roger Miret and Ezac have guest appearances on this song and their parts are pretty legit

Can’t wait for June 6th!

Picked up this jam on ebay. Good addition to my growing Rancid collection. Dude selling it said it was first pressing, but I’m not sure how to prove that. The engravings next to the label are pretty funny on this. On Side A it says “That’s a lot of radios”, Side B says “There’s Two E’s In Feeling”

Gibson picked this up a few years ago when we lived together on Park and then gave it to me for my birthday this year! Thanks Gibson and Robyn!

Happy Birthday to me!

My birthday was on Saturday. We had a crazy awesome, REAL bbq. We bought about 160 cans of pbr (cause out here, cans are cheaper than kegs for some stupid reason) and made 15 lbs of pork shoulder slow smoked over charcoal and 10 lbs of brisket (done in the oven for lack of room on the grill), about 30 ears of corn, 30 twice baked potatoes, guacomole with 20 avocados or something ridiculous, a huge bowl of salsa, and 30 cupcakes. Everything but the meat was made by the wonderful wife!

Thank you to Bryan, Tony, and Colin for my two new friends JD Single Barrel and EW Single Barrel, and for bringing an old friend, KC! You can clearly see which one was opened on Saturday…

New and Improved, Patent Pending

Redesign complete. Old entries kept.

Check the categories

They’re sweet.

XTREME BLOG MAKEOVER

i’m going to start this thing over again. i may or may not keep the first few entries, we’ll see when the redesign is done.

Lows and Highs

Lows:

This is the new death cab song. Holy crap is it bad. When will musicians that I love stop deciding to be “experimental” and “different” and just write good music!!!! The same thing happened with Crime In Stereo and I have now vowed I will never watch them again.

I’m having trouble finding a job in Richmond. Help.

Highs:

Bamboozled was AWESOME.

H2O is the BEST BAND IN HARDCORE. Go here and try to tell me that their new record isn’t going to blow away Go. Not that that is a difficult feat, but I’m hyped. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that need to run around and be stupid through a band’s entire set. They opened with Everready as I knew they would and I was dead with in 30 seconds, but still pushed myself to keep going for the next 30 minutes straight. They played the two songs up on their space and I knew 1995 already from listening to it 100 times in a row after the first time I heard it, so it was still crazy. Jon Wiener was there. That was kind of weird, but cool at the same time. VIRGINIA world wide. MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH

So right after H2O killed it, then Vinnie came on with Set Your Goals (terrible terrible terrible band) to play movielife songs. As we’re walking over so see him, Leah is telling me I need to slow down, and then they start playing I Hope You Die Soon. I’m not sure what happened, but I just started running. I don’t think I knocked anyone over, but it was 30 more minutes of going bonkers.

Then right after that, I got to see 7 seconds for the first time. They were good, but I wish I could have seen them in 82, 83, 84, 85. I bet it was insane. That transitions me perfectly into my next topic…

ummm…seriously. NEW FOUND GLORY PLAYING HARDCORE SONGS.

GENIUS

Not only is the music good, but the lyrics in general are awesome. Chad Gilbert is amazing. Any real hardcore kid can relate to every one of these songs. “Marty Mcfly come pick me up, I need a ride. I want to see what shows were like in 83!” I’ve only thought about this like 900 million times. It’s a sad fact that I wasn’t born until 82. They took down their other song, Captain Straight Edge. That was a good one too. Not as good as Madball Rules though. So hyped. I already ordered the 12″ along with the new NFG 7″ and the new H2O 7″. I seriously can’t wait for those records to come in. AND THEY’RE OPENING THE H2O RECORD RELEASE SHOW AT CHAIN. STAGE DIVES, HIGH FIVES, MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH MOSH

MADBALL RULES
MADBALL RULES
MADBALL RULES

Matri(Cere)mony

last night was the first of three blacklisted record release shows. it was also the first show i’ve been to by myself in well over two years. kind of awkward. especially when ceremony covered california uber alles again and i couldn’t participate because i was holding newly purchased vinyl. over all it was an excellent show and i have three new records and a shirt to prove it.

so matrimony is a song on the new blacklisted record about how the singer (George) doesn’t understand why everyone wants to get married and how he can never picture himself making his life that much a part of someone else’s. basically he said that he’s too selfish to care about anyone much more than himself. at least he realizes it. i think now that i’m married, when people talk bad about marriage i get more offended than i used to. it’s something i believe in, that God has given to us as a gift and it should be treated as such. the new guy at work, has been with his girlfriend for 4 years and lives with her and is still acting like he’s not going to marry her anytime soon, and jokes about it all the time, and it kinda drives me nuts. i keep telling him he’s going to, and that he just needs to do it, but he just keeps putting it off. i just think it’s kinda stupid. just man up and do the right thing. grow up a little bit. not too much just a little bit. ugh, i shouldn’t say that. i never want to grow up. i’m a toys r us kid.

it rules.

hello worldwideweb

like i said when i first started this blog, it was something to take up my time while i was bored at work. now that i’m no longer bored at work, the entries will be few and far far far far far between.

i got a raise. finally. came through on friday. my boss doesn’t hate me quite so much. he’s also taking me and a couple of other guys snowboarding tomorrow. stoked. no work. i don’t have to use vacation/sick hours and i’m going riding. for free. it rules.

leah’s switch to day shift has been awesome. i have way more opportunities to do things for her and she’s in much much much better moods. it rules.

i went surfing yesterday and it was fun. i went with a couple of guys from church that are cool and i will greatly miss when we move back. i’m kind of in the middle as far as skill goes among us (one guy is way better, one is a little worse) so i feel no pressure to catch 100 waves like i do when i’m out with will or other people i might surf with. i plan on going much more. it rules.

i’ve been to a bunch of shows lately. which have been mostly good. i saw the comeback kid and crime in stereo last night. cbk was good as usual, although i can’t stand their last record, but cis is pretty much terrible. their first two albums and ep were good, but the last record, man….it’s just not good. too many stupid guitar effects and “experimental” vocals. stop trying to be brand new and just play hardcore. please. anyway, i saw dan from denver, and leah got to see bailey and andrew, whom she hadn’t seen in years. dan is moving here next month so hopefully we’ll hang out more. it rules.

i’ve been reading my bible a lot lately. God is not something i have really mentioned in here before, but i am now. i’ve been praying for a long time that God would give me the desire to want to study more and be more concious of everything He does for us, and I lately I’ve felt like my prayer has been answered. it rules.

a little over 4 months until we move back to RVA.

IT RULES.