Fear Factory - 5/3/2016 - San Francisco

I was introduced to Fear Factory when i was in high school. I was a relative newcomer to the world of heavy metal, with natural starting points of Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, etc, but hadn't expanded much farther yet. Then i became friends with another metal fan in marching band, and he brought me on board with (among others) Cannibal Corpse and Fear Factory.

Fear Factory's (then latest) album Demanufacture grabbed me *immediately*. First hook was the machine-gun drumming synchronized perfectly with fast guitar riffing (i'd never heard anything like it before, and being a drummer myself i was particularly amazed at the speed and precision). Then the angry vocals. And finally, the melodies and lyrics. Songs about rising up against oppression, dealing with anger & isolation, man vs machine - perfect content for an angry, misunderstood teenager.

I soon picked up their debut, Soul of a New Machine (and practically mainlined the album), as well as the EP, Fear is the Mindkiller. By the time their next album, Obsolete, dropped, i had their entire catalogue in heavy rotation. I also had the pleasure of seeing them play live a few times (once at Ozzfest '97, once as the main support for Slayer in '98).

As the years went on, i meandered through different musical spaces, sometimes spending months or even years away from metal. But i kept coming home to metal, and especially to "Demanufacture" (even though i'd otherwise lost track of Fear Factory during the 2000s). Some of my other favorite albums from high school feel flat or played out now, but Demanufacture still feels as fresh and powerful as ever. I can still spin it end-to-end and never get bored. It is a *flawless* album; easily on my top 10 list of all-time favorites.

So when Fear Factory announced that they'd be celebrating the 20 (!) year anniversary of Demanufacture by playing the entire album straight through on tour, i knew i had to go. I made a pact with a good friend (another huge FF fan) - we'd each go solo to the FF shows in our respective towns, and then compare/contrast our experiences.

...

I arrived at Slim's around 20h30, so i'd missed OmniKage's set (new band from Italy; the first of the four bands on the bill). I've grown to find large bills tiring (for me, 3 bands is ideal), but i'd enjoyed the little of OnmiKage's music i'd heard, so i was bummed to have missed them. Hopefully will catch them another time.

I found a spot on the main floor to watch the screen and wait for the next band. Slim's pulls down a screen in front of the stage between sets and projects music videos and clips from classic movies & tv shows for attendees to watch while waiting. Very nice touch. Also interesting because the soundsystem plays whatever the crew has on, so it's always an interesting juxtaposition. Tonight the mix included clips from Evil Dead 2, an old Wonder Woman episode, and Reservior Dogs - with a heavy metal mix coming out the speakers. At one point there was some 80s pop video on top of a Motorhead song.

Screen up, lights off, Spades and Blades. These guys have huge energy on stage and a solid sound, but don't quite strike my fancy. Part of the problem was that the mix was awful; could barely hear anything other than bass and vocals. But moreover, i just don't enjoy hardcore very much. These guys blend in some metalcore elements as well, but overall it's not my cup of tea.

Also, the frontman (like many others) kept demanding mosh pits and circle pits for every song, which i find annoying. I love me a good mosh pit, but i'm a purist - it has to happen organically. As the frontman, you can get away with asking for a pit maybe once or twice during your set, but not every five minutes.

On the other hand, i did enjoy a moment near the end of their set where he followed up the requisite "Is anybody here to see SOILWORK? And how about FEAR FACTORYYYY?" with a genuine, "We want to thank these guys for bringing us out on tour, and treating us like *family* for the past six weeks." I've heard some horror stories about opening bands getting treated badly on tour, so i'm always glad to hear when bands have good experiences and are treated well by the headliners. Overall, props to these guys for going all out for their set.

Next up was Soilwork. I was familiar with some of their older work, but lost track of them after the early 2000s. They nailed their set too, but i lost focus halfway through. I just felt off, and wasn't able to rev it up without being familiar with the songs (also, the mix still wasn't very good). I did enjoy their performance of "Nerve" (great track from '05), and there was an awesome surprise when Chuck Billy from Testament (!!!) rolled up and joined them for a song. Fuckin' awesome. Also, i spotted the entire lineup from OmniKage rocking out near the front of the floor. It hit me - i (and most fans, i'd guess) view the bands on stage as famous rock stars, but it's easy to forget that newer bands like these kids grew up listening to the same legends that we did, and are genuinely excited to see them play live. I can only imagine how it feels to share a bill with these bands.

Anyway, Soilwork wrapped up their last song, and mentioned that they'd be back on a headlining tour this fall. Maybe i'll try to catch up on their newer work and come see them again; they really are a solid band. I grabbed a drink and staked out a good spot on the floor, watching the next round of video clips up on the screen.

...

Finally, the lights went down, the audience roared, and the familiar intro of "Demanufacture" started up. Then the double-kick drumming that first ensnared me when i was 16 years old and never let go. Then Dino added his fast guitar riffing, and the excitement grew as the synth layers built up. Such an epic way to start a show (and an album). Starts decisively, and keeps building up. Burton stormed onto the stage, eased in with the opening lines, "Desensitized by the values of life..." as the crowd waited for the drop...then BAM! "REVENGE! SO STRONG! TASTE IT ON MY TONGUE!!!" I lost it - charged forward through the floor, singularized with the vortex, and ended up surprisingly close to the front. I was maybe 5 feet away from Burton, all of us screaming along with the lyrics. MAN that felt good.

Most of the Demanufacture playthrough is blurring together in my mind. I turned off deliberate thought and just surrendered to the sound and let the experience wash over me. I'll try to pull out some details:

"Self-Bias Resistor" was my #1 catharsis of the evening. Even though i've outgrown teenage rage and oppression, the song so perfectly captured those sentiments back then, my enjoyment & appreciation are hardcoded. Back then, it was so comforting - riffs/rhythm/lyrics that overwhelmingly expressed how i felt. So hearing the song now, played full-force to perfection (Burton & Dino went all out) brought back that feeling of relief that someone else "gets it".

During the intro of "Zero Signal", i stole an idea my friend had mentioned and yelled "MORTAL KOMBAAAT!". The crowd cranked it up and sang along as the band played this with fury. Next, they took it up another notch with "Replica", and then kept it going as Burton led us in chanting, "We! Are! The 'New Breed'! We! Are! The Future!" and launched into yet another fan favorite.

Which brought us to "Dog Day Sunrise". Solid performance, and a welcome chance to catch my breath after holding my ground against nonstop shoving and mosh pit ejectees. The energy level of the crowd mellowed out, with this slower, more atmospheric track after the intensity of the first five songs.

But then the energy level seemed to crash altogether during "Body Hammer". I'm guessing a lot of attendees were mostly just familiar with the hits, or the first half of Demanufacture. (Or just wanted fast songs to mosh to.) It's a solid track on the disc, but felt a little off in the live setting. They played the song well enough, but it seems like the room was collectively waiting for the next song to pick it back up.

Which "Flashpoint" did. Slow climb to rebuild the intensity, but by the time we got to "Lies sink in like gasoline!", the pit (such that it was) spun back up to an intense ending, collectively yelling "Damned! In Flames!" Back to 100% for "H-K (Hunter-Killer)", another crowd pleaser. It occurred to me that there are a lot of singalong/anthem passages on this disc, not the least of which is "I...AM...A CRIMINAL!"

[Sidebar: It's natural to wish for the original lineups of favorite bands, but life happens and lineups change. I had walls full of drummer posters and magazine tear-outs in my dorm rooms, including Raymond Herrera. But i have to say, Mike Heller is fucking rock solid, and forms a killer rhythm section with long-running metaler Tony Campos on bass.]

"Pisschrist" is one of my top 3 songs from the album, and seemed that the audience felt the same. Again, no coherent thought; i've been hooked on this riff & rhythm since the dawn of my heavy metal days, and i just rode the waves of pure energy of this live performance. I'd seen them play this one in concert before, but there's just no comparison to being on the front row with this song as the pinnacle of the full album played live.

By the time they got into "A Therapy For Pain", the audience was maxed out from the intensity of this experience. I definitely welcomed welcomed this slow, moody, atmospheric conclusion of the set and the album. As with the other highlights of the album, Burton *really* brought it - empathetically conducting the instrumentation with both arms, putting everything he had into his singing. [Side note - it amazes me that some of the best screamer/growlers also have fantastic singing voices. Burton has the dual-vocal gift, in good company with guys like Corey Taylor, Howard Jones, and Mikael Stanne.] The meat of the song wrapped up, and the band members left the stage and let the long outro of synthesizers & effects close out the set.

...

Brief break with nonstop cheering & screaming, and it felt like no time at all before the band stormed back onto the stage and launched into "What Will Become?", snapping the audience back into action. I have mixed feelings about the Digimortal album, but they really drove this song home. Definitely taken up a notch when played live.

Next was "Archetype", my personal favorite from the transitional era. This was during my years away from the band, except for one highlight when i stumbled onto this song on a compilation disc, and remembered "Oh yeah, FEAR FACTORY!" Finally caught up with this album years later, after finding my way back to the band. Another fan favorite, everyone singing along with "OPEN YOUR EYES!"

The band didn't take a lot of breaks - especially in the first set, they powered through song after song (presumably because there's no introduction needed for what they were doing). But they broke for a minute here, and Burton said "We've been playing a lot of old songs tonight. Is anyone here familiar with our new album, 'Genexus'?" "YEAAAAH!" from the audience. "Well we appreciate that, since your support is what allows us to keep going. Do you guys want to hear some new songs?" "FUCK YEAH!"

With that, the band tore into a pair of brand new tracks. "Soul Hacker" showcases some of the nu elements from the Digimortal era, but is very hard hitting in a contemporary FF vein. "Regenerate" is just an amazing song, straight up; all of the best elements of Fear Factory, plus the added bonus of the live energy - definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

I think everyone knew what was coming next - the ultra-heavyweight one-two punch from Obsolete: "Shock" and "Edgecrusher". The audience was in an absolute frenzy at this point, jumping, thrashing, screaming along with the lyrics. During one of these two (i can't remember which), the guys from Spades and Blades came out on stage to dance & headbang, and their vocalist grabbed a spare mic and joined Burton on the chorus. Like family, indeed!

At this point i was so saturated with music and adrenaline, i barely understood what Burton was saying. But then the familiar grind/thrash intro started up, and my first thought was "Fuck, this is 'Martyr' - the show can't be over already!" I quickly recovered and thrashed out the song with the rest of the front row, screaming out when Burton held the mic out to us, "I GOT TO GET AWAYYYY!", and overflowing into oblivion one last time.

...

The show concluded, the house lights came on, the background music started ("Never Gonna Give You Up" - the road crew Rockrolled us), and the floor started to drain. I stayed up on the boards, hoping for a high-five or maybe a pick. The band members made their exits, Dino tossed out a few picks, then folded the last setlist in half, tossed it out, and i GRABBED it out of the air! Half-expecting to get tackled for it, i crumpled it to my chest like a football and looked around, but it was all mine. A big, bearded fan standing behind me clapped me on the shoulder and said, "You deserve that, brother!" "Thanks!" i replied, then saw what shirt he was wearing and added "Cannibal Corpse, YEAH! That was my first death metal band!" So appropriate, since i was introduced to CC and FF in tandem, and both blew my mind wide open to the possibilities of heavy music.

I stopped by the merch booth to buy a copy of Genexus and a tour shirt. I'm so glad that merch booths have started stocking t-shirts in size small (and decent fabric quality to boot). Clutching my new cd, shirt, and setlist in both hands like a kid hauling buried treasure, i strode out the front door, headed to my car, and drove home. (Ended up driving over the bay bridge for the first time in my life. That felt appropriate too.)

...

Conclusion: Absolutely rock-solid show from Fear Factory tonight. I came in with high hopes, and they not only delivered, but strenuously exceeded. Easily one of my all-time favorite concerts.

This show made me remember that it's important to support your favorite bands - especially their new material and shows - to make sure they're able to continue creating this music that means so much to us. I'm going back and buying all of their albums i don't already have, and i'll catch them on tour whenever they come around again. Looking forward to next time!

1994

1994 was a pivotal year for me in terms of music. In fact, it was possibly the most consequential year of my young life - with respect to music specifically, and myself in general. I continued to evolve over the years that followed, but '94 was the beginning of it all.

Sophomore year of high school was when i finally started to come into my own and leave behind the awkward, uncertain kid who got bullied or ridiculed by almost everyone. I finally realized that i didn't have to be that person anymore. I changed my image, i adjusted my attitude; i embraced the best and the worst of the intensity of teenage emotions. And i discovered a burning passion for music - something i genuinely loved on my own terms (not just trying to be cool or fit in by copying other kids). I'd played in band since 7th grade, but mid high school was when i switched from brass to my true calling in percussion. And by an immensely fortunate coincidence, this was right around the time the grunge/alternative/whatever-you-want-to-call-it movement exploded and took over everything. After years of seeing music as something passive (listen to whatever was on 96.3, or whatever the other kids said was cool), i realized that it's possible for music to actually resonate and mean something.

...

I wish i could say i was all into the Big Four back then, but i was really only into Nirvana. I liked Soundgarden just fine, but didn't explore beyond their singles until years later. Ditto Alice In Chains; one of my closest friends was a huge fan, but i was behind the curve myself. As for Pearl Jam, i remember getting so fed up with their overplayed singles, i'd change the station whenever they came on. I eventually came to enjoy their first three albums when i was in college (and even wrote a term paper based partly on their social activism). I still haven't worked through the rest of their catalogue (it's on my musical to-do list); but i have, at least, traced their rock-and-roll lineage back through Temple of the Dog => Mother Love Bone => Green River.

In fact, i found out years after the fact that true "grunge" had started years earlier, and was already ending by the time i caught on. And "alternative" had become mainstream, but we hadn't stopped calling it "alternative" yet. Indeed, many of my favorite bands came out of the post-grunge/power-pop-with-downtuned-guitars persuasion, or other styles which happened to come along for the ride. Whatever. It changed my life, and i'm grateful for that.

I can't remember exactly when i picked up which albums, but i remember having a little cd rack containing "In Utero", "Siamese Dream", "The Downward Spiral", "Core", "Smash", "Get A Grip, and "Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid." [Again, not really "grunge", but these bands were all part of the larger experience.] I was also starting to notice Metallica, Pantera, and Megadeth on the radio, but didn't get full force into metal until a year or two later. [Also on the rack were Ace of Base, Mariah Carey, Jurassic Park, and the Animaniacs soundtrack; but that's a different blog post. Oh yeah, and Meat Loaf!]

I remember the rides home after marching band practice in my friend's car, and singing along with Green Day, Counting Crows, Better Than Ezra ("ah WAH-OW!"), and The Offspring ("You gotta keep 'em sepa-RATED!").

I remember the bandroom was a *goldmine* for musical discoveries. The students were given free reign over the stereo outside of class periods, and that's how i was introduced to Rage Against The Machine, The Crow soundtrack, Soul Asylum, and Beck. And it's also where i finally developed a proper appreciation for Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I remember feeling shocked and confused when Kurt died. This was before the internet and easy access to news; i got my updates from radio DJs and the hallways at school - not a reliable source of information. I was confused when the Unplugged album dropped and acoustic live cuts filled the airwaves. I didn't have MTV; i didn't know what Unplugged was. I didn't know that it had been recorded and aired a year earlier; i thought it was a (new) live concert. So if Kurt was gone, how was it possible for the band to be performing? One friend convinced me that the band had already replaced him with a lookalike/soundalike. Looking back, it's hard to believe that i believed that, but i did. For a while.

I remember sitting in my room late at night playing Siamese Dream on repeat (and sometimes just "Mayonaise" on repeat) for hours on end, zoned out with the soothing comfort of heavy guitars and distortion.

I remember going to my first concert (Aerosmith with Collective Soul opening) with one of my closest friends, sitting not only up in the bleeds, but *behind* the damn stage. Couldn't see a damn thing, but it was still amazing.

All of these memories, and so many more lost to the ages. The beginning of my personal evolution, elements which changed my life and still help me to this day.

...

I started writing this near the beginning of this year with the intent of starting a year-long project to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of 1994 and mark that time in music and life. But the time, as it does, has gone by and now there are only two weeks left in 2014. Maybe i'll carry this into next year, and combine it with a 1995 retrospective (which itself brought a series life-shaping events). Ideas for the project include:

• Revisit old albums from '94 which have been collecting dust
• Seek out more bands from the early 90s which i missed the first time around
• Learn more songs from that timeframe to add to my acoustic repertoire
• Write specific journal entries or blog posts covering any notable thoughts resulting from the above

I've actually been revisiting 90s music for years now, sporadically hitting the items above, and modern tools (ironically, perhaps) make it wonderfully easy. YouTube is a goldmine of old tv performances by bands, as well as VHS concert recordings thankfully digitized and uploaded by fans (and allowed to stay up by the copyright owners). Streaming services make it easy to pull up ignored or forgotten albums. Wikipedia provides biographies and discographies which were hard to come by back then. And Amazon, of course, is the easiest place to find old cds (many of which are sadly out of print, but still available to buy used).

So in a way it's just more of the same, this "20 years later" project, but i thought a more deliberate and focused effort would be meaningful and fun.

If anyone has bands to recommend or stories to share, i am definitely interested.

Mayonaise [new video]

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of Siamese Dream, i'd like to share my cover of my favorite Smashing Pumpkins song.  As usual, this is a work-in-progress (both the playing and the recording setup), and constructive feedback is welcome.




(Here's a link if the video didn't embed properly in your newsreader)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSv3l6lSr8s

---

The story

Siamese Dream is always on my shortlist whenever the topic of lifechanging or coming-of-age albums comes up. It was one of the first albums i ever bought, and one of the few which has held up over the years - i can listen to it today and enjoy all of the songs on their own merits (in addition to the warm fuzzy feelings of nostalgia they can sometimes evoke).

As is often the case, the album's impact had a lot to do with timing.  1993/1994 brought a number of beginnings for me.  I was just starting to develop a true love for music.  I was starting to get into rock and metal in earnest.  And i was starting to come into my own, going through the development/discovery of identity (and related emotional processing) that many teenagers go through.

The Smashing Pumpkins were one of many bands who gel'd with this emergence, part of the alternative movement which coincided with this pivotal time for me. I know that "real" "grunge" was over by that point (emphasis on the quotation marks), but alternative rock as a whole was still in full swing, and the eventual post-grunge saturation and backlash hadn't (in my opinion) gained critical mass yet.

I remember hearing Disarm, Today, and Cherub Rock on the radio, and enjoying the songs enough to want to buy the cd.  (Buying a cd was a big deal back then, mainly due to the limited budget of a broke high school kid (this was before i discovered cheap discs via BMG's mail order service).)  Siamese Dream was a welcome addition to my tiny collection, and kept good company with the likes of In Utero, Core, Get A Grip, Bat out of Hell II, and the black album.

Naturally, when you only own 10 cds, you listen to the same albums over and over again, and eventually some of them get played out.  Siamese Dream, however, was one of the albums i never got tired of, even after weeks and months (and eventually, years) of constant play.

Through that constant play, I found myself slowly gravitating to track #9, often repeating the song multiple times, or skipping straight to that one and letting the rest of the album cycle around it.  Some nights i'd just put that one song on repeat for hours, letting the waves of distortion and emotion carry me away.  I didn't really listen to lyrics back then, so i didn't notice what he was singing about; it was just the *feel* of the song that was so compelling; heavy thrum offset by sweet melodies, gloomy and sad, but somehow peaceful and soothing.

Mayonaise is one of those songs i keep coming back to.  Even now, 20 years later, there are times when there's nothing else i feel like hearing.

2012 California Ballot Propositions

There are eleven statewide ballot measures in California for the November, 2012 election. Many of them can be tricky to fully understand, and the arguments for and against tend to be selective and (in some cases) misleading. Even worse, our airwaves and mailboxes are saturated with ads, many of which which are similarly misleading.

I have put a great deal of research into the ballot props: I have listened to debates on all of the measures (thanks to KQED's excellent morning discussion show, Forum); i've looked up history, read news & blogs, and (perhaps most importantly) followed the money (which often reveals who is actually behind the curtain). I thought i'd share what i've come up with, in hopes of helping other California voters. I won't try to summarize all of the arguments or all of the details of the measures (for that, please refer to the resources at the end of this post), but instead focus on the "ah-ha!" aspects which i found to be most compelling.

Disclaimer: These are my personal stances on these issues. While i would urge you to join me in voting the respective measures up or down, you should do your own research if you disagree with me and make the best decision that you can. Please, just dig deeper than what the ads are saying. If you really think i'm off base on some of these, i'll listen to civil discussion (emphasis on *civil*).

Here's my cheat sheet; i'll go into details for my positions below.

YES	Prop 30	Jerry Brown's Tax Increase for Education
NO	Prop 31	Two-Year Budget Cycle
NO	Prop 32	Ban on corporate and union contributions to state and local candidates
NO	Prop 33	Car insurance rates can be based on a person's history of insurance coverage
YES	Prop 34	"End the Death Penalty"
YES	Prop 35	Increased Penalties for Human Trafficking and Sex Slavery
YES	Prop 36	Modification of the "Three Strikes" Law
YES	Prop 37	Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food
NO	Prop 38	Molly Munger's State Income Tax Increase for Education
YES	Prop 39	Income Tax Increase for Multistate Businesses
YES	Prop 40	Referendum on the State Senate Redistricting Plan

...

YES on Prop 30 - Jerry Brown's Tax Increase for Education

First, an intro to the two education funding measures. #30 and #38 are competing measures - only one can win. If both are approved by voters, only the one with the highest number of votes will go into effect. Both are well-intentioned and will provide money for schools, but given that we can have only one, #30 is the way to go.

#30 is Gov Jerry Brown's measure; it will balance the state budget and protect funding for schools, and will pay for it with a small sales tax increase for everyone (0.25%) and income tax increases for individuals making more than $250k/year. Furthermore, the current CA state budget is contingent on #30 being approved. If #30 is rejected, trigger cuts of 6 billion dollars will be slashed from K-12 and community colleges, as well as the UC and CSU systems.

#38 is from billionaire Molly Munger. #38 will NOT balance the state budget. If #38 wins, the 6 billion dollar trigger cuts WILL go into effect. And the funding for #38 would come from income tax increases for EVERYONE (not just top income earners as with #30). So i'm voting YES on #30 and NO on #38.

...

NO on Prop 31 - Two-Year Budget Cycle

There's a lot going on with this one, but i think the cons outweigh the pros. The biggest turnoffs for me are (A) The legislature can't even pass a 1-year budget on time; how are they going to work out a budget for 2 years at once? (B) i don't like the idea of giving unilateral power to the governor (even if it's only under certain conditions), and (C) i don't like the idea of allowing local authorities to ignore state laws (e.g. environmental regulations for clean air and water). Our budget process is already a mess, and this seems to just complicate things further.

...

NO on Prop 32 - Ban on corporate and union contributions to state and local candidates

This is basically a bunch of billionaires and super-PACs attacking unions. This measure would ban unions from supporting political candidates, but allow super-PACs and the other sponsors of this measure to continue doing just that. The Citizens United Supreme Court decision was bad enough; this would only make things worse.

...

NO on Prop 33 - Car insurance rates can be based on a person's history of insurance coverage

This measure is straight up bullshit. This one is paid for almost entirely by George Joseph, billionaire founder of Mercury Insurance. So we have a ballot measure about car insurance laws pushed & funded by an insurance kingpin - who do you think this would benefit?

It gets even richer. Back in 1988, CA voters passed Prop 103 which placed restrictions on insurance companies and lowered rates for everyone. Not only did George Joseph try to stop #103, as soon as it passed he started trying to get it repealed, blocked from implementation, and undermined. He was even busted for violating that law. Back in 2010 he tried to pass a measure almost exactly the same as this one, and we appropriately voted it down. We didn't let him get away with it then, and there is absolutely no reason to let him get away with it now.

...

YES on Prop 34 - "End the Death Penalty"

Bottom line: This would abolish the death penalty in California and save a ton of money.

Our prison system is messed up; overcrowded and strapped for cash. It costs a LOT of money to house inmates on death row - after convicted, they sit on death row for 20+ years while working their way through the legal system with of appeal after appeal after appeal. Moral issues regarding capital punishment aside, how is this any better than life in prison? This measure would also redirect money to law enforcement. I mean, we already busted these bad guys - lets stop wasting time & money on 20 years of court proceedings; let them rot in prison and instead focus on going after the murders and rapists who are still out on the streets.

...

YES on Prop 35 - Increased Penalties for Human Trafficking and Sex Slavery

Stricter penalties for human trafficing (both sex trafficking and labor trafficking - yes, slave labor still exists in the United States today). Also adds protections for victims of human trafficking. From the legislative analyst:

"The measure prohibits the use of evidence that a person was involved in criminal sexual conduct (such as prostitution) to prosecute that person for that crime if the conduct was a result of being a victim of human trafficking. The measure also makes evidence of sexual conduct by a victim of human trafficking inadmissible for the purposes of attacking the victim's credibility or character in court. In addition, this measure disallows certain defenses in human trafficking cases involving minors. For example, a defendant could not claim as a defense being unaware of the minor's age."

In other words, we're trying to go after the pimps (the real criminals) and not the prostitutes whom the pimps were coercing and taking advantage of.

...

YES on Prop 36 - Modification of the "Three Strikes" Law

This is a tricky one. The "Three Strikes" Law means each time you're busted for a criminal offense, you might get a "strike" on your record; after your third strike you go to jail for 25-to-life.

On one hand, sure, come down hard on repeat offenders. Provide an incentive to clean up your act (if you already have two strikes, maybe you'll be scared straight). If someone keeps commiting crimes, stop giving them more chances.

But here's the problem - this law has been abused a great deal with strikes handed out for petty offenses like shoplifting, sometimes two strikes handed out at once. Maybe instead of getting scared straight, you'll think you have nothing to lose and just go crazy (commit a *really* serious crime, attack police officers if they find you, etc).

We're dealing with overcrowded prison systems, budget issues, and the highest recidivism rate in the country. Our current system is NOT working. It's been suggested that we might do better by getting rid of things like Three Strikes and instead follow other states' example of investing more in things like substance abuse programs, therapy, job training, etc, to help released inmates get onto a better track.

...

YES on Prop 37 - Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food

I want to know what's in my food. I'll spare you my rant on how companies like Monsanto are polluting the environment, poisoning all of us, and using their power to write U.S. laws to compromise food safety in favor of their own profits. Instead i'll keep it simple:

Many countries around the world - including China, Japan, India, and most of Europe - already require labeling of GMO foods. American suppliers already have to label the food they export to these countries. I just want them to provide the same labeling on food they sell to us here in the US.

...

NO on Prop 38 - Molly Munger's State Income Tax Increase for Education

Please see my notes above regarding #30 and #38 as competing measures.

...

YES on Prop 39 - Income Tax Increase for Multistate Businesses

This one will close a tax loophole which was put in at the last minute of the farce that is California budget negotiations; it'll level the playing field by making multistate businesses pay corporate income taxes the same way that CA-only businesses do. Opponents are spinning the same "job creators" rhetoric which i don't think holds much water. All companies should pay income taxes the same way; i feel that we shouldn't have an unequal system to coddle certain companies. Continuing that policy out of fear that they'll move to other states is like preemptively giving the bully your lunch money every day.

...

YES on Prop 40 - Referendum on the State Senate Redistricting Plan

Sigh. The opponents of this one have dropped their case, but there is no way to remove a ballot measure once it's on there, so we still have to vote YES.

CA voting districts are redrawn every 10 years based on census results. In 2008, voters approved an independent commission to take over the redrawing of the lines (instead of the former partisan spaghetti mess). Republicans wanted to block the newly-drawn voting districts from being used for the 2012 elections. The California Supreme Court ruled that the new districts WILL be used for these elections, so the Republicans dropped their position on this measure.

The work is done and the results already being used. Nobody opposes this measure anymore. YES on #40 so we can move on with our lives.

...

Resources

Ballotpedia is a great source for ballot info, history, and (very important) lists of donors and how much money they contributed.
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_2012_ballot_propositions

And KQED Forum dedicates episodes to each of the ballot measures for every election. They bring in supporters and opponents for each measure to debate on the air, and allow listeners to join with questions and comments. Listening to these programs has helped me immensely in understanding the measures. Look for the "Forum analysis" link at the bottom of each ballot prop's section in KQED's election guide - this'll get you to the podcast for that debate.

KQED election guide
http://www.kqed.org/news/politics/election2012/statepropositions-guide.jsp

Ronnie James Dio [1942-2010]

[This started out as an email but i decided to post it here instead. It's not intended to be a biography of the late great Dio (refer to wikipedia or countless other blogs for that), but just a tribute in the form of an introduction and some thoughts.]

I'm a little bummed out today because i found out that Ronnie James Dio died of cancer this weekend. If you're not familiar with Dio, he's one of the legendary singers of heavy metal history. He played in a series of great bands in the 60s and 70s (including Elf and Rainbow), then joined Black Sabbath after Ozzy was kicked out in 1979. And if you're not familiar with Black Sabbath, they're one of the forefathers of the entire heavy metal genre. (Led Zeppelin is the other one.) After Sabbath and Zeppelin came Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and others, followed by Metallica with the "Big Four" of thrash and others, and the progression only continued from there with so many other awesome bands and subgenres. Actually right now is an interesting time because you can go out and see about four generations of metal bands, sometimes sharing the same bill. Oh, and to clarify - i used the word "after"; it's not an order of succession, but more like new members joining a family. But i digress.

Dio had some huge shoes to fill, taking Ozzy's place in the legendary Black Sabbath, but he friggin stepped up and created his own era of legend with the band. He then ventured off to start his own band, called Dio. I'm sure at some point or another you've heard Holy Diver or Rainbow In The Dark (the two Dio songs which are still played on mainstream radio today). There was some back and forth over the years with Black Sabbath reuniting with Dio in the early-90s for a short time, then back with Ozzy in the mid/late-90s (i had the fortune of seeing that reunion live several times myself). But Ozzy continued doing his own stuff, and various issues prevented the band from recording new material together. So about 4 years ago they joined up with Dio again, this time calling the band "Heaven and Hell" (named after the first album they did with Dio back in 1979), recorded some new material, and embarked on a series of successful tours. (And yes, i'm oversimplifying all of this; there were many lineup changes and different incarnations; for more information on Black Sabbath consult your school library.)

For years and years all i've heard is how nice a guy Dio is and how hard he works. I mean Ozzy is a legend of his own, but he struggled so much with drugs and alcohol (that's why he was fired from Sabbath, actually) and that really cut into his music. Dio, on the other hand; i read somewhere that during his entire time with Black Sabbath he was never late for a gig and never missed a rehearsal. His voice is unique and powerful; often imitated, but nobody can really sing like him. Actually i think whenever any comedian belts out some hilariously overblown vocals, they're usually imitating Dio. Prime example: Jack Black.

Another interesting legacy is that Dio was the one who popularized the "devil horns" gesture which is now ubiquitous in rock and metal circles. He said he got it from his Italian grandmother who used the gesture to ward off evil spirits. It's also similar to the sign for "love" in ASL.

Like many other music legends, i'm only now starting to catch up with Dio's amazing work. Just a few months ago i started cutting playlists on grooveshark and dropped a couple of Dio compilations into my Amazon cart to buy eventually. (Now i feel like a toolbag, joining the sales spike of a musician upon their death, but i was going to pick them up anyway, dammit.)

Anyway, thanks for listening to my little music history lesson for the day. I guess this is part of getting older - waking up every couple of days and finding out that someone else i knew or admired died. I'll leave you with a few of my favorite songs.

Time Machine (Dio-era Black Sabbath) from the Wayne's World soundtrack. This is actually the first Black Sabbath song i ever heard.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQv0GEeaJrk


Rainbow In The Dark (Dio). This one was the source of an ongoing debate between my old roommate and me. Every time we heard it on the radio he'd insist that it was Randy Rhoads while i maintained it was the Scorpions. (And this was pre-internet so we couldn't just look it up.) Obviously we were both wrong.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmSt1oEIshE


Stars (Hear'n Aid). I can't resist dropping this one in here because it demonstrates that wherever there's metal, Dio will be there. I was just thinking about this the other day - it was the response from the heavy metal guys who weren't invited to Live Aid in 1985. (i.e. "Oh yeah? Well we'll have our *own* benefit concert. With blackjack. And hookers.")


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZktrrqT1A0


Oh, one more. Live recording of The Mob Rules - Dio-era Sabbath, performed here by Heaven and Hell.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rajfsx0sUnU


Rock on, brother \m/

Ronnie James Dio [1942-2010]

Story of a Lost Kitty

Around 07:30 Saturday morning my phone rang with Jen's ringtone. I knew that something had to be wrong for her to be calling that early in the morning, so i braced myself and answered.

Jen (upset): "Avalou got out last night and i don't know where she is."
Me (fumbling for my glasses): "She squeezed out through the window?"
Jen (more upset): "Yeah."
Me (rolling out of bed): "I'm on my way; we'll find her."

Avalou is Jen's adorable little kitty (and in Jen's own words, her baby). She's one of the most loveable cats i've ever met; i'm not really an animal person (and i'm allergic to cats) but she still managed to win me over. So Jen was understandably upset that Squish (aka Avalou aka Squishy Girl - she has many names) was lost, and i of course threw on some clothes and ran out the door (after making coffee to take along).

Arrived at Jen's and commenced the search. Squish has always been an indoor cat so we figured (hoped) she hadn't gone far. We slowly combed her apartment complex, checking all of the bushes, under the dumpsters, along the fences, calling out her name (Avalou always responds when Jen calls her). I even poked my head into a shed left unlocked next to the laundry room, prompting a surly "Can i help you with something?" from a maintenance guy. Oops.

There's a cemetery adjacent to the complex and we felt (hoped) that the peaceful, grassy space would be more appealing to a scared kitty than a noisy street. The gates were open so we walked right in and searched the the hedges along the perimeter; no cat.

Back to Jen's apartment to regroup; i searched for tips online and confirmed the thoughts we already had - she most likely would stay close to home and was probably hiding nearby with her cat stealth. Jen had set out some cat food and water on her patio; she now added one of her t-shirts and Avalou's little bed; hopefully she'd smell the familiar scents and follow her nose home. We headed out to print up a bunch of fliers and proceeded to post them all over her apartment complex and on telephone poles along the streets. Also walked down to a nearby coffee shop and left some fliers there.

By the time we got back it was getting into evening and Jen and i were feeling emotional and tired. It was hard to stay in her apartment with all of Avalou's stuff around but Av herself conspicuously absent. We figured (hoped) she was napping somewhere but might come out after dark so we decided to get something to eat in the meantime. Checked yelp and found a pizza place which sounded promising. Turned out to be a great little place. Good pizza (a little greasy but still good), a stage with live bluegrass music, and 30 beers on tap - not a single one of which was Budweiser. I think we both felt better after eating food and getting a mental break.

Back to the search; it was dark now so we took flashlights and searched the complex again; still no kitty (except for two outdoor cats whom we'd been seeing around all day). With nothing more we could do we turned in for the night, hoping the little one would find her way home overnight.

I didn't realize until Saturday night how attached i'd gotten to Avalou. I mean i've always liked her since she's such a sweet kitty, and of course i wanted her to get back safe and sound. But i was a little surprised at how strenuously upset i felt.

Slept uneasily, got up Sunday morning and checked the patio hoping she'd be fast asleep in her little bed but found it empty. Someone else had eaten her food though; probably one of the neighbor cats.

So we continued the drill; searched, ate food (found this cute 50s style diner with great breakfast food), searched more. Around mid-afternoon (cat still nowhere to be found) Jen needed to throw in some laundry so i suggested we drive down to my place so she could use my washer & dryer (instead of paying for the ones in her complex's laundry room). This would also give me a chance to pick up a few things and throw in a much-needed load of my own laundry.

Just like the day before i think the mental break helped us both. Then, right as the last load was ready to go into the dryer, Jen's phone rang. It was a lady from her apartment complex with a sighting - she'd seen Avalou in the cemetery right by the fence near the corner of the complex. Go time! We threw our stuff in the car and hauled ass back. Ran up to the spot and...no kitty. Dammit!

We decided to walk through the cemetery again in case she was still in there; this time the gate was locked so we jumped the fence (with no disrespect intended towards those resting in peace or their families). Walked the cemetery perimeter again with no luck, and then tried the adjacent subdivision (we saw a gap in the wall which a medium-sized cat might want to slip through). Ended up having to jump a few more fences and wandering down a few walking paths near the wall but still no luck.

Disappointed but feeling a little better knowing that Avalou was nearby and ok, we put out a little dish of food at the spot of her sighting along with Jen's t-shirt from the patio (again hoping she'd smell something familiar and meet us there). Came back to the spot after an hour; no luck. Swept the fences then waited another hour and went out again; still no luck. It was now around 22:00 and we were feeling dejected and worrying because it was going to be a chilly night with rain in the forecast. We stood still at the spot, thinking, listening. Then i thought i heard a noise coming from the nearby bushes so i crept up with the flashlight and Jen called Avalou's name. *Then* we heard a meow! But not from the bushes; it seemed to be coming from back towards the parking lot.

Jen continued calling, the meow continued responding...we followed the sound to a nearby sewer drain. Shone the flashlight down through the drainage grate and saw Avalou's adorable little face looking up at us!

My first thought was "Aw frak, how are we going to get her out of there?" but Jen, without hesitating, demonstrated that it was the kind of grate which lifts right out of the ground. Avalou darted back into the sewer as we pulled the grate away but Jen continued talking to her in her comforting/reassuring voice, coaxed her out, and got her into her arms. Oh what a relief!

As soon as Avalou got back into the apartment she started marching around, checking things out, getting her bearings back. She ate her food a little at a time and drank some water; she also played with some of her toys, meow'd at the door (to which Jen replied "Oh *hell no*"), and started cleaning herself. It was good to see that she was alert with a nice energy level; maybe she found some clean water to drink while she was out. Eventually she started coming down, curled up on the bed and fell asleep.

Yay, happy ending!





Discussing this afterward, Jen and i were amazed at the series of events which led to finding Avalou; it was like a movie. First the phone call tip from her neighbor which drew us to that particular spot. [Sidebar, i wasn't expecting the fliers to actually work; i thought they were a shot in the dark, mostly something to do to make ourselves feel better. From now on i'll definitely keep an eye out whenever i see lost animal fliers.] Then Avalou managing to get from the cemetery on the other side of the fence into the sewer back on the apartment complex side (maybe through a drain in the cemetery or the subdivision). And then getting to the drain right by the spot where we were looking, hearing Jen's voice, and responding with enough force to lead us to her.

Jen and i are currently casting for the film adaptation. We're trying to get Bruce Campbell to play the role of me. Jen, of course, would be played by her doppelganger, Tina Fey. We also want Christina Ricci to do the voice of Avalou (just meows; no talking animals in this movie). And finally, we need a niche character actor to play our heroic phone tipster. Jen suggested Amy Sedaris.

So that was our weekend. I'll close with a photo of Avalou playing with her ball and figure-8 track.

Runaway Train [new video]

I realize that this may be anticlimactic since i've been promising this for close to a year now, but getting here has been a winding road with unexpected twists, turns, bumps, bruises, and various other cliches. Tell ya what - song first, story after:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3CltyT5Tvk


This is one of my all-time favorite songs; i've wanted to play it acoustic since before i even considered learning guitar. For me this is one of those tunes which never gets played out; i used to listen to it on repeat in the car (still do, actually), belting out the vocals at the top of my lungs, drumming on my steering wheel.

The intro alone can immediately trigger memories of my youth (the original intro, i mean, not the one i made up for my cover) . I'm pretty sure the first time i heard it was in the band room in high school. (SHHS band geeks, you know what i'm talking about.) The students had free reign over the stereo before/after class and while suiting up for marching band performances. I was introduced to a lot of awesome music via the band room - Rage Against The Machine, Beck, and The Crow soundtrack come to mind . The first time i heard Stone Temple Pilots' (then brand new) sophomore album was in the band room. And while i was familiar with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, i have to thank bandroom airplay and a certain sax player for helping me to recognize their awesomeness.

My initial memories of Runaway Train are a little hazy, but i remember we were getting ready for a Friday night football game; someone put the song on and the rhythm and melodies immediately caught me. I stood there at the back of the room (probably wearing half of my band uniform) just taking in the music. I think it was a defining moment for me; this was right around the time i was starting to *really* get into music, and 90s rock was one of the styles which guided my journey.

...

This is actually one of my first recording attempts for this song (not counting some pretty awful takes last fall). I was hoping to clean it up a little more and re-record, but my free time is a little choppy right now and i'm not sure if i have the patience to go through the same exercise i went through with Rockin' In The Free World. And this one turned out a lot better than i was expecting so i decided to just share it the way it is (mistakes and all) and move on to other stuff.

I'm hoping to be able to share videos more often than once a year now; i have a whole bunch of songs in the works, many of which are coming along nicely. Stay tuned. Oh, and as before, feedback is appreciated.

2009 In Review

[I wrote this up in late-December/early-January; just haven't had a chance to finish it up and post until now. Better late than never.]

About this time last year, i observed that 2008 had been a year of regrouping; time i needed to heal and start to rebuild. I proceeded to get off to a rough start in 2009 and crashed and burned due to an unfortunate development early in the year. However, that very incident enabled (forced) me to leave certain things in the past and move on with my life. Nothing like having closure rammed down your throat.

I can see now that the *real* healing started after that fire burned down. Without even realizing it at first, i started to seek out new building blocks and piece my life back together. (Maybe it sounds overdramatic, but i honestly feel that this is the best analogy.) After a time i found myself genuinely laughing again, enjoying activities, finding my zany side back and stronger than ever (which has been damn fun, i must say). I eventually noticed that i'd more or less stabalized to a happy & positive baseline. I'm not sure if i've ever achieved that before. Certainly not in college, and possibly not even during the "golden age" of ~2004-2007.

And let me be perfectly clear - i got to this point *before* i met the girl (late-October). I still disagree with those of you who insist "Stop looking, it'll find you". However, my experiences support the theory that you must be happy with yourself before you can be happy with someone else.

But of course the year was not all flowers and rainbows. The important strides in my personal and social life were offset with incomplete and failed goals, although i think i'm well on the plus side overall. It's incredibly difficult to adjust your attitude, so i'm giving myself a lot of credit on that front.

Personal stuff aside, the absolute worst of the year was losing my dear friend Tessa. She inspired me in life, and she continues to inspire me even though she's left this world. I've re-read some of our correspondence from the past few years and i've been reading through her blog, finding myself motivated to follow her example. I'm also borrowing a few of her words to form a mantra summing up what i aspire to: "Live deliberately." More on this when i get to my 2010 goal package. For now lets get to the lists for 2009:


The Good:

- Got over it and moved on with life.

- Built up my fledgeling solo acoustic project in secret just like i wanted to and got to the point of being able to go public with a youtube video.

- Continued reconnecting with old friends and strengthening ties, getting to know many of y'all better.

- Continued attending live shows; didn't make it to all of the concerts on my list (mostly due to travel and other priorities), but still averaged one great show per month, including several performances which were particularly spectacular (Opeth, MuteMath, Trivium).

- Made some important strides towards becoming the guy i've wanted to be for a long time now. It's still too early to celebrate, but i think the attitude and outlook are very close now.

- Much awesome travel: Long-awaited weekend trips to to visit friends in Portland and Kansas City, *two* trips back to Champaign-Urbana (lindy exchange in April, friends' wedding in October), and a nice loooong visit home to Michigan for the holidays. Also had the chance to host a few out-of-town friends for weekend visits out here; really enjoyed those too.

- Jen <3

- Continued junk reduction efforts, including:
- Donated/recycled a lot of old clothing, kitchenware, and other no-longer-used items.
- Switched most of my bills and bank statements to online delivery; now down to only one or two paper bills (which don't have the option for ebills).
- Established a 3-year record retention policy: Throw all bills, invoices, insurance junk, financial documents, etc, into a box labeled by year. After 3 years, introduce the entire box to my shredder.
- Shredded over 10 years worth of old documents. Not sure why it took me this long to realize that i don't need my bank statements from high school, phone bills from college, etc; good riddance.


The Bad:

- Did not maintain momentum with my guitar playing (kept going on-again off-again instead of a stable practice routine).

- Did not go hiking nearly enough.

- Still haven't gotten back into swing dancing. I did make it to the Champaign-Urbana Lindy Exchange and a half-day lindy workshop in Oakland, but both remained isolated incidents.

- Still eating out way too much and not preparing enough meals at home.

- Regressed into the bad habit of coming home and sitting around watching reruns of Friends or Family Guy or whatever. Managed to cut this back down by the end of the year, but most of summer and fall saw too many hours wasted in this manner.


The Ugly:

- Restarted my frakking workout routine (yes, again) and then stalled out yet again. This is really starting to piss me off; is it just a matter of discipline, or is my goal flawed? I thought i scoped it out in a rather achievable manner. Usually when i stall out it's due to circumstance (e.g. illness), but i don't think that's a valid excuse for not restarting as soon as the circumstance has passed. I'll have to give this some thought for 2010.


The Neutral:

- Splurged on a new tv. Shiny.

- Came to a balance with tv viewing, following only the shows i really care about plus about one netflix disc per week. This is good because i'm no longer missing out on friggin amazing programming such as Battlestar Galactica and Lost, but i still feel that i'm spending more time watching tv than i'd like. I've already cut out most of the dead weight (e.g. Heroes), but i think i want to reduce more.

...

I'm still working on my goal package for 2010 and i probably won't post it here. On one hand, being accountable to the whole internet might help with motivation, but it's quickly turning into a boring tasklist which i'd rather keep to myself. In general it's along the lines of keeping up the good, above, and doing something about the bad and ugly, and i have a few new items to add as well. Stay tuned.

Letters, bagel shop, guitar

[Ok, i'm concatenating my three remaining drafts into a final catchup post. Yay!]

...
[10-20-2009]

I was reading a blog today in which the author mentioned finding a letter she'd written five years ago to her future self and being pleasantly surprised that she'd accomplished most of the goals which PastHerself has outlined. I'm thinking about writing a letter to my own future self. Although in a way my private journal and my blog are already a series of letters to that dude because i do go back and read this stuff periodically. Sometimes i'll dig through old writeups looking for something specific or trying to place the timeframe of a given event. Other times something will trigger a memory and make me feel like revisiting some stuff. I've always been rather nostalgic, and i tend to maintain strong ties to my past. Like Joey's professor once said: "It never hurts to remain on a first-name basis with the person you used to be; otherwise he or she may come back to haunt you when you least expect it." (Dawson's Creek, ep 5.12).

But on the other hand, a letter specifically written to my future self would likely have a different tone. More of a systematic state of the union, similar to the year-in-review i write every January. Outline what's good and what sucks, list out short-term items that i plan to fix, long-term items i hope to get to eventually. Something to think about.

And now for something completely different: My team has a communal gumball machine at work which we keep filled with M&Ms (usually peanut, sometimes dark chocolate, depending on who refilled it last). Yesterday (while i was out of the office) my coworkers apparantly had an extensive debate regarding whether or not i'd freak out if they filled it with Reese's Pieces instead of M&Ms. I have no idea why they'd think that; Reese's are awesome. Actually, it's probably because i vehemently opposed when our project manager mixed in these NARSTY pomegranite chocolates with the M&Ms once. I mean bloody hell, you might as well throw some rasins into the mix while you're at it. Anyway, i set them all straight today. Chocolate == good. Chocolate + peanut butter == better.

...
[10-22-2009]

I heart my bagel shop.

It's a little family-run place and they only have one credit card reader. During the lunch rush they open up a second register for cash only, which seems to work well enough. If you're paying with cash, you get to line jump to the second register; otherwise you just wait your turn.

They're starting to recognize me since i go there so often. There was only one person in front of me when i was there on Tuesday, but the lady who owns the place came up to the second register to take my order. I held up my credit card to let her know i didn't have cash, but she just smiled and motioned me over anyway. Cool! So lets see, that's points for taking care of their regulars + points for going out of their way even though there was only one person before me + bonus points for making me feel cool by violating the "Cash Only" sign.

Then today, one of the afformentioned hotties did the exact same thing for me! Only one other person in line, but she still cared enough to save 30 seconds of my time. The owner lady was at the other register; as the HotGirl (jeez, i really need to learn their names; it would help if they wore name tags) went to swipe my card, owner-lady half-jokingly said "Hey, you're not supposed to take cards there!" HotGirl replied "But i *like* him!" Aww. I added my two cents: "Hey, don't listen to her - *she* took my credit card at this register yesterday!" Owner-lady grinned, "I don't remember that!" HotGirl: "Yeah, she'd *never* take a credit card over here!" Smiles all around.

It's amazing how a little thing like this can totally make my day.

...
[10-26-2009]

After a few weeks of focused practice, i'm pleased to report that my guitarwork is back on track. For now, at least; the challenge lies in keeping it going.

My biggest problem is that i don't play well when i'm not feeling it. I've been trying to force myself to practice anyway in those cases - at least drill chord changes and fundamentals. The first thing my guitar instructor told me was that 10 minutes of practice per day is vastly superior to 2 hours once a week. And that has absolutely been the case with me; the results of nightly practice have been stunning.

So anyway, i'm back in the zone but i've unfortunately become jaded with the song i had planned for my next cover video. Which means there's no point in continuing with recording attempts because i can't sing a song unless i *mean it*; otherwise my vocals sound flat and hollow (hopefully this will change once i start vocal training but for now i'm fueled mostly by emotion). So i'm setting that song aside for now and working up a few others in its place. Maybe one of those will be the next to hit youtube; either that or enough time will pass & i'll once again become un-disillusioned with the first song. Either way, it'll be a while longer. Sorry; you guys might as well start calling me Axl. Tell you what - if i don't have a new video posted by the end of the year, i'll buy each of you a Dr. Pepper. Or a beer.**

** Must be collected in person. Void where prohibited, brew may vary.

On the Sunny Side of the Street

[Originally written on 10-15-2009 - slowly catching up]

Ok, so i'm not used to being consistently in a good mood for weeks and months on end. My zany side has re-emerged with a vengence; seems like i'm either excited or amused about something at all times, and i've been busting out laughing much more often than before. Even the silliest of little things will set me off. This, for example:



I watched this video at least 20 times and laughed uncontrollably until i was gasping for breath and had tears streaming down my face. I mean, it's not *that* funny, is it?

For the most part i'm just enjoying the ride, but there are brief moments when i wonder if there's another shoe about to drop. I've always kindof believed in Becker's rubber band theory.

For those unfamiliar, Becker was a late-90s sitcom starring Ted Danson as the awesomely cynical & bitter title character. I actually only started watching for Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - homina homina), and only watched the first season or so. I did enjoy it, though; maybe i should Netflix it now. Anyway.

The rubber band theory was from an episode in which Becker has an incredible string of good luck. He wins the lottery. Someone returns his lost wallet. His most annoying patient announces that he's moving to Florida. He finds his favorite gold pen which he'd lost. The streak continues, but with each fortune Becker gets more and more irritated. Why? Because he believes that life is a giant rubber band, and the farther it gets pulled in one direction with good luck and favorable happenings, the harder it'll whip you when it eventually snaps back. Everyone thought he was just being superstitious and paranoid, and he starts to wonder about it himself. But then - at the very end of the episode - he gets mugged. The robber gets away with his wallet, the winning lotto ticket, *and* the pen. And then the afformentioned patient happens to walk by and announce that he was staying in town after all. Becker just looks up at the sky and with a resigned sigh says "Very nice; i like the way you operate."

...

So because i'm me i can't can't help but analyze Dawson-style what the deal is.

I think it comes down to this: I've managed to stick a pin in all of the long-term issues that worry me. Actually they're too big for just pins; more like i impaled them with spears. "Long spears - twice as long as a man." (Bonus points to the first person who can identify that quote (without cheating) and supply the appropriate response.) I don't want to be alone anymore but have yet to find success with doing something about that. I'm worried that i'll never get my happily ever after. I'm behind schedule (originally i was supposed to be married with a kid on the way by this age; even under the second revision, i was supposed to at least be engaged). I don't know if i want to stay in software long term or not, but i can't think of any other career path i'd rather follow. And so on.

So anyway, i haven't been giving much thought to that stuff recently. I've been focusing on travel with my weekend trips this summer, binging on concerts, a few one-offs like the lindy hop workshop a few weeks ago. And working hard on guitar (yet another blog post is pending).

Maybe it's ok to take a break and just enjoy life for a while. Or maybe the Hakuna Matata approach will just make things worse. Or maybe i don't care right now because i'm too busy laughing my ass off at stupid stuff:



"Ooh, Burger King..."

And yes, if you're reading this then it's likely that one day, when you least expect it, i'll jump out of your fridge and scare the crap out of you.

:-)

In Flames - 9/21/2009

In Flames with Between The Buried And Me, 3 Inches of Blood, The Faceless
9/21/2009 - The Regency - San Francisco, CA



[Originally written ~9/22/2009; finishing & posting now as part of my catchup blitz]

I'd marked this show in my calendar months ago (as soon as the tour was announced), but as the date approached i started to reconsider going. I've seen In Flames in concert plenty of times already (including twice last year), and i was feeling tired & lazy about driving up to the city on a Monday night, getting home late, etc (especially because i was still on the tail end of recovering from the flu (or it might have been food poisoning).

So Monday morning found me on the fence. Even though i'd seen them before, they always put on a great show and i knew it would be a good time if i dragged myself up there. So i pinged a friend who had expressed interest to see if still wanted to go. He was feeling the same as i was - wanted to see the band, but mentally unprepared for a metal show. Eventually we managed to scrape together enough motivation between the two of us and agreed to go. But we decided to buy tickets at the door to avoid the service fees (which would have been over 50% of face value in this case - bollocks).

Actually, it wasn't just about the money. I usually eat the cost and pre-buy tickets for most of my shows just because i don't want to risk going all the way there just to get turned away. (Most of my bands aren't mainstream enough to sell out tickets early on, but they do usually sell out at the door). But this time, it somehow felt right to take that chance. We didn't even plan to get there early (waiting in line sucks). We'd just casually head up to the city; if tickets were sold out, then it wasn't meant to be; we'd just hang out at one of the nearby bars for a while and head home.

We actually ended up running even later than planned, and i was mentally ready to kick back with with a couple of beers as we approached the venue. But no worries, there were plenty of tickets left (as you may have already guessed, given that this post is not titled "A Few Beers At Some Bar On Van Ness). We forked over the $26 and headed inside.

We missed the opening act - a band called The Faceless. I'll probably check out their myspace at some point, but for this night i didn't mind missing the first of the four scheduled bands. I think four bands on a single bill is too many; i prefer three (if they get a good main support act) or even two (with a longer set from the headliner). Anyway.

So first up for us was 3 Inches of Blood from Vancouver, BC. I really like their stuff; not terribily complicated music, but a nice high-energy mix of fantasy-themed thrash with dual vocals (one in a Judas Priest wailing style, the other filling in banshee screams a la Cradle of Filth). Unfortunately, their dedicated screecher had to leave the band because of throat problems (no comments from the peanut gallery, please), so their guitarist, Justin, took over. Nice guy, i actually met him once (when they played at Slim's last year).

3 Inches played a decent set, although i didn't quite feel it, compared to the afformentioned Slim's show. Maybe the levels weren't quite right, or maybe i was standing too far away from the sweet spot (in terms of audience, i mean).

Next up was Between The Buried And Me from North Carolina. I'd seen them play before, and i remember liking them, but i hadn't felt compelled to pick up any of their albums. This time around was a different story; they just *nailed* their set. They're a progressive death metal band; they play long songs with complex structures and actual movements and interludes. Killer stuff; one song in particular really gripped me. I had no idea what it was, but i knew that i'd be tracking it down and buying whatever album it's on. (It turned out to be "Selkies: The Endless Obsession" from their 2005 album Alaska. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19UZd_DKs2Q )

And finally, In Flames. What can i say about these guys that i haven't said before? There's a reason they're one of my favorite bands to see live. They rock hard, and they always play a quality show. I think their performances definitely exceed their studio material; in fact, back when i was just starting to become familiar with their music, i found myself liking a lot of their songs *better* after experiencing them live.

My friend observed that they're one of those bands of a certain caliber, meaning that they're all solid musicians with enough experience to really know what they're doing. They play their instruments well, and they play well *together*; they're comfortable up on stage, and you can tell that they love what they're doing. Their performances are so tight; i'd put them up there with Testament and Iron Maiden when it comes to metal performance.

They usually play a comprehensive set, facing the same challenge as other bands who have been going strong for so many years. You want to include the new singles as well as old favorites, and draw on your stronger material in between to represent most of your albums (without playing the exact same set every tour). This time around they actually skipped "Trigger" and "Episode 666" (which they've played at every other show i've attended). But they did play three songs from Clayman - "Pinball Map" (one of my favorites), and "Square Nothing" (one of Melissa's early favorites), and the title track. And of course they rocked "Leeches" and "Take This Life" from Come Clarity, and closed out the night with their always amazing performance of "My Sweet Shadow".

I've always known Anders (their frontman) for his warm & charismatic stage presence, and he was in fine form once again. I love his little interludes and hilarious comments between songs. At one point he accepted a demo cd from some guy ("Is this your band? Cool, i'll check this out tonight.") and then got a fan up on the balcony to toss him a beer. Later on he asked if anyone had a camera, and picked out a guy upfront who was shooting video. After calling him a "youtube kid", Anders borrowed the guy's camera and filmed the band and audience *himself* during their performance of the sing-along favorite "Come Clarity". So awesome! He even said "This is approved by In Flames, by the way."

I love that so many bands are totally not uptight about cameras at their shows. I mean there's no way to stop people from taking pictures at shows, or even recording audio and video. So why not embrace it? It's free publicity, and it's not like anyone can make money from the amatuer video clips (nor would the availability of said clips on youtube cut into dvd sales). And bootlegs have been around for so long; it's nice to see so many bands supporting (for example) archive.org .

...

So overall, an excellent evening; i'm really glad we decided to go to the show after all. Oh yeah, i almost forgot to mention - there's a random dude i've seen at most of the shows i've attended out here. He's this little guy (shorter than 5-foot), older than me (in his 40s, i'd guess), and he's *always* right up in the action, holding his ground in the crush zones and edges of the mosh pits.

I was wondering if i'd see him at this show, and of course i spotted him during 3 Inches of Blood's set, right where i knew he'd be. After In Flames i saw him standing upfront talking to some kid, so i went over to say hello. I tapped him on the shoulder and said "Hi! I've seen you at EVERY metal show in the bay area..."; with a smile he told me that the other guy was just telling him the same thing. We shook hands & introduced ourselves; turns out his name is Dave. I look forward to seeing him at the next show.

Another highlight - actually a highlight trifecta which started earlier in the day. But first, some background: Over the years, i've slowly joined the camp of "Don't go to a concert wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see." I used to feel differently, but i now agree that everyone knows you're a fan of the band, so it's preferable to instead wear the shirt of a related act, or some obsure band in the same genre. Be clever if you can. Festival shirts are also a good choice; i wear my shirt from Sounds Of The Underground 2005 to a lot of concerts, and almost always get comments from random people who see the incredible lineup of bands on my back.

On Monday i wore my Dark Tranquillity tour shirt from last year. DT and In Flames have quite a bit of history; both are from Gothenburg, Sweden, and are two of the pioneers of the melodic death metal genre (At The Gates is the third). Furthermore, Anders was the original vocalist for Dark Tranquillity, and Mikael Stanne (DT's frontman) worked with In Flames as a session vocalist before Anders joined (so they each recorded the vocals for the respective band's debut albums, and then effectively traded places). *And*, Niklas Sundin (DT's guitarist) helped Anders translate his lyrics for several of In Flames' albums, until Anders grew strong enough with English.

So. I was out on the quad at work and some random dude tapped me on the shoulder and said "Hey, nice shirt." Boost #1. At the concert, after 3 Inches finished up and people started streaming out, one guy stopped, looked at me, pointed at my shirt, and announced "YES!" Boost #2. And finally, boost #3 - while we were waiting for Between The Buried And Me to start, another guy came up and asked "Holy crap, don't tell me i missed them!" I mentioned that the shirt was from when they came around on their last tour (2008), and that they're in the studio right now working on their next album.

It's the little things in life, y'know?


So yes, definitely an enjoyable show - and consequential. I was thinking that this would probably be my last In Flames concert for a while (since i've seen them 5 times already), but i've now reversed that and decided that they're one of the bands i'll *always* try to catch whenever they come around. Even better, In Flames are now a white-tag candidate for me. And i've added Between The Buried And Me to my tier1 list; i'll be picking up a few of their cds soon and i'll definitely keep an eye out for next time they hit the road.

Rock \m/

...

In Flames' setlist

1. Cloud Connected
2. Embody The Invisible
3. Delight And Angers
4. Disconnected
5. Square Nothing
6. The Hive
7. Clayman
8. Come Clarity
9. Leeches
10. Alias
11. The Mirror's Truth
12. The Quiet Place
13. Take This Life
14. My Sweet Shadow

...

Video clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8pfk7Aotz8#t=3m25s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjudLItnJjw

Sprung Monkey

[Originally written on 10-07-2009; finishing & posting now]



I have a section in my music collection titled "BuffyMusic". It contains not only the soundtrack albums and scores from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but also various bands i've discovered via the show. During its later seasons they did start getting bigger names and popular acts, but in the early days they mostly just brought in local bands to play at the Bronze.

I've always had a good feeling about the music from Buffy, but rewatching the first season recently (we're midway through season 2 now) made me realize that the Bronze is a goldmine of awesome bands. Nice mix of solid modern rock, punk, some experimental stuff, and of course soulful ballads - songs which are sad but laced with hope.

As we watched through that first season, i looked up all of the music which appeared in the episodes and ended up adding 7 or 8 albums (and counting) to my BuffyMusic collection. Most of these are bands who didn't make it onto the official soundtrack cds (and whose awesomeness, therefore, had slipped my memory).

My favorite out of the batch is a band from San Diego called Sprung Monkey. They showed up in three episodes with a total of six different songs used. Their tone reminds me a little of Four Star Mary (who played the part of Oz's band, Dingos Ate My Baby, on the show), although Sprung Monkey plays a little darker and heavier. I feel the same way about both bands: I can't quite put my finger on it, but i just *like* their songs. Simple, yet dynamic, and they just feel honest, y'know? Perfect live music to accompany an evening in a dark bar on a crisp autumn evening. They represent perfectly the deep fondness with which i look back on the 90s.

Anyway, i'd like to share two of my favorite Sprung Monkey songs. The first is the title track from their 1995 album Swirl. I love the way the rhythm comes together on this one:


And the second is a track called "Reluctant Man" from the same album.


I haven't checked out much of their other stuff yet, but i intend to. I'll also be keeping an eye out for for a chance to see them live; San Diego's not *that* far away from here.