Five Year Diary

Been a while.

2010-05-30T15:53:00.002-05:00

I'll get back to posting regularly soon. A lot has gone on since October. I have a new job and have been booking shows a little more actively than I had in the past months. The Alabama Crimson Tide won their 13th National Championship. Went to see Neil Young last night at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. It was incredible. Here is the set list:

2010-05-29, Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Solo

My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue) / Tell Me Why / Helpless / You Never Call / Peaceful Valley / Love And War / Down By The River / Hitchhiker / Ohio / Sign Of Love / Leia / After The Gold Rush / I Believe In You / Rumblin' / Cortez The Killer / Cinnamon Girl // Walk With Me

Sunny Day Real Estate in ATL

2009-10-04T15:02:00.006-05:00

Last night I was lucky enough to see the reunited original lineup of Sunny Day Real Estate play at Center Stage in Atlanta. This tour was announced several months ago, and at the time, I was very excited and had planned to buy tickets the minute they went on sale. Things didn't work out as planned, because the onsale date was in the middle of my move to Birmingham. The move caused me to forget all about the tour until a few days ago. The show was sold out, but my friend Brian and I were able to score two tickets via Craigslist at a slightly over face value price. My money is very tight right now, but this was something I could justify spending for. The show was every bit worth the money and the CL hassle. The band played as if they had never broken up or even stopped practicing. I don't think there was one note missed all night. It was seriously incredible. Here are some pictures along with the full set list:

SDRE, Center Stage in Atlanta, GA 10/3/09:

1. Friday
2. Seven
3. Shadows
4. Song About An Angel
5. Grendel
6. Guitar and Video Games
7. Iscarabaid
8. Theo B
9. (New Song)
10. 5/4
11. Sometimes

Encore:
12. In Circles
13. 48
14. J'Nuh

The Search presses on...

2009-09-27T14:59:00.008-05:00

- The Alabama Crimson Tide are now 4-0 after a victory against Arkansas yesterday. I attended the game with my dad, and we had a great time watching the Tide roll. We have been playing well so far. Greg McElroy continues to be impressive and play like a true leader. Our running game was consistently shut down yesterday, which is a huge worry, but we were able to make up for it with strong defense and some huge, varied plays on the offensive side. I hate that we will potentially lose Hightower for quite some time, as he is an integral part of the team. There are some true tests coming up against Kentucky and Ole Miss on the road, followed by what will be a more than interesting homecoming game in Tuscaloosa against Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks. I am excited about the upcoming weeks, but I am preparing for at least one nailbiter out of the three, and I think every other Bama fan should do the same.

Bama vs. Florida International pregame:

Bama vs. North Texas:

My favorite images from the season so far (via RBR):

- In relation to my last blog post: The NY Times has a great piece up on the last days of Jim Carroll. If you're interested, check it out here.

- In relation to my well being: The job search in Birmingham has been difficult so far. My plan this week is to try and meet with one or more temp agencies. Hopefully I can do a better job of balancing temp work and my career search than I did over the past couple of years.

- In relation to writing: I need to do more of it. Lots more.

Playlist as of late:
Polar Bear Club - "Chasing Hamburg"
The Smiths - All
Morrissey - "Southpaw Grammar" and "Maladjusted" Remasters
The Jesus & Mary Chain - "Complete Peel Sessions"

Jim Carroll: 1950-2009

2009-09-15T18:52:00.011-05:00

"I just want to be pure..."

After reading the unfortunate news of Jim Carroll's passing a couple of days ago, I started to think about my love for his book "The Basketball Diaries." I had no knowledge of Carroll's work before the aforementioned book was adapted for film in 1995, featuring soon to be megastar Leonardo DiCaprio playing the role of Carroll. I was 13 years old when the film reached the rental stores, and couldn't have been more intrigued by the scenario: a kid my age playing sports, going wild on the streets of New York, getting into all kinds of mischief, trying drugs, sleeping with girls, and keeping a journal recounting all of it. It was a glimpse into a world that was completely alien to me, complete with a soundtrack that featured Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.

I watched the film quite a few times, but my interest in it waned after I finally bought a copy of the book. It was so much more vivid than the film, and I was completely blown away by Carroll's straight-to-the-point style of writing. I felt as if I were reading letters sent to me by a friend who wanted me to know all of the exciting details he could never share with his parents and family. By the end of the book, I was concerned for that friend's well being; fearing that he would soon get into a brawl too violent to recover from, or take more drugs than he could handle, too young to learn any sort of lesson from his experiences. Thankfully, I was learning lessons from every page of Carroll's book. Learning of Kurt Cobain's drug abuse and eventual suicide (about a year, give or take, before the BD film was released) at my young age was a mortal wound to any later curiosity I'd have about drugs, but looking back, there's no denying that "The Basketball Diaries" served as a nail in its coffin. Many have and probably will continue to argue that works of this nature, be they music, literature, or film encourage young people to mimic the activities depicted in them. I'll continue to argue for the contrary. This book was a vital influence on what I consider to be some of the most positive decisions I have ever made...more so than any D.A.R.E. program lecture or "Just Say No!" button ever could have.

In addition to "The Basketball Diaries", I also read a collection of Carroll's poetry a couple of years later entitled "Fear Of Dreaming." That was all I could get my hands on in those days prior to every book you can imagine being a click away from arriving at your doorstep. Perhaps the only positive thing about the death of such an artist is that his work will hopefully be more widely recognized and available after the fact. I know I've got some catching up to do.

Images from the past few weeks in Birmingham

2009-09-11T17:37:00.006-05:00

(they were driving an '84.....sheep dog)

(one of the walls in the hallway)

(kevin eating brownie topped pizza)

Free Chicken Quest:

A time I hope we'll remember:

Mineral - The Non-Album Tracks

2009-08-20T16:14:00.004-05:00

I have no intentions of turning this into a music uploads blog, but I just put this little compilation together that I feel needs to be shared as much as possible.

Mineral - The Non-Album Tracks

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3GF2PY1L

Here is a compilation of Mineral material that is not on either of the full lengths. To my knowledge, all of this material is long out of print.

1. February (From February/M.D. 7")
2. M.D. (Same as track 1)
3. Sadder Star (from The First Crush Compilation)
4. Rubber Legs (from And Don't Forget To Breathe '97 Compilation)
5. Love My Way (Psychedelic Furs Cover, from the "&Serenading 7")
6. Crazy (as written by Willie Nelson, from the split 7" with Jimmy Eat World and Sense Field)

Enjoy. If anyone here knows of any other Mineral recordings please let me know. I'll expand on this if need be.

Information on the band from Wikipedia:

Mineral was a prominent mid-90's indie-rock band originally from Houston, Texas, but soon relocated to Austin following their formation. All four members of Mineral were signed to Interscope Records on individual contracts. Its former members have since moved on to other musical projects including The Gloria Record, Pop Unknown, and Zookeeper.

Mineral's music is characterized by its iterated soft/loud structure, overlaid with melodic, off-key vocals and ethereal guitar-based instrumental bridges. Many of their songs adhere to the formulas and now ubiquitous stylistic conventions associated with "emo" pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate (SDRE). Despite their similarities to SDRE, Mineral emerged at the same time as that group and added their own less intense, more brooding flavor to the then-emerging "Midwest" sound.^{[citation needed]} Mineral's subtle balance between angst-ridden kinetics and wistful underpinnings, in conjunction with their intelligent lyrics, have heavily influenced many bands of the late 1990s and 2000s.

Juxtaposition.

2009-07-20T18:46:00.003-05:00

Give me two weeks.

2009-06-29T10:26:00.011-05:00

For those who don't know, I'm moving to Hoover, AL (just outside Bham) at the end of July. I turned in my two week notice at work today. My last day should be July 10th, barring any unforseen circumstances. My plan as of now is to use the last 2 weeks of the month to organize my things and move periodically. We'll see how that goes. I am truly going to miss living in Tuscaloosa, but I have passed up too many opportunities in the last few years to let this one go. I am not sure where I'll end up working at this point. Sometimes you just have to take a chance.

Dax Riggs played at Bottletree 6/26/09. The entire set was just his voice and acoustic guitar. I enjoyed the set immensely and thought he did an incredible job of holding the (mostly drunk) crowd's attention without a full band. He played lots of covers, including (but not limited to) The Stones, Scott Walker, The Misfits, and Fred Neil.

The next day, my future roommate and I went to Atlanta to see the Red Sox play the Braves. It was my first live MLB experience and I had a great time. I've always enjoyed the game of baseball (If only I had taken better care of the baseball cards I collected as a kid) and I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to check out a Major League game, but I guess that is what happens when you don't have a team to align yourself with. When it comes to professional sports, I tend to follow single players more than I do the teams themselves. The Sox won 1-0, and it was an exciting game despite the low score. I thought Chipper Jones or David Ortiz might hit some homers, but the pitching was far too strong on both sides. We're already talking about going back to Turner Field in August when the Phillies are in town. Hopefully that will work out.

Marta:
The Game:

River/Beach weekend coming up....should be epic.

This Crooked Line

2009-06-17T12:30:00.019-05:00

I took a day off work yesterday and went to see Elvis Costello play with his new backing band, The Sugarcanes, at the Ryman in Nashville, TN. This was my 3rd time seeing Elvis live, and just like the previous two shows, it was great. I had an unbelieveable seat (as pictured above) and the sound was perfect, which seems to be the standard for the Ryman. Elvis must be eschewing Rock 'N Roll time these days, because he took the stage at 7:37pm with an advertised start time of 7:30pm. I appreciated the gesture since I always arrive to shows early. The bluegrass/roots style of the new record translated incredibly well in the live setting. The set list was comprised of most of the tracks from Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane, rearranged versions of classics ("Blame It On Cain", "Brilliant Mistake", "Every Day I Write The Book", "Little Palaces", "Indoor Fireworks", "American Without Tears", "Alison", "What's So Funny..."), and covers of "Friend Of The Devil", "Femme Fatale", and "The Race Is On". I certainly never thought I'd hear Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, and George Jones covers all in one set. The show ran close to three hours, and at the end I still wanted more. The drive back seemed like it would never end. I got in a good 2 and a half hour nap before arriving at work this morning. That kind of drive in one night probably sounds crazy to most people, but great shows are worth the effort.

-----------

I've seen several other shows since I last updated, including The Avett Brothers, Wilco, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, and Bon Iver. Those were all enjoyable. I also went down to Foley/Gulf Shores to visit The Mann's, which is always a good time. It looks like I'll be back down twice in July. It's good to have things to look forward to. Perhaps the updates will be less sporadic in the coming weeks.

Oxford Town

2009-05-05T10:45:00.013-05:00

I took another trip to Oxford, MS a couple of weekends ago. Josh and Jess Green accompanied me. The main purpose of the trip was to see Dinosaur Jr. play, but we got into some other things as well. Before we hit the road, we stopped by Oz Music in Tuscaloosa to support Record Store Day. I came away with the Sonic Youth/Jay Reatard Split 7", Tom Waits - Live 7", and Guided By Voices - Hold On Hope 12" EP.

After dropping off our scores at my apartment, we got going.

We stopped in Guin, AL to eat at a restaurant called the Frosty Front. I was starving and didn't look over their menu as well as I should have, which resulted in a quick decision for a mediocre order of chicken fingers. I should have gone for a patty melt or a Cajun chicken sandwich. Maybe I'll end up passing by it another time.

Once in Mississippi, we had to take the dreaded Natchez Trace Parkway. It's scenic, but has a tendency to get me lost. Luckily it did not defeat me....on the way there.

We arrived in Oxford and checked into our hotel room and chilled out for a few minutes while watching Alabama's A-Day broadcast on ESPNU. Ole Miss's scrimmage game was also that day, so this was a good way to avoid the crowded campus until that was over. We then headed out to find William Faulkner's home, aka Rowan Oak. That ended up taking much longer than expected, and we ended up arriving 10 or 15 minutes before they closed. Here are a few photos I snapped quickly while we were there:

(Faulkner's Typewriter)

(Notes for "A Fable" on the walls)

The house and the area surrounding it were really great to see, even while rushed. It looked like the perfect environment for writing. After circling the grounds, we drove over to Faulkner's grave site.

After that, we headed to The Square, and spotted J. Mascis hanging out by the venue.

(Phone booth party)

While shopping at Off Square Books (The used book companion to the mighty Square Books), we discovered that Lou Barlow had done an in store performance there earlier in the day. What a bummer. Had I known about it beforehand, I would have made it a point to be there on time. I tried not to think about it too much, and drowned my sorrows in a couple of bags full of books I didn't need to spend money on.

It was high time for food. We went to the Ajax Diner, which I hadn't given a shot in my two other trips to Oxford.

Cheese fries with brown gravy as an appetizer. It was obviously my kind of place. I had a burger with a side of excellent has brown casserole. We headed back to the hotel to rest a bit after this huge meal, and get ready for the show.

The venue, Proud Larry's, was smaller than I expected. We got a good spot up front and held onto it as best we could. Dead Confederate opened, and they held my attention for about 3 songs. One of the coolest things I spotted while inside Proud Larry's was a poster from a Warren Zevon show there in 1997. It would have been mind blowing to see him in such a small place. Dinosaur Jr. took the stage after a relatively long set change, and sounded great. Lou pointed out that J. normally plays out of three stacks (He was playing out of two and a combo amp at this show), and that when they go to Japan, he plays out of four. It still sounded louder than an average band to me. They played all the "hits", a handful of songs from Beyond, a new song, and encored with "In A Jar" and "Just Like Heaven." I snagged the setlist. Hopefully I can find a cheap frame to put it in.

After the show, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep, and got up relatively early the next morning to check out a bit of Ole Miss's campus and eat before heading back home. We ended up dining at a place called Sugar Brown's Southern Table. It was excellent, and literally every waitress in the place was cute as hell to boot.

(My choice for the day: Biscuits topped with smoked pork, scrambled eggs, and bean/tomato gravy. Very southwestern and very good.)

(Josh had burger topped with BBQ. I somewhat regret not ordering this. I believe Jess had a chicken salad sandwich, which didn't look anywhere near as gluttonous and beautiful as our meals, haha.)

We headed back home after our meal. Of course, the Natchez Trace got the best of me on the way home, and we ended up wasting a few minutes.

(This tower says "Punkin Water")

All in all, it was an awesome trip.

Taco Gean

2009-04-09T14:05:00.003-05:00

Today, I ate lunch at Taco Gean for the first time. It is located on 13th Ave. in Tuscaloosa, across the street from The Red Shed and behind Crimson Cafe. Since it was my first trip, I went with the combo with the most variety: 3 soft tacos (One of which is not pictured, because I devoured it before I even thought about taking a picture, ha), each with a different meat, and topped with fresh onions, cilantro, jalapenos, and cheese . I tried Chicken Mole, Pork in Red Salsa, and Beef Barbacoa. Each taco was stuffed with meat...no skimping on portions here. I like that. The chicken and pork were both great, but had very similar sauces. The chicken actually had a sweet aftertaste, which was different, but enjoyable. The beef was delicious, and my favorite of the three. I should have paid more attention to the detailed ingredients on the menu and mixed it up a little more in regards to the pork and chicken, but I can take care of that next time. The more traditional style salsa was very hot, which was a great compliment to the smokier sauces on the pork and chicken.

Overall, I loved the food and the experience. There isn't an "atmosphere" per se, but the staff were so incredibly friendly that I didn't even think about it. I'd love to be able to get chips on the side in lieu of rice and beans, but that is just a minor gripe/personal preference. They also serve Mexican Coca Cola (and other various bottled soft drinks), which is a huge plus. According to the menu, all of the produce they serve comes from local farmers, and it certainly tastes that way. My combo was around $9 with a drink. While it is a little more than I'd normally like to spend on lunch, the freshness of the ingredients and quantity of food are worth throwing down an extra couple of dollars on. I'll definitely be going back, as it is a long overdue and welcome alternative to the average $6-$10 Mexican restaurant.

Wild Month.

2009-04-08T15:38:00.004-05:00

I've neglected this blog as of late because of several events that I currently don't desire to write about.

I finally saw Neko Case over the weekend.

(The venue did not allow photography, so here's a generic live shot.)
She has one of the most powerful voices, male or female, that I've ever witnessed in a live setting. The set list was a bit too heavy on her new record, but I guess that was to be expected after it debuted at #3 on Billboard a few weeks ago. I'll definitely be seeing her again in the future.

Speaking of live music, here is my "schedule" for the rest of April:

Sat. 4/18 - Dinosaur Jr. @ Proud Larry's in Oxford, MS
(Leaving early for Oxford cuisine and Record Store Day, then staying overnight and hopefully visiting Rowan Oak on Sunday)
Wed. 4/22 - Wilco @ Sloss Furnace
Fri. 4/24 - Off With Their Heads @ a bar in Huntsville
Sat. 4/25 - The Avett Brothers @ Sloss Furnace
Sun. 4/26 - Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band @ Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA

Singlewide

2009-03-26T09:47:00.002-05:00

Check out this video promoting the new Dexateens record "Singlewide", which comes out May 12th. It features several notable Tuscaloosa citizens.

Incident #1

2009-03-24T08:44:00.003-05:00

A customer came into my place of work yesterday to set up an advertisment for a classic car he had for sale. I typed up all of his information and gave him his total. As he was handing me the money, he told me that he was only selling the car because cancer had taken away most of the feeling in his fingers, and that he could no longer keep the car in good shape because of it. On his way out, he told me a joke, perhaps to cheer us both up.

I spent the rest of the day thinking about how hard it would be to deal with the fact that an uncontrollable force such as cancer stripped you of the ability to enjoy the things you are passionate about in life. The man seemed to have a handle on it. When he told me about his predicament, he wasn't looking for sympathy. He was simply venting about a particular frustration in the fashion that we would vent about having to take a late lunch, or standing in a long line at the grocery store. It was hard for me to process this at first. I hope that if something like that ever happened to me, I'd be able to have that kind of attitude.

Revolution Summer

2009-03-23T09:12:00.000-05:00

I have so many decisions to make.

The Bars, Pt. 1

2009-03-13T23:49:00.002-05:00

I just came across these incredible clips of Black Flag playing live on 12/20/84 @ Embassy Hotel, London Ontario. I am not sure of the order and highly doubt this is the full set, but it is well worth your viewing time. The audio is soundboard quality.

Hank fucks with a heckler...

I Don't Know Which Way To Run

2009-03-01T21:13:00.015-06:00

I ended up going to see Lucero play again this weekend, this time in Jackson, MS. Crys and I left Tuscaloosa at 3pm on Saturday and arrived in Jackson about 3 hours later. The show didn't start until 9, so we had time for two very important things: BBQ and Records. On our way to eat, we saw an abandoned hotel:
It was fenced up, locked, and had obviously been that way for years, yet there were 5 or 6 cars parked behind the fence. Hmmm. Something sketch had to be going on back there.

We decided on T&A'S Barbeque after some web research. Their slogan is "Nobody Beats Our Meat." Excellent. We arrived and discovered that it was a walk up only type of place, which would have been nice on a sunny day, but it was cold and raining. We went ahead and gave it a shot and decided to eat in the car. It was great. Their sauce was pretty unique (unlike any I have tasted in Alabama...very thin, and an almost perfect mix of sweet and spicy), and the meat was very tender. I finished my sandwich in no time. They had good sweet tea, too. The woman working told us that another location would be open soon. Hopefully that one will be a full restaurant with seating. At any rate, I'd definitely eat there again. I completely forgot to take a picture of the building and their catering van, which featured the slogan and a painting of Betty Boop. Oh well.

Our next stop was Bebop Records. It was in a shopping center and we almost missed it, but luckily we turned one last corner and there it was. I ended up coming out with a Stevie Wonder Live LP on Tamla, The Jam - Setting Sons and Sound Affects LPs, an OOP Lou Rawls LP, VA - Stax Does The Beatles CD, and Elvis Presley - ST CD Remaster, all for around $45. I saw a really awesome Buzzcocks shirt, but couldn't justify dropping $18 on it. Maybe I can find one cheaper some other time. Check out this awesome Elvis Costello poster they have in the back:

After that, we headed over to The Ole Tavern. The show started around 10. The opening band was called Goodman County. They had a lot of energy, but the sound mix was terrible. They covered "Gimmie Danger" by The Stooges, which I thought was pretty cool...not a stellar version or anything, it just came out of nowhere.

Lucero finally hit the stage around 11:30. The set was great. I've seen them quite a few times, and while this wasn't the best of them all, it was up there. They played tons of requests as usual, including 3 of mine (Raising Hell, Across The River, Fistful Of Tears). Lots of bands claim to be all about their fans. Usually when I hear that claim, I just write it off as horseshit that is said only for good press. This isn't the case with Lucero. They talk it and walk it. Here are some photos I took:

(Crys got up and sang an impromptu cover of "Tiny Dancer." The alcohol made her mix up some of the lines, so I helped her out by yelling the correct ones at her. This was a totally hilarious moment that I'll never forget. The band was cracking up and everyone around the front of the stage high fived her afterward.)

The show ended around 1:30 am, so we hit the road immediately after. Once we hit Meridian, we stopped at Waffle House with Tory and Sophie (who had driven from Tuscaloosa and joined us at the show also). It must have been the only one in Meridian, because it was packed. Somehow we got out of there in about 45 minutes. Did I mention it was snowing for most of the drive back? I had never driven in that much snow before. It was an experience. Here's how things looked when I finally got home around 5:30-6:00 am:

Around 11am, after some much needed rest:

All in all, it was an extremely fun and memorable Saturday.

Twenty Six.

2009-02-24T09:08:00.003-06:00

I turned 26 yesterday. I spent the weekend celebrating with my parents and close friends. It was a good and relaxing time. The parents took me out to The Bright Star, which was excellent as always. It's funny to think about how much I hated going there with my family when I was a little kid (it always seemed like we were there for ages and ages), and these days it is one of my favorite places to eat. If you live in Alabama and haven't been, get on it.

I now have a new phone that has a camera, a full keyboard, and internet access. I've also started using Twitter. It's weird for me to be this up to date with technology. I am still using a VCR though, so that should keep me grounded.

Come check out this show if you live in the South:

Revisited Vol. 1 - Fugazi's "Steady Diet Of Nothing"

2009-02-17T08:36:00.035-06:00

The first word out of Guy Picciotto's mouth on Fugazi's second full length, Steady Diet Of Nothing is "exeunt." According to Webster's, it's used in the theater to indicate that two or more performers have retired from a scene. You'd think that hearing this word repeated over and over would be a fitting introduction to a band that dedicated themselves to creativity and meaning in a "scene" that they felt was stagnant. However, this powerful declaration was lost on me when I first heard this record.

It was a dreary Saturday in Montevallo, a small Alabama town where my mother grew up and my father went to college. We were visiting my Grandparents. I was still too young to drive, but too old to spend the day in front of the Television as my family talked business and politics. Frustrated by being away from most of my CD's and tapes, my bike, and my friends for an entire Saturday, I decided to go for a walk and explore some of the places in town I'd never checked out when I was younger. The rush of wandering around in search of creepy (and hopefully haunted) houses, bike trails, and playground companions was gone. In its place was a new found confidence and attitude that had apparently been hiding deep in the back of my head up until the music of Black Flag and Minor Threat kicked it's door open and tossed it into the outside world a few months prior. I wasn't going to just sit there and stew all day, I was going to go out and search for any trace of this new and exciting culture I'd discovered. At that point, it was just about the only thing that mattered to me.

I headed up to Montevallo's main street, home to my Grandparents' church, a couple of restaurants, and a car dealership. I walked up and down the street a few times to take in all of the scenery that wouldn't have meant much to me as a child. One business that had never really commanded my attention before was a college book store. I can't remember the name of it at this point, but I'll never forget how I felt as I walked in and noticed that they had a small selection of used CD's for sale. Used music was my bread and butter at the time as I only had allowance money to spend. I'd say that almost every cent I earned from doing various tasks around the house was spent on music or music related magazines. I wasted no time with any other merchandise in the store and immediately started with the "A" section of the CD's. I had memorized a library of bands to look for that had been mentioned in the Thank You Lists of records I already owned, and Zine articles I had poured over time and time again. Nothing piqued my interest until i got to the "F" section...then I saw the cover of Steady Diet. I knew that the singer of Minor Threat was in Fugazi, but I had never heard them before. The title struck me immediately. I felt like my life was a steady diet of nothing with the exception of music. I held on to the CD as I continued browsing. All I could think about was the fact that I was going to hear Ian MacKaye sing on another album, and decided to go ahead and buy it despite the fact that I had no clue what it might sound like. I took my prize up to the counter, paid, and damn near ran back to my Grandparents' house to listen to it on my Discman.

In almost no time, the intro to "Exit Only" was making it's way through my headphones as a I gazed at the liner notes. There weren't any photos of the band hanging out on porches or playing shows. Instead I saw shots of a Teepee and some sort of old hospital room. My surprise and confusion increased as the song went on. The music was brooding, and immediately reminded me of the slower parts of some Nirvana songs. I liked the sound, but at the same time I was angry that it lacked the aggression of all of the Minor Threat material. I continued listening to song after song, happy to hear Ian's voice in some of them, as I read along with the lyrics. This was definitely not "I Don't Wanna Hear It" Volume II. My frustration continued. By the time I was finished with my first listen, I almost felt cheated. What had happened here? Why didn't this music make me want to give everyone in the world a piece of my mind whether they liked it or not? Why wasn't I ready to tear the room apart with my bare hands? I gave it another listen on the ride back home, which yielded the same results. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the music, but I just could not connect with it on a personal level. I had been able to relate to Minor Threat in a way that it is still hard for me to verbalize to this day. In that band, Ian was screaming some of the things that I'd always thought and never been able to articulate at the top of his lungs. I wanted so badly to feel that connection again with Fugazi and Steady Diet, but it just wasn't happening. I'd bitten off a bit more than I could chew. Ultimately, I felt defeated and shelved the album for quite a while afterward.

Luckily, that feeling of defeat didn't last forever. I gave Fugazi another shot about a year later with the purchase of Repeater and 13 Songs. They had a slightly more punk sound and feel. Listening to those two records over and over helped me connect with their attitude and ethic. The lyrics slowly began to make more sense and not look like a foreign language to me. I began listening to Steady Diet again, and while it didn't get as much play as the other two, it served as a lesson to me. From that point on, I tried my best to give music that I seek out more than one or two chances. At that point in my life, music was not as disposable as it is now. Discographies of the bands I was searching for weren't a click away. I held on to Steady Diet when my only option would have been trading it in for store credit towards other albums. Every time I put it on, I'm glad I didn't make that hasty decision.

I am almost 26 years old now. I have been listening to Fugazi for more than a decade, and was lucky enough to see them on their tour in support of The Argument. It seems like I find a new line or two that I can relate to as the years go on. Recently, the song "Runaway Return" on Steady Diet has become incredibly important to me as I struggle with the balance of my responsibilities in the workplace and the DIY projects that truly drive me. Of course lines like "There's nothing living/There's nothing given/The weekender gives in/puts on his working suit" and "There's nothing waiting/there's nothing imminent/Nothing forgiven for the young idea" weren't going to impact me as an adolescent. They weren't meant to.

I won't ever pretend that Fugazi had more of an impact on me than Minor Thread did, or that Steady Diet is my favorite of their records, but it is one that truly made me think. For me, it's the sound of the realization that rebellion isn't always as simple as a destructive act or a "Fuck you!" to an authority figure. It's the soundtrack to the moment it dawns on you that they aren't always the problem. Sometimes rebellion means being introspective, calling yourself out on your own mistakes, and having the guts to learn from them instead of making them again. Sometimes, it's the desire to create art even if you are the only on that sees, reads, or hears it. Sometimes, it's picking up and starting over.
Sometimes it's looking back and laughing.

Mail Day - 1/27/09

2009-01-27T23:53:00.003-06:00

The past 24 hours haven't been great to me. The highlight was coming home from work tonight to find a package from Revelation waiting for me that contained this stuff:

Mouthpiece - "Can't Kill Whats Inside: The Complete Discography" CD
Give Me Back - Issues 3 & 4
Uneven Ground - Issue 3
There's Nothing Like It - Issue 2
Mouthpiece Sticker
Icemen Post Card

The MP Discography is an incredible package all around. I might do a formal review of it soon, but just know that if you're even remotely interested in Straight Edge Hardcore, you need to own this. In addition to complete lyrics and tons of photos, the liner notes also contain a list of every show the band ever played. I've been anticipating this thing for years and it does not disappoint at all.

Rev always seems to have a good amount of Zines stocked when I place orders, which is really convenient since I rarely see bands selling them when they come through Birmingham. I've only skimmed through these four, but they all look like they'll end up being good reads for one reason or another. Zines are an important part of Hardcore and Punk even in the age of the internet. I would be really happy if that aspect of the culture hit an upswing soon, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

I need to stop turning on my computer when I get home from work. I'm in front of one far too much as it is.

On Dylan, Vol. 1.

2009-01-16T10:08:00.031-06:00

The 8th installment of Bob Dylan's official Bootleg Series releases, Tell Tale Signs, was released in October of last year, immediately met with glowing reviews from Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. This was no surprise to me, but what about those who don't worship at the altar of Mr. Zimmerman? My outspoken Dylan fandom has generally been met with either enthusiasm or extreme disdain in conversation over the years, but very rarely do I hear any hint of indifference when discussing his music with others.

The disdain is uniform. Example: "I can't believe that guy gets paid millions to sing! He couldn't sing a lick to save his life!" bellowed the gentleman in the cubicle next to mine one morning as I attempted to stir myself into a non-vegetative state with a particularly rousing live version of "Maggie's Farm" in lieu of black coffee. I didn't bother rehashing an argument I've had a hundred times before, so I just replied with a simple "Different strokes" and continued working. I've also had some excellent debates over which period of Bob's career was better or worse than another, defended songs from some his worst studio albums, and preached the gospel of the Rolling Thunder Revue to anyone who'd listen. However, I was totally unprepared for something that I heard in a conversation earlier this week.

During a late night viewing of Almost Famous, I was discussing Rolling Stone and Lester Bangs with some friends of friends. One of them commented that he had always found RS to be really pretentious and couldn't read it without getting angry. Standard fare. What came next baffled me. He said something along the lines of "I mean, they'll give Bob Dylan five stars for anything, even though he sounds just like he did in the 60's and hasn't experimented much." I did my best not to cringe, and couldn't believe that a guy who had just talked to me about Delta Blues and moderately obscure 60's and 70's rock for the past hour could be that misinformed about Dylan's post-folk output. I mean, this guy really knew what he was talking about, and our conversation could have gone on for hours had I not had to work in the morning. So instead of taking him to the verbal torture rack, I did my best to let him know that Bob has probably toyed with his musical output more in the past 20 years than most recording artists do in their entire careers (I really didn't sound like an asshole, I swear). He seemed genuinely excited at this discovery, and I gave him a few suggestions of albums to check out. My mind has been on this subject ever since. Do the majority of music fans, those who don't read reviews religiously and seek out every nerdy fact they can about their favorite artists, really feel like Dylan is just phoning it in these days and laughing all the way to the bank? If you subscribe to that school of thought, I implore you to dig a little deeper, because there's treasure underneath that Greatest Hits collection.

Tell Tale Signs is an excellent testament to Dylan's seemingly endless desire to reinvent himself and his songs. Take the alternate version of "Most Of The Time", an underrated song from the critically acclaimed 1989 album Oh Mercy. The original is a reflective dirge for a failed relationship. The lyrics are full of bravado, but the vocal tone is packed with remorse, sorrow and regret. Few could illustrate the mixed bag of emotions that go along with such a situation with this kind of simplicity. It's stuff like this that separates true art from something to hum along to. The alternate is a 3 and a half minute kiss off, just Bob with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica, two trusty companions that have never done him wrong. There might be a hint of regret here and there, but when he throws out the dagger of a line "I don't compromise or pretend / I don't care if I ever see her again / Most of the time" this go round, he sure as hell means it...and that's just one song. There's enough quality here to justify me handing this to somebody who's only heard "Blowin' In The Wind" or "Like A Rolling Stone" and be confident that they'd come away knowing that Dylan is not just an aging icon looking to make a quick buck before there isn't a record buying public anymore, but a genuine individual with a true and unadulterated love of American music, and a passion to keep playing it without compromise.

The Last Night @ 2237 & Cruise 2009

2009-01-14T09:05:00.013-06:00

Last night I drove to Birmingham for a show at the new Cave 9 space. On the way there, I had several sentences run through my brain that would have been perfect starters for music related writing, something I have wanted to put my focus back on for some time. When I returned home, all of those perfect little column openers had vanished, and I was left staring at a blank MS Word document, defeated again. As an ode to my seemingly endless writer's block, I'm just going to post some photos from the past couple of weeks. Hopefully I will be able to update soon with some writing that I am proud of.

The last night @ 2237 Magnolia Ave:

Progreso, Mexico:

Cozumel, Mexico:

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Listening: Trap Them - "Seizures In Barren Praise", Mississippi John Hurt - "Last Sessions", Liz Phair - "Exile In Guyville", Bob Dylan - "Blonde On Blonde", Conor Oberst - "S/T", Neko Case - "Furnace Room Lullaby", Lucero - All.

Rest In Peace. 6 years already?

2008-12-22T11:57:00.001-06:00

"I think we're going to have to forget about the radio and just go back to word of mouth."

A couple of quick notes.

2008-12-20T11:47:00.004-06:00

The 6th Annual Best of Times New Year's Bash will be held @ Cave 9's original location on Friday, Jan 2nd. I hope to see all of you there. I leave for the cruise the next morning.

------------

2009 ALABAMA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Location
September 5 vs. Virginia Tech Atlanta (Georgia Dome)
September 12 Florida International Tuscaloosa
September 19 North Texas Tuscaloosa
September 26 Arkansas Tuscaloosa
October 3 at Kentucky Lexington
October 10 at Ole Miss Oxford
October 17 South Carolina Tuscaloosa
October 24 Tennessee Tuscaloosa
October 31 —Open Week—
November 7 LSU Tuscaloosa
November 14 at Mississippi State Starkville
November 21 Tennessee-Chattanooga Tuscaloosa
November 28 at Auburn Auburn
December 5 SEC Championship Game Atlanta

I'm hoping to make it to the opener at The Dome, most of the home games, go back to Oxford, and go to Lexington and the Iron Bowl in Auburn for the first time....but who knows what will change in terms of jobs and living situations in a year?

Gotta Find A Way.

2008-12-11T11:18:00.005-06:00

First things first: Alabama's loss in the SEC Championship Game was nothing short of heartbreaking. That being said, I am still very proud of my team for a great season. The standouts for me were watching them dismantle Clemson and Auburn in person, and watching the Georgia and LSU games with great friends. My annual New Year's Bash show is unfortunately the same night as the Sugar Bowl, so I won't be able to watch it, but I am confident that the Tide will finish with 13 wins under their collective belts.

----

I'm taking my 3 vacation days for the year tomorrow, Monday & Tuesday. As of right now I have a few ideas on what to do with the time, but nothing is set in stone yet. Tonight I'm going to stay up until 4am and go eat breakfast at City Cafe, something I haven't done since the early days of my stint in college. It's possible that I might end up in Tennessee for a couple of days, and I'm also toying with the idea of touring the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. We'll see what happens.

-----

I've been listening to lots of Nirvana this week, and also revisited some of their televised live performances that had such an impact on me at a young age. Here are some clips that might bring back some memories:

Lithium Live @ MTV VMA's 1992:

Serve The Servants, Rape Me from MTV's "Live And Loud" Special:

Territorial Pissings from SNL 1992:

Promo with Charles Barkley from SNL, I believe this was '94:

I can't seem to find the footage from Headbanger's Ball with Kurt in drag. Oh well. Feel free to comment with more clips. I am trying to get all of the ones I can remember saved to my Youtube favorites.

36-0

2008-12-01T09:43:00.007-06:00

Iron Bowl Weekend 2008.

No matter what happens in Atlanta against the Gators, I'll still be able to look back on this season with a huge smile on my face. There are already so many great memories surrounding Alabama's regular season games that I couldn't even touch them all in one post. The weather might have looked dismal on the 29th of November, but if you asked anybody wearing Crimson they'd have told you that it was the most beautiful day in Tuscaloosa in a long time.

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer.

Cold and Rainy.

2008-11-24T14:52:00.006-06:00

Alabama played Mississippi State last weekend. It was one of the coldest football games I have attended since my childhood. A little bit of rain came down as well. The weather could have been better, but I still had a great time. The first half was lackluster. Here's a great photo from the blocked punt for a safety early in the game from Roll Bama Roll:

The Iron Bowl is only a few days away, and I can't wait.
--------

I honestly wish I had more to report. The few shows I have done lately have been let downs in one way or another. On weeknights, I'm either hanging out with friends or by myself watching TV shows on DVD. It's possible that I am just in a rut, but it seems like I've felt that way for a long time. Hopefully when Football season comes to an end I can use more time on the weekends to be productive. It also seems like the cruise and time away from this office will never get here. I am glad for the friends I have and the atmosphere and excitement of the town I live in on the weekends. Those things keep me going.

A Close One

2008-11-11T09:52:00.004-06:00

Talk about ups and downs. The 'Bama-LSU game certainly increased my already high stress level on Saturday afternoon. I assume that most people reading this either watched the game or heard a lot about it, so I won't bother with a recap. The way that our team stepped up their performance in overtime was great. Once the pictured interception was made, I knew we were going to stay undefeated. I will be using my lunch break today to purchase a ticket for this weekend's game against Mississippi State. I'll repeat myself again: We cannot let up after such a big win, especially now.
----------

I haven't been feeling inspired to write at all lately. It has been over a month since I last picked up a pen and put it to paper. There's really no explanation other than the fact that I try to make my weekdays go by as fast as possible to make it to the weekend, which always exacts revenge and fades away before I can blink. I think I need yet another change in routine after the cruise I'm going on in January. There has to be something out there that is more fulfilling than the life I currently lead.
------------

Bane played Cave 9 Sunday night. I can still count the ways....

Quick One

2008-11-05T00:00:00.014-06:00

Alabama Vs. Ole Miss 2008

Deep Sleep @ Cave 9, 10/31/08

Cloak/Dagger @ Cave 9, 10/31/08

FC Five @ Cave 9, 10/31/08

Highway, 11/1/08

Interstate, 11/1/08

Cade's 1st Birthday Party, 11/1/08

Gulf Shores, 11/2/08

Gulf Shores, 11/2/08

Playlist:
Bon Iver - "For Emma, Forever Ago"
Fleetwood Mac - "Rumors"
Van Morrison - "Astral Weeks"
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "I See A Darkness" and "Lie Down In The Light"
Alabama Crimson Tide 35, Arkansas State 0

This Is The Only Age That I Know How To Be.

2008-10-30T21:40:00.003-05:00

Kali Yuga

2008-10-30T16:51:00.002-05:00

I wanted to ride trains around the country next year.
It is looking more and more like that will not be able to happen.
Have I held myself back while trying to help others progress?

Get Out Another Blanket

2008-10-29T23:20:00.005-05:00

It is getting colder, and I don't like it one bit.

Last Saturday there was a great show at Cave Nine featuring Have Heart, Blacklisted, Ceremony, Let Down, Swamp Thing, Serotonin Gone, and Delusional. The show sold out and was consistently wild. I can tell that working all the time is having an effect on how much I enjoy shows. I certainly hadn't slept enough before this one and it showed. Kids were rushing the door to get in at one point, and I most definitely snapped at them and yelled...not something I normally do. I always thought that patience would get easier as I got older but it looks like that is not the case. There were also quite a few kids who attempted to sneak in by just walking past me or by drawing bogus marks on their hands. What a fucking bummer. I can understand being bummed about having to miss the bands you love, but putting an all ages venue at risk over it? If any of you are reading this, which I doubt, you should take advice from the Beastie Boys and check your head. Scamming your way into a hardcore show is just as bad as stealing from the club and the bands. Why would that even cross your mind? I straight up can't believe that I had to get on the mic and say something about it for the SECOND time in my history as a promoter. Bands from all over the country rave about Cave 9 and the support that our scene gives them while they are on tour. Why fuck with that? I was only able to watch Blacklisted and Have Heart from the side of the stage, and they both killed it. It may have been the best set I have seen BL play...seems like I say that every time I see them, though. Those sets lifted my spirits.

The Alabama Crimson Tide was busy pounding Tennessee's Volunteers as the show went on. The final score was 29-9. Thanks to everybody who sent me texts and kept me updated. That highlight reel might not have been a thing of beauty to the mainstream sports media, but it was exactly the kind of football we need to keep playing. I'll be skipping out on the homecoming festivities for a trip to Foley to see some of my best friends and wish their son a happy 1st birthday. I am looking forward to catching up, seeing the ocean, and eating seafood. All talk in Bama Nation seems to be centered on the LSU game next week, which is a huge mistake. I've been avoiding talk radio the past few days because of this. Obviously, fan talk does not truly matter, I am just always concerned with how much of that our players hear and if it is a factor in how they prepare for the game. Here's hoping that they realize that the team they are playing on Saturday, Arkansas State, has shown that they can put up points and compete.

Recent playlist:
Jenny Lewis - "Acid Tongue"
Beach House - "Self Titled"
Morrissey - Various
Blacklisted - "Heavier Than Heaven..."
Murder City Devils - "In Name And Blood"

Like The Twilight

2008-10-23T09:40:00.008-05:00

Ryan Adams and The Cardinals played in Tuscaloosa last Thursday. Outside of the annual UA Homecoming concerts, this was one of the bigger events to hit the town in quite some time. The show was great. Adams and the band were in great spirits, and played two full sets. In my opinion, this completely made up for the lackluster set last year in Birmingham. Here are a few of the better photos I snapped:

You can listen to and/or download the set here.

Alabama plays Tennessee in Knoxville this weekend. The game will be broadcast on ESPN at 6:45pm, at which time I will be at Cave 9 for the Blacklisted/Have Heart/Ceremony/Let Down/Swamp Thing/Serotonin Gone rock and roll extravaganza. Expect to see me walking back and forth between the venue and Aerochild to keep up with the score. We have to step it up in the second half. You can throw out every statistic in the book when it comes to a true rivalry game. Roll Tide. Here are the fliers for my next two shows:

Bane will also be returning to Cave 9 on Sunday, November 9th. I am excited about that.

The story of my first tattoo.

2008-10-13T15:24:00.022-05:00

I was sitting around at the Downtown Pub on Friday night with Eric, Jason, Crys, Todd, and Jessica. While discussing the trip we had planned to see a DaVinci exhibit at the Birmingham Museum of Art the next day, we somehow got on the subject of tattoos. I'm not sure how, but within 15 minutes of it coming up, it was decided that Eric, Crys and I would get the same image Jason has...an outline of the state of Alabama with a small heart over Tuscaloosa. Fitting, right? I had recently had at least two other conversations with people about how I doubted that I'd ever get tattooed. We dubbed the weekend "Spontaneous Decisions '08."

Not even 12 hours later, we were on our way to Birmingham. Jess joined us at the museum when we arrived and we proceeded to browse the Da Vinci exhibit, the gift shop, and some other random parts of the building for an hour and a half or so. This was essentially my first trip to a real art museum. Getting to see original Da Vinci stuff was undeniably cool, but I was constantly distracted by the large amount of people browsing the drawings at the same time we were. I believe it was "Kids' Weekend" or something to that effect. I should go back to the museum sometime and give it a fair shot, but I mostly felt out of place, and I had food on my mind. We left and headed over to Pete's Famous Hot Dog's, a fine establishment that serves great hot dogs with an original meat based "special sauce."

After consuming a few dogs in front of Aerochild Tattoos, we headed in to see Aaron and get ready. We were joined by Mat, Haley, and Rachel. He had one appointment to take care of, so we waited about a half hour, and then it was go time. I was first up, and slightly nervous. Shots have never bothered me, but IVs and blood sampling have always caused me to get a bit lightheaded. Here are some photos:

(Taking a deep breath.)

(Looking like I was asleep.)

The feeling was different than anything I'd heard anyone describe it as. Kind of a constant burning. It was uncomfortable, but I'd say I handled it well. Everyone said I just made faces, and I remember laughing as it was going on a few times. Then it was Eric's turn. As you can see, he remained pretty much expressionless throughout the process:

After Eric got done, it was Crys's turn. She got her tattoo on her side. I don't have any photos of the process as they were taken on another camera, but I do have a shot of a little extra art Aaron threw together at the last minute:

Here are some random shots:

(Jason)

(Crys and Mat)

(Jess in full on serious business mode.)

After the tattoos, we did a bit of shopping at India Shoppe, ate at New China Town with Mat and Jess, and headed back home to watch the end of the LSU/Florida game and catch up on the day's College Football highlights. It was a great day.

The end results:

I'll certainly never forget this weekend. I'm proud to share this with great friends, and am glad I waited for the right time in my life to make this kind of decision, even if it was on a whim.
No Regrets. Roll Tide.

Man The Change

2008-10-08T11:29:00.005-05:00

Sometimes, as an avid music fan, I tend to let new artists and bands I discover overshadow some of what I would call my "old standards." One that I've unfortunately let slip through the cracks over the past few years is Hot Water Music. This is a personal recollection of discovering the band and revisiting their catalog later.

I first got into HWM a year or so before graduating from high school. The thank you lists of many albums I owned had their name on it, and reviews of stellar live performances were scattered across the pages of zines I had collected. One day I was browsing CD's at Tuscaloosa's legendary Vinyl Solution (R.I.P.), and came across a copy of "No Division." I decided to take a chance and buy it that day. I remember being blown away after the first listen. They had a really unique sound that I felt was described inaccurately by all of the press I'd read about them. The rough vocals went into great melodies out of nowhere. It was a different breed of punk that I could not slap a label on. It was inspiring and exciting to me, musically and lyrically. I listened to it all the time, and quickly ordered the rest of their material from No Idea Records. My first package from No Idea came with some really random stuff along with the CD's, like a miniature toy skateboard and a Ninja Turtles trading card. "Fuel for The Hate Game" and "Forever and Counting", and the single tracks that make up "Never Ender" quickly got just as many spins as "No Division" in my CD player. I was definitely hooked.

My time frame here is a bit fuzzy, but the band signed to Epitaph and released "A Flight And A Crash" around the summer of my senior year of HS and the beginning of my stint at the University of Alabama. I got to see the band twice in that time period. The first time was at the Boiler Room, an awesome venue that was located on the North Side of Downtown Birmingham. I will never forget piling a few of my best friends in my mom's Buick and driving to that show. I am sure we looked completely ridiculous when we pulled up. The Boiler Room was essentially a HUGE open room, and even the most crowded shows there looked half empty. The turnout for that particular show was great, though. I was up front sweating and screaming the whole time. I have a flier for it somewhere at my parent's house which will be scanned and posted if I come across it. The second show I caught was sometime during my first year of college, and was with Less Than Jake and Bad Religion at The Tabernacle in Atlanta. They opened the show with a set mostly made up with songs from "A Flight...." and a couple of classics. I remember being a little let down, but they sounded great.

"A Flight and A Crash" and "Caution" both did very little for me. They are decent records, but neither grabbed me like any of the four that got me into the band. They also released "The New What Next" later on, which I might have listened to once. Fast forward a few years and plays here and there, and those records that once spoke to me in a big way are just sitting on the shelf. The news of their break up or reformation didn't spark me to start listening again, either. I was sitting at work recently thinking about how much fun I had in that particular time period, and out of nowhere, a line from the song "Our Own Way" popped into my head. "...There will be times when it will seem like we are caught someplace in between the ocean and the storm without a shore." Just like that, a band I thought of as a soundtrack to a youthful transition spoke to me again. I might have made a mistake by letting those records sit stagnant for a while, but maybe I just needed to let those lines and melodies age a bit to help me out at an even more confusing time. Simply put, I had a much better outlook on life when I got into Hot Water Music. I was excited to be starting college, excited for every single show I attended, and nothing seemed routine. Things change, and there is no way to escape that. Here's to records that bring my mind back to a place where those changes could be for the better.

Quick Photo Update

2008-10-04T03:37:00.005-05:00

The preparation of the Luther.

Turkey Dogs = Not satisfactory.

The construction of The Luther.

We can't forget the condiments.....

....or the magic.

Intimidation.

The first taste...

...the surprise.....

...and the eventual enjoyment.

This is a very bad photo I took of Trap Them at Cave 9 on 10/2/08.

Will Butler's genius on display.

The work received the coveted stamp of approval from Detriot.

This excellent Namath replica jersey arrived today, and I had to take a photo.
I will be rocking this on every cold game day.

Blackout = Funeral

2008-09-29T12:28:00.004-05:00

The Goodyear Blimp is floating around outside of the building I work in, which I find pretty random. There aren't any special events going on today that it would be making an appearance at that I know of. Maybe it is just passing through.

I don't have much to report other than the fact that I have thoroughly enjoyed the last two Saturdays of Alabama Football. I was unable to make it to either game, but winning is just fine with me either way. The trouncing of Arkansas was expected, but Saturday's much hyped match up with Georgia had me nervous all week long. I knew we had a chance, but agreed with most of the Vegas predictions that UGA would beat us by a touchdown. I was wrong as hell and glad to be. The first half was so incredible that I almost didn't believe it. We looked the way we should. The second half, however, was just ugly. I'll echo Saban's post game comments and say that we lost a good amount of our intensity, and should not have let up for one second. Despite that, I am still very proud of my team. Keep it up. I'll be in attendance next week for our game against the Kentucky Wildcats. Hopefully we'll put another W on the board and I won't forget my camera this time.

At some point I will post some pictures from the last few weeks. I have a good bit of resizing to do.

Firecracker

2008-09-19T12:05:00.003-05:00

Last weekend and this week have flown by. Saturday was great. I had a few close friends over to grill and watch the early games, and then headed over to campus to meet my Dad for the Bama vs. Western Kentucky game. The Tide played very well, as was expected. We had a great time. I also attended my friend Stephen's wedding on Sunday. It was a very nice ceremony, and there was ample food....two thumbs up.

Work has been pretty stressful this week. I wish I was going to Fayetteville tomorrow, but it's supposedly a hell of a drive. A day of football on the couch sounds great right about now. My office is a ghost town and I am more than ready to begin another weekend. Hopefully The Tide will come out strong against Arkansas. A win at an early game always makes Saturday much, much more enjoyable.

I somehow forgot to bring my camera with me at any point last weekend, so if photos pop up from friends, I'll post them here. I'm sure some of you are wondering what I look like in a tie. Ha.

Oops.

2008-09-09T22:25:00.004-05:00

Keeping with my personal tradition of being late to the game in terms of all types of technology, I just set up an iGoogle homepage this week. It is seriously great to have my e-mail, calendar, sports and news updates, weather, blog subscriptions, etc. all on one page. I can't believe none of you pointed this out to me earlier! Now if I can just get one of these high tech super phones everyone uses these days....

Alabama played Tulane on Saturday. Aside from the Special Teams, it was a weak effort. The team definitely let the Clemson win go to their heads, which is the exact opposite of what they needed to do with SEC play coming up in just a couple of weeks. I'll take a win despite all that. I did have a good time biking to campus and soaking up the pre-game scene, and had some (always) excellent BBQ from Big Bad Wolves. Here are some photos:

I'll be going to a wedding, the Alabama vs. Western Kentucky game, and a party or two this weekend. Hopefully good times will ensue.

Minor Threat Family Tree.

2008-09-08T15:08:00.004-05:00

I just saw this detailed Minor Threat "family tree" while browsing the Bridge 9 board and wanted to preserve it for later viewing. Apparently it's from the parking lot of a venue called "Call The Office" in Canada. This is one of the coolest HC History related things I've come across in a while.

Walls

2008-09-04T08:44:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I blew up this photo of Chan Marshall and tacked it up in my room. Jess helped me tape the individual sheets together and hang it up. I think it looks nice. I'd like to do a Bob Dylan one sometime as well. I have so many posters and prints that I need to get in frames and hang up. I feel like they are just going to sit there until I eventually move.

Atlanta Weekend

2008-09-01T16:04:00.015-05:00

Here are some photos from my trip to the Alabama vs. Clemson game in Atlanta.

My dad suggested I try and sell my extra ticket on the road. It almost worked a couple of times, but the flow of traffic ruined my luck.

We were stuck in this for a solid hour.

This is a photo from the karaoke bar we went to Friday night. Their quesadillas were pretty filling and decent in terms of flavor. The College Football and Dragon Con crowd mixed well here. The highlight was a guy dressed as Luke Skywalker singing "Run To The Hills" by Iron Maiden.

Erin and Felicia, BFF's and karaoke superstars.

Jason being drunk and funny.

One of the happy couples.

This is me sitting in a booth at Little Five Pizza. Food was bad, decor was good.

These are kittens a woman was giving away in Little Five. Jess wanted to take one, but since that would not have gone over well at the hotel, she took this picture instead. I figured I would post this for all you cat people out there.

Some views from the Marta station.

View of the Dome as I was walking to the game.

I had a great seat.

The Million Dollar Band along with Clemson's Marching Band.

This was a picture I didn't mean to take, but I think it looks cool.

Chick-Fil-A Mini Blimp cruising the stadium on the Clemson side.

A couple of shots from the game.

Bama Nation celebrating.

...as the Clemson side cleared out.

Final score was 34-10 Bama.

Giving the remaining Tigers a round of Rammer Jammers.

My first time going to The Varsity. I've been to ATL quite a few times in my life and had somehow never hit it up until last night...

...and I loved it, but could have eaten two of these plates.

While in Little Five, I purchased the following LPs: Roberta Flack - "Chapter Two", Rick Nelson - "Garden Party", Jackson Browne - "For Everyman", Bob Dylan - "New Morning" 180 gram reissue, and a Summer Records Anthology Double LP. Other than the bar food, Little Five Pizza (I'll be sticking to Fellini's from now on when I'm in Atlanta) and The Varsity, I also hit up The Vortex. There, I devoured an excellent Jamaican Jerk burger.

This was also my first experience riding the Marta train system. It was fun, and I would like to go back and explore more of the stops next time. The only downside was the major line to the station at the Dome post game. I could have walked back to my hotel two or three times in the amount of time I waited. All of the Clemson fans I ran into were very nice, friendly people both pre and post game. It was a great experience and a sweet victory to start out the season. I hope the Tide continues to play that well and improve the rough spots.

There may be more photos later when I see what ended up on my friends' cameras.

August Photos

2008-08-26T23:32:00.005-05:00

The Recluse @ Cave 9

Old friend

Glue @ Cave 9, Aug 22nd

Delusional @ Cave 9, Aug 22nd

Three From The Vault

2008-08-25T10:17:00.005-05:00

- I am having one of those days where whatever music I put on doesn't feel right. I'll get two or three songs into a record and then turn it off. I hate when this happens.

- It has been raining for three or four days straight, and it isn't expected to stop until Friday. I'm not used to this. It makes me feel tired constantly. I guess I couldn't make it in Seattle.

- I am now the proud owner of a pair of Vans Rata Plus, as pictured here:
They are the first pair of Vans from the surf line I have ever owned in a decade of Van wearing. I knew I had to have these as soon as I saw 'em. They are sort of in the Wallabee realm, but infinitely cooler. I wore them for most of the weekend and they are really comfortable, but too warm for an Alabama summer. I'll just have to wait and rock them constantly in the fall.

- I went to check out some GCW wrestling this Saturday with several friends. Ric Flair was doing a meet and greet but I opted out of meeting The Man to save some cash. Despite that, I had a great time. We were some of the only people there who were "in the know" so to speak; starting tons of chants, making signs, etc. A lot of the matches were really sloppy but as far as I can tell it is a relatively new promotion and most of the talent is local. I'll definitely hit up another one of their events soon to see if it improves. The great Mick Foley is supposed to be working with them in November.

More recent photos soon...

For all the nobody people like me....a love letter to my hometown

2008-08-22T10:37:00.006-05:00

This is an open love letter to my hometown; possibly the most honest I’ve ever written. Lots of you will either not get it or scoff at it, and that is fine. Just remember all of it when you complain about Tuscaloosa around me so I can save a breath or twelve.

Tuscaloosa is in fact what most people say it is. It is a college town. It is a place where The Crimson Tide and College Football might as well be religion. It is certainly a party town. It is a world of its own with a unique feel; somewhere between a quiet, tight knit community like Montevallo and the city/suburb dichotomy of Birmingham. Some have said that “there is nothing here” and have been, and always will be completely wrong. There is much, much more to my home than meets the eye. These examples may mean nothing to the cynical ivory tower dweller with his or her bags packed and ready to move to whatever city might be hip this year, and that is fine. They are presented as a reminder to myself and others who struggle with the love/hate relationship that is growing up here. If you know, you know, and this is for you.

It is riding your bike up and down the hills of Northwood Lake as a kid and feeling completely free. It is entire summers spent at the NWL pool, diving off the lifeguard stand when no one was looking, being in awe of the older girls (or guys), trying to talk to them and failing miserably, and all the random mischief that took place as soon as the sun went down and the gate was locked. It is a random winter where it happened to snow, and feeling like we were transported to some foreign arctic land, if only for a day.

It is the fear of leaving the comfort of elementary school for Riverside and its two floors, field house, log cabin, and endless walls of lockers. It is being dropped off at said school and having to wait in the parking lot until the doors opened, forging friendships with any other misfits you could find. It is bad lunchroom food, first loves, fights, vodka in a water bottle on the bus, stacks of napkins, bent forks, and coaches who seemed to speak entirely different languages. It is hopeless crushes on Mormon girls, being tossed out of high school parties in Crown Pointe only to go back and egg the house later. It is somehow discovering and falling in love with punk rock along the way, thanks to George and Chuck at Vinyl Solution (the only love that has stuck around).

It is moving on up to County High (The real building, not the slick food court meets prison that exists now), hanging out in the gravel lot with misfits old and new, asking Senior girls to Prom, almost wrecking the Driver’s Ed car, and subsequently going down Skyland to take your driving test and barely passing. It is holding your first girlfriend’s hand for the first time at City Fest and feeling unstoppable. It is staying up all night at Boone Cabin and jumping off the deck into Lake Tuscaloosa to wake yourself up and prepare for another day without worry. It is getting your first job and feeling like you have money to burn. It is throwing your cap in the air at Coleman and knowing you want to do it again in four or five years.

It is getting accepted to UA and skipping orientation because you think you know everything about campus, and then going to class to discover you know two things: jack and shit. It is new friends who become family just like your old ones. It is staying up all night just because you can. It is City Café at 5 am and again at 1 pm. It is THE AVENUE and every hilarious thing that ever went down there. It is game days on The Quad (or a Saturday with Eli on the radio in the office at Foodmax for me). It is seeing bands at the old Johnny house or the basement of Alabama Apartments. It is a Grand Canyon’s worth of mistakes (some you make twice) and learn from before it is all over. It is the uncomfortable sleep of two people in a dorm room bed. It is seeing best friends fall in love and get married, it is also seeing friends fall out of love and not knowing which side to be on.

It is graduating again in the same room, with a less than optimistic feeling this time around. It is the genuine fear of the “real world” and not knowing how to handle three or four kinds of loss all at once. It is the desire to see different things. It is road trips, tours, and various other types of escape. It is living alone and paying bills, It is 9 to 5 with a million ideas on how to live without it. It is hope and despair all at once. It is a stack of failed relationships. It is having the best of friends stick by you despite all your faults and quirks, and doing the same for them. It is having no clue what the next day, week, or month will bring, and the strange comfort that comes along with that fact.

Most of all, it is my home. Tuscaloosa is just as much a part of me as I am a part of it. I will always wear Crimson, get excited in the fall, and give a “Roll Tide” to anyone within earshot. I will always get random cravings for Archibald’s, Dreamland, and Taco Casa. I will always love meeting new people and finding new spots to hang out and talk about life. I will always love the feeling I get when I ride a bike around campus, no matter what gets remodeled or how The Strip now looks more like a strip mall. I will always peer down to see how muddy the Black Warrior River is that day when I go over the bridge. I have good and bad memories about damn near every part of this town, and wherever a car, plane, or train will (hopefully) take me, Tuscaloosa will always be where my awkward, goofball, misfit heart lies.

Saying Goodbye Again

2008-08-21T15:48:00.002-05:00

Ana, I love you and I hope your move goes as smooth as possible. I am glad you are doing something to make yourself happy.

(note to the public: I swear I am not as chunky as this photo makes it out to be)

Terror, Death Before Dishonor, The Warriors, and Trapped Under Ice were in town last weekend. The show went great despite the delay in starting and an incident or two. Tons of friends from out of town came out, and it was great to see everybody on that tour as well. I am always jealous when my friends come through. I wish I could hop in the van and head out with them every single show. So it goes.

If all goes as planned, I will be going on a cruise and (hopefully) going into Mexico Jan 3rd-9th. I have to get a passport and start saving money. My budgeting skills are nothing short of awful. The train trip for next year is still on my mind as well. We shall see what happens.

Gotta "Conquer The World." (Thanks DTN)

Beat My Head Against The Wall

2008-08-12T12:41:00.002-05:00

Me: Classifieds, This is Mike.
Customer: Hi Mike, How are you today?
Me: (awkward pause)

Repeat.

Lazy Saturday

2008-08-09T20:02:00.002-05:00

Today I went to the pool for a couple of hours and felt more relaxed than I have in quite some time. Since the weather cooled down a bit last night, the water was the perfect temperature, and there was a slight breeze going. I could have easily fallen asleep on my float if I had stayed out any longer. It's too bad I can't feel like that daily. I made a quick lunch of hash browns and scrambled eggs afterward. It came out okay...nothing to write home about. I need to learn to cook.

Foundation and Forfeit played Cave 9 last night. Great bands, great people. Check them out on the remaining dates of their tour if you can.

Playlist:
Life Of Agony - River Runs Red & Ugly
Al Green - I'm Still In Love With You
Squeeze - Singles: 45's And Under
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes

Random phots from the past few weeks.

2008-08-04T23:11:00.007-05:00

Tom Waits @ The Alabama Theater, 7/3/08

Jerry Seinfeld @ BJCC Concert Hall, 7/16/08

Random:

I Rise @ Cave 9, 8/3/08

Headached

2008-07-29T10:41:00.003-05:00

Hello out there. I am going to go ahead and apologize for the lack of photos in this update. I haven't had time to resize any I've taken this month, so they'll come later.

The highlights of the month started out with seeing Tom Waits at the Alabama Theater in Birmingham on the 3rd. This was my third Waits show. The setlist was great and included several surprises I never would have expected to hear. There were hardly any songs repeated from the two times I saw him on the '06 tour. It was damn near perfect. To celebrate Independence Day, we had a BBQ and I wore a goofy Hawaiian shirt. I was supposed to see Waits the following day (5th) again, but due to a misunderstanding on both mine and Kevin's part, I was without a ticket. We didn't figure this out until I got to Birmingham. Whoops. I tried to get at a couple of craigslist people, but didn't have any luck getting a ticket. I was about to just drive home and hang out by myself, but I took a look at Pollstar and found out Boris and Torche were playing The Earl, so I rode with Kevin to ATL and had him drop me off. It was the first time I'd been to a show in East ATL since Avail/American Nightmare on my birthday in 2002. I was bummed to find out that the Echo Lounge was boarded up. I ended up hanging out with several friends and seeing Ryan Chavers of all people, which was random and awesome. Torche was great, but I started feeling like dog shit midway through their set. Kevin came to the venue after Waits was done, but the show was sold out....that fact combined with my getting sick caused us to say "fuck it" and drive back home. I ended up being sick with a fever and general cold symptoms for the next week or so. It sucked. I then helped Eric and Kerri load up their U-Haul prior to their move to Foley. Congrats to Eric G. Mann on the new job.

I was also given both an original X-Swatch and an entire record collection this month. I guess giving my friend Jess a Black Flag shirt that did not fit me was a great idea. Thanks to Jason, Ana, Tommy, and Karma. I spent most of last weekend sorting through records (some total gems, and some heartbreaking pieces that were damaged) before doing the Cold World/Trash Talk/Iron Age tour at Cave 9. It was a blast, but I was exhausted and didn't get to snap any photos.

Other than that, I saw the Dark Knight twice and have done a lot of hanging out in both homes and bars. I have also eaten like no man should eat. This Sunday I have New Lows/I Rise/Sleepwall at Cave 9. This begins a string of shows every weekend in August.

maladjusted

2008-07-16T23:32:00.001-05:00

"they keep on kicking me down, kicking me down, trying to keep me underground."

Still Nothing Moves You

2008-06-18T09:50:00.004-05:00

Ceremony played Cave Nine this weekend. Needless to say, it was a blast. Here are a couple of shots:

If you were at this show and caught a hammer fist from a guy wearing purple shorts and a Lil Wayne promotional backpack, that was my friend Tripp. You should check out his blog here.

Lately my eating, writing, and reading habits have all been terrible. The books keep piling up and I feel myself getting heavier.

I got back on the bike for the first time since the shoulder incident the other night. I was burned out after 30 minutes of campus riding. UA is deserted at night right now, and it is really nice to be able to ride all over the road and take in the scenery. I should probably scope out new places to ride around soon, though.

Someone gave me a bit of a cold. I hope whoever it was has to sit through a Home Improvement marathon, or go through 10 stop and chat's in one day.

Your Brown Skin Shining In The Sun

2008-06-06T10:25:00.004-05:00

Last weekend I went along with several friends on a "camping" trip. We weren't really roughing it since we were at a state park, but it was a blast. There are pictures scattered across the various profile sites, but I felt these were essential from my experience of the trip.

I love Summer. I always have. This is the first time I've had a full time job during the season, and it is pretty heartbreaking. I miss going swimming at 2 am in the middle of the week, being able to get off work any time I wanted to take random road trips, and gas being cheap enough to take said road trips. I really doubt I'll be in Birmingham much when I don't have shows booked. I am going to try and make the most of my situation, though. Let's go to the river or something.

Time Flies

2008-05-27T08:54:00.012-05:00

Since it's been almost a month since my last update, I figured I'd throw some photos up to sum up what I've been doing lately. I feel like I've been going non-stop, which is a good thing in my opinion. Things that stick out in my memory are sneaking up front to watch Lou Reed play a stellar encore in Nashville, an EPIC Team Win fish fry, catching up with Robbie and finally seeing Radiohead, getting to hang out with Elizabeth for the first time in ages, going to Athens, GA for the first time, great food all around, cheap record scores, Legion playing a house show, and a marathon memorial day weekend. Here goes:

Until next time, peace.

Quick Update for the end of April

2008-04-28T10:21:00.002-05:00

Blacklisted played Cave Nine last night, and they were stellar. The show was the highlight of the month for sure. They are one of a handful of bands that I feel like I could see every day and never get sick of. It was frustrating to not be able to get in the middle of things due to my shoulder. P.S. Eliot also played the show, and made their demos available to the public. You should get your hands on one. They will be touring all over the states this summer on a demo alone, which is pretty awesome if you ask me....too bad I can't join them.

I am taking a half day at work on Friday so I can go check out Lou Reed at the Ryman in Nashville, TN. I love that venue; there is just nowhere else like it. I will probably do a review of the show for my actual site as I have yet to write a serious one, and I feel like this is as good a time as any. The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed made a big impact on me when I was younger. The following day is the annual Team Win Fish Fry, which I will no doubt post photos of here. Everything will be deep fried. Everything.

As soon as I get the (hopefully) good word from a doctor on my shoulder healing, I will be getting back on the bike full force. I want to hit it hard and ride several days a week, and hopefully find some good trails to ride on a weekend while the weather is nice.

I'm Not Ready

2008-04-16T22:37:00.011-05:00

Saturday afternoon I attended the annual University of Alabama A-Day Game. It was a good time as usual. Your average person might not be interested in a Spring scrimmage game, but ever since I was released from the trap of working virtually every weekend, I have been trying to soak up as much time at Bryant-Denny as possible. Last year, over 92,000 fans showed up and literally packed the stadium. The crowd this year was not as big, but it was still better attended than most of the years I remember going as a kid. It was nice to relax, eat some Nachos, catch up with friends, and of course see how the team is shaping up for the upcoming season.

Sunday afternoon, I hopped in a car with my friends David and Ian. We trekked to Jackson, MS to see Modern Life Is War on their final tour. Downtown Jackson looked like a ghost town. It reminded me of Northside in Birmingham. The show looked like it was the only thing going down in the entire city. We grabbed some Taco Bell during most of the first band's set, and hung out until MLIW played. I secured a spot up front. Here are some pictures I snapped before the night took an interesting turn.

The band launched into "Breaking The Cycle" about 5 songs into the set, and by the end of the song, I was on top of the crowd you see in the photo. My right shoulder snapped out of place again, and I was luckily able to get down and check it out. I attempted to push it back into place (I have been able to do before), but this was a different kind of pain. David rushed me to the hospital and I waited it out. It was dislocated fully and I had to be put under for a couple of minutes for it to be put back into place. I woke up to the Doctor talking to me about a sling, very confused, not realizing that the sling was already on my arm. From where David and Ian were sitting, it was hysterical for sure. Here are the results of the evening (Note the "XFL" hand stamp from the show. That's one I've never seen before):

On the way back home, we toyed with the idea of driving to Memphis for their show the next night, but by the time we had arrived home, we decided against it for numerous real world reasons. It was definitely for the best since I felt like warmed over shit the next day, but I can't say that I'm not a little bummed on not getting to see them play a full set before they call it a day. I'm glad I have great friends who would sacrifice something like that to take my wild ass to the hospital more than anything, though. Cheers to them, and to MLIW for being a band who did whatever the fuck they wanted with their music. What can I say? Punk Rock will make you do some crazy things. I'm itching for a bike ride, but it will be a little while before I can go on another one.

feeling like a kid

2008-04-11T09:36:00.003-05:00

One of the few ways I've been able to slip from the grasp of the real world lately is riding my bike. Unlike most college students, I never owned one during my tenure at school (The University of Alabama) since I was a commuter. I figured that getting a bike would be a great way to have fun and get in a little exercise after spending my days sitting around at the office. Researching what type of bike to buy was a bit of a pain. I quickly discovered that I was clueless as far as bike lingo and branding were concerned, and decided to just go for a cheap starter bike that would get me around and see if i liked it and kept up a semi-regular riding schedule. So far, I have gone riding 2-3 times a week. Most of the time I hit up the campus and make my way around all of the buildings I used to frequent, while trying to use routes, streets, and shortcuts that I didn't walk through on a regular basis. The other night I actually rode past a building I had never seen or heard anyone mention in my 5 years at the UA. Riding around at night reminds me of the full days and nights I would spend riding around the neighborhood with all of my friends as a kid. We got into so much mischief through those bike rides that it is pretty mind blowing to think about now. Dropping a mere $60 on my bike was one of the best investments I've made in a long time. It's allowed me to release a good amount of the pent up energy that builds during my work day, and to reconnect with one of my favorite activities as a kid.

long time, no see.

2007-11-15T09:37:00.000-06:00

I decided a month or so ago that I was going to do a personal zine under the five year diary moniker, and hard copies of a "prelude" to the real deal will be availible this Sunday, November 18th at Cave Nine. The writing in it differs greatly from what you see here. It is also the CD Release show for Legion's "Home Recordings '06-'07", the second release on my label, Best of Times Records. Pulling Teeth, Frightener, Demur, and Dolarhyde are also playing the show. Please come out and support if you feel so inclined. I promise there will be another music post soon, my efforts have just been concentrated in different areas as of late.

Sometimes you've gotta just put yourself out there.

Rough Era

2006-11-28T16:41:00.000-06:00

Ask anyone who attends Hardcore shows regularly: There aren't that many active bands taking chances with the music. It's easy, and I say so from personal experience, to leave a show after seeing four or five bands and only have one hold your attention. This can be applied to the greater scheme of the current scene as far as I'm concerned. Don't get me wrong, there are literally hundreds of solid bands with sincere members currently breaking their backs to tour across the US as well as the rest of the world. But as far as musical experimentation is concered, the well is pretty dry.

One band that I have kept my eyes and ears on over the past couple of years is Lion Of Judah. I checked out their demo after the initial hype on HYE, and have been hooked ever since. I heard elements of bands I loved that many modern Hardcore bands hadn't looked to: Burn, Fugazi, later-era Bad Brains, etc. That demo and subsequent 7" on Lockin' Out entitled "Soul Power" were good, but I could tell that some things needed polishing and looked forward to another release.

Last week, after finally hooking the band up with a show in Alabama, I got my hands on that next release. The polishing I had hoped for took place, and it was evident in the band's performance and also on the record I brought home. I've been listening to it constantly since and I believe it will easily slip into my top 10 of '06. Check the cover art:

I love that the cover looks NOTHING like your average HC release. The best description of it I have heard compared it to the cover of a Love album.

Hardcore needs more bands like LOJ. Along with their wide range of influences, they are unafraid to tackle complex issues in their lyrics including, but not limited to: the current state of the World, Religion, Philosophy, Immigration policies, body image conflicts, and much more. There is also the issue of experimentation with album art and merch setting them apart from the flock.

I feel like I could rant for hours about this band, but enough of that. Go pick up the record at Youngblood (who also put out a number of other good records) and you'll (hopefully) see what I'm talking about.

choices made

2006-09-06T02:08:00.000-05:00

There have already been hundreds of debates on various websites and message boards about the motives behind the recent string of Gorilla Biscuits shows. I, for one, got tired of reading them very quickly. I decided that this was different than all those other reunions. This was Gorilla Biscuits. This was a band who recorded songs that had a major impact on my outlook on life and my involvement in the Hardcore scene; songs that I sing along to in my truck on a very regular basis that can lift me out of the worst moods. I wasn’t going to let speculation ruin anything for me: If anyone was going to ruin anything, it would be the band.

I went to see the band play in Atlanta August 29^th. The room was insanely hot and packed. Several other bands played, and the crowd reacted well, but we all knew we needed to save our energy. I started getting really excited when I saw the drum kit bearing the GB logo being loaded onto the stage. Finally, the background music was turned off, the band took the stage, and the trumpet intro to New Direction blared over the P.A. Walter hit that classic first chord and the stage dives and finger points began, and didn’t end until they stopped playing over an hour later. I was up front sweating more than I have in my short lifetime for the majority of the set, singing every word. I have never seen a reunited, “legendary” band play with that much passion and energy. Hell, even bands from their era that have stayed together and are still playing regularly (that I’ve witnessed live, at least) couldn’t even come close to touching this kind of intensity. Many bands have tried to rehash their glory days and cash in on their legacy. After seeing that set, you will never be able to convince me that Gorilla Biscuits were doing either of those things. They were doing what a Hardcore band should do: playing the songs they wrote fast and loud, getting their message out there, and having the time of their lives doing it. I know I had the time of mine witnessing it. Thanks to Hunter and Matt at Kill The Peace for making the show happen.

time slips away

2006-05-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

I am sad to say that I missed the final Champion show. When I first heard that they were breaking up, I had every intention of getting to Seattle in any way possible. Like alot of plans I make, that one did not pan out. The pressures of finals as well as working a go-nowhere job where I get paid next to nothing are the culprits here. Earlier today, the good folks at Bridge Nine Records put up some leftover merch for purchase, including the poster pictured above and a final show pressing of their excellent Promises Kept LP, both of which I picked up. After I placed my order, I put on PK and listened to it a couple of times through.

After letting it soak in for a few minutes, I realized that while I didn't see the band's last show and missed out on what would have likely been an incredible trip, I was still one lucky hardcore kid. I got to set up three shows for them at Cave Nine, and attend one show in Nashville the night after the first time they played Birmingham. The shows were great experiences, enhanced only by meeting and getting to know the members of Champion. In a conversation with Aram after one Cave Nine show (I can't remember which), I remember telling him how glad I was that there were at least a handful of truly (remove all cliches from the following words) sincere and positive Straight Edge bands currently playing and touring. He just smiled and said "I promise you that we will always be a positive Straight Edge band." He wasn't lying. They didn't break up because someone sold out. They didn't break up because they were tired of hardcore or burnt out on playing. They did the respectable thing and ended it before it stopped being relevant and fun, two things that Hardcore should always be. Even though they will likely never read this, I wish them all the best in their future endeavors, in and outside of music. They were one of the few bands that lived by the words they wrote and sang and the ethics of the scene they were involved with, and they will be missed dearly.