Atlanta Weekend

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

The Recluse @ Cave 9


Old friend


Glue @ Cave 9, Aug 22nd


Delusional @ Cave 9, Aug 22nd

Three From The Vault

- 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

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

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

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

Repeat.

Lazy Saturday

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.

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

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

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

Still Nothing Moves You

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.