i would apologize for my last post if in fact i was totally embarrassed by it, but i'm not, so no apologies here. i meant every word i said, but now is a different time and the hours and minutes since then have passed on. today is the middle of the week and most people are on top of the hill and patiently waiting for the holiday weekend to come. here in oklahoma everyone is trying to not die from heat exhaustion. i would be looking more forward to this weekend, seeing as how i originally planned on going to warped tour saturday, but it seems i'm going to have to change those plans. money is simply not here, so i guess that means i'll find something else to do. there are many powwow's going on, so maybe i'll try one of those. or bust some fireworks somehow...
next up we have a little band that's popular in the underground and have gained a solid fan base due to their dramatic live shows and multi-talented musicians. that band is known as DeVotchKa.
originally a backing band for burlesque shows and touring with fetish model, Dita Von Teese, devotchka gained a strong underground following throughout their many years of exisitng. they started in 1997 and hail from denver, colorado. they gained notoriety with the song, "how it ends" as well as being most of the musical force behind the indie film soundtrack, Little Miss Sunshine. to describe their sound i would have to say, gypsy folk mixed with the post-punk styles of Joy Division and The Smiths.
today you will find their entire discography minus a self released live album. in first place is their debut, SuperMelodrama, followed by the album, Una Volta. next we have the very popular and fan favorite album, How It Ends then the excellent ep, Curse Your Little Heart. after that is Little Miss Sunshine the Soundtrack, then their latest album, A Mad & Faithful Telling. try these out and see if you can dig...
this isn't a cry for help, nor a reason for you all to get upset. no, it's simply just what it is. i've been going through a tough time lately, but that isn't really that rare. there always seems to be something wrong with me. i take it that i'm attracted to the drama and i relish in the fact that hopefully someone out there feels sorry for me. is that true??? i certainly hope not!!! being a person with depression isn't fun and not something i would wish on my worst enemy. (i have no enemies.) it isn't cool and it isn't hip. the music i post on here is usually a reflection of my current mood. as of right now, my current mood is sad, lonely and tired. i'll admit to something that most will roll their eyes over, but gosh darnit, i miss my ex-girlfriend real bad!!! yeah, how many people out there post on their blogs an almost identical sentence eh??? no, seriously, i miss my ex. i think about her everyday. it hurts too much, but she never seems to leave my mind. what's up with that??? it's been over a year since we were together. shouldn't i have gotten over her by now??? that's what my family says. and oh boy, i sure can tell when they are tired of me mentioning her when i'm upset.
but whatever on that. she meant a lot to me and still does. am i writing this in hopes that she will read it and call me or text me??? if i said no then i would be the biggest liar since bill clinton. yes, i hope she does read this. i hope she does maybe call or text. i miss her and i want to know how she is doing. fact: she was going to come to oklahoma for red earth weekend, but had to cancel those plans. i understood and felt sorry for her. i believe she really wanted to come here and see me. i remember that short conversation we had through texting when she told me the bad news. i said "you can still come. i'll always be here!!!" i think this upset her and this made me look like a fool. she immediately had to leave. what i meant to say was, "you can still come to oklahoma when it's a good time for you. i'll always be here and i'm not leaving anytime soon." yeah, try writing all of that in a text message...
call me pathetic, call me what you will. (green day lyrics!!!) judge me if you want, i won't pay attention because i've heard it a million times before. is this my most pathetic post on my blog as of now??? i guess it depends on what your definition of pathetic is. look here: i'm a 25 year old male from oklahoma who is a college graduate and jobless. i live with my dad and bum money off my family. i don't look for jobs as much as i should and my main excuse for that is my fear of being trapped in something i won't ever leave. ultimately, it comes down to failure. failure is my biggest fear and what is worse than failing at life??? i've seen it since i was born and since i could remember, my goal was to not fail. so far, i think i'm stuck in the middle of failure and accomplishment. there are things i'm good at, and also things i've finished, but they lack something i'm still searching for. i think it's an inner peace and humbleness. i want to be more humble and giving. i want to break my terrible habits and rid myself of this depression. i want to be a better person, not only for my self, but for everyone around me!!! my psychiatrist says, "what do you want to be like if you ever meet you ex again???" how am i going to be if i ever met my ex again??? will i still be the same person, or will i be different??? i know for sure that if we met again, i wouldn't want her to think of me as a pathetic excuse for a human being. i wouldn't want to put her through the same crap that i did when we were together. i want to beat my demons and be the best for her. be the best for everyone...
following my pattern and paragraphs of stuff then music, here's, well, the music... i have been thinking of a song during this time of massive brain blogging (me thinking too much...) and it's gotten more stuck than the boogers under your chair. the song is called, "fade into you" and it's by the band, Mazzy Star.
i love dream-pop and shoegaze. i thank my friend, frank who i met my first year at college, for introducing me to this group. mazzy star formed in 1989 after founding members david roback and kendra smith came together from their previous bands. on a tour with The Jesus and Mary Chain, smith left the band and friend/vocalist hope sandoval was asked to step in. after this sandoval and roback began to collaborate, thus releasing three mazzy star albums before breaking up in 2003. hope sandoval went on to form her own band, Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions and roback wrote songs for films and did some solo work. it was stated in a 2009 rolling stone interview that the band is back together and working on a fourth album. this is awesome news!!!
today i have only one album to post and that is the bands second release titled, So Tonight That I Might See. this is the album that made them huge during the 90's and its a wonderful jaunt through dreamy soundscapes and moody atmospheres. something i dig thoroughly...
since it feels like the surface of the sun here in oklahoma, it's my duty to help keep our poor dog healthy and not cooked medium well. before i go out today i need to get in the back yard and hose him down with water. he can't run away since he's chained up, so i'll get him good!!! BBWWWAAAA HA HA HA HA!!! (the poor little scamp...) as for later on, i believe i'm going to the movies with my mom and brother to see Toy Story 3. i'm looking forward to seeing something good for once. pixar films never disappoint.
let's keep it sunny and fun with some lovable dance pop courtesy of Phoenix.
phoenix is a little indie dance pop band from paris, france that started back in 1999. i first heard them on the soundtrack to sofia coppola's sleepy indie film, Lost in Translation. the band consists of vocalist thomas mars, bassist deck d'arcy, guitarist chris mazzalai and guitarist laurent brancowitz who joined after his old band, Darlin' broke up. two of his former band mates, thomas bangalter and guy-manuel de homem-christo, would go on to form the amazing dance duo, Daft Punk. starting out slow, the band has built up a fierce fan base and with the release of their latest album in 2009, saw them rise to the top and garner critical acclaim and awards.
today you will find their entire discography. we first start with the debut album, United, then follow that with the album, Alphabetical. next we have the live album titled, Live! 30 Days Ago then their third full length, It's Never Been Like That. and finally in last place is their fantastic album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. this album is a little over 30 minutes and killer straight through. very very nice dance pop that's both fun and sexy. one of 2009's best albums and still great to listen to today. so with that, here's the good stuff and you all need to get with the program. enjoy!!!
time is passing by and i need to grab more of it. i still need a job... if only this blogging thing was a job. well, if this blogging thing was a job i probably wouldn't like it anymore. i guess that's what a lot of artists have to deal with when creating. "when did this become a job???" yeah, the rock and or roll lifestyle has it's perks, but also it's slumps...
getting into overdrive for the melting summer months here in oklahoma, i'm always ready to rock out if need be. this next artist is one of the greats of the 90's and i'm lucky to have gotten the chance to see them live. here is Nine Inch Nails.
nine inch nails is the project of master mind trent reznor. it's a good mix of industrial music and post-punk ala, Joy Division and Bauhaus. the band started in 1988 and rose to fame during the 90's and then to even more fame in the 2000's. drugs and depression were often the source material for the songs trent created, but that became a thing of the past once the guy sobered up and started getting more focused. as of right now, nine inch nails is on permanent hiatus while trent and his wife work on their new project called, How to Destroy Angels, which actually sounds a lot like nine inch nails...
the video for the song "closer" happens to be one of my most favorite video's of all time. this goes back to the days of music videos on MxTxVx and the creative talent behind them. but oh well, things change and blah blah blah. anyway, here's the music!!! i think i got pretty much the bands entire discography (or halos) minus some singles and such. starting off in first place is the amazing debut album, Pretty Hate Machine. this album launched the band into the faces of the mainstream and got people addicted to their industrial metal. the band went on the first ever lollapalooza and blew away the crowds who weren't ready for this type of music yet. good times were had. we follow that with the two ep's titled, Broken and Fixed. next we have my personal favorite NIN album, and that is The Downward Spiral. (fact: the album was recorded in the mansion of actress sharon tate who was brutally murdered by the manson family in the 60's...) after that we have the remix album, Further Down the Spiral, followed by the double album, The Fragile. another remix album called, Things Falling Apart would be released and then the live album, And All That Could Have Been. time would pass until trent gave us some new tunes which would become the stellar comeback album, With Teeth. this is the highest point nine inch nails would get and the material released after this showcases that. following with teeth is the equally amazing album, Year Zero followed by it's remix album, Year Zero Remixed and then the experimental ambient four disc set, Ghosts I-IV. and then in last place is the album titled, The Slip. nine inch nails would do one last tour called, the "Wave Goodbye" tour and that was it. so here you go with some awesome tunes to get you thinking and possibly sleeping. or maybe not...
today is my father's 53rd birthday. i can remember my dad being in his late 20's. it's crazy to see how much he's changed over the course of my 25 years of existence. i've seen him go from young man to old man in just a matter of seconds, then back again. i love my dad, but our relationship is strained sometimes. i guess that's no big deal with most people, seeing as how a lot of family relationships are wary at some degree. still, me and the old man have done much together. some of the best times were when it was just us two. camping and fishing trips along with awesome powwow weekends are just a few of the many memories i have. i hope he, as well as my mom, will one day get to see me have a family. i think they'd both like that very much...
in honor of my dad's b-day, i'm going to post some music for him. this artist i'm going to write about is someone who's been in my life since birth. heck, one of his most popular albums was released the year i was born!!! (1984...) i grew up listening to his wonderful, soulful tunes and it's nice that he's still around. i am of course talking about the Boss Man himself, Mr. Bruce Springsteen.
the bluesy/americana music of bruce springsteen always reminds me of my dad. perhaps it's because i listened to it all the time in my dad's truck while riding along our oklahoma roads. it always brought a sense of joy and happiness despite terror and heartbreak. i guess that comes form bruce's wonderful ability to craft terrific songs with substance. unlike, say Bob Segar, Tom Waits and Neil Young, (NO OFFENSE!!!) bruce seemed more immediate and would just grab you by the shoulders instantly and throw you into his situation and explain all his woes and doubts to you like a close friend or brother would. it would always paint this picture in my mind of some dingy old bar, one late hot night in the city. cigarette smoke would be carried in the room while cheap beer was drunk. sitting next to you is the saddest person alive and they have many stories to tell you. stories about heartbreak, no job, no money, family problems, war memories, sex and drugs. it's these kinds of stories bruce tells you when listening to his music and with that comes great courage and strength. such personal music by a great artist like bruce has inspired millions today and can be heard from current acts like, The Gaslight Anthem, The Hold Steady, Red City Radio and Hot Water Music among others.
music will live forever and the stories will stay true, but the people will wither and pass on. it's a sad reality, but that's just how things are and will be forever. my dad is halfway close to 100, but will he make it that far??? i don't know how things will turn out, but i do know that these are supposed to be our glory days. don't let them pass you by...
the music posted today are my essentials. these albums are the ones close to my heart and i want all of you to give them each a listen. there is no starting place. just pick whatever and get into it with the quickness!!! in first place is the debut record titled, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.. this is his starting point and it demonstrates a wonderful career just getting warmed up. next we have The Wild, the Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle and after that is the masterpiece Born to Run. this album ranks at number 18 in the Rolling Stone Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time issue and rightfully so. it's such an amazing genius of an album that goes full throttle and doesn't let go till the last note is played. following that we have the album, Darkness on the Edge of Town and then the double album, The River. after this bruce took a break from his backing group, The E Street Band, and made a more personal acoustic effort simply called, Nebraska. next was the release of the album, Born in the U.S.A., which came out in 1984!!! this is the album i connect with the most because it has been here from my birth to this day. every single song on this album is amazing and every note and word spilt from it ring true to it's time. and in last place is the intimate and sensual, Tunnel of Love. please give these and listen and support good music for once. it doesn't get much better than bruce springsteen...
WOW!!! the weekend flew by so fast i'm still trying to catch up!!! red earth finally happened and it was great. i got to bust my out my fancy dance regalia for the second time, but in reality it felt like the first because so many more people got to see it. the compliments were very nice and i think it stood out well enough for my standards. (i really wanted those sequins to shine!!!) goofy thing is we forgot to bring the camera for all three nights. the photo below is the only proof of me being there. it's got that elusive bigfoot quality to it...
too tall...
next weekend is another good powwow, so it's dance time from here on out!!! oh, and in other news, the international trailer for the Scott Pilgrim movie is out now!!!
i have a falls creek meeting in a little bit, so i gotta cut straight to the music now. all the way from england is our next group called, Opus III.
opus III was a techno/house group composed of lead singer kirsty hawksaw and producers/musicians kevin dobbs, ian munro and nigel walton. they had success on the uk and us singles charts during the 90's and released two albums before splitting up. kirsty is still involved with the music scene today, having worked with artists like Delirium, Silent Poets and DJ Tiësto.
today i'm posting their debut album, Mind Fruit. this is an album with a solid mix of house/ambient/trance/and brief bits of drum n' bass. they even manage to do a King Crimson cover!!! try it out and float along with the ambiance...
well today was a bust for me. i spent many hours in a situation i knew i shouldn't have been, and after all was said and done, nothing good came from it. a complete and utter waste of time on my part. i could have been here continuing my powwow regalia work, but nnnnnoooooooo!!! i had to go and try a cheap/easy way to get money that backfired on me. it just goes to show that i'm as big a fool as anyone else... on top of that, i had a brief argument with my mom, so yeah, i suck right now. the only redeeming thing to happen was discovering a postcard from our local IHS. it stated that they "received my application." what this means, i really don't know beyond those few words, but what i do hope is that this means they will give me the time and chance for a job. i applied at the corporate office almost two weeks ago and until now, haven't heard a peep. this little tidbit is a reminder that good things do happen, but usually when we least expect them. (i got the postcard when i returned home)
oh, i guess i have another thing to mention. the holy grail/summit of video game nerdom is here this week. i'm of course talking about, Efreekin'3!!! yes, E'3, or Electronic Entertainment Expo, is the worldwide video game showcase for the new crop of games and accessories. it's been going on for many years now and it seems to have been taken up a notch. nintendo is taking huge leaps over the competition in regards to hand held technology, what with the stunning, 3DS. yes, the 3DS is the brand new hand hand successor to the nintendo DS and DSi. what makes this the next gen??? well for starters, it's in FREEKIN' 3D!!! yes, those lovable little scamps at nintendo have totally outdone themselves with this one. its a hand held video game system that's in the third dimension and requires no glasses. yep, no glasses!!! no longer will you have to watch your movies and games in a shade that's darker. nope, this time the 3D technology comes at you and registers with each eyeball to transcript the movement. it's some pretty amazing stuff and genius. pure genius!!!
oh, and sony had some cool games (Medal of Honor, Dead Space 2, TWISTED METAL!!!) and microsoft wasn't really that impressive. (sorry M$...) overall, i'm still wiped out and the presents keep on coming. what else will be shown this week i have no idea, but i'll keep an eye out and and ear open. (i let the television play in the background while i work on my stuff)
i'm lucky to get a chance to post today, but i gotta go, so here's the New York Dolls.
these ugly mofo's are one of the original protopunk bands from the late 70's in new york city. 1971 to 1976 to be exact!!! they, along with other bands like, Television, The Ramones, Blondie, Richard Hell and the Voidoids and The Talking Heads, were the influential acts for nu-wave and post-punk in america and around the world. they were also very glam, and an inspiration to the hair metal craze of the 80's. (ugh...) but yeah, new york dolls were the real deal, and despite their image, they rocked out every time and got the word out on how things were done in the big apple. oh, and they were trashy too. very very very trashy...
so anyway, today you are all in for a real treat. this here is the self titled debut album and one of the top 500 greatest albums of all time according to rolling stone. (#213) try this and rock out to some classic, yet bangin' tunes from those trashy trashy trashy boys, the new york dolls!!! oh, and one more thing to mention. these guys are still around and playin', but with only two surviving members. so, yeah, uh... dig it???
it's a monday and it's flooding outside. i'm stuck here until i finish all the work on my dance outfit. i'm trying to have it all finished by this friday for red earth. what is red earth you say??? well for you noobs, it used to be the biggest powwow in oklahoma, and for a short while, biggest in america. (yes, it was bigger than gathering of nations...) this all goes back to it's glory days in the middle 90's, of which i have fond memories of. i know this seems cheesy, but i have always wanted to dance at red earth. it just had this atmosphere i love a whole lot for some reason, and many people come out ( or used to...) to see it. over the years it's become stale and not as heavily populated like before, but the music is still good and the dancers are beautiful like always. red earth is just the first start of the summer powwow season here in oklahoma. after this, just about every weekend will have a powwow going on somewheres...
oh, and since i don't really have the time to be posting, this might be my last one for a few days. just a heads up for you faithful readers!!! (all 0 of you... uh, who am i talking to??? really???)
keeping things moving along, here's a great overlooked band from overseas called, The Chameleons Uk.
another one of the more influential post-punk bands from the 80's, the chameleons formed in 1981 in manchester, england and released several albums and ep's before breaking up in 1987. they were under the radar until the past 15 years or so when they reunited for some successful shows in 2000. often compared to their contemporaries like Echo and the Bunny Men, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Divison and Bauhaus, the chameleons were very good at what they did. their lyrics were more personal and not as dark like others, and they often dealt with childlike innocence and a reverence for nostalgia (according to wikipedia...)
through the years and time spent searching for music on my own, i somehow came across these guys and i'm glad that i did. this is great music that must be heard and hopefully they will get even more recognition than they did before.
now for the music i'm only posting one album by the band and that is the full length called, Strange Times. this is their best release and most popular by far. its a long album, but solid and full of that post-punk/nu-wave style i love so dearly. put down those U2 albums and try this out instead!!!
there's a lot to do today. first is to do this post thing fast then get back to work on my sequin ordeal. then later on tonight there is a powwow going on in midwest city. i think i'll stop by there then after wards, head over to my friend mike's to visit for a bit. this doesn't seem like much, but after waking up from a horrible, sad, and personal dream, anything to break the norm is welcomed by me...
here is one band me and my mother share a common love for. they were one of the best grunge acts of the 90's and are still going strong despite certain tragedy. it is the band, Alice in Chains.
alice in chains formed in seattle, washington in 1987 after founding members jerry cantrell and layne staley met and lived with each other while playing in the band Alice N' Chains. alice n' chains eventually broke up, but the two guys stayed as friends and started a new band called, Diamond Lie. this lineup, featuring drummer sean kinney and bassist mike starr, would morph into the alice in chains we all know and love.
the band quickly rose up through the ranks in the seattle grunge movement and became one of the most successful acts of that time along with their peers, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Tad, Screaming Trees and Nirvana. after many years of touring and recording, the band began to fall apart. layne went on to join the grunge super group, Mad Season, who had a number two single with the song, "river of deceit". they would only release one album as a band. after three years of nothing alice in chains came back in 1995 to release their last album and then played their first live show in three years on the MxTxVx "unplugged" series. like nirvana before them, you could see the seams beginning to break. also in attendance at the show was a newly styled Metallica, with their now short hair... after all this, layne staley became a recluse following the death of his ex-fiancée in 1996. sadly, in 2002 layne was found dead from a heroin and cocaine overdose and possible infection in his seattle condominium.
during the years before and after layne's death, jerry cantrell went on to make two solo albums of which i don't really care for that much. (my mom does though...) and then in 2005, the band reunited for a benefit concert featuring guest musicians. on the song "rooster" the band asked Comes With the Fall vocalist william duvall to sing with them. it was after this that the band toured with willam and eventually recorded a new album called, Black Gives Way to Blue in 2009. it has reached gold status and received good reviews. now, for my own personal sake, the band died after layne died. i know this makes me seem like a turd, but alice in chains were one of my favorites and layne was truly a unique singer. you can't replace him no matter what. i've moved on and i guess i could give them a try again, but it will take some time for sure...
and with that, here's the music. we first start with their debut ep, We Die Young. this was a promotional ep which led their then label to push them into the studio to crank out their debut lp, Facelift. the album became one of the most important releases in the grunge movement, exposing many people to the sound of the north west. after this was the release of the ep, Sap. the band then released their second lp called, Dirt. this became the bands highest selling album to date, spawning five top 30 singles and garnering them rock legend status. time passed until their next release surfaced, which was the ep titled, Jar of Flies. more time passed until their last full length with layne staley was released, which was their self titled effort. following that in last place is Alice in Chains: Unplugged which is my personal favorite album by the band. so there you go. try to enjoy these and if wondering where to start, go with dirt. dig it...
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