That'll be sore in the morning.

Home!

Ok...so. If you haven't heard the band "Ours," do so. They're brilliant, and Jimmy Gnecco's voice is ridiculous.

Filter was great...new band (save Rich, of course); a much, much heavier sound. An older crowd, judging by how much goading the band had to do to get a mosh pit going, and by how relatively tame said pit was once started.

A few highlights...played "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do," which is the song that got me hooked on them in the first place. Which was awesome.

Saw the show from the middle of the first row, same position I had last time, in 2002.

Rich's voice sounds perfect still.

I am going to be tremendously sore. Yikes.

Played only two songs from the new album, and didn't even mention it..which strikes me as odd for an album-support tour. They played "Soldiers of Misfortune," through the duration of which I bawled my eyes out. Justin would've loved it.

As much as I love drinking, concerts aren't the place to do it, I think. (I remained sober.) Or, maybe, the normal type of personality who attends a hard rock concert is just the kind of person I'd rather not meet drunk. So much Type A, so little inhibition. Yeesh.

So..not the same rush as I had at the 2002 concert. I'm not sure if that's because my musical tastes are evolving, or if I'm just getting older, or if it was just Rich handing me his glasses during 'Jurrassitol' the last time around that threw me from 'ecstatic' to 'adrenaline overload.'

Oh, and in an odd sidenote, I saw Clint, who has a new band, to which I will link as soon as I remember where I put the card. We decided our bands have to play a show together..his being 'The B-Movie Extras,' and ours, of course, 'The Understudies.' Even if we were the only ones who got the joke.

Going to sleep now. Goodnight.

Almost.......

Just heard sound check through

Just heard sound check through a cracked-open door. Rich's voice sounds good, haven't heard a good scream yet. There's a fantastic breeze.

Been here half an hour.

Been here half an hour. May have already seen the back of rich. Eating a steak and cheese from a random chinese food place. First in line.

And I'm off!

After much internal debate -- metro, parking, driving, cab ride? --- how early do I want to be there, am I too old to be in the front row at a rock show, do I care about long-term hearing loss --- etc et al and so forth,

I've decided fuck all, I'm going. Doors at 7:30, Filter's on at 10, I'm heading down to 9:30 as of now, 3:04pm.

Don't wait up.

Week of Good Continues.

So, the week of Awesome is continuing..tonight was a lot of laid back fun, and , oh, by the way,

TOMORROW I SEE FILTER AT THE 930 CLUB.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

What a great couple of days..

Ok... this picture will be much more awesome by the end of this post.

Monday, Memorial Day, all plans kind of fell through, and I was talking (texting) with a now-former coworker from Adega, who was trying to build furniture in her new apartment in Philadelphia. I jokingly asked if she needed help. One giant "what the hell" later, and I was on the road.

We spent Monday night drinking delicious Belgian and American beers, staying up far too late, and somehow managing to make it back to her place, where I pulled off the feat of sleeping on a hardwood floor.

Today, after some much-needed water and Aleve, we wandered the streets of Philadelphia for hours. It was fantastic. Spent a lot of time in a record shop (she does vinyl), where I convinced her that, especially for 99 cents in the budget bin, Chicago's "Chicago Transit Authority" was something she absolutely had to own.

We eventually made it back to her place, to find that her newly-installed deadbolt had failed. We then discovered that you can climb into her place via the window on the fire escape. City living.

We put Chicago on the record player, and good lord, if you haven't heard this album, you must. Go. Now. Just do it.

Sidenote: about a month ago, Megan (the coworker) and I agreed to trade mix cds, after a Belgian-beer inspired conversation about music at the Quarry House. On one of the ones I made her, I included a song by a local DC rock band called "The Bicycle Thieves," the lead singer of which, Jon Kaplan, I had heard play an accoustic set as the opening act for a then-unknown Blue October at IOTA back in...good lord..2003? I think it was 2003. /end sidenote

Leaving there, I met up with Colin, one of my friends from college and a member of the Colonel's Men from day 1. We had a few beers in a bar that has won "Worst Service" awards a few years running. It fit their M.O.

I drove back from Philly in time to catch a quick shower and meet the band at Austin Grill for a few songs. The band before us, who are also regulars at Austin Grill, invite the guy who runs open mike, Jon, up to play guitar on a few songs. At one point, he says he's going to play one of his own songs.

And I'll be damned if it isn't "Loser of the Year," the first track on the Bicycle Thieves' album I bought five years ago at the Blue October concert.

So, the picture above, my friends, is Jon playing "Monuments" (from the same CD) after I requested it from him.

And my world shrinks just a little more.

What a fantastic couple of days.

...

Dear Christ, it's 7:19 am, and I'm just now getting home.

I.

LOVE.

THIS.

..

Just in case that was too heavy..

http://graphjam.com/2008/04/22/song-chart-memes-where-yall-gonna-make-me-lose-my-mind/

Opinions?

Something that's been bothering me as of late...

I've become a pacifist. A non-violent person. To, what some have called, the extreme.

Here's the deal. I refuse to make the decision that someone should die rather than myself, or that my causing physical harm to someone else is less of an ethical wrong than them doing the same to me.

I, a perfectly normal (in my own opinion), heterosexual male, would rather allow myself to be killed, my lover raped, and my children taken from me, than for me to strike another human being.

I've had conversations with some whom that opinion sickens to the point of physical illness. I, however, feel that it's perfectly normal. In some ways, I think it might even be what the Gospel calls for us to do.

Yet, it goes against our popular notion in such a drastic way that I'm forced to seek a second opinion. Is this just a clear reading of the Gospel, or an enlightened sense of going against our own animalistic, barbarian natures, or have I gone too far to the extreme, and lost even that sense of self-preservation that is supposed to separate the Darwin-accepted from the Darwin-rejected? Am I still within nature, or reached that point where I'm alive solely by the good graces of those who are better fit for survival?

I claim no moral high ground. This isn't about being a 'better person." I just honestly can't bring myself to hurt another human being, no matter the consequences to myself or anyone whom I love. Have I gone to far?

I'm really only posting because I feel like I have to :-\

Week's going well... friends are having a shitty time of it, I'm having an awesome one, I figure it averages out to "shmeh" ?

Hopefully I'll get to spend time with newly-returned Washingtonians this week.

I believe in god the father almighty..

When was the last night you yelled at God?

I mean, stood at the top of a seven-story open-air parking garage and screamed your doubts at God for the world to hear?

Me? Tonight.

At least I finished with the creed. Broadcasted for all Silver Spring to hear.

O Brother Thelonius, Where Art Thou?

Oh, north coast. You make good things.

mmm....Scottish.

Interesting. No hops. Just heather.

ooo

So, daily posting as a discipline = failed.

I guess it comes down to concern for anyone who actually reads this drivel. Really..how long has it been since I've posted something interesting?

Mebbe I'll change that tomorrow. Day off, determined to spend it doing something useful. Or useless, but at least interesting.

First gig

...just got back from Philly.

I don't have words yet... but life-affirming might begin to describe tonight.

Wow.

A query..

Dear God,

Were you mad at us because we ate of the forbidden fruit and saw our own nakedness,

..................or because we saw our nakedness and were ashamed?

Love,
Me

Weeeeeeeee.

So, parts of the play came to me two nights ago, as I lay sleeping.

And it continued through today. Maybe being back on campus helped, seeing old friends, staying out way too long at the Parrot, drinking far too much with Shank and Beers (and Other Shank.)

Something clicked. Hopefully it's back on now.

This weekend should rock...work tomorrow, band all day Saturday! First plugged-in, scheduled gig! Then maybe seeing a very old friend Saturday night. Seeing a close friend on Sunday... all things point towards awesome.

First time out.

So, the band played together, in public, for the first time tonight. We hit up an open mic at Austin Grill, played about six songs. It was a ton of fun, and I think we sound good. Saturday should be awesome.

Might go visit the ol' G'burg tomorrow. We shall see.

Tudor's Undies

You know you're in a good thing when you're daydreaming, and you realize the music that is playing the background of the happy-sentimental scenes is one of your band's songs.

Saturday is going to rock.

Back to life.

Back to reality?


4:15 a.m. : sleep
7:30 a.m. : wake
8:30 a.m. : band practice
noon : work


I love this. I'll hate it at 7:30, but in all...I love it. It's during times like these when I truly feel alive.

Sweet.

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