So Much Entertainment, So Little Time

I wanted to start writing this short piece to inform all my loyal fans who actually waste their time reading my ridiculous thoughts.  Sometimes I feel as though there is too much information on the planet that I would like to take in.  I guess I would have enough time to read and watch all the movies I wanted if I became a recluse, but then again, who would I talk about it with?

Books are always first: I am currently reading 1984 by George Orwell, loving it.  Never read it in highschool like everyone else.  After about three days I am halfway done.  Previous to this, I was reading Nightfall by Isaac Assimov.  It was good but dragged a little at moments.



Movies:  Scott Pilgrim vs. The World:  7 out of 10, loved all the video game references and the animation, but I thought it was long and a little too silly at times.  I am a sucker for the graphic novel based movies though.

Animal Kingdom:  An Australian crime drama about a boy who loses his mother.  Again, too long, I thought it was decent, a 6 out of 10.


Movie in the queue: A Prophet, French film about a muslim in a french prison who gets into the mobb.  It comes highly recommended.

Music:  N.E.R.D.'s new album was unimpressive, been listening to Sammy Doodle in the car, heard a million remixes to Fly like a G6 by Far East Movement this weekend, and also re-listened to some Old Fall Out Boy, which strangely enough has become good again.

Thats all for now, Ill attempt to keep it up.

Grimmstock And A Very Successful Halloween!

Halloween in New Jersey only means one thing to me, it is starting to get cold.  After spending three years in South Florida, I am thoroughly underprepared for the approaching three months of torture known in parts of the world as winter.  Being back in New Jersey, the format most used for celebrating halloween is the house party, and this year with the crew it was much more.

On Friday night, after finally gathering our crew and attire, we arrived at a house in Clifton.  The house owner’s costume was Steven Hawking, and his roommate was dressed as “The Dude”  these were my kind of people.   Awesomely decorated with beakers of dry ice throughout the house, the celebration was a nice respite from the usual drunken Guidoness that I am forced to deal with in this god forsaken state.  The usual revelry occurred and there was nothing new to report. 

Saturday night, is by far, the highlight of the weekend, as my hope continues to remain alive during my stay here in the armpit of America.  Through a friend of a friend, the gang and I happened upon some bands playing in Parsipanny in an event known as Grimstock.  After a quick costume production, see pics, and also view the illustration so you get it, we met up at the park.  Upon arrival, rave beats are blasting out the speakers as the DJ spins, and the bands set up their equipment.  After a few minutes of meet and greet, the first performer plays.  Although she was talented, I don’t believe that the vibe was right for her.  We all listened intently and gave her a warm applause at the end.  It was an outdoor show, and everyone was jamming from all the dance tunes beforehand.  It was a stark change of pace but good nonetheless.  

After a further interlude, and a few beers more, hip-hop act Sammy Doodle took the floor.  Sammy, at first glance looks like a Rastafarian.   His religion of choice is Islam, making his appearance that much more confusing but regardless of his looks, he completely tore the place down.  Everyone was vibing and despite a lack of juice on his vocal volume, he still made the best of it, projecting his voice while also staying smooth.   You can find his music here. Never before have I seen any live hip hop and this experience was definitely a great first one, I swear I felt like I was in “8-Mile!”  You can find his music here  Also not to forget the very talented individual behind the turntables, DJ Alex Plus

Lastly, the band we actually came to see, Theodore Grimm played around 9:30.  Although I didn’t know much of their music, it was all high energy and great to hear.  Dressed up in a hodge poge variety of 80’s gear, dresses wigs and zombies, the act was something straight out of Party Monster. The guys had everyone loving them, dancing the night away.  I thoroughly enjoyed them and will be looking forward to seeing them again in the future whenever they play in the area.  These guys are doing big things here in New Jersey and It wouldn’t hurt to see more of the same!  Overall the night was splendid.   It was nice to be part of an “underground” scene and my friends and I had, as always, a great time of it. You can find Theodore Grimm's Music here

If things like this keep happening that I will be sure to stick around for a while. 

I’m getting by with a little help from my friends.

‘A’ is for Hardcore

Hardcore/Metal music, however you want to categorize it, is a subject of many opinions.  To some, it can labeled as a cacophonous bunch of idiots wailing into a microphone and slamming on a drum while a group of unruly and strangely dressed teenagers pretend to be tough in a display of utter stupidity and brutality towards each other.  For others, it is a scene fraught with musicians displaying a high level of musicianship and song writing, a way to blow off steam, and a good time.  As usual, I’m on the fence about the matter.  Some days I can be in the mood for some shredding.  While on the way home from work on a Friday when I’m amped about the weekend, you might find some hardcore pouring out of my car speakers, but after a frustrating day or before a party, probably not.  It really depends on the situation and who I am with, many people don’t really enjoy the style and due to my eclectic taste in music, I usually can find a meeting point for passengers in my motor vehicle.

But, if I had to pick, here are my five favorite hard core bands for 2010, and they all just so happen to start with the letter 'A'.

August Burns Red,

Asking Alexandria,

As I lay Dying,

Attack Attack!

A Day to Remember.

August Burns Red reigns supreme on the list due to one big reason:  Matt Greiner, one of the most technically ridiculous drummers out there.  From a standpoint of sheer stamina and speed, this guy is unbeatable, switching up in both time signature and in cymbal choice he has gained my respect.  Hailing from Amish country, Lancaster Pennsylvania, this band is somewhat of an oddity, but whatever works.   I wonder if they have played at any rumspringa partys? Key songs for this band: Composure, Mariana’s Trench.

I am not exactly sure what drew me to the band Asking Alexandria.  They stick out in both style with their Techno fueled interludes and fairly talented lead singer.  It is a decent respite from the constant screaming of most metal core bands.  At times the band can get a little Emo with the lyrics, and their appearance entertains me.  For one, everyone in the band looks like the same person.  They all have the same hair and scene kid style – Big Nike’s, tight Jeans, colorful T-shirt and the long hair in the eyes.  At least they can relate with the audience.  Key songs for Asking Alexandria:  The Final Episode, and Not The American Average.

As I lay Dying  is the oldest band from this group, and what instantly grabbed my attention about this San Diego band was the guitar.  Nick Hipa, lead guitarist will melt your face off when he gets going and the band has been solid for the past ten years releasing 5 stellar albums.  Key songs for these guys:  94 hours and Nothing Left.

Attack Attack is similar to Asking Alexandria with their techno interludes and bouts of normal singing.  The band has been riddled with the coming and going of a bass player in the early days and a lead singer while on the road.  Again, the key here is the electronica influences.  Key songs for this Ohio band:  Renob Nevada, and Sexual Man Chocolate.

Finally, the boys from Ocala, A Day to Remember.  Drawing real big crowds in recent times these guys have the most main stream appeal in their music combining catchy lyrics, vocal breaks and the classic post-hard core attributes within their music.  In a move of insanity, without any record deal, the band played on a 200 show, do-it-yourself tour where they eventually were rewarded by a record deal by Victory records after a big night in Chicago.  I thoroughly enjoy this band although many naysayers will criticize them for their lack of hardcoreness, whatever, all you kids do is whine anyway.  Key songs: Welcome to the Family and Mr Highway’s Thinking About The End

Just Jakes - Finding a home in New Jersey

After being away from the North East for three years I have made my pilgrimage back to the wonderfully crowded, take it easy state of New Jersey.  The place of my childhood has changed greatly since I’ve been gone.  Mostly due to the cast of the Jersey shore, a deep rift has been cut between we normal NewJerseyites and the dreaded guidos.  Fist pumping, steroid shooting, narcissists have become poster children for the Garden State, and sadly enough the stereotype is mostly true. 

As a strange gift to me from God himself, I stumbled upon Just Jakes in Montclair on Park Street just off of Bloomfield Ave.  Walking up to the bar, the live band is playing a cover of Mr. Brightside by the Killers.  A large outdoor patio area is to the left and the dreaded cover is $7, just low enough for me to still want to go inside.  The drinks were cold and cheap, and the live band was solid.  Playing all of the favorites: Weezer, Sublime, Kings of Leon, LIT they had the whole party singing along.  It was never difficult to draw the attention of the bartender, and although the bar was full of weekenders, we had breathing room on both the floor and outside on the patio.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.  By far the best night I’ve had since being home.  The whole crew enjoyed it and we’ll definitely be going back.  

Just Jakes

I also took this picture in the bathroom which seemed appropriate at the time. :)

Kanye West – Idiot, Genius, Asshole

Kanye West is an enigma, he brought forth the preppy gangster style with his polo rocking, man purse wearing ways, added an experimental value to Roca Fella records, and mentioned Jesus in his raps.  Through, car crashes, public debacles, and outright cockiness, Mr. Kanye Omari West has solidified himself in popular culture as both an incredible artist and a symbol of extravagance.  From his outburst at  the Hurricane Katrina relief telethon on NBC where he stated, “George Bush doesn't care about black people” to posing as Jesus for Rolling stone, to his ruination of Taylor Swift’s spotlight at 2009’s VMA’s it is hard for me to like himas a person.  He is just that guy everyone loves to hate.  Statements declaring that the government has purposely spread AIDS into Africa and introduced Crack into the Black community have become all but expected from Chicago’s most outspoken and consequently ignorant man in music.  Oh, and P.S. The Leader of the Free World, President Barack Obama has stated off the record that Kanye West is in fact, a “Jack Ass”…Google it.   

Yet despite all of his downfalls,  Kanye continues to make top level music.  The man is like a bug zapper, the audience knows that impending doom lurks, yet we are continually drawn and cannot bear to look away.  It would be easy for me to expand upon how much I despise Mr. West’s antics on the red carpet and how displays of such idiocy should be ignored, yet the man makes music that I cannot deny.  Resurrecting the “Chi-Town” Kanye West began his early career behind the glass of Jay-Z’s Blue Print album (that means he was a producer for all you whities).  In 2004 West’s all encompassing music taste was launched upon the world in the form of College Dropout, an album including a number of hits: We Don’t Care, Jesus Walks, Get Em High, New Work Out Plan, Slow Jamz and most notably, Through The Wire.  As you may know, Through The Wire was written and recorded just after Kanye West’s horrendous car accident where he was hospitalized and underwent reconstructive surgery necessitating the wiring of his jaw.  The song recounts his experience and further consequences of the crash.  Graduation, Late Registration and 808’s and Heartbreak were all subsequently released becoming number one hit albums across the globe, outselling the likes of 50-Cent and other competing hip-hop artists.  Particularly, 808’s and Heartbreaks showed a new facet of Kanye’s talent in the melodic realm rather than his classical “rap” stylings.  Love Lock Down was performed at the 2008 VMA’s where Kanye West supposedly had not even finished the arrangement of the song a day before the performance. 

Whatever you may think of the man, it is undeniable that people listen when he makes music.  The antics of popular artists have just become a given, a constant, whether its Lady Gaga sacrificing a cat in the middle of times square, or Justin Bieber coming out of the closet, no one is really shocked any more  The slogan of old, “Just Shut Up and Sing” is dead.  The new generation of music listener adheres to to the new “Just Keep Singing and We’ll Tolerate Your Behavior.”

Finally, this entire rant was written to bring to your attention that Kanye West will be releasing new tracks every Friday until November 22^nd when he will co-release his album Dark Twisted Fantasy alongside legend Jay-Z’s: The Hits Collecion Vol. 1.  You can find the tracks here, all you have to do is sign up with an email address.

I have listened through all 7 of the released tracks and most of them are strong.  Kanye isn’t running on empty yet.  The most confusing track to be released yet is this Runaway Love Remix featuring Raekwon and Justin Bieber.  I am attracted to my “Wu Tang Clan Ain’t Nothing to Fuck With”-beat, yet Justin Bieber annoyingly serenades over this track.  I can’t decide whether I want to be happy that Wu-Tang is heavily represented on all the new tracks or just be angry that such a talentless-lesbian looking fool can be so popular while I’m just sitting here blogging away at something that no one reads.  

...anyway, enjoy...I think.

Children Collide

As our car winds over the hills of rt. 3, New York City’s Skyline emerges from the fog.  The day is humid and dreary, due to the effects of tropical storm Nicole, rain is looming.  My anxiety about the approaching weather is only combated by my excitement for a night out to see some music.  Getting into the city is easy enough, construction and the usual volume haunt our commute, but it’s nothing to get angry about.  Easily finding parking, we stride down Houston Street towards Bowery, making a quick pit stop at Ray’s pizzeria for a famous slice and the ATM for some loot.  Making a right on Ludlow, our final destination is in sight; Pianos, to see the up and coming Aussie band, Children Collide.

The trio from down under was recommended to me by a friend who also hails from Kangaroo country, who accompanied me on the endeavor.  Their sound is distinctly Australian punkish-indie rock, a breath of fresh air in a sea of mediocre talent washing up on the shores of the great Island of Manhattan.  In for only one night before heading back home, the band is showcasing throughout the states to further their climb to stardom.  Children Collide have played at giant venues such as Big Day Out in Australia and the legendary South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.  Pianos is a small space for them, but you can’t beat experiencing a new band in a tiny NYC bar.

The band is obviously Aussie; it is tough to nail down exactly what the difference is, maybe it’s the attitude, or how they walk, or the slightly different apparel.  Either way these guys tear it up on stage and that…is universal.  The drummer Ryan, is a massive person and a skilled drummer, he was sporting some gelled down hair from the likes of John Travolta in grease.  The bassist had the whole curly fro thing going on, with some skinny Jeans and pointed boots.  Heath appears to be the character in the group.  Finally, Johnny the lead singer, had the whole understated rocker thing going on, long hair in his face looking all Kobain-esq.

Opening with my favorite song from the newest album Theory of Everything, the band unleashed  Jelly Legs on the unknowing crowd.   It starts with a tri-fold groove which explodes into a punk rock chorus.  From there, the show was short, but entertaining.  After a song or two, we were informed that American Airlines had very kindly lost all of their equipment.  All three members were using borrowed gear, and Johnny was sporting a guitar he had bought down the street a few hours before.  Regardless of the hang-ups, the gig was successful, although the crowd was expectedly small, there was no doubt that all were satisfied with the show.  My only wish is to see them at a bigger venue for longer.

Breaking into the U.S. scene is very difficult, but if there is any one band that is my favorite to make it here, its Children Collide.  With witty lyrics, a good sense of punk rock mixed with unique guitar sounds, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear these guys on the radio when their next studio album drops, it only takes one song to get famous.  Seeing them at Pianos is something that I will hopefully be able to brag about.  I will be that guy who always says, “I soooo knew about them before everyone liked them.”  Walking back to the car through the Bowery area, all the clubs are rocking with live music, the streets are alive with early weekenders hoping to jumpstart into Friday and bands trying to make it big.  I guess it is true, “if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

Anyway, the band is great, both studio albums are stellar and definitely worth a listen.  Be sure to check them out the next time they visit us stateside.