It's been a hell of year. Lots of eventualities came to light, such as the stock market, the housing crisis...and snuggies. But seriously... I think everyone is ready to put this year to bed and see what 2009 has in store for the WORLD.
On that note, let me ramble for a moment on what 2008 did give us, in the best of ways..It's easy to dwell on the sad/broken/fucked up stuff, but lets look at the positives.
Top 7 Records
7. Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim
A more beautiful voice and guitar combo haven't been met till I heard this record. In the vein of Buckley and Regina Spektor, lots of originality, tone and creative lyrics. The coolest part, she's only 18. Keep an eye on this one...
6. Drama Queen - Neurosonic
This band fucking rocks, not sure if they'll be back in 09 or ever, but damn catchy songs with great production.
5. White Noise - The Living End
This Australian Rockabilly band discovered by Green Day is fucking amazing. Chris Cheney is the undiscovered Jimi Hendrix of our generation. Hopefully everyone will catch on to this amazing band sooner than later.
4. Pretty. Odd. - Panic at the Disco
Well, when you drop the "!' from your band name, it must mean pretty serious business. Actually, this record isn't as good as their last effort, but there are some gems. Northern Downpour gets the award for "BEST WRITTEN SONG OF 2008". Nine in the Afternoon and I Have Friends in Holy Places are great too. Maybe they should put the "!" back...
3. Spasmodic Intermittent Hesitation - Run For It Marty
I got an early copy of this, from what I hear it will be available online very soon. Songs like The Ballad of Alison Headley and Daltonien rock your ass. I'm a sucker for the slow songs, Survival of the Weakest. The song writing and the guitar playing/composition is fantastic. This lead singers former band, Common Heroes, was an amazing band. If you go to their myspace page, there is a plethora (yes a plethora!!!) of their music available for download.
2. Chinese Democracy - Guns N' Roses
Well...to be fair...I wrote a pretty, well..shitty review of this record. But much like Stockholm syndrome, I began to fall victim and prey to this record. Axl is sad bastard, and his lyrics and mournful tone and his record that WAS completed damn near 7 years ago and still trying to be relevant today is a major stretch. But if you get lost in the music, its not so bad...Welcome to the Jungle. Every man's got a dream, and this was Axl's. Cheers to following a dream, even if you do lose your entire band/friends/fans along the way.
1. One Kind Favor - B.B. King
You know him at the very least from jamming with U2 on "When Love Comes To Town" . This record is a throwback to B.B.'s influences and heroes. All this song are almost 50 plus years old, if not more. B.B. is 83 years old, a guitar god, and is welcome to do whatever the fuck he wants. It would be easy to put out an overproduced blues record trying to make new songs sound old. This is the a wonderful legacy to the blues and could be B.B's last record, and next to Live at the Regal, it's pretty solid. See him LIVE before he becomes just another legend if you can.
Top 5 Movies/DVD's of 2008
5. Foo Fighters: Live at Wembley
Get Dave Grohl on drums and Jimmy Page on guitar to play LED ZEPPELIN'S "Rock and Roll". The rest of this show is amazing, great sound, great visual, and amazing energy for a long rock show by theses Gods of Rock and Roll.
4. The Hammer
Adam Carolla wrote, directed, and acted in this movie about a boxer working his way from an Average Joe to being something more than just a name. There's a great love story, comedy, and lots of good insight into the human condition and how everyone should aspire to treat one another.
3. Chaos Theory
Ryan Reynolds is married with a kid and finds out a lot of "truths' he believed and clinged to were anything but... It's a great story and has a surprising ending.
2. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
I fucking love Kevin Smith. Two down on their luck apartment dwellers decide to make a Porn to pay the rent. Watch out for Jay (of the duo with Silent Bob) teaching the intricacies of a Dutch Rutter. Elizabeth Bank is stunning and funny, and Seth Rogen is....well Seth Rogen... Check this one out first
1 .Batman The Dark Knight
Not a whole lot to say, go see it and you could write 10 pages about the story, the cinematography or Heath Ledger. AMAZING
Well... that about it... There were a few things I learned this year.
*There are NO rewards in life, just what is what is
*Never Wrap a child's birthday gift and use Coach wrapping paper.....the consequence can be disastrous
*Somethings are too good to be true. It's better to know than to believe
*The Ambon Frogfish would rather crawl then swim True Story
*A promise is only as good as the person making it...
I love the Indiana Jones series, but god damn that movie sucked. I hope they do something closer to Temple of Doom if they stray off the Christian Dogma stuff again (Grails and Arks). However, I did like the line Indy gave Marion though...
Marion Ravenwood-Williams: I'm sure I wasn't the only one to get with my life. There must have been plenty of women for you over the years. Indiana Jones: There were a few, but they all had the same problem Marion Ravenwood: Yeah? What's that? Indiana Jones: They weren't you, honey.
Really!?!?!? Snuggie??? All that missing from this instant Druid Cult Starter kit is the Kool-Aid to start you're own cult at home.....Maybe if George Foreman was pushing it I would feel different about it....
So here it is again, CHRISTMAS....
It's been a big year for a lot of big changes. I'll post some of my thoughts on the top records/shows/events next week, but for now, it's time to sit down, take a deep breath, and ENJOY this 25th of Decemember.
I made this for a friend who can be a LITTLE obsessed with Star Wars.
I sometimes do a Radio Show on iTunes with Derek Evry of the Process called Poverty and Principle Radio. I do a well received Sean Connery voice, and in this Lego Tribute, Sean Connery is SHARING a very special holiday moment with Slave Leia. Oh yes....
Well, I thought I had cracked the mold, but it turns out I am a true novice in creating Lego's really capturing the Christmas Spirit
I just wanted to take a minute to thank Rome in a Day, Nate Ihara, The Process, and Wes Lee of Rock for Kids for coming out last night and supporting this event. I couldn't have put this show together without the help of everyone that donating their talent, time, effort, and money. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing some hope and cheer to those who had none.
Please continue the spirit of giving this holiday season and make plans to come to the ROCK FOR KIDS show @ State Theater Dec 20th.
Well, it's that time of year when things get a little complicated. People get all upset, worrying about who and what to buy for the people they care about. So I've laid out some easy Don'ts to help you with the Do's .
Also, tomorrow, the HOLIDAY ACOUSTIC CHARITY SHOW is happening @ Mackey's Manassas. All Proceeds, including some cool raffles, are going to Children's National Medical Center. A big Shout Out and Thank You go to Rome in a Day for Headlining, Nate Ihara, Derek of The Process, Dan Mackey's of Mackeys and everyone else who has helped and contributed. When I and my friend Jen Karpel started putting this thing together, we never imagined this could be done as well and positively as it has been.
I dreamed up this event to help raise awareness in my hometown for Wes Lee of LOCALS ONLY RADIO , who has been doing a Rock for Kids Show for several years in the area to help Children's National Hospital. Wes (MC'ing) and myself will be there to sell tickets to the ROCK FOR KIDS show 12/20 @ State Theater. Ain't nothing but a party.
Anyway, back to the Don'ts ...
Batteries- I was abused as a child....No, not like that... But on Christmas Eve my Mom just gave me packages upon packages of batteries, saying "Santa said you'd need these tomorrow". Do you know what its like to sleep with all that anticipation in your gut....I wrote many the "Really?!?!? ARE YOU HIGH" letters to Santa that went along the lines of "Listen here old man....Why don't you make with the presents Christmas Eve and save your batteries for the stockings".... .
Knock Off Brand Name Products
There's nothing worse than opening a package, and seeing you got CK2 cologne or some knock off mp3 player that some jack ass woke up at 4 am to get. How much is your time/pride really worth? Have some dignity and buy a brand name or just say Merry Christmas and mean it.... Nothing worse than a place holder/poser gift. It's like giving a girl fake flower for Valentine's Day. It just doesn't work.
Dorky T-shirts Many the Holiday Shopper has stumbled into a Hot Topic or Kohls and bought the "Why So Serious " Joker shirt or the " I AM McLovin" shirt.
A new "favorite crapper this year, Mikey "Fuckin" Way of My Chemical Romance.
Some poser rocker that has to put "fucking" in the middle of his name to sound cool... Really?!?!?! Kurt Cobain would sign things "Kurtis Cohbaine".
Jeff Buckley's real name was Scotty Moorhead. Steven Smith changed his first name to Elliott. For Christmas' sake, even Samuel Clemens called himself Mark Twain. Anytime someone puts "fucking" in the middle of your name, they're just making up for "some" personality, ego, or phallus shortcoming.
Updated cover of Tom Sawyer if Samuel Clemens had been tool
Let your work do the cussing for you...I mean, I don't agree with Will Smith's bullshit to Eminem "I never had to cuss to sell a record". Well, actually he did, one of my favorite songs to get jiggy with is "You Saw My Blinker Bitch". iTunes Link
What should you give?
Fuck the Gap and J Crew. Give Something from the heart... Give something you mean. And don't expect to get back what you give, the holidays are about being selfless. Giving to others what they don't have or aren't capable of giving.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12, 13.... 13 YEARS between Guns N' Roses Records....
Normally, unless, someone has passed away, this sort of writer's block wouldn't be tolerated, or interesting. And it's not.
This record sucks.
Yeah, I said it...Sucks.
All the free Dr. Pepper in the world, hell throw in some Capt. Morgan or some Jack, if this record had come out 6 months after Use Your Illusions I and II people still would have felt the same.
Track 1: Chinese Democracy Overproduced, Overmixed and uncreative. Axl sounds like he's singing karaoke to a Disturbed song.
Track 2: Shackler's Revenge More of the same from above, except even less creative. Slash is MISSED MISSED MISSED on the record. The hook is "I don't believe there's a reason (I don't) I don't believe". Really... Tutti Fruitti doens't make sense but at least its interesting.. NEXT
Track 3: Better Starts off ok, I got a little excited...then the verse kicks in...It was at this time I realized Axel could no longer sing worth anything...and again killer lyrics dude "Now I know better, You'd know I'd know better, now you know I know better" This guitar solo sucks too. We were spoiled with that top hat guy for years, know we got some nu-metal poser with a zoom making the worse melodies I may have ever heard. Will this review get better?? Oh, read on sweet spirit
Track 4: If he Would Ok, starts of india nylon string guitar, then it kicks into a Barry White Groove...This is creative, interesting, then Axl opens his mouth..."You know there's nothing more to say If the world would end And our love slipped away"....and the bad verse just keeps going, going and going...I'm not even halfway through the record and I want delete this Cicada of a record.
Track 5:There Was a Time Again, could there BE anymore effects on these tracks...Bad Choir voices on a keyboard, but the melody/lyrics on this one are suprisingly good. This may be the stand out track on the record, but all the best parts of G and R are missing, no Slash, no Matt(sorry Steven Adler, Illusions was better than Appetite), no Duff. Only Dizzy Reed seemed to stick around from the original lineup for this record....This song is about 3 minutes too long as well
Track 6: Catcher in the Rye This song just sucks...Typical filer garbage..I've listened to this record 4 times already and at this point in the record I really need a break from the monotone sound of Axl's voice... Supposedly, Brian May of Queen fame did some guitar on this track, but he didn't seem to make the cut to the final record...Really!?!?!?!??
Track 7: Scraped "Don't You Try to Stop Us Now!!!" Again, the only one stopping this terrible album and song from coming out was them...I mean, G N R were part of the early Hair Metal crowd, but at least the band was strong enough to back up their bad looks
Track 8: Rhiaid and the Bedouins Not horrible, not great, like maybe the best song on this Axl Rose solo record.
Track 9: Sorry "But I don't want to do it.." Christ when will this suckfest end. Remember Yesterday? Dead Horse? Patience? Yeah, you'd never know this is the same artist..."I'm Sorry for you, not sorry for me!!" Yes, thats the hook.
Track 10: I.R.S. Track 11: Madagascar Track 12: This I Love Track 13: Prostitute
I won't even go into these last 4 songs. Madagascar samples Martin Luther King Jr's speech shouting "Free at last!!! Free at last!!! "
Prostitute ends with the same keyboard hum that November Rain did, but like the rest of this record, its has the weight of a fart in the car.
It's clear, it's weightless and invisible. It has no substance but a presence that leaves you feeling sick and wanting to escape.
Really, this record is like trying to work things out with a bad ex-girlfriend. It didn't work the other 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12, 13 . Why should make 13 years and 11 million dollars make it better? Just more proof you can't force a good time.
Want awesome riff's and crazy unique vocals??
Try Coheed and Cambria, Winnebago Deal, or this metal band that used to do shows around here, Black Novella .
Chinese democracy, like real life, will probably never happen the way the free world and Axl want it to be. I'm reminded of an awesome song that went "Maybe I'll find another way Find another day With all the changing seasons of my life Maybe i'll get right next time...Now that you've been broken down, Got your head out of the clouds and back down on the ground And you don't talk so loud, and you don't walk so proud, anymore, and what for...Cause i knew the storm was getting closer, and the waves they get so high, seems everything We've ever known's here... Why must it drift away and die"
Guns N' Roses was over a long time ago, let it die Axl.
This weekend I took the opportunity to check out the Edgar Allen Poe's home in Baltimore and his final resting place.
His home is in the "projects" area of Baltimore. They keep the door locked and you have to knock to be questioned and shook down for $5 dollars to check out his house. You may think you're just paying $5 dollars for the tour, but OH, there is so much more. You actually get a play. A local thespian comes into one of Poe's small Parlor Rooms and re-enacted "The Tell-Tale Heart" . It was amazing to see it performed in Poe's home, with a storm blowing outside banging tree branches into the home almost like some eerie help from the "other" side.
His house is a town home and is the most dangerous home I could imagine anyone living in. The stairs were a death trap. One wrong step or one Coors Light too many and it's you're ass Mr. Postman.
Seems Poe had some bad luck, the tombstone his family bought him got destroyed in route to his grave, so over the years, some school kids prompted by a go-getter like teacher collected pennies and purchased the memorial seen here(people still leave Pennies for Poe, so I did too.)
The Raven tombstone is just like marker for where he used to be. Per the tour guy, Poe actually fell out of his coffin during his exhumation and the on-lookers took pieces of his hair as souvenirs (gross).
Lots of poverty, lots of booze and lots of people in a little bit of space, that's what Baltimore was all about.
I'm hosting a Halloween Party at: Continental Modern Pool Lounge 1911 N. Fort Myer Drive Arlington, VA 22209
It's 10/30 (thursday) at 8pm. Live Band Karaoke featuring the members of Welbilt. Hope to see ya all there, and don't forget to vote next Tuesday.
Currently listening: Diorama By Silverchair Release date: 2002-08-27
So I've met a lot of divorced people and dated a few. I joke that I'm waiting till I'm 40, unless I met that certain someone I can't live out and they can't live without me either. I come from a divorced home, so the idea of marriage and then having it not work out or fails is a real scary thing. The M word is a pretty big deal, but if you really think about it, its just a bow on what "should" already be there. I used to think every marriage was like Fred and Wilma Flintstone or something, just people in their roles("WILMA!!!!"), not so much people. I think that people get caught up playing the roles of people they aren't and get a little lost, not being true to themselves. I think people even do it as parents(ever seen a kid on leash?) or at their jobs, not really interested in the people as much as the idea(George Bush). They forget what makes them smile and go through the motions in vain to march on through to another day.
Anyway, i wrote a song about it.. It's about the love thats left when there's no symbols or words behind it, the honesty of it and if anything can be "made" with it. I'll be playing it out Tuesday at Mackey's, but here's the lyrics after broken rings and losing everything the sum of what remains this love without a name hearts of black and blue recycle what we knew to build a better a frame for us to find our way
if insecurities all we ever see how are we to know how to get back home
you say your letting go but drag me in your door As 14 moons go by to stay or say goodbye
am i worth your time worth the tears you cry the pain you hold inside let go or multiply
if insecurities all we ever see how are we to know how to get back home
we always run away we never tried to stay what if we were wrong what if we belong
I was listening to some 2PAC the other day, and I heard something I hadn't noticed before, something along the lines of
"I see no changes all I see is racist faces misplaced hate makes disgrace to races We under I wonder what it takes to make this one better place, let's erase the wasted Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right 'cause both black and white is smokin' crack tonight and only time we chill is when we kill each other it takes skill to be real, time to heal each other And although it seems heaven sent We ain't ready, to see a black President, uhh" It's nice that some things do change, though sometimes shit takes a long time....Make a difference..Make a Change...I'm voting for Barack
p.s. Even if you do want to vote for Old Whitie (you do know that he "accidentally" blew up his own ship (google USS Forrestal Mishap July 29, 1967)). These Veterans don't like him very much either...BUT....It's YOUR vote..but its OUR four years together....
You have noticed some AMAZING pictures taken by some new friends of mine. Corey and Erin Snapp. I'd seen their work on the back walls of TT Reynolds and on playbills @ Wolf Trap and thousand other places. I'd seen it everywhere and always thought, wow, I wonder how to get in touch with them. Several months back, Wes had me create them a Commercial (still on their site, "Yo money, who needs some photography". A reasonable amount of payment and a date was set. Working with them was phenominal. I have worked with other photographers before, and everything seems sort of try this, try that, never felt like we had a "spot-on" real picture of what was trying to be captured. Corey and Erin do that with every image, and the processing is amazing. I work with CS3 (thats photoshop for you non techies) and what they do goes FAR BEYOND any magic wand special effects tool. They really are the best in their field. So this is a BIG thank you and a recommendation. Erin, this video is Amazing....It's 3AM, do you know where your phone is? and Corey - I know you've got that Wii rigged somehow...Next time I see you, you'd better bring more than that spike serve...But really, you have an amazing talent with that camera..not to mention the "showboard" you made all the other kick ass woodwork I've seen..I'll be coming to you for some homemade woodwork too Love you Guys- NATE LUKAS
So other than another money Friday night at Twist and getting the hook up from my old buddy Brandon to take a bunch of friends to the Maroon 5/Counting Crows Show Saturday, after which i didn't sleep to go take Surf Lessons with Surf Legend Bruce "Snake" Gabrielson (think Big Z from Surf's up(btw, don't ask me how I know that shit)) in Ocean City.
So I'm out there on zero hours of sleep, "hitting the deck" which is jumping off the sand onto the board. After about an hour of that, we're in the Atlantic Ocean at 8 am, and I'm fucking surfing. According to "Snake", I'm a natural other than my need to over-compensate and then fall off the board. But it was a lot of fun.
So much fun we went over to National Shore, in Chincoteague/Assateague. There's wild horses, cranes, and other assorted wildlife.
So we're out in the ocean, there's Dolphins, we're getting waves every 8 minutes or so, and even though my arms and head are fucking exhausted from driving, swimming, being awake (up 20+ hours), I'm having a blast. Then "Snake" says," ah, shit, damn sharks...." and I'm like "damn sharks?" See novelty shadow go under you in the ocean. Seems a 5 foot Bull Shark took a bit of interest in us. I'm like, so what do we do. Snake says "Don't worry Nate, they usually eat the boogie boarders before they come after us" which isn't really re-assuring, and btw, guy talks just like Kurt Russell from Captain Ron, so it's definitely that kinda party. He says "Stay on your board, you're bigger that way, and keep your hands out of the water, I've only been bumped a few times". After that adventure, we figured the shark was done checking us out and we rolled into shore for a bit. As much fun as it was, I think I'd stick with boogie boarding and just hanging in the sun. Apparently surf boards can break your leg if you're an idiot and don't watch out for where it going when you jump ship so to speak. You gotta wear a wet suit, Rash Guar.. ect, not to mention being an excellent swimmer helps you nada. He said doing some rowing machine and skateboarding were the most key elements, so count me in for that till next year. Not to mention most pro swimmers don't go out into the water with a 9 foot board and stay on top of the water. But I'll do it again for sure. Thanks Snake, see you @ the Luau in September.... In music news, working on some new songs, Sessions is up and running and I'm working on some 2 hour time slot gigs closers to DC that should be pretty great, so keep checking in. Thanks to everyone getting my back and helping me make everything what it is...Summer ain't over yet, let's have some drinks, a little bit of fun, and make some mistakes.... Nate Lukas
enlightened
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