scrubs - guy love

love this.

Evolution of Dance

funny.

Motion City Soundtrack - Making of

love these guys ...

New Years Eve ...

I recently found out that there is an amazing upcoming show on New Years Eve in Sioux Falls ... It's amazing for three points, and I will list them in my favorite order:

One. The Glass Atlantic is RE-UNITING! That's right! I haven't seen these guys (obviously) since they broke up about 7 or 8 months ago ... they were one of the first Sioux Falls bands that really caught eye and part of the reason I became such a huge fan of the local music scene. I was crushed when I found out that they broke up, but I'm still friends with all of them and supported their decision. However, Landon (who joined the Spill Canvas) is home from tour for a break and will be reuniting with TJ and Phil to do one more show! I can NOT miss this!

Two. It will be Nodes of Ranvier's last show. Ever. The biggest thing to happen in the Sioux Falls hardcore scene is over. Since their signing to Victory Records last spring, many have seen Nodes slowly slipping. Even though Victory is notorious for breaking up or ruining bands, I don't think this was a complete fault of the record label. Things change. I know a lot of the band members probably want a simple, normal life. That's why the original lead singer quit: for a regular life. I am sad to see these guys go because their live performances are simply amazing, but I do understand that life goes on.

Three. It's ironic. It's ironic that a broken band is reuniting, and an amazing band is ending ... on New Years Eve. The night that you are supposed to spend looking forward to the new year and turning over new leaves. But, then again, I guess these guys are doing just that ....


Lucinda Albers

Avery video

As I'm waiting for my video to render (which seems to be longer than the time I actually work on it), I thought I'd blog a bit about how I thought making the video went.

Number One: It took FOREVER ...
Maybe it was the fact that we took over an hour of footage for a four-minute video. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a bit of a perfectionist and am trying really hard to make the best video I can. Either way, it's taking a lot longer than I thought but thankfully I kind of prepared for that so I'm not completely time crunched.

Number Two: I wish I had longer ...
The video will be done in about a half hour I think ... and I'm happy with it. However, I keep coming up with ideas in my head that I'd like to add ... but I think at one point I just have to stop. I don't want to overdo it and I need to work on my other video for now. Perhaps if I get the 90-second video done in decent time I'll work on other add-ons for the four-minute.

Number Three: I LOVE this ...
I do. It's frustrating. I wish I had gotten other shots. I wish I had more time. But every second I'm in this studio working on it I'm completely happy with what I'm doing. I love the freedom of creativity. I love the fact that I'm producing something many many people could be watching. It's thrilling, really. And I'm really enjoying not only filming but editing as well. Perhaps I should have been a MEPR major .....

Other than that I'm just trying to finish it up now ... I'll post it when I'm finished within the next week so watch for it!

The Spill Canvas - All Over You

South Dakota's own ...
This video turned out really well but you can really tell that Nick isn't an actor ... haha ...

Travis Barker Remix Soulja Boy

possibly the best drummer alive ...

YEAH TOAST!!!

very random song but you'll find the 'yeah toast' part gets stuck in your head ...

MasterCard

The Office: Top 10 Jim and Dwight Moments

One of the greatest shows ever ...

Bright Eyes - Lua

i saw bright eyes in concert last week ... thought i'd post one of their videos ...

Radiohead "In Rainbows" update

The Machinist blog has updated news on Radioheads "In Rainbow" CD sales.

"In Rainbows" first made headlines due to it's off-the-wall sales techniues: Radiohead decided to forgo any record label and simply put the CD up for sale on their website ONLY ... and for whatever you want to pay!

A British web site called Gigwise apparently reports that Radiohead had sold 1.2 million copies in the first week of releasing "In Rainbows". The number is not certain though, as neither the band nor any of their reps will release a true number ... Gigwise apparently got it from 'someone close to the band'.

A British newspaper, Record of the Day, has conducted a poll of 3,000 people who have boughten the CD, and calculated the average price of the CD at about $8. With no money having to go to a record label or anything, Radiohead would be swimming in green bills by now.

Now real stats have been released to anyone by now ... and I'm not sure if they ever will be ... but I'm sure everyone, including myself, is really interested right now ....

Best Of Rodney Mullen

poor quality (it's youtube, what do you expect) ... but rodney mullen is, in my opinion, the BEST street skater ... his stuff makes you dizzy ...

Bands Going Completely Independent

The Machinist blog recently posted that Nine Inch Nails is becoming a totally free agent.

This basically means that NIN doesn't have a record label, or any contracts as to when, where and how they have to record or sell their music.

A week or two ago, the same blog noted that Radiohead had made the same decision ... opting to only sell their newest CD on their own website. And the kicker? The consumer get's to set the price. Whether its 20 cents or 20 dollars, the buyer simply types in how many copies and for how much.

Question is will this kill the entire industry, or just the bands themselves?

KRAP N3WS

Something my friends made about a year ago i think ...

Pretty funny stuff ...

The Flippy Thing

my two friends do this everytime they're together ... it's a real people pleaser.

sorry for the bad quality ... i have but a mere kodak digital camera ...

Ads on the cell phone?

I just read an article on msn.com about advertising companies sending ads to cell phones via Bluetooth.

My first thoughts were completely negative. Cell phones are the only devices people have that they DONT get bombarded by ads on ... why would we want that?

But then I read further on. It says that each user would have to accept to get the ad ... much like downloading a file.

This MIGHT seem okay ...

Then I read further on. The ad comes from a signal from some form of Bluetooth billboard or ad display. This means that you'll get ads from places that are nearby.

Okay, THIS sounds kinda cool ...

Say you're walking by a record store. If you choose to receive the files, you could get pop ups of new releases or upcoming artist happening NOW ... Or maybe you're walking by a Macy's, you'll get a quick file telling you of sales going on in the store that you may not have known about by just walking by ...

When it's put that way, it seems kind of okay. But ONLY if I can ALWAYS control it ... something tells me simple ads could turn into 50 spam emails per hour. And THAT would bug me ....

The Skeptyx episode 1 The Lost Pilot Webisode

first episode ... totally washed out and a little awkward .... but check out the others after it. they're pretty good.

Motion City Soundtrack - webisode 7

LOVE Motion City Soundtrack ...

Papa Roach review

The Ramkota Exhibit Hall in Sioux Falls has a pretty decent record of holding good shows. They’ve carried the likes of Sparta, Powerman 5000, Chevelle and locals such as Nodes of Ranvier and The Spill Canvas. However, Sunday’s Papa Roach show had to be one of the largest I’ve seen there.

First of all, kudos to the guys who decided to make the show smoke-free. It makes the show ten times more enjoyable when I don’t have burning eyes and a runny nose from the clouds of smoke around me. However, I wasn’t too fond of the idea that cameras weren’t allowed, as I am a huge fan of pictures and somehow found a way to break the camera on my phone (oops).

As most every show, the doors didn’t open on time (fliers said 6 p.m. but it was about 6:15 before the crowd started moving), but the security seemed experienced and the line moved quickly. There were the usual strays that hit the ID table instantly to get an over-priced beer; a couple giggly high school girls that made a bee line to the bathroom to check how much their caked-on makeup melted in the heat; and then there were the die hard fans that ran across the room to reserve their up-front positions.

I found myself walking towards the front and standing about ten feet from the metal barrier that separated the ‘security isle’ as I like to call it and the mosh pit of sweaty fanatics. Not bad, I thought, except for the 6 foot tall, 300 pound behemoth standing almost directly in front of me.

Almost like clockwork, I immediately scope out the crowd, picking the littlest weaklings from the power houses, planning my strategy to get as close as I possibly can. Its not that I’m a huge Papa Roach fan, in fact if it was just them on the bill, I probably would have saved my $25 to get a shirt at Warped Tour. However, I am a huge Madina Lake fan … and since they were an opening band, I knew I’d have to get close right away to stay there.

I had my route planned out and waited patiently for the music to start and the lights to dim so I could begin my journey. The first opening band was Smilin Liar, out of Minneapolis.

I’ll be honest … I’ve never even heard of Smilin Liar before … which, I found out, was a shame. Although the lead vocalist (who had a microphone conveniently handcuffed to his left wrist) was a little too screamo for my taste at times (think low growls of Nodes’ previous vocalist, Nick Murphy), the guitar work was unlike the usual heaviness of a metal band. Although they did have the regular nu-metal guitar riffs and snarling lyrics, it was occasionally interrupted by a wailing solo or melodic chorus that threw the hardcore label out the window.

What entertained me most was the pure energy of the band and of the crowd, which I’m guessing didn’t know too much of the band, either. Jonathan Carmichael (vocals) had a startling amount of energy, definitely setting the bar for Madina Lake and Papa Roach. Jesse Blankenship (drums) kept a steady rhythm (although sometimes lost in the back of the guitar work) and Justin Kristal (bass) followed with a stable beat. Ryan King and Ed Bonach (guitars) impressed me the most with astonishing riffs and howling solos that had the crowd wide-jawed. Even the most jumpy ‘moshers’ stood still and stared up at these guitar fiends. All members had the energy of a five year old in a dentist’s office … the semi-choreographed guitarists swaying with the beat, so natural it looked like they’ve been touring for decades. It definitely got the crowd excited for the next two bands to come.

By the end of SL’s set, I was just to the side of the behemoth, unable to get any further in the middle where I would have preferred to be. Madina Lake was up next and my anticipation grew with every move the roadies on the stage made.

Soon, the lights faded and four spiky-haired Chicago natives (who looked more like they should have been out of England) ran onto stage and grabbed their instruments, driving the crowd nuts as guitarist Mateo Camargo struck the first chord. Nathan Leone (vocals) pounced around the stage like it was a trampoline, allowing every inch of his tiny body to succumb to the music. It’s amazing what a huge voice such a small guy can hold ... whether it was screaming lyrics like he’s pissed at the world or singing a chorus from the bottom of his soul. How he could stand wearing a black zip-up hoodie for the first few songs, I have no idea, but nothing stopped him from visiting every nook and cranny of the stage to get as close as possible to the fans.

Some bands will tell the audience that safety is more important than anything else, and not to risk crowd surfing or thrashing in the mosh pit. Not Madina Lake. In fact, they encouraged the exact opposite. As the band moved on to the next song, Leone asked the fans to get as close as possible so he could personally shake the hand of every kid in the audience. And he did. The next few songs were nuts … kids went wild for these guys, with someone traveling overhead every 30 seconds … and I only saw Leone miss a few high fives due to far too many kids coming in at once.

Leone’s twin brother and bassist, Matthew, along with drummer Daniel Torelli kept the tempo for this fairly new band, who, for only being around since 2005, has an extremely smooth and perfected sound with catchy lyrics and beats that will even make your dad tap his foot. “Here I Stand” is a powerful song that not only sets the standards for their alternative sound, but is also very radio-friendly, and “House of Cards” is one of those songs that constantly resounds in your head.

Every moment the guys were on stage seemed to make time stop. When the chorus of “Here I Stand” hit, it seemed to be just me screaming along with Nathan. I hardly noticed the thrashing girls and boys behind me. The lyrics, which are focused around a fictional town in the 50’s, describe the life of any small-town kid trying to get out and the undertones of an evil society that threatens to take the life out of them. Much like the lyrics from “Now or Never”: ‘what are we waiting for / these years are dying slowly / today’s still in front of us / today is now or never,’ it relates to a band trying to break out of a genre as much as a kid trying to break out of their loneliness.

The set seemed to be done just as quickly as it had started, and time slowly creeped back to reality. The boys said their goodbyes and left the stage as sweat dropped around my eyes and my heart settled back to its regular pace. The entire crowd was dripping, and much like seeing the remnants of a tornado that hit the middle of a town, you could see the lasting impression of the band in every bead of sweat and gasping breath.

I noticed a shorter, younger girl standing behind me, and offered her my up-front position, which she gladly accepted. I was exactly where I wanted to be for my band, so I figured I’d float to the back and let someone else get what they wanted out of the show: Papa Roach.

The break between Madina and Papa seemed to take forever, probably because I wasn’t nearly as excited for Papa’s set. After a while of waiting and talking to friends that I ran into, the lights once again dimmed and the guys of Papa Roach ran onto stage as there predecessors also had.

The band was evenly dispersed on the stage (as usual) with bassist Tobin Esperance taking stage right, guitarist Jerry Horton on stage left, drummer Dave Buckner in the back and vocalist Jacoby Shaddix front and middle. Their set was better than I had expected, with the band playing both new and old favorites to fans hanging on every word out of Shaddix’ mouth.

One thing that I was especially impressed with was Shaddix’ voice. Some bands will have any extremely off live voice compared to their records, but Shaddix’ was right on. Call it amazing sound technicians or just a lesson of the road, but the sound was perfectly matched from vocals to guitars to drums and every lyric and guitar lick was clear and precise.

Shaddix had some sort of riser in the front of the stage to stand on, which really helped for those of us standing in the back. The stage conversation between songs was simple yet powerful … like most alternative bands, he talked about music getting into you and not caring what others will think, but doing what’s right in your heart. Something we hear at every show and yet never get sick of.

There was, of course, and encore of a few songs, where Shaddix held up a pair of boxers, admitting that while plenty of women’s underwear has been sent up front, this happened to be the first pair of men’s that they had ever seen. And while flattered, he politely turned down any offers, plainly stating that he didn’t “swing that way,” which got a laugh out of the crowd.

Overall, I have to say that this was one of the best shows I’ve seen in Sioux Falls for a while. I may be a bit biased in my opinion because one of my favorite bands of the moment played, but the energy level was off the charts, the sound was amazing and each band brought something new in that constantly kept the crowd on their toes.

... pictures of you ...

It's been a while since I've blogged, and I haven't been to any shows recently, so I figured I would just write a little entry about some music I've been particularly drawn to lately.

The first CD I have to mention is the newest by The Used, titled Lies for the Liars. The lyrics are classic Used, as emo as ever, but the sound is a little more synthesized then usual ... which I'm not complaining about. Their first single, "The Bird and The Worm", is up-beat but with the average screamo areas that Bert McCracken has trademarked. My favorite song on the disc has to be "Earthquake", which has all the elements of The Used in three and a half minutes. As for slower songs, "Smother Me" has to take the cake, even thought the lyrics are a bit over-used (and by that, I mean that they are used in pretty much every other love song in The Used's catalog). Overall, though, I love the new disc, and am still amazed at their work.

I've also really been getting into Boys Like Girls lately, especially with their new song, "The Great Escape" all over the radio/tv. I've had a chance to listen to some of their other stuff, and I haven't been let down. Allthough they may be considered a copy-cat band by some (sounding much like bands such as Cute Is What We Aim For and The All-American Rejects), I personally think they have a very refeshing take at the music scene. Their lyrics are very reminiscent of the growing up in a small town atmosphere, which I think is slightly odd beings that they are from Boston, Mass. However, it seriously does bring back high school memories of driving around with nothing to do ... and basically hoping for the 'great escape' so to speak. I highly recommend you listen to AT LEAST "The Great Escape", and "Thunder" if you're interested ...

Last but certainly not least, I've been falling back into my obsession with The Cure. It's odd how in love I am with Robert Smith's voice. Is it the slight English accent he still has? Or the low, relaxed tone that is constantly prevalent even with an upbeat tempo? I'll admit that some of his songs (such as "Lullaby") can be extremely creepy (so much so that if you fall into them enough, they have a tendency of giving you shivers) but I'm extremely enfatuated with their overall ability to create such amazing music. Even their more popular song, such as "The Lovecats" and "Pictures of You" hold the stable qualities of Smith and his bandmates without falling into the sell-out 'lets-make-a-single' reasoning. I'd suggest listening to pretty much ANY song by these boys ... possibly paying more attention to Disintegration ...

... oldies but goodies ...

On Saturday night a couple friends and I drove down to Sioux Falls to go to the RibFest and see Kansas play. While I’ll admit I don’t know many of Kansas’ songs … pretty much only “Carry On My Wayward Son” and “Dust In The Wind” (granted I’ve HEARD others, I just don’t know lyrics or anything) … but I have to admit, they are AMAZING.

First of all, for some fairly old guys, they can REALLY play … I suppose they’ve been doing it for how many years now but still … The guitarist was classic. I can see how they’re the type of band to influence so many of today’s groups. His fingers flowed on the chords like the guitar was part of him … which I suppose after doing it for so long it somewhat does become a part of you …

Second of all, the sound and acoustics were amazing. There was a perfect balance between the instruments and the vocals … it was seriously one of the best sounding concerts I’ve ever been to.

Third, I was semi-amazed at how much of the show was pure instrumental. It was just them, on stage, playing music … not much of singing … and they did save the two most well-known songs for the end. I only say semi-amazed because I have no idea if most of Kansas’ music is just instrumental or if they just didn’t feel like singing much. Either way, they are very talented artists so it was a good deal to just be able to listen to them.

All in all it was a good show. I’m glad I can say I’ve been to see this classic band … even if it was at RibFest … haha …

As for shows coming up: I’m considering After The Sun on Thursday night. Those boys are simply amazing and have such fun energy … plus it’s the KRRO’s listener appreciation night so you know there will be tons of people looking to have fun. Also, I recently heard that Nodes of Ranvier is coming back at the end of the month. I anxiously await their return …

And as for songs I’ve been addicted to … Boys Like Girls’ “The Great Escape” is amazing … I’m falling back into Medina Lake (who I had a slight obsession with last fall) and they’re song “House of Cards” … and I’ve recently gathered a new respect for Bayside’s new stuff including “Duality” … check them out!

Honda Civic Tour - May 13, 2007

On Sunday, May 13 I attended the Honda Civic Tour in Council Bluffs, IA. I have to say that the Mid-American Center is possibly one of my favorite venues for larger tours. I saw Panic! At the Disco there about six or seven months ago and had the same experience. The lines go quickly to get in, merch is run fairly well, bathrooms are dirty but you’ll get that at any concert. The arena area was extremely large and gives plenty of room for everyone. AND they serve beer … a nice extra for those 21+ or parents bored out of their mind.

The show contained Fall Out Boy, +44, The Academy Is …, Paul Wall and Cobra Starship (amazing lineup!).

Cobra Starship opened the show which was odd to me. Almost as odd as the fact that Paul Wall was even on the bill. He didn’t fit and definitely didn’t need to be on the tour, but he SHOULD have been the first band.

None the less, Cobra’s set was fun. There were a lot of technical difficulties in the beginning, but considering that fact, the set was simply amazing. Gabe Saporta himself stated that at this show, possibly everything that COULD go wrong, WAS going wrong. However, the vocals were clear, the music was precise and Saporta had an amazing ability to connect with the audience, beings half of them hadn’t heard any song other than “Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)”. Saporta had some of the best stage-presence I’ve seen in a long long time. I’ve been a fan of Cobra for a while, but after seeing them live, I’ve become ten times more of a fan. That and the fact that Saporta was signing autographs, taking pictures and generally meeting with fans by his merch table for most of the night. And yes, I did go meet him. I had on my Gatsbys American Dream shirt and he actually struck up a conversation about them. He’s incredibly nice and its refreshing to meet stars like that. Even though he did spill his drink on me … but its Gabe Saporta …. Needless to say, I didn’t mind …

Next was Paul Wall. Which was awkward. It’s like shopping for clothes, slowly regressing towards the back, then you see this incredibly cute shirt, but you look up and realize you’re in the maternity section. You look around thinking ‘what the hell am I doing here?’ … that awkward … It’s not to say he sucked … maybe for those more entertained by hip hop, he was awesome. It’s just that he didn’t do anything for me. I kept thinking ‘we’re in the middle of nowhere (aka IOWA), at a Fall Out Boy concert, and PAUL WALL is here?’ And the funniest part of the show is that he gave out a grill. To a mom (since it WAS mothers day). That mom should feel lucky … she’s probably the only one in Iowa with a diamond studded mouth-piece.

After the long nap I took throughout Walls set, The Academy Is … was up. I have seen these guys at Warped Tour last summer, and loved their set, so I was excited to see another one. And I was extremely disappointed. The vocals were horrible, and I couldn’t hear a THING that William Beckett had to say, which was extremely disappointing. Not to mention the crowd sucked and was pushing the entire thing, (I’m sure the fact that I’m somewhat short didn’t help much, either) and I couldn’t hardly see a thing. There was a moment, though, when I looked up and there was Beckett right in front of me, almost looking as if he was staring straight at me. And for those 5 seconds, the crowd was still and I thought of nothing but Becketts words. That, my friends, is what music is about. Those moments that just get you completely lost. Those are what I live for.

Not that I was left extremely disappointed by TAI … there music was still good and I knew every song anyways … but the next band was the one I was personally waiting for.

Now I’m not saying that +44 shouldn’t get recognition on their own, but they certainly wouldn’t be making suck a splash into the music pool without two thirds of Blink-182. And since I’ve basically given up my dream if ever seeing Blink in concert, +44 was a good alternate. And I wasn’t let down. Travis Barker was simply amazing and I’ve decided I can die happily, knowing that I got to see this Drum God live, even if it was only once. And Mark Hoppus was just as hilarious as I had imagined, at one time making fun of a coworker (manager, maybe?) that looked like a little kid, yelling to the audience “Let’s give it up to a 30-year old with braces!!” You could certainly tell that he was a veteran to the music industry and instantly clicked with the crowd. Any moment between songs went smoothly and I ended up hoping for either a drum solo or just to hear Mark keep talking.

Last, but obviously not least, was the ever popular Fall Out Boy, who entered by popping up out of the floor. Their set included lots of pyrotechnics, including fireworks and large flames during certain parts of their songs. I’ve seen FOB about a year and a half ago during the Nintendo Fusion Tour (when their huge success was just coming about) and the sets are QUITE different. I guess this is to be expected with their rise in popularity, but I have to say, I wasn’t much more impressed. Within the first few lines, I was simply thinking that they should have spent more time practicing their music than choreographing the show and test running the explosives. After a few more songs, they began to sound much much better and I was getting into it a little more. They played just as many of their older, popular songs as they did newer once, but they did seem a little TOO popular. They even changed clothes throughout the set. Like some Christina Aguilera concert. They did have a part, however, where Pete Wentz and Joe Trohman showed up at a separate stage in the back, in the middle of the crowd. Kudos for that sneaky move.

The FOB set also had a very large video screen behind them, constantly running video and graphics to go with each song. Although this was interesting, I found myself watching the screen more than actually listening to the music. I don’t mean to complain because I DO like visuals, but it just seems like bands focus more on beating the competitions shows and basically spending large amounts of money to make even larger amounts, than focusing on the music. I would have been just as happy seeing FOB on a plain, flat stage JUST playing their music than I did at this mock Fourth of July celebration. Because in the end, I bought the ticket to see the music, not the fire or the videos or the huge lights that spelled FOB. It’s the MUSIC, people! Do we forget this??? Cobra didn’t have ANYTHING except tech difficulties, and their set was JUST as good as FOB’s set.

Pardon my complaints – I’m just slightly frustrated with this.

Oh, and I also find it quite ironic that the production cost had to be HUGE, and, right before FOB came onstage, they played an advertisement for Invisible Children, an organization that focuses on creating better lives for war-stricken children. Do they feel better about spending thousands of dollars on fire if they play a 30 second video in hopes that even one fan will walk away with a 2 dollar bracelet? Or do they just not feel like actually donating half of the money they spend on production to a worthy cause so they have to push the audience into not ONLY buying a 50 dollar ticket to the show, but also donating money, because, hey, Pete Wentz says it’s cool …

Yea for bitterness.

I’m done now. That’s really all I have for this show … overall I’d say it was good, and totally worth the 3 hour car drive and expensive ticket. I highly recommend going if its in your town.