Tuesday, May 26, 2009

DUDEFEST 2009

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JOIN ME!!!!!!!!

PUNXXN' UP

Oh man, this ones going to be a rant if you ever saw one.....

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no sunset like the Lake Erie sunset!

Last night felt like summer. Me and all my roommates plus some others went to see fireworks being shot from Waldameer Park. We hung out at Tim Hortons for a while till it got dark and then went and found ourselves a nice place on the beach and watched colorful explosions for like....6 minutes. Not very many fireworks. weak.

Regardless, there comes a point every year when it finally sinks in that it is summer and i am free from classes and stress. That time was last night. As Amber sat back and watched the fireworks go off and i felt the chilly breeze come off the lake, i knew it was that time.

I recently went back to my hometown in Linesville, PA to see my parents. As soon as i dropped Whitey off at his mom's house and drove down the street to mine, i remember what it was like to be a young kid growing up in a small town and not quite making the cut with my peers.

Everything from claiming Straight Edge when i was 15 ( 7 years and counting now!) to hearing bands like Pig Destoyer, Orchid, Envy, Refused, and Converge are definite turning points in my life. Last summer i used to bike around town with my headphones on after i got out of work at midnight and just unwind. I would go to the places where i spent a lot of my time when i was growing up and just sit and remember all the laughter and experience.

Linesville is a place that reminds me that no matter if its just me and my bestfriend against a world who doesn't understand us and our beliefs or me and a mob of friends roaming the small town streets laughing, it doesn't really matter what you plan to do with your life, its what you are doing right now, in this very moment. Its what you put your passions into, its the memories you make, the people you meet, and the experiences you gain.

For me, my life has been taken over by the punk music scene. Now, i say "punk" in a very flexible manner, and not really flexible, but more than it is normally seen for. No matter if you are a crustie, a hardcore kid, a metal kid, or somewhere in between, you are a punk.

Punk isn't a music genre, it isnt a fashion statement, and it certainly isn't something to be marketed. Punk is a mindset. Punk is accepting that you are a minority. Punk is saying to the world "This whole thing is sick, and i dont want to be part of it damnit!" Dying your hair or painting your finger nails doesnt make you anymore punk than the next mall goth. Striving to do something that will make a difference in our dangerous, sick world is punk. Working against all the unfair standards and pitiful vanity of today is punk. Creating a place for your friends to gather under a simialir interest and enjoy similar arts, now that is punk.

When i was about 15, i heard a band by the name of Orchid. They were fast, emotional, screamy, and most of all...sincere. The things this band stood for and represented to me changed me from there on out. They proved that you dont have to have pink mohawks or some big vegetrian rescue plan to be punk or to change the world, you just need a shitty PA, some second hand equipment, a basement full of friends, and the willingness to scream at the top of your fucking lungs until your throat is raw about what you always wanted to say.

I, for one, am beyond blessed to be part of this scene. To have friends of a similar mindset, and a place to practice my art.

Here is my two favorite Orchid albums, maybe you will find something in them like i did.

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CHAOS IS ME

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DANCE TONIGHT, REVOLUTION TOMORROW.

"...for 25 centuries Western Knowledge has tried to look upon the world. It has failed to understand that the world is not for beholding, it is for hearing. It is not legible, but audible." - Jaques Attail 1985

"Yesterday it was love. Today the great passions of unity and liberty disrupt the world. Yesterday love led to individual death. Today collective passions make us run the risk of universal destruction. Today, just as yesterday, art wants to save from death a living image of our passions and our suffering." - Albert Camus ... 30 October, 1957

"I hear your words, but i am left without understanding. You seem to be full of words, but you lack meaning. Where is your passion, your anger, your frustration, your indifference? Where are you in the words that you speak? Sing me a song about your life. A song about the people you hate. Sing me a song about the darkest thoughts that lay embedded in the crevices of your mind. Tell me of betrayal. Tell me of love. Tell me of sadness, of deceit, of honesty, of failure, of embarrassment, of success, of terror, of all those feelings and events that make you alive. I want a piece of you. That's where my interests lie. I seek the human experience, the thing itself."

"Music isn't about buying bread, music is about eating bread. It is about holding it in your hand and smelling it, and tasting it. It is about it."

all of these quotes are contained within the Chaos Is Me 12" by Orchid from Ebullition Records. I suggest you buy it. Its cheap.

"All of this means nothing
D.C. made me and the rest of this mess
You don't even try to fake it
All of this means nothing
D.C. made me and the rest of this mess
You don't even try to fake it
Don't even try
I'm here becuase I was ready to leave
This should mean more but it can't
So dance, dance
Dance to the sounds of america's best dressed fake out"

-Orchid : Aesthetic Dialectic

Monday, May 18, 2009

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Touristing: Part Two - Home Is Where The Heart Is

Week three of summer vacation starts tomorrow, i guess. I guess its strange that three weeks are gone already, but it doesn't bother me much. I have already started/accomplished several goals that i wanted to do for the summer. First of which would be exploring my place of residence here in Edinboro. Being a student, i rarely leave campus on foot. Its usually in a car to go somewhere with friends or what have you. I guess you could say i've missed a lot of this town i live in. Where im originally from, my friends and i use to roam around at all hours of the night for fun. You get connected to a place when you depend on its repeated scenery for entertainment. So this blog is basically me stating that this summer, i want to get to know my town.

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This would be my new bike. I had one before hand, but i kind of just let it go to hell for various reasons. Bad energy around it, i feel. Regardless, this is the new baby. Got it from Sal Val in Erie for cheap. The one behind it, which you cant see too well is Ambers. We got that from a mans house whom was selling various items from his porch. nice? nice. Basically, this is my vessel of exploration.

This made me happy also
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bro-skate engaged.

Other than my need to explore, i have decided to pick up guitar again. Its been far too long. I'm also working on bass more, as i have been punk'n it for far too long. My friends and i from what was formally Guts And Glory are jamming now, working on some new stuff that i am personally very happy with because because it is very much a depart from our collective previous endeavors and artistly stimulating in its own right.

I have also started re-reading House Of Leaves. I couldn't seem to make much headway in it before because i wasn't reading it at constant paces. But im going to put more time into wrapping myself around it this time. That book is something else. I strongly urge you to pick it up. Very good stuff.

On an ending note i would like to provide you with an album that i think you should try and spend some time with as it is worth it.

The new Loma Prieta album Dark Mountain. This band is one of my top 5 bands of all time. Everything they do is highly creative and artistcally refreshing. I bought the 12" and i suggest you do also if you are a nerd about that kind of thing. Regarldess, awesome screamo jams along the lines of suis la lune or the kidcrash. They cite influences as American Football and American Nightmare, which i will give them.

do yourself a favor and download this. please look into buying the album if you like it or at least go to their shows.

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download

Monday, May 11, 2009

Touristing: Part One - On The Road

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so i went here this weekend...

that would be the falls....Niagara falls, Canada.

my sister usually go every summer with my mom and aunt so they can retrace old stomping grounds and what have you. I dont know. its always fun for me because i get to spend time with my family which is rare and also get to go to this huge mall which is fun because its like a crash course in Canadian Culture.

This trip was a huge step because my mom invited my girlfriend Amber, which is a big step for my mom because Canada is a sacred trip. But i guess she likes Amber enough to let her come, which was fine by me.

I guess you could say she had a good time.
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I got to gamble at the giant new Casino, which i actually stayed when i was like 15 and they were just building it. i stayed there for free also...because my asian girlfriend had sweet hookups. i can see why casinos are addictive. i felt powerful.
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Aside from people watching, reliving past lives, blowing mad cash and drinking all the tim horton's coffee, we ate here both mornings. best breakfast near the falls.
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THE FLYING SAUCERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and to kind of end this post, this is my new friend
CHAN
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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Intro

In all honesty, i said i wouldn't get one of these. But here we are, aren't we?

Basically, this blog will serve 3 purposes:
1.) Complain about things on here so instead of explaining to people how i feel i can just give them a url (lulz, right?)
2.) Share music, if i care enough
3.) Explain going ons
4.) Give myself something to do this summer

so thats enough for now

goodbye