Entry: More Old Myspace Blogs Saturday, December 17, 2005
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Life changing experiences Current mood: Awakened
Awakening.
I just finished watching the movie "Almost Famous," and man, what an eye opener. I realised how I've only been slothing through life, barely alive, not truly embracing every second of existence. Why aren't we fully awake and participating in our lives? It seems like we are just distant spectators. Look at how much beauty and how much there is to love in the world. Look at all the people when you walk through a crowd. Forgive them all of their differences, their pains, their struggles, brush that all away and just love them for being people. Love every tree, love every cloud, love everything. Burst your heart out for everything. Because if you don't embrace your world it will pass you by before you know it. Your last breath will pass your lips before you even have time to do the first of those things you "always wanted to do." You could be dead tomorrow. But, perhaps you're dead now, already. I say the person that does not pour out their heart in love to everything in existence is not alive, to me, they are dead. They are asleep. Open your eyes, feel everything, see everything, think about everything. Contemplate. But don't be dragged down by bias or limitations. Transcend barriers. This is what I've learned today and I won't pass this teaching up, I'm going to start, right now, to live my life fully. I won't be dead anymore. I won't be a zombie, stumbling out of bed through the day and back to it at night. I'll embrace it. Because if we don't, then what's the point?
The guitarist in the band was asked what he loved about music. He said: "First of all... everything."
The world is pleasant through a soft blue mist of sadness. The faint sadness reminds you you are alive, it is a subtle pain, a subtle breath, a subtle caress of blue water, that gives a soft beat to a heart otherwise numb. A panorama of blues and whites, soft blurs and vividly defined lines, an atmosphere of ocean fog, damp air, blues... tinted. Feelings flow through a heart that breathes them in like moist air. Fresh. The present is dream-like, distorted by the current of soft emotions. All sounds are somewhat quieted, all things are somewhat blurred. Faces are eyes in pools of soft brushstroked tones. Mouths open but sometimes the words are not heard. The mind considers tragic memories, with a quiet regret. They fade with each passing sun and moon. The ivory moon, the light-blue sun. The kisses of clouds. The rising tide. The soft push of waters through toes. The feel of sand. The brush of wind. Tender. The arms of life. Home.
Decemberists Concert!! Current mood: happy Category: Music
That was without a doubt, the best concert I've ever been to in my life. It was at Club Soda which has a shitty sound system (as indeed Colin pointed out "All of you should write a petition to Club Soda and tell them to get a good sound system") but it was still amazing. I was like in the second/third row, right near the stage the full show.
The opening band, Cass McCombs were alright. They didn't really command the audience's attention though. They were alright. Their song Equinox was good. They were singing about math or something in the song Subtraction, Sean and I laughed ahaha. But after them, there was like a 45 minute delay as they adjusted this bass amp that kept making noise. Sean and I tried to keep positive by dancing to the one repeated note as they tested the amps. You do what you can, ahaha.
Then all of a sudden, the technical people leave the stage, and you hear a growing rumbling. Like heavy, heavy thick bass. It was so deep it shook my legs. And then various bandmembers walk in banging metal things sporadically, really ambient and awesome. Then the drummer starts beating the drums, and the bass swells thicker and thicker, til' Colin (singer/guitarist) strums this powerchord perfectly and the first song begins. It was awesome.
They played all kinds of great songs, Eli the Barrel Boy, We Both Go Down Together, 16 Military Wives, the Bagman's Gambit, the Sporting Life (everyone was dancing by this point) and my favourite, Engine Driver. I was so happy I could die.
The band kept joking about this movie called Time Bandits they had just seen, and imitating the characters. I think at the end the peoples' parents blow up or something, and Colin was commenting on that but was quick to add that he loves his mom and dad. He was nice and hilarious at the same time, what a great guy. At one point the violinist made a bad Time Bandits joke so Colin made her high five the front row as punishment (so I got a high five from a Decemberist. I was honoured.)
At one point, Colin was left standing on-stage alone because the other bandmembers dissappeared. And people were yelling out requests, and he was like "I don't even think I remember that one.." And so he started playing it then stops in mid-verse saying "Nope, don't remember it." Hahaha. Then someone was like "Play some Morrisey!" So he did. He played a full song. Don't remember which. He stopped in mid-verse in that one at one point, but someone yelled out the lyric and he continued, ahaha. It was perfect. Then he called the band out, and near the end of the show, it was silent and this guy yells in a moronic voice: "PLAY YOUR MOST ROCKIN'EST SONG!" Hahaha. Colin is like "Most Rockinest? Alright. Here goes. You asked for it." Then they played a not very rocking song. Hahaha. He also said Of Angels and Angles was their second most rockin'est song, but I disagree, I'm afraid, Colin.
So they played their last song and walked off stage and we all clapped like crazy and made noise. Then they came back on-stage and we were all like "PLAY MARINER'S REVENGE!!!!" but Colin was like, "Nah, but we'll play you guys a love song." And they played Of Angles and Angels. It was good. But we wanted Mariner's, gosh damn it. I decided that this concert was going to get an 8 on ten unless they played both Engine Driver(getting them a 9) and Mariner's Revenge (getting them an 11). So after Angels and Angels, Colin is like "Alright. We'll play you guys one more song. But we need your help. On the album we do some special effects in this song. Done by me, and (some other name I forget). Since we can't do them ourselves, we need you to help us out. Don't worry, it's easy. At one point of the song, a very specific point, we need you to all scream like you're being swallowed by a whale." At this point everyone starts screaming; we know what song that has to be. I look at Sean and I'm like "Yes!!" and we're smiling like crazy, like everyone else in the room. So, we do a test and Colin is like "When Chris Funk (guitarist) gives you the signal, I want you all to scream as loud as you can, let's do a test." So Chris Funk does this signal with his arms out like whale's jaws, and his fingers open like big teeth. Then we all scream like crazy.
Then Colin is like: "You know what, let's try something. You guys (pointing at the right side of the floor, where I was) will scream at the top of your lungs. You guys (left side, floor) will give me some moans and groans. And all of you in the balcony will call out for your mom and dad, or anyone, but just scream out words."
So they start playing the song and we're all into it, Colin is doing movements to go with the lyrics, it's really amazing. Rachel Blumberg (drummer) is hitting this single drum, standing near Colin and it falls over at one point but he keeps playing. Then he pushes it into Chris Funk's legs and they are laughing while playing but they don't mess up a single note. It was hilarious. Then they get to this one part that is very pirate-ship-esque and all the bandmembers and the crowd people start swaying like we're all on a giant pirate ship. At the whale part, Chris Funk comes out carrying giant paper whale jaws with streamers attached, and doing the signal and we all do our roles, the effect is epic and amazing.
As the song speeds up to its conclusion, everyone starts jumping in time with the bass and drums, the rythm ever increasing. It gets so fast at one point that everyone stops jumping, everyone that is, except me. I jump til the end, at a speed I did not know I could achieve while jumping. Nearly falling over as I stop on the last note. Then we all clap like crazy and scream our lungs out and Colin is like "Thanks a lot, you've been a sweet audience." And they walk off stage. I give them an 11/10, 100% fully satisfied. I tear a piece of tape written "December-" off the stage (it was used to atach amp wires) and stick it on the back of my ticket as a souvenir.
The end. Gosh, I'm still breathless. I love the Decemberists.
Too bad there were no bandshirts. =( Stupid border nonsense.
Well, today I was this party, people were chilling and stuff. And there was an electric in a case and an amp nearby, so I decided to plug it in and started just improvising, soloing, etc. A bunch of people came and asked me to play a short set, so I agreed. Everyone sat and stood around me and I played this set: 1. Hybrid Moments 2. (Rock improv) 3. Forbidden Zone 4. (Rock improv 2) 5. Smells like Teen Spirit 6. (Blues improv) 7. Roots Radicals Since I had no mic, I really had to project, it was good practice. I wasn't at all shy or nervous. People really liked my finale, Roots Radicals, since it's a really rockin' song, and I did a lot of big jumps and stuff during it. After the show people came and said how they liked it and stuff, and the host of the party gave me lots of free food. I was happy. Paid in pie, fries, toaster strudels and chips.
That was definitely and without a doubt, the craziest concert I've ever been to.
Setlist 1. Drunkship of Lanterns 2. Concertina 3. Take the Veil, Cerpin Taxt 4. Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus 5. L'Via L'Viaquez 6. (The Haunt of) Roulette Dares 7. The Widow 8. Cassandra Gemini
Me and Sean got there around 6:30-7, and we waited in line for quite some time, a line that stretched around the block. We finally advanced and got in to the venue, the Metropolis, which was a pretty nice one indeed. You walk through the main doors, past a bar, past some raised areas with railings in front of them and you get to the floor. Sean and I walked down the floor til' we were very close to the stage, right in front of the speakers. We waited there for 2 hours, sitting down, standing up, sleeping, singing, etc. I was excited when I saw Omar Rodriguez (guitarist) walk by, behind the curtain. Some guy asked us if we had weed to sell him, we said no. The opening act for TMV was listed as DJ Nobody, and that was a bad joke, because there was no opening, act, no DJ Nobody. They just played songs on the radio speakers until TMV started.
There was that familiar mexican intro theme, then TMV burst into Drunkship of Lanterns, with crazy percussion that got me dancing immediately. Throughout the whole night I was dancing away, caught in the intertwining webs of basslines, percussion, Cedric's wails and Omar's razor riffage. I danced and danced and danced. Then I moved into the majour moshpit, as songs progressed, and danced and moshed with people who were like 6'5 and built like steam engines. It was crazy. Pure intensity.
Concertina was done awesomely, one of TMV's earlier songs off Tremulant, and so they've mastered it, but it rocked hard as ever. Most people moshed, I did a bit, but mostly danced. And I started a fist-pumping to the beat at one point that was pretty cool.
Take the Veil was like 20 or 25 minutes long, at one point I forgot which song they were playing because they interspersed song portions with jamming. Excellent sax and jazz flute. All the musicians clicked and it was just amazing.
Cygnus got the whole crowd moving and frantically bumping into each other. We all shouted the lyrics, and it was really awesome. After the song, Cedric told the crowd to stop "jumping into each other like idiots, this isnt a concert sponsored by Nan's (I think he meant Van's but didn't want to get into doo doo for dissing them), this is a Mars Volta concert. Look out for the little people, those two people (points at two near the front row) almost got hurt, so take it easy." But we all pretty much still danced and moshed as hard as before. Poor little people. The music carried us away.
L'via was done amazingly. I actually liked their live version here better than the album version. It was less repetitive and more inventive. At one point in the song, I started mambo-salsa dancing, and the crowd widened around me in a kind of circle/oval/ellipse and I danced alone in there for a while, going crazy. It was amazing. Truly special. Ikey had a great keyboards solo, excellent work by him. At the end of the song, Cedric had a vocal solo where he just sung the refrain/chorus "blackmailed she fell off every mountain..." and everyone sang along, it was awesome. And I, was exhausted.
After this, when people started chilling out, Omar burst into Roulette Dares and everyone got as crazy as before. I got slightly less crazy cuz L'via had really exhausted me, but it was still amazing. We were all dying of exhaustion by the end of it.
Next up was the Widow, to everyone's applause. We all just chilled out and swayed to it, just vibing. Very well performed by all members of the band. I was actually wearing 4 layers of clothing this whole time (white shirt, over that, led zeppelin shirt, over that, TMV shirt that i just bought, over that hoodie) and i was dying of overheating. I was doused in sweat. When my mom got home she was like "your clothes are SOAKING" and she wasnt exaggerating; they really were. Long story shirt, I couldn't breathe. And I felt like throwing up. And my belt was constricting me. And I was so soaked in sweat I couldn't breathe at all. So I pushed my way to the wall, and just leaned against it for a while. Then I slid down it and sat on the ground. All the people standing around me looked concerned/amused/bemused/interested. But I was like meh.
Then TMV started playing Cassandra Gemini. I had thought most probably Widow was gonna be the last song, but then, bam, they burst into this half-hour song. By this point I felt so sick, and was so exhausted, and so sweaty, and so overheated (from the four layers), that I just alternated between sitting on the floor and standing for the rest of the concert.
Then, it was over, we all clapped, and Cedric said: "Thank you. Now you should all go home and wash those hard to reach places, because I'm pretty sure they're dirty now."
After they left the stage and stuff, roadies were throwing stuff off stage for fans to catch. I got a waterbottle drunk from by some TMV bandmember. I was so happy.
After, we all had to leave. I spent about 20 minutes looking for Sean, he wanted pizza, so we went, I bought a pepsi, he bought 2 slices and a drink. Then we went and met up with my mom.
We told her to pick us up at 10:45-11, but at this time it was around 12:30. So we drove home, exhausted. Thinking about the intensity of the show. And then we realised we have school tomorrow. Looks like another 4-hours of sleep night. Oh well I'm used to them.
Thank you Mars Volta for rocking me thoroughly. I love you still.
Today I went to the Blue Metropolis, its this writing convention in Montreal. It was awesome and really inspirational.
The best moment was the session with Melissa Auf der Maur, Bassist in Hole (with Courtney Love), Smashing Pumpkings, and singer of Auf der Maur, her solo project. She was a really awesome and inspirational woman, her passion for what she did was just amazing.
She gave me props for my Minor Threat shirt and asked me to talk about them a bit for the group, which I did, talking about how Ian Mckellen started the sXe movement and changed his community and how he was one of my heros. I asked her if she liked the Mars Volta and she said she loved them.
I also wanted to know her personal opinion as to whether she thought Courtney Love killed Kurt Kobain or not, so I asked her. She said Courtney was crazy, she loved her, but she was crazy, but not in a way that she would ever hurt Kurt. She just said that he was as crazy and tortured as she was, and that when you put two crazy people together, all they do is make each other crazier, until eventually, one gets pushed over the limit.. She was positive Kurt killed himself. I was content with her opinion on this long issue. She was positive Courtney would never have killed Kurt, and would never have hired anyone to do it either.
At the end of the session, I went and talked to her and she wrote a note to me on a paper that said: "Adam, you know the truth. I see it in your eyes. Don't doubt." It was really awesome. I gave her a hug and left.
What a great day. <3
adammm
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Refuting Matt's "Top 10 Reasons why I'm not Emo" Current mood: accomplished
The following message was the result of me calling Matt emo. He posted this whole list in a comment. And I quote..
"Okay, you can no longer make comments about me being emo. Here are "Matt's top ten reasons why you cannot call him emo, " got it bitch?
10) Because I look too damn good to be emo, and I wear black because it looks good, not because i'm some fucking thick rimmed glasses, hair pulled over one eye jerkoff 9) Because my piercings are too bad ass to be emo 8) Because all the quotes under my pics are from Marilyn Manson, who has substance, unlike emo garbage, he also rapes emo and videotapes it and sells the videotapes for money 7) Because I don't have long emo hair long some people *points at you* 6) Because not everyone on my friends list is emo, also like you 5) Because I do not wear uber tight pants 4) Because I don't make out with other boys, also unlike you 3) I'm too fucking angry to be emo, if you can't tell by this, I vent my problems through rage and anger, not by crying myself to sleep 2) Because I'm not in high school or wishing I still was 1) BECAUSE OUT OF THE FUCKING TWO OF US, YOU ARE FUCKING EMO!
lol, now everyone who reads this is going to think I'm some tripped out angry freak"
Refutation
"10) Because I look too damn good to be emo, and I wear black because it looks good, not because i'm some fucking thick rimmed glasses, hair pulled over one eye jerkoff"
Only an emo kid would feel he looked too damn good in black, what do you think was the inspiration for fashionXcore? you don't need the glasses or the hair to embody the truth emo or hXc spirit. You are a hardcore kid at heart, Matt.
"9) Because my piercings are too bad ass to be emo."
I know emo kids and hXc kids with just as many piercings that are just as bad ass. You are therefore just as emo as them.
"8) Because all the quotes under my pics are from Marilyn Manson, who has substance, unlike emo garbage, he also rapes emo and videotapes it and sells the videotapes for money"
Any musician who has an emotional element to their music, from Jimi Hendrix to Marilyn Manson, is in essence emo. Some of Marilyn Manson's lyrics would are not that different from the lyrics found in hXc songs, ie. those referring to slitting wrists. Thus, you do listen to a genre of emotional music, whether you acknowledge it or not. Thus, you are just as emo as any hXc kid.
"7) Because I don't have long emo hair long some people *points at you*"
As previously stated, one does not have to have long hair to be emo. I know one emo kid named John who has shorter hair than you even. If he saw yours he would say it was more emo than his. Thus, you are just as emo as anyone else.
"6) Because not everyone on my friends list is emo, also like you"
Yet, many people on your list, are. Only a true emo kid wouldn't want a certain kind of people on their list because of the music they listened to (ie, punks). Thus you are just as emo as, if not more emo than, me or anyone else.
"5) Because I do not wear uber tight pants"
You only wear semi-tight pants. I know several emo kids who dress in this style. Thus, this is an invalid argument and you are as emo as any of them.
"4) Because I don't make out with other boys, also unlike you"
False, I have yet to make out with a boy. You, on the other hand, were spotted by me making out with Anton LaVey one day on the bus. When I gasped, Anton through a bottle of water at me and you looked embarassed. The typical emo reaction.
"3) I'm too fucking angry to be emo, if you can't tell by this, I vent my problems through rage and anger, not by crying myself to sleep"
That mentality reminds me of many hXc kids I know. They have the same rage-based mentality. Thus you are as hXc as any hXc kid.
"2) Because I'm not in high school or wishing I still was"
Worst argument ever. The fact that you made this argument proves that you were too depressed to think of anything better, thus, emo.
"1) BECAUSE OUT OF THE FUCKING TWO OF US, YOU ARE FUCKING EMO!"
You probably express your emotions better than me. You wrote a whole top 10 list because you were so insecure at me calling one of your pics, emo. Your insecurity and high-levels of emotion make you more emo than me. Not am I more confident than you, I do not fill all aspects of my life with my emotions (ie. rage). Thus, Matt, you, are emo.
And that's nothing to be ashamed of. Lots of us become what we hate.
happy 
from a Decemberist. I was honoured.) 
tired 
exhausted 
accomplished