I woke up this afternoon to this link in my email: an intelligent story written by my friend Jarret Keene about Curl Up And Die and their most excellent album from like 10 years ago We Are All Robots that reflects a bit on the bands legacy and the whole awesomeness of that seminal release. It's on the Punks In Vegas website, which is a whole contradiction in terms that I don't even wanna get into, but it's definitely worth a read and you can click here to check that shizzle out. It's really good.

Oh, I remembered what I wanted to bring up here - the Madness stuff! :-) As you can see, the Pictures are already posted, and you can click here to see those, and I finished the Show Review for the gig too, and you can click here to read that if you're so inclined. I'm no Jarret Keene but I do alright with the words. LOL I'm not a Writer, nor am I a Photographer. I'm just a music fan who wants to let people know about all the cool things that go on here in Vegas, and to give you an opinion on things I know about and observe, that's all. Take it or leave it, I don't give a fuck. Anyways, yeah, the Madness show review is the 1st one of the year that I've made public. I write lots of them, but I don't publish them because they're just gonna cause Drama with whatever band I'm critiquing, and really I just can't be bothered. I got better shit to do. Too many people take what I write seriously. It's pretty funny.

Everything is updated. New stuff added, old stuff taken off. I fixed the Videos page and linked everything up to my YouTube channel, which you can find by clicking here. I made Public some videos that I had no info on or didn't hear back from the band about, like the Pigasus @ the Cheyenne video, the Dirty Panties @ Vamp'd video, The People's Whiskey @ Motor City Cafe and a few others I can't remember about right now. Anyways, they are all linked up and available on the newly updated Videos page, and you can click right here to check all of those out. It's a nice way to spend an afternoon at work, or so I'm told... heh heh. I gotta get ready for band practice. Go to that Deer Tick gig @ the Aruba tonight to support Zach Ryan & The Renegades, a bunch of cool guys that now feature Danny, the Prince of Drummers, on keyboards. He may have to relinquish that title pretty soon if this keyboards thing keeps up... heh heh heh

Too soon? ;-)

Yeah, it's a fucking shame that MCA from the Beastie Boys passed away yesterday, hopefully forever ruining that whole 'May the 4th be with You' thing that Star Wars nerds usually carry on about on that day, but the way some people are pontificating about MCA's passing, you would think he was their favorite Uncle or something. I'm a huge fan, but Cancer ain't nothing to fuck with. There was a reason why he didn't attend the Beastie Boys Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction - which they don't belong in, BTW - it was because he couldn't attend. I only say the Beastie Boys don't belong in there because they're not a Rock And Roll band. That would be like the Ramones being inducted into the Rap And Hip Hop Hall Of Fame. Yup. The most recent pictures I could find of MCA were taken over 2 years ago, and he looked terrible then. I can only imagine what he looked like before he passed on.

Maybe it is better to die young? I dunno. Old age just fucking sucks ass, I swear to God. It's hard to believe that those 2 pictures are of the same person. It's a trip, that's for sure. I can't imagine what Sid Vicious would of looked like past the age of 40, but I can guarantee you that he wouldn't of done half of the great stuff MCA did while he was here on Earth. Yeah, MCA man, he was quite a cool character, that's for sure. The world will be a sorrier place without him. Godspeed Sir. Vaya con Dios. It's been nothing but Beastie Boys on a constant loop around my pad since I heard the news. What a fucking shame.

It's Cinco de Mayo, which really doesn't mean shit, and I'm not really sure it's a Holiday of any sorts, but any excuse to grill up some carne and drink some tequila is A-OK in my book! LOL There's a gig going on tonight @ the Arts Factory, but I don't think the Mapes are playing it, and I know for a fact that Pigasus isn't playing it, but all the other bands still are, and Vihan Rytmi has been added to the bill, so it should be a fun time. Yeah, Vihan Rytmi, that band that played their supposed "last gig ever" a while back, and who have played more gigs after announcing they were playing their last gig ever than they did before the announcement! hee hee hee I'm just breaking balls, because I really like Vihan Rytmi, so go out to the Arts Factory tonight and check out some cool bands and hang with some cool people and grab a free comic book from Hellpop! while you're there, because it's Free Comic Book Day and they're doing some cool deals and giveaways and Artist signings and shit, so stop by and take advantage man. Don't worry. You can still go to this gig and then go see T.S.O.L. @ the Double Clown later on that night. T.S.O.L. aren't playing until midnight. ;-) Oh wait, was I supposed to mention that? ;-)

I hate that I missed this on Friday. Fucking HATE IT!! :-( Deadhand @ the Royal House playing that Nirvana tribute thing.

Yeah, I missed out on that awesomeness because I was at band practice. Another day, another band apparently. The count is now up to 5. Yeah, I think American Buckshot is back and ready to Bring The Thunder © like we used to do, which is awesome. Another set of songs to learn. I think my left hip is deteriorating at a much more rapid pace than it should be, because it has been in constant pain as of late but oh well. I'm having fun. LOL Saturday I had band practice before playing my debut gig with Pigasus @ the Bar & Bistro for Bobby Frank's Birthday get together (I never saw Mr. Franks all evening), and I think we did pretty good, based on what everyone was telling me after we were finished playing. I was nervous, broke a couple of sticks in half from bashing them too hard on the drums and I made a few mistakes and miscounts but I think I did OK overall. Besides the 'you sounded good' sentiment that was being shared by alot of the attendees, I think just as many people were tripping on me playing at a much slower pace than they're used to seeing me play! LOL Hey man - I'm versatile, I swear! There was too many fantastic people at the place for me to focus on anyone in particular (yeah right), and I Thank all of you who made the effort and came out, especially Dean, fresh from his trip somewhere overseas doing something he probably shouldn't of been doing somewhere he shouldn't of been. Good to have you back Brother. You have no idea of how good it is to see you. XOXO

Shit. While I'm thinking about it, I never shared this Madness video I shot with my trusty iPhone when they played here a few weeks ago. It's for one of my favorite songs off of their debut album, Bed And Breakfast Man.

I also forgot to bring up the fact that Sham 69 had cancelled out of their appearance at Punk Rock Bowling this year, due to Jimmy Pursey's father deteriorating health, so instead, the Cockney Rejects will be taking their place. Now I had heard that the Cockney Rejects were the 'Secret' band playing that Civilians / Youth Brigade gig, so does that mean that there will be a new secret band taking their place? Who knows? The last time I saw the Cockney Rejects was back in the 90's and they were just dog shit terrible. The time before that was sometime in the mid 80's after they went Metal and gawd, they were just fucking horrible then as well, but every time before that, they were fucking incredible, playing most of the songs from their brilliantly titled first album Greatest Hits, Vol. 1. The band is supposed to have a documentary film and a new album out this year called East End Babylon, but I don't know what's up with that. I'm sure they'll be playing few, if any, songs from that album though. I'm sure they've smartened up by now and realized that people only wanna hear the 'Hits' and they'll play just that and all the little tossers can run to the merch booth and buy the swag and post on Facebook how they just saw the Cockney Rejects and me being the old dude that I am will correct them by saying No, you did not see the real Cockney Rejects, much like seeing a Danzig / Doyle thing is not seeing the real Misfits. What you will get at Punk Rock Bowling is the Geggus' brothers latest musical project, and if it was anywhere else, like at a club, I probably would of checked it out, because I'm a HUGE Cockney Rejects fan, but it's not worth just standing around like cattle in a pen tolerating all the shitty bands just to see the ones you like, and therein lies the crux of why the whole Punk Rock Bowling thing sucks shit balls. Oh well.

Everything is updated. I added a bunch of simply fucking AMAZING gigs to the Gig Calendar page, including the almighty Freddie McGregor's return to Las Vegas, as well as a return visit from Don Carlos himself. Oh, I am sooooooooo at both of those gigs. You have no idea. There's some other good one's coming up too, but I forget what they are. I'm just spazzing out on Freddie McGregor and Don Carlos. Wow. <3 I posted those Pictures of The Lost playing at the Double Clown Saloon up last week, so click here to check them out if you're so inclined. I'm gonna go play some Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and work on winning a Tournament. :-)

First off, you can go to this gig tonight: The Mentors @ the Cheyenne Saloon

And tomorrow night you can go to any one of these gigs, the Flatliners with the Hard Pipe Hitters @ the Box Office, Deadhand playing that Nirvana tribute show @ the Royal House, or TheCore playing @ the Double Clown.

And then on Saturday you can venture out to Hendertucky if you're feeling brave, because the Aquabats are pretty sick, and the Voodoo Glow Skulls are always amazing, or you can go Downtown to see Pigasus and Dude City. If you ask me, the only place to be is the Bar & Bistro for Bobby Frank's Birthday get together, but I'm a little biased in that appraisal. :-)

Yeah, busy weekend planned. Hope to see you all somewhere. :-)

So I'm sitting around at the Amoroso Casa, taking in the sights and sounds all around me. It was a little get together for Roxie's Birthday, and I had been up for less than an hour and I already had 3 Newcastle's and 2 pieces of cake. Not a bad way to start the day if you ask me. :-) There are kids running around, the dog I lovingly refer to as 'Duane The Main Brain McClain' is eating anything and everything he can get his paws on (he got me for a half eaten piece of pizza), there's a bunch of Friends and Family hanging out and we're talking about Death in the midst of all this beautiful Life all around us. It was kind of weird, and I had one of those 'Old Guy' moments just sitting there realizing how great Life is. I might not be here for much longer, but while I'm here, I'm gonna enjoy every minute of it. Happy Birthday Roxie! Thanks for the gifts from Disneyland. I definitely owe you one! XOXOXO

It was Roxie's Birthday but I got a present too! It was the record player Jesse & Roxie got me for my birthday like, a few months ago... LOL Now I can listen to all those beautiful pieces of vinyl I've been collecting as of late. First up - that Black Randy And The Metrosquad double gate fold vinyl reissue with all the bonus stuff on it! <3 Looking forward to hearing that, and I'm looking forward to playing this gig on Sat.

Yeah, just revel in the awesomeness of that flyer for a second. Yeah, I know. Anyways, it's my debut gig playing for Pigasus, and it's a small little celebration for the Birthday for Mr. Bobby Franks, who is a well known connoisseur of fine alcoholic beverages, so make sure to stop by and say Hello. It's not like you're gonna be going to that Ska Festival out in Hendertucky, right? Look, if you're gonna get arrested for a DUI on a Sat. night, Clark County is where you wanna be, I'm telling ya! Yeah, I know Henderson's got better food, but Clark County has the Hooker Walk of Shame hourly, and that, my friends, is worth it's weight in gold! ;-) I had a bunch more stuff to say, but Bob is here annoying the holy shit out of me, so I'm gonna go. Everything is updated. New photos added, yadda yadda yadda.

heh heh heh Detroit Rock City - funny movie. :-) And it's 4:20 in the morning... suhhh-weeeet!

I did fuck all this weekend and it felt pretty good. I mean, I was doing 2 a day band practices - each practice with a different band, which will definitely keep you on your toes, that's for sure. I broke my drum kick pedal during the process, and by that I mean the steel bar that makes the pedals move just broke, like, snapped in two... weird. Bringing the Thunder each and every time. Yup! Thankfully Sunday's practice with Pigasus was called off, because Jesse & Roxie bid on some trip to Disneyland at some 80's themed auction the night before and they won, so for her Birthday they drove out to Anaheim, and they're even getting the star treatment because of Jesse's association with that Pawn Stars show. That is sooooo funny it's cool! LOL Couldn't happen to 2 nicer people. I'm sure they're gonna have the greatest time there. Not as good a time as when the Loud Pipes went there, but still... heh heh

Congrats to Demon Lung on their CD release party. Kudos for whoever kicked the creepy drunk guy in the face at that same gig. I didn't wake up on Saturday morning to read anything about any naked, drunken escapades leading to any arrests in Hendertucky, so I can only assume that The People's Whiskey 420 party went well and stayed within Legal boundaries. Bob tried to tell me about The Dirty Panties gig @ the Double Clown, but he wasn't making any sense, so I'm guessing it was a fun time had by all. That's how it's supposed to be. Everyone Happy and having Fun. :-) Thanks to everyone for your concerns about me, but I'm fine. Seriously. Everything is updated. New photos of Vihan Rytmi were posted last week (click here to see them) but I forgot to tell anyone about them, and I just posted the photos I took of Deadhand @ the Double Clown a little while ago, and you can click here to see them. I'm gonna go back to listening to Stern before I get some sleep. I gotta wake up early to get a kick drum pedal at Guitar Center before band practice. Pigasus is playing @ the Bar & Bistro this Sat. night for Bobby Franks Birthday Party, and then on Cinco de Mayo @ the Arts Factory with the Mapes - get HYPED!! <3

Fuck you Texas de Brazil!! LOL

After driving around for about 40 minutes, up and down Las Vegas Blvd. and Sunset, and missing the majority of the Sharks / Blues game, I finally gave up on finding the place and headed Home. I was supposed to meet everyone up there for Jack from Pigasus' Birthday party, and I purposefully avoided eating all day just so I could scarf down once I got there, but alas, apparently it was not meant to be, as I just ended up grabbing a shitload of grub from Felipilito's and raced Home to watch the Sharks lose 2-1. It's over Johnny. Fire Wilson. Trade Marleau. Clean all the old crap out of the system and start anew. Such a fucking disappointment. Ugh. Oh well. Better Luck next year boys. Enjoy your tee off times during the Summer.

I think I joined another band... LOL My weekend is booked solid with band rehearsals. I need to start learning how to say 'No'... LOL

Dude! It's 420 tomorrow, which means absolutely fuck all to anyone but the pot smoking Hippies and those who emulate said ignorant lifestyle, but, there's lots of ridiculously stupid marijuana themed gigs going on this weekend, including one gig where they're gonna be raffling off a half an ounce of weed. Lots of places are giving away brownies (wink wink) and various paraphernalia which will get you arrested for a Felony if you're caught with said contraband on your person, so be careful or best yet, just avoid the whole thing altogether and stay away from those gigs. After all, if you have to give away free weed and drugs to get people to come to your gigs, well that doesn't say too much about your band now does it? ;-) The only thing worth doing is heading down to Yayo Taco to help Demon Lung celebrate their CD release. The EP is called Pareidolia, and it will be available for your stoned purchasing pleasure at the gig. Support provided by Dead Neon and a few other bands. Click on the flyer below for all the info.

Or, if you're really feeling brave, head out to Hendertucky and see The People's Whiskey play at the Gold Mine Tavern. The jails in Henderson are much better, with tastier food and a much better clientele of criminals in there. Believe me, I know. ;-) Or you could go see Unfair Fight and the Hard Pipe Hitters fuck shit up @ the Cheyenne Saloon. Either or. Do something on 420 besides revel in the ignorance of the holiday. For those of us who smoke weed everyday, 420 is a day the amateurs come out of the woodwork to prove how down they are, sort of like how everyone turns Irish on St. Patrick's Day, but lamer. And gheyer, if that's possible. ;-)

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give to you, Madness. <3

Words simply cannot do Justice to how fucking cool Madness was. Both on the stage and off. Here's an example. It was like 5 in the morning, and I'm sitting at a bar with the band, and nobody's even paying them any attention. Here's Madness, drunk and lounging around, and they're being treated just like another group of Europeans in town for the Scottish Highland Games... LOL It was a bit surreal but funny. Not as funny as what happened when the band went to visit the backstage green room of Steel Panther, who played for some reason right after Madness. So the lads knock on the door and walk into their dressing room, introducing themselves as Madness and saying that they wanted to wish the guys well in playing their gig tonight, all in a very prim and proper and polite British way. One of the guys in the band (I later found out it was the Singer) says 'Oh, Thank You, that's very nice of you, but we're in the middle of a band meeting, so if you wouldn't mind, could you leave our room.' ha ha ha I fucking howled with laughter as I was the first one out of the room, and I'm standing outside as Madness are like, 'Oh, sorry. We didn't mean to bother - carry on.' and they leave the room. As soon as the door was closed and they're all outside, then it was like "Fucking tossers! Not a bit of talent in the lot of them." ha ha ha ha Those fucking egotistical dooshbags in Steel Panther... LOL Yeah, and then when the band started off their set, they were like, thanking Madness for opening up for them... ha ha ha As if, right? I thought that bit was funny, but the dressing room thing, that shit was priceless. I just had a blast. I don't know why i turned down the free trip to go see Madness in L.A., but I did. 1 night of my Life with those lunatics is enough. I don't think my liver, brains or ears could take any more from them lot! LOL You ever try to make sense of a drunken Englishman at 5 in the morning? It ain't easy, let me tell ya! ha ha ha Thanks to Chrissy Boy, Lee, Chas, Suggs and the Manager of Madness for all the hospitality and good times. See you guys next time! And I hope you enjoyed your Ihop - I went to Maple Tree! ;-)

I got tons and tons of Pictures coming from all these past days shenanigans. More Madness videos too. I made it to the mixing session @ Camel Hump, and gloriously afterwords me band mates in Pigasus had mercy on me and cancelled practice and we had a BBQ instead. A guy can definitely get used to this... heh heh After a straight 20 hours of sleep I feel great! It's time to be productive! It's time to head down to MDV and practice!

It's all a blur. Can't stay up. Can't eat. Can't drink anymore. It's like 11 in the morning and I got to be at Camel Hump in like 2 hours to go and try to salvage my drum sound on that Aluminum Falcon recording. And after that I got Pigasus practice. Somebody help me... ha ha ha I wish I could write down all the amazing stories and things that happened to me and the things I saw at the Madness gig last night, but I can't. Maybe it will come back to me later, I dunno. What I do know is that I had the most fun I've had in a long, long time. Telling stories, listening to stories being told, sharing drinks, having a laugh, catching up, getting lost, you know, just having fun! :-) Anyways, I'm passing the fuck out. Go see The People's Whiskey tonight at the Bunkhouse. I don't think I'm gonna make that gig... heh

I am soooooooooo in Love with Squeeze right now - even more than I ever was, if that's possible. They were incredible last night, basically playing everything from the Singles - 45's And Under release, with a few obscure songs that were definitely treats for us fans, stuff like In Quintessence, If I Didn't Love You, Heaven and Bang Bang from their very first album. My fucking jaw dropped as I haven't heard them play that song in like 30 years. Fucking Wow!!! In the early days, sure, but now, not really, as the band pretty much sticks to a give-the-people-what-they-want aspect of playing the Hits, although the band gets to stretch it's musical muscle on some newer, latter day material that's almost jam band, Rolling Stones like shit, but I forgave them for that little hippy-ish indiscretion. The crowd was tame, but the waitress service was fun, with the old folks in the crowd standing in nicely organized rows, allowing the waitresses to keep bringing me those splendid 32oz. drafts without any trouble. The more I drank, the better the band sounded. Go figure, right? ha ha ha There I was, a big dude in a Sharks jersey, jumping around and rocking out to Squeeze, singing along to almost every gawd damn song they played and just having the time of my Life in a crowd where there was seriously no one under the age of 30 in the place. Ha Ha Ha Ha I did not give a FUCK because sometimes it's good to be an old dude because you can appreciate the songwriting Genius of Mr's Difford and Tilbrook and the Music that they have created. The band was incredible. It was the same line up of players that I saw when Squeeze played the Crown Theater inside the Rio a few years ago (click here to see the photos I took that night) and like a fine wine, they've only gotten better with age. <3 Gawd damn do I love me some Squeeze. I bought all kinds of swag as I left the place. It was gaudy and all over-priced and I didn't care. :-)

Right before the gig I was watching the live feed on YouTube of Coachella 2012, and I gotta say, it was pretty sweet. I watched Jimmy Cliff's set, which was fantastic, despite the presence of that dooshbag Tim Armstrong in Mr. Cliff's backing band. It took me a while to recognize that Jimmy Cliff was doing a Rancid cover, but once I did... BARF!! ha ha ha I Can See Clearly Now was great, with the storm clouds off in the distance over the mountains, and, of course, The Harder They Fall, which is a Spiritual fucking classic. The set ended too quickly for me. The crowd seemed to dig it though, so that was good. And then came Madness. They sounded a bit ruff during the opener One Step Beyond, and they were missing Bedders on bass, but I gotta say, they sounded GREAT!! Suggs voice was in fine form, Woody is always on the beat, Chrissy Boy was playing Johnny Thunders riffs in between songs, Mike was pounding the keyboards in the back and Lee is just a madman, coming out dressed like some Chinese citizen from 1792 and just acting like the lunatic that he is, jumping around and up on the monitors, and mugging for the camera whenever possible. Best line of the night came from Chas, who said "I'm too old for this shit." LOL Second best was Lee asking the crowd "Does anyone have any drugs?" ;-) The highlight of the set was when they did Night Boat To Cairo, with the dual horn intro that sounded SICK, and that fucking crazy kid in the audience who was dressed up like the band were in the video for the song, crowd surfing with the biggest smile on his face while Madness played. That's what going to gigs is all about - having FUN!!! Oh my gawd I cannot wait to see Madness tonight. <3

If you're not going to the Madness gig tonight (I can't imagine why you're not though) there's other stuff going on. I had the date wrong about the Seriouslys gig @ the Motor City Cafe. It's tonight, not yesterday. If you're not going to that you should go to the Ignite / Guilty By Association / The Happy Campers / N.E. Last Words gig at the Aruba. Deadhand dropped off the gig because they don't do Pay to Play. Good for them. I couldn't be prouder. :-) And oh, I lost that video I shot of them doing Singing For You @ the Double Clown on Thurs. My iPhone took a shit, and when I took it down to the Apple store for them to fix it, they said they didn't know what was wrong with it, because it didn't show any signs of abuse/damage. It just couldn't be accessed, so I lost everything on it. Oh well. I got a brand new iPhone out of it, which will be majorly used tonight at Madness. I got Pigasus practice beforehand, so I'm gonna go try and get some sleep. These past few days have been AMAZING, and tonight is just going to be the capper of it all. It's always good seeing your old Friends. :-) Have a great weekend everyone. I know I am! Oh, and go see The People's Whiskey and the Hard Pipe Hitters tomorrow night @ the Bunkhouse!