Hi! How are you doing? Me? Oh, I've been fine. Never felt better actually. Playoff Hockey has me all wound up and ferocious, and my wonderful sexy girlfriend keeps me in check by reminding me how amusing everything in Life is, no matter how terrible things appear on the surface. There's always a brighter side. There's always Hope.
So yeah, I've been hiding out as of late, enjoying the calm before the storm that is Punk Rock Posing. I'm sooooo sick of people I know ranting on and on about their lane assignments or about how wasted they're going to get this weekend and about what bands they're gonna see play and whatnot. You fucking sheeple are no worse than Shriners when they go to their conventions, except for those cool hats the Shriners wear, of course, but other than that, you're just like them. You all are a bunch of ass clowns sucking on that Stern dick who dress up in your required clothing format to stand around and congratulate yourselves on being so fucking 'Punk' and 'Cool' and 'Alternative' while some karaoke cover band that used to stand for something and now just wants to get paid plays on in the background while you post pictures on Instagram to show your friends how hip and rad you really are. Gawd you all make me sick. I'm almost embarrassed for you at this point. The sycophantic adulation to a farce of this nature, one that only wants to separate you from your money, and one that's pretty much the antis of everything that Punk once stood for and rallied against, is nauseating. I hope you all die a slow and agonizing death. I hope an outbreak of salmonella breaks out at your precious festival and sickens you all. You all already sicken me, so I guess that's fair.
Speaking of sickening, the flogging of a dead horse continues on unabated in the world of the Clash with yet another repackaging/reprocessing of their already spread thin musical output with the release of another box set, this one presented in a vapid yet pretty boom box looking enclosure, due to be available for mass consumption on Sept. 10th. It contains almost all of their recorded output (with the continuation of the whitewashing from memory of the Cut The Crap release), all albums remastered and remixed yet again, and it contains all the demos and live stuff that were already released on the Clash On Broadway box set, and it contains all the 7" versions that were included in the Clash Singles box set, and it contains all the videos that were on the Essential Clash and Live Revolution Rock DVDs. There's also some recycled and previously unseen footage from Don Lett's Westway To The World DVD in there as well, but if it wasn't used for that release, how good could it be, right? So what's the point in all this? What's the incentive to buy this, you ask? Well, I guess it's the fact that it contains reprints of all the original Armagideon Times fanzines the band did back in the early 80's (which I would give my eye teeth to have copies of once again), and a new one just put together for the box set, and all the badges and stickers that came with the singles when released, like the dog tags from the Straight To Hell/Should I Stay Or Should I Go 7", or the stickers that came with the Magnificent 7 release. Yeah, for $250 you can just shove all that shit right back up your ass where it fell out of. I've got better things to do with my money, but apparently, the Clash do not. Here's an Interview with all 3 surviving members of the band discussing their latest cash cow entrepreneurial endeavor.
Gosh, such a negative vibe in here. I'm going outside and get some sunshine on my face. :-) Everything is updated. New photos of the Gears, the Seriouslys, and the Aggravators just added, and you can click here to see the Gears, and click here to see the Seriouslys, and click here to see the Aggravators pix. I guess I'll be back on here to post something when this whole Punk Rock Posing debacle is over, when the stench of Punk Rock Greed is blown out of the Downtown area... heh
 As usual, there's all sorts of things going on this weekend. Throw in the fact that it's also St. Patrick's Day weekend and you can intensify the potential fun factor by at least 12 or so.
Volbeat played at the House of Booooo's last night, but they're not worth almost $40 to see them in that place. I'd love to go to that house party that Nomads, Unfair Fight, and ACxDC are playing, but I doubt I'm gonna be done with my medical procedure in time. I'm getting more dead flesh cut and scraped off of my leg. I find the process fascinating. The drugs they give me leave me with a mean case of medicine head afterwords too, so if you're going to that house party thing tonight, I envy you... heh
How in the world did I catch a cold? Seriously?
Like I said, there's lots of stuff going on this weekend. Guttermouth with Battle Born and the Tinglerz tonight @ the LVCS. $15 and Downtown on Fri. night, St. Patrick's Day weekend? No Thanks, I'll pass. I don't need an excuse to be hassled by the Police. 3D6 is @ the Double Clown tonight as well. Ugh. Tomorrow night is that Instrumentalfest 2013 @ Money Plays with the Bitters and Dinner Music For The Gods, but I'm not a Musician so that gig holds no appeal for me. Scarlett is going down on Sat. too but I'm getting bored and complacent with that gathering of fools. And the biggest gathering of Fools is going on @ the House of Booooo's on Sat. for that Pennywise and Anti-Flag show. Phooey. Sunday if you're not drowning yourself in Jameson and green beer, and stuffing your maw with corned beef and cabbage, you could head down to the Motor City Cafe for a matinee gig with Last Rites and Fuck Shit Piss, but me, I'm gonna be at Ainjil & Dave's baby shower... drowning myself in Jameson and green beer, and stuffing my maw with whatever is laid out on the table. It's gonna be a great weekend. Try not to have too much fun...
 I did my best not to get involved with it anymore than I did. I flamed the trolls on Facebook. I fought the urge to publicly lambast this farcical event on here, out of fear of giving it any credibility or unwarranted publicity it wasn't do. No one I talked to about it 'got it', and the only ones who feigned enthusiasm about the gig were the idiot sycophantic bands who were enthused about playing it. Nirvana got their own individual tribute night. So did the Pixies. But these 3 bands, the Ramones, Blondie, and the Clash, apparently don't warrant such an accolade, and they're all crammed together on one shared bill in a colossal display of impertinence and indignity. Le sigh. I'm glad everyone had fun. I'm glad you all had a good time. You should all be ashamed of yourselves... heh heh
Well, the Raiders did better against the Falcons yesterday than I thought they would. Bad offensive play calling and piss poor defensive schemes by the Coaching staff led to our downfall, as well as the return of our boneheaded penalty laden play led to our downfall. Oh well. Nothing to be ashamed of. We went against an undefeated team, playing them at home, and we almost won. I think that's pretty cool. :-)
OK - it's Monday - got lots of stuff to do and lots of time to do it. Busy week ahead. Look for lots of stuff to go up here. I've been slacking, I know. She's worth it though. Go to this gig tomorrow night @ the Bunkhouse. It's a killer line up of Local talent (Guilty By Association, Surrounded By Thieves, I.D.F.I.) and if you like Social Distortion, you'll LOVE Reno Divorce. Just keep an eye on your bag of coke and you'll be fine! ;-)
 Shit! In all my haste to get something written down yesterday, I forgot to mention a few things that were on my mind, like all the good things I heard about that gig @ Yayo Taco on Monday. Some Finnish Punk bands played, and, of course, Vihan Rytmi played, because Adrian is hardcore like that, and because Vihan Rytmi has been on a tear as of late, playing gigs left, right and center. Those guys are sooooooo fucking good it's frightening. Noise Not Music taken to the Nth degree. The other bands that played, Haistelijat and Ydinperhe, were pretty impressive too, from what I heard of anyways. D-Beat. I fucking LOVE the D-Beat. <3 It takes a lot of dedication and a huge set of balls to travel all the way from Finland to tour the United States, so big ups to both those bands for doing it. I would of been at the gig, Hell, I really WANTED to be at the gig, but Monday night gigs just don't work out for me as of late. After band practice I'm usually pretty wet and spent, and in no mood or condition to go out and represent. Phooey. Anyways, it was a great time, lots of people came out, there was no dogs in attendance and only a few parking lot Poseurs because apparently, Yayo Taco just attracts those types of losers like shit attracts flies. Punk Rock Mooches. Whatever.
 Speaking of Punk Rock, there's 2 must-see gigs happening this weekend that I forgot to mention yesterday, but unfortunately I won't get to see them because they're happening at the Double Clown! hahaha First, on Friday, there's the Dirty Panties CD Release Party happening, with support from their label mates the Gashers and their good friends the Wastrels from Slam Diego, who I haven't seen in ages and who I probably last saw play at the Cooler Lounge many, many moons ago, and the Quitters, who are one of the best bands gigging around town. Should be a cool little fest. And speaking of bands I haven't seen in a while, the White Kaps are playing with Guilty By Association and Action 45 and S.F.T. and again, I won't be there to see any of it! LOL Yeah, I have been relieved of my drumming duties for GBA, and the gig on Sat. marks the return of Bingo Billy behind their kit, so if you go to the gig, make sure you congratulate that tuff motherfucker for coming back from a torn ACL as fast as he did. Those things are crippling to normal human drummers but not to him... heh heh Again, it should be a fun gig, so get yer ass down there and Support! :-) Me? I'm gonna be at the Motor City Cafe watching the Fat Dukes Of Fuck and the Civilians play! hahaha
Speaking of the Fat Dukes Of Fuck, Bob sent in some photos he took of them a few days ago of them playing @ the Double Clown, and you can click here to check those out if you're so inclined. They're not the best photos ever taken, but they definitely capture the ambiance and eccentricity of the evening, that's for sure. :-) Everything is updated. It's a gorgeous day outside. I think I'm gonna go seek Adventure...
Ha ha ha ha Don't worry, I'm coming back... maybe! ;-)
Still no Internet, still updating from my phone. Oh well. Congrats to Deadhand, The Quitters, and Holding On To Sound for making the trek out to Tejas to play the SXSW schmooze fest. It's cool that Local bands make the commitment to get out there and play. Wish I was in a band that could do that... hint hint
Kick ass gig tomorrow at the Bunkhouse. You should go, because I'm not. Plus, Larry is moving to L.A. in a few weeks, so this is one of the last gigs for Life's Torment and all the other bands he plays in for awhile. Vegas is losing a cool guy with this one, but I'm happy for him moving to L.A. and doing whatever it is he's gonna be doing out there, like putting out records and playing in bands and all that fun stuff. Lucky bastard. Guilty By Association and Unfair Fight are also playing. Support
Today's the day. San Francisco here I come. See you all when I get back. Cheers! :-)
Oh man, I hate when shit like this happens. Gregory Isaacs passed away yesterday. To say it came as a bit of a shock is an understatement. The King of Lover's Rock. The Cool Ruler. The Lonely Lover. And now he's gone. Fuck. He was scheduled to play Oct. 8 @ the Hard Rock, but cancelled. Now I know why - the lung cancer he died from. Man, Life is Fragile, isn't it? All Respect due to Gregory Isaacs. Your journey is over. Jah bless. May you find your way home to Zion.
Ari-Up from the Slits passed away a few days ago as well, but I didn't really care too much about that, because the Slits have always, always sucked, figuratively and literally, in my book. How do you think they got that opening slot on that Clash Tour? It sure wasn't because of their musical talent, that's for sure! hee hee hee
Busy weekend. Fri. I dragged my tired ass out to see S.F.T. play on the hallowed Holy grounds of the Sanctuary, which is apparently a church of some sorts. It was my first time seeing the band play, and I really dug what I was hearing from them. True 'Hardcore" punk rock played really well, with snarling guitar riffs, scaling bass runs and fast and furious punk rock drumming, all lead by a singer who apologized for the band being as sober as they were! LOL As good as the band was, it didn't beat what was the highlight of the night was, and that was the opening band. Comprised of a bunch of 15 and 16 year old kids playing through little 20 watt practice amps and a tiny ass drum set, they pretty much nailed it perfectly when they came off the stage and walked out the back door and announced for all to hear 'Dude, we sucked!'. hahahahaha It was brutally honest and a perfect summation of the bands set. How could you not love that?
Sat. night was the dual debut performance of Aluminum Falcon and Last Night's Heroes, opening up for Betting On Tomorrow and the Sex Slaves, who apparently thought it was cool to have spinner rims covering their amplifier speakers. Don't ask. Last Night's Heroes were the best thing about the evening, with their set full of songs that were only Punk in the broadest, most general of terms, but still played a fanfuckingtastic set of mid-tempo tunes that had me standing there in my Storm Trooper costume rocking along to every note played. Jeremy standing right next to me in his Jabba The Hut costume must of made us quite the eye catching pair standing front and center during Last Night's Heroes set. They were really good, and I'm looking forward to seeing a whole lot more of them in the future. Bands like them keep me optimistic on the future of the LVMS.
Yeah, my new band Aluminum Falcon played as well, and for some reason we thought it would be a great idea to perform our debut gig in full regalia Star Wars costumes, as if we needed something else to make the task before us more difficult. What seemed like a good idea at the time turned out to be an almost an epic fail when things like singing and playing and jumping around in costumes was taken into account, not to mention the absolute horror of trying to breathe in one of those things. I myself almost passed out twice behind the kit, but kept the damn costume on for the entire duration. Yaaaayyy me! I can't say the same about one of my other band mates though... coughcoughJeremycoughcough. :-) Anyways, I had a blast, people seemed to like us, whether it was because of the tunes or the costumes I don't know, but I do know this - we will NOT be playing every gig in costume, that's for sure! hahaha The pictures Jesse 'The Super Photographer" Nabers took that night looked amazing, as usual. Can't wait to see the rest of them.
59-14. Against the Broncos. It could not have been any sweeter, nor could it have happened against a more deserving team. :-) Raider Nation Por Vida! In Hockey Land, I'm still of the belief that Niemi is a cocksucker who gives up soft rebounds and sloppy shots and who won't be a Shark next year. I think his signing was a mistake. Nittymaki is much better suited to Team Teal. 7 points in 7 games gives us 82 for the season, much worse than last year, and no where near what's needed to make the playoffs. I am not optimistic.
In conclusion, I got Court tomorrow, and I don't think I'm walking out of there. When your own Lawyer tells you to bring your toothbrush, it can't be good, right? LOL Ahhhhh... I'm forever optimistic, but just in case, if you don't hear from me by Weds. afternoon, well, see ya next year! hahaahhaaa Happy Halloween everyone!
Hey! Through the magic of the Internet I just found out that the Apocalyptics are playing @ the Double Down tonight with the Shakes and Season Of The Nightmare. Go out and support a great band that deserves it, in a place that I wouldn't be caught dead in... heh heh
I just added a shitload of upcoming gigs to the Gig Calendar page, stuff like, oh, I dunno, Youth Brigade, Zeke, Dead Kennedys, Misfits, Voodoo Glow Skulls (now moved to the Beauty Bar... UGH!), Fu Manchu, the Adicks, CH3, the Pixies, Agent Orange, Angry Samoans, D.I., that American Carnage Tour with Slayer / Anthrax / Megadeth (siiiiiiiiiick) and lots and lots of Local gigs too. Check it out and plan accordingly. Interesting things are a brewing, that's for sure. ;-)
Since April is almost over, I thought I better throw up that page full of Music Reviews before they carried over into the next month, so check out April's Music Reviews on the latest from bands like Night Divides The Day (now called Eve Of Extinction), The Braineaters (who you don't wanna miss when they play on 06/06/06), The Irish Brothers, The Rocketz (hello Tony, call me you Bastard), Urchin (local baseball bat All Stars), Topper (Clash worshipers) NOFX and Revenge And Regret (R.I.P.) Click here to read all of them. And a Special Message to "Her", if you don't like the way I am, get the fuck on with your smelly ass. This is what I be, and this is how I roll. Music first, everything else second. Go back to the "real" people in your Art Fag Scene in L.A. and see what they do to you. Didn't you move here to get away from that shit? Thought so. See you around because, like most people who move away from Las Vegas, you'll be back. Chicks. Phooey. I wish I knew how to quit you... hee hee hee.
I felt kinda bad when I heard that Tony's pad had caught on fire and burned to the ground. I mean, the guy lost everything he owns, ya know? I fought off the urges to make jokes about how vampires and fire just don't mix and I put the thoughts of karmic retribution out of my head. I chalked it up to a bit of bad luck. But a lot of small, insignificant things happening at once sure do make you think. It's Halloween season... I believe in curses! LOL Jesse called me a bit ago and told me I should just give it up. What it is I'm supposed to give up is uncertain, but as soon as I figure it out I will let you all know. Anyways, still tweaking the look of the web site... fucking with the lay outs and stuff... pretty soon I'll be ready to start adding NEW content to this site. What a concept. I updated the Gigs Listing page (as always) and I'm adding some more of the older stuff (mostly Show Reviews pages like Manic Hispanic, Infestshit, Social Distortion). Hollywood Shane told me about a killer show this weekend in L.A. that was a benefit show for Gil T. from Top Jimmy And The Rhythm Pigs, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, and I remember him and the band fondly. Top Jimmy himself passed away right here in Vegas, and it got me to thinking. Has it really been that long? Blue Monday nights at the Cathay De Grande? Fuck! As if the wording on the new Clash DVD wasn't bad enough (25 Year Anniversary? Ouch!) Oh well... we're all getting older... Rodney Dangerfield is gone... and I think I can hear a hurricane coming on the horizon. Fuck this. I'm heading to the cellar to hide.
Nothing much going on around here. I've just been tweaking the web site and getting the layout correct and the backgrounds uniform. I also made sure to hyperlink all the bands that are mentioned on this website, so that when you see a bands name on my website, you can click on that name and be magically transported to their official websites. What a deal. I got no plans to do anything, and I got no plans to go to shows. I'm knee deep on working on my web site, having fun trying to keep all the fonts and background preferences remembered, and burning a bunch of Clash bootlegs for my new friend Glen in Idaho! (Howdy!) So if anyone needs to get a hold of me you know what you have to do. I updated everything, and even added this nifty little tag board thingy to the left here, since the message board is / was such a hit... LOL. Leave me strange and wondrous messages... I may even reply! Woo Ho0!
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