back from somewhere

hello, my little ones; it's been a few days.

saturday, i picked up the folks from the airport and took them back to elizabethtown. they had driven their truck and boat down to their new digs in tampa and then flew back after an exhausting week of wallpapering, painting and cleaning. its going to be kind of wierd having them live so far away. but, i'm a big boy, i'll manage. while, in e-town, they gave me four boxes of my childhood filled with old toys, yearbooks, sketch books and more. as i rooted through the caskets of my past, i got knocked down by flood of old memories. crazy.

later that evening, i had dinner with the lovely allison at ramsi's. quite enjoyable and quite yummy. afterwards, we hooked up with the norm and la lisa for a drink or seven. fun was had by all.

yesterday, the norm and i went out to find the ol' puffin an amp he can call his very own. i've been borrowing a wonderful 30 watt fender from very kind hearted person, but i'm sure i've overstayed my loan. anyway, i need my own big boy, tube amp for quite a while. so we hit the local mecca of used musical instruments: music-go-round, the very same place i obtained my guitar last year. after digging around for about 10 minutes, i found a used peavey triumph 60 watt (the horror!) tube amp; foot switch and all. it was tagged at $249.00, but the computer at the counter listed it at $199.00! who am i to argue with the sells guy? i threw down $100.00 as an initial payment and i'll probably trade in my old solid state crate to help towards the rest of the balance later. we're gonna rock! just you wait motherfuckers!

cheers.
posted by paul 7:31:43 PM

the best at what he does...

geek-out time! the first bits of footage from the second x-men movie are on-line! if these clips are any indication, this film is going to be a bit darker (and better) than the last. also, nightcrawler (my favorite character of all time) is supposed to be in the film, played by alan cummings. having read the x-men since 1986, i was very, very pleased with the original film. i can't wait for this sequel.

voices from the geeklife:

listening to lately:
jeff buckley: grace
the flaming lips: yoshimi battles the pink robots
husker du: warehouse
velocity girl: simpatico
the the: 45 rpm

currently reading:
hocus pocus by kurt vonnegut

comics worth digging lately:
y: the last man (dc/vertigo)
the filth (dc/vertigo)
powers (image)
the ultimates (marvel)
uncanny x-men (marvel)

actively watching:
the dead zone (usa)
farscape (sci-fi)

cheers.
posted by paul 10:36:13 AM

sympathy 3000-21

back in 1999, i bought the flaming lips: the soft bulletin on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. i was at my local record store and noticed its amazing package design first, then realized it whose album it was. with my curiosity piqued i ventured over to the listening station (risking earwax toxicity) and gave it a whirl. it sure as hell didn't sound like the band that put out transmissions from the satellite heart (1993)... well that is until wayne coyne's broken and recognizable voice surfaced. it was sweeping, symphonic and bold. then i remembered that they had been getting increasingly experimental with such things as the boom box concerts and the four disc zaireeka. needless to say, i bought the damn thing and loved it. i even got to see them put on a hell of show (probably one of the best i've ever seen) in cincy months later.

so, you can understand that i would be interested in hearing their latest effort, yoshimi battles the pink robots. after a few listens it seems that while the lips are continuing in a similar musical language presented in bulletin, the songs on yoshimi seem a little tighter in focus. also, these new little gems are more subdued for the most part; lush and soft. however, i don't think that yoshimi has the impact of bulletin nor the songs that stand out so distinctly from one another. it is by no means a bad album; in fact it is really, really good and worth anyone's time to give it a listen. the thing is that where bulletin was something i didn't expect from the lips, yoshimi is unsurprising given the band's current developments.

yoshimi battles the pink robots is an wonderfully focused and serene album that continues the style set forth by its predecessor. it is a peaceful and optimistic joy to hear. unfortunately, it will have to carry the burden of being compared to bulletin by many, at least until the next record.

3.5 karate chops out of 5.

cheers.
posted by paul 1:08:34 PM

rock 'n' roll friends steal your chick and wreck your van

i would have to say that last nights 25 cent extravaganza featuring old man, green formica table, and lucifigous prick was a success. all three bands probably played the best shows i've seen them perform. we had a fairly decent turn out of close to thirty people. for a wednesday night show consisting of pretty much unknown bands, that's good. several of our friends were on hand to document the occasion through the uses of photography and video; the multimedia explosion is just around the corner.

as the old man set progressed, neil and i seemed to get more and more comfortable performing. the reaction from the audience was quite nice, too. when we finished, the table took the stage and tore it up. they were as awesome as ever, plus they closed their set with an incredible rendition of madonna's material girl. we then rallied the troops into purchasing more food and beverages (oh my head) to keep the bar open so the prick could still play. the prick had a solid set that showcased two new, rockin' numbers. those guys keep getting tighter and tighter.

needless to say, that last night was the beginning of a strong bond between all three bands. we've pretty much decided to start our own music scene and plan to support each other at any given opportunity. if anything else, we know we can set up a show with three distinct bands that perform original music and have a fucking fun time.

cheers.
posted by paul 11:14:11 AM

rock gravy (bomb diggity)

the rasnastic one rented the truly awesome sifl 'n' olly season three lost episodes dvd. after years without any new sifl 'n' olly, i feel not unlike a starved man entering a banquet hall. yes, my children, it was very crescent fresh (super cres at best). hopefully, they'll be able to release the season one and two material in the near future.

last night was old man's (website still pending) final practice before tomorrow's show. we've got 12 fully realize tunes to choose from for a setlist. in addition to the usual run-through, we seem to be getting close to polishing two new wonderful songs, one by the norm and one by your's truly. neil's little creation has a bouncy, bossa nova-esque verse the runs into sweet/sad melody part (i even get to play an honest to goodness guitar solo). my new baby has a fairly familiar puffin sound signature with its swirly/jangly/dissonant chord meshings and a structure i'm quite fond of. these two songs look like they'll be taking some very honorable seats in the old man catalogue.

cheers.
posted by paul 2:34:55 PM

new adventures in suicide

what the hell was i thinking? i'm usually smarter than this. it's all my fault. now i must face the repercussions. the following is a surefire way to a slow, miserable death:

1. drink a lot of beer on a friday night.
2. eat some nasty taco bell the following evening.
3. forget that you ate taco bell the night before, and eat white castle for lunch.
4. wake up in the middle of the night due to intense pain.
5. pray for a quick death.

i'm at work, it's monday, i'm doing better... barely. hopefully, i'll be in perfect health to rock out like a mofo on wednesday night.

cheers.
posted by paul 1:03:01 PM

sex, lies, and eskimo pies
or
two gentlemen from igloolik

atanarjuat: the fast runner is a compelling and sincere film about a community of inuit people living within the arctic circle. it is compelling in that the focus is tight but the feel is quite epic. the sincerity is due to the honest performances and the delivery of the story. it's a film like you've never seen before, but it's a story similar to one you've heard many times.

the tale itself is over 1000 years old, however, it as shakespearean in nature and structure as most of willie's plays. we are given a setup of daily life in a small inuit community. we are introduced to the characters. tensions are established between the protagonist and the antagonist. romantic ties are presented. our protagonist makes a decision that will come back to haunt him. blood is shed. protagonist goes on the run (literally). he then returns to face his enemies. the only thing not so shakespearean is the ending, which is more positive and with a smaller body count.

the character framework is very much in the mode of the bard's own creations: (a) the protagonist (atanarjuat), (b)the woman who would be his lover, (c) the sidekick/brother of the protagonist, (d) the jilted lover of the aforementioned woman/revenge seeking brother of (e) the greedy temptress, (f) an older male confidant, (g) older female confidant, and yes there is (h) a ghost.

it's a long film (three hours) but i doesn't seem to drag too much. eye adjustments can be painful when cutting from the dark interiors of an igloo to the bright snowscapes in the daylight. also, i wonder whose idea it was to have white subtitles in a movie set in the freaking tundra (my only major complaint). this film is not for everyone, but it is worth considering due to its presentation, environment and insight to group of people not usually focused on.

four clubbed baby seals out of five.
posted by paul 12:32:24 PM

get off the bus, get on the plane

i called the landlord yesterday about our air conditioning not operating at an optimum level. if history is any indication, the ac will be well and fixed by the time i get home. greg is the best landlord i've ever had, which is why i'm currently in my fourth year as a tenant.

of course, the weather is decidedly cooler today, now that environmental control will be re-established. go figure.

i had to rescue the rasnastic one from car limbo last night, as well. poor guy, i'll let him give you the grossy-gross on his site. i've been there, i feel his pain. after that, i went and got some ice cream with allison. that was swell.

i sure hope i see the norm, tonight. besides finding out how his trip went, there's the whole "hey, we've gotta gig" thing. so once the initial shock wears off (breathe in through the nose, and out the mouth... good boy) we can decide/argue over a set list, design flyers, make some more demos and ummm... (i'm leaving something out)... oh, yeah! practice.

cheers.
posted by paul 2:56:50 PM

well i could call out when the going gets tough

so i failed in my mission to update everyday since returning to the scene. sue me.

i picked up joy division: substance the other day. i've always loved joy division but never owned any on cd. i had a beat up, dubbed off cassette of unknown pleasures in high school that got abused. it's nice to own something a bit more clear sounding. i forgot how great the guitar work actually was. r.i.p. mr. ian curtis.

as far as the weekend has been concerned, the beloved future dr. steele has been in town which is always a good thing. i've been hanging out with the lovely allison a lot as well, and that is definitely a great thing. last night i got to watch the always incredible green formica table play. damn, they're so good. we've been able to secure a show at the the rud with them.

the line up for the show will be: my band, old man (website is still in development folks), the aforementioned green formica table, and the soon to be legendary lucifigous prick. the show is on august 14th which is a wednesday, but it's still a fucking show.

by the way, none of our bands are from nyc, so get over it.

of course neil doesn't know about the show yet, but i'm sure he'll be all for it.

cheers.
posted by paul 4:00:54 PM

i've got you under my skin where the rain can't get in

the the rant- part the second:

yesterday, as you may remember, i was indulging myself in a little the the fix. whilst visiting the the the site (erg), i remembered that 45 rpm (a best of comp) came out not too long ago. most of it is some to same great stuff i already have, plus a new, duet version of decembersunlight and two new songs, pillar box red and deep down truth. it also came with an extra disc containing 12" remixes of eight songs. you can find samples of the album at the official site in the listening booth. a splendid introduction to the wonderful work of matt johnson.

i also learned that johnson has released a box set that contains remastered, repackaged, reissued releases (whew! i sound like stan lee) of the the's soul mining (1983), infected (1986), mind bomb (1989) & dusk (1993). i put an order in at my neighborhood music store, so hopefully it will be in soon. the only one of those four i have on cd is dusk (i have infected on vinyl and mind bomb on cassette), so this will be welcomed upgrade.

cheers.
posted by paul 6:18:03 PM