wally - i hope the 8000 pounds of rubber and 50 gallons of glue treated you well on the way home, unlike the disaster-of-a-day before. i hope your hands aren't black for too much longer, and i hope you don't smell like diesel either. i also hope you get a good night's rest free from morning shows, throat clearing, engine noise and stomping. and you just wanted to visit the guys for a day! good times...
it has really hit home in the last couple of days that there are truly some amazing people around here and i'm fortunate to have them as friends!
bounces off me, sticks to you
support your local folksinger
last night i had the pleasure of watching john craigie perform at beantown in sierra madre - a nice little coffee shop with some awesome hot chocolate at the foot of the mountains. i grew up with john, so it was great to enjoy his familiar sense of humor peppered through his folk tunes. after the show john and i and another old friend got a chance to catch up for an hour or so... it made me feel at home. he's been touring up and down the western u.s., and will venture to the east in a week or so. i hope we can hang out longer next time he's in town. well, at least i snagged a sweet "support your local folksinger" shirt.
fortress of awesome?
ever since we moved into the fortress of awesome (house of dork), it was clear that some outside mystical force is at work making sure we have what we need, when we need it. we walked down the street (or through our "extended" backyard i should say) to babcock field to toss the frisbee around, only to find a game in progress. we looked around, and right there was an entrance to "tournament park" which i had never noticed before. it was a huge, well lit, absolutely perfect giant field. so we ran around for a couple hours, chasing the flying saucer, when all of a sudden all these people came out onto the field and started doing frisbee drills. i mean, what? apparently every tuesday and thursday night is an ultimate frisbee pickup-game. awesome!
in other news, it's 100% apparent that our president absolutely has no idea how to handle any situation without the use of the military. hmm... we have an immigration problem on our border... umm... i dunno... send some soldiers. yeah, that's it. soldiers. hear that kids? if you have a problem with something, just use force. i guess he's planning to build a 370-mile wall as well. sounds very familiar. sounds like something else going on the middle east. block out your problems, cover them up, pretend they don't exist. military and walls are SO going to make things peachy. how can a country get so stupid? have these "leaders" ever read a history book?
ever since we moved into the fortress of awesome (house of dork), it was clear that some outside mystical force is at work making sure we have what we need, when we need it. we walked down the street (or through our "extended" backyard i should say) to babcock field to toss the frisbee around, only to find a game in progress. we looked around, and right there was an entrance to "tournament park" which i had never noticed before. it was a huge, well lit, absolutely perfect giant field. so we ran around for a couple hours, chasing the flying saucer, when all of a sudden all these people came out onto the field and started doing frisbee drills. i mean, what? apparently every tuesday and thursday night is an ultimate frisbee pickup-game. awesome!
in other news, it's 100% apparent that our president absolutely has no idea how to handle any situation without the use of the military. hmm... we have an immigration problem on our border... umm... i dunno... send some soldiers. yeah, that's it. soldiers. hear that kids? if you have a problem with something, just use force. i guess he's planning to build a 370-mile wall as well. sounds very familiar. sounds like something else going on the middle east. block out your problems, cover them up, pretend they don't exist. military and walls are SO going to make things peachy. how can a country get so stupid? have these "leaders" ever read a history book?
evol-ution
one cannot be found
two has fallen from comfort
three is a day away
four is guided by others
five looks me in the eye
spore!
i was a little bummed about missing the spore presentation at e3 (due to crazy lines), but joystiq has posted a video of the presentation, complete with robin williams' antics, here (warning: its about 420 megs!). after watching the presentation, i'm even more excited about the game. it truly looks unique and the sense of scale is impressive. with all of the customization tools and technology for streaming other players' creations, it looks like it's gonna be a blast to play. after e3 i felt a little jaded because i was bombarded with game after game that looked and played exactly the same, with little to offer in the realm of innovation. watching the presentation of spore, however, reminds me of my surprise when playing shadow of the colossus. can't wait!
i was a little bummed about missing the spore presentation at e3 (due to crazy lines), but joystiq has posted a video of the presentation, complete with robin williams' antics, here (warning: its about 420 megs!). after watching the presentation, i'm even more excited about the game. it truly looks unique and the sense of scale is impressive. with all of the customization tools and technology for streaming other players' creations, it looks like it's gonna be a blast to play. after e3 i felt a little jaded because i was bombarded with game after game that looked and played exactly the same, with little to offer in the realm of innovation. watching the presentation of spore, however, reminds me of my surprise when playing shadow of the colossus. can't wait!
e3
a group of us commandeered some e3 badges from friends and headed out to the expo. before today, i haven't experienced this hyped-up spectacle, so i was pretty pumped. what especially intrigued me was nintendo's new controller for their next-gen system, the wii. i knew the line was going to be long, but it was about 3 hours, so we said screw it, no way. i've heard mixed reactions on the responsiveness and fun the new controller brings to gaming, which is kindof sad because i'm rooting for nintendo as an innovator in the market, rather than simply pushing the hardware specs. playstation 3's controller worked surprisingly well... before i had played it, it seemed like they quickly hacked together motion sensors as a response to nintendo's controller. although it worked well, the games still seemed boring. and i saw pixellation and dropped framerates, which to me is unacceptable considering it's 2006 and the ps3 is gonna be frickin' $600!
i didn't really see anything else impressive at the show... i was excited about spore (which promises to be a truly unique and creative title), but the line was also too long. we did see steven spielberg leaving one of the spore presentations. i guess that was kindof cool. well, not really. as i was walking around, i couldn't help but feel slightly jaded. everything just seemed like boring regurgitations of old concepts. graphics were impressive, but not that impressive, and gameplay was just par, and ideas were just disappointing. it feels like hollywood now, and you really need to dig to find the gems. it's also pretty much the worst atmosphere to really take in some of the games; everything is rushed and crowded. i guess i left feeling underwhelmed, but i still have high hopes for late 2006. i hope the wii-mote brings the fun back into gaming. the hype surrounding it is certainly a sign that people are ready and willing to accept something new.
a group of us commandeered some e3 badges from friends and headed out to the expo. before today, i haven't experienced this hyped-up spectacle, so i was pretty pumped. what especially intrigued me was nintendo's new controller for their next-gen system, the wii. i knew the line was going to be long, but it was about 3 hours, so we said screw it, no way. i've heard mixed reactions on the responsiveness and fun the new controller brings to gaming, which is kindof sad because i'm rooting for nintendo as an innovator in the market, rather than simply pushing the hardware specs. playstation 3's controller worked surprisingly well... before i had played it, it seemed like they quickly hacked together motion sensors as a response to nintendo's controller. although it worked well, the games still seemed boring. and i saw pixellation and dropped framerates, which to me is unacceptable considering it's 2006 and the ps3 is gonna be frickin' $600!
i didn't really see anything else impressive at the show... i was excited about spore (which promises to be a truly unique and creative title), but the line was also too long. we did see steven spielberg leaving one of the spore presentations. i guess that was kindof cool. well, not really. as i was walking around, i couldn't help but feel slightly jaded. everything just seemed like boring regurgitations of old concepts. graphics were impressive, but not that impressive, and gameplay was just par, and ideas were just disappointing. it feels like hollywood now, and you really need to dig to find the gems. it's also pretty much the worst atmosphere to really take in some of the games; everything is rushed and crowded. i guess i left feeling underwhelmed, but i still have high hopes for late 2006. i hope the wii-mote brings the fun back into gaming. the hype surrounding it is certainly a sign that people are ready and willing to accept something new.
band practice
it's been way too long since i've had a band going, and it seems that it was worth the wait. practice tonight was energetic, very productive, and best of all, fun. since my last band, i've spent a couple years just practicing, noodling, building technique, and it's paying off - we're playing tighter and the sound is more cohesive. i can't imagine a better studio either... it's full of inspiration, and i'm grateful for our circumstance.
japanese study is going well, and slowly but surely i'll be piecing together sentences that make some sort of sense. thanks, tanya!
tomorrow is the last day of E3, so we'll be touring the booths. hopefully the wii controller is fun, i have high hopes (i know i shouldn't, but i do).
it's been way too long since i've had a band going, and it seems that it was worth the wait. practice tonight was energetic, very productive, and best of all, fun. since my last band, i've spent a couple years just practicing, noodling, building technique, and it's paying off - we're playing tighter and the sound is more cohesive. i can't imagine a better studio either... it's full of inspiration, and i'm grateful for our circumstance.
japanese study is going well, and slowly but surely i'll be piecing together sentences that make some sort of sense. thanks, tanya!
tomorrow is the last day of E3, so we'll be touring the booths. hopefully the wii controller is fun, i have high hopes (i know i shouldn't, but i do).
syun-ga
mari inukai has some really cool paintings on display at the syun-ga nucleus show. we got there kinda late, but it seems like it was hoppin'.
mari inukai has some really cool paintings on display at the syun-ga nucleus show. we got there kinda late, but it seems like it was hoppin'.
coachella 2006, videos
in my last post, i forgot to put up some videos that i took at coachella. here they are:
coachella 2006
4:30 am: get home from indio, ca, after 2 days of heat and music overload. take shower. pass out full of happiness. coachella was like a treasure hunt, with gems of music tucked away waiting to be discovered amidst some incredibly boring fluff too. it was a musical buffet, of sorts. the weekend itself was a blur of intense sweating, stages, dance tents, gatorade, frozen lemonade, beer, tacos, grass, the sun, palm trees, random encounters with long-lost friends, meeting new friends, non-stop walking, laughing, sneezing, frisbee, and hotel-based regenerating. i managed to ignore a cold that invaded my body on friday and lasted the weekend. i took a bunch of photos, and here's what stood out from the artists:
hybrid: very cool mix of electronic music and instruments. i actually clearly remember the sound in the tent as one of the best and loudest of the weekend... i think they turned the mains down after hybrid.
the walkmen: i was so bored i couldn't handle it. had to leave.
lady sovereign: she was very, very impressive. awesome rapping, super fast at times, and a little bit of growl for good measure. i need to check her tunes more...
wolfmother: man they rocked! i was a little nervous because i love their debut album and for some reason felt that they weren't going to be able to pull off the same energy live, but they totally did. the vocals were spot on. they basically saved face for the rest of the semi-indie bands... thanks for representing, wolfmother.
animal collective: well, it was definitely odd, but certainly not enjoyable. i felt like they were just trying to be weird for the sake of being weird, and you can't be weird on purpose. it was just annoying.
my morning jacket: i barely remember the sound, but i remember making a mental note to check them out later because there was something i definitely dug...
imogen heap: i was only able to catch about 3 songs, but she was so cool. her voice and range are incredibly soothing and powerful at the same time, and she rocked her little booth of synths and keys.
sigur ros: they were one of the selling points for me (at least for purchasing tickets for both days) so i made sure to catch their entire set. simply put, they floored me. it was a perfect moment for day 1: their set coincided with the desert sunset and the heat was passing. the singer almost looked as if he was always about to cry and he nailed those incredible pitches with pure emotion. it was great to see all the instrumentation on stage too, even if there were some initial sound problems. sigur ros was a midday massage for the senses...
carl cox: i had to check out the dance tent during his set, just to see. it was hoppin'.
franz ferdinand: i was skeptical about them, but they were actually pretty good live. the music was fun and energetic, but also didn't really go anywhere. they're fun live, but i couldn't get into it outside of that.
depeche mode: they sounded good, but were kinda boring.
daft punk: WOW! i wanted to check them out because i have memories of some of their hits during high school, but i was pretty much pleased with sigur ros highlighting day 1. i was completely thrown for a loop. we packed into the dance tent, and a pair of robots from space emerged from their pyramid shuttle to grace us with some high-energy tunes. it was so packed and everyone was SO into it. we danced for their hour-long set and left awestruck, pleasantly capping day one. in fact, it was surprisingly the most enjoyable experience of both days.
amadou & mariam: they were super tight and sounded amazing - a refreshing mix of jam band and african rhythms.
metric: it seemed like every-other song was cool. but the cool ones were really cool.
sleater kinney: they could have been cool, but one of the singers sounded like a dying sheep that needed to be put out of its misery. her vibrato was driving me crazy.
gnarls barkley: highly anticipated, and from what i heard was very solid, but it was too crowded and we were parked directly under the sun. we had to keep moving.
yeah yeah yeahs: no no no. please no.
madonna: i missed her because i had to go to the main stage early to secure a good spot for tool. day 2 basically seemed split between madonna and tool fans, and this is were most people parted. i heard she was about 20 minutes late though, and only played a few songs. but she still rocked it, apparently.
massive attack: i have bittersweet memories of them, but they were pretty much overshadowed by tool. they had the unfortunate luck of being placed right before tool, so the crowd was incredibly huge, but it just wasn't for them. sonically they sounded good, but was a little too dronish for a live show. it was near the end of the evening and the energy was way too low from the stage.
tool: well, they are pretty much what convinced me to buy the coachella tickets this year. i've been listening to 10,000 days for a couple weeks and i think its one of their best albums to date (if not the best). needless to say, tool rocked the end of day 2. the crowd was enormous and responsive. the band was in a great mood and the setlist was pretty much a greatest-hits run through. i was very impressed seeing them for the first time, though i have to say it sucks watching tool with tool fans, if that makes any sense.
tonight we practiced, and it went well, and sounded great - it makes me so excited, anticipating what's going to come out of this. there were some rough edges, but the work ethic was awesome from all. we took a short break to go buy 10,000 days (which you should, as well). the packaging has some cool stereoscopic 3D images that can be viewed with the included lenses. it's pretty neat.
ja, ne.
4:30 am: get home from indio, ca, after 2 days of heat and music overload. take shower. pass out full of happiness. coachella was like a treasure hunt, with gems of music tucked away waiting to be discovered amidst some incredibly boring fluff too. it was a musical buffet, of sorts. the weekend itself was a blur of intense sweating, stages, dance tents, gatorade, frozen lemonade, beer, tacos, grass, the sun, palm trees, random encounters with long-lost friends, meeting new friends, non-stop walking, laughing, sneezing, frisbee, and hotel-based regenerating. i managed to ignore a cold that invaded my body on friday and lasted the weekend. i took a bunch of photos, and here's what stood out from the artists:
hybrid: very cool mix of electronic music and instruments. i actually clearly remember the sound in the tent as one of the best and loudest of the weekend... i think they turned the mains down after hybrid.
the walkmen: i was so bored i couldn't handle it. had to leave.
lady sovereign: she was very, very impressive. awesome rapping, super fast at times, and a little bit of growl for good measure. i need to check her tunes more...
wolfmother: man they rocked! i was a little nervous because i love their debut album and for some reason felt that they weren't going to be able to pull off the same energy live, but they totally did. the vocals were spot on. they basically saved face for the rest of the semi-indie bands... thanks for representing, wolfmother.
animal collective: well, it was definitely odd, but certainly not enjoyable. i felt like they were just trying to be weird for the sake of being weird, and you can't be weird on purpose. it was just annoying.
my morning jacket: i barely remember the sound, but i remember making a mental note to check them out later because there was something i definitely dug...
imogen heap: i was only able to catch about 3 songs, but she was so cool. her voice and range are incredibly soothing and powerful at the same time, and she rocked her little booth of synths and keys.
sigur ros: they were one of the selling points for me (at least for purchasing tickets for both days) so i made sure to catch their entire set. simply put, they floored me. it was a perfect moment for day 1: their set coincided with the desert sunset and the heat was passing. the singer almost looked as if he was always about to cry and he nailed those incredible pitches with pure emotion. it was great to see all the instrumentation on stage too, even if there were some initial sound problems. sigur ros was a midday massage for the senses...
carl cox: i had to check out the dance tent during his set, just to see. it was hoppin'.
franz ferdinand: i was skeptical about them, but they were actually pretty good live. the music was fun and energetic, but also didn't really go anywhere. they're fun live, but i couldn't get into it outside of that.
depeche mode: they sounded good, but were kinda boring.
daft punk: WOW! i wanted to check them out because i have memories of some of their hits during high school, but i was pretty much pleased with sigur ros highlighting day 1. i was completely thrown for a loop. we packed into the dance tent, and a pair of robots from space emerged from their pyramid shuttle to grace us with some high-energy tunes. it was so packed and everyone was SO into it. we danced for their hour-long set and left awestruck, pleasantly capping day one. in fact, it was surprisingly the most enjoyable experience of both days.
amadou & mariam: they were super tight and sounded amazing - a refreshing mix of jam band and african rhythms.
metric: it seemed like every-other song was cool. but the cool ones were really cool.
sleater kinney: they could have been cool, but one of the singers sounded like a dying sheep that needed to be put out of its misery. her vibrato was driving me crazy.
gnarls barkley: highly anticipated, and from what i heard was very solid, but it was too crowded and we were parked directly under the sun. we had to keep moving.
yeah yeah yeahs: no no no. please no.
madonna: i missed her because i had to go to the main stage early to secure a good spot for tool. day 2 basically seemed split between madonna and tool fans, and this is were most people parted. i heard she was about 20 minutes late though, and only played a few songs. but she still rocked it, apparently.
massive attack: i have bittersweet memories of them, but they were pretty much overshadowed by tool. they had the unfortunate luck of being placed right before tool, so the crowd was incredibly huge, but it just wasn't for them. sonically they sounded good, but was a little too dronish for a live show. it was near the end of the evening and the energy was way too low from the stage.
tool: well, they are pretty much what convinced me to buy the coachella tickets this year. i've been listening to 10,000 days for a couple weeks and i think its one of their best albums to date (if not the best). needless to say, tool rocked the end of day 2. the crowd was enormous and responsive. the band was in a great mood and the setlist was pretty much a greatest-hits run through. i was very impressed seeing them for the first time, though i have to say it sucks watching tool with tool fans, if that makes any sense.
tonight we practiced, and it went well, and sounded great - it makes me so excited, anticipating what's going to come out of this. there were some rough edges, but the work ethic was awesome from all. we took a short break to go buy 10,000 days (which you should, as well). the packaging has some cool stereoscopic 3D images that can be viewed with the included lenses. it's pretty neat.
ja, ne.