My membership expires in early May. Seeing as I don't have Internet at home and probably won't for a few weeks, bye.
Those who I wish to stay in contact with, you know who you are.
Those who I wish to stay in contact with, you know who you are.
Soundwave was amazing. This was compounded further by the fact that I was able to get a free ticket hours before the festival from none other than Poison the Well, but maybe I should rewind a little bit here.
I interviewed Chris from Poison the Well for the magazine, it ended up being in the lobby of the hotel where I can only guess a large amount of the bands were staying - an easy conclusion to come to when the majority of people are either carrying gear (roadies), heavily tattooed (musicians), or fixing their hair (Silverstein). While sitting in this immaculately clean and decorated lobby in an ill-fitting To The North shirt I did the interview, which went great, and had a decent chat about Versions and the recent 7" singles with the dude as well. After Chris and I finished up, Ryan, also of Poison the Well comes up with none other than Greg Puciato. They all talk for a while, then Chris and Greg take off, leaving me with Ryan and we start talking, it was something like this:
Ryan: How was the interview? Chris can be pretty quiet.
Me: Yeah, he was reserved to begin with but opened up a bit later. He's quiet, but still a nice guy.
Ryan: Hey are you coming today?
Me: No, would love to but the magazine's got someone else covering it and I can't afford it.
Ryan: Do you want a ticket?
Me: Um, are you serious?
Ryan: Yeah - gimme a few minutes, we've got tickets in the hotel room, wait here.
And a few minutes later I had my ticket. The show itself was great: Jaguar Love put on an unexpectedly entertaining show seeing as the band consisted of the two ex-Blood Brothers dudes (I later came to the realisation that Johnny Whitney is Cedric Bixler's female doppleganger) and a keyboard, Poison the Well were amazing and played PURPLE FUCKING SABBATH, two or three Versions tracks and some mawsh-tastic early stuff that was fun as hell, Dillinger Escape Plan were brilliant as always and are still one of the best live bands on earth, and HORSE the band could power a small city with their energy and between-song gibberish.
And now for the flops: In Flames played ONE sweet song (The Hive, off Whoracle), Alkaline Trio were boretastic for the short time I saw them, Nine Inch Nails are the complete opposite of HORSE the Band despite the fact that the energy for a small city went into powering their bullshit light show and smoke machines, and Say Anything made me want to punch things because their music rules but their lyrics and the singer's preening mannerisms suck. Still, the good vastly outweighed the bad.
Friday night I went to a screening of John Carpenter's Halloween at the Gallery of Modern Art. The 35mm print of Halloween was sourced from a private collection in the US and was made in 1979; grainy as hell and with a bit of discolouration and it only added to the effect, it easily eclipsed the first time I saw the film. I urge all my Brisbane friends to take a look at the program they're running: Be Afraid: Fear in North American Cinema. It's running until March 22nd and it's full of screenings of horror classics, usually on their original 35mm film. I'm definitely going back to sample more classics in their natural habitat sooner rather than later.
Saturday was spent working in the morning and then going to New Farm Park to celebrate a birthday - had lots of fun meeting people and getting to know some others better. I think the days of me clutching to the familiar safety of social hermitude are coming to an end.
If you're so inclined, click the spoiler to read an updated mission statement/stream of consciousness.
---
I interviewed Chris from Poison the Well for the magazine, it ended up being in the lobby of the hotel where I can only guess a large amount of the bands were staying - an easy conclusion to come to when the majority of people are either carrying gear (roadies), heavily tattooed (musicians), or fixing their hair (Silverstein). While sitting in this immaculately clean and decorated lobby in an ill-fitting To The North shirt I did the interview, which went great, and had a decent chat about Versions and the recent 7" singles with the dude as well. After Chris and I finished up, Ryan, also of Poison the Well comes up with none other than Greg Puciato. They all talk for a while, then Chris and Greg take off, leaving me with Ryan and we start talking, it was something like this:
Ryan: How was the interview? Chris can be pretty quiet.
Me: Yeah, he was reserved to begin with but opened up a bit later. He's quiet, but still a nice guy.
Ryan: Hey are you coming today?
Me: No, would love to but the magazine's got someone else covering it and I can't afford it.
Ryan: Do you want a ticket?
Me: Um, are you serious?
Ryan: Yeah - gimme a few minutes, we've got tickets in the hotel room, wait here.
And a few minutes later I had my ticket. The show itself was great: Jaguar Love put on an unexpectedly entertaining show seeing as the band consisted of the two ex-Blood Brothers dudes (I later came to the realisation that Johnny Whitney is Cedric Bixler's female doppleganger) and a keyboard, Poison the Well were amazing and played PURPLE FUCKING SABBATH, two or three Versions tracks and some mawsh-tastic early stuff that was fun as hell, Dillinger Escape Plan were brilliant as always and are still one of the best live bands on earth, and HORSE the band could power a small city with their energy and between-song gibberish.
And now for the flops: In Flames played ONE sweet song (The Hive, off Whoracle), Alkaline Trio were boretastic for the short time I saw them, Nine Inch Nails are the complete opposite of HORSE the Band despite the fact that the energy for a small city went into powering their bullshit light show and smoke machines, and Say Anything made me want to punch things because their music rules but their lyrics and the singer's preening mannerisms suck. Still, the good vastly outweighed the bad.
Friday night I went to a screening of John Carpenter's Halloween at the Gallery of Modern Art. The 35mm print of Halloween was sourced from a private collection in the US and was made in 1979; grainy as hell and with a bit of discolouration and it only added to the effect, it easily eclipsed the first time I saw the film. I urge all my Brisbane friends to take a look at the program they're running: Be Afraid: Fear in North American Cinema. It's running until March 22nd and it's full of screenings of horror classics, usually on their original 35mm film. I'm definitely going back to sample more classics in their natural habitat sooner rather than later.
Saturday was spent working in the morning and then going to New Farm Park to celebrate a birthday - had lots of fun meeting people and getting to know some others better. I think the days of me clutching to the familiar safety of social hermitude are coming to an end.
If you're so inclined, click the spoiler to read an updated mission statement/stream of consciousness.
---
These rituals that have me bound no longer hold any appeal. There is no interaction, only exchanges left to chance - words bouncing off their targets, forced and unnatural. The names I've learned merely through repetition, they hold no meaning, no tangible connection. I fail to see why this should continue, this mindless, habitual social masturbation. And as I think 'I wish to see it all,' I look down to see myself running in place.
Still, as much as everything around me loses meaning, I know I still have friends who will listen and offer guidance. Things like that cannot be forgotten or disregarded - they become a part of you that's impossible to shut off or disconnect, whether you like it or not. At the moment, however, I'm thankful.
Still, as much as everything around me loses meaning, I know I still have friends who will listen and offer guidance. Things like that cannot be forgotten or disregarded - they become a part of you that's impossible to shut off or disconnect, whether you like it or not. At the moment, however, I'm thankful.
Vinyl haul from Melbs. If I had more money to throw around, this list would be much longer:
Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime
Pig Destroyer - Prowler in the Yard
Extortion - Terminal Cancer
Missing Link blew my mind. Godflesh, Blood Brothers, California Love, Coffins, Lack of Interest, and more than I could possibly list here... all on vinyl and under one roof. My friend/acquaintance wasn't working the day I went in there, will have to wait until the next tour to say hai.
I liked Melbourne. It was busy, old and well-loved - the place had soul to it, if I can say so without sounding like a complete wanker. I rode one tram, the rest of the time I walked around, spotting a road I hadn't gone down yet and doing some exploring. Highlights include finding the weirdest shop I've ever checked out, full of skeletons, old-time medical equipment and assorted dead things (they had the Deaths Head Moth mounted in a frame, for fuck's sake, WANT). Lowlights include being accosted by the most condescending Mission Australia lady ever, but overall it was an enjoyable few days. I only wish I'd been there on a weekend, but now I have a reason to go back.
I won't be back in Brisbane for a few more days, I'm taking tomorrow to clear my head and after that I'm working two days here on the Coast. I've had a lot of stuff on my mind for the last few weeks, and it's getting to the point where I consciously need to keep myself in check at times. Melbourne didn't have any answers for me, not that I expected it to, and I doubt the Coast does either. I need to get home and sort a few things out, but before then I could use a few days to nail down exactly what those things are.
Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime
Pig Destroyer - Prowler in the Yard
Extortion - Terminal Cancer
Missing Link blew my mind. Godflesh, Blood Brothers, California Love, Coffins, Lack of Interest, and more than I could possibly list here... all on vinyl and under one roof. My friend/acquaintance wasn't working the day I went in there, will have to wait until the next tour to say hai.
I liked Melbourne. It was busy, old and well-loved - the place had soul to it, if I can say so without sounding like a complete wanker. I rode one tram, the rest of the time I walked around, spotting a road I hadn't gone down yet and doing some exploring. Highlights include finding the weirdest shop I've ever checked out, full of skeletons, old-time medical equipment and assorted dead things (they had the Deaths Head Moth mounted in a frame, for fuck's sake, WANT). Lowlights include being accosted by the most condescending Mission Australia lady ever, but overall it was an enjoyable few days. I only wish I'd been there on a weekend, but now I have a reason to go back.
I won't be back in Brisbane for a few more days, I'm taking tomorrow to clear my head and after that I'm working two days here on the Coast. I've had a lot of stuff on my mind for the last few weeks, and it's getting to the point where I consciously need to keep myself in check at times. Melbourne didn't have any answers for me, not that I expected it to, and I doubt the Coast does either. I need to get home and sort a few things out, but before then I could use a few days to nail down exactly what those things are.
First show with the new guitar - had lots of fun even though we were messy as shit.
Last weekend I spent all my time drinking, getting high, watching movies and watching condensation literally drip down the windows at my friend's place. After a few days in cushy air conditoning, coming back home was bittersweet.
Last week I wrote, played, sung, and recorded a demo tape for a band I'm thinking of getting some other people involved in and getting serious with - old-school powerviolence/hardcore like Infest and Lack of Interest. First time I recorded the new guitar, I used it for two songs before I broke a string, then went back to the Strat. Whatever the case, I like what I came up with.
This weekend I'm going to band practice, heading up to the Sunshing Coast, and going to Melbourne on Monday. I've never been there before and have heard amazing things about the city, and its legendary record stores - really looking forward to it.
I'm over holidays. I wanna go to class already.
She's mine - all mine. You could say I had a Merry Christmas.
This year is going to rule.
I saw The Bronx last night. As if that wasn't awesome enough, one of them was playing my dream guitar:
The majestic Ampeg Dan Armstrong .I have a feeling this baby and myself are going to cross paths again soon.
Last week I saw Gorilla Biscuits, too. What an amazing month!
I'm working heaps, have yet to get a paycheck from this holiday period but when I do I'll be thrilled. Can't wait to get Christmas shopping out the way and make a few people happy. I'l either be spending Christmas at my parent's place on the Sunshine Coast or with my extended family in Sydney, no decision's been made yet. If I can attend a show or two with Platypuz I'll make a push for a Sydney trip, haha.
And yeah, we haven't been kicked off this show. Yet. Come out and have some fun.
The majestic Ampeg Dan Armstrong .I have a feeling this baby and myself are going to cross paths again soon.
Last week I saw Gorilla Biscuits, too. What an amazing month!
I'm working heaps, have yet to get a paycheck from this holiday period but when I do I'll be thrilled. Can't wait to get Christmas shopping out the way and make a few people happy. I'l either be spending Christmas at my parent's place on the Sunshine Coast or with my extended family in Sydney, no decision's been made yet. If I can attend a show or two with Platypuz I'll make a push for a Sydney trip, haha.
And yeah, we haven't been kicked off this show. Yet. Come out and have some fun.
