Colony HC

A few pictures from last night's show:





If hardcore is your choice,
COLONY will be out on the road in May,
eastcoast to westcoast.

Go Skateboarding Day

is much like bike to work day,
that is,
ANY day and every day.

and three favorite things in one,
skating, Hensley, and the Pogues,
equals a great video part, this is life...

DEAD STUFF first set

This is the mmmmm fourth or fifth show I've shot now,
remote flash is the way!
Dead Stuff is the best too!
Energy and humor, and a really good bass player.
Just a great show, that needed a hundred people in a pit.
enjoy a couple sets.
Going to try multiple remote flashes next time.

DEAD STUFF set II

DEAD STUFF set III

DEAD STUFF set IV

Red Square J Dilla Tribute set IV

Red Square J Dilla Tribute set III

fast and smooth tap,
didn't want to blow it out with a flash,
and no time to set up any other light.
this is what you get...

Red Square J Dilla Tribute set II

Red Square J Dilla Tribute set I

SCENE

learning to follow the first thought that crosses my mind,
not to question it.
go out? or
go home?
is it worth it?

it was a productive night.
photo snob talk
beers shared
new music
new art
new connections
upcoming shows discussed

new opportunities.

what happened to hardcore?

when I'm riding on a Friday or Saturday night,
I just assume there's gonna be an idiot run in.

Past a sports bar,
the 'GO LANCE!',
which, if you're kitted up and hamering away,
you might expect.
But I'm not in shorts and a jersey,
and not in any hurry.
But it wasn't a sports bar.

And it's summer,
so most of the Long Island kids,
who couldn't get into NYU,
and whos parents didn't want to be reminded of their errors,
well,
they've gone back home.

So my surprise as I turn the corner to head home,
when I run right through a pack of rednecks,
out side of a hardcore show.

I'm confused.
when did kids at hardcore shows drive pickup trucks,
dress like lumberjacks,
and act like drunken rednecks?
I felt like I was wearing a tutu at a Marine boot camp.

the heckler got heckled, so I was caught off guard.

granted,
it's been a while since I've gone to a show.
but I know some some faces,
and great guys, that made great bands,
like Endicott.


and you grew up with shows,
that united,


ok, here's one more,
this has been stuck in my head so many times,
and a reason why I'll always buy a Rancid album,
no matter how average it ends up being.

so to sound like an old man complaining about the world,
what happened?

Take a little time

to think of where I've been,
and who I've met......
with all the Facebook and blogs
and YouTube.
You come across so many things...

I met Lucky in the summer of '92.
PILGRIM had gotten me into the concert. At the time there was alot of unrest
in South Africa, and since this was pre-internet, I brought
along a stack of newspapers covering the riots and fighting.
I was able to spend some time with Lucky at the hotel after
the concert, and he appreciated the news since phones were
down in his hometown, and he didn't have any news since he was
on the road. How the internet has changed things.

That's how I found out Pilgrim had passed in October of 2003.
And how Lucky had been killed during a carjacking in October of 2007.
Maybe this post should be for October, but it's fresh on my mind now.

I just remember what a good show it was,
how personable and humble he was,
and that insane falsetto.
Just take a minute and play the video.
Then it sets in,
that he's one of the best reggae singers,
and you'll never get a chance to see him (again).
All for a car.

musical friday

a lazy Friday post,
just one of my favorite band(s).
Descendents or All.

then across the pond
Snuff:

a great song, just a bad copy.

and for something California:
Face to Face,
well written and never 'made it big'.


and always a favorite:
Bouncing Souls


and what set it in motion for me
Bad Religion:


each is a bookmark in my life.
All & Descendents pretty much mark any bad relationship,
they're good that way.
Face to Face was through the early 90's snowboarding,
and going to shows out west. Same with Snuff, and a million other bands.
Bad Religion was college for me. Discovering music that really made
you think. And opened the door for all the other bands I grew to love.
The Bouncing Souls are everyday, every album, East Coast,
even the kids sing 'here we go, here we go, here we gooooo...'.
They all still define and mark parts of my life.
When my dad died, it was NOFX's Death of John Smith that still
sticks with me. What you don't want to be and what you aspire
to become...

eh, sorry for a cut and paste YouTube post,
pretty lame I know,
but I've got a nasty cold,
a really nice day to ride
-to work, so I can look out the window until evening.
'life is like sacharin sweet and sour'
again music defines...

fighting those hippie urges

ok, it happens more than I'ld like.
and it's true, I've owned more than one VW bus.
and some hair styles would lead one to think...
hippie! dirty hippie! (use your Eric Cartman voice)

But I've fought it off for a while.
I listen to more punk rock than anyone over 28.
BUT THIS DAMN SONG HAS BEEN STUCK IN MY HEAD!
For nearly a month, since I ACCIDENTLY saw Mr. Mraz
on SNL. So bad, I even went to the store to buy the
record! OH! BUT WAIT! It's not on any record yet.

It's like that game I play with people, where you
sing a couple lines of some god-awful 80's song,
and then walk away, and it's stuck in their head
for the whole day.

Holiday Sampler

Bouncing Souls



Dagnasty



Rancid



Gorilla Biscuits

Memory lane

Stumbled across this, and I won't say gem,
because it's not. Now this has to be at the
fairgrounds, and The Offspring's second visit.
Because I saw both and the first show was at
a dumpy club, only thirty people showed up.
And we spent the first part of the show (during
the opening band) singing "who wears short shorts"
to some guy with long braids and cut off jeans.
And THEY ARE SHORT WHEN YOU CAN SEE THE POCKETS
HANGING OUT. Well, that guy turned out to be Dexter,
the singer. Don't take it back - the shorts and the
Bo Derek braids needed to go. Still a good show,
and funny to see a hundred times more people
show up at the next show.



This next one featured the whole crew from Salt Lake,
the younger straight edge guys, and Shane the pizza guy.
Awesome for the time, that everyone ended up in the
actual video. And Stormy, a local girl became their
manager and went on to Epitaph, for the time 'THE' label.
And Jeremy Chatelian's brother, John also in the video.
Love those guys.



Since we're on Epitaph, I could go on and on about Bad
Religion, but at that time there was Pennywise. And the
show at DV8 where they (the locals) literally tore the
stage apart, ending Bro Hymn acoustically - as the power
went, and some one ran off with the mic. Awesome. I belive
the bouncers had a rough night, and lost a couple.




As old and overplayed as the so cal/baseball cap/volcom/
I-used-to-skate/moto x/punk scene is - there's still some
good music.

Pete rode by on his Hutch...

instead of the rocker, you get the old-man acoustic
set. Is that the definning moment of old age? When
all the hard and fast music is redone acoustically?
Suck.... those are grey hairs.

HERE WE GO (AGAIN)

sorry for all the YouTube pastes, but maybe you remember
this..... it's worth it.



song of the day for riding.

play it again!

I really didn't plan it out (an often repeated comment I make).
When you have kids, you sometimes get tired of the Sesame
Street clothes and just break down and buy them a shirt of
your favorite band (for the price of an adult T?).



Through osmosis I guess. Everyone loves stories of my daughter,
and not because I'm one of those parents running around saying
"guess what they just did!". It's because I live with Wednesday
Addams, and every story is just crazy. There's the woman at work
who asks every time for a story. Here's her handy work, after
listening to the Ramones, and then I mention you can see the
video on YouTube. She comes to me with this.