Red Zeppelins

2009-05-22T14:00:00.001-04:00

"Anybody got a marker? I'm gonna draw the album cover." - Frey The Engineer

2009-05-22T13:22:00.001-04:00

quick. lyrics on the fly. one line. that's all we need.

spitting blood

2006-03-31T16:07:00.000-05:00

being on stage is really a bloody ordeal. if you're not shedding everything inside you that screams to fight against you, the personal tension just gives you away, and your have defeated yourself, overcoming nothing...and dying in the process...and everyone gets to watch...in that kind of "poor you" way that just makes you feel like you want to go hide in a closet. mistakes are one thing, not giving it your complete all, everything you are, in that moment, not living and ecompassing that moment, not even becoming that moment...is when the show becomes a pity party. i thought i saw my cousin in the audience...was a weird moment...

1000 friends...bullshit...

2006-03-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

apparently, according to the local news last night, lonliness is just as deadly as high cholesterol or other blood related illness, hence, i've made it my mission in life to surround myself with myspace friends, and i'm happy to report that i've passed the 1000th friend mark. So, to all those out there with REAL friends....boooya!! i will now be able to sit and watch the host of great movies coming out on dvd with "T.H.E.M" or "lights out" - people who really care...

seriously though, this isn't a rant against my "friends" on myspace...i'm so happy they added me, i'm just curious about the ramifications of using the word friend for something that hardly fulfills the meaning of the word...again, no offense and many thanks to the many people that added themselves and love the music...

what am i feeling...

2006-03-15T09:50:00.000-05:00

you ever get to those moments when you're trying to figure out what you're feeling, perhaps i'm overanalyzing, or maybe i just want to type words on a blog, or maybe i'm seriously in need of new thoughts, thoughts of my own, that represent me and my desire to break my daily patterns, i hate when i order the same sandwhich at the cafe down the hall...but it's soooo good. why mess with a good thing - you could totally come up with a pretty convincing argument either way...why do i have such furvent dreams here in new york city? am i closer to the dreamscape? or does my rem sleep suck?

obviously these are not super deep thoughts, and reflect ramifications for no one else but me...so...you're pretty much wasting your time reading this...but i did want to add to the wide expanse of scudge that represents textual opinion by laymen such as myself.

cheers.

2006-03-11T03:08:00.000-05:00

deeper and loftier goals... to peel back the ears of the hipsters and scenesters of whom don't really give a fuck... whom am i playing for? ultimately? who am i writing for? eternally? or is it in the moment? is the concept of a publich show to which people attend, archaic in nature now? something of the past that people attend for good ole times sake? for posterity? now you can play a show online and attract 60,000+ after a week, obviously some will contest the energy level must be decreased...who cares, "i'll make it do what it do" and that's all i can do... i can never stop...

words of wisdom on writing well

2006-02-23T12:07:00.000-05:00

"so my advice is to bring more tangible elements into your lyrics -- physical descriptions, current events, place names, body parts, etc -- you catch my drift...
and don't focus totally on feelings, which is what your lyrics tend to do know and which is dangerously parellel to cliche land

i don't feel like i'm saying this very well, but i think your world and your mind are full of incredible nouns and verbs and ideas

if you can step outside that "heart space" as you currently define it , you will be able to return to that space with more concrete language and examples and song ideas

the arty words for this stuff might be: specificity, context, localization, quotation, immediacy

lots of the best poetry is written using tangible words to reflect grand ideas, rather than grand words"

- from a good friend...to me...

explicit natures...

2006-02-07T15:58:00.000-05:00

i don't have to take this.

i know it's just business.

the music business is such an anomaly. now, before you start thinking i'm on some industry rant, have no fear, i've graduated...we all know the music industry leaves much to be desired. today, i struggle with the risk nature of the individual, unsigned artist and the lack of hesitancy on the part of everyone else to exploit that. people see new music as a chance to make money off that artist. i succeed with much joy at having created artwork and the crowd's first thought is, hey, put this on my website for a cost equal to half your current monthly budget for basic living expenses.

one could say, there's lots of money to be had out there, it's easy to accumulate money to pay for musicians, recording costs, travel time, promotion, printing costs, show prep costs, rehearsal space rentals, strings and other equipment costs, but one would counter that with the argument that you need a third job to accumulate that expendable income. i say "third job" because i've already accepted and learned to live with the duality that is the working musicians life.

but know here and now, i am a business man as well as an artist and songwriter, and i see that other industries, when presented with the risk you ask me to make by purchasing your service is inexhorably high compared to normal acceptable risks, and i disprespectfully decline.

something else...

2005-12-04T11:55:00.000-05:00

it's always what's missing that drives you nuts.

listening to "Hide and Seek" - Imogen Heap

a good proverbial ass-kicking...

2005-12-03T14:16:00.000-05:00

thank the maker for honest friends. i'm reading an incredible book, about a man, an incredible songwriter, just a man, nonetheless...and two-thirds through i lost it. it's so refreshing to see someone so personally honest. honest with themselvers, not just honest with the world...and in the same breath...so positive...so non-aggressive without being passive-aggressive...so encouraging...yet so real and genuine...age brings some incredible consequences...i have to constantly remind myself that this man didn't start out like this. it's so easy, walking in nyc to grow bitter, to grow discouraged, every thirty seconds running into situations you can do nothing about (or so you think...). but i'm learning, at least for myself, bitterness takes root only when you spend so much time ingrained on your own issues. we are a rich people, the richest country in the world, we complain about petty issues, petty "sins", and we worship our own sense of self-indulgence. don't worry, i'm not preaching. just something i've noticed in myself. i guess i'm trying to inherit that desirable characteristic i mentioned before...this is one of those days i just want to throw everything i'm thinking into this blog, but my thoughts come and go too quickly...

"only the shallow know themselves." - oscar wilde

like the wind...

2005-11-21T16:14:00.000-05:00

i'm slowly learning that an artist is a fluid creature, morphing like a wraithe at a moment's notice to fill a void their soul's imprint represents.

lonely estrogen...

2005-11-21T13:19:00.000-05:00

two words, i don't know why i combine them. they seem distant friends. i relate to neither on a regular basis and i'm married to both. no more apologies. no more looking back in regret. i have those. i have many. unless it inspires, it (con)spires against me. it is part of that assassin that keeps following me: the failure complex. i've written before about the insanity of feeling like a failure. in this way, i differ from mr paul hewson. i often react in those moments, or fall from reacting. i succomb to a bordem i've created. i desire that honesty would excude from my fingertips. i would wish great personal honesty on all those around me. it is so rewarding when it surfaces , though i feel, if only for a few sacrosanct moments. "only the shallow know themselves"* but i want to know more...i want to be more...i want to dwell within myself and as a result, ignore myself. do i wallow in such fear and loathing that i never make it to the surface to exhibit compassion for others around me? i fear nothing. i am reckless. i am dangerous. i'm a virginal rock scribe, who's still waiting for those breadcrumbs to fall from the table of the greats. where is my rock god to worship?

From the mouth of babes...

2005-11-14T12:53:00.000-05:00

A 16 year old high school student reflects on modern music in the Washington Post article, "Hey Jude"? Dude: "'The music industry has turned into a factory that's just churning out stuff,' says Zeke, who's dismissive of most of [today's music]."

30 minutes later...

2005-11-12T23:16:00.000-05:00

how does confidence in infantile turn into a premature sense of expectancy? how is it that we as humans have to classify everything? we ruin anything within it's prime by tagging, branding and labeling it. jazz is ruined when i think "oh, that's be-bop". once i've destroyed the mystique, i then proceed to ignore the art. why?

the pen is poised...

failure complex...

2005-10-18T16:25:00.000-04:00

like the saviour complex, i generate a failure complex like a woman generates her period... some bizarre monthly bout of depressiveness sets in because of some event i've labeled as a failing on my part...upon which i decide that i myself am a failure, couple that with lack of sleep and non-existant substance abuse - who needs weed when you're naturally paranoid. (insert crying violin here*).

it's a serious question: why do i let stuff i can't control get to me, and become an inherited thing, when there was little or nothing i could do to keep that event from occuring? are there other, more subtle reasons for the "downtime"? i become this bubbling, bungling dork who's apologizing for everything. who the hell experiences an entire day where every minute he/she feels like bawling not for any good reason? chemical imbalance? i know, it's a natural occurance, everyone experiences it, but that doesn't make it any less relevant to me in this moment...and that's where i am...i'm in this moment. listening to "Run" - Snow Patrol.

The Best NYC Rock Shows This Week

2005-10-17T09:08:00.000-04:00

Monday, 10.17.05
» Franz Ferdinana, TV ON THE RADIO - Madison

Tuesday, 10.18.05
» My Morning Jacket - Webster Hall
» Jared Scharff - Mercury Lounge

Wednesday, 10.19.05
» Death Cab for Cutie - Hammerstein Ballroom

Thursday, 10.20.05
» Mates of State, Bishop Allen - Bowery Ballroom
» The Bravery, International Noise Conspiracy, - Roseland Ballroom

Friday, 10.21.05
» The Rapture - Bowery Ballroom

Saturday, 10.22.05
» Back to Blonde - The Trash Bar

My Favorites: TV On The Radio, Back to Blonde

the days pass by too fast...

2005-10-14T09:35:00.000-04:00

my guitar player broke his toe. fudge!!! (to quote a so-non-hanus movie).

new music this week...

2005-10-12T10:03:00.000-04:00

My Morning Jacket - Z
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
Bruce Springsteen - Greatist Hits
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
Nada Surf - the Weight is a Gift
Ryan Adams - 241 Single
Arctic Monkeys - Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys

music this fall will suck ass...

2005-10-11T09:41:00.000-04:00

i read in a rather large, well-known music industry magazine with the initials rolling stone that the scheduled music releases this fall don't look promising. on top of that, the labels hate steve jobs (apple) and he hates them back. what's new, eh? there is a slight dicotimy, living here in the big apple city, yet sometimes feeling a little distant from the upper echelons of the industry (or very distant...), and it all happens right here.

in other fascinating news, you'll soon to be able to host a radio show from your phone...hmmmm...

social fringelites

2005-10-10T13:23:00.000-04:00

i'm a member of a social fringe. a circle on the edge of normal social spheres. many wish they could say that. i honestly can (or maybe i too wish i could...). many shun the very idea of social fringe(ness). they're initial reaction would be to refer to some "nut" on the edge of sanity.

however, there is an important distinction. being a member (or at one time, a member) of a social fringe does not mean you have the inability to relate to others. (although i would challenge an individual to define the concept behind "the ability to relate" without some sort of circular reasoning). but you and i get the gist (at least, i hope you do), so the "challenge" is pointless and a waste of time. what's the point of this rant? ha. good question!

learning to come to terms. i've met many individuals who experienced a similiar childhood to mine, and most are in the same boat, they're at some point of the journey. learning to accept the past, the influence the past has on the present, not being afraid to admit the past, going beyond in hopes that the experiences of our youth can have a positive influence on our present experiences, rather than to signify some sort of embarrasement.

it reads overdramatic. it probably even reads a little bit arrogant. i plead guilty to nothing. this is my way of dealing with it. i was homeschooled. there. i said it.

who wants to live forever

2005-10-09T12:42:00.000-04:00

tim and i watched Queen's live DVD from 1982 (Live at the Bowl) today. It makes you scream and cry in the same breath. They were sooooo good. Watched an interview by some german news station of Freddy Mercury, talking about where they would be in ten years...eerie...

China's War on Words

2005-09-26T13:19:00.000-04:00

China continues to take on it's own as the administration sets new rules for online publishing, banning anything that may be "against public interest". Employing "cyber police" to patrol the blogs and journals, there is, seemingly, no end in site on China's battle against human rights and independent expression.

And then Harrison Ford shot the Replicant through the chest...

Spider-Man 3 Villains Announced

2005-09-26T12:50:00.000-04:00

So, a friend I trust thinks (and i agree), Venom could easily be the
sole villain for a single href="http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=11332">Spider-Man film. However, perhaps for special effects sake, Sandman has also been
included, according to spill-the-beans expert Kirsten Dunst. According
to her statement directed at Zap2It journalists, Topher Grace will play
Sandman and Thomas Haden Church will play Venom.

the endearing blog

2005-09-25T22:10:00.000-04:00

this is invigorating. i'm almost addicted. i am addicted. this is me coming alive a "post" at a time. almost as if i wrote all the hits by the beatles. or bought the rights. and then sold them to coke (the company). i've written five posts in the space of 24 hours, almost like it's saving my life. it may very well be. or i'm the cheeziest bastard on earth. whatever (the greatest word ever).

i'm not a writer, not a good one anyway. i'm decent, passable. i can communicate the emotion that's passing through my body, elextrifying (new word) my body, perhaps that is what makes a good writer. i'm not going to classify this world that you've climbed into. you'll form your own opinions anyway, as you should, as i want you to.

i just wanted to throw that out there. here's to you, blog.

The Jared Scharff Band at Arlene's Grocery

2005-09-24T10:31:00.000-04:00

i met up with jared, kevin, phil and some new faces (as usual) at arlene's grocery last night, threw back a few and watched drama unfold. unfortunately, i didn't even get to see the show, they went on late (surprise, surprise) and i had another appointment. however, as seems to happen daily here in the city, i met several extraordinary persons. in fact, this whole week has been so productive. i'm so close to finding what i'm looking for. it's definitely been like some sort of life goal, i guess it is in a way. a challenge, a heated race with myself.

the point of this rant? the conversations i had with two "industry" individuals - an a/r rep from warner brother records, and a rep from ascap. conclusion: major labels have been reduced to mere marketing engines. rather than a full service station, huge million dollar corporations are insignificantly that: cash, bank accounts who "decide" what the rest of the world shall deem as aural art. you've heard this all before, it's been boiling for ten years now. it's just nice to hear the "industry" finally admit it too... the power now truly belongs to the people. independent art is in it's infancy, between the new-found, literary and journalistic power of the blog, independent music distribution companies (like ADA, IODA, The Orchard and CDBABY), and more interest by the fans themselves in what the "little guys" are up to, independent art is at the threshold and it's exciting.

final thoughts: i love this town. it hooks you up like no tomorrow, but if you have any seed of "spin" or pretense or fake confidence, it chews you up and spits you out like something from a Jim Henson film... i'm going to go watch Dark Crystal... that film freaked me out at seven years old...

vince vaughn and virgins...

2005-09-24T01:52:00.000-04:00

i just saw "4o Year Old Virgin" - and when i say "just", i mean literally an hour ago, at the Lowes on 86th and Broadway. probably the hardest i've laughed since napolean dynamite. that doesn't say much for any comedy that's come out since. it's interesting to note: i wonder how many viewers really experience a bit of uncomfortableness, mixed with hilarity, mostly because we are all at one time or another, bitterly insecure sexually. very effective combination. you almost want to think it's so funny, because anything else would cause us to dwell...

a rant. as funny as the movie was, it still engages in a unhealthy dose of stereotyping (african-americans in particular). why aren't we over this yet??? you want to know what's funny? vince vaughn's character in Be Cool. that was funny, because a white guy was the slummy stupid bad guy, trying to be someone he's not, and he was, appropriately, shot down for it...that's not a stereotype... that's genuine creativity... because we all have seen (and some of us know) white people that wish they were someone else... in light of all that, and to keep persons from thinking i have a stick up my ass, my jaw hurt after leaving the theater... and that hasn't happened in years...

mother madonna

2005-09-23T18:32:00.000-04:00

i feel like a virgin.

By Any Other Name
welcome. here you'll see my daily (or weekly) rants and raves. elements of my experience in this life that are worth mentioning... and are worth reading... real experiences, real feelings, real emotions. love it or leave it. and feel free to comment pro and con, this is the internet and feelings are not part of the field of play...

About Me
this blog will be dominated by indie/alternative rock music rants, philisophical/psuedo-religious critisizms, and reflection on the culture by which i am inculcated. occasionally, you find a random science fiction/fiction interjection, also, i live in nyc, so, you may also see some of my experiences on that front. i'm always at a local show (either theater or music) here in nyc, so i may post a review or two... but that's purely conjecture. call me out. i'm notarious for making huge, generalities - sweeping statements, that if not incorrect, are flawed in the worst way... and if you do, i learn something new...

so, till next time... all the best...