Author Archives: georgediab

I savour hate as much as I crave love

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The Foo Fighters have disbanded for the foreseeable future and Blue October makes you want to cut yourself.

Ok. I got something for you… Biffy Clyro.

2007’s Puzzle was the record that caught my attention, but there were three albums before Puzzle that I had to delve into once I discovered the band. Blackened Sky (2002), The Vertigo of Bliss (2003), Infinity Land (2004) were the albums I checked out next. Lots of potential, if not a bit rough on the edges. Still, it was a band I needed to keep an eye on.

So I was stoked when Biffy Clyro released Only Revolutions early this November. The title, and maybe the message of most of the album, comes from the love story written by author Mark Danielewski. The book, and Simon’s recent marriage and experiences. He explains:

“I got married last year so a lot of the lyrics are about me and my wife,” he explains. “It’s kind of a relationship record in that sense and a record about life. The track ‘God And Satan’ for instance questions what’s there for us when we die. Everyone has lost someone close to them and whenever that happens you do start to question your own existence and you do start to think maybe there is no grand picture after all. But while we’re here, we might as well try and make people happy and make ourselves happy. It sounds defeatist but I’m almost happy that there is no happy ending. As far as I’m concerned your happy ending is happening right now.”

When I read this snippet from an interview with the band in Clash Magazine I immediately opened iTunes and played God And Satan.

The song opens with this lyric:

I talk to God as much as I talk to Satan cause I want to hear both sides.
Does that make me cynical?
There are no miracles and this is no miraculous life.

Don’t take my word for it…Listen to it yourself!

Download Biffy Clyro – God And Satan

Can you hear a little Grohl and a little Furstenfeld? I do. I think the vocals remind me of Blue October but the music makes me think of what I love about The Foo. The rest of the album is just as fantastic as this acoustic track. Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age provides some shredding guitar work to the third track on the album. A song called Bubbles! It starts of poppy and ends up melting your face.

“We spent a lot of time with Queens Of The Stone Age when we toured the States and Europe with them and we got on with Josh really well,” says Simon. “We knew we’d be in LA recording so we said we’d give him a call. Sure enough he came over at midnight one night after tucking his kids into bed and played guitar on ‘Bubbles’.” “It was really cool and he really caught the gist of the song,” adds Simon. “I think he just listened to about ten seconds and he was like (adopts booming American accent), ‘I got it, I got it.’ It was total pinch yourself stuff and even now although he’s a really good friend, we’re still like, ‘It’s Josh Homme, I can’t believe we know you’.”

Biffy Clyro are about to go mainstream in my opinion. This is not a bad thing, but familiarize yourself with the old stuff and the new stuff so that you can maintain your coolness with the other less informed people in your life.

I think it’s time we part ways.

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The new Weezer album is practically unlistenable. I did some searching around the blogs and I am not the only one to feel this way. What happened to this once favorite band of ours? Ever since Pinkerton, I’ve tried to convince myself the subsequent albums were good. They haven’t been.

They do have some great singles off the “Green” and “Red” albums, but in this day in age you need to come with a great album else we will just buy your singles off Amazon or iTunes. If you are ok with making sales a $1 a time, then fine. Although most bands don’t make money off albums and instead make money from touring and merch.

Even so, not all the singles have been great. Catchy does not equal great. Like you – I can’ help but to sing along to that monstrosity Pork and Beans.

Shall we take a listen? You’ll have to play this from your own collection as DCG, Weezer’s label, does a great job of removing the songs posted on the internet.

Everyone likes to dance to a happy song/With a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along/Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the chart/ Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art.

Garbage. Sure it’s catchy…and it’s on the radio so often you are forced to love it. Alt-rock and pop radio I might add. It’s a magic formula that Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo has, like a mad scientist, been working on in a deep dark lab somewhere. Really. In 1998, Cuomo spent a good year secluding himself in an LA apartment with black walls and covered windows disconnected from the world. He spent the year, like the geek he is, trying to figure out the formula to pop/rock success. He deconstructed all the popular songs he loved. He has a three ring binder of analysis’s of every Nirvana, Green Day, and Oasis song. Trying to mathematically dissect the formula of these songs that he loves. He even calls it the Encyclopedia of Pop.

All this studying, tweaking, and anti-social behavior to produce what? Raditude?

I can’t even get through this new album. One of the worst songs might be Can’t Stop Partying. Take a listen.

Download Weezer – Can’t Stop Partying

Not even Lil’ Wayne can save it. In fact it might be better if it was just Wayne rapping on the whole song.

You might be saying, “What about that cute single off Raditude? That’s a good song!” You mean (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To? One geeky love song is not enough to save this album. This album is bad. Even the god damn title irks me. (Thanks for nothing Rainn Wilson)

I have accidentally typed Ratitude about a dozen times.

I’m not spending anymore money on this band after dropping 9.99 in this shit economy on this sub par album. When the band has had enough of selling out, I’ll be back.

Besides, another great band dropped an album the same week Raditude was released. Dashboard Confessional has come out with album number 6, called Alter The Ending. It’s an amazing album that also includes an acoustic version in the deluxe edition. The funny thing is, that both Raditude and Alter The Ending were produced by Butch Walker. What a small world. Luckily for us, the end result is day and night when comparing the two albums. With Raditude you can polish a turd, but it’s still a turd after all.

Download Dashboard Confessional – No News Is Bad News

Fuck it. Just buy them both…

the future’s cloudy and gray

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so can I lie in your grave at the edge of the end of the world

where I will sit with my love, in its fluorescent swirl

eat us up, break it down to the tiniest cell

in a room with a view and a window to hell

with those who bury bodies into barrels of fun

will be marched through museums that display what they’ve done

they’ll be shot up through the sky by the cannon of sin,
and we’ll reluctantly let them in

Max Bemis is an evangelist for my generation. His sermon delivered with song and lyric.

I’m a Say Anything fan. From their first release Junior Varsity to their latest self titled release, I just enjoy all of this bands albums. The albums are filled with sing-a-long anthems. Shameless and A Walk Through Hell are some examples of his earlier work.

Easily a favorite of mine from the album …Is A Real Boy is Admit It! A song you can crank up and belt along with Max.

You’re free to whine. It will not get you far. I do just fine, my car and my guitar, guitar go!

Download Say Anything – Admit It!

The album In Defense Of The Genre was a double album of…well…of mostly filler. I am of the opinon that if this double album was pared down to a solid single release, it would have been a more successful endeavor. The anthems are still here, you just might have to skip around the album. Check but Baby Girl, I’m A Blur.

Download Say Anything – Baby Girl, I’m a Blur

I got my hands on the latest album before the November 3rd release date. It reminds me more of …Is A Real Boy than Defense. My first real listen to this album was driving back home from a long day at work. I enjoyed the album, but the last song. Track 13. Like any good preacher, it ends with a big and resounding AMEN!

Download Say Anything – Ahh…Men

Ahh…Men is a stellar song. Chanting, passionately sung lyrics, a song with a strong and heavy message. I knew right away this song was important to Max. Even while navigating the busy streets in rush hour I knew this was an important song.

I’m rarely wrong about these things:

@ummAndrew asks what the deepest song I’ve written is; probably ahhh men because it concerns god the afterlife redemption eternity etc

Don’t be a sinner and steal this album off the torrents, buy this album. Else face hell and brimstone.

Amen.

You been drinking brew for breakfast?

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There’s a way to make it out in time
Keep the cash under the mattress
They’re down in the streets
Run for cover

The end of the year seems to be quickly approaching. The weather has changed and so has my mood.

On cue, as it is every year for me, when the mercury falls so does my spirit. The cup becomes half empty, not half full. Not that I am an overly optimistic soul on a normal day.

This tends to change what I listen to. I don’t listen to music that might cheer me up. No way! I listen to dark, desperate music that just sends me deeper down the spiraling fall.

And if theres any consolation
I never got mine so
While your out you’re taking name
and taking orders

The White Rabbits versus The Clash. The cup half empty, the cup half full.

White Rabbits is originally from Columbia, Missouri but is now based in Brooklyn. A six piece indie band that has released two studio albums. The most recent, It’s Frightening, was released May 19, 2009. The song that really captures my mood these days comes from this album and is called Rudie Fails. Take a listen:

Download White Rabbits – Rudie Fails

A song about bitterness and anger. A fuck it all anthem.

Then there is the song Rudie Can’t Fail by The Clash. The British Punk band that formed on the the same year I was born. Not just punk, they got into many different genres while performing together. Reggae, ska, and even rap!

It might be time to define what Rudie probably means. Although it is a name, it’s also a nickname for Rudeboys, which are pretty much poor rebellious kids in Jamaica. It evolved to be the name called of fans of the ska culture forming in England in the late 70s.

Download The Clash – Rudie Can’t Fail

It’s a decent song…but maybe it will sound better in the Spring…

Don’t Get It Confused

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2Pac

Rap music is the only vital form of music introduced since punk rock.

– Kurt Cobain

I am sitting in the car with The Little One. She’s driving for a change and I am playing with my iPhone. It started with her and I trying to remember the title of a particular song we heard at the Brand New concert.

After the song Archers, the band paused to reset, and Vinnie began playing a riff that we all recognized. It was just a tease though, as they never played more than that riff.

The next day I was trying to figure out what that riff was from. We decided it sounded like Lit and I jumped on Pandora to try to listen to the song. Pandora doesn’t let you pick a song to listen to sadly, so then I had to go to the iTunes store to play the preview of My Own Worst Enemy. After getting a second opinion we confirmed that was definitely the riff. Mystery solved.

Then, moments later I was giving props to TLO on recognizing another song with just a few notes. Testing her I reopened Pandora to see how good she was. I would pick a genre in Pandora and let it randomly choose a song to play, then TLO would have to guess the song title.

She is fantastic at 80s and 90s songs. She never missed a Journey song! She falters a little in other catagories, but overall did fantastic. Until I choose the Rap/Hip-Hop category.Jay-Z

I was starting off easy I thought. Dear Mama by Tupac.

She says “Oh boy, this is that..um…Carter…Lil’ Carter…Wayne…er…Jay-Z!”

I shake my head slowly.

I get it. You are not into Rap and Hip Hop. I get it. I don’t love Country, but I know the difference between Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, and Garth Brooks!

Even if you don’t listen to rap music, you need to know the difference between Jay-Z, Tupac, and Biggie Smalls. Period. End of Story.

This post is for The Little One.

Tupac Amaru Shakur (or 2Pac or simply Pac) is my favorite. A poet. He could weave a tale into a song. His distinctive voice, lyrical style, and untimely death made him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. West Coast Rap is defined by 2Pac. The East Coast versus West Coast rap fued probably gets its start with Tupac claiming that Biggie Smalls and Puffy Combs facilitated him getting robbed and shot five times.

Tupac released 5 albums while alive and another 6 released after his death.

Download Tupac – Loyal To The Game (DJ Quik Remix)

Christopher George Latore Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G. or simply Biggie) is often believed to have brought East Coast Rap to the masses. Signed by Sean “Puffy” Combs and then released Ready to Die which went Platinum 4 times and puts Brooklyn back in the the rap spotlight.

His unmatched style and ability to make multi-syllabic rhymes sound smooth and easy make him a hit in the rap scene.

Life After Death goes to number one after Biggie is shot outside an award show. Many believed this shooting was in retaliation to the shooting of Tupac in Las Vegas. Either way, another rap legend ends up dead.

Download The Notorious B.I.G. – Suicidal Thoughts

Shawn Corey Carter (or more commonly known by the stage name Jay-Z) is a Grammy award winning artist and a business entrepreneur that made his way from the Marcy Projects in New York very much on the backs of the success from Biggie and Tupac.

Jay-Z has released 11 albums and has appeared on countless other albums as a collaborator. He owns the New Jersey Nets and is the current holder for the record of most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200.

His style is diverse, able to rap fast or slow and always making it look easy.

Download Jay-Z – Run This Town

These three legendary artists are very different, yet form the backbone and voice for rap and hip-hop for much of the 90’s and even up to current day. Although there are many other amzing rap acts that you should know about, these three artists you must know… and know well.

Wanna See It Now

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Life ain’t nothin but a dream
Realistic as it seems

Built To Spill @ Outside Lands 2009
One of the most well known indie bands is still relatively unknown to many of my friends. It’s necessary to get back to the original goal of this blog and to attempt to change that.

Boise is not just college football and potatoes. It’s the home of the band Built to Spill.

The band has just released a new album and it’s amazing. Although, you could pick up any one of Built To Spill‘s 7 albums and get your mind melted.

Doug Martsch is the driving creative force of the band. Initially he intended to be the only static member of the band, promising to rotate musicians for each and every album. I always think this is a great idea, but I imagine this hardly ever works out. When you spend so much time touring and traveling in the back of vans and buses, friendships grow strong. Doug’s plan didn’t work out, but he now records and tours with some amazing talent that have become permanent members of the band.

I’ve been listening to the latest album, There Is No Enemy on constant rotation. Even while I sleep. It’s woken me up in the middle of the night…holding my face amazed with the beautiful layering of guitars and the distinctive voice of Martsch and his amazing lyrics.

I have come up with many different ideas about the meaning of Martsch’s songs. I am not going to share them with you. Why? Well let me share a quote from Doug’s wife that sums it up:

Built To Spill @ Outside Lands 2009

I once overheard Doug on the phone being interviewed. He sounded almost stand-offish in not “telling” an interviewer the meaning of a song or describing its origin. Doug and I have speculated about this sometimes: meaning (whether intended or not) is not inherent in lyrics or in any art. Listening, looking closely, and responding with one’s feelings, thoughts, and senses transforms. Doug simply does wish to disrupt any meaning someone else has found.

With so much work behind the band, the record is here. Now comes the album’s journey into the world. This venture Built to Spill does not map out. The record is yours to respond to.

[Editor’s Note from The Little One: I think that sometimes people get one meaning for a song, but then they hear the next line and that throws them off. That might be what makes fans ask artists what the song was written about. So I am going to ask you now, just be OK with your interpretation of the song. Doug writes so many decent verses that you can take just one piece of the song and let it help you realize or reveal some truth or epiphany in your own life, your own understanding of love, politics, society, friendships, nature…]

Download Built To Spill – Life’s A Dream

Amazing track. That guitar work is so layered and stunning.

The thing about Built To Spill is that EVERY album is so DAMN good.

The Little One and I trip out when listening to the discography of Built To Spill. There Is Nothing Wrong With Love, for example is something we would have loved. It’s such an epic and perfect album. Yet, it was a decade before I had heard it. What the fuck were we listening to in 1994 that we missed this gem?

Listen to this song off There Is Nothing Wrong With Love and prepare to play the shit out of it for months on end:

Download Built To Spill – Car

I’m glad that I will never miss another Built To Spill album. Seeing them live really solidifies my love for the band. You must listen to BTS and you must catch their live show. They are heavily touring in support of their latest effort. Check the tour dates on their myspace page to see if they are making a stop near you.

Put the needle on the record…

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If you checked out my post here, you know that I have been busy ripping vinyl like a mad man. It’s not a ton of fun…but one good thing that has come out of it is that I am rediscovering my music collection.

I have DJ’ed in Seattle, Orlando, and Las Vegas. While going through my tracks I think I’ve found tracks that remind me of each city or specific gigs.

Well it’s some angle to share some of this music with you. It’s important for me to share this music for a few reasons. With all the amazing electronic music I have procured from the blogs over the last few years…it’s important for me to do the same. To give back in a sense.

When I check hypem.com for the music I am about to rip, I see that a lot of my own great records are nowhere to be found on the interwebs. Some of them must predate blogs…so I want to get some of this quality music out there for you! Although these tracks are old, I can say confidently that I still think they are relevant and will get your crowds fired up!

Fex – Last Train (Marine Parade)
It’s a record I picked up while record shopping after some gigs I had in Orlando. Breaks are King in Florida and this record never goes over that well in the West…but it’s hot and I will continue dropping it.

Download Fex – Last Train

Brett Johnson – Somewhere Between Here and ThereBrett Johnson, Deep House Master
This track reminds me of the fantastic Deep House scene in Las Vegas. The underground electronic scene in Vegas is almost exclusively Deep House and can be heard in many of the long running house parties. If you are looking for a place to check out Deep House in Vegas I suggest Soul Kitchen or Sound Bar. I am sure I picked up this gem at the now defunct Liquid 303 in Las Vegas and it got a lot of spins in the also defunct Utopia Patio.

Download Brett Johnson – Somewhere in Between Here and There

Haitras – It Was (Screw Loose Mix)
Seattle’s Rave scene is second to none. I’ve played to raves up there and they know how to party. I am sure I have played this track there, or something that sounds like it. It’s dark yet energetic. Just how they like it. This song would totally fit into any electro house set even today. Don’t sleep on this one…again.

Download Haitras – It Was (Screw Loose Mix)

Support all of these artists by buying more of their amazing work.

500 Words of Pleasure and a Few More of Pain

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I’m hoping to sell my house and find a new one. The market has made my home a bad investment. It’s too bad. I do love this house and its location, but knowing that I can find a better house for a better price makes it the right time.

One of the bummers of thinking about moving again is the giant vinyl collection I have already lugged through two different moves. The thought of doing it again makes me wanna just leave it here for the next owner to deal with!

I am a “bedroom” DJ. I have been for much of my life. I have “gigged” out, but being a DJ doesn’t pay my bills, and I don’t like alcohol enough to bother playing for an open bar tab anymore. The art of making a mix tape with two turntables isn’t something I can give up. Especially with the excitement that Serato brings me. Serato just enables such a creativity that it makes DJing more fun than ever before.

The plan, then, is to digitize as much of this record collection that I can and then to sell my children…I mean my records… before I move.

This plan stresses me out though. For many reasons:

1. It’s time consuming.

2. It’s like scaling Mount Everest.

…and maybe most importantly:

3. I stress that I am not getting the best quality of my rips from Vinyl to MP3.

I have spent some money on gadgets that promised to make this task easier, to only discover that it either complicates the process or the quality just plain sucks. There are many things to consider in ripping as far as quality. Where do you keep the gain and EQs at? Do you need an archiving needle? Does running it through a particular mixer affect quality?

One issue is that in the current configuration of my studio I have my decks/mixer right on top of some computer equipment. I feel like I can hear some noise on the rips because of it. I am debating on reworking my studio to just make this easier and cleaner to rip vinyl. /sigh

Then there is just the sound of vinyl. The warmth and depth of a needle on a groove comes with its pitfalls and perils. Pops and hissing is inevitable on a piece of vinyl. Especially if it’s an older record like the one featured in this post.

I guess I am using you all as guinea pigs. I ripped one of my favorite house records for you to listen to. Do you think the tracks sound good? Good enough to play in a club or for a mix set? Listen to the following tracks and please let me know in the comments?

Download Nathan Drew Larsen – Five Minutes of Pleasure Two Minutes of Pain

Download Nathan Drew Larsen – Mirari

Nathan Drew LarsenThese two tracks are from the label Simple Soul Records. The label might be defunct now. I can’t find much info about the label on Google, and the website for the label seems to be down. The artist is Nathan Drew Larsen. He is a DJ and producer from the home of house, Chicago. He has a few AKA’s: House of Black Dress; Mise En Place; Emile Coue; Red Shift. Nathan started DJing in the early ‘90s at loft parties in Chicago. Nathan currently records exclusively for Fresh Meat Records, the label he and Mazi, another Chicago house producer, own and operate. Nathan’s 10 years of production draws from the traditions of Chicago’s early deep house scene as well as from his regular use of vintage instruments and effects, his focus on improvisation and live performance, and the clear influence of disparate musical forms including psychedelica, motoric, and pop.

A few more things to note.

For one thing, it might not make sense to rip your vinyl copy of Spiller’s Groovejet to MP3 if some one has done it for you. You could find that track at mykunk.com. It might be a good idea to search the interwebs or hypem.com for the track you’re planning to rip from your collection. You already bought it, so I suppose you can even do this guilt free!

Keep in mind that some of the problems with ripping vinyl can still be found in the MP3s to be harvested from the many music blogs out there. I’ve downloaded tracks from blogs that actually had a record skip make it into the MP3 copy!

The last thing I want to mention is the use of a post-ripping tool that I’ve used to do some cleaning up of the audio files. It’s a tool I use on all my music that I play through Serato. It’s called Platinum Notes. On the software company’s website, they say this about the software:

Platinum Notes makes your tracks sound incredibly smooth. Designed by professional DJs and musicians, Platinum Notes improves your files and gives them warmth, perfect volume, and correct pitch. It removes distortion and clipped peaks.

It’s used by many “superstar” DJs and bedroom DJs alike. I recommended it for any DJ playing digital media.

Progressive Pop

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New. Well not to the music scene.

Miike Snow is a new band from Sweden. Two of the band members, Pontus Winnberg and Kristian Carlsson as Bloodshy & Avant, co-wrote and produced Britney Spears’s Grammy-winning 2004 hit Toxic.

Don’t give up on them yet though!

With added member Andrew Wyatt, they have become something of what I want to dub Progressive Pop. (™ bitches) Imagine pop star Prince (…or formerly known as) collected animals. No wait. I got that wrong. Miike Snow is Prog Pop because they sound like Prince and Animal Collective! I mean if Progressive Rock is essentially a genre that pushes rock’s technical and compositional boundaries past what is traditionally called Rock, then how is Miike Snow not Progressive Pop?

Case in point? Let’s dissect one of my favorite tracks off the album. A Horse Is Not A Home:

[Download Miike Snow – A Horse Is Not a Home]

Progressive rock typically has lyrics similar to its musical ambition, tending to avoid typical rock/pop subjects such as love or dancing. If you listened to the lyrics of the above song, you will notice the imagery and symbolism.

Oh god I think I’m dying,
And our drinks were just poured,
Look outside someone’s waiting,
With a yellow horse

With a hole in the heart I was forced to ride
in morning traffic.
With a golden hand by your fortress side
but without magic.

Did you notice how catchy that song was? Piano and guitar driven pop. The music is light and approachable. Comfortable and accessible.

Probably one of the most blogged about songs on the album is Silvia. Check out the band performing this live on KCRW:


Another amazing song is also the bands first single. Watch the video for Burial here!

The group has roots in DJ and remix culture, so I have collected a remix by the band and for the band for your perusal.

[Download Miike Snow – Black And Blue (Capsa Remix)]

Loving the remix? The original is beautiful as well.

Here is a remix the band has done for another band you might know. Check out this remix of Peter Bjorn and John’s song Don’t Move Me.

[Download Peter Bjorn and John – Don’t Move Me (Miike Snow Remix)]

Please pick up this album. If you already have it, leave us a comment and tell us what you think too!

The Playlist of My Life

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Soundtrack of My Life is a free service provided by Billboard.com that creates a playlist with a song associated with a milestone in your life. Your first kiss, the day you got your license, that one time when you were incarcerated…

You input a date for each of these moments and the service automatically creates a playlist containing songs that were at the top of the charts in that period. When your playlist is created, you can listen to a small preview of your songs. If you register to Billboard.com, you can also share your tracks on social media or embed a widget with your playlist on your site.

So, here is Mookie’s playlist, sans actual dates.

I figure it’s more fun if you try to figure out the timeline based on the song!

The Day Mookie Was Born
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover – Paul Simon

Great song…glad Dad didn’t leave Mom though…

Memorable First Kiss
Roll With It – Steve Winwood

I can’t remember her name, but I remember that this was the first kiss where I also got to second base. She was a beautiful dark-haired, olive-skinned girl who was far more mature than me at the time… even though we were the same age. If I knew then, what I know now…

First Drink
Justify My Love – Madonna
I am 100% confident that Madonna was not playing as I took my first unauthorized sip of the magic nectar. Alas, she marks the moment regardless.


Got My Drivers License
I’m Too Sexy – Right Said Fred
I failed it a few times before I finally passed. The second time I took it, I had a strong feeling that I had failed from the comment about not yielding at a red light right turn. My dad never came to a complete stop at right turn on a red light if it was safe to do so… So, when I saw some serious scribbling I decided it was time to give the examiner a crazy ride. I drove fast and took chances! I even skidded into the DMV parking lot. Needless to say my Dad just laughed when he looked at the examiner’s face after returning to the DMV. I passed with flying colors on the third time by the way.


Frist Cigarette
To Be With You – Mr. Big

Actually…I’m pretty sure I tried smoking before this point in my life…but it was around this time that I finally inhaled properly. I know because I attempted to cough out my left lung. Ah…that light-headed moment, my mind dizzy with a real dose of nicotine, is a moment that I suppose I regret today, since I still have the habit. I won’t smoke forever. I plan on quitting soon. I wanna be smoke-free by 35 at the latest. It gets harder the older you get. I know that for sure.

Graduate from High School
I Swear – All-4-One

[Download I Swear – All-4-One]

First time I kissed TLO?
London Bridge – Fergie
Fergie [ft. Marina] – “London Bridge (Bonde do Rolê A+B by Luminfire)” [Direct — Left Click Only]
Meeting TLO has definitely been monumental in my life. Not only is she hot and and great in bed, but she shares my love of music. This blog would not have been possible or successful without her. That night outside the bar, I remember her being unsteady and panting for a kiss… What a great moment. I wish we had a great song to mark it, but sadly…Fergie it is. She is hotter than the Ferg, in case you were wondering.

Went to Jail
The Sign – Ace of Base

I guess it WAS a sign. I was heading in all the wrong directions. My life was a mess. Well, I cleaned it up. Was a turning point though. No doubt. By the way…I suggest not giving the big black man a “phone check”. Things get tense after that.

Graduated College
Fallin’ – Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys is still hot right now. Maybe you have seen her at the VMAs with Jay-Z performing Empire State of Mind. She steals the thunder from Hova in this song in my opinion. It’s an amazing song, but would have fell flat with out her vocals in the mix.

[Download Jay-Z – Empire State of Mind (featuring Alicia Keys)]

First Day inALLcaps.com Goes Live
Lollipop – Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major
We are growing every day! The hits and page views continue to grow! The emails and comments keep coming in! We have a facebook page and two new sites! (videos.inallcaps.com and podcasts.inallcaps.com) We got a few requests to remove tracks but even more bands emailing us to thank us! It feels good. We still want to hear more from you though. What do you like and dislike? What do you want more of? Leave us a comment!


Today!
Pearl Jam – The Fixer
I would like today to be a milestone. This post. Although it’s not number one today, Pearl Jam’s latest single is number two! (1st is Alice in Chains – Check My Brain…and I just don’t think it’s that great of a song.) The song might be an Obama versus Bush song. The song might be a fuck you to the labels. (This album of PJ is released on its own label, MonkeyWrench Records). Whatever it is, it’s an upbeat rock song by one of my favorite bands! I just saw Pearl Jam at San Francisco’s Outside Lands festival, and was very pleased. I even have a decent live recording of Animal from this show that I want to share! (What! Why not The Fixer? You can download it here from the blog tsururadio.com if you really must!

[Download Pearl Jam – Animal (Live @ Outside Lands 2009)]