Colin's Life In Music

SH5

2012-02-17T00:32:00.001-08:00

It was a was a hot june evening in the summer of 2010 and I had just started my job as a corporate stiff, working for my father in the insurance business. Still wearing my business attire, I approached the house which I assumed to be Slaughterhouse Five. I was caught off guard when I walked around the house, where there was only a small collection of people hanging out on the porch outside (which I later learned was not actually SH5s porch). I could hear the music coming from inside, but no trail coming and going from the basement and no collection of people outside using the space to drink and socialize as I'd grown accustomed to in the parts of Boston that I've inhabited for the past few years. I pushed in a small door which could have lead to Narnia for all I knew, but in a way it sort of did in its own little punk rock dream sequence of a way. I made my way into the basement, where the audience was captivated by the music of the tattle tales. Unfortunately for me, I was not dressed for the occasion and as per usual was beginning to sweat through my clothes. I contacted adam demirjian, who had just moved out of his parents house for the first time to a residence on Twombly Street and from there I spent my first bit of time in a space that taught me a whole lot about myself over the course of a year. I can remember vividly how much light was coming through the windows of the rooms on the second floor which was his roommate cody's room at the time. The band we were going to see was Lemuria, a band that I had listened to for quite some time but never had a chance to see. After persuading the others to come along I made my way back to Ham St, which I had realized was only a short walk from there. I made it there in good time as people had just started to congregate outside before Lemuria and I quickly made my way to the front, as it can be a bit harder to get close here. But thats not to say if you really want to see the band you couldn't make amends. I liked that about this place. People braced themselves on the low beams of the ceiling as nearly everyone in the room attempted to ease forward and sing the lyrics back to the band. I couldn't help but think to myself that I would never have an opportunity like that to see this band afterwards, and that sentiment has stood true. Unfortunately, I wouldn't return to this basement until I played it with Shire in the spring of next year. We shared the bill with slaughterhouse staples Billy Raygun and The Young Leaves, as well as New Jersey's Brick Mower. Everyone at Slaughterhouse was exceptionally accommodating to a band that I'm sure most people weren't familiar with. Playing there was one of the most ideal settings I've ever performed in undoubtedly. Not to mention, we were added to this show within roughly two days of it happening if I can recall, as we had been scheduled to play Dover's premier burrito joint, Dos Amigos Burritos with our friends The Brave Little Abacus the night before and had intended on staying up in Dover for the weekend anyways. It was really awesome for Zac to do that for us as Shire had only played with his band once before. This unfortunately was also the last good bit of time that I stayed at that apartment. Most humbling about this weekend though, was the two events I would attend the next day. The first of which was a matinee performance of the bands Black Wine and Night Birds at slaughterhouse. I had yet to see either Jeff or Joe's post-ergs project, and again, it proved to be a perfect venue to see some of your favorite musicians perform with a group for the first time. After getting intensely assaulted by the thrash of Night Birds, I made my way to the UNH campus where I witnessed Zack Onett perform his original composition "puppy" for the first time in front of an audience. I can easily say that not a single person in that room left the room unaffected by his performance, though, those lucky enough to know him were obviously moved more than others. Those performances that weekend provoked me in so many different emotional ways, and really defined emerging thoughts on how music should be portrayed. I witnessed two more shows after that one, including Billy Raygun's record release with BIG EYES as well as their final show featuring a reunion from HUNCHBACK who had performed the ergs! reunion that I attended in the previous december. There were times during both of those nights that seemed somewhat surreal, because it seemed as though people in attendance knew that this could likely be one of the last times they would be in that space. The performances themselves were nothing less than impeccable and the atmosphere was as positive as ever considering the dark cloud of uncertainty above. The people of Slaughterhouse Five really made what I had only heard about and pictured in my head in my dreams and on the world wide web, obviously. Despite the fact that all the basements I'd known had all long passed due to the nature of the crowd being that not everyone was there for the music, they proved me that this didn't always have to be the case. Sometimes you have to be strict to maintain such a positive atmosphere, but it is always worth it if it means that your favorite bands come and play in a space that they can appreciate. And for once, the bands will get paid, by people who understand the importance of donations and don't go spending that money on the beer they *have to* bring to the show. Slaughterhouse was something that brought what I'd only pictured punk being, into a reality and for that I am forever grateful.
~ R.I.P. SH5

covers i've performed in the past year or so

2012-02-01T08:26:00.001-08:00

the weakerthans - aside
laura stevenson - holy ghost
neutral milk hotel - two headed boy
the cure - just like heaven
pixies - wave of mutilation
tegan and sara - back in your head
nana grizol - circles round the moon
paul baribeau - only babies cry
tigers jaw - plane vs tank vs submarine
alkaline trio - mercy me
tom petty & the heartbreakers - american girl
the ergs - introducing morrisey

potential covers...

2012-02-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

dr worm
major label debut (fast)
the reasons
revisionist
hows it gonna be
no one else
heart of gold

enigmas of the mystical

2012-02-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

we love the things we cant understand
why we fall in lust at first sight
and why best friends cant lend a hand

we want to believe
that a bright light can take us away
and take us away
from her (so far from here)

we love the things we cant explain
fractal beauty - sunning rain
a tiny tear in space and time
an intervention not so devine

and sometimes
we cant believe in anything
but ourselves

Company

2011-04-19T00:42:00.000-07:00

x's fade from my hands
as if the act was planned
and scripted like a movie
with beginning conflict end

It hurts to admit I lied
to connect I had to hide
from my parents who's voice was sound
I knew then that I couldn't stick around

exes fade into the past
but memories stay and the places last
they stand there to remind
who you are and where you stood in the first place

you think that I'd learn from the past
but I'm sure it only scares me
the remnants they still last
my thoughts will never be free

dear boys

2011-02-26T21:25:00.000-08:00

that long drive north on ninety five
couldn't have made me more alive
when I couldn't take it any longer
I looked past what had made me stronger

they say that only babies cry
but at that point I felt like die
while you were there by my side
but I knew It had made me stronger

but while you were there by my side
I knew it had made me stronger

I cried there in the passenger seat
my old life was now obsolete
I watched the yellow line ahead of us
As the cold slowly settled in my feet

I wont ever forget that weekend
for the good things and the bad
sometimes words just fall short
but for that I cant be mad

while you were there by my side
I knew it had made me stronger
while you were there by my side
I was sure that it had made me stronger

crash punks vs. the world

2011-01-26T22:44:00.000-08:00

where will you be in ten years

when you've lost your taste for drinking lots of cheap beer

and your wardrobes not all black

and you want your old friends back

what will you do?

what will you talk about in five years

you boast the hip bands you know and no one cares

question your maturity

which no one else can see

what will you do?

I know I wont be around

to watch this place that was my town

drown in this ambitious sea

of so called art you perpetuate

as the youth move in

a bitter few hold on

where will you go when you finish that beer

mask your insecurity so everyone can hear

what will you do

forget it

i don't care

Damn this pride of mine...

2011-01-19T18:37:00.001-08:00

YOU'VE GOT YOUR REASONS
AND I'VE FIGURED THEM OUT
WELL YOU CAN COUNT ME OUT
YOU CAN COUNT ME OUT

THESE PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT
WE THOUGHT WERE THEIR FRIENDS
HAVE REALIZED
THEY'RE JUST A MEANS TO THE END
THESE HEADS AND BODIES
AREN'T A PART OF THE SCENE
THEY'RE PEOPLE TOO
THOUGH PART A VISION OF GREEN

WE'RE SACRIFICING ART
AND IT WILL SOON CATCH UP
WHEN YOUR NICHE IS GONE
WE WILL ALL MOVE ON

SO YOU CAN HOLD YOUR BREATH
CAUSE I KNOW JUST WHAT YOU SAID

Damn this pride of mine...

To Love and Not Be In Love (Let's Just Shit Ourselves)

2011-01-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

I wish I had the guts to say
To every girl I thought I loved
when I didn't know what it meant
to be in love.
and not just to love.
that I love them
and I wish that we could
still be friends
the best of friends
and that's all
talk about our favorite things
you can still be comforting
I just wish that I could say
that it was you
not me...

Obligatory Basement Song

2011-01-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

I once had a place where all my friends could go
admission was free and you'd see an awesome show
if you didn't know someone
you'd meet them soon enough
everyone would dance
but nobody was rough
until the day that substance
became the life of the party
the crowd just went downhill from there
until I barely knew anybody
these shows just became parties
the cops shut most of em down
thanks so much you ungrateful punks
for ruining the best place in town

Gratitude

2011-01-19T18:30:00.001-08:00

You can only give for so long
And when you don't get
It's easy to forget
Why you are here in the first place

Without Context

2011-01-19T18:21:00.000-08:00

IM PETRIFIED

THAT A DRINK

CAN MAKE YOU FORGET MY EXISTENCE

AND I THINK

THATS A SHITTY FUCKING EXCUSE

HOME

HAS NEVER

FELT SO FAR AWAY

THIS IS THE LAST I'LL SEE

CERTAIN FAMILIARITY

THESE ROADS

THAT LEAD

ME HOME

WILL SOON BE UNKNOWN

THESE ROADS

THAT LEAD

ME HOME

WILL SOON BE UNKNOWN

I'LL FORGET THAT SENSE EXISTS

I WONT REMEMBER THIS

YOU CAN CUT OFF THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU

BUT IT WILL NOT GIVE YOU STRENGTH

Boy

2011-01-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

I just saw the face

of a boy I knew last week.

It may not be my place

but I would like to speak.

You can wish your life away,

yeah, to your hearts content

but will you be happy

when your last breath has been spent

We won't know if our hearts

will get the best of us

but I know that fear

will not take mine

if we live in gratitude

to the best of our ability

we will all be fine

the boy could have been

just any one of us

he got caught in a mistake

his friends go on with their lives

I won't mention it for their sake

At what point did I

learn that some things die?

Sometimes you can't help it

Some fight to stay alive.

You were right...

2010-11-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

You were right.
We can't be together.
I said...
I wont be "filed under left for dead"

I cary out
situations in my head
I lead them up to the point that i dread
It's all in my head
It's all in my fucking head

They pound the floorboards
While I try to think
I try to study
While they're "obliged" to drink

I will never get away from the distractions
I can't get away from the disdain
I try to block it out with no distraction
It comes back as if it were the refrain

I see the stars over Brighton tonight
I start to think that I just might
turn away, and forget today.

MY LIFE IS AN ERGS! SONG

2010-11-11T16:06:00.000-08:00

I stayed up just late enough to watch the sunrise
It was then that I realized that I could talk to you all night
tried so hard to play it cool,
now I don't have to be that way with you

I'm lost again it's no surprise
you level me with your eyes
the simple beauty it can get lost
avoid overbearing at all costs

God this world
makes me feel so small sometimes
and when I feel as though
I'm alone tonight

It can be a dream
that keeps me from misery
till I awake to thoughts of you
with all intention of leaving me

And I wonder
if I have the energy to wake up
And if I keep falling back to sleep
will I ever stop
If I don't know what to say
I'll sleep away the day
so that nothing can affect me

I can't turn a corner
without someone telling me
who I am
and what I need to be

but I just can't face the facts
that I wish I had the motivation
to match my potential
lost in a play with no acts

I get so lost in numbers
and things of trivial matter
I'll count the days she's gone
resistance feels like chatter

I'll hold back so I don't lose you
and succumb to sacrifice
resistance is futile
cause being with someone has never felt so right

http://lookingforgold.blogspot.com/2010/03/sxsw-why.html

2010-11-11T16:01:00.001-08:00

The music industry is by definition an operation invented to divert money spent on music away from actual musicians - the problems that the music industry is currently facing have specifically to do with the fact that the money that would usually flow directly to the bigger economic actors is now going somewhere else.

songs that I covered over the past year or so:

2010-11-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

Songs...
Against Me - Sink Florida Sink
Alkaline Trio - Every Thug Needs A Lady
Andrew Jackson Jihad - Candle in the Wind
Blink-182 - Don't Leave Me
Blink-182 - Dumpweed
Bomb The Music Industry - Cold Chillin'
Bomb The Music Industrty! - Saddr Weirdr
The Ergs! - Books About Miles Davis
The Ergs! - Aja
Matt Aspinwall - Part One
Paul Baribeau - Only Babies Cry
Pixies - Wave of Mutilation >
NOTE: inspired by and performed with Laura Stevenson and the Cans on 2/28/10 @ the castle
Smash Mouth - All Star

FEST 9!

2010-11-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

FRIDAY 10/29
Hellmouth
Hard Skin
Static Radio
Bars of Gold
The Wild*
Protagonist
Strike Anywhere
Mikey Erg!
Suicide Machines* (feat. M. Belanger. YAY FRIENDS)

Saturday 10/30
Dear Landlord (from outside, missed the faygo)
Paul Baribeau (feat. Merg! on OBC)
GOOD LUCK
We Are The Union
THE MEASURE [SA]
LAURA STEVENSON AND THE CANS
The Snips
PAINT IT BLACK
Bent Left (what?)
ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES (DEAR SPIKE!)
-Late Night: Pianos Become the Teeth, Paint It Black

Sunday 10/31 (Jah-loween)
The Dopamines
O PIONEERS!!!
LEMURIA
THE MENZINGERS
Underground Railroad To Candyland
BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY!

FEST 8

2010-03-07T14:19:00.001-08:00

For my records...

FRIDAY 10/30
Laura Stevenson and the Cans
Safety
Cheeky
Coffee Project
Matt Kurz One
Iron Chic
Kudrow
Strike Anywhere
Chotto Ghetto
Crime In Stereo

SATURDAY 10/31
Rehasher
Max Levine Ensemble
The Flatliners
Andrew Jackson Jihad
Algernon Cadwallader
Dillinger Four
Less Than Jake
Snuff
We Are The Union
So Many Dynamos
Defiance, Ohio

SUNDAY 11/01
Broadway Calls
Off With Their Heads
This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb
The Emotron
O Pioneers!
Bomb The Music Industry

for the best...

2009-07-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

There is nothing left to do but sit here and collect myself
It seems like all is lost but it's not gone
I know the sting wont last forever
And things will be much better from now on
It all seems bare now that there's nothing that I share
but with the few that have always had my back

Big D and the Kids Table

2009-03-12T00:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight, for the first time ever my band is playing with Big D and the Kids Table!? And surprisingly I have extremely mixed emotions. If I asked myself when I started this band what I would do if i were to play with Big D, I probably would've flipped a shit because back in the day they were a huge part of my life. Back in high school I used to listen to the Gypsy Hill EP front to back daily singing all of the words in my car on the way to and from school. Those guys were my local heroes, I really associated with what they were singing about because they totally felt for my teenage angst. There was even a point where I posted the lyrics to "Those Kids Suck" on the bathroom walls in hopes that the "white hat" kids who made my time at NHS a living hell would see them and feel like douche bags. After a two period effort of re-posting them after they would get torn down, I realized that THE MAN was gonna keep me down so long as i was in that school building. I saw them for the first time with my new friend Rory Nolan at BU Central my junior year in high school soon after we formed Interrobang!?. I felt so cool, we were on the guest list because Rory's sister Chloe was dating the Keyboard player for the opening band The Flamingos. Little did I know that these people would in time become close friends of mine. I think this was the first ska/punk show that I ever went to and I had a great time. BU Central was very cool place to see Big D for the first time seeing that there were probably somewhere around 30-40 other people there. I remember the moment I saw them walking in and I started to shake a little bit, I was just so excited I couldn't stand it. They came on and I had a spot right in front of trombonist Paul E. Cutler. Their set was awesome, raw, inspiring and totally on! I think that to this day that was the best performance I have ever seen from them. After the show I got myself a Big D T-shirt and a broken drumstick and Rory and I chatted with Dave for a good while. He seemed like a real honest and sincere guy, we even had an inside joke with him for the next time that we saw him. Where do the dogs go? To the pound [insert fist bump]. This was back when he had just started using the melodica and I had just ordered one online, so we talked about that and I was super pumped! This was such a great night, I was in ecstasy the whole way home. It was strange seeing them the next time because they were headlining the Avalon, it really made me appreciate where I saw them for the first time and I still do to this day. This was also the downfall in my eye of Mr. David McWane. When we talked to him here, he seemed like he had better things to do and this was pretty uncool. Although he did give a shout out to his "melodica friends" when he pulled it out to play a track from their new Salem Girls EP. This show was very surreal for me because I was witnessing this band for everything that they were at the time, about to achieve great success and start traveling the country as a successful national touring band.

TO BE CONTINUED

3.1 Maps & Atlases

2009-03-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

After playing a Dance Party show for a bunch of sorority girls I grabbed Tom Chalupa and we headed off to the Middle East for a show that I was looking forward to going with him to for a while now. It had been a while since i'd gone to a show at the Middle East that I wasn't playing and this was quite the show to see. The only band I had heard before the show was Maps & Atlases but I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed all of the bands!

So Many Dynamos opened the show with a blaze of technical guitars mixed with a good blend of synthesizer and just the right amount of dance beats. Something you've heard before right? Wrong! The one thing that I can say about both opening bands was that they were both very hard to describe, which is something that I find myself usually enjoying because that means that it is origional! The guitars bordered on noisy rock with some definite Johnny Greenwood flair to them. The synths were tight and lots of awesome vocals. They most certainly had me dancing from the moment I stepped into the club.

Pattern Is Movement was next, two bearded men playing drums and rhodes piano. Vocals bordered on operatic and they had a good sense of humor but there was nothing funny about this performance. It was marvelous how the intensity of the drums blended with the vocals and keyboards so perfectly. I found myself in a trance during some point during this set and it was a beautiful feeling. One thing that they really worked well into their set was dynamics and that was something that really set them out from the other bands. Nick bought the vinyl and we listened to it right after the show as i shaved my beard into a mustache, anyways awesome band!

Maps & Atlases were next, playing all the songs that I wanted to hear and then some new ones which were very awesome and I very much look forward to hearing the studio versions. I was glad to hear a couple new ones seeing that they only played one last time I saw them. It was especially awesome rocking out with Tom at this show because he is one of the only people that knows this music in and out like I do. I found myself in an amazing groove during this show and it was awesome to just dance and sing along at one of their shows because i've seen them a couple times now and I can actually pick my jaw up off of the floor for once. Afterwards after I build the courage, I went to the guitarists and talked to them for a few minutes and they were very very cool people. I gave them one of my CDs telling them that we are nothing like you guys but we are playing with Laura Stevenson and love the RX Bandits and they thought that that was awesome. They were incredibly humble guys and were very appreciative that I was such a big support of their band. Afterwards I ran around outside in the snow for a while giggling to myself because I was so happy that they were cool guys and they appreciated me giving them a CD. What a great start to March!

2.27.09 O Pioneers!!! and !?

2009-03-11T23:12:00.001-07:00

This was a very strange weekend to say the least...

The friday before this show we played at One Fifteen Franklin Street with Brave Little Abacus, O Pioneers, Fort! the Band and Wood Spider. It was really strange to play this place for people that weren't necessarily the ska punk crowd that is usually there. Brave Little Abacus had an awesome set and they played for a lot of new people which I was very happy about but unfortunately Adam's speakers blew and the last few minutes of El Capitano were cut. Wood Spider were a pretty decent band and a lot of their friends were getting into it, reminded me a little too much of Tom Waits meets Golgol Bordello. Next was Fort! The Band, I have decided that I am going to write an essay to this band which I will post here because I was really confused and offended by their set, I won't go any further from there. An hour and a half later, after a bunch of our friends had to late due to the length of Fort! The Bands set, we played. Interesting thing was that we played with no P.A. system but a lot of people were still really into it! It was cool to have people singing along to our songs even when they couldn't hear the words, it really put the whole sense of community at our shows into perspective. My new friend Lindsay Sanderson got lots of amusing pictures from this show. Even though it was unfortunate that there were technical difficulties it seemed that nearly everyone in these pictures had a wide smile on their face which made me very happy. O Pioneers!!! went on at somewhere near one in the morning and they were nothing less than I expected, in fact they exceeded my expectations. I bought their newest release "Neon Creeps" on vinyl and have listened to it a bunch of times, I really dig it. I had a good chat with their guitarist Eric who was a very awesome person and we got to chat about the new punk scene that is coming up. I really really want to be a part of this movement, I feel like everyone is so positive and just wants to see new places and make new friends which is everything i've ever wanted. It rides above this whole myspace out to make a buck and there is is so much more dedication and loyalty in the people that go out to the shows. He also encouraged me to ask Jeff Rosenstock to put our our next release, I have no idea what he is going to say but I am going to ask him when we play their CD release show on Saturday.

Things to look forward to...

2009-02-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

4.18-4.19
The Dead @ DCU Center

6.11-6.14
Bonnaroo 2009!!!
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Phish (2 Shows)
Beastie Boys
Nine Inch Nails
David Byrne
Wilco
Al Green
Snoop Dogg
Elvis Costello Solo
Erykah Badu
Paul Oakenfold
Ben Harper and Relentless7
The Mars Volta
TV on the Radio
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Gov’t Mule
Andrew Bird
Band Of Horses
Merle Haggard
MGMT
moe.
The Decemberists
Girl Talk
Bon Iver
Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Galactic
The Del McCoury Band
of Montreal
Allen Toussaint
Coheed and Cambria
Booker T & the DBTs
David Grisman Quintet
Lucinda Williams
Animal Collective
Gomez
Neko Case
Down
Jenny Lewis
Santogold
Robert Earl Keen
Citizen Cope
Femi Kuti and the Positive Force
The Ting Tings
Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Kaki King
Grizzly Bear
King Sunny Adé
Okkervil River
St. Vincent
Zac Brown Band
Raphael Saadiq
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Crystal Castles
Tift Merritt
Brett Dennen
Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Toubab Krewe
People Under the Stairs
Alejandro Escovedo
Vieux Farka Touré
Elvis Perkins In Dearland
Cherryholmes
Yeasayer
Todd Snider
Chairlift
Portugal. The Man.
The SteelDrivers
Midnite
The Knux
The Low Anthem
Delta Spirit
A.A. Bondy
The Lovell Sisters
Alberta Cross

MORE ARTISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

scene and not heard

2008-12-28T00:29:00.000-08:00

I feel as though we've met before
i just can't put a face with a name
I know It sounds funny
but you remind me of someone
someone i've met before
could it be that you
wish you were something
just like everyone else
a haircut and a pair of pants
stressed t-shirt, do i dare take a chance
here's the thing i'm sure we'd be friends
but do you have a say
If It's what they wish they were

Not who they want to be
But I can't leave those for whom I care
They are never too concerned about their hair
Sometimes all it takes is to be able to
look me in the eye
make conversation
shake my hand
remember my name

Shows I Should Review

2008-12-28T00:27:00.000-08:00

Neil Young & Wilco

Four Year Strong & Last Lights

New Found Glory

Rx Bandits

Rise Against

Maps and Atlases & Nurses

12.27.08 Four Year Strong & Set Your Goals

2008-12-28T00:11:00.000-08:00

I have been really bad about posting here, but I will give an update with all of the concerts that I attended this fall hopefully very soon. Anyways, tonight I went to the Worcester Palladium for the first time and saw a bunch of bands.

First was Lions Lions, they played a very "warped" hardcore along the lines of Circa Survive or Chiodos. They were OK, but they are still a very young band with a lot of room to grow into something.

Next was Energy, they played with Set Your Goals at the ICC in May but unfortunately we missed there set. Their show was exactly what I expected, very much in vein of old AFI with lots and lots of woahs. It was nice to finally see them, but they didn't really meet my expectations this first time. I really enjoyed there record, but the live performance was somewhat lackluster. I soon realized that this was the fault of the venue, sold out show, very bad acoustics.

Next was A Loss For Words, local band who I am very surprised that I have never seen before. I met the singer Matt a few weeks ago at the We Are The Union show and he was surprisingly very nice and we had a good talk about pop punk, hardcore and shows in Massachusetts. I never understood what people liked about A Loss For Words when they had their first few CDs released, a little too poppy for my liking at the time. But I think they have grown into something much bigger than that. Their songs are extremely catchy and they put on a great live show, I'm proud to say that they come from a few towns over.

Every Avenue showed up with only an acoustic guitar in hand, but came with a whole list of excuses and complaints in tow, I was going to give them a chance but this really turned me off. We moved up to the balcony to see what the view was like up there.

We snagged some sweet seats and I watched the rest of the show from there. Set Your Goals were definitely the highlight of the show for me, I hadn't seen them since this summer and although they played pretty much the same set they reminded me of how good they really are. They promised a record coming soon, they are going in the studio in February. I thought, if the rest is as good as "The Fallen" this is going to be a damn good record.

Four Year Strong definitely showed some home town pride and plenty of egging on... WHAT THE FUCKS UP WORCESTER ITS GOOD TO BE HOME, I WANNA SEE THIS PLACE OPEN UP! There set was good, they played some older songs but their sound was really bad and made it irritating at times. Being the fourth time seeing them this year It was cool to see them in their hometown, but I don't plan on seeing them again till they put out a new record.

Really fun show, but all in all the Palladium was not that great of a place, reminding me of an extremely run down Lupo's. Can't wait for the new Set Your Goals record.

Interrobang!?

2008-12-28T00:09:00.000-08:00

I've been posting a lot here...

10.12.08 The Slackers

2008-10-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

Crazy
I Still Love You
Eviction
Yer Still Blue
Keep Him Away
Have the Time
Don't You Want a Man?
And I Wonder
Cupid
Tin Tin Deo
Two Face
Walking On
You Were Always on My Mind (Willie Nelson cover)
Leave Me
Feed My Girl (Boss Harmony version)
What Went Wrong
Every Day is Sunday
Pedophilia
I Shall Be Released
Sarah
ENCORE:
You Don't Know I
She Wants to Be Alone

Warped 08

2008-09-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

Evergreen Terrace
Bring Me The Horizon
Against Me!
Set Your Goals
All That Remains
Every Time I Die
All Time Low
Say Anything
Schwayze
Forever The Sickest Kids
Protest The Hero
Street Dogs
The Aggrolites
Four Year Strong
Katy Perry

Instrument

2008-08-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

3743BMTS
People > Bodies, Heads
Balance

440490NM

2008-08-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

non-stop action and reaction
interaction in faction
a gathering of sorts
ideas brought to the table
of a blue lit room
the blue is what we strive for
the main goal is to stir emotions
of any minds willing to listen
a feeling like no other
caught in a groove
locked in
there is no pulling out
as long as this ride is running
you are being pulled along with it
minds in harmony with each other
as they share a similar experience
what will come next?
no one is really sure of this
even those who decide don't know
a collective of sorts
fills a room and waits patiently
to have some sort of interaction
with other mids
all is dark as an explosion occurs
souls are fusing together
minds are bonding all as one
expression
feeling
style
benevolence
interacting and reacting with each other
cues are taken
yet no words are spoken
all are one at this point
as the tension is built
and released like clockwork
timing is on
and there is no stopping this collective
...
machine if you will
until the sun comes up
when we prepare ourselves
for what's ahead

Beauty In Silence

2008-08-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

silence fills the air
no words are spoken
nothing is questioned
everything is answered

beauty in silence
beauty in love
mentally - spiritually
forever changed

we are as one
on the same page
physically - emotionally
silence fills the air

Senses

2008-08-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

power in numbers
ever changing the thoughts of idle minds
promiscuous tides flowing freely
it is what we see as well as what we cant
four times through, pain in each
sense is lost,
numb, nowhere to go
pillaging for those who cant
back of the line, same as the front
sense is lost
a cannon shot in to the dark night
sense is lost
bombs dropped over helpless lives
sense is lost
held hostage to beliefs in fear
sense is lost
where does hope come from
situations like these
find
seek
hide
hope
wait
listen
heat and jaw in hand
not what we expected
a twist
a turn
a light
a sense
what was lost now has a possibility of being found
in a darkened room where you least expect
head rushes with confusion
as we try to solve unresolved problems
have we found it?
will we ever find the solutions to these problems
which we have struggled with for so long.
possibly, yes
quite possibly
sense will be lost
sense is lost
sense was lost
sense will be found
sense is found
sense was found
resolution was key
resolution is key
resolution will be key
resolution is key

Collective Conscience

2008-08-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

collective conscience
all in the same boat
i'm nauseous
feelings of remorse
and i'm on the wrong course
following the roots
yet another pair of black boots
moving backwards
going faster
dealing out of the wrong cards
going nowhere
moving backwards
moving forwards
i'm just listening to my teachers
and now i'm listening
he had my ladder
my teachers lead me
nowhere

Less Talk More Rock

2008-07-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

I don't care what you like and i don't care what you hate
I just thought i'd see some music for the going rate
if its not what your buying then it's what you're selling
I don't care if you are singing, screaming or just yelling

no one cares about what you know
they all paid money to see a show
don't you think you should impress some girls your age
but you wont do that with your banter onstage

if you've had enough
of those who think they're tough
i really want to hear you say
LESS TALK MORE ROCK

talk is cheap
but the tickets not
those who paid to get in say
LESS TALK MORE ROCK

yeah sure you can talk watch for how long
cause i've seen bands talk more than play songs
and i know why you think you're so funny
cause you're doing nothing and taking peoples money

I don't care what you like and i don't care what you hate
I just thought i'd see some music for the going rate
if its not what your buying then it's what you're selling
I just want to hear you play for the cash that i'm shelling

if you've had enough
of those who think they're tough
i really want to hear you say
LESS TALK MORE ROCK

talk is cheap
but the tickets not
those who paid to get in say
LESS TALK MORE ROCK

IF ITS TOO LOUD
THEN YOU'RE TOO OLD

Rats

2008-07-12T22:23:00.000-07:00

it's gnawing at your feet
make mistakes and just repeat
every line i should have seen
can't wash my hands and make them clean

i know the type who play the act
young and fragile avoid the fact
that somethings wrong and can not see
what is true and right in me

by the look in your eyes you're not like them
you look at me, as should a friend
i hope that you didn't sign the pact
and fall by the ways of the rat

i remember the days when words meant something
and when truth would come with the words that we bring
times have changed and its hard for me
to keep up and understand how you see

if only you knew what to me you mean
and before this time that you had seen
that i know that you are not like this
let truth be seen and haters hiss

by the look in your eyes you're not like them
you look at me, as should a friend
i hope that you didn't sign the pact
and fall by the ways of the rat

A Short Song by Rory T. Nolan

2008-07-11T22:46:00.001-07:00

how many basement shows
do i have to sit through
til i figure out its you
youre still cute
and no matter how many
seas and states
lie between me and you
its still you
and youre still cute

Don't Look Down!

2008-07-07T14:57:00.001-07:00

i got this pain in my chest and its making me sick
its crawling beneath my skin, and i just can't itch
lingering forever i fear it wont just go away
now all i wonder is how long it's going to stay

its spinning through my head and i'm starting to spin
my hearts fighting a battle that it just cant win
my feet are week and it is affecting my speech
i'm searching for something that i just can't reach

just get get get get get me out of here
i'm hearing everything, but nothing that i want to hear
you think i'd know something now, after all these years
just get, get me out of here

my head is pounding and i don't know what to do
this isn't a feeling that is very new
one of these days i'll leave it behind
and hopefully it will stop eating my mind

just let me stop and take it in
will i be the one to win
we'll shut it up, not look behind
and let me clear my gentile mind

just get get get get get me out of here
i'm hearing everything, but nothing that i want to hear
you think i'd know something now, after all these years
just get, get me out of here

just let me stop and take it in
will i be the one to win
we'll shut it up, not look behind
and let me clear my gentile mind

Bonnaroo 2008

2008-06-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

MGMT
Battles
Vampire Weekend
Dark Star Orchestra
Drive-By Truckers
Umphrey's McGee
Tegan & Sara
Bluegrass Allstars
Les Claypool
!!!
The Raconteurs
Rilo Kiley
M.I.A.
Chris Rock
Metallica
The Wood Brothers
Two Gallants
Against Me!
Golgol Bordello
Mastodon
B.B. King
Ben Folds
Jack Johnson
Pearl Jam
Phil Lesh & Friends
Chromeo
Sigur Ros
Kanye West
Robert Randolph's Revival
Yonder Mountain String Band
Broken Social Scene
Death Cab For Cutie
Widespread Panic

The Postal Service - Give Up

2008-05-10T22:22:00.001-07:00

I think i understand why this CD is entitled "Give Up", i don't think that they really necessarily want to take up the haunting task of coming up with the follow up record to such an amazing work. This album will certainly stand the test of time and i don't believe really should have a follow up album. If it does, then great but i believe that Ben and Jimmy both understand where popular music can lead and as long as you stayed enough untied from it all then you will be ok. They have yet to reach the point where they have sold their souls and I doubt that they ever will. So yes, The Postal Service follow up, sure bring it on. But is it necessary, no.

Signed And Sealed

2008-05-10T22:06:00.001-07:00

signed and sealed with an exclamation point
but i know that that means shit
yeah show me who you are and what you think
and i know that you wont be proud of it

i've had it up to here with the nonsense and bickering
the immature drama and pride
if you see signs of hope fade and flickering
then you just came along for the ride

and i'll say hey thanks for the good times
yeah right i'll thank you for those
and i'll say hey thanks for the memories
i hope you like the life you have chose

i'll stand here 'till you know im right
cause you know that you were wrong
you aren't even worth putting up a fight
because from now on we wont get along

If you could only see yourself in a mirror
you are nothing more than that
in couldn't be any more clearer
you are nothing more than a rat

and i'll say hey thanks for the good times
yeah right i'll thank you for those
and i'll say hey thanks for the memories
i hope you like the life you have chose

soon enough i wont need to see this anymore
its the last time i am permanent to this shore
sure there have been some good times
but i'll still turn back and say...

hey thanks for the good times
yeah right i'll thank you for those
and i'll say hey thanks for the memories
i hope you like the life you have chose

hey thanks for the good times
yeah right i'll thank you for those
and i'll say hey thanks for the memories
i hope you like the life you have chose

I'm Like A Cat

2008-05-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

another night alone sitting at home
save me from this nightmare
where are you she said once more
but it was only in my dreams

i can only sleep so long before
the day becomes the night
you'll get built up to find that i
will watch you fall again

cheers to the feeling of feeling alone
cheers to wishing that your heart had a home
if only you could save me now
just save me from this nightmare

i see the gears they're turning
if i'm caught, i'll be dragged in
and yes my clock is ticking
but i know the gears will win

i really don't mind working for the machine
for once i thought it was a sin
to step the right way is all i want
i just want to be able to win

cheers to the feeling of feeling alone
cheers to wishing that your heart had a home
if only you could save me now
just save me from this nightmare

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

2008-05-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have just had an experience which i wish that I could somehow convey to others and hopefully have them experience the same. Only once before, I believe that I have had this experience but when you are amidst it and completely aware. The essence of this experience is hearing sonic capability and realizing it for its true beauty and no more. As marvelous as this is, there is no possible way of describing it in words and there is no way to understand it until you have experienced it yourself. But for the sake of remembering this experience, I shall do my best to try to retell my listening. Laying flat on my back with my primary audio source being my computer i was engulfed in the sound of what is Narrow Stairs. Once engulfed, not very much else mattered to me besides what i was hearing. Any distant sounds in my house or even thoughts in my head were gone and I was able to truly appreciate this album for what it is and no more. The opening track "Bixby Canyon Bridge" pulled me into this world which I can only describe as relaxing, comforting and assuring. This track sets the mood for the album with enough ambiance and structure at the same time, creating a perfect balance. An ambient intro which leads into a structured song which eventually dissolves into an ambient and chaotic outro with a structured and melodic vocal line which eases the song out. The following song is the only song which has been publicly released so far and that is "I Will Posses Your Heart" an eight and a half minute masterpiece. I honestly have a hard time finding words to describe this album, for this is something that you really just have to hear. After the beauty of "I Will Possess Your Heart" I fell deeper into this state of relaxation that this album put me in. The songs erased all thought from my head and even kept me from analyzing them, something which i often cant help myself from doing. Consequentially, I slowly and easily came out of this experience like it was a perfect dream. Much like the ones where you don't just wake up but slowly realize that you are awake and are in a very optimistic mindset. When I realized that i was conscious I was spoken to by none other than Ben Gibbard. He told me, "We're not the same dear, as we used to be, the seasons have changed..." and as soon as i heard this I felt his words come out of my mouth, "and so have we". Once I heard this line being completed by myself in unison with Ben Gibbard I realized what I had been going through this whole time. I look up and I was on the last track of the CD, "The Ice Is Getting Thinner". When the song had finished and the album had come to an end, within the next ten minutes as I lay there motionless, these words poured into my brain and I realized the true beauty of this album. A glorious forty four minutes and fifty seconds of a masterpiece and then the after effect it has had on me, which is still hitting me like a semi truck an hour and a half since i begun the first track.

Different Pace, Different Place

2008-04-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

i want for you to grow up she said but i know that thats not true
who isn't afraid of facing change and feeling something new
it's been quite a ride for nineteen long hard years
it was great while it lasted and now the end is oh so near

i'm packing up i'm moving out say goodbye to mom and dad
thanks for all you've done for me and the luxuries i have had
well i won't be far i know but it's a whole new lifestyle
i'll get used to it even if it takes a little while

time to move on and get out of this town
i won't be gone forever but i'm not gonna stick around
i know it might be hard and didn't think it would be so soon
a different pace, different place, but i can sit and watch the same old moon

scrounge for all i've got to fill up the new place
anything to fill up blank walls and empty space
when we finish up we can enjoy our company
i like this life already, just wait and you will see

a different place a different pace a world thats new and free
time for a new space to discover my own luxuries
i'm getting out of this town who knows how long i'll be gone
i'll find the things that i'm been looking for and then you'll sing along...

time to move on and get out of this town
i won't be gone forever, but i'm not gonna stick around
i know it might be hard and didn't think it would be so soon
a different pace, different place, but i can sit and watch the same old moon

Song For Yesterday

2008-04-27T12:42:00.001-07:00

here is a song for yesterday
the time is gone but thoughts will stay
we won't take time to dwell on the past
instead latch onto those ones we want to last

time should always be set to reminisce
but don't let it blind you from the things you can't miss
just let your mind be free to go on its own
and make the best of all you've been shown

grow to learn and teach unto others
treat strangers like they are your brothers
the young and frail are soon to learn
of elder cause and elder concern

it may not make sense, you will wonder why
but it will be explained, all in due time
the song for yesterday is here today
just be aware of what you do and say

Your Problems

2008-04-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

do i look i'm impressionable
is it because of my smile
well i may be good natured
but i am not a child

and as for you
thats a whole different story
i won't lay down in defeat
and bask in your glory

take a look at your life
and tell me what's wrong
take the weight off of me
and write your own song

you may have your reasons
and they may all be true
your problems aren't mine
they are only for you

when you look back
you'll see who is at fault
and if you pull this again
i'll take it with a grain of salt

Because Of You

2008-04-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

because of you
i am able to write a love song
because of you
i can tell of what went wrong
so thank you
because it means a lot to me
so thank you
because now i can see

not all things work out the way you expect
and that don't mean that you're a reject
i'm glad we are friends and that we talked things through
and so I must say... thank you

well i've learned some things
from now on i will know
it may not be apparent
and i wont be quick to show
it's been a long trial
which has come to it's end
and i'm proud to say
that you're still my friend

because of you
i am able to write a love song
so thank you

Once Again, Forge On!

2008-04-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

and just when you thought that you weren't wrong
all tables turn and you wish you knew all along
those moments you wish that you had back
your time is wasted and that is clear fact

and though they try to say that it is me and not you
they still top the last one, each time something new
when will it be the one that really cares
to take me somewhere nice with something that we share

I think some day
i'll get our of here, i'll move away
but just for now i can close my eyes
and never deal with you again
and never deal with you again

and just when you thought that you were right
we start again, another fight
you ask me why i think the way i do
because the descision is up to me not you

don't think i'm coming around again
cross my heart to pretend that we are friends
you turn to me to make ammends
and i say, i never want to see your face again

I think some day
i'll get our of here, i'll move away
but just for now i can close my eyes
and never deal with you again
and never deal with you again

I could say i'll sleep forever to avoid the bullshit
But i wouldn't be able to look back on my life and say i was proud of it
I'll live each each day like it was my last
Look forward to the future and not deal with the past

My strings are changed
I'm clean, I'm new
Look forward to the future
which doesn't involve you

I think some day
i'll get our of here, i'll move away
but just for now i can close my eyes
and never deal with you again
and never deal with you again

I think some day
i'll get our of here, i'll move away
but just for now i can close my eyes
and never deal with you again
and never deal with you again

Everything In Between

2008-04-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

i'll take a hit of this shit, everything will be just fine
avoid the problems in my hands, erase whats on my mind
i'll take one more for the road and i'm still left feeling cold
you can guess that i'm a mess, will i regret things when I'm old?

Just another story
of full blown teenage glory
filled with years of apathy
and everything in between

and i shall pity the fool
who does just what to be cool
the party is in your head
you eat the shit that you are fed

I can see you turning now and thats just way too bad
Don't ever stop and ask me how you lost the things you one had
Another hit to take the pain, numb my eyes my heart my speach
self remedy for my teenage strain, now that luck is out of reach

Just another story
of full blown teenage glory
filled with years of apathy
and everything in between

and i shall pity the fool
who does just what to be cool
the party is in your head
you eat the shit that you are fed

YOU HAVE A HEAD
SO USE IT

Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch

2008-04-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

For most, including myself, the first Regina experience comes from one of the radio tracks off of her hit record Begin To Hope. Although I find them to be equally beautiful records, there is something about Soviet Kitsch that i always come back to. The instrumentation of this record is very simple if not just piano and vocals, which i believe is a driving element of what sets this out in a world of over produced music and made for radio hits. Regina, being classically trained in piano brings out a lot of these elements in her songwriting but at the same time knows what the people want to hear. I have yet to hear a song of hers that lacks sincerity in its vocals, which is something I love. I have seen Regina once live at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2007. Her performance was a great mixture and span of her writing ability. And what amazed me the most was her ability to connect with such a large crowd on such a personal level. Although she was playing the second largest stage at the festival to a bounty of fans, it felt like she was singing the songs to me personally in the comfort of my living room. There will always be a place in my heart for Regina and her music. Not only is she an amazing singer/songwriter/pianist, she seems to remain quite humble and sincere as she gains more and more attention from the public.

2008-04-06T20:14:00.001-07:00

so sunday april 6th at 11:14 pm is where this whole thing starts