god free youth

Trends come, and trends go. Nothing will change that ebb and flow. I do not mind mainstream trends, I tend to ignore them. I view those as such widespread things that I am so far removed from that I tend to not feel affected.

Then there are counter culture trends. Some I don't mind at all if they are born from with in counter culture. Hell, if it somehow becomes mainstream culture I don't even care either! What bugs me are counter culture trends DIRECTLY born to counter act something, and people follow it blindly. To me, it's just the same as following a mainstream trend except these sheep are lying to themselves thinking it's cool, alternative, and underground.

The biggest one to annoy me at the moment is "god free youth". I have no idea where this term was originally coined, but it's annoying as fuck. I see it everywhere I tend to be around. Shows, online, t-shirts, and people's online profiles. It's so rampant in hardcore, it's ridiculous.

I am not a religious person. I do not believe in organized judeo-christian religion being such a rampant controlling force in the sophisticated world we live in. I questioned these things since I was a child. I am all for freedom of beliefs, but a trend of anti-belief is terrible in my eyes. I have been "god free" since I truly was a "youth".

Yet, I don't feel the need to advertise myself as such. Those three words mean nothing to me, why do pseudo teenage bike messengers feel the need to post it up everywhere? Beliefs are a personal thing that shouldn't be advertised. Admittingly, they are by various religions. Even still, an ANTI-BELIEF should just be kept as an opinion, not a statement to be tossed around to sell band merch.

I guess what I'm trying to say is just be yourself and keep your beliefs to yourself unless someone strikes a civil conversation. Don't run around yelling "HAIL SATAN" either, but it's ok to listen to Venom. I'm up late and rambling.

Persepolis

Last night on a late night sojourn to Wal-Mart, I perused the usual sections I always do. There is something special about going to a 24 hour store late at night. Maybe it's the access to a huge inventory with no crowd around. I will digress, that's another topic for another blog.

I was in the dvd section, and happened upon a veritable diamond in the rough sticking out like sore thumb. It was an animated film with such a simple contrast yet bold style that won a lot of awards. What caught my eye on the cover was a depiction of a little Iranian girl being harassed by two older Iranian women because she was wearing a jacket which said "Punk Is Not Ded". Oh, I had to own this multi-award winning film that flew so low under my radar that somehow was on the shelves of a conglomerate store.

Yes, this film is the one known as "Persepolis". It was based on a graphic novel apparently. Despite viewing this as the sun was rising, I have to admit that this was an amazing film. It follows the life of a little Iranian girl named Marjane to adulthood, as well as through some of Iran's wars. This movie was simply captivating.

The visuals were superb. While present time story telling was presented in color, the flash backs were in black and white with a very mild sephia(sp) tone. That lack of color really brought out the starkness of what was going on in the story. I think only one scene had the visuals stray from being realistic, and even that was a welcome surprise.

This was also a very sociological and psychological look at the oppression these women faced in that country. Marjane was always reminded of her background, but always encouraged to be herself no matter what. As the story progresses, she takes many strides in learning her own identity and going through life in a different place from an oppressive war torn Iran. I don't want to give away too much, but Marjane is captivating with her bold sass. She also goes through some culture shock as she meets people who don't fully understand the freedoms they take for granted.

I highly recommend this animated feature. It's a surreal look at life through Marjane's eyes as she grows up and copes with things. It doesn't hold back and is enjoyable from beginning to end. I am very glad I picked up Persepolis.

Not even in the face of Armageddon. Never compromise.

forget V for Vendetta. forget League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

This is Alan Moore's finest piece of work turned silver screen:



I am excited beyond any measurable means. I hear they will run the trailer before The Dark Knight, and I swear I will need to change my pants. This graphic novel has been one of two literary pieces to change my life (The Art Of War being the other). Dear reader, I highly suggest you go out and buy this graphic novel. It's only 19.99, and trust me, you WILL flip through it at least twice to catch everything put into this masterpiece of panels. I honestly hope the movie does it enough justice. If it's just the story done panel for panel, I will be more than content. For now I twiddle my thumbs and wait.

Moria's last show round 2

The abruptness of the last Moria show left the fans and the band wanting a real, proper way to end the band. I was split on it because I love the band, but I also believe in the absoluteness behind the words "last show". Still, I met up with Steve Dean and off we went.

Admittingly, I was outside for most of the bands. No Truce did an amazing set and got a lot of people going. The Wrath was great too; they covered AM/PM by American Nightmare. I saw a lot of new kids, and held back from scoffing at how they move because once upon a time I was just like them.

Moria came on and started the set with a couple old songs off the first demo. They switched around members for various songs, almost like giving the crowd every era of the band. I stood back a good portion of the set, just watching the insanity build and crash. It's truly a site to behold when a band means so much to a crowd that they have to be on stage screaming along. Then, it finally happened: they played their last song. Everything good thing has a beginning and an end, and it finally did.

BUT WAIT, THERE WAS AN ENCORE! After years upon years of asking, they played it. Yes, they played MAYBE IN DEATH YOU WILL UNDERSTAND. Sopo called for a shirts off, and a bunch of us obliged. I dont think I've gone that crazy for a song in my life.

Moria went out with a colossal bang surrounded by fans and friends. I'm glad this 2nd show happened because it was a proper send off for the band. I'm glad this happened. I'm proud to say I've followed this band from beginning to end, and made amazing friends in the process. Thank you Moria for all the great times.

Arco at Amador Valley and Hastings Road in Dublin

I officially abhor and boycott this gas station. The late night attendant is an inconsiderate and unwise employee of Arco, with no sympathy at all. I may even go so far as to even Yelp about my experience there tonight.

I had just gotten into my car after seeing Hellboy 2 with my friend Brad. As soon as I started driving, and overwhelming pressure took over my being. Yes, I had to drop the proverbial deuce. I called Brad to see if I could use his bathroom, but alas I could not. I was in unfamiliar territory, and started to panic when I kept getting turned around in his neighborhood. I finally made my way to a main drag to find porcelain salvation.

And there it was! Eureka! Heaven emblazoned with a sign which read "Open 24 Hours"! When the 4 wheeled machines imbibe fuel! Yes my friends, I came upon an Arco. In my rushed joy to find relief, I entered the premises. I asked the attendant if I they had a bathroom I could use, to which he spouted off in broken english about how he was cleaning the floor and what not. I apologized, but asked if he had a bathroom. He said no, and I walked outside with desperation in my lungs. It was either them, or it was me at this point. I found an AC unit with bushes around it to do my business. A dirty deed it was, like shooting brownie mix out of a shotgun. I then departed home.

I do not endorse stealing from this place, but I wholeheartedly endorse making a mess in this establishment. Had he let me use their bathroom, which all gas stations have for public use, he would have had to mop up only an extra few feet. If he didn't want anyone inside the store, he should have locked the front doors. Now he has to clean up after my fecal disaster behind his AC unit, which I'm sure will take longer than mopping a floor. Hope your cold air smells like shit tomorrow, dickbag.

rhythm games

As you all know, two of the biggest things in my life are music and video games. Gaming has been an intense past time of mine, lasting for almost 2 decades now. Music on the other hand has been around in my life a little less, but has become the top passion in my life. In fact, I'm working at my video game store right now bumpin' Live 105 (go figure). So one would think that when these two interests converged into one being, a person such as myself would be ecstatic...

Perhaps I should start in chronological order. The first rhythm game to exist was DDR, short for Dance Dance Revolution. The player would dance on a mat full of arrows that correspond to when arrows on screen would be stepped on. The game appealed to mostly kids and japanophiles due to it's over abundance of fast paced j-pop and j-techno music. The music and the motions were not my cup of tea at all, but I noticed they were onto something.

Next game games directly influenced by DDR. Beat Mania. Drum Mania. Guitar Mania. Arcades were seeing a drop in attendance due to home console systems getting games directly. Suddenly, many interactive simulation games came in. Racing seat and light gun games have always been around, but interactive boxing and fishing games were not. Combined with DDR, more and more of these peripheral arcade games arrived because they were hard to recreate at home. Suddenly games around instruments arrived. You could be a dj, a drummer, a guitarist. I tried some of these when they came out, and I felt as if they were just reskinned versions of DDR. It was mostly in how the software was programmed and presented; it tried to grab the same DDR crowd with little deviation. I view this as the first wave of rhythm games. Somewhere in there Samba De Amigo came out, but I never played it thus I have no opinion. Still, I had no idea what was around the corner in the second age.

Guitar Hero. It came out quietly by a virtually unknown company. A former friend bought it and brought it around to a friend's house. I had my doubts, mainly because I'd played Guitar Mania and felt that experience was piss poor. They were touting it as the closest thing to playing real guitar (a premonition). I tried it, and to be honest I enjoyed it. It was new, innovative, and fun. It appealed to anyone who liked any type of rock music because THAT it the kind of music that's most known for being guitar driven. Guitar Hero 2 came out, and suddenly it was a phenomenon that spread accross the land. I will personally always buy a guitar hero game because truth be told, it exposes me to a new band or two that normally I wouldn't hear.

Guitar Hero 3. Harmonix sold all their rights for guitar hero to Activision/Neversoft. There was an air of anticipation because a different company was handling the franchise with a very fantastic soundtrack. Finally the wait was over, and GH3 came out. If GH2 was the start of a zombie invasion in small towns and suburbs, GH3 was the invasion taking over states and countries. It's popularity was through the roof. I got my hands on GH3, and found myself a bit conflicted. It LOOKED like the guitar hero I'd known and loved... but the difficulty had been ramped up. In fact, more than I could have ever cared for. I still played it though, because for me it was more about the fun factor of doing a song as opposed to getting arthritis. Still, what were the old creators of Guitar Hero doing with their time?

Rock Band. This game took the simple ideas from guitar hero, and expanded them ten fold. You could do guitar. You could do bass. You could sing. You could play drums. You could do it all with 3 of your friends. That's right, 4 people could get together and play in their virtual bands with their custom made in-game musicians. I received this as a b-day gift and was floored. Beyond the instruments, they were releasing new songs every week that people could purchase. Random ones of all rock genres, as not to stay biased and remain diverse. This was a pure evolutionary step for rhythm games: they now became party games.

Where is this all going now? Rock Band 2 is coming out soon. The instruments are rumored to have some redesign, but they are saying they will be doing more with how you play the songs ingame. Guitar Hero 4 will feature a drumset too with cymbal pads to hit. Konami is making their own Rock Band-esque game. Guitar Hero on the Nintendo DS actually just came out.

So there's the run down of the history of rhythm gaming thus far. It definitely has evolved out of the hands of hardcore gamers and into the homes of the casual. It's brought family and friends together to interact with songs they love and enjoy.


BUT WAIT, I AIN'T DONE YOU GARGOYLES!


I like to lay things out as they are w/as many facts as possible before I throw in my opinions. You have seen the silver lining, now embrace the dark clouds. I now HATE rhythm games. I have a solid negative passion towards them in my attitudes. I think they are fun, and I partake from time to time, but I hate them now like I hate Star Wars.

Guitar hero. When I was first handed the controller, people expected me to be some expert guitar god on it. I'm sorry, it's a goddamn video game not a real instrument. I'm a musician, not a jerk off living in an illusion. I did alright due to proxy experience, but in the years to come this would keep happening. Being decent at guitar hero is ok because you make few mistakes but playing Through The Fire and Flames on expert 100% makes you a loser with not enough courage to try and a real instrument. Hell there are a bunch of dickbags that play everything on medium thinking they're hot shit. Oh yea, GH3 officially made me hate Dragonforce because every dickbag out there thinks they're the greatest thing ever because you have to beat the game before playing their dumbass hard song. But do you know what I hate more?

ROCK BAND. YES, YOU HEARD ME. ROCK BAND. I want to put this out there: I do not mind playing these games with other musicians because we both know it's just a game. Yet, not everyone has their heads in reality like we do. Remember how I said this game was revolutionary? It is; it ushered in a new age of disillusioned dickbags. Suddenly asshats nationwide were talking about getting together on friday nights to jam. They talked about practicing songs to get better at them. They started thinking THEY COULD PLAY THE REAL INSTRUMENTS. They had real musician mindsets without knowledge of playing an instrument. Nothing can replace the feeling of playing an instrument. Learning something new, learning how to do it a different way to a similar effect, creating songs, PERFORMING. People singing on rock band get an exclusion from this because it's the only real "instrument" being utilized. People on guitar controllers think they're gods because they can play the hardest stuff perfect as if they're Yngwie Malmsteen. The kids on the drums. OH FOR HELL'S SAKE GODDAMN. For one, the drum pad is NOT setup like a drumset. These kids are ignorant to how many drums are actually in a drum kit. They really believe they can play real drums after this game. Hitting drums to keep time is different than smacking pads to shit on a screen.

If you are knee deep in these games, guess what: you're not a real musician. Real musicians and real bands rehearse and memorize real songs to perform, sometimes finding new ways to do it to mix things up. They play in sync to create something special. It's truly an art form. Do you know what you're doing? You are listening to a song and being told to hit notes when they fly at you. You know what you become when you do things johnny on the spot when told day in and day out? A GODDAMN TOOL!

The last Moria show

Tonight was the last Moria show. I'd been anticipating this bittersweet event for quite sometime now. I'd known about the break up for a few months now. I've followed them since I was accidentally at their first show 5 years ago at a little place called Jim Dandy's. These guys were very important to the Salinas scene, and they will sadly be missed.

A few friends of mine piled into my honda around 5, and we set off for the show. Ignite sang over the speakers over our long journey. We arrived with time to spare. Greetings were made and ATM's were used. Eventually they let people in. The first band was mediocre to my ears, but got kids moving. After they were done, I saw Taylor and Joel approach the mic.

Cops had decided to rain on our parade. The show had to end soon, so Moria decided to go on next. I feel bad for the other bands not being able to play, but I was beyond excited to see who I wanted to immediately. Moria was a bit rushed, but definitely went out with a band. They started the set with 3 songs off the first demo. When old school salinas goes off, it's like dynamite going off. Who am I not to be another stick in that bundle? Crowd rushing, circle pitting, two stepping, and edge moshing. I was being a dick, I admit... but I had not a care in the world. I was going off for a band I wouldn't see again.

Afterwards, we waited around for awhile to see what the plan was. We did not drive down 90 miles to hang for two hours! Everyone headed to In 'N Out, so we followed suit accordingly. Jaeson paid for our meal and we hung out there for awhile. Since the show was rushed and abrupt, they are thinking of doing another one.

If this was their last show, I'm satisfied. I do not want another one. I'll go if there is one, but multiple last shows don't feel right. You book one, and roll with what comes. In the end though, I'm proud to say I've made many friends cause of this band. They've been great friends, and opened my eyes to a great scene an hour and a half away from me. My last band's first show was with them. Hell, Steve and I road tripped to see Earth Crisis! Things in my life would not have gone the way they have had I not gotten into this band. RIP Moria.