To break from what we're tied to...

So Kim and I were lucky enough to be able to go backstage at the NIN/JA show this previous Friday. We got in about an hour before everyone else, got to see the sound checks for Nine Inch Nails and Street Sweeper Social Club, meet NIN, take pictures, and get some autographs. It was such an amazing experience and so surreal.

Kim and I were in the front of the line to get in for the sound check so we were able to get an excellent spot. They came out shortly after and Trent said "We're going to play some songs we won't be playing tonight." Then they broke into I'm Afraid of Americans.



The next song they played was The Good Soldier, followed by Meet Your Master, and finished up with Dead Souls. After saying bye and thanking us, SSSC set up for their sound check. They played 4 songs only one of which they played a little bit later. Tom Morello let us know, "We'll be playing this song again in about 25 minutes, so act like it's the first time you've heard it...or better yet, sing along loudly!"



Directly after their sound check, we lined up to go backstage and meet Trent and the guys. Kim and I ended up being third in line for this which worked out. Justin, Robin, and Ilan came out first and I had them sign And All That Could Have Been and they all introduced themselves which was cool because I obviously know who they are but they didn't assume as much. I got my picture taken with them and then Trent walked out. He was so soft spoken and such a nice guy. He came up and I introduced myself and he signed AATCHB also during which I asked him about LOST. I knew he is a fan and I'm a fan so there is some common ground haha. I didn't really know what else to say. So I said "So you're LOST fan eh?". He asked me what I thought of the latest season and I let him know. Then he replied "Yeah, it started out good, but then it kinda went downhill and now I don't know what the fuck is going on". This made me laugh and he said the last time he was here was for the bridge school and I thanked him and Kim got her ticket signed and a picture as well. We then went out into the venue and walked around. It was incredible to meet someone who you're a huge fan of for a long time and to find out they're really nice and not a total asshole.

The show itself was stunning as well. SSSC had so much energy which I loved. Their songs were really catchy and I can not wait till their album drops next month. Boots Riley had dance moves similar to the godfather of soul himself, James Brown, and compiled with the thrashing and intensity of Tom Morello, really made for an excellent opening act for NIN.



NIN took the stage shortly after. This time around Trent had mentioned they were going more minimal than their previous Lights In The Sky Tour which was visually complex. Their line-up also slimmed down with Trent on vocals and guitar, Robin on guitar, Ilan on drums and Justin on bass. Keys being taken up by Trent, Robin, and Ilan depending on the song. Their setlist was as follows:



Home
1,000,000
Terrible Lie
Discipline
March of the Pigs
Piggy
Metal
The Becoming
Burn
Gave Up
The Fragile
The Way Out is Through
Wish
Echoplex
Survivalism
The Day the World Went Away
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole
Hurt



I was very happy that they played Metal (a Gary Numan cover), The Becoming, The Way Out is Through, and The Day the World Went Away. Along with I'm Afraid of Americans and Meet Your Master, I was incredibly pleased. If they threw in Last in there I would have lost my shit, but I'm content with what I got.

Jane's Addiction was entertaining. Perry seems to be the weakest link in this reformation of a band who has influenced many. Everyone else seemed on the top of their game though. That being said, I'm glad I got to see them live and had a smile on my face the whole time.

12 days till we leave for Paris. Kim and I had dinner with my boss, Laura's brother, Michael, on Saturday. Him and his family came up for the weekend (Laura and Michael went to the NIN show also) and we got to get to know each other a little bit which was so cool. Such an awesome family. Sweet and interesting people and fuck...what an amazing cook Michael is. Or should I say bbq-er? I don't know, but man. Kim and I started eating meat again so we our bodies will be used to it when we eat meat on our trip and experience all aspects of Paris/Germany. I'm really looking forward to meeting new people, hanging out with Anna and getting to know her and her friends, and flying. I love flying and keeping myself entertained.

I am becoming aware of just how lost inside my life you really are.

I keep meaning to write a new blog, but keep forgetting or not having time or some other lame excuse. Anyway, 22 days till I leave for Paris. Almost all our ducks are in a row except for one little area which would be where we're going to sleep when in Paris. Shit. 4 nights sans bed thus far. Just part of the fun I guess. While in Germany, we're going to try and make it up to Berlin also. I'm really looking forward to playing most of it by ear and meeting new folks.

I'm catching up on a handful of shows. I just started into the second season of Flight of the Conchords which is hilarious. It's too bad this is their last season...or so I heard.



I also am catching up on The Wire which I started a while back and stopped mid-second season, and will be starting the second season of Californication in which the first season was a pleasant surprise.



A few shows coming up. Next Friday NIN/JA which is a clever little title for the Nine Inch Nails / Jane's Addiction tour which should be a lot of fun. It will be cool to see Jane's with their original line up and catch NIN before they take a hiatus for who knows how long. Also, Street Sweeper is opening which is Tom Morello's latest project.



Then after we get back from Germany, Cursive will be playing at the Great American Music Hall. I really like that venue and feel very lucky to be able to see Cursive there again.

I recently saw The Soloist which I really wanted to like, but did not really care for at all. The performances were good, particularly Jamie Foxx. Robert Downey's was kind of dull. I'm really looking forward to Star Trek even though I'm not that big a fan of the original films and not a fan of the TV show at all. We'll see.

Currently reading:



Currently listening to:

Emergency: We're floating endlessly.

The weather is tricky today. I don't think I can trust it.

Saw Jonah Matranga and Anna Rosenthal last night at Hotel Utah in San Francisco last night. It was a small, intimate venue which meant if you didn't get there early enough you were stuck in the doorway from where the bar is, craning your head to get a peak at the stage. Anna Rosenthal went on first and blew me away. I had checked out her myspace (http://www.myspace.com/annarikjerosenthal) a bit before going to the show and listened to her two covers. I was more curious than anything after hearing those about her own material. I was more than surprised when she started singing. Her voice is incredible and floored me. It was very soothing and calming which was refreshing.



Shortly after her set Jonah took the stage. It took me by surprise that he wasn't headlining, but that was my mistake. I guess I misread the flyer. Regardless, it's always a pleasure to see him play. He played mostly Jonah/onelinedrawing stuff. Mid set he busted out the uklele and covered a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song (Helpless) and also covered a Sugarcubes song (Birthday).



He closed the set by playing The Greatest Wonder and So Long. It was a relatively short set. 50 minutes. That particular venue is perfect for Jonah to play because he is so intimate and has a close relationship with his audience, even if it's your first Jonah show.



Jonah has been talking about Leonord Cohen for the past month or so and how when he saw him he gave such care to each individual note and he really took his time and his performance was ineffable. After the show last night I told Jonah that he was to me what Leonord Cohen is to him. He pulled me back in for another hug and let me know how happy he was that I felt that way and what not. Jonah is my favorite musician ever...hands down. This will not change.

Lost is on tonight. Second to last episode of the season. **possible spoiler** My prediction on the finale, either Sayid will die or Penny will die. Sayid's story is pretty much wrapped up. We know Nadya is dead and how Sayid worked for Ben off the island and why. He has never been mentioned in regards to Jacob's list so for him to die would nicely wrap up his story and he could be with Nadya again. Penny however, could get killed (by Ben somehow since he said he would kill Whidmore's daughter because he "changed the rules") and thus fuel Desmond to try and get back to the island to get revenge on Ben. Maybe even Ben would make it seem like Whidmore did it and drive Desmond to kill Whidmore. This is getting a little out of hand, but I think one of them will die next Wednesday.

May 1st. 2009.

midnight -

1am -

2am -

3am - sleeping
4am - sleeping
5am - sleeping
6am - sleeping
7am - sleeping
8am - sleeping
9am - sleeping
10am - sleeping
11am - sleeping

noon -

1pm -

2pm -

3pm -

4pm -

5pm -

6pm -

7pm -

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11pm -

Going to see Jonah tonight which should be fun as always. That's about it. 31 days till I am out of the country. Excited.

Live the dream like the 80's never happened.

3 shows in 3 days. Not Coachella, but this nice string of shows was a close second. The first show was on Record Store Day which was a day for people to support their local record stores. On said day, a lot of bands release vinyl specific to that day and are usually in limited numbers. They're obviously only sold at participating stores and many independent record stores have in-store performances and/or giveaways. Rasputins in Berkeley had Silversun Pickups play for about 45 minutes and then do a signing. I'm not that into them, but Kim and I were there getting some vinyl (I picked up the Gaslight Anthem vinyl released that day which has 6 live songs on it, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's new album and the Slayer and Bad Religion vinyls for ebay), so we decided to stay and watch. They played an acoustic set and it was pretty good.



The next night, Kim and I went to The Rickshaw Stop to see Jonah Matranga and Kimya Dawson play. The Rickshaw Stop was a neat little place (excluding it being hot as fuck all) which looks a lot like the "dream" room from Twin Peaks...but the floors weren't as cool.



I had picked up the Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen vinyls from Record Store Day for Jonah, so I gave him those before the show. I figure it's the least I could do for how much he's done for me...indirectly. He went on shortly after we got there. At first, we were right under the vent and arctic air was blowing right down on us, but quickly after Jonah came on, it stopped and the heat just kept on rising after that. Jonah's set had a handful of songs I hadn't seen him played in a while which included 'Disco Manifesto' and 'Oh, Boys'.



It was a nice little set and the audience stayed seated which felt almost like we were all still in elementary school. Right before Kimya took the stage, everyone got to their feet. About mid set, a bunch of short people through out the venue could be heard shouting (aka complaining) about the amount of tall people (aka how short they actually were). Kimya then invited the Willow's of the audience to join her on stage and have people sit back down and she finished the show that way.



I was semi-familiar with Kimya's stuff due to the Juno soundtrack. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't know about her till then, but was glad I found out about her. She's just as kind as Jonah and embraces her social awkwardness which then comes off as cute. Overall though, I really enjoyed her set and am looking forward to go through her stuff.

Monday night.
Bloc Party played at the Fox Theatre in Oakland. This theatre had been recently been renovated so needless to say it was flawless. The staff was compiled of people picked from the we-are-really-nice-people tree which was refreshing since most venues have people that seem generally unhappy working. We had general admission tickets so we were on the floor which means I didn't see the balcony, but everything I did see in this venue was top notch. The architecture was enough to keep me occupied till Bloc Party hit the stage. Also, the multiple vents on the floor spitting out cool air helped also.



Bloc Party came out and pretty much blew me away. I've been a mediocre Bloc Party fan for a while and really wasn't expecting much from them live. I was pleasantly surprised.



Intimacy, Bloc Party's latest album, is probably my least favorite of theirs, but the songs they played off of it were so much more incredible live. I really hate the song "Mercury", but live it was filled with so much energy that it was hard not to move to. That being said, they played a fair share of material off of all three of their albums which pleased me.

I know 'cause we were kids and we used to hang.

Saw Gaslight Anthem last night and it was pretty fucking awesome. They are great live and their sound is incredibly tight.







I will be posting pictures on my facebook page. I think I might be done with myspace and all my blogs will now end up here, including all my first-of-the-month blogs. Going to see Jonah on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it. I always really look forward to seeing Jonah. Whenever I see Jonah, it's like he callibrates me and makes me sane again. Maybe it's his incredible kindness and open heart; lets me know that people aren't all assholes and just don't care about them selves.

I'm coming along with another drawing. I'm really looking forward to this one. It's coming along better than I thought it would have. Just one question...who keeps it?

State just the facts and the status you're after.

I'm back at work. Everything is good. Goods. All in your head.