Increase the Peace.

Good people of the internets, I am not impressed. Not with you, per se, but with the with the world at large.

In the past few weeks i have seen a friend's personal effects thrown out the window, and another friend punched in the face. An online tech reporter i honestly enjoy reading is reconsidering his line of work because in the past year he has been stalked, had his family's life threatened, and had his face spat on by promoters who were angry at him for not writing about their company or service. He reports on new gadgets (ie: cameras and headphones), and new online startups. Its an interesting job, sure, but not exactly the kind of thing one should get their life threatened over.

This type of behavior is not okay, and "i was drunk" is not an excuse. College (or work life) is stressful, i get it. But there are few reasons to resort to violence. I am no hippie. But i believe that a person's body is her own property, and it is not okay to disrespect that.

Last night I myself got a very creepy phone call. If it was a prank, fyi: these are supposed to be funny not scary. I am not amused.

If it wasn't a prank, this is what i have to say to you. I never screen calls. Even if i am angry or upset with a person, i will almost always answer his/her phone calls, because i honestly believe that everyone deserves the right to be heard. I know i would be pissed if i was trying to apologize to someone and they wouldn't let me. Likewise, if a friend or enemy sends me an email, i will always read it. I may not respond to it, but i read it. your opinion is heard. Now, the list of people i don't wish to speak to is really very short, perhaps three people. Out of everyone in my entire life. So here's the thing, if i have stopped answering your calls, then i have absolutely no interest in talking to you. You have had your opportunity to say whatever you need to and for some reason it did not live up to my standards, which are actually not that high. This means you are no longer a part of my life. This does not mean disguise your voice and call me in the middle of the night from a blocked number.

Certain things are and are not acceptable in decent society, people. And the violation of privacy and property is not okay.

kay?
thanks.
bye.


http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/28/some-things-need-to-change/

Resolve.

Fact: I've never had a new years resolution. Seriously. I've never even attempted it because i'm not sure i've ever seen someone come close to succeeding.

Until now.

I have to say that for the past month or so i've been floating in space. Last semester i got back into drawing. But lately I just have not been inspired. I've got a few theories on why this is, but that's not really important. The point is that for the entire month i was home i didn't touch my guitar and I never pressed pen to paper more than once. The three comics that I was working on went nowhere and right now I can't really remember where it was that they were supposed to be headed in the first place. I had a creative block because i was bummed and i was bummed because I had no outlet. Not good.

A few days ago, in my art history book, i read about a not so popular greek anecdote, "No day without a line." Then today I read about the 100 theme challenge. This is a popular challenge on deviant art and other sites (google it). Basically someone came up with a list of 100 themes and the challenge is to do a drawing (or whatever you want really) based on each one of those themes.

So, this is my resolution. For the next 365 days, no matter how happy, sad, or distracted i am, I will draw something every day. Most days it will probably be a person, because let's face it, landscapes and still lifes (life's? lives?) don't really interest me. I'm starting a little late I guess (I think i started on the 8th), but i had to have a goal before i could attempt to achieve it.

I will also attempt to increase the amount of drawings i do from life. So if you're at my coffee shop and you see someone staring at you and scribbling... sorry. That's gotta be really awkward for you.

And i'm gonna try to attempt this 100 themes thing. I'm not sure how successful i'll be. But it's a pretty cool idea.

ciao



PS: I bought the Pictures and Sound album the other day. This entry was originally going to be about how awesome said album is, but then i decided to go the new years route. It's a good album though, particularly "everything leaves a mark" and "every war (feat. willie nelson!)."

i'd rather be 75 and sunny than 29 with a chance of showers all the time

Actually it's quite dark and dismal where i am. But, a few days ago (the third?) i went to world cafe live for the first time and got myself a good dose of sunshine. I was there to see the Ryan Montbleau band. They've got four albums if you count the two solo albums he had before the whole band came together. I'm fairly certain they played almost every single one of those songs. well, maybe not, but they did two sets, so it was quite the marathon.

The show was from 7:30 sharp till a little after 12. the opening act was a man named Zach Deputy. If you ever get the chance to see this guy live it is definitely a must-see, because i really don't think that his album does him justice. His voice has great range and his style seems influenced by everything from country to rap to louisiana blues. Plus he uses his beatboxing skills and some kind of looping system to create these interlocking beats which from this little hoofer's point of view would be great to tap dance to. My favorite song was "home" and if you go to his website (www.zachdeputy.com) you can listen to that and two others. You can't listen to the song sunny day, which was also a really good song. My favorite part of his set however was just how much he seemed to enjoy playing. Too often when i go to shows it seems like the singers just aren't having that great of a time. Maybe it's just nerves, but i feel like it takes away from the song when the people playing the music aren't into what they're singing/playing. Deputy was totally into it, and that kind of feeling is infectious. It turns a good show into a great show.

Both sets The Ryan Montbleau Band played were also fantastic. Personally i had only heard his solo album Stages, so i had no idea how the band would sound. It really surprised me. there was a drummer, percussionist (bongos, chimes and all kinds of things), a keyboardist, viola, and one guy who switched between bass guitar and unpright bass. Oh yeah, and ryan himself on guitar and vocals. The really great thing is that all of these instruments were fully utilized. Despite the fact that Ryan's name is on the poster, they seemed like a cohesive unit. And that's a difficult thing to accomplish when one person had already written many of the songs before the band is together. Some of his old songs were completely re-scored, but the new versions are equally good. In the second set he played a few songs on his own and then a few with just the upright bass and viola. Then the rest of the band came back and they played a really full set. All in all, the band played for approximately 3 hours. And while the tempo changed and the songs varied the intensity was there for the whole show.

For those who haven't been there, the world cafe live is an interesting place. It is set up like a caberet, with long dinner tables set up on three different levels in front of a huge stage. The acoustics of the building are some of the best i have ever experienced, though that's not really surprising since WXPN broadcasts live shows from there fairly frequently. Also, the lighting guy was clearly familiar with the songs because all the cues were spot on (though i'm probably the only person who noted/ was really impressed by that). Most people did not dance, since it's a little awkward when you're halfway through an appetizer, but the audience was very vocal. The waiters were a little slow, but really i was there for the music. it's a great place to go, especially if you're 21. My new favorite song is called "75 and sunny," it's off their newest album, which i don't have yet (my birthday is june 13th!)

So, no offense to the other bands i saw this year, but in terms of venue and the music itself this was easily the best show i've seen in a very long time.

Also, i just have to reiterate that Ryan is a superb lyricist. the man can stretch out a metaphor like no one else. He's rarely cliched or vague; each one of his songs tells a specific story in a unique way. it's almost impossible for me to say which songs are lyrically my favorite from Stages, they are all fantastic. I guess i would say to listen to stretch and you crazy you, but in all honesty pretty much any song off that cd is fantastic.

till next time,
me

My new playlists

Anyone who has talked to me about music knows my favorite music magazine is paste magazine. I have three basic reasons for this. First, Rolling stone and Spin might have awesome RSS feeds and the best interview sections, but Paste is the only one to regularly tell me about bands i haven't already heard of. Second, they pick their songs from a much wider range of music. While i may have been a rock/punk kid when i was a young one, my tastes have become more eclectic since then. Third, each issue comes with a cute little cd that i can take with me and listen to. I don't have to buy a cd just because some guy raved that it revolutionizes modern music and then find out that it's bad spoken word with too much reverb. I can listen to one song by each of the artists they cover and decide for myself if they are good or bad. This is both good for me and the music industry because if i regret my decisions less, then i end up buying more cds now don't i?

Anyways, the songs viewed here were found either via Paste, BBC's "the Playlist" (which i found in a bin on sale somewhere in NY), or off the cd that the lady at urban outfitters gave me when i bought these kickass cowboy boots.

My new playlist:

• Rattlin Bones- kasey chambers & shane nichols: i've got a weakness for male female duets but it rarely happens that i like country songs. But this isn't the country-pop i usually hear and hate (i'm looking at you taylor swift). This one is heavy on the banjo and reminds me of something you'd hear out of louisiana.
  
• She moves in her own way- the kooks: okay, i already knew i love the kooks, but i didn't actually have anything by them until someone gave me this.
• Move you- Anya marina: her voice is a little wispy for my taste, i tend to favor girls with strong voices. But it's quite the catchy song and i could see it easily being used for a tv show.
  
• So many nights- The Cat Empire: This song seems effortlessly cool. which is strange since the character in the song is kind of pathetic for some girl.
  
• Valerie- the Zutons: I like the zutons, but the songs off their first album are for me the kind of songs that i can only listen to every once in a while. This song, however, i just love. It's much less repetitive than some of their other songs.
  
• How the day sounds- Greg Laswell: The lyrics to this song are simple and poignant. Some might even say they are slightly sappy. But i'm okay with it. The lyrics and his laid-back voice come together to make it sound like he's having a conversation. Even when i'm feeling mopey, inevitably when the song gets to the end and he sings "won't you sing along," i already am.
• heartbeats- jose gonzales: when i first heard this song i started frantically shuffling through my box of cds looking for the case so i could figure out who this was. Then i read the name and promptly realized i'd already blogged about his awesomeness. So yeah, he's still awesome. Also, if this song hasn't been in an episode of scrubs, it should be.
• Another day- Jamie lidell: Jamie is channelling the temptations, which is odd since many of them are still alive. research tells me that other songs incorporate electronic stuff, but i'm really only aware of this gospel/soul/funk song. I'll try on the other stuff and get back to you...
• Consolation prizes- Phoenix: these guys grew up in the same time and place as the two wierd guys who would go on to be daft punk. The music couldn't really be farther apart though.
  
• Let me go on- Seabird: i don't really know what to say about this song, just listen to it.
  
• Don't wanna die lonely- nick Pagliari: this song is sappy. but still good.
  
• It's You- Pictures and Sound: This is by far my favorite song on this list. I wish i had a car so i could drive with the top down blasting this song. I was going to go out and buy their cd immediately, but i have a wicked cold today so i decided to stay home and whine instead.

so, thats it. i also want to commend iFrogz ear pollution for making good quality, inexpensive headphones. A few years ago my dad went all out and bought me these super expensive, obnoxiously huge noise-cancelling headphones. The noise-cancelling thing worked real well for drowning out the world when i needed to study, but the sound was crap. Furthermore, the left speaker broke down completely within a few months. I chucked it, and didn't tell him about it because i knew he goes through a lot of trouble researching and comparison shopping whenever he buys anything over twenty bucks. I've used numerous versions of ear buds and crappy dell speakers until now. I popped my iFrogz headphones on christmas morning and could tell the difference right away. The difference in sound is just amazing between these headphones and the buds i had picked up earlier. I also love that they are completely customized to fit my style. there is no way i'm confusing my headphones with anyone else's anymore. The only downside is that they are a little uncomfortable to wear around my neck if i've got a coat on. This wasn't the case with my old headphones, which were slightly larger. But the smaller size is helpful for me because most headphones (and hats) tend to slide around because my skull is oddly small. Actually, most of me is oddly small. The sound is amazing... for the price. It is not even remotely as good as Dr. Dre's Beats headphones (I use this as an example because it's the high end set i've listened to most recently, not because it's the best in it's price range. it isn't). But for less than thirty dollars, the ifrogz ear pollution headphones really are fantastic.


I've got more to write about the adventures i've had while i was away from my trusty computer for the last month. But Nyquil is making my head a little fuzzy so I think it may be time to go to sleep.

zzzzzzzz...