thrash rock

here's a real deep post, speaking to the recent upsurge in glam 80s style heavy metal bands coming back to the mainstream.

why are the some of the roughest looking bands known mainly for their soft core ballads? It's such a weird combo - the rebellious visage singing about being hopelessly ill in love, etc, etc. is it the female market equivalent? are most women not really interested in the music at all, but like the idea of a soft guy inside a rough exterior. (why am I typing this...do I really care.)

Except I wish that people could enjoy music for music. And I wish bands would be valued for producing good music not based on the market. But it's business, blah, blah. too bad music can be quantified and modified, pimped and packaged. I'll have to think about that further.

I like soft music, I like hard music. I really like the idea that a band could be successful playing hard music without having to pull in a few gushing ballad singles to sell the record. Therefore I like bands like the White Stripes, Smashing Pumpkins, Muse, Tea Party, Jimmy Eat World.

and I am so done with Hinder.

but these cats...who knows.

asian potluck + spring sun

DSC_0039.jpg, originally uploaded by justinjeffery.

These are my friends. Forgive us for the cheese contained in the flickr set. We were delirious from full stomachs and warm sun.

sunday morning.

I hold this belief that everything can be punctuated by music and everything can be punctuated by light.

I just pressed a cup of coffee; the mission soundtrack punctuating my moves across the floor. 1 minute before the water boils, I grind the beans. 2 minutes after reaching the boil, I add the water to the espresso-ground beans. the crescendo has grown, the classical singers have enriched the mix. I love this soundtrack. 3 minutes to simmer, the percussion accompanies my OCD, a few seconds past 11:10 I began - a few seconds past 11:13 I will pour. the music has recessed and begun a slow resurgence, a rumble introduction. growing, and grown, 11:13+ comes with a strong downbeat, and I pour the velvet liquid into my clear 1 serving mug, rotating, clicking against the bottom to create a whirlpool, sucking the cream upwards. the music is reaching for a plateau, a sterling bright landscape, ripe for an intentional melody or phrase, I raise my cup to the light in my window. and an oboe begins.

this is the glory of music and light and all manner of senses and sense.

music store workers

I hit up Woodwind Brasswind this evening. Needed to grab a chromatic tuner so I could properly tune up the piano in the living room. It's about a 1/4 under, with some incredibly bad notes. The pins are a little loose, so I'm not that hopeful that my tweaks will last.

But, hey, the topic. it was remarkable, and indeed I am remarking, how, at the cashier station there were three of what I would call musicians in waiting. let me give a brief visual. There was a white guy with long hair (of the 80s heavy metal persuasion), a white guy with thin dreadlocks (circa 90s Rage against the machine), and then another white guy with dark black hair (the current emo rage). And it just killed me, how each decade was represented in front of me - all these people that desperately wanted (want) to do music but have to make do selling recorders, cheap guitars, music stands and in tonight's case, a chromatic tuner. And maybe they are satisfied.

True, they're selling music.

So, I guess songwriting and performance all stem from a desire for self-expression.

Have I talked with you about my myspace theory?

but this video is better.

I officially endorse this. yeah, it's going around.

mytube

I'm officially on youtube. What a premiere!

faceplant

alright, so a random post. today, while driving to work, I spot these two birds fighting, rolling all over the road, and with my past of hitting birds, I slowed down, because who knows what birds will do, and started passing them on the right side. Seemingly unaware of my presence, they stayed put in the middle of the road. But then as I drive by I notice that the one bird is taking a position of authority, essentially standing on the other bird, his foot faceplanting the other bird's face into the pavement. it was bizarre. maybe males fighting for territory.

maybe it was two females - catfights are always mesmerizing. I miss VH1.