THE- THIS ONE KINDA WANDERS A BIT BLOG #2
So, my introduction is aside, I'm reaching for a good foot to lift off this one with. I guess I'll talk a bit about my recent-ish happenings, I went and saw The Vandals play at the El Corazon this past Sunday and, for those of you who haven't had a chance to see them in a while, they still got it! The opening bands weren't really my kinda groove, Down We Go & Jaded 52. Down We Go had a very energetic presence though and seemed to be very excited to be opening for the Vandals (I would've been too!). Good work up there, just not my thing. Jaded 52 was tight but I question their sincerity seeing how they looked to be my age and older yet they were singing songs about being in school and about relationships with the basic "I -dadadadadada, You- dadadadadada, We- dadadadada kind of formula I'd expect out of some high school band. Maybe I'm being too harsh here but I really do believe that they somehow could have conjured up some better issues to tackle lyrically. Don't get me wrong, I would call the Vandals a pop punk band too, it's just that they have been around so long, doing the same things they've been doing for some time now, but David Quackenbush is one lyrical genius, both political, humorous, and satirical sometimes all in the same breath. How could I poke fun at a man like that? Warren is still fucking crazy and energetic as hell, almost creepy at times, but funny, and, news to me they had the drummer from Alkaline Trio playing where I thought they still had Josh Freese with them. Joe Escilante has finally started going gray, but shit, the Vandals have been around for how long? Yet, he is the only original member who is still in the band, of course he's going gray- he's getting old!!!
The next show I am certain I am going to is the Boredoms on March 21st, I got my ticket, I requested the night off of work I am stoked!
Okay, so far I haven't really said much about myself in this blog, bear with me, I'm still new to this blog writing game.... I have been working the graveyard shift pretty steady for probably five and a half years now, and I'm currently the manager Tuesday through Saturday nights at a place by Green Lake called Beth's Cafe. A lot of people come there at night to sober themselves from their nights festivities and as a result, I get to meet all kinds of different people, some really cool, some leaving me suprised they have made it so far in life without falling victim to some sort of natural selection, winners!, i guess? Anyway, working such a schedule really makes me a bit less appealing to the general crowd that I would usually find myself hooked in with- musicians. Being one, that is the type of crowd I wanted to find myself deeply immersed into when I had moved out here to Seattle 6 years ago. It would have seemed as though I had initially moved into the perfect scene for that when I had first made the jump to WA, two of my music playing friends from the Peoria, IL area asking me to come out this way and start up a band with them, but they both went back to the Midwest. So, I had played music for a while in this 5 piece band kind of a progressive/ indie project that eventually dwindled down to a 3 piece and it got way more Naked City/ UFO or Die/ Spazz oriented and the guitarist and I both did more of a multi- instrumentalist kind of thing. It to this day would be one of the projects I have been happiest with and would still be together today had our drummer not some time prior signed up for the army. He had already been deployed out to Iraq once and he made it back alive. However, just when he was starting to feel comfortable, there was talk of his troop getting re-deployed to Iraq so, as a far less grim option, he opted for going down to Yuma to do border patrol. I'm glad he found a safe out on the Iraq thing but still to this day I wish that band was still together. Anyway, when that project had ceased to be I began to focus more on my solo 4-track recording, trying my best to cover as much musical ground as I can without any assistance. I want to be able to say that I did all I could think to do by the time I die when it comes to music so I am usually pretty busy doing that whenever I can, practicing, recording, writing, listening, whatever.
However, I initially moved to Seattle to play music with others, not to get away from my family who are still all back in IL, so, in October I plan to move back to IL to be there for my family who have been going through some hard times left and right as of late, and though I doubt there is much I could really do for them, just being there is more than I can do from 2200 miles away, and at least is doing something for those I love the most. So, as much as it will suck to move away from all the great friends I have made out here in Seattle, I feel that all and all it is for the better that I do the move. I know plenty of people who are still active in the Peoria music scene and I will be looking forward to not working any more graveyard shifts, playing music with old friends, and living life in a semi- normal? manner.
Well, my glass is almost completely not full, and I don't know much of what else I should be saying in this episode, I would like to thank everyone who has read this far into my blog, stay happy and stay active, however you do!
-Igby
So, my introduction is aside, I'm reaching for a good foot to lift off this one with. I guess I'll talk a bit about my recent-ish happenings, I went and saw The Vandals play at the El Corazon this past Sunday and, for those of you who haven't had a chance to see them in a while, they still got it! The opening bands weren't really my kinda groove, Down We Go & Jaded 52. Down We Go had a very energetic presence though and seemed to be very excited to be opening for the Vandals (I would've been too!). Good work up there, just not my thing. Jaded 52 was tight but I question their sincerity seeing how they looked to be my age and older yet they were singing songs about being in school and about relationships with the basic "I -dadadadadada, You- dadadadadada, We- dadadadada kind of formula I'd expect out of some high school band. Maybe I'm being too harsh here but I really do believe that they somehow could have conjured up some better issues to tackle lyrically. Don't get me wrong, I would call the Vandals a pop punk band too, it's just that they have been around so long, doing the same things they've been doing for some time now, but David Quackenbush is one lyrical genius, both political, humorous, and satirical sometimes all in the same breath. How could I poke fun at a man like that? Warren is still fucking crazy and energetic as hell, almost creepy at times, but funny, and, news to me they had the drummer from Alkaline Trio playing where I thought they still had Josh Freese with them. Joe Escilante has finally started going gray, but shit, the Vandals have been around for how long? Yet, he is the only original member who is still in the band, of course he's going gray- he's getting old!!!
The next show I am certain I am going to is the Boredoms on March 21st, I got my ticket, I requested the night off of work I am stoked!
Okay, so far I haven't really said much about myself in this blog, bear with me, I'm still new to this blog writing game.... I have been working the graveyard shift pretty steady for probably five and a half years now, and I'm currently the manager Tuesday through Saturday nights at a place by Green Lake called Beth's Cafe. A lot of people come there at night to sober themselves from their nights festivities and as a result, I get to meet all kinds of different people, some really cool, some leaving me suprised they have made it so far in life without falling victim to some sort of natural selection, winners!, i guess? Anyway, working such a schedule really makes me a bit less appealing to the general crowd that I would usually find myself hooked in with- musicians. Being one, that is the type of crowd I wanted to find myself deeply immersed into when I had moved out here to Seattle 6 years ago. It would have seemed as though I had initially moved into the perfect scene for that when I had first made the jump to WA, two of my music playing friends from the Peoria, IL area asking me to come out this way and start up a band with them, but they both went back to the Midwest. So, I had played music for a while in this 5 piece band kind of a progressive/ indie project that eventually dwindled down to a 3 piece and it got way more Naked City/ UFO or Die/ Spazz oriented and the guitarist and I both did more of a multi- instrumentalist kind of thing. It to this day would be one of the projects I have been happiest with and would still be together today had our drummer not some time prior signed up for the army. He had already been deployed out to Iraq once and he made it back alive. However, just when he was starting to feel comfortable, there was talk of his troop getting re-deployed to Iraq so, as a far less grim option, he opted for going down to Yuma to do border patrol. I'm glad he found a safe out on the Iraq thing but still to this day I wish that band was still together. Anyway, when that project had ceased to be I began to focus more on my solo 4-track recording, trying my best to cover as much musical ground as I can without any assistance. I want to be able to say that I did all I could think to do by the time I die when it comes to music so I am usually pretty busy doing that whenever I can, practicing, recording, writing, listening, whatever.
However, I initially moved to Seattle to play music with others, not to get away from my family who are still all back in IL, so, in October I plan to move back to IL to be there for my family who have been going through some hard times left and right as of late, and though I doubt there is much I could really do for them, just being there is more than I can do from 2200 miles away, and at least is doing something for those I love the most. So, as much as it will suck to move away from all the great friends I have made out here in Seattle, I feel that all and all it is for the better that I do the move. I know plenty of people who are still active in the Peoria music scene and I will be looking forward to not working any more graveyard shifts, playing music with old friends, and living life in a semi- normal? manner.
Well, my glass is almost completely not full, and I don't know much of what else I should be saying in this episode, I would like to thank everyone who has read this far into my blog, stay happy and stay active, however you do!
-Igby