Thought it would be fun to make a podcast with Mike. So we did.
Search for Bcastcult on itunes or subscribe on the website bcastcult.com
In it, we talk about B movies and normal movies and stuff. It's pretty cool.
We're still trying to figure out the whole podcasting/hosting thing. It's not nearly as easy as Youtube is for videos. I wish Google had a podcast hosting app.
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Mega Metal Weekend Review Part 3
Alright, so I'm totally getting a start on this so I will be motivated to finish it before this weekend. I got a lot of other exciting stuff to write about and I have to catch up.
View Part 2 here.
Mayhem Festival 2012!
Ok, so here's the story. I kinda wanted to go to this festival for months. I had planned to go with some friends, but like two days before the show, everyone cancelled for one reason or another. I bought my tickets anyway thinking I would probably meet up with some people up there since I pretty much know everyone in Indiana, and I had some people I knew were going up there with other people. But the venue is like an hour's drive from my house and I just didn't want to drive up there alone.
So anyway about 15 hours before the show, my friend Liz gets offered a free VIP ticket, so she totally jumped on that and was like, "hey let's caravan up there with Chris and Eddie." So we tried to call them, and they were both like, "I'm not going because I'm lame". So Liz and I went up there without them.
So I went to pick up Liz and when I get to her house she tells me that the guy who gave her his extra ticket has a migraine, and so now he has two extra VIP tickets, and if we drive up to his place (which was on the way anyway) that I could have it. So we did, and VIP tickets include some really kick-ass parking and access to the air conditioned bar. It made for a really good time. Not to mention that we were basically upgraded from the lawn to the lower pavilion for free. Lower pavilion at this venue is just about as close as you can get to the show. You can easily throw shit at the stage from this distance, and I am a girl, and I throw like a girl.
See, we were really close.
So we get there and Liz and I met up with my friend Nick, who lives in the middle of nowhere North Dakota. He actually used to be in a local Indianapolis metal band in the late 90's early 2000's, Pupil. Then drama happened and he left the band and then the band turned into some other band. Ishiah (or something like that... I don't remember or know the details.) So I hadn't seen Nick in like 10 years. So it was fun to hang out with him again. He's currently in a band called Celestria in North Dakota, and we had to break the news that his band name is totally the name of the princess of Equestria in My Little Pony. Good job Nick.
So later on, I sent a text to Chris, that said something to the sort of, "I am drunk, come out here and keep me out of trouble." Which actually worked to get him to the show believe it or not. And when he got there and I was not drunk, he bought me drinks cause he is awesome.
Then his lady, Reeann showed up too! She is awesome, and I was super excited that they were both able to come out considering that they had completely bailed on the idea two days before.
Here is all of us together. I'm not in the pic cause I took it.
I also met up with someone I used to LARP with. (Don't judge me!)
I really love this venue. It has so much open space, so you're not just sitting out in the middle of the sun surrounded by a bunch of smelly people.
So on with the show I guess.
At the second stage we saw White Chapel and a number of other bands. I thought they were pretty good. Though I'd never really heard of them before. Liz went crowd surfing. So that was fun.
Then we went over to the main stage and caught As I Lay Dying, which Chris was excited to see. Liz and I took this time to go check out our seats in the pavilion to see how good they were. The seats were awesomely close to the stage.
Then we went back up to the lawn to hook back up with everyone else. We spent most of our time up on the lawn with everyone. Motorhead and Slayer played. And they were good, but I mean they're so old you know. Still good, but didn't have any new stuff or anything.
When Slipknot came on, Liz and I ran back down to our pavilion seats. There was a loud gunshot of sorts that totally startled me, and I ducked and screamed. I then realized that it was part of the show. I felt pretty embarrassed, but that's ok. Slipknot is AMAZING!
They have 3 drummers! I never knew that. It was really cool. They had a really cool light show with fire and projections and fire. And some of the band was playing drums way up in the air while others were climbing up onto the drum kit. And another drummer was playing completely upside down, something I haven't seen since I saw Blink 182 in 2002.
But anyway, where the seats were, it actually allowed no wind at all, so I had to go back up to the lawn about 1/2 way through the set so I wouldn't pass out. I think I actually had more fun out in the grass anyway because it's easier to jump around without tripping over chairs and stuff. The show was still awesome from out in the lawn.
And that wraps up the Mega Metal Weekend review. Sorry it took so long, but the awesomeness made me mentally check out for about a week.
View Part 2 here.
Mayhem Festival 2012!
Ok, so here's the story. I kinda wanted to go to this festival for months. I had planned to go with some friends, but like two days before the show, everyone cancelled for one reason or another. I bought my tickets anyway thinking I would probably meet up with some people up there since I pretty much know everyone in Indiana, and I had some people I knew were going up there with other people. But the venue is like an hour's drive from my house and I just didn't want to drive up there alone.
So anyway about 15 hours before the show, my friend Liz gets offered a free VIP ticket, so she totally jumped on that and was like, "hey let's caravan up there with Chris and Eddie." So we tried to call them, and they were both like, "I'm not going because I'm lame". So Liz and I went up there without them.
So I went to pick up Liz and when I get to her house she tells me that the guy who gave her his extra ticket has a migraine, and so now he has two extra VIP tickets, and if we drive up to his place (which was on the way anyway) that I could have it. So we did, and VIP tickets include some really kick-ass parking and access to the air conditioned bar. It made for a really good time. Not to mention that we were basically upgraded from the lawn to the lower pavilion for free. Lower pavilion at this venue is just about as close as you can get to the show. You can easily throw shit at the stage from this distance, and I am a girl, and I throw like a girl.
See, we were really close.
So we get there and Liz and I met up with my friend Nick, who lives in the middle of nowhere North Dakota. He actually used to be in a local Indianapolis metal band in the late 90's early 2000's, Pupil. Then drama happened and he left the band and then the band turned into some other band. Ishiah (or something like that... I don't remember or know the details.) So I hadn't seen Nick in like 10 years. So it was fun to hang out with him again. He's currently in a band called Celestria in North Dakota, and we had to break the news that his band name is totally the name of the princess of Equestria in My Little Pony. Good job Nick.
So later on, I sent a text to Chris, that said something to the sort of, "I am drunk, come out here and keep me out of trouble." Which actually worked to get him to the show believe it or not. And when he got there and I was not drunk, he bought me drinks cause he is awesome.
Then his lady, Reeann showed up too! She is awesome, and I was super excited that they were both able to come out considering that they had completely bailed on the idea two days before.
Here is all of us together. I'm not in the pic cause I took it.
I also met up with someone I used to LARP with. (Don't judge me!)
I really love this venue. It has so much open space, so you're not just sitting out in the middle of the sun surrounded by a bunch of smelly people.
So on with the show I guess.
At the second stage we saw White Chapel and a number of other bands. I thought they were pretty good. Though I'd never really heard of them before. Liz went crowd surfing. So that was fun.
Then we went over to the main stage and caught As I Lay Dying, which Chris was excited to see. Liz and I took this time to go check out our seats in the pavilion to see how good they were. The seats were awesomely close to the stage.
Then we went back up to the lawn to hook back up with everyone else. We spent most of our time up on the lawn with everyone. Motorhead and Slayer played. And they were good, but I mean they're so old you know. Still good, but didn't have any new stuff or anything.
When Slipknot came on, Liz and I ran back down to our pavilion seats. There was a loud gunshot of sorts that totally startled me, and I ducked and screamed. I then realized that it was part of the show. I felt pretty embarrassed, but that's ok. Slipknot is AMAZING!
They have 3 drummers! I never knew that. It was really cool. They had a really cool light show with fire and projections and fire. And some of the band was playing drums way up in the air while others were climbing up onto the drum kit. And another drummer was playing completely upside down, something I haven't seen since I saw Blink 182 in 2002.
But anyway, where the seats were, it actually allowed no wind at all, so I had to go back up to the lawn about 1/2 way through the set so I wouldn't pass out. I think I actually had more fun out in the grass anyway because it's easier to jump around without tripping over chairs and stuff. The show was still awesome from out in the lawn.
And that wraps up the Mega Metal Weekend review. Sorry it took so long, but the awesomeness made me mentally check out for about a week.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Mega Metal Weekend Review Part 2
My God! I am so sorry it has taken me this long to post Part 2! I could give you all the excuses, but truth is, I was pretty tired that Monday, and then work got in the way.
Read Part 1 here.
Anyway... Part 2!
When we left off, I was about to review 7Horns 7Eyes. I thought they were pretty good, although, I probably wouldn't rush to go buy their CD. They just weren't my thing. However, the cool thing about them is that they reminded me a little bit about Dethklok. They just definitely have that classic metal Metallica, "everything is black" look. The lead guy, totally reminded me of a really skinny Nathan Explosion.
Also, check out that guy's beard! It is so cool!
It has a will of its own. I'm pretty sure the beard is actually the one playing the guitar.
7Horns 7eyes also had a pretty good light show. You can see the different colored lights in the two pics of them.
Next, Jeff Loomis (Nevermore)! WTF! Fucking Guitar God!
This man does not have a face! I seriously took like 7 or 8 pictures of him and there is nothing but hair and hands.
That's probably why he's so good though. When you are unable to speak because you have no mouth, then you have to learn how to communicate through music.
And here you go. A prime example of his Goddery. Remember, my phone recordings are pretty shitty.
You're welcome.
The last band who played was The Contortionist.
I liked them.
I was unable to get any good pictures for some reason (remember I am not a photographer. Deal with it.)
These guys were really interesting. It was like... well... this...
It's just beautiful. Follow them on facebook.
So that concludes the Emerson experience part of Mega Metal Weekend.
Stay tuned for Part 3 where I talk about the Mayhem Festival at Deer Creek.
Read Part 1 here.
Anyway... Part 2!
When we left off, I was about to review 7Horns 7Eyes. I thought they were pretty good, although, I probably wouldn't rush to go buy their CD. They just weren't my thing. However, the cool thing about them is that they reminded me a little bit about Dethklok. They just definitely have that classic metal Metallica, "everything is black" look. The lead guy, totally reminded me of a really skinny Nathan Explosion.
Also, check out that guy's beard! It is so cool!
It has a will of its own. I'm pretty sure the beard is actually the one playing the guitar.
7Horns 7eyes also had a pretty good light show. You can see the different colored lights in the two pics of them.
Next, Jeff Loomis (Nevermore)! WTF! Fucking Guitar God!
This man does not have a face! I seriously took like 7 or 8 pictures of him and there is nothing but hair and hands.
That's probably why he's so good though. When you are unable to speak because you have no mouth, then you have to learn how to communicate through music.
You're welcome.
The last band who played was The Contortionist.
I liked them.
I was unable to get any good pictures for some reason (remember I am not a photographer. Deal with it.)
These guys were really interesting. It was like... well... this...
It's just beautiful. Follow them on facebook.
So that concludes the Emerson experience part of Mega Metal Weekend.
Stay tuned for Part 3 where I talk about the Mayhem Festival at Deer Creek.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Mega Metal Weekend Review Part 1
Wow! Sorry this is so late. I am still recovering from the awesomeness of Mega Metal Weekend. I even started trying to write this last night, and just fell asleep immediately.
So, let's get to it!
Saturday started off pretty good. Me and my buddy, Mike went to the Emerson to see the show. Doors were supposed to open at 6, but for some reason, they made everyone stand outside during the sound test, and they took their sweet time. Doors opened around 8:00, and it was hot as fuck outside just sitting there waiting to get in.
Some homeless guy was on acid or something and kept yelling at everyone standing outside. He asked who was playing, and how much it was to get it. Then he preceded to tell everyone that he lived just around the corner. Strangely he acted surprised to see people hanging out outside the theater even though there are shows there all the time, and given his home's supposed proximity. Loud obnoxious homeless man just kept bantering his hippie bullshit, "it is what it is", a statement that says nothing! And then spouted out some religious ,"all hail the goat monkey king for he comes in the distance." That last one is not an actual quote, but it doesn't really matter. Dude was creepy.
In fact, I'm pretty sure that the theater hired him to creep people out so they would go away. Combined with making us stand outside and be subject to the heat, and strategically having the creepy homeless guy harass us, was all just a ploy to get people not to see the show.
And then they let us in.
Luckily, creepy homeless dude did not actually attend the show. He was gone when we finally left, so I think he probably just forgot that stuff was going on once everyone went inside.
So the sheep were herded into the venue, where we were once again contained. Unable to head out to the actual space in the main room. Sound testing as still going on, but at this point, they were adjusting the levels for Cast From Perfection, who were scheduled to go on first.
Finally, they let us onto the floor and we were able to stretch out, sit down, walk around, move about. Space is your friend when you're surrounded by a bunch of people.
You probably know how excited I have been to see Cast From Perfection again after the Battle of the Bands on 7/7. They were still just as awesome this time around. New favorite local band? I think so. Previous favorite local band? Perfect Nothing... and that was over 10 years ago.
I tried to get a pic of all of them, but every single time someone was either turned around, as you can see here, or ducked down, or temporarily hiding behind their hair. I'm not a photographer. Deal with it.
I captured some video, with shittastic sound quality, but I fixed it by layering the actual recording of the song over the top. "Six Minutes" is misleadingly not six minutes long.
They do sound really good live. I am just at the mercy of crappy equipment that can't filter out white noise.
After that, we got to hear The Room Colored Charlatan. And I thought they sounded sad. Like their music was sad. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but I could definitely feel a sadness to it. Maybe they were sad because one of them wore a purple shirt. Why didn't he match! Why!
It's ok to disagree with me. Here is their Facebook page with some of their music. All I'm saying is that if I were pissed at the world I would listen to this. It's good.
Something else I noticed about these guys, they seem to want to have as many strings as possible. Both guitarists had 7 string guitars, and the bassist had a 5 string bass.
Stay tuned for Mega Metal Weekend Review part 2 where we'll pick up with 7Horns 7Eyes.
So, let's get to it!
Saturday started off pretty good. Me and my buddy, Mike went to the Emerson to see the show. Doors were supposed to open at 6, but for some reason, they made everyone stand outside during the sound test, and they took their sweet time. Doors opened around 8:00, and it was hot as fuck outside just sitting there waiting to get in.
Some homeless guy was on acid or something and kept yelling at everyone standing outside. He asked who was playing, and how much it was to get it. Then he preceded to tell everyone that he lived just around the corner. Strangely he acted surprised to see people hanging out outside the theater even though there are shows there all the time, and given his home's supposed proximity. Loud obnoxious homeless man just kept bantering his hippie bullshit, "it is what it is", a statement that says nothing! And then spouted out some religious ,"all hail the goat monkey king for he comes in the distance." That last one is not an actual quote, but it doesn't really matter. Dude was creepy.
In fact, I'm pretty sure that the theater hired him to creep people out so they would go away. Combined with making us stand outside and be subject to the heat, and strategically having the creepy homeless guy harass us, was all just a ploy to get people not to see the show.
And then they let us in.
Luckily, creepy homeless dude did not actually attend the show. He was gone when we finally left, so I think he probably just forgot that stuff was going on once everyone went inside.
So the sheep were herded into the venue, where we were once again contained. Unable to head out to the actual space in the main room. Sound testing as still going on, but at this point, they were adjusting the levels for Cast From Perfection, who were scheduled to go on first.
Finally, they let us onto the floor and we were able to stretch out, sit down, walk around, move about. Space is your friend when you're surrounded by a bunch of people.
You probably know how excited I have been to see Cast From Perfection again after the Battle of the Bands on 7/7. They were still just as awesome this time around. New favorite local band? I think so. Previous favorite local band? Perfect Nothing... and that was over 10 years ago.
I tried to get a pic of all of them, but every single time someone was either turned around, as you can see here, or ducked down, or temporarily hiding behind their hair. I'm not a photographer. Deal with it.
I captured some video, with shittastic sound quality, but I fixed it by layering the actual recording of the song over the top. "Six Minutes" is misleadingly not six minutes long.
They do sound really good live. I am just at the mercy of crappy equipment that can't filter out white noise.
After that, we got to hear The Room Colored Charlatan. And I thought they sounded sad. Like their music was sad. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but I could definitely feel a sadness to it. Maybe they were sad because one of them wore a purple shirt. Why didn't he match! Why!
It's ok to disagree with me. Here is their Facebook page with some of their music. All I'm saying is that if I were pissed at the world I would listen to this. It's good.
Something else I noticed about these guys, they seem to want to have as many strings as possible. Both guitarists had 7 string guitars, and the bassist had a 5 string bass.
Stay tuned for Mega Metal Weekend Review part 2 where we'll pick up with 7Horns 7Eyes.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Mega Metal Weekend
Alright! this weekend's going to be epic.
Saturday - Emerson Theater to see
THE CONTORTIONIST
JEFF LOOMIS (NEVERMORE)
CHIMP SPANNER
7 HORNS 7 EYES
THE ROOM COLORED CHARLATAN
HARUSPEX
CAST FROM PERFECTION
I think that Chimp Spanner and Haruspex have bailed though according to the rumors on Facebook. It's still going to be epic though cause I get to see Cast From Perfection again. And they are awesome! Hoping to have an epic time.
I'm taking my friend Mike with me. You can check out some of Mike's movie reviews here on the Ponder Couch among some other stuff by my friend Seth. But Seth isn't going with us to Mega Metal Weekend event 1.
Sunday - Mayhem Festival at that place that used to be Deer Creek, and then became Verizon, and now it's called something else entirely!
This has got to be my favorite venue. I love going there. I like being outside and sitting on the grass listening to my favorite bands. And I even love it when it is crowded as fuck, and sod fights and mosh pits spring up randomly like Poke'mon in tall grass.
Mayhem info.
I'm seriously excited to see Slipknot! I was not into them at all when they first came out. The whole Juggalo scene was brand new and I did not understand any of it. But as I got older and less retarded, I learned the difference between Slipknot, Incubus, and ICP.
HUGE difference I might add.
Also, on my "excited to see" list is Slayer, Motorhead and Anthrax. I haven't seen any of these bands live before. So it's going to be awesome.
I just printed off my ticket!
Go get yours!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Gearing up for this weekend's Show - Emerson 7/14/2012
If you read my most recent post you already know what's up. If not, go read it and you will find that I spent more time ripping on Sonic Maelstrom's shit music than I spent praising some of the other bands.
Since I wrote that post, I have been able to find some examples of them online. It would have helped if their band name was spelled right on the itinerary for the show. If it was my band, I would have had it corrected.
Here go drown in a whirling vortex of sorrows.
Listening to them now, I will say that they sound a lot better recorded than they did live. Still, it sounds like they can't figure out whether they are taking their influences from Korn, Godsmack, Creed or Pearl Jam. Really... try to mash up Korn and Creed. It's not going to work. I challenge the writers of Glee, who have been successful mashing up West Side Story's I feel Pretty with TLC's Unpretty, to try to mash up Creed and Korn. They will probably not even try. Or at least it doesn't for me. I hope this doesn't turn into one of those "Primus sucks" things. I would be very disappointed.
Wow seriously. I need to stop hating on them and just let them dig their own grave. I'm open to changing my mind about them if they clean it up a bit, and start to sound better live.
Wait, why did I just bring up Glee? I really need to get out of the house more often. Fuck you! I like Glee.
So anyway...
I'm going to this event on Saturday 7/14/12. The only band officially on the lineup that I have seen is Cast From Perfection. They have amazing stage presence, and I am seriously excited to see them again.
They are last on the lineup flyers, so I am really optimistic for the rest of the show. Usually you go up the list the longer you've been around. And if you've been around long enough, you're supposed to be really good. I basically pulled all my neck/shoulder muscles last week during Cast From Perfection. I'm probably not going to be able to walk after this show. I can't wait!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Battle of the Bands - Emerson Theater 7/7/2012
This past Saturday, I went to check out the Battle of the Bands contest at the Emerson Theater on 10th and Emerson in Indy. The winner of this contest gets to play at the Mayhem Festival this year, so it was a pretty epic prize.
If you don't know, the Emerson is an under 21 establishment, so the participating bands really ranged as far as the age of their members. I showed up a little late, so the first band I saw was the M80's. The members looked like they ranged from ages 14-17, but age doesn't really matter when you're fucking metal. They were excellent! Here is a video of them from the show. The sound quality is shit though cause it's from someone's cell phone. M80s and more M80's
The Risq was another pretty cool young band, but they don't have any music up on youtube. Get some stuff up you guys! How are you going to be promoted without an example of your work? I found some music on ReverbNation. the Risq
The next band that came on was Creed... I mean Sonic Malestorm... And they sounded like a shitty version of Creed. They couldn't even get the audience going. If this band was a bunch of kids like the previous two, I would cut them some slack, but they were a band of older dudes. A consensus going around the crowd was, "Why did you come here if you were just going to suck?" Now I really hate to trash people for doing what they like to do, but seriously, do not come to town to compete in a metal competition if you're not metal. I don't know if they were just having a bad day or what. I just don't see these guys getting anywhere. But you know what? I'm not the see all end all of metal. I am by no means an expert, or a critic, I just enjoy it. I did not enjoy this band at all. I would have loved for you to share in my disapproval, but even though I tried, I couldn't find anything of theirs online. No Facebook page, no Youtube, nothing. Were they even really there, or was the event staff just wasting time until the sound guy could fix something?
Epyon gave a good show. Sadly, the friends who came to the show with me bailed at this point to go to the bar around the corner and get some shots. Those geeks really missed out. Epyon was engaged in the music and they worked the stage. Everyone was everywhere. Some kid in a yellow shirt got his face busted open during a pit fight too. He looks to be ok now aside from the huge gash on his eyebrow. Epic Pit Fight Face Busting! Epyon's facebook page.
Should This Armor Fail was fantastic. I did think that they had one too many guitarists, but that is only because one of them looked like he wasn't doing much. He's probably a very integral part of the band. Shit, he could be the one who writes all the music. I don't know! Otherwise, everyone else looked like they were into it. This is where the crowd started to really get into the whole show too, not just the pit fighters. There were more people dancing, and jumping around for this group. These guys sounded like, in my opinion, Story of the Year. I'm probably going to get a lot of shit for my opinion, but I don't care... I like Story of the Year. What is most alike was the way the singer switched between singing and screaming. A lot of the other bands were 100% screaming. Should This Armor Fail's Facebook page.
Vires was awesome. They sounded really good together. The lead guy was pretty energetic, but the others kinda just stood there playing their instruments though. I really liked the guitarist's dragonfly shirt. That's pretty hardcore. Not sure if you know this, but dragonflies live their entire lives in about 4 days. They basically have to decide whether to eat or mate, and then they die. It's badass! Actually, I'm not sure if that's true at all. Here's a link to their music. Fucking check them out and support their music.
Cast From Perfection is actually the band that I went to support. I have a friend in the band and he is awesome! So I went to this show to support my friend's band, and I had never heard them before, but just wow. They are amazing. They were showmen at their finest. First and foremost, and a lot of the other bands should totally learn this lesson from them, they made their vocals louder than the instruments. Hello bands everywhere! When you are playing a live show, your instruments are naturally going to be louder than your vocals. Please turn the instruments down so people can hear your fucking lyrics. Otherwise, there is no point in having lyrics at all.
Secondly, Cast From Perfection was the only band who actually successfully engaged the crowd. Encouraging them to jump around and headbang and scream and stuff, made the performance a lot of fun. My neck/shoulder region is still pretty sore from it and it's Tuesday. It's been 3 days! Also getting close to the crowd and encouraging them to air molest your guitar is pretty sweet. These guys were just really enthusiastic about being up there in front of everyone. It looked like they were having just as much fun as the crowd. And that's what you gotta look for in an artist. They have to enjoy what they do.
Check them out on Facebook Cast From Perfection.
And here's some of their music... cause that's all that matters. Fucking Brutal Music.
So after these guys finished playing, my friends and I left, even though there were like 3 or 4 more bands to play. But before we left, we asked around to see if we could vote for our favorites since it was a battle and everything. As it turns out, there was a judge... that's right A judge. One. Judge. One judge for like 14 bands. How the fuck are you going to only have one judge? How could that not be biased? They probably didn't even consider how many presales each band brought in. The M80's brought in like $300 from presales alone! Cast From Perfection brought in over $500. And the Creed Ripoffs brought in a whopping $0. I know this because I was able to stealthily take a picture of the ticket taker's computer screen.
So I am not sure who won, because I wasn't there, but apparently, everyone else is calling them a Pantera knock off. "There can only be one Pantera", and this is true. The whole thing was totally rigged. They should have put it to a screaming vote at the end of the night or something. And Epyon should have gotten extra points for bloodface kid.
If you attended the event, comment below. Tell me who you would have voted for, if there had actually been a vote. Or talk about the bands that I didn't get the privilege to see.
If you don't know, the Emerson is an under 21 establishment, so the participating bands really ranged as far as the age of their members. I showed up a little late, so the first band I saw was the M80's. The members looked like they ranged from ages 14-17, but age doesn't really matter when you're fucking metal. They were excellent! Here is a video of them from the show. The sound quality is shit though cause it's from someone's cell phone. M80s and more M80's
The next band that came on was Creed... I mean Sonic Malestorm... And they sounded like a shitty version of Creed. They couldn't even get the audience going. If this band was a bunch of kids like the previous two, I would cut them some slack, but they were a band of older dudes. A consensus going around the crowd was, "Why did you come here if you were just going to suck?" Now I really hate to trash people for doing what they like to do, but seriously, do not come to town to compete in a metal competition if you're not metal. I don't know if they were just having a bad day or what. I just don't see these guys getting anywhere. But you know what? I'm not the see all end all of metal. I am by no means an expert, or a critic, I just enjoy it. I did not enjoy this band at all. I would have loved for you to share in my disapproval, but even though I tried, I couldn't find anything of theirs online. No Facebook page, no Youtube, nothing. Were they even really there, or was the event staff just wasting time until the sound guy could fix something?
Should This Armor Fail was fantastic. I did think that they had one too many guitarists, but that is only because one of them looked like he wasn't doing much. He's probably a very integral part of the band. Shit, he could be the one who writes all the music. I don't know! Otherwise, everyone else looked like they were into it. This is where the crowd started to really get into the whole show too, not just the pit fighters. There were more people dancing, and jumping around for this group. These guys sounded like, in my opinion, Story of the Year. I'm probably going to get a lot of shit for my opinion, but I don't care... I like Story of the Year. What is most alike was the way the singer switched between singing and screaming. A lot of the other bands were 100% screaming. Should This Armor Fail's Facebook page.
Vires was awesome. They sounded really good together. The lead guy was pretty energetic, but the others kinda just stood there playing their instruments though. I really liked the guitarist's dragonfly shirt. That's pretty hardcore. Not sure if you know this, but dragonflies live their entire lives in about 4 days. They basically have to decide whether to eat or mate, and then they die. It's badass! Actually, I'm not sure if that's true at all. Here's a link to their music. Fucking check them out and support their music.
Cast From Perfection is actually the band that I went to support. I have a friend in the band and he is awesome! So I went to this show to support my friend's band, and I had never heard them before, but just wow. They are amazing. They were showmen at their finest. First and foremost, and a lot of the other bands should totally learn this lesson from them, they made their vocals louder than the instruments. Hello bands everywhere! When you are playing a live show, your instruments are naturally going to be louder than your vocals. Please turn the instruments down so people can hear your fucking lyrics. Otherwise, there is no point in having lyrics at all.
Secondly, Cast From Perfection was the only band who actually successfully engaged the crowd. Encouraging them to jump around and headbang and scream and stuff, made the performance a lot of fun. My neck/shoulder region is still pretty sore from it and it's Tuesday. It's been 3 days! Also getting close to the crowd and encouraging them to air molest your guitar is pretty sweet. These guys were just really enthusiastic about being up there in front of everyone. It looked like they were having just as much fun as the crowd. And that's what you gotta look for in an artist. They have to enjoy what they do.
Check them out on Facebook Cast From Perfection.
And here's some of their music... cause that's all that matters. Fucking Brutal Music.
So after these guys finished playing, my friends and I left, even though there were like 3 or 4 more bands to play. But before we left, we asked around to see if we could vote for our favorites since it was a battle and everything. As it turns out, there was a judge... that's right A judge. One. Judge. One judge for like 14 bands. How the fuck are you going to only have one judge? How could that not be biased? They probably didn't even consider how many presales each band brought in. The M80's brought in like $300 from presales alone! Cast From Perfection brought in over $500. And the Creed Ripoffs brought in a whopping $0. I know this because I was able to stealthily take a picture of the ticket taker's computer screen.
So I am not sure who won, because I wasn't there, but apparently, everyone else is calling them a Pantera knock off. "There can only be one Pantera", and this is true. The whole thing was totally rigged. They should have put it to a screaming vote at the end of the night or something. And Epyon should have gotten extra points for bloodface kid.
If you attended the event, comment below. Tell me who you would have voted for, if there had actually been a vote. Or talk about the bands that I didn't get the privilege to see.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Rocky Horror and other Audience Participation Events
That epic moment when something is so bad, it is awesome!
When I was in junior high, my best friend raved about the Rocky Horror Picture Show. She had an older brother who told her all about it. And, I am pretty sure her parents both went to see it one time or another. So that Halloween, I was pretty excited to find out that VH1 was going to do an all day marathon of the film. I holed up in my basement that night so I could watch it.
Now, I'm a huge fan of musicals, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that RHPS is indeed a musical. I absolutely loved the opening scenes with Brad and Janet. It was both hilarious, and reminiscent of the first few scenes of "Night of the Living Dead", at least in my opinion. Then Brad and Janet got lost on the road and ended up in a creepy house full of eccentric people, and some stuff started happening, and I was out like a light.
Several subsequent attempts at watching it later, and I realized that if I couldn't stay awake through the movie, even when fully rested, then I probably just didn't like the movie. That is until I was invited to a public showing several years later. That night, for the first time ever, I stayed awake and enjoyed the whole movie. I also realized that the music in the movie turned to slow, storytelling ballads that lulled me into a cozy sleep state.
I don't really need to get into all that goes on at a public showing of RHPS, as I am sure many of you have been to one, or at least heard about it already. If not, I'll post a link at the bottom of this post that'll tell you all about it. Indeed, it was definitely a good time out with friends, and I felt good for supporting a local independent theater. (disclaimer: I AM NOT A HIPSTER!)
Earlier this week, the same friends who took me to RHPS, took me to see another similar event. We went to an arts theater to see the epicly bad love triangle drama, The Room. This isn't nearly as popular as RHPS, but apparently it's growing in some circles. Audience participation for The Room is not nearly as energetic as Rocky Horror. The story is easier to follow, and there is only one thing to throw, SPOONS! You should definitely go see it if you get the chance.
Public participation in theaters is a fucking unique experience. It doesn't have to be nearly as involved as RHPS, or The Room, it could be as simple as filling a premiere with friends, or like minded people, and just experiencing a film for the first time with others. I remember seeing Star Wars episode 3 on opening night. The theater had to show it on all 18 of it's screens to accommodate the crowd, and I am sure they still had to turn people away. Nearly everyone was dressed up for the occasion. Everyone was just as excited as I was to see the final installment of Star Wars for the first time; movie history.
Environments like this create a special atmosphere. It's different than seeing a movie a few days later, when almost everyone who is a true fan has already seen it. When you see a premiere with like-minded enthusiasts, you're actually going on an adventure with your companions. It's new, uncharted territory. The whole theater struggles through the plight of the characters, they cry when Aniken's mom dies in his arms, and they cheer when Obi-Wan leaves him for dead on the lava planet (because it is bad-ass).
This isn't just true with Star Wars. One year in college, my history of games class was able to fill a pre-screening of Kick Ass. And it was awesome! When Kick Ass tazed the drug dealer in the face, someone yelled out, "Oh! in the face!", and everyone busted out laughing. The night was filled with such comments. It was a memory that the audience shared together. I will always remember that movie the way I saw it the first time, which was much more exciting than watching it alone at home on DVD.
So, in the comments below, let me know your favorite audience participation event story.
Rocky Horror Picture Show fan site: http://www.rockyhorror.com/
The Room wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Room_(film)
The Room Tribute video game: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/547307 this shit is EPIC! Find all the hidden spoons!
When I was in junior high, my best friend raved about the Rocky Horror Picture Show. She had an older brother who told her all about it. And, I am pretty sure her parents both went to see it one time or another. So that Halloween, I was pretty excited to find out that VH1 was going to do an all day marathon of the film. I holed up in my basement that night so I could watch it.
Now, I'm a huge fan of musicals, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that RHPS is indeed a musical. I absolutely loved the opening scenes with Brad and Janet. It was both hilarious, and reminiscent of the first few scenes of "Night of the Living Dead", at least in my opinion. Then Brad and Janet got lost on the road and ended up in a creepy house full of eccentric people, and some stuff started happening, and I was out like a light.
Several subsequent attempts at watching it later, and I realized that if I couldn't stay awake through the movie, even when fully rested, then I probably just didn't like the movie. That is until I was invited to a public showing several years later. That night, for the first time ever, I stayed awake and enjoyed the whole movie. I also realized that the music in the movie turned to slow, storytelling ballads that lulled me into a cozy sleep state.
I don't really need to get into all that goes on at a public showing of RHPS, as I am sure many of you have been to one, or at least heard about it already. If not, I'll post a link at the bottom of this post that'll tell you all about it. Indeed, it was definitely a good time out with friends, and I felt good for supporting a local independent theater. (disclaimer: I AM NOT A HIPSTER!)
Earlier this week, the same friends who took me to RHPS, took me to see another similar event. We went to an arts theater to see the epicly bad love triangle drama, The Room. This isn't nearly as popular as RHPS, but apparently it's growing in some circles. Audience participation for The Room is not nearly as energetic as Rocky Horror. The story is easier to follow, and there is only one thing to throw, SPOONS! You should definitely go see it if you get the chance.
Public participation in theaters is a fucking unique experience. It doesn't have to be nearly as involved as RHPS, or The Room, it could be as simple as filling a premiere with friends, or like minded people, and just experiencing a film for the first time with others. I remember seeing Star Wars episode 3 on opening night. The theater had to show it on all 18 of it's screens to accommodate the crowd, and I am sure they still had to turn people away. Nearly everyone was dressed up for the occasion. Everyone was just as excited as I was to see the final installment of Star Wars for the first time; movie history.
Environments like this create a special atmosphere. It's different than seeing a movie a few days later, when almost everyone who is a true fan has already seen it. When you see a premiere with like-minded enthusiasts, you're actually going on an adventure with your companions. It's new, uncharted territory. The whole theater struggles through the plight of the characters, they cry when Aniken's mom dies in his arms, and they cheer when Obi-Wan leaves him for dead on the lava planet (because it is bad-ass).
This isn't just true with Star Wars. One year in college, my history of games class was able to fill a pre-screening of Kick Ass. And it was awesome! When Kick Ass tazed the drug dealer in the face, someone yelled out, "Oh! in the face!", and everyone busted out laughing. The night was filled with such comments. It was a memory that the audience shared together. I will always remember that movie the way I saw it the first time, which was much more exciting than watching it alone at home on DVD.
So, in the comments below, let me know your favorite audience participation event story.
Rocky Horror Picture Show fan site: http://www.rockyhorror.com/
The Room wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Room_(film)
The Room Tribute video game: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/547307 this shit is EPIC! Find all the hidden spoons!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Classic TV shows. Nick at Nite. Life in general
First, I would like to say that I have always been bothered by the way they spell "Nite". It's "night" people! Stop promoting incorrect spelling!
Second, I would like to say that I spent my childhood years staying up all hours of the night watching this channel. Often times, people I work with say things like, "Oh, this one time on the Mary Tyler Moore Show... oh you're probably too young for that." Well guess what, old people, I watched that show all the time when I was 6. I know what you're talking about.
Anyway, Netflix has started posting some of these old shows. I literally spent most of my day today watching Dick Van Dyke. This was probably my favorite show as a kid. It's a wonder why we don't have shows like this anymore. Something that the whole family can sit down and watch together. There is no programming like this at all today. TV parents don't love each other, kids are not obedient or innocent. Wives and husbands don't come together and talk out their problems, talk about how to raise their kids, talk about their day, talk at all. Today on TV, you'll see married couples sleep in the same bed, and the same bed of the lady /man down the street.
I can understand that times have changed, and now we're supposed to show diversity on TV. We're supposed to let kids know that not every family is the same, and that's "OK". But has this gone so far as to create bad role models for families?
Is there even any programming out there for families to watch together? Sure, Lifetime still has those original movies about moms looking for their kidnapped children, which are great for scaring your kids into staying in the yard.... Well... that's not any fun. Oh! We have the Disney channel, where the programming is made exclusively to promote tween-pop. The content is sometimes so ridiculous that it doesn't even make any sense. Sometimes they play classic movies, which are pretty good, but neither the programming or the movies are really all that entertaining for adults on a regular basis.
There is such a split in what's on TV. Everything is made for a specific demographic, but families are not made out of one demographic. Families are all demographics under the same roof.
TV families used to represent the perfect model for the perfect family. Today, they reflect the worst possible relationships imaginable. Today, we have nothing to look up to, no goals to reach. What we have, is a very low bar, that we try not to go under. We see the dirt on everyone, and try to justify our immoral lives by saying, "well at least I'm not as bad as [insert trending celebrity couple here]". Wouldn't it be better to try to be the best we can be for the betterment of mankind?
Second, I would like to say that I spent my childhood years staying up all hours of the night watching this channel. Often times, people I work with say things like, "Oh, this one time on the Mary Tyler Moore Show... oh you're probably too young for that." Well guess what, old people, I watched that show all the time when I was 6. I know what you're talking about.
Anyway, Netflix has started posting some of these old shows. I literally spent most of my day today watching Dick Van Dyke. This was probably my favorite show as a kid. It's a wonder why we don't have shows like this anymore. Something that the whole family can sit down and watch together. There is no programming like this at all today. TV parents don't love each other, kids are not obedient or innocent. Wives and husbands don't come together and talk out their problems, talk about how to raise their kids, talk about their day, talk at all. Today on TV, you'll see married couples sleep in the same bed, and the same bed of the lady /man down the street.
I can understand that times have changed, and now we're supposed to show diversity on TV. We're supposed to let kids know that not every family is the same, and that's "OK". But has this gone so far as to create bad role models for families?
Is there even any programming out there for families to watch together? Sure, Lifetime still has those original movies about moms looking for their kidnapped children, which are great for scaring your kids into staying in the yard.... Well... that's not any fun. Oh! We have the Disney channel, where the programming is made exclusively to promote tween-pop. The content is sometimes so ridiculous that it doesn't even make any sense. Sometimes they play classic movies, which are pretty good, but neither the programming or the movies are really all that entertaining for adults on a regular basis.
There is such a split in what's on TV. Everything is made for a specific demographic, but families are not made out of one demographic. Families are all demographics under the same roof.
TV families used to represent the perfect model for the perfect family. Today, they reflect the worst possible relationships imaginable. Today, we have nothing to look up to, no goals to reach. What we have, is a very low bar, that we try not to go under. We see the dirt on everyone, and try to justify our immoral lives by saying, "well at least I'm not as bad as [insert trending celebrity couple here]". Wouldn't it be better to try to be the best we can be for the betterment of mankind?
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Netflix! Why you no Break Bad?!?!
I have been waiting for AMC's Breaking Bad season 4 to be added to Netflix instant streaming since it finished airing on TV. Season 5 airs in July, and still no season 4!
Seriously Netflix! get with the program here!
Breaking Bad is the epic tale of Chemistry teacher Walter White (Brian Cranston) who starts dealing meth to help create a pretty nice cushion for his family to live on when he dies. In season 1, he was diagnosed with cancer, his 15 year old son has paulsey, and his home-maker wife finds out she's having another baby.
His brother in law, Hank, is a DEA agent, and one day while Walt is on a "ride along" with Hank, he sees one of his former students flee the scene of a lab bust. He later confronts this student and asks him to help him get into the drug trade. Hilarity ensues.
Walter finds himself forced to make one tough decision after another. You follow him along this journey from High School Science teacher to hardened criminal. At first, he doesn't even want to touch a gun, and later, you find him masterminding elaborate plans to wipe out high rollers in the drug trade. All the while, the DEA seems to be closing in on him (or rather they're really portrayed as complete morons, who haven't been hot on anyone's tail throughout the whole series).
Anyway, Netflix come on already and post season 4 before season 5 starts, I'd really like to watch the series in order. Could be totally confusing if I don't know who key players are at this point.
Seriously Netflix! get with the program here!
Breaking Bad is the epic tale of Chemistry teacher Walter White (Brian Cranston) who starts dealing meth to help create a pretty nice cushion for his family to live on when he dies. In season 1, he was diagnosed with cancer, his 15 year old son has paulsey, and his home-maker wife finds out she's having another baby.
His brother in law, Hank, is a DEA agent, and one day while Walt is on a "ride along" with Hank, he sees one of his former students flee the scene of a lab bust. He later confronts this student and asks him to help him get into the drug trade. Hilarity ensues.
Walter finds himself forced to make one tough decision after another. You follow him along this journey from High School Science teacher to hardened criminal. At first, he doesn't even want to touch a gun, and later, you find him masterminding elaborate plans to wipe out high rollers in the drug trade. All the while, the DEA seems to be closing in on him (or rather they're really portrayed as complete morons, who haven't been hot on anyone's tail throughout the whole series).
Anyway, Netflix come on already and post season 4 before season 5 starts, I'd really like to watch the series in order. Could be totally confusing if I don't know who key players are at this point.
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