CHASTISED LIKE CHILDREN.......or why certain people should go fuck themselves.......

Good night, that pic makes me look like i weigh 300 lbs..........but it's from the show we played friday night........does it look like i'm disgusted there?..........i probably was just that...........you see that particular establishment has an owner who gets high on his own supply.........a very arrogant,opinionated Brit is one thing...........a shit-faced drunk Brit who is arrogant and opinionated is nearly intolerable.........in other words, this guy is a prick(i'll refrain from naming him here, we'll just stick with prick).........

You see, this joint is particularly small.........we made adjustments and played a lot quieter than we normally do........and unfortunately, the turnout was sparse(happens to bands much better than us all the time).......prick probably would've loved us had his bar been full........as it was, he proceeded to complain extremely loudly that the band was too loud.......even stopping us at one point and berating the singer like he was a child.........FUCK THAT GUY!!!!!!..........DOUBLE FUCK THAT GUY!!!.........

Our response was to play so quiet that we could barely be heard until PRICK left......then we cranked back up to normal volume again and played everything over again at the correct volume........but everyone in the band was pretty demoralized by the whole experience..........so that sucks..........but we don't really have time to continue fretting about it...........so imma leave it all here............

Besides, we gotta go collect some awards at THE LOKAL LOUDNESS READERS CHOICE AWARDS on Feb. 10th.........imma walk outta that thing with an armfull those cool plexiglass trophies..............

Rock like you're not an asshole drunk british poopyhead.........turn that shit up!!!.........

Stak

CUTE INFINITY..........or Damn i make pretty babies.....

Rock it like a proud poppa.........love your babies to pieces........

Stak

SNAKE.......................BIT............

SO YEAH, IMMA MUSICIAN.....................

And i'm kinda proud of some recent live recordings i've done with my band AMERICAN SKIN..........i'd like you to take a listen................i'm particularly proud of a newer tune we recorded called "Hotels and Angels"............i'm fond of the lyrics........."She said she was from Hartwell...She said she was an angel......I can't pronounce her name".........


link

A GUILTY PLEASURE.........at the expense of exactly whom?....

Now i must admit that i passively enjoy AMERICAN IDOL from time to time.....not necessarily for the drama......i enjoy some of the performances.......the competition is meaningless when popularity what's being contested........but that's another rant.......the point here is simply that i find myself watching the show occasionally(i don't watch much television at all).......it is a guilty pleasure for me.........

The other night i saw the Seattle tryouts for the new season.......they continually bemoaned the lack of talent in that town as they sat through an endless parade of horrible auditions........but something struck me as i watched........this had not occurred to me before, but as my mind drifted into mental health professional mode, i saw it for the first time.........

I saw no less than 5 of those terrible performances that they like to feature on the tryout shows(obviously to make many people and the judges feel better about themselves)in which the hopeful applicant had an obvious developmental disorder.....it was plain to see that most of those about 4 of those 5 had Asperger's Syndrome which is a high functioning form of Autism......which would limit their insight and make them less than objective about their own level of "talent"........one guy i saw was very obviously mildly retarded......WITH A SPEECH IMPEDIMENT TO BOOT!!!!...........and yes, their auditions were an extremely painful experience....

In the back of my mind i could hear millions upon millions howling with laughter,bathed in the blue light of the television,choking on their TV dinners and Hotpockets......each one feeling smug and superior........

But there's this.....is it really cool to make fun of people who are retarded.....or have any other mental illnesses or developmental disabilities?.......Simon Cowell does a fine job of displaying the fact that he is the master of the put down......and seems to take pride in being merciless......but do people with disabilties really deserve that?.......they don't have a clue.......it seems a simple "NO" would suffice........but laughing at people in their face when they clearly don't have a clue?......is that a good thing?..........

And is it really cool of AMERICAN IDOL to trot out the freakshow for the sake of ratings?..........NO, IT'S NOT FUCKING COOL.........and it's damned irresponsible too.........

As the episode went on......my amusement began to turn to disgust.......it's hard not to laugh, but when you realize who paid the price to get you laughing, the shit isn't funny anymore.........

To be fair, the judges showed great tact with the retarded kid.......but his disability was obvious......the kids with Asperger's were not so obvious......and the judges showed their ignorance where those kids were concerned.......

But where were these kids' families in all this?.....your family is supposed to protect you from making an ass of yourself on national television when you're not all the way together upstairs............unless they ALL live in group homes.....and who told these kids they could sing?......

That's all i got to say abut that.....

Rock it like you've got some class......don't make fun of the retarded kids......

Stak

OKAY SO IT'S MY BIRTHDAY..............

WHICH MEANS I MUST TYPE THIS ENTRY IN AALLLLL CAAPPPSSS.......BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL SOOOOOOOOO MUCCHHH UMMMMMGERRRRRRR.......no which means i must be hammered,right?........NO you fuckers..........IT JUST MEANS I'M OLD..........errrrr.........that's my great good friend Henry Wynn THE THIRD i'm loving on in that photo..........he's a remarkable fellow.......you should know him.........Goodnight ot y ou all nad pappy firfpay ooo meeee......YAY!.........

Rock it like you're trying to omit murder..........

Stak

EVIDENCE...................

I'M GONNA BE AN INTERNET STAR.......or a porn star, i'm not sure which....

So i got interviewed yesterday........it was fun........it has dawned on me that i'm a total pervert.....and you know what?.......i can live with that.....to observe, slide on over to Rhian's blog and read on.......and Rhian, thanks for allowing me to smut up your page a lil bit.........it was an honor....now get some toilet paper and wipe that stuff up........

if for some reason, the link does not show up below or doesn't work, there is a link to Rhian's blog over to the right where all the other linky things be.......








Rock it like you're trying to commit murder......

Stak

CUTE OVERLOAD.............

What a big baby..........

Stak

I TOOK IT TO THE HOUSE.....STATUS UPDATICUS-VERSION 2.0

Okay, so i know i've not been very active here lately.....but dammit, i've been busy living life(so i can get new material for my blog?)......see that poster above?....Jimmy Danger does good design work doesn't he.......at any rate, that poster is one sign that i'm starting to get very busy with music here lately.....THE DIRTY LEFT HAND has shows lining up and so does AMERICAN SKIN......i have to be careful booking these things....i can't be in two places at one time.....hopefully the next show at THE HIGHLANDER will go a little better than the last......that means keeping the band no more than half drunk by hit time......we have to be in "the beer window" as it were......

Fantasy Football Update-I WON!!!! I WON!!!!.....I WON!!!!....I STRAIGHT OWNED THOSE BITCHES!!!! NYAH NYAH NYAH!!!!.....ahem.....i pick up my bobble-head trophy at THE LOKAL LOUDNESS CHOICE AWARDS next month...........speaking of THE CHOICE AWARDS.....both of my bands received multiple nominations....also i was nominated for Favorite Local Drummer.....Trixie was nominated for Favorite Local Bass Player.....that's really nice and we're all quite honored.......here, i'll post all the nominees for my hometown readers(i think there might be one or two).....

FAVE LOKAL BAND
American Skin
Blue Collar Blue Heart
Edison Project
Hello Lefty
Veara

FAVE LOKAL NEW BAND
American Skin
Common Life
Joe Graves & the Dirty Left Hand
Paraphenalia
The Mood

FAVE LOKAL ALL-AGES BAND
Hello Lefty
Rough Sketch
Sick Sick Sick
The Mood
Veara

FAVE LOKAL SOLO ARTIST
Dana Andrews
Allison Foster
Shaun Piazza
Josh Pierce
Will McCranie

FAVE LOKAL FEMALE
Dana Andrews
Eryn Eubanks
Allison Foster
Tracy Steele
Mindy Stephens

FAVE LOKAL MALE
Al Beasley
Travis Petrea
Josh Pierce
Coco Rubio
Billy S

FAVE LOKAL GUITARIST
Marcus Barfield
John Bennett
John Berret
Vaughn Holmes
Jason Sabo

FAVE LOKAL BASSIST
Al Beasley
Jason Guy
Travis Petrea
Tracy Steele
Mindy Stephens

FAVE LOKAL DRUMMER
Brian Allen
Mike Brower
Britanny Harrell
Zach Swenson
Adam Tolar

FAVE LOKAL VOCALIST
Dana Andrews
Pete Cumiskey
Bryan Panowich
Josh Pierce
Dave Firmin

FAVE LOKAL MISC. INSTRUMENT
Eryn Eubanks
Dave Mercer
Adam Mizell
Scott Terry
Henry Wynn, Jr.

FAVE LOKAL SONG
American Skin - Tobe Hooper
Edison Project - Don't Be So Indignant
Hello Lefty - Falsehood
Joe Graves & the Dirty Left Hand - Same Old Fable
The Mood - Sumthin New

FAVE LOKAL CD
American Skin - American Skin
Joe Graves & the Dirty Left Hand - Same Old Foibles
Shaun Piazza - Over and Over
Josh Pierce - live
Veara - forget the everything


On the baby front, Aidan is fucking HUGE........over 20lbs now.....he's developing a very sweet nature and we get tons of smiles and giggles every day....when he's not eating that is........he has also discovered this high pitched squeal that could break glass were it a few decibels louder.....and it just cracks him up......

When that baby smiles at me, i turn to dust........i wanna start crying like the Holly Hunter character in RAISING ARIZONA(one of my favorites all-time)when they first steal the baby.....*bawling* "i love him so much...i love him so much"......

That's about all for now.....talk to me...i love your comments.....and i'll try to get around to commenting on you guys' stuff as well......

Rock it like you're trying to commit murder.....

Stak

IMMA "GRIZZLED VET".................

Here are two Augusta acts worth watching
Pop Rocks
By Steven Uhles| Columnist
Friday, January 05, 2007 Perhaps there's something in the water, or maybe there's something about the semi-sultry climate that encourages and engenders musical expression. Whatever the reason, Augusta has always been, and continues to be, a musical city.

Each January, I try to predict and pay tribute to local bands I feel will be making their bones in the coming months. Sometimes I hit - last year I hyped the Edison Project, which has become an established Augusta favorite and seems poised for a big break (more on that at a later date).

Other times I miss. A couple of years ago, I was full of Pedestrian love, a band that dissolved shortly after I offered my endorsement. I'm sure the two events were unrelated.

Still, I'd like to offer up a couple of acts I feel certain will be worthy of watching in '07.

Veara, currently recording in beautiful Brooklyn, N.Y., plays a sort of serious post-punk that flirts with some of the tones and textures of emo but wisely never commits the sins often associated with that particularly dour brand of bluster. Anchored by an assured rhythm section and featuring soaring vocals and angular guitar and key work, the Veara sound is reminiscent of the more personal moments or stadium-ready rock. Check this very young band out before it inevitably flees the scene.

Less likely to make a break from Augusta are Joe Graves and the Dirty Left Hand. Largely composed of grizzled (I use that term in the most affectionate possible way) vets, the Left Hand features one-half of the legendary Neato Torpedo and guitarist Furman Fowler from the punk rock purist band Sick Sick Sick. Sonically, the band resurrects a rough-hewn style of indie rock not heard or, more important with a stage-savvy band such as the Hand, seen since the days before Pavement and Guided By Voices discovered production value.

Smart without being smug and fun without ever becoming a novelty act, the Dirty Left Hand embodies the spirit of bar band rock 'n' roll.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.


My band THE DLH gets good press............

Rock it like you're trying to commit murder.........

Stak