organizedcon

[organizedcon]

Orion

Figured I’d try something different.

You wake up at 2:30 in the morning and you’re not sure why. You planned on getting up early but this wasn’t what you had in mind. So you lay in bed for about half an hour, trying to figure out if you want to go back to sleep or just get up. You don’t really make a decision, so you pull out the book you’ve been reading, reasoning that you’ll either pass out reading or stay up and enjoy your book. Eventually, your alarm for 4:30 goes off and you finally drag yourself out of bed, noticing how damn cold it is. You make breakfast and coffee, that sweet black nectar. You’re ready at 5:15, which is perfect since you need to be at the cliff at 6:45 and it’ll take an hour and fifteen minutes to get there – which, incidentally, is the least amount of time it takes you to get anywhere. You step out into the dark, cold morning and instinctively look up into the sky, easily locating Orion and Sirius. The constellations are so much larger than you’re used to, and you gaze at both dippers as you walk to your car. Within minutes you’re heading north-east into the desert, just you and the stars. You hit 70 miles-per-hour without thinking, and you don’t even notice until you’re flying past one of the tiny housing developments that dot the area. But they’re all gone quickly, and once again you’re alone with the sky. It doesn’t stay that way for long. Fifteen minutes into the desert and you can see the faintest glimmers of pale light start to peek past the mountains to the east. You have an hour left to drive, but you’re not worried. You can still see Orion to the west, as if he was trying to guard the night sky against the coming sun. It’s a battle you know he’ll lose, but you smile thinking maybe he’ll buy you some time. The road in front of you is either straight as an arrow or a twisty mountain pass, and it’s impossible to remember which part you’ll hit next. The pale purple to the east keeps disappearing as you pass each mountain, which you’ve taken to collectively calling “the Green Dwarves”. The road markers on your right glow a faint white as you rumble past them, but the brightest thing in this desert by far is your headlights. Rabbits seem to love running across the road in front of you, and you’re pleasantly surprised that they always make it across before you get too close. Finally, after coming out of a stretch of twisted mountain paths, you reach the fork in the road. It’s 6am. To the left, north, is another long stretch of desert. You go right, south, into the canyon.  It’s another twisty length of road, but with cottonwoods, junipers, and several hundred foot tall cliff walls staring at you as you go 70 right at them before the road swoops out of the way. After fifteen minutes, you’ve made it. The cliff looking out over a huge stretch of southern Utah. You can’t see if yet, but you know there’s a stretch of the Colorado River somewhere down there. The sun has been rising for nearly an hour, so you can see the outlines of buttes and plateaus forming in the distance, miles away. You’ve got another twenty minutes before anything happens, but you don’t mind. You brought a camp chair and a thermos of coffee. You’re set.

It happens slowly at first. You don’t really notice it for the first few minutes. You’re more concerned with the horse fly that keeps trying to get into your coffee. Finally, it’s so obvious that you can’t help but see it. The world around you is getting brighter. It’s still grey, but it’s gone from black to a light grey, with hints of color thrown onto almost every surface you can see. The clouds, though, those clouds are the real treat. Stretched across what you’re convinced is the entire state is a blanket of soft, black clouds rushing along the sky. Those clouds are what give it away. At first they go from black to grey with the rest of the world, but soon you can see hints of yellow underneath them. They seem to glow at first, giving off their own light, but soon the sun is beginning to peek over the horizon and those clouds aren’t just glowing, they’re burning. The underside of them is orange while the tops are still grey, making them look like giant floating fires. The crowning sun is washing the entire scene with a soft yellow light, except for those burning orange clouds. The Colorado River looks like it’s on fire and the rocky plains below look like they’re made of gold. It looks like a giant water color painting. Except for those clouds that make the sky look like it’s on fire.

You turn around to look to the west, and sure enough Orion has been defeated. It’s 6:50 in the morning and you’ve already watched the world transform right before your eyes.

[organizedcon]

Time

Time has almost no meaning out here, not in the traditional sense. As I’ve said before, there’s nowhere to go and not a whole lot to do, so there’s almost nothing at all that’s pressing. If you have the day off you wake up and do whatever you feel like doing for about fourteen hours. By then it’s dark and you’re kind of done for the day. Even if you do have work, everything seems to be contingent on the sun. You work when the sun is out and when it starts to go down, you start finishing up for the day. There’s no rush hours and no lunch rushes. There’s no rushing at all. People exist happily in space totally devoid of time. There’s no 11 o’clock staff meetings, no 2:30 start times, no 4 to 8 happy hours, it’s all just people doing things that they want to do when they feel like doing it. You can comfortably ignore hours at a time and not have missed a single thing except maybe the score of the baseball game you weren’t really watching anyway. The desert is totally timeless, aside from when people are up and doing whatever they want or when they’re not.

Coming from a place where time is everything, it’s both a huge relief and a huge source of stress. The idea that I can take a six hour drive to Colorado and not have missed a single thing in Utah is amazing, but having to rely on other people doing anything in a timely manner is infuriating. When I want to get something done I have a very “GO GO GO!” mentality, but no one else does. It’s a bizzare paradox that I’m still working on, but so far the pros faaaar outweigh the cons. While I write this I’m technically on the clock because I have TIME.

To paraphrase Faulkner”…I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you might forget it now and then for a moment and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it.” That quote has come back to me over and over again out here. I thought I understood it before, but being out here with nothing but meaningless, useless time, I think I understand it far better than I could have otherwise.

[organizedcon]

Trapped

I’ve never suffered from claustrophobia. I mean, I’m a big guy so I’m not excited about small spaces, but the idea doesn’t keep me up at night or anything. But somehow, out here in the West, I somehow feel boxed in. Now, the whole point of the West, as someone pointed out to me the other day, is all these big wide open spaces. That’s here in spades. There are places out here that I could stand and not see anything for miles and miles, aside from mountains and desert shrubs. If you’ve been any further west than, say, Illinois, you know how big this country gets in a hurry.

For the first few days I’ve been out here – and, for the record, I’ve only been in “the West” for about eight days – I assumed that it was because I worked in four foot by seven foot metal booth for eight hours a day. But I’ve had this feeling since I traveled through Kansas (you can see one of my previous posts on how I feel about Kansas). It’s this odd feeling that everywhere I look there’s nothing, especially when I’m used to constantly being surrounded back East. I feel like every time I look around there’s something wrong because I can’t see anything!

Now, obviously, there are things out here. I have seen some of the most beautiful and bizarre landscapes I am likely to see for a good long time. Driving through the Rocky Mountains at dawn is something that everyone should experience at least once, and the massive, confusing expanse that is southern Utah is nothing short of fantastic. I don’t have time to explain them here so I won’t try, but I’ll make sure to write about them soon. But there are big, beautiful, terrifyingly huge things everywhere I look out here. What it lacks is humanity and people.

Again, obviously there are people out here or I wouldn’t be here, but people live miles away from their closest neighbors, or they all live in one small town hemmed in on every side by this great red desert. There are none of the normal distractions out here. The closest “town” is a gas station an hour away. No bars, no restaurants, no movie theaters, no little coffee houses, nothing. There’s no internet! I have to find it where I can and move on before I get caught.  Now, I complain about people, but people do things, and when they do you can go see them happen or help make them happen. It’s so bizarre to live in a place where nothing ever seems to happen.

I’m not complaining. I chose this and it has honestly so far proven to be an interesting experience. It’s just….all this space is the strangest thing to feel closed in by, but there it is. For some reason all this open space makes me feel trapped, but not because there’s no place to run. Because there’s no place to go.

[organizedcon]

This is Why I Ran

So I left New York. I got a job with the park service in Utah and I left. I wanted out. I didn’t want to be in New York anymore, working at the same place that I’d been at for years. I wanted a change of pace and I wanted to feel like what I was doing was somehow making a difference. I couldn’t live the life New York seemed to want me to live anymore, and heading west seemed like a good idea.

Everyone in my life congratulated me on this big achievement and this big move. I got praise from every corner of my life for being brave enough to make such a huge change. The fact that I was driving across country by myself made people envious somehow. I was showered with praise and envy from so many people it made my head spin. Actually, it made me downright uncomfortable.

I eventually figured out why it made me uncomfortable. I knew the truth and they didn’t. They saw this as a change, a step in the right direction, a huge new adventure in another part of the country. Might as well be another part of the world. A spirit journey that I was finally undertaking.

But I knew the truth. I knew that I was really just running. Not from anything specific, just…all of it. I needed a new job. I needed to move out of my parents house again. I needed time away from friends and family. I barely cared about the work or the experience. The locations and views became far less important than the fact that’d just be…gone. Away from everything that had caused me so much stress and joy over the last three decades.

To be honest, it’s almost as if I’m looking for something. I’m running towards something as much as I am away from everything else, I just…. I just don’t know what it might be. I think that’s what’s filling me with the most anxiety, honestly. I only just figured it out as I wrote that. I think the fact that something is pulling me somewhere and I don’t know what or where it is I’m supposed to do is driving me crazy.

One thing I can take solace in, right now at least, is that I can finally see the stars out here in the desert.

[organizedcon]

I know I’m like a year behind with these guys, but I only just discovered them and I can’t stop listening to them.

Need something to relax to? Or maybe just something to remind you that these cold winter months won’t last forever? Then you should definitely check out Allah-Las. While both of their albums are fantastic, Worship The Sun is the more polished of the two. Polished isn’t really the right word, since Allah-Las is a band that seems to worship both 60s pop, surf, and psychedelic music. As such, it’s appropriately Lo-Fi, but in a warm, pleasant way. It’s an effect that they’ve put some thought into, as opposed to other bands who go out of their way to drown out their own music with reverb and orchestrated chaos. The subtlety in their approach doesn’t end with effects, as the music itself is beautifully calm. This isn’t the kind of surf or psychedelic music you party to. This is the kind of music you listen to the day after while sitting on the porch relaxing and reminiscing. Stand out tracks would have to be “Follow You Down”, the instrumentals “Yemeni Jade” and “Ferus Gallery”, and the featured track “Nothing To Hide”. So the next time you need to de-stress or find yourself searching for something to listen to on a lazy Sunday, try Worship The Sun by Allah-Las.

[organizedcon]

What the hell was I listening to in 2005!? I mean, I know what I was listening to - AC/DC and Zeppelin, mostly - but hot damn why the hell didn’t I hear these guys? The Chalets apparently just had the one album, Check In, but it’s so good! There’s something about Irish bands that are so charming. They’re from Dublin, by the way. They’ve got some really killer hooks but a lot of the charm comes from the vocal interplay between Paula Cullen and Caoimhe Derwin (Like I said they’re Irish). They’re somehow badass and really sweet at the same time. Think of Sleeper Agent or a peppier Features. I never really understood why bands like this never took off, they have so much to offer. Do yourself a favor and be one of the lucky few who’s heard Check In by The Chalets.

[organizedcon]

Big D and the Kids Table's latest release isn't a single album, but an amazingly ambitious double album. And by that I mean it's literally two albums, one name Stomp and the other titled Stroll, collectively known as Stomp & Stroll. Surprise! Another example of what is possible through Kickstarter, Big D didn't make Stomp & Stroll because they had two albums worth of material. They went into the studio and basically decided to create two separate albums, linked together by similar genres but they are ultimately two distinct projects.

The "first" album, Stomp, is Big D basically doing what they've always done; making loud, fun, energetic ska-punk. Everything you've wanted out of a Big D album comes through here. "Shit Tattoos" and "No Moaning at the Bar" are goofy and catchy tracks while "Stepping Out", "Noise" and "Dirty Daniel" are straight skankers you can't resist swaying along to. By itself, Stomp isn't necessarily a stand-out album - the good stuff's still on How it Goes and Steady Riot - but it's still an excellently made album that's worth checking out.

Stroll is where things start getting weird, mostly in a good way. Stroll is basically a genre that Big D and the Kids Table made up for their album Fluent in Stroll and it's literally a mash-up of everything. It's got rock, it's got jazz, there's obviously a lot of reggae and ska, elements of folk and shoegaze and surf and anything else you can play with a guitar or a horn section. It can get messy but that's why it's so much fun.

Stroll features the "Doped up Dollies" - an all girl backing vocal section - on almost every song and they add a LOT of awesome elements. "What I Got" is an awesomely simple track that's sung exclusively by them, and "Drink Me Down", which is the featured track, has some really excellent interplay between the Dollies and lead singer Dave McWane. "Put It in a Song" is a socially conscious track that features ska/reggae legend Coolie Ranx, while "Trust in Music" is McWane's ode to his favorite art form. The prettier of the two, Stroll picks up right where Fluent in Stroll leaves off, albeit a little more ambitious.

It's a little difficult to determine exactly how Big D wants Stomp & Stroll to be taken, but my guess is that they simply want them to be looked at as two distinct albums, which makes a lot of sense. Personally, I like Stroll a lot better. Stomp is great, but Stroll is a lot more fun and there are some really beautiful moments that come out of it. Together, however, Stomp & Stroll is basically anything you'd ever want out of a Big D and The Kids Table album; fun, well written music that comes from a bad that loves what they do.

[organizedcon]

I randomly just went through some of my more recent posts and I realized how many grammar and spelling mistakes I've made over the years. I'm so sorry you all had to sit through them.

[organizedcon]

I've never really been into the whole alt/indie-folk scene - I don't really understand what that means either, don't worry - but I heard Langhorne Slims The Way We Move on a commercial and I was really intrigued by it. I checked out his latest album, also titled The Way We Move, is actually really cool. His backing band, The Law, is really talented, and Langhorne Slim takes what are basically pop songs and puts his own little spin on them, making some very well done music. What that basically means is that he writes some really catchy music. The title track is a pretty energetic track, but it's the honest songs like "Fire" or "Past Lives" that make The Way We Move so enjoyable to listen to. This album is a good choice to just relax to, so if you need to just chill for a bit, The Way We Move would be the perfect companion.

The track this time is "Fire", off of Langhorne Slims latest album The Way We Move

[organizedcon]

These guys....wow. I honestly don't remember how I found out about these guys, but I stumbled onto them about a week ago and dude they are fun! They have a really groovy '60s/'70s rock 'n' roll vibe that a lot of bands try to imitate but never really pull off. What makes The London Souls so cool is that they make it work so damn well. Their self titled debut came out back in 2011, but since then they've released "Steady Are You Ready" as a seemingly one off single. It sounds like Cream and Hendrix joined forces, and while they may not live up to the awesomeness that implies, the fact that they even got close is pretty amazing. CHECK IT.

The track this time "Steady Are You Ready" by The London Souls.

[organizedcon]

Why didn't any of you tell me how good Audioslave was? I mean, I blogged about Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, a bunch of stuff that would suggest maybe I would enjoy them. I mean, yes, this is on me too. I didn't take the time to listen myself. But I can only do so much. Anyway, I've been listening to Out of Exile for just a day, but I can tell it will quickly become one of my favorite albums. I expected a Soundgarden copy, but Tom Morello said "HAHA NO" and proved how amazing a guitar player he is. Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk are an AMAZING rhythm section, as shown in today's song. And do I really need to explain how good Chris Cornell is? No? Ok, good. Do yourself a favor and check em out!

The song is "Drown Me Slowly" off of Out of Exile, by Audioslave

[organizedcon]

Best of 2012!

And now, the moment none of you have been waiting for! That's right, here's my list of best albums of 2012! Now, I've never bothered rating an album so I can't really put anything in order, not that I'd really want to anyway. I'm going to try to put them in order chronologically, but even that I can't guarantee the success of, so instead I'm just giving you some stuff in some kind of order. Word?

The Ting Tings -Sounds from Nowheresville. Not what you were expecting me to start off with, is it? This album actually spawned a lot of really good memories for me, and while the differences in the song styles might be a turn off for some people, I personally loved it.

White Rabbits - Milk Famous. I was never a big fan of these guys, but Milk Famous kicked so much ass that I think I may have been converted.

Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball. Now, I know that some people think Springsteen needs to shut his mouth, but I honestly thought this album was awesome. His songwriting expertise is unmatched and at 63 he's got more energy and fire than people more than half his age.

The Shins - Port of Morrow. Like The Ting Tings, this album spawned a lot of memories early this year, and while not all of them are good, I can honestly say that I will always relive a little part of it whenever I hear this album.

Jack White - Blunderbuss. What can I say, Jack White knows how to write a good song, and I'm a sucker for a good song.

Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods. I'm not one who goes in for some of the "darker" imagery of rock, but this was some amazing stuff.

Metric - Synthetica. This was so cool to me when it came out. It's so trippy and emotional and powerful in so many ways. I love this album so much.

Reel Big Fish - Candy Coated Fury. Yes, yes, I love ska, deal with it. I didn't know what to expect from this album. I was actually convinced I'd hate it for a bit. Turns out that this is one of the bands most solid albums to date, and it's actually a great jumping off point for the rest of their back catalog.

Billy Talent - Dead Silence. I love punk and hard rock, but this is strangely the only album of its kind on this list. I love these guys, and Dead Silence is an awesome example of how smart and powerful this kind of music can be.

Grizzly Bear - Shields. This album...is some relaxing stuff. I know that doesn't sound like a huge deal, but an album that can just make me chill and get lost in its ambiance is pretty impressive.

Mumford & Sons - Babel. I know a lot of people who liked Sigh No More a lot better, but since Babel didn't have two or three major hits, you got to see how good and consistent the band really was with this stellar sophomore album.

Little Comets - Life is Elsewhere. I really dig these guys. I didn't expect this album to be as good as it was for some reason, but it was simply amazing.

There's my list of kick ass albums of 2012! Feel free to comment or dispute some of it, but to my ears, this was the stuff worth listening to.

[organizedcon]

So even though I don't remember most of the music in the 90s - I was 2-12 years old, and I was way more into video games anyway - I thought I knew everything there was to know about the 90s retroactively. You know, the grunge explosion, rap and hip-hop getting really popular, punk and ska revivals, hair metal bands making big waves, all of the terrible pop acts. I thought I knew most of the musical history of the 90s. I was watching Sons of Anarchy the other day and I hear a track by a band called Monster Magnet. I did some research and found out they were pretty damn big in 1999. I had no idea. I legit felt like an idiot for never hearing about them before. For those of you that don't know who they are, they're a rock band from New Jersey that take the trippier aspects of rock 'n' roll and embrace the crap out of them. After hearing some pretty heavy riffs it's a lot of fun to just sit back and listen to them get all trippy, seemingly out of nowhere. I'm still in the process of exploring their music, but their 1995 album, Dopes to Infinity, is really good. Like, really, really good. Do yourself a solid and check em out!

The track is "Theme From "Masterburner"", off of Dopes to Infinity.

[organizedcon]

Ever hear a song or an artist and go "huuuggghhh holy christ this is awesome, please have my babies"? Well that's kind of what I did when I first started listening to Lake Street Dive. My boss turned me on to them about three months ago and they've been my go-to jazz group ever since. Jazz isn't the only thing they do well, though. They're very clearly influenced by other genres like rock and pop, and these also come through to make a very rich and warm sound. They're vibe is so chill and relaxed that they're the perfect band to listen to with a glass of wine and a good book. Even if you're not a huge fan of jazz, Rachael Price's vocals are so powerful and clean that it's hard not to get some enjoyment out of it. Who knows, this might be the perfect time for you to get into jazz! Or not, it's your call really.

This track is "Neighbor Song" off of Lake Street Dive's self titled album.

[organizedcon]

While I don't agree with some of the things he says or does, I have to say that Frank Turner might be my lyrical compass. He's not the -

Dude, Nick, that doesn't even make sense. Also, you haven't posted anything in like 3 months, what the hell man?

-Shut up. Anyway, He's not the best singer or the most interesting musician, but he has this ability to sing to my soul in a way only maybe The Bouncing Souls or the Mighty Mighty Bosstones have. He's just so honest, and somehow he always finds a way to sing about the things that have been weighing on my mind the most. "Photosynthesis" is one such song. I've been doing some soul searching lately, wondering if it's time for me to grow up a little. While I haven't found the answer yet, Frank is somehow right there with me, letting me know that no one ever really finds them. That comforts me in a way, and "Photosynthesis" has the all of the pseudo-answers I'm looking for, in a way. If you've ever thought about growing up - and I hope you have - take a listen to "Photosynthesis" and give your brain a rest.

[organizedcon]

I'm not really sure how I found these guys, but The Shoes are a French band that I stumbled upon on the youtubes yesterday. I think what caught my eye was Jake Gyllenhaal's role as a hipster murdering psychopath. I know, this whole thing sounds waaaaaay to crazy to actually exist, but it does I tells ya! You'll have to dig for it yourself, but the video is for an awesome song called "Time To Dance". It's fun and catchy as hell, and it actually reminds me of The Warriors theme song. It's some cool throw back dance stuff that I think anyone who likes a good time will enjoy. And I hope you enjoy a good time. If you don't, I'm not sure why we should continue to speak...

-Nick

[organizedcon]

4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

Sorry about the title, I couldn't resist.

But seriously though, because of Hurricane/Super Storm/Bitch Sandy, I lost power for a few days, while Matt has been totally swamped with school and work and such. We're working doing our best to get some new stuff to you, but what with the new storm approaching the East Coast - the awesomely named Winter Storm Athena - we could loose power again. I'm about to do a quick write up on some sweet retro-dance stuff - don't judge me - but I'm going to be posting a review soon enough as well. Matt, in the mean time, is playing through Assassin's Creed III, so you'll have all kinds of new stuff from us soon. I hope. Workin' on it.

-Nick

P.S. - Seriously, Winter Storm Athena? Sounds like a porn star...Athena Winters....too bad I'm a fat dude or I'd totally get into porn with that name