Recent Records

I've been staying young by checking out new records that are coming out. Here's a list of stuff I've checked out:

Rebel Meets Rebel - Rebel Meets Rebel
This is the recent collaboration of the Cowboys From Hell minus Phil Anselmo hooking up with country outlaw David Allen Coe, who was the guy who wrote "Take This Job and Shove It", to put a metal twist on some original country songs. It took them about 10 years to finish up all these tracks as wthey were done in between Pantera/DamagePlan sessions.

Overall, a pretty cool record. I like Dime's playing on this since it's a bit more melodic and memorable. The recording is also really good cuz I can actually hear the bass this time instead of guessing it's there like some of the Pantera records. DAC's singing fits the stylings given.the fact he's not "metal". I would recommend this to anybody looking for something fun to listen to. The song that sticks out for me is "Cowboys Do More Dope" cuz it's funny.

Nick Lachey - What's Left of Me
I know what you are thinking: "Nelson, I know you're a puss, but, dude, for real...Nick Lachey?!" Yes. I decided to give it a chance for a few reasons:

1. I know the guy can actually sing thanks to his multiple MTV shows, therefore, he's not a product of the Antares Corporation a la Brittney.
2. Of course I am curious to hear and relate this record to his breakup with Jessica.
3. I was curious how a former Degree would do in a world that has moved on from boy-bands.

The record as a whole well-crafted but every song sounds the same. The record overall is melancholy and a bit depressing. The best track on it is "Outside Looking In" whcih seems to have the most movemt out of all the tracks.

I wouldn't buy this record, but, I can see how fans of Nick could buy it. If you are into getting emotional (read that as "sad") , this record is excellent for that. If you want to hearsome excellent singing, it's also a good record for that as well as he seems to connect very well with the material.

Hoobastank - Every Man For Himself
Hands down an excellent record. From top to bottom, there are things to listen for; from well-sung, catchy choruses to FX driven blips and bloops sprinkled through each track, this record is definitely more adventerous from their last release "The Reason". The record starts off with "The Rules", which has Drill Sargeant Dale Guy barking off a storm of statements and cadences, which sets the mood for the entire record as being hardcore and real. Too many good songs for me to pick just one. Just go out and pick it up.

Ashley Parker Angel - Sountrack To Your Life
I did catch bits and pieces of his MTV show and know nothing of his O-Town participation. The entire record has pop/punk songs with boy-band type singing going on over it. It's well-crafted and recorded, but, it suffers a little bit from having every track sound the same APA can sing and I do respect his rags to riches to rags to normalcy trip and taking everyone along for the ride via MTV. But, this record is a bit too safe for my taste, but it's a good start for him to jump off from and hopefully get a bit more adventurous in future endevours.

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
Nice to hear them getting into rocking a bit more than their last 2 albums. I wish it was as stellar as their "Yield" record. It stands on its own as they seem to be bringing in a good clash of Vedder's punk tendencies and McCready/Gossard's '70s riffing and noodling. I need to listen to it a bit more since I have been hoping for a follow up to Yield and have been disappointed by their last two studio outings and their live shows as of late. Overall, I'd pick it up if it was on sale.

Ivorywire - Notables and Nobody's
Ivorywire's latest and last record N&N is excellently crafted. It's a "happier" record than their "The World Is Flat" record and the songwriting reflects a lot of thought placed into those songs. The production on the record is inspiring due to good tracking, mixing, and mastering. Too bad it's their last record (for now). The best track on it for me right now is "Wearing a Wire". Good job, Chuck.

Currently listening : Rebel Meets Rebel By Rebel Meets Rebel Release date: By 02 May, 2006

Dumbass Moment of the Evening

I decided yesterday to go put the bin of Christmas decorations along with the fake white Christmas tree into storage to free up some space in the home for the studio stuff. After watching people get pelted by hail while standing under a skinny fir tree yesterday afternoon, I loaded up the Tracker with the goods and headed over to the Public Storage. I unloaded the goods and nicely placed those items into my storage room without incident!

I went to go work out shortly thereafter to get "all buff a la BeefCake". I swam a few laps in the over-chlorinated pool, let the over-chlorinated hottub massage my tight legs, and then left the over-populated club about 1.5 hours later. I went to Borders across the street to skim through under-impressive recording magazines for about another half hour. I then hit up the uber-sheek Sprint store to check out their ultra-new phones so I can plan for my replacement. That took another 20 minutes. I then decided to return to jalopolized Tracker and headed back to the very Public Storage to pick up the studio items and head home.

I got to the gate at Public Storage, dialed in my code, and watched the gate slide open. I briskly jumped into the tracker and got it set up to load some equipment. Normally there are a few dollies laying around I can use but I noticed something strange. They were all chained to the fence together. "Hmmm, that's strange" I thought to myself, but I didn't make it of any consequence, so, I continued to my storage locker. I grabbed all my equipment and headed down and loaded up the Tracker quickly.

I headed to the back of the facility, got out to type my code again, and I get "Ehh ehh" from the panel with an "Area closed" message on the display. I dialed the code again a few times thinking I fat-thumbed the code and got the same results each time. "Hmmm, that's strange" I thought to myself. So, I got back into the Tracker and headed to the entrance, which has the panel on the other side of the fence. So, I got out and stuck my arm out through the fence to get to the keypad, and through the miracles of abstract thinking, punche the code in blindly. I got the same "Ehh ehh" from the panel with an assured "Area closed" message on the display.

FAWK!

I stood there thinking, "They couldn't have locked me in here, could they? It is a 24-hour facility after all!" I then went around to the front of the gate to actually see the panel and inputted the information. I was denied access again.

FAWK!

"This sux!" I exclaimed! I had a Tracker full of gear and no way of getting it out. So, I pull up my trusty PS card with the code on it and flip it over. It read:

"Gate hours: 6AM - 9 PM"

The time was 9:15 PM.

FAWK!

So, I walked over to the gas station to call for a ride (I didn't have my cellphone since I let my wife borrow it). After some wooing, I secured my ride home and sat in the car thinking, "Man, I am embarrassed." It takes a lot for me to get embarrassed, but this occasion was in the front of the line to commemorate this feeling. I logically thought about it.

"C'mon Nelson. It's ok. You thought it was 24-hour access and it wasn't. It was an honest mistake."

I guess I felt guilty for putting myself into the situation and having to conjure up someone to come and get me. I also was afraid of what they thought of me, hence, why I made such a big deal out of it my head.

So, I got to listen the Cubs game, Sean Hannity espouse his hatred towards Mexicans, and the news report that Paul McCartney's wife left him. So, in hindsight, I created this reality for myself just so I can spend Nelson time with my Tracker! Excellent!

I'm going to pick up my Tracker now. I hope it had a nice evening at Public Storage.

Currently listening : Help! By The Beatles Release date: By 20 July, 2004

Are Jew Habby To Be Back Frome Bacashone?!

I have returned from my whirlwind romance in Cancun. Mr. V now has a Mrs. V. Whoo hoo! Suckas! I gots mines and I plan to continue to dig for my plateenum and dimez until the end of time! A big thanks to all the folks that were able to help us plan, execute, and celebrate a great wedding. Sorry ladies and queens...your time has come and gone and now it's time to move onto someone less qualified for your love

I ended up moving Courageous Studios out of its home and into storage for a while. I will be setting up a very small home studio to continue recording and pumping out the hits. I'm kinda sad to have moved out, but, it's worth it until I get some more substantial work coming my way. Plus, I get a Murano out of the whole deal, so, that's cool. I love the Tracker but we've gots to get a new carro!

On the comedy side, I have a lot of new material to write about (Cancun, restorts, weddings, accidental drownings) and plan to spend at least a half hour a day to write something down. I've got SCC on Sundays and have been approached from two different areas about taking on roles (and they pay).

On the musical side, I'm going to make an effort to get the EP mastered soon. I also need to start up the solo acoustic tour to support the release as well as hopefully find some more like-minded musicians that want to hook up. I've been listening to Ivorywire's latest Notables and Nobody's and drawing inspiration from it to continue writing and recording. Thanks to Chuck and the crew for crafting fun songs to sing to as well as setting some production standards I will be striving for.

That's all for now. My friends...I am habby to be back frawm bacashone!

Currently listening : The Aeroplane Flies High By The Smashing Pumpkins Release date: By 17 January, 1997

R.I.P-Hop

Lots of people out there are getting themselves into a dangerous profession lately; more dangerous than being a cop in Inglewood; more dangerous than being the only black guy on the Real World:Little Rock, AK; it's being a famous rap artist.

I keep reading stories about mofos getting shot and killed for stupid stuff. Like Eminem's hypeman Proof. He got shot outside a nightclub in Detroit over a game of pool. He must've sucked so bad at shooting pool to die over it.

"Yo, Proof. You hit the 8-ball in again one more time I swear to Run-DMC I'ma kill you!"

To all the aspiring artists out there, pick a good stage name. Em's hypeman didn't have some street smarts. Most cats out there got hardcore, gangsta names like "N*ggas With Attitiudes"...or "Ice Cube w/Da Lynch Mob"...or...."Ghostface Killa". Don't fawk with anyone sporting a name where you need GhostBusters to dust him off. With a name like that, I gotta cross the streams to smoke his az!

Like, how is a guy with a name like "Proof" supposed to go to the grocery store and rob the place?

*click* "Code Red. Code Red. Aisle 5. Proof is in the pudding...I repeat...the Proof is in the pudding!"

Now I hear about T.I.'s entourage getting shot up on the highway after a show held at Club Ritz in Cincinnati. Now you know problems are bound to pop up if you name a hip-hop club after a corporate brand that can be used as a racial slur.

*On the phone* "Hey, Toof-Pick. Was you at that T.I. show last week? Damn. We was up in that club...crackers everywhere! Yeah...they had saltines..."

Based on the facts presented, I'm going to with Sno-Cone Ice as my stage name. It pays homage to my Latino roots while carving out a niche in the street vendor market. I'ma be peforming at the Rooster's Cock N' Barrel over off of Rappers and Delight, 300 miles west of 8 Mile on the west-side. Bring your fighting farm animals and shotguns. Grita at your boy when you see me (I'm out of grape, so, don't ask).

Currently listening : Urban Legend By T.I. Release date: By 30 November, 2004

The Beginning Is The End Is the Beginning

Yesterday was the last day of The Fanta Menace's run at the Gallery Metzli with Salsation Theatre Company. A big THANK YOU to all the peeps that came to the show and supported me and my cast/crew by laughing, crying, cheering, applauding, and enjoying themselves each night! Y'all made it a lot of fun for us to act out our crazy ideas of Latino stereotypes and preconceptions.

With that off my plate, I can look forward to making changes in my personal life, Second City Conservatory classes, auditioning for more roles, mastering and releasing the Courageous Rue EP, writing and performing my stand-up material, and being happy! I have had a few bites on the line for some more theatre work, so, we'll see if how much of it comes to fruition :)

More to come!

Currently listening : The End Is The Beginning Is The End: The Remixes By Smashing Pumpkins Release date: By 28 November, 1997