Today is the two year anniversary of Jimmy "the Rev" Sullivan's death. In the words of Avenged Sevenfold, "all your speculation, save it for another time." Today, we as fans should remember Jimmy's life, not his death. We should remember how alive he was; how much living he crammed into his brief 28 years on this earth. We should watch all those old videos on YouTube, laugh about all those idiotic things he did (who doesn't take a shower after being maced?!), chase stallion ducks in his honor, and most importantly, listen to Avenged Sevenfold all day long.
You may have noticed that I titled this "Rock in Peace," instead of the traditional "Rest in Peace." That's because personally, I don't believe Jimmy would have wanted to rest peacefully. He didn't exactly live a peaceful life; why the hell would he want a peaceful afterlife?
I like to think he enjoyed his non-peaceful life, though. His brief time here was so full of stories that the guys of A7X have said that they spent two weeks telling those stories--without ever repeating one. How truthful that is, I'm not sure. But at any rate, Jimmy was a crazy, talented, important human being. How talented was he? He played more than just the drums, which he was really, really good at. He also played guitar, piano, and bass. He sang and wrote songs as well.
Some of the songs he wrote include Brompton Cocktail, Little Piece of Heaven, Afterlife, Almost Easy, Save Me, Fiction (according to legend, he wrote this song only a few days before his death, and had originally titled it "Death." Don't know how true that is.), and I'm sure plenty of others. He was truly a talented lyricist; stating at one point that "I can write any style that I choose. I've always been heavily influenced by Danny Elfman, Oingo Boingo, Mr. Bungle, and bands like that. With all the different parts and the cinematic feel."
Here, for lack of a better thing to do at this point in time, I will include a list of my personal favorite Jimmy videos:
A Spoonful of Jimmy
Ninja Rev
Stallion Duck
Philosophy from a Drunk
Save Me
Almost Easy
Quotes
That last one isn't a video, it's a collection of the Rev's quotes. And I don't know what is happening with the text...wait it isn't doing it anymore. I'll just continue carrying on as per the usual then.
As you can tell, I'm quite the avid fan. If you missed my Avenged Sevenfold post, here it is again. That should cement your view of me as crazy. But I'm not that crazy, I promise! I don't know any of their addresses, I have never sent any fan mail (although I am seriously considering it now), I don't know any of their middle names (except for Jimmy's--it's Owen) I don't have any A7X tattoos...that reminds me.
Jimmy absolutely loved to see fans with Avenged Sevenfold tattoos. He thought it was the absolute coolest thing ever; to him, putting someone else's ink on your body was the biggest tribute you could possibly make to them. There could be no greater sacrifice than to permanently mark yourself as a fan. He said he always made sure to stop and check out people's A7X tattoos. Which is...sorry, was, nice of him. He didn't have to take the time out of his busy day to do that.
Jimmy was in another band as well; a side project he had with Synyster Gates, who plays lead guitar for Avenged Sevenfold. He was known as Rat Head in that band, which I think is an even more strange stage name than "the Rev," which is actually short for "the Reverend Tholomew Plague." But if he liked it, it's all good. Anyways...he was the singer for that band, which was called Pinkly Smooth. Syn has said that Pinkly Smooth will probably not release any new albums without Jimmy, but he would consider remastering the Unfortunate Snort album maybe at some point.
Jimmy lived, and died, in Huntington Beach, California. He was married to a probably-wonderful woman named Leana Silver. I don't know where she was on December 28th, 2009 before 1 p.m. (and frankly it's none of my business), but I bet she regrets not being at home with him...to be a widow at 27 has to be terrible, and my sympathies go out to her as well as the band, his parents, and everyone else he came into contact with; all those whose lives he touched. Which includes me, because even though I didn't know a thing about him until long after his death, I still love and miss this guy just as much as the fans who have been with the band since the beginning.
According to M Shadows, Jimmy always said that he knew two things: he was going to be a rock star, and he wouldn't live to be 30 years old. He was right on both counts, unfortunately. We can't know what he would have accomplished if he had lived longer, but we do know it would have been something great.
So, Jimmy, rock in peace. We miss you back here, but it's okay. You were ready, and one day we will be too. Save us a little piece of heaven, buddy.
--Razza Ragazza
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Bah Humbug.
So the holidays are over, and maybe you were one of the six trillion (actual statistic, I promise!) people who returned a bad gift. Maybe you were still in a food coma from all the pie you ate yesterday. Or maybe you've spent all day thinking philosophical thoughts whilst achieving your best-ever killstreak on MW3, which you got yesterday and have already played for thirty hours straight.
I, however, did none of those things. I began, not for the first time, to contemplate my second-to-least favorite holiday, and how I would spend it. That holiday being New Year's Eve.
You want to know why I loathe New Year's Eve so much? Of course not, but let me tell you anyway. New Year's Eve is a couple's holiday, or a party-er's holiday. And I happen to be neither of those things.
I have been single (or alone for other reasons) on New Year's Eve for the past...every damn year, actually. And when you're at a New Year's party and every other person in the room kisses their significant other at midnight, you tend to feel a little more alone and down than you did before. Oh but wait! It gets better. All my friends have boyfriends, except for one. Maybe we'll have a pity party for two, because I sure as hell am not going to be hanging out with any of my attached friends.
And the partying bit. I am not a party-er. I don't drink and I don't do drugs. So the whole "get so drunk that you don't even care that every other person in the world is kissing someone right now" thing doesn't work for me. I won't pretend I haven't been tempted to try, though.
This year though, will suck extra-huge amounts, because instead of wallowing in self-pity alone in my room like I have done in the past, or buying new music to fill the gaping wound in my soul (as I have also done...), my parents decided to have a party. So my house will be filled with their friends, and also my sister's friends, because she too is inviting some people...luckily her friends won't be bringing their boyfriends if they have them, though.
So I will be forced to be social in a time when I just want a gallon of ice cream and angry music. Well, maybe just the music actually... But that is not the point. The point is, I will be forced to actually talk to people on my second-least-favorite day of the year. You know what I do on my actual least-favorite day (which is Valentine's Day, if you were wondering)? I stay home. All day. And do absolutely nothing. Why? Because I can't stand talking to people (and being nice to them) when I'm just unhappy in general because of something as stupid as a calendar date.
It's just depressing. So I avoid it like the freakin' plague. But this year I can't.
And to make matter worse, I will be pining and whining. Just in my head though. Don't worry, outwardly I shall be the perfect, smiley hostess. But inside, I will be contemplating what I perceive to be my only three options:
1. Continue lying to someone I care about.
2. Continue lying to myself.
3. Hurt both myself and the person I care about by ignoring said person until the problem goes away.
I will continue debating what I should do for a while...but I know what I should do. It's super awkward because this is usually the person I talk to my problems about, but now that this person has become a big part of the issue, I cannot do that. I also cannot talk to anyone else about it, because they will just tell me they told me so. Really really, deep down, I know I should just be honest about the issue and see what happens from there. But I can't. I just can't. So I will probably decide on the most equal option and ignore the heck out of this person until I feel like I can handle it again.
It might be a while, and I don't know where things will stand when I suddenly reappear, but this is what's best, really. Maybe. I hope.
And on that note, I go off the sleepy land. Goodnight.
--Razza Ragazza
I, however, did none of those things. I began, not for the first time, to contemplate my second-to-least favorite holiday, and how I would spend it. That holiday being New Year's Eve.
You want to know why I loathe New Year's Eve so much? Of course not, but let me tell you anyway. New Year's Eve is a couple's holiday, or a party-er's holiday. And I happen to be neither of those things.
I have been single (or alone for other reasons) on New Year's Eve for the past...every damn year, actually. And when you're at a New Year's party and every other person in the room kisses their significant other at midnight, you tend to feel a little more alone and down than you did before. Oh but wait! It gets better. All my friends have boyfriends, except for one. Maybe we'll have a pity party for two, because I sure as hell am not going to be hanging out with any of my attached friends.
And the partying bit. I am not a party-er. I don't drink and I don't do drugs. So the whole "get so drunk that you don't even care that every other person in the world is kissing someone right now" thing doesn't work for me. I won't pretend I haven't been tempted to try, though.
This year though, will suck extra-huge amounts, because instead of wallowing in self-pity alone in my room like I have done in the past, or buying new music to fill the gaping wound in my soul (as I have also done...), my parents decided to have a party. So my house will be filled with their friends, and also my sister's friends, because she too is inviting some people...luckily her friends won't be bringing their boyfriends if they have them, though.
So I will be forced to be social in a time when I just want a gallon of ice cream and angry music. Well, maybe just the music actually... But that is not the point. The point is, I will be forced to actually talk to people on my second-least-favorite day of the year. You know what I do on my actual least-favorite day (which is Valentine's Day, if you were wondering)? I stay home. All day. And do absolutely nothing. Why? Because I can't stand talking to people (and being nice to them) when I'm just unhappy in general because of something as stupid as a calendar date.
It's just depressing. So I avoid it like the freakin' plague. But this year I can't.
And to make matter worse, I will be pining and whining. Just in my head though. Don't worry, outwardly I shall be the perfect, smiley hostess. But inside, I will be contemplating what I perceive to be my only three options:
1. Continue lying to someone I care about.
2. Continue lying to myself.
3. Hurt both myself and the person I care about by ignoring said person until the problem goes away.
I will continue debating what I should do for a while...but I know what I should do. It's super awkward because this is usually the person I talk to my problems about, but now that this person has become a big part of the issue, I cannot do that. I also cannot talk to anyone else about it, because they will just tell me they told me so. Really really, deep down, I know I should just be honest about the issue and see what happens from there. But I can't. I just can't. So I will probably decide on the most equal option and ignore the heck out of this person until I feel like I can handle it again.
It might be a while, and I don't know where things will stand when I suddenly reappear, but this is what's best, really. Maybe. I hope.
And on that note, I go off the sleepy land. Goodnight.
--Razza Ragazza
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Music Week: Day Seven - Avenged Sevenfold
So you know how I said I might post two bands yesterday? Yeah, I definitely didn't do that. I'm too lazy to do that. Also, I should mention that today's installment of Music Week will be slightly different than all the other posts on this topic. Why? Because today's band is unlike any of the others I've covered. So without any further ado, today's band is...
Avenged Sevenfold!
When Pandora, that genius invention by which I discover new music, gave me the song Afterlife, by Avenged Sevenfold, I had no idea what had been unleashed. I immediately took a shine to that song, and after listening to a lyric-filled version over and over on YouTube, I bought it. And then proceeded to add it to my collection of wonderful, beautiful music and not think much of it for a while.
Then there was the concert. I attended a concert in which the following bands played: Escape the Fate, Bullet for My Valentine, Seether, Three Days Grace, and Avenged Sevenfold. By that time, I had heard a few more of their songs. Even bought a couple more that were in the 69-cent category. But I still didn't know what was building even at that moment.
I didn't get to stay for all of A7X that night, but I truly, truly wished I could have. What I did see from them was just really, really good. "Just good" is really the only phrase I can think of, because they were beyond words. That was the kind of awesome they were.
After the concert, I sort of put them on the backburner for a while. I still thought they were marvelously good, but I wasn't about to jump up and buy all their CDs. Until one day, when my parents made me really mad for some forgotten reason (probably relating to college) and I decided to employ my best "get over your anger" tactic, which is to buy music. I decided it was time to invest fully in a "new" band, so I bought the Nightmare CD, the whole thing all at once, on iTunes. However, this actually didn't immediately calm my anger, because I accidentally bought the clean version. Which cost three whole dollars more than the explicit version. Come to think of it, I'm still a little miffed at myself for that...anyway, moving on.
I still hadn't yet realized the full enormity of these events. But then, randomly, it just kind of hit me that I loved A7X. Like, to the point that I added every member of the band to my list of Musicians I Would Marry Immediately Upon Meeting. (That list is in my head, if you're wondering. I'm not weird enough to write it down where people could find it or something.)
I had known all along about the sad story of the Rev, A7X/s drummer who died in December 2009. But all I had known was that he died, not anything about how, or even when. I guess I first learned of this through Pandora's crappy little band biography thing. All it had to say about the Rev's death was "That same year, drummer Jimmy The Rev Sullivan passed away at the age of 28." It said it exactly like that too; all that bad grammar and whatnot.
But after I realized how much I loved Avenged Sevenfold, I decided I had to know more. I now know that he died on December 28th, 2009, in his Huntington Beach, California home. I know that he died of an acute overdose on oxycodone, diazepam, and alcohol. Diazepam is an anti-anxiety drug, for those of you who don't know. But I prefer to think of his life more than his death. The Rev was a really interesting character, and I wish I had gotten to meet him. He seems like he would have been a really fun guy. He wrote a lot of songs for the band, including Afterlife, Critical Acclaim, Brompton Cocktail, and Little Piece of Heaven, all of which were on their self-titled album which was released in 2009. He also played more than just drums; he could play guitar, bass, piano, or sing. He could've been the band all by himself.
And I know stuff about the other members, too. All the band members were from Huntington Beach, they all went to the same high school, and started the band in 1999, when they were still in high school. I know that Johnny Christ, the bassist, dropped out of high school in his senior year to be a roadie for the band before he became their permanent bassist after Matt Wendt left the band.
M Shadows is married to a woman named Valerie. He's the singer. Synyster Gates, who got his stage name from the Rev, is also married, to a woman named Michelle. The Rev was married also, to a woman named Leana. I think Zacky Vengeance is married, but I can't think of his wife's name at this moment in time. Syn is the lead guitarist, and Zacky is the rhythm guitarist. Syn and the Rev had a side-project, a band called Pinkly Smooth, where Syn was still a guitarist, but the Rev sang. That band released one album, and will likely not release any more.
I'm forgetting a lot of stuff about these guys; I know I am. But I can't think of what right now for some reason. I know that they have had a lot of criticism for their drug use, but I don't care about that. Their drug use and drinking is just part of who they are; part of what they became when they got famous almost straight out of high school. I would say that that's a good reason to avoid fame when you're young, but in this case, it just is what it is. They wouldn't be who they are today, and they wouldn't have produced such amazing records, if they had become famous later in life.
On that note, I'll slip into the usual discography and band member stuff.
Avenged Sevenfold currently consists of five members, all but one of whom have stage names. I'll include both, real names in parentheses. M Shadows (Matt Sanders) is the singer, Synyster Gates (Brian Haner) plays lead guitar, Zacky Vengeance (Zack Baker) is on rhythm guitar, Johnny Christ (Jonathan Seward) is the bassist, and Mike Portnoy is the drummer.
In 2001, the band released their first album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, on Good Life Recordings. Their next album was Waking the Fallen, released in 2003 on Hopeless Records. City of Evil, their third album, was released in 2005 on Warner Brothers. Their self-titled fourth album was released in 2007, also on Warner Brothers. Their fifth studio effort, Nightmare, was released in 2010 on Warner Brothers.
They also have a documentary-type thing, All Excess, that was released in 2007 on Warner Bros. It's kind of a behind the scenes look at the band. In 2008 they released the Live in the LBC and Diamonds in the Rough live album, again on Warner Bros.
Avenged Sevenfold is known for having long songs--Save Me, written by the Rev and featured on the Nightmare album, is 10:56 long. Their songs tend to average about 5:30-6 minutes, which means they aren't very radio-friendly.
There's more; I know there's more...maybe when I think of it, I'll come back and edit this to add all that other stuff in. But I think this is already my longest Music Week post, so maybe I won't. But right now, this is three minutes from being posted late, and I'd like it to be on time, so...g'night!
--Razza Ragazza
Update: Bah, literally one minutes after posting this I realized: I forgot to mention that the current title of my blog, It's Time for Something Real, comes from the song Critical Acclaim, by Avenged Sevenfold! Bah!
Avenged Sevenfold!
When Pandora, that genius invention by which I discover new music, gave me the song Afterlife, by Avenged Sevenfold, I had no idea what had been unleashed. I immediately took a shine to that song, and after listening to a lyric-filled version over and over on YouTube, I bought it. And then proceeded to add it to my collection of wonderful, beautiful music and not think much of it for a while.
Then there was the concert. I attended a concert in which the following bands played: Escape the Fate, Bullet for My Valentine, Seether, Three Days Grace, and Avenged Sevenfold. By that time, I had heard a few more of their songs. Even bought a couple more that were in the 69-cent category. But I still didn't know what was building even at that moment.
I didn't get to stay for all of A7X that night, but I truly, truly wished I could have. What I did see from them was just really, really good. "Just good" is really the only phrase I can think of, because they were beyond words. That was the kind of awesome they were.
After the concert, I sort of put them on the backburner for a while. I still thought they were marvelously good, but I wasn't about to jump up and buy all their CDs. Until one day, when my parents made me really mad for some forgotten reason (probably relating to college) and I decided to employ my best "get over your anger" tactic, which is to buy music. I decided it was time to invest fully in a "new" band, so I bought the Nightmare CD, the whole thing all at once, on iTunes. However, this actually didn't immediately calm my anger, because I accidentally bought the clean version. Which cost three whole dollars more than the explicit version. Come to think of it, I'm still a little miffed at myself for that...anyway, moving on.
I still hadn't yet realized the full enormity of these events. But then, randomly, it just kind of hit me that I loved A7X. Like, to the point that I added every member of the band to my list of Musicians I Would Marry Immediately Upon Meeting. (That list is in my head, if you're wondering. I'm not weird enough to write it down where people could find it or something.)
I had known all along about the sad story of the Rev, A7X/s drummer who died in December 2009. But all I had known was that he died, not anything about how, or even when. I guess I first learned of this through Pandora's crappy little band biography thing. All it had to say about the Rev's death was "That same year, drummer Jimmy The Rev Sullivan passed away at the age of 28." It said it exactly like that too; all that bad grammar and whatnot.
But after I realized how much I loved Avenged Sevenfold, I decided I had to know more. I now know that he died on December 28th, 2009, in his Huntington Beach, California home. I know that he died of an acute overdose on oxycodone, diazepam, and alcohol. Diazepam is an anti-anxiety drug, for those of you who don't know. But I prefer to think of his life more than his death. The Rev was a really interesting character, and I wish I had gotten to meet him. He seems like he would have been a really fun guy. He wrote a lot of songs for the band, including Afterlife, Critical Acclaim, Brompton Cocktail, and Little Piece of Heaven, all of which were on their self-titled album which was released in 2009. He also played more than just drums; he could play guitar, bass, piano, or sing. He could've been the band all by himself.
And I know stuff about the other members, too. All the band members were from Huntington Beach, they all went to the same high school, and started the band in 1999, when they were still in high school. I know that Johnny Christ, the bassist, dropped out of high school in his senior year to be a roadie for the band before he became their permanent bassist after Matt Wendt left the band.
M Shadows is married to a woman named Valerie. He's the singer. Synyster Gates, who got his stage name from the Rev, is also married, to a woman named Michelle. The Rev was married also, to a woman named Leana. I think Zacky Vengeance is married, but I can't think of his wife's name at this moment in time. Syn is the lead guitarist, and Zacky is the rhythm guitarist. Syn and the Rev had a side-project, a band called Pinkly Smooth, where Syn was still a guitarist, but the Rev sang. That band released one album, and will likely not release any more.
I'm forgetting a lot of stuff about these guys; I know I am. But I can't think of what right now for some reason. I know that they have had a lot of criticism for their drug use, but I don't care about that. Their drug use and drinking is just part of who they are; part of what they became when they got famous almost straight out of high school. I would say that that's a good reason to avoid fame when you're young, but in this case, it just is what it is. They wouldn't be who they are today, and they wouldn't have produced such amazing records, if they had become famous later in life.
On that note, I'll slip into the usual discography and band member stuff.
Avenged Sevenfold currently consists of five members, all but one of whom have stage names. I'll include both, real names in parentheses. M Shadows (Matt Sanders) is the singer, Synyster Gates (Brian Haner) plays lead guitar, Zacky Vengeance (Zack Baker) is on rhythm guitar, Johnny Christ (Jonathan Seward) is the bassist, and Mike Portnoy is the drummer.
In 2001, the band released their first album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, on Good Life Recordings. Their next album was Waking the Fallen, released in 2003 on Hopeless Records. City of Evil, their third album, was released in 2005 on Warner Brothers. Their self-titled fourth album was released in 2007, also on Warner Brothers. Their fifth studio effort, Nightmare, was released in 2010 on Warner Brothers.
They also have a documentary-type thing, All Excess, that was released in 2007 on Warner Bros. It's kind of a behind the scenes look at the band. In 2008 they released the Live in the LBC and Diamonds in the Rough live album, again on Warner Bros.
Avenged Sevenfold is known for having long songs--Save Me, written by the Rev and featured on the Nightmare album, is 10:56 long. Their songs tend to average about 5:30-6 minutes, which means they aren't very radio-friendly.
There's more; I know there's more...maybe when I think of it, I'll come back and edit this to add all that other stuff in. But I think this is already my longest Music Week post, so maybe I won't. But right now, this is three minutes from being posted late, and I'd like it to be on time, so...g'night!
--Razza Ragazza
Update: Bah, literally one minutes after posting this I realized: I forgot to mention that the current title of my blog, It's Time for Something Real, comes from the song Critical Acclaim, by Avenged Sevenfold! Bah!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Music Week: Day Six - Sick Puppies
So it's about an hour after my last post for music week, and instead of going to bed and sleeping like a normal person, I've been sitting here reading Hyperbole and a Half, which is a wonderful blog written by Allie Brosh. I have read literally every single entry, and they're all some kind of funny. Anyways, I bet you are wondering what today's wonderful band will be...
Justin Beiber! Just kidding, I wouldn't do that to you. I also wouldn't do that to me...writing an entire entry about him would probably literally kill me. I would die of sheer stupid-happy-loveydovey-crap-syndrome, which I'm sure is a common ailment of his fans.
Anyway, the real band is Sick Puppies.
Sick Puppies started out in Australia in the year 1997--weird, this band is as old as my sister. But that's not really relevant. Also I apparently can't spell at this time of night. The band currently consists of Shimon Moore (would someone please tell me how to pronounce "Shimon?" does it rhyme with "Timon" or "Simon?" PLEASE I HAVE TO KNOW!) on lead vocals and guitar, Emma Anzai on bass and backing vocals, and Mark Goodwin on drums.
The band produced some stuff in Australia before uprooting and moving to the US. There was one EP, called Dog's Breakfast. I'm not sure what year that was in, or what label it was on. But their next attempt was a full-blown album produced in 2001 by Sony BMG. But apparently, the CD itself is a rare find, so if you've got one, please give it to me. Please?
The band then moved to the US, where they produced the album Dressed Up as Life on the Virgin label in 2007. Their second studio album in the US was Tri-Polar, released in 2009 on Virgin again. Then there's Polar Opposite, produced in 2011 on Virgin. That one is just an EP--actually just a combination of some of their other stuff all mashed up into one album; like a "Best Of" only shorter and stuff.
The band was also featured in the film Rock Prophecies, which was basically just about Robert Knight. He's a musical photographer of sorts, and he was looking for new talent, which he obviously found in Sick Puppies.
And let me tell you, they are good. I've seen them, and I would definitely see them again. I love how they can be screamy and rocky and angry, then go to something like White Balloons that is basically the opposite of those things. And they have some sick videos too. You know their hit song from Tri-Polar, You're Going Down? I laughed at the video, and I was supposed to. It's this totally hardass, beat-up-everyone song...and then the video? It's some kids having an epic waterfight. Then the video for Welcome to My World really hit you in a different part of your brain, because it's just...touching. It is by no means a happy video, but by the time it ends, you feel like you've gained a lot.
Sick Puppies is also often associated with the Free Hugs Campaign. The campaign started in Australia when Juan Mann returned from an overseas trip and realized that he had nothing and nowhere to go. So he did what any reasonable person would do, and made a cardboard sign that read "Free Hugs." And then it just took off. Until the police ordered Mann to stop, saying that it was a public health hazard or some other such nonsense. Sick Puppies used their song It's All the Same in a video supporting Mann, and voila! After Mann collected a few thousand signatures, he was back in the unpaid, hugging business.
Anyway, I think that's all I have on Sick Puppies. I will probably post again in the "morning" about another band, because I just realized that there are two more bands I want in this edition of Music Week and one of them needs a whole day all to itself, because that is going to be one long post. I've been saving it for last.
So keep tuning in to find out what I think is worthy of getting in the first-ever Razza Ragazza Music Week!
--Razza Ragazza
Justin Beiber! Just kidding, I wouldn't do that to you. I also wouldn't do that to me...writing an entire entry about him would probably literally kill me. I would die of sheer stupid-happy-loveydovey-crap-syndrome, which I'm sure is a common ailment of his fans.
Anyway, the real band is Sick Puppies.
Sick Puppies started out in Australia in the year 1997--weird, this band is as old as my sister. But that's not really relevant. Also I apparently can't spell at this time of night. The band currently consists of Shimon Moore (would someone please tell me how to pronounce "Shimon?" does it rhyme with "Timon" or "Simon?" PLEASE I HAVE TO KNOW!) on lead vocals and guitar, Emma Anzai on bass and backing vocals, and Mark Goodwin on drums.
The band produced some stuff in Australia before uprooting and moving to the US. There was one EP, called Dog's Breakfast. I'm not sure what year that was in, or what label it was on. But their next attempt was a full-blown album produced in 2001 by Sony BMG. But apparently, the CD itself is a rare find, so if you've got one, please give it to me. Please?
The band then moved to the US, where they produced the album Dressed Up as Life on the Virgin label in 2007. Their second studio album in the US was Tri-Polar, released in 2009 on Virgin again. Then there's Polar Opposite, produced in 2011 on Virgin. That one is just an EP--actually just a combination of some of their other stuff all mashed up into one album; like a "Best Of" only shorter and stuff.
The band was also featured in the film Rock Prophecies, which was basically just about Robert Knight. He's a musical photographer of sorts, and he was looking for new talent, which he obviously found in Sick Puppies.
And let me tell you, they are good. I've seen them, and I would definitely see them again. I love how they can be screamy and rocky and angry, then go to something like White Balloons that is basically the opposite of those things. And they have some sick videos too. You know their hit song from Tri-Polar, You're Going Down? I laughed at the video, and I was supposed to. It's this totally hardass, beat-up-everyone song...and then the video? It's some kids having an epic waterfight. Then the video for Welcome to My World really hit you in a different part of your brain, because it's just...touching. It is by no means a happy video, but by the time it ends, you feel like you've gained a lot.
Sick Puppies is also often associated with the Free Hugs Campaign. The campaign started in Australia when Juan Mann returned from an overseas trip and realized that he had nothing and nowhere to go. So he did what any reasonable person would do, and made a cardboard sign that read "Free Hugs." And then it just took off. Until the police ordered Mann to stop, saying that it was a public health hazard or some other such nonsense. Sick Puppies used their song It's All the Same in a video supporting Mann, and voila! After Mann collected a few thousand signatures, he was back in the unpaid, hugging business.
Anyway, I think that's all I have on Sick Puppies. I will probably post again in the "morning" about another band, because I just realized that there are two more bands I want in this edition of Music Week and one of them needs a whole day all to itself, because that is going to be one long post. I've been saving it for last.
So keep tuning in to find out what I think is worthy of getting in the first-ever Razza Ragazza Music Week!
--Razza Ragazza
Monday, December 19, 2011
Music Week: Day Five - Shinedown
After this post I will be all caught up and then only two more days until I can go back to posting my usual baloney about whatever happens to pop into my mind. Today's band will be...
Shinedown!
I know, you all hate Second Chance by this point because it was overplayed by radio DJs everywhere for two entire years. But I promise, if you ignore Second Chance (which wouldn't have been bad if it had been played more sparingly), they have some really good stuff, I promise.
Shinedown currently consists of Brent Smith on lead vocals, Barry Kerch on drums, Zach Myers on guitar, and Eric Bass on bass (tehehe), piano, and backing vocals. Man, Eric is talented! Way to go, Eric.
...anyway. Shinedown has produced three studio albums and one live album. Their first album was Leave a Whisper in 2003 on Atlantic Records. Their next release was Us and Them in 2005, also on Atlantic. You know what? I'm just gonna save myself some time; all their albums have been on Atlantic. At any rate, the next album was the one that made them famous--at least, more famous. That would be the Sound of Madness album, released in 2008. Their live album, Somewhere in the Stratosphere, was just released in 2011.
They have also had a whole slew of songs that have been in movies. I don't know what order they go in, so I'm just gonna tell you about all of them and you can do it yourself. There was Her Name is Alice, which was in the newest Alice in Wonderland movie. Then there was Devour, from the Sound of Madness CD; that one was in The Final Destination--that being the fourth one, if you were wondering. And in The Expendables they had Diamond Eyes. I feel like there may be others, but it's late and I'm not really sure.
Brent Smith is an interesting person. He used to be addicted to cocaine, but he's clean now. He promises, or maybe I just made that up cause it sounds good. But he is clean, even if he doesn't promise. And that song you hate? Second Chance was written after the birth of his son. He also once did a duet with Shaun Morgan from Seether, which was awesome and basically made my life temporarily when I found it.
Barry Kerch is married to a (probably) nice woman named Lori. He has a degree in anthropology, so he's probably fun to talk to as well. But that's about all Wikipedia will tell me (am I ruining whatever small amount of credibility I had by mentioning Wiki so much? Oh well...), and I'm not about to go looking for more. Oh and also, he and Brent are the only remaining original members of the band.
Zach Myers is from Tennessee. He is also in another band, The Fairwell, where he sings and plays guitar. He manages a band from Memphis called Sore Eyes. I don't know how he find the time; personally just one band would probably kill me. But more power to you if you can handle three!
Eric Bass doesn't have a Wikipedia page of his own yet. So I'm real sorry for all the injustice and badness, but he doesn't get a good paragraph.
Shinedown began in Florida, where Brent and Barry are from, in 2001. Oh and apparently they will be releasing a new album sometime in 2012, name unknown, but it will be on Ocean Way Recording instead of Atlantic, which is odd because it seemed like this was one band that might be loyal to its label. A single from said album is set to be released on January 3, 2012, and you'd best bet I'll be listening for it. That song is called Bully. Also I will probably buy that album when it comes out, because I have their other three studio albums--I don't usually buy live albums because it's all the same music, just with an annoying audience in the background. But anyway.
That's all I have for Shinedown. With six minutes to go before this post is officially late, I will bid you adieu and goodnight.
--Razza Ragazza
Shinedown!
I know, you all hate Second Chance by this point because it was overplayed by radio DJs everywhere for two entire years. But I promise, if you ignore Second Chance (which wouldn't have been bad if it had been played more sparingly), they have some really good stuff, I promise.
Shinedown currently consists of Brent Smith on lead vocals, Barry Kerch on drums, Zach Myers on guitar, and Eric Bass on bass (tehehe), piano, and backing vocals. Man, Eric is talented! Way to go, Eric.
...anyway. Shinedown has produced three studio albums and one live album. Their first album was Leave a Whisper in 2003 on Atlantic Records. Their next release was Us and Them in 2005, also on Atlantic. You know what? I'm just gonna save myself some time; all their albums have been on Atlantic. At any rate, the next album was the one that made them famous--at least, more famous. That would be the Sound of Madness album, released in 2008. Their live album, Somewhere in the Stratosphere, was just released in 2011.
They have also had a whole slew of songs that have been in movies. I don't know what order they go in, so I'm just gonna tell you about all of them and you can do it yourself. There was Her Name is Alice, which was in the newest Alice in Wonderland movie. Then there was Devour, from the Sound of Madness CD; that one was in The Final Destination--that being the fourth one, if you were wondering. And in The Expendables they had Diamond Eyes. I feel like there may be others, but it's late and I'm not really sure.
Brent Smith is an interesting person. He used to be addicted to cocaine, but he's clean now. He promises, or maybe I just made that up cause it sounds good. But he is clean, even if he doesn't promise. And that song you hate? Second Chance was written after the birth of his son. He also once did a duet with Shaun Morgan from Seether, which was awesome and basically made my life temporarily when I found it.
Barry Kerch is married to a (probably) nice woman named Lori. He has a degree in anthropology, so he's probably fun to talk to as well. But that's about all Wikipedia will tell me (am I ruining whatever small amount of credibility I had by mentioning Wiki so much? Oh well...), and I'm not about to go looking for more. Oh and also, he and Brent are the only remaining original members of the band.
Zach Myers is from Tennessee. He is also in another band, The Fairwell, where he sings and plays guitar. He manages a band from Memphis called Sore Eyes. I don't know how he find the time; personally just one band would probably kill me. But more power to you if you can handle three!
Eric Bass doesn't have a Wikipedia page of his own yet. So I'm real sorry for all the injustice and badness, but he doesn't get a good paragraph.
Shinedown began in Florida, where Brent and Barry are from, in 2001. Oh and apparently they will be releasing a new album sometime in 2012, name unknown, but it will be on Ocean Way Recording instead of Atlantic, which is odd because it seemed like this was one band that might be loyal to its label. A single from said album is set to be released on January 3, 2012, and you'd best bet I'll be listening for it. That song is called Bully. Also I will probably buy that album when it comes out, because I have their other three studio albums--I don't usually buy live albums because it's all the same music, just with an annoying audience in the background. But anyway.
That's all I have for Shinedown. With six minutes to go before this post is officially late, I will bid you adieu and goodnight.
--Razza Ragazza
Music Week: Day Four - Breaking Benjamin
This is me catching up on posts that I should have written...yesterday. I did not write said post for reasons I would really rather keep to myself. Anyway, today's artist is...
Breaking Benjamin! Aren't you happy I went back to "my" genre after doing Cage the Elephant? I am. This might be a longer post because of that. So shut up and be happy.
Breaking Benjamin currently consists of Ben Burnley on lead vocals. Yeah, that's right...everyone else quit. Why? I have no idea. But Ben is apparently trying to keep it together and get some new people, so if you can play a bass, guitar, or drums, give him a call. Actually, I just went and looked at their website, and now I'm just really confused. Ben said that they are absolutely not broken up, and that he was just taking time off for medical issues (he used to be an alcoholic, and he has some brain-type problems now. serious, because it's his brain, but he isn't going to die on us tomorrow or anything.). But then after that statement...the biography talks almost exclusively about Ben. I don't even know what to think anymore.
At any rate, Breaking Benjamin has released five albums. The first, in 2002, was on the Hollywood Label. That was Saturate. The next album, We Are Not Alone, was released in 2004, also under Hollywood. Phobia came next in 2006, again produced by Hollywood. Actually, all of their albums have been produced by Hollywood, including Dear Agony (the cover of which is an actual scan of Ben's brain--I've always wondered if it was or not, and now I know! I love the internet.) which was released in 2009. They also have a compilation album, Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin, which was came out in 2011.
Apparently Ben is the only lyricist in the band, which is cool. He does work with people when he writes though, so it's not just him going scribbling out stuff until a song appears. He is also deathly afraid of flying, which is why Breaking Benjamin will never, never ever go on a world tour. So if you want to see them live (and you do, I promise) you'll have to come to America to do so.
I'll put the other members here, just in case the band really isn't broken up and I have to credit everyone. Aaron Fink is on lead guitar, Mark Klepaski is on bass, and Chad Szeliga is on drums. Again, I'm not totally sure if any of those guys are still in the band or not. Wikipedia says no, Ben Burnley says yes...but he did release that statement last year. Things could be totally different by now. I really haven't the foggiest, darlings.
Anyways, that's all I've got on them...so until next time, dearies!
--Razza Ragazza
Breaking Benjamin! Aren't you happy I went back to "my" genre after doing Cage the Elephant? I am. This might be a longer post because of that. So shut up and be happy.
Breaking Benjamin currently consists of Ben Burnley on lead vocals. Yeah, that's right...everyone else quit. Why? I have no idea. But Ben is apparently trying to keep it together and get some new people, so if you can play a bass, guitar, or drums, give him a call. Actually, I just went and looked at their website, and now I'm just really confused. Ben said that they are absolutely not broken up, and that he was just taking time off for medical issues (he used to be an alcoholic, and he has some brain-type problems now. serious, because it's his brain, but he isn't going to die on us tomorrow or anything.). But then after that statement...the biography talks almost exclusively about Ben. I don't even know what to think anymore.
At any rate, Breaking Benjamin has released five albums. The first, in 2002, was on the Hollywood Label. That was Saturate. The next album, We Are Not Alone, was released in 2004, also under Hollywood. Phobia came next in 2006, again produced by Hollywood. Actually, all of their albums have been produced by Hollywood, including Dear Agony (the cover of which is an actual scan of Ben's brain--I've always wondered if it was or not, and now I know! I love the internet.) which was released in 2009. They also have a compilation album, Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin, which was came out in 2011.
Apparently Ben is the only lyricist in the band, which is cool. He does work with people when he writes though, so it's not just him going scribbling out stuff until a song appears. He is also deathly afraid of flying, which is why Breaking Benjamin will never, never ever go on a world tour. So if you want to see them live (and you do, I promise) you'll have to come to America to do so.
I'll put the other members here, just in case the band really isn't broken up and I have to credit everyone. Aaron Fink is on lead guitar, Mark Klepaski is on bass, and Chad Szeliga is on drums. Again, I'm not totally sure if any of those guys are still in the band or not. Wikipedia says no, Ben Burnley says yes...but he did release that statement last year. Things could be totally different by now. I really haven't the foggiest, darlings.
Anyways, that's all I've got on them...so until next time, dearies!
--Razza Ragazza
Music Week: Day Three - Cage the Elephant
Sorry I missed the last two days of music week...I'll catch up today. All three posts, maybe. Or just two, but definitely no less than two. Anyway, today's band is...
Cage the Elephant!
Bet you didn't see that coming, since the last two days were more punk-y, scream-y bands! Ha! Really though, I do like Cage the Elephant, and they should be easy to write about because they haven't been around as long as my other bands have.
This band started out in Chicago in 2006. Currently, the members are Matthew Schultz (lead vocals), Lincoln Parish (lead guitar), Brad Schultz (rhythm guitar), Daniel Tichenor (bass and backing vocals), and Jared Champion (drums and percussion (again with the drums AND percussion, Wiki?)).
Their first album was produced in 2008 by Relentless/Red Ink. It was self-titled. Their second album was released in 2010 by Jive/Universal, and it's called Thank You, Happy Birthday. I can personally attest to the goodness of both of these albums.
Matthew Schultz has an interesting voice. It's not particularly good, even, just interesting in a way that makes you want to listen. I think CTE is still trying to find their sound, because there is a big difference between the first album and the second. The first one is mainly about the lyrics, and the second one I think puts more emphasis on the instruments. They're both good, though.
Another thing--CTE is weird. That's the most accurate description I can give you. They are just a bunch of weird men who happen to play instruments and sing. They're like the Red Hot Chili Peppers that way, except not at all like RHCP really. Except for in that both of the bands in question are weird and that's the only way I can describe them.
As you can see, I don't really know that much about Cage the Elephant. Besides that they are good, and oh yeah! did I mention that they are a bit on the political side? At least on the first album? Okay, well good. Now you know. And the video for Aberdeen was really good, so you should go look it up on YouTube because I am far too lazy to take the time to make you a nice little hyperlink right now.
See you soon,
--Razza Ragazza
Cage the Elephant!
Bet you didn't see that coming, since the last two days were more punk-y, scream-y bands! Ha! Really though, I do like Cage the Elephant, and they should be easy to write about because they haven't been around as long as my other bands have.
This band started out in Chicago in 2006. Currently, the members are Matthew Schultz (lead vocals), Lincoln Parish (lead guitar), Brad Schultz (rhythm guitar), Daniel Tichenor (bass and backing vocals), and Jared Champion (drums and percussion (again with the drums AND percussion, Wiki?)).
Their first album was produced in 2008 by Relentless/Red Ink. It was self-titled. Their second album was released in 2010 by Jive/Universal, and it's called Thank You, Happy Birthday. I can personally attest to the goodness of both of these albums.
Matthew Schultz has an interesting voice. It's not particularly good, even, just interesting in a way that makes you want to listen. I think CTE is still trying to find their sound, because there is a big difference between the first album and the second. The first one is mainly about the lyrics, and the second one I think puts more emphasis on the instruments. They're both good, though.
Another thing--CTE is weird. That's the most accurate description I can give you. They are just a bunch of weird men who happen to play instruments and sing. They're like the Red Hot Chili Peppers that way, except not at all like RHCP really. Except for in that both of the bands in question are weird and that's the only way I can describe them.
As you can see, I don't really know that much about Cage the Elephant. Besides that they are good, and oh yeah! did I mention that they are a bit on the political side? At least on the first album? Okay, well good. Now you know. And the video for Aberdeen was really good, so you should go look it up on YouTube because I am far too lazy to take the time to make you a nice little hyperlink right now.
See you soon,
--Razza Ragazza
Friday, December 16, 2011
Music Week: Day Two - Seether
Today was the first day of Winter Break for me, so obviously I did nothing productive short of this blog. Which I am doing late in the day because I was busy doing nothing earlier. Get over it. Anyway, today's band is...
Seether!
Seether is currently comprised of three members. Shaun Morgan is on lead vocals and guitar, Dale Stewart is on bass and backing vocals, and John Humphrey is on drums. Seether began in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1999, which is apparently just when all the good bands got going.
They have produced seven studio albums; only one in South Africa before they came to America. That was Fragile (2000), by Musketeer Records. That was also the only album they produced under the name Saron Gas, which they were asked to change when they came here because of the similarities between "Saron Gas" and "sarin gas," which is apparently a lethal nerve agent. Anyways, the rest of their albums have been with Wind-Up Records.
First there was Disclaimer (2002), and then there was Disclaimer II (2004). This was not the band's choice. They had wanted to go back to the studio and actually make a whole new album, but Wind-Up was like, "No, we want you to go on this huge-ass world tour and then redo your first album with almost nothing new at all on it! Sound good, guys? Great!" cause they're kind of assholes like that. Just to Seether, though, I haven't read any horror stories from other bands.
Next there was Karma and Effect (2005), which had its own accompaniment of problems. First, Wind-Up wouldn't let them curse on the album. They wanted it to be clean for some reason...excuse me, people, but this is kind of punk rock. Not letting them curse is like not letting them breathe. This is still a pretty hardcore album though; Shaun screams pretty well throughout a lot of it. But! That wasn't the only problem. They also wanted to call this one "Catering to Cowards," which I think is a pretty good title. It isn't hugely offensive and it makes sense. But noooo! Wind-Up made them change it to Karma and Effect. Then... The cover art. The art for this album isn't really that bad. But I don't know what the original artwork was, and maybe that was a zillion times better. Anyway, they'd had lots of issues with Wind-Up by the time Karma and Effect was over.
The One Cold Night CD/DVD combo was released in 2006. This featured acoustic versions of a lot of their songs, and it was really quite good. But again, Wind-Up wanted it to be clean, so certain songs were left off to that end.
Next there was Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces (2007), which was a really good album, and the first Seether CD I purchased. It featured a cover of the George Micheal song Careless Whisper, which I thought was very good. I've read different things about this song, so I'll just share all of them and let you decide which one is true. First, I read that they were requested by Wind-Up to cover a love song because they were playing a show on Valentine's Day, so they decided to pick the cheesiest, least-Seether-like song they could find and cover that. I also read that they just did the whole thing as a joke, kind of just to see if they could. Then I also read that the song has special meaning to the members of the band. That last theory has the least logic to it of them all, I think. Based on Wind-Up's history of being not so nice to this incredible band, I'm inclined to believe the first option.
But moving on. In 2011, Seether came out with their newest album, Holding on to Strings Better Left to Fray. At first listen-through, I was kinda disappointed in this one. It wasn't nearly as hard as their previous stuff had been. But after I listened to it three or four times, I began to really like it, and that's what a lot of other people have said too. There isn't nearly as much anger or screaming in this album as in previous ones, but it still isn't all lovey-dovey pop-music crap. (can you tell I'm not a huge fan of the current pop music scene?)
Moving on. Seether is excellent; they are definitely in my top three favorite bands of all time. But I have to say, I was a teeny bit disappointed in their live show. I was expecting them to be Awesome, and they were good, but they had several things going against them:
1. Who they were playing with. Which sounds dirty, but I mean the other bands. They went after Bullet for My Valentine, which isn't a band I'm really into, but they were really good live. The bass player had sweet jeans, ones that I wanted to steal and wear because they were so cute. Then after Seether was Three Days Grace, which is a band I'm really into. They were amazing live. So, so, so good. Then after 3DG was Avenged Sevenfold, which was also amazing even though I wasn't much into them at the time and I didn't get to stay for the whole of their performance. But what I did see was absolutely awesome. They played Afterlife, and it just blew my mind into tiny little pieces. Synyster Gates has such a talent for the guitar, and M Shadows' voice is just...perfect. (you can probably tell that I'm a huge fan of A7X after seeing them.)
2. Shaun's (and Dale's and John's) lack of utilizing the stage. They just stayed in their little spots for the duration of their performance, they didn't really move around that much. John gets a break because, well, drummers are kind of trapped where they are...can't pick up the drumset and move it around the stage too well.
3. The sound quality. I don't know what was wrong, but something was off with their equipment because it just sounded weird compared to the other bands' sound. And between songs, when they were pausing to remember which song was next or whatever, there was this awful droning sound that was totally weird and out of place. None of the other bands had this problem.
4. None of them spoke! All the other bands would take little intermission-type things between songs every once in a while and say stuff to us, like "you're an awesome crowd," "we love Grand Rapids," "blah blah blah how we came to be band/wrote this song/some other interesting thing," but Seether never did this. I don't know if Shaun, Dale, or John were just having a bad day, or what was going on, but they didn't talk to us. Except right after the last song when Shaun yelled, "Thank you, we were Seether!" over the loud droning noise.
Anyway, I was generally a little disappointed with my favorite band, especially considering how much begging I had to do in order to get my parents to let me go in the first place. And let me tell you, it was a lot of begging. And I went by myself because all my friends are lame and either had other stuff to do that day or just plain don't like Seether. But I still enjoyed the concert overall, and because I felt like it and still do love Seether, I bought a Seether shirt. It features the three members of the band in zombie-form, which is wonderful because it is probably the only time you are likely to see Shaun looking all skinny, cause he's kinda chubby now. Also I just like zombies. I will likely post about them sometime after Music Week is over.
Well, that might be all I have about Seether for the moment...except for some random odd facts that nobody cares about and I don't know why I know these things in the first place. So...yeah. Ta ta for now, folks!
--Razza Ragazza
Seether!
Seether is currently comprised of three members. Shaun Morgan is on lead vocals and guitar, Dale Stewart is on bass and backing vocals, and John Humphrey is on drums. Seether began in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1999, which is apparently just when all the good bands got going.
They have produced seven studio albums; only one in South Africa before they came to America. That was Fragile (2000), by Musketeer Records. That was also the only album they produced under the name Saron Gas, which they were asked to change when they came here because of the similarities between "Saron Gas" and "sarin gas," which is apparently a lethal nerve agent. Anyways, the rest of their albums have been with Wind-Up Records.
First there was Disclaimer (2002), and then there was Disclaimer II (2004). This was not the band's choice. They had wanted to go back to the studio and actually make a whole new album, but Wind-Up was like, "No, we want you to go on this huge-ass world tour and then redo your first album with almost nothing new at all on it! Sound good, guys? Great!" cause they're kind of assholes like that. Just to Seether, though, I haven't read any horror stories from other bands.
Next there was Karma and Effect (2005), which had its own accompaniment of problems. First, Wind-Up wouldn't let them curse on the album. They wanted it to be clean for some reason...excuse me, people, but this is kind of punk rock. Not letting them curse is like not letting them breathe. This is still a pretty hardcore album though; Shaun screams pretty well throughout a lot of it. But! That wasn't the only problem. They also wanted to call this one "Catering to Cowards," which I think is a pretty good title. It isn't hugely offensive and it makes sense. But noooo! Wind-Up made them change it to Karma and Effect. Then... The cover art. The art for this album isn't really that bad. But I don't know what the original artwork was, and maybe that was a zillion times better. Anyway, they'd had lots of issues with Wind-Up by the time Karma and Effect was over.
The One Cold Night CD/DVD combo was released in 2006. This featured acoustic versions of a lot of their songs, and it was really quite good. But again, Wind-Up wanted it to be clean, so certain songs were left off to that end.
Next there was Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces (2007), which was a really good album, and the first Seether CD I purchased. It featured a cover of the George Micheal song Careless Whisper, which I thought was very good. I've read different things about this song, so I'll just share all of them and let you decide which one is true. First, I read that they were requested by Wind-Up to cover a love song because they were playing a show on Valentine's Day, so they decided to pick the cheesiest, least-Seether-like song they could find and cover that. I also read that they just did the whole thing as a joke, kind of just to see if they could. Then I also read that the song has special meaning to the members of the band. That last theory has the least logic to it of them all, I think. Based on Wind-Up's history of being not so nice to this incredible band, I'm inclined to believe the first option.
But moving on. In 2011, Seether came out with their newest album, Holding on to Strings Better Left to Fray. At first listen-through, I was kinda disappointed in this one. It wasn't nearly as hard as their previous stuff had been. But after I listened to it three or four times, I began to really like it, and that's what a lot of other people have said too. There isn't nearly as much anger or screaming in this album as in previous ones, but it still isn't all lovey-dovey pop-music crap. (can you tell I'm not a huge fan of the current pop music scene?)
Moving on. Seether is excellent; they are definitely in my top three favorite bands of all time. But I have to say, I was a teeny bit disappointed in their live show. I was expecting them to be Awesome, and they were good, but they had several things going against them:
1. Who they were playing with. Which sounds dirty, but I mean the other bands. They went after Bullet for My Valentine, which isn't a band I'm really into, but they were really good live. The bass player had sweet jeans, ones that I wanted to steal and wear because they were so cute. Then after Seether was Three Days Grace, which is a band I'm really into. They were amazing live. So, so, so good. Then after 3DG was Avenged Sevenfold, which was also amazing even though I wasn't much into them at the time and I didn't get to stay for the whole of their performance. But what I did see was absolutely awesome. They played Afterlife, and it just blew my mind into tiny little pieces. Synyster Gates has such a talent for the guitar, and M Shadows' voice is just...perfect. (you can probably tell that I'm a huge fan of A7X after seeing them.)
2. Shaun's (and Dale's and John's) lack of utilizing the stage. They just stayed in their little spots for the duration of their performance, they didn't really move around that much. John gets a break because, well, drummers are kind of trapped where they are...can't pick up the drumset and move it around the stage too well.
3. The sound quality. I don't know what was wrong, but something was off with their equipment because it just sounded weird compared to the other bands' sound. And between songs, when they were pausing to remember which song was next or whatever, there was this awful droning sound that was totally weird and out of place. None of the other bands had this problem.
4. None of them spoke! All the other bands would take little intermission-type things between songs every once in a while and say stuff to us, like "you're an awesome crowd," "we love Grand Rapids," "blah blah blah how we came to be band/wrote this song/some other interesting thing," but Seether never did this. I don't know if Shaun, Dale, or John were just having a bad day, or what was going on, but they didn't talk to us. Except right after the last song when Shaun yelled, "Thank you, we were Seether!" over the loud droning noise.
Anyway, I was generally a little disappointed with my favorite band, especially considering how much begging I had to do in order to get my parents to let me go in the first place. And let me tell you, it was a lot of begging. And I went by myself because all my friends are lame and either had other stuff to do that day or just plain don't like Seether. But I still enjoyed the concert overall, and because I felt like it and still do love Seether, I bought a Seether shirt. It features the three members of the band in zombie-form, which is wonderful because it is probably the only time you are likely to see Shaun looking all skinny, cause he's kinda chubby now. Also I just like zombies. I will likely post about them sometime after Music Week is over.
Well, that might be all I have about Seether for the moment...except for some random odd facts that nobody cares about and I don't know why I know these things in the first place. So...yeah. Ta ta for now, folks!
--Razza Ragazza
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Music Week: Day One - Rise Against
Before I talk about Music Week, I must inform you that FINALS ARE OVER! And I think I passed all of them! All is well and right in the world, besides the bad stuff happening in Africa, and the crazy rape rate in America, and...fine, everything in my world is right and well. Sort of. Not really even. But anyway...NO MORE FINALS! YAY!
Now that that is out of my system...
I had this idea a few days ago. I'm going to provide some information and some opinions about seven of my favorite bands...one for each day! How original of me, right?! So proud of myself...anyway. Right. Today's band is...
Rise Against! You really have no idea how much I love Rise Against. Just how much, you ask? A whole fuckin' lot, that's how much. ...anyway.
Rise Against is a "punk rock" band, according to Wikipedia. iTunes says it's a "rock" band. I feel the need to "quote mark" those, because I fee that genre boundaries are just stupid. Just plain stupid. Currently, the band has Tim McIlrath on lead vocals, Zach Blair on lead guitar and backing vocals, Joe Principe on bass and backing vocals, and Brandon Barnes on drums and percussion. Wait...aren't drums and percussion the same thing?! This is the last time you mislead me, Wikipedia! (I'm just kidding, Wik, I love you.)
They have released seven studio albums. The first two, The Unraveling (2001) and Revolutions Per Minute (2003) were on the small-name label Fat Wreck Chords, which is a horrible pun. Whoever named hat company deserves to be punched in the knee. Anyway, they signed to Geffen Records next, but I'm not totally sure what they produced there. I can't find what they actually did while signed to Geffen, but I know they were signed there! Briefly, though, because in 2004 they produced Siren Song of the Counter Culture with Dreamworks Records. Then The Sufferer and the Witness in 2006, also with Dreamworks. Their next album was Appeal to Reason in 2008, and finally Endgame in 2011.
A word about the members...they're awesome. That is speculation, because I have not had the good fortune to meet them. But it's safe to assume, because:
1. They are all vegan or vegetarian.
2. They support PETA.
3. They are all straightedge, with the exception of Mr. Barnes the Drummer Man.
4. They share their opinions about politics and whatnot. Which means...they are real people. Shocking!
5. They are against the death penalty.
6. They sing wonderful songs, most of which are not about love/being dumped. Take that, pop music!
7. They hate injustice, and do something about it.
8. They care about people effected by natural disasters.
9. Tim McIlrath is pretty.
10. They sell vegan shoes, recycled-banner messenger bags, and other cool stuff. And make sure it isn't made in a sweat shop. The bags are made in Michigan, actually.
They also have some really cool music videos. Check out Make it Stop (September's Children), Ready to Fall, and Re-Education (Through Labor) if you don't believe me. And these songs are about stuff! Stuff other than being in love or being dumped, can you believe it?!
Now the opinion...
I don't know about you, but hearing this stuff makes me want to get out and fight the injustice in the world. Which is fine...except I'm seventeen, and cannot just go out and fight said injustice. Which there is a lot of. But I want to! Especially after seeing Ready to Fall for the first time; I just wanted to do something. And you don't understand, but I don't just get the random urge to go do stuff, and Rise Against makes me want to get off my ass and do something. This just doesn't happen.
Also, these guys look like they are legitimately angry about all this bad stuff that's going on. Not faking it for the camera, not just pretending for the publicity, they look like they actually care. And guess what?! I actually care too! I mean...he's right. "Every action has a reaction. We've got one planet, one chance." He's right, people. Oh Tim, you know so much about so many things I assume...I would love to write a biography of you and the band you're in! (I say "the band you're in" as opposed to "your band" because a. he didn't start the band on his own, and b. being the lead singer does not give you ownership of the band.)
I think that's all I've got on Rise Against. Come back tomorrow for another super cool and awesomely interesting post about a band!
--Razza Ragazza
P.S.: Does anyone know if Tim's eyes are actually mismatched? Cause I think it's super cute. And so I really hope they are for real mismatched.
Now that that is out of my system...
I had this idea a few days ago. I'm going to provide some information and some opinions about seven of my favorite bands...one for each day! How original of me, right?! So proud of myself...anyway. Right. Today's band is...
Rise Against! You really have no idea how much I love Rise Against. Just how much, you ask? A whole fuckin' lot, that's how much. ...anyway.
Rise Against is a "punk rock" band, according to Wikipedia. iTunes says it's a "rock" band. I feel the need to "quote mark" those, because I fee that genre boundaries are just stupid. Just plain stupid. Currently, the band has Tim McIlrath on lead vocals, Zach Blair on lead guitar and backing vocals, Joe Principe on bass and backing vocals, and Brandon Barnes on drums and percussion. Wait...aren't drums and percussion the same thing?! This is the last time you mislead me, Wikipedia! (I'm just kidding, Wik, I love you.)
They have released seven studio albums. The first two, The Unraveling (2001) and Revolutions Per Minute (2003) were on the small-name label Fat Wreck Chords, which is a horrible pun. Whoever named hat company deserves to be punched in the knee. Anyway, they signed to Geffen Records next, but I'm not totally sure what they produced there. I can't find what they actually did while signed to Geffen, but I know they were signed there! Briefly, though, because in 2004 they produced Siren Song of the Counter Culture with Dreamworks Records. Then The Sufferer and the Witness in 2006, also with Dreamworks. Their next album was Appeal to Reason in 2008, and finally Endgame in 2011.
A word about the members...they're awesome. That is speculation, because I have not had the good fortune to meet them. But it's safe to assume, because:
1. They are all vegan or vegetarian.
2. They support PETA.
3. They are all straightedge, with the exception of Mr. Barnes the Drummer Man.
4. They share their opinions about politics and whatnot. Which means...they are real people. Shocking!
5. They are against the death penalty.
6. They sing wonderful songs, most of which are not about love/being dumped. Take that, pop music!
7. They hate injustice, and do something about it.
8. They care about people effected by natural disasters.
9. Tim McIlrath is pretty.
10. They sell vegan shoes, recycled-banner messenger bags, and other cool stuff. And make sure it isn't made in a sweat shop. The bags are made in Michigan, actually.
They also have some really cool music videos. Check out Make it Stop (September's Children), Ready to Fall, and Re-Education (Through Labor) if you don't believe me. And these songs are about stuff! Stuff other than being in love or being dumped, can you believe it?!
Now the opinion...
I don't know about you, but hearing this stuff makes me want to get out and fight the injustice in the world. Which is fine...except I'm seventeen, and cannot just go out and fight said injustice. Which there is a lot of. But I want to! Especially after seeing Ready to Fall for the first time; I just wanted to do something. And you don't understand, but I don't just get the random urge to go do stuff, and Rise Against makes me want to get off my ass and do something. This just doesn't happen.
Also, these guys look like they are legitimately angry about all this bad stuff that's going on. Not faking it for the camera, not just pretending for the publicity, they look like they actually care. And guess what?! I actually care too! I mean...he's right. "Every action has a reaction. We've got one planet, one chance." He's right, people. Oh Tim, you know so much about so many things I assume...I would love to write a biography of you and the band you're in! (I say "the band you're in" as opposed to "your band" because a. he didn't start the band on his own, and b. being the lead singer does not give you ownership of the band.)
I think that's all I've got on Rise Against. Come back tomorrow for another super cool and awesomely interesting post about a band!
--Razza Ragazza
P.S.: Does anyone know if Tim's eyes are actually mismatched? Cause I think it's super cute. And so I really hope they are for real mismatched.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Post Six: In Which Ragazza Gets Angry, Cooks, and Blogs About It
Also she sometimes pretends her life is naught but a book that some extremely bored and sad person at a publishing place has to read.
Anyway. Let me tell you about my day! It began horribly. I woke up late, which I knew I was going to do because I went to bed late. Then, my mother informs me that she is angry by saying "why didn't you let me read this?!" as I walked to the bathroom. She was referring to a scholarship application I had sent in the previous night. Sleep-deprived and wise, I did not respond.
I then proceeded to grab a clementine and walk out the door, only to find that my current mode of transportation (I call it Loretta) would not start. Loretta is a bitch sometimes. I had an 8 am exam. So...my mother drove me to class. It was very quiet. But wait! The fun has yet to begin!
On the way home, she continued to just in general yell at me about this scholarship app. And also about how I must not care very much about going to this school, how I was basically destined to fail out of college because I did not believe I would get this scholarship that hundreds of better-qualified students apply for, and how I might as well just go to the community college if that was my attitude, and that might not work out either. Fun. I said very little during this time.
Then I got home, where Loretta was waiting happily for me, having started for my dad. Loretta is a bitch sometimes. They went to work and all was well...briefly. I was still recovering from being yelled at (a lot) by my mother, who is generally not a yell-y person.
But then...
My mom must have told my dad, because he then texted me an ultimatum, basically. It went something like this: "You have two choices, Queens (University of Charlotte, where the app was to) and Community College. We want Comm Coll, so you have to prove yourself about QUC. Blah blah blah more stuff." That is when I actually became angry. I was upset before that, but at that point I just got uber pissed. You do not tell me what to do. Never tell me what to do. I will shut down like Detroit if it hadn't been bailed out. I will not do what you want me to, even if I know that it is what I really should do. And I will also become angry. (and you won't like me when I'm angry...)
I went through several possible responses to this. One was something like "screw you," another said some things that would have had worse repercussions for me than telling my father to screw off would have. Eventually I decided to just tell him (bluntly) that it wasn't his decision. Jury's still out on how he felt about that.
Because...
After school, Loretta and I went to my grandma's house. Loretta started just fine, but her sound system (cassette player bit) does not like my audio-in one bit. So I wrestled with that for a good ten minutes before it finally worked properly and began blowing my mind/eardrums with Avenged Sevenfold. Have I mentioned that Loretta is a bitch sometimes? Cause she is. Anyway...
Then I was at my grandma's house for a good two, three hours helping her out with Christmas decorations and just little chores and whatnot that she needed someone to do. All was well, fine and dandy...
Until...
"Do your parents know you're here? I thought you were coming with your dad." Oh dear. Grandma did not need to know about the debacle unfolding with her son and granddaughter. So I texted my mom, who took my dad there after work to "help." (quotes cause we were already done for the time being.) As soon as he got there, instant awkwardness--thankfully unnoticed by Grandma--ensued. This continued for a good...two hours. Or ten minutes; it's hard to tell. I'm gonna go with two hours though, because an episode and a half of Criminal Minds went by during this time. On an unrelated note, I will marry Reed one day. It will happen. Anyway, after that was all through, we left in Loretta. My dad messed up the delicate balance I had achieved with the sound system, which fueled my fire a bit more. It's gonna be hard to fix cause Loretta is a bitch.
But then...
He tried to pretend it never happened! I was rocking out to a playlist I aptly titled "Excuse the Obscene," and he started talking to me like it was all normal! Facepalm, father, facepalm. You can't just pretend nothing happened. Issuing your eldest child an ultimatum, receiving an angry response, and IGNORING IT is not a good way to solve the problem! This breach of reason and the basic Etiquette of Arguments only made me more angry.
However, I just fumed silently and went along with it. When we got home, neither him or my mom said a word about it to me. Granted, I have been upstairs on the computer reading blogs and Sparklife for the last couple hours. But still. They could have made an effort.
Now...
The cooking part! I looked in the fridge and decided that I wanted something, anything with asiago cheese in it. So I found some cheese tortellini and cooked that. Apparently not for long enough though, because it was a bit chewy. Whatever, it was food. I put some season-the-heck-out-of-whatever-you-want spice on it, a little butter and some milk...and of course my asiago! Despite the chewiness, it tasted pretty good.
Also nobody made any effort to talk to me while I was downstairs playing chef. Oh yeah, and when we got home, I took a Floricet...it was prescribed to me for headaches, and I did have a headache (kind of), but I know what this stuff does and I only use it when I want its effects. It makes me kinda loopy and out of it, and once when I took two instead of one (the bottle said I could!) I lost two hours of my life. I had pneumonia at the time, so that might have played a role as well. Anyway...
Yeah, so then...
I blogged about it. That's what happened next. I will also go to sleep soon, and probably dream weird dreams cause of the floricet (unrelated side note, last night in my dream I met the Rev and Synyster Gates from A7X...'twas glorious) (and that's the most normal dream I remember having, ever) (no floricet for that one, either).
Oh! And a detail I forgot! I had a bag packed and in Loretta. I was gonna stay at my grandma's that night, but then my dad showed up, so there went that plan. I had to hide the bag, as it may have looked a tid bit suspicious...but Loretta had so few hiding places! Probably just cause she's a bitch-ass minivan with the middle seat taken out.
Also! Due to the upsetting nature of all these schmizzmuffins going on today, I've spent the day bouncing back and forth between kicking things and crying my eyes out. Just if you were wondering.
G'night! Hope your day was better than mine!
--Razza Ragazza
Anyway. Let me tell you about my day! It began horribly. I woke up late, which I knew I was going to do because I went to bed late. Then, my mother informs me that she is angry by saying "why didn't you let me read this?!" as I walked to the bathroom. She was referring to a scholarship application I had sent in the previous night. Sleep-deprived and wise, I did not respond.
I then proceeded to grab a clementine and walk out the door, only to find that my current mode of transportation (I call it Loretta) would not start. Loretta is a bitch sometimes. I had an 8 am exam. So...my mother drove me to class. It was very quiet. But wait! The fun has yet to begin!
On the way home, she continued to just in general yell at me about this scholarship app. And also about how I must not care very much about going to this school, how I was basically destined to fail out of college because I did not believe I would get this scholarship that hundreds of better-qualified students apply for, and how I might as well just go to the community college if that was my attitude, and that might not work out either. Fun. I said very little during this time.
Then I got home, where Loretta was waiting happily for me, having started for my dad. Loretta is a bitch sometimes. They went to work and all was well...briefly. I was still recovering from being yelled at (a lot) by my mother, who is generally not a yell-y person.
But then...
My mom must have told my dad, because he then texted me an ultimatum, basically. It went something like this: "You have two choices, Queens (University of Charlotte, where the app was to) and Community College. We want Comm Coll, so you have to prove yourself about QUC. Blah blah blah more stuff." That is when I actually became angry. I was upset before that, but at that point I just got uber pissed. You do not tell me what to do. Never tell me what to do. I will shut down like Detroit if it hadn't been bailed out. I will not do what you want me to, even if I know that it is what I really should do. And I will also become angry. (and you won't like me when I'm angry...)
I went through several possible responses to this. One was something like "screw you," another said some things that would have had worse repercussions for me than telling my father to screw off would have. Eventually I decided to just tell him (bluntly) that it wasn't his decision. Jury's still out on how he felt about that.
Because...
After school, Loretta and I went to my grandma's house. Loretta started just fine, but her sound system (cassette player bit) does not like my audio-in one bit. So I wrestled with that for a good ten minutes before it finally worked properly and began blowing my mind/eardrums with Avenged Sevenfold. Have I mentioned that Loretta is a bitch sometimes? Cause she is. Anyway...
Then I was at my grandma's house for a good two, three hours helping her out with Christmas decorations and just little chores and whatnot that she needed someone to do. All was well, fine and dandy...
Until...
"Do your parents know you're here? I thought you were coming with your dad." Oh dear. Grandma did not need to know about the debacle unfolding with her son and granddaughter. So I texted my mom, who took my dad there after work to "help." (quotes cause we were already done for the time being.) As soon as he got there, instant awkwardness--thankfully unnoticed by Grandma--ensued. This continued for a good...two hours. Or ten minutes; it's hard to tell. I'm gonna go with two hours though, because an episode and a half of Criminal Minds went by during this time. On an unrelated note, I will marry Reed one day. It will happen. Anyway, after that was all through, we left in Loretta. My dad messed up the delicate balance I had achieved with the sound system, which fueled my fire a bit more. It's gonna be hard to fix cause Loretta is a bitch.
But then...
He tried to pretend it never happened! I was rocking out to a playlist I aptly titled "Excuse the Obscene," and he started talking to me like it was all normal! Facepalm, father, facepalm. You can't just pretend nothing happened. Issuing your eldest child an ultimatum, receiving an angry response, and IGNORING IT is not a good way to solve the problem! This breach of reason and the basic Etiquette of Arguments only made me more angry.
However, I just fumed silently and went along with it. When we got home, neither him or my mom said a word about it to me. Granted, I have been upstairs on the computer reading blogs and Sparklife for the last couple hours. But still. They could have made an effort.
Now...
The cooking part! I looked in the fridge and decided that I wanted something, anything with asiago cheese in it. So I found some cheese tortellini and cooked that. Apparently not for long enough though, because it was a bit chewy. Whatever, it was food. I put some season-the-heck-out-of-whatever-you-want spice on it, a little butter and some milk...and of course my asiago! Despite the chewiness, it tasted pretty good.
Also nobody made any effort to talk to me while I was downstairs playing chef. Oh yeah, and when we got home, I took a Floricet...it was prescribed to me for headaches, and I did have a headache (kind of), but I know what this stuff does and I only use it when I want its effects. It makes me kinda loopy and out of it, and once when I took two instead of one (the bottle said I could!) I lost two hours of my life. I had pneumonia at the time, so that might have played a role as well. Anyway...
Yeah, so then...
I blogged about it. That's what happened next. I will also go to sleep soon, and probably dream weird dreams cause of the floricet (unrelated side note, last night in my dream I met the Rev and Synyster Gates from A7X...'twas glorious) (and that's the most normal dream I remember having, ever) (no floricet for that one, either).
Oh! And a detail I forgot! I had a bag packed and in Loretta. I was gonna stay at my grandma's that night, but then my dad showed up, so there went that plan. I had to hide the bag, as it may have looked a tid bit suspicious...but Loretta had so few hiding places! Probably just cause she's a bitch-ass minivan with the middle seat taken out.
Also! Due to the upsetting nature of all these schmizzmuffins going on today, I've spent the day bouncing back and forth between kicking things and crying my eyes out. Just if you were wondering.
G'night! Hope your day was better than mine!
--Razza Ragazza
Thursday, December 8, 2011
It Has Begun...
Finals week doesn't officially begin until Monday, at least not at my school...but that doesn't mean you won't see several disturbing victims of Finals Madness, or even feel the symptoms yourself. Here are some helpful tips for identifying individuals with this frightening ailment or perhaps diagnosing yourself with it:
1. You/they have read through at least one entire textbook.
2. You/they know exactly where the good chairs and study carrels are in the library.
3. You/they have located and studied every syllabus for every class to find out what the final actually counts for.
4. You/they haven't been seen by friends or family in quite some time--but don't worry, you/they are just under that massive stack of books in the corner.
5. You/they haven't eaten a meal not consisting of library vending machine food in nearly a week.
6. You/they quiz every person they encounter about their various classes, and vigorously encourage said people to quiz them in return.
7. You/they begins speaking exclusively in whatever language they are studying, or, if not in a language class, will talk about nothing but biology/physics/calculus/etc.
8. You/they insist upon waking up at an ungodly hour each morning so as to "maximize study time." You/they also turn on all the lights in the dorm, thereby waking up a probably angry roommate who has had his/her Finals Madness inoculations.
9. You/they appear from the depths of the library, having not slept in days, covered in highlighter and bits of flashcards.
10. You/they actually fully understand the material for all your classes.
If you find that you are exhibiting these symptoms, please seek help immediately. We all love and care about you very much, and we don't like seeing you like this. This disease is curable and preventable, so get your immunizations before you're struck! It involves paying attention and studying all semester long, so it's painful, but think of the alternative! Nobody wants to live in the library.
But if you'll excuse me, I have to go read my textbook and syllabuses, as well as eat my late dinner of frappacino and skittles. See you in a week or so! Don't be alarmed about the highlighters and flashcards. It's healthy, I swear!
--Razza Ragazza
1. You/they have read through at least one entire textbook.
2. You/they know exactly where the good chairs and study carrels are in the library.
3. You/they have located and studied every syllabus for every class to find out what the final actually counts for.
4. You/they haven't been seen by friends or family in quite some time--but don't worry, you/they are just under that massive stack of books in the corner.
5. You/they haven't eaten a meal not consisting of library vending machine food in nearly a week.
6. You/they quiz every person they encounter about their various classes, and vigorously encourage said people to quiz them in return.
7. You/they begins speaking exclusively in whatever language they are studying, or, if not in a language class, will talk about nothing but biology/physics/calculus/etc.
8. You/they insist upon waking up at an ungodly hour each morning so as to "maximize study time." You/they also turn on all the lights in the dorm, thereby waking up a probably angry roommate who has had his/her Finals Madness inoculations.
9. You/they appear from the depths of the library, having not slept in days, covered in highlighter and bits of flashcards.
10. You/they actually fully understand the material for all your classes.
If you find that you are exhibiting these symptoms, please seek help immediately. We all love and care about you very much, and we don't like seeing you like this. This disease is curable and preventable, so get your immunizations before you're struck! It involves paying attention and studying all semester long, so it's painful, but think of the alternative! Nobody wants to live in the library.
But if you'll excuse me, I have to go read my textbook and syllabuses, as well as eat my late dinner of frappacino and skittles. See you in a week or so! Don't be alarmed about the highlighters and flashcards. It's healthy, I swear!
--Razza Ragazza
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Sorry I've Been MIA...
Sorry for the big gap between posts, but some stuff came up, and yeah...this was put on the back burner. But just temporarily, because here I am, back safe and sound!
I have to go study Italian. Yaaaay. I hate Italian. It's complicated, confusing, old, not remotely similar to English, and a heck of a lot of work. I like to think that I do pretty well in school, usually without trying too much. But this class? It's kicking my ass!
I have to go study Italian. Yaaaay. I hate Italian. It's complicated, confusing, old, not remotely similar to English, and a heck of a lot of work. I like to think that I do pretty well in school, usually without trying too much. But this class? It's kicking my ass!
Incidentally, Italian did give me one good thing at least...my name! Razza Ragazza means "Stingray Girl" in Italian. Yeah, I know it doesn't really mean much of anything...I just liked how it sounded. Get over it. While we're on the topic though, let's talk about my actual blog title/name/whatever.
I liked it at first. I got it from a Rise Against song (Ready to Fall)--what's not to like about that? I'm a very devoted Rise Against fan, so it seemed like a good fit. But now I'm thinking about it...and out of context, doesn't it kind of sound like a wedding blog title rather than whatever-I-feel-like blog title? I thought about editing it so that it has the full line (will you be my compass until forever ends?) but that didn't really sound/look much better. Then I thought about changing it to another Rise Against song, just to be similar to how it started out, but I can't remember now what song or line it was. Maybe from the song Lanterns I could do "Hell is Not Where We're Going, Hell's Where We've Been!" but that's a little long. And mildly depressing. Not that much though, cause we're out of hell now...but anyway.
I have to go...Italian seems to be calling my name. Just about as reluctantly as I go, actually. It doesn't like being massacred as much as I don't like massacring it.
--Razza Ragazza
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)