So it's been a while. Been living life, basically just trying to keep on keeping on. Things are never easy. Been listening to lots of rad music, wanting to get a new band together. So hard to meet people my own age who are into similar things.
Got to go see Red Fang recently here in town, so good. Looking forward to Weedeater coming up in May. Until next time here's some music you should check out if you haven't already.
Cheers!
Red Fang "Shadows"
Weedeater
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Monday, March 16, 2015
Future looks bright
Well, looks like the Vans video is actually set to drop, apparently it's called propeller. That's one hell of a line up and I'm looking forward to it.
Also, it's pretty damn cool that antihero has all their videos available to watch now at their website. http://www.antiheroskateboards.com/
Going to try and update this thing more often...I've been slacking.
Also, it's pretty damn cool that antihero has all their videos available to watch now at their website. http://www.antiheroskateboards.com/
Going to try and update this thing more often...I've been slacking.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
ST. LOUIS AND FERGUSON, NO JUSTICE NO PEACE
I was born in St. Louis. I've lived in St. Louis, gone to shows in St. Louis, spent numerous hours of my life in St. Louis. It's the rust belt, the midwest, the slums, the hipster, the coffee shops, the dives, Uncle Bills at 2am, the loop, the arch, the Cardinals and west county mall kids and soccer moms. It's the Frison Flea market and Cherokee street. It's what the landing used to be and what it is now. It's Mississippi Nights, the Hi-point lounge, Fubar, and the Grove. It's also Ferguson.
I've always had a tough time with this kind of stuff. On one hand being a lifelong skateboarder and musician I've been apt to cause a little trouble now and then. I've certainly had my run-in's with the law. But I'm a white dude, that's certainly not blind to the advantages I have because of this. If I'm not on a skateboard and am dressed reasonably well I look like any other forty-ish dude. I'm graying, I'm white, I'm afforded a lot that others aren't. While I certainly recognize that what happened in Ferguson is, to a large extant, about race; the issue of police overstepping their boundaries encompasses something we all should be concerned about. I could write, speak, talk and endlessly babble on about the oppression of those in economically depressed situations and areas and what they experience. It's the PJ's, or the trailer parks. Black or white, the way we treat and think about those who are poor or disadvantaged is sad and it's even sadder that as one people, we can't have a little more empathy for our fellow man.
To those that call the people in Ferguson animals, thugs, or any other "terms" that have been used which thinly veil what you're really trying to say, (black) you ARE THE PROBLEM. When you're hungry, tired, cold, poor, pissed off and feel that everyone is against you sometimes it's feels better to lash out. You lash out at what's around you. You fight the system that has established the alter of consumerism that we all worship at. Why do you give a fuck if they burned down an auto-zone? Why do you care that local Walgreens got looted. They have insurance, those giant corporations that pay their workers a pittance that is usually somewhere around the poverty line can take a hit. Maybe they won't rebuild, maybe they will. Who cares, they are offering nothing to any community that is of any real value. They take, they don't give.
I also understand the argument that small business owners get hurt when things like this happen. I understand, but the merchant class, while hurt by these things, can still go home to their affluent neighborhood and be safe. They still have their lives, their families. Food, money, clothing, heat, and all the other things their advantaged life affords them. They earned it, they worked for it and this shouldn't be overlooked. But we're not concerned about them right now. We shouldn't be concerned with them right now. There's a bigger picture to consider and that's what matters right now.
A young man lost his life, a police officer, a peace officer, took it. The reasons, the justification, the questions over who was right doesn't matter in the end. It's symptomatic of a bigger issue. Our police officers, who through no fault of their own, have become a military force instead of our friends and neighbors.
Once upon a time our officers walked what was called a "beat." They strolled through our neighborhoods on foot. They interacted with those in their communities. They spoke to kids, to parents, teachers, the town drunk, the local garbage man, the homeless as they would speak to anyone. Because they knew the people and families that they were protecting. Those people also knew the officers. They interacted on a daily basis, became friendly, and took responsibility for each other, for the areas they lived in and protected. They were on the same level, fighting real crime. The officers knew when someone was breaking into your house because they knew what you looked like.
Our police forces have become more and more detached from this as time has gone on. They see only the worst in people. They sit in their vehicles, away from the neighborhoods they have sworn to protect. They react to calls, they stop Joe from beating the shit out of Linda. They pull dead babies out of dumpsters, they see the dead, the wasted, the drugged. They see the worst parts of our society and they react. They are taught and trained to react a certain way, they are in constant fear of their lives because they don't know the people they are dealing with. They are out of touch with the people who rely on them, and the people distrust them because they don't know them either.
That said I don't yearn for some "better" time that existed. I yearn for a new way forward. I yearn for a time when we can live together and relate to one another regardless of our social status, race, religion or culture. We don't always have to agree, we don't have to be best friends, but we can be something and view each other as something other than the enemy. When you stay in your ivory tower, your police cruiser or your little subdivision and don't try to be a part of the world, or when you talk about the actions of others, beliefs of others, lives of others in a derogatory manner you can't be surprised when the world looks at you and collectively says, "What the fuck is your problem?"
This disconnect within OUR community is the cause of things like this. OUR greed is the cause of things like this. OUR culture of consumerism is the cause of this. OUR fear of each other based on the way we look, dress, worship, speak, and live is the cause of this. OUR lack of interest and dialog with each other is the cause of this. OUR political divide is the cause of this. America can change. It's okay. We don't have to burn it to the ground. We don't have to have a rebellion. We don't have to keep electing the same ass-hats into our government. We can take control through peaceful methods. We can make this a place we are proud to call home. We can move forward and learn from the mistakes that have been made in our history. It starts by talking to each other. Keeping an open mind. It starts by being open to the things that scare you. It stops by ending the fear. It stops by not being afraid. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. What burns down can be rebuilt. What once was can be made better and what doesn't work can be fixed. Standing up, getting knocked down, getting back up and being brave enough to try again.
Stop listening to the media, stop reading the papers, stop believing everything you read online. Stop reading this blog. Go out, talk to your neighbors, talk to your government, talk to your mom, your grandma, the guy on the bus, the girl standing in line behind you, the person serving your food. Listen and speak and think and learn.
I've always had a tough time with this kind of stuff. On one hand being a lifelong skateboarder and musician I've been apt to cause a little trouble now and then. I've certainly had my run-in's with the law. But I'm a white dude, that's certainly not blind to the advantages I have because of this. If I'm not on a skateboard and am dressed reasonably well I look like any other forty-ish dude. I'm graying, I'm white, I'm afforded a lot that others aren't. While I certainly recognize that what happened in Ferguson is, to a large extant, about race; the issue of police overstepping their boundaries encompasses something we all should be concerned about. I could write, speak, talk and endlessly babble on about the oppression of those in economically depressed situations and areas and what they experience. It's the PJ's, or the trailer parks. Black or white, the way we treat and think about those who are poor or disadvantaged is sad and it's even sadder that as one people, we can't have a little more empathy for our fellow man.
To those that call the people in Ferguson animals, thugs, or any other "terms" that have been used which thinly veil what you're really trying to say, (black) you ARE THE PROBLEM. When you're hungry, tired, cold, poor, pissed off and feel that everyone is against you sometimes it's feels better to lash out. You lash out at what's around you. You fight the system that has established the alter of consumerism that we all worship at. Why do you give a fuck if they burned down an auto-zone? Why do you care that local Walgreens got looted. They have insurance, those giant corporations that pay their workers a pittance that is usually somewhere around the poverty line can take a hit. Maybe they won't rebuild, maybe they will. Who cares, they are offering nothing to any community that is of any real value. They take, they don't give.
I also understand the argument that small business owners get hurt when things like this happen. I understand, but the merchant class, while hurt by these things, can still go home to their affluent neighborhood and be safe. They still have their lives, their families. Food, money, clothing, heat, and all the other things their advantaged life affords them. They earned it, they worked for it and this shouldn't be overlooked. But we're not concerned about them right now. We shouldn't be concerned with them right now. There's a bigger picture to consider and that's what matters right now.
A young man lost his life, a police officer, a peace officer, took it. The reasons, the justification, the questions over who was right doesn't matter in the end. It's symptomatic of a bigger issue. Our police officers, who through no fault of their own, have become a military force instead of our friends and neighbors.
Once upon a time our officers walked what was called a "beat." They strolled through our neighborhoods on foot. They interacted with those in their communities. They spoke to kids, to parents, teachers, the town drunk, the local garbage man, the homeless as they would speak to anyone. Because they knew the people and families that they were protecting. Those people also knew the officers. They interacted on a daily basis, became friendly, and took responsibility for each other, for the areas they lived in and protected. They were on the same level, fighting real crime. The officers knew when someone was breaking into your house because they knew what you looked like.
Our police forces have become more and more detached from this as time has gone on. They see only the worst in people. They sit in their vehicles, away from the neighborhoods they have sworn to protect. They react to calls, they stop Joe from beating the shit out of Linda. They pull dead babies out of dumpsters, they see the dead, the wasted, the drugged. They see the worst parts of our society and they react. They are taught and trained to react a certain way, they are in constant fear of their lives because they don't know the people they are dealing with. They are out of touch with the people who rely on them, and the people distrust them because they don't know them either.
That said I don't yearn for some "better" time that existed. I yearn for a new way forward. I yearn for a time when we can live together and relate to one another regardless of our social status, race, religion or culture. We don't always have to agree, we don't have to be best friends, but we can be something and view each other as something other than the enemy. When you stay in your ivory tower, your police cruiser or your little subdivision and don't try to be a part of the world, or when you talk about the actions of others, beliefs of others, lives of others in a derogatory manner you can't be surprised when the world looks at you and collectively says, "What the fuck is your problem?"
This disconnect within OUR community is the cause of things like this. OUR greed is the cause of things like this. OUR culture of consumerism is the cause of this. OUR fear of each other based on the way we look, dress, worship, speak, and live is the cause of this. OUR lack of interest and dialog with each other is the cause of this. OUR political divide is the cause of this. America can change. It's okay. We don't have to burn it to the ground. We don't have to have a rebellion. We don't have to keep electing the same ass-hats into our government. We can take control through peaceful methods. We can make this a place we are proud to call home. We can move forward and learn from the mistakes that have been made in our history. It starts by talking to each other. Keeping an open mind. It starts by being open to the things that scare you. It stops by ending the fear. It stops by not being afraid. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. What burns down can be rebuilt. What once was can be made better and what doesn't work can be fixed. Standing up, getting knocked down, getting back up and being brave enough to try again.
Stop listening to the media, stop reading the papers, stop believing everything you read online. Stop reading this blog. Go out, talk to your neighbors, talk to your government, talk to your mom, your grandma, the guy on the bus, the girl standing in line behind you, the person serving your food. Listen and speak and think and learn.
"The oppressed should rebel, and they will continue to rebel and raise disturbance until their civil rights are fully restored to them and all partial distinctions, exclusions and incapacitations are removed." --Thomas Jefferson
Monday, October 27, 2014
So we recorded a new album
And you should go to our bandcamp and download it. We worked really hard on this and I'm proud of it. I'll try to update this thing a little more often too. No longer stuck in Missouri, went through a divorce, living in the Southwest now. that's the short version.
http://tuneport.com/profile/thedifferenceengine#.VFPBUcmKX6U
http://tuneport.com/profile/thedifferenceengine#.VFPBUcmKX6U
Thursday, January 9, 2014
2014 Coming on like a....Snowstorm
So I've neglected my poor little blog here. Fuck man, I've got lots of shit going on all the time. There's more to life then updating little blogs about nothing, that nearly no one reads. I basically started this to bitch and moan about getting old, skateboarding, playing in my band and just life in general.
So 2013 is over, gone, good-fucking-bye. One thing, my birthday is at the end of December and for the last year my wife kept saying I was 37. She makes me older than I am a lot. Why? Because she's nearly four years older than me and it makes her feel better about her own decrepit state. So for the past year I've been 36. I would have sworn to you I was turning 38 this last birthday, but no, it's a lie!! I'm only 37! I feel like I've gained a year of my life I thought I'd lost, I've got to keep better track of this shit.
Last year was pretty fun and the holiday's and New Year have been pretty awesome. Minus all the snow and 20 below zero temperatures that have taken place in the last month. Here's a few photo's from the last month or so. Take care in 2014, I'll see ya around.
So 2013 is over, gone, good-fucking-bye. One thing, my birthday is at the end of December and for the last year my wife kept saying I was 37. She makes me older than I am a lot. Why? Because she's nearly four years older than me and it makes her feel better about her own decrepit state. So for the past year I've been 36. I would have sworn to you I was turning 38 this last birthday, but no, it's a lie!! I'm only 37! I feel like I've gained a year of my life I thought I'd lost, I've got to keep better track of this shit.
Last year was pretty fun and the holiday's and New Year have been pretty awesome. Minus all the snow and 20 below zero temperatures that have taken place in the last month. Here's a few photo's from the last month or so. Take care in 2014, I'll see ya around.
 |
| My Backyard has looked like this most of the winter... |
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| And my front yard like this... |
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| And The smoking section of my work |
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| My Father in law and cousins |
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| A picture of My Great-great-great grandparents my sister found researching the family |
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| My 4x Great grandpappy |
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| And finally got a Welcome board that I've been unable to skate other than in my car port since every concrete surface in a 300 mile range around me is covered in snow and ice. Thanks Polar Vortex!!! |
Monday, October 21, 2013
RIOTFEST AND MY SUMMER VACATION
So, with knowing I was going to cut what was first planned as a long vacation down to just a few days around Denver to see the Replacements at Riotfest I was a little bummed. I haven't had a long vacation in years, but we're in the middle of remodeling our house and doing some other things that caused us to make this decision.
One thing I had to do was stay at the Stanley Hotel. I'm a huge Stephen King fan, and this is where he got the inspiration for The Shining!
So after staying the night here, with nothing creepy happening to me, the wife woke up at 3am freaking out, but I was in a nice alcohol induced coma, it was time for riotfest.
The Replacements were fucking phenomenal. Flag was awesome, Superchunk, AFI, Against ME, everyone was good. It sucked that Flag got rained out halfway through their set, and it sucked even more that I left due to the storm, then halfway across Kansas found out they let people back in for Rancid. But I didn't give a fuck about seeing Blink 182 and had a long drive ahead of me. I love Colorado and will be going back when I can just explore and not have to sit in a dusty field for two days to hear some music.
Monday, September 16, 2013
VACATION TIME...
Finally, after waiting all summer and working for the last three years without a break I'm taking one this weekend.
I'll be attending Riotfest near Denver, Not only will I get to see Rancid, Against Me and Naked Raygun, but I also get to fucking see the mother-fucking Replacements!! So excited I think I pooped myself.
I'm a little concerned over the flooding and shit in Colorado right now, hopefully that doesn't hamper my trip, but I'll post pics and updates when it's over. Plus I may make a few other stops while I'm away. I've been burned out on work and everything else, really need to get away for a bit.
Stay tuned.....
I'll be attending Riotfest near Denver, Not only will I get to see Rancid, Against Me and Naked Raygun, but I also get to fucking see the mother-fucking Replacements!! So excited I think I pooped myself.
I'm a little concerned over the flooding and shit in Colorado right now, hopefully that doesn't hamper my trip, but I'll post pics and updates when it's over. Plus I may make a few other stops while I'm away. I've been burned out on work and everything else, really need to get away for a bit.
Stay tuned.....
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