Wednesday, April 25, 2018

2018: April 25th 5:13 PM

Still riding pretty high off that Windhand/Ruby the Hatchet show the other night. Still recovering a bit from it, too. Here's another Ruby song, straight from the show the other night (I love how at 18:23 the person filming shamelessly zooms in on Jillian Taylor's bum).



Yesterday's playlist:
Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Ruby the Hatchet - Planetary Space Child
Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain

That last entry was a weird, off-the-cuff dalliance to see if a newer Ozzy album would be even remotely interesting. I'm not a huge fan of his solo stuff, but I grew up with it. Black Rain is produced well, the music isn't far outside of what you've come to expect from the Ozman, but the vocals are kinda meh. Not really a surprise. Funny how the night after I dine at the Rainbow Room - which was a staple of the 80s LA Sunset Strip Glam/Hair Metal scene, I listen to both Appetite for Destruction (for the first time in yeeeaarrss) and Ozzy.

Card of the day:


I drew this card early this morning to start my day. I don't feel very much in the way of stability or power though. 

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

2018: April 24th 3:08 PM

Windhand blew the fucking door off The Roxy last night. So did opener Ruby the Hatchet, who I strongly recommend you check out. Here's a taste:



These folks were straight out of the 70s - the keyboard player had a shirt for The Band on and the drummer had a Funkadelic Maggot Brain one. Awesome! All-around good time.

Ate before the show at the 'legendary' Rainbow Room; this is the place where Lemmy from Motorhead famously drank most nights, and as an interesting dovetail there was a scene in The Last Days of Jack Sparks that took place there, so it seemed fitting. The Rainbow Room isn't great - I've lived in LA twelve years next week and that's the first time I've gone, not in a hurry to return either. But, they had a pretty good burger, and they had Ballast Point's Sculpin on tap - I usually don't go for fruit flavors in my beer, and I'm not sure if BP adds the grapefruit flavor or if the profile comes from the way they roast their hops, which I believe is the case with one of the Goose Island IPAs, but Sculpin has to be about the most drinkable IPA ever. Switched it up to Lagunitas IPA for the show once we arrived at the Roxy - also my compatriot and I each took two gummies - 'cuz, ya know, it's Windhand - and I was feeling pretty amazing by the time the band came out.

Playlist from yesterday:

Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Windhand - Eponymous E.P.
Windhand - their half of the split with Satan's Satyrs
Windhand - Soma
Jucifer - If Thine Enemy Should Hunger
The Veils - Total Depravity

Card for the day:

A change in paradigm, eh?

Monday, April 23, 2018

2018: April 23rd 4:48 AM

Tonight! At long last, Windhand at the Roxy. I can NOT wait!



Dorthia Cottrell has one of those voices - it's one for the ages in my opinion. There's a haunted, cryptic quality that fits the music perfectly. And whether she's buried in reverb behind at wall of doom or upfront and exposed, it's the same.



Playlist from yesterday:

Etta James - Eponymous
Etta James - The Second Time Around
The Fixx - Phantoms
The Cramps - RockinnReelininAucklandNewZealand
Roy Orbison - Greatest Hits
The Soft Moon - Eponymous
The Thirsty Crows - E.P.
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Mind Control
The Veils - Total Depravity

Card of the day:

Ebb and Flow. From the Grimoire: "If we struggle against the seasons, we will fall. However, when you turn (change) with the ebb and flow, you will reach a stationary peace from which your actions can harmonize with the power of Life's turning wheel."

I take this as, "Stay Limber today, kid," so let me start with some stretches before I head off into the day.

Sunday, April 22, 2018

2018: April 22nd 12:29 PM

Still no dice on the damn Sleep vinyl. I'll give in tonight after work and listen to it on Apple Music. You can't win 'em all!

Listening to the Cramps live in Auckland, New Zealand. This vinyl is from Vengeance Records, a label started by The Cramps to release live and little-heard music on. The album in question, RockinnReelininAucklandNewZealandXXX is a testament to the absolute grandiose insanity of this band in their heyday.



I finished reading The Last Days of Jack Sparks - I gave this one a solid 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. For a first novel, I'd say Jason Arnopp knocked it out of the park. Next up, a quick re-read of The Author Startup by Ray Brehm and then The Book of Joan.

Playlist from 4/21:

Underworld - Beaucoup Fish
Windhand - Soma
Revolting Cocks - Beers, Steers and Queers
Savages - Silence Yourself
Cigarettes After Sex
Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower

Card for the day:


Interesting that I continually see some of these cards pop up. This one is beginning to perplex me, so I consulted an outside source. I'm having trouble relating to its perpetual springtime rejuvenation energy whoo-ha, however I found an interpretation, categorized as creative energy that needs an outlet, and that seems to fit. Need to find the time to jump back on T12, which I've really only picked at the last two days.

Saturday, April 21, 2018

2018: April 21st 2:39 PM

Never did get around to that Sleep record yesterday. I'm headed to Long Beach later today after I get off work, so I may just wait and try and pick up the vinyl then. I'm really saving that first listen for ideal conditions, i.e. smoke and vinyl.

It was announced recently that Oz/Osgood Perkins, director of The BlackCoat's Daughter and I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House and son of Anthony Perkins, will be directing the film adaptation of Paul Tremblay's brilliant novel A Headfull of Ghosts. I can't wait, and it made me want to go back and re-watch The Blackcoat's Daughter, which I loved despite an interruption in the middle of my initial viewing last year. Here's the trailer in case you haven't seen it:



Not much of a playlist yesterday:

Metallica - Garage Days Re-revisited
Deafheaven - New Bermuda

Card of the day:


Again! I think this is pointing to the fairly lackluster first day on the Keller project, henceforth abbreviated here as T12.

Friday, April 20, 2018

2018: April 20th 1:23 PM - New Sleep Album!!!

Well, my intention was to wake up on my day off, go get my oil changed and then hit Fingerprints Record Store in Long Beach to procure a copy of Sleep's brand spanking new album - the first in how long? 20 YEARS? - The Sciences. But after my mechanic Mike diagnosed my ride was in need of new brakes all around, that didn't happen. One Uber ride later I'm still waiting to be called to come and pick her up, not that it's a problem; the down-time has given me an opportunity to dig back into the project with Keller, which he passed back to me on the 5th and which I am only just now starting to work on. Because of all this, and I guess maybe because in a teensy way I feel like observing the 'holiday' this year simply because if Sleep waited to 4/20 to release it I should probably observe to enjoy, I've not dug into either my one hitter or the album, which despite lack of vinyl is very much available on Apple Music. Not to fear; there's some good, quality lounge time coming up later today, and I'll be using it to check up on what All, Matt, and Jason have crafted for us this time. Here's a song whose title I absolutely love, even if I haven't heard it yet. The way these boys work pot references into Science Fiction environments is amazing, not cheesy at all, the way most popular music hands intoxication.



The new Drinking, Fighting, F*&king, and Crying went up HERE yesterday.

Playlist from 4/19:
Boy Harsher - Country Girl E.P.
Boy Harsher - Lesser Man E.P.
Deafheaven - Playlist
Drab Majesty - Careless
Metallica - Garage Days Re-revisited
Alice in Chains - Sap
Alice in Chains - Facelift


Card for the day:


Should I just assume this points to the futility to which I have attempted to save money recently? About to lay out about $600 for brakes and all I can think is I'm sure glad I bought those Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds tickets four days ago, because I wouldn't have bought them after this.