I keep trying to look at the bright side. I keep telling myself “Hey if I’m alive in a year, maybe next summer won’t be ruined by rain EVERY friggin’ day”, but it still doesn’t ease the fact that it has rained for almost the entire month of June. Uggh.

Anyway, the Dark Disco Club album is very near completion. Tracking is all done, and mixing is like 98% there. Now I have to deal with creating the packages, which is a major pain in the ass, but it has to be done. I’m happy with the music, and I think people will enjoy the album for sure.

Last night I made my first book using a kettle stich and case binding. I made a bunch of others in the last several weeks, but I was looking forward to doing this one. Yay.

I’ve spoken a lot about my band, the record we’ve been making, and all of the frustration that it brings. Well, I guess I have a confession to make. The album is seriously friggin cool. I mean, really. This is without a doubt the most interesting, original album that a band on our level has ever made, since the birth of the universe. Ok, I can’t prove that… but as far as any of our peers go, this really is the coolest thing I’ve heard. It’s easy to assume that I’m biased, but trust me when I tell you that I haven’t always been a huge fan of Dark Disco Club.

Last night was the very first time that I mixed the songs down, burned them to a cd, and listened to it in a “real world” environment; in this case it was Anthony’s car. I sat in the passenger seat, closed the doors, and listened with fresh ears. I liked what I heard. The cd we had contained 7 songs, which is a bit less than we planned to have on the album, but there are 2 more songs very close to completion. 10 tracks would be perfect, but 9 will be pretty damn close. There’s no guarantee that we’ll get them finished in time, but even without them, the album sounded complete. I’m excited.

Remember that scene in The Empire Strikes Back when Luke keeps trying to lift his spacecraft out of the mud? He keeps failing because his Jedi powers aren’t strong yet, and he gets all salty. On Saturday, I was Luke, and Yoda was there to watch me fail. But I keep on. Tonight is week 2 of my book arts class, which is very cool.

So speaking of life sucking, yesterday was some serious bullshit too. First was DDC recording. As usual, it was frustrating. I’m so over that whole situation, and it just takes everything I have to even tolerate it at this point. There’s some cool music on there for sure, but as a whole it isn’t the album I wanted to make. It isn’t as long or as deep as I planned it to be, and I have to honestly say that I am not the cause for that. If there is ever another DDC record after this one, it will be created in a very, very different manner, and I will have far more control over it. It’s only dawned on me recently that it really is silly to give everyone an equal vote on things concerning the band and especially our songs. I’ve been at this far longer than some of the others… I have way more experience and I’m just better qualified to make some of these calls. This level of democracy is a mistake that won’t be made again.

And then there was last night. Ugghhh, what a fuckin bummer last night was. Screw it.

Well I’ll be a monkeys uncle. My solo project is in fact, in effect. Yesterday I got a lovely email from PayPal informing me that one of my prints had sold from my website. It was the last remaining print in my series of 4 screenprints of Pete Townshend. I was fond enough of this one that it was actually hanging in my own apartment. And much like the last one that sold, the new owner is a doctor from Center City. Craziness.

As if that weren’t good enough, later on in the day I got another one of those emails. This time it was the small version of Hello Philadelphia that sold. I’m actually relieved to have that one go. I’m proud of that image, but about 900 people had “almost” purchased it and then flaked out. So yay, it’s gone. At the moment, it’s still hanging in the SIX SIX SIX show, but I’m not sure how long it will stay up now that it has an owner.

I think I have to do some band shit today. Whateva.

PS. bitches seriously need to read the disclaimer at the top of this site. =P

It’s cool to have people come out to the opening reception of an art show that I’m in. Being in a show gives a sense of accomplishment and appreciation for my art, which is nice. A few people came out to my opening tonight, but of course the list of people who didn’t come is far more telling. If I cared enough to call each one and mention it, I’m certain that every single one would have an excuse as to why they would have loved to come but just couldn’t make it. Even the ones that were sitting on their ass on an instant messenger before it, during it, and after it. But hey, fuck em, right? Right now my best friends are Jody and Togo, because this show could not have come at a better time for me. It got me set back on the road to pursuing my art, which is really where I need to be.

Speaking of art… I started a Book Arts class this week. At this moment the Neanderthals are asking the ever-popular question “What the hell is book arts?”. And well, those people can look it up. Meanwhile, the class is totally cool. I’ve had one class so far and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be awesome. I’ve already learned some new things, and I predict many new art projects in the near future.

Now get your pennies together and come out to ART FOR THE CASH POOR.

For a little while last night, I had a smile on my face that a bulldozer couldn’t have wiped off. Only part of the reason was that kick ass poster there. Speaking of that poster, the plan was to go out last night (the first Thursday of June) and post it on 2nd Street in Old City. I mixed my paste, loaded up the poster and all my gear and started on my way. Of course the very moment I walked out the door, the sky opened up and a torrential downpour of biblical proportions landed right on my head, poster and everything else in Center City. Going against my usual course of action, I strapped it all on my scooter and rode off in the pouring rain. Now, this was really some serious rain, and by the time I got to about 18th & Chestnut I decided that I may not live to see Old City if I keep going. I parked the bike on the sidewalk under an awning and got to work. I managed to grab an anonymous, male, fashion marketing student from AIPH who just happened to be walking by and got him to record the whole procedure on video. I figured it would be funny as hell to see me get arrested in the pouring rain for pasting up a Sade poster. Luckily, no police interfered and the poster went up. I went back early today to patch the top strip that got ripped away from all the rain.

Watch the video!

In 2003, AFI released an amazing work of art called “Sing The Sorrow”. This was the bands first major label release, and following such a masterpiece would be no easy task. But fans of the Ukiah, California quartet can rest easy… they’ve managed to follow it up with an equally interesting new album (Decemberunderground) that stretches the bands sound even further into previously uncharted territory.

The album begins with “Prelude 12/21”; a minute and half intro track which sounds like it could easily have been produced by Dr. Dre. The guitars have been replaced entirely by synth stabs and a repetitive vocal complete with almost-choir-like “ohh”’s throughout. It sets the tone for an album full of sounds that represent a radical departure from the bands early albums.

Without question, the catchiest song on the record is the first single; “Miss Murder”. While this is a great song, it isn’t necessarily representative of the album as a whole. Songs like “Love Like Winter”, “The Missing Frame”, and “The Killing Lights” are where it’s at for me. AFI have the uncanny ability to make songs that are heavy, danceable, and uplifting while always keeping a somber vibe throughout. The entire album features a ton of electronic/programmed drums and keyboards, and those elements go a long way in making what is surely this bands most mature collection of songs. If The Cure were about 5,000 times cooler, they would have made this album in 1988.