Wasted Words 1

Follow sheep and move along/Come on kids let’s sing along/Do you realize what I’m saying?

Recommended download: The inspiration for the title of this column, as well as the origination of the above quote. Wasted Words – Death By Stereo

Let’s see, where to begin. Been a busy couple of weeks for me in the music purchasing department. I picked up Thursday’s War All The Time, which is an excellent album. Be sure to check out Mike’s review of it here. I also purchased Avenged Sevenfold, Waking the Fallen and From Autumn To Ashes, The Fiction We Live. Both of them are awesome albums and are getting plenty of play in my stereo. I decided to check out The Bled, Pass The Flask which is a good album as well. Check out their track Spitshine Sonata for some good, fun hardcore music. I grabbed Matchbook Romance, Stories and Alibis as well. It’s a bit toned down from their EP, but still a great album. Though I had planned to wait and find it used, I picked up Limp Bizkit, Results May Vary. It’s not a bad album, but not a great album either. I grabbed Volume 3 of the Take Action! collection. Six dollars for two discs is a great deal. It’s an even better deal when you get bands like Poison the Well, Thrice, Thursday, Vaux, Avenged Sevenfold, The Ataris, Further Seems Forever, and many more of your favorite punk, emo, and hardcore bands. On top of all that, the money goes for a good cause with 5% of the purchase price going towards The National Hopeline Network which is a suicide help line. Today while I was out, I picked up the new Early November album, The Room Is Too Cold and 2Pac, Nu-Mixx Klazzics. Haven’t listened to The Early November yet, but the 2Pac album leaves a lot to be desired. As the title suggests, it’s a remix album and it consists of 10 tracks from Pac’s Death Row albums. The problem is, the remixes aren’t that great and they sound nothing like anything Pac would’ve done. Of course, his lyrics are there, but the beats aren’t him at all. To be honest though, I wasn’t expecting anything great considering it was released through Death Row Records. All they seem to do is bastardize Pac’s music to make more money off of him. Trying to save a sinking ship I suppose. Still, knowing that ahead of time, I bought it. Afterall, it is 2Pac.

In the DVD department, I’ve purchased four within the past couple weeks. First there’s the Scarface Anniversary edition. This movie is excellent! If you’re into gangster movies at all, and you haven’t seen this, you suck. Badly. I bought Deuces Wild and Ice Age as well. Haven’t got to watch either one, but my two year old really digs Ice Age, so it must be good. I also picked up The Osbournes Season 2. I own the first season on DVD, so I thought what the hell. I get to watch it without the bleeps. On a side note; If you were wondering the same as I was, and I’m sure you were (or weren’t, whatever)..the nickname for Bert of The Used that they bleeped out was “Cauliflower Dick.” Yay.

I watched two new movies the other night. Well, they were new to me anyway;Requiem for a Dream and The Hunted. Most people on this site have seen Requiem, so no need to go much into that one. In fact, I saw it on the recommendations of people from this site. Basically it deals with drug abuse, and is quite disturbing at times. The Hunted features Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro. Del Toro plays a military assassin who’s gone crazy and begins killing people outside of his missions. Jones plays the man who trained him and he’s brought in to catch him. While it didn’t exactly live up to my expectations, it was a decent movie. Lots of action and good fight scenes.

You hear about the Florida metal band, Hell On Earth? Me neither, but their latest publicity stunt has sure put their name in the headlines. They were promising to allow a terminally ill fan/friend commit suicide on stage at one of their live shows. Not only that, but they were gonna broadcast it on the Internet. Johnny Law caught wind of it and put a stop to it, apparently. They were still promoting the suicide, although it was to take place at an undisclosed location. First off, publicity stunt or real, this is a dumb ass idea. That’s all I’ve got to really say about that. I think I’ve given these guys too much of my time in just typing this paragraph.

So Tim Armstrong worked with Pink on writing her new album. Good for him. I’m happy for the guy. He deserves to get his name out there and get recognized for what he does. Besides, I really dig that Trouble song. I know the punk police will be out in full force though, so an early middle finger goes out to you assholes who talk shit. He’s planning to work with Gwen Stefani on her solo debut as well. That should keep the busy bodies talking for a while.

Seen the new White Stripes video, The Hardest Button to Button? I’m not crazy about the song itself, but the video is wicked. You have to see it to know what I’m talking about.

So Courtney Love overdosed on narcotics. Does anyone really care anymore? It’s about as meaningless to me as the Ben & J-Lo saga, or who Demi Moore is dating.

That reminds me…what is Americas obsession with the tabloids? Are we natural born nibshits and gossips, or did we have to work hard to perfect it? I couldn’t care less who is dating who, who’s banging who, or who’s cheating on so and so! Get over it and get your own life!

If you live in the Chicago area and play drums or know someone who does, Numb is looking for a new drummer. If you’re interested, head over to their website to find out the details. Numb

Oblique, a local band in my area (Muncie, Indiana), have just recently finished recording some new material. You can stream the new tracks at their website. I recommend the hardcore track, Mason. They’re a great band, so please check them out. Oblique

As some of you may or may not know, there was a tragic accident at a Death By Stereo show where one person died and 5 others were injured. There was also a person stabbed to death at a rap concert featuring Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and others. Why is it no longer safe to go anywhere? Even at a concert where people go to have fun and enjoy some good live music, it’s no longer safe. Promoters overcrowd clubs, making it unsafe for concert goers. For what? To sell more tickets and make more money? Since when is the almighty dollar more important then human life. To the idiots that would murder a guy at a show, or even start a fight, do you enjoy watching concerts? If you do, then stop the bullshit because if it keeps up, there won’t be a venue willing to host the shows. All this bad shit happening will eventually cause people to wash their hands of it and then what? CD’s are good, but live shows are even better. Don’t fuck it up for the rest of us, assholes.

On that note, I’m out. Peace.

Review: Rancid – "Indestructable"

Release Date: August 19, 2003
Producer: Brett Gurewitz
Record Label: Hellcat

Upon reading that Rancid would be releasing a new album, I was quite excited. Reading their interview in the July 2003 issue of Alternative Press only made me want it more. Then the rumors came, and the news dropped like a bombshell. Rancid inked a deal with the most “evil” of all major labels, Warner Brothers. The flood gates opened up and all of the haters flowed on in. A lot of people in the punk community felt betrayed, others just wanted something to bitch about. How could a band that preached DIY and spoke out against major labels sign with one? How could a band who Brett Gurewitz of Epitaph just talked up as being the most loyal band alive, turn their back on the label that gave them life? Everywhere I looked all I read was “Rancid sold out.” Myself personally, I couldn’t care less what label they released the album on. Whatever it takes to get the music out there and heard by the masses, then so be it. Unfortunately, not everyone has that same mindset. Regardless, August 19 rolled around and the album, Indestructable, was released. I bought it. These are my thoughts.

The album leads off with the fast-paced title track, Indestructable. This is one of my many favorites on this album, and a perfect way to jump-start the album. It’s like them saying, Look, we’ve been through some fucked up shit through the past few years. We lost some people along the way. But we’re strong, we’re still standing, and we aren’t going anywhere. We’re indestructable. Excellent. It’s also dedicated to Joey and Dee Dee Ramone, as well as Joe Strummer.

The next track, Fall Back Down, fits perfect back to back with the title track. It opens up with a church style organ, which is a nice touch. You can hear the organ in the background throughout the track as well. This song is a tribute to friendship and being there for one another though hard times. Some people have dismissed the song because it has a “poppy” feel to it, but I like it. It’s a great way for them to say thank you to each other and their friends.

I find myself pressing repeat on my stereo quite often when I play this next track. Red Hot Moon, a song about a late friend of the band, named K.C. This reggae-influenced track is pretty damn catchy. I dare you not to sing along with the chorus, “Under the red hot moon/you take the bus downtown to the graveyard shift tonight.” Skinhead Rob from Transplants drops by and raps a verse for the song as well.

The following track, David Coutrney, is sang by Lars. It’s a fast-paced track dedicated to the man of the same name as the song. An introduction to the song calls him the “Robin Hood of London, England.” It’s a good song, though not one of my favorites. I’m sure it will get lots of love in the pits though. Start Now, a song about war, violence, and the overall fucked up place this world is right now. “I’m not looking for a fight now/And I don’t care who’s wrong or right now/So release the dove into flight now,” the addictive chorus sings.

The next track, Outta Control, seems like it would have fit better on their last album, Rancid 2000. It’s not a bad song by any means, it just doesn’t seem to fit well with the rest of the songs on the album. I do catch myself skipping over this song occasionally. Django keeps up the fast pace set by the previous track. Django is a “metaphore song about a guy who drags his demons around with him.” A good song, though not one of my favorites. The next track slows things down a bit. Arrested in Shanghai is sung by Tim from the perspective of an incarcerated protester. Travis Bickle is about Robert De Niro’s character from Taxi Driver. It’s also a tribute to their “home away from home”, New York. Memphis is another catchy song with an equally catchy chorus. It’s about being out on the road and traveling from city to city.

Spirit of ’87 takes a trip into the punk scene past and pays homage to the places “that had balls enough to put on punk shows.” Check the chorus of this hard hitting punk anthem…“Saturday/Where else are you gonna go/There’s no way/I’m gonna end up at a disco/Make my way/To fist fights and stilletos/To rock and roll/Rock and roll/Rock and roll”. The next track on the album, Ghost Band, is a break up song, so they say in the liner notes. Ever feel like all the sad songs play when you feel like shit? That’s what this song’s about. Tropical London, the next song, is also about a breakup. A more specific breakup though, Tim and Brody. If you lose me/you lose a good thing Tim tells his former wife in this reggae-influenced track. Up next is Roadblock, a song about playing live. It speeds up the pace quite a bit from the previous track, and it’s dedicated to Motorhead. Born Frustrated explores American consumerism and shopping malls. I’m guessing that the latest punk fashion trend being mass produced also motivated this track.

The next track, Back Against the Wall, has a bit of a reggae feel to it at times. The unemployment rate in America seems tobe constantly growing, and this is their take on it. The intro to the next song, the fast-paced Ivory Coast, reads “They suspended the curfew on New Years Eve so people could come out and celebrate the new year. The French soldiers were given champagne and a few drunken one’s shot their machine guns in the air when the clock hit midnight. The next day people were told they would be shot if they were out after dark.” The next track seems like it would fit better on a Transplants album, which isn’t really a bad thing. You can definitely hear the Transplants influence in Stand Your Ground, a song for the homeless in Los Angeles. “Hold your head up high/Cuz tomorrow you may die/Cuz there’s no one safe around here” reminds us how fragile life can be. The following and final track on the album is the heartfelt tribute, Other Side. The song is sung by Lars, and is directed at his late brother Robert, who passed away in 2001. This is one of my favorites on the album.

Overall, this is an excellent album which will be getting loads of play in my car stereo. In my opinion, this album did exactly what I thought it would do. It proved the haters wrong. It grabbed them all by their shirt collars, slammed them against the wall and told them to shut their mouths. Rancid haven’t changed and they haven’t sold out. Not even close. They’re still the same Rancid that I’ve come to love, with that wonderful punk rock sound. In the end though, it doesn’t matter what people say or think. They’re just four regular guys doing what they love…playing punk rock music.

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Soundtrack to Life – Good Luck and Best Wishes, Aki-Bee

‘eeeeeyyyyy! Welcome to the first installment of Soundtrack to Life on the brand new BP site. Most of you are familiar with the run down, but I see a few new faces in the crowd, so allow me to explain. We all have songs that remind us of important times in our lives, whether the song was playing at the time or the lyrics hold a specific meaning. What would our lives be without a soundtrack? I encourage the readers to send in their stories about a song and what it reminds them of. By the time this is posted, John should have put up the entire archive of my work, so you can take a look at what I’m looking for. You get full credit for the story, unless you wish to remain anonymous. Anyways, let’s kick things off with a story about one of our own.

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Good Luck and Best Wishes, Aki-Bee
“The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out”/”Screws Fall Out” by Less Than Jake

Along the course of our lives, we meet a plethora of different people. Most, we never get the chance to know. Others we know will become tight allies. Still others, bitter enemies. This story is about one of those people who you never thought would make a huge difference in your life, but they did.

Starting early on in life, you tend to look for those on the playground who have similar interests and allign yourself with them. For me, it was videogames. Though this deemed me a nerd, I found my allies in the 2nd grade. Scott, Nick and Jason were the primary three. We all did the same things; videogames, Hot Wheels, and Cub Scouts. At seperate times, I was in the same den as each of them. We’d invite eachother over on weekend nights, do all those fun things we did when we were kids and sleep over on the occassion. In 3rd grade, Nick left, went south to Kentucky. Over the years, I’ve lost touch with him, but from the sounds of it we’ve both walked very different paths.

Our favorite past time, amidst our entire circle of friends was night games, particularly capture the flag. This was always played at either Scott or Jason’s house. Scott’s yard was rather uneven, the backyard was a high hill which sloped all the way to the ditch at the end of the front yard. So more often than not, we played at Jason’s. Scott had an older sister that stayed out of our business. Jason, however, had a little sister, who was always interested in whatever it was we were doing. This was Aki (I’d say her real name, but I think she’d stab me for that). She quickly became the tag-along annoying kid sister I’d never met.

Normally, I had no problem when she got involved, as I am an agreeable guy and just like to avoid arguments (you know, the typical “You can’t come with.”/”Why not?” argument oft held between siblings). Occasionally, the games would get a little rough and she’d have to run inside, but we’d include her anyways, even if it was against her mother’s wishes, on a school night. Usually in these games, she’d team up with Scott. Scott was the athlete and looker of our group, so it’s no surprise she stuck to him at all times. And they’re favorite target: Me. I was probably the most out of shape guy there, aside from when we brought Musse in. So, Scott would sho me up and mock me, and Aki would do the same. That kinda thing get’s on a fella’s nerves. But what did I care? She was a kid, she didn’t know any better.

Then, I believe it was the summer of ’98. Our first game of the year and there she was again. Let the taunting commence. But it didn’t. She didn’t take a shot at me the whole night, despite being on different teams. She and I actually talked peaceably when we did talk. It was as if she’d become a completely different person over the span of a few months. Our group didn’t treat her as a burden anymore, but rather invited her out on a few ventures. Whatever it happened to be, whether it was capture the flag or another board game night, she was usually with us. I’d never seen her as a potential friend, expecting her to go live her own life, but all that was changing.

After Scott’s accident in the early days of ’99, our group became much more tightly knit, doing all that we could together. Jason and his family had moved to a new place, not too far from Regner park. And so lays the scene for one of the most memorable nights in my life. July 4th, 1999. I was bored, had nothing better to do, so I decided to see what was happening locally. I knew the fireworks were gonna be held at Regner that night, and I figured I might find a few people I knew there. Sure enough, there was Jason and Aki with their family and Adam’s family, all there on the shore. So, I sat with them for the show. From where we sat, the fireworks couldn’t have been launched 50 yards away. It was a nice pleasant show. And then, one shell exploded too close to the ground.
“That’s not supposed to happen.” I thought.
The sparks from the blast ignited many of the remaining shells, and everyone could only watch in horror as the finale blew up on the ground. As this happened, we pulled back to the water, about as far as we could go. It was just unreal. Then we heard Aki, crying and screaming. Apparently, one of the cinders hit her in the back. We aren’t sure to this day if it actually happened, she isn’t even sure. There was no burn mark and no sign of an ember. As her mom calmed her down, we collected our group and walked to Jason’s. When I got there, I was glad to see she’d calmed down. She joined us in a game of Risk that night, it came down to me and her, and not to boast, but I won. Throughout the game, somehow it became a joke about stabbing me. Aki runs upstairs and comes back down with her hands behind her back.
“What do you have?”
“Noooothing.”
“What are you hiding?”
“Nooooothing.”
She then chased me around the basement with several butcher’s knives. I had to disarm her several times that night. It’s been a running gag (no pun intended) ever since. Things changed between us from here on out.

2000 was the big year for our clique. We graduated highschool, Jason had introduced me to the punk lifestyle, and we had a big roadtrip planned for the summer. More and more, Aki had become a part of the clique. As we looked at it, we noticed something about the family history. Jason’s older sister, Bean, was held under strict rules, she wound up rebelling and leaving. Jason was also held under these rules, he was already rebelling and about to leave. With Aki, it was just a matter of time. So, we decided to liberate her. Occasionally we’d talk her mom into letting her come with us, and other times, we’d sneak her out. It was convenient, because even with a full car, we could find somewhere to fit her. She is small after all. Often times, we’d fit her in the leg space for the passenger side seat. We’d take her to Webb’s, out on grocery runs, and just any other place that we’d frequent. She was very thankful to be getting out of the house for once.

One February night, in 2001, I got a call.
“Joe?”
“Yeah?”
“This is Sam.”
“Oh hey, what’s going on?”
“Look um, I know you’re a responsible guy, and well…. Something happened to Aki while under my care.”
“What happened?”
“I…. I don’t know. I think there’s something wrong with her head.”
“Did she hit her head or something?”
“I dunno. Could you take a look at it please?”
“Well, I’m not exactly a doctor and I dunno if you should really be drawing attention to this place, but I’ll see what I can do.”
“Okay, thanks. We’ll be right over.”
So, I got my boots on and went outside. I paced at the top of the driveway, worrying, wondering what could have possibly happened. I was expecting Sammy to be carrying Aki out of the car, helping her to stand. Sam pulls up and I meet them half-way down the driveway. Aki is walking fine, she has a hoodie on with the hood up.
“Alright, what happened?” At this point I was worried, not that I wasn’t already, but I was losing my cool. Aki takes her hood off to reveal…….. blonde/orange hair. It was a joke, all at my expense. Her hair used to be a very dark brown. They’d bleached her hair and wanted to see how flustered they could make me. Mission accomplished girls. I joined them later as they dyed her hair to the now infamous Aki Blue. I went home, and I wished her luck with her mom, cuz I knew her mom wouldn’t like it.

In October of ’00, Aki joined us at the Haunted House, teaming up with her new friend Lara. They terrorized the elevator while I stalked the hallways. They were working the Legacy room once while I was walking through the E tunnel, banging on the wall to scare our guests.
thump
thump
thump
thump
“Hey! Who turned out the light?!”
“Uh oh!” and I flee the scene of the crime.

2001 I took on a job at Hardees with Tia and Aki. They were the ones who coerced me to apply there. It was during this time that she gained the name Aki, after people saw a resemblance between her and Dr. Aki Ross on the movie “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within”. She went to the Warped Tour that year and suffered a concussion in the Less Than Jake pit. This is where she picked up another trait from the movie, furthering the use of her name Aki. She would faint every now and then. People, namely me, would rush to her and ask if she was alright. Her response always was and still is “I’m fine.” This became rather frustrating during work when she’d sporadically pass out. Still, though I was concerned, I find it humorous now.

She joined us again at the 2001 haunted house, often times working with me in the kitchen. Usually though, she hid in the hallways or above the stairwell. When her mom came in we had fun with her. Everyone in the house singled her out.

Up until this point, we’d shared moments like these, but we still didn’t know each other all that well. The following spring, I was out cruising the town. I was just leaving Blockbuster as Aki and Gage came in. I opted to stick around and if nothing else walk with them for a while. We wandered around the store, talked, eyed up a few movies but wound up leaving. We walked toward Aki’s house and Gage went his own way, so I decided to walk Aki home. It had been raining on and off so she welcomed me to stay so the rain could pass. We were gonna go out elsewhere, but she wasn’t feeling well. So, we wound up sitting at her place from about midnght to 4:30 in the morning, just talking. We learned a lot about each other that night, and since then, it’s been as though we’d known eachother for years. Well, it kinda has really, since I’ve known her since she was yay-tall. Dunno if that analogy really works with her, since she isn’t much yay-taller. Man, two short jokes already. I’m gonna die.

There are so many more stories, but I wager you haven’t the patience to read them all. So, I’ll just touch on them briefly.
-Many nights at the Haunted House, working the same room.
-Tuesday night coffee nights at Webb’s.
-Promising redemption against the man who raped her.
-Her calming me down when things were going to shit in my house.
-Her roadtrip to Oklahoma.
-Being there for her through the fireworks on the 4th of July this year.
-Her graduation party.

It’s all been quite odd. Back when I first met her, I’d never imagined we’d even be friends. I’d just kind of thought, an afterthought really, that she’d have her friends, I’d have mine, and we’d live our own seperate lives. In the past three years we’ve shared so many things that had you told me I’d be doing them with her back when she was the annoying little girl who loved to tease me, I’d say you were insane. Whew, that’s a mouthful. But it’s odd how the threads of fate intertwine. She’s gone from one of my good friend’s kid sister, to my most trusted friend. As the years went on we’d seen each other through many trials and tribulations, in fact we still do now. We’ve both lived our hard lives, and thankfully, we’ve been here for eachother.

It came as little surprise to me that she graduated from highschool a whole year early. She’d been telling me that that was the plan all along, get out as soon as posible. She hit up many places in town for a job and eventually landed one at a local restaurant as a waitress. It didn’t last and was soon in the search again. We don’t have the greatest job market in West Bend, so when you need one, they’re hard to find. We couldn’t find anything, and that’s when she approached me with her plan. She would move down to Milwaukee to get her life started. The thought bothered me at first. She was my last remaining tie in this city. Who would I have when she left? But that all gave way to how proud I was of her. Not many people can say that they graduated at 17 and willingly left their home and comfort to get their life started. I’m not the kind of guy to throw a party, but I figured she deserved a party in her honor if she was leaving, and I had the accomidations to do so.

The shopping list consisted of watermelon, Doritios, Milller Genuine Draft, Smirnoff Ice, and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. We spent the majority of the night out by a roaring bonfire, chatting and drinking. It was a small gathering, but a gathering none the less. It was supposed to be her final night in town, so it was a nice sendoff. Just before she left, I insisted on playing a song for her. I could have sang it, but that would have been too sappy. The song:

“The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out”/”Screws Fall Out”
by Less Than Jake

You told me that your 20 years have gone by much to fast
And you’ve been hopin’ this year will be better than the last
You said you’ve been wagin’ a war against the loneliest of nights
With the strongest drinks and longest lines
Well it’s not that big a surprise
That you’re feelin’ more dead than alive
You’ve feelin’ more dead than alive

So I’ll let you know
If you need, somewhere to go
I’ll be listening when you call
And I’ll be there if you fall off
If you need someone to believe in you
I’ll let you know I will.

You said the whole in your head has gotten bigger than the hole that’s in your chest
And you’re stuck between the past and present tense.
You say you’ve been wagin’ a war against so many years of lies
With stronger drinks and longer lines
Well it’s not that big a surprise
That you’re feelin’ more dead than alive
You’re feelin’ more dead than alive

So I’ll let you know
If you need, somewhere to go
I’ll be listening when you call
And I’ll be there if you fall off
If you need someone to believe in you
I’ll let you know I will.
I’ll let you know I will.
I’ll let you know I will.

But sometimes…….
Ya gotta let it go!!!

So this pen is starting to become
A pipe bomb and these songs
Have turned to anthems again
To everything that’s changed and to everything that’s gone away
Here are my condolences tot he future I never met
It’s gone and never coming back, it’s not coming back
So don’t hold on to your past, you gotta let it go

‘Cause friends leave as time fades away
The people and the places along the way
Without a doubt
Screws fall in and screws they fall out

Tomorrow’s gone up in smoke
And I wonder when I’m alone
Where’d my convictions go
So to everyone that’s gone away
Or fades away or stays the same
Here are my apologies to the person that I used to be
Before I burned down every bridge and every inch
Of everything I used to know, I gotta let it go

Friends leave as time fades away
The people and the places along the way
So don’t hold on to your past
No, it’s never coming back, you gotta let it go

I just wanted to send her off with the message that I’d always be there no matter what, and she shouldn’t worry herself needlessly with the past she’s leaving behind. She said it meant the world to her.

Since that time, I’ve been out there to visit her a few times. She’s doing well, has a job at Claire’s, living at her dad’s, but still gets out every night whether it be for coffee or whatnot. The reason I’ve been down there lately, well, she’s breaking me out of this town. Within a few short week, I’ll be joining her in Milwaukee. That’s right, we’re gonna be roommates. We’re looking at a place later today, and hopefully we can seal the deal shortly thereafter.

Did I do this column to stoke her ego or win favor with her? No. I did it simply because she’s an amazing human being and has changed my life for the better. We all have friends such as these I hope. I just wanted you to see her through my eyes. If she were to die before I do, I’d no longer fear death. Be there a heaven, and she couldn’t get in on her merit alone, she’d sweet talk her way in, trust me. Then one by one, as her loved ones joined her, she’d sneak us all in.

Guilty Pleasures

Guilty pleasures, we all have them. Whether it’s that stuffed bear from your childhood that you refuse to get rid of, but hide behind your pillow so no one sees it. Or maybe it’s that old copy of Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi that sits on your shelf collecting dust. You take it down and listen to it from time to time, making sure not to disturb the dust on it so it appears untouched. While I do own a copy of that very cassette, it doesn’t sit on my shelf collecting dust. No, instead it sits in a shoe box in my closet with the majority of my old cassette tapes. Regardless what it is, we all own or enjoy at least one thing that we won’t readily admit to just anyone. Myself, I’m no different. I’m a music lover, and my CD collection rounds out at about 600 CD’s. My problem is, that even if I rarely listen to a CD anymore or not at all, I hate to get rid of them. Over a period of time, I’ve collected a few CD’s that I might not be too proud of, although some of them I’ll still play occasionally. I just won’t tell anyone about it. That is, until now.

(10.) Simple Plan No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls Okay, so it’s cheesy pop-punk. I know that. You know that. The entire Warped Tour crowd that gave these guys the finger at every outing also knows that. But it’s catchy, cheesy pop-punk. Damn catchy, and I like it. Extra points for guest appearances by Mark Hoppus(Blink 182) and Joel Madden(Good Charlotte).

(9.) Creed Human Clay and Weathered I think for the most part, these guys just got a bad rep. They play good music and they’re obviously talented, but most people steer clear of them for their Religious beliefs. I can’t think of a worse reason to not like a band, personally. Besides, songs like Are You Ready, What If, and Bullets rock pretty hard.

(8.) Nickelback The State and Silver Side Up Same as Creed, I think they’ve just got a bad rep cuz they’re not “balls to the wall” rockers. So they play some love songs, what’s wrong with that? They’ve got some rockin’ songs too, such as Leader of Men and Never Again.

(7.) Da Brat Funkdafied and Anuthatantrum Yep, I own them both. So the songs that got played on TV and radio weren’t the greatest, but one listen to Da Shit Ya Can’t Fuc Wit from Funkdafied, and it’s obvious this chick has talent. Here ode to weed featuring Krayzie Bone, Let’s All Get High is pretty good too. She also came from the same camp as the next guys on my list.

(6.) Kris Kross Da Bomb and Young, Rich, & Dangerous When these kids released their first album, Totally Krossed Out, they got by strictly on a gimmick. Wearing their clothes backwards? What an idea! But guess what. It caught on! If only for a short amount of time, kids were wearing their pants and shirts backwards. Well, at least kids in my school did. Their wasn’t much to their rhymes either. Rapping about missing the bus? Come on. But when they released their second album, Da Bomb, they proved they could actually rap and that they could hold their own without a gimmick. Young, Rich, & Dangerous was even better in my opinion. Not exactly a hip hop classic, but a good album regardless. Check out Live and Die For Hip Hop for a perfect example of these kids skills.

(5.) Will Smith Willennium I bought this album for two reasons. Will 2K and Wild, Wild West. I ended up liking the majority of it, and still do. Seems a lot of people steer clear of this cuz it’s not the cool thing to listen to, and the fact that he doesn’t swear has been an issue as well. What’s really wrong with a positive musician, huh? I say nothing at all. A talented positive musician is a plus! I was even motivated to purchase a collection of his old tracks, titled Before The Willennium. This was back when he still went by the name of Fresh Prince. A Nightmare on My Street, Parents Just Don’t Understand, and Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble are all great old school tracks.

(4.) Various Artists Monster Ballads I know you’ve all seen the commercial on TV. The bands on this album are all bands that I grew up listening to. Warrant, Whitesnake, Poison, Europe, and Cinderella just to name a few. One of my favorite tracks on this album is Wind of Change by the Scorpions.

(3.) Poison Look What The Cat Dragged In Aside from the fact that they all look like females on the album cover, these guys were a great band. Underneath all of that eyeliner, lipstick, and hairspray were great musicians. Okay, so I bought it mostly for sentimental value. As I said before, I grew up on these guys. It brings back memories of when I was a kid, hanging out in my garage with friends and playing that broomstick guitar pretending to be C.C. Deville. Yeah, I was that damn cool.

(2.) Sisqo Unleash The Dragon Two words. Thong Song. Nuff said.

(1.) Britney Spears Oops!…I Did It Again I guess here’s the point where I lose all respect that anyone might have had for me before. However little that might have been. I could save face and say that I bought it for the pictures, but that would be a damn lie. Mostly I bought it cuz my girlfriend wanted it, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like any of the songs.

So there you have it. All of my embarrassing or semi-embarrassing albums for all to see. Do I listen to them on a regular basis? Most of them, no. But still, they sit there on my CD shelf along with the rest of my collection. So go ahead and laugh, point, poke fun, do as you wish. It won’t matter to me. In the end, I’m just being true to myself and that’s all that matters.

Review: Ozzfest 2003: Indianapolis, Indiana

Ozzfest 2003
July 31
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Indianapolis, Indiana

So this was my first trip to Ozzfest. While there are several complaints I have about it, I did have a good time. We pulled into the venue around 11:00. We parked the car, surprisingly without being charged, then made what seemed like a mile hike to the gate. While walking to the gates, we could hear Depswa playing on the second stage. I’ve never listened to them before, but what I heard sounded pretty good. Once at the gate I was informed that I wasn’t allowed to take in my cameras. Even though I had just bought the two disposable cameras specifically for the event, I tossed them in the trash. Not that big of a deal, though I still wasn’t happy about it. Afterall, it does say on the tickets No Cameras. Most concert tickets I get say that but still allow them. But what did I see just several minutes later while wandering the grounds? A damn booth selling disposable cameras. So let me get this straight. You first buy the overpriced tickets to see the show, then you can’t take your own camera into the venue but are forced to buy one from them? Not right at all. Long story short, I didn’t come home with any pictures from Ozzfest. Only my memories.

The first band we wanted to see, which was Hotwire, didn’t go on until 1:00 so we had a couple hours to check things out. I wanted to buy an Ozzfest tour T-shirt so we looked for the merchandise booth. We found it, but much to my displeasure, the price was more than I expected. Call me cheap, but I don’t think a T-shirt should cost more than $20.00, and that’s pushing it. But what do I see on the price tag? Thirty-five fucking dollars! For a damn T-shirt! So not only did I go home without pictures of the show, but no T-shirt either. Not because I didn’t have the money, because I had plenty. I took $100 with me for anything that I might need. But I refuse to pay that much for a T-shirt. We walked around to some of the other booths that they had set up. They had a game where you could pay $5 to kick a soccer ball at a guys head. I didn’t play, but it sure was funny to watch. They had other games like throwing darts at balloons, and shooting the stars out of a paper target with a pellet gun. With each game, win or lose, you got a “free” Ozzfest sampler. Not exactly free considering you just paid $5 to play the game. They also had a tattoo and piercing booth set up, which was tempting if only to say that I got a tat at Ozzfest, but I passed. I found a clothing tent that was selling trucker hats with different designs on them for only $10. I opted for the skull and crossbones design. We made our way through the other booths and decided to head on over to the second stage. When we got to the stage it was about 12:30 and Motograter was finishing up their set. I just caught the tail end, so I can’t say how they were. We made our way closer to the stage, until we were about six or seven rows back.

Memento was up next. I had never heard of these guys, but they sounded pretty good and put on a cool show. The lead singer was wearing only a pair of boxer briefs and a knee long T-shirt. He let a kid come onto the stage with him and climb up on his shoulders. He performed about half of a song with the kid on his shoulders rocking out. Before one of their songs, they stopped to talk for a minute and mentioned Dave Williams of Drowning Pool. They said that last year at this stop on the tour, Dave Williams played his last show. Then they dedicated the song to him. I don’t remember the name of the song, but it was pretty good. While waiting for the next band to set up, I saw David Draiman of Disturbed on the other side of the guard rail. He was only about 10 feet from me and several people were already calling for him. He came over and signed some autographs, but unfortunately for me, everyone else had the same idea and began swarming him. He then went on down the railing in front of the stage and was just signing for whoever was right up front. I wasn’t going to be able to push through the crowd, so I said fuck it.

Next up was the band I was waiting for, Hotwire. I had downloaded a few songs from these guys recently, and was really looking forward to their Ozzfest performance. I don’t remember their exact set list, or the order they went in. In fact, the only song I recognized was Not Today. A lot of the crowd didn’t seem into these guys at first, maybe they had never heard of them. It didn’t take long for the pits to break out and everyone go wild. I later purchased their album from the FYE booth for $10. It’s an excellent album and I highly recommend checking them out. If you like the band Vaux, you will like Hotwire. During their set, I got hit in the groin pretty hard, so I decided to take a break and go get some water.

After waiting in line for 15 minutes to pay $3.50 for a cup of water, we sat down and watched the guy get a soccer ball kicked at his head some more. We drank our water then headed back to the second stage. A bit too late as I was wanting to watch Killswitch Engage’s set. I’ve never listened to them before, but always heard good things about them. We saw them play their last song, which was My Last Serenade and they sounded pretty good. Up next after them was Shadows Fall. I had only heard one song from them before, and that was only because my brother played it for me. This is an excellent fucking band and they put on a badass show. Since I’m not familiar with their songs though, I don’t remember the set list. We then watched Nothingface, another band I wasn’t familiar with. I had heard of them but never listened to them. They were awesome though, and the crowd seemed pretty into them. After they played, it was time for a restroom break. After taking a leak, we headed back to the second stage to wait for Cradle of Filth to play. I’ve heard these guys before and I didn’t like them. My brother wanted to check them out though, so along we went. When we got back Voivod was playing. This was about the time of day I was wishing I had some ear plugs to block out the music. I didn’t like them at all. Apparently other people didn’t either cuz someone threw something at the singer. I couldn’t tell what it was though. After the set, Jason Newstead got on the microphone and said “Whoever threw something at insert lead singers name here can eat a dick”. Whatever, ass. Cradle of Filth was up next and a rush of people from the back of the crowd occurred. Seems that a lot of people were wanting to check them out. Not sure if it was for the music or because of what they’ve heard of their stage show. They were all wearing tight leather suits in the 90 degree weather. We weren’t into them at all though, so we headed to our seats for the main stage.

We had decent seats. We were quite a bit back from the stage, but we were right in the middle so we had a good view of the complete stage. We could see the bands just fine, so no complaints here.

First up was Chevelle. The seats were still kind of empty at this point. I don’t think too many people cared to see them. They’re not quite as heavy as the other bands on the main stage. I imagine that Chevelle is to Ozzfest as Simple Plan is to Warped Tour. I like Chevelle though, and they actually seamed harder live than what they do on their album. These guys played great, but weren’t very active around the stage. Their background was just a curtain and the large screen with their name on it. I don’t remember actual orders, but I know they played The Red, Send The Pain Below, Until You’re Reformed, and Comfortable Liar. They played a few others, but those are the ones I recognized. After they played, we headed back for some more water. We didn’t want to wait in line though, so we settled for just a quick drink from the fountain. This will prove to be not so smart for me later on in the evening. More on that later though.

Up next was Disturbed. We missed the first few minutes of their set, so I don’t remember what they opened up with. Their background was a red curtain and the logo from their Believe album. Simple, but it looked pretty cool. The songs they played were Prayer, Remember, Down With The Sickness, Fear, Stupify, and Liberate. I know there was more, but I don’t remember them all. They played excellent, the crowd seemed pretty into them, and they were pretty active on the stage. David did a good job of covering the stage and getting the crowd hyped up.

After Disturbed was Marilyn Manson. I’m not much into his music, but he’s got several songs that I do enjoy. My brother was really looking forward to him though. He put on a very entertaining show, to say the least. He used a lot of props, namely two strippers though they had fake ass’s and breasts. They each danced on their own platform behind him. Manson pulled one of them to the ground and pulled off her panties, which made for a good show while she continued to dance and open her legs for everyone to see. I was a ways back, so I couldn’t tell if she had anything else on underneath, but it sure didn’t look like it. He started out with mostly newer songs, like mObscene, This Is The New Shit, Disposable Teens, Rock Is Dead, The Dope Show, and Golden Age of Grotesque. He then said, “I know that you guys were ready for the new shit, but now are you ready for the old shit”. He then went into Sweet Dreams, Beautiful People, and The Fight Song. The crowd seemed to be more into his older stuff, but he kept us entertained the whole time.

Korn was up next, and it seemed that’s what most people were waiting for as the seats completely filled up at this point. Their background was a huge screen that played weird videos that went along with each song. While I do own two of their albums, Life Is Peachy and Untouchable, I’m not a huge Korn fan. I enjoyed their set though. I know they opened up with Blind. They also played Got The Life, A.D.I.D.A.S., Here To Say, Freak On A Leash, Faget and Shoots and Ladders. Jonathan also brought out the bagpipes, which was a huge hit with the crowd. The highlight of their set for me was when they broke out into a cover of One by Metallica. Badass. They also performed their new song from the Tomb Raider soundtrack, Did My Time. It’s a pretty good song. They didn’t talk to the fans very much. Maybe they cut out the talking and bullshit so they can play more songs, or maybe they don’t care. I’m no ones judge, so I couldn’t really say.

After Korn was done, they started setting up for the man I had been waiting for all day long, Ozzy. They were just about done setting up when his voice came over the speakers. He started getting the crowd hyped up before we could even see him, which I thought was pretty cool. Then he and the rest of the band came out on stage and the crowd went wild. He stuck to all older songs, and didn’t play anything from his latest album. Unusual for most bands, but it seems that most people would rather hear the older stuff from Ozzy. He opened up with War Pigs, which is a great fucking song. Other songs he performed included Mr. Crowley, I Don’t Know, Iron Man, I Don’t Want To Change The World, Goodbye To Romance, Crazy Train, and Road To Nowhere. About midway through the set, Ozzy and the rest of the band left the stage and Zakk stayed out by himself. Guitar solo time. This shit was badass, and seemed to last forever. He played regular, behind his head, and even with his teeth! Then he played the star spangled banner, which was pretty cool. He finished up and Ozzy came back out with the rest of the band. This was the best set of the day, in my opinion. Ozzy worked the crowd excellently. He did his usual thing of throwing buckets of water on the crowd, spraying them with water guns, and there were sprinklers above the first several rows that sprayed water many times throughout the set. It was like, as soon as they thought those people were drying off a bit, they let them have it again. I’m sure with the heat it felt pretty good though, and it was the only time I wished I had closer seats. After one of the songs, Ozzy stopped to talk about his tour manager of 25 years, who recently passed away. He said that if he seemed a little down tonight, it’s because he recently lost his tour manager to throat cancer. He said that he had a broken heart. On a lighter note, he announced that his wife Sharon was now one hundred percent cancer free, which drew a huge cheer from the crowd. He also took the time out to introduce everyone else in his band, which I thought was cool. When it seemed that he was done performing, he said good night and headed back stage. The crowd was having none of it though, and they began chanting one more song. Of course, Ozzy on the microphone from backstage directing the crowd in said chant helped out too. They all came back out and he did Mama, I’m Coming Home. After that, Ozzy again directed the crowd in a chant for one more song. He then did Paranoid and wrapped up the set. He said before everyone leaves, “If you’ve got any drugs or alcohol, please give some to me”. He then told us all to drive safely and thanked us for coming out.

Overall, with only a few minor complaints, I thought Ozzfest was a good show. I probably won’t go again next year though. I saw who I went for, which was Ozzy, and that was enough for me. If I had to compare Ozzfest with Warped Tour, I would say that I had more fun at Warped and you definitely get more for your money. Less than $30 a ticket for about the same amount of bands, maybe more. You can take in cameras of your own, as well as one sealed water bottle which prevents having to pay outrageous prices on water. Also, whether it’s a CD sampler or stickers, every booth at Warped Tour gives out free shit. Maybe I expect too much, maybe I just like to complain. But I think if I pay for the ticket to see the show, I should at least be able to bring in a camera of my own and take pictures. I got a Warped Tour T-shirt when I went and only paid like $18 for it, maybe a little more. Ozzfest T-shirts were $35, I don’t see how they can justify that. Oh yeah, I mentioned earlier about the water situation, and just grabbing quick drinks from the water fountain. Not a good idea. You can’t really avoid paying the high prices for water when you’re at an all day show like this. I know it sucks, but it beats what I went through later that evening and the next day. After we got home that evening, I went to bed. I woke up a few hours later feeling shaky and sick to my stomach. I also couldn’t urinate, and my side was hurting. It seemed like I was losing some feeling in my legs as well. I called my Mother and asked her what she thought, and when finding out I only drank one cup of water all eleven hours that I was in the 90 degree heat, she suggested that I was probably dehydrated. Duh! Why didn’t I think of that? So I downed several cups of water and two bottles of Gatorade, then I felt better. I went back to sleep, only to wake up every hour or so having to take a piss because of all of the fluids I drank. Later that afternoon when I got up, I seemed fine. I took a shower and began helping my girlfriend move. I started feeling sick again, side cramps, feeling shaky, and I couldn’t urinate and was constipated. I ended up going to the emergency room for fear that it was something more than dehydration. I remembered getting hit in the groin at the concert, so that stuck out in my mind. I had no idea what was going on. Turns out I was just still dehydrated, thankfully. It sucked pretty bad spending five hours in the emergency room. So take my advice, whether you have to pay $4 or $5 for a cup of water, or occupy the drinking fountain for ten minutes, drink a lot of water when you’re at an all day show like this. If not, you’ll have all sorts of problems.

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Soundtrack to Life – (Guest author: Aaron Rhoades)

This week’s guest author is our own Aaron Rhoades. Though it’s not one set storyas this column has been in the past, but it does cover the very premise of this column. In this week’s column he discusses how music has influenced his life throughout the years. Enjoy folks.

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As far back as I can remember, I’ve always loved music. It has always been a very big part of my life and has helped me through some hard times. From breakups with girlfriends to deaths in the family, music has always been there to get me through. Call it crazy, call it strange, but it’s like an invisible friend. A friend who speaks to me about problems and feelings, and tells me everything is going to be okay. A friend who tells me tomorrow will be a better day. I love music, and this is my story. I hope you read this all the way through and that you leave with something after doing so. Whether it be the satisfaction of reading a good story, or a realization of just how important music is in our day to day life. This is the story of a music lover, enjoy.

Who’s Bad?

I remember when I was very young, I would always hear my mother and my grandmother playing music. Mostly country music, which isn’t my preference now, but back then I didn’t care. It was music and I liked it. One of my favorite songs was by Kenny Rogers, The Gambler. I used to love hearing that song. Even Christmas songs, which I now find extremely annoying, brought joy to me. Every time Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer would play on the radio, I would call my grandmother to tell her. I got such a kick out of it. Speaking of Christmas, that reminds me of when I got my very first cassette tape. I don’t remember which album it was, but I do know it was a Jackson 5 album. I would guess I was probably about 7 at this time. That Christmas when I got that tape, I was so excited. I was all about Michael Jackson. I had the Beat It T-shirt, the Michael Jackson doll, and hell I even had the leather jacket from the Beat It video. Now I had the tape to go along with it all. I listened to that tape over and over again. I was into Michael Jackson for a while and I even got the Thriller album, on vinyl! I sure wish I knew where that album was now.

Let It Rock

Once my Michael Jackson obsession passed, I was introduced to rock music. Through my cousin, who played Bon Jovi’s album, Slippery When Wet, while he was visiting, I was turned onto to a different type of music. I loved it! Songs like You Give Love A Bad Name, Livin’ On A Prayer, and Dead Or Alive grabbed me by the arm, pulled me in and never let me go. I played them over and over again until I memorized each and every single word. It was like a snowball effect after that. Bon Jovi led to Poison, Whitesnake, and Motley Crue. Yeah, the fucking Crue. I remember seeing the pentagrams on the cover of Theatre Of Pain and thinking I would never be aloud to get the album. But I did and let me tell you, I thought Smoking In The Boys Room was the coolest song ever. These guys who were wearing make up, spandex, long hair, and earrings were singing about something that I knew damn well was against the rules. How could that not be cool to a 10 year old? Sure, that’s nothing compared to the song content now and those bands for the most part are forgotten. Back then though, they were everything to me. I remember emptying out my bank and counting out pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters until I had about 10 dollars just so I could go buy a new cassette. Mostly I only listened to a few select bands. Poison, Whitesnake, Motley Crue, Def Leopard, Bon Jovi, and some Kiss. I had a toy microphone with a stand, as well as an electric guitar that I couldn’t play for shit. Not to mention most of the strings were broken and it was beat all to hell. Me and my friends would get together in my garage with the stereo and we would pretend to be playing the music. We would do this for hours, and we had a kick ass time. Later on, I was introduced to a new band.

You’re In The Jungle Baby

This band wasn’t like the others that I had listened to. They were different. Not only because they didn’t wear make up and spandex, but their sound was different as well. It was raw, aggressive, harsh and in your face, and it fucking rocked harder than anything I’d ever heard before. I’m talking about Axle, Izzy, Duff, Steven and Slash…Guns N Roses. One listen to the song Welcome To The Jungle and I was hooked. They provided an edgier sound than what I was used to, as well as the occasional semi-sappy ballad such as Sweet Child O Mine. I liked how they weren’t afraid to say what they wanted to in their music. Appetite For Destruction was the album that introduced me to the harder side of rock, called metal. I started watching Headbangers Ball on MTV and was turned on to many other metal bands like Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Testament, and Skid Row. Every Saturday night, I was glued to the television watching those videos and jamming along to every tune. While I still enjoyed bands like Whitesnake and Poison, I got more and more into the harder bands I was seeing every Saturday night. I was soon turned onto a band who most people would consider the saviors of heavy metal, Metallica. The first album I heard by them was …And Justice For All and it kicked my ass like nothing else had before. The music was fast and it hit hard as hell. I eventually picked up Kill Em All and then later I got the Black album. I pretty much stopped listening to them after that album. While I’ll always respect what these guys have done for heavy metal, I don’t care too much for their music anymore. Their latest album, St. Anger, is terrible and I honestly wish I had never wasted my money on it. All of the hype of how the old Metallica had returned and got my hopes up I guess, and I was let down. That’s my opinion though. Some people agree with me and some people don’t.

Rollin’ With The Lench Mob

It was late 90, or early 91 and I was in the sixth grade when I bought my first rap album and was turned onto something entirely different. Ice Cube, Amerikkas Most Wanted was the album. I can still remember my Mom being so pissed when I popped it into the cassette player in the car after she bought it for me, not knowing what it was. The intro featured a guy going to the electric chair, and when asked if he had any last words, his reply “Fuck all ya’ll. She was not too pleased, but agreed to let me keep it if I didn’t let my Dad find out. I had never heard rap music before until now. I was immediately hooked and soon forgot about heavy metal. Ice Cube, NWA, and Public Enemy were the first three rap acts I got into. They talked about real things and said what was on their mind. I really liked that. Even though I couldn’t relate to most of the things they were rapping about, I still respected what they were doing. Of course being a white kid who listened to rap, I wasn’t exactly popular in my school of mostly white students. I heard the word “wigger” more than a few times during the day. I didn’t give a shit though, because I loved the music. If I wanted to block out the bullshit I had to put up with, all I had to do is turn up the volume on my discman. I learned about most of the music through the MTV show, Yo! MTV Raps. I watched it religiously, just as I had Headbangers Ball not too long ago. This was the only place to really catch any rap videos at the time, and I really embraced it. It was my only source for discovering new rap artists. Yeah, I watched MTV to learn about new music…sue me. That’s how I learned about all of the rap artists I was into, like Ice T, Too Short, Spice 1, and many others. Rap City was introduced on BET later on as well and they played a lot of the videos that MTV didn’t. I saw a video one day that really caught my attention and I had to run out and get the album. The video was for the song Trapped by 2Pac and the album was 2Pacalypse Now. I loved this album so much. I listened to it over and over and over in my Walkman. So many different emotions are covered on this album, as well as on all of Pacs other albums. He could go from a song like Violent where he talked about killing cops, to a song about teenage pregnancy like Part Time Mutha. I followed Pacs career up through the years, through all of his albums. His music touched me like no other rapper ever had, and I honestly feel he’s the greatest rapper ever. Again, just my opinion. When he died, I honestly felt like I had lost a friend. Still to this day, after he’s passed on, if a Pac album comes out then I’m there to get it on release date. I was later introduced to an album called 99 Ways To Die by a rapper called Master P. This isn’t the rapping alongside his son, ice on my wrist, gold plated fucking mansion Master P that most people know now though. It was about real shit, not how much gold was around his neck. The shit was hot, and I soon began grabbing other No Limit Records albums. Tru, Silk The Shocker, Mia X, and Kane & Able. Their southern style wasn’t like what was out at the time, and it was a breath of fresh air from most other stuff. However, they all got too big for their own good and soon money, cars, and jewelry consumed every single song. Cash Money Records came along too, and they were similar to No Limit. Similar style, released a new album by one of their artists like every damn month. I was into them for a bit too, until I realized it was all becoming the same. Rap became stale and boring to me and I just didn’t enjoy it anymore. It was then that I got into punk rock.

Change of Ideas

It hasn’t been that long since I got into punk music. Two years to be exact, but I’ve gotten quite an extensive collection of albums since then. The first punk album I bought was Blink 182 Take Off Your Pants And Jacket. I know, Blink’s not punk rock, right? Whatever. Like it or not, they are a form of punk rock. This album stayed in my CD changer for the longest time. It was so damn catchy and addictive, I had to have more. I scooped up all of Blinks albums and soon began looking for more punk rock. From Blink 182 I got into other bands like NOFX, Pennywise, and Bad Religion. I was and still am addicted to this music. I love every bit of it. The same thing that attracted me to rap in the sixth grade, also attracted me to punk music. It was real. Of course, the age old argument that punk is dead is bound to come up, right? Well, I don’t think it’s dead, just evolved. You know what they say about opinions though.

Unity

Music, regardless what genre I listened to at the time, has always been a big part of my life. When I was a little kid, I could pretend I was a huge rock star and live out that dream in my garage while jamming along to a Def Leopard album. In High School, rap music was my escape from the bullshit reality I had. Not fitting in at school and a fucked up home life with an alcoholic father. As soon as I put my headphones on, it all went away if only for a short amount of time. When my grandmother, who helped raise me, passed away when I was 18, music helped me through it. I would put on a song by Patti Loveless, called How Can I Help You Say Goodbye and listen to it over and over. When I was 19 and my girlfriend of 3 years moved away to Florida, I must’ve listened to the R. Kelly CD a thousand times in a row. Mainly one song really, called If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time. Recently, when my father passed away, I turned to music to help me through things. A song called One More Day by the country band Diamond Rio was played at his funeral, and it makes me think of him every time I hear it. When I’m pissed off, I can pop in some punk or some metal and just go fucking crazy and rock out for a bit. It helps me to get out some aggression, and maybe even keeps me sane. When I’m sad, I can pop in some Less Than Jake, Blink 182, or some other good time bands and it helps to lift my spirits. From good times to bad, music has always been there. I now listen to a wide range of music, consisting of punk, metal, a little bit of rap, and some things in between. If you look at my CD collection, which is rounding out around 600 right now, you’d see a very diverse collection. I’ve got Lil Kim, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Biggie, Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, Rancid, Ozzy, Staind, Disturbed, Operation Ivy, Anti-Flag, Blink 182, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, R Kelly, Ice Cube, Slipknot, Finch, The Used, MXPX, AFI, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alkaline Trio, Snapcase, Brotha Lynch Hung, and Nas…all on the same CD shelf. How’s that for wide range musical taste? Like I said, I love music. If it sounds good to me, I’ll listen to it and it won’t matter to me what the guy sitting next to me thinks about my choice in music. I see a lot of competing, for lack of a better word, in music today. The punkers don’t like the emo kids, the metal heads don’t like the punkers, the hip-hop heads don’t like the metal heads or the punkers, and there’s all sorts of resentment directed towards people who are into pop music, commonly referred to as “teenie-boppers.” I’ve been guilty of this at times as well. What it all boils down to is, it’s all music. It’s a part of each and every one of our lives, whether we agree on one another’s choices or not. With all of the bullshit going on in the world today, it seems that music is the one thing that should unite us all. Someday, it might be all we have.

Aaron Rhoades

‘Gambino’

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Got a story you’d like to tell about a song that’s in the Soundtrack of your life? Don’t post it on the board. Email it to me and I’ll put it in my column. Stories will be posted in the order that their received. I don’t play favorites. All I ask is that you make sure the spelling and grammar are in fine order.
Email your stories to: loki@baloolapalooza.com

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Soundtrack to Life – A Tribute to a Friend

So, I’ve been on a six week hiatus from this column. Like I said, it’s not like a lotta ya read it. But I guess I had a loyal fanbase and that really shouldn’t be denied. So, I have returned from the grave to bring you more stories, and hopefully, you can send me yours, yes?

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A Tribute to a Friend

“Hammering in My Head” by Garbage

It all began in the spring of ’98. Having turned 16 the previous winter, Scott was the first person in our little clique to get his license. This was big for us because it increased where we could go and when we could go. Still, we spent a lot of time at Jay’s place, finding some game to play (ie. Capture the Flag). We’d created a wide variety of games to play so the days were always full. On one of these days, around the time Scott got his license, we were goofing around, playing one of these games when Scott made a dash for his van. He began to make a getaway when he stopped at the corner and called for me to get in. I somehow got ahead of the others and jumped in. He turned on the CD player as we sped off down the block. The song playing was “Hammering in my Head” by Garbage. Since then, I’ve always felt that to be a cruising tune, and the thought of it just takes me back to that day.

But that’s hardly the story here, just a minor portion of it. See, Scott was one of the most popular guys in school. He coulda had any girl he wanted and had friends in all forms of social cliques. I was lucky enough to have known the guy since we were in 2nd grade. That summer, we’d often be at his place, another bonfire party. I remember one in particular, in the fall though, shortly after school had begun that year. People of all walks of life meandered about the yard. Me, I was flat on my back staring up at the stars. A beautiful night. Later we wandered down the street by the old church and ran into another party that was wandering through a field. I think they were looking for someone’s keys. Adam let one of the girls take his car for a test drive. She returned with the rear bumper in the trunk. Tore it off on a mailbox as she was backing out of the driveway. We all had a good laugh about it. As our party died down, we heard rumors of another bonfire in the area. We decided we were gonna crash it. We never found it. We asked a few bars, witnessed a fight in one of the parking lots and wound up wandering an unfamiliar neighborhood. Just a stellar night.

Things were gonna be alright. Everything was right with the world. Suzan had stopped harassing me, and I actually had a social life now. And then, late at night on January 1, or was it 2? I dunno. But it was early ’99. I’d been chatting it up on Battle.net for a good portion of the night and was ready to go to bed. I was about to log off ICQ when Jay sent me a message.

“Scott was just in a bad accident. They had to rush him to Froedtert.”

He’d been driving, heading to Jay’s house when he hit an icy patch. He went into the ditch, but was able to recover and get back on the road. Unfortunately, the car coming from the other way couldn’t stop. He hit the driver’s side door, slamming Scott’s head into the window.

Around here, if you gotta be taken to Froedtert, you got fucked up. I knew that. I walked off to bed, blank faced. I never told my family what had happened. I slept fitfully, praying that he pulled through.

I found out the next day that he’d made it……. but, he was in a coma. When my family found out, I’d told them I hadn’t mentioned it because I just didn’t want to talk about it. This was Scott! The picture of perfect health. This guy was just amazing, and now he was clinging to life. I couldn’t fathom it. I don’t remember how long it took, but he eventually came out of the coma. I didn’t get to see him until April.

The whole clique came down to see him where he was rehabilitating. Awake, yes, but he was bed ridden. How conscious was he? I wondered. I thought they’d take us into his room where he’d be lying there and we could stand at his bedside. Instead, we took a seat in the cafeteria and they wheeled him out in a wheelchair. Here he was, a star track athlete, a ladies man, the king of charisma and just an all around great guy……. helpless. He sat there, head restrained so he didn’t have to support it himself, expressionless, pale, and not moving an inch. Occasionally he’d let out a zombie-esque moan. I did my best to look positive, but I could hardly even look at him. Literally a shadow of his former self. I felt sick. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t fuckin’ right……

It’s been 4 years now, nearing the fifth anniversary of that night. I still can’t believe that this is what has become of my friend. He has vastly improved over the years, but he still has a long way to go. He’s still in his wheelchair, can barely control his legs and arms and has a hard time keeping his head up. He can speak, but very slowly and very slurred. A lot of the time that I see him nowadays I require a translator. The one positive thing I can note is that, well, he’s still in there. The accident cost him his motor skill but he still thinks, acts, and talks like he did before the accident. When I visit, we usually play Magic. He needs someone to handle the cards for him, but he can still beat my ass on most any given day. It’s still not certain as to whether or not he will recover 100%, and sadly, I have my doubts.

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Got a story you’d like to tell about a song that’s in the Soundtrack of your life? Don’t post it on the board. Email it to me and I’ll put it in my column. Stories will be posted in the order that their received. I don’t play favorites. All I ask is that you make sure the spelling and grammar are in fine order.
Email your stories to: loki@baloolapalooza.com

Review: 2003 Warped Tour(Indianapolis)

I just got back from my very first Warped Tour experience, and even though my face is cherry red and the top of my head is blistered, I had the best fucking time. It was such an awesome event. Awesome bands with so many different styles, from punk to hardcore to emo, the Warped Tour has it all. I’ll give a run down of the day and reviews of the bands performances. Forgive me if I don’t remember exact set lists though, because I saw quite a few bands today.

Started out, we got there at 10:30 when I heard the gates were supposed to open. Turns out they were to open at 11:00. So we parked, applied the sunscreen, and proceeded to wait in a long ass line in the hot summer sun. I wasn’t complaining though, as I was pretty damn happy to see the sun out because it’s been raining quite a bit here lately. Fucking Indiana weather. But yeah, we get inside and make our way to the vans tent to find out what time each band is playing. We took a note pad and pen as advised by other people who’ve been before, but it turns out Vans provided fliers, preprinted with the stage names and places to write the band names and times. First band we wanna see, Matchbook Romance at 12:20. So we had over an hour to walk around the booths, locate each stage, and just check everything out. I bought a Warped Tour 2003 ‘Crash and Burn’ T-shirt. $15.00 for a shirt isn’t bad at all either. I was glad to see they didn’t overcharge like most shows that I’ve been to. Most of the booths were handing out free shit like stickers, pictures, and album ads. The Victory Records booth and the PunkVoter.com/Fat Wreck booth had CD samplers as well. Epitaph was handing out goody bags full of stickers, posters, and a DVD with music videos from the Transplants, Hot Water Music, and other Epitaph bands. So now I’ve got my Warped Tour T-shirt, a bag full of free shit, time to go check out Matchbook Romance on the Volcom stage.

They started out with 14 Balloons, which is the first track on their EP West For Wishing. Pretty energetic band, great set to start out the day. They played Hollywood & Vine, Save Yourself, and a couple of new songs. Then they finished up with The Greatest Fall(of all time). I have their EP and I think they’re a good band, but I hadn’t even planned on seeing them. I’m glad I did though. It just happened to be they were the first band playing and no one else was playing until 1:00.

That brings me to the next band, which was The Used on the Teal stage. It’s actually the main stage, but the way they work it there’s actually two stages set up next to each other. The Teal stage and the Brian stage. The names might be different for each tour stop though. They alternate between each stage. While one band is performing on one stage, the next band is setting up on the other. So anyway, The Used put on a pretty good show. They started out with the first song from their album, Maybe Memories. Excellent way to start the set. They also did Say Days Ago, The Taste of Ink, Blue and Yellow, Noises and Kisses, and Buried Myself Alive. For the finale, Bert went to the top of the speakers, which was probably 15-20 feet in the air. That’s just guessing though. He did a stage dive from the top of it. My only complaint was they didn’t perform my favorite song, A Box Full Of Sharp Objects.

After that, it was time to go get a drink of water. Some advice if you plan on attending the Warped Tour this summer, and it’s your first time, take a bottle of water with you. You can take it in as long as it’s sealed. Once inside and the water is gone, you can refill it at drinking fountains, provided the venue has them. They were charging $3.50 for a bottle of water and you don’t even get the bottles. They pour it into a cup of ice, which means you either drink it all at once or try to avoid spilling the shit in the pit. Not likely. This saved me quite a bit of money today.

So after the water break, we’re on our way back to grab a spot for AFI, who was going on at 2:30. On our way back to the main stage where they were to play, we passed by the Volcom stage and Vaux was playing. We watched them play one song, Ride Out Bitch. They seemed to put on a pretty energetic show, but I only watched them play one song.

While waiting for AFI we caught part of Thrice, as well as Andrew W.K. I only got to see Thrice do one song, Betrayal is a Symptom. Andrew W.K played a decent set, though I’m not a fan of his. He allowed several fans from the audience to come on stage and dance, which was pretty cool.

Up next, fucking AFI! I was so hyped about seeing these guys, and so was everyone else at the show apparently. They had the largest crowd by far of any other band there today, just barely topping Rancid. We managed to get about six or seven rows back from the stage and damn was it crazy. They started the set off with Miseria Cantare-The Beginning, which is the first track from their latest album, Sing the Sorrow. I don’t remember the order they did the songs, but I do know they did Girls Not Grey, Fall Children, Dancing Through Sunday, Totalimortal, and some older songs I’ve never heard by them. The majority of their set was from their new album, with some old school thrown in. They did a Janes Addiction cover, which I don’t know the name to. Then they finished it up with God Called In Sick Today, which is a bad ass song to finish up a set with. Towards the end of the set, Davey walks off of the stage and on to the crowd. Yes, I said ON TO the crowd. They were holding his feet as he walked, it was so fucking God-like.

After that set, I was exhausted so we headed to get some more water and take a restroom break. We made it back to the main stage and caught the last few minutes of Mest’s performance. I was surprised to see they were even there because I heard Tony was hurt at one of the shows the other day. Something with his back I think. He was standing when we got there, but they had a chair ready for him. He ended up doing the last three songs sitting down. I give him props for even attempting that shit though. What I saw of these guys was pretty good. Probably would’ve been better if Tony wasn’t hurt, but at least they played.

Next was Rancid, hell yes! These guys are badass anyway, but live, holy shit! Amazing! They started out with Ruby Soho and got the crowd hyped up well. They also did Maxwell Murder, Roots Radicals, Dead Bodies, Time Bomb, as well as a song from their upcoming album. Which, by the way, they said would be on Hellcat? Don’t know what this means about the Warner Bros. rumors going around, but take it as you wish. They did Dead Bodies twice. The first time was part of their regular set, and the second was for a movie they’re making. Don’t know what it’s gonna be called (I’m thinking it’s Live Freaky, Die Freaky) but it’s gonna be a horror movie. The reason for filming the concert footage was someone in the movie is supposed to get killed in the pit, and then be fed to Rancid. That’s what they said anyway. Lars also gave props to Tony from Mest, who also came on stage and helped on some vocals, for toughing out his injury. In the words of Lars Frederiksen, “That kid’s the real mother fucker there.” Like I said, these guys were amazing and the crowd was hyped as hell for them. I took a hard knee to the kidney in the pit though, so it kinda fucked me up for a bit.

So Rancid is over and it’s 4:00. Glassjaw plays at 4:30, so we had time to go walk around some more. I grabbed a bite to eat, then we went back and watched part of Glassjaws performance. I like these guys, but I couldn’t get into their show much. We ended up just walking around while we waited for Rise Against to play at 5:50. We did catch Tsunami Bomb for a few songs, but didn’t stick around.

We headed over to the Maurice stage to catch Rise Against. Not too many people were there watching them which was a surprise to me. We got right up front for these guys. Nothing like being deaf by 30 eh? They started out with Black Masks and Gasoline, the first track from their latest album, Revolutions Per Minute. They also did Blood Red, White, and Blue, Like an Angel, as well as some older songs. I’m not too familiar with their older stuff, so I’m not sure what they were, other than they rocked.

After Rise Against, we headed back to the main stage to wait for Dropkick Murphys to come on. We caught the last two songs of Less Than Jake. These guys are great, but I just saw them with Good Charlotte and New Found Glory a couple months ago. I got to hear them play Look What Happened again though, so it was all good. Dropkick Murphys came on, but I was too exhausted to really get into it. I enjoyed the set, but didn’t get into the pit. They didn’t play Walk Away which was a surprise and disappointment. They didn’t play much from their new album really. I only remember them playing two songs from the new album, Worker’s Song and The Dirty Glass. They did the Spicy McHaggis Jig and invited any females from the crowd who wanted to, to come on stage and “do a jig.”

After DKM played, it was time for a water break and head back to the main stage for The Ataris at 7:30. In the mean time, I saw that Lars and Matt from Rancid were still at their booth signing autographs. The line was hella long earlier so I skipped it, but it was shorter now and I jumped in. I searched through my bag for something with Rancid on it for them to sign, but I had nothing. I couldn’t find my ticket stub either, so I opted for the Warped Tour program for them to sign. They both signed it and I got my picture taken with them. Cool shit.

After that, we headed over to see The Ataris play. They were pretty good. They played a lot of their newer stuff from So Long, Astoria. They did some older songs like I Won’t Spend Another Night Alone, and they finished up with San Dimas High School Football Rules, where they had a fan come up and play guitar. Kris was hyping the fact that he grew up in Anderson, Indiana. That’s about 10 minutes from where I live, if you care. He complained about a local radio station here that won’t play their music, even though they’re from Indiana. The radio station he’s referring to is 103.3 The X, which is supposed to be an alternative music station but they play mostly metal. He then pretended to call them on his cell phone, but it did nothing but ring. He told us to call them up and tell them to play their music. Good set to finish up the day with.

Highlights of the day: AFI, Rancid, The Used, and meeting Lars and Matt from Rancid.

Overall, the day was killer. It was hot, I’m sunburned on my face, my neck, and the top of my head. But if was so fucking worth it! If Warped Tour is coming to your town or a town near you, and you’ve never been, I highly recommend checking it out. Tickets aren’t too much and you get to see a lot of kick ass bands, plus hang out with some cool ass people.

Spotlight: Numb – Chicago Hardcore

Disturbed, the Bulls, the Shed Aquarium, Blackhawks….hell, even the old sitcom Married With Children comes to mind when someone mentions Chicago, Illinois. Perhaps something else should be added to the list of word associations with Chicago. The band Numb hails from the city, ripping and tearing through their local hardcore/metal scene and making a strong name for themselves. Recently they took their act on the road to New Castle, Indiana for the Black Summerfest on June 21. I was lucky enough to attend the event and I must say I was completely blown away by the band, as was every other person in attendance. Not only did these guys rock out and put on a kick ass show, but they were hella cool to everyone who came to the show. They walked around with a binder, allowing people to sign up for their mailing list, as well as taking pictures of the fans for their website. I even managed to get my ugly ass up on there too, so props for that. Now, back to the band.

The band formed on June 8, 2002, and has been kicking ass all over the Chicago area ever since. They’ve got Ben on the drums, Eric plays the bass, and Rob handles the guitar. Up front, Tony takes care of the vocals and does an absolutely lovely job of doing so. Combine these four elements and you’ve got a sound that jumps right into your chest and buries itself deep in your soul, then kicks your ass from the inside out. Yeah, I was that blown away by these guys. The bio on their website compares them to Taproot, Korn, and The Deftones. I don’t quite hear the Korn comparison, or even much of Taproot, but I’d say the Deftones comparison is dead on. Their sound is quite reminiscent of Glassjaw as well, which is absolutely not a bad thing.

Currently the band have released two different recordings. A 4 song summer 2002 Demo, as well as a live recording. They’ll be heading into the studio in July to work on a full length album, which I know I’ll be looking forward to. Of the four songs featured on their demo, my personal favorite is Pillbox, a song which is seemingly about a girl who has wronged the singer in the past. The song isn’t as hard as the other tracks, and Tony’s vocals are a bit softer. However, he lets loose some anger near the end with the lyrics “Just want to be your pillbox, swallowed down pull me ’round, think I can’t take much more, from the whore I adore.”

If you’re into bands like Glassjaw, Snapcase, Deftones, this band is definitely for you. Head over to their website and check out some of their tunes, order their demo, and if you’re in the Chicago area, I reccomend checking out the awesome live show these guys put on. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Source: Numb

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Soundtrack to Life – "Friendly" Competition

Hey look, it’s done on time. Betcha didn’t see that coming. Looks like a slow news week as there’s only one article seperating this one from last week’s addition. I’ve decided this week to go again with something a little more universal. Granted, I have a few songs that can go with this one as there’s a few different spins on this story, but I feel this is the better way of doing it. It’s another montage of stories. Enjoy.

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“Friendly” Competition

“West End Riot” by The Living End

Our story begins in the early 80’s in Barton Wisconsin on a little street known as Kettle View Drive. This spans many a year and many people are involve. So, to prevent a complication of matters, we’re gonna start with a cast of characters.

The Nichols family: My family. We’ve been on this street longer than any of the other families in this story.

Me – No introduction really necessary. Back then I was the neighborhood wuss.

Pat – My older brother, and at that time, rolemodel. One of the street “Ringleaders”

Tim – My younger brother and probably the strangest kid on the street.

The Bertram family: Our next door neighbors. Moved in a year or so after we did.

Nora – The oldest kid in the family and one of the oldest kids on the street. Barely got involved with our matters.

Sara – Same age as Pat. Also one of the “Ringleaders”

Barry – The youngest of the family. Same age as me, most competitive kid on the street and naturally, my arch rival.

The Briggs family: The farm family. All girls, all tomboys.

Michelle – Same age as Nora. Tended to stay out of our business, much like Nora.

Jackie – More or less Sara’s cohort. Same age as her. When the two got together, there was some conniving scheme afoot

Steph – A year younger than me, a year older than Tim. Barry’s cohort? No. Minion, yes. Whatever he did, she did.

The Driscoll family: The well off family. Moved in about ’93.

Angie – Same age as myself and Barry. Usually alright, but could really be a bitch at times. Particularly to me.

Ryan – A jock in training. Tim’s age. Often sided with Barry.

John – The youngest on the street. Prone to disobey orders.

All that said, let’s begin.

There’s a kid who was born and was raised in the west
There’s a kid from the east that never really fit in with the rest
Every week they would meet in the street with their friends
With the guns that they made and the caps that they stole they would fight
To their death.
This time, we’ll have victory
Last time, ended in a defeat
A town, becomes a battle ground! Battle ground! Battle ground!
West End Riot!
West End Riot!
We’ll be here next Saturday
With our guns and our heads held high
So listen up boys you’d better not cry this time

-We had our share of clubs and secret forts. Each one lasting little longer than a few days. What kid didn’t? At this time, the Driscolls hadn’t even moved in yet. Barry was the one always trying to organize the clubs. Often with some grand dream of a tree house. Those never worked. Mostly we’d nail some boards together and forget it entirely. For a brief time, we did have a club house. It was under the stairwell in the closet of the Bertrams’ house. But Sara ran that, and I believe she called it the I Love Buffalos club. She loved buffalos, can’t you tell? Barry started a few of the clubs with the soul purpose of keeping me out. So he’d set up some ridiculous set of rules for getting in, usually a task you had to accomplish. He was a big one for tree climbing, so we had to climb a specific tree a specific way. When I’d try, he’d insist I did it wrong. Petty little kiddy shit. Longest lasting clubhouse we had was a vacant barn on Steph’s yard. It cleaned up pretty nice and there was plenty of space to sit.

-Pat and Sara oft saw Barry and myself as their race horses. “My brother can beat your brother” kinda thing, so we were basically bred to compete with one another. Anything they could think of. Foot races in particular. To the tree and back! Up the hill! Down the hill! Around the house! Talk about building a rivalry. Sometimes he’d win, sometimes I’d win.

-Tag! Your it! So many variations we had on tag. Basic of course, and freeze. But we had to come up with other versions. TV tag where you’d be safe if you stopped and said the name of a TV show. I think we had tornado tag, where upon being tagged you had to spin until someone freed you. Funny, I don’t have a clear memory of that one. And our ever creative Toilet Tag. Upon being tagged, you had to squat down and hold your arms out in a circle. To be freed, someone had to sit on your arms and say “Flush!”. Yeah, we were weird.

-1 o’ clock, 2 o’ clock, 3 o’ clock rock!

4 o’ clock, 5 o’ clock, 6 o’ clock rock!

7 o’ clock, 8 o’ clock, 9 o’ clock rock!

10 o’ clock, 11 o’ clock, 12 o’ clock MIDNIGHT!!!

Our traditional mantra before a game of Ghosts in the Graveyard. This one was only played at night, and I was a whiny little chicken shit who was afraid of the dark. We played this at the Briggs’ house since they had an entire farm, complete with orchard. Basically, the ghost would hide somewhere in the yard and everyone else would go out looking for him/her. The entire neighborhood would play this one. Upon sighting the ghost, you were to yell “Ghost in the Graveyard!” and everyone would return to the safe zone, or Gool as we called it. Whoever got tagged by the ghost would join him/her in the haunt until there was only one survivor. Jackie and Michelle had an advantage in this game. They knew how to ride the horses. So, occasionally, our ghost could be spotted on horseback. Fun game to play though when you have a maze for an orchard.

-The Briggs family also had inner tubes for tractor tires. This served as a completely new game for us. Bounce around on the tube and try to stay on. I had one thing on my side for this game; weight. That’s right, aside from being a wuss and a chicken shit I was also the fat kid. And you always wondered why I’m so damn bitter. But yeah, fun little game.

-Ah pool parties. On any given summer, the Bertrams or my family had an operable pool. Never anything deep enough to go diving but we had our games. Marco polo was a constant. We also had these little yellow eggs that would sink. In each egg was a rubber alligator, but only one egg had the black alligator. Kind of a fun diving game, never too competitive. But if any of you ever had a circular aluminum pool, then you know what we did. Damn straight, whirlpool! Everyone going in one direction to get a strong current going. With like 7 people in the pool we had the current going pretty strong. But what would it be without a competition? We had one. Everyone would hop on a tube and begin rocking back and forth, causing waves. Last man standing wins. Again, my weight had much bearing in this game.

-We had bikes, and we had a nice, semi- steep hill. What do you think we did? I was all for it, until we started putting a ramp at the bottom of the hill. I remember watching Pat biff that one, big time. Didn’t hop off the ramp, so the bike fell on it’s side and he skidded over the lawn. Surprisingly, he wasn’t hurt.

-Fall was always fun. We’d rake together a pile of leaves and figure out some way of utilizing it. A big one was for Breakthrough and Conquer. That’s right, we were American Gladiator fans. We’d use the leaf pile as a goal. Pat, being the biggest at the time, was the hardest guy to face. Barry was just violent, especially when I was the opposition. Steph caught me by surprise a few times. There’s a big difference between a girl and a tomboy as concerns physical competition. Sometimes we just build the pile on one of the landscaping drop offs so we could jump into it. Good times.

See a bum on the street that you think you recognize
Young kid never looked so bad when he was only 4 foot high
Six o’ clock, runnin’ home, I don’t wanna be late
Another Saturday of sun and war, shared with our mates
This time, we’ll have victory
Last time, ended in a defeat
A town, becomes a battle ground! Battle ground! Battle ground!
West End Riot!
West End Riot!
We’ll be here next Saturday
With our guns and our heads held high
So listen up boys you’d better not cry
Boys will be boys playin’ up and makin’ lots of noise
Never used to talk about the future
Never thought that we’d have to care
So West End Riot!

In later years, we were older, so I was braver. But as such, the games got a little more intense, and new facets were added.

-We didn’t play much for organized sports. Occasionally, we’d have a neighborhood softball game, but that was once in a great while. We were big on soccer though. Rarely did a game end without a fight and someone storming off though. Barry and Ryan were probably the best players we had.

-Basketball wasn’t a big one, but we played games like Horse and Lightning all the time. I used to be a great shot, one of the better players in the neighborhood, but my skill has degredated over time. I remember hitting a one arm heave from halfway down our driveway. Barry dared me to try it again. I did, and on a total fluke I hit it again.

-Kick the Can. Alright, so it’s really more of a kids game. But when we were older, the game took on new dimensions. Particularly, strategy and stealth took on new meanings. Of both, I almost took it to an artform. I came up with places to hide that nobody had considered. They had an old wire spool, one of the large wooden ones. Nobody wanted to try hiding in it since it was right out in the open, and that was the beauty of it. I ducked in and stayed in the shadows. As John caught people, they sat on the spool. I caught someone’s attention, Ryan I believe, and as everyone got caught, he told them where I was. They tricked John into believing that they saw me in the orchard. When he went to look, I hopped out and saved the game. My favorite tactic was the simplest though. As John stood guard on the can, counting down to the begining of the game, eyes closed. I had one person creep up right in front of him while I stood behind. He opens his eyes, sees the one person to call them out and I kicked the can out from under him. Granted, he was just a kid, but that would have worked on anyone.

-Winter is another big time for competition. Anyone can have a snowball fight, of which we had many. But our fun was on the Bertrams’ sled hill. We’d set up a ramp of ice about 2/3 the way down the hill and hit it at high speeds on Sno-Tubes (inflatable tubes with handles). Steph had this knack for missing the ramp entirely though, and just hitting the garage. From these tubes, we developed a game. We also had the Tuff Tube, which was originally used for tubing behind a boat, was about 4 feet across. Three people would load onto the tube and glide down the hill. Those who fell off would be nailed by those who followed on the smaller Sno-Tubes. Every time I hit someone I’d lose the tube and go sailing. It was on one of these tubes that Tim ascended the garage and thought it would be a good idea to sled off. Nope. Big mistake. Rather than sailing off, he just dropped. Quite a funny sight. But it was on the sled hill that we manufactured our most devious device.

-Setting, snow covered hill. Mode of transportation, plastic tobogan. Goal, be the only guy to make it down the hill. We called it Sled Wars. Quite simply, we’d try to take each other off our sleds by any means necessary. Dangerous, yes. Fun, damn straight. Worst hit I took was due to Pat. Put me in a headlock and drove me face first into the corner of the garage. I only walked away with a bloody nose.

There’s a man who was born in the west workin’ at a factory
There’s a man from the east who now runs the whole company
How they’ve grown on their own not like the kids they used to be
Saturdays of sun and war are just fond memories.
West End Riot!
West End Riot!
We’ll be here next Saturday
With our guns and our heads held high
So listen up boys you’d better not cry
Listen up boys you’d better not cry
So listen up boys you’d better not cry this time!

Things have changed greatly since then. Ya know, I used to hate those days, how I got singled out and all. Now I just look back on those days and smile. Guess the old saying is true. “One day I’ll look back on this and laugh.”

The Nichols family: We’ve degenerated greatly. All the other families stayed relatively happy and together. Things just went sour for us.

Me – I’m no longer the coward I once was, and I’m probably in the best shape I’ve ever been.

Pat – He went from rolemodel to an example of what not to do.

Tim – Still a nut, but more down to earth now. He actually turned out alright.

The Bertram family: They’ve stayed a happy family unit.

Nora – Went off to college. Living in Madison I think

Sara – Also went to college. She was going to get married, but her fiance died last year of a heart attack. She’s been living back at home.

Barry – Became a pothead. Can’t say I’m overly surprised.

The Briggs family: The very portrait of the happy middle American family. They still own the farm and maintain it.

Michelle – Off to college. Don’t know where she went.

Jackie – Also went to college.

Steph – She’s cleaned up the tomboy persona, and her attitude. Also off at college

The Driscoll family: I never really kept up with them. They still live in the neighborhood, but I never talk with any of them.

Angie – Left town, I’m assuming college. Never really got along with her.

Ryan – Unknown

John – Unknown

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Got a story you’d like to tell about a song that’s in the Soundtrack of your life? Don’t post it on the board. Email it to me and I’ll put it in my column. Stories will be posted in the order that their received. I don’t play favorites. All I ask is that you make sure the spelling and grammar are in fine order.
Email your stories to: loki@baloolapalooza.com