Author: Joe Nichols

Recommended Download: The Used – Alone This Holiday

‘Tis the season for giving. It most certainly is. Most people give to the less fortunate, and that includes myself usually. However, being the rebel that I am, I’m gonna do something different this year. I’m gonna give Christmas gifts to people who can afford them. I’m gonna give gifts to famous people. They might be rich. They might be famous. But trust me, they need help more than you’d ever expect.

Jay Z – I’m gonna give him a copy of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. Maybe if he hears what a great album this is, he’ll realize what shit he’s been putting out lately and make another one like it.

Andre of Outkast – I’m giving him a whole new wardrobe. I saw his latest video, and I’m sure he’s tired of wearing his Grandfathers hand-me-downs.

Britney Spears – Aside from my address and key to my house that I mailed to her, I’m gonna give her a muzzle for Christmas. Afterall, we’d rather her to be seen and not heard. Am I correct fellas? Oh, I’m giving Christina Aguilera the same thing. Shhhh, don’t tell Britney.

Fred Durst – I’m gonna give this guy a fucking clue. Don’t get me wrong, I like most of Limp Bizkit’s music. However, when your own fans begin throwing objects at you and causing you to need stitches, something isn’t quite right.

Chris Carraba of Dashboard Confessional – I don’t know how, but I’m gonna find this guy some fucking testicles. The poor, whiny bastard seems to be missing a set.

Eminem – He gets a gift certificate for a tattoo and I’m gonna recommend that he goes with a middle finger on his forehead. With all of the people trying to bring him down, he’s gonna need an extra one.

Master P – A career. I saw him on his sons television show on Nickelodeon the other day. Resorting to kids shows tells me he isn’t doing to well. I guess if he gets really desperate, he could always pawn some of his gold teeth.

Andy Dick – A big sign in his front yard which reads, YOU ARE NOT FUNNY! YOU ARE AN IDIOT! Hey, someone needs to tell him.

Okay, so I was just trying to fill space and be funny with those. But you have to admit, some of them are kind of true.

Admit it!

Okay, don’t. At least pretend to laugh. Please?

Congratulations to the Muncie, Indiana band, Oblique, on winning the Battle of the Bands last week. Be sure and head over to their web site and check them out. Oblique

AFI have posted a new video on their site. The video is for the song Silver and Cold from their album, Sing the Sorrow. You can check it out here. I saw this on MTV during the All Things Rock countdown as well. It’s a pretty cool video.

On a final note, am I the only one glad to see Ice Cube, WC, and Mack 10 reforming as Westside Connection once again? I sure hope not. The first album was great, and if the first single from their new one is any indication, it should be just as good.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m out.

Hey everyone! It’s fucking late and I’m quickly writing this. I usually start writing a week in advance, but I didn’t get that big of a head start this week. I didn’t buy any new music this week. Unusual, I know. I did get ahold of a copy of 50 cent’s, Guess Who’s Back, which is a pre-Get Rich Or Die Trying album. I’d say it’s just as good, if not better than Get Rich…. There’s some guest spots on the album too, with Nas, Bravehearts, U.G.K, and of course, the G-Unit stopping by. I rented Dumb and Dumberer this weekend. While it’s not as funny as the original, it’s definitely a must see for anyone who enjoys comedy movies. It does feature another hilarious scene involving a bathroom and a shit-like substance. Best part of the movie. For upcoming columns, I’ve got a couple of things planned. Expect a Christmas list for the stars coming up, as well as my 10 favorite albums of 2003. Those should make for a good read. Hopefully.

Ozzy Osbourne was injured in an ATV accident, where he fractured several bones. He is said to be in stable condition right now, which is good news. Here’s to hoping the Ozzman gets well soon and makes a full recovery. On a related note, the song Changes, which Ozzy remade with his Daughter, Kelly, is worth checking out. Sure, most people think she’s a spoiled bitch, but she’s got a nice voice, even if she is mostly making her career off of her last name. Getting Ozzy to sing this Father/Daughter duet was a nice touch also.

Awhile back, it was reported that the house of Goldfinger frontman, John Feldmann, was raided by the FBI. At the time, not many details were known. If you’re interested in reading about what really went down, click herelaw enforcement agencies who have nothing better to do than harrass people news, the Secret Service were investigating some of Eminems recent lyrics. Apparently a song Eminem recorded, titled We As Americans, features the following lyrics…”I don’t rap for dead presidents/I’d rather see the president dead.” Obviously, as any normal citizen could’ve told these idiots, the Secret Service found there was no real threat from the rapper. Give me a break guys. Why not focus on catching the real terrorists, okay?

Be sure to tune in to David Letterman on December 12, which is this Friday. Alkaline Trio will be performing, which should be a great show. Also, on the same evening, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will be performing on Carson Daly. Even if you can’t stand that annoying Carson punk, you can always watch the band then change the channel.

So Ja Rule is done battling 50 Cent. It’s about time he realizes that he doesn’t compare to 50 Cent, in any way, shape, or form. Now he just needs to realize that he should go the way of Mase and Jay Z, and just call it quits. Nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, good bye. Please?

It seems that even though they spread the word of God, P.O.D.’s latest album hasn’t been accepted by many Christian bookstores. Apparently they’ve got a problem with the cover art, which features a naked women with butterfly wings and her arms covering her breasts. Their own have turned against them! Now if we can get every other record store in the world to stop carrying their albums, victory will be ours! –insert evil laugh– Not that I hate P.O.D, I just don’t care for much of their music and find them pretty annoying most of the time. I do give them credit for holding their ground and not changing the cover art just so these stores will carry it. No artist should have to sacrifice their vision for any reason.

Thanks for reading. Until next week, I’m out.

Recommended download: Time to get into the holiday spirit! Rancid – Xmas Eve (she got up and left me)

Hey folks. It’s officially seven days since my last column. Guess what? It’s time for another one! Please, hold your applause until the end. Thank you. Bad news for those who were looking forward to the Anti-Flag review. What I had written for the review, which was about half way done, was lost. I don’t know if I accidentally deleted it or if my girlfriend deleted it by mistake, but it’s gone. I suppose that’s good news for those who weren’t looking forward to the review, and to those people I extend my middle finger. How you like them apples? I’ll just say that it’s a great fucking album and you should go out and buy it. I watched Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines tonight. Good movie, though I didn’t like it as well as T2: Judgment Day. It made me think though. As much as we depend on computers and machines these days, can you imagine the chaos if they suddenly turned on us? Holy shit we’d be in trouble. Of course, it’s been said that Bill Gates is the antichrist, so who knows. I purchased two new albums this week. That’s two more than last week for those of you who are keeping track. I picked up Funeral for a Friend, Seven Ways To Scream Your Name. I ended up finding it in a store rather than ordering it online as I thought I would have to. That was a plus. It’s a great album and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s into A Static Lullaby, Alexisonfire, or Story of the Year. My favorite song from the album is Red is the New Black. I also bought G-Unit, Beg For Mercy. Usually when a hip-hop artist makes it big, then brings their crew along with them, the crew’s album sucks. Not true with this album. My favorite song is the lead off track, G-Unit.

News that made me smile; Rise Against have been confirmed for the 2004 Warped Tour. I caught their set last year in Indianapolis, and they were awesome. Maybe this year more kids will check them out and they’ll have a bigger crowd. Currently, you can catch them on tour with Anti-Flag, Against Me, and None More Black.

MP3.com is officially closed down, and that officially sucks. It was a great place for independent bands to host their music for people to listen to. Apparently CNET is going to be opening services to artists next year. You can read more about it here.

You can check out The Offspring’s new album on MTV.com, The Leak. The album, Splinter, will be in stores December 9. I haven’t gotten the chance to listen to the album yet, but I’m definitely gonna make my way over there and check it out. I’m sure it’s good stuff. The Leak

Something else worth checking out is The Starting Line’s acoustic EP, Make Yourself At Home. You can stream the EP over at www.radiotakeover.com. I downloaded the title track from the EP and it’s a great song.

AFI will be performing on Hard Rock Live on MTV tonight. Check your local listings for times. Oh, and I don’t give a shit what anyone says about MTV, it’s fucking AFI! Also on television tomorrow night, Jet is performing on Conan O’Brien. Thursday night, Fountains of Wayne will perform on Conan O’Brien. Be sure to check them out!

That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading. Until next week, I’m out.

Recommended download: Vendetta Red – Stay Home

Hey everyone, it’s me again. A day away from Thanksgiving, and I’m getting a little excited. I really enjoy the holiday season, it makes me kinda sad too. Unfortunately, most of my family has drifted apart over the past few years since my Grandmother passed away. Seems the only time the family gets together is when there is a funeral to attend. Not very cheerful huh? This year will also be the first Thanksgiving and Christmas without my Father, who passed away back in March after just turning 49. Thankfully, I still have my mother and two brothers, as well as my two year old daughter to keep my spirits high. When I’m down, I turn to music a lot. To quote a Rancid song, “When I’ve got the music, I got a place to go.” This statement holds quite true, because music seems to hold the key to our emotions. When I’m sad, putting on a favorite CD can lift my spirits and change my mood. Most of the time anyway. Of course, maybe it’s just me. Speaking of music, I haven’t gotten any new albums this week, which is rather unusual. I did go this evening to buy Funeral For A Friend’s album, but fucking Best Buy didn’t even have a spot for it. No other store in town has it either, so it looks like I’ll be ordering it online. Fuckers. I watched a couple new movies the other night. Well, they were new to me. One was called Speed Demon. It was about a group of street racers who were in a cult, and they worshipped something called speed demons. The speed demons helped them go faster. It was kinda cheesy, and pretty low-budget, but it was a decent movie nonetheless. The other movie we rented was May. I remember a column being written about this movie awhile back, so I’m sure a lot of you have heard about it or seen it. This girl was fucked up, bottom line. Her only friend is a doll. She’s draw to certain people by specific body parts on them that she finds attractive. She kills these people, cuts off said body parts, and combines them to create the perfect friend. Like I said, she was pretty fucked up. It was a pretty good movie, though I predicted what she was gonna do at the end and had to turn my head. I couldn’t stomach watching what she was about to do. I won’t say what it was, so as not to ruin it for those of you who have yet to see it.

The first three confirmed bands the Vans Warped Tour have been announced on Warped Tour.com. New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, and Coheed and Cambria have all been confirmed to be taking part in the tour’s 10 year anniversary. Not a bad start with the first three bands. I’m hoping NOFX, Bad Religion, and Rancid come out this year too. I’d be satisfied with Anti-Flag, Avenged Sevenfold, Rise Against, and Thursday too. That’s not too much to ask, is it?

Anti-Flag have posted the video for Turncoat, over on MTV.com.The song is the first single from the new album, The Terror State. It’s a pretty cool video, and an even better song. It’s rather odd finding these guys on the MTV web site though. Check it out. Turncoat

Motley Crue are reuniting for a tour and possibly a new album. All I gotta say about this is, hell fucking yes.

Another Warped Tour DVD is on the way. Kung Fu Records is planning a May release for the DVD, which will feature performances from Rancid, The Ataris, Poison the Well, and many other Warped Tour bands. I own the first Warped Tour DVD and it’s pretty good. It’s got some great performances from NOFX, Alkaline Trio, and The Used. Not only that, but it’s got interviews with Warped Tour alumni New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, and the founder of the tour, Kevin Lymin.

Nitro Records is having a Holiday sale on their website. All CD’s, with the exception of compilations and EP’s, are priced at $8.00. All vinyl is priced at $6.00, cassettes are $5.00, and T-shirts are starting at $3.00. Head over and pick up some great albums by AFI, The Damned, Rufio, and The Vandals. Christmas will be here soon, and if anyone wants to pick me up some old school AFI, I wouldn’t be mad at you. Nitro Records

Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m out. Happy Thanksgiving.

Recommended download: Bad Religion – No Control

Ladies and gentlemen! Children of all ages! Please rise, and allow me to introduce….myself. Yep, it’s me again. Back at you again with the real shit. You know, that feel good shit. That real good shit, and some things that make you go hmmmm. Okay, so that was a lousy attempt at a humorous, hip, and cool introduction. Read on and get over it. As I type this, I’m watching a show on MTV, which is featuring Thursday and Thrice in concert. It’s awesome, and you jokers who don’t watch MTV don’t know what you’re missing. Or maybe you do, considering it was followed by Nickelback live. Not that there’s anything wrong with Nickelback, cuz they’re not a bad band, they’re just no Thursday or Thrice. I picked up the new self-titled, Blink 182 album. I can’t really pick out a favorite track quite yet, though I Miss You and Stockholm Syndrome are both standout tracks. It’s totally different from any other Blink album. Is that a good thing? Yes, and no. I love the new album, but I still long for the old Blink. You know, the poop and wiener jokes. The songs about fucking dogs in the ass and adult diapers, and pop-punk anthems like Damnit. Yeah, those guys. It’s good to see them evolve though, and maybe more people will take them seriously as musicians. They deserve it for sure. I finally had the opportunity to watch 28 Days Later the other day. It definitely lived up to the things I had heard about it, which were nothing but praises. It was a good scary movie, something which isn’t very common these days. It made me jump a few times, that’s for sure. I’m still working on the Anti-Flag, Terror State review. I promise I’ll finish it eventually.

I’ve got some more news on the Goonies sequel which is in development. Apparently it will feature the original cast which includes Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, and Sean Astin. There will also be some newcomers to the movie, who will be called the Groonies. Why the Groonies? The Chinese kid, Data, owns an electronics repair shop and speaks with a Chinese accent. Hence, The Groonies. Haha, I get it. Oh yeah, and it’s gonna have Chunk. Only time will tell if this movie is as good as the original, but with Chunk back in the mix, it has to be a winner. Doesn’t it? Truffle shuffle!

Blindside have a new album on the way. Titled, About A Burning Fire, the album is due out February 24. If the title track is only a hint of how good this album is gonna be, it’s sure to be a great album and bring orgasmic feelings to your ears. Their previous album, Silence, was a damn good album. I have no doubt this one will be as well. You can check out the mp3 here.

Chicago band, Numb, is organizing a charity concert for Child Abuse Prevention. Currently, they’re aiming for February 15. If you’re in a band and would like to perform, or maybe you’d just like to volunteer your own personal time, email tony@numbmusic.com. This is definitely for a great cause, and any help you can offer would be awesome. Numb

Just when it seemed this jackass couldn’t stoop any lower, Ja Rule proves us all wrong. Ja teamed up with American Idol winner, Rubben Studdard, to record a track. The song, titled What Is Sexy, will appear on Ruben’s debut album. I’m thinking Ja Rule should take notes from Jay Z. Get this guy a pension, cuz it’s time to retire.

Puddle of Mudd’s new album, Life On Display, is due out November 25. That’s next Tuesday, in case you didn’t know. You can stream the entire album now by clicking here. What I’ve listened to sounds pretty good. It’s worth a listen if you liked their first album, Come Clean.

Dropkick Murphy’s have announced that tickets for their annual Boston St. Patricks Day shows are now available. For more information, head over to Dropkick Murphys.com. Be sure to pack up your Irish Flags and take them with you. It makes for an awesome site to see all of those Irish and DKM flags flying over the crowd during the show.

That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m out.

Recommended download: Thursday – Jet Black New Year

Hey everyone, it’s me again. I’ve come to brainwash you and rule the world with you as my slaves. Eh, not really. But I am gonna talk shit about some music, maybe some movies, and maybe just for the hell of it I’ll throw in some literature too. Possibly. I just got the December issue of Alternative Press in the mail. It’s an excellent issue. Brand New is on the cover, and there’s articles on Avenged Sevenfold, Anti-Flag, and Blink 182. After reading the Blink article, I’m even more excited about their new self-titled album. Which, by the way, comes out on November 18. I picked up two new albums tonight. The new Kid Rock album and the Tupac: Resurrection soundtrack. The Kid Rock album is decent, though not his best. It’s a lot more mellow than his previous effort, Cocky, which I think was his best. One good thing is, with the exception of two or three tracks, he seems to have abandoned the rap-rock style that made him famous. It’s more of a country-rock, blues record. I haven’t listened to Tupac: Resurrection yet, but I’m sure it’ll be good. I am a bit disappointed though as I thought it was all going to be new or remixed songs. There’s only 3 new or remixed songs on the whole album. While it doesn’t make it a bad album, it’s not exactly what I had expected.

Universal Music announced Tuesday that it will purchase Dreamworks Records, for a reported $100 million. Dreamworks is home to bands like AFI, All American Rejects, Saves the Day, and most recently Brand New, and Rise Against. This leaves me to wonder what will happen to bands like Saves the Day and Rise Against, who might not pull in the album sales that a major label such as Universal might expect.

You can stream the new Blink 182 album from the MTV web site on The Leak. What I’ve listened to so far, it sounds like some of their best work yet.

There is a Goonies sequel in development. I don’t know if this could be as good as the first one. I’m sure Chunk is all grown up by now. Damnit.

There’s also a Scooby Doo sequel in the works. It’s set to hit theaters in March. Hopefully it’s as good as the original. What? Surely I’m not the only one who thought Scooby Doo was a cool movie.

Since there’s not too much interesting shit going on in music this week, I’ll finish this up early. I would like to comment on some things that have gone on in the forums, most notably the music forum. There is a lot of bickering back and forth over which band is best, what music is shit and what’s not, and on and on. I’m all for reasonable debate and I’m all for sticking up for a band that you enjoy, but there is such a thing as going overboard. There’s no reason to personally insult someone for the type of music they enjoy. That’s just ridiculous and downright prejudice. So not everyone thinks Kurt Cobain is some kind of music God, and not everyone can get into emo music or pop-punk. Big deal. Everyone has their own opinion and they’re entitled to it. They’re also entitled to be respected for their opinion. So let’s all just be cool, get along, and try to have a good time in the forums.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m out. Peace.

Recommended download: Simply a beautiful song. Leonard Cohen – If It Be Your Will

Joke of the day: How many emo kids does it take to screw in a light bulb? Punchline at end of article

Hey everyone. It’s me again, back to the same routine. Hope you enjoyed last weeks column on Halloween, as I enjoyed writing it. I know it was different from what I usually write, and didn’t include much about music. I did throw in a recommendation and some song lyrics though. Hey, it counts. For this weeks column, I had originally planned on writing a review of the new Anti-Flag album, The Terror State, but that fell through. I’ve been pretty busy this week. Between doctors appointments, work, and Halloween celebrations, I didn’t have much time to myself. I’m still planning to review the album though, so look for it in the next week or two. New music for this week; I got Punk Goes Acoustic, which was finally released after months of setbacks. It’s got a lot of great bands on it, such as Finch, Thursday, Rise Against, and From Autumn to Ashes. My favorite song on the album is Memory by Sugarcult. Even if you’re not a fan of the band (which I’m not much of) but you enjoy acoustic music, you should check out this song. I just bought Story of the Year, Page Avenue, earlier today. So far what I’ve heard, it’s a great album. Until the Day I Die is a great song. I picked up a new DVD this week. I was at Meijer Monday night at midnight to make sure I got a copy of Finding Nemo on DVD. It was the first movie my two year old ever saw in the theater, and she liked it. I watched it for the first time yesterday, and it’s a pretty cool show.

P. Diddy has been accused of using sweatshops to manufacture his Sean John clothing line. So that’s how he can afford all that bling bling and Crystal by the case! By the way, am I hallucinating or is he sporting a mohawk now? In related news, Roc-A-Wear is also made in the same factory.

A movie/documentary about Tupac Shakur, titled Tupac: Resurrectin, will be hitting theaters soon and it should be great. If you’re a fan of Pac’s work, as I am, you should definitely check it out. I only hope it’s better than every other “documentary” that’s been made since his death. Most of them just seem to capitalize on his name and use it to sell videos. They never really feature any decent information on the slain rapper. There will be a soundtrack to accompany the movie as well, which features Eminem as the producer. Should be great stuff all around.

Will someone please tell Murphy Lee that he can’t rap? Adding Nelly and Jermaine Dupree to your song won’t make you sound any better either. These damn “bling bling” rappers, as I like to call them, they’re ruining hip hop.

Avenged Sevenfold have signed to Warner Bros. records, leaving behind their former label, Hopeless. They’re an amazing band, and if this is what they feel is right for them, so be it. Good for them. If you want to read the bands comments on the situation, you can check it out on their website. Avenged Sevenfold I can hear the elitist assholes bitching and moaning as I type this though. You can’t see it, but I’m giving you all the middle finger right now.

Punchline: Who cares, let them all cry in the dark.

For the record, I have nothing against emo as a form of music or emo kids themselves. In fact, I like a lot of emo music. I saw it on a T-shirt and thought it was funny.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m out. Peace.

Recommended Download: Originally performed by the Misfits, but AFI did it better. AFI – Halloween

Bonfires burning bright.
Pumpkin faces in the night.
I remember Halloween.

Dead cats hanging from poles.
Little dead are out in droves.
I remember Halloween.

Halloween is upon us. Bonfires, trick or treating, costumes, caramel apples, popcorn balls, and most of all, haunted houses. Ever since I was a kid I have loved Halloween. My Mom, my brother, and I would go together to pick out the perfect pumpkin. Then we would go home and carve the scariest jack-o’-lantern we could think of. My brothers, my cousins, and I would get dressed up every year and go trick or treating together. We’d do our best to hit all the neighborhoods and we always remembered the best houses and tried to hit them again. One year, a house was giving out Pepsis. At the end of our journey and we were thirsty again, we went back for seconds. Every year as we finished our rounds, we would head to my Grandmothers house. She never had many trick-or-treaters where she lived, so she would always have plenty of candy left. She always made popcorn balls as well and would always have plenty of them waiting for us. I was always proud of my costumes too, thinking that I had the coolest one. Of course, I never failed to see several other kids out with the same one. I remember Superman was one of my favorites. But looking at costumes these days compared to the ones they made back then, a lot has changed. Back then they were made out of that cheap, plastic-like material that was guaranteed to be ripped by the time your evening was over. Oh, and don’t dare stand next to anything putting out some heat, cuz it won’t hold up. Those things were fire hazards! The silly little plastic masks that barely covered your face. They were held on by an elastic string, that almost always broke by the end of the night. We would re-attatch it, only for it to snap off the next time the mask was removed. Cheap trash those costumes were, but it didn’t seem to matter. It didn’t hamper the fun of trick-or-treating one bit. It was just part of it all.

Brown leafed vertigo.
Where skeletal life is known.
I remember Halloween.

This day anything goes.
Burning bodies hanging from poles.
I remember Halloween.

My costumes throughout the years have changed quite a bit. Superman, Batman, Rambo, and GI Joe were my choices as a young child. As I aged, so did my choices in costumes. One of my favorites was in fifth grade when I went as Freddie Kruger. I had the mask, the hat, and we even found a sweater that looked like the one that he wore in the movie. The glove was pretty expensive and hard to find at the time, so my Mother bought a pair of gloves and made some “blades” to go on the fingertips. I loved my costume and wore it proudly. My youngest brother wasn’t quite as thrilled though. He would scream bloody murder at the site of me in that mask. I swear I didn’t do it on purpose though. Good times! Even at the age of 16 and a junior in high school, I went trick-or-treating. My girlfriend at the time, my friend Eric, and I got together and went out for the evening. Eric and I went to Wal Mart and got some blue Dickies work pants and shirts, and we were gonna be prison inmates. We bought toy metal handcuffs and some chains, so our hands and feet would be in shackles. Then we tied white bandannas around our heads, Tupac style. It was pretty damn hard walking around all night in those shackles, but it was well worth it. Later that night the shackles came off and we went to a haunted house on the Ball Stat University campus. It was pretty cool, because usually in my town there isn’t many haunted houses, if there’s any at all. They usually have one at the children’s museum, but it’s geared more towards children. If we wanted good haunted houses, we had to travel to Indianapolis. There’s one called Necropolis that’s in an old power plant. All year round it’s actually Dark Armies Paintball, but during the Halloween season, they convert it to a haunted house. The thing is freaking huge too! The coolest part I remember is walking into this pitch black room, and the walls were covered in glow in the dark hockey masks. It looked like they were all just hanging there, and there must’ve been hundreds of them. But then, three or four of them would start moving and coming towards you. Freaky shit, it was.

Candy apples and razor blades.
Little dead are soon in graves.
I remember Halloween.

This day anything goes.
Burning bodies hanging from poles
I remember Halloween.

This year, it’s my turn as a parent to show my daughter the joys of Halloween. She’s two years old this year and it’s the first year she will really understand what is going on. We got her a costume several weeks ago. Spongebob Squarepants was her choice. We went and picked out three pumpkins to carve. One for her, one for my girlfriend, and one for myself. Then we all three pitched in to carve them. Well, I cut the tops off and my girlfriend cleaned them out. I drew the faces on and carved them. She got the messy job and I got the fun stuff. It just works out that way. They’re sitting in front of our house with candles in them, and every night I got out with my daughter and we light them together. Seeing the smile appear on her face as those pumpkins begin to glow, it just makes it all worth it. I can only imagine it’s the same feeling my Mother had watching me as a child. Come October 31, we’ll all get dressed up and go trick-or-treating together. We’ll walk for miles and miles, going door to door with bags in hand. Trick-or-Treat, we’ll say at each stop. We’ll get way too much candy and end up throwing the majority of it away in a few weeks. Most of all we’ll have fun spending time with each other. But if we happen to make a few memories along the way, well that’s okay too.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m out. Happy Halloween.

Recommended download: Because fat chicks need love too…NOFX Hotdog in the Hallway

*sarcasm on*Wow, such a huge response! Thanks guys! Those Halloween emails are just flying in here. I’ve received so many, I can’t decide which ones to use.*sarcasm off* That’s cool if no one wants to send anything. I just thought it would be fun for us all to share a little something. Apparently not everyone shares my love of Halloween. Those who do, you still have time to send something in. This week, I did something I don’t usually do. I bought a book. But not just one book, I bought two books. I don’t know why, but I just don’t care for reading much. It takes a lot to keep me interested, and most books just can’t handle that task. First one I bought was Lita: A Less Traveled R.O.A.D. For those who don’t know, this is Lita of the WWE. I figured, I own every other WWE book, with the exception of Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler. For the most part, they’ve all been interesting, so I thought I would check this one out. I’m 20 chapters into it and it’s been pretty interesting so far. According to the book, Lita was really involved in the punk scene when she was younger. She allowed bands to sleep at her apartment while they were in town for a show, and she associated with bands such as 7 Seconds and Avail. I’ve just reached the part in the book where she’s becoming a wrestler, so nothing groundbreaking about her career yet. The other book I bought, but have yet to read any of yet, is Dude, Where’s My Country? by Michael Moore. I’m sure it’ll be a good read as well. I saw a show on Ball State University campus on Friday, with four local bands. One band was Oblique, which if you read any of my past columns, you already know I’m high up on these guys. Another band that was there that really caught my attention was Losing September, from Northern Indiana. They describe themselves as an alternative rock band, but a lot of their stuff had an emo sound to it. I ordered the new Anti-Flag album, The Terror State Sunday evening. I wanted to order it to ensure that I got the original cover art rather than the blacked out version. As a plus, ordering it from Interpunk.com, you get a free Anti-Flag patch. I’ll let you know how the album is next week. Maybe I’ll bust out a review of it. Also out this week, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros Streetcore and the Punk Goes Acoustic compilation has FINALLY been released. Those should both be great albums.

Some Kind of Monster, a documentary “about the hardships, struggles, and frustrations Metallica experienced while creating St. Anger.” Let’s just hope it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than the album itself.

Blink 182, who have a new album on the way, will be playing several club dates with each show costing only one dollar. The Dollabill Tour starts in Boston, MA on November 6 and wraps up on November 21 in San Diego, CA. The Kinison and Bubba Sparxxx will join them as well. Tickets will be on sale exclusively at MTV.com. One dollar for a show, who can beat that? I’m glad to see them returning to the smaller venues as well. I always enjoy shows more at smaller venues rather than the larger ones. Their new album will rock, by the way, regardless of what the shit talkers say.

Judges have stooped to rapping their decisions in court. Now I know the American judicial system is a fucking joke.

The Used are heading back into the studio in December to work on their new album. They’re once again working with John Feldmann of Goldfinger, which is a good thing. Their debut album is one of my favorites, and I think they make a great combination. The new album is expected in early 2004, and they should be teaming up with Janes Addiction for a winter tour. I’m not a big Janes Addiction fan, but I’d definitely like to see The Used live again. They were great at Warped.

You know, I was thinking the other day and something occurred to me. Every music site I go to, every message board (including our own) I see this “anti-MTV attitude.” While I don’t like every show on MTV or every video they play, I find it odd and ironic that it’s become a trend to hate MTV because it’s considered trendy. Hating MTV seems to be the “cool” thing to do these days. Am I the only one who doesn’t get this? Probably. But if you turn on MTV or MTV2, they’re actually playing some better videos. Bands like Thursday, Thrice, AFI, Poison The Well, Shadows Fall, and Rancid have found their way onto MTV and what’s really wrong with that? I enjoy seeing those bands on MTV as opposed to Justin Timberlake, Jay Z, or even Metallica. Now granted, once the next “cool” thing comes along, these bands are likely to be replaced with other videos, but all good things must come to an end. Right?

Until next time, I’m out. Peace.

Recommended download: Avenged Sevenfold Chapter Four

Understatement of the year: President Bush says that the media doesn’t tell the truth. What, does this asshole live under a rock? But isn’t that like the pot calling the kettle black?

Hey there, it’s me again. Yep, that annoying voice in your head that just won’t go away and keeps telling you to jump as you look out of your second story window. Back at you again with another dose of news, reviews, opinions, and some other bullshit thrown in. As I sit here typing this, I’ve got two fresh tattoos, one on each arm. A few months ago I had red and black nautical stars done and tonight I went back and added to them. I added flames to the one on my left arm, and some oriental style water around the one on my right arm. They’re still pretty sore, but I’ll manage. Let’s see, latest albums. I picked up The D4’s album 6Twenty, used at the local record store. If you like stripped down, good old fashioned rock n roll, then this album is for you. RnR MF and Running on Empty are two of my favorite tracks from the album. I also picked up Anti-Flag, A New Kind Of Army, used as well. I’m a big fan of Anti-Flag, so naturally I love this album. They have a new album out on the 21st, titled The Terror State. I’ve heard some of the material off of it, and it sounds real nice.

There was a riot in Montreal on Tuesday after the announcement that the Exploited/Total Chaos show was canceled due to problems the bands had crossing the border. The news was announced while people were already lined up waiting to enter the venue, and fans apparently didn’t like it. They began breaking store windows, car window, lighting fires, and over turning cars. Apparently only two people were reported injured, one being a police officer. What does this prove? One thing, and one thing only. People are fucking idiots and don’t know how to act right! So you don’t get to see the show. Would I be pissed off? Your damn right I would be pissed off. But breaking peoples shit isn’t exactly going to make the concert happen, now is it? Think about it. People waiting to see a show decide to start fires and break into buildings, causing the riot squad to be called out to disperse the crowd. Now, maybe it’s just me, but wouldn’t this make people a bit apprehensive of booking another show there? People just don’t get it. In the end, they’re only fucking themselves because sooner or later there won’t be any live shows allowed.

Some Limp Bizkit fans, 172 to be exact, are suing because the band walked off stage 17 minutes into their set during a Summer Sanitarium show. I’d probably walk off stage too if the crowd was booing and throwing things. Apparently the fans who’ve filed the lawsuits each want a third of their ticket price, twenty-five dollars, refunded. Hardly seems worth the trouble to me. Then again, I wouldn’t pay seventy-five dollars to see the Summer Sanitarium tour.

So Jay Z is retiring after his next album. Wouldn’t it be best to save some face and just go now while you still have a shred of credibility left? Wait, didn’t he do a duet with Beyonce Knowles? Nevermind, too late. That’s okay, cuz Ja Rule has a new album dropping soon and he says he’s gonna give us what Hip-Hop’s been missing. Riiiight. The guy got booed at The Source awards. He’s done and he should just join Jay Z in retirement.

Congratulations to Oblique on their song, Presence Guiding, being named Song of the Day on Garageband.com. You can check out some of the reviews by going here. They have also advanced to the semifinals in the local battle of the bands competition, which takes place on November 14. I’ve been following these guys for well over a year now, and they definitely deserve the recognition they’ve been getting.

Last but not least, to celebrate one of my favorite holidays, I’m planning a special Halloween edition of my column in a couple of weeks. If you have any Halloween memories you’d like to share, type it up in a quick paragraph or two and email it to me at AMR82879@aol.com. Type HALLOWEEN as the subject so I don’t delete it by mistake. I’m going to compile all submissions and post them here on the site as part of my column, along with some memories of my own. Depending on the response I receive to this, I may have to operate on a first come, first serve basis. So stop procrastinating and get that shit in ASAP!

Thanks for reading. I’m out, peace.