Songs To Learn

A few days after my band tryout I was e-mailed some songs to learn by the guys in the band.

“Police Truck” by: dead kennedys
“California Uber Alles” by: dead kennedys
“Bob” by: nofx
“Let Them Eat War” by: bad religion
“Jenny (867-5309)” by: tommy tutone
“Gods Love” by: bad religion
“Bleed American” by: Jimmy eat world
“Please Play This Song (on the radio)” by: nofx

I guess this means I have been accepted into the band. I quickly downloaded the songs they asked me to learn onto my iPod. I listen to them as much as I can. I also hook the iPod into my electric drumset when I am home and practice the songs.

A Band Tryout

Today I posted on my Twitter that I had a band tryout. I was pretty exited about this. I moved to Juneau around four years ago and brought my drum set with me thinking I would be able to join a band. That plan turned out to be a lot harder then I thought it would be. I went around Juneau posting fliers and putting ads up on craigslist. Any responses I got were few and slim. Everyone who is in a band in Juneau seems to be only able to play folk music. And though folk music has it’s place in the musical spectrum, it’s not what I wanted to play.

Last week on a whim I checked out craigslist again and found a posting from a band who was looking for a drummer and that they played punk/rock music. I gave the phone number on the listing a call and left a voice mail. A few days later I got a call back from Jeff and set up a tryout for Tuesday (today).

I have been a little nurvouse since the phone call. I really have not drummed much at all since I moved up here. I am rusty and out of shape as far as drumming goes. I was really worried that I would just make a fool out of myself.

When I showed up at the band’s practice pad I was greeted with hellos and hand shakes. The two guys (Jeff and Jessie) where really nice and funny. The drum set they had for me to play was the same Ludwig set I play on just a couple of years older. The cymbals where ok and so was the kick peddle. I swapped out the High-hat cymbals with my own personal ones. I had brought with me my cymbals, kick peddle, and drumsticks because some of the few tryouts I went to when I first moved here I ended up playing on some pretty shitty sets. I figured it would help to have a good kick peddle and cymbals with me this time.

After we got done chit chatting and tuning up our instruments we played a few cover songs which I was happy about. We played Green Day’s “She” and The Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop”. I played the songs pretty well. I was able to hold the beat. I was a little winded after we were done but all in all I was Pretty happy. It was so good to be behind a kit again and playing music. Jeff and Jessie where really good guitar a bass players. They where really tight when it came to playing these songs.

After we were done I was told that the band had not yet picked out a name but that they really wanted to play mostly cover songs. I think this really makes sense for a tourest down like Juneau.  I was also told they had another guy they where going to tryout but chances where sounding good to me that I could expect an e-mail with songs they would like to cover.

Playing Rock Band

Last Friday a bunch of us all gathered at our friend’s house to hang out, visit, and to play Rock Band which Chris had brought over. Rock Band is a video game that lets you simulate being in a band. Now, there are currently two types of games like this. Rock Band and Guitar Hero. I am personally more of a fan of the game Guitar Hero then Rock Band. I just think it plays a little bit better then Rock Band. But they both have the same idea behind them. You have plastic instruments (bass, guitar, drums, microphone) that you use to play the game with.

Hannah snapped some quick video of 4 of us playing to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”. I am playing guitar, Rose is on vocals, Carley is on bass guitar and Zaine is playing the drums.

Now you may notice that I am bouncing around like a fool while we play. I do this for two reasons.

1. I really love music. I really get into it and enjoy it.
2. To entertain people. There are about 5 or 6 people off camera view you can’t see who are just watching the four us play. I know personally i would rather be playing a video game then watching someone else play it. So I feel that the least I can do is try and make it as entertaining as possible for all those who are waiting for their turn to play the game.

This kind of mentality goes back to when I lived in Anacortes and used to play in a band. I was a poor high school student. I know the kids coming to see my band play where also poor high school student’s, and they are getting charged around ten bucks a show to see us play. So I always felt they should get their moneys worth by exaggerating my playing, showing off, just giving them something to look at. Making sure the kid in the back of the venue felt just as entertained as the kids near the front of the stage. I always try to take my band practices very seriously. Always wanting to get better at the drums and the music we were playing. I always felt that shows we played was when we are not longer musicians but entertainers. People are coming to a rock show to be entertained, not to just see you stand in the middle of the stage playing a guitar and signing with your eyes closed.

But I digress.

Guitar Hero (like Rock Band) Is a great game for parties and just fun. It’s one of the very few games I own that i still come back to and play all the time.

Get Psyched!

Those of you who are fans of the show “How I Met Your Mother” know about Barney’s “Get Psyched Mix”. The Get Psyched Mix is an audio CD that the character Barney on the show made with the idea that a good music mix dose not have to have highs and lows. But can be all rise! As he stated on the show, his Get Psyched Mix is nothing less then an audio journey to the white hot center of adrenalin.

This has inspired me to create my own Get Psyched Mix that is nothing less then all rise it’s self.

1. Bon Jovi – You Give Love A Bad Name
2. Blink 182 – Dammit
3. Disturbed – Prayer
4. Evans Blue – Possession
5. Gold Finger – Mable
6. Local H – Creature Comforted
7. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
8. Pearl Jam – Evenflow
9. A Perfect Circle – Judith
10. Billy Idol – Rebel Yell
11. Rage Against The Machine – Guerrilla Radio
12. Ok go – Get Over It
13. Stone Temple Pilots – Days Of The Week

This Was Me In Highschool

I started Netflixing the show “Freeks and Geeks“. There is a scene in the first episode that when I saw it I just went “whoa”. It’s the scene when the character Nick Andopolis, shows his drum set off to Lindsay Weir for the first time. It reminds me so much of myself in high school. I just had to share it. It’s totally awesome!

Stack The Memory

This is so awesome! I stumbled on it in my RSS reader.

From what I can tell this was a video made for Seagate. You can check out stackthememory.com and download the MP3.

President Forever

Because election day is upon us and it has been imposable to avoid the topic, I have decided to post the following song “President Forever” from Local H. I find it somewhat fitting.

I’m president forever
I’m head of state and here to stay
The officer elect all of your life
I’m the leader till the end of your days

I’m president forever
Accountable to no one no more
Daddy look at me, I’m a big boy now
A brat to the manor born

Who wants to go back to war with Iraq
Who wants to shoot a sling shot full of rocks of crack
Who wants to go and give the french Their fuckin’ statue back
I want to take it all

I’m president forever
America, you found your man
If we can all agree on this one thing
You know you’ll never have to vote again

I’m president forever
I finally get to do it my way
I wanna take a ride in Airforce One now

Laugh in the face of the national debt
I wanna build the free world and make them pay back rent
I wanna take the statue back from the fuckin’ french
Dad, i’ll make you proud
I’m president forever

Piss up and down the walls of the Oval Office
Pal around with the boys in the Secret Service
Calling my connection for a party at Camp David
the first lady’s not invited
the first lady’s not invited

I’m president forever
I’m president forever

Who wants to go back to war with Iraq
Who wants to shoot a slingshot full of rocks of crack
Who wants to go and give the french their fuckin’ statue back
I wanna take it all

Laugh in the face of the national debt (take it all, take it all)
I wanna build the free world and make them pay back rent (take it all, take it all)
I wanna take the statue back from the fuckin’ french (take it all, take it all)
Dad, i’ll make you proud (take it all, take it all)
I’m president forever ”

Converting TheHCorner.com to Wordpress

In my spare time I run a fan site called The H Corner for the Chicago Illinois based band “Local H“. Not to long ago I got the itch to upgrade the site from it’s static HTML pages to use Wordpress as it’s back end.

Until recently I used to maintain all of The H Corner’s updates and maintenance with the text editor, Textmate. I personally enjoy building websites with a text editor. I fell like I have a higher level of control when building the a website like that. However maintaining a website (especially one like The H Corner that should be updated frequently with new content) with a text editor I learned is not the best idea ever unless it is your only job in life.

Installing wordpress was easy using the wordpress.org install guide. It gave me step by step instructions to setup a SQL database and get everything running. Less then a year ago I switched my personal website to wordpress and have not looked back. I have been very happy with it’s performance.

Once I got wordpress setup and running I started with the task of importing all the content of the old site to the new one.

The whole process took less then a week. The hardest part might have been creating a theme that resembled more of the old h corner website. Themes are how you can quickly and easily change the look and feel of your website. You can find tons of themes on line with a simple Google search.

Check out the new H Corner at thehcorner.com and let me know what you think.

Vacation – Part 2 of 2

On Wednesday, June 11th, Hannah and I went to see (the best band in the universe) Local H play in Seattle at the Chop Suey Club. We met up with our friends Abe, Kenny, Eric, Lyle, Dustin, Jason, and Doug.

We all shared a couple of pizzas before the show across the street from the venue. I realized I forgot my cammera and was kicking myself about it. Luckly for me, Lyle and Jason had their iPhones handy and they both did a great job snapping photos.

Going On Vacation

I am starting my vacation tomorrow. Hannah and I are going to be spending two weeks visiting family and friends in Washington State. I also hope to get a bunch of people together for a Local H concert that is happening in Seattle while we are visiting. I will do my best to post about the trip when I can.