Name:Rilord Country:United States State:California Metro:San Francisco Gender:Male
Interests:comics, music, graphic arts, yellowworld, and xanga.
Expertise:Chilling like a villan. Working my non-mojo to humiliate myself. talking about pure nonsense, and I'm really good at changing my voice into high-pitched cartoony voices.
Occupation:Student Industry:Art
Cha-Cha-Chaaa-Chaaanggeeeeesss.... (anyone remember that song?)
In any event, the last few weeks, months, etc.. haven't really brought much change to my life. The only difference is that I'm now gearing up for guitar class at Blue Bear. Also, we found a drummer for our band, so now my job is to learn guitar quickly, effectively, and efficiently... so that we can come around and start playing songs for people. As such, the practicing has gotten to a standstill, what with our drummer still trying to grasp the nuances of playing the drums. We're still holding them at my house, but sooner or later we might try practice at our singer's place. He has the space, and we don't have to worry too much about noise pollution.
In any event, I've been enamored with craigslist. Lately, due to excess cash in my bank account, I've been looking to buy old used electronics and music gear. In fact, today I'm supposed to look for a tube amp combo that's selling for $150. A 60w tube combo amp to be precise. Nowadays you can purchase a cheap 5w tube amp head for like, $129 new on musiciansfriend, but it's only got a volume switch and an on and off switch. I'm hoping this one that I'm looking at is a cheap-o' that works, and hopefully it is a self-biasing amp, so I can switch out the 6L6's for some EL84 british tone breakup. Ideally I just want the damn thing to work, so I can fiddle with it later, and swap out the tubes and maybe the speaker. I'm told that the combo is like 60lbs, so I'm having a friend take a look at it, just so I know that I'm not getting my ass ripped off. (Although in reality, I know way more than my friend does. He's just there to provide the "i know more but i'm not saying much" support.)
Also I'm in the market for a new laptop. I've seen some online running for $450, but I'm probably going to opt out for a desktop. Although a laptop is quite attractive, I'm not sure that a portable desktop solution for my purposes will best enhance my productivity. Dell Small Business always sells good deals, but I'll probably wait until after thanksgiving, (black friday) and look to buy around then.
As for now, me and my girlfriend has finally reached the 6 month mark, ( actually it's reaching the 8th month mark) and this has quite literally been the longest I've been with a girl since my first relationship. Considering that the changes that have occurred in my life since meeting her, I have to say that I appreciate the company, although there definitely is some differences that need to be addressed.
In the meantime, I'm considering about my choices in moving out. Right now my girlfriend wishes to join a friend of her's up in Davis for the fall to considering taking jc classes. However, I don't know if I like that development. Davis, in all of it's glory, is still davis, and I would only considering living in Davis, rather than sacramento, seeing as how dreary and unexciting as it were. I do wish to move to Hayward to take classes, and eventually persuing my degree, but I can't count out the aspect of perhaps moving to Davis and taking classes at Sacramento State. Although it doesn't seem likely that I will move there, I have to issue the possibility into my head, if anything, for my girlfriend's sake.
Well, that's pretty much it for now. I haven't done much, ate much, so I'm gonna go eat lunch.
hey guys, this bitch on xanga is impersonating my brother http://www.xanga.com/edwinlouie
First off, assmunch... we know who you are. So give it a break, or I find people to break you. Secondly, for someone who tries to impersonate my brother, you've got a poor hold of the english language. Kan U sPell? SkooL Naut Good EnuFF for your dumb illiterate ass? Your mom probably wishes she aborted you. And you're gay. And for someone who has no life, and tries to impersonate my boring ass younger brother, and is still somehow stuck in some gay high school bullshit, must really love the cock. Like gag your mouth till you puke kinda cock. Fucking dick.
Moving on past this buisness....
So this past month or so, the band and I have been doing our best to meet up together.
That doesn't work out so well.
So we're dividing our time between practicing, hanging out, etc. Kinda hard to do with your girlfriend in the band trying to ask when you're going to stop doing band practice and when you both are just going to hang out.
It has it's benefits I guess.
In the meantime, the guitar I brought back in January, a PRS Tremonti SE is doing pretty good. I love how it looks and everything. I haven't put it up, because I guess I never had the need to. Anyhow it looks like a les paul, has really low action for the strings, and the fretwork is awesome. I researched long and hard to find a set-neck, pretty awesome looking clone of a les paul. Requirements were that it'd be no more than $500, a reputable company, humbucker configuration (for rhythm), and that it can't be a fender/strat or gibson/epiphone. It couldn't be a bolt-on, no tremelo, and hardtail bridge and most importantly, it had to feel nice in my hands
Schecter (of ESP) was a pretty awesome company to look at, as is Ibanez, but that's more for metal people. Johnson has that same trait. Dean guitar don't look right to me, nor does Peavy. Washburn is kinda in the same boat as Yamaha to me, as they don't seem to be unique guitars. (Ha, I know that's an oxymoron, every guitar is either a Fender or Gibson clone.... kill me now). Rickenbacker is too expensive, as is Gretsch. Plus I don't really play folksy rock stuff. Music Man looks nice, but I can't afford it, so I looked at PRS. I figured I'd avoid it too, till I came across the tremonti se, and I knew I had to have it. I eventually got it sometime in January. I've gotta say I'm pretty happy with the purchase. It'll be mostly used for rhythm guitar, which what I'm going to do if we decide to get a new drummer instead of a guitarist, since I'm comfortable learning that. Lead guitar is a whole different can of worms.
I might eventually decide to purchase a Ibanez guitar though. I'm looking into a twin humbucker position, locking nuts and floating tremelo, and one volume, one tone control on the guitar. Something with a very low heel, and a somewhat flat neck for shredding. Not that I'm gonna get there anytime soon, but I know where I'm aiming next. Give me 5 years time, and I might get there. Maybe.
I also brought a crate powerblock, and a rocktron speaker so that my guitarist could play. I just recently brought a crate GT112SL cabinet as well, just because I'm kinda uncomfortable with the rocktron. I'll probably keep it, although the idea of selling it is pretty attractive to me. It means I can go ahead and buy a Berhringer Digital Delay Pedal and Vintage Distortion pedal from them, and use the remaining money for a Dunlop Wah peda and a MXR Double Shot Distortion pedal, and I should be set. The sound I want to achieve is something hard, like a jaunting rock rhythm cord, so when I play, it feels like it's a sort of thumping and pounding against the wall. At the same time, I love how Akai Sky's lead guitarist's solos sound when he hits the fuzz, and it has this sort of creamy sustain to it, and that might also be something I might want to attain further on. So far, if I can come within reach of 311's "Amber" as well as Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over", I'll be happy. But if I can somehow come within the hard range of rock like Foo Fighters, System of a Down, and maybe Dream Theatre, that'd be fucking awesome.
Unfortantely, our guitarist didn't pan out as I thought it would, and eventually it became a sort of torture to ask him to come play with us. In the end, he left the band.... exactly one week before our gig. I would be mad, but our performance turned out ok without, and we only needed him for one song specifically. So instead of 4 songs, we ended up doing only 3. It's ok, because one original, one rockable song, and one 7 nation Army to round out everything. Akai Sky kicked ass with their rehearsal, and I'm hoping to hear that they did the same with Las Vegas. We'll see of course.
Right now I'm looking into possibly getting a used tube combo amp, maybe from marshall or maybe an ashdown, so that I can play that instead. Just no fender amps, I just don't like them. I love the reliability of solid state, but I've fallen into that timeless guitarist discussion of tone vs circuitry, etc, etc. Luckily I didn't follow that with my girlfriend's bass amp, so right now she's using an Ashdown perfect 15 practice bass amp. Nice, thumpy, but damn is that shit heavy. Eventually we both said that she'll need a lighter or more practical amp. Although it's loud (100 watts), she's going to want to perform with 300 watts live. But I'm probably going to see if it's possible to buy a cheap used tube amp head, and run it through my existing rocktron speaker. That way, if we do decide on getting a lead guitarist, and a drummer, and I stick with rhythm guitar, we'd basically be a fully fleshed out band. Too bad I can't say the same for our talents, and ability to play guitar. Or drums. But I'll focus for now, some basic rhythm guitar, some drumming, and we'll add to it as time goes on.
So far, we recently somewhat finished working on an original song, and we've got something but it needs to be fleshed out . I just finished reading Guitar Man by Will Hodgkinson, and his journey into music isn't unlike my own. I find myself relating to him so much at the end of the book, it's fascinating how dynamic and fully aware the author is of his own ability, and how he relates to guitar greats. I like that he has the ability to contact and actually recieve guitar lessons from his guitar heroes (not the game you assholes), and get some practical and not-so practical advice from them. It's nice to see that you're never too old to learn guitar. There's a guy named Model T Ford who started to learn when he was like... 65 or something. http://www.myspace.com/tmodelford
I really like the track - Im insane
So I think I'm going to stick with guitar and drums, and try my best to play as often as I can. If I can tear myself away from looking online for great deals on whatever new guitar equipment that I think I need (but probably don't), I'll practice, practice, practice. Right now I have a new guitar rhythm that sounds decent enough, but I gotta work on it more, before it can be applied to anything. No lyrics or words have been used to the song yet. Next sunday though, I'm gonna see what the rest of the guys think, and try it out then.
occasionally I will write poems or what-not to satisfy whatever stupid creative needs I have.
everyone sees you from afar thinking that you a world apart but when you come home, alone in bed you can't help thinking that the world is dead
everyone sees you from afar
thinking that you a world apart
but when you come home, alone in bed
you can't help thinking that the world is dead
at times you dream of things to do of what happens when the world leaves you alone in darkness you see no light seeing no star fall outright
I know that loneliness always prevails nothing keeps to you like it entails but keep a happy face, keep an open mind nothing should bother you, you'll be fine
everyone sees you from afar
thinking that you a world apart but don't think the world is dead talk to someone, it's all in your head
[I used a large portion of this into a song that perhaps might be made into a full song with my band. we'll see. I still need to chart out the chords, and set up a drum beat. We'll see.]
Well, it's about 5am in the morning, and I'm up not because I stayed up all night, but because I actually woke up early ass in the morning. In the meantime, I've been out of work for the last maybe... 3 weeks? It feels good to not have to wake up early in the morning (not this early) to get out of bed to go to work. I've been doing it for the last (almost) 2 years, and now I'm going back to school. Things kinda got carried away, and what originally started out as a summer job, turned into a monster that I couldn't control. Now things are settled again, and I'm just going to finish up whatever the hell I started. In the meantime, I'm going to look for a part-time job, so I won't ever be caught up in that type of confusion ever again. (Or at least get something with flexible hours)
In the meantime, one of the few classes I'll be taking is Percussion. I need to actually use my damn drum set, or it's going to just sit there at my house, for long intervals, in which some days I'll actually play, and other days I don't. It's annoying the hell out of me, and I just need motivation I guess. I recently got some motivation, but it's still not enough. So if I have a grade that's going to bust my balls, I might as well take it in fully.
The last two months have been relatively good to me. All that happened was that I got closer to the people in my band, including my bassist. She's been a helluva lot of fun to be around with, and I enjoy her company. Sometimes I wonder if I should treat her better, because there's still a part of me that's afraid of getting hurt, etc, etc. So I tend not to try as hard as I should to keep her happy. However she keeps telling me that it's ok, and that I've vastly treated her better than her previous relationships and that I shouldn't stress about the whole situation. I guess it's just a difference of opinions, but that's just me.
So far I haven't made any new years resolutions or what-not, and that's probably because last year I made some, and ended up not fulfilling any of them. Well, except for one, but that was unexpected, because that last one I made was something I didn't expect to be fulfilled.
Anyhow, I hope that you all have a good new years and what-not, and I'll probably start writing in here more often from now on. Later gator.
No seriously, this is a guitarist I really really admire.
Carlos Santana
Being that he was a local music guy who grew up in San Francisco (yes, I know he was born in Mexico too you jerks), and the latin sound that was associated with his name, I grew up loving his stuff. Now I need to remind folks that during my childhood, much, if not many of the songs I listened to was songs that was playing on TV, was not on cable. Therefore, I lead most my life listening to my parents listen to old chinese songs in the opera manner. Or occasionally old do-wop songs. Now sometime in the fourth grade, my hippity hip 4th grade teacher, Ms. Romano, would put on a record and play music for us while we drew during our creative arts hour. She is quite possibly the person I can say who is influencial in my attention towards the arts. She grew up in the 60's, listening to Bob Marley, Rolling Stones, and of course the Santana Blues Band (later on known as Santana). So every so often, she would thumb through her record collection, and in one such occasion, she pulled out a Santana record.
As a kid, I would groove to songs by Santana, and one of them, Oye Coma Va was by far my favorite. The love affair would continue in Middle School, when I played Trumpet in band class. Around this time, I had grown to love latin music, and knew how to play La Bamba by heart. (hahaha guys, yes I know that isn't "real" latin music, but I was only a kid back then). Anyhow, I loved the way Carlos Santana played the guitar, and something in his manipulation of the sounds that came out of his guitar made me want to play guitar more and more.
Time goes on, and as it came and went, so did my memories of Santana. Then sometime in High School, Supernatural came out. "Smooth" became an instant hit, as well as "Maria, Maria". Without having anyone tell me who it was by (although I couldn't tell who the singers were), I instantly knew it was Santana playing guitar. I loved the music, but it didn't really quite hit me. The songs didn't impact me that much, and I guess I had some sort of expectation of what would be a "great" song to me.
Then Michelle Branch came out. To say that I liked her music is an understatement. I went to two of her concerts, and I enjoyed every bit of it. (Sidenote: after Hotel Paper, once she started to form up The Wreckers, I stopped listening to her stuff. Country doesn't do it for me.) So when she collaborated with Santana, and sung the vocals for "The Game of Love", it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was in awe of the song, the lyrics, everything.
I dunno why, but I really really love the way Santana plays the guitar. To say that it seems like it's an extension of his soul is an understatement. In "Game of Love" it felt good. I know it's a feel good song and all, but somehow I get the feeling that he was at a very high high point of his life, and him playing guitar reflected that. The video is great too btw.
Anyway, been researching him lately, and found out that he plays guitars by Paul Reed Smith. As I looked into perhaps getting his guitar... erm, yea.... no dice. I can't afford 8 thousand for his guitar. However, he does have a cheaper signature model that's made in Korea, instead of the states. It's about 500, and if I actually do pick up the guitar again, and actually really really learn how to play, I'm gonna get that guitar as my own. If I had to emulate one person who plays guitar, it would definitely be Santana. Van Halen, Chuck Berry, whatever... I really really like how Santana plays. A PRS Santana SE guitar would cost about 500, but I bet it'd be the sweetest 500 I'd ever spend. Granted I need a good tube amp to go along with it, and a distortion, fuzz, and wah pedal. And a whole afro-carribian-latin fusion band behind me. So the last part won't happen, but who knows about the other parts. We'll see how that goes.
Anyhow, here's a youtube clip of Game of Love live in Oslo Norway. This is perhaps Michelle's best live performance of this song that I could find on the internet.
