Breaking the Hiatus

I didn't mean for my writing hiatus to last this long, but you know how things can go. I was on my honeymoon for the remainder of May, and the last weekend of that month was spent packing up and moving into the new apartment I'm writing from at this very moment. My excuses ran out as of the beginning of June, though, and my lack of any form of writing since then has come down to a few reasons. Firstly I suppose is writer's block. I've sure been listening to a lot of good music, including my haul from record stores in the Northwest during my honeymoon, but the words necessary to review them have been hard to come by. I can sit in front of my computer and try to force the words to come out, but up to this point that has been time wasted. Writer's block, indeed.

Or maybe not. I've actually spent quite a lot of time outdoors recently. My new apartment is located right in front of a scenic, six-mile series of parks with a running trail, basketball courts, and a disc golf course. Naturally, I've spent the past couple of weeks running, practicing my jump shot, and trying to lose as few Frisbee's as possible to the man made lake that stretches the length of the park. I've been out of commission on the exercise front for a while, so it's nice getting outside and getting back into shape. My fitness is beginning to crawl back to pre-wedding levels, and now that I've recently found a tennis buddy, that crawl will likely turn into a sprint pretty soon. I'm enjoying the summer and enjoying getting outside and breaking a sweat for the first time in a while.

Looking at it this way, who could really blame me for not cooping myself inside in front of a computer when there's so many things to do in close proximity outdoors? Does this mean that I'm done writing in this blog? Nah, I'm just trying to find a balance between new and long-standing hobbies, so naturally there's some sacrifice involved. I'll still post regularly, just maybe not on such a rigid schedule. I've always liked writing about and sharing music, so I don't see that going away completely. More posts coming soon. I promise.

Roll Out

Today my wife and I leave for our Honeymoon to the fabulous Northwest! We're going to Portland and Seattle to (hopefully) enjoy a relaxing week and a half vacation amongst trees and normal weather conditions. Phoenix has been in the triple digits for much of the last two weeks, so this break couldn't have come at a better time. We've got some things planned, but for the most part we'll be winging it and playing things by ear. If you know me, you of course know that part of these plans is to hit up as many good record stores as I can find, and thanks to the wonder that is AquariusRecords.org, I'll be going into those record stores with a shopping list.

So updates from this point will be sporadic. I'll see what I can post from the road in our downtime. Otherwise, entries will resume at the end of May. Peace out.

1-On-1's & Heartbreaks

Breakdancing has been a long time pipe dream of mine. It's such a creative and expressive art form, born from children living in poverty in New York just playing around in their free time, and eventually evolving into this worldwide phenomenon that has withstood the test of time (even surviving a fad period in the 1980's). It's amazing when you really think about it. Anyone who has known me in the past five or so years has probably been subjected to my b-boy fantasies at least to some extent. I'd always had plans to actually pursue it, and I still do, even though at 25-years old, my window of opportunity is dwindling. Until then, however, I'll continue living vicariously through the skilled b-boys and b-girls out there in the Phoenix area.

A number of them put those skills on display this weekend at a local event in downtown Phoenix called 1-on-1's and Heartbreaks, where 19 competitors from around the American Southwest (and Tokyo!) battled in a tournament-style dance off for a top prize of $100. Chump change, really, but the event wasn't all that huge and seemed to be more of a warm-up to most of the participants, who are no doubt getting in shape for big money events in Las Vegas and other cities. Still, excellent dancing all-around. A few young kids even competed for the first time and did really well. Damn whippersnappers; barely one-third my age and they can still teach me a thing or two in the cipher. Here are some pictures:

(Can't be good for the kid's skull development)

I used the event as an opportunity use my wife and I's brand new Canon Vixia HV30 video camera, which shoots really nice looking stuff. I've always had this idea in mind to put a video project together with breakdancing footage and compositing a bunch of 3D effects and graphics on top of it that moves with the motions of the dancers, so this gave me the opportunity to finally build some stock footage. It'll be my first motion graphics project in ages, but I plan to document my progress here on this blog. I'll also post non-effects laden footage of the dance-off. Stay tuned for that in the near.

Headphones and Asses

Feelin' a little lazy about writing a review today. My mind is sort of on a lot of things that I'll get to elaborating on at some point, but basically I'm preparing for a big move and it's requiring a lot of my time and energy. I'm still finding time to listen to music and I have plenty of albums to review, but my schedule has been making it difficult to find the motivation to put my feelings on those records in words. I've recently received some compliments on a couple of my reviews, though, which was really appreciated because I didn't feel like I was making progress as fast as I wanted, and it was nice to see that something I wrote had an somewhat of an impact on someone. So maybe that'll motivate me (or intimidate me, we'll see).

I also just picked up some new headphones, which was much needed. A lot of times I end up listening to music on my iPod at work, and have begrudgingly settled on using the standard earbuds because it's portable and easier to move around in, even though I hate them sound-wise. I'm not much of an audio snob, but I can spot a shitty pair of headphones/earbuds pretty easily; it just comes down to whether I care or not. But I figured if I'm going to be writing reviews on music, I owe it to myself to get the best experience possible. So I picked up the Panasonic RP-HTX7's because I've heard a lot of good things about them, especially considering what quality you get for the price. I'm sure true audio snobs will scoff at those as well, but for me, it's probably the best pair of headphones I've ever owned. I'm anxious to see what minor details I've been missing in the music I've been listening to lately.

Perhaps you've noticed the bombardment of Mastodon-related posts recently. Well, prepare for more. I went to a Mastodon concert last night and I'll have pics from them up on Monday [note: I'm writing this before the fact, so let's hope I'll actually have pictures]. I'm not trying to be redundant, but things have just happened to work out in a way that makes those posts relevant. Plus, the new album is fucking amazing. I can't remember the last time an album has warranted so many repeated listens from me, and I have a hard time not giving it a spin at least every few days or so. I spend a lot of time listening to music with the purpose of reviewing it -- thinking of how I'm going to put certain thoughts in words -- so I forgot how nice it was to just listen to the music I want to listen to without having a goal in mind; letting myself be absorbed in an album until it wears itself out. It's nice. Not that I don't enjoy writing or keeping this blog, but you know, it's good to have breaks here and there.

Speaking of listening to music for the purpose of reviewing, I humored myself by picking up Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III from the library a few weeks ago. I always figured I'd hate it, but when I saw it, I couldn't resist the temptation. Here it was: the best selling album of 2008. Winner of numerous awards and honored in countless Best of 2008 lists from major and indie publications alike. "Why not give it a shot?" I thought. I might even like it. Long story short: I hated it. I didn't even feel like putting forth the energy to properly review it (not like it really needs my opinion anyway). Lil Wayne was interesting back in his days as a teenage sensation for Cash Money, but that appeal seems to have evaporated. He strikes me as a performer who's really trying hard to be different and original rather than one that just is. He's a long way from Andre 3000, that's for sure.

On a final note, I'm digging this picture I found of Joanna Newsom from a recent photoshoot/interview in Paper Magazine. It's nice. And she's got an ass. Who knew?

Niece Time!

I spent a fun-filled weekend with this kid, so forgive me for forgoing a proper update today. Back on my game Wednesday, though.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Amoeba.

I went to Los Angeles over the weekend to attend the wedding of a friend of mine. Of course, being my first time in L.A., I had to take advantage of the opportunity to hit up a good record store that would again make me dread Phoenix's slim pickings in that department (I discussed that a little bit here). Since time didn't permit a citywide record store tour, I set my sights on the all-purpose Amoeba Hollywood. I'd been to an Amoeba before in San Fransisco, but didn't really have the time I wanted to really absorb it, so I was pretty excited to get to search through one of their stores again.

Now that I've done so, I've decided that I have a love/hate relationship with Amoeba. I love it because of it's selection. Whereas most independent record stores are located in small, old buildings with creaky floors and layers upon layers of posters on the wall, Amoeba stores are located in warehouses with square footage that could fit several of those old record stores inside it with room to spare. The rock section alone dwarfs the size of most indie record shops' entire catalog. Even the most rare of genre's are given a fair amount of attention. Most of my time was spent in the international section, where I was able to find a few albums in store that other record stores would never bother to carry (Bollywood, holla!). Yet this is the same reason why I hate Amoeba. It's like the Sam's Club of independent record stores. There's no ambiance, and the customer service has more of a post-office feel to it. Of course, the droves of hipster douchebags there don't really help things either.



(Inside Amoeba Hollywood, minus hipster douchebags)

I prefer the Aquarius Records or Shake It Records kind of record store. Yeah, my foot could probably crash through their floors on any given step, but I'd take that chance any day if it means going to a cozy store with inadequate heating and cooling systems and a robust selection of rarities that the cashier/owner can tell you just about everything about. Still, if they opened an Amoeba in Phoenix, I wouldn't complain.

Links:
Amoeba

Post-Wedding Laziness Zwei

Sorry. Still can't find the energy for a proper post. I'm so relieved to be done with wedding planning and I'm enjoying a few days of having absolutely nothing urgent to worry about (except thank you notes; GAH!). Family from both sides have returned to their respective home cities, and while me and the wife enjoyed their company, we're now enjoying the silence. Today, writing will again have to take a backseat to sitting on my ass and doing nothing. I'm sure you understand. Here, though, is the first wedding picture to trickle in. I'll save the rest for Facebook.

(I looked more like a preacher than I meant to look.)




"Ambulance"
(our "wedding song", by TV on the Radio)