Live Review: Engine Down/These Arms Are Snakes 09.13.04

by on September 15, 2004 @ 1:11 pm

The show the other night at the Jackpot Saloon kinda bored me. Engine Down‘s not bad as background music, but they’re really not something I’d pay to go see live again. Kinda like the Capsules– while I love what they’ve done, recording-wise, I’m none too fond of seeing them live.

These Arms Are Snakes were entertaining as all hell, however, although their set was abismally short. Then again, that may because Veda seemed to go on for fucking ever. I assume they’re local, or semi-local, since the Black Lodge folks (Ed Rose, Ron Hayes) were out to see them. They were also hanging with the band before and after their set. Whether they were local or not, Veda bored me to tears. They were, for lack of a better comparison, like an indie-rock Evanescence. All their songs sounded exactly the fucking same. The first one sounded good, kinda crunchy, and the lead singer vocals were nice and powerful. Then she introduced the next song. Which was not noticably different from the first. And so on, for about 45 minutes. My brother Steve and I nearly fell asleep.

But, as I had said, These Arms Are Snakes were damn fine. They had that same sort of angular, sasscore type sound that the Blood Brothers have. Their singer was all over the damn stage, and it’s not that big at the Jackpot. The man was jumping and moving like the place was full, as opposed the thirty or so people that were near the stage. Great band, too- there was some serious muscle and talent there.

Engine Down, well… I have to be honest. I only saw the first half hour of their set. I was tired, sore, and just generally wanted to go bed. So, I left. However, the thirty minutes I saw were LOUD. Damn. I think my ears are still ringing. Let’s just say Engine Down is fond of taking a page from Lemmy and the Motorhead boys when it comes to stage volume.

It wasn’t all wall-of-noise, though. I mean, the band is good. They are happily not a studio band, which was something I was afraid of. I’ve seen too many fucking bands that have their sound just turn out to be nothing without auto-tuning on their vocals, and twenty takes and a click track for the drums. Speaking of their drummer- DAMN. That is one talented man. He had a pretty simple kit, but he was busting out the most amazing fucking rhythms and sounds out of that thing. The guitars and vocals were fucking awesome… a studio quality performance done live, in essence. I mean, really, if I hadn’t been up since 5am, I’d have been just as enthused as everyone else in the club. As it was, I enjoyed the band an awful lot, I just could physically stay any longer.

Your writer was a bad music fan. Don’t be the same sort of person when the band comes through your town. Go see them, support them after their really amazingly bad luck, and have a good time.

Slice Of The Day: Sienna Guillory

by on @ 1:08 am

Just got done seeing Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and I gotta say that Sienna Guillory was quite the pants-tightening little portrait of Jill Valentine. Between her and Milla Jovovich’s boobies, I was able to successfully ignore most of the crap in that movie. Hooray!

Sienna Guillory. Just about the only thing that could possibly distract me from Milla Jovovich and her supple ass of ...ass suppleness. Its late, you come up with something, fuckface.

I’ll have a review of RE: Apocalypse tomorrow. For now, I go to sleep to dream of an RE-themed threesome featuring Milla, Sienna, and myself. Although knowing my fucked up dreams, it’ll probably feature Nemesis in the background with a video camera muttering “STARRRRRRRSSSS” over and over again.

… HOT!

Fucking Japanese Innovation

by on September 14, 2004 @ 4:27 pm

You all should know by now (if you read what I have to say, rather than skimming for titty pictures, that is) that I find the idea of the Nintendo DS touch screen to be absolutely retarded. Especially since I am a whore, and will buy the fucking thing the day it comes out. I’ve had a few people question my stance on this, and I have to admit that I still have a nostalgic Nintendo hard-on, so it is hard to hate anything that the bastards put out. But with the touch screen nonsense, they make it so goddamned easy. For example, here’s a snippet regarding the latest announced title for the DS, straight from Magic Box:

Here are some new images of Spike’s first Nintendo DS title Tendo Dokuta, an adventure game in which you play as a doctor named Tendo Dokuta, uses the touch screen to perform surgeries and examine the patients.

Yeah, great. That game sounds fun. Just like the idea of having my balls slowly crushed with a pair of vice grips.

I swear, if they fuck up the DS port of Goldeneye by making you have to use the pen to shoot or some ridiculous crap like that, I’m going to find someone, pry their mouth open, vomit into it, and shove them down a flight of stairs. I don’t care who, or if they had anything to do with it, they’re just going to be pretty fucking unlucky that day. So just a fair warning, it might be a good idea to avoid me until it comes out.

Randomly randomizing randomness

by on @ 12:53 pm

Lately, I have become obsessed with the largeheartedboy mp3 blog. The guy who runs it updates every day with musicand other interesting news, as well as daily downloads. He’s offered links for everything from Bright Eyes’ Coachella set to the mp3 page of Crypt Records (which, by the way, has a downloadable version of the Revelators’ amazing “Earthshaker, Yeah!”).

Do go and check it out. There’s a lot of good BitTorrent linkage going on, but it’s resulted in me also becoming acquainted with the Internet Live Music Archive. The site features full, lossless downloads of live concerts by bands that support live taping. Only problem is, this means LOTS of Grateful Dead. However, you can still find gems by bands like Mogwai, the Mountain Goats, and 2 Skinnee Js. All the site requires is WinAmp and a SHN player plug-in, and you’re good to go with plenty of free music.

T-Mobile Can’t Save You Now

by on @ 12:16 pm

Alright, either her people are trying to drum up publicity, or Catherine Zeta-Jones is having a really fucking crazy week.

A London tabloid reported Sunday that gunmen tried to force the star’s limo off the road and abduct her in Mexico, where she is currently shooting a film. Meanwhile, Mexican authorities deny any knowledge of an abduction attempt against Zeta-Jones.

The rumored kidnap attempt comes on the heels of a detective’s testimony that phone bills show that the person accused of stalking Zeta-Jones, Dawnette Knight, made threatening calls in mid-May to a hotel where the actress was staying. A judge will hold a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for Knight, who was arrested on June 3, to stand trial.

You see? Try to do some good in this world by spreading news of affordable cellular rate plans and more night/weekend minutes, and this is what you get. I feel disgusted with mankind right now. Downright disgusted. This woman is not someone to be objectified in order to accomplish your own selfish goals. She…

Like a shotgun, BANG. What up with that THANG!

… wait. What? What was I saying?

Slice Of The Day: Neve Campbell

by on @ 1:40 am

Hooray for comeuppance! Ever since Wild Things (where she made out with the delicious Denise Richards) we’ve all been waiting for Neve Campbell to get naked. Finally, after… way too long, she has done so, in the new film When Will I Be Loved. Hopefully there are some of us (besides me) that still care to see this sweet peach show the goods. If not, I guess this brand new gallery of Neve will be a complete waste of my time.

Neve Campbell naked. Took fucking long enough, didnt it?

You know, usually lesbian scenes in movies come after the actress has done a few nude scenes, but this little Canuck minx does things a little bit differently. Good for her. Doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to ogle her goodies and whatnot, but you know, she does it for her art. That and a paycheck, but at least partially for the art. And tomorrow, I’m walking across the street to the indie film theater, and staring at her art until I pass out from excitement. Happy Tuesday.

Oh…. Goody

by on @ 1:21 pm

Yeah, just what we need. More miserable crap.

True, it’s not an indication that there will be a 7,8,9 trilogy, but I don’t even like thinking about shit like that. Unless Lucas is dead, and his ashes have been scattered somewhere so far away that there’s no possibility of even a particle of his corpse being breathed in by the future writers/directors.

The TV series, on the other hand, could be good. It all depends on who’s in charge. I figure as long as Lucas is busy bathing himself in benjamins somewhere away from the set, its fine and dandy.

Oh, and to those who will post the inevitable comments of “Leave Lucas alone, it’s his baby, he can do what he wants” or “Fuck you, stop complaining you pussy” etc. etc., you can just stop yourselves right now. I am an American. And as an American, I hold it as my right, nay, my patriotic duty to hold people accountable for the idiotic crap that they do. Yes, he may be making shitloads of cash. Yes, he may still be revered by a bunch of awestruck fanboys as a “genius.” But the fact that he could have accomplished these two things without shitting into their mouths and all over his beloved creation makes me question his sanity. I would respect him for doing this (actually, that’s the only thing I respect him for at this point) if he actually revealed that he was contemptuous of us all, and meant to fuck up the series (and get richer in the process) just out of spite. Yes, that would be glorious. But no, I think that he truly believes that he is doing good work, and for that, I must hate him. But he’s not a special case, I hate pretty much everyone outright. You’ve gotta work hard to get off the “hate” list, so don’t think that I’ve elevated him above the others. He’s just secured his position, that’s all.

And on that note, I’m going to take a crap and think of you.

CHUDCHUDCHUDCHUDCHUDCHUD, America!

by on September 12, 2004 @ 2:27 pm

I gotta give special thanks to hi6969 from the forum for bringing news of this glorious, glorious day. It was… inevitable that the horrors of the internet would eventually spill over into real life. I knew that as soon as I took that picture of AYBABTU on that deserted beach in Hawaii last month. I just didn’t think it’d hit this big, or this soon. But I’m glad it did. Enough rambling, on with the show.

Time Magazine, this week:

Now, do a little 90 degree rotation:

God bless us, every one.

Real Slice Of The Day: Katie Holmes

by on September 10, 2004 @ 11:07 am

Yes, I know, Katie Holmes gets a lot of attention around here, especially considering the second Katie gallery, but Solo just shared some news that officially makes this Katie Holmes day. …in my trousers.

Katie Holmes, freed yet again by Unidor.

For those of you too lazy to click the link:

American Pie star Chris Klein and Dawson’s Creek beauty Katie Holmes are reportedly reconsidering their engagement. The glamorous couple had a vicious fight last Friday in Los Angeles restaurant Maggiano’s, which ended in Klein telling a tearful Holmes he wanted to leave her.

As soon as this gets confirmed, I will give props to the benevolent Unidor, who is ever vigilant in righting the very very wrong relationships in this universe.