which is probably mostly due to the crappy band and the mo-ron sound tech who had the level up WAY to high while the guitarist doing some noise / tuning thing…

Last night Rich, Don and I went to see The Vandals as the HOB in Anahiem. The Vandals were great and reminded me of a few things. Warn is a great guitarist and all-around funny dude. Josh Freese is still an amazing drummer who can keep PERFECT timing and he reminds me that I’m feeling WAY overdue to see Devo again (he’s the drummer for Devo also). I felt like I was 18 again though the same dudes 10+ years ago were much crazier but still very entertaining.

Rich, Michelle and I started off the evening by going into Disneyland to grab a bite and we ended up riding the Pirate ride. Being back in the park and walking around further put me in a nostalgic mood. I have some crazy stories and memories of working there I should write about sometime before I forget!

With baby coming soon, I guess I’m starting to feel old and nostalgic! So it was nice to go to a concert and see the same performers you watched and listened to while in High School and College.

After getting home and laying down for bed (my ears were still buzzing and I was still a bit wound up) I reflected on the evening and thought about life before I was married and now about to have a baby.

I have to say I do miss or feel nostalgic of my crazy and carefree *youth* days from time to time but I realize I like them better as memories and not as the present. I don’t think I would ever want to go back and relive those days even if I was given the chance to. I am very pleased with where my life is now. I have an awesome wife, a good job and I’m SUPER excited for the next huge step in our life, Dominic!

If you’re like me you love music. If you’re like me you’re also looking for new music. It seems most radio stations are into heavy rotation and selling a select few artists a month which is making it just that much harder to find new music. Morning Becomes Eclectic can be a decent showcase but I find it’s limited and I have less control over what could be playing. I love Pandora, it’s very organic and suggestive… but they have a decent library of popular music you probably already know about. What to do?

Enter thesixtyone, an online music showcase. The idea is pretty simple, artists upload their music, listeners create profiles and are given “points” to bump music up to the next level. Bumping unknown/undiscovered to lesser known artists cost you more points and as the artists move up levels their “cost” decreases. Though if you bump an artist and then they get bumped you end up getting “paid” points. So the earlier you “discover” the artist / song the more points you get.

With this system it forces you to bump only what you really like otherwise you spend points rather quickly. You can add songs to your profile and subscribe to users and watch their progress also.

There are a few ways to browse the site. First of all create a profile (it’s free) and if i’ve inspired you to try this out be sure to put me (abricko) as your referrer (i’ll get points) and then start the fun.

You can listen to songs by genre many have been discovered or started the bump process. You can comment on songs, add them to your profile, bump them or share them with a friend via email. Another way which is more random is to use “The Rack” which is located on the right side of the main page and just play through the tracks and when you hear something you like add it or bump it.

It’s pretty addicting beyond the discovery of new music because of the point system. You can also earn more points by logging in daily (+10 each day) or +1 each song you listen to in the rack, +5 for each friend you refer (+20 for each level they move up to).

Try it out, you might like it. I look forward to subscribing to your profile and seeing what you discover. Together we can destroy the record companies and the stupid RIAA!

Why do I like the trailer to IronMan so much?

I don’t like Robert Downey Jr, ok “don’t like” is a very sugar coated… the movie sure does looks cool… what exactly is it…

Oh yeah maybe it’s because they are playing the song Iron Man along with it… and maybe because I get the same feelings as I did back when I was in middle school when I first heard the song!

Crank up the volume for this trailer!

Not a fan of the Charles Barkley… but I think this Theremin does a great job::

Last night Richard and I went to see Beck play at the Element Club in Hollywood. The tickets for the show went on sale Monday at noon and the show was last night and I guess it was a *secret* show because I couldn’t find info anywhere (besides Ticketmaster of course). The club was relativley small I called down and talked to the booking agent he estimated about a 500 - 600 person capacity (I’d estimate it was towards the higher end because it was packed there).

We took a walk to Hollywood and Highland to get some food and see “Weird Al” signing his new CD at the Virgin. We arrived back at the club around 8:45 during the last song (“drop your panties”) of the horrid opening band, Wounded Cougar. Beck came on at 9 and played until 10:45 (including 1 encore). They played mostly stuff from Sea Change, Guerro (obviously the crowd’s favorite) and The Information (the new album). He only dipped back to play Diamond Ballocks (the bonus track from Mutations, that got me PUMPED!) He ended with a “Hell Yes” mashup done to tune of “Fame” and “Another One Bites the Dust”
Overall, I would’ve enjoyed a few more tracks off Mutations (my favorite album) but it was a fun experience to see Beck play in a small club in Hollywood and the Tickets were cheap ($25)!

Beck @ Element Club Hollywood 9/26/2006 Setlist:
1. The Information
2. E-Pro
3. Black Tambourine
4. Clap Hands
5. Think I’m In Love
6. Cell Phone’s Dead
7. Motorcade
8. Landslide
9. No Expectations
10. Emergency Exit
11. No Complaints
12. Elevator Music
13. Diamond Bollocks
14. Soldier Jane
15. Paper Tiger
16. Lost Cause
17. End of the Day
18. The Golden Age
19. Movie Theme
20. Scarecrow
21. Girl
22. Nausea
23. Hell Yes / Fame / Another One Bites the Dust / Rock Your Body Medley