It’s Like Clerks, With a Mexican
Feb 8th, 2010 by sirjorge
Alkaline Trio really are back to form, three piece punk rock with no frills. I didn’t like their major label stuff they were putting out, with lots of production and slick music videos featuring Kat Von D and CGI trains. However, this one is welcome, almost like a return to form for the guys in the Trio, and I like it. Here’s their latest video off of their up and coming album on Epitaph Records:
Alkaline Trio - “This Addiction”
Alkaline Trio | MySpace Music Videos
Feb 6th, 2010 by sirjorge
When I was a teenager my friends and eye were in somewhat awe of Bleeding Through. When they would show up to shows with Point of Recognition, Hope Conspiracy and others, we’d see the singer get some mad props for just looking and being cool. They played with some of my favorite bands growing up, including and not limited to Zao, Falling Cycle, Hatebreed, and so many others. I still love metalcore, hardcore and heavy music and that’s never going to change.
So when I saw that they are hitting the road I got excited but more so the fact that they are going on tour with one of my favorite bands of the current hardcore era: Sleeping Giant. Sleeping Giant has one hell of a message and they have one of the best metallic hardcore albums out now with “Sons of Thunder”. They are an amazing live act to see, and top that off with Bleeding Through, and you’ve got one of the best tours to hit the U.S Hardcore scene in a long time. You owe it to yourself to check out this tour, as it’s going to be one of the best things going on near you in a long time.
What saddens me greatly about this tour though, is the fact that the tour will not be coming anywhere near me. I live in Moscow, Idaho and NO ONE comes here. Not to mention anywhere near me…so that’s that. here are the tourdates to one of the best hxc tours I’ve seen in a long time:
Bleeding Through, Born of Osiris, Sleeping Giant, Oceano and Legend Spring 2010 Tourdates
4/09-San Diego, CA @ Soma
4/10-Fresno, CA @ Club Retro
4/12-Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
4/13-Boise, ID @ The Venue
4/14-Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
4/15-Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
4/16-Tulsa, OK @ Marquee Theatre
4/17-St. Louis, MO @ Fubar
4/18-St. Paul, MN @ Barfly
4/19-Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
4/20-Indianapolis, IN @ Emerson Theatre
4/21-Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
4/22-Dayton, OH @ The Attic
4/23-Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
4/24-Detroit, MI @ Harpos
4/25-Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theatre
4/26-Toronto, ON @ Opera House
4/27-Montreal, QC @ Tulipe
4/29-Long Island, NY @ Crazy Donkey
4/30-Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
5/01-Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
5/02-Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
5/04-Orlando, FL @ Club Firestone
5/05-Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
5/06-Pensacola, FL @ The Ready Room
5/07-Houston, TX @ Meridian
5/08-San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
5/09-McAllen, TX @ Incubator
5/10-Ft. Worth, TX @ Ridglea Theatre
5/12-El Paso, TX @ Club 101
5/13-Albuquerque, NM @ The Launchpad
5/14-Phoenix, AZ @ The Clubhouse
5/15-Las Vegas, NV @ 702 Skatepark
5/16-Pomona, CA @ Fox Theatre (CALIFORNIA METALFEST IV)
Jan 21st, 2010 by sirjorge
There are a lot of movies out there that get some time in everybody’s life. Whether you’re looking at “Scarface”, “Casino” or something along those lines, you’ll agree that the “gang” movie genre is something that isn’t really getting as much love in modern times as it once had. So I sat down and thought about the best gang movies, and here’s what I believe are the best. Of course, these are a matter of opinion, so don’t kill me, but you might have some too, so chime in if you have some favorites:
5. Mi Vida Loca
In 1994, latino gangs were ruling the streets near me. I grew up in Culver City, California and there were some feuding gangs that made me take a close look at this film, as I got older. Mi Vida Loca is an interesting movie that looks at women amidst a male dominated world of gangs. This movie tells the story of two best friends, torn apart by a cheating boyfriend, and how their world is not seen as hopeful, until someone goes to jail and realizes that friendship, love and family is far greater than any of the little things that separate them. Along the way, we get a portrait of Southern California, Latino Gang life, in this nice entry to gang genre films.
In 1991, I wasn’t allowed to see this film. But I snuck a vhs copy into my room and realize that the city I was living in at the time, was not safe to be in. This movie is a classic look at gang life set in Southern California, and how hard it is to grow up “black” in a community where no one ever succeeds and gang life takes its toll no matter what. Cuba Gooding Jr, Laurance Fishburne, Nia Long, Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut and others make themselves into great characters in this John Singleton directed masterpiece of gang life and how the struggle to get away from the inner city really is riddled with bullets. NWA member Ice Cube really shines in this role, and you really feel for the characters. This one holds a special place in my heart, because I lived in the ghetto for a long time. It’s a portrait that isn’t too exaggerated, which is a tough statement. Boyz In The Hood is a classic.
3. American Me
American Me is a classic Mexican gang film. This film showcases 30 years of Chicano gang life and really makes things go nuts in the minds of latino youth across many walks of life. (I know that makes no sense) Edward James Olmos plays the lead character and is perfect in the role. You can see how gang life molds people from losers to winners, but in the end, the cycle of violence never ends. The final scenes of this film are so intense, that I really had a hard time concentrating on much else afterwards. American Me is a great portrait of gang life and is my #3 pick.
2. Goodfellas
Not exactly your traditional gang film, but this Scorsese film is a classic look at mobsters. The mafia is center stage and this movie was based on a book that details the real life story of Henry Hill. In an interesting note, my friend claimed he lived next door to the real life Henry from this film, however I doubt it. Ray Liotta plays an impressive role, and De Niro and Pesci put on a show. I like this film for its no nonsense approach to gang life, and really is somewhat better than Casino, which also should get a special nod in this top 5 list.
An epic film about gang life in Los Angeles, Blood In Blood Out, is the #1 gang movie on my list. This director’s cut film runs 190 minutes and it goes through three distinct generations and people in Latino culture. From childhood three friends grow up to either be in the gang, do drugs, and go to jail and so much more. Seriously, this film is one of the greatest gang films of all time, and if you haven’t seen it, you need to see it. This is like a history lesson about Southern California gang culture in such a unique and visual style. The story follows such an edge that you’ll be with it through the whole film, despite it’s length. It teaches such a great morality lesson without being too preachy, and really solidifies the genre better than many other films.
There’s a lot of gang related films out there. What’s your favorite? Maybe I am missing something here. I think these 5 films are must haves in the genre. However, that’s just a personal thing.
Jan 19th, 2010 by sirjorge
I’m back. Well sort of.
I was in Walt Disney World for a while, trying to take a vacation from my boring life. It was fun, and I appreciated the time spent with my wife away from Moscow, Idaho. I got home and the seasons changed. It’s no longer as cold as I left it, and I’m appreciating the world around me a little more.
As for serious matters though, I’m having a hard time. I need a new job, or any job, and nothing seems to be going my way at all. There are no legit jobs on craigslist right now, my neighbors are too loud, and I am not sure what to do. I’ve been trying so hard to get a job, and yet my college education has failed me completely. I can’t even land a job at McDonalds, and that saddens me to such a great tone.
Movie reviews, book reviews, and music reviews are forth coming. But first, I need to put up half of my belongings on ebay to try and pay some bills. I’m so broke, it’s hilarious. Other than that, I’ll be posting in the near future, so stay tuned…if anyone is out there still.
Jan 6th, 2010 by sirjorge
An anonymous reader wrote to slashdot and I went nuts:
“As a recent graduate entering industry for the first time at a large software and hardware company, I have been shocked at what seems to be a low standard of work ethic and professionalism at my place of employment, especially in this poor economy. For example, at my company, the large majority of developers seem to each individually waste — no exaggeration — hours of time on the clock every day talking about football, making personal phone calls, gossiping, taking long lunches, or browsing the Internet (including, yes, Slashdot!). Even some of our subcontractors waste time in this manner. Being the ‘new guy,’ I get stuck with much of the weekend and after-hours grunt work when we inevitably miss deadlines or produce poor code. I’m not in any position to go around telling others to use their time more efficiently. Management seems to tolerate it. I would like to ask Slashdot what methods others have used to deal with office environments such as this. Is my situation unique or is it common across the industry?”
This person is an idiot. We all went through this upon joining tech work. My first tech jobs were filled with the grunt work of other programmers, but that’s how you PAY YOUR DAMN DUES! What is wrong with recent college grads? They have this idiotic sense of entitlement and expectation of the IT crowd that doesn’t seem to fit.
The last place I worked for didn’t realize that tech work doesn’t mean 8 hours of pure coding nightmares and hell. But as tech workers we put in a lot of effort learning something to get into a job and be comfortable.
I kid.
This guy seems like an idiot, and rightfully so.
What did I gain by working really hard at my former jobs? Fired. For what? Not anything I did, because my job and write ups were perfect. It was their own folly that cost me my job.
Now I sit in an office in Moscow, Idaho unemployed and sad.
Man I suck.
Jan 5th, 2010 by sirjorge
There’s not much I can say about this Chris Brown (Charlie Brown) parody from Mad Magazine…whow.
Jan 4th, 2010 by sirjorge
On this Monday, I got this song stuck in my head, it’s from Rancid and the lyrics really hit me in the heart, especially the second chorus which rings in my head on a daily basis:
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Jan 1st, 2010 by sirjorge
I was sitting in my living room the other day, trying to get some rest, and it turns out that I found out a musical question that has puzzled me for days.
You see, The Skatalites (pioneers of ska music) recorded and perform a song called “Occupation” and it sounds exactly like a country song from none other than Johnny Cash (country pioneer). That’s right, this is an interesting thing to note, especially since they sound the same.
Here’s the Skatalites performing “Occupation” listen to the opening of the song, as it goes another direction afterwards:
And now, here is Johnny Cash performing “ring of fire”:
Now, according to All Music both songs were created in 1964, and a musical performance cites the song at 1963, but which is which? Did the Skatalites steal Cash? Did Cash steal Skatalites?
I’m confused all around.
Dec 31st, 2009 by sirjorge
If you recall the old show “Punkorama” from Epitaph records, you might recall a video from The Pietasters for the track “Yesterday’s Over”. It was a comedic video that really pushed the seven piece East Coast Ska unit to sell over 70,000 copies of their record. Awesome Mix Tape #6 by The Pietasters came out on Hellcat Records around 1999 and it was an instant classic for most ska fans. To put things into perspective, you have to remember that there was a small ska boom in the late 90’s. This record came out around the same time Reel Big Fish got onto mtv, Less Than Jake was headlining big ska shows, The Supertones, Five Iron Frenzy, The Hippos, The Toasters, The Israelites, Hepcat, and so many more bands were enjoying near mainstream success like it was 1985 all over again. This fourth wave of ska was definitely a flash in the pan, but it left a lasting impression on everyone who heard the records.
The Pietasters toured through 1999 for Awesome Mix Tape #6 in the UK on the mega Warped tour, and eventually toured with the likes of Pilfers and Spring Heeled Jack, and even a great run with Clash famed member, Joe Strummer.
The first single from Awesome Mix Tape #6 was an instant sing along classic for me, and the video was hilarious. It showcased how sexy ska could be, as well as poking fun of culture and stereotypes. Below is the official video that used to run on Punkorama tv from The Pietasters Awesome Mix Tape #6:
The video got me interested into this band, and it definitely pushed that record to good sales overall. I would highly recommend this record, as it has sing a long songs full of ska, but moreover it has a sense of adult topics and interesting songs that are not always seen in ska music. I wouldn’t call it ska-core like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but I definitely would liken it to some B-side Rancid Reggae songs.
The Pietasters are still around today and are still touring every now and again. They aren’t as popular as they were 1999, but they are still kicking, and like many other ska bands today, hit the road every now and again for headlining tours around the nation. Keep your eyes open, and pick up this great record.
The Pietasters Awesome Mix Tape #6 is currently available through Hellcat Records by clicking here.