A U G U S T 0 3
August was the month where the Okay Samurai CD "The Possibility War" was released, Dave moved back home from Baltimore, and Andrew had a crazy birthday. There were a couple of old creative writing stories - The Shape of Footprints and Instrument. Dave answered the friday five and started the first and last installment of Baja Fresh Photon Cannons. Eugene talked about the Okay Samurai Baltimore Reunion. Jeff enjoyed the new CD and apologized for his beer pong performance at Don's party. There were also some summer photos, including the famous "Mike drinks beer from a coffee pot" photo.
Potential, Potential, Kinetic!
Yesterday was Andrew's 22nd birthday. Continuing the tradition of giving each other ridiculous gifts, I gave him a subscription to Gamepro magazine (that's 12 issues of hot video game tips straight from the pros!). We started off the day at Burke Lake Park, playing through their new miniature golf course and rocking the driving range. And who just happens to be a few spaces over from us but one Donald Sanford Simpson. Don has come a long way from his swings off the deck in Baltimore - he was crushing everything in a never-ending quest to hit the cart that picks up the golf balls. Andrew was doing great too, whereas I've probably regressed since the deck (gotta keep that left arm straight).
We went back home, and Don and Eugene showed up a few hours later for a surprise musical extravaganza. We played through every old song we could possibly think of, usually taking a few minutes to remember the chords. Sniff, just like old times. Later on, Andrew got a Lego snowboarding set as a present. It has a launcher the shoots the lego snowboarder up a ramp. So, over the course of 15 minutes, the band did the following: successfully landed several jumps, launched only a torso and a head, used a lego basketball kit to shoot and make a basket with the airborne snowboarder, did a rail slide, cleared the dinner table, skimmed Andrew's forehead, stacked two riders on top of each other, modified the launcher to shoot the snowboarder even farther, decapitated another lego guy with the launched snowboard, landed a launched lego basketball in Don's cup and did some crazy flips and 360s. All in all, it put my Gamepro gift to shame, but my Ben Park impressions for Eugene made up for it...happy birthday lil' bro!
20 days until Atlanta, and I've still got a bunch of things to pack, furniture to paint, people to visit and stuff to buy. As this summer draws to a close, I'd have to say that this has been one of the best summers in recent memory. I'm glad summer school didn't work out - I needed this break. Andrew in Baltimore for a month. Going to the beach twice. Dry ice bombs with Nick. Seeing the whole Okay Samurai crew together. Golfing off the deck and at Burke Lake. Making bad Lord of the Rings jokes with Jeff at Don's party. Making the CD. Music, especially when I would play the Konami song I'm working on twice within the timespan of fifteen minutes - once with Mike and once with Andrew. Video games, especially the late night dinosaur sniper battles with Andrew and Mike. Movies, reading, writing, drawing, trampoline, and only losing two games of air hockey over the entire summer (both against Andrew). It was the last chance to enjoy everything before moving ten hours away from my best friends and family going into a full-time grad school. It was perfect.
Sunday, August 31 at 2:01 PM
The Possibility War
Dave and Andrew, excellent job putting together this compilation of old, new, and obscure songs. I listen to it all the time at work, and I have to say, my personal fave is "She's still wearing the yellow dress". I can't believe you wrote that when you were 7 years old...amazing.
So it was great seeing everyone at don's big house party this past saturday. sorry andrew for letting you down in beer pong, i was horribly off. I'll be gone starting saturday til next saturday to be at Ocean City with my family. If I don't post before then, or don't talk to anyone, happy birthday to andrew...we'll go out on the town one night when i get back!
-jeff
Wednesday, August 27 at 9:17 AM
Summer 2003 In Pictures
One: While playing some acoustic songs at Dewey Beach, Mike takes a much deserved beer-in-coffee-mug break.
Two: Okay Samurai (minus Andrew taking the picture) gets together in Baltimore before a big night of ESPNzone, bars and hitting golf balls off the roof.
Three: I get some help moving from 103 back to Burke.
Four: One of many sand creations at Bethany Beach...but the mini-golf course we made with some crazy kids was cooler than this.
Sunday, August 24 at 9:28 PM
Baja Fresh Photon Cannons
Just got back from seeing American Wedding with Andrew and Eugene, and thought it would be a good time to dish out some summer recommendations, since this glorious summer of unemployment has been kind to my literary and opthalmic needs. The movie was a great ending to the series; Sean William Scott is still hilarious as Stifler. I never saw the second one but it didn't matter much - I knew what to expect, and the goods were delivered.
I'd say the same for The Lizzie McGuire Movie, if by delivered goods you mean a musical montage every five minutes. Actually, it wouldn't have been that bad if I was a teenage girl who thinks Paolo is dreamy, but Lizzie so belongs with Gordo! Now, The Fairly Odd Parents: Abra-Catastrophe - that's a great movie. I love this cartoon. Spongebob may be a better character, but this show is much funnier. The made-for-TV movie has an entire 15-minute segment where a monkey makes a wish with a magic cupcake and changes the world into a monkey world. That's funny stuff.
Bowling for Columbine is the best movie that I've seen in a while. It's not really about the Columbine shooting, but more about the fascination with gun violence and fear in America. The documentary is extremely well-edited and always interesting. Even if you don't agree with everything it says, it opens up a lot for discussion. Definitely check this one out.
Onto the world of books, proof that I haven't been playing video games all summer. Tom Hanks: An Unauthorized Biography isn't the best way to spend your hard-earned green. Hanks is one of my favorite actors, and it was interesting to read about his not-so-perfect upbringing and slow rise to stardom. The problem here is the author - he's a former London tabloid writer. So it's poorly written, but it's the only biography that I know of about Tom Hanks.
Several friends recommended Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead to me. Not exactly light summer reading, but a great book, especially for someone about to go to art school. The descriptions of the imaginative buildings that the main character creates are perfect. It's a good book to read before going out to the job world, bringing up issues of the ego and how society expects you to work. It's the kind of book that should not be made into a movie (but was) because there's too much to possibly cover.
But the movie rights have already been sold for Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, and the book reads like a movie. It's written in a cliffhanger style that's extremely difficult to put down. Using an strangely entertaining blend of art, religion and cryptography, a mystery unfolds that blends fact and fiction. This is a perfect summer/beach book, although I guess it's getting a little late for that.
And after seeing the movie, I read Catch Me If You Can. The events from the movie stayed fairly true to the real thing, but a few parts were changed chronologically and there are a few more outrageous stories. It makes you want to start up a life of crime...or at least create a few fake identities. And finally, Headstrong by Trapt is undoubtedly the worst song on the radio right now, especially now that they have an acoustic version in rotation too. Well, that's it for this installment of "Baja Fresh Photon Cannons". We went to the driving range last Sunday with Don and Jeff, and I exclusively used the driver that Eugene rocked into my deck in Baltimore a few weeks ago. But my putting game is pretty tight, I must say...thank you miniature golf. I'll post some August photos sometime next week.
Thursday, August 21 at 10:34 PM
Okay Samurai: The Possibility War (1993-2003)
Today marks the official release of "The Possibility War," the latest CD from Okay Samurai. It's a collection of 25 songs that we've recorded over the past ten years - including songs from our two Second Nature albums, mp3s, obscure basment recordings, a live show and more. The tracks are New Tape Recorder, Mosquito, South of the Border, She's Wearing The Yellow Dress, Uncle Charlie's Song, Chlorine Girl, Fresh From The Farm, Grassblade Smoke, Bottlerocket Superstar, A Tribute To Mr. Punhong, Song Called Song, Golfing With Fish, Musicfest Orlando, Hawaiian Treehouse, F#, Hammock, Makesure, Letdown, Raining in LA, Third, Fatty In Scarf, Instant Oatmeal Road, Disregard The Trip On That, Navigator and She's Still Wearing The Yellow Dress. Some highlights:
*Bottlerocket Superstar and Disregard the Trip on That are live recordings from our 2.28.02 Mainstreet Bar and Grill show at James Madison University.
*She's Wearing The Yellow Dress is one of the first songs that Dave and Andrew recorded on their Radio Shack tape recorder, dating all the way back to 1987. She's Still Wearing The Yellow Dress is a 2003 acoustic remake.
*This version of Mosquito is the Eric Espiritu-produced one.
*"The Possibility War" is the first Okay Samurai album, so it's the first time South of the Border, Makesure, Song Called Song, Disregard the Trip on That, Bottlerocket Superstar and Hawaiian Treehouse have appeared on CD.
*A full-color booklet insert tells the stories behind the songs and has some extremely old band pictures.
The Possibility War is now available online for $9.99 at The Treehouse Merchant. There are also a few new products - a poster, a clock, and a trendy baseball jersey.
Sunday, August 17 at 10:14 AM
Send the Pain Below
Hey guys, I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents since I haven't written in here for awhile. The boys and I had an excellent samurai reunion up in Baltimore. Jeff, Don, and I rode together and remembered old college times and met up with Andrew and Dave in B-City. It was one of the best times I've had for a long time. The Thai Rolls at Cheesecake Factory rocks my world. It got a little nostalgic when we saw the old home video tapes of us playing. Our first concert was at Janine Mason's birthday party, where I also realized I was allergic to cats. And seeing the tapes of the guys playing at Mainstreet Bar & Grill made me realize what a long way they've all come and some hopes for the future. Here's a tip I learned from the trip. When golfing, it helps to lower your pants right down to your ankles so as to allow a gentle breeze to help you release in your swing...Andrew proved it.
As for me, I will be officially leaving my current postion and moving onto a much better corporate world job. You'll just have to find me to find out where. So since my new start date isn't until Sept. 2nd, wanted to know if anybody was interested in taking a trip the week of the August. 25 anywhere. Only one rule applies..."18 to chill and 21 to get ILL." Seems thinks are looking up after all. Oh and one more thing...If you ever run into Dave Werner, please ask him to do his impression of Ben Park. It doesn't even matter if you don't know Ben Park, just make him do it.
Okay Samurai Factoid #9 (I forgot where I left off, so I picked 9, cause that's my favorite number): Studio Sessions were the greatest. Our first CD was recorded at Rolling Hill Studios. Of course, actually getting the chance to play and record music was great. Listening back to our tracks and experiencing the whole process was awesome too. But my all time favorite part of recording at the studio was the downtime, where all I got to do was eat Jerry's Pizza and play Redneck Rampage. I was so obsessed, that I think I recorded all my bass tracks within 1 or 2 takes, just so I could hurry up and play the stupid game. I later bought the game in college and have not played it since.
Friday, August 8 at 1:14 PM
Florescent Marsupial Vendetta
Back in Burke, VA - even recently got the sweet parking spot right outside of the Fairfax Towne Center. You know, the one by the doors where Andrew once got his shoe stuck on the roof? No updates next week (from me at least) because we'll be at Bethany Beach. Hello Surf's Up cheeseburger sub; my oh my, you're looking tasty as ever. Anyway, I thought I would answer the "Friday Five" today from fridayfive.org.
Q: What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country?
A: State - New York for the 4th of July weekend. Country - Eastern Paraguay for ring-tailed lemur hunting.
Q: What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while traveling?
A: We were shot at once in St. Maarten; that was pretty crazy. Finding a pool of some unknown red liquid while climbing rocks in South Dakota was strange too.
Q: If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go?
A: Hawaii and Australia are up there. Thailand, South Korea, Antarctica, and Mars sound interesting too. Or Eastern Paraguay during ring-tailed lemur hunting season.
Q: Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car?
A: I've never been a big fan of flying. Trains are fun, especially when Andrew is on the lower bunk bed and I get motion sickness and throw up all over him. A car with the windows down and Jimmy Buffett rocking in wind-blown stereo is the way to go.
Q: What's the next place on your list to visit?
A: Other than the beach and Atlanta, a trip back to St. Croix might be in the works. I also want to go to Disneyworld again.
at 12:38 PM
Instrument
(This short story was written for a fiction writing class at UVA a couple of years ago.)
I considered them my co-workers, really; even though they were different people every night. We would all gather around the bar during the afternoon sound check. We introduced each other, made some good conversation, and ended up swearing at the labels (but later brag that we were close to being signed). Then, when one of us left, the rest would pick apart why he wasn't in the spotlight yet.
"Guitarist has an attitude, singer has no attitude."
"No originality in his songs."
"Just switched drummers...Evan left for an accounting job...the new kid doesn't have the chops yet."
I knew every time I left, they were saying some of the same things about me. Us musicians know everything, and we're going to make sure you know that. Injected into our creative juices must be an equal supply of something egocentric. I hope I'm not like that; I try to stay modest. Maybe my co-workers are thinking the same thing, but in the company of other musicians and drinks on the house, most give in.
Last night we played to a sold out crowd at The Warehouse. It was an event put on by 102.7 WMSF, one of those five bands for five bucks deals. When someone that afternoon at the bar brought up the prospect of the show being sold out, we started to get excited.
"Hell yeah! Ain't nothing like a good crowd." This was coming from the guy they called Fishhook, frontman of .02 Worth. "What you wanna bet half those tickets were sold after they announced I was closing?"
A little laughter surfaced from my right side. The guitarist and bassist from Cacophony obviously didn't agree.
"Not in this area, Hook," the guitarist said as he took out a cigarette and examined it. "You damn well know this is rich white preppy central. They'll eat up any trash MTV throws their way."
Even a simple thought like this looked like a strain for the guitarist to say. He looked more interested in lighting up that Marlboro than processing a thought. I seriously thought he was going to singe his dirty, clumped hair as he single-handedly worked the lighter. Someone shared my thoughts and muttered "grease fire," but I don't think the guitarist heard him.
He was a good guitarist. No debate there. This guy could play every scale imaginable at blinding speeds. He carried his band. Their music was bland and uninspired, but he could more than make up for it with the mastering of his instrument. At least that's what I thought after I caught their Richard House performance.
Fishhook looked a little upset. "See, that's what I don't get, man. I don't get it." He was swaying back and forth in his stool while throwing his arms in different directions. "You know you'd take an opportunity to be on MTV in a second. I know your type, yeah, you'd do it." The guitarist stared at Fishhook through his cigarette smoke for a second. Bloodshot eyes locked. You could tell the guitarist was going to try to say something prophetic, something we'd go back and tell our roadies about later.
"Yes I would. But you know what? I'd destroy the no-talent sellout image so many of those MTV bands have. Kids would see close-ups of my callused fingers and they'd respect me. They'd learn to look past the hype and discover the real talent. The people that should be in the spotlight rarely are, and I'll gladly teach the MTV population that." He gave a half shake of his head at Fishhook and turned back in disgust. "Geez, you wish you had an ounce of talent in your hip hop production."
"What?" Fishhook had to finish swallowing his last sip before the implications set in. "We've got more talent than you'll ever know, ever see. Wow, look at your fast fingers. Oh wow, never seen that before." The guitarist tried to interrupt but Fishhook wouldn't let him. "You don't understand. Rock is dead. People want something new. I want something new. The focus is on the rhythm. People wanna dance."
"Not to the crap you put out," the guitarist threw in.
"Guess Columbia likes that crap cause they're talking to our manager after the show."
"Yeah right." The guitarist kind of laughed and coughed at the same time, not bothering to cover his mouth. "I know Ben from Columbia. He's told me himself you guys will never make it."
Fishhook's turn to laugh. "Ben's at RCA now, so why don't you..."
Feedback squealed from the stage as a microphone was turned on. "Cacophony, sound check," a voice reverberated through the room.
The guitarist threw his cigarette to the ground and started to walk away. "Best of luck to you, gentlemen," he said mockingly. Then he pointed at Fishhook and snapped his finger. Not sure exactly what that was for.
Fishhook immediately started to tell us the details of the Columbia meeting, but I wasn't really listening. I watched the guitarist yelling to the sound guy on the stage. I watched him complain about his guitar not being in tune, not being loud enough or something along those lines. I excused myself and walked outside to catch some fresh air and found a light sprinkle starting to fall.
***
LOCAL BANDS PLAY TO SOLD OUT CROWD AT WAREHOUSE
By Jeff Ashton
Five local acts wowed a sold-out house at The Warehouse last night in an event sponsored by 102.7 WMSF.
The acts included Devon's Mask, Cacophony, Theo's Screaming Mind, Third Nature, and .02 Worth.
"The event was a success," Warehouse Manager Cole "Fox" Riely said. "WMSF has worked with us to put on some incredible shows in the past few years."
Devon's Mask began the show with a solid but short performance. Their southern psychedelic rock got the crowd up and dancing immediately.
"These guys are going to make it big," one fan pointed out. "Rick (Fietla, lead singer) just plain rocked."
Cacophony followed with a dazzling array of guitar loops and searing power chords.
"Our focus is on the instruments," lead guitarist Alan Alosau said. "We try to distinguish the fine line between mediocrity and pure talent." Alosau won the crowd's approval when he wiped his fingers on his face, leaving streaks of blood from his worn fingers. Cacophony has recently been gracing WMSF's Top Ten charts with its single "Ruin."
By far the most bizarre antics of the night came courtesy of Theo's Screaming Mind. "Walmart Field Trip" found frontwoman Allison Hart singing inside a shopping cart. Every band member enjoyed a full pack of cigarettes while playing the crowd favorite "Smoking Outside."
"They're so unpredictable," a young fan said. "I've seen them several times around town and they continue to amaze me."
Third Nature played an entire set without pause. Led by pianist Cameron Winters, the band included creative covers of New Kids On The Block's "Hangin' Tough" and John Williams' "Indiana Jones Theme."
In the night's most awkward moment, Winters asked Cacophony's Alosau to join them for a rendition of Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower." Although a tired Alsoau played well, he walked off the stage after Winters laid down a blazing piano solo.
"He was showing off," Alsoau said later. "Trying to one up me. I didn't have to prove anything."
Winters could not be reached for comment.
Marshall "Fishhook" DuFrais ended the evening with his hip-hop/fusion band .02 Worth. A full horn section held its own during "Boulevard" and "Dream Right." Fishhook spent most of the night singing and dancing in the middle of the crowd with his wireless microphone. He even led the crowd to a mocking chant of "Cack-oh-phony."
"It's all in the spirit of the show," Fishhook said. "I say whatever comes to my mind, man. Alosau knows it's all good."
Fans left feeling very satisfied.
"I could've done much worse off with five bucks," a fan joked. "I think we're lucky to have all this great music under one roof every once in a while...We should be proud of our local scene."
Sunday, August 3 at 10:32 PM
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