~The Bombing Campaign | Smokestack~

The Bombing Campaign — a guerilla music/performance art collective six months in the making from the mind of Rewind frontman Earl Brewster III — features: spoken word artists Downey, Al Davis, Chris Fetus, David Olivias and Brewster himself along with rappers Richi from Fat Camp, Pat Makins and Tyroneus from the Game Runnaz Records Crew, the sultry new age folk singer JJ, Brewster with Brian Duclos, Chris Brooks and Eric McFadden in the Last of A Dying Breed and more, all going off at 9:30 p.m. tonight, Nov. 28 @ The Manette Saloon in Bremerton.

Here’s a run down of the explosive amalgamation from our December print edition:

~EB3 | Photo: Diamond Photography~

Sometime ago, clihce as it may be, Earl Brewster III had the feeling that people were hungry for something different.

He knew that he was.

A stolid 12-year veteran of local hip hop and rock shows, frontman for the Bremerband Rewind, a passionate and intellectual rapper/emcee/performer/truthspeaker — Brewster was frustrated and in need of an outlet when his band started drawing to a halt.

“Then I met this guy,” he points to Bombing Campaign poet Christopher Downey, “and saw that he had some good poems.

“And I met this guy,” he points to Chris Fetus — a fork-tongued quick talker with a skeleton fetus tattooed on his stomach — “and I saw that he had some good shit goin…

“And then one night,” EB3 went on. “I was watching Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam. And I was like, fuck it man, I wanna do that… and I know some cats that can do that kind of thing.”

Building on that idea, support started coming together one person at a time over the next six months. One person led to another as the cast grew to more than a dozen poets, rappers, actors and musicians in all.

“This thing has really been treated like a campaign,” Brewster said.

EB3, joins fellow Rewind members Brian Duclos and Chris Brooks along with Eric McFadden, of Gimmie Guns and Cutry Cuntroll, to form Last of a Dying Breed — The Bombing Campaign’s only full band, which will go on during the three-hour performance’s second act, followed by a huge hip-hop finale.

“There’s two acts,” Brewster explains. “The first act is a show, the second act is a concert.”

The Campaign alternates through a slate of slightly obscure art forms, at least in Bremerton — spoken word to hip hop to acting to improv — all tethered back to that familiar barroom rock show atmosphere mixed in with that of some weird late night variety show.

It’s kind of hard to wrap one’s head around.

“I remember when Earl first told me about it, I couldn’t really get a mental picture of it,” Bombing Campaign member David Olivias — of Crushproof Juicebox, formerly of Redemption City — concurred.
“No one knew what the fuck I was trying to pitch to them,” Brewster said with a grin. “But they all wanted to be a part of it… And I’m grateful for that.”

References to shows like Conan O’Brien and Kids in the Hall come into play because, it’s that kind of show: you either you get it or you don’t.

One can tell by looking at the flyer that it’s more than just a flyer, more than just another concert.

It’s funny, but it can also get quite serious. It is a ‘bombing campaign’ after all, and EB3 — the creator, writer and director of the whole thing — is a self-professed poly-sci freak.

The show opens with a hip hop one-act, a story told through a song, called “She Was Alone,” in which, Brewster walks in on his girl with another dude.

“That song basically lets people know exactly what they’re getting into right off the bat,” Brewster says. “It’s like that movie… what was it, ‘Bruno’… where he’s shakin’ his dick for like five minutes straight at the start of the movie. That’s ‘She Was Alone’ — that’s what this song is for us.”

Comically, he goes on to enunciate the swingin’ dick… but on a serious tip, Brewster notes one of the best things about the group, in his mind, is the amount of virtually unknown talent on the bill.

“Like JJ,” Downey interjects, speaking of the local soulful, new age folksinger. “She’s like an angel, and she’s never been on a stage outside of the AFU or the Charleston.”

Similar to Downey himself. He’s a deft wordsmith, a poet, a spoken word artist, whatever you want to call it. He writes. He flows. He’s dope. But before Brewster brought up The Bombing Campaign, Downey had never performed his work before.

One doesn’t find many venues, or crowds, for spoken word on the peninsulas — especially in Bremerton.

“That’s what he’s done,” Downey says, gesturing to EB3. “He’s brought a vehicle for these kind of things to ride in.” [NICK SLEDGE]

The Bombing Campaign is set to go off at 9:30 p.m., Nov. 28 @ the Manette, 2113 E. 11th in Bremerton. 21+, $5 cover … myspace.com/manettesaloon.

~Vol. 1, No. 2 | Smokestack~

Though you might be hard pressed to find a copy, the second print edition of Thee Kitsap Smokestack is out today. Happy Thanksgiving. Find it at the locations listed under Thee Smokestack In Print — probably starting Friday since most are closed for the Holiday.

Winterland will be open later this Thanksgiving evening, however, so you can nurse that tryptophan hangover with a nice stiff drink — or just ditch those annoying relatives. And tomorrow, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., The RockIt Roost will be partying for Black Friday, celebrating their First Anniversary with Silver City brews, champagne and mad deals, including their own version of ‘Deal or No Deal’ — all in-store.

And speaking of First Anniversaries… check out the cover story from this month’s Smokestack In Print: A Gonzo look from behind the patch of the international Pyrate Punx organization. The Bremerton Chapter, Local 029, celebrates its One Year Anniversarrry Bash Dec. 11. . .

THE BREMERTON PYRATE PUNX, LOCAL 029

You may have seen the not so shy pyrate skull and crossbones patches stitched over some of the familiar punks’ hearts around town.

Let me start by saying that WE ARE NOT A GANG.

If you’re looking for a definition, call us a non-profit music productions union. More realistically, we’re a handful of kids and adults who branched outside of what Bremerton had to offer to see what else we could bring to this town. We found the Pyrate Punx, a 12 year old organization that was founded in Oakland, CA. . . .

~United under the Black Flag | Pyrate Punx~

There are currently 31 chapters all around the world, each run independently and based on the equal rights of each member to vote. Although each chapter is run however the members of it see fit, we all have the common goal and have made the commitment to take care of each other while on the road.

This often includes setting up shows, making meals and providing a dry place for touring bands and friends to lay their heads for the night. We don’t limit ourselves to only taking care of other pyrates, as long as the respect is there everyone is welcome.

Growing up in Bremerton, I’ve seen venues rise and fall but there has always been a strong music scene craving new sounds and the sheer excitment that comes with playing, attending or putting on a live show.

The people of this town that care enough about the music scene to take action in supporting it deserve to be exposed not only to the music that is right in front of them, but all kinds that all different styles that out of town bands have to offer.

This is where the Pyrate Punx comes in.

Our local chapter puts on shows once a month usually featuring one or more out of town band as well as some favorite locals. These shows are for EVERYONE!

We often put on benefit shows sponsored by the Pyrate Punx with donations going to food banks, St. Vincent De Paul’s or our local animal shelter. Along with benefit shows we do a once a year giant potluck which everyone is welcome to attend and bring food. Some of the other neighboring Pyrate chapters come out to meet and greet and just support what we’ve got going for us here.

Adopting the Pyrate Punx into Bremerton has been exciting and beneficial. And with all of the amazing new family we’ve met, I can’t wait to see what the future is going to be not only for our chapter, but the Bremerton music scene as well.

People have already started to take matters into their own hands, not to mention the revolution that’s taking place on Callow.

You don’t have to be a Pyrate Punk to put on shows or take care of travelers, or bands, away from home. Props to all of you that have been doing this for years just for the satisfaction of knowing that those lifetime friends you just made over tons of beers, laughs and some noise no one else can stand, will have your back when you need them.

You are our inspiration.

Bremerton’s music scene will never die, we’re having way too much fun to shut up. Support your local scene. Go to a show, promote a show, start a band, support a band, do something to keep our music scene going. Help us put Bremerton back on the map. It’s our town, lets all take it back. [ANGEL PERRY]

…Angel Perry is a Pyrate Punk and a leading force behind Bremerton’s Charleston Music Venue…

The Bremerton Pyrate Punx celebrate their first anniversary w/ music from The Assasinators, James Hunnicutt, Streetwalker, Flex and more at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 @ The Chuck 333 Callow Ave in Bremerton. All Ages, bar w/ ID, $6. Pre-party starts down the road @ The AFU earlier that evening.

Also check out: The Bremerton Pyrate Punx Leftovers Potluck w/ Red, White & Die, The Wobblies (PDX), Militias Mischief, Atracity and Level III at 7 p.m. Nov. 28, all ages, bar w/ ID, $5 cover, $4 w/ potluck dish @ The Chuck.

Find more BPP shows in Thee Smokestack’s Concert Calendar …. And find more on the Pyrate Punx @ myspace.com/bremertonpyratepunx.

~Stone Axe | Rudis Puella~

Here’s a bit of what you might have missed — or injected — at last weekend’s Stone Axe show @ the community-salvaged Winterland. Rudis Puella’s got you covered with a full on photo assault from the show, up now in Thee Smokestack In Photos.

Plus Sledge has a review of the madmen of Stone Axe — in addition to the Bombing Campaign and MxPx’s new EP ‘Left Coast Punk’ — in the Smokestack’s upcoming Second Print Edition…. out on Thanksgiving.

Mathcore pioneers Dilinger Escape Plan have announced the release of their latest album Option Paralysis. The album is set to be released on March 23, 2010. They are releasing through their own label Party Smasher Inc./Season Of Mist. DEP have been a little quiet since 2007 when they released the highly praised Ire Works.

The alternative music scene is binding together in support of Deftones’ bassist Chi Cheng, who remains in a semi-conscious state after a traffic accident in November 2008. Many items are being auctioned to try to cover the medical expenses outside of his insurance. Acts including Metallica, System of a Down, Blink 182, HIM and Slayer have generously donated their time and equipment in aid of Cheng.

In similar news a crew member of Fear Before (previously known as Fear Before the March of Flames) has suffered some very serious injuries on tour in Australia. After falling through a weak point of a roof, Trent Jacobi toppled around eight metres, his fall broken by a bicycle. He suffered several fractures in his pelvis, a broken left arm, punctured lung, and three broken ribs. Unfortunately he didn’t have medical insurance, so Fear Before have launched a site on which fans can donate to Trent’s cause.

Black metallers Mayhem have taken a distinctly rock ‘n’ roll approach to their current tour after trashing their hotel room in Tilburg in The Netherlands. The band and crew were arrested on Monday morning after an employee of the hotel found the mess. Plants were thrown in the street, mirrors, a sink, television and beds were destroyed in the rampage. The damage bill is estimated to reach 5000 Euros.

Rammstein’s latest album Liebe ist Fur Alle Da has been banned from public display in Germany due to its depiction of sadism and masochism on the controversial cover. Petra Meier, the deputy president of the Federal Office for the Examination of Media Harmful to Young People, also cited some of the lyrics as objectionable, including: “Bites, kicks, heavy blows, nails, pincers, blunt saws – Tell me what you want.” Consequently the album can no longer be advertised or displayed in open exhibition where it may be accessed by people under 18.

Eräs kaveri pyysi minua jo syyskuun puolella mukaansa katsomaan Mayhemia tulevalle keikalle. Kun hän totesi mukana olevan myös Behexenin ja lipun hinnan olevan suhteellisen edullinen, olin mukana. Kyseessä olisi myös mahdollisuus nähdä muitakin tuttuja ja vierailla Turussa peräti toista kertaa vuoden 2009 puolella. Kriittisen päivän lähestyessä alkoi kaikki mahdollinen mennä perseelleen, mutta kun vihdoin oli puoliltaöin katsomassa yhtä Norjan pahamaineisinta musiikkivientituotetta, oli olo melko voitokas.

Saavuin kaverin kanssa paikalle puoli yhdeksän aikoihin. Hammer of Hatella oli levynmyyntikoju ja jäimmekin hetkeksi pläräämään levyjä, mutta tällä kertaa jäi Behexen- ja Armour-vinyylit ostamatta. Siinä sitä odoteltiin paskaa jauhamalla ensimmäisen bändin aloittamista. Illan epäkiitollisimman soittoajankohdan saanut Cavus oli varmasti kovan paineen alla, bändihän on vielä melko tuore ja sen jälkeen esiintyisivät jo mainetta saavuttanut Behexen sekä legendaarinen Mayhem. Toisaalta eteläisestä Suomesta ponnistava Cavushan saa paljon näkyvyyttä tällä kiinnityksellä ja on tämän kiertueen jälkeen varmasti tunnetumpi nimi kuin ennen sitä. Kun ottaa huomioon että Cavus on perustettu vasta 2007 ja on vasta tänä vuonna julkaissut nimettömän EP:n on sillä mennyt ilmeisen hyvin. Itse lavallakin huomasi ettei bändillä ole vielä hirveästi kokemusta lavaesiintymisestä. Soitossa ei ollut mitään varsinaista vikaa, sillä soittimet pysyivät käsissä oikein päin eikä mitään suurempia mokiakaan kuulunut, tai en ainakaan niitä huomannut. Itse biisimateriaali vaan oli melko persoonatonta eikä oikein sytyttänyt. Osasyyllinen siihen saattoi toki olla sekin, että en tuntenut bändiä ja sen tuotantoa entuudestaan. Kyllä se keikka välillä lähtikin nousuun ja jalkakin väpätti tahdissa.

Seuraavaksi touhu meni asteen verran vakavammaksi ja lavalle kohosi kynttilöitä sekä iso, täysin musta väärinpäin käännetty risti. Behexenillä on kova keikkabändin maine, mutta Behexenin tapauksessa keikkabändi-termiä pitää hieman selventää: Bändi ei niinkään panosta keikkojen määrään vaan niiden laatuun, tähän laatuun kuuluu myös erilaisia ulkomusiikillisia ansioita kuten verellä lutraaminen ja kuolleiden rottien heitteleminen yleisöön. Rottia tai hurmetta ei tällä kertaa (ihmettelen, mitä bändin tukijoukkojen ympäriinsä roudaamissa muovikasseissa mahtoi olla) tantereella näkynyt, mutta näky oli silti tyly. Lavalle asteli joukko mustia kaapuveikkoja, ja se näky oli jo melko tyly. Tylymmäksi meno muuttui kun kaapuveikot riisuivat huppunsa, lavalla oli nimittäin joukko kaljupäitä basistia lukuunottamatta, jolla oli enemmän karvoja päässään kuin muulla bändillä yhteensä. Muullakin bändillä oli tukka päässä kun uusimmat promokuvat näin, mutta eipä puhuta enää tämmöisestä muotoseikasta. Settilista oli hyvä, mutta jotenkin petyin. Torogilla oli helvetin vakuuttava ääni lavallakin, keskivertoa BM-ääntä parempi. Odotukseni olivat ilmeisesti liian korkealla, sillä odotin Behexenin olevan lavalla tajuttoman kova, nyt se oli “vain” hyvä. Pari soittovirhettäkin särähti pahasti korvaan (esimerkiksi Mouth of Leviathanin alussa), mutta yleiskuvaa ne eivät pahemmin romuttaneet. Tylyä ja totaalista meininkiä.

Sitten oli Mayhem, tuo poikakuoro helvetistä johon on yhdistetty sellaisiakin perhekeskeisiä teemoja kuten satanismi, itsemurha, kuolema, kannibalismi, shokeeraus, rienaus. Norjalaisilla (plus unkarilaisella ja ranskalaisella) ei ollut niitä sianpäitä mukana, mutta Attila Csiharin olemus oli vähintäänkin rienaava. Mies oli valinnut asukseen tällä kertaa katolilaisen papin vermeet, suitsukepönttöineen päivineen. Mies heilutteli astiaansa ja väänteli käsiään melkoisen rienaavasti. Kun tähän vielä yhdistetään miehen kantama sotkuinen corpsepaint ja miehen kurkusta tullut epäinhimillinen mylvintä oli näky vähintäänkin pelottava siellä pimeässä salissa. Mies kuulosti välillä joltakin paimentolaiselta, mutta Attila hoilasi myös latinaksi jumalanpalvelustakin, tosin viljellen anti-sanaa siellä sun täällä. Tämä ja muuten hiljaisen Necrobutcherin kimeä vikinä Attilaa esitellessä näyttivät, että kyllä Mayhemilta löytyy sitä huumoriakin. Necrobutcher sekä uudet livekitaristi Silmaeth ja Morfeus hoitivat kukin tonttinsa loistavasti. Kehuja saa myös juuri putkasta päässyt Hellhammer ylitrigatusta soundistaan huolimatta. Näin Hellhammerin peräti kolme kertaa tasan kolmesta syystä johtuen:

1. Mies oli linnoittautunut järjettömän rumpurakennelmansa taakse
2. Lavalla oli sen verran savua ja valoa että mies oli melkein näkymättömissä
3. Olin itse melko epäedullisessa paikassa

Settilista oli yllättävän monipuolinen. Mayhem veti jotakin jokaiselta levyltä, mutta toki omaan makuuni tuli hieman liikaa uudemmilta levyiltä biisejä, sillä oma kiinnostukseni Mayhemiin rajautuu lähinnä De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas-levyyn. Siltäkin levyltä toki kuultiin helmiä, tosin jäin kaipaamaan Funeral Fogia. Olihan se kova juttu kuulla monen vuoden diggailun jälkeen ensimmäistä kertaa Freezing Moon ja Deathcrush. Se oli vain jotenkin värisyttävää ja musertavaa.

Aika vakuuttavan kuuloista? Joo, hyviä keikkoja tuli hyviltä bändeiltä, mutta jotenkin rutiinimaisilta nämä keikat kieltämättä hieman tuntuivat. Eivät valitettavasti pääse tämän vuoden Top 10-keikat listalle, mutta kannatti silti maksaa parikymppiä tästä illasta!

Kuvat:
Cavus
Risti (Behexen)
Behexen
Attila (Mayhem)
Mayhem

Smash Putt.

I got to fire a golf ball out of a cannon.  I GOT TO FIRE A GOLF BALL OUT OF A CANNON.  I put a hole in the piano.  I PUT A ….  you get the idea.

Smash Putt is the most fun I have ever had with a golf ball.  Possibly the most fun I have ever had (sorry sledding down Denny, you’re still awesome too!  We just need to see other people).  Done by the Hazard Factory guys, this mini-golf course involved cannons and catapults and saw blades and beer.  Lots of beer.  Glorious amounts of it.  Like.  Glory.

I had the opportunity to talk with Proprietor & “Chief Executive Lunatic” Rusty Oliver.  He and I discussed the whole shebang for a solid hour on and off during my drunken rampage through his toys.  Besides being an all around cool guy, he was really happy that people were having a great time and kept wandering from hole to hole to make sure everything worked correctly.  Especially the catapult; he really like the catapult.

To get an idea, watch the youtube video below.  Just… watch….

Can’t wait for what these guys come up with next.

-yuk

On Sunday afternoon in  a Fayetteville, North Carolina church, Manna Church, the world,family and friends said goodbye to Shaniya Davis. Shaniya had captured the heart of the world, after it was discovered that her own mother had sold her into bondage as a sex slave,to Mario McNeill, who brutally raped and murdered the little child.

More than 2000 people were inside the church to support Bradley Lockhart, Shaniyas dad, and the man who made the decision to send Shaniya back to her mother,after having raised the child for the full 5 years of her life,which directly led to her death.

“Don’t let God’s words and don’t let his actions get you down,” Lockhart told the packed congregation. “He did this for a reason.”

Shaniya Davis funeral was open to the public and was standing room only.Lockhart urged the 1,500 crowded into Manna Church and another 500 watching the service from an adjacent building to help the community’s needy, according to press reports.

As mourners filled the church, a photo display of Shaniya Davis was streamed on the overhead projector. Never before released photos of Shaniya were displayed. These photos showed Shaniya with her father, Bradley Lockhart and her siblings.

Lockhart said, “Shaniya, Daddy love you honey. And I know you’re gonna’ be waiting for me … I’ll see you when I get there.”

White doves were released at her graveside as the little child Shaniya was laid to her eternal resting place.

Click on the link below to view a comprehensive sideshow of pictures covering the Shaniya Davis funeral…

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/01/crimesider/entry5356401.shtml

A “third place” is a social space that is distinct from the two “usual” environments of home (i.e. “first place”) and work (i.e. “second place”). In both popular press accounts
and marketing/consumer research, third places are often characterized as readily accessible social venues frequented by regulars but open to all comers. Something like a community center, coffee house, cafe or “mom and pop” restaurant. Third places become community congregation points and, importantly, provide a centralized “sense of place” that facilitates creative interaction among people. This interaction can amount to “everyday” social engagement (i.e. water cooler chat, gossip, laughing with friends), but hopefully also includes civic discourse. The idea is to give folks an outlet to talk to one another, and address issues that are important to them as a community.

Compared to what I have experienced abroad in the tea shops and espresso houses of Asia and Europe, the United States has a relatively underdeveloped “third place infrastructure.” I have not examined the historical evidence, but I believe during the early development of the nation, citizens participated more in third place interaction.

Chalk it up to modernization and the rise of digital interaction, but the third place seems to have diminished in importance in American society. While I still see vestiges of third place interaction at Starbucks or even discussions among neighbors in the parking lot at Wal-Mart, these outlets are “impromptu” third places and do not constitute a consistent, welcoming space for regular engagement, which is an important criterion for being a third place. In the case of Starbucks, despite presenting a seemingly inviting space with soft couches and hip jazz music, their coffee shops are largely designed to maintain customer throughput, not congregation.

Perhaps the loss of the third place banter has something to do with the ongoing outbursts and general lack of civility during town hall meetings across America (which seems to have spilled over into congressional engagements). Dramatic changes (perceived or otherwise) in the way the nation is being governed is certainly an impetus for the passionate exchanges during these meetings. But could it be that the prior lack of ongoing face-to-face discourse and dialogue — impromptu town hall meetings on a small scale via third places — has contributed to the current powder keg?

Dear Weekend,

Please bring back my phone.
Please un-splatter the beer and purple paint off my shoes.
Please un-cake the black mud from my white North Face.
Please un-scrape my knee, my hand and my friend’s chin on the pavement of Foster Ave.

…I know what you want from me in return. So I’m surrendering. Here’s my dignity.

Begrudgingly,
Ashley

Ok so I was watching Strikeforce: Challangers V Woodley v Bears last night and a interesting things happened. During the Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (7-2) vs. Aaron Rosa (12-2) a interesting thing happened . Rafael had Rosa on the ground and he hit him with 2 or 3 elbows/ forearms . This is against the rules of Strikeforce which dose not allow for elbows or forearms on the ground. Rafael was given a warning for this and after the fight started proceeded to take him down and pounds him out for a TKO victory, Strikeforce follows the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts and this dose allow organizations to deviate from the set of rules. Now that’s unified right there .

The lack of Elbows and forearms on the ground handicaps the ground aspect of MMA. I enjoy the ground aspect of MMA . Now In the Shields Mayhem fight it was a good fight but Shields would get on top and then ummmm what now. Throwing punches would of weakened his position if he could of thrown elbows he would have been able to do more work and the fight might have been more entertaining . The lack of elbows and forearms just allows the person on top and to advance his position and look for the sub and maybe punch. If the guy on the bottom has good sub defense like Mayhem then there stuck at a stalemate and your just waiting for a slip up or the ref will stand them up. That provides for a rather boring fight if your just watching a display of the lay and pray technique.

Strikeforce needs to Allow Elbows and forearms to grounded opponents. One it goes against the whole Unified Rules of MMA part got to love the whole unified aspect yet you can choose to not follow the rules . Hopefully the rectify the situation I love Shields as much as the next guy but I want to see work be done on the ground not just looking or a sub and laying and praying 

Need more nights where my brains turn to mush and my ears ring the next morning. Cha ching!

Pride BQQR Garden: the dancing and drag show were fantabulous. Beer was surprisingly good (Honey brown pale ale?). May be “acquiring the taste” (after two years in college). [Insert facepalm]

Organix: first psytrance clubbing experience. Oddest crowd yet, but was crazy open-minded and cool minus one creepy dude (read: That Guy?). M saved the day. E+coke+speed+MJ+alc. Not good combo says Psych. Felt fine.

20 Victoria = 10000x more sketch past 1am; over 80% of fellow transit-ers high/drunk. Made it home alive. Boo yeah!

Things recently spotted on a Boda Boda:

A family of four, all tucked neatly behind the driver. That makes five.

A woman breast-feeding while riding a Boda Boda, neatly zipping between a truck and another truck.

Two chickens, alive, tied to the handle bars.

A goat, very much alive, and not very happy, tied by the legs, upside down and hanging from the back of a Boda.

Recent viewings from the window of The Beast:

Very sharply dressed traffic policeman. They were dressed all in crisp, pressed white; held a whistle and a wooden palette with which they were directing traffic. I say, who needs traffic lights if these people dare to get themselves between one dusty truck and another? With a wave and the occasional beep on a whistle these fine men and women rule the roads.

Dead dogs and plenty of them. I have taken to wondering, each time I see a dog sleeping, if he is actually alive, or very much dead. It is not a question I enjoy posing as we speed over the pot holes.

Fish hanging from the fenders of cars. They are attached by string to the metal bar on the front. It seems this is the choice way to carry fish home and I imagine it reduces the fishy smell in the car but it certainly may add an aroma of smog to the taste of the fish. This is not an uncommon site yet one that leaves me bemused every time.

Many shops called Obama. There is an Obama Grocery, an Obama Hairdresser, and Obama Restaurant and an Obama Fruit Shop. Do you think he has any idea?

Downtown in the centre of Kampala where you would find the worst traffic jams there are men who walk between the cars selling a assortment of things that would defy the imagination. When was the last time that, sitting in your car, you suddenly realized you needed a wall map, or a pair of shoes, or a game of Scrabble or even a steering wheel cover? Mosquito zappers, board games, carpets and rain coats are offered beside cell phone car chargers, phone airtime, sneakers and peanuts. It is best to put up your window if you prefer not to shop since any one of these objects may be pushed into the car and dangled under your nose.

I searched online for Myanmar metal stuff last night and found a forum. With great expectations, I clicked on the link.

What I found?

They were talking about… nu-metal??? Yes, nu-metal. Frigging hell mallcore stuff like Slipknot and Marilyn Manson. There were even people who mentioned Linkin Park and Flyleaf.

Seriously! There was nothing on it but mallcore. -.-

Next one was a blog. He was talking about Slipknot and how much he likes them and on another blog was an article on Myanmar metal scene and the author was talking about Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold and Trivium. Frigging Metalcore.

EVERYTHING HERE IS JUST NU-METAL AND METALCORE????????????

-________-

Why can’t they just get out of this whole mallcore thing??? Why won’t they step deeper into the depths? WHY?????

There were even some people who said,”Slipknot is Death Metal”. Ya, go die. It pisses me off when I hear people saying crap like that.

Mallcore, Nu-metal, Metalcore, BFMV, A7X, Marilyn Manson, BMTH, blah blah blah and it goes on and on and on in a never finishing mallcore whirlpool. This is what’s happening  in Myanmar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This should end.

Metal albums aren’t that rare anymore. You can pretty much buy them here. (Last week I got Black Sabbath:The Dio Years and Megadeth’s Endgame.) Or you can download them via Mediafire or 4shared (which I usually do).

Still people are still drowning in the mallcore whirlpool… labeling themselves “metalheads” with Slipknot songs in their mp3 players.

It’s time to ditch out mallcore people! Ditch it out and explore into the depths of Metal!

Compare it! Compare and listen! Compare Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Korn, Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold, Bring Me the Horizon, Atreyu (and whatever mallcore/metalcore/nu-metal stuff) to Iron Maiden, Death, Mayhem, Children Of Bodom, Judas Priest, (old) In Flames, Slayer, Dio, Black Sabbath, Kamelot, Gorgoroth, Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Dark Tranquillity, Behemoth, Amon Amarth, Amorphis, Sonata Arctica, Opeth, Deicide, HammerFall, Moonspell, Venom, Testament, Morbid Angel, Candlemass, Exodus, My Dying Bride, Datkthrone, etc. Compare mallcore/nu-metal/metalcore to Death Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Traditional Heavy Metal, Symphonic Metal, Gothic Metal, etc. AND SEE THE DIFFERENCE!

\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/

The ironing is delicious, as Bart Simpson once said. Here I am, carping about people who don’t get their facts straight, and I go and make the same mistake myself. I’ve been telling people all day that Roland Emmerich’s 2012 was written by two Germans. However, Emmerich’s co-writer, Harald Kloser, is Austrian. Oh, the indignity! I hang my head in shame.

Why am I writing about 2012, which I had the misfortune to sit through yesterday? Well, while it isn’t a horror movie, it most certainly is capable of instilling horror in the poor viewer. But not in a way the filmmakers intended.

In its own empty-headed way, 2012 is far more reprehensible than even the most morally dubious horror movie could ever be. The message seems to be that as long as we see global mayhem from a distance, in slow motion and aided by an elegiac orchestral score, this is good, clean spectacle. And I’m fine with that. 2012 isn’t competent enough, story wise, to provoke indignity. But I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that a lot of the viewers who lap up this dehumanizing carnage, would sniff at the tactile, direct, brutally honest approach of a good horror movie. Because that stuff’s for sickos and pervs, right? Like that Nutsferatu guy over at OP-dEaD. Let’s just watch a toppling St. John’s Basilica grind people to a fine paste and enjoy the ride. Hypocrites.

“The two-hour-and-40-minute 2012 is overstuffed with special-effects set-pieces, but the Curtis family’s mad dash out of town is the closest the movie gets to actually being fun, if only because it’s easier to relate to a man navigating bad traffic than one trying to outrun a newly formed volcano.”

– Chuck Wilson, The Village Voice. (Read his full review here.)

I agree. That sequence, in which Los Angeles goes up in cataclysmic smoke, really is the balls. Otherwise, 2012 is crud. Seriously, if you’ve seen the trailer, the movie has nothing more to offer. Nada. El zilcho. Bupkis. In fact, it’s even more emotionally hollow than you might have feared. The talented cast give it their all, but when the last shred of momentum is lost about halfway through, you have to sit there for 75 more minutes and watch everybody perform CPR on the dead material. Eventually, even the grand special effects become dull, and that takes some doing.

My major beef is with the sloppy storytelling. Are we expected to be so distracted by the wholesale destruction so as not to notice the glitches in the script? Example: A woman thanks her limo driver ex-husband for bringing the kids home early from a camping trip, only for a waiting client to call and criticize him for being late—in the same scene! Yeesh! The dialogue is horrendous, the heavy-handed symbolism is enough to give you bruises, and much of the humor is just plain terrible. At one point, a couple behind me actually laughed and clapped at one of the jokes. Yes, mankind is doomed, but not because of shifting tectonic plates. It might seem we’re doomed because of our rock-bottom standards.

Oh well, at least I still had a nice night out with friends.

But you know what? Raking 2012 over the coals has left me feeling kind of dirty and grumpy. I need something to help cleanse my mental palate. I need something a little more sophisticated and refined. The night is still youngish, and I think I’ll go and watch something with zombies tearing people limb from limb.

Toodle-oo!

Child sodomizer and killer McNeill and Antoinette...Shaniyas' rapist and mom pimp...Lets hope they die soon.

This is a story that is truly disturbing for me to report, but it has to happen.

The animal that killed Shaniya Davis must be put to death, the sooner the better is my preferance.I have no mercy for this person, Mario McNeil,or her terrible mother,and the people who supported them to be able to live this long.

I hope they all burn in hell for what they did to little Shaniya.

The AP reports that the 5-year-old North Carolina girl was raped and killed the same day she was taken from her home, according to an arrest warrant released Friday. Shaniya Davis was sexually assaulted and asphyxiated Nov. 10, the day her mother reported her missing from the trailer park where she was staying, according to the warrant.

Mario McNeill is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape of a child in the warrant, which was issued after police said they collected hair and fibers, clothes, and a straw from his 1997 Mitsubishi Galant. He was initially charged only with kidnapping.

McNeill seemed nervous as he appeared in court Friday for a brief hearing on the latest charges. He nodded his head slightly to the judge’s questions but did not enter a plea. His lawyer, Allen Rogers, left the courtroom with his client and didn’t speak to reporters. He also didn’t return messages left at his office from The Associated Press.

The girl’s mother, Antoinette Davis, is charged with filing a false police report, trafficking her daughter and child abuse involving prostitution.

Her mother does not believe that her daughter harmed her child….so I say that they all should be thrown in jail with the general population.

She had to have known that her daughter is a pig, and was a danger to her defenseless little grand-daughter while she laid back and allowed it to happen.

She should be ashamed to support her vile and viscous daughter, and I suspect that she was a child abuser and molester, and she more than likely taught her daughter how to be one as well.

I hope they all die by the hands of the justice system.

Meanwhile, Shaniya’s father, Bradley Lockhart, appeared on Friday’s “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” where Winfrey asked him if he had anything to say to Davis. He told The Associated Press earlier that he had cared for Shaniya for several years but decided to give Davis a chance to raise her because she seemed to be getting her life together.

“Right now I just think it’s best that we let the justice system take its course,” Lockhart said on the show. “I try to keep my heart as pure as possible, and I’m sure one day I will be able to sit down and talk to her, try and understand what was going through her mind.”

All I can say is that I wish I could be a juror on that trial, because I would not hesitate to vote the death penalty for these cowards…

Write in and comment on my blog here, and let me know what type of punishment this child rapist Mario McNeill deserves, and what kind of death should her mother Antoinette Davis, that sold her for sex to settle a drug debt, should get, because she absolutely deserves the death penalty…in all 50 states.

The details of this case just make me sick, as it should all civilized human beings.

It is hard for me to look at this idiot, but here is a news report from You tube, courtesy of the AP…

Let me know how you would put him to death….let me know.

Innocent Shaniya patiently waiting to be raped and murdered by the animal Mario McNeill

Let’s pray for his swift and violent death…he has earned all of our hatred.

Slaughterhouse invades Orlando

Big up Jessie Maguire

Okay, for those of you reading this whom don’t already know, I post  photographs on Flickr. As I’ve said, there are only two photographic subjects: 1.) people; and, 2.) things. Food is included in the latter category.

If your tastebuds are brain is working, you’ll need to make this recipe.

Here, from my Flickr page – in all it’s glory – is my recipe.

Okay, folks! Do you know what time it is?

Nope, it’s not”Howdy Doody time,” it’s RECIPE time! Yaaaay!

Yup, I made another’n!

I like cooking (I wrote that again, just for you folks that’re seeing my photostream – and foodshots – for the first time.) So, I take pictures of the food I cook… and eat. Yup. Wowser, eh?

Anyway… this is a total delight – to prepare and consume! (At least that’s what the consumers said, ’cause I didn’t get to eat much of it! The leftovers were eaten by my neighbors. *LOL*)

I prepared it as part of a “beerbecue” with some friends I’d made through Flickr! Yaay, Flickr! House of Sims – Great folks, great family, great photographer!

Anyway… back to the recipe thingy.

When I’d gone up to Sewanee, TN a few days back, I’d bought some fresh fruit & veggies from a roadside vendor while on the way back home. (I’d purposed to do that, having seen him on the way up there.) Among those items was a huge basket of Rome apples, from (of all places, and appropriately enough) Rome, Georgia. They were tasty!

Again, purposing to do something different with a recipe, I securely applied my “Fly-By-The-Seat-Of-Your-Pants” device and proceeded to adventure in the kitchen.

Having absolutely no recipe from which to work, I set out and made my own! (The Army has patches for “Big Red 1,” the Special Forces vertical sword with lightning bolts across, “Pathfinder,” “Air Assault” and the “Expert/Combat Infantryman Badge.” (Maybe they should make one with a fork, French chef’s knife and spoon/ladle criss-crossed over a skillet and stock pot with a flame at the bottom. I’d wear it!)

Here’s what I did:

Peel & core apples. Reserve peel (this is an important step – do NOT omit it!). Chop apples coarsely. Make a strong NaClH2O mixture (Use little H2O & boil it, folks! It’ll hold more NaCl. Then dilute w H2O.). Add honey – lots of it – to NaClH2O. Rationale: Honey is hygroscopic, so is NaCl. NaCl will not affect apples, but allow the marinade/bath to absorb the flavors. Add: cinnamon, mace, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, ground clove, vanilla, in copious quantity. Big healthy squirt of lemon juice – don’t be stingy! – (sing the opening stanza of the Oscar Mayer song, “My baloney has a first name…” while squirting) Brown Sugar – lots and lots of it. Cranberries – about two handfuls. Marinate apples overnight (minimum 12 hours) in refrigerator – the longer, the better. (Oh yeah… make sure the cranberries are in there, too!) And the peel? You should’ve chopped it up finely and added it to the boiling mixture.

Dough:

Flour, whole wheat/white mixture – just dump it in. Lots’a extra risin’ (that’s “Baking Powder” for the uninitiated). One egg – don’t use those panty-waste, freakin’ micro-eggs – use the honkin’ JUMBO mamas! The bigger, the better. (If anyone asks, act like you know what you’re doing.) Lard (that would be PIG FAT – avoid the hydrogenated stuff – you can make your own by melting it – about two ladles/scoops). Butter – that would be COW MILK FAT (Teats are good – Mooof!) one stick – that’s 1/4 pound. Vanilla – you should have some from when you made the other stuff – and for goodness sake, DON’T be stingy! Cream – aka “Heavy Whipping Cream” (avoiding freaky innuendo here… but, she’s a very kinky girl, the kind you don’t take home to mother – unless you’re bold as love {Have you heard Ricky Skaggs bluegrass version of Rick James’ trademark song? No kidding!}). Vodka (cheap stuff is okay), brandy (your preference), Brown Sugar (how come you taste so good? Did you know that Rolling Stones tune was recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL?), white sugar (yep, but not as much as the good, brown stuff), Almonds – blenderize ‘em to a powdery consistency – about 2-3 cups finished product. The astute cook will recognize… it’s a cookie dough! Yaay!

How to:

Combine dry ingredients. Melt fat/butter together, add vanilla & liquor (that’d be the vodka & brandy),  cream – again, don’t be stingy! – in separate container. Get your hands in it and mix it all up – but first you gotta’ add the liquid to it! Grease interior of deep-dish baking pan (keeps it from sticking during cooking – and don’t avoid this step by justifying that you use some #$^&! “non-stik” pan – DO IT ANYWAY!) Tear off chunks of the dough and mash it out evenly throughout the pan, lining the bottom and walls. Use a slotted spoon to place marinated apple mixture into pan. Add some liquid, but not all – it should be just below the ingredients’ surface. Roll out remaining dough and apply to surface. Bake @ 350°F for about 30-45 minutes. If you’re a halfway decent cook, you’ll know when it’s done… by smell. Oh yeah… you should’ve put some coarsely chopped pecans under the crust before you cooked it. And just so you’ll know, put a shallow cookie sheet under the pan – it may (translate: most likely will) spill over during cooking.

Now, while that’s cooking you gotta’ do something with that remaining liquid.

Here’s a big giant hint: BOIL IT DOWN! Yep, make a syrup to pour over the top of the cobbler/pie! Hello!? Cooking is all about creativity, ingenuity and efficient use of resources. You know the adage: Waste not, want not.

When it’s done liberally apply butter to the top (while it’s hot, you silly thing, you!), and then pour the syrup all over the top.

Then, take some kind of serving device – preferably a big spoon – and insert it into the pan, gently moving up and under, with a slight twist of the wrist, remove a portion or section of the cooked contents. Place them in a bowl. Apply a heaping portion of vanilla ice cream (chocolate or neapolitan just won’t do in this example) to the top. Using a separate spoon, eat it all up.

Bone-head appetite, y’all!

Diskussionen om politiska sympatier bland popmusiker dyker upp då och då. För några år sedan lanserade Timbro och PR-killen Erik Zsiga en version i ett desperat försök att framstå som relevanta inför sina bidragsgivare.

Zsigas metod var att dels med hjälp av diverse hiphop- och punktexter behäfta “popvänstern” med våldsglorifiering, dels skuldbelägga alla som uttryckt den mest försiktiga vänsteråsikt och samtidigt tjänat pengar på sin musik. Borgerliga ledarskribenter som Per Gudmundsson och Peter Wennblad har å andra sidan försökt klämma in så skilda saker som den svenska DIY-scenen, 90-talsindien och Manchestervågen i en högerkontext, med lite olika argument.

Grundfrågan kvarstår dock – olika tricks åsido, varför är så få popband öppet höger? Till och med de glättiga engelska syntpopbanden på 80-talet visade sig vara vänster när man skrapade lite på ytan – Depeche Mode flirtade med socialismen i intervjuer och i naiva texter, Wham! stödde de strejkande gruvarbetarna (men dissade fackbossen Arthur Scargill) och Martin Ware från Human League gjorde socialistisk konceptpop med Heaven 17.

Gary Numan, en outsider redan i småskolan, väckte uppståndelse när han deklarerade att han röstade på Thatcher. Här i Sverige blev Lustans Lakejer utskällda för sin utstuderat borgerliga image, men den känns i efterhand mer som ett sätt att reta upp proggare och punkare i stickade tröjor än som ett äkta politiskt statement. Därtill var det alldeles för mycket verklighetsflykt.

Naturligtvis finns det drösvis med band i diverse subkulturer som integrerat extremhögersymbolik och ibland också -åsikter i sin image – inom black metal, neofolk och vit maktmusik. Men det är ändå något fjärran från den ideologiska liberalism som Zsiga och ledarskribenterna bekänner sig till. I Sverige framstår fortfarande Alexander Bard som en särling i det att han kombinerar en genomtänkt liberal politisk ståndpunkt (och på sistone en politisk karriär i folkpartiet) med en framgångsrik artistkarriär. Men Bard skiljer å andra sidan nuförtiden oftast noga på de två rollerna.

Tanken på ett band som imagemässigt går in för att hylla arvet efter thatcherismen och önska hårdare tag mot fackligt organiserade, arbetslösa och sjukskrivna känns mest som något lika utstuderat som norska black metalbandet Mayhems hyllningar till diktaturerna i Albanien och Nordkorea.

Frågan om popvänstern och avsaknaden av en pophöger diskuterades i P1 senast i dag. Per Gudmundsson, som enligt egen utsago driver en kampanj för att “skriva om pophistorien ur ett högerperspektiv” pratade med Martin Aagård, vänsterintellektuell kulturskribent och medlem i Doktor Kosmos, ett band som i sin studentikost “lustiga” proggighet kan få vem som helst att drömma om att starta det där högersvaret på Mayhem.

Aagard har adopterat popvänsteretiketten på samma vis som homosexuella gjort med sina nedsättande epitet och säger sig vara stolt över att vara popvänster. Gudmundsson efterlyste tydligare politiska etiketter på låtar som i största allmänhet handlar om “frihet” – trots att de bästa brukar ha udden riktad mot sådana som honom. Programledaren lyfte fram en gammal spaning utbyggd till en lång artikel i Bon härom året om att det blivit hippt med borgerlighet bland annat eftersom vissa band anammat en ironisk tennis- och seglarstil och eftersom en ny generation vänsterengagerade ungdomar har bättre klädsmak än man hade på 90-talet.

Inte så värst intressant alltså, och mest småmysigt när det egentligen var upplagt för en ordentlig fight. Är det något som genomsyrat popmusiken de senaste 50 åren så är det passion.

Jag tror dessvärre att utgångspunkterna för diskussionen hamnat helt snett. Per Gudmundsson har tidigare velat se högerdrag i Joy Divisions musik med huvudsaklig hänvisning till att Ian Curtis röstade på tories i det enda val han hann med, vilket naturligtvis är en otroligt banal iakttagelse. Och övriga medlemmar var vänster. I dagens radiodiskussion talades om bristen på plakattexter om skattesänkning och privatiseringar, också det ett banalt sätt att resonera.

Om vi istället betraktar popmusiken på samma vis som Fredrik Edin gjorde med film nyligen finner vi att det självfallet finns mängder av högerinriktad populärmusik: All denna musik som genom att inte på något vis gå emot den rådande ordningen i själva verket blir ett stöd till den. Och då menar jag självfallet inte att det som krävs är vare sig gammal och ny progg eller förutsägbart “arg” musik som Rage Against the Machine eller Atari Teenage Riot – en ljudbild kan också vara politisk, som Tobbe i The Embassy en gång så klokt uttryckte det.

“Popvänstern” skapades genom att Erik Zsiga lyfte fram vartenda förment vänstervridet citat han kunde hitta hos svenska kändisar, inklusive Cardigans-Ninas försiktiga avståndstagande från höga chefsbonusar och till och med högertjejen Linda Skugges krönikor. I själva verket lider Sverige av att popartister talar alldeles för lite om sina politiska åsikter, alternativt är genuint ointresserade. Och det fåtal som öppnar käften tenderar tyvärr att vara olika sorters proggare.

“I’m working class. Give me a gun and I’ll shoot all the Young Conservatives” sade Primal Screams Bobby Gillespie när bandet var som allra störst. Den sortens tydliga ställningstagande för något radikalare än ett regeringsskifte väntar vi fortfarande på att höra från någon svensk artist i hans position.

Mer om Per Gudmundsson, Martin Aagård, P1, proggare, popvänster, pophöger, Wham!, Primal Scream, Bobby Gillespie, Cardigans, Linda Skugge, Erik Zsiga, Peter Wennblad, Doktor Kosmos, The Embassy, Fredrik Edin, Rage Against the Machine, Atari Teenage Riot, Joy Division, Ian Curtis, Mayhem, Alexander Bard, Gary Numan, Lustans Lakejer, Depeche Mode, Thatcher, Human League, Heaven 17