(listed alphabetically)

Age Of Evil Get Dead (EP) – This quartet of teenagers (featuring two sets of brothers) hits hard with their 2009 EP featuring two brand new originals, two cover songs, and two live tracks. The remake of Skid Row’s “Slave To The Grind” is even heavier than the original, while “Get Dead” delivers the angst of the teen years without the despondency of the grunge movement. Best song: “Get Dead.”

BulletBoys 10c Billionaire – Don’t expect any ear candy such as “Smooth Up In Ya” on this release. Marq Torien takes the ‘Boys in a much more modern direction. Some of the songs sound forced, but there are moments of brilliance. Best song: “Road To Nowhere.”

Cockpit Mission To Rock (EP) – Some see all-girl bands as a gimmick, but these ladies have as much right to rock as any group of guys. With riffs as memorable as AC/DC and a rhythm section as steady as Van Halen, Cockpit has a good foundation to build on in the future. Best song: “Mission To Rock.”

Great White Rising – Jack Russell’s voice is as good as ever, but the songwriting has taken a turn for the worse. Sounding more like a bad 1980s soft rock band than the bluesy hard rockers we all know and love, Great White’s 2009 record is one that will quickly be forgotten. Best song: “Situation.”

Judas Priest A Touch Of Evil: Live – Another Priest live album? Yes, but this one is different because none of these songs have ever been released in a live format before. You won’t find the standards “Breaking The Law” or “Living After Midnight;” rather, JP performs underappreciated cuts such as “Judas Rising,” “Prophecy” from the band’s ill-fated Nostradamus, and the Grammy-nominated “Dissident Aggressor.” Best song: “Between The Hammer And The Anvil.”

Lita Ford Wicked Wonderland – This is not your older brother’s Lita. With husband Jim Gillette, she has released some of the strangest and most off-the-wall music from an established artist. There is very little straight-forward rock here; a lot of electronic effects detract from what would have been good songs. There are a few tolerable tracks, but overall this is not a solid selection. Best song: “Scream 4 Me.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd God & Guns – These good ol’ boys are back with another solid album of southern rock, though this offering is a little too countrified for my personal tastes. Fortunately there are some good romps that retain enough hard rock to make it palatable. The title track is one of the best the band has recorded in decades, and is sure to be on my playlist for a long time, but the rest of the album takes some getting used to. Best song: “God & Guns.”

Machines Of Grace Machines Of Grace – Zak Stevens, best known for his work with Savatage and Circle II Circle, breaks out the acoustic guitars with this side project. But that doesn’t mean the volume will be turned down at all, as Stevens continues to belt out the songs with his killer voice. Best song: “Just A Game.”

Sacred Oath Sacred Oath – This power metal group from Connecticut has been big on the underground scene for years, but this year Rob Thorne’s band broke out with a hit on iTunes and MTV2’s Headbangers Ball in April. Best song: “Counting Zeros.”

Uzi Madhouse – Production inconsistencies hurt this record, but the songwriting is stellar throughout. The best ballad released in nearly two decades is found here; “Away From My Heart” could have been as big as Skid Row’s “I Remember You” had it been released by a major label in the late 1980s. Best song: “Away From My Heart.”

In the 1980s a real man didn’t wear red braces and sport a pony tail.  A real man bared his hairy chest and muscular arms, while firing a pair of Uzi machine guns.  A real man stood up for truth, justice and the American way.  That’s why the 1980s belonged to Chuck Norris.

The facts:

• Chuck Norris doesn’t read books.  He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
• There is no theory of evolution.  Just a list of creatures that Chuck Norris has allowed to live.
• Outer space exists because it’s afraid to be on the same planet as Chuck Norris.
• There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard – just another fist.
• Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch.  HE decides what time it is.
• Remember the Soviet Union?  They decided to quit once they watched a Delta Force.

I’ll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“I’ll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands!” is a slogan popularized by the National Rifle Association (NRA) on a series of bumper stickers.

It is a variation of a slogan mentioned in a 1976 report from the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency: “I Will Give Up My Gun When They Peel My Cold Dead Fingers From Around It.”

The original version did not originate with the NRA, but with a rival group, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, based in Bellevue, Washington. It, along with “If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns”, is a slogan that is often used by gun owners and their supporters in discussions of gun control in the United States.

The phrase gained newfound popularity on May 20, 2000, when veteran actor and NRA president Charlton Heston capped a speech at the 129th NRA convention in Charlotte, North Carolina by concluding:

“ For the next six months, [presidential candidate and Vice President of the United States] Al Gore is going to smear you as the enemy. He will slander you as gun-toting, knuckle-dragging, bloodthirsty maniacs who stand in the way of a safer America. Will you remain silent? I will not remain silent. If we are going to stop this, then it is vital to every law-abiding gun owner in America to register to vote and show up at the polls on election day. ”

Near the end of his remarks, Heston paused to pick up a replica of a Revolutionary War musket, and continued:

“ So, as we set out this year to defeat the divisive forces that would take freedom away, I want to say those fighting words for everyone within the sound of my voice to hear and to heed, and especially for you, Mr. Gore: ‘From my cold, dead hands!’ ” — Charlton Heston, May 20, 2000

He repeated the phrase at the end of each NRA convention over which he presided as president of the NRA. When he announced his retirement, he concluded by repeating “From my cold, dead hands.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^

The family of an 8-year-old boy who fatally shot himself at a gun show in western Massachusetts say the Uzi submachine gun jammed twice before he lost control of the weapon and fired into his head.

The family of Christopher Bizilj (bah-SEEL’) of Ashford, Conn., says in a civil lawsuit filed Friday that a 15-year-old instructor who cleared the gun and handed it back to the victim failed to provide proper guidance.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/10/christopher-biziljs-famil_n_351732.html

“From my cold, dead hands.”

Gun Game

Wer unkompliziertes Gameplay mag und einfach mal mit verschiedenen Waffen auf bewegte und unbewegte Zielscheiben ballern will, ist beim Gun Game richtig. Zugegeben, der Name des Spiels (The Gun Game) ist nicht gerade einfallsreich, dafür wurde bei Grafik, Sound und Spielphysik nicht gespart. Mehr als 13 verschiedene Waffen stehen zu Auswahl, die in 3 verschiedenen Kampagnen  (Defense -, Efficiency -, Offense Campaign) getestet werden können. Mit jeder Runde steigt natürlich der Schwierigkeitsgrad, sprich die Geschwindigkeit der Ziele, so dass auch Profis es nicht einfach haben, alle Missionsziele zu erfüllen.   Viel Spass mit dem Gun Game!

I drew this bad ass girl with an Uzi last night after giving up on my Zombie special forces soldier. I think she’s better because the face turned out rather nicely since i based it off Natalie Portman but with larger more crazed eyes because she’s supposed to be not completely all there.

This is all part of a 2 month long project for Tom’s class where we’re creating character concept art, then modeling are characters in Zbrush and finally making game model’s out of the high rez sculpts. As far as the concept art goes i am done not because it’s complete but because the deadline is up. I also don’t really have a  back story or name for her yet but i will probably come up with something soon even though it’s not necessary for this assignment but i figure it would be fun.

On a side note i should probably learn how to paint better…

Der Phantasie sind bekanntlich keine Grenzen gesetzt. Aber muss man gerade zur Waffe greifen, wenn man seine Notfall-Werkzeuge braucht, um den PC aus einem Koma zu holen? Ich sehe schon die Schlagzeile von Tilt: “Polizei erschoss Zeugen, …

…der eine Uzi-Nachbildung auf dem Schreibtisch liegen hatte.” Oder durch die Gepäckkontrolle am Flughafen bringen wollte. Ironischerweise stammt die Datenwaffe aus der Heimatstadt der Rassenunruhen, Los Angeles. Dort bastelte die “Rap Group” ihre Maschinenpistole, deren abziehbares Magazin den USB-Stick bildet. Wichtige Infos wie Kapazität und Preis? Scheinen irrelevant zu sein. Ich schieß mich tot…[rm]

[Übergizmo]

USB-Unfug: Weihnachten naht

Das vielleicht coolste USB-Gadget des Imperiums

Mixtape 2.0

Räucherkerze für den USB-Port

Mit USB Haltung halten

Der tauchfähige USB-Stick

Steampunk-USB-Stick die zwote

A new family member came!!

As shown on UD website is this color:

Uzi: metallic silver w/ big iridescent sparkles

Its a very sparkly eye shadow. u can even see the glitter bits! Under normal light, it actually doesn’t really shone much, but when i went out of my room, i suddenly feel my eyes to be very glittery! a very pretty eyeshadow! See the glitter bits below!

Forgotten to swatch it but i did a sample on it!

Ain’t it pretty? (i mean the eyeshadow )

(i haven drawn eyeliner nor mascara yet!)

Finally, a fucked up list compiled by S.D. alphabetically and numerically ordered of the ten crazy things I want to do before I’m 35 years old.

1. Tip over an outhouse while a nun is inside changing her tampon
2. Dump a full garbage can on an occupied baby carriage
3. Road rage on a limo with an uzi and a grenade launcher while blindfolded
4. Wash my balls in holy water
5. Take a shit in poison ivy while gargling baking soda for a middle school science project
6. Fulfill a a centegenarian’s last deathbed wish by fucking the piss out of her with a broom and dustpan
7. Eat raw roadkill
8. Get a tattoo of two guys screwing just below my navel
9. Make a special appearance on Jon & Kate Plus Eight where I’m Kate’s new boyfriend and I have a fetish of masturbating everytime Jon walks in the door
10. Do jumping jacks while eating Apple Jacks and playing jacks inside a jack-o’-lantern

Don't worry, I'll lead the way.

These past few days have been honey-dripping slow for myself personally, and my absence on Friday can only be explained by a majority of albums I just thought weren’t worth my while.  I’ve truly scoured the net for hours on end looking for some hidden gems, and with the inadvertent closure of some of ‘Highly Evolved’s’ best music resources, things have been gobb-smackingly quiet. I delightfully awoke this morning to find myself adrift and at ease. Comfortably, I oozed towards the desk chair and opened up my browser. I know, I know, comments aren’t usually important, but I’d just like to blow my own trumpet and announce that I got a response for one of my reviews from THE ACTUAL ARTIST/S THEMSELVES!!!

So!

Further details, check out my review on “Dirty Days” by ‘Flea Market Poets’. Enough of that, onwards, and I’ve been patiently listening to “Headworms” for the better part of five-days now. “Headworms” is an album full of surprises, eclectic musical compositions, and is a refreshing mix of acoustic, alternative, with a touch of indie, some electronica, and albeit minor, shoegaze. Check this:

"Headworms" - 'Uzi & Ari'

Last night was a total blast – 6-hours of blissful entertainment, emphatic bass, and a general assortment of drunk and hallucinating individuals and assorted fellows: and what an eighteenth! I got into some heavy music conversations with my partner, Michael Hodder, and the discussions ranged throughout the night into the very wee-hours of the morning. The general conversation consisted mainly of our shared pain about our limited music resources:

“… I’m completely shattered,” I’d began.

“Utterly shattered…” he’d reply.

And that was that. Somewhere, although the mind wavers at this current hour, “Headworms” cropped up unexpectedly. Although the connections between ‘Arcade Fire’ are thready at best, ‘Uzi & Ari’ share with them one unique quality – and unmistakably, that’s time. Some albums, more specifically some tracks, just hit you like a ton of bricks. You either like them or you don’t, to be honest. For me, my introduction to ‘Arcade Fire’ dates back a few years ago with “Neon Bible”, and it took me a solid month to really appreciate all its qualities. In this sense, “Headworms” isn’t an album that you’ll suddenly like overnight, it takes dedication, and coming full-circle, it takes time.

Maybe I’m just trying to find an album so desperately to review, I’m unsure, but “Headworms” keeps you at the end of your tether, forever climbing upwards. Each and every time you listen, a totally new aspect of a track, say, or the lyrics, is realised – new perspectives come into focus. “Headworms” is an album full of exploration and re-discovery.

Musically, ‘Uzi & Ari’ bare a strange likeness to another one of my favourite bands, ‘Sigur Rós’. Okay, okay, lyrically, they’re worlds apart, but composition-wise, ‘Sigur Rós’‘ multi-instrumentation is something that ‘Uzi & Ari’ do share quite frequently. Where ‘Sigur Rós’ maintains a consistent post-rock-esque vibe with their music – their awe-inspiring vocalisation and spine-tingling guitar – ‘Uzi & Ari’ complement with string and brass for a generous mixture of sound. Of course, no two artists are ever truly the same, but these core elements – despite their differing incarnations – are fundamentally the same. With “Headworms”, you can expect both elec. and acou. guitar, and what drew me to the similarity between this and ‘Sigur Rós’ in the first place is the utilisation of brass, like the tuba, or the trumpet, from a perspective other than jazz. It’s really great, I thoroughly enjoy the dark, foreboding nature of the tuba, it’s a fantastic scene-setter and  mood-maker.

“Missoula” opens for “Headworms”, and it’s a sudden introduction, with its quick, tickling-strum of acou. guitar, building synth, and violin. What keeps the track together on a whole is not the instruments, but the vocals.

“… All good… children… go to heaven…”

Are the lyrics that make up the violin-orientated chorus. It’s these juxtaposing sounds which make “Missoula” such an interesting track – where the acou. guitar keeps this emphatic pace, the violin creates tension, anxiety and crescendo. With the arrival of percussion, an explosion of elec. guitar at the 3-minute mark sees a strong contrast with the track’s beginning. With the clash of acou. and elec. instrumentation, this wonderful anti-crescendo sounds its finish. This mind-blowing introduction is only the tip of the iceberg.

Where “Missoula” utilised a mixture of acou. and elec., together with the key-instrument violin, “Wolf Eggs” sees a shift from acou. back to synth. Here, the focus isn’t just the vocals, but the xylophone, the tuba. Again, much like “Missoula”, these instruments come together to bring into focus the final crescendo that is “Wolf Eggs”.

I’m going to jump all the way to “Headworms” itself, which is probably the most ‘Sigur Rós’ influenced song that ‘Uzi & Ari’ have to offer – and that’s mostly because of the flitting distortions between left and right channels, together with distant percussion and eerie-vocalisation. The lyrics:

“… worms inside our head…”

Are fittingly disturbing – and the music reflects that same quality. The ghost-like, ethereal quality of the track itself – not to mention the entire album – makes it my favourite because it touches on a myriad of instruments to create these epic soundscapes. I’ll finish by quoting from their www.last.fm summary:

“Rioting quieter than most, Uzi & Ari seems to essentially be the solo project of one Ben Shepard, of Salt Lake City… These songs are well fleshed-out by an assortment of accomplished musicians, each lending their own nuances to proceedings, but at this album’s core beats the heart of a single man only…”

It has taken me a short time to fully understand the creature that is “Headworms”, and in such a short time-span, it will probably take even longer for me to fall in love with it completely. It’s a rare album because of its refined quality and it’s dark, despondent nature, and where some albums have incongruously-placed tracks, here I cannot find any.

So!

Stand-out tracks: “Missoula”, “Wolf Eggs”, “Headworms”

Rating: 4/5

Until when,

The Enantiomorphic God

Al final paso del público (sé que hay público, veo las estadisticas de visitas), de su opinión (aunque pasan de visita, no dicen ni mu), y de todo.

Paso olimpicamente.

Y hago lo que me da la gana.

Como por ejemplo… COMPRARME OTRA COBAYA.

Por ahora se llama Dos, o Natillas (o ¿Dos Natillas?)… no lo sé, aunque da igual, acabará llamandose bola peluda, rata culigorda, bichobola y pelusona.

Es tímida, menudita y tiene los ojos más saltones que en visto en una cobaya en mi vida. O eso, o está permanentemente estupefacta.

Uzi la a acogido bien en el hogar, lo primero que hizo nada más verla, despues de olerla un poco, fue pegarle un fregao a lametones que la de jó tonta. Pobre Dos, encontrarse con una cobaya el doble de grande y maternal metiendole la lengua en la oreja al primer momento… Ahora hacen buenas migas, y hasta parece que le ha cedido la manopla naranja de dormir (quizas deba comprar otra, una para cada niña, jurjur)

Como Natillas (o Dos, or whatever) me parece muy pequeñita, iremos a incordiarle esta tarde al veterinario. Imagino algo así.

“- ¿Dos no está muy delgada, Veterinario?

- No, lo que pasa es que Uzi es un monstruo de la naturaleza.

- Y esto que tiene aquí en la orejita… ¿Será sarna?

- Esto es un cacho de acelga masticada que Uzi le ha dejado pegado al rechupetearla con la boca llena…

- Ay, qué bonitas son mis señoritas cobayas…

- Eh… uhm… nop…Dos… tiene… PITO!

- NOOOOOOOO

Uffff, no, espero que eso no pase. En la tienda miré bien, en casa miré bien, mi compañera de piso, que también entiende de cobayas miró bien. Dos no puede tener pito… DOS NO VA A FECUNDAR A MI UZI! ais, que me altero…

Y bueno, a falta de una “foto de carnet” de Dos, ella solita, os pongo una foto de la familia (de la higiene en familia):

PD. Todos sabeis que Uzi necesita tener un motivo,a ser posible inciso-contuso, para ir al veterinario, si no, no se queda tranquila… Pues hala, se ha vuelto a arrancar otra uña… Siempre tiene que quedar de estrella, coño.

Por todos lo que me conocen, aunque sea mínimamente, es sabido que tengo una cobaya, Uzi. Convivimos desde hace casi casi un año (lo hará el 23 de septiembre), y creo que nos llevamos bien y nos entendemos. Ella sabe que sólo con chillar conseguirá comida. Yo sé que con sólo abrir la nevera, ella se pondrá a chillar. Y en esta simbiosis sonora somos felices.
Hemos pasado grandes momentos juntas, viendo películas, pastando (ella, yo no) en los campos astures, correteando por la terraza de Villapingüino. También hemos tenido disgustos, como la rotura de los dientes, la mutilación de la uña, o el hecho de que no quiera comer pimiento, como las demás cobayas…

Pero de un tiempo a esta parte se han levantado voces (propias y agenas), que abogan por la adquisición de una nueva cobaya.

Los pros son claros:
- Uzi se sentirá menos sola y tendrá una amiguita con la que jugar. Además se aprovechará mucho mejor el espacio de la mansión de Falcon Crest que tiene por jaula mi ratilla.
- Podré enseñarles a ponerse a dos patitas al unísono, y hacerme de oro en el mundo de los circos de animales.
- Me darán el doble de amor rodeor (que es un amor muy peculiar, consistente en pegar saltos descontrolados y chillidos inconexos en los momentos de mayor regocijo).
- Además, la nueva cobaya puede aportar otro punto de vista a las críticas de cine de Uzi.

Los contras, haberlos hailos:
-Dos cobayas chillando a la vez. No hace falta explicar más.
- El doble de comida, el doble de pises, de cacas, de pelos…
- Menos espacio en el trasnportin, para los viajes ilegales en autobus.
- Que ambas cobayas se lleven mal y asista a peleas continuas tipo Street Fighter.
y lo peor de todo: que la cobaya que compre pensando que es hembra, resulte ser macho, y me fecunde a mi Uziquitos…

Por todo esto planteo una sencilla encuesta: ¿Debería comprarme una nueva cobaya?

Uzi también tiene algo que decir al respecto:

Por favor, colaboren en la toma de esta decisión. Gracias.

Nocha monga mierdistica, en vez de ponerme a hacer asignaciones, pues mejor me quejo aqui como buena llorona quejona mamalona.

Quiero mi carro ya.

Me arden los ojitos, quiero dormir.

Quiero una computadora que aguante juegos mas pesaos que los de N64.

Quiero mi carro ya.

Quiero mi pelito lacion y bello como de las chinas

Spektor callate, quiero tu voz, pendeja!

Orita compre doritos y se los comieron, osea, yo comi, pero yo queria pa ahora de noche, y no hay ya 

No pude dormir de tarde, eso es del diablo.

Uzi no tiene computadora

Ninja no se conecta

Este tipo no arrozconpinguea casi

Acaba de llegar  >C

Entra aqui, y pon el himno jalcoal

Eric Cartman (not real) standing in front of the legendary Casa Bonita (totally real)

Not that you care, but I just remembered this thread on Boing Boing I contributed to almost a year ago.   It started off as a spot where past and current residents of Denver (and the Front Range) could post about whatever they loved, hated, or barely remembered from their time spent in our fair city.  It’s kind of taken on a life of its own since then and is still going strong (it was posted to as late as yesterday).  If you look closely, there are quite  a few posts from Bonnie Burton and Kip Winger.   For what it’s worth, here’s what I contributed…

Wow, great thread everyone and a really fun topic. I moved here in the summer of ‘82 (right before the blizzard) and have lived all over the area (Arvada, Lakewood, Evergreen, and Denver) ever since. Here are some of my memories…

-Yes, KBDI, Channel 12 used to be a lot better, more edgy. Besides Teletunes, does anyone remember the Home Movies show and how they used to broadcast live from the Boulder Mall Crawl? I think it’s a pale imitation of KRMA now.

-Celebrity Fun Center, good times. Why can’t we have a place like that now? I liked the pool and water slides the best, but they had a great arcade. For some reason, I can still recall the arcade’s smell.

-How about the Denver Gold, the USFL team? My folks took me to see Alabama (for some reason) and one of their games one time.

-The UZI store? Wow. I lived with Mari’s brother for about a year. He always had a lot of Foreskin 500 albums around.

-So many great record stores…JB&H was great, I think I’ve been to every Twist & Shout iteration, the first time I went to Chicago as a kid I was like, “Oh, there’s a Wax Trax here too?”

-Casa Bonita, god, the food is so awful but I’m always down to go there a few times a year. We went all the time as kids. I even had my 33rd birthday party there.

-After the Gold Rush-um, OMG, I think that was one of my (then, recently divorced) Mom’s favorite haunts. My Mom really liked KIMN and I really liked the chicken.

-The Gothic, I’m glad it’s still around, but its vibe has changed considerably. I remember seeing Ministry there in 1990 and Nirvana open for Dinosaur Jr.

-The Wet Spot-sooo many post-drunk breakfasts, so many stories. It was sad to see it close down because of the memories and the fact that it was one of the last (maybe the last) example of a California-style diner in Denver. All of the Pete’s restaurants are still really good. Muddy’s and Paris on the Platte (and Poudre) are/were cool. Benny’s is still just about my favorite place for Mexican.

-I was almost too young, but I need to give a shout out to Cinderella City, Nathan’s, and The Organ Grinder. I have vague, but very pleasant memories from each.

Jake Jabbs and Dealin’ Doug are sweet, kitschy parts of our culture but, to be honest, I could go the rest of my life without seeing another one of their commercials. Why does Doug Moreland have to yell all the time?

-Finally, I was away when this happened, but can someone tell me why the Big Three networks stations played musical chairs at some point? I remember how channel 4 used to be the NBC affiliate.

And now you know a lot of my childhood trivia…use it wisely.