I love Yinz newscasters…
http://twitter.com/#!/WPXIScott/status/104649492908875776
http://twitter.com/#!/AiXeLsyD13/status/104649783972597760
http://twitter.com/#!/WPXIScott/status/104650184226639872
http://twitter.com/#!/WPXIScott/status/104650840765247488
http://twitter.com/#!/AiXeLsyD13/status/104650558513745921
http://twitter.com/#!/PittsburghNews4/status/104651986217086976
http://twitter.com/#!/astockey/status/104650086373531649
…not that they’re sensationalizing or anything.
I read about this a while ago, and kind of put it in the back of my mind, and now it’s snuck up on me again. Being a food allergy advocate (or annoyance depending on your point of view) of sorts, I really ought to go to this.
I was excited to see this article today via the Food Allergy Daily: FAAN Walk for Food Allergy: Moving Toward A Cure Coming Back to Pittsburgh
This especially caught my attention:
The Walk is a non-competitive 2-mile course and participation is free. Families can enjoy samples from allergen-free food vendors, music and children’s activities. Joining us this year will be Sally Wiggin (WTAE-TV), and singer and songwriter Kyle Dine (http://kyledine.com), to educate and entertain with his songs about food allergies.
FoodAllergyWalk.org
Kyle Dine rules! Kyle is also a soldier in the #FoodAllergyDudeArmy (a covert special ops branch of the #FoodAllergyMomArmy) on Twitter. Of course, Sally Wiggin is also a local legend. The walk is taking place at Hartwood Acres.
At any rate… I know there are many many walks for many many reasons, but I see this as an opportunity to do something other than whine about food allergies on the internet and send restaurants annoying (and hopefully entertaining) emails about deathfish.
The article above also drops these fascinating facts:
Food allergy is the leading cause of anaphylaxis outside the hospital setting and the CDC reports that food allergies result in over 300,000 ambulatory care visits each year among children. Eight foods account for 90 percent of all allergic reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, etc.), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. Food allergy afflicts one in 25 Americans overall, and one in 17 under age 3.
The official FAAN page for Pittsburgh is here: FoodAllergyWalk.org | 2011 Walk in Pittsburgh, PA
I’ll sign up to walk as an individual, or I can put together a team if anyone’s interested. The individual suggested goal is $300. The suggested team goal is $1,500.00.
So, here’s where I ask for help. Does anyone want to donate, or walk with me?
Think “Team Deathfish” sounds like a good name?
I love Gooski’s. It’s a relaxing hole in the wall with a killer jukebox and ridiculously awesome honey BBQ wings. It’s always cool to play a place you’re so comfortable in, so please come out to this one, hang out, & have a fun time with Ernie and the Berts as we rock out with the Dirty Charms & What Else?.
Image by -ant! via Flickr
I’ve lived in the same apartment for many years. My wife has lived there with me for most of that time. I’ve seen several neighbors come & go from the apartment upstairs… but they all make noise. Not just “normal” people walking around noise, but crazy “what the hell are they doing up there?” kind of noise.
The latest tenants are very quiet to see them outside, but at home in their own domain, they are noise monsters.
This is a list of things that I’m absolutely sure they’re doing if I’m to guess by sound alone:
I’m sure there’s more going on. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Sometimes I’m hurt that we’re not invited to join in on the incredibly fun-sounding activities. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
It makes it interesting when this stuff occurs at 11:00pm, especially the stairwell activities… because their staircase goes right over top of our bed.
Anyone want to help me set up some cameras?
How cool is this flyer?
So, last night I broke my normal “school night” routine of hanging out at home (or at least getting home by a decent time) to check out a local show that I could not resist. If you’ve read the blog, I’m obviously a Dethlehem fan. In addition to those medieval fantasy knuckleheads, the Pirates that “crashed” their CD release party were on the bill; The Bloody Seamen (apparently known in some circles as The Flying Dutchmen). I’ve been wanting to check those cats out for a while, so this alone was a no-brainer. The other band was The Approach & The Execution. They’re out on tour from Cleveland, OH… but we won’t hold that against them. The place was Howler’s, and I know it well. Bengt is a hell of a sound-guy. I haven’t exercised my photography muscles in a while. All of the right ingredients added up to getting my lazy old musician behind out to a week-night show.
⚔☠⚔
☠ The Approach & The Execution ☠
These guys were up first, and they just ripped it all apart right out of the gate. I’m pretty sure there were 5,692 guitars on stage and their lead cat went through all of them… even knocking one from the stage to the floor at one point. There was screaming, there was “woah-ing”, there was shredding, there was thunderous drumming, there was harmonizing vocals, there was dueling leads, there was even muscle flexing choreography. The one highlight of the set for me is when the one dude on vocals & guitar was playing a show soulful lead… and the dude next to him was shredding circles around it. It was later in the set, and I hope that song’s on the CD that I picked up, The Blood March. These guys were incredibly tight, & played really well off of each other. Apparently they had some setbacks in the way of van trouble and had to have AAA & some friends bail ’em out. They had a vehicle-less trailer out front. Hopefully they make it to their next destination tonight, so they can melt the faces of the next group of new fans! (Interestingly, I popped the CD in on the way to work this morning… and heard keyboards & a chick vocalist… neither of which were at the live show. I’m only 3 songs in so far, but I wonder what’s up there?)
These dudes are hardcore. They show up in full pirate regalia, and don’t break character easily. I even got a “business scroll” from Captaine Blackguts when inquiring about obtaining some recorded material! For all I know, these cats really are pirates, and have a ship docked somewhere on the Allegheny river. (Although, the one guitar player Cheswick looks a lot like the guy from Deathmobile/The It’s Alive Show…) This is a band of buccaneers that knows how to work a room, and work it they did. They definitely put a gleaming sharp metal edge on some really catchy drinking songs, with fighting, fornicating, plundering, and treasure thrown in for good measure. They seemed to cross musical genres with some straight up rock and some more funky/groovy stuff. Any band with a guy named “pipes” that plays the accordion, what think was a fife or some kind of small flute, and the bagpipes alongside screaming guitars is cool in my book. These guys know what they’re doing. I bought a T-shirt because no CD’s exist yet. I had sort of hoped they’d bust into “Friggin’ in the Riggin’” or “Whiskey in the Jar“, but alas… they were more original than that. I will definitely be at more of these guys’ shows. I just hope they weren’t distracting us with awesome swashbuckling metal as the rest of their crew picked our pockets and stole our women.
☠ Dethlehem ☠
Have I told you how much I hate these guys? I mean, they have people that come out to their shows in costume. How cool is that? That’s fan dedication! Bovice and Hildor make seemingly effortless movements across the fret-board that put me under a musical spell. I wish I could unlock the secret to that power… or had the patience to practice like a madman. Davidicus is indeed a wizard with the low-end, weaving together the ridiculous guitars and Brom’s pulverizing rhythms while managing to still have a voice of his own. Lord Bonecrush commands your attention as he’s belting out tales of their conquests. He even let a guest get up to help belt out “Blood Forest”. Slaying orcs and harnessing dragons is hard work, but these guys have the time to do it, then to tell you about it. They follow a rich oral tradition as old as the first hunter coming back and telling how he captured his prey to provide dinner for all, and you’d better appreciate it. These warriors are going places. I expect a cartoon series, live action movie, a graphic novel that transitions into a monthly series, and some damn stickers, patches, and pins soon. I believe a side-quest with the Bloody Seamen is inevitable. I vote that it gets put out on vinyl as well as digital download.
⚔☠⚔
As stated above, I got some photos from the show. I have them up on Photobucket and will probably eventually have them all on Facebook too.
Photobucket:
Grid View | Slideshow
Facebook Photos:
The Approach & The Execution | The Bloody Seamen | Dethlehem
Here are some Photobucket highlights:
Sun. 08/14 @ The Fallout Shelter:
☢ Ernie and the Berts
☢ Hopeless Otis
☢ The Awful Waffles
$5 / 21+ / 9:00pm
Click the link for details & links to the venue & other bands.
I’m pretty sure this is illegal, but I see it happen all the time. Can someone of authority weigh in on this? Opinions are of course welcome, but if you’re going to claim why it’s legal/illegal… you have to give me some kind of backup.
Let me describe the scenario with the help of an illustration thanks to Paint.NET, Google Maps, & a Google image search…
This is a dick-move.
We’ll pretend I’m the blue car, behind the white truck, and in front of the little yellow bastard.
The white truck is trying to make a left at the light, only problem being (use your imagination here) a flurry of automobiles in the other 2 oncoming lanes coming forth with less than a car-length in between them, and at a speed well over the posted 25MPH limit. (Never-mind that here the middle lane switches traffic directions depending on the time of day – that’s a whole different ridiculous issue.)
Of course, the truck is forced to stop in what I would like to consider the middle of the intersection, causing frustration to rise exponentially for each halted vehicle behind the pale horse of immobilization.
As the truck plays the waiting game, and I hone my skills with the Force trying to will a break in traffic to allow him (or her) to turn and more importantly get out of my way… the impatient arrogant bastard behind me decides to honk the horn.
Honking the horn when one is stuck in traffic is the action of a self-absorbed angry little person. A honk is expected & appropriate if someone cuts you off, someone’s sitting at a green light, or backing into you. A honk is inappropriate when everyone is stuck, & no one can go anywhere.
Now, I know this indignant troll of a human being wanted me to take the path of the green arrow above… which is a common Pittsburgh driving move. I’m sure it happens elsewhere too, but it’s quite common around here. I believe said move is not only illegal, but also quite dangerous. I know passing on the shoulder is discouraged if not illegal, and doing it in the middle of an intersection isn’t the best idea.
It’s dangerous for the following reasons if you must know, traffic troll:
If you think of any other reasons why it’s a bad idea, please let me know. If you can show me a link where the laws concerning such vehicular interactions reside online (especially for PA), I’d love to pass the link along to the honking trolls out there.
If you’re a traffic troll, I’d like to express to you that all you’re doing is putting the person in front of you in danger, as well as potentially yourself, and adding to the aggravation levels of everyone around you… when they’re already sufficiently aggravated.
This has been brought to you as a public service announcement warning against the dangers of traffic trolls. I’m sure PennDOT and the State Police would get behind this if they read my blog.
You’re not a traffic troll, are you?
So, the warriors of Dethlehem have dropped a second album, aptly named The Ghorusalem Codex Vol. 2: Of Magick and Tyranny. (This would be a follow-up to their 2009 disc, The Ghorusalem Codex Vol 1: Enthroned Upon A Spire.) If you’re a fan of metal, or a fan of chaos involving things like trolls and dragons and wizards… you need this album.
DETHLEHEM | The Ghorusalem Codex, Vol 2: Of Magick & Tyranny
Listen to this and try to tell me I’m wrong: Dethlehem “Hypergates of Infinitude” It’s one of my favorite tracks off of the album.
I’m big a fan of their first album, but this one blows it away in terms of recording, production, and overall album cohesiveness. The interludes in between songs have become a much better over-all narrative to help guide you along the quest. (The full story is coming soon to their website.)
Bovice and Hildor are the six-string men-at-arms, and the musicianship here makes me sick. The guitars are ridiculous, it’s almost too over the top… but with what Dethlehem has going on, it needs to be ridiculous. I’m talking shredding, sweeps, blazing riffs, and all manner of fretboard insanity. If I didn’t know these guys, I’d hate them… they make a punk rock power chord chump like me almost too embarrassed to pick up a guitar. Luckily for the Ernie and the Berts fan(s), I have no shame.
A slight lineup change on this album, Davidicus the Black replaces Galagore… not sure what the official story is, if Gallagore was eaten by a dragon or transformed into a toad by an evil witch or what. Davidicus is a wizard, and adds a dynamic both in story & in playing style. You can hear less doubling of guitar parts by the bass, more restraint where called-for musically, and stomping all over the place where appropriate.
Overlord Brom bangs on the drums like nobody’s business, and even my untrained ear can tell there’s all manner of math going on here with time-signature changes. This is not 4/4 rock n’ roll. Plus, when he plays live… he starts out with a bucket-like Helmet on his head where it must be impossible to see anything. (By the way, funniest character voice ever in the narratives.)
Lord Bonecrush has developed what I can only call a battle-hardened confidence in his vocals. While they were strong on Vol. 1, on Vol. 2 they’ve progressed to a point where any shred of vocal uncertainty is gone. The vocals are honed sharp like any good weapon should be before going into battle… yet there’s a double-edge… clean for slicing backed up with growling with a ferocity akin to aurally ripping you asunder. The backing vocals also stand out a little clearer on their own on this one… not sure who’s where… but it’s all done sparingly, tastefully, and appropriately.
While not a technical review by any means, I hope to have conveyed the overall feel of the album, and to have piqued your curiosity.
These guys put on an incredible live show… I suggest you buy the album to learn their songs, and then go see them when they come to plunder and pillage a venue near you. I’m not sure if you can fully appreciate the epic-ness through just a recording or video. They’re on tour now if you can catch them!
(In the interest of full disclosure, this may not be a completely objective review… I do know the guys, and they awesomely thanked me in the liner-notes of this disc… But I’d like to think that those who know me know I wouldn’t push crappy music on anyone.)
World (and Lunar) Domination 