(the) feelgooddrag

The streak is over, my friends…

Spring Break. Freshman Year. I am excited to have a break… to come home and relax… watch the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, my body had other plans. I got sick within the first two days of break and in no time I was "yakking" a few times a day. I have always despised "throwing up" and those few days were no exception.
Fast forward just over two years. It happened. After a seemingly innocent BBQ burger at Red Robin, I returned home to tend to a few tasks before I climbed in to bed. About an hour later it hit me. I guess you don’t really want to know details… but, the streak is over. I’m quite upset about it. I have to start over and at this rate I may never match Jerry Seinfeld’s streak.

"two years down the drain"

There’s one band that is really important this week, and that band is The Forecast. I don’t remember exactly how I discovered this Victory Records band… myspace, purevolume, or absolutepunk? All that really matters is that they are good. I ended up purchasing their debut album last summer and was impressed. Though not one I really listen to all the way through… everytime; I thought there was some definite potential in this band. Matt Webb (guitars/vocals), Dustin Addis (vocals/guitar), Tony Peck (drums), and Shannon Burns (vocals/bass) really capture what Midwest indie rock and roll should be. The Forecast is a hard working blue-collar type of band. With a small town mindset fueled by family and friends, they fill each song with emotion pulled from their roots in Illinois.
Today they released their new album, "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen". I feel it is a much stronger effort than their debut. If you know me, then you know how much I love female vocals and Shannon really exceeded my expectations on their new record. She has a very strong voice that balances well with the men in the band. “And We Will All Return To Our Roots” really displays her vocal abilities and is definitely a stand-out track for me. The rest of the disc features guitar solos, driving drumwork, harmonicas, and a little bit a spoken word to wrap up the album. So click the banner to listen to a few tracks from the album and then go pick up the disc sometime this week. please.

work. day 2. inventory. traffic. more inventory in VA Beach until 7:30.

Best Buy for AVA and Boondock Saints Special Edition. Listening to AVA right now. enjoying it.

Michael Peca is the man.

After reaching 2500 friends on myspace… I have decided it’s time for a cleansing. Phase One is now under way.

(Sara | Tegan)
Now for the long-awaited… I mean… now for Tegan and Sara. Here’s a track from each album plus a live cover of The Boss.

click here for Tegan and Sara goodness. (Once again… make sure you have winRAR if you download the tracks)

and to answer your question, Sean:
yes and yes. but not together.

This is going to be short because I’m tired… 

Started work today in Tech Services. Interesting so far. Today I picked up some equipment and did inventory on a bunch of monitors, keyboards, and mice. CPUs tomorrow and I get to "sleep in" until 8:15!
I ran after work. That makes me feel good about myself… probably won’t run tomorrow.

Finally found the latest Mates of States album. It’s called "Bring It Back" and I enjoyed the first listen. I previewed a few of the tracks when the CD came out and the rest of the disc did not disappoint. You should purchase it and then proceed to listen to it.

So I can’t think of anything else, but I’m sure there was something I wanted to say. Well… maybe some Tegan and Sara tomorrow.

at last… an update.

I’ve spent the past week contemplating an update… so I figure now is a good time.
I have been home for a week now and I have kept life relaxed. On the way home, however, I had to make a pit stop in Appomattox and spent $350 to get my car checked out and fixed up. No sweat. I played PSP while they worked on my Explorer. I was back on the road and home before I knew it.
Blake came home and we were able to hang out quite a bit… movies, batting practice, and bowling. For the past couple of days I’ve been doing nothing… unless playing PS2 counts for something (which it doesn’t). Also have been watching the NHL playoffs, which have been kind of a bummer, but still exciting. Casey returns next week so there may be some entertainment in my future. Also beginning next week: only the second job of my life… ever. After six long summers of construction in one shape or form, I am ready to move on. I’ll be working for Towne Bank in its IT Department. So I guess that means I get payed to be a computer nerd. I’m sure it will be very interesting and I will learn a lot. I actually have to wear nice clothes and stuff which is quite a departure from sleeveless shirts and old shorts out on the construction site.

So… music. I’m pumped about Angels & Airwaves, which will be released May 23rd. I could have listened to the whole CD about nine times by now, but I wanted to save myself for the release date. The few tracks that I have listened to have done nothing but build up the excitement. A couple of months ago I said I was looking forward to +44 more than AVA, but I think that statement may be false these days. You can stream their entire album over at their MySpace page if you would like.

Just finished listening to Matt Pond PA’s latest "Several Arrows Later" and I enjoyed it. I recently found out he’s coming to the NorVa so I’m stoked about that.
I think for my next post I’ll prepare some Tegan and Sara for your listening pleasure.

It’s late and I need to get in the habit of going to bed earlier… wish me luck. 

So most of us are midway through exam week. Which means studying, cleaning, packing, and maybe some more studying. When, or more like… if I’m studying I like to listen to a band called hammock. Great ambient instrumental type stuff that keeps me relaxed. I even listen to this stuff when I’m trying to fall asleep. So grab these tracks that I have for you and turn hammock on the next time you need to relax. I would.

 

four hammock tracks (make sure you have winRAR) leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

I’m going to let you in on a secret of sorts. I sincerely hope you have heard of the band Sherwood by now, but if you haven’t here’s your chance. They released their debut album almost a year ago and are now ready to release an exclusive online EP. Thanks to AbsolutePunk.net we will be able to download this EP starting tomorrow, May 8th. Sherwood’s sound is perfect for the summer and I can’t wait to get my hands on the new material. So do yourself a favor and download this EP [here] as soon as it becomes available. 

There are some days where I just don’t want to be awake. Today was one of those days. Allergies are often my worst enemy and today they made me tap out. I mean, it could have been worse, but constantly sneezing and wiping my nose (often without a tissue) is not how I like to spend my day. I guess there was at least one highlight. I put up 80 points on Miami in Madden 2006. I’m currently in my second season of Superstar Mode. Matt Benson, Wide Receiver out of Georgia, is in his sophomore season with the Chicago Bears. I have built up a powerhouse defense and am really working on the running game. Thomas Jones has been doing well in the backfield, while Cedric Benson has not shown the consistency I need in a feature back. yadda yadda yadda… you probably don’t care.

I’m drawing a blank right now. You should listen to some good music. I’m listening to muse right now, whose new album "Black Holes and Revelations" hits shelves on July 3rd, and I’ve been listening to "Unglued" by Fair (see previous post) a lot today.

I leave you with one of my favorite clips from one of my favorite shows ever: Clone High… 

So the weekend is here. It’s been an interesting week.

I’ve been editing two projects and am not as far along as I would like to be.

I lost my wallet for 24 hours… but it’s safe with me again.

Now the 2nd round of the NHL playoff are upon us. The playoffs have been quite exciting so far and in the West all of the top 4 teams were eliminated in the first round. As of right now the Senators are up on the Sabres (we may see a ton of goals scored in this series) and the Avalanche square off with the Ducks @ 10. Lets go Avs.

 

There is a band out there that you need to know about this year: Fair 

For the past couple of years Aaron Sprinkle has been one of my favorite producers. He has worked with the likes of: Eisley, Anberlin,  and Emery. He released a solo CD not too long ago, but know he is back with a full band and I am really enjoying what I have heard so far. Their CD, The Best Worst-Case Scenario, will be in stores on June 6th on Tooth & Nail and I really think this one could be one of my top 10 albums of the year. Unfortunately I don’t have a download for you, but czech them out on purevolume for now. "Unglued" features the lovely ladies of Eisley and should surely be a stand-out track on the album. So please give them a listen and tell me what you think.

 Well… Avs are playing. I’m out.

Here’s an unedited video of Bosc’s "will it ever end". This was filmed at the Drowsy Poet on April 20th. At this moment I’m working on cutting together a video for "evolve". This will have more of a music video feel to it. Different clips and different angles… stuff like that. enjoy: