Billy Shears

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"][B]A Silver Mt. Zion/ Tra-La-La Band[/B]- God Bless Our Dead Marines. Empowering song, despite the minimalist arrangement/ production. It consists of drums, cello, violin, piano, vocals, all being played seemingly carelessley. The vocalist, Efrim Meinuck, is not the best singer, but the words he sings wouldn't make as much imparct if they weren't sung that way. The music evolves into a fiery, sort of Celtic jig-style rhythm, then falls back into the beginning melody. After a section of the vocalist "losing" things, it turns into a singalong round of "When the world is sick/ Can someone be well?/ But I dreamt we was beautiful and strong." A stark, hopeless contrast to the charged beginning. Makes you want to cry.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]wuts goin on??/ srsly i dnt get it. u guys r gonna do it? ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='Kam'] James Dewar- the Robin Trower Band: Now, I have a weak spot for blues-rock from the late 60s, and this guys hits that spot. [/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Nice. I think every one in the Robin Trower Band is underrated, and I would have never thought to mention them in here. Congrats Kam, this is a class-A pick.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]"Ilyena" by [B]The Mars Volta[/B]. So catchy, so amazing. The new drummer, Thomas Pridgen, makes this song. Their new album, [I]The Bedlam in Goliath [/I]leaked last week, and it is everything I wanted it to be. Incredibly epic, challenging, relentless, and a sound reminiscent of all 3 previous albums rolled together. 2008DB, get on that **** now![/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"][B]Pink Floyd[/B]'s "Us and Them"- I can go from relaxed then to very anxious, especially during the part where David Gilmour is talking about war. You kinda feel like a grunt in the army being sent into battle. [B]So Many Dynamos[/B]- "We Vibrate, We Do"- The ultimate dance song to me. It's really off-time and a little obnoxious, but you can still dance the **** out of this song. [B]Tom Waits[/B]- "Soldiers' Things"- Very sad song. Its about a woman whose husband died in battle and now she has to sell all his old posessions. Actually, come to think of it, all Tom Waits songs can evoke some kind of emotion. Lots of songs also evoke jealousy, because there are certain riffs or bits of songs that make me think, "goddammit, why didn't I write that?" And finally, a song I have a hard time listening to [B]Kermit the Frog[/B]- "Rainbow Connection"- I am completely serious too. I don't know why, but this song gets me every time I hear it. I feel this weird happiness/extreme sadness. It may be really lame of me to kind of break down every time I hear a puppet frog sing this, but I dunno. The lyrics call for something that will never happen, but you'd swear once that song was finished, you were ready to change the world for the better. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='Clurr'][FONT="Arial"] This is what I was planning on doing for my band for drums, so it's good to know it works. Bass and drums are obviously different, but I've already had one band practice doing this and it sounds fine. A question, though, are you using a separate bass amp for this or are you playing it through your guitar amp? I don't have the means to acquire another amp (not even a crappy little 15watt one, which I know is not stage wattage anyway), so I'm having to play the drums through my own 60w half-stack.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [COLOR="darkred"][SIZE="1"] They are plausible ideas, but I just don't see any of it sounding good. First off, having pre-recorded drums is going to look and sound bad. Unless you have a pro-quality track of them, its going to be hard for them to actually be heard over everything else and have them sound clear enough for the crowd and you. Second, running it thru your half-stack along with the guitar will make everything sound pretty cluttered. If you do go along with the pre-recorded drums, try and use a separate amplifier and them mike it up if there is a PA.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="darkred"]Out of the few TV shows I watch:[/COLOR][/SIZE] [IMG]http://www.conchords.co.nz/images/small-holding.gif[/IMG] [SIZE="1"][COLOR="DarkRed"]If anyone knows about them, it is a folk/hiphop/funk/rock duo from New Zealand trying to make it big in New York City. The first season was hilarious, and I am only hoping for better in the second season coming up in 2008. Best sitcom of 2007. The humor ranges from dry to outright retarded. If you don't have HBO, buy the 1st season on DVD. You won't regret it.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Later babe. You were the smartest one on the Music, Movies & TV forum along with me and Kevin because we are the best. [IMG]http://www.dvdtown.com/images/displayimage.php?id=6285[/IMG][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="DarkRed"]The good thing for my band is that we display some originality and talent to keep the crowd in shape. Dude, you are in a metalcore scene, with no originality whatsoever. Regardless of what you say, I won't care, because I know it is fact. Thats what pisses me off about metalcore. You listen to the same song over and over. But anyway... There needs to be something to keep the crowd going. If you want no one to talk, don't pause in between songs. Make noise, have a drum solo, who the hell knows, but do something to keep all the attention on you. Have other members put more energy into their movements. Don't just have them stand, have them run around like ****ing lunatics. I think my band rides on kind of a gimmick, since it is a gangly white guitarist who is mediocre (me), and a gangly black drummer, who is amazing. There is bass, but it is played thru an amplifier with an MP3 player. During our shows, no one is talking, just staring. I don't want to sound like a jag-off, but we put on a good show. I go nuts, dance around like crazy, try and get the crowd to clap, get close to them and *almost* hit them with my guitar, do something to keep them on edge. The drummer is like an octopus and he is always going full-on. You need to convey some original energy to get the crowd in it.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Xbox 360- didn't even ask, but OK! Came with the 10GB hard drive, Forza Motorsport 2 (yawn) and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (yes!) Boss Giga Delay delay pedal- for guitar. You loop stuff with it. You can play a 23 second (!) phrase and it can repeat it, repeat it backwards, etc. Cool ****. Boss OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion pedal- gives you distortion for the guitar. Needed one. Cables- once again, guitar stuff. Needed new ones of these as well. Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same- sweet DVD, no more lame, half broken VHS version. Corduroy jacket New boxers Car maintainence kit- window wipes, spray, polish. My girlfriend bought me a really cool Police t-shirt (the band) and some new pillows. My old ones are all stained from drool and sweat. She and I were tired of looking at them. And then I got like 100$ in cash and assorted gift cards. You know, for how much divorces suck, you always have a huge haul on Christmas. Kind of a perk to being a child subject to divorce.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='Premonition'][COLOR="77656"]I skipped right to the ast song, I was enraged. A message in silence? What is it? Waste time to hear a message that I couln't hear. But the first mintues were great. And I agree about Capilarian Crest[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]It's a fan message by Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, about a minute before the song ends. And if you say anything negative about Josh Homme I will find you and eat your soul.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I don't have as much to contribute as you Kevin, but I'll try. [IMG]http://media.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/stoneage.jpg[/IMG] [B]Queens of the Stone Age[/B]: [I]Era Vulgaris[/I] Every [B]Queens[/B] album sounds completely different from the last, but yet have a similar air of familiarity, and [I]Era Vulgaris[/I] fits this description, but in a way, doesn't. That may not make sense, but I challenge you to listen to [I]Lullbies to Paralyze[/I] then [I]Era Vulgaris[/I]. [I]Vulgaris[/I] sounds so much more cocky, in-your-face, and not as sad, but it still is [B]QOTSA[/B]. Great record, awesome, catchy choruses, some truly warped riffs, and "Make It Wit Chu". Best song of 2007. [IMG]http://superhumanoids.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/niggytardust.jpg[/IMG] [B]Saull Williams[/B]: [I]The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust![/I] With the aid of Trent Reznor, [B]Saul Williams[/B] crafted one of the most angry, innovative, and strangest hip-hop records ever. The method of distribution was like Radiohead's In Rainbows, but done better, with tons of artwork and sound quality options if you donate money for downloading it. Listen to the first song, "Black History Month", its quasi-acapella structure and the infectious chorus. Its super out-there, and definitly not what you hear on the radio now. The song "Tr(n)igger" samples pieces from Public Enemy's "Welcome to the Terrordome", and is a challenge to those who want to start change, with lines like "you wanna start a revolution/and blame it on the institution" and then evolving to the chorus "the trigger is you/the nigga is you". Saul puts on a pretty faithful cover of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday", full of grating synth, making it like a underground call to arms. [I]NiggyTardust![/I] also reminds me of the hip-hop version of [B]Tom Wait's[/B] [I]Rain Dogs[/I], especially on the song "Skin of a Drum". So much texture lies in the songs. My favorite song "DNA", is probably the most chill song on the record, but maybe the most powerful. Saul's voice is dropped several octaves, so its very deep, and the beat in the background makes this sound like the devil rapping. The song is an attack on the materialism of the mainstream hip-hop community and how some of those artists have "Led us to despair/ some into prayer/ and they won’t let up until they got us worshipping them false gods instead of The Realness". From the lyrics, the fantastic production, the artwork, and the whole album having creepy vibes pulsing thru every song, [I]The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust![/I] might be my favorite album of this year. [IMG]http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Mu+YOfERL._AA240_.jpg[/IMG] [B]Bad Brains[/B]: [I]Build a Nation[/I] [B]Bad Brains[/B], where have you been?! Why have you kept this wonderful record away from us for so long? This is the orginal line up (H.R. and Dr. Know are working together again) and they have crafted something that is twice as heavy, twice as fast, and just as entertaining as their early material. I like that H.R. can still pull of his distinctive vocal style in songs like "Jah People Make The World Go Round", yet swiches to his authentic, Rastafarian voice for reggae workouts like "Natty Dreadlocks Pon The Mountain Top". The album's songs flip-flop between speedy hardcore punk workouts with the heaviest bass you will hear to lighter, ethereal reggae songs. Also, Dr. Know isthe best punk guitarist ever. Everything is perfectly balanced in this mature record. Excellent. What excites me for 2008? [B]The Mars Volta[/B]: [I]The Bedlam in Goliath[/I] From the four songs that have leaked, [B]TMV[/B] fans are about to be blown away.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Avant-garde metal is stuff like Octis. If you want some neat-o avant-garde metal, look up anything with Mick Barr in it, especially his collaboration with Zach Hill from Hella. You should really stop pulling genres out of your ***. :catgirl:[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='The Blue Jihad'] The level design of Galaxy holds nothing to previous Mario games. I miss short-cuts that weren't spoon-fed to you. Like in Super Mario 3, when you had enough runway and the Raccoon or Tanooki Suit...amazing stuff happened there. [/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]This is the only discrepency I have with your post. Where are there short cuts that are "spoon-fed" in Galaxy when you named pretty much every short cut in any Mario game with the ability to fly? How is having the Raccoon Suit/Flying Feather and flying thru the whole level amazing?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]One side would slant in and this would be on it: [IMG]http://www.bibi.org/box/2004/novembro/escher_hands.jpg[/IMG] MC ESCHER FTW. (Good, random idea for a thread Boo. :^P)[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Is anyone else loving the ability to shoot the Star Bits? Being able to sort of snipe enemies really adds a new angle to the gameplay. I love the way you collect them too. Goddamn, everything is so intuitive! Moving from planetoid to planetoid adds a frentic pace. What annoyed me about old Mario games is, "you die, you start over", especially in extremely hard levels (STAR ROAD >:^O). But with this, if you fall in a black hole, you just restart on that planetoid. It relieves alot of the frustration that came with other Mario games. As for the camera, I got used to it in about twenty minutes. The only nuisence when you first start is jumping on enemies. After a while, you will be pro, though. Trust me. Everyone without a Wii: [/SIZE][/COLOR] [IMG]http://www.geo-trotter.com/afrique/images/haha.gif[/IMG]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I usually tend to hang out with my friends. Our style normally consists of us in pants and shirts. We act like mammals (eating, breathing, the like) and we do normal people stuff (work, school, hobbies). We hate each other.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I love [B]Led Zeppelin[/B]. All very, very talented men. John Bonham is hands down the most bombastic drummer there is. Every single hit you feel. Jimmy Page gets my respect for experimenting with alternate guitar tunings and noises (at a crowds' expense). John Paul Jones is a fantastic, multi-talented bass player who actually wrote the legendary "Black Dog" riff. Robert Plant is a good singer, but when he indulged in his talent, it was too much. My dad says he is basically a chick with no tits. He's okay in my book though. Mothership isn't really nescessary to me. I have most of their albums. I am glad to see them reunited. It was long overdue. The idea of having John's son Jason take over behind the drums is a lovely and touching idea. Sure, it ain't John, but its the next best thing. As for my favorite Zeppelin song? [B]ACHILLES LAST STAND[/B].[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='The13thMan'][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I most certainly am a heterosexual. But i'm in no way a manly man. I don't have a problem acknowledging that i think another man is attractive, outloud or to myself. The reason i know that it's just an appreciation and not an attraction is because i could never see myself doing anything even remotely sexual with any man ever. That grosses me out. [B]I only like one cock, and that's my own.[/B] Feel free to quote me on that one. I've never really been in any awkward situations because of sexual orientation. If someone calls me gay i kinda just reply unexpectedly with a nod and a sexual advance. Then the guy freaks and i laugh. It's all in good fun. Of course, when the serious question arises of my sexual orientation i always give a straight answer... pun intended. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Truthiness. I have basically the same opinion you do. It isn't awkward for me to say that another guy looks handsome, but in no way is that ever meant in a sexual way. I think people who are "confused" about their sexuality think too much. They don't really do any soul searching; they kinda just go along with what others think/say. Its always the best when someone can admit it and not hesitate. They get some respect in my book.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[IMG]http://www.armchairempire.com/images/previews/wii/super-mario-galaxy/super-mario-galaxy-6.jpg[/IMG] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I can't wait. Orchestral Mario music will rule all life.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I've gone trick-or-treating almost every year. Free candy and an excuse to hang out with a ton of people are reason enough to dress like a fool and walk for hours. I never really did the typical "teenager" thing where you TP houses or egg cars. Those are saved for more inconspicuous days...:smirk: As for ghosts and such, yes, I do believe in paranormal things. I've seen apparations and such, along with alot of my family. They have never really frightened me, just piqued my interest. I am pretty interested in the urban myths about haunted places. If you have ever been somewhere and you felt something paranormal, you are scared but intrigued. That is why it is so fascinating.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="DarkRed"][quote name='Jakehammaren'] But [B][COLOR="Red"]YES! I FINALLY UPLOADED MY NEW SONG!!![/COLOR][/B] It was actually too long for Msypace, so I had to cut in in half and post it in two separate parts. It's titled "Oaken Halls of Sorrow", and it clocks in at 13:37. That's right. My song is 1337. I'm so N1NJ4. [URL="www.myspace.com/gallowbraid"][B][U][COLOR="Blue"]GALLOWBRAID[/COLOR][/U][/B][/URL][/QUOTE] I really enjoyed it. The vocals are good in the mix. The only downside is the guitar being a little muddy. You should probably check the EQ curve and boost the mids so it will cut through the mix better. But other than that, it was a great listen. What recording program do you all use? I am pretty fond of Sony Acid 6.0 and the open software Audacity. Both make quality recordings. (P.S.: My band, The Para-medics, has a song named "Blow the Balls off a Rhino". Its 15 minutes. SUCK ON THAT :^]) (P.P.S.: Add us on MySpace: myspace.com/musicforthehardofhearing)[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"][B]Light This City[/B]. They played a show with [B]So Many Dynamos[/B] and [B]The Number Tweleve Looks Like You[/B], and they are basically a rip off of [B]Arch Enemy [/B]but the singer is kind of cute. She wasn't a good vocalist though. The screams were to inconsistant and the lows sounded too forced. Both LTC and Arch Enemy are pretty terrible in my eyes. Alas though, the redeeming factor for Arch Enemy is Michael Ammott (sp?). Total badass. He sort of makes up for it. Embarrising fact: It really sucked is when I saw that show. My friends girlfriend was heckling them, and it made me want to kill her. She was hurling insults one by one, and I wanted the goddamn thing to end. After the show, we saw the singer go up to her and have some girl-on-girl-wipe-my-sweat-on-your-face action. My friends girlfriend didn't say a word the rest of the night.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='Goodbye, Face'][font=arial][size=1]Okay, my two cents. I don't listen to popular music. You know this. I'd say about half of the bands I listen to are either battling the fact that they cannot afford to keep pressing records so their stuff doesn't go out of print, or aren't on a label. A lot of these bands, such as So Many Dynamos, are fans of P2P. I was talking to this particular band about it, and they are personally uploading their album to these places for people to "steal," finding that it increases turnouts for their shows, and therefore more record and shirt sales. Most of the bands I've talked to agree with this. If they have labels, it's usually different though. The label is (supposed!) to promote the band so that they can make money from the band's success. In this respect, downloading music from that band can only negatively affect them. They aren't supposed to need the advertising factor of the downloads, and not everyone who downloads buys a cd afterwards. But I mean, I still feel extremely guilty for not having a hard copy of every album I truly love. [/font][/size][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I have to agree with you, seeing as half of my iTunes are things my friends have downloaded and no one knows about. Lesser known bands that I've talked to are ok with downloading/burning CD's among people too. The guys in Philly's [B]Pattern Is Movement[/B] told us personally, "just buy one copy and burn it among you guys, just as long as you like it, we don't give a ****." Little rambling sidenote: everyone would love to make money off of their intellectual property, but if you are on an indie label and you [I]aren't[/I] making music for the sake of people hearing it, you have no point being on an indie label. :animeknow I'm glad musicians agree with downloading things, because that is another solidified fan. Since these physical copies of records are hard to obtain, most people are left with two things: A) several people without credit cards and such (like me!) can't purchase from an online record store, so our resort is B) wait til they swing by on tour and buy a copy from them directly (I did that with [B]So Many Dynamos [/B]to be exact, Kevin. Saw a show, downloaded [I]Flashlights[/I], bought a copy when I saw them again). If it is a band that I like and I know I can stroll into Best Buy and pick up a copy of their latest record, of course I will do it. One more great album for the collection, plus the liner notes. But if I have to wait another year for the ****ers to hit up Chi-Town, I'm downloading it first, buy later. Almost all people who go to local shows do that. EDIT: Imports. Imports are almost impossible to get too, unless you want a day of searching every local record store.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Forever my Favorite: [B]The Beatles[/B]. I've listened to them too much, learned too many things, watched too many videos, read too many books, and delved into the world that is The Beatles for them not to be my favorite band. #2: [B]The Mars Volta[/B]: It was the most original, bombastic, uneven-yet-sensible eargasm I heard in a while. They sure have staying power among fans (see Deus ex Machina), and have produced some fantastic, mindblowing things on a disc. #3: [B]Frank Zappa/ The Mothers of Invention[/B]: The musicians' musician. I reccomend him if you are a musician, because if you aren't, it will be total ****. If you are, you will see the quirky, eccentric genius of the moustachioed maestro. No joke, the guy came out with 80+ albums. He's a genius. CONSTANTLY ROTATING LIST THAT I WILL PROGRESSIVELY ADD TO WITH FUTURE POSTS: [B]Queens of the Stone Age[/B]: Josh Homme & Co. have thrown some righteous jams this side of the music world, and they keep going. They can be compared to The Beatles, seeing as how no two songs sound completely similar, yet you know its QOTSA. The revolving lineup keeps things fresh too. [B][U]THEY ARE STILL HEAVY, REGARDLESS OF NICK OLIVERI'S PRESENCE, AND MONDO GENERATOR SUCKS[/U][/B].[/SIZE][/COLOR]