Billy Shears

[quote name='Clurr'][FONT="Arial"]I just bought a Hartke 60 watt half stack today. I'm pretty sure it's loud enough to power a show, but my parents would freak out if I played it above the low volume setting. The crunch doesn't sound all that great, and my distortion pedal sounds even worse. I'm hoping it's just the volume setting, though, or maybe I need to play around with the settings a bit. So, I'm hoping that with my new amp I'll be able to play some kind of show soon. EDIT: The distortion sounds a LOT better now. I don't know what changed but before it was very deep and thick, and now it's very clear. I love that I have the volume on 1 and I can feel the sounds vibrations through my chair.

[quote name='Kam'] Hinder=sonic ****. Crossfade=" ". [/quote] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Those bands are just Nickelback in disguise. Don't forget Finger Eleven and Chris Daughtry are just Nickelback, too.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Buckcherry. Seriously? [quote name='"Crazy *****"']Your a crazy *****/but you **** so good I'm on top of it/When I dream/I'm doing you all night[/quote] Trying to score some "edgy shock" points huh? Don't forget the song about being a porn star with a huge penis. Substance lol? Lemme guess, the next hit single is "Goddamn I Love Cocaine" from the album "All of Our Songs Are Explicit and Have the Same Stupid Riffs and Cocky Lyrics: Don't Forget to Say ****"[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='Kenshin DX'] I recomend all the Castlevania on the portable systems{GBA , DS). Not the horrible console ones.[/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for PSX? Sure, all the console Castlevania's were terrible, lol The PS2 installments were fun. The only "horrible" console Castlevania game is Castlevania 64, and after you got past the finicky camera, the game was actually very well put-together, and the level design was great. I reccomend any of the Phoenix Wright titles for the DS. Addictive gameplay, vibrant, colorful characters, an innovative, quirky concept, and some damn challenging puzzles round out this game. You could probably pick up a copy of the first one for 20 bucks. I believe the sequel is around $25 or $30. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"][quote name='Premonition'][COLOR="Navy"]I'm in no way shape or form, a guitar know-it-all. Half the terms said in this thread leave me at a "what?" the only way I know what you guys mean is if you told me. Now I don't sound very loving of my instrament, I like playing it, but I just hate it! I've played a regular guitar and it feels very nice to play, the bass gets a little boring becasue you can't really do that much with it and the low sound makes me droopy. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] Get acquainted with the terms quick or you will fail, since most guitar based debates are about those things. Most of the people you will encounter though are mindless goons who are way too attached to the brands they play. [SIZE="4"][URL="http://youtube.com/watch?v=8vdJvHE8qxA"][B]VICTOR WOOTEN[/B][/URL] SHOULD BE YOUR NEW IDOL BECAUSE HE CAN DO ANYTHING ON BASS AND IT IS NOT BORING.[/SIZE] Seriously. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I dunno, maybe I'm too big of a tone-snob, but most solid-state distortion just sounds plastic to me. If you turn any insignificant amount of bass into the distorted tone of a solid state amp, it turns super fuzzy and really muddy. I guess I have just played too many terrible sounding solid-state amps. My Vox was good, and there are some really nice Randall heads that are solid-state and sound nice, but most of it is a big no-no. I'm pretty particular with my strings. I look mostly into somewhat brigter-toned strings that last a long time. I hate changing strings so much. My Strat is equipped with Ernie Ball Super Slinkys (.009-.042), the Les Paul with D'addario XL (.010-.050), and the Dot Semihollow with D'addario XL (.012-.053) I like the grey Dunlop picks, either .77 or .88 millimeter thickness, but most of the time anything will do. As for tuning, standard is good, with the exception of the Dot dropped a whole step for easy blues bending and such. I swear, anyone who bends their strings should at least play that guitar. It basically bends the strings for you.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I really cannot stand most metalcore. [B]As I Lay Dying[/B], [B]Atreyu[/B], [B]Underoath[/B], [B]Norma Jean[/B], etc. All the songs have the same familiar elements; drop-D/C chug riff with the double bass flourishes in the beginning, screamed verses and sung choruses, then poof! lame-***-no-talent-open-string-palm-muted breakdown. I don't understand how the fanbase tells the bands apart. And when the hell did [B]Nirvana[/B] become 'classic rock'?! I didn't get the memo. I was little when I first heard them, maybe 5 years old. When I think of classic rock, I think of, jeez, like the[B] Doobie Brothers[/B] or [B]Foghat[/B]. Not freaking [B]Nirvana[/B]. I swear, Kurt Cobain in spinning in his grave cuz of you damn kids. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I started out with a guitar my dad built. It was just a simple Strat copy, which turned out to be pretty good guitar. he used it until I was about 10 years old. It was all black at first, then he sprayed part of it grey, then my mom painted a silouhette of John Lennon's face on it. He gave it to me, along with a Vox Pathfinder 15 watt amplifier, which was an awesome practice amp. After the wiring on that guitar went haywire, he gave me a Squier Strat, which in a few years, I took off the neck and forever screwed the action on it. I played on and off, picking up songs and chords here and there for a while, and started seriously playing about 2 or 3 years ago. I ditched the Squier and got a real Strat, a 3-tone sunburst Standard. Still plays great. 2 years ago I picked up and Epiphone Les Paul in cherry sunburst. About 7 months after I bought it, it fell off a stand and snapped the headstock. During the time I accumulated the money for a repair, I snatched and Epi Dot Special Semihollow for 200$. Great guitar. Absolutely perfect neck. I repaired the Les Paul and replaced the stock pickups with DiMarzios. Now the thing sounds great. The Dot is next, hopefully installing some real Gibson pickups will breathe more life into it. As for amps, the Vox is done (bent input jack), so I bought a Peavey ValveKing 50 watt combo. Plain, 2-channel tube beast. I have alot of pedals too, but I will go in detail later. Songs I like to play: 'No One Knows' By [B]Queens of the Stone Age[/B] and 'Freewill' by [B]Rush[/B] @ Clurr: I wouldn't ditch that distortion pedal yet. Depending on what kind of Marshall you want to buy, you could use that DS-1 as an output booster. If you are buying a tube Marshall (I advise against solid-state Marshalls, especially the MG series, the cabinets sound like poopoo compared to other Marshall cabs), keep the DS-1 in your effects chain with the distortion turned all the way down and the level all the way up. It adds alot of punch and clarity to an overdriven Marshall. Good for solos/lead parts that require sustain. Just make sure you don't blow your eardrums.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='Bombu'][color=darkred]What do you mean by this? More realistic in gameplay and graphics, or in the sense that GTA is more far-fetched than God Of War. If something is epic, it means that it is big, bombastic, boastful. There is a common misconception that epic means medievel, swords, gauntlets and all that, and I can see where it comes from what with movie trailers and the like conforming to this archetype of setting, but in their own rights, both God Of War and GTA are epic. Realistic is a different matter.[/color][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I thought the sense of scale was extremely realistic in God of War II. When you were fighting a monsterous boss, the creature was faaking enormous compared to you. When you were up in the air in GOWII, you felt like you were miles and miles above the stratosphere. You could only do so much regarding scale in GTA, and I am in no way saying that game had a bad sense of scale, because it did. I thought GOWII presented its sense of scale better though. I will agree, GTA is an epic game in its own rights, and I think it was kind of a bad comparison. But to me, GOWII had a better sense of scale, making it more of an epic game.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"][U]DeadSeraphim[/U]- We should go see [B]Queens of the Stone Age[/B] together and drink. [U]2007DigitalBoy[/U]- I don't know why everyone here wants to electrocute you. I wouldn't. You seem like a nice guy, and have a halfway decent taste in music. We should go see the [B]Mars Volta[/B]. [U]RiflesAtRecess/ Goodbye, Face[/U]- Another guy who seems really nice and has a great taste in music. We should go see some of the absolutely garbage grindcore bands that live in our local areas and make fun of them. Everyone else whos posts have made me laugh, cry, got me angry, or confused the hell out of me, I want to meet you too. That is alot of people I want to meet.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][size=1]I haven't seen [B]Sicko[/B] either, but it definitely looks like it isn't going to sort of exploit people like [B]Farenheit 9/11[/B] did. That was the only part about [B]Farenheit 9/11[/B] that really irritated me. I felt that Michael Moore took these families tragedies and used them as 'sob stories' to further whatever political agenda Moore is affiliated with. I did feel bad about those people who did experience those losses, but it felt like it was too close to home the way Moore filmed their stories, you know? Michael Moore isn't a respectable man in my book because of that, but he has to make his point in his films somehow. But anyway, [B]Sicko[/B] does look like it is a fascinating look at the healthcare problems the U.S. faces. I would like to see it. @ Semjaza: Could you find a link to that story so I could read it? That is pretty goddamn bad (like you said) a near-third-world dictatorship almost has an equal healthcare system as the U.S.[/size][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I would have to say that God of War II was quite more epic than the first one. I loved the first one to death, but the second one had the sense of awe in almost every second. I was blown away by the [spoiler]Pegasus level[/spoiler], just because of the sense of speed and height. Regardless of the Greek mythology setting, it seemed more realistic than say, the GTA series. Anyone remeber the battle against Bowser in Super Mario World? I think that was pretty epic moment in a gargantuan game. :animesmil[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I will agree with DeathKnight and second his opinion about people using drugs recreationally. The old adage goes 'everything in moderation', so just let those people who want to get high on a Saturday night do their thing. Preach-y straightedge people are the worst.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="darkred"][SIZE="1"]Well, I will dabble in the marijuana every once in a while, and a beer or two never hurt, but I won't venture into the harder stuff because I am afraid to. I don't want a chemical dependency on my hands. My family tree has nothing but 'addictive' personalities, so I really don't want to end up like some of my relatives who are dependant upon things like cocaine and herion. I really don't have any desire to use any of those things either, just cause, weed can get you high enough! And the only reason I am not an avid pot smoker is because its an expensive thing, and I need to pay for car insurance and guitars and stuff thats alot of money. I am a pretty bad mooch when it comes to toking up, but like I said, its not often. I have to be in a comfortable enough situation and know the next day I can sleep in until noon and later talk to my friends who were with me about how my head was shrinking because I was so [I]unbelievably[/I] high. :^D[/SIZE][/COLOR][quote name='DeadSeraphim'][size=1][color=indigo][font=arial] Also, nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol.[/font][/color][/size][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]C-c-c-c-co-caine[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I like talking about my bands because I am an self-centered asshole. So here we go. [URL=http://myspace.com/musicforthehardofhearing]The Para-medics[/URL] A progressive-rock duo. It consists of myself on guitar and my friend on drums and bass. Having being limited to 2 people, we have asked a friend to play drums for us when we play live (which, regretfully hasn't happened yet). We are writing alot of songs, but we have around 6 completed songs, and we are working on about 5 more. Its a great band to be in, seeing as how both my friend and I draw musical influences from the same places. This allows us to really write whatever we like, which happens to be progressive-rock styled music. [URL=http://myspace.com/secondsbeforesunrise84]Seconds Before Sunrise[/URL] This is a post-rock fourpiece I am in. I play guitar. We recently recorded a 10 song improvisational CD, and we are going back to the songs and polishing them up and giving them more structure. Its a big departure from the Para-medics, where those songs are tough riffs to play, while trying to retain the sense of melody. With [B]Seconds Before Sunrise[/B], I try to square completely on the melody and emotion of a song, not finger-bending leads and rhythmns.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='DeadSeraphim'][size=1][font=arial][COLOR="Indigo"] So lately I've been listening to a lot of Queens of the Stone Age, who I'd say would probably qualify as the best, most diverse and most consistent hard rock band of today. Their latest album is just fun, man, and I recommend everyone gives it a shot. Of course, it's nothing like their previous albums but you know, that's business as usual for QOTSA.[/COLOR][/font][/size][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkRed"] [SIZE="1"]I planned on writing a pretty long post about how amzing [B]QOTSA[/B] are, but you already beat me to it. [I]Era Vulgaris[/I] has been in constant rotation on my iTunes. I like it alot (my signature/avatar show so). I'm excited about being able to go see them August 4th. It is going to be an awesome show. Their live album/DVD [I]Over the Years and Through The Woods [/I]showcases the impeccable live talent Homme and co. deliver. They is teh awesums. Anyways, in case any of you are curious, remember [B]Deltron 3030[/B]? New album dropping in 2008, I believe[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Pretty much the only electronica music I enjoy is Boards of Canada and Venetian Snares. Call me a narrow minded prick, but most other electronica music is terrible in my opinion. It all sounds the same to me, and I really don't understand all the different subgenres of the same thing. Boards of Canada sounds more interesting and Venetian Snares incorporates all these complex time signatures, so they sound different than all the other artists. And Kid Koala is a badass[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='The Boss'][color=darkred][size=1] I enjoyed basically the entire [b]Nickolodeon[/b] line up. Particularly [b]Angry Beavers, The Wild Thornberrys, Aah! Real Monsters, Hey! Arnold, Doug, Kablam![/b], and [b]Rocco's Modern Life[/b]. Also, [b]All That[/b] was a regular for me. I loved [b]Fox Kids[/b] and [b]X-Men: The Animated Series[/b] was amazing, and still is. So was [b]Spider-Man: The Animated Series[/b]. [/color][/size][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I will agree with all the shows you named. I secretly loved the Wild Thornberrys. I will argue anyone in person on how much it sucked, but inside, I can recite the entire monolouge Eliza says in the beginning.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]I like Battles too. They is good. 1.)[B] Queens of the Stone Age[/B]: [I]Era Vulgaris[/I] Amazing album. I think there isn't a more diverse rock album out there today. Josh Homme is becoming one of my favorite singers and he wrote some great, hooky riffs for this album. [B]QOTSA[/B] keep outdoing themselves with every release. Key Tracks: Make It Wit Chu, Sick Sick Sick 2.) [B]The Number Twelve Looks Like You[/B]: [I]Mongrel[/I] A very good album. I am afraid to say its a metal album, fearing Jakehammaren's wrath, so were just going to call it a *whatever*-core album (goddamn genres). The members are beyond talented at their instruments, and there is more of a melodic sense to the songs, regardless of all the screaming. Key Tracks: Imagine Nation Express, The Weekly Wars 3.) [B]Crime in Choir[/B]: [I]The Hoop[/I] Phenominal. I heard the title track at a friends house and bought it at the Virgin Megastore a while later. Its progressive rock in the sense of the song structures, but not in the sense of melody or legth. All the songs are easily accesable and aren't twenty minutes of weedly-woo prog-jerkoffery. Just some instrumental stuff and Zach Hill drumming like he has a billion arms and feet.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1][URL=http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/hotbrownhair/IMG_5229.jpg]Some time ago outside[/URL][/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]I really don't know. I think I just ran my hand thru my hair and let my girlfriend take the picture.[/SIZE][/COLOR] [SIZE=1][URL=http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/hotbrownhair/IMG_5228.jpg]The gang[/URL][/SIZE] [COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]I'm the retard on the far right in the black hoodie.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]"Make It Wit Chu" by [B]Queens of the Stone Age[/B]. There are about a million different versions of this song that Josh Homme has recorded under, but the latest version, on the new [B]Queens[/B] album [I]Era Vulgaris[/I] has the slickest production and an extra verse absent from the [B]Desert Sessions[/B] version. But, regardless of the version, its way too catchy. The chorus has been stuck in my head for days now.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]I'm knee deep in guitar-based riffing madness! [B]Don Caballero[/B]- For Respect The pauses in the beginning and Damon Che's amazing drum work never ceases to impress. [B]The F**king Champs[/B]- Never Enough Neck (Pt. 1 & 2) The bassless trio of harmony rhythmn metal have been in heavy rotation. Superb song structures. [B]Piglet[/B]- Bug Stomp Anyone fans of [B]Maps & Atlases[/B]? Just imagine it without vocals and a tad better. :^) [/size][/COLOR]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkGreen]Name: Chella Masoni Age: 21 Gender: Female Status: Citizen Faction: The Opposed Appearance: [soon] Personality: [soon] Weapon: [soon] [/COLOR][CENTER][/SIZE]---[/CENTER] [COLOR=DarkRed] [SIZE=1]I promise to you, I will finish this soon. I just want to have a spot reserved. :^*[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]"Carpe" & "Death Rides a Horse" by [URL=http://www.myspace.com/russiancircles][B]Russian Circles[/B][/URL]. Both are post-rock-metal crossovers and they are nothing short of spectacular. I have had their EP [I]Enter[/I] for a while now, listened to it and really liked it, but only put it on every once in a while. Now I listen to it pretty much every day. "Screamin' Eagle" by [B]the Desert Sessions[/B] (album: Vol I & II) has been stuck in my noggin along with [B]Russian Circles[/B]. If anyone knows about [B]the Desert Sessions[/B], it was a project started by Josh Homme of [B]Kyuss[/B]/ [B]Queens of the Stone Age[/B], who gathered a bunch of musicians and just wrote some great songs. Most of this album is instrumental, and i havent heard Vol. III-X yet, but I look forward to it.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]I've been on a [B]King Crimson[/B] kick lately, two of my three nominees are songs by them. "Red" and "Larks Tounge in Aspic Pt. 1" have been stuck in my head forever now. They are both guitar driven instrumentals, and they kick some major ***. Robert Fripp seems like an understated guitarist, and he needs some more respect in the modern community. The other nominee is [B]Hella[/B]'s "The Ungreatful Dead" from their new album [I]There's No 666 in Outerspace[/I]. The song is, to be frank, almost a blatant ripoff of the [B]Mars Volta[/B]'s style (which isn't really a bad thing), lots of dissonance in the riffs and the vocals are just a slightly lower pitched Cedric impression. But it is sort of a different departure from older material when they were just a duo. It includes vocals as well, which don't detract from the music, but don't really add anything to the song. They aren't bad or spectacular, just kind of there. [/SIZE][/COLOR]