He’s a record producer now, but I find his blog to be as mesmerizing as I wish this one was (no comments, peanut gallery).  A combination of ‘found’ photos, ‘found’ sounds, music gear, music trivia, philosophy and insights – honestly, it’s why creative people should have a blog and update it often (again, no comments from my regulars).  Go check it out, there’s tons of interesting stuff to pore over (I especially liked the ‘La Sexorcito Vol. 1′ as a synced soundtrack to the original ‘Star Wars’ article – gonna have to try that now).

Check it – www.jyuenger.com

That being said, my lovely friend Vanitas turned me on to a great T-shirt site called Tshirtbordello.com. Lots of nerd-ish goodness there, especially if you like zombies, Sci-Fi movies, H.P. Lovecraft (!) or in the case of this little beauty HERE, Spinal Tap. Awesomeness, total awesomeness.

Another shirt site I’d recommend checking out, and a lot more controversial, is the notorious T-Shirt Hell. Rude, tasteless but still funny in a “OMG, I totally shouldn’t be laughing” kinda way – these guys make blasphemy an art form & slurs against any group on the planet practically an Olympic level event. Here’s a prime example that is definitely NOT SAFE for work (you’ve been warned).

So check’em out, and t-shirt up like the good Reverend does. Everyday is casual day . . . IN HELL.

Splendid Chaos did outstanding renditions of a lot of popular rock artists including Nickleback, Puddle of Mudd, Eve 6, Bush, Sublime, Rage Against The Machine, Saliva,  Zeppelin, even some decent originals as well. Very polished & tight performance had the crowd going, especially with the versatile vocalizations of singer Mike Hall, who had an almost chameleon-like ability to adapt to the artists they covered.   Folks, I’ve probably heard hundreds of bar bands in my day – these guys are easily in the upper echelon.  Check’em out at the link above.

Sadly, I could only stay on the island a very short time but it was still good to bask in the sunshine a little.  I’ll be very busy over the next couple of days but know that I am working on CD reviews of some bands you may not have heard yet (Kopek & Locusta for example) as well as one that I’m sure you have (Iron Maiden!).   I’ll also be reporting back from the 7th annual Rock N’ Resort Music Festival so stay tuned, mmmk?

Let the games begin. . .

For instance, check out this little beauty;

www.fvza.org – That stands for the Federal Vampire & Zombie Agency.  Your tax dollars hard at work, I’m sure.  [pay close attention to the fine print, those of you who fanaticize easily].

If that doesn’t whet your appetite, perhaps you should try the Temple of the Vampire, who for a nominal charge will send you some nifty reading material (and maybe ownership of a bridge in Brooklyn, can’t be sure).

Or one can just trot over to Chickipedia – LOVE THAT NAME, BTW – and read up on Joe Donatelli’s list of sexy vampire chicks. I have to say, it’s a decent list considering he ignores Vampirella – possibly the single hottest Vamp chick EVER! Ah well, no accounting for taste I guess [no pun].

So if you ever stop by here, and wonder why I haven’t updated for a while, consider the above as but a small sampling of the deviant behavior that precludes me from putting a post up more than 3 times a month!

Enjoy tonight responsibly everyone.  Take a cab, have a designated driver, ride the bus – just don’t drive ’cause a weekend in the drunk tank is a definite buzz kill.  And we all know there can be even worse consequences if you choose to drive, so be smart. . .mmk?

Hope 2010 brings us even more of an upturn in the economy, some great concerts throughout the year and perhaps the return of Ozzfest.  I hope everyone over 18 gets some sexy romance type action UNLESS they’re directly related to me, in which case a handshake and a hug will do just fine.

May 2010 bring us peace on earth, good will amongst the tribes of the earth and a complete programming overhaul on MTV.  I hope everyone’s deeps wishes come true this year provided you’re not a psychopath, pedophile or a totalitarian egomaniac.  May Stephen King, Anne Rice, Clive Barker and Neil Gaiman keep writing at an astonishing clip and may anyone attempting to perpetuate ‘Twilight’ – type teen/supernatural offerings spare us their efforts & take up gardening instead.  May I get off my own ass and finish any of my numerous fictional projects as well.

Thanks for showing up here and reading my posts.  I appreciate it. .  .but feel free to send cash all the same.  Happy New Year & God bless !

Exhibit A – Nuclearblast records, home of too many legendary metal bands to name. If one takes a glance at the new release section (which I must confess to drooling over often), an interesting trend unfolds. The enigma of the Mail-order edition.

What is that, you say? Imagine your favorite artist releases a new CD. No longer is there just a radio-friendly version and a Parental Advisory version (or PA version as I found out so very long ago). Now we have other options such as vinyl editions, digi-packs and numbered limited editions available only via. . . say it together, mail order. These uber-collectible editions are often $100 bucks or more but include goodies that a true fan would sell his liver to acquire; hand-signed booklets, figurines, posters, banners, laminas, necklaces – hell, it’s like the contents of a Hot Topic are being included in the latest boxed releases. And while this can be a fanboys wet dream, I’m seeing a secondary effect I’m wondering if anyone besides myself has considered.

A typical music enthusiast can’t possibly afford ‘limited’ releases of every band he enjoys, so he has to prioritize. So say there are maybe 5 bands he’ll spot-on buy whatever comes down the pike. So Joe the Metalhead wears his shiny new ultra rare, collectible [Insert Band Name Here] necklace to his next concert & guess what? Other guys who either bought that same package or at least considered it, recognize the necklace for what it is & seek out Joe as ‘one of them’. Ta-da – a gang is born. A modern techno-shaman has just found the first followers in his new cult.

Now this kind of segregation is hardly new – Manowar fans have beaten the shit out of ‘posers’ wearing the wrong t-shirt for years. But this new twist is corporate based segmentation. It’s an artificially stimulated polarization of the crowd-pool controlled by marketing departments, not a fresh swell of support for emerging talent direct from the underground.

Where will it all lead? I haven’t a clue. But since KISS is pandering everything from condoms to caskets these days, they truly could amass an ‘army’, even if the majority of their soldiers are old enough to need walkers. And how much good comes from large crowds that are so easily persuaded, hmm?

Y’know, it’s gonna be Christmas soon. I’ve gifts to purchase. Bills to pay. Beers to finance. . .

Fuck it, it’s Thanksgiving Eve tomorrow and I’m going to Zombie! W00H00!! Tickets are bought and ride home pre-arranged. GAME ON!