bones

I can't help but realize that every time I look at a picture like this I see how likely I am to help myself more than helping those I could reach out to. I can't imagine how angry I would be if I was a father to one of these children and came and saw what we have sitting in grocery stores across America. We have food readily available but we don't lend a hand as much as we should. I can't imagine what one whole grocery store could do to save the lives of these people.

Out of sight, out of mind. I am so guilty of this. Not in any way am I trying to preach or try and take a stand for some organization. Its just sad. I sit and look on craigslist for things I could pick up or look online at trips I could take. And right now, I'm just wondering where the hell I get off wanting to buy things that cost so much and could instead save so many lives.
So my questions are...
Is it wrong to live the way we do here in America?
Why doesn't this bother us as much as it should?
Are we still human if we do not help?

metro

So I'm looking online this morning and realize that what I've wanted to hear happened last night in Chicago. I'm relieved and floored that they are actually doing this and making it happen. This is something to definitely look forward to hearing and seeing in the near future.

"Them Crooked Vultures - the megawatt supergroup of Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones-- made their live debut last night at a Lollapalooza aftershow at the Metro club in Chicago. A small group of very lucky fans snapped up the show's tickets in three minutes; they got to witness Grohl back behind the drum kit, with Homme playing frontman."

"...the heart of the sound owed a lot to that band's brand of hypnotic but intense stoner rock, as well as to the more spacey and bluesy sounds of Homme's earlier group, Kyuss."

board

I have to say its great to have full beard again.
With Gabe's beard gone I now have no competition around.
Sounds trivial but these things have come to matter in our group.
Very excited for the weekend as its Bart's B-Day and Ghent Day w/ Zach, Benji, Gabe, etc. I also will be able to sleep in both days for the first time in a while. That's definitely something I'm looking forward to.

New song finished last night.
Very much looking forward to the new Logic Studio upgrade we're getting here in next week or two which will make things a lot easier and better sounding for us.
The upgrade includes Amp Designer (25 amp heads, 5 EQs, 10 reverbs, 25 speaker cabinets, and 3 mics) and Pedalboard (includes 30 stompboxes also).
Cannot wait.

mint

Love this bass rig...
Mint condition.

1970’s Sunn Sceptre Head w/ Sunn 4×12 Vertical Cabinet.
All tube 60 watt head (6550 power tubes)
w/ tremolo and reverb.

hyena

This has been an eventful two days.
With the lease and new space,
the car accident and day off yesterday,
and the new songs written (5) and these intense thunderstorms we've been having. The space is coming together slowly but should be complete by the end of this week. A couch, lamps, and a minifridge are the only things we need right now I believe. Writing there has worked out really well so far and its provided us the right environment to be productive and creative.

The other night, a close friend of ours who does photography professionally invited a few of us over to come hang and have a few beers. Matt has worked with several large publications and has a depth of knowledge of photography that I could only hope to achieve.

While we were sitting in his living room that night, he decided to hand us a book or two of photography based off what we were in the mood for looking at. I ended up with a book in my hands called "The Hyena & Other Men" by Pietro Hugo. I rarely look at photography books but this one specifically caught my interest immediately. I had asked Matt for a book that would surprise me and this book did not let me down.


Inside were pictures of men with hyenas and baboons leashed like dogs in the slums throughout the Nigerian countryside. These men are a part of a family who capture and train these animals to live in docile environments with them. Once they have become tame after one to two months of training, the animals are used in what is more or less a circus side show that the family has run as a way of making money for three generations. There is much danger in handling these animals from an outsider's point of view, but they believe that they are unable to be hurt by the animals due to incantations they recite and potions that they bathe regularly in. The are known around the country as the "Hyena Men".
I became enamored with this story and the pictures taken after looking through it. In one night, I realized what I had been missing out on by skipping over or skimming through photobooks over the years. Sometimes a book with flawless and utterly jaw-dropping photos can be more impressive than any song or sound. I suggest you check out the book for yourself.