Dear Friends,
So, Saturday night we played a show and, for a while, I wasn’t sure if I was going to lose my shit or not. I had a lot on my mind when it came to Doug during the day that day and I wanted to play a good show in his honor. When we got to the show, though, that all went out the window.
It was nice to see a few friends there. Everyone was very supportive and it’s good to know that people have our back. It was a decent crowd, too, and being that it was a fundraiser, it was certainly nice to see some money being raised for a good cause. The thing was, though, that a lot of the younger bands that were playing were idiots, as well as just terrible bands, so I learned something about myself.
What I learned can be summed up like this: Get off my lawn.
The kid bands were so bad, and they were just so clueless at how to be a band playing a show that I don’t ever want to be in that situation again if I can help it. I’m going to be the older dude that just plays select shows with people who have some etiquette and that will be that.
Burn Victim was really good, though, and so was Bright Sunshine. I love watching Eric, Jx, and Chris do their thing with Bright Sunshine. It is supremely entertaining. Burn Victim was short and powerful, too. Their sound is so huge now with the extra guitar player.
I missed Joint Chiefs, which I was bummed about, but it was still good to see Anthony. Next time we will get to see each other play. As for our set, I think we rocked it, as usual, but fuck those younger, scream-time bands. They are lame.
*****
Yesterday we had a nice long Freeze practice and figured out our shit for playing in Denver and Colorado Springs next month. It’s going to be a long effin’ drive, but we’ll survive. The set is going to be ridiculous, too. People are going to shit twinkies.
*****
I was pleasantly surprised to see that first half of the Cardinals game. They looked halfway decent. Either the Rams are really, really bad or the Cardinals have a chance to make some noise this year, especially on offense. I got to watch almost the whole first half before going to pick up Liam and then visiting Granny.
Granny is good, by the way. She’s shrinking at a rapid level, but eventually I may just be able to slip her into my pocket and bust her out of that assisted living place. I think she weighs about 60 lbs now.
*****
What does today have in store? I know not, but I like Mondays. It was a weekend of mystery and revelation on the Maine/Doug front, so I’m guessing the new week will be more of the same. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Or maybe I can.
I don’t know yet.
*****
mclusky is one of those bands that I don’t exactly recall when I got into them. I think Alex turned me onto them originally, but even that might be a stretch. It could have also been Shane. Either way, I found their first couple of records to be super interesting.
Do Dallas became one of my go-to skateboarding records in 2009 and 2010 when I had my ramp in the backyard. Sometimes I forget that I had a ramp. I don’t think I would classify mclusky as a skate band by any stretch of the imagination, but the energy of Do Dallas is seriously infectious.
I bought the ramp for $100 from a guy in Gilbert, Arizona. He even delivered it for that, too. It was quite the deal, or at least I thought it was. Rhondi didn’t think that much of it except to curse it.
It was a fun little ramp. Only eight feet wide, but it had really nice transitions and helped me get a lot better at skateboarding for a while until I blew out my knee on a different ramp. Prior to that, I would go out in the backyard and skateboard almost daily.
We had these huge trees on the west side of our yard at the time and they would keep our yard fairly cool in the afternoons and early evenings. I had a little CD player, and I would take different music out there. One day, I took mclusky Do Dallas and it just worked. I loved skating to that record.
I have a very clear and vivid memory of hitting play and standing on the deck preparing to drop in while the first few seconds of “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues” jumped out of the small speakers. I would drop in and do my first of many runs that day to the dulcet tones of three dudes from Wales.
mclusky must have been a huge influence on all these newer British post-punk bands like Idles and their ilk. I don’t know if I realized that until right now, actually, but if you like that new wave of British post-punk, give Do Dallas a spin and tell me that your favorite British new post-pun bands aren’t just wanking off mclusky.
The previously mentioned “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues” is a great opener and a great song, but the band is just getting started here. The lyrics on Do Dallas are highly entertaining and many of the riffs are catchy as hell, too. mclusky may have wanted to come off like they didn’t give a fuck, but I’m guessing they really gave a lot of fucks.
“To Hell With Good Intentions” is another heavyweight contender, too. I love the way the band approaches this song. It could be way more serious than it is and still has been super great, but it just hits all the right buttons without sounding pretentious. I bet the fellas in mclusky knew they were onto something good when this came out.
“Day of the Deadringers” is super cool, too, and so is “Dethink to Survive.” Actually, there are no weak moments on Do Dallas for my money. It’s all worth listening to and I hope the band comes back and does another US tour. Would be a shame to miss them.
This is definitely one of those records you have to figure out for yourself. mclusky doesn’t’ make music to be considered by jokers like me to be anything more than something that rocks. The band clearly makes music that makes you feel something, but what that feeling is depends on you.
Check out “Alan is a Cowboy Killer” and see if you don’t laugh. I dare you.
*****
See you tomorrow.
Alan the AI cowboy.
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