Dear Friends,
The road to Rochester is paved with good intentions.
We had the intention of leaving at 6AM and left at ten to eight.
Bailey was given some hemp chewables and didn’t calm down for hours. Poor Dev had to deal with her anxiety. Eventually, though, she calmed down.
Rhondi drove most of the way. It was nice, but the car was super packed. We have a “stuff” issue, apparently. We his was not news to me.
We finally got to Hayden’s and he has a lovely little apartment with a few friends. It was nice to see him and we had a lovely dinner. Rochester is kind of cool little city.
*****
Today, we are off to Davenport, Iowa. 750 miles. Going to be a long day. The Midwest beckons.
Happy Tuesday to you all.
*****
One of the best 25 minutes (give or take) you can spend with a hardcore record is Monuments to Thieves by His Hero Is Gone. I got turned on to this one, most likely, by my friend, Aaron, back in the late 90s, probably around the time it came out. Like many of the records I have bought over the yeas and fell in love with, the CD didn’t leave my car for quite a while.
Over the last 26 years or so, I have gone back to this record from time to time and just fallen in love all over again. Last week, I shared it with my son, Liam, and he seems to really like it, too. He was in his room the night before rockin’ out and making up a hardcore song and I thought he should hear some of the best hardcore ever.
The funny thing, though, is that I don’t know a whole lot about the band or this record. I know His Hero Is Gone created one of the most compelling heavy, punk rock records I have ever heard. I know that I typically don’t like the style of vocals that are featured on this record (a bit growl-ish/cookie monster-ish), but on Monuments to Thieves, I don’t mind it at all.
So, I’m not going to pretend to tell you all about this record because I have no idea what any of the song names are or the lyrics. I’ve listened to it hundreds of times, this is a fact, but I’ve never really attempted to sing along. It’s not that kind of record.
Monuments to Thieves is the kind of record that made me want to play a little harder and scream a little louder. It’s also the kind of record that was there for me every time I needed to hear something that was angry when I needed to let off some steam. We all need records like these.
It’s easy to picture myself driving my old Nissan truck with this CD blasting from the stereo. I enjoyed listening to it on my way home from work back in those days. I was working for CASA and I often needed something to help me let off a little steam.
The nature of that job was such that listening to a vital album full of energy, angst, pain, and utter precision was a great way to blow off steam. As with many of the records I love, there are not any weak moments. Monuments to Thieves just fucking flows.
Because of this, I often turned it up really loud in those late 90s days when I was driving home to Ahwatukee. I never liked that drive, but a record like this one made it easier. It’s been there for me ever since, too.
One quick fact that I can share is that it’s not available on Spotify, which galls me. I have to go to YouTube, but luckily the record is so short that there are no commercial breaks. I guess that is not so bad. As a person who enjoys making a little money off of the music I’ve created here and there, I should Spotify, but it is just so convenient and easy.
I don’t know if His Hero Is Gone ever played Phoenix. They probably did and I definitely missed it, but I wish I could have seen them play. I’ve resisted looking them up because I wanted this to be slightly different, but as I type this, I am so curious if they went on to be in other bands.
I’m picturing the guys about the same age as me, maybe a bit younger, and still slogging it out in heavy, but awesome bands. It’s a notion that I enjoy. I have Fifteen Counts of Arson, too, but I always come back to Monuments to Thieves.
I suspect I always will…at least until Liam decides the CD is his and I have to spend way too much money on the vinyl.
*****
See you tomorrow.
The Road to Rochester is paved with AI.
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