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Cleveland, Good Times, Sports

Weekend End Wrap Up

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I end my weekend tonight watching The Rock on TNT, you know Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery and bio-hazard chemical warfare fun.  I am not interested in the Oscars one bit and NASCAR has overlapped on to my Seth MacFarlane Sunday night ritual…  Not as exciting as I wanted tonight to be but I will deal with it.

I watched a couple of movies over the weekend that really entertained me…

First up was Zack & Miri Make A Porno.  This movie was rude, crude, and hilarious.  If you have not seen it and are a Kevin Smith fan, or even a Seth Rogen fan, check it out.  I laughed my ass off.  After the movie my wife went to bed and I decided to check out the deleted scenes.  While funny they lasted almost 2 hours!!!  It was longer than movie itself.

This morning I checked out Jason Statham in Death Race.  The glorified Fast & The Furious kept me entertained with the dark action, but that was about it.  I liked the concept of the movie and it kind of freaked me out because I could totally see it happening one day…

My weekend was not spend in front of the TV entirely.  I admit it was relaxing and I could have gotten more accomplished but sometimes you need a weekend off.

In an attempt to be productive I went to Big Lots! this morning to get some dog treats and just see what junk was around.  I walked past what looked like a bn of junk DVDs and thanks to curiousity having the best of me, started looking through the titles.  Good thing I decided to do that because I found Singles and Reality Bites for $3.00 a piece.  Score.

I also have been cooking/baking a lot.  In an attempt to save money I have been trying to eat out less and make interesting meals at home.  Some of my meals have been next to delicious while others need some help by yours truly.  For example the chilled peanut Chinese salad was ruined when I added a wee too much garlic salt into it but the oatmeal walnut chocolate chip cookies were a great success.  Earlier in the week I fried up tofu and added it to a spicy dirty rice…delicious.  Next up I am trying what Kelly & Jose over at Sensory Overload had the other day.

This week looks to be a good week.  I am getting a free meal at the Texas Road House thanks to my employer.  I helped move some 300 computers last month and as a thank you they are taking me out to eat with some of the other guys that helped me out.  Good deal.  Friday I am going to my first hockey game ever and hope to see the Lake Erie Monsters win.

So that ends my weekend.  Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage saved the day…

Good night Cleveland and the rest of the internet world.

Art, Artist, Derek Hess, DVDs, Empty Wallet, Movie, Music, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Rap, Toys

Empty Wallet: New stuff to keep me entertained.

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So the holidays are over, the presents were unwrapped, and even though I was happily satisfied with all the J-Day gifts I received I felt as if I lacked items for entertainment purposes.

I was a good boy, I done no wrong, in fact this was the first New Years since I was 12 I was completely sober so I think that means presents for me from me.  I am just looking for some excuses to buy crap…

Now it is show and tell time.  Lookie what I got/have/own…

First up is something I hesitated to buy because it was not something that I needed at all.  Hell, none of the items I recently purchased were things I needed…  Anyways, I am currently the proud owner of a MC Chris action figure.  The thing is poorly made, can’t stand up on it’s own, does not move, and was not designed to do anything.  It just lays there motionless, with no desire to entertain; but here is the kicker… it is awesome.  It is so awesome that it now is one of my favorite non-animate objects that I own.

The only thing this thing could do it hurt someone if you threw it at their head.
The only thing this thing could do is hurt someone if you chucked it at their head.
It came packaged with styrofoam in a brown box. Classic.
It came packaged with styrofoam in a brown box.

Why would I dare say something so poorly made is awesome?  Well it reminds me of a toy you would find from the early 1900’s at your grandparent’s house, something you would look at and scratch your head at.  I really think I have a piece of treasure here and to prove it I bought it for $25 from the MC Chris website and now it is on the very same site for $75 (they are claiming to have 3 left).  Why the price increase?  Well it seems as if there are only 50 in existence as the 450 others were lost in the order according to a bulletin that MC Chris had posted on MySpace.

Derek Hess "Noose Proof"
Noose Halo

Next up is a Derek Hess print I have had my eyes on for a while.  Last year I interviewed the Cleveland rock artist and remember questioning his affordable prices.  He wanted to make sure he sold his work at prices that people without a lot of money could afford.  Well I am without a lot of money and I love his work.  I was actually buying a print for my good friend for a belated J-Day gift and could not help myself in getting one for my own house.

This is my third Derek Hess print I now own and I know I have many more to acquire in the future.  I have already framed it and will place it accordingly in my dwelling so that all can see.  One day I hope to have an original piece in my collection…baby steps for now.

If you would like a print for yourself you might want to act fast as this offset print is limited to 300 and I scored numbers 204 and 205 for myself and said friend.  Once 300 is reached it will be sold out and very difficult to find.

For my media pleasure I picked up a copy of the hilarious DVD Pineapple Express. If you have not seen the movie yet I promise you some foul mouthed stupid humor plus a little bit of action.  The duo of Seth Rogen and James Franco are perfect for this derranged adventure involving two stoners.

Watching the movie last night had me rolling.  I enjoyed it a lot more than originally when I saw the movie in the theaters seeing how it was ruined by two jackasses in front of me who clearly pregamed before the movie.  The other benefit of DVD over going to the movies are having extra content.  The deleted scenes were not too entertaining but the gag reel was hilarious.

Today I ventured to the Borders book store I used to work at a few years back.  I went there looking for a vegan cupcake book. I know, what the hell was I thinking right?  Well have you ever had a vegan cupcake?  Exactly.  Once you have you will want to know how it was made.

Let’s get back to why I went to Borders.  Well that vegan cupcake book was nowhere to be found so I kept looking around and found something that I have been wanting for a while, a copy of Anthony Bourdain‘s A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines.  The book captures Anthony Bourdain and his travels for food.  I can not wait to find some free time to sink my eyes into it.

My wife also found a book she knew I would have interest in called Punk: The Whole Story that usually retails for about $25.  It was sitting there in the budget section with the attractive price of $4.99 so I grabbed it seeing how I never pass on a good punk rock deal.  Full color hardbound book full of punk rock history, a great find if you ask me.

As I finish up this bragging of a blog I keep telling myself there was one more thing that I purchased…something very recent.

Oh yeah.  I bought an album on iTunes today.  Dirty south punk meets crunk act Whole Wheat Bread recently released their third CD on iTunes before it hits shelves and I could not wait.  The Afro Punk rockers have been favorites of mine since they first released their material in 2005.  The album Hearts of Hoodlums will  be released in stores on January 20th.  Inauguration coincidence?  Perhaps.  That also happens to be the day back in 1977 that I started kicking ass and taking names or however you say that (hint, hint).

Well I guess my show and tell time is over and I should go sit back down on the magic carpet and see what the next little kid out there had…until next time.

Here’s a Whole Wheat Bread video just for the heck of it:

Whole Wheat Bread covering Rancid‘s “Roots Radicals” featuring Chris from Stretch Armstrong at Peabody’s in tropical Cleveland, Ohio

You want another? Ok, I can do that:

“Old Man Samson”

Finally a contest of sorts:

Whole Wheat Bread chicken eating contest (mild cussing)

Cleveland, Good Times

Rock + Melt = Awesome Friday

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I woke up today knowing it was going to be a good day.  No I was not dreaming about being Ice Cube and yes I did not work today.  I woke up this morning with a full agenda in line planned for a busy fun day.

Previous in the week I spoke to my blog vinyl addict friend Matt about joining me and my wonderful amazing wife for an adveture at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Museum.  He was all about accompanying us to the house that rock built.  We decided that noon would be a good time to meet up.

With a few hours before we were to pick Matt up in Lakewood I decided it would be a good idea to walk my dogs to get some energy out of them while my wife went to the gym.  My dogs may be little but I am certain that they would be good sled dogs as they dragged me all over my neighborhood.  I did not fall once but had a ton of close calls.  Gotta love snow covered sidewalks!

Getting home before my wife did I thought it would be a good idea to add some music to the iTunes and delete some that I didn’t listen to any longer.  The only problem with this is that I forgot to charge my iPhone (more on that in a bit).

As soon as my wife came home we headed out to a couple of stores and then to Pulp for a healthy lunch.  Pulp rules. We shared a smoothie to die for and also a very healthy tuna wrap.  It was the perfect little snack.

With time flying we headed to Cleveland to pick up Matt and then cruise over to the Rock Hall.  I opted out on taking my camera with me since I know you can not take pictures inside the Rock Hall but I wish I would have reconsidered as Cleveland was very photogenic today.  I had my iPhone with me and was able to take a couple of pics but since I was so involved in iTunes in the morning and forgot to charge my iPhone I had a very low battery…  Craptastic.  I was able to take a couple of photos of our adventure but not nearly as many as I wanted to.

I love this pic (minus the poeple's random heads...)
I love this pic (minus the random heads...)

We entered the Rock Hall and took a few hours to admire all the memorabilia inside the unique building.  I was most pumped to see the 70’s/80’s punk rock as well as the 90’s grunge/rock collection gallery.  Seeing the marionettes from the Alice In Chains “I Stay Away” video was awesome as well as seeing rock art posters of some gigs I actually attended in the 90’s.  I can honestly say it was a blast from the past.

One exhibit we spent some time at was the WMMS 40th Anniversary Exhibit.  Having listened to the Cleveland rock and roll station WMMS while growing up I got a kick out of all the memorabilia that was featured as well as the very entertaining video full of footage of the DJs from the 80’s (anyone know if it is available for purchase?).  There were also abundances of fliers, t-shirts, ticket stubs, fan mail, and even a box of WMMS cereal.  Yes, there are people out there who hold on to cereal boxes, right Matt?

Now I have been privileged to have been to the Rock Hall a few times in my life and then some.  I mean after all I do live near Cleveland, it should be a place I hit up seeing I am a music fanatic right?  I also have the pleasure of befriending some great folk.  Without these friends I would never have been able to have done some of the things I have done at the Rock Hall.

Inside the Alan Freed Studio
Inside the Alan Freed Studio

I have visited the museum previously for the featured exhibits as well as had caught live shows the Rock Hall threw.  I had VIP access (thanks to a wonderful friend) to the 2002 Scene Awards and hung out with Lo Fidelity Allstars outside the service entrance afterwards on a picnic table.  I even caught a Q&A with Marky Ramone a few years back, that was amazing.  So what happened next was unexpected as I thought I had done everything possible at the Rock Hall.

As we entered the final portion of the museum, the Marty Stuart collection (click HERE for pics courtesy of the Rock Hall) we passed the Alan Freed Studio, a Sirius Radio studio used by DJs for coast to coast broadcast.  I have peered into the windows of the studio before wishing I could be in there to get a better look.  While looking in the window I see out of the corner of my eye Matt waving at the DJ and the DJ waving back.

All I could think in my head was “WTF”?

Now Matt is what I like to call a very friendly guy unless it is 2am in Maryland and he is having trouble ordering a cheeseburger from Sheetz (I love you Matt, haha).  The DJ walks to the door to say hi to Matt and invites us in.  Looks like one of my wishes came true.  Turns out that unknowingly Matt happened to be good friends with the mystery DJ.

The DJ introduced herself to my wife and I as Dusty Street, the host of Sirius Radio’s Classic Vinyl radio program.  Having heard that channel many times I knew of her.  Now what I did not realize was that she is a pretty big deal in the radio world.  She was hilarious and made my day just hanging out with her while she did her thing.  I could not help but think to myself how many rock stars sat in the very same seats my wife and I sat in.  We said our goodbyes and continued our tour.

My wife and Matt
My wife and Matt's hind-sides...

After a successful visit to the Rock Hall we headed out to Lakewood to grab some good eats at Melt.  Have you ever been to Melt?  Well if you love bread and cheese (and beer for all you drinkers out there), Melt is one of the greatest little restaurants in the Cleveland area.  Think gourmet grilled cheese sandwich.  My wife ordered a grilled PB&J sandwich of sorts while I had a crab cake grilled cheese.  Matt had some meat sandwich of sorts.  He strives on trying something different each time.  The sandwiches were huge and delicious and mine is currently still lingering in my stomach…

Our pal who I now call RADam met up with us as he works down the street from Melt.  We paid our tab and ventured down the street to the sweet smelling, never crowded, Exchange (no we could not ever fire you the day after J-Day).  After finding nothing we headed next door to Phoenix Coffee where we wrapped up our evening with some hot beverages.  Our conversations were vulgar and classic at the same time.  The barista was extremely entertaining and the idea of four friends just hanging out laughing and having a good time was the best way to enjoy life.

It was good day, hell, it was a GREAT day.  No use for an A.K. and plenty of memories thanks to good times and great friends.  This was the perfect way to start out 2009.

As soon as I got home I could not help myself but to watch this video:

90's, Cleveland, Live Shows, Music, Review, Rock

Filter @ Hard Rock Café – Cleveland, OH 11/01/2008

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So I am a little late on this post…  I have been so busy with work and just life in general and have not had a moment to sit down until this now.

A couple Saturday’s back I was invited to check out Filter at Cleveland’s Hard Rock Café thanks to Big Machine Media.  Little did I know, I was invited to a more intimate setting with proceeds being donated to the Cleveland Food Bank.  It was also the world famous rock n’ roll restaurant’s ten year anniversary since it first opened it’s doors in Cleveland.

Just a quick note and tip for that matter…  If you want a free Rolex, all you need to do is work at the Hard Rock Café for ten years.  It’s no joke; a bunch of hard working employees were recognized for their decade of service before the show with an expensive timepiece.  Just before the show started, a handful of dedicated workers at the Hard Rock Café were all presented with a fancy Rolex.  It was nice to see such an award/thank you handed out, but who am I kidding…on with the show!!!

With the venue usually operating as a restaurant, it was no surprise that there was not much room for people to gather around the stage.  Meeting up with Matt from AddictedToVinyl.com, we chose to stand our ground by the stage with our backs to the security gate that protected the large soundboard.  Not the best place to be standing for picture taking, but I did my best to capture the evening.

Electric Touch
Electric Touch

Opening act Electric Touch from Austin, TX hit the stage for a set that I really was wishing could have been sped up.  The rock act, reminding me of all sorts of acts from the Strokes to the Rolling Stones (the lead singer looked like Elijah Wood with Mick Jagger like moves), blew through their songs with high energy but really did not do much for myself or the rest of the crowd for that matter.  Even if the lead signer had an English accent and two of the musicians were twins, their pop rock sound did not sit well with many who anticipated Filter.  I am sure this will not the the last time I hear about Electric Touch though, with their self titled Electric Touch hitting shelves over the summer the poppy rock act should be gaining some attention…just not mine.

Richard Patrick
Richard Patrick

Cleveland’s Filter took to the stage that very well may have been the smallest stage they have ever performed on.  That was the least of the industrial/hard rock’s worries though as they delivered an amazing performance to the very lucky crowd opening with “Welcome To The Fold” off of the band’s second release Title of Record.  The current line-up all looked great and appeared to be having a great time.  Lead signer Richard Patrick was full of smiles and energy that really lead the band through the eleven song set.

My highlight of the evening was when the band broke into “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do”, a song that was actually created by Filter and electronic music duo The Crystal Method found on Spawn: The Album (1997 Film).  I immediately sang along from start to finish is it is one of my favorite tracks by Filter.  It sounded amazing live.

Filter
Filter

It was fun to people watch while the band continued to play.  There were lots of fans there who clearly have been fans of Filter during their 13 year career.  Having grown up, well most of them, some even brought their kids to the show.  At one time Richard Patrick stopped in between songs to ask how old a certain young fan was.  She let everyone know via microphone she was only nine years old.

The band continued through their set and performed “Hey Man, Nice Shot” the bands first commercial hit.  Everyone sang along to the track pumping their fists in the air.  It was indeed a very interactive evening.  After the song ended the band left the stage with all, if not every, fan begging for more.

With a brief pause the band returned to the stage for their adoring fans and broke into “The Take” off the band’s 2008 release Anthems for the Damned. From there the band played “Take A Picture”, one of their other mainstream hits.  After the last note was struck and the mic was put down, the band gave out sincere thank yous to everyone in the house.  With a quick bow and many handshakes and hi-fives the band exited and called it a night.

I admit this was the first time seeing the band live.  For some reason I thought I saw Filter live back in the day at a festival in the 90’s but apparently I was wrong (sorry Matt, I have no idea who I was thinking of)  I found out after the show by rifling through my huge stack of ticket stubs and then went so far as to research the number of times Filter played Cleveland.

It was a great experience.  Minus a couple of folk who clearly had too many pre-game drinks, most of the fans were really excited to be there and, like myself, really enjoyed their Saturday evening.  After the show staff from FYE were selling the band’s latest release Anthems for the Damned for twelve bucks.

What I didn’t know was that if you bought a CD, the band would sign it for you.  I picked up copy as I had not heard the politically charged album yet and needed something to listen to on the drive home.  After making my purchase I was handed the CD and given a wristband and pointed where to stand in line if I wanted my CD signed.  Since I was the only person standing there I decided to start the line and get the CD signed.  After I chatted with the band briefly I turned around to make way to the parking deck and discovered that the line had grown quite large.  Good timing on my part.

Thanks to my music loving guru Matt, who spoke about the show as well on his site AddictedToVinyl.com, I was able to score the entire set list:

Welcome To The Fold
American Cliche
Dose
(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do
It’s Gonna Kill Me
So I Quit
Jurassitol
Cancer
Hey Man Nice Shot

Encore:

The Take
Take A Picture

More pictures from the evening: