Fringe element

Windhand from jackwebb on Vimeo.

I'm getting around to posting some footage of shows that I have shot in the past. The sludge/stoner/metal/doom scene is good and it needs to be documented. Someday a bunch of this footage will be compiled together into something worthwhile, hopefully. For now, these are just individual songs. Good stuff! Until I can get a handle of getting good audio at these shows which are usually extremely loud, viewers will have to put up with sub-standard audio, but that's what going to shows is all about, this is real.

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Freight of the day

Swing da bend

Listening to: Ding a Ling- Red Rum

Got some stuff on tumblr now as well. Bit of a different format. Trying to showcase more works in various forms such as photography and artistic renderings. I've been getting together with our little collective of various creative miscreants in hopes of making some stuff happen. The object is to create stuff to be seen. If we make money off of it that would be good as well, but it's not necessary, meth will put the kids through school.

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Freight of the day

Glibness inspired by futility

Listening to: Wasteland by Destinio Entierro

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I have found another band that has that sound that's rather hard to get tired of. I have been playing their live album for the better part of a week or something and still don't want to turn it off, but I guess I shouldn't overdo it because I don't want it to get old. The band is called Egypt and they are from Fargo, ND. The best description, music-wise that I can give them is Gas Giant meets Buffalo. Heavy bluesy stoner rock that's not harsh. Not to say that I dislike harsh music by ANY means. It's great music to listen to while barreling down a country road in the summer and it even functions well for long drives and background music. I highly recommend this for anyone who likes good music.

Here it is

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Freight of the Day

Get outta my way or I might shove

Listening to: Coda Maestoso in F(flat) Minor- Earth

Holy shit I never realized how good of an album this was! I'm talking about Pentastar: In the Style of Demons by Earth. It's not so much that I didn't realize it as it is that I have actually never listened to this album, I've only heard a few songs from it! With me being such a fan of Earth and the Drone genre I can't believe that happened. This album is so god damned good I can't really fathom how I haven't been listening to it seeing as how it came out in '96! The first track, "Peace in Mississippi" evokes Hendrix with a decidedly Earth feel to it. So simple and so good, it needs nothing more. What made me think about this album was a car show that I went to over the weekend. There were some Ferraris there (awesome) and some nice old Camaros that were in tip top shape. After shooting the Camaros it reminded me of the album cover to Pentastar.

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Freight of the day

Not based in reality

Listening to- Stoning no.1 by Noscrape

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Do you ever come across a song or even an album that gives you an otherworldly feeling or even like what you might describe a religious experience? There are some songs that I have felt that way about, and that's really something coming from me because I am not religious in the least. Anyways, the most recent time this has happened was when I heard the band Master Musicians of Bukkake. If you can get past the name of this band, they are definitely worth a listen. Associated acts with this band include Sunn O))) (awesome band, you either love them or hate them though), Sun City Girls, Boris and Grails. If you like any of those bands then you probably will like this. People of the Drifting Houses and Eaglewolf are two tracks that, for me, produced this ethereal feeling. One reminds me of a tribal setting in which something very special is about to happen. The other one, Eaglewolf, makes me think of a situation where I am bearing witness to a chant-driven ceremony performed by some esoteric cult. I won't put too much into your head because it just needs to be heard. The album is called Totem One and you can get it here.

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UTAH is free. This is not really news anymore as it happened a while ago, but if you know anything about graffiti then you know about UTAH. She now has a blog and so far it's pretty cool. I have come across more than one tag or throw she has done and when possible have always flicked it. Such is my life, bringing my camera with me practically everywhere in case I see graffiti. It may be a drug but it's better than being hooked on meth.

UTAHoner

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Freight of the Day (VINAL)

Loud, louder, loudest

playing now: Communion by Drug Honkey

Ran across some really good albums and bands lately.

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This band is pretty wild and heavy. It's hard to really pin them down as they don't really fit into one genre per se. Sludge for sure, but some of the vocals and cadence are different depending on the song. For example, in the song Communion, it could almost be said that there is, in the singing or yelling, a rap-like rhythm. At least that's what I got. Percussion is different at times as well. Real good stuff!

Death Dub

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Woah, this is some seriously heavy, lethargic stoned out sludge!!! Check out the song Stoning no. 1 (Panzo on the cross), good lord! Listening to this will give you a dense trip even if you go nowhere NEAR drugs...These guys are from Italy and make some great music. The tracks I've heard have been nice and long and, much like some Boris material, momentum is everything. I'm really surprised I just found out about them. Fans of Bongripper and Nightstick will appreciate this! I'm telling you, Stoning No. 1 is amazing!

Downloads available here

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Freight of the day (WHEN)

Touch me I'm sick

current song: M.S.H.B- Maher Shalal Hash Baz

Cough is one heavy and slow band! They just added a fourth member to the band but they were previously just 3 guys "hell bent on keepin' it heavy" and that they do! I've seen them three times now and they just completely blow me away. They are pretty nice guys too. They hail from Richmond, VA and have been known to blow more than one fuse at their shows leaving the venue without electricity. I definitely recommend this album! This record MUST be played as loud as possible too.

Check it out!

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Freight of the day

And it's a great way to stay in shape...

song now: King Fire Goat live (5.13.02)

Some more good stuff to check out here for the heavy fan!

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I'm currently checking out the live set by King Fire Goat. Side project of Fistula, so you know what to expect. Pretty heavy stuff here and for one song it clocks in at a not-too-shabby 33:37. I'm not sure what it is with people who like this kind of music and the film Gummo, but on more than one occassion have I heard samples of the film used in songs from this genre. I, for one, really like Gummo. I know it's a fucked up film in some ways and I don't like the part about the cats, but it is, after all, a movie, so that makes me feel better. Also, it takes place in Ohio, so I may be biased. Anyhow, this one should be turned up to 11. Enjoy...

King Fire Goat Live 5.15.02

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Doomed Messiah

This video looks really good. It's not brand new but for some reason I am just now hearing about it.

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What the hell is wrong with people? Someone flew a plane into a government building today because he was upset with IRS. Yeah, that sounds like the best course of action. Innocent people were hurt because of his ignorance and selfishness. Also some more 'good news' from the new governor in Virginia. Apparently he removed gays and lesbians from the 'classes' of people that are not allowed to be discriminated against in the workplace. This is not good news at all and there seems to be more devolving going on in that state. Short article here about it.

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Freight of the Day (classic ZINE)

A base human achievement

Current song: You Were Holding An Umbrella- Boris

Got a fistfull of great albums to check out. I'm still going through some of them myself but they are damn good so far. I'll start it off with the mighty Boris.

Boris- Live at the Empty Bottle in Chicago

here

This is a good recording from their live set. It shows how versatile Boris are, but it takes you on a magical trip starting with the beautiful Flower, Sun, Rain and ending with a behemoth of sorts simply titled "[ ]". Like a lot of tracks with Boris, the build up of momentum is the key and if you just listen to it, you will be greatly rewarded!

Church of Misery- Live

here

Real good album showcasing COM's distinct sounds. The Japanese doom/stoners who sing about serial killers have been a favorite of mine ever since I found out about them over 10 years ago. This has a good amount of heaviness but also a bit of bluesy-stoner rock in it where it just goes off on a tangent and takes you on a mellow ride. Parts of it remind me of Gas Giant. Good stuff.

Zoroaster- Dog Magic

Here

Awesome band from Atlanta. They are heavy riff-laden doomster stoners with a mix of psychedelic as well. I've seen them play before and they are great live, especially in a small setting.

Moss- Tombs of the Blind Drugged

Acquire it here

Moss are heavy and slow and if you haven't heard them but like

Sunn O))) or Buried at Sea or Behold! The Living Corpse, then this is probably for you.

Freight of the day

CHEM

The Saint Vitus Dance

Listening to: Sheet of Flames by Hyatari

Working on a piece for an upcoming art show where I am going to be displaying some of my stuff. I like letters a lot so I will be using a lot of those.

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Very good doom, nice and heavy and slow. If you like this stuff you would probably like Church of Misery. Japanese doom-metal band that sings about serial killers.

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Freight of the day

Evangelica Houston

Listening to Bliss and Void Inseperable by Black Boned Angel

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So far I've shaved my head like 4 times this summer. Can't wait to go to the midwest because I love it there, it's my home. I've been working intermitingly on some new stuff for an art show that's forthcoming. If I can sell some of my stuff that would be cool. There probably isn't anything like making money by doing what you love. I'm sure that Mr. Krink could tell me what it's like though.

Krink-filled extinguishers for maximum effectiveness.

Krink'd mailbox

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We like the same music.

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I was doing a search on meth earlier and this is what came up at the top of the page. Really. (Note this was at work, I have a Mac.)

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Freight of the day

Absence due to projection

Untitled track by Rwake

Nirvana was a great band, one of my favorites actually. This is a really good documentary about Kurt and his death. I never knew that Courtney Love was so off, but this brings a lot of things to light about her that are disturbing. I can relate to Kurt Cobain on a few levels in the way that he liked music plain and simple, didn't seem to be making music only to become rich and famous. He seemed to be a pretty simple guy, it's just that he obviously was dealt a raw deal when it came to his family life, or lack thereof. Nirvana, along with the Smashing Pumpkins and a few others from that era seem to be a rarity in he world of 'known' music, or music that pretty much everyone knows about. Check this documentary out.

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Speaking of documentaries, I just saw one last night about the history of hacking. Real cool stuff. The words 'hack', 'hacking' and 'hacker' have a negative connotation in society but really the fact is its quite the opposite, at least it started out that way and for the most part it still is. Basically a hacker is someone who likes to tinker with gadgets, discover what their capabilities are, not just what they have been programmed to do or are supposed to do. Put it this way, without hackers we would not have a lot of the things we have today in the way of computers and such. Steve Wozniak, co-creator of Apple, was a hacker and probably still considers himself one. Learn all this and more by watching the History of Hacking.

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Freight of the Day

STEL and PORE

Live simply

Listening to: The Sinking Belle (Black Sheep) by Sunn O))) & Boris

Thanksgiving is over and hopefully everyone had a good one and got to spend time with their family and loved ones and pets and all. Since Barack Obama and Joe Biden's victory I have been able to come down to earth, somewhat. It's still very remarkable to hear the words "President-elect Barack Obama..." spoken on the news or to read it in writing. Amazing. There have been many things in the news recently like the attacks in India, the ever-sinking economy and the massive loss of jobs by many of the nation's hard workers. There has also been talk of possibly letting michael vick back in the NFL to play football. It seems that despite the good news of the recent election, there haven't been many other positives. I've always been one to think more with my heart than logically when it comes to dealing with the welfare of people and animals. When it comes to certain causes, there are many that I am passionate about but a few that I would consider myself to be near-militant about when it comes to my views. These are animal rights (animal fighting, abuse, neglect, etc); stopping domestic violence (spousal and child abuse of all kinds); women's rights (being of the persuasion that I think it's pretty silly that a small group of lawmakers, usually men, think they know what's best for a woman's body); civil rights (basically affording any minority the same rights as anyone else, sexual orientation, race, gender, ethnicity, faith, all of that) and human rights. 

I have always had a very active mind and attached to that is my heart, it's hard to separate one from the other. I am not about to delve into my views on any one of these or all of these topics because I don't want to lose focus in what I am trying to say, which is actually very simple, almost too simple. 

A topic that I have been thinking very hard about recently more and more is humanity. Ignorance really is bliss because when one is ignorant to certain things, it's much more likely that the rose-colored glasses they see the world through will never come off. Simply put, the world is a sad place, a sick one. I am not talking about the earth and the people, beautiful land and wonderful wildlife though, I am talking about how humans have created a dystopia for themselves. It's not a coincidence that I used the word dystopia to describe the world as it is also the name of a band that I listen to. Basically a dystopia is the opposite of a Utopian society. Dystopia is a society that is totalitarian, environmentally degraded and basically all around unpleasant. By no means is this supposed to be a negative tirade on my part, but more of an awakening that I have slowly come to terms with over many years. Dystopia, the band, plays a type of rock n roll that sounds very dirty and is often times referred to as sludge or sludge metal. This band specifically deals with many of the topics that plague our society with the one underlying message being that humans have basically destroyed the world, they've infected it with greed. One of their albums, HUMAN=GARBAGE, puts it quite succinctly. I felt that tangent to be necessary but also meaningful. What I have been thinking about and realizing over time is that it seems that humans are innately more good than bad, however, greed and materialism have played the part of the veritable 'bite into the apple' that has since left a curse on us. This is not to say that it's unnatural or bad for us to want to succeed. It's not wrong at all, it's human nature, but when the intoxication of material items, money and power outweigh the desire to be ethical and treat others the way that they themselves would like to be treated, then there is a problem. I have been looking at the world differently and it's been a long time coming. Lately the one phrase that could be used to sum up my thoughts would have to be 'ulterior motives'. There are plenty of commercials on TV that appeal to your emotions and if you were none the wiser you would probably think "Oh, that's nice of Coca-Cola to wish me a happy holiday season! They really do care about me." Perhaps I have been analyzing everything way too much (doubt it) and perhaps the large companies really do care about me and my well-being (money) but I tend to see beyond things. It's hard for me to justify buying a certain product when I have found out through research that said company tests on animals. One thing that I cannot justify are things like this. When a company treats it's employees poorly, pollutes the environment, supports causes that negatively impact other people and/or animals, all of these things make me ever the more cautious. This extends to other things besides corporations and greed in it's simplest form, it also can and will be attributed to politics. Emotion can work wonders when it is used to further your own ends. This is unethical though, it's underhanded, it's Rove-like behavior. As it is probably already known, I am decidedly left-leaning, but that does not mean that I would completely ignore something underhanded that was done by a left-leaning or democratic politician, for example. 

Basically to cut to the chase I have been trying to live my life while trying to have the least possible negative affect on others, people and animals. The more you know about what actually goes on, the harder it is not to think about those that we impact negatively, even though we may not be doing it directly or even knowingly. This is not to say that people should feel guilty about themselves and be unhappy, it is just to open up eyes and think about the possible affects that certain actions may have on others. Simply put, try to live simply so that others may simply live. Treat others the way you wish to be treated, and believe me, at times it can be hard, but for the most part if you have common sense and a conscience, you should be fine!

Freight of the day

History has been made! YES WE DID!

Listening to NPR

Barack Obama is our new president! This is so great and such a happy time. I am so proud and happy for America and I am proud to be part of history! Too much to say right now. Unbelievable!

Today is the day

Listening to CNN election coverage, although the band Today Is the Day is good.

Couldn't sleep last night because today is the election! My friend and I got up at about 6 am and went to go vote. It restored my faith in humanity because so many people were already lined up in the rain before 6 am. Incredibly awesome, this is most certainly history! It's about fucking time I say, and I think this voter turnout reflects those sentiments. It's very important that everyone vote, doesn't matter for who, as long as they exercise that civil right, even if you have to wait in line for a little over 2 hours like we did. Now we play the waiting game and watch all the numbers roll in...

wow

family is important

listening to: Blood Swamp by Sunn O))) & Boris

Pretty interesting stuff here. Basically after the televised political talk was over, some  interesting things were said about McCain's pick for vp. 

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freight of the day (RIVER)

Sarah Palin spoke at the RNC tonite- great stand up comedy!

listening to- Green Plant by Cherry Smash

So Sarah Palin spoke at the RNC earlier tonite. Good stuff I suppose. It will really be difficult for me to actually dignify her and the other speakers though with any legitimacy though because I lean to the left, there's no doubt about it. We've got a real historical thing going on right now. My cousin Ben is really into politics and we've been talking about this upcoming election and what it means for history. Simply put, this is historical either way you cut it. We will have a woman vp or we'll have a black president. Wow. That's pretty exciting! From what I heard and saw of Palin's speech it seems that she is certainly not ready for the office she is vying for. I say this knowing full well that experience doesn't really matter these days, though it really should. What we have today is more of a popularity contest than anything actually political. It's that and mudslinging and muckraking for the politicians and media respectively. It's no real secret that our country is 'kinda dumb', for lack of a better term. That combined with our ever decreasing attention span makes us a powerful yet ignorant nation. We want to see things more than we want to understand them. That's probably one reason Fox News is so popular. There are lots of colorful graphics to mask the un-intelligence and decidedly right-leaning viewpoints camouflaged as fact. If you say it enough then it becomes fact. I didn't watch Fox's take on the RNC for two reasons, one because I wanted to watch actual news coverage of this event and two, because I don't have cable. What I saw more than anything else when Palin spoke was that her main platform seems to stand on two issues, drilling and attacking the Democrats. To be fair, I didn't watch the entire speech, just most of it. These are interesting times no doubt.

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Freight of the day (HEIST)

sludge from the depths

listening to Isolation by Grief

Recently got my hands on a copy of the Daleth/Blue Shift split album and it's damn good! It's sludge from Florida (it's hard to believe this music came from the Sunshine State!).  The best way to describe Daleth is a"One man instrumental band. All songs originate from recorded drum tracks which are then pieced together in an attempt to create a song." 

Download here

Daleth myspace

Daleth Blog

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Freight of the Day (GLUE dissed by ARYS)

Both writers are ill, don't understand the dis.