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5.13.25 - Periphery, Mastodon, Coheed and Cambria

The story:

It’s wild how prevalent weekday concerts have become.  It used to be that when you told your friends you were going to a concert, that inherently meant “this weekend”.  But now, there are no rules.  Any day is a viable day for a concert, even a Tuesday.  Begrudgingly, I actually support this, because it means more dates and more opportunities to see and support live music, and that the “music scene” is alive and well. Some artists are even playing the same venue multiple nights if it regularly sells out. Billy Strings for example, has made a habit of playing 3 nights in a row at the Koka Booth in Raleigh.  Nice.

However, I’m not a kid any more.  I have responsibilities and bills to pay.  And 8am comes, whether or not I’m ready for it, sharply at 8am. This means that when I see a show pop up that I want to go to, I still get a little bummed when I see that it’s two hours away, and on a Tuesday. But I’m still down to go if I can sucker somebody else into suffering the midweek hangover with me.  Even if I skip the alcohol, getting home at 2am is way past my bedtime…

So when I came across this particular show, I knew just who to ask.  My buddy Matt, an almost forty year old, penny pinching homebody, and soon to be father.  That last sentence came out more derogatory than intended.  My point here is that Matt is not the type to say yes to spending money on an out-of-town concert on a Tuesday.  But it was an almost instant yes when I asked him if he wanted to go see Coheed and Cambria play. 

There was a storm delay, so we met up with a friend at a near by watering hole. We missed the opening act (Periphery) due to their set getting cut short and the timing of our walk from the bar. I’m bummed about that, but overall it was a great night and a great show. Mastodon played the middle slot, with Coheed (and their massive stage robot thing that was insanely cool) headlining.

I know it’s cliche to say, but there really is a kind of magic to music.  Especially live music.  I saw no less than 10 friends that night who all live hours apart and wouldn’t have seen one another if it weren’t for a show.  Thankful for the kind of friends who go to rock concerts on a Tuesday night.

Run With the boys

My man Corey Hunt invited me out to “run with the boys” last month. We made a quirky video. Hope you exhale sharply through your nose at least a few times while you watch it.

recapitulation

My website reached terminal velocity.

It was live for several years, housing tons of work from the better part of a decade. But it no longer felt like I wanted it to, and the task of rearranging everything felt like…work.

So I just deleted the whole thing. Very on brand for This Guy…

A blank canvas was much less daunting to me, than an overhaul. And besides, it will be cool to go back through my old stuff with fresh eyes, more skills, and a new perspective. As of posting, the site is pretty empty, and I kind of like it. The little bit that is here, is LOUD. And interesting things happen when you put otherwise unrelated work next to each other in unique combinations, freeing it from the chronology and context in which it was created.

I’ve come to find, about my style, that I like things that are a little rough around the edges. Imperfect. There’s a beauty there that most people try to hide, cover up, or generally ignore. To me, those are the best parts. Show me scars, patina, frayed edges, and worn leather. Lipstick stained glass and dandelion filled cracks in the pavement.

Point is, things are messy around here…

Just the way I like it…