Some Things Never Change...

The sun rises in the east, sets in the west, and the Browns play like complete shit on Opening Day. You could set your watch to those three things, in my opinion. And another thing that's really grinding my gears today is all this rain. I set my iPod for a quick fun run and it's pouring outside. So, I figure I'd make a quick trip to the gym, but that's not happening since they close in 30 minutes. As a result, I'm sitting in front of a computer typing this instead of running off all the pizza I just ate.

In other news, I went to a pretty decent show the other night. I wasn't sure if I was gonna go or not, so I don't think I mentioned it in any previous posts. Here's what the flyer looks like:

I only attended the first night, and it was mainly to see Jay Reatard. I mentioned him and his band in a previous post. But, before I headed out to the show, my buddy Tommy and I made our way to the Spitfire Saloon. Now, this place has a pretty rough looking exterior, but once inside, the crowd was extremely diverse. It reminded me of the old Nyabinghi in Youngstown, where you'd see girls in their pretty dresses and high heels drinking Pabst and "punking it up" for the night. I could see the Spitfire turning into that. And, it would be no fault of the ownership, don't get me wrong. I don't know them personally and I'm not gonna act like I do. But, that doesn't change the fact that the bar itself could be the new hip place to be, so to speak.

The show itself was held at Now That's Class, a new(er) venue on the west side of Cleveland. I had been there in the past, but I don't make it out there as much as I should. That's due to the fact that I live a good forty minutes away from the place. I had a good time, though, and here are some pictures of Jay and the guys rocking:


Performing a fist raiser for the ages:

The crooner shot:

I think this one was taken right after he kicked some doof in the head after the kid knocked Jay's mic into his face:


All in all, a good time was had. Their set might have been under 25 minutes (it was definitely under 30) but I don't think anyone was complaining. The other bands were great as well, but we got there kinda late and I don't remember the names of the ones we caught. And, since beers were only $1.50 (yet another reason to attend shows at Now That's Class regularly), I had a little bit of extra cash. I used it on a 7" and here's what it looks like:

There are only two songs on the record, and it was a little pricey at $5. But, both songs are worthwhile. The A-side, I Know A Place, is quite serviceable. But, the B-side wins again, as Chuck D would say. Don't Let Him Come Back is featured on Jay's MySpace page, and it's one of my favorites. I'm pumped to have a version of the song that I can listen to away from the computer. Now, if only I can get a turntable with USB capabilities. I'd love to be able to convert all of my vinyl to mp3, but it'll have to wait.

I was gonna mention some other stuff, but I'm drawing a blank. So, that's all for now.

Until Then,
Later.

A Little Later Than Usual

Not only later in the day, but probably quite brief, considering the fact that there's so much to get to. The weekend was nice, to say the least. Friday was, in a word, surreal. The happenings of that night are not going to be shared on the internet, so if you wanna know, ask me. Saturday was cool. Got to catch the UFC Pay-Per-View at an establishment that won't be named because they don't need the free publicity. It had an early start time of 3pm, and that was good, since I had plans for the night. I think I'm going to go into some detail about the show tomorrow if I have time, but we'll see. Saturday night was spent at The Tower and Spitfire, respectively. I'd never been to either venue, so it was nice to try something new.

The Tower is one of those D.I.Y. places that can be good or bad. Good because of low cover charges and a more lax attitude overall. Bad because the crowd can run hot and cold, among other things. The Tower suggests a $5 "donation" for each show, and I had to run to the ATM before I got there since I didn't have any cash. So my ATM only gives me multiples of $20 so I had to give the person at the door a $20 bill. I thought I might catch shit for that, and I was right. They asked if I wanted change, and I said that I did. So they gave me my change, and after I got inside, I noticed that I only got $5 back. So I paid $15 for a $5 show. Now, under any other circumstance I would definitely complain, but the whole "donation" thing made me think twice. I didn't wanna cause a scene at a place I'd never been to (that's probably not raking in the dough as it is) over $10. I'm still kinda miffed at the whole thing, though. No pics of the show (The Ergs/Lemuria for those interested) but it was fun nonetheless.

The Spitfire was my kinda place: no cover at the door or on the jukebox! I figured they wouldn't play my selection since it was free but I heard it (Electric Frankenstein - Right On Target for those interested). Some ska-punk band played and they were decent, which made me remember how funny it was that The Ergs busted out Rancid's Time Bomb to close their set. It was a night of ska-punk foe sure! Kill The Hippies sounded good, considering I hadn't seen em since 2002 at the old Grog Shop with The Arrivals and Dillinger Four. It was nice to hang out in a new area (for me anyway) with some old friends. Good times.

Sunday I caught the TNA Pay-Per-View and I'll definitely have some thoughts on that one tomorrow. Much better than even I expected.

That's all for now. Tomorrow's post will most likely be more in-depth.

Until Then,
Later.