right on bro!

After a couple of weeks’ worth of combing audio forums and the Web, calling fools at stores to ask questions, posting messages to newsgroups, and generally getting jeetered up having to make decisions, today I pulled the trigger on my attempted mobile recording studio. Parts should start arriving by the end of the week.

I’m going to be heavily documenting performance and thoughts with this setup, for multiple reasons:

Well…plugging away.

So the Metric album, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, came out early; I got it in the mail today. Saw these fools about 8 months ago at the Silverlake Lounge, and since then I’ve been waiting for their album to come out. Been listening to it all day - really well-crafted pop songs with smart, sarcastic lyrics and an 80s steez to it. Favorites: “Hustle Rose,” “Succexy,” “Combat Baby,” “Dead Disco.” Sonically, it could use some work (sounds a little dull and thin, unlike some of the demo of “Combat Baby” that I heard back when they were on a major label), but that shouldn’t hold you up from buying this album. Recommended, at the very least for that “this-record-is-gonna-be-cool-for-3-months” factor, but I think this band will have a future that goes well beyond flavor-of-the-month.

I’ve dropped in rank to around 49,700 in SOCOM…which still means I suck, but I’m getting better.

What else? I’m close to making a decision on my new recording setup…currently deciding between a laptop and RME CardBus+Multiface setup, or a Shuttle mini-PC with the RME Hammerfall and a Universal Audio UAD-1. Either one will go with my existing monitoring system, and I’ll end up throwing in a set of Alesis ProActive 5.1’s for this new thing I’m supposed to be doing later this year.

I’m leaning towards the laptop (portable recording studio!), but not having the UAD-1 means I can’t slam drums like a Led Zeppelin record. Then again, my brother told me I seem to be doing fine without it so far, so maybe it’s not needed.

The strangest thing is that since I played my last show with the Monumental Divide in March, I’ve barely touched my guitars…did some roughs for Matt but still haven’t finished them. A lot of it has to do with my box being fucked right now for recording - keep getting glitches because this PC isn’t strictly used as a DAW, and I can’t really fix it. But I’m starting to feel the itch once again, so I don’t think I’m giving up my musical hobby for endlessly watching CSI re-runs and trips to Vegas.

yeah.

haven’t updated in awhile….too jeetered in general. bleah.

Attention: I am declaring the month of May to be “National Getting Worked Month.” Thank you.

What a frickin’ rough week….dealing with development problems at work while being sick. Five minutes ago, I was like, “I think I’ll write about this in detail in my blog.” Now, I’m like, “Nah.” You’re welcome for me sparing you the details.

As if what I’m experiencing has anything to do with the calendar system…but whatever, it’s close enough. National Getting Worked Month. One more week and it’s over…let’s hope June brings better days.

from here (beware of evil popup ads):

what i’m looking forward to:

first week of June:
new albums from Mogwai, Jealous Sound, Metric

end of June:
going home to visit folks, go fishing, and help bro and fiancee move into new house

11/03/03:
Final Fantasy X-2 is released

*sigh*

I’m sick. NICE WORK!

It looks like somebody forgot to pay their domain renewal bill, so you may not see this for a couple of days. Nice work!

Whew…what a jamup week. I got worked all around this week. For starters, there was work. I mean, it’s going well, better than I thought it would be at this particular time. But…well…whatever, I guess.

Yesterday: My company buys us tickets to see the new Matrix movie. I get delayed going to the theater and show up one minute late. Don’t see anyone; nobody’s left tickets at the box office. Wait around for 15 minutes, then drive back to the office.

Today: Head of department says he’ll take us to bar. I have a meeting while it’s time to go. Finally get out of meeting and call co-worker. Bar drinking session is over before I can even leave the office.

Ohhhh I have upper-middle-class problems. There are people starving, jobless, and generally incredibly more worked than I am. Perspective.

Monday was cool though, ‘cos I got to watch a record getting mastered at one of the top mastering houses in L.A. That kind of shit is always cool to watch.

Album reviews: I bought Jefferson at Rest from Early Day Miners, Where Shall You Take Me? by Damien Jurado, and Summer Sun by Yo La Tengo, all on the same day, about two weeks ago. Early Day Miners is getting regular rotation - they certainly did a much better recording job than their last album, which had pretty good songs but sounded kinda dull and lifeless overall. I really dig the opening track, “Wheeling” - it starts off slow and just builds up power. Damien Jurado is getting a few spins here and there, especially “Abilene.” Yo La Tengo - man, I’ve seen this band three times, have most of their records, and loved the last one. But this record has been just sitting around - really love the 2nd song, that’s about it.

Also in rotation: Son of Evil Reindeer by the Reindeer Section, which I’ve had for awhile. Really beautiful songs with an intimate feel.

Oh, and I just found out that my semi-high-end six-CD changer that I’ve had for 8 years has bit the dust. The laser needs to be replaced - I could buy a brand new mid-level CD player for what they’re asking, but the thing is, nobody makes these things anymore, really - they’ve all been supplanted by DVD players, which I kind of don’t want to buy since my PS2 works fine. Bleah.

Oh I got to catch the season finale of CSI yesterday. Yeah, I’m still jeetered by CSI. [SPOILER ALERT] No mention of the fallout from last week’s episode (where Sara basically goes for it with Grissom and gets dissed), which I thought was weird in the continuity department. Supposedly Lockwood getting killed was a big deal but it sure didn’t seem like it - I don’t even remember what episodes that dude was in. Catherine turning in her father - no big deal either, I don’t think. Grissom getting surgery - it sure didn’t feel like it was going to be life-threatening or anything. Overall….kinda underwhelmed, but still waiting for next season.

The thing that sucks is I’ve already seen every single episode of CSI, so there isn’t anything new for now since apparently the season 2 and 3 DVDs aren’t going to come out for a long time. So, this summer, I’m probably going to forget CSI. Nice work!

I’m going to spend this weekend working, except I might try to jeeter some used computer desks to set up my bedroom. We’ll see.

Hung out today - Melrose, the Sunset Strip. It’s hard to believe that only a couple of miles down the street from where I live is a completely different scene. I guess I don’t get out enough, and I live here, so why would I bother with the traffic.

I saw this really bizarre TV show that is going to be added to my rotation. “Most Extreme Elimination Challenge” is footage from a Japanese game show (think “Super Happy Family Wish Show”) of all of these people doing these goofy-ass competitions and getting worked, with stupid-white-boy-let’s-make-fun-of-the-funny-Japanese dubbing. Too baked to describe. 9pm, TNN. TNN coming strong, first with CSI reruns, now with this.

Today was an excellent culinary day.

* Lunch at Mario’s Peruvian Seafood - ceviche and pollo saltado, mmmm.
* Boba break from Boba Delight.
* Dinner at a place which is now in my top 3 list of sushi restaurants - Yu & Mi Sushi, on Santa Monica (no Citysearch record - bastards). This joint is right up there with Yoshida in San Marino, and Sushi Gen in Little Tokyo.

That’s it. I also went to a record release party for a semi-big rapper, but by the time we got there, said rapper had already performed and left, so we hung out for like 3 songs and then jetted. The club’s floor was sticky. Eew.