Vinyl is Neither Dead nor Dying

As I start writing, playing in the background is Filter's Take a Picture Remix 12in. This isn't exactly the soundtrack I was hoping would accompany this post, but never the less, the record player is spinning and music is filling the apartment. Before I go into why I'm proud to proclaim that vinyl is still alive, let me tell you about a movie I just finished watching.

I just finished watching Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. It was a cute movie that I had seen trailers for, but never got the chance to see. Since I had the time, I rented it along with Gangster Squad and Lincoln. I've yet to see Lincoln and Gangster Squad was laughablly bad at some parts, and entertaining at others. 

There is an underlying theme in Seeking a Friend... where Keira Knightley's character is in love with her vinyl collection. She flees her apartment while a riot is approaching and has a hard time deciding what vinyls to grab as Steve Carell is trying to drag her out the door. Throughout the movie, they are frequently seen carrying these records and about half way through the movie they find a record player. Even at the end of the movie, Steve Carell is seen playing records and laying on his back waiting for the world to end, however the power cuts out and he's left in the dark and in silence.

It was nice to see this underlying theme shortly after I went to Looney Tunes, an independant record store and spent about 20 dollars on records. This is actually way less than I have spent in the last few days from several different sources. 

I've always wanted a record player, ever since Underoath released Define the Great Line with a 7in record included at certain stores. I never got a chance to play that record, but it sure did make some nice decoration.

It wouldn't be until I attended Underoath's farewell tour that I'd purchase my first vinyl, and no it wasn't that 7in I had lost in the storm. It was mewithoutyou's newest release Ten Stories. I had listened to the album on Rdio and thought it was good enough to purchase. When I saw it on vinyl, I couldn't pass it up. But I still didn't own a record player. This was a classic case of putting the cart before the horse. But I'd actually buy another record before purchasing a record player.

My next record was House of Heroes' Cold Hard Want. I purchased this at the Five Iron Frenzy Reunion show at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City. I own their most recent release on iTunes and loved it so I thought it would sound great on vinyl. I bought it, still not owing a record player. It was at this point that I saw fit to purchase a record player but didn't know where to turn.

Looney Tunes sells record players, but I wanted a little more variety and better prices, so I went where both of those could be near guaranteed, Amazon.com. On Amazon I was able to see different record players and choose the right one for me. I went with an Audio Technica AT-LP60 Fully Automatic Belt Driven Turntable(This link is not to Amazon where I purchased it, but to another site where it was $20 less). It is rated the best among other turn-tables and is moderately priced. I have no complaints with this turntable and would gladly recommend it to anyone looking to get into vinyl. Now that I had the record player, it was time to expand the collection.

On Record Store Day back in April, I tried to get a vinyl, but didn't see anything that caught my eye. This also wasn't the day to peruse the shelves since it was one of the busiest days for Looney Tunes. It would take me about a month and some internet shopping to get more vinyls. In fact, the vinyls I purchased next haven't even arrived at my door step. But I'll let you know what I felt was worth having on vinyl.

From Amazon I was able to find a few vinyls for the band Anberlin. I loved their album Vital and I think it would sound great on vinyl, so I ordered it. Also available from Amazon on vinyl is their album Dark is the Way, Light is the Place.

I pre-ordered the vinyl for Currents from the band Eisley. I've always liked Eisley ever since their first album Room Noises(2005). It's been a while since I purchased one of their albums, but since I came across their impending release on Amazon on vinyl, I thought why not pre-order. 

From the band merch mini-conglomerate Zambooie I was able to find Relient K's Forget and Not Slow Down 12in Vinyl Combo Package which includes a tote bag, and a photo book all packaged in an embossed wooden box. For the fun of it, here's Relient K's song Vinyl Countdown from the EP of the same name released originally in 2003 exclusively in vinyl.

From the Tooth and Nail Records online store I was able to find two releases that sparked my interest. In fact both of these albums are projects of Aaron Gillespie currently of The Almost. I was able to find The Changing of Times by Underoath on vinyl as well as Southern Weather by The Almost. These were by far the least expensive new full length albums I have been able to find. Even at the live show the albums were going for $20. At the Tooth and Nail Store Underoath's album was 17.99 and The Almost's was 14.99. After shipping, it came to 42.30. Now here is where I kind of go off the rails.

To bring it full circle, Filter's Take a Picture Remix 12in was purchased earlier today along with a few other albums. I was a fan of the song and for a few dollars, I saw it as a worth while purchase. I was able to get Mute Math's Spotlight EP for 8.50 as well. I found a used copy of Neil Young's Everybody Knows this is Nowhere, an album that I had actually bought used on disc a few years ago. For 25 cents each I bought two used Christmas albums, a Chipmunks cover album and an album of church music, should I ever get in the mood. 

I should be receiving the albums from Anberlin, Relient K, Underoath and The Almost in a few days. Once I get them, it will only be a few weeks till I receive Eisley's Currents, and at that point, I should be done purchasing albums for now. Then again, I hear that Relient K is releasing their upcoming album Collapsible Lung on vinyl as well. 

Blah Blah Blah Pines (The Place Beyond The Pines)

Recently I stumbled into my local cinema to view the reunion of Derek Cianfrance and Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond the Pines. Cianfrance last directed Gosling in Blue Valentine and has the task again here in Pines. The title of the film comes from the loose translation from the Mohawk term for the city of Schenectady, New York where much of the movie takes place. 

I want to be as honest as possible with my review of this movie. It was too long and long winded. It was a chore to sit through all the way to the end, especially where it felt like the credits were going to roll at least three times and the movie kept going. I could tell Cianfrance had every intention of tying up every loose end.

With that being said, the direction of this movie and the structure was very interesting. Slight spoilers may follow. May I repeat, slight spoilers may follow.

THe movie opens following blonde haired male character through a carnival. You follow the back of his head as he makes his way from his trailer, through the carnival and into a tent where he will do motor cycle stunts. It isn't until he is about to put on his helmet that it is revealed to be Goslings character Luke Glanton. There are some great shots at the beginning of the movie. One in particular is where Luke and Eva Mendes' character Romina are talking with a ferris wheel in the background. The following night Luke stands there alone, the same spot he had been talking to Romina the night before. 

This also starts the cliches of most American cinema. Luke is only coming through town with the carnival and won't be back for a year. It's the fleeting romance that we see so often, though I am having a hard time coming up with films that take place during or at a carnival besides Water for Horses and Big Top Pee Wee, but that was more of a circus than a carnival. Maybe Joe Dirt? Ok, I feel a little dirty referencing a David Spade movie. 

Either way, Luke remains the main character and focus of the film until Bradely Coopers character Avery Cross enters the film. The movie then switches focus onto Avery Cross and we follow him until the end of the film. By the way, having a character named Avery Cross is pretty annoying after last years Alex Cross and The Bourne Legacy with main character Aaron Cross.

The main players of the film all give good performances. Ryan Gosling's character is sporadic and indecisive and he plays it well. He broods well. I feel that Ryan Gosling is infact playing a very similar role to the one he played in Drive. He is a man of few words and emotions. His character is good with cars and motors. He likes to go fast running away from police officers. Many correlations. 

Bradley Cooper plays a man in conflict with himself and his surrounding world. He has to make many defining decisions and he plays his character well.

When I presented my ticket to the ticket collector, she had asked me to tell her how I liked the movie when I got out because she was interested in seeing it. I should have told her to check here on the site to see my review, but instead I told her my honest opinion. Don't do it. Just don't. But if you're so inclined, see it in the theatre. If you wait to rent this movie, you will not finish it. You will trail off, start playing with your phone, or your ipad, or simply find yourself staring out the window. It's not a bad movie, it just takes a certain amount of patience to make it to the end without coming to your own resolution halfway through the movie. Coming in at 2 hours and 20 minutes, you wonder the length of the original cut, though I hope this was the intended length and not a shortening of a longer winded film. 

Now here is the part where I spoil the heck out of this movie. If you skipped to the bottom, you're going to be kicking yourself. Oh, by the way, they packed the beginning of this movie with trailers, which is a way for the screen to make up it's money since it's not going to make it up with ticket sales. It has recooped all production costs after two weekends, so at least it broke even so far. 

So, here's a run of spoilers, I'm going to list them in order of appearance:

1. Romina got pregnant by Luke the last time he was in town. She now has a black boyfriend who takes care of her and her new son.

2. Luke meets Robin who lets him sleep in his trailer. Robin is a guy who spends a lot of time with his shirt off. Nothing sexual happens between the two though it feels like Robin is a second away from planting a kiss on Luke ala Kevin Spacey in American Beauty. They eventually rob a bank together.

3. Luke and Romina eventually have sex in the trailer. 

3. After Robin tells Luke to cool down on the bank robberies, Robin destroys Ryan's motor cycle. Ryan sticks a gun in Robin's mouth but doesn't pull the trigger.

4. Ryan gets a new bike and makes one final robbery. On his getaway, he gets trapped in a house. Bradely Cooper kills him, though truly didn't intend for it to happen.

6. Avery Cross gets confirmation that the shooting was a lawful shooting. 

7. Ray Liotta's character raids Romina's place with Avery and two other cops who confiscate the cash that Luke gave Romina. They do  not report this cash and give half of it directly to Avery.

This is as far as I'll go. 

Oh The Shows We'll See

Living about an hour from Manhattan is pretty amazing. This has afforded the opportunity to see some great shows since my adolescents. I've seen shows at the now closed down CBGB as well as the original Knitting Factory in Manhattan now located in Brooklyn. Since these places have closed their doors, artists have found new venues to play and I've found some of my new favorite places to see shows.

Anberlin will be making their way back to the NY area, something they did not too long ago playing an intimate set in Brooklyn. This time they'll be playing at Irving Plaza. The last time I saw them was at The Best Buy Theatre with Switchfoot. This is going to be a way more personal show, and should be a blast as they tour to support their most recent release Vital.

Recently I saw Underoath say farewell to the New York area at Irving Plaza. Two years ago I saw Haste The Day say good bye at The Gramercy Theatre. Well, for the first time I am going to see Five Iron Frenzy on April 11th, who are saying hello the New York area after taking off quite a lot of time. They'll be taking House of Heroes with them who last came to the NYC area with Abandon Kansas last April playing at the Bowery Electric. 

Chris Goes to California to see PAX217 Reunite! Part One

Recently, I attended the PAX217 Reunion concert in Anaheim, California at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney. When telling people that I was in California to see a concert, they would say "Wow, that's dedication." It was hard to tell them just how much PAX217 meant to me. 

I remember being a teenager in the late 90's and the early 00's. It was at this time that I would be introduced to band like Blink 182, Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock. I really liked the style of the music, but the messages didn't quite line up with my beliefs. 

One day at my church's youth group gathering, I was given a sampler CD featuring PAX217, Skillet, Stacie Orrico and The Normals. I remember someone else in the youth group gravitating toward Skillet while I liked PAX217. I asked for their album for Christmas 2000, and I got my request from Santa Mom.

I wouldn't be able to see PAX217 until the music festival Kingdom Bound, held at what was formally known as Darien Lake Six Flags. This music festival was the highlight of my year. The first year I went, I had PAX217 sign a poster and my CD. The last time I had PAX217 sign something for me was an American Flag that I had customized to match their message. 

PAX217's message is their namesake. Pax means peace in Latin, and the 2:17 is for Ephesians 2:17, "He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near." I figured that this message was something we should all embrace. Here is an old picture of that flag. I've since lost the flag after Sandy. 

 

After the music festivals, PAX217 wouldn't play in my area until they came to the now closed CBGB and I was super bummed to miss that show. I vowed that if they were to ever play a reunion show, no matter where it is, I would be there. This is the story of how I got there.

According to PAX217's Facebook Page, back in April of 2010, they said that if they get 1000 likes on their page, they'd do a reunion show. It was at this time that I recruited a few of my friends and got them to like PAX217's page. It wasn't until late 2012 that they announced a show for February 17th in Orange County. When this show was officially announced, I started looking into flying to California to see the concert. 

The airfare to fly across the country wasn't exactly cheap at the time. It looked as if, I would be held back by not being able to afford the plane ticket. But I kept hope alive. 

About a month before the show, I started looking at the price of plane tickets again. I started with my favorite airline, Jet Blue. I was shocked to see it was going to be affordable to make it to California for the show. But I hesitated. When the price jumped in the span of a day, I had to act and I booked my ticket. The plane ticket was only part of what it'd take to make this happen. I'd still need to get a hotel and rent a car for the few days I was in California. 

It was only a few days before heading to California and my hotel had not been booked. I headed over to Hotwire and found a great deal for 2 nights at the Hilton and 2 days in a standard car from Alamo. 

I had to move some days around at work to make this all happen though. I'm fortunate to have a job with such flexibility. It is one of the advantages to being able to make my own schedule, within reason. 

I found out that one of my favorite comedians was doing a live show in Los Angeles at Meltdown Comics the same day as the concert. The concert didn't start until 7pm and the comedy show started at 4:30, so I figured I'd be able to make both work. The ticket to the comedy show was only $10, so if I felt like I couldn't make it, I wouldn't be giving up that much money. But the opportunity to see the comedian was to great to pass up.

With everything set, I woke up Sunday morning, the day I was to fly to California and I received a troubling email from Jet Blue. They said that my direct flight from JFK in New York City to LGB in Long Beach had been cancelled and that I'd be put on a non direct flight the next morning. While this wouldn't interfere with seeing the concert, I had paid for two nights at the hotel and two days for the car and didn't insure the purchase. If I was to change my plans, I'd still have to pay for the hotel and car. I called Jet Blue immediately and they were able to squeeze me onto a flight much sooner than the one I had originally been scheduled. I was hoping to see my Grandma before heading to the airport, but I called and told her I'd have to reschedule.

This concludes the first part of my trip to California to see PAX217 reunite. There's more to come, you won't want to miss it. 

When All We Have Is Taken

That is the title of a song by Edison Glass. It's a song that has been playing in my head since Hurricane Sandy made it's way up the East Coast. It's a lot like a song from my favorite band PAX217 called Free to Be, which is about someone waking up to their house burning down. Unfortunately, some people did wake up to their house burning down as well as flooded. Here is a line from the song that many people are crying these days. "But what should I drink? What should I wear? What should I eat? Where should I sleep?"

Like many other people affected by Hurricane Sandy, I lost most of my worldly possessions. I was in an evacuation zone. All of my belongings were off the floor and anything of importance or value was at least three feet off the ground. Three feet is an approximation, I didn't take a tape measure and make sure that everything had a three foot elevation from the floor, but the truth is that it wouldn't have mattered.

My apartment, like many other homes in my area flooded. The water rose to four feet in some parts and to 5 feet in other parts. But I did not realize this on my first visit to my apartment after the storm. I went to my apartment on Tuesday in the afternoon after traversing Long Island, going from the North Shore down the to the South Shore, where my apartment was. Once arriving at Montauk Highway, I was greeted by a police officer who wanted to know what business I had making my way down the street. I told him that I lived down there and he let me pass. I made it to the end of my block and before I cold make a right turn, I could see it was heavily flooded in the streets. I strapped on my hiking boots and started walking down the street.

Once I made my way to my apartment, I could see my landlord was home and that his front door was open. We made our way to my apartment through his house and he showed me the damage. At this point, all I saw was a few inches of water on the floor. He told me that my fridge had been knocked over and I helped him stand it up straight.

I then made my way into the living area of my studio apartment. It was then that I saw my iMac sitting in water. I could not understand this. At this point, I didn't think it flooded that bad, but I assumed the little bit of water moved the desk and the computer did a belly flop off of the desk. I was shattered by seeing this and left my apartment, neglecting any other damage done.

I was busy at work all week and it kind of brought me solace since I didn't want to mentally deal with the flooded apartment and the loss of my computer. It wasn't until Saturday the third of November that I returned to my apartment and saw the rest of the damage.

There were water lines on my dresser and armoire. The clothes hanging in my armoire were wet up to a certain point. It was at this point that I realized the three feet or so that I had raised my belongings was not quite high enough. I didn't just lose my iMac. I lost both of my flat screens. I lost my PS3. I lost my Wii. I lost my Roku and Apple TV. Luckily, I brought my iPad with me incase we lost power at my girlfriend's, we could entertain ourselves with that(We watched Haywire which I had saved on the iPad.)

I also lost most of my clothes. That includes many pairs of jeans as well as all of my work clothes. I had a bag of laundry left in the trunk of my car that I was too lazy to bring inside the week before the storm. I'm glad I was lazy, or else those clothes would have been lost as well. Lost in the storm were almost all of my band t-shirts.

I love music, and I love going to see music live. Since I was 18, I've been going to concerts pretty frequently. Some years of my adult life I'd go to nearly ten shows a year. Recently, it's more like 4 or 5 shows a year. At these shows I usually support the bands by buying a t-shirt. I had to have over 100 different band t-shirts. I had dreamed of one day giving these shirts away to fans of these bands, or maybe selling them, and giving the money to charity. Who would have known that I'd be the charity.

"What do you give the man who has everything?" Ever hear that before? That was me. I wanted for nothing. If I desired something within reach, it was mine. If it was out of reach, it was a dream, and I was satisfied to do without. But now here is the other question, "What do you give the man who has nothing?" The truth is that I'm not that man. I have more than nothing. I still have my car. I still have some clothing left. I was able to pull many personal items from my apartment, conveniently stored above the water line.

My apartment is uninhabitable for the time being and it could not come at a better time. Well, that's not necessarily true. A week before the storm, I had told my landlord I was moving out. I had lived there for six years and I was moving in with my girlfriend into a new place for both of us(It's a 3rd story walk-up, so while there won't be flooding, we will be drenched in sweat.) We had discussed what we would be using from my apartment before the storm came. We would have been using my flat screen, it was about 5 inches larger than hers. We would have had my couch in the spare bedroom, it was a futon. I'd be able to keep my desk in the spare bedroom, a room we are calling the office. We were going to use my kitchen table. It's a table I've had for about half a year and eaten at it only a handful of times. Meanwhile, my girlfriend has not had a kitchen table at her last two apartments.

As we move into this new apartment, which is rather beautiful and a step in the right direction coming from either of our places, it will be filled with mostly her belongings. She has nice furniture so that's not really the issue. It's more of an issue that it won't have anything that makes it feel like my home too. Most of my belongings will stay at the bottom of my closet. I have an emotional attachment to most of them, but don't belong where any guest could see them. Why would anyone want to see a Krusty the Clown Jack-in-the-Box? Or a Simpsons Christmas Story Book. Or a Simpsons Chess Set. By the way, my girlfriend hates The Simpsons.

For me, life will go on. As I tweeted to Joe Kelly of Man of Action Studios, "What is lost can be replaced and anything lost that had sentimental value doesn't erase the memory." I still have my life and all of my loved ones, which is more than many can say.