In The Dark

I have no Internet so i biked to school in -10 weather for the sole purpose of posting this. Not really. It's disturbing to think how much i rely on the Internet now that the cable company decided that me paying them $30 per month isn't really worth it.

I think in a lot of ways we've become more connected with the outside world with the Internet, in other ways it's so much easier to disconnect and be anti-social, something I'm good at.

In other news, i get to see TFS on the 8th, with Risky Business, it should be fun, in all likely hood the mosh will be brought in large quantities. The last time i saw TFS there was no stage so I'm really looking forward to taking the leap of faith a time or two.

Also, I've said this before but Lights Outs "Overload" rules, it gets better every time i listen to it.... So does each and every Our Turn song.

Why Is She In Pain?

Battery - Why Is She In Pain?

she wants to be beautiful for our beauty-starved eyes. she's dying, she's dying, she's dying but we never seem to mind. her cry is in her toothpick legs and attention-hungry smile, and as it goes on, the transfer occurs from magazine to child

but the only thing these beauty magazines leave is low self-esteem the only thing they leave is a low self-esteem

we're brainwashed to think that thin is pretty, but if beauty is love, why is she in pain? I'm guilty, I'm guilty, I'm guilty. it's time we placed the blame, let's also blame the media, and face the fact that this is insane, and spit in the face of their so-called beauty and make a change

we have got to open our eyes if we want to make a change we have got to open our eyes if we want to make a change

because there are sick and starving girls throwing up after they eat so they can look thin and pretty for the people the meet. and the thing that scared me the most is there are people that i hold close that are dying and i never even noticed

This song is one of the best hardcore/punk songs written in the 90's. At least in my opinion, i was listening to fatwreck bands and early tooth and nail stuff in the 90's so i don't relate much to hardcore from the 90's. Outside of youth crew stuff I'm impartial.

Anyway, back to this song. The reason i think it's so important is because it tackles an issue that so few hardcore or punk bands are willing to deal with. I think it's awesome when bands tackle issues that are specific to girls and are passionate about what they're singing. There are so many bands that just sing about whatever comes to mind or whatever is relevant at the time, scene politics and a bunch of other garbage. Then there are bands that have a social heartbeat, they can see the world outside of hardcore and they have meaningful things to say about what they're seeing. Battery was definitely one of those bands.

"Why Is She In Pain" is probably my favorite Battery song off of my favorite Battery record, musically its incredible and lyrically not much can match it. Even i can relate to what's being said because I've seen and know girls who have fallen victim to this unrealistic perception of how they're supposed to look and behave. Maybe not to the extreme of throwing up after every meal or starving themselves, but you can see the weight of these expectations in their eyes and i couldn't imagine how much that would suck.

Battery is still a refreshing band to listen to. It feels like so many bands are writing about nothing and a lot are, but there has always been and will always be a handful of band playing hardcore music with something to say that everybody needs to hear.

The Depths

I think I'm going to attempt to learn an In My Eyes song on guitar. I'm not really sure which one, I'll have to see which are doable and which ones I'll suck too hard at to even attempt. Any suggestions are welcome. I was thinking 'Take The Risk'. I really want to try and cover a song of their's with my brother over Christmas break.

I just finished writing the lyrics to a song, i only have the intro riff finished so i hope all the words will fit well. I can't wait to go buy some new string/picks my strings are two months old, I'd change them every week if i could. My picks are all really dull, due to my laziness and lack of disposable income these little novelties are more like luxuries. Anyway, i'll post the lyrics for the song i just did.

Into The Sea

I’ve tried to look life in the eye
So many times
I’m starting to wonder why
Why I even try

I take one glimpse and turn away
Too much pain
Too many neglected wounds

The bandages I made
Are soaking through
Visible to the outside world
And still I run
Staggering ‘till I fall flat on my face

You stand and laugh at me
I believed in who you wanted me to be
And now you have me right where you want me

So I close my eyes
I concentrate on the only truth I know inside
And I’m lookin’
I’m lookin’ right through my soul

At all the dream, the broken dreams
The hope that still survives
I’m clinging to the scraps
The remnants that are still alive
Waiting for you to resuscitate me
Resuscitate me

Time Stands Still

The awesomeness that is winter is almost upon us. Bike rides in freezing, snowing weather are not going be fun. But it could be worse, it could be better. But it's not.

I tend to listen to more music in the winter, I think the urge to shut off the outside world becomes more tempting when the gray, brownish hue that permeates the outside is depressing just to look at. A couple records I've been tuning out to lately have been A Wilhelm Screams' latest effort "Career Suicide" and Avails "4 AM Friday".

A Wilhelm Scream is a band I've followed for a few years now. Their debut record (post Smakin' Isaiah) was really good. A take on 90's skate punk, sped up , angrier, with incredible musicianship throughout. In Between "Mute Print" and "Career Suicide" they released another full length titled "Ruiner", I couldn't get into it nearly as much as their previous effort so i was really looking forward to what "Career Suicide" would be about. So far i haven't been the least bit disappointed. Catchy riffs and gut wrenching vocals make it hard not to pay attention through the duration of this record. I don't really know what else to say, if you like 88 Fingers Louie, AWS remind of a hopped up 88FL. If you like punk in general check this out.

Staying with the punk theme, Avail are one of those bands you can't not like. Ultra-Sincere punk rock with some poppy, some hardcore undertones. This record is probably my favorite of their discography as of this point. This record and Face to Face's "Big Choice" kind of stand out as landmarks for 90's punk rock. When i listen to this record now, i can't believe how well written the songs are, there's a quality about this record as with Face to Face's that's timeless. Some records lose their appeal after time, some stay the same, but the records that you can't stop listening to, that get better with every listen. Those are the records that you'll want to listen to when your too old and def and temp oncoming brain aneurysms every time you feel like reliving your youth. And this record certainly qualifies as one of those.