One up on the economy

I have basically solidifed my position for a summer job at Sundaycare so I am set for the summer and will have steady income while a lot of my friends are slackin. Up yours bad economy!

Grading The President

I have seen a few news media programs try and grade our president. I honestly don't think it is right to try to grade him this early. He has only been in office a 7 months and I honestly think the waiting period before "grading" a political official should be at least a year.

This gives you time to see a lot more than you will see in 100 days and it you can see the pros and cons of the decisions he has to make. Making all of those decisions isn't as easy as you would imagine. You have to take into consideration how it will effect the people of the U.S. How it will effect our policies with other nations. Also, if the decision will effect the rights of any group of people in the United States.

http://www.last.fm/user/AttackOfTheTom

The thing thats really been striking me lately is the fact that my music taste is all over the charts, literally. I have always been into every genre thanks to my mom and my other family always playing various music when I was little but what I listen to lately varies so much. It starts on the soft side with Kevin Devine and Saves The Day. Then slowly progresses to Brand New, Say Anything, and New Found Glory. They lead to A Day To Remember and Devil Wears Prada. They shed light on Converge and Trap Them.

I dont know if you guys realize but it goes from acoustic rock to (pretty much) grindcore.

Then on the other side of the spectrum I have artists of Hip Hop that vary from Nas to Twiztid. It fucking off the wall.

Then lastly Im getting into trance and techno more so there are a few djs I have yet to learn more of but currently Armin Van Buuren and BT are most played for me.

Some Catching up to do

So lately I have had a severe lack of updates. Since Ive last blogged Ive done a promotional photo shoot for Surrender The Dance Floor and have been talking to The Gates Of Ivory and DJ Bless for possible shoots. I also did a live shoot again, Hooker In The Morgue and Tuesdays With Morrie. Those pics came out very well, surprisingly, since my camera took a slugging at the Oceano show on March 8th.

At the end of last month and the beginning of this month I have been having a steady dialogue with Zach from Bloodshot Music about management for bands and booking. We have worked out a sweet deal for myself. I am now the manager for Tuesdays with Morrie. I will be working closely with them in the upcoming months to make sure they're set for a possible upcoming tour and a shitload more shows. Plus a ton of promotion so I'm stoked on that fact.

I recommend every one to go out and see the movie I Love You, Man. It was definitely worthy of the 8 dollar ticket purchase (prices may vary by location). I am also getting ready to see Observe and Report on friday. Seth Rogan is the man, and just about all of his movies are a "laugh-riot".

I have also noticed a trend in hip-hop where the rappers are all referencing their swag. Style is such an abstract concept but apparently its whats cool in rap so everyone will buy it, but me.

Also, on a random note, Henry Rollins will be speaking at the Webster Theater on June 6th. I am so fucking excited for this. You may be thinking, Why do you like spoken word when all you do is talk about live shows?" Well, I like Henry Rollins spoken word because he is actually a smart guy. He is deeper than most people who rant and rave about their problems. I also think Black Flag is fucking awesome.

I shall be updating this a lot more from now on. I hope you guys are ready.
Until then I leave you with this....

My adverstisement Flyer

I am proud to finally say I have something that is almost official. It is an add I threw together so I could have it printed in a local Connecticut zine called "The Breakdown". Ill post more info when I get the chance. As of now, Im busy with some extra homework, setting up shoots, and listening to Converge.

Rap Music. The Downward Spiral.

Rap music, everyone has different opinions on it. Some feel it is a creative outlet to express the struggle of the urban culture or tell stories over beats. Others feel that it is a talentless form of poetry over music.

Im not particularly sure how you, the reader, feel about the hip-hop/rap culture but I'm sure you have noticed a few things about it.

Around 2002, it was more noticeable then, there started to become a trend of making a dance or making something up that everyone would know and only having that hit to rely on for your success. Since then their has been Huey (Pop, Lock, and Drop It), Yung Joc (made the motorcycle dance), and countless other dances spawned off of Crank Dat Soulja Boy. It is not necessarily the fact that people do the dances it is just the fact that the people are so shallow minded and dont realize that the rappers that make the songs are record label produced bullshit. There are new rappers coming and going now adays and it seems like no one has a true permancence anymore like the greats of yesteryear such as; Jay-Z, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, KRS1. Not to say that there arent good rappers now a days. Some truly good rappers are masters of their crafts and know what their doing. Good examples are; Kanye West, Custom Made, Lupe Fiasco, Tech N9ne.

Another trend in hip hop that I particularlly care for is older rappers dropping hot albums. I mean older rappers, as in you've been in the game for a substantial amount of time and had at least 5 albums drop. Some veterans are dropping hot albums. Nas put out "Untitled and Hip Hop is Dead". Dilated Peoples put out "The Release Party". Redman release "Red Gone Wild".

Very often will you stumble upon a rapper or a group of rappers who arent all about "getting money and bitches". Rappers who can expand beyond what is normal concious thought in the rap world. A good example of these kind of artists are the artists on Rhymesayers (Atmosphere, Brother Ali) or Def Jux (El-P, Aesop Rock, Cage). Their rhymes will often tell a story and will show how their lives are impacted by music ir will show the constant struggle they go through on a day to day basis.

Overall I feel that hip hop has decreased in its overall likeability to me. Now hip hop is all about trends and lyricism and true genious is put on the back burner while everyone shows off their new dance or what kind of cars or clothes they have.

I would definitely recommend you listen to any of these artists:
Redman
Method Man
Nas
Jay-Z
The Roots
Dilated Peoples
Eminem (anything before encore)
The Alkaholics
Kottonmouth Kings
Snoop Dogg
Dr. Dre
Aesop Rock
Cage
El-P
Atmosphere
Brother Ali
KRS1
Canibus
Jedi Mind Tricks
Ill Bill
Sabac
Immortal Technique
Ice Cube
Wu Tang
N.W.A.
Camp Lo
The Coup
(older) DMX
Jadakiss
Styles P
among many others....

The Pros and Cons of Veganism

"Veganism may be defined as a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, the animal kingdom for food, clothing, or any other purpose. In dietary terms it refers to the practice of dispensing with all animal produce - including flesh, fish, fowl, eggs, (non-human) animal milks, and their derivatives, with the taking of honey being left to individual conscience." - THE VEGAN

I have been adhering to this dietary and lifestyle choice for almost 4 months now, having previously been vegetarian for almost 5 months, and I have realized that their are definitely a lot of benefits to being vegan and there are unfortunately a few cons.

Let me tackle the bad aspects of being vegan first. It is kind of an inconvenience to the average American because it makes going out to eat a task. A lot of fancier restaurants don't truly cater to vegan customers. Another con to a vegan lifestyle is not being able to receive certain vitamins and nutrients without having to take multi vitamins or other supplements to get them. The other con I have really noticed (this is more towards the women) is fashion. A lot of things that are popular are the leather products or the brands that use a lot of fur. A lot of your hygenie products arent vegan. Although there are downsides to having a Vegan diet and lifestyle they are just matters of convenience. The cons will looks miniscule compared to the list of pros.

During the ongoing course of my veganism I have realized a lot of good things about veganism. A well planned vegan diet a good fighter of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and prostate cancer just to name a few killers. There are a lot of ways to get the vitamins and nutrients you need to be a healthy individual. For instance; in a vegan diet Vitamin D is very low in quantity but if you spend 10 to 15 minutes in the sun for 2 to 3 times a week and that will cause your body to start to produce the vitamin D you need. You would never believe how many subsitutes there are for things you would cook with, ie; meat and or dairy. There are a ton of "faux" (fake) meats and "faux" (fake) dairy products. There are also specialized vegan recipes for things like deserts, like using applesauce or tofu instead of eggs. Vitamins and nutriets arent lacking in a vegan diet. You gets many of the essentials (Vitamins A, B, C, betacerratine...etc) and some you wouldn't except such as Iron and Zinc.
To tackle the other topics presented in the cons list; a lot of fast food places have started to accomidate vegan lifestyles such as Taco Bell. Anything on their menu can be veganized by removing the meat and dairy. In the world of fashion a lot of designers have started to use "pleather" (fake leather) and fake fur to accomidate their vegan customers. It may be hard to believe but some companies have introduced vegan hygenie products such as Deodorants, lip balms, tooth pastes, and soaps as to include the customer that stays animal friendly.

In my opinion it seems that the pros outweight the cons.

PETA has said that, "A Vegan diet can save up to 100 animals a year".

Veganism.com on possibly justification of killing and eating animals, "That we can do something does not mean that it is right to do so. We have a lot of power over other creatures, but with
great powers come even greater responsibilities, as any parent will
testify. Humans are at the top of the food chain because they CHOOSE to eat
nonhuman animals."

Kendall Francois and the non existant Poughkeepsie Tapes

After knowing the story of the Water Street butcher and watching the movie "The Poughkeepsie Tapes", I decided to see what was out there to learn about Kendall Francois that I hadn't heard before. From talking to a few people I know and reading an article from Tru Tv I had been enlightened on a few new facts.

1. I had learned that he was employed at Arlington Middle School from 1996 - 1997. It weird to hear that because a lot of my current friends went to Arlington Middle.

2. Kendall had also been employed at Arlington High School. When I first heard that I was pretty damn shocked. That is where I currently attend school so it was surprising to hear a serial killer had worked here. As fate would have it, my communications teacher actually met him when he was first employed at Arlington. He was the type of person who, "was pretty shy and kept to himself a lot or not constantly engaging in conversation with everyone".

3. I had learned that there were NO "Poughkeepsie tapes". Kendall Francois undoubtedly killed all 8 of the prostitutes but nowhere in my research or my conversations have I found that he had actually video tapped his killings.
This makes me wonder why John Erick Dowdle decided to base a movie off of the story of Francois.



4. The movie is very inconsistent. In the movie the killer is light skinned. Francois was actually a very dark skinned African American. In real life he had only slayed eight women who were all prostitutes. In the movie the killer, who is supposed to be Francois, kills at least ten people and it seems like he goes out of his way to be overly sadistic. For instance in the movie he kills a man and decapitates him then kills a woman and stuffs the mans head in her stomach, in a ritualistic way. The killer in the movie ran before the cops could try to get him. Francois never fled or really tried to avoid cops, he was an average everyday working and functioning American. He just tried to conceal his murders a little more by hiding all the bodies in his attic. Last but not least in the movie "The Poughkeepsie Tapes" the killer video tapes all his killings and torturous acts to all his victims. In real life there was no evidence that Francois had ever done that. Also, the movie wasn't even filmed in Poughkeepsie, New York.


Ill give "The Poughkeepsie Tapes" the benefit of the doubt by saying it wasa pretty disturbing movie. It dint make me cringe or be scared but I definitely know it will ave to power to scare others. If Hollywood really wants to make a good horror movie than make a movie about the truth. Sometimes the truth is scarier than anything we could ever imagine.

Barack Obama: The Over Coverage

I have been watching a little bit of the coverage of our new president on CNN and all of the other major media stations. It seems to me that they are completely over covering Mr. Obama. I mean the inauguration and his speech was one thing.

Don't get me wrong, I think the man has fantastic potential but I think having to clean up after George Bush's mess will set him a little behind. When I say coverage of Barack Obama I dont mean how the media covers major decisions about the economy or major political issues concerning our country, I mean daily life.

When news stations like CNN don't have any major news to cover, it seems that they start to cover something about Barack Obama. For instance: what kind of dog he has and information about that breed or where he went for a walk.

I mean it is getting kind of ridiculous. In a sense I think they have been over covering him. Isn't there any other story they can be covering about foreign affairs or possible war in Iraq updates or ANYTHING ELSE besides something to do with Barack Obama. I realize he broke major ground by becoming the first African American president and for being our newly elected president at that, but there is only so much to be said about one person. After awhile everyone will be saying a lot of the same things about him, his decisions, and his daily life but in different words then their competition.

I am just as interested in the next political move by the president as much as anyone else but I am not very concerned about what his kids options for school lunch are (thats creepy CNN).

Diving deeper into Mathcore and its inconsistencies as a Genre.

I have been listening to hardcore for around 3 years now. Throughout the years I have heard the term "Mathcore" thrown around a lot as a sub genre. I always wondered what it was because I had never listened to bands that had been dubbed as said sub genre. Today my curiosity had peaked and I decided to really get a true definition of the sonic etiquette known as "Mathcore". I started with the foundations (of what I could only hope was the truth) of Mathcore on Wikipedia. Mathcore is describer as, "A rhythmically complex and dissonant style of metalcore. The term mathcore is suggested by analogy with math rock. Both math rock and mathcore make use of unusual time signatures."

After reading those three sentences it can be assumed, at least for my sake, that this sub genre is the based on a different sub genre. I see no real rhyme or reason for the classification of the type of music as a new genre. Why can't people call it was it is, the technical side metalcore. Speaking of it as this you would be covering all of the main points that justify the title of the genre. Technical as in rapid or complex guitar or other instrumentation. Metalcore as in music that combines metal elements with elements from hardcore music.

To address another point, the vocal style is similar to metalcore. Mathcore bands such as; The Locust, The Number 12 Looks Like You, The Fall Of Troy, and See You Next Tuesday are all know to vary their vocal stylings from High pitched, ear piercing screams or yells to low pitched grunts or spleen rupturing lows. A few bands in the mathcore genre consistently stay with the same vocal type, such as; Converge and the Dillenger Escape Plan. I do not believe that a vocal style is enough to make a sub genre out of.


The last point I must address, the use of breakdowns. A lot if not all of the mathcore bands include some kind of use of a breakdown of some sort. It might not be the main focus of their songs but they are usually their in one or two of the songs. Thus, keeping them in the metalcore sub genre. They just wouldn't be the shining image of what you would assume a metalcore band is. They would be more like the bastard step children of metalcore. They still have to keep the family name but they get to do their own thing.

I realize that you could argue the point that bands look to math for outlandish time signatures but so do a lot of technical bands. Remember a certain band, Dragonforce? Their technical on a whole different level and a lot of their time signatures are pretty insane. They are also considered metal. Isn't that another inconsistency with genre labeling.

It just proves to me that trying to label music into different sub genres is very pointless. Why should people label music? I suppose to know what you are going to listen to. Although I believe people should take some risks and look outside of the normal everyday stuff they hear on the radio and look for music that they would truly like. You never know, if you search then you may stumble upon your next favorite band/artist.

The Blog Title.

Well, Hello Everyone. I'm Thomas, I am an amateur photographer from Connecticut. This is not my first blog, I figured I should state that much. I am pretty inconsistent with updating things like this but eventually you will see my posting my rants, diatribes, opinions, and research on here for your viewing (dis)pleasure.

I had decided on this title because unless people have a specific angle for writing when they blog, they have a hard time coming up with a name for a blog. I assumed this was "The Typical Predicament" of the average blogger.

Clever, no?