doubleDriving to the landmarks
By Eric | June 27, 2003 11:48 am
Well, since there was no food in the house, it was off to DiBella’s for lunch on Thursday, and then just a bit of driving around. The mail was the most exciting part of my day up to that point, because my doubleDrive demos came in!
In a nutshell, after dD put out 1000 Yard Stare on MCA Records, six months of touring later, the label told the band they couldn’t push the record anymore, and to go back and record a new one. So they did, finished a record, and then MCA dropped them all together. Roadrunner finally picked them up, and half of this newly recorded album made it onto Blue In The Face, along with some brand new stuff. The songs that got left off are whats on this disc that I got, and let me tell you, every one of them could have been on an album, they’re that good. It was like getting another dD album altogether!!
So that aside, I hung out at Sara’s house (not the apartment!) for a bit in the afternoon, we wandered over to Mercer’s house because his truck was in the driveway. Turns out he was in North Carolina on a job interview! Mike gave me his cellphone number though, so now I can get ahold of him! We headed to the apartment, where Adrienne and her friend from work, Sarah, were waiting for us to head to Thursday in the Square. Sarah was visiting from PA, and was an intern of sorts at Adr’s place, and since she’s a big finger eleven fan, she came with us to the show. We got there just as they started, and they played a pretty long set for being the openers! Never seen garbage cans used as beach balls before!!We didn’t stay for Default, instead got a nice cold drink, and after dropping Sarah off, went to go take more pictures with Sara. First stop was the Central Terminal, and then the old Buffalo Psych Center. Fun stuff! (See Sara’s site for all the pictures and stuff)
We came back to my house for a minute to pick up Amanda, and then headed to the apartment for a little drinky 🙂 Danielle came over, as did Sara’s friend from work Tony. We had a pretty good time, including a walk to Denny’s at 3am… and Amanda drove home 🙂 heheheh.
Topics: Blog | 1 Comment »
Tags: Buffalo, driving, house, NT, Work
06/26/2003 Finger Eleven (Buffalo, NY @ Lafayette Square)
By Eric | June 26, 2003 11:59 pm
I ventured to this with Sara, Adrienne, and Adrienne’s friend Sarah from work. We got there just as F11 was starting, and there was a ton of people there already. Sara and Adrienne were content to just watch from the side, and since Sarah was a big F11 fan and had never seen them before, we wandered into what I would guess to be the exact middle of the crowd, and dead center in front of the stage. A great view actually! So they were opening with Above by the time we got there, and then continued on with Absent Elements, Sad Exchange, Complicated Questions, Suffocate, Quicksand, For The Ocean, Conversations, Obvious Heart, Thousand Mile Wish, Tip, Good Times, One Thing, and closed up with First Time. This set was much heavier on the new self titled disc than the Showplace show was, and they played the mellower songs off that album as well, with James Black playing a funky looking electric/acoustic guitar. They sounded great though, and looked to be having fun up on the stage. There were a couple mosh pits, some miserable attempts at crowdsurfing, two fights, and instead of batting a beach ball around, kids took to batting garbage cans!! Sean even commented on it, calling Buffalo fans “hardcore” cuz they don’t mess around with beachballs 🙂 We didn’t stick around for Default, so a great show ended at a decent hour for us too.
The band themselves posted the full set bootleg to YouTube!
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Tags: 2003, Buffalo, Finger Eleven, Lafayette Square
New CD Storage
By Eric | June 15, 2003 8:22 pm
So I ended up going with my parents to Allentown again today… same stuff, we seemed to cover it a lot faster this time. *shrug* Dunno. But after we got home, I took off for a little bit, and went to Target… lo and behold, a Case Logic 208 Capacity CD binder, on clearance for $5!! Rock on! Now *ALL* of my burned CD’s can go in the car 🙂
Heading to Sara’s soon to try and fix the router problem once and for all… funny, it always works while I’m there, but never after I leave 🙂 hehe…
“I TOLD YOU LAST TIME, ROUTERS IS MAGIC!!!”
Topics: Blog | 5 Comments »
Tags: funny, NT, target, Work
Mid-Weekend Update
By Eric | June 15, 2003 11:11 am
Tiff has gone and departed back to Newfield… We had a pretty good time here this weekend 🙂 Thursday night she arrived, Friday we did some shopping, a CD run (Tiff completed her New Found Glory discography, she’s got em all now!) and then hit up Rock’N’Roll Heaven in West Seneca to see That 80’s Hair Band with Danielle and Adrienne. Saturday was the Allentown Art Festival with Sara, and then we had Jake’s birthday party here with the family. We’re all a bunch of screwballs… we have fun at our parties 🙂 hehe. Jake even brought his girlfriend around and subjected her to the inquisition that usually ensues 🙂
I think I’m probably going to go with my parents to the Art festival again, just for something to do, plus its Father’s Day, so family time is always good 🙂 Chip and Cathy invited me to go with them, but family’s gotta win out somewhere 🙂 hehe.
Topics: Blog | 3 Comments »
Tags: cat, family, NT, shopping, tiff
Ok, I’m a little late on this, but…
By Eric | June 12, 2003 9:31 pm
Metallica’s St. Anger (the song) really sucks! I finally heard it in its entirety tonight, and wow… the list just goes on:
1. It’s too long – They repeat the same portion of the song like 3 or 4 times, and its boring…
2. The first part of the song sounds like Metallica tries Nu-Metal… and they failed. Miserably.
3. Hetfield sings the same couple notes the whole song, he sounds even more monotone than normal.
4. The middle of the song switches tempo so abruptly, it sounds like I accidently taped over the song with something else.
5. Also in said middle part, it sounds like there was supposed to be a guitar solo there, but alas, because Kirk Hammett was either lazy or incompetent, there isn’t one.
I read an interview with him that said that when it came time to overdub the solos in, they thought it sounded great without it, and that anything they did sounded “pasted in”. Therefore, there’s nary a solo on the ENTIRE ALBUM, let alone this song! Metallica my ass. They haven’t sold out, they did that with the Napster fiasco, now they just plain suck. I even busted out Load again the other day (prompted by a discussion with Scott), and I got bored 3 songs into it… I’m listening to it, and thinking, this is probably a good album, but as a Metallica album, this really isn’t that good. So because of this, and a bunch of other reasons, I’m still convinced that Metallica’s best days are way behind them, and while the Black album and back are fine, anything after that is just crap.
Like you all cared, but after hearing it, I just HAD to complain 🙂
Topics: Blog | 3 Comments »
Tags: NT
Rochester NY on just pennies a day
By Eric | June 6, 2003 11:28 am
I have made it down to Newfield in one piece! (Although the muffler is only barely in one piece… definately need to get a new one once I’m back in NT). But anyway, yesterday was a fun day indeed. I got to Karl’s house about noon, and we met Matt at Empire for lunch. It was great to see the guys and hang out, even though its only been two weeks… gives us all someone else to bitch about being unemployed to (and BTW, Congrats to Chip on getting a full-time job at Improv!!) After Empire we hit the Archive, I got my ticket for the Doubledrive show later that evening, and then me and Karl headed to the House of Guitars, where I hadn’t visted since last school year. Didn’t really matter, nothing’s changed! hehe… I did pick up a DoubleDrive album flat though, just in case. Back to Karl’s house to visit with his parents for an hour or so, then I dropped by 156 to say hi to Joe.
Got to the show (which was at Steel Music Hall, formerly Tremors) about 5:45 for 6:00 doors. I’ll post a show review shortly, but suffice to say that I got to see dD do their soundcheck (and do a song they didn’t do in the set!), I met them before and after the set, and had a rockin good time while they were playing! I think I was the only one there to see them (they were the first band on of four, the headliners being 12 Stones) and I think they appreciated it.
I jetted after their set, and made the drive down to Ithaca… made a slight detour to Kelley’s place first, as her and Tiff were hanging out. Chip was in town, so he came over and joined us as well… RIT in Ithaca I tell you! We watched Catch Me If You Can (Leo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks), twas ok, *shrug* I dunno…
Today Tiff’s taking me to Buttermilk Falls State Park, gonna do some walking around, a little picnic action, and just enjoy the day, since its supposed to be 70-ish today
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Tags: cat, house, music, Nate, NT, rochester, tiff
06/05/2003 doubleDrive (Rochester, NY @ Steel Music Hall)
By Eric | June 5, 2003 11:59 pm
Finally got to see these guys after like a 4 year wait! The show was actually behind the venue in the sand volleyball court, and was actually headlined by 12 Stones, but I wasn’t exactly gonna stay for them… had to get to Ithaca! Anyway, I got there at about 5:45 (doors were at 6), and dD were just starting to soundcheck. They got their levels set, and then ran through Belief System (which they ended up NOT playing during the set!). I could see perfectly over the fence, so I got to see what they looked like. They let us in at 6, and a couple of the dD guys hit the bar, so armed with a sharpie and CD covers, I approached Mike and Troy, and chatted with them for a few minutes, Josh came over, and finally Donnie did as well. All of them were really nice guys, and seemed excited that someone recognized them (and had the first CD!). So they pretty much went from talking to me to being right up on stage! There werent too many people there yet, so I parked myself dead center, and they came out with Donnie just singing the beginning of Freighttrain by himself… then they kicked into 1000 Yard Stare! After that, (my order gets fuzzy!) they did 11:59, Hell, Inside Out, a full-on version of Freighttrain, Fed Up, Imprint, and then closed it up with Tattooed Bruise. They sounded awesome, and for hardly anyone else being into them or knowing who they were, they looked like they were having a hell of a time up on stage too… Needless to say I think I was the only one rockin out, but hey, I’ve waited forever to see them, I wasn’t exactly caring! I had picked up a Blue in the Face flat earlier in the day from the HOG with Karl, so I ran to the car, and briefly talked to the guys to get it signed after the show as well. Even though it was only 8 songs, it was still an awesome set, and I can’t wait till they come through the area again.
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Tags: 2003, doubleDrive, rochester, Steel Music Hall
Edgefest
By Eric | May 31, 2003 10:55 am
Tiff arrived about 2, and then we were off to the show…
Edgefest was a pretty good time yesterday / last night. The full review will be up shortly, but here’s a quick rundown of what me and Tiff saw yesterday. We got there at 3 and missed the first couple local bands on…
Klear – The local boys were decent, but the singer always sounds like he’s hoarse.
Smile Empty Soul – good riffs, the singer needs to go back to screaming school
Trapt – After the initial technical problems, they were pretty good, but nothing spectacular
Seether – Sounded just as good as at the Penny Arcade, coulda done without the Nirvana cover though
Finch – Worst band we saw all day, the screaming was blah, wannabe Deftones type band
(hed)pe – Had high hopes, they werent as good as I’ve seen them in the past
Powerman 5000 – They were okay, but also not spectacular
Cold – Sounded great, Scoot is still figuring out the new stuff, and the guitar tech played bass!
The Juliana Theory – blaaaaaaaaah. Tried to rock hard, didnt quite get there.
Staind – They still have it! A good mix of songs, and Aaron can still sing! 🙂
We were in at 3 and out of there by 9:30, hit Chili’s for a late dinner, and then chilled at home before packing it in for the night. The rain kinda threw a wrench in our plans for today, so we’re not quite sure what were up to for today…
Tiff brought a CD with graduation pictures, so those will be up shortly as well!
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Tags: NT, tiff
05/30/2003 Edgefest 10: Staind, The Juliana Theory, Cold, Powerman 5000, (hed)pe, Finch, Seether, Trapt, Smile Empty Soul, Klear (Buffalo, NY @ Dunn Tire Park)
By Eric | May 30, 2003 11:59 pm
Tiff and I rolled in about 3:00, as she had to come in from Newfield, and missing the locals opening up the show wasn’t going to break our hearts. We had seats, so we weren’t going to be fighting for position on the floor or anything, so we found a nice spot in plain view of the two side-by-side stages. Klear was just starting when we walked in, they were pretty good, but the singer continually sounds like he’s hoarse. It gets a little annoying after awhile, but like I said, the music was good. As soon as they were done, Smile Empty Soul was set up on the stage right next door. The zero-turnaround time approach worked very well, there was no waiting at all between sets 🙂 SES was ok, the riffs were pretty cool, but the “singer” couldn’t scream well to save his life. Too bad, because his singing was decent. After them was Trapt, and I had heard good things about them. They had some technical problems to start out the set, but got them worked out and put on an entertaining set. The singer clearly liked the F-word though when talking to the crowd! Time for Seether on the other stage, and they rocked it just as hard as at the Penny Arcade. They did 6 songs, opening with Gasoline, then 69 Tea, Needles, Burrito, Fine Again, and the Nirvana cover of You Know You’re Right, which I could have done without, but Seether put on a good show. Finch was next, and was easily the worst of the bunch. They were going for a Deftones kinda vibe, but the band was eh, and the singer sounded like a wounded cat. Don’t believe the hype on these guys. (hed)pe was next, and I have to say they were better the last couple times I’ve seen them. Despite this, they still put on a show, with Jahred inciting the crowd to mosh like no one else did during the afternoon. They opened with Suck It Up, then into Dangerous, Waiting to Die, Ken 2012, Killing Time, and closed with Blackout. Powerman 5000 was after them on the other stage, and they were ok, but nothing terribly exciting. All the songs sounded the same, and until When Worlds Collide at the end, no one was really moving for them. After them it was Cold time! Jeremy busted his arm wrestling a day prior, so their guitar tech, Larry, filled in on bass. Did a pretty good job too! They opened with Remedy, then they played No One, Suffocate, Send In The Clowns, Rain Song, Stupid Girl, and closed with Just Got Wicked. Scoot sounded pretty good, but you could tell he was still feeling out the new material. In any event, they still sounded very good, and the new stuff will get better with time. The Juliana Theory was up next, and they were boring. They had loud guitars, but the singer was kinda whiny, and it just was not interesting (a.k.a., we went for food!). They finished, and it was Staind’s night from then on out. They opened with Intro, which ironically is the last song on the new album, and took that right into Price to Play. Then they switched to the old stuff and played Crawl, and my order gets fuzzy after this, but they did Yesterday, Layne, Suffocate, Fade, Spleen, toned it down in the middle with So Far Away, Epiphany and Outside, then Open Your Eyes, Pressure, Mudshovel, For You, and closed with It’s Been Awhile. Aaron and the boys have not lost a step, Aaron was hitting everything, and the music was right on as well. An excellent set, and even though I drifted for a bit, I remember why I started to love this band in the first place. A great capper to the night, and sent me home happy 🙂
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 05/30/2003 Edgefest 10: Staind, The Juliana Theory, Cold, Powerman 5000, (hed)pe, Finch, Seether, Trapt, Smile Empty Soul, Klear (Buffalo, NY @ Dunn Tire Park)
Tags: (hed) pe, 2003, Buffalo, Cold, Dunn Tire Park, Edgefest, Finch, Klear, Powerman 5000, Seether, Smile Empty Soul, Staind, The Juliana Theory, Trapt
Wacky Wild Wings
By Eric | May 30, 2003 2:14 am
The night was interesting to say the least… it was Adrienne’s birthday, so we were gonna go out… nowhere special… just Wild Wings. I pick up Sara and head to Adr’s house… we get cake 🙂 Turns out Danielle is working at a townie bar on River Road, so we head there at 9 to say hi, just as shes getting off work. Follow her to her house to dump the car, then to Adr’s again to get her present for Danielle. Off to Wild Wings, only Adr forgot her ID! Back to her house, and finally to Wild Wings. Watched the Ducks lose again 🙁 They had karaoke… had to do Black again hehe (Eddie Vedder voice!) Then it was off to Denny’s, just for old times sake… we hadn’t all been together since Christmas! Dropped everyone off, and now its time to hit the sack… big day tomorrow… and as Sara just pointed out to me on pimprock, seems Jeremy from Cold had a little accident:
Cold bassist Jeremy Marshall broke his arm in a “general touring accident” prior to the bands scheduled performance in Pittsburgh, PA on Monday, May 26th. As a result the show was canceled. Despite the injury however, the band plan to resume touring tomorrow, May 30th in Buffalo, NY with Marshall playing in a cast.
Hey, they’re playing… All is well 🙂 hehe.
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Tags: Buffalo, house, NT, Work