In honor of the day (3 11′s,) 311 is making a recording of a show from August 2011 at Red Rocks available as a free download. I’m listening to it right now, the the audio quality is great. There’s a good mix of songs from across their entire catalog, including several from their latest release. Any fan of 311 will love this; and if you aren’t, punch yourself in the face and then download anyway.

Setlist:

1. Beautiful Disaster
2. Prisoner
3. Homebrew
4. Sunset in July
5. Large in the Margin
6. 8:16 AM
7. Timebomb
8. All Mixed Up
9. Inner Light Spectrum
10. Applied Science
11. Wild Nights
12. Uncalm
13. Flowing
14. Don’t Let Me Down
15. Bass Solo/Nutsymptom
16. And A Ways To Go
17. Come Original
18. Lose
19. Amber
20. Jackpot
21. Creatures (for a While)
22. Mindspin
23. Beyond the Grey Sky
24. Rock On
25. Down

You need this.

The walk from MTV’s offices to the Best Buy Theater started with a novel, yet deplorable, thought: whoever gets the extra ticket in our possession has to take a punch to the face. Would this ever really happen? Of course not! Do I like making business suit-clad by-passers wince? Hell yes! After a quick trip to what I think is the best bagel shop in Manhattan to grab a quick sandwich, we found someone who was looking for a ticket and simply gave it to him. You could tell that the lucky recipient was thinking, “what’s the catch?” But there wasn’t one. What’s the point in having a ticket that isn’t being used, especially when there’s such a great show going on? We began walking in to the venue when we were offered a round of drinks as a thank you. Can’t say no to that!

We missed both opening acts – New Riot and Rodeo Ruby Love. Another friend of Rob’s met up with us, outside of the performance area as we enjoyed our free booze. This was a special treat – someone else with similar music tastes at mine? Folks like that seem to be far and few between these days. Anyway, the next thing I know some of the guys from New Riot were chatting with us. They are a great bunch and if you haven’t heard their music yet, check them out now. I have to admit, my inner monologue kept firmly saying, “Don’t do it! Don’t! do it!” as I thought about making a remark about how the gentlemen of New Riot appeared as if they were from London, and I’m happy to say that I behaved. The line caused some tension between a friend and a bar patron who was clearly from across the pond last Friday, so I decided it would be better to just smile and tell a joke about Chilean miners instead. Classy.

Reel Big Fish’s set started off a bit slow; I can’t quite explain what felt out of place, but it was like something was missing. Maybe Aaron wasn’t at 100%, which would make complete sense considering the complications related to a ruptured appendix back in July. Perhaps it was related to Scott Klopfenstein’s absence? He was mentioned several times during the set, “Hey, where’s Scott? I thought I saw him over there!” Who knows – they’re still a great band, even when something’s not quite right. The performance picked up by the 3rd or 4th song and the sold-out venue was more energized than I’ve ever seen it before. Skank pits formed all over the floor and the entire house was having a good time. I even saw a security guard dancing a bit at one point later in their performance.

The band ended their set with several renditions of Suburban Rhythm, including a Disturbed-inspired new metal version, and Another F.U. Song:

Streetlight Manifesto hit the stage pretty quickly after Reel Big Fish. We walked out to the bar to grab a drink, and the next moment we heard Streetlight get in to their first song. Their set was strong right from the start. Their second song, Down, Down, Down to Mephisto’s Cafe is a personal favorite of mine. The guy screaming “Catch!” was promptly punched in the stomach. It’s OK, I know him.

At one point between songs, Tom briefly mentioned that their forthcoming album was about 50% complete. 99 Songs of Revolution: Vol1 was a great release, but I can’t wait to hear some new original material from Streetlight. A new album would be a great holiday gift. I’m just saying.

We got the opportunity to watch the 2nd half of Streetlight’s set from one of the VIP areas, providing us with not only a great view of the band but the entire audience. Being a part of the audience on the floor is one thing, but seeing it from above is completely different. Close up, you have the hands and feet of sweat-soaked fans flying past you from every angle in some form of orchestrated chaos, but taking a few steps back provides you with a view of something else – a rhythmic flow of bodies, guided by a some horns, a couple of guitars, a drum kit, and some of the most well written lyrics in the genre.

Streetlight came out for an encore and played Here’s to Life and Somewhere in the Between:

The night was still young, but I was feeling old. I found a furry wall and called it a night.

Two references of movies with Russel Brand in them? It’s time to stop writing, grab a drink, and give the new Big D and the Kids Table album another listen.

Lesson learned: Free booze wins over a punch in the face any day. Period.

You can check for the update by going to the phone settings menu and checking for the update. It’s around 46mb and the entire download/install process took about 15min for me but will vary due to download speeds, etc.

G4′s Attack of the Show reviewed the G2x just a few days ago and gave it a 5 out of 5. I’ve been using the phone for the past few months, and completely agree with their remarks. This phone is speedy, runs on T-Mobile’s fast G4 network (which I’ve never had issues with), has a great camera, and aside from the aforementioned rebooting issue is the best mobile phone I’ve owned.

I was very fortunate to be handed a copy of Coloring Book several weeks ago during a business trip to MerchDirect. With business matters handled, I made my way out of the building and across the parking lot to my Jeep; the shrink wrap was off of the CD case long before I even had my keys out. With Coloring Book in my dash and the volume turned up, I started my drive home.

The EP’s first track, Black Nurse, begins with Durijah Lang’s powerful drumming, immediately followed by Justin Beck’s guitar.

“Oh fuck.”

That’s the first thought that ran through my mind. This isn’t the Glassjaw of the last decade – this is something different. It’s like the band was placed in an Oak cask to mature and develop layers of complexity, resulting in a heaver, groove-oriented sound. Daryl Palumbo’s vocals are as expected, although somewhat subdued when compared to earlier releases. It feels like there’s a deliberate exercise in restraint in his range on the tracks, and it works well. You can’t not get chills listening to him sing the chorus on Vanilla Poltergeist Snake:

No one gets out alive

No one.

The EP takes a hold of you from it’s powerful opening straight through its mostly subdued close, Daytona White. The last few notes of Manny Carrero’s bass rang out just as I was pulling in to my driveway, followed by a low buzzing tone. I blew out a speaker. That’s just how good this EP is. Get it if you can.

Track Listing:

1. Black Nurse
2. Gold
3. Vanilla Poltergeist Snake
4. Miracle In Inches
5. Stations Of The New Cross
6. Daytona White

Installation on Windows or Apple computers is a snap, plus Sugarsync is available for iPhone and Android devices too. There is also a Web interface to ensure that you can access your files from pretty much anywhere with an Internet connection.

The mobile app (Android in my case) has come in handy several times. I installed it on my phone, not really having the intention to use it and then it completely saved me from making an effort to do something one day. Fuck effort, yeah.  I took a day off from work and a coworker needed some files I had been working on. I was in line at 7-11, about to get my Slurpee on, when the phone call came in. Now, I was already late to be where I was going and really didn’t want to have to turn back to find and send the file – at which point I remembered Sugarsync was on my phone. About 30 seconds later, my coworker had all of the files he needed and I didn’t need to to more than press a few buttons. I literally got everything together and out to my coworker before the guy in front of me could pay for a pack of cigarettes and a copy of Good Housekeeping magazine.

Aside from basic file synchronization, Sugarsync allows you to share files with others, even if they do not have a Sugarsync account. Folders can be shared and password protected so only certain people can gain access to their contents or you can right-click on any file that is in a Sugarsync managed folder and instantly copy a public link to your clipboard that can be shared with anyone.

My favorite feature is the Magic Briefcase. It’s a folder that you can store files in that automatically remain identical between all computers in your account. It’s a very handy to place files that you are actively working on during a project, helping to keep your mind off of where files are and keeping your mind on the work itself.

A basic 5Gb account with Sugarsync is free, and you can earn additional storage for tasks like sharing files and referring friends.

July 17th started out like any other Sunday. I woke up, ate some breakfast and checked my email, and then headed down to the basement to exercise. Halfway through my workout, things took an unexpected turn. I received a phone call from a family friend that my Grandparents’ home had burned down. I hung up the phone and immediately went numb – they’ve been in that house with my Aunt for 27 years. I immediately remembered the day they moved in, the time I skinned my knees on the driveway the first time I tried to ride a bicycle, and my first day of Kindergarten at the school just across the street. I called local family to find out what exactly what was going on, and in the end learned out that everyone was OK. The general consensus was for me to head in to the city as I originally planned, as there was nothing that I would be able to do right then anyway.

I mulled around my home for a few hours, trying to keep calm. My grandfather passed away a couple of months ago, and I kept thinking about how devastated he would have been if he were still around to see this happen. His home office and the decades of history contained within it were destroyed – citations, diplomas, and correspondences showing his business achievements around the world are all gone.

My friend Rob showed up and we made it to the city with just enough time to grab a quick sandwich and make it to the show minutes before Thursday took the stage.

Thursday’s set was a bit short at 9 songs, with over half coming from their latest album, No Devolución. Outside of a few guys in a pit, the crowd seemed rather subdued; much more so than I expected. If anything I’d assume it was because of the newer songs performed; their atmospheric sound interwoven with Geoff’s ethereal vocals feel more appropriate for a pair of headphones and not a stage. Don’t get me wrong – No Devolución is a great album, beautifully displaying Thursday’s continued growth and willingness to experiment with their sound, it just doesn’t feel like an album that lends itself well to live performances.

The high point of the set for me was when they played Jet Black New Year, one of my favorite Thursday songs. I would have like to have heard a few more favorites – In Transmission, Steps Ascending and Friends in the Armed Forces, but even without this was one of the more anticipated and enjoyed live performances I’ve seen quite some time.

Setlist:

• Fast to the End
• For the Workforce, Drowning
• Counting 5-4-3-2-1
• Magnets Caught in the Metal Heart
• Understanding in a Car Crash
• No Answers
• Sparks Against the Sun
• Jet Black New Year
• Turnpike Divides

Taking Back Sunday came on about 20 minutes after Thursday finished their set; leaving just enough time to grab some fresh air and a drink. It hit me, while waiting for my Jack and Coke that I’ve never seen Taking Back Sunday live before. This is especially surprising since they were founded just a handful of blocks from where I grew up. I went to the same high school as their guitarist and founder, Eddie Reyes, and regularly had pizza during lunch at the same place they’d hang around, but never saw them perform on stage.

Their set opened with the first single, El Paso, off of their latest album and the band looked comfortable and sounded great. I had been wondering what the mood would be like, up to the beginning of their performance, given the lineup changes that have taken place over the years but those thoughts disappeared immediately. The background of the stage consisted of a banner with a graphic of a stalking panther in a circle – maybe it was the combination of the heat and alcohol or just my overactive mind, but I immediately found a symbolism of sorts in the graphic – one of coming full circle and unity. Despite the changes and differences that may have occurred over the past handful of years, Taking Back Sunday has returned in form and is ready to make some incredible music.

The majority of the songs performed were from the band’s first and latest releases, both of which feature the band’s debut LP/current lineup. Timberwolves At New Jersey, which I thought was the highlight of the set – it was a perfect nod to the band’s earlier years, and the rhythm section was so much more pronounced live than on the album, something that got the crowd jumping immediately. Afterward, lead singer Adam Lazzara was handed an acoustic guitar and played Straylight Run’s Existentialism on Prom Night mid-set and it felt a bit awkward – a mea culpa of sorts.

Adam made his way towards the back of the venue with a sprained ankle to perform the final songs of the set with fans in the seated section. Cute Without The “E” was the last song of the evening, with the crowd sharing singing duties with Lazzara followed by a rush for the doors and the cool summer air.

Setlist:

• El Paso
• MakeDamnSure
• You Know How I Do
• Liar (It Takes One to Know One)
• Faith (When I Let You Down)
• Bike Scene
• One-Eighty by Summer
• Error: Operator
• You Got Me
• Timberwolves at New Jersey
• Existentialism on Prom Night (Straylight Run cover)
• What’s it Feel Like to Be a Ghost?
• A Decade Under the Influence
• You’re So Last Summer
• This is All Now
• There’s No ‘I’ in Team
• Cute without the ‘E’ (Cut from the Team)

For a little more info on TBS and the Long Island music scene, check out this article from New York Magazine’s website. It’s a bit dated at this point, but still worth a read.

Next and last was a quick trip to BXL, a Belgian bar and former regular lunch spot, just a block away from the venue. A raspberry lambic served by a gorgeous barmaid and a cool city breeze on a clear night was the perfect way to end a bizarre, and unforgettable, Sunday.

A lot has happened since the beginning of 2011. Honsi Mubarak has been ousted from his political position in Egypt and the event has inspired a revolt against Muammar Gaddafi, floods and all sorts of crazy weather in here the US, an earthquake and subsequent tsunami, along with the resulting nuclear tragedy in Japan, and the Aquabats got their long-planned TV show green lit.

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Not to trivialize what’s going on in the Middle East right now, but all political and humanitarian views aside, Mubarak and Gaddafi have some pimp shit going on for themselves. Mubarak is sporting suits where the pinstripes consist of his name, and Gaddafi’s walking around with an all-female elite bodyguard force. Seriously – they’re an all virgin hand-picked group known as his “Amazon Guard”.

P Diddy has neither. Keep your head up, pal.

All of this makes what’s going on in my life seem very trivial, but since we are now one quarter in to the year it feels like a good time to look back at my list of resolutions and perform a bit of a check-in on things. If you haven’t read my 2011 New Year’s Resolutions post, take a few minutes to check it out. Doing so will make all of this a lot clearer than it would be otherwise.

Make the 9 to 5 more fun and rewarding

Work is busy. There are a ton of large projects going on simultaneously, but we are managing to get things completed on schedule (so far) and with a level of quality that I feel is acceptable. There have been a fair number of hiccups over the past few months, but nothing we haven’t been able to learn from and correct. I’ve been able to send my staff to some minor training sessions and we are collectively working on improving some common skills with the goal of achieving a certification together at some point in the next 6 months or so.

Even with the workload as it is, we’ve been able to maintain a sense of humor and keep a mostly positive attitude about everything that’s going on. For instance, one of the higher-ups congratulated a coworker and me on exceeding a goal that was set for us in March and after the typical round of applause from others in the meeting I said, “Thanks. As a reward for meeting and exceeding the goal, I’d like to request that a George Foreman grill is purchased for my office.” The day before, I quoted MC Hammer when talking about Social Media and marketing strategies. I’ll settle for a Panini press.

Give Back.

My former supervisor, NFTE’s CFO, is no longer with the organization. Having the opportunity to work with him again was one of the main motivations behind doing some sort of volunteer work in their offices, so his absence changes things. That isn’t to say that I no longer want to give my time, it just means that this has moved down on my list of items for now. The organization has undergone so many changes since I left in 2007 that it feels a bit alien to me. It’s something that I felt during my visit back in December, and his departure makes it all the more so.

A few people have said that I may be a good mentor to a younger person. I don’t necessarily disagree, but could see that as being a bit more realistic say, 5 years from now. I feel like I’m still too young and have a lot more to experience before I can confidently guide another person in any way. It’s still very flattering to hear, though.

I’ve started working on a new paging plugin for WordPress. There are a couple of very popular ones out there, but I always find them to be a bit limited when it comes to styling. Mine will be simpler to install and configure, and much more flexible in terms of design. I’m also working on an “auto linking” module for Drupal. It was originally an idea for latina.com, but evolved in to a separate project that I’m working on in my own time. When completed, it will be a super easy way to create a lot of internal links to content without taking any of the editors’ time.

Stop trying to change what cannot be changed

Taking the time to step away from a situation and completely evaluate it before making any commitments has been one of the best resolutions I could have made for myself. There have been times where I’ve decided to take on something I felt passionately about, and others where I’ve taken a step back and let the cards fall. Doing so has worked out well and I think that it has also caused people around me to think twice before coming to me with small items that are blown out of proportion.

This doesn’t mean that there are situations I’d like to change that I’ve given up hope on, I’ve simply gotten to the point where I understand that some things are out of my control and I simply need to deal with them as exist.

Spend more time with friends & family

You don’t get to have a conversation with someone who has been around for over a century too often, and this is something I’ve been lucky enough to do lately. I’ve seen my grandparents several times since January, which is more than I have in the past few years. It’s crazy to see how alert they are, even in old age.

Making more time to be around friends has been good too. I try to have lunch with someone, at least once a week, and have been making somewhat regular plans with folks during the evenings or weekends. Ok – not as much as I’d like, but way more than before. Yes Rob, this means going to the 311/Sublime show in the summer. No Nick, this does not mean paintball – although I do owe you so we’ll find something else to do.

I need to take some time and get myself to Boston. I’ve been talking about visiting a friend up there for over a year now. There will have to be a bit of downtime in June, once most of the major projects currently underway are completed, and I will hop on Amtrak and get myself some Red Sox memorabilia.

Ok, that was a stretch. Fuck the Red Sox.

There is also the possibility of an epic, spiritual cross country quest with one goal in mind; a sandwich containing macaroni and cheese. Yes, oh yes.

Clear my plate of unimportant items

There are way fewer lists, wireframes and schematics cluttering up my life these days. Boom.

Do more, think less.

I haven’t been able to dedicate as much time as I want to the clothing-related projects as I’ve wanted to, but have 2 screens prepared and ready to go when I can dedicate a couple of days to printing up some shirts. I’ve also found a couple of shops that I may just have print up a few hundred shirts for me if I don’t produce any on my own in the next few months. I’d really prefer to be the one producing the shirts though, I really enjoy going through the process.

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I’m still making marshmallows, just way less often than before. I will be making a ton of tasty chocolate-dipped toasted coconut marshmallows for an upcoming wedding, but don’t have any plans to produce more than the occasional batch outside of that.

Find love

Things are going well in this area, but I’m not going to write about it and see shit go crazy as a result.

Sharpen my mind

I’ve decided that it will be better for me to strengthen existing skills before developing new ones. Beginning to learn Ruby, while probably a good idea, is just adding another item that I wouldn’t be fully invested in, to my to-do list. Instead I will spend time working in PHP and finally learning more about implementing the MVC design pattern. I’ve already decided to use the CakePHP framework – now I just need to figure out when I’ll get started.

Memcache is the shit. APC makes me cry tears of joy. Just putting that out there for the individuals who understand what I’m talking about.

I’ve read several pieces of literature since the beginning of the year:

• Across the Zodiac: The Story of a Wrecked Record by Percy Greg
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
• The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells

On a side note, I was sorely disappointed with the BBC’s 2010 television adaptation of The First Men in the Moon. There was so much from the text missing that the story felt incomplete and at several points it did H.G. Wells a huge injustice. The proliferation of new life on the moon’s surface during the warmer portion of the lunar day, the diversity of the moons inhabitants, the protagonists’ struggle to escape the moon – all absent from the television version. So much of this contributed to the story and the visuals created while reading that the modern production felt like a shell of the original.

I’m also reading Immanuel Kant’s The Critique of Practical Reason. It’s quite the departure from the fictional texts I’ve been spending time with.

Improve my physical being.

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I’m still working out on a regular basis and have not had any significant health problems since I wrote my resolutions. I can see an increase in muscle definition in my arms and legs, but haven’t lost any weight worth noting. I’m patient and realize that I’m losing weight here and there, and increasing muscle at the same time. It’s all good. I am however becoming very impatient with this weather – I want to get out and enjoy some fresh air already!

I don’t have another big ass box of candy to show this time around, so this huge fucking case of Cracker Jack will have to do. You’d think there would be an RC car or something in there.

Well, there you have it. The past 3 months have been good and I’m very happy that I gave the whole resolution thing a shot this year. Enough writing, it’s time for some Eastbound and Down.  I’m fucking out.

Police arrived at his house with a warrant prepared to make an arrest when the injuries occurred. One would have to assume that it is connected to the charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine in September 2010. While it is unclear how Emmanuel’s injury took place, it’s hard to believe that it was self-inflicted.

Although I paved the way for people like the Streets and Dizzee Rascal, I left the music business because I wasn’t rich.

Damn.

Smiley Culture released 2 albums during the 1980′s and was best known for the singles “Cockney Translation” and “Police Officer”. Truly a pioneer of British reggae rap, Smiley should be remembered for the gifts he gave multiple generations of music fans and not his untimely death.

Read more @ The Guardian:

Smiley Culture made us proud to be black and British

Musician Smiley Culture dies during police raid on Surrey home

Smiley Culture – Cockney Translation

Smiley Culture – Police Officer

No, Seriously. We needed some water up in this bitch.

Initially, I thought that the cooling issue was isolated to the processor. I’ve used a stock heatsink/fan combo, as well as one from CoolerMaster, but neither really helped with the temperature of the CPU. Things have always been unstable, I just haven’t really cared all that much. I purchased a Corsair H70 all-in-one water cooling unit, and it totally did the trick. In other words, it took a full 4 hours for the machine to lock up on me. I placed the back of my hand against the cold plate positioned on top of the processor, and singed my hand against the heatsink on the Northbridge. It was fucking hot!

I remembered that a 70mm fan came with the motherboard and was suggested to be used only when using a water cooling system since the associated hardware  might get in the way of airflow. I found the fan, but it was broken. At this point I figured that I might as well purchase a replacement motherboard since this one had probably seen better days. Microcenter, the local computer superstore didn’t have any new P5N-D boards, so I decided to purchase an open box model…

You fail, Microcenter.

The open-box motherboard I purchased to replace my old one was a total mess. I really should have taken a better look at it before making the purchase, but didn’t expect such a poorly treated product to be resold. The motherboard was covered in thermal grease, which took a good amount of time to clean off, and the IDE connector had the end of a severed cable jammed in to it. I totally get that an open-box purchase is what it is because someone else didn’t want the piece of merchandise, but I don’t understand how something so poorly treated could be returned and placed back on the shelves.

BEFORE

AFTER

Microcenter may be a really handy shop to have nearby, but I’m not going to continue being a customer if they are selling items like this. Yes, I do realize that I purchased an open-box product, but I should be able to expect it to function unless noted otherwise – and without having to work on it as much as I did. This is like buying a used BMW and finding a dead hooker in the trunk. Maybe not really. But yes, it’s exactly the same.

Messy motherboard aside, everything worked out well. I had some other parts laying around, waiting to be installed, so the computer’s specs are now:

• Core 2 Quad @ 2.5Ghz
• 8GB Ram
• 2 1TB Seagate drives (mirror)
• Windows 7 Pro 64-bit

All of which is now sitting in a Corsair 650D case. I even got to reuse the old Freshjive sticker that has been on at least 3 other cases.

I’m happy.

icee, who has been collaborating with awake for the past 13 years states their mission plainly in saying, “it’s music to make you think – the exact opposite of the ‘bling bling’ commercial rap you hear on the radio.”

Their upcoming full-length album, tentatively known as “inVA-DE” will be released in the near future, also as a free download. In the meantime, check out the two tracks below. Both are available for download via the link next to their respective title. Give them a listen and show the guys in 13 Scrolls some love via comments.