I haven’t felt compelled to write about a new band in awhile, but last night I was lucky enough to see a band called Soft Moon open for Autolux at San Diego’s local music venue, the Casbah.
Autolux, as always, was very good. Loud, loud, loud! Just like I like it, a wash of sound. It had been about 5 years since I last saw Autolux and it was a treat getting to see them in such a small venue.
But the real discovery for me that night was one of the opening bands. Sitting in the back, i noticed the room go dark and saw a single strobe light start going off. Fog slowly filled the dark space and created an eerie ambiance. I was intrigued and walked towards the stage. Then the show began. Industrial drum machines started rhythmically thundering as the bass lines rolled underneath the single guitar. The singer’s voice more of a primal scream with rhythmic breathing than singing.
I would describe their sound as post-industrial rock, almost Gothic; maybe a cross between old Joy Division, She Wants Revenge, and a Place to Bury Strangers. They definitely stand out with a sound of their own though. If you get a chance I highly recommend checking them out. And if you get a chance to see them live, take it!
Tamarindo. Costa Rica. My new favorite place in the world. I recently got back from a 12-day surf safari where I stayed at Witch’s Rock Surf Camp. Normally I would write a large entry on all of my adventures and thoughts. But this trip is beyond words. For once, I find it difficult to write about my experience there. In fact I would go so far to say that the experience transcends the written word. Much like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time or being in love (corny, yes, but to hell with it).
What did I do on the trip? Surf. Surf my guts out. Surf till my arms, back, elbows, and shoulders groaned with pain. Surfed till my armpits were rubbed raw. Surfed till my lips blistered and my skin darkened and my eyes became dazed red pits of dryed-out sun-burned shells. Surfed, gloriously surfed.
Finally got around to uploading pictures from this year’s Thanksgiving feast at my place. As per tradition, all of the standards were cooked: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, etc. We burned off some of the massive amounts of calories consumed through some good ole mini-ramp skateboarding (much like the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621). Enjoy!
This Saturday 3Hough and I were some of the lucky participants with Motorscooter Sports to ride in the Annual North Park Holiday Parade. Eric and I got up super early Saturday morning to decorate the scooters. We rode through the parade with about 40 other scooter enthusiasts. As usual, the scooter crowd had some of the best energy of the parade by bringing the holiday cheer in conjunction with some great scooter decorations. If you have a scooter, next Sunday, December 13th, Motorscooter Sports is hosting their annual Toy Run. Bring a toy and ride with the crew to help out those in need!
