“Who could this be?”

Friend, Lover, Foe?

When the page loaded I was severely disappointed to see that the message was sent from neither, instead a person I would never consider a friend.

I say this because I saw him less than two weeks ago and we saw each other and you could see the ever so quiet “Oh shit I have to talk to this guy?” when another member of the conversation left the room.

We asked the typical,’ hows work’ talk. But at the first chance we both went separate ways and didn’t ever pick up the convo

I feel guilty (kinda) if I deny a new friend request for some reason. I was born with a guilty conscious I think. I could never get over the pain that I caused my mother when she gave birth to me. Just kidding but wouldn’t THAT be weird?

Does Facebook send you a message if someone denies your friendship? I haven’t gotten one, but how bad would that feel? No Adam I do not wish to communicate with you….even via the INTERNET.

I think I will leave him in the prison of Facebook that is the “pending friendship status” I have a few people stuck in there now. I don’t know if they will ever get out.

* cough *

SWFBs wearers are douchebags. With an extra db point for every year older over the age of 18. unless you earn your living on a half pipe there is no reason that a 30 yr old go outside dressed like that. Now this is not my opinion necessarily but to a large majority see a sideways hat as offensive as a burning flag.

I’m guilty of falling victim to most fashion trends, I have rocked jams, I rolled my pants, I have taped a white sheet of paper on a pair of jeans so they appeared to be Girbaud. In other words I am a marketers wet dream

Although I “keep up” on the fads I have never been “fashionable”. I always seem to confuse at least two important key features in the look. I have gone out in public wearing pajamas, in the middle of the day. In other words, Hello my name is Adam Graves and I am a douchebag.

Now before I let that point stick in your mind keep in mind there are several different types of db. Ones who only appear to be one. For example every time is see a GOTH kid walking in the middle of the afternoon wearing nothing but black, thats a douchebag. Others are those who can only be assessed as a db after a conversation

Adam: So what kind of music do you listen to?
Db: Progressive Adult Concrete Jungle Hip Hop
Adam: srsly?
Db: Yeah, but you really have to be able to appreciate good music to enjoy their material.
Adam:So how do I find it?
Db: you cant really its not around anymore

Pretending to be an expert of a completely made up subject in order to impress others, they go to the front of the db escalator right behind used car salesman………..and truck drivers.

And there is always a db in the room, no matter where you are. Church, school and work, where ever you go, there we are, with our mullets, popped collars and MMA shirts way way too tight. All doing our part to make the time on this little blue dot in the middle of the universe a little more interesting.

I knew that she was or rather IS in Heaven. She went straight there, there is no doubt in my mind that if one person ever got an express ticket it was her

My mom and I had a special connection. We always did. She liked to call me her cat. I would come around when I needed to otherwise I was pretty much left to my own accord. We never had to talk, we communicated on a totally different plane. Its hard to describe but it that is the closest to the truth can I can try and put into words.

She was and always will be my guiding light, and two years ago that light got a lot more dim. It got to the point that I couldnt see it anymore. I guess that I pretended to still see it because as soon as I admitted that I couldn’t she was truly gone.

As I drove to the cemetery I had all sorts of expectations. I wanted to fall on my hands and knees and just let the tears flow. I knew deep inside that this would make me feel better. But when I got there I couldn’t cry. I tried as hard as I could, but the tears wouldn’t come. I told her about my little girl Zara and how big she is getting and how I wished they could have gotten to know each other. As I continued to look for things to talk to her tombstone I realized that she wasn’t there. At first I was so frustrated because I needed this, I needed to let some of this weight go. But there was nothing that this tombstone could say to me. I took as step back and looked up at the sky, I had seen what had happened almost immediately.

I was looking for a easy release of pain, but I was going about it the wrong way. I had honestly expected to find peace talking to her marker. Its an insane thought looking back on it. I was doing everything in my power to let something or someone else deal with the pain that I was feeling. I either didn’t know how to or didn’t want to, but today I realized that I had to. Its been too long, and I was tired of carrying around the weight of her loss. And then like a wave something hit me. I looked around and I was all alone in this graveyard talking to a piece of engraved marble expecting peace when I realized I already had it.

The day my mom died I asked her to make sure she looked in on us from time to time. She looked at me and said “no”. For those of you who knew Mama Kay, it was impossible to take offense to a whole lot that she said.

Then she said “but I will be waiting for you”.

Its funny how you can listen to someone say something but don’t really hear them. It took a while but I finally got the message, Thanks Mom

Love Boomer

Turns out its a little more complicated than that, but only a little. I have a better chance of cashing in the winning Texas Lotto ticket on Friday morning than I do catching let alone dying from the swine flu. The “outbreak” was first reported in Mexico a few days ago and since then over 40 cases have been reported in the United States, yep thats right 40, four zero. And of those cases most have already been treated and released. But CNN wants you to think that Randal Flagg and the Trash Can man are about to set up shop in Vegas sometime in the near future. If you dont know who Randall Flagg is here you go #mce_temp_url#

There is no doubt that one day there will be a Stand type flu or some kind of global killer that will wipe a good majority of people off the face of the Earth. Thats the way things work. The universe has a way of keeping population consistent, and every now and then some place has to be cleared. CNN news and all other forms of media choose this time to place the fear of death into us all. More people died of alcohol poising today than did of the swine flu. To be fair more people died of alcohol poisioning than were “infected” with the swine flu.

Im not saying that some people will not die from this thing. It will happen, and it sucks for them. I hope its no one I know. I just got off the phone with an old friend from Cali and she has an appointment to see her dr about the possibity of her having the flu de jamon. But to her credit she has been throwing up blood all day, gross, sure it is, but swine flu? Well lets hope not.

I am no doctor but I have a cure for the swine flu. Its called turn off the tv and thinking for yourself. As long as we allow these fucktards in the media to scare us with these heath concerns to sell ad times they will continue to do it. Its the ultime the boy who cried wolf scenario. God forbid when the day does come that some super strain of the flu wipes out a shit ton of people the credibility is gone. Let just hope it has a cooler name like snake flu or wolverine flu. There is no way that I am gonna go down with the swine flu.

But if I do by some werid case of Karma get peaced out by this thing, every year on the anniversary of my death I want those closest to me to each bring a package of bacon to my grave. Eat it and enjoy

Tattoos are everywhere. Young or old, black, white or brown it doesn’t matter who you are, tattoos break the color and age barrier. If you don’t believe me go to Wal-Mart on a Sunday afternoon and you will can see a parade of skin art like no place else on Earth. The tattoos that some may hide though out the week seem to shine though at Wal Mart like some proud beacon of love for the art and canvasses that are their bodies.

Personally I own eight at press time, and I cant wait for the ninth, tenth, or twentieth. There is some sort of peace in the sound of the tattoo gun. Masochistic? Sure it is, and that is what make the process of getting a tattoo so worthwhile. No pain no gain is a mantra echoed by the millions and millions of those brave enough to let needle touch skin.

Not all tattoos are created equal, I have seen some really good tattoos, and I have seen some really bad tattoos. One thing that sets the men from the boys in the tattoo game is experience and Romero of Romeros tattoos has been putting ink into skin for over thirty years.

Romero gave his first tattoo at the age of ten, with a guitar string and he has never looked back. He has tattooed thousands of people forever leaving his work of art on the arm leg chest of back of his clients. Although absent from the Amarillo scene for a while he would like to say “ I am back”

I had the chance to sit at his tattoo shop one afternoon and talk with him about his history in the tattoo game. I have been in a lot of tattoo shops in Amarillo, been tatted by some of the best in the game locally but one thing I really never felt was the family atmosphere that Romeros Tattoos exhibits. By family atmosphere I don’t mean they have ( ). but as soon as I walked in the door I felt more than welcome. I felt like a member of the crew, and that is not a easy thing to do.

Romero is passionate about his work. His eyes light up when he starts discussing the tattoo that he was working on the night before. A client whose tattoo of angel wings, these are not small tattoos on her shoulder blades these wings take up most of her back straight down the rib cage. Romero had completed the outline and had already colored in one of the sides. He hands me his digital camera that he uses to document his work and I see that Romero is in fact the master of black and gray tattoos.

Black and gray tattoos are some of the most difficult tattoos to make look good. Imagine that you have a big box of crayons and you can only use two colors. The absence of traditional colors makes the artists job more difficult but the results are amazing.

The black and gray tattoo design and it popularity were born out of necessity The style closely resembles that of a “prison tattoo”. With limited supplies and an unlimited amount of time, offenders would often leave prison covered with black and gray pieces, documenting their time locked up. Now the style has jumped to prison walls and into the mainstream.

Every tattoo has a story behind it. Every tattoo shares a memory. Tattoos can be a tool to express great joy, and great sorrow. Rather it be the birth of a child or the loss of a loved one, tattoos, for some, are a way to stay forever connected to that person. And sometimes even the process of getting a tattoo can become a story in itself. Once while giving a tattoo to a client, Romero literally turned his gun on himself after his client said that he was doing it “too rough”. Romero put the gun in his clients hand and allowed his customer to tattoo him on his stomach. He went way too deep and the tattoo scared up really thick but at the end of it all, both had stories, and ink in skin to forever () that evening.

Romero also does amazing color work, but nothing compares to his work with black and gray Romero is a modern day DaVinci with his gun. He brings back a style and look that cannot be taught, it is as natural and honest as the artist himself. Romero is the classic example of what a tattoo artist looks like, with his shaved head, mustache, white shirt black pants and completely covered head to toe with work. Most of his work on his body is his own. If I were a agent casting a part for a tattoo artist in a film, Romero would be my guy.

My experience at Romeros Tattoo was something I will never forget. He is passionate about

his work and it shows. Being a tattoo addict it was great to be able to talk shop with a man like Romero. His shop is where experience and art collide. If you are in the market for a authentic old school tattoo preformed by a master of the art, the Romero is the man to go to.  

Its the first really nice day of Spring. Winter is finally dead, and I am sitting outside on the patio at Coconutz waiting to meet with the members of the Agave Posse Band and prepare my questions for the interview. I am not what you call a connoisseur of country western music. I suppose the reasoning behind it is I had way to many bad nights at honky tonks as a college student. There is something distinct about the sound of a county and western band that always brings me back to the a smoke filled bar somewhere around one forty five am on a Thursday night.

When I hear cumbia music, I get hungry. The reasoning behind that as far as I can tell is that at any “authentic” Mexican food joint you always hear the cumbia while you are waiting to be seated. The same however cannot be said for county music genre of “honky tonk”. When I hear honky tonk music I am instantly transferred back in time. When I hear honky tonk music I do not get hungry, instead I get a hangover.

Hangovers are not a bad thing. They are Gods little reminder, that on occasion when you are allowed to have a fun, but with that fun must also come consequence. The fun part about a hangover is, the worse that it is, the better the story.

The Agave Posse Band is a county music from Amarillo that specializes in the art of honky tonk music. The band formed in 2006. The band got its name from the agave plant that is used to make tequila, and the members of the band love tequila The members range in age and experience, most have been playing music for over fifteen years. If you make it to a show be prepared to make it on the dance floor, because making people get on the floor and dance is their specialty.

In order to be a true Texan, there are a certain list of requirements that you must meet. Well make that one requirement, and that is knowing how to two-step. I know that sounds cliché, but it is the truth. You can be born in raised in the state but if you are missing this one prerequisite you are in fact not a Texan. You could have been born inside the walls of the Alamo on Texas Independence day, with a relative of Davy Crockett overseeing the birthing process ,but without the ability to step on a saw dust covered floor and scoot boots, being a Texan ‘not yours’.

Venues like the Goldenlight are perfect for the Agave Posse Band. They have packed the place so full that the police had to turn people away at the door. Its a amazing experience to be in a place like the Goldenlight or any other bar similar when the Agave Posse Band is playing. Although I am not a huge fan of country music it is a fun environment to be a part of, all worries seem to go out the window and you leave a little more relaxed and most likely a little more drunk than you did when you walked in. The important thing is that you had a great time.

“Devil in the Whiskey” is an original song written by the band. In it the lead singer Chad turns a series of whiskey fueled debauchery filled events: ugly girls, missing teeth and rattlesnakes into a light hearted manifesto of why you should not drink whiskey. The song revolves around the story of a friend of the band who, one night picked up his pet rattlesnake and decided to play with it. Why would anyone have a pet rattlesnake? Why not? Needless to say alcohol was involved. Sometimes if you play with snakes you get bitten. But sometimes you also feed the creative process and you and that story make it into a country song and the story lives on forever.

The members of the Agave Posse band are happy with the success that they have received in the two and a half years since they began. They play two to three shows a month. All members are family men who also enjoy spending free time fishing. A down to Earth group who honestly enjoys what they do. They enjoy playing live and feeding off the crowd, getting them off of their feet and onto the dance floor. “People are dancing again” says Jeff who plays bass and sings vocals. Its been a rough time for a lot of people and its hard to drop all the things that can seem to press down on you to the point of collapse. Its great to know that there will always be bands like the Agave Posse band. Who when you see live you can almost tell that when you leave for the night you are going to have a smile on your face. You may leave with a hangover, but remember sometimes hangovers can be a good thing.

The Agave Posse Band are comprised of Chad Beedy, lead vocals rhythm guitar. Marvin Wilson, fiddle, mandolin, and vocals. Jeff Barber, bass and vocals. Jimmy Sharber lead guitar and vocals. Todd Hall drums and harmony. The Agave Posse band will preform at Homers Backyard Ball May 16,2009. The band can be booked for events by contacting the

theagaveposseband@yahoo.com. Their music can also be purchased at iTunes.

Being rendered speechless is not a good thing when you write for a living. Words and ideas are supposed to flow from your brain to your fingers, from your fingers to the keyboard. It is a simple process. But the thoughts were just stuck inside my head. I could not express what I was thinking because I wasn’t quite sure what had just happened.

Somethings provoke an emotion that cannot be described. There is no word in the English language to describe the emotion that I felt the first time I heard Mount Righteous. It was, as promised, nothing I had ever heard before.

Since I couldn’t travel to see the band perform I went to their website to listen their music. The page loaded and “When the Music Starts” started to play. My brain initially panicked and tried to place the sound into something that I could identify it with. There was no way that this was going to happen. As the song continued to play I could feel a smile grow on my face. The cool thing about music is that every now and then you get a chance to get completely overrun by the beauty of a certain song. This is the reason that we listen to music. The search for that one thing that your soul is missing, something that when you hear for the first time you immediately fall in love. Mount Righteous is not a group that I will have to “grow on”. The cool thing is I knew this all before the first track was finished playing.

“When the Child Awakes” another piece band the band followed, and once again I saw myself smiling ear to ear. This is the transcending experience that makes life so great. To be totally engulfed in such a positive aura, to be transported temporarily from all of the worries that life may bring and just be happy and enjoy the moment.

I could continue to go on and on about my first experience with Mount Righteous but I will stop there. Music is a relative medium, what one person thinks it wonderful, the other may call trash.

Mount Righteous as described by member Kendall Smith is an eleven piece marching band punk folk ensemble. If I had to say what my favorite instrument in the group would be it would say “hope”. That is one of the cheesiest sentences ever written but it is true. Hope oozes from harmonizing vocals and simple rhythms that erupt from their work.

Hope is what a lot of we as a nation need more than anything right now. Our country is at a cross roads. The pressure on a new President to fix the struggling economy, the growing amount of jobless individuals, the list list of depressing scenarios can go on and on. Hope is a vital ingredient for the pursuit of happiness. Hope will keep us all moving forward, hope will see us through to the end.

Mount Righteous’ music is what Id like to refer to as a palate cleansing. It is not typically the type of music that I would typically listen to. Not a whole lot of tuba makes it into my play lists. The variety of sounds keeps you on your feet, but they all meld together so well to say that the sounds that escape the speakers is uplifting would be somewhat of an insult. It exceeds the word. I think we can all learn something by allowing ourselves to be vulnerable to new things. By stepping out of our comfort zones we can see things with a new set of eyes, we can see that it is possible to still experience “new things”

Mount Righteous is comprised of Kendall, Laura , Zicole, Allison, Derek, Joey, Estaban, Mason, Allison, Corey and Austin. Eleven, count them if you want, eleven member in all. Instruments include
bells, melodica, cymbals, trombone, trumpets, accordian, sousaphone, guitar, flute, bass drum, snare drums, steel drums, and last but not least a tuba.

In May, Mount Righteous will make its Amarillo debut May 9th at the Golden Light. The band is currently touring throuhout Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. They can also be contacted at www.mountrighteous.com.

Why don’t we just start calling this woman in California ( i refuse to fill up even the smallest part of my brain with her legal name)  who just gave live birth to eight children an octopuss?  

Yes OctoPUSS in the most vulgar sense of the word.  Yes i know the births were by Cesarean but just stay with me on this  Picture Brian Williams try to say OctoPuss with a straight face, i bet he cant do it.  The faster we make it a disgusting topic too filthy for the nightly news she and her brood go away.  out of sight out of mind

Honestly im kind of sick that this is news.

Even more sick I felt i had to write about it.

Oh yeah Vivid also her a million to sign a contract.  I threw up in my hands when i heard that.

 srsly thats gross

Corey Stone the drummer for NearFall met me at the entrance and I followed him to the rehearsal space deep inside the labyrinth that is Western Business Park. I got out of the car and was quickly offered a beer, there is nothing in the world like Texas hospitality. I followed Chris into a warehouse space that serves as the practice spot for the band.

Most of the members of the band are there already Nick Kemp/ Lead Guitar is already rattling the garage door that serves as the only sound barrier between the band and the rest of the world. I could tell immediately that people on the other side of the business park were going to be able to hear this practice session. The part of seeing a band practice is that bands always practice with the volume turned to eleven. There is nothing in the world like really LOUD music. The type that rattles your back teeth within seconds of that first shattering chord your ears go to sleep and your eyes water just a little bit. It reminded me of the scene in Back to the Future when Marty plugs into Doc Brown’s Stack from Hell and blows him completely across the room. Metal sounds better loud but if you didn’t know that already you might be reading the wrong magazine. You might pick up a copy of Silver though, it has some great articles you might find interesting. (last month)

The band and I talk the talk I ask the usual questions about what bands influenced them to this point. NearFall influences are deeply rooted in the Nu Metal category, This make a lot of sense because most members of NearFall are approaching thirty already on the other side, and nothing influenced almost every big band today aside from the Jonas Brother fiasco more than Nu Metal. Bands like Korn Deftones Snot and even Limp Bizkit before Fred got all ‘girly’ were part of one of the most exciting times in the history of metal.

As a fan of NuMetal I would have to be critical of NearFall if they didn’t do a good job of what they played. Almost any band can get on a stage and play chords, sing and look cool. Thats the trouble with the local bands, and the local music scene. A lot just lack the passion that exudes from bands like NearFall. Seriously I have seen bands cover Rage Against the Machine wearing polo shirts, it was more sad than it was funny. “Fuck you I wont do what you tell me” doesn’t mean anything coming from a eighteen year old kid wearing a clean white polo.

They ran though a quick set list and started with “South Texas Death Ride” by Union Underground I hadn’t heard it in years and they crushed it, its was really nice seeing a cover band play a song that is not typically played at all.

Next the band plays One Step Closer by Linkin Park. NearFall features two vocalists. Jason Nemoede and Steven Kemp both vary skill wise, much like that of Chester and Mike of Linkin Park. The sound that comes from the stacks are finally enough to knock my digital voice recorder off of the chair it was propped up on. It bears repeating, these guys are loud and I think it was the sound of the bass played by Loren Bussey that finally caused all “digital notes” for this interview to disappear. The force of the fall was enough to pop the batteries out of the back and spill onto the concrete floor of the studio.

NearFall has been together for two and a half years. They are a very family oriented band. Every member of the band is married with kids. NearFall is the only band that I know of, at least locally, that features a father and his two sons in the same band playing extremely heavy metal. Fred Kemp/Rhythm Guitar is the father of Nick and Steven. Their families take priority over the band, always have and always will. NearFall is not looking for the pressure of creating new music. They feel that being an original band that produces original music as opposed to covers would just take to much time away from their families. And the families of the band are the biggest supporters. I needed a picture of the band sent to my email, within seconds I had it thanks to the networking power of the Kemp family.

I asked the guys in the band what they wanted to say, as a whole in this interview, and the response was the same. SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC. Its obvious that the only way bands get on stage is if there is a need for them. The only way that a bar will hire a band is if they can fill the place Friday and Saturday nights. Go out have a good time, listen to good music, how much easier can it get?

NearFall will play live on March 6,7, and 27, 28 at Boscos 2307 SW 6th Ave. NearFall will play three sets with a total of around forty songs. It is now that I would like some time to address an issue. I have seen a number of bands cover a lot of songs, none more original than one in particular performed by NearFall. If you have seen this band live you already know what I am talking about, if you don’t come out and see the coolest cover of the Cranberries “Zombie” perhaps ever. I guarantee that if you appreciate good live music where the bands do an amazing job on all sides to make these songs sound great NearFall is the correct choice.

Beer pong turns 10 years old!

I never feel old until I hear people talk about playing beer pong, My days of drinking were more simple and refind. All we needed was a deck of beer soaked cards and 90 beers. But I am really pissed that I missed out on it so I did what any 30 year old does, I googled it

here is a little background info on the game know as Beer Pong
(from Wiki)

Beer pong was invented by two fratenity brothers Josiah Alberts and Lincoln Tolliver of Darthmoth University on February 24 1999 in the basement of the Delta Ro Kappa fraternity house. A social with a local soriety the night before had left the house in shambles and it was the proud duty of the pledges to clean that mess up. What followed next was what some say a divine intervention of ideas that would lead to the one of the greatest GPA killers the University system would ever know. Below is a short exeprt of what was said

Josiah: Holy shit, this game is fucking awesome im so glad we invented it
Lincoln: I know right? We are gonna get laid for this, LOTS

Staff member Henry Tucker, a tenured professor of philosophy says “beer pong is the greatest thing ever, thanks to beer pong I rarely teach to a full class, and somedays no one at all shows up

Prof. Henry Tucker, proud supporter of Beer Pong