017.

I made this tonight.

016.

Watching the Food Network with Nikki is magical.

"We are so awesome together."

015.

I was asked the other day by one of my really close friends as to which are my favorite hardcore records of all-time. Which is a GREAT question because that is a genre of music that, with me, either I love it or I hate it. So, here they are... in no order at all: (yes, 'post-hardcore' is included).

Snapcase - End Transmission
The Bled - Pass the Flask
Million Dead - A Song To Ruin
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
Botch - We are the Romans
Converge - Petitioning the Empty Sky
At the Drive In - Relationship of Command
Thursday - Full Collapse
Poison the Well - The Opposite of December
Zao - Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest

014.

I'm going to do a few blogs today. I'm going to start off with what is probably the most important black metal release of the past 5 years. It's by a band I have known and loved for a few years now called Wolves in the Throne Room and the album is called Black Cascade. It is seriously insanely beautiful and haunting. I haven't been this captivated by an album in quite some time. The record is only 4 tracks long, but the shortest song is 10:33. The music is very, very atmospheric and brooding. If you like that kind of stuff at all... you will devour this record. Seriously, 5/5.

013.

Lucky number 13, apparently. Anyway, I got a new cabinet for my guitar today and sold my '68 Fender Bandmaster 2x15 in exchange for a '66 Vox Buckingham 2x12. DEFINITELY like my deal better. Sounds sooooooo incredibly good!

(sorry for the terrible picture).



My current set-up:

- '68 Gibson/Kalamazoo KG-1 (electric guitar)
- '74 Applause AE-50 (acoustic)
- '76 Holmes Mississippi Bluesmaster (50w head)
- '66 Vox Buckingham (2x12 cabinet)
- '77 Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (OD pedal)

I'm quite pleased with my gear right now!!

012.

The fabled beard of yore is no more! Shaved it off last night. It looks and feels great!

011.

It's 9:18 in the morning and I don't want to be up right now. I was in the middle of an incredible dream where I found the missing snare drum from my 60's Ludwig kit in some old barn. Yeah, it was ridiculous. My mom is on her way to pick me up right now so we can go to her work and finish the shredding. It's a kind of fun thing. I can sit there and watch a DVD and get paid for it.

I ended up talked to Matt F. a few times yesterday about his new movie. It sounds amazing. He wants me to help produce and do some publicity for them and I think I am definitely going to be helping them out with that. I'm pretty excited. I always have fun working on those projects.

FINALLY it's Nikki's spring break. I'm so excited to spend a lot of time with her this week! I miss her (you) so much!!!

In other news... I order the first Dangerbird shirts yesterday. 3-color print, Lightweight (4.5 oz) shirts, and distressed (vintage look) design. I'm very, very excited to get these!!!

010.

This is the cover on the new BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW album entitled Eating Us. BMSR is definitely one of my favorite bands and I have pretty much everything they have ever recorded. They are GREAT to listen to when you are feeling creative and need some inspiration. This album comes out on May 26 and I couldn't be happier!

009.

First show of the tour.

008.

The academy awards update and score:

I got 16 out of 24 right! WOOHOO!

007.

The academy awards are on in a few hours and I CAN'T WAIT! It's one of my favorite televised events of the year and I love Oscar parties and doing betting sheets on who is going to win. I have mine filled out for every category offered. Here are my picks:

Best Actor: Sean Penn / Milk
Best Support Actor: Heath Ledger / The Dark Knight (but, I want Philip Seymour Hoffman to really win.)
Best Actress: Kate Winslet / The Reader
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz / Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire (but, I really want Milk to win.)
Best Foreign Film: Departures
Best Animated Film: WALL-E
Best Art Direction: The Dark Knight
Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Costumes: Austrailia
Best Documentary: Man on Wire
Best Documentary Short: The Witness
Best Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Make-up: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Song: "O Saya", Slumdog Millionaire
Best Animated Short: This Way Up
Best Sound Editing: The Dark Knight
Best Sound Mixing: The Dark Knight
Best Visual Effects: Iron Man
Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Screenplay: Milk


So, we'll see how many out of 24 I will get.

006.

This is without a doubt, the most amazing DVD ever put together.
Presenting: PAPER RAD - "Trash Talking"

Some one needs to buy me that shirt ASAP.

http://artintheage.com/store/default/stuff-we-make/t-shirts/m-paper-rad-tee.html
Size Small.

005.

Daily music recommendation:
Black Dice - Repo
The album is not out yet. I suggest 'finding' it.

004.

Made this tonight.

003.

SUPERJAIL: This show is magical!!!


So obsessed with it right now!

002.

Top 5 Current Bands:

1. The White Stripes
2. Wolfmother
3. Tom Waits
4. The Mars Volta
5. Dead Meadow


Top 5 Broken-Up Bands:

1. The Beatles
2. Black Sabbath
3. The Doors
4. Led Zeppelin
5. The Who

001.

Welcome to my blog. These are my reflections, stories, rants, pictures, art, music, poetry and philosophies, reviews, and opinions.

After being asked for quite some time by my girlfriend, Nikki, to get one of these, I finally succumbed to the pressure and signed up. I am looking forward to sharing and I am excited at the possible inspiration that will come from this.

I guess I will start by introducing myself:

My name is Matthew. I am 23 years old and currently live in Battle Creek, MI. I was born on a hot July day in Long Beach, CA and moved to the tundra that is Michigan when I was six years old. Since I was a young child, I was always interested in the arts and music. My dad is a commercial artist and I guess I inherited the spirit as well.

As I grew older, my love for music and art only increased. Every time my dad got a new computer, I got to take his old one. This afforded me the chance to work with such programs as 'Adobe PhotoDeluxe' (pre-Photoshop) and Cakewalk Pro-Audio 9 (multi-track recording software) at a very, very early age. For that, I am eternally grateful.

In middle school I found punk music. Or rather, punk music found me. Up until that point, I was raised on bands such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Kinks, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, etc. etc. Punk music was a new found outlet that I had never experienced. The classic rock bands are amazing, and they are my favorite bands of all-time, but the punk bands of the early 90's expressed a clear message for a vibrant scene. The music was happy, but aggressive at the same time. Definitely something that was easy for me to get into, seeing as I was already skateboarding. From there I went to hardcore for a little bit. I got into bands like Refused, Snapcase, and Converge. That, however, did not last long. I was back to my true love of classic rock, garage, and indie rock.

Some of the things that I am also very interested in are: collecting vintage guitars & amps, collecting vintage clothing, antiques, weird and wild knick-knacks, spending time with my girlfriend, playing concerts, watching foreign films, going to thrift / second-hand stores, travelling, Food Network, OBEY, skateboarding, zen buddhism, and cartoons.

In high school I was in a few bands and started a few companies. I was in the band Deja Norm'al, most notably, as well as Authors, Circle of Vultures, and a few more. Currently, I am the songwriter, guitarist, and voice of Dangerbird (www.myspace.com/dangerbird).

I am also highly involved with graffiti and street art. Keep an eye out for my work.