Sigh. This is Not Good

TRAPT Have Spent The Last 48 Hours Melting Down on Twitter Over Coronavirus

Upcoming Incorrect

Bryan Adams is coming to Cedar Rapids, IA, for a concert at the US Cellular Center. I've never felt compelled to write about Bryan Adams on this blog, but I've always liked his tunes. I used to listen to "Cuts Like a Knife" on cassette repeatedly, though, there's been too many miles between then and now to cite a track on that release other than the title cut. I also liked the release "Reckless" but not because of the hit single "Summer of '69." I really liked the tune "Somebody." There was something magical about the guitar riff and even the guitar solo that speaks to me. I am humming the tune now (silently).

Set aside all of the above and look at the announcement I received through an email:

 

It's really close, but there's a problem with the date. As you can see below, September 18, 2016, is not a Monday - it's a Sunday. That makes a big difference as far as whether I'd be able to swing going to the show as far as scheduling and such.

As I sit here on a Wednesday in September, attending this show is unlikely to happen. I would rather see one or both of these shows instead:

I've never seen Korn, Motionless in White (Alex told me last night he likes their music), or REO Speedwagon in concert which means, yes, I've seen BB, Silver Snakes (they opened for Bring Me the Horizon in Clive when Alex and I went to see them last month), Def Leppard, and Tesla. When I saw Tesla, they were the HEADLINER and had Great White and Badlands open for them. Now they get the (crappy) opening slot on a 3 band bill. Meanwhile, yes, over in Moline, IL, there are at least three concerts I'd like to see:

"Make America Rock Again" is a multi-band concert with the following bands:

1. DROWNING POOL
2. TRAPT
3. SALIVA
4. SAVING ABEL
5. ALIEN ANT FARM
6. CRAZYTOWN
7. 12 STONES
8. TANTRIC
9. More!

I would very much want to see it!

Don't Blink too Slowly

If you blinked too slowly, you may have missed my Inept / Since October / Framing Hanley / Trapt concert review.

Busy

This is the start of a very busy stretch.
Tonight is the Since October / Framing Hanley (?) /Trapt show in Cedar Rapids. I am interviewing Since October's drummer at 6.
Tomorrow is a family reunion party in East Dubuque, IL. We are driving up and back the same day. It's at least a 2 hour drive. I anticipate we will be home by 9 tomorrow night.
Sunday, we are going to 11 AM Mass. After that, there is a picnic / going away party we were invited to so we are going to that.
Monday, back to work. Alex has drum lessons.
Tuesday, I'm going with my friend Chris to see a band called Gomez in Des Moines.
Wednesday, Megan has piano lessons.
Thursday looks clear.
Friday looks clear.
Saturday, either we have something going or it is clear.

The weekend after next is a wedding in Des Moines.

The weekend after that is our college campout in Cresco.

The weekend after that is Megan's birthday. She found out she has registration / paying fees the morning of her birthday.

The following Thursday, school starts. It's also the Algona RockFest. (I'm not going.)

You get the point. This is a crazy time in life. It's fun and it's hip, but it's not going to slow down anytime soon.

Work is just as chaotic. We are going to have two releases back-to-back, possibly sending both sets of CDs at the same time. My doc project list has been slowly whittled away. One of our systems was rewritten to .NET and I'm starting to dig into that. I told my manager it would take a week to write the doc fof it. I'd like to be done by next Wednesday. No one knows when the cut will be so every thing is on a sliding scale. I need two weeks to do all the work for the UI changes and to assemble the CDs.

Anyways, I am excited about seeing Trapt and interviewing the drummer of Since October. It is in CR so I have to drive home so I'm just having Pepsi. Nothing too wild or crazy.

Since October / Trapt in My Future?!?

Good news!!!!!

A band called Since October is playing in Cedar Rapids on Friday, 7/17. Believe it or not, I am not going to be camping in Elkader.... and... on top of that, I may be able to get passes to the show. This is an e-mail message I received today:

Good Afternoon,
Please let us know if any editorial content may be possible for the artists we have performing in your city.
Thanks for your time,
CEDAR RAPIDS:
7/17 – SINCE OCTOBER @1ST AVENUE LIVE – 3701 1ST AVENUE SE- 3193621730 - 7PM DOS w/ Trapt
ON TOUR NOW
ALBUM OUT NOW THIS IS MY HEART ON TOOTH AND NAIL
http://www.myspace.com/sinceoctober

And, on top of that, they are opening for Trapt, a band I like.
Since October, "Disaster" Music Video

This is my favorite song by Trapt:

Why don't you let me be, leave me alone
You start a fire inside that I could never control
You wanna see a reaction
Come on and cut me down
You've got as far as I'll go
Now you're crossing the line
And I am letting you know
Well, here's your reaction

Stand up
I have had enough
Walk away before I finish what you started
Face-to-face, I will put you in your place
End this game before I finish what you started
Face-to-face, everything will change

You planted the seed, how my anger has grown
Got a feeling inside that I can't seem to control
You wanna see a reaction?
Come on and cut me down
You've got as far as I'll go
Now you're crossing the line
And I am letting you know

Stand up
I have had enough
Walk away before I finish what you started
Face-to-face, I will put you in your place
End this game before I finish what you started
Face-to-face, everything will change

Insult after insult after insult after insult after insult
Insult after insult after insult after insult after insult

Stand up
I have had enough
Walk away before I finish what you started
Face-to-face, I will put you in your place
End this game before I finish what you started
Face-to-face, everything will change

Walk away, everything will change
End this game, everything will change
You wanna see a reaction
You wanna see a reaction
Well, stand up

---

---

And this is my second favorite song by them:

These are the lyrics and, after you read them, I'll tell you what I like about them and why they are meaningful to me:

I wanna meet up with you
And show you what I'm thinking
I'll take you anywhere that you wanna go
I'm sitting here bored and lonely
And you know that anytime you're free
To show me how you feel
I'll take it anywhere that you wanna go
Anywhere that you wanna go

I'd make it right if you wanted it
I want it back more than you know
I'd cross the line if you wanted it
I want you back

I'm waiting for you
To get that feeling once again
Reunited in the end
I've been waiting for you
To capture my imagination
'Cause I've been fooled by the illusions in my head
In my head

Now I realize I never had it so good
You took me anywhere I wanted to go
Now I'm sitting here dreaming of the days
When anytime I wanted I could show you how I feel
I can't go anywhere that I wanna go
Anywhere that I wanna go

I'd make it right if you wanted it
I want it back more than you know
I'd cross the line if you wanted it
I want you back

I'm waiting for you
To get that feeling once again
Reunited in the end
I've been waiting for you
To capture my imagination
'Cause I've been fooled by the illusions in my head

In my head

I'll take it anywhere
I'll take it anywhere
I'll take it anywhere
I'll take you anywhere
You wanna go

I'm waiting for you
To get that feeling once again
Reunited in the end
I've been waiting for you
To capture my imagination
'Cause I've been fooled by the illusions in my head
And I've been fooled by the illusions in my head
And I've been fooled by the illusions in my head

Okay... I think the reason this song resonates with me is because I relate to the idea that illusions of reality - or a false reality - tricked me years ago. I think back to when I was playing in the greatest band I ever played drums in - Old Stew. I know I've written about OS in other blog posts but to reiterate, it was the band I helped assemble back in the fall of 1991. In the spring of 1991, I had assembled a band called "Prophesey" to play at my college's talent show. I was a junior in college. We learned "Purple Haze" and "Tush." After "Tush," I played a brief drum solo. The other members of the band were Ken, who played guitar and sang and James, who played the ripping solos.

After that talent show, Ken and I would talk about getting together and jamming. Finally, one day Ken brought his equipment to my parent's basement and we bashed out Metallica's "Enter Sandman." I had talked about getting a band together for the talent show my senior year. After school started, James came over one night with another guitarist (Catfish) and a singer (Shoebox). With my Yamaha drum machine, we played through "She Talks to Angels" in the living room of my on-campus apartment. I was really impressed with how good we sounded.

Then the idea became: what if James, Ken, Catfish, Shoebox, and I got together and played for the talent show? WOW. We settled on "Enter Sandman" and "Bullfrog Blues," an original song that Catfish, Shoebox, and James had assembled.

After weeks of rehearsals, the five of us played the two night talent show. On the first night, I was nervous as hell. I can't even watch the VHS tape that has that night on it because I was not happy with the sound. Shoebox paced in front of Ken during "Enter Sandman" and tripped on the guitar cord that went to the amp. Ken's guitar was way loud and I didn't sound good during my solo between the two songs.

The second night, though, was a lot better, in my ears. My parents were in the audience to watch me, which was a big deal to me. I was dressed in a 'cooler' outfit than what I had worn the night before. Ken's guitar was better the second night, Shoebox jumped out into the aisle between the rows of chairs during Ken's guitar solo, my drum solo was better, and we launched into an impromptu blues jam at the end of "Bullfrog Blues" that was fun.

It was the last time I've played on stage with a band I would call "my band."

In the spring of 1992, we got some gigs at a bar that is long since closed. We drank free beer and played as a foursome (Ken had left to pursue other interests). It was a lot of fun.

We took the summer of 1992 off. I graduated from college. I proposed to Karen. I searched for a job.

In the fall of 1992, we reassembled with a new bassist, Dave. There was a problem, though. 4/5ths of the band smoked pot. I didn't. I really, really, really, REALLY hated the fact that this was happening to me. I felt powerless as I was college educated and twice a week, I went to rehearsal and watched the other 4 smoke pot. Catfish / James / Shoebox had arranged a gig at the Open Mic night at the Mill in Iowa City. I had asked them to come pick me up because I wanted to hear them. They didn't. Ironically, one of the songs that they played that night was a song I wrote called "Sunshine Summer." It was in November 1992 when I left the band.

I still, to this day, think that Catfish is an amazing guitarist / vocalist / musician / songwriter. When I hear the material he has put out as a member of a local guitar/vocal duo, I hear someone I'd like to play with again. Someday.

And when I hear the song "Waiting" by Trapt, I think of Catfish and I think about how I long to play with him. But I also have the fear that he is still smoking pot and that is something I don't think I could get over. So it's the "illusions in my head" of us playing together that I think about when I hear that song.

I am NOT the same person I was in 1992. Part of me wants to just hold the memories of our times together in my brain and to listen to the tapes we made of rehearsals and one gig. If I could do anything over again, I would be more diligent about recording our rehearsals than I was. I should have taken it upon myself to make sure I always had a cassette recording our time together.

As it stands now, I am still waiting for the right moment to assemble my 90s tribute band....