Go See Robin!

Back in high school I knew this wonderful redhead, Robin Corsberg. (Yes, I’m using her real name. Google it. She won’t mind; this is free advertisement.) Robin was born with the gift to make people smile and laugh. She was hilarious, and she would share her humor with the rest of us through Drama and Speech. I think she loved the stage almost as much as the stage loved her. I didn’t know her as well as I would have liked to, but I was one of her many fans.

I do remember one time when she gave me a hug up in the light booth of the auditorium. (Just a hug. Don’t read more into that.) I don’t remember why either one of us was up there, but it must have been before a performance because she apologized for getting makeup on my shirt. She had no way of knowing, but at that particular time I really appreciated every hug I could get. (I still do.)

When we graduated I figured the next time I saw Robin she would be on a movie screen. It turns out she is currently going around the country doing what she does best: improv comedy. She has been a member of Ryan Stiles’ improv troupe and has warmed up the audience for Whose Line Is It Anyway?

This Friday (1/16/2009) I’ll be skipping out of work early to go up to Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa to watch her perform with Matt Slater. I encourage you all to go too, or see her when she comes to a city near you.

For more info, go here: http://underpressureandready.com/bio.php

Sacrament Kiss

(Listen closely. This one's juicy.)
I was in church yesterday and sitting in front of me, slightly to my left, was an amazingly beautiful girl. I don't mean "girl-next-door pretty." I mean "super-model-movie-star gorgeous." Occasionally I would glance away from the speaker to momentarily admire the beautiful scenery the Lord had blessed me with.

At one point I noticed she had a miniature Reese's peanut butter cup. Then just like in the movies, she lifted the peanut butter cup to her mouth in slow motion. Or maybe it only seemed like slow motion to me as my brain focused on savoring every detail of this delightful moment.

The surroundings seemed to blur away until nothing else existed except for her, with her long luxurious hair blowing gently in the breeze that mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. The speaker's voice disappeared and was replaced by the sound of harps.

The peanut butter cup was poised between her slender, perfectly manicured fingers. Elegant fingers that must have turned away hundreds of offers to star in moisturizer commercials. She raised the decadent treat to her mouth with a gracefulness that would make Aphrodite jealous. Her luscious lips began to part and puckered ever so slightly in anticipation.

Then her anxious lips knocked the peanut butter cup out of her hand, causing it to roll down her arm and plop onto the pew.

The harps stopped, the chapel reappeared, and I couldn't keep myself from letting out a playful chortle. She blushed a bit and looked behind to see who had witnessed her private blunder, as I gave a playfully exaggerated look to indicate "I didn't seen anything." She looked forward for a second and then turned around to face me again. As a peace offering, or perhaps to bribe my silence, right there in the middle of the chapel with everybody watching, to my great surprise SHE GAVE ME A KISS!

I'm An Uncle!

Again!
Briahna Lee ______ was born to Dave & Kasey this morning.
9 lbs, 7 oz
That's one hefty girl, but she's still not as big as I was.
I'm going to stop by the hospital to see them after work.
Have a (chocolate)cigar, everybody!

Rock Box!

Hey, check out my new rock box on the right! There are enough music related posts on here that I really needed to be able to let you hear a bit of what I'm talking about. Right now there is just a small sample of songs/bands I have mentioned, and it's currently about half heavy, half light.

Enjoy!

Live Atari

Human Pole Position
-------------------


Human Space Invaders

Weekend

I had a great weekend. I went to go visit my little brother, Mr. Pibb, in the little town where we grew up. Driving there was an adventure in itself. I spent the last 40 miles in a solid wall of fog. I only dared to go 30 mph. But I made it there safely.

Sunday at church was nothing short of awesome. Through various circumstances, there were many people there that I had not seen since my teenage years.
- My old bishop, who had moved away to California, was there visiting his son for Christmas.

- Nicole just returned from her mission and gave a wonderful homecoming talk. She and her sister Erica performed an amazing acapella duet. Both the girls and the duet were breathtaking. Nicole played a key role in helping Mrs. Pibb join the Church, so even though her family was awesome before, they are even more awesome now.

- Their older sister Danielle was also there to welcome Nicole home. I was better friends with Danielle than the other two because she is closer to my age. (When you’re 18 you’re not too concerned with 12 year olds or 8 year olds. But you may eventually notice a 15 year old, especially if she’s as cool as Danielle.) I hadn’t seen her in 10 years. She is so fun to talk to with the way she buzzes with excitement and energy, and her wonderful laugh always loaded and ready to go.

- My good friend Verny has moved her records back to our “home ward” (I don’t really like using that term.) so I was able to see her, and will get to see her more often when I go back to visit again – whenever that may be. It seems I only get to see her in person once or twice a year.

I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my 18 month old niece, Baby Pibb. By the end of the weekend she would run up to me and grab my legs. She may have even said my name a couple times. She is quite possibly the most beautiful little girl ever.

And to top it off, I was finally able to pick up my New Hotness. She’s waiting to get fully tweaked and outfitted, and hoping to take her maiden voyage soon.

I hope you all had a weekend as good as mine.

Turn Me Up

This video does a great job of showing the difference between a good mastering job and a poor (and all too common) mastering job.

Go to TurnMeUp.org to support more dynamic records.
Fight the Loudness War.

Pacifier

Ok, so I haven't posted for a whole month. Waah waah; quit your crying. I know you have all been on the edge of your respective seats waiting with baited breath for me to post something. I know you, my adoring fans, are all just dying to hear more about my fascinating life. I know you ache to read my thoughts about some band you have never heard of. I hear your internal pleas for me to submit something - anything - so that your hunger may be satisfied and so you can fill that void in your soul that grows so cold when I am not around.

Well too bad.

I haven't felt inspired to write anything and there isn't much going on. … Well that's not true; there are plenty of things going on, but nothing that is blogworthy.

I just hope these words will tide you over until there is something to write about. Until then you will just have to be content with rereading my previous posts and clutching the pictures of me you keep on your nightstand and in the locket around your neck.

Featured Album: Porcupine Tree, Coma Divine

Album: Coma Divine
Artist: Porcupine Tree
Year: Recorded live in 1997, Remastered in 2005.
Masterpiece potential

Live albums are risky. They have great potential, but a lot can go wrong. The recording quality may be poor. The audience noise may be too intrusive. The actual performance of any member of the band may be below expectations. The production quality may be low. The guitar part that sounds great on the studio album may now be sloppy and full of squeaks. The singer may go for the high note and totally biff it. There may be 10 minutes of nothing while Axl Rose tries to get the crowd to move back. Live albums are like a box of chocolates - with a high probability of many coconut covered, toothpaste filled landmines to ruin it.

But when I received this 2-disc live album I fully expected it to sound amazing. Why did I have such confidence, you ask? Because this is Porcupine Tree, and Porcupine Tree's creator Steven Wilson is not only a great musician, but he is also a wonderful producer who believes in music as an art form and not just a means to make money and become famous. (Those are byproducts.)

(You know you're a prog geek if you can hear an album by a great band filled with great songs, but you consider the album to be almost unlistenable because of the poor production quality.)

I was not disappointed. I expected it to be good, and instead it was great. The sound quality is pristine. Better than any live album I've ever heard, and in fact better than most studio albums. Audience noise is pretty much limited to the very beginning/ending of the songs.

This was recorded earlier in their career so all of these songs were new to me except for “Waiting”. This era features a different sound for the band. While their current material has more rock and metal influences, this album is more like psychedelic-blues-jam. Very Pink Floydian with a few splashes of Led Zeppelin every now and then. Quite mellow with a very prominent bass groove. And bongos! I love bongos! Well done bongos can add so much atmosphere to a song.

The only downside is that most of the songs share a similar vibe, so while each individual song may move up and down and progress, the album as a whole is somewhat static. This minor nit-picking is the only thing keeping me from immediately granting this album Masterpiece status. Some time is required to be able to judge its lasting power, so its status may be upgraded later.

The Verdict: Superb! Listen to it at work, while you relax, in the car…

I owe a HUGE “Thank You!” to my wonderful friend Seashells for finding this album for me. I could not have found a better album myself for my November purchase. You’re awesome.

Disc 1
1. Bornlivedieintro (Not really a song. Just a short recording of the band backstage as they are about to go on.)
2. Signify (Instrumental)
3. Waiting Phase One
4. Waiting Phase Two (Instrumental)
5. The Sky Moves Sideways
6. Dislocated Day
7. The Sleep of No Dreaming
8. Moonloop (Instrumental)

Disc 2
1. Up the Downstair (Instrumental)
2. The Moon Touches Your Shoulder
3. Always Never (Almost instrumental)
4. IS…NOT (Instrumental)
5. Radioactive Toy
6. Not Beautiful Anymore (Instrumental)

Featured Album: Nightwish

Album: Once
Artist: Nightwish
Year: 2004
Masterpiece!


I don't hand out the title "Masterpiece" very often. I reserve it for albums that continue to blow me away and leave my jaw hanging even after listening to it dozens of times. Albums that repeatedly surprise me and fascinate me. This album crams so much awesomeness into such a small place that it's a scientific mystery that it hasn't collapsed upon itself to form a black hole.

Not only is the songwriting amazing, but the production is very good too. Each instrument is discernible from the others and doesn't get all mushy in the mix. The individual players are at the top of their game. Jukka's drums are thunderous, yet clear. Marco's bass is bold and aggressive. The symphony is real, not synthesized. In fact the symphonic elements play a critical role in the music, not just thrown in as an afterthought.

As I listen to this album I find myself turning the volume up more and more with each song. Sure there are a few filler songs that don't quite measure up to the magnificence of the others, but luckily those songs are all conveniently located at the end. So it's the most amazing album you've ever heard ... plus a couple other songs that aren't bad either.

This is Nightwish's final studio album with Tarja Turunen as lead singer. It also features bassist Marco Hietala taking the microphone more than their previous albums.

I was going to write a brief description of each song, but almost every one would start out "Ooh, this is one of my favorites. It's so amazing..." So I'll just say that each song is abso-freakin-lutely phenomenal and you should seek out this album.
Warning: You will never listen to music the same way again.

1. Dark Chest of Wonders
2. Wish I Had an Angel
3. Nemo: No it's not about the Disney fish.
4. Planet Hell
5. Creek Mary's Blood: Inspired by the plight of Native Americans, featuring John Two-Hawks, a Lakota musician, on wooden flute, chanting, and reciting a poem in Lakota.
6. The Siren
7. Dead Gardens
8. Romanticide: If your fists are not pumping along at the end of this song, then something is wrong with you.
9. Ghost Love Score: A perfect example of what Symphonic Rock can/should be. A spectacular blend of rock & symphony, complexity & melody.
10. Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan: The polar opposite of most of the other songs. An aria in Finnish with just Tarja and the symphony.
11. Higher Than Hope
12. White Night Fantasy
13. Live to Tell the Tale