| Forever and a Day |
[Nov. 10th, 2004|08:45 am] |
| [ | music |
| | Michael - Live on Beat Generator (Liquid Funk) | ] |
So I don't know why I don't update this thing anymore. At first I was writing something down almost every day, then it turned into once a week, now it's been over a month or two. I just haven't really felt like saying much these days or at least anything that I believe to be worthwhile. I'm just living life like most people do, from day to day. Lost in the mundane things and looking to break out from time to time with something else that makes me feel alive. Although most of that involves taking time off work and just getting out there and doing things for myself. I already booked my trip back to San Francisco in the first week of December. I'm going to fly out there for 4 days during my Birthday and just kick it in the city. Probably do a lot of walking around and exploring like I usually do, nothing beats wearing a warm sweater and having a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other just walking down the piers. I feel like a sailor on shore leave for few days, free of the confines of my ship (work) and feeling the enjoyment of just taking it all in, the sights, the sounds, and the people. I can't wait.
I'm thinking about maybe opening up a Myspace account. I know that it's just a popularity game to see how many friends you can link to with an emo haircut, but I thought it would be a good way to meet some new people. Although I'm not sure how much patience I will have for it either, since I haven't really devoted much time to this journal as I was hoping to. We'll see though, I guess it all depends on how bored I get at work and if I'll take the time to set everything up. I'll let everyone know if I end up moving over. |
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| Been a long time..... |
[Sep. 10th, 2004|01:26 pm] |
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It's been awhile since I've updated my journal. I've just been so busy with work, dj'ing, and just going out on the weekends that I really haven't had time to write anything down lately. Once I have a spare moment I will make sure and write about the last few weeks, the adventures I've been on and some plans for the future. Till then everyone have a fun and safe weekend and hopefully some of you will make it out to Counter Culture tonight. |
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| Another night at Counter Culture |
[Sep. 7th, 2004|02:55 pm] |
Friday September 10th 2004 Counter Culture Cafe Presents:
Another underground chill out night with your friends from the Counter Culture Cafe.
Featuring the best in Drum and Bass, Soul and Funk, Underground Hip-Hop,
Earth Shaking Dub, Reggae, and other organic funk filled grooves.
The Playa's:
Ariel vs Napp-e (Drone Manipulation/Ruff Sumthin Embassy/Essentials Wednesdays)
Drum and Bass (12:00am - 1:30am)
Consumer (Drum-Core.com/MAP Phoenix)
Drum and Bass (11:00pm - 12:00pm)
J-Cut (Infinite Fury Sound)
Reggae/Dub (9:30pm - 11:00pm)
Queen Be
Drum and Bass (8:00pm - 9:30pm)
Michael (100% Natural Groove/DTS/S.A.F.E.)
Soulful Drum and Bass (1:30am - 3:00am)
Radium Burn (Counter Culture)
Downtempo/Ambient (3:00am - 4:20am)
As always, Counter Culture is your underground source to party all night in a chill enviroment. We'll have the usual keg for the over 21 set, and plenty of places to explore and chill. We want to thank all of you who have been involved with these events and we truly thank everyone who has taken the time to check this place out. Once you go for the first time you usually end up coming back the next.
Counter Culture Café is located at
2330 E. McDowell Road.
Tel: (602) 231-0762
FREE ADMISSION BEFORE 9PM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All Ages — $3 Donation
21+ Keg w/ID — $5 Donation
A dark red house just west of 24th St.,
on the north side of McDowell,
between Adrian’s Mexican Restaurant
and Tonto National Forest HQ,
across the street from U-Haul.
There’s ample parking behind the building. |
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| Good times, good times |
[Aug. 23rd, 2004|02:09 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  calm | ] |
Well it's Monday, I'm back at work and usually this is the time where I dread getting back into the work week. But today has been good so far, I have another hour to go and it's time to head back home and relax. Looking back at the weekend I had an awesome time at Counter Culture. Lots of great people came out and helped celebrate Davids Birthday. There was a positive vibe in the air the whole night and everyone was having a great time. I was very happy with the set I played, it was a mix of a lot of new tunes with some classics thrown in for fun. All of the dj's played great sets and the crowd was getting down all night long. This is the 4th night we have done there and they seem to just get better and better. I notice a lot of the same people tend to come back as well, so we are already getting regulars to the place. Once everything is open for business I think things are going to pick up nicely for them.
Other than partying at Counter Culture this last weekend I didn't do much of anything else. Just kicked back at home, tried to write some tunes, and played with the cats. The next couple of weekends are going to be very busy for me. I'll be going on a road trip to California the first week of September. We'll be meeting some people down there to attend this years Nocturnal Wonderland event. I'm really looking forward to it, although I'm not much of a raver anymore I love a good road trip and hanging out with friends. So either way, just getting out of Phoenix will be a lot of fun for me. Then two weekends after that I'll be playing at Earthdance in Tucson. This years Earthdance looks like it's going to be a huge event, I'm very excited to be a part of it. I work with a guy named Jahmaal who MC's with a local Hip-Hop group called Morse Code. I gave him a cd of mine and he said he really enjoyed it, I asked him if he would MC for me at Earthdance and he said he was down. So this will be my very first time having an MC on stage with me, I'm hoping that it goes over well. He is a very intelligent and deep lyricist, so I think he will add another layer to what I'm doing as well.
Oh ya, I just ordered the new High Contrast album today, I'm very excited. It is definitely THE Drum and Bass album of the year. Expect to hear me playing several cuts from it at my upcoming shows. |
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| Counter Culture next weekend.... |
[Aug. 15th, 2004|01:06 pm] |
Saturday August 21st Counter Culture Presents:
Underground Drum and Bass vibes in Downtown Phoenix.
Celebrating Pac D's Birthday.
With Dj's
Big Daddy DFT (Drumz/Swell Records/Full Clip Audio)
12:30am - 2:00am
Playing everything from upfront Drum and Bass to some of his own recently finished tracks.
Come see why Dave is considered one of AZ's finest DnB dj's.
Michael (100% Natural Groove/DTS/S.A.F.E.)
11:00pm - 12:30am
Resident Counter Culture soul shaker playing all the brand new and unreleased Liquid Funk to make you shake that ass.
Pac D vs Jeph Cote (IBB.com/Cosmic Sea Productions)
9:00pm - 11:00pm
These two up and coming dj's have shown their skills behind the decks time and time again. Playing a back to back set full of chilled out broken beats, don't miss this special Birthday set by the man himself, Mr. Pac Dizzle.
Radium Burn (Counter Culture)
2:00am - ????
His name is Harry and he is one of the kind souls who has donated his sound to Counter Culture since the begining. He'll take us on a journey at the end of then night through ambient, chill out, and more spacey sounds.
As always, Counter Culture is your underground source to party all night in a chill enviroment. We'll have the usual keg for the over 21 set, and plenty of places to explore and chill. We want to thank all of you who have been involved with these events and we truly thank everyone who has taken the time to check this place out. Once you go for the first time you usually end up coming back the next.
Counter Culture Café is located at
2330 E. McDowell Road.
Tel: (602) 231-0762
All Ages — $3 Donation
21+ Keg w/ID — $5 Donation
A dark red house just west of 24th St.,
on the north side of McDowell,
between Adrian’s Mexican Restaurant
and Tonto National Forest HQ,
across the street from U-Haul.
There’s ample parking behind the building. |
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| Watch that Ax Eugene |
[Aug. 13th, 2004|09:33 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | relaxed | ] |
I didn't end up going to work on Thursday, came home from the Sky Lounge around 1am, didn't hit the sack till 2am. My new kitten (Nobu) sleeps with me in the room because we have to keep him separate from the other cat for now. My clock was set for 5am to get up and ready for work and the kitten wouldn't stop bugging me all night. He was biting my face and just wouldn't stop messing around, the other cat (Yoji) just kept meowing on the other side of the door all night. So needless to say I didn't get any sleep, I knew I wasn't going to be in a good mood if I went to work so I took the day off. It sucks too cause I always feel guilty for missing work, even though I have not missed one day this year so far. I even got an award for perfect attendance in the 2nd quarter of the year (I've never received something like that even in grade school). There wasn't much accomplished on my day off, did some errands and paid some bills, but nothing else really. I'm getting ready to head off to Tucson tomorrow morning, probably return to Phoenix later that evening.
Other than that I really want to start recording my new mix cd. I have all the records that I want to use now it's just a matter of putting them together. I have a lot of high hopes for this mix, I want it to be something that will turn people on to drum and bass music and show them there are many other sounds and styles of it that are not getting played. Hopefully I will have copies ready before Earthdance in September, if all goes to plan that shouldn't be a problem. Also everyone, don't forget next weekend August 21st I will be promoting another night at Counter Culture. This evening will be a very special one, it's Pac D's (David) Birthday. So come out, wish him a Happy B-Day, have a few drinks, and shake your hips with us next weekend. |
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| Bitterness?? |
[Aug. 11th, 2004|06:42 am] |
The Story of the Vinegar Tasters.
Let me talk to you about an ancient Chinese painting. Roughly translated, it is entitled, The Vinegar Tasters. In this painting, composed long ago, we see three men standing around a vat of vinegar. Each has dipped his finger into the vinegar and tasted of it. The expression on each man's face shows his individual reaction. The painting is intended to be allegorical and each of the three men represent one of the Three Teachings of China. The vinegar they are tasting represents the Essence of Life. The three men represented are: K'ung Fu-tse (Confucius), Buddha, and Lao-tse (author of the oldest book of Taoism). For the purposes of this story we shall call them Confucius, Buddha and Lao-Tse.
The first man has a sour look on his face, the second wears a bitter expression, but the third man is smiling. Why the difference?
To Confucius, life seemed rather sour. He believed that the present was out of step with the past and that the world would be a much better place if there were strict rules. Confucius emphasized a strict order which ruled the affairs of all in his land. Anything that did not fit into the established order, was bad and not worthy.
To Buddha, the second figure in our painting, life on earth was bitter. This world, according to Buddha, was filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The world was seen as a setter of traps, a generator of illusions and a revolving wheel of endless pain. In order to find peace, Buddha maintained that it was necessary to transcend this world. The Buddhist sees the path to happiness constantly being interrupted by the bitterness of this world.
Now we come to the third man in our painting, Lao-tse. According to Lao-tse, the world was governed by the laws of nature, not by those of men. He maintained that the more man interfered with the natural balance of things, the more out of balance the world became. As things became unbalanced, trouble followed.
So why is Lao-tse smiling? We all know what vinegar taste like. And, if the vat of vinegar represents the essence of life, should he not also have the bitter expression on his face as the other two? From the Taoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is the message of The Vinegar Tasters. |
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| Hold Tight |
[Aug. 10th, 2004|06:40 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | peaceful | ] |
| [ | music |
| | High Contrast - Natural High | ] |
Another week at work and another Wednesday at the Sky Lounge. Planning on hitting up the Drum and Bass weekly again tomorrow night. I've come to accept that I'm only going to get a few hours of sleep, but that is the price you pay for going out on a work night for a drink. It's not like I am a lush or anything, 2 vodka crans is about all I have in a 3-4 hour span. I just enjoy getting out on the weekdays and breaking the monotony of everyday life. I keep reading in other peoples journals on how they have been stuck in some kind of holding pattern. This happens to all of us, we get ourselves established and comfortable with something and we remain there until it becomes unbearable to us. Most people don't make changes just because, they do it because the situation they are involved in needs to change. It's more out of necessity these days and seldom done spontaneously. I'm guilty of it myself, and it's easy to get lost in your everyday life. That is why sometimes it's healthy to dream and aspire for other things. Although it really comes down to taking the action to achieve these things. I have the plans thought out and am excited to pursue them, now I just have to apply the effort to my goals. That's always the hardest part, taking the first step at making those changes. And then of course you can find your self feeling stuck all over again. But without attempting it you'll never know what could of been. And that is something I don't want to risk. |
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| Hello Kitty |
[Aug. 9th, 2004|06:35 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  groggy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | High Contrast - Angels & Fly | ] |
The weekend is over, it's Monday and I'm back at work. I hit up First Fridays for a bit and ended up hanging out all night at Fat Cats. My friend William Reed is doing a weekly there called JAM, they are playing all old school Mod, punk rock, retro, and emo music every Friday. I chatted up a few people out on the patio for most of the night, didn't really have that much to drink. I'm usually the designated driver so I try to keep my buzz in check unless I know I won't have to drive for awhile. Woke up early Saturday morning and picked up the kitten from my Moms house. His name is Nobu Ryu, and he is the most adorable kitten I have ever seen. I want to post pictures here in my journal of him, I have a few on the digital camera. Just need to find a free place I can host them online. Other than that it was a really chill weekend. I stayed home most of the time with Yoji and Nobu and tried to get them used to each other. So far there has been no hissing or crazy fighting. Yoji is just so much bigger than the kitten, so even though they are just playing I still fear that he could hurt him. For the time being I'm keeping them in separate areas of the house while I'm at work. Once the kitten gets a little bigger and I know I can trust them alone together it won't be a problem.
I'll be organizing another Counter Culture event in two weeks (Aug 20th or 21st). Once I have a lineup put together I'll post more info here. This weekend I will be in Tucson visiting some family, probably head back on Saturday evening. If anyone knows something going on this Saturday night let me know, I'm always down to go out and try something new. I guess it's time to start working, hopefully I'll have some pictures of the kitten up within the next few days. |
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| Soul And Funk for Everyone (S.A.F.E.) |
[Aug. 6th, 2004|09:51 am] |
So out of the ashes of DTS comes another acronym that I am using for my own crew (that which consists of only myself). The word safe has a lot of different meanings to it, not only is it a UK slang term for something that is "cool, good, nice, sweet" it also has it's literal meaning of "being secure from danger or harm". My vision for a Bi-Monthly event that I am putting together is a place that people can explore the various sounds of funk and soul music with a strong focus on Drum and Bass. I'm still searching for the right venue but I have a few in mind right now.
While I'm on the subject of music here is a list of upcoming shows that I'll be playing. I'll be sure to update this as more bookings come in.
Wednesday August 18th @ The Bizz
Saturday August 21st @ Counter Culture
Wednesday September 15th @ Sky Lounge
Saturday September 18th @ Earthdance 2004 (Tucson)
I'm also just about ready to record my first Drum and Bass mix cd titled, "Moving in Soul Motion". Once I have a release date I'll be sure to let everyone know. |
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| I wish the Milkman would deliver my milk..... |
[Aug. 6th, 2004|08:53 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | awake | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight | ] |
I guess I was a bit tired yesterday because I crashed out at 8pm. I feel refreshed though this morning and very thankful that it's Friday and I have the next few days off from work. Unfortunately because I fell asleep so early I was unable to hang out with Melody and her husband. There was a message on my cell phone saying they were going out for Sushi and wanted me to join them. The thing is, I was flat broke until today (payday) so I would of felt weird going out and not even being able to buy myself a drink. Although I really wish I had to chance to at least say hello and catch up a bit, I haven't even heard about how their wedding went. They just got married not even a month ago. I'm happy for her though, it seems that she has found the right guy and they have been together for quite some time before making the decision to get married. I'm going to give her a call in a few hours and apologize for not calling back last night. |
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| Everything is Everything |
[Aug. 5th, 2004|11:43 am] |
I'm becoming more awake and alert as the day goes by, perhaps people don't really need 8 hours of sleep like the experts recommend. Although I will admit that when given the chance I can sleep like a champ. The weekends are usually when I do the most sleeping, I keep irregular hours most of the time. I go out all night and don't hit the bed till the sun is coming up. I hate sleeping the whole day away though, so I usually force myself to get up after about 6-8 hours so I can have some daylight left. I was going to just relax this weekend but it looks like I'll be going to the First Fridays tomorrow night. Saturday will be a chill day though, I'll be heading over to my moms house to pick up the new kitten during the afternoon, still haven't given him a name yet. And I think I'm going out just for some dinner on Saturday then having some friends over to chill out during the night. It seems that I have been going out almost every weekend for the past few months. I enjoy the occasional break here and there. It all comes from working a job M-F and only coming home to get a few things done and before you know it, its time to go to bed and wake up for another days work. So when the weekend comes around it's like I'm just waiting for that release to go out and just let go. Although my days of hardcore party times are long gone, I keep it pretty tame nowadays. But I just love going out and having that interaction with people and music, it never fails to put a smile on my face. |
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| I can't get no sleep |
[Aug. 5th, 2004|06:36 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  exhausted | ] |
Last night at Sky Lounge was a good time, although Melody was a no show. I guess she just arrived to her moms house earlier that evening and didn't just want to jet on her. I can understand that, so we are supposed to do something today. Although I am completely broke right now till Friday, so I don't know what we can really do given my financial situation. I think I got a little under 3 hours of sleep last night, I don't even know if you can call what I just did sleeping. After laying down and setting my alarm the next thing I know I hear Howard Sterns voice on the radio and its already 5am in the morning. At least the week is almost over, I can always catch up on sleep later. The Drum and Bass nights on Wednesdays are really picking up though, the place fills up by 11pm with all kinds of old and new faces. The only thing I don't like about the night is that it's on a weeknight and I can't really stay for the whole thing. Looks like the end of August the 2am alcohol rule goes into effect. We can now be served till 2am and drink till 2:30am. It's about time this city came around and started trying to get with the times. I think we are going to celebrate the 2am rule at the end of the month at PI (Priceless Inn), Ian Frost does a night there every other Saturday with down-tempo and other various styles. This Friday though is First Fridays Art walk in downtown Phoenix. If you haven't been I really suggest checking it out for the first time. Thousands of people flock downtown to walk around experiencing various art installations, music performances, and just general mayhem. I think we are going to get a small group of friends together and head out this weekend. I enjoy it because it's definitely something different and it feels like Phoenix is actually starting to get the kind of culture it needs. Anyways, I have to start the workday, I hope I don't pass out.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
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| Searching for LJ friends |
[Aug. 4th, 2004|10:17 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  curious | ] |
So I'm sitting here, bored at work and clicking on everyones profile to see their lists of friends. I'm not too familiar with everyones name on here but I hope some more people gravitate my way and add me to their list. I'm thinking I should probably join a community or something so I can meet some new people on here. I'm really happy that I decided to start using LJ, I can see it getting me through the day when it gets slower here at work.
I had a quick question for anybody out there that is reading this, how do I find the various quiz/tests that LJ users post in their journals? Is that only available for paid members? Thanks for the help. |
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| Guten Morgan |
[Aug. 4th, 2004|06:35 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | tired | ] |
I changed my work schedule a few weeks ago so that I'm now waking up at 5am every morning. It's taking some time to get adjusted but the day goes by a lot faster. Tonight I'm going to the Sky Lounge with an old friend of mine named Melody and a few others. She was just recently married and currently lives in Virginia. Back in the day we used to tear up the town together, It's been awhile since I have seen her. I'm definitely looking forward to catching up, she is an awesome person and was always a great friend as well. Speaking of the Sky Lounge, the Drum and Bass is back and is now on Wednesday nights. Next month (September) I'll be playing there on the 15th, I'll be sure to post more info about it later. I'm just really glad that we have this weekly again, Sky Lounge has always been one of my favorite places to play. I think I'm going to take a nap after I get home from work and rest up before heading out tonight. I know I'm going to have a few drinks and I still have to wake up at 5am tomorrow morning. Tonight should be a lot of fun though. |
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| Warped Records and Kittens |
[Aug. 3rd, 2004|05:33 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | calm | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Phoenix - Too Young | ] |
Finally,
Home again, after a hard days work. I was looking over the journal options and seeing if I could upload some files. Unfortunately all it takes is 40k and below, and all my pictures are way above that size. I guess I will have to just resize some pics and post them later. Definitely look into that when I get some time. Other than that I got home and had some records waiting for me at the office. Very excited about a few of the titles I just got, but one of the packages didn't make it through the Arizona summer. The record was beyond warped, I'm trying to fix it right now but it's not looking too good. It looks like I'm going to get a new kitten this weekend. My moms cat had kittens about 4 weeks ago and they are ready to leave the nest now. I have a cat right now, his name is Yoji. I'm just really hoping that they can get along together. I plan on staying in most of the weekend to get the kitten used to the new place. Still thinking of a name for him.
Got a lot of news as far as future dj bookings in the next few months. I'll be sure to post the dates and details later. Labor day weekend though is Nocturnal Wonderland, haven't been to a Cali massive in a few years and thought I would go check it out again. The hotel is booked and the tickets are on their way, now I just have to wait for the weekend to come. Oh ya, I bought a new car a few weeks back. I'm very happy with it and the deal I got, it's a silver 2004 Saturn Ion 2. I have already put a 1000 miles on it in two weeks, damn I drive too much. Anyways, I'm going to figure this picture thing out, I'll be back. |
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| It's Official, I'm now on Live Journal!!!! |
[Aug. 3rd, 2004|12:55 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | excited | ] |
So I've finally decided to start my own journal. My vision for this page is to become a place that I can write my thoughts down from day to day and also let other people know what's going on in my life. It's going to take some time to get used to spilling my guts over the internet for the whole world to see but, I think it will ultimately benefit me to have an open dialogue regarding my life. I encourage others to leave your comments in my journal as well and I hope to make new friends and stay in touch with old ones during this whole process. I guess that's all for now, but I will be sure to do some updates to my page once I get home from work so it doesn't look so bland. |
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