Last night I attended the They Might Be Giants show in Richmond, VA. The first thing that comes to mind is wow!
Got into town at 15:00, checked in, and as anyone that knows me would expect, I set up my laptop and got to seeing what I'd missed in the two hours I was on the road. Well, o'kay I was keeping up with 'life' via my phone, but whatever.
Caught up with old friends for dinner, then made my way in and up to the stage, because that's just how I roll, yo! ;) I don't see either of them often; it's always a trip back to my teenage years when I do.
The opening act was Jonathan Coulton, which alone was enough reason to make the trip up. Sure he didn't perform my two favorite songs (Code Monkey, and I'm Your Moon) but his performance of Mr. Fancy Pants was awesome. The set was way too short for my liking, but as an opening act, it's about what I expected.
TMBG took the stage in grand fashion. Played for about 10 minutes or more before even talking to the crowd. Then a few more songs from various albums before getting to the meat of the event. It was a Flood show after all, and Flood is what we were there to hear, and hear it we did. Backward. Well in reverse order that is. A great amount of energy, and the confetti, oh my gawd the confetti, I think I may still have some in my coat... perhaps even in my pants.
Wonderful show, best concert I've seen since the first time I saw Fighting Gravity play at the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Great time, really worth the trip. I should do this more often.
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Clicky Clicky
For the last few weeks, I have been dealing with my mouse misbehaving. I would try to only click once, it felt that was not enough and would double click about 30% of the time. So today I decided to replace it. Got a new Mighty Mouse (yes, I do think about the cartoon every time I hear the name). I could have gotten a cheaper mouse with a scroll wheel but that wouldn't have been as much fun as having a mouse named after a rodent superhero on my desk, now would it? *grin*
While I was out today (well it was actually the reason I went out) I looked around for a MIDI controller keyboard with a USB interface. Who knew it would be next to impossible to find one. The only one I found that wasn't in the $400+ dollar range was a rather clumsy and it had mini keys. So I had to order one. So in about a week (I'm not going to pay for express shipping) I'll have a nifty new CME M-Key and I can then get back to my remixing. Well, I can get farther anyway. I tried to use the onscreen keyboard and I tried using key mapping but it just wasn't working out. I also have the feeling that I'm going to soon be feeling the limits of my somewhat outdated machine. I'll get by well enough for now, though.
Now, now it is bedtime. For some reason that I don't understand I agreed to overtime tomorrow, in the morning no less, helping out a class of new hires that just hit the floor. I think they're video agents, which means they're going to need all the help they can get. For a company whose core product is video, our training for video troubleshooting to the people that take the calls leaves a lot to be desired.
While I was out today (well it was actually the reason I went out) I looked around for a MIDI controller keyboard with a USB interface. Who knew it would be next to impossible to find one. The only one I found that wasn't in the $400+ dollar range was a rather clumsy and it had mini keys. So I had to order one. So in about a week (I'm not going to pay for express shipping) I'll have a nifty new CME M-Key and I can then get back to my remixing. Well, I can get farther anyway. I tried to use the onscreen keyboard and I tried using key mapping but it just wasn't working out. I also have the feeling that I'm going to soon be feeling the limits of my somewhat outdated machine. I'll get by well enough for now, though.
Now, now it is bedtime. For some reason that I don't understand I agreed to overtime tomorrow, in the morning no less, helping out a class of new hires that just hit the floor. I think they're video agents, which means they're going to need all the help they can get. For a company whose core product is video, our training for video troubleshooting to the people that take the calls leaves a lot to be desired.
Standing on the throats of giants
So I've been spending a lot of my free time at home listening to the gems at Nine Inch Nails' remix site. Why? Well aside from the fact that there is some really amazing stuff there (occasionally the remixes are better than the original), I've been playing around with the idea of remixing the song Survivalism and so I've been looking for inspiration.
I have a working title and I've started cutting up the vocals from the multi-track files for the song, which are available from the remix site but also from the DVD that comes with Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D (yes I just typed that out). My plan will probably require that I create some of my own vocals as well as some keyboard work, so I'm in the market for either a MIDI/USB interface or an inexpensive USB MIDI controller. Given my space constraints in my little corner of the world, the controller would be easier to work with but the interface would likely be a lot cheaper as I already have a fairly nice keyboard with MIDI ports. It doesn't have a pitch binder, but I can do that in software after laying down the track.
For now I'm still in the planning stages. Listening to the samples over and again, as well as to others versions of the song to see what works well and what doesn't. I haven't done anything like this since back in the heyday of MOD and S3M tracking and my experience with GarageBand is just a few steps short of none... this should be interesting and I hope in the end turn out well enough to post back to the remix site.
I have a working title and I've started cutting up the vocals from the multi-track files for the song, which are available from the remix site but also from the DVD that comes with Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D (yes I just typed that out). My plan will probably require that I create some of my own vocals as well as some keyboard work, so I'm in the market for either a MIDI/USB interface or an inexpensive USB MIDI controller. Given my space constraints in my little corner of the world, the controller would be easier to work with but the interface would likely be a lot cheaper as I already have a fairly nice keyboard with MIDI ports. It doesn't have a pitch binder, but I can do that in software after laying down the track.
For now I'm still in the planning stages. Listening to the samples over and again, as well as to others versions of the song to see what works well and what doesn't. I haven't done anything like this since back in the heyday of MOD and S3M tracking and my experience with GarageBand is just a few steps short of none... this should be interesting and I hope in the end turn out well enough to post back to the remix site.
Time, tunes, and other things that go bleep in the night
Got home from work about an hour and a half ago. I don't close too often, but it does happen, and it throws off my sleeping schedule a lot. I should get to sleep, but I don't think I can yet.
It's o'kay though because I have Club977 to keep me company. I did most of my 'growing up' in the 80's so 24/7 80's music is the best thing since the Rubik's Cube, which I never could solve.
I installed iTunes Friday on my Windows box, I've got to say Apple did a very good job of staying true to the Mac client. It's a little sluggish in UI matters, but I think that's more shortcomings on Windows part than problems with iTunes. I still have no intention of buying any major record label music any time soon but the idea of making the Apple Music Store available for Windows was a good one. I'm curious if they'll take the next step and go for the BSD systems and even Linux. Even better if it means they release QuickTime for them.
On another totally unrelated note, I think I have a new favorite piece of clothing. My girlfriend bought me a pair of low rise boot cut jeans while I was there visiting her last and since then they are the first ones I reach for when I get dressed. They're really comfortable, they actually fit well unlike most of the clothes I have to put on this oddly shaped body of mine and because of the low waist, they help balance out my torso to leg length. I need some slacks like these so that I don't look like I have my pants pulled up around my stomach when I'm at work. *smirk*
It's o'kay though because I have Club977 to keep me company. I did most of my 'growing up' in the 80's so 24/7 80's music is the best thing since the Rubik's Cube, which I never could solve.
I installed iTunes Friday on my Windows box, I've got to say Apple did a very good job of staying true to the Mac client. It's a little sluggish in UI matters, but I think that's more shortcomings on Windows part than problems with iTunes. I still have no intention of buying any major record label music any time soon but the idea of making the Apple Music Store available for Windows was a good one. I'm curious if they'll take the next step and go for the BSD systems and even Linux. Even better if it means they release QuickTime for them.
On another totally unrelated note, I think I have a new favorite piece of clothing. My girlfriend bought me a pair of low rise boot cut jeans while I was there visiting her last and since then they are the first ones I reach for when I get dressed. They're really comfortable, they actually fit well unlike most of the clothes I have to put on this oddly shaped body of mine and because of the low waist, they help balance out my torso to leg length. I need some slacks like these so that I don't look like I have my pants pulled up around my stomach when I'm at work. *smirk*
I've taken all I can take, and I can't take no more.
O'kay... I've been thinking this for a while, but reading this article has made me realize that I can't do it anymore. I refuse to buy another movie, or music recording from the big media machine until they as a whole realize that being raving lunatics will not solve their inability to change with the times.
The RIAA and MPAA are forking nuts... I can't support idiots, and will no longer.
True, I don't buy that much as it is... just have other things that my money needs to go to, but the occasional purchase that I used to make is no more. I'll make do with mp3.com, and cable TV until these unimaginative morons realize that suing away their problems will not work. Only treating their would-be customers as though they care about them will.
Damn fools... *shrug*
Then there's this. Why in the hell do people think that doing stuff like this is a good idea?
Does anyone else want to get together with me and start our own country somewhere, and the first law we'll pass is that stupid people are to be put on the first boat off island.
The RIAA and MPAA are forking nuts... I can't support idiots, and will no longer.
True, I don't buy that much as it is... just have other things that my money needs to go to, but the occasional purchase that I used to make is no more. I'll make do with mp3.com, and cable TV until these unimaginative morons realize that suing away their problems will not work. Only treating their would-be customers as though they care about them will.
Damn fools... *shrug*
Then there's this. Why in the hell do people think that doing stuff like this is a good idea?
Does anyone else want to get together with me and start our own country somewhere, and the first law we'll pass is that stupid people are to be put on the first boat off island.
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