Cool as the Fonz and deadly as Charles Bronson

Your thoughts on The Used! Show me them!

Fri, 16 May 2008 09:15:28 GMT

Rather than abuse the "my srsfax thoughts on whatever" meme to suss out my fellow Usedwives, I decided to use the more direct approach.

View Poll: A very important poll about The Used!

All the cool people are doing it

Fri, 16 May 2008 02:15:06 GMT

Ask me my opinion of any fannish topic. Show, character, storyline, meta issues, kerfuffle, you name it. I am fearless!

Seriously, ask me anything.

My (incredibly late) thoughts on peebabies

Wed, 14 May 2008 20:05:36 GMT

Bert, Quinn, Jepha, Travis, Brian and Bob motherfucking Bryar = MFY!
Jwalk, Pete, Patrick, Siska and The Butcher are a maybe
Everyone else is a big, giant DNW!

I hate everyone, JSYK and I strongly believe Pete Wentz is to blame for all of this.

ETA: Ryland is also on the MFY list. If Suarez's sauce recipe wasn't crap he'd be on the list too, sadly, it is crap!

RUN! DON'T WALK, FUCKERS!!!

Tue, 13 May 2008 02:11:55 GMT

THIS IS THE BEST THING I'VE SEEN ALL DAY AND IT'S WHAT IS MAKING THIS DAY BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL!!!!.

Tom, Butcher and Siska go out to take photos and it's such a simple idea but there's all this tension and there is like... this whole feeling of making it okay between people who were so close and fell apart and OMG you guys... Butcher and Siska are such boyfriends in this fic, even thought it's gen. And there is like, plenty of hints of Jon/Tom and Tom/Sean if you are into that!

HEARTS IN MY EYES FOREVER, GUYS, HEARTS IN MY FUCKING EYES, FOREVER! GO READ IT AND TELL lessthangreat HOW FUCKING AWESOME SHE IS.

yeah, I said it

Sun, 11 May 2008 19:40:00 GMT

FUCK MOTHER'S DAY!

i'm updating twice in one day? seriously?

Fri, 09 May 2008 18:57:50 GMT

Okay, so I have to buy my tickets for Warped and I'm not sure which date I want to go to so I was wondering if any of ya'll are going to any of the So-Cal dates?

I'm either going to the Pomona date (6/20) or the LA date (8/17) and I can't make decisions on my own so someone should make a decision for me. Please?

In closing, Empires is still the best band ever and I bask in the mere fact that those adorable failbots exist.

the more we can do on our own, the stronger we will be

Fri, 09 May 2008 14:45:25 GMT

Captain Conrad and his merry band of failbots clearly WANT to kill me. OMFG, May 27th, HOWL! How so amazing, amazing boys?

If you have no clue who the hell Empires are (and there could be a fair few of you) Please, please, please take a look at their myspace page at www.myspace.com/empires and give them a listen. I really think they're ridiculously good and have a broader appeal than a lot of the bands I'm listening to lately. I suggest 'Midnight Land' because it's the best ever and Sean maybe wrote it about Dante's Inferno. No really. (Their first album Howl is coming out May 27th and it will be up for free download at their site weareempires.com with the option to donate money (like Radiohead did). They're donating all of the donations to charity. Because they're fuking precious.)

That's all I have to say, Tom made me cry with pride and happiness last night and I felt the need to share what those failbots were up to.

This is what a fangirl concert recap looks like- The Used at the Bren Center, UCI, 5.7.08

Thu, 08 May 2008 22:34:03 GMT

So right up front, I'll say that I think I saw some seriously amazing music sets last night. I was blown away by some of the bands and rocked out like you wouldn't believe. That said, it was probably the most schizophrenic show I've ever been to. I'm not sure who randomly picked band names out of a hat and decided they should all tour together but it was kind of a jarring experience, overall.

I missed whoever came first because Ticketmaster hates me and told me the show started at 7 when it started at some other time. I'm told they were good, but the girl who told me that then proceeded to pull out almost every stereotypical hipster line in the book (and to top it all off, was breaking the fucking merch rule) so I take that with a grain of salt.

Street Drum Corps- Street Drum Corps had a truly amazing live show. This is a band that really gets the crowd moving and puts on a motherfucking spectacle. Percussion is obviously their main thing and they had a regular drumset as well as kind of a set of drums constructed out of trash cans and random junk. I dug their steampunk aesthetic and was pleasantly surprised when they actually had the substance to back up their awesome look. Not to mention, it turned out the googles the members were wearing actually served a function beyond decorative because they pulled out a belt sander and used it to add to the sound. The belt sander sounded better when it was being played up against the bread pan, but I can't deny it looked beyond amazing when one of the guys was using it on the big metal pipe and sparks were flying everywhere.

In general, it reminded me a lot of watching Stomp only with a darker edge. The same amazingly breathtaking drum work (I used to play drums in high school and me and the dudes in the drumline went to see every drum corps show we could, this was a lot like that) as well as the drama of performance. I'm really disappointed I forgot my wallet in the car because I would have loved to buy their album to find out how a live performance like that translates to a record. After they were done and I could do something besides rock out, all I could think about during the break between bands was that I couldn't even imagine what a Street Drum Corps album would be like, because it's not the sort of thing that feels like it would lend itself to an album, they need the visual aspect so you can appreciate how amazing their percussion work is (serious guys, mad fucking skills).

Army of Me Army of Me was good, they played a fairly standard set and their frontman is a charismatic dude who definitely got the crowd's attention. My one criticism would have to be that I felt like I'd seen their show before, when I'd seen the All American Rejects at Bamboozle Left. When I mentioned this to the friend I went with, he totally agreed and pointed out just how Tyson Ritter-esque the frontman's mannerisms and overall stage demeanor was as well. So yeah, in general, I'd say Army of Me had a solid show but reminded me so much of AAR that I almost couldn't concentrate on anything else.

Also, the sudden change between Street Drum Corps and Army of Me was really, really jarring. Street Drum Corps' show was all about percussion and synth and high energy- crowd moving and to follow that up with a slower, more melodic, mellow band really threw me off.

Straylight Run I was pleasantly surprised by the way Straylight Run turns it up when they play live. I listened to their album before going, hoping to rock out to them before The Used cam on and was kind of shocked that they were going to be playing on the same night, let alone back to back. Straylight Run is still a mellow band with ballads, piano and acoustic guitar parts (and they played a song that was almost entirely John Nolan on acoustic with some minimal bits from their drummer) but they do rock it up a bit when they play live. It wasn't quite something you can dance to, but it was definitely something you could move to, head bobbing and swaying a bit, that sort of thing.

Maybe the sound mixing was bad for them but I was really struck with how much Michelle's solo vocals reminded me of No Doubt era Gwen Stefani. In general I dug their set and liked how Jon and Michelle kept switching up between piano and guitar and shared the vocals so well. It probably wouldn't have hurt to have a little more banter with the audience (just a little something to get us motivated, JOHN, we got much better after Street Drum Corps asked us to show them some fucking love, trufax) but what little crowd interaction they did have was good and not terribly faily, so for that I'm pleased.

The Used Without a doubt one of the most intense shows I've been to in a while. The Used really put on a show and Bert is a fucking amazing frontman. My one criticism would have to be that they had these random cutouts of politicians and Bert made some random pseudo-political commentary that wasn't really very substantive and kind of made me cringe. Boys, do what you do because what you do is awesome. Politics aren't your thing and if you want them to be your thing you should maybe read a newspaper or something.

Other than that it was ridiculously high energy and I got kicked in the head and crushed by the kids and that is always how I know I had fun. Bert stands on a box when he sings, it's a big white box that lights up that he needs because he's so tiny. They opened with Bird and the Worm and played almost every song you would expect them to. Bert has amazing presence and if I didn't know he was such a tiny dude, I likely wouldn't have come away from the show thinking that either. I know it's cliche, but he seriously comes across like he's 9 feet tall up there. He came out with a drink and a cigarette, both of which he threw into the audience and that's pretty much how their whole set went.

They invited fans to come up onstage and dance during "Paralyzed" and a bunch of people crowd surfed to get up there and I was pretty pleased by the mixture of boys and girls. Some girl jumped up on Bert's box and started hanging all over him and he pushed her off and mouthed "stop that," or something and then he invited some other girl up there (I think he deliberately chose someone who looked way, way more legal) and then he kissed her. I know some people aren't down with bands who kiss fans or whatever but she was clearly really into it and I would have done if I was up there so meh.

They did something I thought was really smart with their ballad-y numbers. Usually the slower songs can totally kill the energy in a crowd and they did this really awesome medley of "The Taste of Ink", "All that I've Got" and "Buried Myself Alive". It was kind of a brilliant way to play songs the crowd obviously loved (and everyone was singing along) without losing any energy with a ballad. I kind of got a little sad during "Take It Away" because when Bert got to the line "lost all doubt in a chemical romance," he threw up his middle finger and mouthed "fuck them".

Their drummer (Dan Whitesides)'s dad is apparently on tour with them for a bit and he came out to play guitar on "Take it Away" along with Quinn. Bert told the crowd about how Bill Whitesides is the only person he knows who can party harder than he can (which is likely pretty fucking hard, I mean, it's Bert). Speaking of Dan Whitesides, that fucker can play, okay? Not only is he a pretty amazing fucking drummer, he does awesomely funny things like throw his sticks around (occasionally missing and that was even cuter). I admit that Dan is probably my least favorite member of The Used but he's seriously grown on me and I maybe kind of think he's hot now (excellent drum skills are hot, okay? That's bone hard medical FACT).

About halfway through their set Bert must have grokked to just how many teenies were in attendance (and there were a TON of teenies, none of them knew shit about how to crowd surf or how to act in the pit (no really teenie, leaving during Street Drum Corps to sit in the bleachers because you don't like all the people touching you and being sweaty and moving and then coming back at the very end of Straylight Run is NOT how you end up on the barrier, CRY MOAR)) because he made a point to remind everyone how we treat people at shows, if someone falls, pick them up, keep an eye out for each other, etc.

Quinn kept mostly to himself, played like a crazy man and rocked out on stage right. Jepha jumped around all over stage left and at one point threw himself on the ground and fucked up his bass (he had to get a new one, it was cute). Jeph also threw water to the crowd, twice, which we all appreciated. I will admit that it's funny to see Jepha up there with his scene hair and scene cloths on when the other guys look like they just exited a skateboard video but he's also got mad stage presence and I can't say I'm in any way unhappy about Jepha's tight pants.

All in all, A+++ set put on by The Used and I would happily see them again the next time they perform. Bert actually said he hoped to still be rocking out when they were Bill Whiteside's age, so here's hoping I can catch them again.

In closing, I'd just like to say that shows are for having fun, rocking out and listening to bands you like, hearing them live. They're not about feeling smug or self important in your own superiority.

Drive by update

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:40:30 GMT

I will never understand hipsters, never. Poor, poor haters of fun :(

I'm heading out (GOING TO SEE THE USED, OMG YAY!) but I'm dropping by to tell everyone that I fucking KILLED on my midterm and that I'm generally awesome.

SHUNNED

Tue, 06 May 2008 17:09:49 GMT

I HATE ALL riorhapsodyS AND THINK WE SHOULD SHUN THEM FOR BEING MEAN TO JWALK AND ALFRED AND MAKING ME THINK SAD THINGS AND CRY WHEN I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL.

THE SHUNNING BEGINS NOW

~~She might be making it up to and I might be kind of ridiculous. I'll keep you updated.~~

TOTES FORGIVEN, OMFG, SHE MADE A PICSPAM OF AWESOME ADORABLE, RUN, DON'T WALK!

because I am a whore

Sun, 04 May 2008 22:56:56 GMT

3 days until I see The Used, I've got like, half an essay written and even some reading for the midterm I'm taking right before my Used concert date. I'm also getting the dishes done and hope to get some more fucking fic written. In celebration... I am asking for a punch in the face:

WHATCHU THINK: THE ANONYMOUS MEME REDUX

Since everyone is talking about genderswap...

Sat, 03 May 2008 05:14:51 GMT

So, vange was talking about The Hushies being genderswapped as like a band and I was maybe waylaid for a bit with talk of Empires genderswap but in general, something about her "the whole band is genderswapepd" thing got me thinking. You see, I think that The Academy Is... genderswap where only one person was genderswapped would actually be really fucking interesting.

Everyone calls TAI a frat and there really does seem to be this frat-like environment and I'm not saying that other boys are less like boys or whatever, but I just think bands like TAI, who really party it up and are known to take all of these fucking risks that girls are taught not to (and I'm stealing thoughts from pearl_o and impertinence here) and I would be interested in seeing how being a girl would change that.

I say I'm interested mostly in theory, because none of TAI have any sense and none of them even know girls who aren't like, Vicky-T so they'd be completely clueless and taking stupid risks and you know they'd end up seriously hurt so like... I guess it's really a good thing it doesn't exist, because I don't want The Academy Is... being roofied and shit, no way.

Butcher and the Biz!

Fri, 02 May 2008 21:32:00 GMT

OKay, so, today, my good friend riorhapsody posted a really, really, really excellent thing about Adam T. Siska and as I go back to look at it, I see it is flocked, so I'm going to have to repost photos and in general, I must give her mad props for inspiring this post, in a lot of ways.

Anyway, so there is this gorgeous boy named Adam T. Siska. He was not always so. I'm not in any way kidding. Poor Siska went through an awkward phase as a teenie and unfortunately for him, he went through his teenie years in the public eye (Siska was like 15 when he joined the band... he rly, rly needs an adult, as most of you know)

I kind of want to show before and after pics of Siska to like... every awkward teenager everywhere, as proof that, srsly, kid, sometimes it rly does get better.

But the point is, he had some sort of visit from the hotness fairy and BAM, just that quickly he's walking around like this:

Now, The Butcher (Andy "The Butcher" Mrotek, but I don't think anyone in the band calls him Andy) did not go through an awkward phase. He went through a mountain man phase, but I blame that on the scarcity of clean water and access to like, shaving facilities more than anything else. (Bone-hard medical FACT: The Butcher is the only member of TAI who should ever have facial hair)

Mountain man phase also had the tiny pink shorts of HOTNESS

Some people who hate hotness will say he's in an ugly phase. These are also known as people who don't have EYES:

But the POINT is that Butcher and Siska are BOOOOOOOYFRIENDS! Seriously.

I could look at this photo of them ALL DAY!!!

Here's Siska and Butcher enjoying a nice, romantic Valentine's Day together:

And this is them enjoying Valentine's last year (no seriously, two years in a row)

This is Siska and Butcher being adorable and giving presents from the dollar store to their friends. AND THEN BUTCHER GIVES ALL OF THE REMAINING PRESENTS TO SISKA!!!!

And this video is like, confirmation that Siska and Butcher (and Jack, the camera guy) are/were living together while making the new album. (Chiz said in the backstage with Cobra Starship at Jimmy Kimmel video that he and Carden are sharing and you know Billvy isn't sharing with anyone because he needs to have freakout moments and shit. (fuck, I'm such a ~lurker))

So, as I said, BOYFRIENDS. And this makes me want like, tons and TONS of fic where Siska and Butcher get together. I even have some ideas for you!

1. Okay, so, the first one is like, Butcher's had a thing for Siska since like, forever, right? Like, he'd like to say he didn't back when Siska was awkward -looking jailbait, but that is a huge lie and Butcher's not much older than he is so no one can judge him for that. So he's been into him for a while, not like, pining because no one who isn't Bill or Ryan fucking Ross would say something like pining but he's been nursing something very much like a crush for a couple years now, nearly certain nothing will come of it and that Siska's just too nice to say something like "I'm not gay, quit buying me candy every Valentine's Day!" or "It's never going to happen between us, maybe you should stop buying me stuffed animals when I'm in a bad mood." And he's really way to nice to say something like, "I don't want you like that, please stop falling asleep with me on the couch/in my bunk/in your bunk/at random venues against the walls, my head in your lap and your back against a wall"

And like, sometime after his visit from the hotness fairy, Siska like, becomes aware that he's attractive to people now, that he could aim a little higher when he wants to hook up. And he notices how hot Butcher is and is like "oh holy shit!" and totally starts doing shit like perving on watching Butcher set up his drums or paint or get birthday spankings. And Siska can't help how much he just wants to lick Butcher's tattoos, run his tongue across his skin and maybe jerk off all over him, ride his cock and pull Butcher's hair, asking for more. (blahblah, porncakes, lots and LOTS of Siska wanking to sexy dreams of Butcher)

And finally, Siska starts thinking about other shit, like Butcher laughing at his unfunny jokes and the way Butcher listens and how much fun they have whenever they get to the beach and he totally realizes he's in love with him and he ends up saying it in a really dramatic way (because he learned from William Beckett and overdramatics are like, something he can DO). And he's all "I just can't helping loving you and I know it won't happen but I fucking... I don't, I feel like I'm pining or something"

And Butcher is all "OH FUCK YOU! You don't know from pining, OKAY? TWO AND A HALF YEARS beats your 3 month crush any fucking day! I am the piner in the relationship!" And then it devolves into silliness and some mediocre sex that Butcher swears he's usually better at.

2. Siska starts trying to hit on Butcher, now that he's hot, and he tries to like, act cool. He does stupid shit like lean up against walls at parties and be all "hey!" and nod like an asshole and generally comes across kind of douchey until Butcher figures it out and like, pushes him up against a wall with his hands around Siska's hips. And he'd be like, "Just be yourself, Sisky-Biz, that's all I want." and then they'd maybe have sex, against the wall.

3. I would tell ya'll about this totally self-indulgent idea I had for an always-a-girl! Siska fic but umm... it's REALLY self indulgent and I don't want to get laughed at. Suffice to say, always-a-girl!Siska/Butcher would work VERY WELL! (Butcher could be her first time! When she's like, 16 or 17 and going through a seriously awkward phase and she just wants to get it over with and Butcher's one of her closest friends! And also, Bill let out a horrified squeak and clutched his blankets really tightly and hasn't fallen asleep in the same room with her since she asked him :(, so Butcher, PLEASE!!) I maybe have put some thought into this one, stfu!

4. Siska/Butcher lends itself well to threesomes! I wrote some Jason Siska/Adam Siska/Butcher this morning (and it's locked, but I might bring it over at some point and clean up the other thing and maybe post it as the ficbit thingies they are) But really, Siskacest/Butcher FTMFW!!!

Okay, so that's why you should all write me Siska/Butcher and umm, yeah... SHIP THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE ADORABLE AND HOT!!!

Voice Post:

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:28:16 GMT

E.T.A. In retrospect... perhaps I was a tad drunk. This was easily fixed though. Perhaps my friends on the internet should have told me to eat something, drink two bottles of water and take a motherfucking walk, instead of mocking me? Just an idea, friends.

Being dead 'aint so bad, look at all the fun we had or, a big fucking post full of SKA!

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:37:23 GMT

I've said in various places that I want to do some kind of primer on Ska music one day... this is not that day and it's not a primer at all. One of my friends wanted me to school her and I felt it only fair I go ahead and try to school everyone else as much as possible.

So I'm going to break this up into five sections to make this easy on people. Those sections will be "First/Second Wave" "Are you fucking kidding me?" "West Coast Third Wave" "East Coast Third Wave" and "It didn't fit anywhere else". Click the links next to "They Sound Like" in order to get a preview before you download.

First/Second Wave
(I consider the Skatalites to be first wave due to the fact that they're all from Jamaica and began making music around the Independence movement. Ska purists will say I'm full of it and that since they didn't acheive popularity until Two-Tone (which the Skatalites sound nothing like) then they're Second wave. The point is, none of that matters.

The Skatalites The Skatalites are a kickass band that is heavy on the instrumentals. The one and only time I saw them live, one of their horn players was celebrating his 80th birthday and he rocked the FUCK out. The Skatalites are awesome and they are history.

What They Sound Like: Have a Good Time
Albums: Greetings from Skamania- http://www.mediafire.com/?tzmmuny3jtd

The SpecialsThe Specials are kind of the greatest thing ever and I trufax believe there are two kinds of people in the world: People who like The Specials and People who are WRONG >:( . The point is, the Specials are kind of signature two-tone and their music is the KICKASS. (Also, tons of really interesting stuff in their lyrics about the political situation in England in the 70's)

What they Sound like: Little Bitch
Albums: Specials- http://www.mediafire.com/?ny3dcxukcno
More Specials- http://www.mediafire.com/?7ynynr4ymsj
In the Studio- http://www.mediafire.com/?3dt0gf9sybj

The Madness/The English Beat The Madness are almost as signature as The Specials. They have a similar sound to The Specials and I endorse them just as much. The English Beat (known just as The Beat in the UK) also sounds the same

What They Sound like: The Madness- One Step Beyond / The English Beat- Too Nice to Talk to
Albums: The Madness- The Ultimate Collection- http://www.mediafire.com/?djycyjdj1bk
The English Beat- http://www.mediafire.com/?bta8oeornpe

Fishbone Fishbone is another one of those Granddaddy of Ska bands that's been around forever and has rolled with the times and changed their sound. I dig their frontman's crazy energy and their awesome cover of Sublime's "Seed"

They Sound Like: Party at Ground Zero
Albums: The Essential Fishbone- http://www.mediafire.com/?jyek1chnggd

Are you fucking kidding me?

This section is so titled because if you haven't heard these bands you have clearly lived under some kind of fucking ROCK and are maybe too young to be using the internet by yourself.

Reel Big Fish No seriously, if you've never heard of RBF I don't even want to know where you've been. Outer Mongolia and/or the MOON are the only reason not to have heard of them. Reel Big Fish was THE BIGGEST ska act of the Third Wave (other than No Doubt but you can question their level of skaness post The Beacon Street sessions, so they don't count). They were on MTV and you heard their songs constantly and you probably got sick of them. I like to joke that RBF's frontman, Aaron Barrett is the Pete Wentz of the Third Wave, because all of his songs are about fame and his shitty breakups and he's totally set himself up to be this dividing figure in Ska (and raking in the profits for his band, if you ever see some snobby Ska fan wearing a patch that says "I hate Reel Big Fish" you should mock them because Aaron designed those and RBF sells them), but I digress. RBF is amazing to see live and if you're going to Warped tour this summer, you should go see them.

They Sound like: Sell Out and Thank You For Not Moshing
Albums: Turn the Radio Off- http://www.mediafire.com/?ewk3yo0yndb
Why Do They Rock So Hard- http://www.mediafire.com/?kuemtt1mht8

Less Than Jake It's possible you've never heard of Less Than Jake, but if you're in bandom, this shouldn't be the case. HEY BANDOM FRIENDS! MEET PETE'S BOSS! Yup, Vinnie, the frontman of LTJ is also the head of FBR, wacky world we live in, eh? Less Than Jake is still considered ska, even though they lost their horn players entirely. This saddens me and I can be snobby about them like you wouldn't believe. They have a ton of energy in their live shows though, A TON.

They Sound Like: Johnny Quest (Thinks We're Sellouts) and Never Going Back to New Jersey
Albums: Pezcore- http://www.mediafire.com/?gcjv8jsfurj
Losing Streak- http://www.mediafire.com/?ezcybxnmkox

Operation Ivy This probably belongs elsewhere but there is no good reason for people who have even a passing interest in punk music not to know Op-Ivy. They have left a massive impact on the scene and their music is kind of ridiculously touching. Download it, seriously. (sidenote, Jepha and Branden of The Used both have "Unity" tattooed on their hands, this is after an Op-Ivy song)

They Sound Like: Unity
Albums: Energy- http://www.mediafire.com/?skiv0zcdcxm
Plea For Peace- http://www.mediafire.com/?mnnxy22oewm

Sublime But seriously, guys, you own their self-titled, at least... right? Sublime was massively popular and on the verge of becoming the next big thing when frontman Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose before their third album was released. Their music is ska without horns and extremely listenable.

They Sound Like: Seed
Albums: 40 Oz. To Freedom- http://www.mediafire.com/?e1gy0ymsqtt
Sublime- http://www.mediafire.com/?xy8smm1chvh

Save Ferris This is where I would have stuff on Save Ferris but Monique Powell is a douchey loser, and I'm still extremely butthurt over their breakup/Monique not even showing up to the Save Eric show, so FU, Monique. (The fucking USED could come play the benefit for Eric and Monique couldn't? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?)

West Coast Third Wave

That was actually a really nice segue into West Coast Third Wave, because West Coast Third Wave is nearly as incestuous as the Chicago scene and that's saying something. The thing is, most of this music comes from Orange County and all of them went to high school/toured/recorded together and so, they're all over the place. Now, in alphabetical order:

The Aquabats The Aquabats RULE FOREVER because of their live show. I'm not even kidding, you will never see a show like theirs and I'm not just saying that because they wear superhero uniforms and masks. The Aquabats entire schtick is that they're a superhero team and all of their songs reflect this level of ridiculousness. The Aquabats is made up almost entirely of Mormons and so, they're EXTREMELY kid friendly. It is not unusual to see 9 and 10 year old kids in the pit at an Aquabats show, dressed up like their favorite Aquabat. They are PURE FUN and don't want to be taken seriously at all. (*Little known fact, Travis Barker, of Blink-182 is the drummer on Fury of the Aquabats, he performed with them under the superhero name The Baron Von Tito*)

They Sound Like: The Giant Robot with the Bird-Like Head and Super Rad
Albums: The Fury of the Aquabats- http://www.mediafire.com/?th1xz9jtjlm
The Aquabats vs. The Floating Eye of Death- http://www.mediafire.com/?by1m2p1zghz

Asorted Jelly Beans These boys are from the Inland Empire, like me and so, I must represent hardcore for them. They're just as much fun and just as clearly influenced by the "just have fun" ska-punk style.

They Sound Like: Wiggerside
Albums: Assorted Jelley Beans- http://www.mediafire.com/?yzvdmzmahkw
What's Really Going On- http://www.mediafire.com/?pllvlnwxcmc

For Pete's Sake For Pete's Sake broke up almost as soon as their EP dropped, but I'm including them because there is a massive dearth of female fronted ska in my collection and I think FPS had an amazing live show and were great with their fans.

They Sound Like: Dave DeVaughn
Albums: For Pete's Sake- http://www.mediafire.com/?rttfyaigf21

Forces of Evil The Forces of Evil was a side project for Aaron Barrett that he put together during a break in touring for RBF. It consisted of members of RBF and what was left of Jeffries Fan Club (more on them later, OMFG JFC ♥___♥). They were a ton of fun and Aaron got to write even more songs about being bitter and angry and girls not loving him... he came back from the break so much better, the side project was good for him.

They Sound Like: Angry Anthem and Dance the Night Away
Albums: Friend or FOE- http://www.mediafire.com/?h4mm6y2yypv
Four Song Obituary- http://www.mediafire.com/?z2zm5kw4j2m

I Voted for Kodos I Voted for Kodos is technically from Wisconsin, I think, but it doesn't matter because all their influences are CLEARLY from West Coast 3rd Wave and they would bust their asses working for months on end so they could go on tour down in Southern California. Thusly, I count them in here. Also? They named themselves after The Simpsons, how can you not love that?

They Sound Like: Not Penis Cream
Albums: Not Penis Cream- http://www.mediafire.com/?wsdafbydnsb
Close Enough for Ska- http://www.mediafire.com/?gdx4lkecdz9
My New Obsession- http://www.mediafire.com/?j1end1ztmgm

Jeffries Fan Club Jeffries Fan Club was probably the biggest part of my ska adolescence, I'm not even kidding. I wore out my cassette I listened to it so much and to this day I get teary thinking about their reunion shows. They broke up to pursue school and because apparently most of the band couldn't handle going on stage unless they were drunk. I applaud this and buy my tickets WAY in advance every time they have a reunion (they did it for 5 and ten years, here's hoping for 15!)

They Sound Like: 12 and Rolled
Albums: Feelin' Sorry for All the Hearts We've Broken- http://www.mediafire.com/?encxjtw5lmm
Nothin' to Prove- http://www.mediafire.com/?wmir2nyjnc3

RX Bandits This is back when they were the Pharmaceutical Bandits, before they officially changed their name to RX Bandits, changed their sound, signed to Drive-Thru and generally became one of the most hated bands on the ska scene. But the early DAYS! Oh, so much fun and here it is, all for you!

They Sound Like: Teen Idol
Albums: Those Damn Bandits- http://www.mediafire.com/?vkojuzxjojs

Skankin' Pickle Skankin' Pickle members went on to be in a bunch of other bands that I don't have albums from, but they were very influential and very silly. Their cover of "Turning Japanese" is not to be missed.

They Sound Like: Turning Japanese
Albums: Fever- http://www.mediafire.com/?yinsg0zkd3t
Sing Along With Skankin' Pickle- http://www.mediafire.com/?h1tveby4yib

Starpool From the ashes of Save Ferris, Freakdaddy and the ska bits of No Doubt, came Starpool. I loved this band like burning and the lead singer used to call me "their only fan". This is a LIE, they had tons of fans, I just happened to be at the front row, singing along to all of their songs for like, all of their shows (it's possible I stalked their live shows, what? It was high school, I had the time, ok?). They played with the Forces of Evil for the JFC reunion show and I seriously almost dehydrated that night from how much dancing I did. Anyway, the point is, Starpool rocks and anyone who says otherwise is a LIAR.

They Sound Like: PURE JOY, and also: Try Living in This World
Albums: Starpool EP- http://www.mediafire.com/?tneueimxzjr
Start Again & Pump it Up- http://www.mediafire.com/?zefix21zjnp

Suburban Legends I was never the biggest fan of Suburban Legends, because of how I was a trufax snobby ska kid almost the entire time I was into ska and I resented the teenie girls who only liked Suburban Legends because the band members were cute (OH LOL, DO YOU SEE THE IRONY, FRIENDS?). But when I listen to them without anger and bitterness, it becomes apparent that they were a lot of fun and I maybe missed out on something when I was standing in stony silence, purposefully not having fun during their sets. Point is, choreographed dance moves aside, Suburban Legends ROCKS.

They Sound Like: High Fives to All the Guys
Albums: Original Edition- http://www.mediafire.com/?yom9yjjrzmo
Rump Shaker- http://www.mediafire.com/?snnyldcim8a
Dance Like Nobody's Watching- http://www.mediafire.com/?xsl2sdr0n1k

Suburban Rhythm They get namechecked a LOT in West Coast 3rd Wave and Aaron might have stolen some of the tracks on Turn the Radio Off from them. They influenced 3rd Wave ska a lot and pretty much everyone who was ever in a band in the OC 3rd Wave scene tried out/played in Suburban Rhythm.

They Sound Like: 18 Inch Ruler
Album: Suburban Rhythm- http://www.mediafire.com/?n0g2mg4rnrs

The Hippos Oh how I LOVE The Hippos. So much fun and so much entertainment! They broke up but it was like, amicably and without hate! Also, they used to be an FBR band, yeah, that's right.

They Sound Like: Paulina
Albums: Heads Are Gonna Roll- http://www.mediafire.com/?ytm4sljtny4
Forget the World- http://www.mediafire.com/?yk0gneex1t2

East Coast Third Wave

Or as I like to call it "Actual Talent and some trufax DIVA attitudes". East Coast 3rd Wave is more serious business than West Coast Ska. There is less of that "laid back, surfer, skateboarder, let's get stoned and then write music"- edge to it. I don't know how to describe it but there is something VERY West Coast about West Coast 3rd Wave, yk? Anyway, aside from being more serious, East Coast 3rd Wave has like, talent. The musicians are talented and the lyrics are intelligent and seriously, it's wacky how good they are.

Planet Smasher The Planet Smasher are not an example of srs bzns though, because they are the farthest thing from srs bzns there is. The Planet Smashers hail from Montreal (that's Canada) and as such, speak French! This is mostly useless information, but let it be known, the Planet Smashers are hilarious drunks and make adorkable DVDs about it.

They Sound Like: Super Orgy Porno Party and J'aime ta femme (i like your girl)
Albums: Attack of the Planet Smashers- http://www.mediafire.com/?nwdtnnmyymm
Mighty- http://www.mediafire.com/?mbdedtlymel
No Self Control- http://www.mediafire.com/?tk0cdo0at8z
The Planet Smashers- http://www.mediafire.com/?jcdg8bzhiwl

Big D and the Kids Table Big D and the Kids Table is so much fun live that I can't articulate it. The lead singer likes to crowd surf and they let fans come up to sing along and really, MADE OF WIN. The albums themselves are awesome and their videos are even more so.

They Sound Like: 5 Kids Down and LAX
Albums: Good Luck- http://www.mediafire.com/?m4mqbdqwehj
How It Goes- http://www.mediafire.com/?yo6qaeyymtv

The Toasters The Toasters have been around forever and have had a HUGE influence on 3rd Wave. There is some controversy surrounding them (something about embezzlement?) but since I don't know anything about money, I can't detail details. Their music is really good though and I kind of love it

They Sound Like: Weekend in LA
Albums: Skaboom- http://www.mediafire.com/?ag2h5mddcn1
Dub 56- http://www.mediafire.com/?wm9ykoynxx9

The next part kind of runs into each other, because of DRAMA:

Catch-22/Streetlight Manifesto/Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution Okay so, Catch-22 started when Tomas Kalnoky joined up with Chris Greer to form the band. Their first album "Keasbey Nights" was written pretty much entirely by Tomas and when he left to pursue his education the band continued and replaced a bajillion members. They put out another album and it was good but not nearly as good as Keasbey Nights. Then Tomas and like, 3 other original members of Catch-22 start up the Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution and they release a redone version of "Dear Sergio" (which is one of the tracks on Keasbey Nights). Catch-22 stops playing Dear Sergio. Tomas asked them to stop playing his music, because Keasbey Nights was his, not theirs. They don't, so Tomas and his new band, Streetlight Manifesto, re-release Keasbey Nights, as played by them. IT'S EPIC AND PASSIVE AGRESSIVE AND TOMAS KALNOKY, YOU PISSY BITCH!!! There are also some thinly veiled insults to each other in the lyrics for Streetlight's "Everything Goes Numb" and Catch-22's "Dinosaur Sounds"

Apparently the rivalry is over but it was hilarious while it lasted. Bone hard medical fact: Tomas Kalnoky is an actualfax musical genius (I don't say that about any other ska artist, he is brilliant and I'm constantly taken aback by what he creates for Streetlight. If you want to piss off a ska fan, tell them Tomas is a hack, they'll stomp you.). DOWNLOAD THIS!

Catch-22
They Sound Like: Keasbey Nights and What Goes Around Comes Around
Albums: Keasbey Nights- http://www.mediafire.com/?zzzx1yxzzm6
Alone in a Crowd- http://www.mediafire.com/?gzjqry0zem1

Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution
They Sound Like: Dear Sergio:
Album: A Call to Arms- http://www.mediafire.com/?2gmyau1gsim

Streetlight Manifesto
They Sound Like: A Better Place, A Better Time
Album: Everything Goes Numb- http://www.mediafire.com/?ezg3ydmkx01
Keasbey Nights- http://www.mediafire.com/?hxwxyy9c2pi
Somewhere in the Between- http://www.mediafire.com/?cynzr1fyxn8

It didn't fit anywhere else

These first two are technically West Coast 3rd Wave, but I prefer to think of them as MexiSkaCore. There is a very clear mariachi influence on their sound and they have a seriously latino sound.

Voodoo Glow Skulls Some people don't like them, and I can understand that, but they WIN FOREVER and I love them and they are SO GOOD LIVE! Their frontman, Frank used to set this little statue on fire during El Coo Coi and had to stop because he nearly set Chain Reaction on fire. So much energy and they have the hardest working horn section EVER. They're lyrics are a mixture of English and Spanish, but are mostly in English.

They Sound Like: Steady As She Goes and El Coo Coi
Albums: Firme- http://www.mediafire.com/?ksjfnrddx39
Band Geek Mafia- http://www.mediafire.com/?yxadsly04ye
Steady As She Goes- http://www.mediafire.com/?1mjz0xlbwig
Adicción, Tradición, Revolución- http://www.mediafire.com/?yxdhczwhgm0

La Banda Skalavera The lead singer of La Banda used to laugh to himself because of my fail!dancing, I tried to buy him a drink once and he declined because I was like, 16 at the time and he was 22. For this alone I would love La Banda but their music is SO GOOD OMG! Their lyrics are entirely in Spanish, so I have no idea what they're about (mostly, I get the vague idea, but not the specifics) but I used to know all the words phonetically because the music was that good.

They Sound Like: No Esta Mal
Albums: No Esta Mal- http://www.mediafire.com/?v1m29tgn3um

The Aggrolites The Aggrolites wouldn't be happy in being included on this list because they refer to themselves as reggae and this is true, they are, but... they play at a lot of ska shows so I'll call them what I want, ok? The Aggrolites have a crazy live show, the members put everything they have into it (their guitarist snapped a string and it cut his calluses open and he played the whole show anyway, didn't even stop for a bandaid.) I once got to go onstage to play tambourine because their small percussion instruments girl was playing like three instruments. I made up a part and she was all impressed. She was also HOT, this is not important though. If you are going to Warped tour, you need to go see them perform, it's amazing!

They Sound Like:
Albums: The Aggrolites- http://www.mediafire.com/?nomtctgmdd2
Reggae Hit LA- http://www.mediafire.com/?hjnmelxzghh
Dirty Reggae- http://www.mediafire.com/?0xjwtzyttyu

So... that's ska, good ska and I hope you like it?

that's a fuckload of words.

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:26:51 GMT

25,000 WORDS!!! WTAF?

I just had to get that out guys, now I go to take a midterm. Wish me luck, that Plato bitch is going DOWN!

My list of shit wot needs doing

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:29:16 GMT

1. SC! (I owe ALL of you your SC stuff, I am SOOOOO sorry but I am working on all of it, SWEAR!)
2. Research Paper Proposal
3. Response Paper #1 for polisci 156
4. Response Paper #2 for polisci 156
5. Study for polisci 115 midterm
6. Work on Boywives
7. Work on all the Used fic I have planned
8. Make more icons
9. Do the dishes
10. Buy novelty flip-flops
11. Make birthday card
12. Jumper AU
13. Keep up on my reading for class (fell behind last week, not a good idea

Happy belated Passover to the Jews on my flist! People should remind me to get this shit done. Like for serious.

Sin City isn't what I expected/William Beckett, wtaf?

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:57:35 GMT

So I'm in Vegas and really not drunk. It's going way, WAY better than my last family vacation type thing. What's worse, I hear MCR is doing a show at the Hard Rock on Sunday and I'm fucking leaving Sunday morning.

In other developments, I've heard the tragic news about William's hair and have decided to take this not as a tragedy, (though, William, way to make me think thoughts about you and the Tenth Doctor) instead I have decided to tinhat it up!

Clearly, CLEARLY, William feels awful that he can't do anything to help Travis right now. He's very busy what with the new record and not having a nervous breakdown (his super secret New Year's resolution that only Siska and Siska's cats know about). So clearly, since this is taking up all of his time, he's decided to cut his hair as a show of support and solidarity.

William likely sat in the stylist's chair and thought about how it was really just a metaphor for wanting to start over, be a new person. New record, new tour, new William Beckett, like he could shed excess baggage with the excess inches (he then wrote all of that down because it was kind of good and he could maybe work that into a song).

Travis saw the pictures and, because he's Travis and knows William, immediately gets the metaphor inherent to a haircut and txts him this mean ur tetotaling w/ me on Warped? and William had to excuse himself from the studio for an extended bathroom break because he refuses to cry in front of everyone again. So he spends 10 minutes freaking out in the bathroom because on the one hand, he can't go that long without drinking and on the other, you don't back out of helping a friend who's getting their life together.

Then Travis calls back "Are you still freaking out? Didn't you make a resolution not to have another breakdown?" and William makes a mental note to spank Siska for telling even after swearing a blood oath not to. "Chill Billvy, I'm fucking with you. Also, I hope your hair grows back a bit before we're on tour because I'd have a little problem fucking you when you look about 12.

William will be a good person and not make the obvious joke about Gabe loving him either way and they go on to talk about what William's been doing while he was to busy to call Travis. Ok, so there's some guilting in there too, because Travis is hoping for some phone sex.

And that's the real reason Billvy's hair is so, so short.

meme! because who needs to study or sleep?

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:45:46 GMT

Stolen from technosage

1) Make a list of 15 characters and assign each character a number.

2) Without telling anyone who's on the list or the character's assigned number, get questions from your flist about what they'd like to know about them, i.e. "If 3 and 4 were trapped in a cave together with only a blanket and a toothpick, what would they do?"

3) Post the list of characters and answers to the questions.

Brendon Urie, how do you even exist? or NO, I will NOT be writing Panicpile Mpreg.

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:45:28 GMT

So, there's something that's been plaguing me lately:

So unless you've been under a rock the last year or so, you know that there's this band called Panic at the Disco. Panic at the Disco is: Brendon Urie, Jon Walker, Ryan Ross and Spencer Smith (who doesn't actually look like that anymore but sadly, all my pictures are from his lesbian phase)

Now the first thing to know about Panic, is of course, that they're all adorable and really, really gay. I mean...

REALLY GAY

So gay, they can't be assed to PRETEND to be interested in hot swimsuit models.

But we know that! We all know how gay Panic is. The next thing to know (which, I think most of us do?) is that the four of them are having SO MUCH SEX.

NO REALLY!

You still with me? Ok good, because you see... I think we might have some WONDERFUL news here. I've been following all of the press the boys have been doing for the new record and... well, I'll let this picture show you:

Yeah, go ahead and scroll back to the waistline area and I think you'll get what I'm trying to say. You guys, OMG you guys, BRENDON IS GOING TO HAVE A BAAAAAAAAABY! Look! Just LOOK!

And the thing is, remember what I was saying about all of the sex the four of them were having? Together? Well, there's no way Brendon knows who the baby daddy is. And you GUYS! What if he doesn't care? What if NONE of them care? What if the Panic boys are all set to raise their baby as a group?

No, really, Brendon doesn't want to know who the biological father it because the baby's real fathers are him and Spencer and Ryan and Jon and nothing is going to change that. And he tells them that, touching his belly and grinning softly to himself and even though he was just having a panic attack less than ten minutes ago, all four of them smile goofily at each other and agree that they won't bother with anything silly like a paternity test.

So that should be it right? I had this random, weird idea based on one picture of Brendon but now I don't have to look at the picture and it's all ok now. Except... EVERY DAMNED PICTURE AND INTERVIEW MAKES ME THINK ABOUT BRENDON AND HIS BABBY! I will demonstrate:

Now, hobviously, what is going on here is that Brendon's started noticing things, little things at first like how he can't stop throwing up in the mornings and how he's suddenly eating meat all the time and also things that are weird for non vegetarians like strawberries with cheez wiz and pickles and peanut butter. And then there's the mood swings, which he didn't think of as mood swings so much as the occasional need to throw heavy objects at Spencer and Ryan and Jon until they stopped being horrible by asking why he ate the last poptart or if they could change the channel away from Family Guy. He didn't think of them as mood swings until he threw Ryan's iPod at Spencer when Spencer asks if his feet are getting bigger or something when he notices Brendon can't get his shoes on. Brendon throws the iPod at Spencer's face and shouts at him about how his feet and ankles are just a little swollen and he should stop being such a douche and how he's never getting laid ever, ever again.

But that's how he figures it out, because he's seen enough movies and sitcoms to know what weird cravings, morning sickness, swollen feet and mood swings all mean. So, one embarrassing trip a drug store later, he has a pregnancy test (and some really pretty air freshener things that light up in different colors that Ryan is just going to LOVE). And he knows he can't do it on his own, just the idea of locking himself in the bathroom for the entire 15 minutes it takes the test to work (15 minutes? it might as well be a MILLION. What sadists invented something that takes that long to tell you if you're knocked up or not?) is blindingly scary to him. Brendon doesn't like to be alone and he likes being alone with his problems even less. Besides, what's the point of having 3 boyfriend type people if you're just going to have to be alone when you might be pregnant?

So yeah, this is obviously the three of them sitting in the their hotel room, waiting for the test to finish, kind of on edge and likely all silently freaking out.

Do you see the way they're all leaning into Brendon? All three of them, they're sort of curling protectively around Brendon because Brendon's unhappy and other than candy, the fastest way to cheer Brendon up is to just be close to him. See, when they were getting ready for this shoot, one of the wardrobe people (who Spencer will likely be firing and making cry before the day is out) laughed while she was finding a larger pair of jeans for Brendon to wear and patted his tummy before handing him a big jacket.

"Looks like someone's going to have to hit the gym," she'd said and Brendon's face had fallen and he hasn't said a word since. They take five after the first round of pictures and Jon magics some licorice out of nowhere and Brendon takes it but he's still frowning when he takes his first bite.

"She said I was getting fat," he says miserably around the red vine. "I'm going to get even fatter and our fans will hate me and so will you." And they're all suckers for Brendon, especially when he's pouting and his mouth is stained red from candy so they all rush to assure him that isn't true. They they're going to be a family and that they'll love him no matter what. Brendon's happier after that, but they're all certain to keep close anyway.

As a friend of mine put it Brendon Urie, hunched over in a giant jacket and looking vaguely seasick

Poor, poor Brendon. Promo for the new album is so grueling because he has to be up early and somehow manage to get dressed and into makeup for interviews and signings and everything else that promo entails all while he's busy being violently ill. He clings to the counters in the bathroom and curses all of them, pissed as hell that he can't drink coffee (It's as bad as being back in the CHURCH again! No booze, no smoking, no weed, no caffeine, he can't even have sushi if he wants it! Which he doesn't, because he's going right back to being a vegetarian once the damn baby stops making him eat meat) and making them all suffer for it. So yes, he's maybe a little less cheery than usual and there's not enough make-up in the world to make him look like he isn't about to be sick, but so what? He's having a baby, he's ENTITLED!

And then I thought the picture had finally come that would end up being the poison pill to my insane obsession. I figured, "no way does THAT translate to panicpile mpreg!".

This was clearly LIES AND FALSEFAX! Because do you see what I see? Some might just see Brendon's bellybutton or Ryan's cartwheel or even Jon's flip flops. Not me.

What I see is Jon and Spencer both watching Brendon very closely, concerned and worried because someone in Brendon's condition should not be doing acrobatics and Brendon should know better. Ryan sees the furtive looks Spencer and Jon are sending each other and takes it upon himself to distract the photographer. He shouts for his attention and starts doing a cartwheel he knows will end up with him on his ass and when he looks over, Spencer is whispering in Brendon's ear and Brendon's eyes are going wide and Jon's patting his arm, like they understand and aren't mad but please GOD, don't do it again.

So yeah, anyway. That's the idea that I am EXORCISING by making this post. In the vague hope that if I say I'm done with it here, it won't turn into something.

In other news, Ryland Blackinton how are you real? And OMG, Patrick's collaboration with the Roots is my new favorite thing ever.