It only took seven years, but here is the start of the new world of Hypefactor:
HYPEFACTOR return with ONE.NINE.FIVE.SIX, the first single from their forthcoming album EXIT STRATEGIES. Available digitally as a free download, ONE.NINE.FIVE.SIX will be accompanied by an instrumental B-side called SATURDAY NIGHT DREAM plus an exclusive remix of the new song CLEAN UP by Brooklyn techno pioneer BAYE (http://www.myspace.com/bayemv) and featuring vocals by frequent HF collaborator Peter Riley of THE DOSSIER (www.ledossier.net).
Download it NOW:
http://www.hypefactor.com/oneninefivesix/hypefactor_oneninefivesix.zip
Sorry for the years in between posts if anyone is still here....
F
1.7.10
7.6.10
28.12.09
YEAR. END.
We draw closer to the end of the weirdest year ever, so let's talk about the cool shit we saw, heard and read in 2009. All of this is subject to change as the year isn't over yet. This is the best shit...
ALBUM, the best album without a doubt this year was the fucking amazing Gustavo Cerati album, FUERZA NATURAL. The man took it to a whole new level. 70's inspired rock with some of the best production I have heard really made this not just my favourite album this year, but my fave in ages. I want nothing more than to see this album played live in 2010. Kasabian came close, but their third album suffered from one song too many. I did love the Bad LT, but I'm thinking Freebass is gonna have something to say shortly on this.
MOVIE: Tough one. I loved a lot this year: District 9, Taken, Basterds, 500 Days of Summer, hell even ORPHAN was a guilty pleasure. But I gotta go with STAR TREK mostly because it was awesome seeing a franchise I grew up loving finally join us in 21st Century. No more boring existential Next Gen shit, this is the real deal. Also, huge points for figuring out how to reboot a franchise without erasing the 40 year history behind it. Smart, clever, simple, fun.
GIG: Nothing was better than NIN at the Bowery. I mean, seriously. Trent owned it. Manics were great, Depeche were much better than expected.
TV: KENNY FUCKING POWERS. Bar none. CURB was fucking great though. I do cop to loving GLEE, but it's no Eastbound and Down. Maybe Kenny Powers can teach Glee Club?
COMICS: There was a lot to love about comics in 2009. While I loved BLACKEST NIGHT and all things Green Lantern, especially since nephew and I got really bond over it, my fave series was Grant Morrison's new BATMAN AND ROBIN series which I think is the best Bat related stuff in ages. Of course I am biased because it's Dick Grayson as Batman, but it's a fresh clever spin that will be remembered fondly for years to come, certainly much more so than BATMAN RIP, which I didn't love.
Weird shit happened this year. Oasis broke up, Gavin Friday showed up and the kidd left, Dickie is trying a solo career again, and of course poor Jerry died. But cool shit happened too: I met Dulli, I got married.
Anyway, this is quick, I know. See you soon
F
ALBUM, the best album without a doubt this year was the fucking amazing Gustavo Cerati album, FUERZA NATURAL. The man took it to a whole new level. 70's inspired rock with some of the best production I have heard really made this not just my favourite album this year, but my fave in ages. I want nothing more than to see this album played live in 2010. Kasabian came close, but their third album suffered from one song too many. I did love the Bad LT, but I'm thinking Freebass is gonna have something to say shortly on this.
MOVIE: Tough one. I loved a lot this year: District 9, Taken, Basterds, 500 Days of Summer, hell even ORPHAN was a guilty pleasure. But I gotta go with STAR TREK mostly because it was awesome seeing a franchise I grew up loving finally join us in 21st Century. No more boring existential Next Gen shit, this is the real deal. Also, huge points for figuring out how to reboot a franchise without erasing the 40 year history behind it. Smart, clever, simple, fun.
GIG: Nothing was better than NIN at the Bowery. I mean, seriously. Trent owned it. Manics were great, Depeche were much better than expected.
TV: KENNY FUCKING POWERS. Bar none. CURB was fucking great though. I do cop to loving GLEE, but it's no Eastbound and Down. Maybe Kenny Powers can teach Glee Club?
COMICS: There was a lot to love about comics in 2009. While I loved BLACKEST NIGHT and all things Green Lantern, especially since nephew and I got really bond over it, my fave series was Grant Morrison's new BATMAN AND ROBIN series which I think is the best Bat related stuff in ages. Of course I am biased because it's Dick Grayson as Batman, but it's a fresh clever spin that will be remembered fondly for years to come, certainly much more so than BATMAN RIP, which I didn't love.
Weird shit happened this year. Oasis broke up, Gavin Friday showed up and the kidd left, Dickie is trying a solo career again, and of course poor Jerry died. But cool shit happened too: I met Dulli, I got married.
Anyway, this is quick, I know. See you soon
F
11.12.09
The BEST.
Brandt found this very rare outing of one of my favourite (if not THE fave) Cerati song's ARTEFACTO from the last tour. It's a revamped dance version of it, which is absolutely amazing. Watch.
9.12.09
The Depressing Sounding Catch Up.
I don't even know where to start. I have neglected this blog so badly and I apologize. Looking at where I left off, which honestly isn't THAT long ago, seems like a lifetime. Well, it seems like it. I don't know how to catch you up. I figure, I'll ramble, you'll listen, and let's hope we can keep this bad boy together.
I've said this before, but as we reach the end of the 09, I can truthfully say this has been the weirdest and most surreal year of my life. Incredible highs and some of the most horrible lows I have ever experienced. It's been a year of drastic change. Some for the better some for the worst, and while I'm usually that optimistic guy, which you know if you read this blog regularly, I know there are some more speed bumps ahead. It's just how it is now. There's been a loss of innocence I didn't even realize I still possessed and I'm still trying to hold on to some of the things that made me ME. I lost a bit this year, but I also reclaimed some. It's a struggle.
As some of you know, I've been spending a good 50% if not more of my time out west. That's what's really holding this blog up. I have good friends and family there, like Vik, and I often get to see Cramp or Dr. Fury, but it's left me feeling displaced and anxious, especially when I'm NOT on a plane somewhere. I need to be on the move. I don't know why. It just is what it is. We should have toured more. (Ironically, I type at you from Laval, outside of Montreal, where I am spending the week locked up in my sister in law's house, watching my 11 year old nephew, my pride and joy, while she is away in China.)
Anyhow, the last trip really fucked me up. I think everything that happened this year professionally just caught up to me and kicked me in the ass in one fell swoop. My traditional "year end illness" came early and after three weeks of living on a couch, being away from home, and dealing with a ton of bullshit in the last 12 months, starting with the collapse of The Spirit, my body decided to just quit on me. Coupled with this was the horrible tragedy that saw our musical hero, Jerry, taken from us. It fucking crushed me in a very real way, a way that I still haven't figured out how to properly deal with yet. The distance of being so far away from it, while the guys were there, in it, dealing with it together, compounded the pain I was feeling. Honestly, Brooklyn seems completely different to me because this has happened. I go to his memorial website, http://jerryfuchs.net/ every day hoping to find a new nugget of information. A photo. A video. Anything to bring me a little closer.
So besides this trip to Montreal, which is uncle duty (something I welcome) I've made it so that I'll stay in NY for a spell to recharge and rev up for 2010, which will hopefully be a better year. Who the hell knows...
I'll try go get a little more positive in the next one. Hey, I got some concert tickets today, to see MUSE and EDITORS in 2010. That's a good start.
F
I've said this before, but as we reach the end of the 09, I can truthfully say this has been the weirdest and most surreal year of my life. Incredible highs and some of the most horrible lows I have ever experienced. It's been a year of drastic change. Some for the better some for the worst, and while I'm usually that optimistic guy, which you know if you read this blog regularly, I know there are some more speed bumps ahead. It's just how it is now. There's been a loss of innocence I didn't even realize I still possessed and I'm still trying to hold on to some of the things that made me ME. I lost a bit this year, but I also reclaimed some. It's a struggle.
As some of you know, I've been spending a good 50% if not more of my time out west. That's what's really holding this blog up. I have good friends and family there, like Vik, and I often get to see Cramp or Dr. Fury, but it's left me feeling displaced and anxious, especially when I'm NOT on a plane somewhere. I need to be on the move. I don't know why. It just is what it is. We should have toured more. (Ironically, I type at you from Laval, outside of Montreal, where I am spending the week locked up in my sister in law's house, watching my 11 year old nephew, my pride and joy, while she is away in China.)
Anyhow, the last trip really fucked me up. I think everything that happened this year professionally just caught up to me and kicked me in the ass in one fell swoop. My traditional "year end illness" came early and after three weeks of living on a couch, being away from home, and dealing with a ton of bullshit in the last 12 months, starting with the collapse of The Spirit, my body decided to just quit on me. Coupled with this was the horrible tragedy that saw our musical hero, Jerry, taken from us. It fucking crushed me in a very real way, a way that I still haven't figured out how to properly deal with yet. The distance of being so far away from it, while the guys were there, in it, dealing with it together, compounded the pain I was feeling. Honestly, Brooklyn seems completely different to me because this has happened. I go to his memorial website, http://jerryfuchs.net/ every day hoping to find a new nugget of information. A photo. A video. Anything to bring me a little closer.
So besides this trip to Montreal, which is uncle duty (something I welcome) I've made it so that I'll stay in NY for a spell to recharge and rev up for 2010, which will hopefully be a better year. Who the hell knows...
I'll try go get a little more positive in the next one. Hey, I got some concert tickets today, to see MUSE and EDITORS in 2010. That's a good start.
F
8.10.09
"OH THIS IS THE ONE, FRANK"
I'm sorry for the slower updates. Obviously, if you want the real time action, come see your hero on twitter under the Hypefactor name. Where am I? This time I'm in New York, where The Mrs. and I just bought an ill (read: didnt feel like going downtown) Vikki some comfort food at her posh yet sardine can like hotel room. mmmm soup. I've been back for almost a week, the longest stretch here since August and shit just keeps flying by. Sometimes it's hard to keep up but hey, screw you, its my blog and excuse the typos..
While this is on my mind, as I type I am listening to Ash's new set from a DJ even in Boulder, CO. You should download it and give it a spin as it's really ace: http://bayemv.wordpress.com/
Where have I been? You know, clowning around. I did some fun stuff in LA. Honestly, I spent a lot of time with kids during any of my free moments! I finally made it out to the new awesome new Cramp compound and saw the entire Cramp gang, including the twin lads, who I met for the first time!! The were awesome and it was a blast seeing Denise after a long spell. Of course, Ms. Bella Cramp, who is awesome and hilarious and charming, was a blast to play with. Here she is getting Uncle Frank a brownie:
After the Kids went to bed, Brad and I watched the wonderful CURB premiere as well as the new BORED TO DEATH, which has a lot of promise and you should check out. Good stuff. I also spent some time with Brad after this, hanging with our classmates from NYU, with whom we had our second reunion lunch, as seen here:
The weekend after was crazy chaotic! That Friday night, I finally saw the Manic Street Preachers for the first time ever at the Avalon in Hollywood. It sucked going by myself but they more than made up for it with a career spanning set that was played with a lot of energy and talent. They were worth the wait and I was really excited to see them again in NY, which G, Lurch and I did last night. And they were even better this time! NY, being that it is always the best to begin with, also has the awesome X-pats who go nuts, so last night was singalong for the ages and one of the best times I have had at a gig in ages. I literally only had one complaint and that is that they didn't play anything off of LIFEBLOOD, which Brandt and I swear by is their best album. Also, James Bradfield is a SICK SICK awesome guitarist, which was the pleasant surprise of the gigs. But it is interesting to note just how much better the NY crowds are.
Anyway, back in LA, I went to Disney for the first time in my adult life, this time with the wonderful Kruger kids. We had a lot of fun and while Ro and Avy are big time now and don't need to snuggle with an uncle, little Leia has taken up the slack. She loves me. I love her. We're tight and I got to carry her all over the place. This is what I saw waiting for me when I arrived and boy did my heart sing when I saw this little face:
I had a lot of fun watching the kids rock out. Eventually, Dr. Fury and I snuck off an did the INDY ride, which was huge and cool but a bit too short, and STAR TOURS which was hilariously out of date, but I was glad to see before they updated it. Then we had a fun dinner at Goofy's cafe. My comments about being in a gang with Goofy back in the day and telling the kids Goofy and Pluto were going to have a knife fight was met with puzzled looks. The food was actually really good, for some reason I expected it to be whatever, but I guess what these parents have to pay for all this shit, the least they can do is give them some good food, yeah?
Special thanks to Mr and Mrs Fury for inviting me and buying me a ticket and, as always, treating me like a rockstar. Also, it was cool meeting Fury's sister and of course I love these 3:
From Disney I fucking RACED in Saturday night traffic from Anaheim back to Hollywood to attend the Scott Ford Benefit gig at the Roxy. Scott is the bassist for the Twilight Singers, who for anyone who has read this blog more than once knows that they are a favourite around here. Scott has had horrible dental problems as late and his friends, many LA rock luminaries, put together a star studded gig to help raise money to pay for the tens of thousands this poor guy is going to spend to fix his mouth up. You can read all about the gig and Scott's plight here:
http://www.billboard.com/news/hollywood-rock-royalty-band-together-for-1004015137.story#/news/hollywood-rock-royalty-band-together-for-1004015137.story
Obviously, I went because Mr. Dulli himself was appearing. and appear he did, as you can see below:
The gig itself was fun and really well put together. Everyone from dulli to members of Guns N Roses, The Cult, Sex Pistols, MC5, Janes Addiction, and others all appeared and it was fun. Again, it kinda sucked being by myself, where the fuck is G when I need him, but it was worth it in the end for this :
But it got even better because, Yes, I finally met Dulli and he was cool. We had a brief chat in which we discussed WATCHMEN, BAYOU, the new album, and "THE AWESOME RESURRECTION OF JACKIE EARL HALEY" of whom Dulli is a big fan:
Obviously, as you can see, he was excited to meet the guy from Hypefactor.
So after a whirlwind few weeks in LA, and thanks as always to Vik and Em for housing me. I came back for my cousin Josh's wedding. He married a cool chick, Lisa, and it was fun getting my dad drunk.
Then we raced back from upstate to get to Carnegie Hall to see, AT LAST, Mr. Gavin Friday as he celebrated his 50th birthday. I think we had super fucking high expectations for this and it was going to be tough to live up to. For some, like the Kidd, it sucked, so he walked out at intermission, but for others, like me, it was fun, if poorly organized mixed bag of fun and silly. Honestly, it could have used some more Gavin on his own. Too many guests sometimes that took away from his awesomeness. However, I will give U2 a lot of credit as they played a bunch of Gavin covers and did a super job. Bono singing THE LAST SONG ILL EVER SING was a highlight. The best part was Gavin and Eric Mingus doing Caruso. Overall a good time, read about it here:
http://gavinfriday.com/2009/10/08/gavin-friday-and-friends-at-carnegie-hall-in-pictures/
And so, here I am, back in NY, for now, plotting the future out and hoping to get deeper into the mixing of the HF album this week. More soon!!
F
While this is on my mind, as I type I am listening to Ash's new set from a DJ even in Boulder, CO. You should download it and give it a spin as it's really ace: http://bayemv.wordpress.com/
Where have I been? You know, clowning around. I did some fun stuff in LA. Honestly, I spent a lot of time with kids during any of my free moments! I finally made it out to the new awesome new Cramp compound and saw the entire Cramp gang, including the twin lads, who I met for the first time!! The were awesome and it was a blast seeing Denise after a long spell. Of course, Ms. Bella Cramp, who is awesome and hilarious and charming, was a blast to play with. Here she is getting Uncle Frank a brownie:
After the Kids went to bed, Brad and I watched the wonderful CURB premiere as well as the new BORED TO DEATH, which has a lot of promise and you should check out. Good stuff. I also spent some time with Brad after this, hanging with our classmates from NYU, with whom we had our second reunion lunch, as seen here:
The weekend after was crazy chaotic! That Friday night, I finally saw the Manic Street Preachers for the first time ever at the Avalon in Hollywood. It sucked going by myself but they more than made up for it with a career spanning set that was played with a lot of energy and talent. They were worth the wait and I was really excited to see them again in NY, which G, Lurch and I did last night. And they were even better this time! NY, being that it is always the best to begin with, also has the awesome X-pats who go nuts, so last night was singalong for the ages and one of the best times I have had at a gig in ages. I literally only had one complaint and that is that they didn't play anything off of LIFEBLOOD, which Brandt and I swear by is their best album. Also, James Bradfield is a SICK SICK awesome guitarist, which was the pleasant surprise of the gigs. But it is interesting to note just how much better the NY crowds are.
Anyway, back in LA, I went to Disney for the first time in my adult life, this time with the wonderful Kruger kids. We had a lot of fun and while Ro and Avy are big time now and don't need to snuggle with an uncle, little Leia has taken up the slack. She loves me. I love her. We're tight and I got to carry her all over the place. This is what I saw waiting for me when I arrived and boy did my heart sing when I saw this little face:
I had a lot of fun watching the kids rock out. Eventually, Dr. Fury and I snuck off an did the INDY ride, which was huge and cool but a bit too short, and STAR TOURS which was hilariously out of date, but I was glad to see before they updated it. Then we had a fun dinner at Goofy's cafe. My comments about being in a gang with Goofy back in the day and telling the kids Goofy and Pluto were going to have a knife fight was met with puzzled looks. The food was actually really good, for some reason I expected it to be whatever, but I guess what these parents have to pay for all this shit, the least they can do is give them some good food, yeah?
Special thanks to Mr and Mrs Fury for inviting me and buying me a ticket and, as always, treating me like a rockstar. Also, it was cool meeting Fury's sister and of course I love these 3:
From Disney I fucking RACED in Saturday night traffic from Anaheim back to Hollywood to attend the Scott Ford Benefit gig at the Roxy. Scott is the bassist for the Twilight Singers, who for anyone who has read this blog more than once knows that they are a favourite around here. Scott has had horrible dental problems as late and his friends, many LA rock luminaries, put together a star studded gig to help raise money to pay for the tens of thousands this poor guy is going to spend to fix his mouth up. You can read all about the gig and Scott's plight here:
http://www.billboard.com/news/hollywood-rock-royalty-band-together-for-1004015137.story#/news/hollywood-rock-royalty-band-together-for-1004015137.story
Obviously, I went because Mr. Dulli himself was appearing. and appear he did, as you can see below:
The gig itself was fun and really well put together. Everyone from dulli to members of Guns N Roses, The Cult, Sex Pistols, MC5, Janes Addiction, and others all appeared and it was fun. Again, it kinda sucked being by myself, where the fuck is G when I need him, but it was worth it in the end for this :
But it got even better because, Yes, I finally met Dulli and he was cool. We had a brief chat in which we discussed WATCHMEN, BAYOU, the new album, and "THE AWESOME RESURRECTION OF JACKIE EARL HALEY" of whom Dulli is a big fan:
Obviously, as you can see, he was excited to meet the guy from Hypefactor.
So after a whirlwind few weeks in LA, and thanks as always to Vik and Em for housing me. I came back for my cousin Josh's wedding. He married a cool chick, Lisa, and it was fun getting my dad drunk.
Then we raced back from upstate to get to Carnegie Hall to see, AT LAST, Mr. Gavin Friday as he celebrated his 50th birthday. I think we had super fucking high expectations for this and it was going to be tough to live up to. For some, like the Kidd, it sucked, so he walked out at intermission, but for others, like me, it was fun, if poorly organized mixed bag of fun and silly. Honestly, it could have used some more Gavin on his own. Too many guests sometimes that took away from his awesomeness. However, I will give U2 a lot of credit as they played a bunch of Gavin covers and did a super job. Bono singing THE LAST SONG ILL EVER SING was a highlight. The best part was Gavin and Eric Mingus doing Caruso. Overall a good time, read about it here:
http://gavinfriday.com/2009/10/08/gavin-friday-and-friends-at-carnegie-hall-in-pictures/
And so, here I am, back in NY, for now, plotting the future out and hoping to get deeper into the mixing of the HF album this week. More soon!!
F
19.9.09
Natural Forces
Hello from Los Angeles, where I've been for the last 5 days or so and will be here until my cousin Josh's wedding in October. When it's said and done I'll have been in NY a total of 5 days in September. I miss it. But on the flipside, you know how antsy I get when I'm not on a plane or in another place after a long period.
The end of the summer was frustrating for several reasons. A. Work slows down and that makes me pissy and B. I didn't have a nephew around to keep me from thinking about point A. Luckily, we got the hell out of dodge for a bit before I went too nuts...
Summer came to a quiet end, but Fall began with me and the Mrs. flying 13 hours west to spend a week in Maui. Our friends were getting married there so we turned it into a nice little trip. We relaxed, swam, ate well, slept a lot, watched Nash Bridges, snorkled, found mint condition classic Will Eisner books (seriously) and just took it easy. Beautiful place and it was great seeing Jim and Carla finally make it legal. They also have the most adorable kids and we got to meet a lot of cool people. And I golfed. Yes. More like "golfed". Anyway, I lovely mini vacation that certainly was relaxing and fun.
I'm happy to report that this did lead to some musical progress where, literally before leaving for the Left Coast, your hero finished his long awaited vocals for the Hypefactor album. I believe I am finally done for this record and now there are some dubs and then the mix. It already sounds fucking great so I'm pretty excited. I've been listening to it quite a bit. This is the one. We have some stuff up on the myspace.com/hypefactor which is just the teaser kinda thing. Just a taste. MUCH MORE to come.
Now here in LA, it's the usual chaos. Vik's working like a maniac, so I am handling my usual dog walking/care responsibilities, which I have gotten much better at. The dog is awesome and we saw our Rabbit friend finally (twice tonight). Had a lovely sushi dinner with Dr. Fury last night, who I will be seeing again next week (WITH his wife and kids) and hoping to see The family cramp, milano mouth, and Bergoch before I go back. Tonight, kyle and I went to the Grove to see JENNIFER'S BODY which was pretty good. I'm not really on the whole Megan Fox thing, but she was right for the role, which had clever writing but so so execution at times. However, Adam Brody was enjoyable but Amy Sedaris is wasted in it.
Anyhow, lots on the plate, more work here, tons of shit to do, but also after 10 years, I will see the Manic Street Preachers here for the first time and then attend a benefit gig for Greg Dulli's bassist Scott Ford. Should be fun. When I get back to NY, I will finally cap off seeing EVERY fave band I have loved in my life by seeing Gavin Friday for the first time ever. That is going to be fucking awesome and a truly memorable evening.
My computer's hard drive bit the dust before I went to Hawaii, so I sent it and now have a nice working machine. I have decided to kill certain things though, like LAST FM, so you won't be able to track what I am listening to, but I am going to try and be more consistent in updating that stuff. Right now I am obsessively listening to the new Cerati, which ended up being the soundtrack to my summer and now I am really into Bernard Sumner's new band BAD LT, but I am not 100% sold on it yet. I definitely like it though! A lot. I'm anxiously awaiting albums from Ian Brown and Editors, both of which are very promising.
Anyhow, hopefully this catches us up a bit. Any questions, you know how to find me!
F
The end of the summer was frustrating for several reasons. A. Work slows down and that makes me pissy and B. I didn't have a nephew around to keep me from thinking about point A. Luckily, we got the hell out of dodge for a bit before I went too nuts...
Summer came to a quiet end, but Fall began with me and the Mrs. flying 13 hours west to spend a week in Maui. Our friends were getting married there so we turned it into a nice little trip. We relaxed, swam, ate well, slept a lot, watched Nash Bridges, snorkled, found mint condition classic Will Eisner books (seriously) and just took it easy. Beautiful place and it was great seeing Jim and Carla finally make it legal. They also have the most adorable kids and we got to meet a lot of cool people. And I golfed. Yes. More like "golfed". Anyway, I lovely mini vacation that certainly was relaxing and fun.
I'm happy to report that this did lead to some musical progress where, literally before leaving for the Left Coast, your hero finished his long awaited vocals for the Hypefactor album. I believe I am finally done for this record and now there are some dubs and then the mix. It already sounds fucking great so I'm pretty excited. I've been listening to it quite a bit. This is the one. We have some stuff up on the myspace.com/hypefactor which is just the teaser kinda thing. Just a taste. MUCH MORE to come.
Now here in LA, it's the usual chaos. Vik's working like a maniac, so I am handling my usual dog walking/care responsibilities, which I have gotten much better at. The dog is awesome and we saw our Rabbit friend finally (twice tonight). Had a lovely sushi dinner with Dr. Fury last night, who I will be seeing again next week (WITH his wife and kids) and hoping to see The family cramp, milano mouth, and Bergoch before I go back. Tonight, kyle and I went to the Grove to see JENNIFER'S BODY which was pretty good. I'm not really on the whole Megan Fox thing, but she was right for the role, which had clever writing but so so execution at times. However, Adam Brody was enjoyable but Amy Sedaris is wasted in it.
Anyhow, lots on the plate, more work here, tons of shit to do, but also after 10 years, I will see the Manic Street Preachers here for the first time and then attend a benefit gig for Greg Dulli's bassist Scott Ford. Should be fun. When I get back to NY, I will finally cap off seeing EVERY fave band I have loved in my life by seeing Gavin Friday for the first time ever. That is going to be fucking awesome and a truly memorable evening.
My computer's hard drive bit the dust before I went to Hawaii, so I sent it and now have a nice working machine. I have decided to kill certain things though, like LAST FM, so you won't be able to track what I am listening to, but I am going to try and be more consistent in updating that stuff. Right now I am obsessively listening to the new Cerati, which ended up being the soundtrack to my summer and now I am really into Bernard Sumner's new band BAD LT, but I am not 100% sold on it yet. I definitely like it though! A lot. I'm anxiously awaiting albums from Ian Brown and Editors, both of which are very promising.
Anyhow, hopefully this catches us up a bit. Any questions, you know how to find me!
F
31.8.09
28.8.09
Stop The Clocks.
A STATEMENT FROM NOEL
28 August 2009
“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.
“Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz and Milan.”
Vikki called me, ironically while I was on her old block having dinner with, of all people, Mr. Gutterball Birthday Boy, to see if I had heard the news. I immediately hung up with her and checked the reliable sites, all of whom were just reporting the above. And what did G and I, lifelong Oasis fans from the start, do? We laughed!! What people, or should I say the Internet, seems to have forgotten (or not been old enough or alive to even know about) is that this happened with Oasis EVERY FUCKING WEEK in the mid to late 90's. Noel quits, Liam no shows, etc. etc. Its just that it's been so long with any real drama from them that this actually seems much more significant. Press releases. Rumours blah blah. What this all means is simply that the spotlight is back on the UK's greatest modern band (i know i know but it SOUNDS cool) and we (meaning me, who them IM's G) will be following it all with great interest until they get back together and make a great album. Hopefully. Regardless, no one is dead, music will come out it and the UK press has fodder for ages now.
As mentioned on my Twitter, you couldn't plot a better career move. Of COURSE they're not done...they never will be. Unlike some bands I've been in of course!
F
28 August 2009
“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.
“Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz and Milan.”
Vikki called me, ironically while I was on her old block having dinner with, of all people, Mr. Gutterball Birthday Boy, to see if I had heard the news. I immediately hung up with her and checked the reliable sites, all of whom were just reporting the above. And what did G and I, lifelong Oasis fans from the start, do? We laughed!! What people, or should I say the Internet, seems to have forgotten (or not been old enough or alive to even know about) is that this happened with Oasis EVERY FUCKING WEEK in the mid to late 90's. Noel quits, Liam no shows, etc. etc. Its just that it's been so long with any real drama from them that this actually seems much more significant. Press releases. Rumours blah blah. What this all means is simply that the spotlight is back on the UK's greatest modern band (i know i know but it SOUNDS cool) and we (meaning me, who them IM's G) will be following it all with great interest until they get back together and make a great album. Hopefully. Regardless, no one is dead, music will come out it and the UK press has fodder for ages now.
As mentioned on my Twitter, you couldn't plot a better career move. Of COURSE they're not done...they never will be. Unlike some bands I've been in of course!
F
24.8.09
Waving Bye Bye
Plugging away here. Since my last message, it's been pretty much more of the same. Late nights at the studio, crooning. Got some parts knocked out. Tried to go a bit further on Friday night, but what I have learned is that I'm better earlier in the day at this singing business. However, the all Spanish language track OUR FAITH is finally done, and I even threw in some falsetto backing vocals, which I love doing. Still got some more to go, but some items have been checked off the list. It's now about placing little pieces of the place.
Meanwhile the artwork moves at a nice pace. My friend Stephen, from the band Great Tiger (http://www.myspace.com/wearegreattiger) is helping us out and rocking it. I wanted to give them a plug here. Hopefully I can snag a remix from them. They're young, hungry and nice guys. Playing soon.
Been getting some MOGpac social time as well. Had a lovely pre-studio dinner with the Mattagement where I downed pretzels, beers and Veal, which is tasty but not good for the frontman figure. Yesterday was my G day, as he and I went to see INGLORIOUS BASTERDS only to have the projector break 5 minutes into the goddamn movie. They couldn't fix it, so the showing was canceled! What the hell! The show after was already sold out so we were fucked and G has to live another day to see his new hero, BJ Novak. So G and I did what men do, we went to Ippudo, drank beer and ate pork buns and later watched Summerslam.
Saturday night, however, was the highlight. Thanks to Vikki, the Mrs and I went to the opening night of the final leg of the final Nine Inch Nails tour, which happened to take place at the teeny tiny (for them) Bowery Ballroom. If you follow this blog, over the last 4 years or so I have tracked Trent's resurrection and it's been nothing but surprise after surprise. Amazingly, this show was easily one of my top ten all time gigs and luckily none of my former or current bandmates were there because I think I was this close to being like LET'S GET THE BAND BACK TOGETHER CAUSE INDUSTRIAL ROCK IS AWESOME. That didn't happen, and I'm back to reality now, but this was one of those very very very special gigs that you take to the grave (relax, you goth). I seriously thought the building was going to collapse, the place was shaking. The musicianship was off the charts and it was great to see it and appreciate it that close up. I am stil shocked they fit in this venue! But what it was really about were the track choices.
Check out this setlist:
1. Somewhat Damaged
2. The Beginning Of The End
3. Last
4. The Collector
5. Discipline
6. March Of The Pigs
7. Something I Can Never Have
8. Reptile
9. Meet Your Master
10. Banged And Blown Through
11. Burn
12. Gave Up
13. La Mer
14. Non-Entity
15. Gone, Still
16. The Downward Spiral
17. Wish
18. Heresy
19. Survivalism
20. Down In It
21. Hurt
22. The Hand That Feeds
23. Head Like A Hole
Encore
24. Echoplex
25. The Good Soldier
26. Dead Souls
27. In This Twilight
I'll get some pix up soon. Now mind, you, the next night Matt saw them do The Downward Spiral in its entirety for the first and probably last time ever. Which is amazing. The other gigs will be entirely different. So I think this entire tour is going to be a win win for everyone who goes to these gigs because they ain't getting the same set twice. It's a culmination of having a great band, a super back catalogue, and a true understanding/rapport with your fanbase. Hopefully some of you will see this. I hope there is a DVD of it, though I heard the Webster douches wouldn't let them film. Livenation, genius a-holes.
Anyway, that's the latest. Hopefully you are watching HUNG, which is amazing. What a show. More soon.
F
Meanwhile the artwork moves at a nice pace. My friend Stephen, from the band Great Tiger (http://www.myspace.com/wearegreattiger) is helping us out and rocking it. I wanted to give them a plug here. Hopefully I can snag a remix from them. They're young, hungry and nice guys. Playing soon.
Been getting some MOGpac social time as well. Had a lovely pre-studio dinner with the Mattagement where I downed pretzels, beers and Veal, which is tasty but not good for the frontman figure. Yesterday was my G day, as he and I went to see INGLORIOUS BASTERDS only to have the projector break 5 minutes into the goddamn movie. They couldn't fix it, so the showing was canceled! What the hell! The show after was already sold out so we were fucked and G has to live another day to see his new hero, BJ Novak. So G and I did what men do, we went to Ippudo, drank beer and ate pork buns and later watched Summerslam.
Saturday night, however, was the highlight. Thanks to Vikki, the Mrs and I went to the opening night of the final leg of the final Nine Inch Nails tour, which happened to take place at the teeny tiny (for them) Bowery Ballroom. If you follow this blog, over the last 4 years or so I have tracked Trent's resurrection and it's been nothing but surprise after surprise. Amazingly, this show was easily one of my top ten all time gigs and luckily none of my former or current bandmates were there because I think I was this close to being like LET'S GET THE BAND BACK TOGETHER CAUSE INDUSTRIAL ROCK IS AWESOME. That didn't happen, and I'm back to reality now, but this was one of those very very very special gigs that you take to the grave (relax, you goth). I seriously thought the building was going to collapse, the place was shaking. The musicianship was off the charts and it was great to see it and appreciate it that close up. I am stil shocked they fit in this venue! But what it was really about were the track choices.
Check out this setlist:
1. Somewhat Damaged
2. The Beginning Of The End
3. Last
4. The Collector
5. Discipline
6. March Of The Pigs
7. Something I Can Never Have
8. Reptile
9. Meet Your Master
10. Banged And Blown Through
11. Burn
12. Gave Up
13. La Mer
14. Non-Entity
15. Gone, Still
16. The Downward Spiral
17. Wish
18. Heresy
19. Survivalism
20. Down In It
21. Hurt
22. The Hand That Feeds
23. Head Like A Hole
Encore
24. Echoplex
25. The Good Soldier
26. Dead Souls
27. In This Twilight
I'll get some pix up soon. Now mind, you, the next night Matt saw them do The Downward Spiral in its entirety for the first and probably last time ever. Which is amazing. The other gigs will be entirely different. So I think this entire tour is going to be a win win for everyone who goes to these gigs because they ain't getting the same set twice. It's a culmination of having a great band, a super back catalogue, and a true understanding/rapport with your fanbase. Hopefully some of you will see this. I hope there is a DVD of it, though I heard the Webster douches wouldn't let them film. Livenation, genius a-holes.
Anyway, that's the latest. Hopefully you are watching HUNG, which is amazing. What a show. More soon.
F
19.8.09
Business and Theft
Oi, this is a random blog. You missed this shit right? I missed you. Goddamn Air Con is not up to snuff here. Fuck that.
God, what is going on. It's that quiet end of August period where I get cranky for the Fall to kick in so I can get to work on some shit. I don't even have my nephew here this time!! But, hey, we're trying to finish an album here, and we even have a list of stuff left to do, which is me SINGING some more. But it's recorded. It's awesome. Sounds great. I listen to it all the time. Brandt knocked this fucking thing out of the park. It sounds huge. We gotta mix it, but a lot of the work is done. I sat in a quiet Irish bar the other night with both Brandt and Ash and discussed the next steps. It feels good.
While they take care of the tech and I avoid the singing, I handle all the "business" that the former guitarist (and possible mail thief) of the aggression would lecture Ash and I about while he was "playing his instrument EVERY DAY" (that dumb fucking story is for the eventual book). What business is this? It's stuff like the album sleeve, which is basically this:
It's a piece from the photographer Grant Hamilton (http://sxseventy.com/), who Jessie turned me onto. I reached out to him and he was VERY cool and agreed to let us use the piece in exchange for using some HF tunes in his documentary about the death of polaroid film. Cool right? Grant and his wife, Sara, are really sweet and talented.
So I am in the process of putting the credits, publishing, etc. all together and the question has been: How to release it? It's been some time since I put out a record and obviously the world has changed , so I think the best thing would be to put it out ourselves, which in the old days was a sign of weakness but now a sign of independence. Also, we've spent so much time on it, that I want it out ASAP. We can get out it out digitally quick and we have decided to press some CD's as well. Because of the digital age, the price has gone down quite a bit. Thus, the new Hypefactor album will come out as a CD in something called an Eco Wallet. It sounds all green, which my Mrs will love, but I couldn't give a fuck. It looks cool. I'd press a disc in radioactive shit if it looked cool. Anyway. It will be a killer album sleeve and an amazing album. I'll probably give it to you.
So in the "Can You Believe This One?" Department, the OTHER former guitarist, the founding one, decides to ask for copies of the aggression back catalogue. Presumably he needs a second set for his second child, which of course, I understand as this child should be started off proper. So me, being truly a NICE MAN, goes and puts together a package of our entire run and even shit he wasn't on, and busted my ass and mailed it out (read: sent the intern to the post office). It arrives the next day and is promptly fucking STOLEN by mail thieves. On Long Island? Wait, what? There's a lot of mystery there as how did he fucking know it was there in the first place, etc. Now when you think about it, who the fuck is going to steal a package of the aggression's history. Then I realized that EVERY former guitar player is out there in Suffolk and is probably dying for copies of the best years their lives. It's like fucking industrial Law and Order. Well this will now lead to the aggression founders luncheon this week in New York City. Yes, another set of discs will be handed over. G has questions.
So this is just a quick update. Hope you're not sweating your fat ass off like I am.
God, what is going on. It's that quiet end of August period where I get cranky for the Fall to kick in so I can get to work on some shit. I don't even have my nephew here this time!! But, hey, we're trying to finish an album here, and we even have a list of stuff left to do, which is me SINGING some more. But it's recorded. It's awesome. Sounds great. I listen to it all the time. Brandt knocked this fucking thing out of the park. It sounds huge. We gotta mix it, but a lot of the work is done. I sat in a quiet Irish bar the other night with both Brandt and Ash and discussed the next steps. It feels good.
While they take care of the tech and I avoid the singing, I handle all the "business" that the former guitarist (and possible mail thief) of the aggression would lecture Ash and I about while he was "playing his instrument EVERY DAY" (that dumb fucking story is for the eventual book). What business is this? It's stuff like the album sleeve, which is basically this:
It's a piece from the photographer Grant Hamilton (http://sxseventy.com/), who Jessie turned me onto. I reached out to him and he was VERY cool and agreed to let us use the piece in exchange for using some HF tunes in his documentary about the death of polaroid film. Cool right? Grant and his wife, Sara, are really sweet and talented.
So I am in the process of putting the credits, publishing, etc. all together and the question has been: How to release it? It's been some time since I put out a record and obviously the world has changed , so I think the best thing would be to put it out ourselves, which in the old days was a sign of weakness but now a sign of independence. Also, we've spent so much time on it, that I want it out ASAP. We can get out it out digitally quick and we have decided to press some CD's as well. Because of the digital age, the price has gone down quite a bit. Thus, the new Hypefactor album will come out as a CD in something called an Eco Wallet. It sounds all green, which my Mrs will love, but I couldn't give a fuck. It looks cool. I'd press a disc in radioactive shit if it looked cool. Anyway. It will be a killer album sleeve and an amazing album. I'll probably give it to you.
So in the "Can You Believe This One?" Department, the OTHER former guitarist, the founding one, decides to ask for copies of the aggression back catalogue. Presumably he needs a second set for his second child, which of course, I understand as this child should be started off proper. So me, being truly a NICE MAN, goes and puts together a package of our entire run and even shit he wasn't on, and busted my ass and mailed it out (read: sent the intern to the post office). It arrives the next day and is promptly fucking STOLEN by mail thieves. On Long Island? Wait, what? There's a lot of mystery there as how did he fucking know it was there in the first place, etc. Now when you think about it, who the fuck is going to steal a package of the aggression's history. Then I realized that EVERY former guitar player is out there in Suffolk and is probably dying for copies of the best years their lives. It's like fucking industrial Law and Order. Well this will now lead to the aggression founders luncheon this week in New York City. Yes, another set of discs will be handed over. G has questions.
So this is just a quick update. Hope you're not sweating your fat ass off like I am.
15.8.09
Proud Uncle
I know I talk about my nephew a lot. He's my best pal. I'm really excited to learn that he's taking his creativity to the next level by not only by continuing his passion, drawing, but also by creating his own blog...Check it out...
http://onekidarmy.blogspot.com/
I'm his #1 fan.
F
http://onekidarmy.blogspot.com/
I'm his #1 fan.
F
6.8.09
Fuck Continuity
Hello from New York. Where we last left off, I was in Los Angeles where I stayed much longer than anticipated. This past Saturday, I raced back on a red eye to see my wife and Depeche Mode. Married life? Remind me...I know I'm married, I remember getting married, but I don't recall being allowed to enjoy it! However, I think the Mrs liked having the place to herself for a bit. I realize now I have to treat this blog like I do comics, without any chronological sense or understanding of the past. Basically, Fuck Continuity...
This was my longest non-shooting related stretch away from New York I think ever. It was a constant routine of WAKEUPWALKDOGMEETINGMEETINGMEETINGANOTHERMEETINGEATMEETINGMEETINGMEETINGWALKDOGHANGOUTWITHLOCALWLDRABBITSLEEP. I had one day off and slept in a bed once in San Diego. However, I did get a lot of quality time with some good folks and animals. I love Vikki's dog, Emmy, and we became BFF. At nights we would visit the local rabbit, which was always fun. The weather was, you know, LA, hot as fuck during the day but nice at night (better than NYC I'm told!). I was racing all day every day and passing out early every night and waking up every morning with kisses from a puppy. I ate (TWO Cabrea trips! 5 In and Out trips, and ye, I bought some home) but didn't exercise nearly enough as I want to and I feel like an entire year of exercising was like destroyed in three weeks. I'm probably overreacting, but you know...
This is where I gotta declare the awesomeness of Vikki, who has become the #1 supporter of all things F in LA. She houses me, she feeds me, and deals with my constant ball busting and general wise assness. In return, I watched the entire first season of the original MIAMI VICE with her, which brought daily joy. Noticed that everyone wore a gold chain back then. She let me walk the dog, which of course, I loved. So big public thanks to Vik who is unfortunately going to have to deal with my annoying ass for the forseeable future. Unless I get a place in LA. But let's not jump ahead.
Vik and I got to hang out with Carrie and Sarrsgard at the ORPHAN premiere. It was hilariously good and not what I expected. I never would have seen this movie otherwise, but honestly I'm glad we did. We went as an excuse to see the elusive Byalick and Vik was dying to try the restaurant the afterparty was being held at. Sarrsgard and I compared wedding notes while Vik ran into very old friends and then she made me stalk Robert Downey, which was silly, cause Byalick woulda introduced us. That man oozes charisma in a natural and unpretentious way. He's amazing. He basically IS Tony Stark.
While this is not chronological, I got to catch up with a lot of my LA friends. It was great to see Leo who, as I type is about to finish his contributions to the HF album this week. he just got engaged. Nice one. Spent some time with my mother in law, who fed me, of course, but then she hopped to the Canadia to hog her grandson, my best pally. I got a lot of Cramp time, which was awesome. both in LA and SD. We had some fine meals and beers. I'm so glad I've got friends like this in that damned city. But here is me and my newest friend, Baby Bea, daughter of the legendary HARBOUR:
San Diego was the centerpiece of the trip. It was nuts. Saw some awesome stuff, including the AVATAR footage, the entirety of DISTRICT 9 (which is now one of my fave movies this year), and the ultraviolent NINJA ASSASSIN, which I have some Korean pride for as Rain is the star, but the movie was just ok. However, fun all around. Except the TWILIGHT panel, which was annoying and silly, but hey.
Comic Con has become Sundance. I realized this while sitting at a table with Freddy Krueger and Vik and staring at agents who were eating and drinking for free on a hotel rooftop. This made me angry. Vik would say belligerent. The Kidd kindly pointed out to me that I too was eating and drinking for free and was in fact double fisting at that moment and I should shut the hell up. He was right.
Here, check this out, you can see me, Vik and maybe Hoffman at the Tron inspired Flynn's Arcade, which was part of the new TRON LEGACY viral campaign: http://www.joystiq.com/photos/comic-con-2009-flynns-arcade-2/2165879/ (THANKS EMILY)
Here's me and the Kidd at the ULTRAFUCKINGEXCLUSIVE (I just wanted to say that) Wrath of Con Party, drunk and ready to watch some wrestling (we accosted the Motor City Machine Guns after this)
This was the total highlight of the Con, lunch with Dave Filoni, the mastermind behind the entire STAR WARS CLONE WARS animated series. Here with my friend Jaime (who does the voice of the bounty under Aurra Singh on the show), Dave drew some sketches in my new ART OF CLONE WARS book. What a treat! He and his crew of Lucasladies are fucking top notch treated me, Kyle and other SW geeks with nothing but first class. They got us VIP into the SW Spectacular, and then we all got hammered later at the Wrath party. Awesome. This was the most surreal lunch ever as it started with Star Wars geeks and then morphed into lunch with the Dandy Warhols. Not kidding.
Anyway, it was great to get a lot of time with friends like Vik, The Kidd, Hoffman, Kitamura, Hans, BenDavid and Amanda, Mel, Jacks, Katz, Marc, Ric, and especially Kyle and Jaime who treated me like royalty. Also fun to meet a lot of new people like Dusty, Jamie, Meagan, Hank, Cindy, The Aspen crew, Daniels, the Machineguns, Jon, Jennifer, and a lot of others I can't think of at the moment.
Then it was back to LA for even more whirlwind adventures. I won't bore you with it all. I'm exhausted typing this. I'm sure I will remember more, but right now, I am sure this is more than enough to satisfy your desire for my written words.
Until next time...
F
This was my longest non-shooting related stretch away from New York I think ever. It was a constant routine of WAKEUPWALKDOGMEETINGMEETINGMEETINGANOTHERMEETINGEATMEETINGMEETINGMEETINGWALKDOGHANGOUTWITHLOCALWLDRABBITSLEEP. I had one day off and slept in a bed once in San Diego. However, I did get a lot of quality time with some good folks and animals. I love Vikki's dog, Emmy, and we became BFF. At nights we would visit the local rabbit, which was always fun. The weather was, you know, LA, hot as fuck during the day but nice at night (better than NYC I'm told!). I was racing all day every day and passing out early every night and waking up every morning with kisses from a puppy. I ate (TWO Cabrea trips! 5 In and Out trips, and ye, I bought some home) but didn't exercise nearly enough as I want to and I feel like an entire year of exercising was like destroyed in three weeks. I'm probably overreacting, but you know...
This is where I gotta declare the awesomeness of Vikki, who has become the #1 supporter of all things F in LA. She houses me, she feeds me, and deals with my constant ball busting and general wise assness. In return, I watched the entire first season of the original MIAMI VICE with her, which brought daily joy. Noticed that everyone wore a gold chain back then. She let me walk the dog, which of course, I loved. So big public thanks to Vik who is unfortunately going to have to deal with my annoying ass for the forseeable future. Unless I get a place in LA. But let's not jump ahead.
Vik and I got to hang out with Carrie and Sarrsgard at the ORPHAN premiere. It was hilariously good and not what I expected. I never would have seen this movie otherwise, but honestly I'm glad we did. We went as an excuse to see the elusive Byalick and Vik was dying to try the restaurant the afterparty was being held at. Sarrsgard and I compared wedding notes while Vik ran into very old friends and then she made me stalk Robert Downey, which was silly, cause Byalick woulda introduced us. That man oozes charisma in a natural and unpretentious way. He's amazing. He basically IS Tony Stark.
While this is not chronological, I got to catch up with a lot of my LA friends. It was great to see Leo who, as I type is about to finish his contributions to the HF album this week. he just got engaged. Nice one. Spent some time with my mother in law, who fed me, of course, but then she hopped to the Canadia to hog her grandson, my best pally. I got a lot of Cramp time, which was awesome. both in LA and SD. We had some fine meals and beers. I'm so glad I've got friends like this in that damned city. But here is me and my newest friend, Baby Bea, daughter of the legendary HARBOUR:
San Diego was the centerpiece of the trip. It was nuts. Saw some awesome stuff, including the AVATAR footage, the entirety of DISTRICT 9 (which is now one of my fave movies this year), and the ultraviolent NINJA ASSASSIN, which I have some Korean pride for as Rain is the star, but the movie was just ok. However, fun all around. Except the TWILIGHT panel, which was annoying and silly, but hey.
Comic Con has become Sundance. I realized this while sitting at a table with Freddy Krueger and Vik and staring at agents who were eating and drinking for free on a hotel rooftop. This made me angry. Vik would say belligerent. The Kidd kindly pointed out to me that I too was eating and drinking for free and was in fact double fisting at that moment and I should shut the hell up. He was right.
Here, check this out, you can see me, Vik and maybe Hoffman at the Tron inspired Flynn's Arcade, which was part of the new TRON LEGACY viral campaign: http://www.joystiq.com/photos/comic-con-2009-flynns-arcade-2/2165879/ (THANKS EMILY)
Here's me and the Kidd at the ULTRAFUCKINGEXCLUSIVE (I just wanted to say that) Wrath of Con Party, drunk and ready to watch some wrestling (we accosted the Motor City Machine Guns after this)
This was the total highlight of the Con, lunch with Dave Filoni, the mastermind behind the entire STAR WARS CLONE WARS animated series. Here with my friend Jaime (who does the voice of the bounty under Aurra Singh on the show), Dave drew some sketches in my new ART OF CLONE WARS book. What a treat! He and his crew of Lucasladies are fucking top notch treated me, Kyle and other SW geeks with nothing but first class. They got us VIP into the SW Spectacular, and then we all got hammered later at the Wrath party. Awesome. This was the most surreal lunch ever as it started with Star Wars geeks and then morphed into lunch with the Dandy Warhols. Not kidding.
Anyway, it was great to get a lot of time with friends like Vik, The Kidd, Hoffman, Kitamura, Hans, BenDavid and Amanda, Mel, Jacks, Katz, Marc, Ric, and especially Kyle and Jaime who treated me like royalty. Also fun to meet a lot of new people like Dusty, Jamie, Meagan, Hank, Cindy, The Aspen crew, Daniels, the Machineguns, Jon, Jennifer, and a lot of others I can't think of at the moment.
Then it was back to LA for even more whirlwind adventures. I won't bore you with it all. I'm exhausted typing this. I'm sure I will remember more, but right now, I am sure this is more than enough to satisfy your desire for my written words.
Until next time...
F
20.7.09
Straight offa Wooster Street
Hello from Los Angeles, where I have been the past week and will be here for at least another, with a pit stop to come later this week when Comic Con goes down in San Diego. That will be worth following the Twitter for as there is a larger than usual MOG contingent coming this year, including me, Vik, The Kidd, Cramp and even Byalick supposedly. It's gonna be nuts. Hopefully productive as well.
How are you all doing? Is it Summer yet? Today was the first real hot day I can recall. Hard to tell you, as I have been trapped in a car all week racing from meeting to meeting. I've also eaten too goddamn much and I didn't realize how hot it is to go running. Hard to be in a proper routine or schedule when you don't actually live here. The closest thing I have to a schedule is walking this puppy, who I make run with me:
This trip has been a great way for me to deal with my pet envy. I'm getting better at handling a dog, stern when needed, understanding the personality, etc. Maybe I suck. I don't know. But I doubt Vik would let me spend all this time with her. There is an awesome Wild Rabbit on the block and the dog and I spend time staring at it. I am fascinated by Rabbits. Maybe it's because I'm part Asian. I don't know.
Honestly, I'm not very exciting. At least not blogwise. I work all day. Meetings all over town. Hustlin'. Trying to make shit happen. There is some progress. I've been fortunate enough to eat at my beloved Ca'brea twice and to eat tons of Korean food. I helped a young writer prepare for her first meeting with one of the biggest asshole agents I have ever met. I drink a lot of tea. I had in and out when I landed. I read BLACKEST NIGHT. I ate some of the best Japanese food I ever had in the US. I went to Meltodown for a Toy opening with Brad and Vik. Mark Hamill's son created the toy. I think he is Vikki's friend. I saw my mother in law, who took me for above mentioned Korean food. Today I had a meeting in Venice, then tonight I played Lazer Tag for the first time in 15 years and it was amazing. Thank you Kyle Newman for making that happen! Oh, and I convinced some people that Dan Hamill has herpes. Nice One.
Anyhow, while I am in San Diego, my sidekick himself arrives here to spend two weeks with his grandma, so hopefully I will see my small pal for a bit before I got back to NY, though honestly, right now, I don't know when I go back to NY.
But keep in touch, obviously.
F
How are you all doing? Is it Summer yet? Today was the first real hot day I can recall. Hard to tell you, as I have been trapped in a car all week racing from meeting to meeting. I've also eaten too goddamn much and I didn't realize how hot it is to go running. Hard to be in a proper routine or schedule when you don't actually live here. The closest thing I have to a schedule is walking this puppy, who I make run with me:
This trip has been a great way for me to deal with my pet envy. I'm getting better at handling a dog, stern when needed, understanding the personality, etc. Maybe I suck. I don't know. But I doubt Vik would let me spend all this time with her. There is an awesome Wild Rabbit on the block and the dog and I spend time staring at it. I am fascinated by Rabbits. Maybe it's because I'm part Asian. I don't know.
Honestly, I'm not very exciting. At least not blogwise. I work all day. Meetings all over town. Hustlin'. Trying to make shit happen. There is some progress. I've been fortunate enough to eat at my beloved Ca'brea twice and to eat tons of Korean food. I helped a young writer prepare for her first meeting with one of the biggest asshole agents I have ever met. I drink a lot of tea. I had in and out when I landed. I read BLACKEST NIGHT. I ate some of the best Japanese food I ever had in the US. I went to Meltodown for a Toy opening with Brad and Vik. Mark Hamill's son created the toy. I think he is Vikki's friend. I saw my mother in law, who took me for above mentioned Korean food. Today I had a meeting in Venice, then tonight I played Lazer Tag for the first time in 15 years and it was amazing. Thank you Kyle Newman for making that happen! Oh, and I convinced some people that Dan Hamill has herpes. Nice One.
Anyhow, while I am in San Diego, my sidekick himself arrives here to spend two weeks with his grandma, so hopefully I will see my small pal for a bit before I got back to NY, though honestly, right now, I don't know when I go back to NY.
But keep in touch, obviously.
F
5.7.09
Please Don't Suck.
Been lucky with the anticipated albums so far this year. This is a big one and I'm hoping to hear this in the next few weeks and making it the other soundtrack of the Summer (Kasabian and Dossier being the other two)
F
Was There Then.
I don't even know where to start, honestly. Most of you know where I've been. I was in Austin, I was in LA, I was back in NY, then in Rhinebeck. Did some fun stuff, wore a Matador costume, worked on some music, clowned around, oh and got married. I doubt I can get everything down, so I'm just gonna post some random stuff. I know this is going to sound like a cop out, but if you're really in a more immediate fix of Frank (and some of you HAVE complained), follow the Twitter/Facebook crap. I've just realized I can post to this blog from my phone, but I don't know. There's something personal about taking the time to type this. Who knows.
So here is just the random shit in maybe some kind of order....
In May, I went to LA to start what is considered the next stage in my career. What that is, I'm not sure yet, I just do what I do. It's tricky. It's a weird time in an odd business. The true question is, can I do what I'm good at here in NY or do I have to spend more time in LA? Well, a week from tomorrow, I am off to LA for two solid weeks (San Diego Comic Con comes in between that), so I'm still trying to find some answers. This honestly is the current great source of stress in my post married life. Stay tuned. Anyhow, the previous LA trip was a whirlwind only because I had to race back to go to the bachelor weekend in Austin...
Austin was quite possibly the best weekend of my life. Believe me, I have had a lot of good weekends, but this might be the one. No, it wasn't the insane, police being called in weekend we are normally associated with. This was the grown up version of the MOGpac, collected as a whole for the first time ever in one place enjoying each other's company and providing just awesome positive vibes the entire time. These guys SPOILED me. They put me up at the 4 seasons, fed me, clothed me (in full Matador gear), and even took me to go see the Juan Maclean. And we saw a million bats. Yes, bats. Awesome.
I wore shorts and swam for the first time since Kruger got married in Hawaii, twice no less, drank insane amounts of ice tea and beer, and ate like a king. But honestly, it was about hanging out with these guys. There's nothing better than just getting on that plane with a bunch of the MOGpac knowing we are going to fly off to some cool adventure. Even just having a few beers in the terminal waiting for the plane or sitting on the plane waiting to take off was like a massive adrenaline shot! I love traveling with them, being in some place new and just, I don't know, being. I don't think anyone has a better group of friends than I do, really. Each one of them was a fucking man and a half. To think each one of these guys took the time to come hang out with me in Texas is so beyond flattering. I feel very lucky. And if you see me, ask me what we did before we left. Something aggression related. Cheers, Nice one.
Back in NY, Brandt and I got into the serious home stretch on the HF album. This is the real fucking deal this time. I know this because he keeps sending me demos that sound better than most people's albums and then doesn't complain. This is a good sign. I recorded him playing guitars. I sang. I have some more singing to do. It sounds like a fucking ALBUM. We just sent some stuff off to Leo to finish. Saintface himself is done. We are fucking READY. Speaking of the band, here is the ENTIRE Hypefactor band in one room for the first time ever:
Another band tidbit, Jared got in touch with me to have us contribute a track to a 4 CD compilation to benefit Cancer research. It's being put together by Jim Semonik, who is a well known figure in the PA scene. He basically booked everyone in that area and to poor guy has been battling cancer, but remains industrial tough. When speaking with Jim, it turns out he was at the last ever aggression gig and knows his Hypefactor. I'm so flattered we will be a part of this project and it's a wet dream roster of bands, including new Chemlab, which I am dead excited about.
So while this is going on, the wedding happened on June 20th. I'm not bullshitting you when I tell you that this whole weekend of activities went down without one hiccup and without any drama. This was somewhat similar to the bachelor weekend in that this was mostly asshole-free, which made it even better.
Honestly, I can't think of a thing I would do differently. The journey to this even had a few moments of drama, but honestly, I expected far worse and I have seen some BAD weddings and wedding build ups in my time. This was a piece of cake. Oh speaking of cake, we didn't have any. Screw that, we had DONUTS. With STAR WARS figures on them. The real deal. The bride was a knockout and she was in good form. We ate well and we got what we had hoped for: a big party that everyone could celebrate and have a good time at.
As one of our visitors, Skott from SF, said "You've managed to take a surgical knife and excise everything I hate about weddings right out of this wedding" (or something like that). That was the general consensus. Even my Dad, who can find fault in anything (similar to my wife), still is raving about the weekend. Maybe it was because he was up till 3am every night in the hotel bar holding court with our friends. Who knows.
Speaking of the hotel, the Ace Hotel, which is brand spanking new on 29th and Broadway kicked a lot of ass. My only true regret that whole weekend was not getting enough time to hang out there. Meanwhile, the Mrs gets two days in a huge fucking suite that I got to sleep in 4 hours total. Oh well. There's honestly too much to write about this wedding/event thing, so I'll leave it at that. It was an awesome day, a perfect weekend and the start of bigger and better things.
There were only two things I wanted at this wedding. Here's one of them:
The other was, and this is fact, the Dossier album, which, while not finished was giving to me by Saintface himself along with a disc of Saintface Demos and unreleased stuff. I'm not joking that I wanted this very badly. All that was coming were freaking Crate and Barrel boxes, which means I will eat well in my adult life, and have been, but it was nice to get something unusual ;-) B and I also saw them play a few times during this hiatus and checked out SVI last weekend as well.
Lastly, we saw TRANSFORMERS 2, written of course by the co best man. I liked this movie more than the first one, which I loathe, but at least I could tell you what this movie is about. Also, the fight in the forest is very fucking impressive. I hope Dr. Fury comes back for a third one, so my nephew can grill him some more.
Anyway, hopefully this blog is back in business, as we say in backyard wrestling. I have nephew here now for the week and then it's off to LA. Let's try and stay in touch, ok?
F
So here is just the random shit in maybe some kind of order....
In May, I went to LA to start what is considered the next stage in my career. What that is, I'm not sure yet, I just do what I do. It's tricky. It's a weird time in an odd business. The true question is, can I do what I'm good at here in NY or do I have to spend more time in LA? Well, a week from tomorrow, I am off to LA for two solid weeks (San Diego Comic Con comes in between that), so I'm still trying to find some answers. This honestly is the current great source of stress in my post married life. Stay tuned. Anyhow, the previous LA trip was a whirlwind only because I had to race back to go to the bachelor weekend in Austin...
Austin was quite possibly the best weekend of my life. Believe me, I have had a lot of good weekends, but this might be the one. No, it wasn't the insane, police being called in weekend we are normally associated with. This was the grown up version of the MOGpac, collected as a whole for the first time ever in one place enjoying each other's company and providing just awesome positive vibes the entire time. These guys SPOILED me. They put me up at the 4 seasons, fed me, clothed me (in full Matador gear), and even took me to go see the Juan Maclean. And we saw a million bats. Yes, bats. Awesome.
I wore shorts and swam for the first time since Kruger got married in Hawaii, twice no less, drank insane amounts of ice tea and beer, and ate like a king. But honestly, it was about hanging out with these guys. There's nothing better than just getting on that plane with a bunch of the MOGpac knowing we are going to fly off to some cool adventure. Even just having a few beers in the terminal waiting for the plane or sitting on the plane waiting to take off was like a massive adrenaline shot! I love traveling with them, being in some place new and just, I don't know, being. I don't think anyone has a better group of friends than I do, really. Each one of them was a fucking man and a half. To think each one of these guys took the time to come hang out with me in Texas is so beyond flattering. I feel very lucky. And if you see me, ask me what we did before we left. Something aggression related. Cheers, Nice one.
Back in NY, Brandt and I got into the serious home stretch on the HF album. This is the real fucking deal this time. I know this because he keeps sending me demos that sound better than most people's albums and then doesn't complain. This is a good sign. I recorded him playing guitars. I sang. I have some more singing to do. It sounds like a fucking ALBUM. We just sent some stuff off to Leo to finish. Saintface himself is done. We are fucking READY. Speaking of the band, here is the ENTIRE Hypefactor band in one room for the first time ever:
Another band tidbit, Jared got in touch with me to have us contribute a track to a 4 CD compilation to benefit Cancer research. It's being put together by Jim Semonik, who is a well known figure in the PA scene. He basically booked everyone in that area and to poor guy has been battling cancer, but remains industrial tough. When speaking with Jim, it turns out he was at the last ever aggression gig and knows his Hypefactor. I'm so flattered we will be a part of this project and it's a wet dream roster of bands, including new Chemlab, which I am dead excited about.
So while this is going on, the wedding happened on June 20th. I'm not bullshitting you when I tell you that this whole weekend of activities went down without one hiccup and without any drama. This was somewhat similar to the bachelor weekend in that this was mostly asshole-free, which made it even better.
Honestly, I can't think of a thing I would do differently. The journey to this even had a few moments of drama, but honestly, I expected far worse and I have seen some BAD weddings and wedding build ups in my time. This was a piece of cake. Oh speaking of cake, we didn't have any. Screw that, we had DONUTS. With STAR WARS figures on them. The real deal. The bride was a knockout and she was in good form. We ate well and we got what we had hoped for: a big party that everyone could celebrate and have a good time at.
As one of our visitors, Skott from SF, said "You've managed to take a surgical knife and excise everything I hate about weddings right out of this wedding" (or something like that). That was the general consensus. Even my Dad, who can find fault in anything (similar to my wife), still is raving about the weekend. Maybe it was because he was up till 3am every night in the hotel bar holding court with our friends. Who knows.
Speaking of the hotel, the Ace Hotel, which is brand spanking new on 29th and Broadway kicked a lot of ass. My only true regret that whole weekend was not getting enough time to hang out there. Meanwhile, the Mrs gets two days in a huge fucking suite that I got to sleep in 4 hours total. Oh well. There's honestly too much to write about this wedding/event thing, so I'll leave it at that. It was an awesome day, a perfect weekend and the start of bigger and better things.
There were only two things I wanted at this wedding. Here's one of them:
The other was, and this is fact, the Dossier album, which, while not finished was giving to me by Saintface himself along with a disc of Saintface Demos and unreleased stuff. I'm not joking that I wanted this very badly. All that was coming were freaking Crate and Barrel boxes, which means I will eat well in my adult life, and have been, but it was nice to get something unusual ;-) B and I also saw them play a few times during this hiatus and checked out SVI last weekend as well.
Lastly, we saw TRANSFORMERS 2, written of course by the co best man. I liked this movie more than the first one, which I loathe, but at least I could tell you what this movie is about. Also, the fight in the forest is very fucking impressive. I hope Dr. Fury comes back for a third one, so my nephew can grill him some more.
Anyway, hopefully this blog is back in business, as we say in backyard wrestling. I have nephew here now for the week and then it's off to LA. Let's try and stay in touch, ok?
F