Myth for Opeth

Myth is like a larger, more modern, First Ave in many ways, I felt immediately comfortable. Seeing Opeth play was a bit of a man behind the curtain experience however; much of the time I was totally caught up in the music, but some songs were noticeably less emotive or tight than the studio versions. Now I remember why I stopped going to concerts - for the same reasons I don't love live albums; they just don't match the precision and detail of the studio recording. I guess for me it's only about the music now, not how the band looks or what guitars they use, or hanging out with other fans - it's more of a personal experience, where I sit and listen and think that they wrote the songs only for me. OK, I'm still interested in what guitars they use.

Ikea

Opeth at Myth

Tomorrow night I'm going to see my current favorite band Opeth (Coheed & Cambria are coming on strong though) at the Myth in Maplewood, a state-of-the-art multi-million dollar venue that I've never been to. I was trying to remember what the last concert I've been to was. -not counting Steve's band. - I can't. It was years ago...

Opeth seriously kicks ass. It's a mix of great non-traditional songwriting, heavy modern groovy riffs with dreamy pulsing and swirling interludes, and great musician-ship. They write songs where the second half of the song doesn't play any riffs from the first half - wicked. The guy... that guy in fact, in the front there with the mustache is the singer/guitar player/song writer; Mikael Åkerfeldt. He's a total fan and noted collector of obscure 70's and 80's Progressive rock - and he writes songs like it - totally album-oriented music; sit down and listen to the whole thing. But it's also wicked Metal. They're from Stockholm Sweden, part of the "Gothenburg sound" sub-subdivision of metal.

I'm psyched.

Just couldn't pay $13.50 in Ticketm**ter fees for an $18.50 ticket - fuck that. Called today, $23 at the door and they don't expect to sell out (it's a big place I hear). I bet the drinks are expensive. Going by myself as usual.

I made the butcher smile today.

I went to Everett's and picked out a nice prime T-bone an inch and a half thick, ten bucks a pound, possibly the best steak I've ever eaten, for sure best one I've ever cooked. Butcher wraps it, hands it to me, "anything else?". Um, yes, I'd like a half-pound of beef sticks too please. Wraps it, hands it to me, "anything else?". No thanks... Seconds later, noticing the jumbo chicken wings a bit further down, looking up to see he's followed me down the semi-crowded counter; "...well, maybe half of that; two and a half pounds? yes, good." Wraps it, handing it to me: "anything else?" No, I'm going home before I get everything else.

New job is still good.

Now a month into it, with the distractions of the new people and environment settling, the fear of unknown skill-sets and expectations processed, the day-to-day work becomes the focus. - And it's still good. There was a degree of "who are you trying to convince?" in the other post - granted. Some of that was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it isn't dropping; this is the job. The atmosphere is casual, friendly and supportive. The work is challenging and interesting. It's weird to be the respected "talent" rather than the you-should-be-doing-more-than-you're-doing-now pawn. I will never forget the lessons of this transition, and I will never again feel the way I felt during it.

I've realized that I had a lot of assumptions about Fairview's culture vs how I imagined "For Profit"-Corporate American work environments to be. In my mind I had somehow combined the not-for-profit status and the people-first implied credo of the healthcare industry, together with the hanging implications of unfinished conversations like "...sure I could be making more money in the public sector but..." to mean: Fairview is the friendliest, most focused-on-the-important-things-in-life, happy-time-fun-place to work, and a For-Profit; (the banking industry, perhaps the For-Profit-iest of all) would be a humorless, nose-to-the-grindstone, rat-race. It just isn't proving to be true.

Thursday they changed the dress code, now every day is casual Friday.

Happy Black Metal Friday!

myspace.com/kozar

Shockspital dot com

Mama!

OK! last picture.

Mayday

Papa (January)

Ted Nugent

John bob

Garage Party?