The Bird and the Bee is my new drink/dance/fuck music.

This is what I was listening to on the train. Makes me feel like a mobster. Siouxie - Here Comes That Day.

Do lawyers have lawyers? Do landlords have landlords have landlords? One more cheap suit in the loop, more chlorine in the pool.

The SLCC Musicians' Ball was streamed - audio AND video - into several SL venues including Molaskey's Pub.

I reunited with old SL friends like Cylindrian Rutabaga and Pato Milo, and I met other famous SLers like Juel Resistance, Lyndon Heart, Crap Mariner/SecondLie Scribe, Pierce Portocarrero, and Wagner Au!!

I also got ON-DEMAND LIVE HELP with my login issue the day of. The man behind my resolved login issue is none other than Joppa Linden!

Hopefully there will be video up of the whole shebang soon. I'm still kind of in shock and just... really happy. The Second Life community and the music community especially is just effing amazing.

If you're going to be in the SF Bay Area on the 15th, but can't pony up the door price to get into SLCC, you can still hang out with me at the Musicians Ball! Hella SL musicians will be there!

Get your tickets NOW:
http://slccmusiciansball.eventbrite.com

( Read more... )

I have decided to do a personal experiment on myself. For the past week, I have been avoiding meat of any kind in any amount. So I've been eating a vegetarian diet. Not vegan, but vegetarian. I've gotta take cream with my coffee and I can't bear to live in a world without cheese. But I figure, if there's one fatty, artery-clogging thing I can live without, it could very well be meat. I'm not going veggie for philosophical reasons or anything like that, although it's a plus. And I don't give a shit about animals that were made for eatin'. (I actually despise cows... and rabbits, although I have never eaten one, I might just out of spite. There's a story that goes along with my grudge against rabbits, but I will save that for later.) To be clear, I'm trying this vegetarian diet experiment for health reasons.

Another thing I'm doing right now, not really for health reasons but more for jollies is the Toothbrush Cam. I've been tweeting videos of myself brushing my teeth at night BECAUSE I CAN and I will continue until I get bored of it. Enjoy.

So, it is no secret that I love my iPhone. I don't think I could survive without it. And now, there is less of an excuse for me not updating my LJ!

So here, have pictures of a mural I walked by the other day in the Mission.

EDIT: Note to self: figure out how to lj-cut. :/ ( Read more... )

Hi,

We just wanted to follow up and send you a confirmation that your
SNOCAP account was cancelled per your request. We're sorry that you
will no longer be using the SNOCAP service.

If you have any further questions about your account, please don't
hesitate to contact us.

Thanks for your patronage.

Sincerely,

SNOCAP Customer Care
www.snocap.com

NO ONE SHOULD USE SNOCAP, EVER. Just sayin'.

We are going to release one song a week for the next 3 weeks starting today!

Check out "Rice Belly": http://www.last.fm/music/The+Shebangs/The+Shebangs+Demo+2009

At least that's the way I feel when I go to one.

What's the point of an open mic? It's to get people to come to your cafe/bar/restaurant and keep them there long enough so they get hungry and thirsty and buy lots from you. And it's basically free. You don't have to pay for the entertainment. It keeps going until noise laws prohibit you from disturbing the peace. It's a decent deal for the house.

What's in it for the music lovers? You get a free show that lasts for HOURS. Granted, it's going to be hit or miss. There are going to be amateurs. There are going to be acts that are just not your cuppa tea, no matter how technically seasoned they are. But there's usually a handful of gems. And if you're a hardcore music lover who wants to get in on local acts before they hit it big, open mics are a cheap-as-free way to do that.

What's in it for the musician? Well, assuming you're a hardcore music lover, you're covered (see above). But in my case, I rarely go to live shows unless I know I love the band or 1.) I'm pretty sure I can tolerate the band(s) 2.) the venue is awesome anyway 3.) It's Friday night, I'm bored, and my friends are going to be there.

So going back to open mics, the only plus side is that I have the chance (SLIM chance, mind you) of getting my music heard, generating interest, and possibly networking with other musicians who have connections. But there are so, so many obstacles before any of those things are possible.

To attend an open mic - in this city, anyway - you have to sign up probably on hour or two before the thing actually starts. Sometimes, you have to sign up by email a week in advance. Sometimes, you have to call the place the day of. There is most likely a crowd of people around the sign-up sheet. The time you are dealt is the time you will play, unless you have a buddy who can sign you up earlier. It's always this crazed "ME ME ME! PUT ME ON WHEN THERE'S A BIG CROWD! PAY ATTENTION TO MEEEE!" feel.

Then, you have to listen to everybody else play. That is, unless you want to look like some kinda self-important douche who doesn't really give a shit about local independent musicians. But seriously...? Seriously. Sometimes it's just a chore to have to sit through hours of acoustic singer/songwriters. Or beat poets. Or jam-bands.

Then, if you're lucky, you get to actually play to a room full of people. You'll get one, MAYBE two songs. Unless you brought your posse, no one will be paying attention to you. Especially if you're at a bar. Too many people are trying desperately to get laid - all their attention is on being seen by the blonde in the tight dress.

Once you sing your heart out and give it your all, your time is up. Other musicians may or may not give you a congratulatory butt-pat on your way back to your seat. Because you *are* staying for the rest of the night, right? You wouldn't just leave after your turn, right? Not when there are other people who are eagerly waiting for their congratulatory butt-pat from you!

The worst part of it all is the "ME FIRST" vibe. And you can't escape it, not even at the friendliest of open mics. No matter where you go, if there's a room full of musicians, eventually there is going is going to be some petty drama. I don't need that. I don't need to spend half my day to get *maybe* two songs heard. I don't want to introduce myself over and over and over. I don't want to tell you you sounded great when you honestly sounded just like the last guy. I don't want to pay $9 for a cocktail.

Open mics are really great practice for kids just starting out, for sure. And if you enjoy going out and playing a couple songs and listening to other musicians, more power to you. But I just... I just can't handle it. For people like me, who don't like to move around too much, I'll stick to online promotion/social networking and playing out at full-blown SHOWS. That's the ticket for me.

1. I was eating a bagel with jalapeno cream cheese and watching Mighty Boosh. Laughter + jalapeno + down the wrong pipe = schadenfreude ;___;
11:37 AM Jul 6th from web

I was all, BURNING TRACHEA!! EYES STINGING!! AAAHHHH! and James was all, OMG LOLOLOLOLOL IMMA TWEET THAT SHIT
11:38 AM Jul 6th from web

2. My train is delayed because the train ahead is "experiencing brake problems", whatever that means. It should mean it's going faster, really
6:28 PM Jul 6th from TweetDeck

3. The late-night BART rides home alone are always a little scary, but if I wear my hood up I look like a faggy hobo so I should be ok.

4. OMG I DIDN'T KNOW TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND HAS NEW EPISODES! Shut up it's a guilty pleasure.
9:26 PM Jul 9th from TweetDeck

5. http://twitpic.com/a34ma - The Reuben Sandwich from Mel's Drive In. #thisiswhyyourefat
about 2 hours ago from TwitPic

Look around the diner. If real white people eat there, you know it's authentic.
about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck

We're going to be recording our 3-song demo tonight! Well, we're going to start it, anyway. The songs we're going to record are:

1. Double Bypass
2. Rice Belly
3. Waste My Time

Later on this month, we're going to go down to SoCal and shoot a music video for Rice Belly. It's going to be awesoooome. <3

We worked on the Sigourney Weaver song last night and it's SO FUN. It's totally dorky and danceable.

I'm super excited to get these recordings done, because once they are done I CAN GIVE THEM TO YOU <3 They will be everywhere, dispersed to the masses.

(Tweeting made me forget how to blog, I think.)

Yeah, I know, it's a pain in the ass having to keep up with all these changes but THIS IS IT, I SWEAR.

So add us on Twit-Face-Space.


The Shebangs

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