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Buddies
Multisubjectland!
I've been working on the new Pluh.com here and there when I find time on this here tour. I used to try and work on it in a shaky van with stupid band jerks, but gave up on that when I contantly hit wrong keys during coding or precise graphics editing ended up being like performing sugery while skydiving. So what is the new Pluh.com about? Not so much I can divuldge yet due to a somewhat original concept that I can't wait to roll out. There have been many times I've had to go back and clean up old code that this new framework I'm developing will be super easy to update, add features, etc.
Pluh.com has always been a fun-yet-frustrating battle. Just when I think I've got it figured out, I hit a wall or something else comes up. The editor-driven setup doesn't work because it's all volunteer based. How on earth can one keep a staff of voluteers motivated to update a website every day? It's possible, but change is constantly moving that they often get pulled away into something else, like... LIFE for example. Kids, marriage, jobs, whatever. Nothing wrong with any of those of course.
So a whole new approach has been adopted on my end.
Crap, I gotta run. Show in New Port Richey, Florida tonight. Oh yeah!
%BLOG-IMAGES%More touring, and big plans.
Got a question that came in. I get 'em sometimes and I respond directly, but this makes me look oh-so-good.
Name: fats mcfats
Subject: in-genious?
Question: how in the fuck do you switch from PS to EC. i mean fuck id think it gets confusing to me but you pull them shits off lkike its nothing...is it a natural talent or an in-genious way of having pure luck and fury my man....either way they both jam the fuck off my asshole and whatnot....by the way, your vvoie is amazing, bro...thats what got me into the stick in the first place...noit just BEER which owns everything...anyway i make no sense man peace
Well, thanks for the compliments. Switching isn't exactly something I try to think about I guess. It's more or less just "Hey Rawrb, we need to record this shit!" And there I am. There was about 6 or 7 years of experience behind those recordings, so it didn't happen overnight. Rawr.
Tour is getting better this time 'round - it started off a bit slow but picked up after Oklahoma. Shocking! Sorry Okieland, but you guys need some love in your music scene. Or, maybe it's something else? Who knows. Next time we're coming through there you will all know about it somehow.
I also have big plans outside of the band. It's a personal endeavor that I decided to pursue after I attended my grandfather's funeral. When death becomes a part of one's life, I think it's natural to want to make sure you live life to the fullest. So here I go, and them thar chips will fall where they may.
%BLOG-IMAGES%Evacuate Chicago - Veracity!
Just today we got the new Evacuate Chicago CD mastered. This CD turned out way better than I even imagined, and I imagine stuff a lot.
For those who are not aware, Evacuate Chicago is a side project of mine, Joshy from Psychostick, and Alex from Psychostick. Evacuate Chicago is basically a non-comedic version of Psychostick that was formed originally by Alex who wrote many songs that didn't fit Psychostick's style. I'd say about 2/3rds of it is VERY aggresive hardcore/metal, while the other 1/3rd is a bit more melodic.
Here are my thoughts and feelings on the individual songs:
- Occasional Letter 1 ("Pat yourself on the back because you're good at taking orders"): Josh revised the original lyrics and did a phenomenal job. This song hits me pretty hard since many of the systems in society are training us to be worker bees rather than independent thinkers. Great stuff.
- Nothing Like You ("You invalidate every fucking thing that I say"): An Alex composition. Don't you hate it when people just give you advice when you don't want it? They think they know you? Good intentions don't fix people. Sometimes you have to let them be and just be supportive.
- Deny ("She'll never think of you again"): The first song Alex ever wrote if I remember correctly. Breaking up is hard to do. Letting go completely is even harder. This song was my anthem in 2004 when Alex wrote it, and I don't think he even knew. :)
- Perfect Ratio ("You'll always get the best advice while you're sleeping"): A great song Alex wrote. I really dig this tune because I got experiment more with vocals.
- The Hole ("Gone already to my private hell"): Joshy was going through some serious crap when he wrote this. Tried to capture it the best I could.
- The Damage Has Been Done ("Do you ever regret?"): Fucking Alex. When I had to learn the rhythm of the chorus in rehearsal, I thought it was some mean prank he was playing on me. After I finally nailed it, it turned out brutal.
- Proof of Dark Matter ("Record number of times I've started over"): My favorite song on this CD. Why? The melody. I don't get that many opportunities to sing like this (most of the time I'm screaming), so... yay! The overall feel of this song I think most anyone can relate to. Well written by Alex. My buddy Rachel is playing the piano part at the end.
- Progress Beyond Repair ("I have embraced what you choose to ignore"): The truth hurts, ya know? Brutality written by Alex.
- Velociraptors ("Take a pill to wear you out"): A song about a nightmare Alex had. I'm very proud of how this song actually SOUNDS like a nightmare. Crazy!
- Time Lapse Photography ("Someday he might awake to find he's glad to get up"): Josh wrote this one. Life isn't about working the same job until the end. There's always a way out.
- Peace, Love, and Santa Claus ("Write your letters in cursive like wanting a love so desperately"): Another cool melodic song by Alex. Had some high parts that challenged me, but I think I did really well. Maybe it's the effects? Naw. It's me. HAR AHR
- Fine Line of Forgiveness ("You do not have the right to say, 'None of this is my fault you will learn to forgive one day'"): It's easy to tell someone to forgive, but actually forgiving is another story altogether. Written by Alex.
These songs should be available for purchase on the Snocap portion of the Evacuate Chicago myspace page any time now. Hope ya like 'em!
%BLOG-IMAGES%Stupid rock and hard place.
I've been involved in web development for roughly 10 years now. I recall my very first venture into that crazy newfangled technology known as the internet and "web pages." Angelfire! That was where I had my first website. Then I moved to Geocities, then... uhm, I think I got my own domain? Can't remember much.
Anyway, up until 3 or 4 years ago I had considered web development a hobby. It comes very easily to me, and I find it to be very enjoyable. I had no idea how valuable the skill was up until I went to work for a smaller company a couple of years ago. I was stunned at how much my boss was charging clients for what I considered simple. Then it occured to me - it's not SIMPLE to them. They're paying for a service they don't want to bother with.
That made a ton of sense. For instance, why would *I* try and fix a messed up cluster of pipes underneath my sink and in my wall when I cold pay someone to do it? Not only that, they're good at it, experienced, and will do a far better job than I could with my severe lack of knowledge. The exact same thing applies to web development. Why would someone with very little interest in web dev want to bother with it when they could pay someone to build their site, to their specifications, and do it right the first time?
Then I started to appreciate my skill and experience so much more.
So the message I wanted to clarify here is: Web development, especially in the professional realm, is NOT something that's just slapped together. There's a science behind it. If someone offers to build you a website, and they do a good job, pay them handsomely. You get an awesome website, they get paid, everybody wins.
That's how it should be.
*sigh*
No more favors. From now on I charge full price to everyone. Don't like it? Go buy some templates and slap something together. You get what you pay for.
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