I want to go to the seaside
Once a seaside person, always a seaside person. I grew up on an island, so maybe not so hard to see why.
Today, during my lunch break, I got the biggest seaside craving. Sitting down in the dark bat cave at work can be a real mood killer. Thankfully the ocean is only 5 minutes away from work. So I biked down there. Stood there for a while. Felt the wind in my hair, smelled the refreshing breeze and listened to the calm waves.
It feels better now.
Bay 2 Breakers
I love to dress out. There's something incredibly fun about being someone else for a while, just acting silly and grab everyones attention. I should definitely do it more often. This time around the excuse for dressing out was called Bay 2 Breakers - a annual race from the east side of town to the west side of town. It started as a serious race for athletes, and it still is, but it has evolved into a big, mostly pink, masquerade. People head to the park in their outfits to get drunk, and this year on a sunday. I found a pretty cheap wig, borrowed a dress from Maja and dressed like a girl (of course). Johan mostly closed his eyes and screamed "Get away! You look like a russian army hooker." A very good verdict indeed.
I don't know if I'm sending out some sort of attracting light or if I'm just awesome at dancing. But somehow I manage to start dance floors all the time. This one is the biggest one so far, by far. We were walking down the street and saw a guy playing some mellow music through his window. We shouted "Hey, turn up that volume and put on some good music!". He did and we started to do the Christmas Tree (TM). The first ones to join were some pink dressed ladies. Then came the ladyboys. After 30 minutes the whole street was crowded with people dressed in various colors. After 45 minutes people filled the stairs to the house, and right after someone even closed of one lane in the car filled street behind us, just so that the dance party could expand. LEGENDARY!
My first baseball game
Getting poked by your friends moms is the shit
The 5 day rock streak is over
Never before have I been to concerts five days in a row, not even at a festival. But here in San Francisco everything is possible. It's the city where all the bands I've been dying to see for a long time are playing.
One of the todays best rock bands is said to be one of the best live bands, and after seeing them at The Fillmore I can only insist. The lead singer Craig Finn is one of the most charismatic persons I've seen in a long time. He looks like a pastor from where he's standing in the spot light, constantly reaching out his spastic arms towards the crowd, dancing like a fag, with the biggest smile on his face. It's impossible not to love him. Even if acclaimed keybordist Franz Nicolay has left the band, The Hold Steady's beer soaked party rock still feels intact. The crowd was on fire all the time, jumping, clapping and cheering, and when songs like Chips Ahoy and Constructive Summer came on I couldn't think of a better place to be. The Hold Steady forever!
Friday: Fang Island
Red Sparowes was the main act, but their heavy post rock made me jawn after seeing the young boys in Fang Island rock the shit out of their guitars. Like a mix of Explosions In The Sky's grandiosity and Vampire Weekend's playfulness.
Saturday: Drive-By Truckers
This gig should've been a really good one. I mean, it was sold out, so I went there to try to buy a ticket from someone outside the venue. Waited 40 minutes without success. Decided to go to another gig. Biked halfway through the city, just to get there and find out there wasn't any gig. So, I biked all the way back to The Fillmore. When I got there, the first people I asked had a ticket for me! And I got it for free!!! I was so so happy. Unfortunately the show wasn't that great. The band didn't have the same favorite song as I do, and they only played one song(!) I knew. Cool stage props though.
Sunday: Fucked Up
The question is if Mr Damien (the main singer in Fucked Up who's also called Pink Eyes) doesn't beat The Hold Steady's Craig Finn when it comes to charisma. Physically it's a given. He's fatter than Svullo, but obviously not to fat for a shag (He has a son(only one of the interesting thing's he revealed during his outstanding in between talks(?))). He looks so fuckin' bad ass but are the most humble guy ever. The crowd loves him, and in between all the crazy moshing (it's hard to resist moshing to Fucked Up's music) everyone wants to clap his giant belly (which Mr Damien seems to love). Fucked Up isn't just super awesome thank's to their front man and his profound lyrics, they creates the most interesting hardcore today - melodic brutality with an overhanging compact atmosphere that's hard to match. Fucked Up forever!
And yes, after the show Mr Damien lifted me up and gave me the the biggest sweatiest hug I've ever had.
Monday: Alexisonfire
After seeing Fucked Up the night before, Alexisonfire's hardcore seemed kinda silly. I was very tired and stood back and watched all the youngsters running around, hitting each other in the moshpit. The band sure had some energy though and played all of my favorite songs.
The best YouTube video atm
It's when you're not allowed to laugh you laugh the loudest. In this case I laugh a little bit to the most likely absolutely terrible and tragic father-son relationship (what the father has done to his son I don't know). I laugh a lot to the father's loud one tone cry itself. Add some auto-tune (the worst music invention in history?) and we get an instant laugh classic that will live on forever.
First, watch the original:
Then with auto-tune:
First, watch the original:
Then with auto-tune:
Believe
Bait
The real moon boots
Delorean - Stay Close
The Swedish pop electro sound associated with band like The Tough Alliance and Air France has escaped all the way down to Spain. Sometimes it sounds embarrassingly familiar, as if they would've stolen Air France's unreleased material. Well well. Stay Close is nevertheless a great summer breeze with a very matching video.
About listing the best music of the last decade
I've tried it a couple of times before without any success. To name a couple of songs and albums that you like is pretty easy, to be as specific as putting a number in front of your favorite songs and albums from the last decade is super-ultra-mega-turbo-hard. That's why I still haven't completed the list I started to put together in the beginning of January. I'm progressing, slow but steady, even if the last decade is drifting further and further away. But I will succeed. I find this very interesting, trying to pin point which songs and albums that has had the biggest influence on me over the last 10 years. It takes me back, making me remembering stuff that was forgotten. It makes me think and reflect. It makes me explore my writing. Also - People who know me knows that I'm more than generous with using terms like "this is one of the best songs ever!". When this is done I will once and for all make a stand. I will have answers. It just takes some time, probably because I'm a perfectionist and because music is super important to me. So when will I share my thoughts? Hopefully before the summer.
Stay tuned.
Retro!
From the glory days
Found it on my way to work this morning. Even a McDonald's sceptic like me felt tempted to go burger bonanza (this early they probably just had their breakfast menu, and that's horrific).
And while we're at it: Back in Stockholm I tried to stay away from McDonald's as much as possible. Way to expensive for that kind of food. How someone can pay 60 swedish krones for a Big Mac when there's like a pizzeria or a Max right across the street doesn't make any sense. Here in the states the McDonald's food is much cheaper and even more tasty for some reason (probably more fat). Recently I've had some rebound moments with their cheeseburger...OH THE CHEESEBURGER!
it came from outer space...
...or from the most hidden place in our refrigerator.
Elk
There's definitely something magical about fireplace's, sitting in front of them gazing into the hypnotic flames while your body slowly is heating up. It's relaxing and revitalizing and at the same time very mind opening. In the calm warmth you start to think and reflect of your current life and of things you haven't though of in a long time. In company of some good friends, with some calm and fitting music in the background and with a glass in your hand filled with the most delicate red wine the moment becomes one of the best I know in life. This week, in front of the fireplace in the absolutely beautiful house we stayed in, we had some of these moments. Sure, the weekend included really good food, books and movies at the house. But Elk (which is located at the coast along Highway 1 approximately 2,5 hours north of San Francisco) was to beautiful to not explore. It had fantastic views (the nature is a mix of Big Sur's dramatic cliffs, Danish sand dunes and Canadian forests) a super cosy village center, gorgeous pear cake and some steep and tough mountain climbing. With the amazing view from the house, every morning felt like waking up in the world of "Pirates of the Caribbean". If I would retire, settle down and write the book about my life, Elk would probably be the perfect spot.
Just what I needed.
Exodus detox
This weekend I'm going "Into The Wild" with my room mates Johan and Maja (yes, Maja moved in with us this week). Maja's boss at Method has a gorgeous wooden house 2 hours north of the city which he rents out for free to his hard working company ants. The timing could not be better. I'm in great need of some rest. I'm feeling stressed and my stomache has been leaking its worst fumes the last couple of days. My plan is to leave my electronic devices at home (except my camera). I want to feel free. I want to relax. I'm just gonna sleep as long as I want, read books in front of the fireplace and explore the surrounding nature. That's the "Into The Wild" part. Besides that there's good food, red wine, whiskey, hot showers and of course two good friends to interact with.
