Monthly Archives: May 2012

Brutality, Beer and Bicycle Rides: A Review of Meshuggah, Baroness and Decapitated in NYC

Posted by on May 29, 2012 No comments

The night started early, perhaps a bit too early. My plans for taking an hour nap or so before heading to my buddy Danny’s place had failed. We were both a bit beat, trying to suck down a couple of beers to wake ourselves up. The only thing that kept us going was the prospect of seeing Meshuggah and Baroness completely tear up the Terminal 5 stage in NYC. Well actually, Danny admitted to not being much of a fan of Meshuggah’s music, but has enjoyed seeing them live in the past. I (as I’m sure most of you know) am a Meshuggah freak however, and the fact that Baroness was opening up for them pretty much sealed the ticket sale for me. Danny is also a Baroness freak, so there wasn’t any argument from him about going. Tired or not, we knew we were going to have a blast.

The excited concertgoers...

We took a train into the city around 5:30 and we arrived at Grand Central around 6:20, which is just amazing timing. Trying to get anywhere in Manhattan during rush hour is almost futile. Being that Terminal 5 is located right by the West Side Highway, we were faced with a conundrum. The subway couldn’t even take us close to the Terminal 5 location, and getting to the nearest stop would have required a few transfers. Being that the subway was probably like the battle for Helm’s Deep at this time, we didn’t feel like it would be worth it. Hitching a cab is also almost impossible, unless you’re willing to get into some serious fisticuffs with commuters. If pummeling old ladies and business executives over taxi rides is your thing, then I guess you would have been fine. Read more »

Being in an Open Marriage is a Lot Like Being on Fire

Posted by on May 22, 2012 5 comments

 

By Erin Judge

Originally published in Thought Catalog, 4/18/12.

Being in an open marriage is a lot like being on fire, insofar as everybody who finds out about it immediately feels the need to tell you you’re in grave danger. The assumption is generally that you have no idea what you’re doing, that you haven’t really thought about the implications (“What about kids? STDs? Jealousy?”), and that the life you’ve been living for the past 8 ½ years must be incredibly stressful, constantly unraveling, and/or taking a brutal toll on your self-esteem. Read more »

A Rough Self-Portrait

Posted by on May 21, 2012 No comments

 

So, I guess it’s time for a little self-promotion. Alternative Control has been kind enough to yield another book review to allow me to flaunt myself for a second time. That’s very nice of them, isn’t it? It is. And yet by agreeing to this, I’ve also put myself in a very awkward position. My new book entitled Sketches represents a facet of my creative output that I’ve been able to shy away from up to this point. It’s an aspect of inspiration that I really shouldn’t be promoting, or be giving that much attention to. Within this book are poems based almost entirely on personal turmoil. It exists as a purging of my demons, and because of this I really don’t feel all that comfortable explaining it in detail. Suffice to say, this article will be short. Read more »

Moving F****** Sucks!

Posted by on May 19, 2012 1 comment

 

This is my first time doing a rant since I started writing for this site just about a year ago, but it is one that is absolutely deserving of the title “rant.”  Moving.  Or as I refer to it, “the move” because move is a four-letter word and it rightfully should be.  In the context of moving from any domicile to another, it should be one that isn’t even allowed to be spoken out loud on television.

Quite a few of us who write for this esteemed, award-nominated (we’re that awesome) website have moved or are moving in the past few weeks. It seems as if all the rules about moving went out the window and we all had, or are having, a hell of a time.  I attribute a lot of it to companies (moving and otherwise) doing anything to make a buck, but some of the things I am dealing with are just unreal. Read more »

Secrets Uncovered

Posted by on May 16, 2012 1 comment

 

I wore my pretty underwear

tonight, slipped them on

right after my shower,

hair still wet and dripping

you know I hate blow drying.

You’ll like them, I promise,

lacy and black, in the front, Read more »

Top Ten Signs You’re Too Old for “The Scene”

Posted by on May 10, 2012 9 comments

The author (left) circa 2007, performing with Crawling Chaos at City Ale House in Danbury.

 

10. More than one shot guarantees a hangover, no matter how many cheese fries you eat afterwards.

9. You can’t eat the cheese fries anyway because you’re on a diet.

8.  You see a twenty-year girl old with giant gauges and a Sailor Jerry neck tattoo, and feel disappointed in today’s youth.

Faithful Unto Death Read more »

Cinco de Blueso: A Live Music Review

Posted by on May 8, 2012 1 comment

On Friday night for some pre-Cinco de Mayo action, I decided on some very un-Mexican entertainment at the Bear and Grill in Fairfield CT. Me and my fellow Alternative Control associate Johnny Pluckman drove up to see a band that’s relatively new to the music scene here in CT. They’re called Fade to Blue, and after seeing them for the second time (the first taking place at the prestigious Stella Blues venue in New Haven), I can safely say they’re one of the best local musical acts I’ve had the pleasure of hearing.

Fade to Blue at Bear and Grill, 5/4/12

Admittedly, this review has to be somewhat biased. I once shared the stage with half of the Fade to Blue members in previous bands, and have carried on a friendship with them ever since. On top of this, a great deal of people close to me also share this relation. The whole bunch of us went to the Bear and Grill that night to hear some good music, yes, but more so to show support for our friends. This being the second time I’ve seen them though, there was nothing Fade to Blue had to prove to me. I went as a friend, as well as an adamant fan. And that’s a good thing, because the boys didn’t let me down. Read more »