The Only Way

I've haven't had time to do much writing lately, but I've done some reading.

I've been reading lyrics by Greg Lake recently and have really taken to them. Greg seems to write alot about three subjects being the military industrial complex, organized religion, and tehcnology. Greg Lake is not a fan of any of the three.

He wrote a hymn about living for oneself and not falling for the rhetoric and lies of organized religion. I just love the irony of speaking against religion through a religious medium like a hymn. It's a great song, but I really find the lyrics inspiring.

The piece is called "The Only Way (Hymn)"

"People are stirred moved by the word.
Kneel at the shrine, deceived by the wine.
How was the earth conceived? Infinite space.
Is there such a place? You must believe in the human race.

Can you believe, God makes you breathe?
Why did he lose six million Jews?

Touched by the wings, fears angel brings.
Sad winter storm, grey autumn dawn.
Who looks on life itself, who lights your way?
Only you can say. How can you just obey?

Don't need the word, now that you've heard.
Don't be afraid: man is man made.
And when the hour comes, don't turn away.
Face the light of day, and do it your way.
It's the only way."
- Greg Lake

This Is Not 'Nam There Are Rules

Has the whole world gone crazy?

That is a question asked by the character Walter Sobchak played by John Goodman in the film The Big Lebowski. I find myself asking the same question.

I don't think there is anything wrong in rejecting society and rejecting the norms presented by society.

I don't like the term alternative lifestyle. What is it an alternative to? Being a greed oriented uninspired uncreative ignorant moron, well hell yes I want the alternative to that. Why are alternatives seen as bad or weird?

People need to become more open-minded and more accepting.

Ron Paul says America is ruled by Soft-Facism (aka Corporatism)and I tend to agree.

Confusion Will Be My Epitaph

The world can be full of surprises. When I was 17, I formed a band that radically changed my life at the time and made me look at the world in a new and different light. I formed that band with a guitarist a couple years my younger, who was the Neal Cassidy to my Jack Kerouac. I revisited the past today.

Ryan who was the guitarist in the band, or as I refered to it as musical institution, that is (IN)Discipline showed up at my house today. Ryan is such an interesting character. First of all he's a brilliant musician, and just a phenomenally creative individual. Secondly I've never met anyone like him. Since (IN)Discipline broke up in 2004 Ryan lived a couple of years in Driggs, Idaho, followed by a stint in Little Rock, Arkansas and now is back in Michigan/Chicago area.

Ryan has more crazy stories than I do, and he has all the crazy stories I want. He came to me today with the intention of maybe forming a band. Right now it's all in talk and prepartion phase, but I already feel like it is going to happen and be bigger than when we use to play together. People always told us that we were ahead of our time, and we pretty much were. Now the experimental progressive music we use to play 6 years ago is much more acceptable and popular today.

What we don't have is a rest of the band, but we both have ideas of individuals to fill in the gaps. Now for me the question is do I want to bring back the monster that is (IN)Discipline or whatever we name we give the group? How would this effect the rest of my life right now? Will we be able to get gigs? I was all set for grad school this fall, and I'm playing in a band right now, but for the chance to be in an active band with Ryan again I would probably be willing to change the course I'm going in.

Now I'm afraid if I get too comfortable in Chicago that I could miss this musical opportunity, which is the creative outlet I've been waiting for.

Playing with Ryan would allow me incorporate my electronic drums and bass pedal synthesizer and all this equipment I have that I can't use because of the current music I play. With Ryan and me the rules are simple just be creative and don't think about what you're doing and you'll be fine.

It's funny that I originally planned on blogging on a totally different subject and this is how it turned out.

Capture The Flag

I co-founded the band American Flag over 2 1/2 and now almost three years ago, and now after all the work, sweat, blood, fun, traveling, loudness, and creativity that ride has been put on hiatus.

I had a long conversation with Josh, one of my best friends who also happens to be the singer/guitarist/keyboardist in A. FLag, and it dawned on me yesterday that A. Flag isn't going to be active anytime soon.

Sure we haven't played together since November, and people have been asking me for months when are we going to play next and what we are up to and I'm left to just answer "uhhh."

American Flag is on permanent hiatus for the time being. I hope sometime in the future we will raise Flag again, but Flag has been lowered for all intensive purposes.

Josh is playing with an electronic group now called Garganta and I wish them luck and hope they have a lot of success and can ride the electronic music gravy train.

I had a friend tell me once that he thought American Flag's music reminded him of Animal Collective, and I never understood until yesterday how much of a compliment that really was.

I've been listening to a lot of Animal Collective, Crystal Castles, and Martin Dosh recently and I'm starting to like all of those acts respectively. I'm really taken with the work of Martin Dosh who has his own band Dosh and also drums for Andrew Bird.

I kind of feel like I'm going through a divorce. A. Flag hasn't been active for months now, but it felt like a separation not a divorce, and now I'm realizing that separation has become a divorce. I'm kind of down not now in realizing all this, I thought I'd grow old with this band, but now I have to look to the future, and hopefully like my favorite band King Crimson who has been on hiatus numerous times only to return American Flag will do the same.

I'm thinking more and more of starting my own band, but I don't know what kind of band I want to form. Something Avant Garde? Maybe Jazz? How about Funk? Acoustic/Electronic Hybrid? World Fusion? I guess I'll just buy a ticket and take the ride and see what happens.

Music: Dosh - "Capture The Flag"

Tuesdays With Ben

I've had a mixed past 24 hours. The condo in Edgewater that my friend Mike and I thought we'd be moving into for sure we didn't get, and was given to a young family because they had a baby so they were given priority. Just another reason to hate children.

My band is playing a showcase show in April now that will be hosted by the once popular Mancow Muller. I didn't know Mancow was still around, but he still is apparently and he will be our MC and introducing my band to the audience at the show. I am not a fan of Mancow so I don't really care, but I find it funny to play a show hosted by the once famous DJ.

I got into a very serious conversation almost turned argument over what it is to be Avant Garde. I find it those who don't like avant garde have no way to define and in turn only don't like a concept they can't understand. It has brought the question to my mind of what is it to be Avant Garde? Any takers have any definitions/ideas?

I'm thinking about starting my own jazz/funk/experimental band. I like being accessible and playing pop/rock music, and playing shows to big crowds who dig the music, but I really enjoy music that it more creative and rather break boundaries than appeal to fans. Now the problem is finding musicians who want to be in a band whose focus is on making creative and interesting music and not necessarily interested in making music the majority of people want to hear.

The bar Simon's is really starting to grow on me.

I'm feeling kind of hipster today, think I'll head over to Wicker Park decked out in Ben Sherman.

Success

I got accepted into grad school this weekend. I found a place in Edgewater than I'm about 98% sure I'm going to move to and I might have a real job by the end of the week. Finally some success.

This Is My Nightmare

"Houses iced in whitewash guard a pale shore-line
Cornered by the cactus and the pine.
Here I wander where sweet sage and strange herbs grow
Down a sun-baked crumpled stony road.

Dusty wheels leaning rusting in the sun;
Snuff brown walls where Spanish lizards run.
Here I'm shadowed by a dragon fig tree's fan
Ringed by ants and musing over man."


Another weekend come and gone. I took a large dose of tramadol last night and then drank some beer which did not make a good result. I can't say I'd recommend what I did to most people.

I almost had some Psilocybin Mushrooms this weekend, but it didn't happen and I'm not disappointed really. I wasn't in the right mental framework to have a psyedelic experience right now.

I had a friend of mine refer to me as a writer. That was quite comforting since I usually refer to myself as a wanna be writer, and he said to me that I am a writer and not a wanna be.

I've had some strange days recently, but in a good and not in a bad way.

I suggest the movie "The Go-Getter" to anyone looking for something different to watch, it is an interesting film.