Well looky here

Looks like my trial period must've ended.  I'm a full-fledged Razorcake contributor now:

On a related note, I took some pics of Handski at the Eagle Rock Music Festival a couple of months ago and they can be seen here.  I don't know what happened to the third one.  :(

A no-kill deliciouso recipe

For reasons I won't go into right now, I've been conciously eating a lot less meat and a lot more grains and veg.  This has led me to a few recipes that I will log here.  Probably more for my reference than yours, since no one reads this blog.  :(

Anyway, this one is a Quinoa dish.

1 cup quinoa
2 cups organic veggie stock
1 small onion, diced in very small slices
1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
1 teaspoon olive oil

In pan, heat olive oil, add quinoa over medium heat, turn occasionally for about 5-6 minutes.  In 2 quart sauce pan, add the quinoa and 2 cups stock, cover and bring to boil for 5 minutes.  reduce to simmer for about a half hour, until stock reduces fully and quinoa is done.  Fluff quinoa and add the thyme, parsley and onion and mix well until all are distributed.

Enjoy!

Volunteering for Operation Gratitude

You can feel however you wish about the government and the "wars" we are fighting, but don't forget that most all of the military personnel in our various conflicts around the world would probably be doing anything else if they could.  Many (like my father so many years ago) joined the service as a way of escaping their hometowns and getting some skills for work and life.  Watching the recruiting videos and believing the hype, I'm sure there are plenty of soldiers who thought they were signing up to learn skills to "work with computers" or some such and instead ended up in the desert holding an AR-15.

So, thinking of these poor souls, Chelsea and I volunteered to help pack Christmas boxes for Operation Gratitude who for those who don't know, package boxes to send to the troops at the holidays.  While we had a good time helping out, it was way overcrowded.  I am certain that the whole operation would have gone smoother with about half of those in attendance helping out.  But in any case, it felt good to do something good for someone.  It just gets you thinking about how good we really have it as Americans.  As much as a negative, pessimistic person I am I am still glad I am not a soldier.  There.  I am thankful for something after all.

While I'm at it...

Volunteered with RC for the Destroy All Movies!!! book release film fest a few weekends ago.  Since working only mean't handing out copies between flicks, we got to watch the films for free! Basically, the book is a guide to punk rock in the movies and on TV.  The editors did a book tour and LA was the last stop.  I got to see The Slog Movie and Desperate Teenage Lovedolls which are both beyond classic slices of early 80's hardcore in Los Angeles.  Filmmakers Dave Markey and Jordan/Jennifer Schwartz were on hand for a Q and A between the movies and Okie Dog delivered a truckload o' dogs for the large crowd. 

I wanted to go early and catch Urgh!!! - A Music War but didn't have the fortitude to spend all day inside a theater.

mmmm mmmmmm good!

While in Chandler, AZ for Thanksgiving, I found this in the Lee Lee Oriental Market.  (Their name, not mine...)

What can I say?  it appealed to the 8-year-old in me.  I'll probably give it to someone as a literal "gag" gift.  :)

Meanwhile, the market itself was awesome.  It's more of an ethnic market than just an Asian one.  They stocked stuff from Africa, Jamaica as well as South America.  I am happy to see they saw a need and filled it, because that place was sweet.  Check out the link, there are pictures.

Razorcake #59 out now!

Includes a little more Garrett goodness.  I get a top 5, a book review and a few zine reviews.  Beware of issue #60, where I just unleash. 

Will it go round in circles?

Post title shamelessly appropriated from Billy Preston, RIP.

So I got a copy of The Decline of Western Civilization on DVD last week from a friend who suspected I might be interested in such things.  Oddly enough, I'd long regarded that movie along with a few others as the holy grails of punk rock celluloid, though I had never actually seen it.  I had always suspected that it like most everything else, would have just left me disappointed so I always passed when the opportunity ever arose to watch it. 

So I am pleasantly surprised to report that after giving it a spin over the weekend, I actually found it kind of enjoyable.  I wasn't surprised to find myself cringing when the footage was of the local LA "punks."  It was like the punk rock Quincy, ME episode.

What did surprise me though, were the rousing, hungry performances of some of the bands featured.  Although I regularly worship at the church of Black Flag, I'd never really dug the Ron Reyes material I had collected.  Dude's insane in this performance!  It's also fun to see Chucky D and Greg so, so... youthful!

Having met Alice Bag herself a few years ago I dug watching the Alice Bag Band stuff as well as the X footage.  I also liked the Germs stuff.  I wasn't sure what I'd think, having not really dug the Germs biopic What We Do Is Secret that came out a few years ago.  Again, I was pretty blown away.  You could tell even then that Pat Smear had something special.  Don Bolles was a pretty rock-solid drummer too.

As it turns out, I came across Mr. Bolles this past weekend at the Eagle Rock Music Festival.  It turns out that Bolles is (again) drumming for Nervous Gender who was headlining the Razorcake/Zocaloc stage.  Give or take a few teeth he doesn't look too different than he did thirty years ago.  Talk to him for a few moments and you realize that the guy has a pretty sharp wit for having lived his lifestyle for a literal eternity. 

I've met way bigger rockstar-assholes who've done way less in their lives, so it was refreshing to meet someone who's managed to remain relatively un- asshole-like for like being a living legend and all.

Speaking of legends and the circular, cyclical nature of life I was saddened to learn of the passing of Derf Scratch on July 28th.  Derf was the bassist for fear during their most fruitful period which resulted in their claassic debut LP, Fear - The Record.

Mr. Scratch was of course featured in The Decline, where this tale began in the first place.

Which reminds me, never ever get a tattoo from John Doe.

If you haven't seen The Decline you will have to just take my word on that.

Another life

About six lives ago, I intended on taking pictures for a career.  Someone even published me.  Funny how the rag was predominately a calendar yet they couldn't spell it correctly.  Did the movie review give a date perspective to the photos?

12th annual Eagle Rock Music Festival

The above-mentioned fest will be happening October 2nd and I will be volunteering with Razorcake helping with their lineup and providing whatever support I can.  Should be a blast.  The Egyptian Lover?  Are you kidding me?  I am jazzed for sho'.

Click me. 

Alright, here you go

For those too lazy or poor to go to Borders, I proudly defy copyright law and loving give you some screen caps of my contributions to RC #58:

If you want to actually read the review click here.

Oh yeah, I'm a tastemaker.

New Razorcake out now!

Walk don't run to your nearest reputable magazine rack - issue #58 of Razorcake is out now. What's so special about #58? Along with a surprisingly candid interview of John Lydon by Narduar the Human Serviette you get some chicken scratch by some hayseed named Garrett Barnwell.