rogue recommendations 3/1

the rogue is off to a good start. i already haven't been to as many shows as i would like, but that's life. sunday brings another day for choices.

some reckless abandon - start your day off right with a show that is gaining a lot of good reviews. 1 pm, starline, $7

2:30 - ryan paulson @ starline, $7
blake & baba @ dianna's north, $7
meet the artists @ ashtree, $4

i'd probably say go see ryan paulson if you haven't, or hear the group of artists speaking.

barry smith's baby book - 4 pm, starline, $7. i saw this show on friday night and loved it.

cupid is a b*tch - 5:30, dianna's south, $7. josh and are idiots. their blogspot tells me so. two funny guys, i imagine that there will be nipples.

rap guide to evolution - 2:45pm & 9:30pm - severance, $10. well, this is one of the pricier shows to the festival, so it had better be worth it. then again, it's still cheaper than an evening movie @ edward's theater.

rogue promo channel 47

this aired on last night's news @ 11 and during their morning show today.



me and my stupid mustache. damn. it was actually a pretty long interview, but that's how it goes, talk 5 minutes, get 10 seconds. still good exposure.

thanks to channel 47 & tony botti.

had i been more aggressive i might have also gotten channel 30. oh well, share the wealth.

this charming band & me

okay, the two things in the title are fairly unrelated, other than the fact that i'll be at both. on saturday afternoon you can hear me talk about my art in the rogue festival, as well as hear two other artists talk about their stuff. there should be some time for questions and such, so you can really interact with artists. door charge is $4, and all the money gets divided up between artists.



edward stewart - rogue 2009
2:30 pm, 2/28
ashtree studios - 1035 n fulton.


later, i'll be over @ audie's olympic/club fred to see this charming band. in fact, i'll probably walk over @8 and buy tickets even though the show starts later. it'll sell out, and i want to be there. some words on the show from the promoter, dj julian, "This is a special show celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Smiths' debut album. This Charming Band will perform the album live as well as other Smiths' and Morrissey classics. I am on the bill as well, and will be spinning some dark and moody favorites and b-sides. So if you like the Smiths and Morrissey, you don't want to miss this. Show up early! The last shows have sold out quickly!"

roguehop

hey hey! tonight is rogue hop. as a rogue artist, i'm showing @ ashtree studios (did you know fresno means ashtree in spanish?).

so, you can check out my art, along with others, tonight for free! and, you can see promos for other rogue shows.

and, if you're so inclined, you can come to one of my speaking engagements.


saturday, 2/28 - 2:30pm
wednesday, 3/4 - 8:45pm
friday, 3/6 - 6:15pm

$4

Ashtree Studios (1035 N. Fulton St.)

bakersfield photos

i went down to l.a. and back last weekend. we stopped in bakersfield to eat on both trips. while there, i saw two choice things that needed to be documented.

this is one classy truck. it's so classy, it's got a painting of itself at the lake.



and ladies!



read this sign carefully.



wait, what's not working?


i don't blame bakersfield for these photos. but i did enjoy them

modest mouse in visalia

hey, modest mouse is playing monday night in visalia. anyone need a ticket. i have an extra.

computers inspired by computers

i don't know why i love these so much, but here's another...computers inspired by computers:



i luvs me some internet speak

lunch review rancho grande

so, i have occasionally driven by this nice looking mexican restaurant over the last few years. the building is relatively new, in an older neighborhood. today, i was thinking of checking out someplace new, and thought, "why not hit up that restaurant on butler?" i didn't know the name, but that didn't really matter.

the building doesn't look that big from the outside, but inside the easily have seating for 44 people. and, they also have outside seating. the menu is pretty big, and there seems to have a fair amount of variety for a mexican restuarant. there are daily specials, and they did have some seafood dishes on the menu.

i perused the menu and the hostess brought me some chips and salsa. the chips seem homemade, and the salsa had a nice, low heat to it despite being pretty watery. throughout my time, the service was very quick and friendly.

i figured that for my first time at this restaurant i'd order some asada tacos (2 of them) and a carnitas taco. they come with cilantro, cabbage and onions on them, and i had them hold the onions. i was actually surprised how quickly my order came up for a small, seemingly family run restaurant.

i'll be honest, the asada tacos weren't great (sorry mike oz). they seemed really greasy, and i don't mind a greasy taco. i squeezed some lemon on my second one and it really perked up the taste.

the carnitas, on the other hand, was fabulous. very moist and tasty. didn't need any lemon. i did put a different salsa on all the tacos that came out in a small container with the taco plate. it was veeeeeeeery good. i actually ate the rest of my chips (as many as i could) with that salsa instead of the original one.

when it was all said and done, the meal cost me $3.21. that's right, $3.21! 3 tacos, plenty of chips and salsa, under $4. shoot, after tipping i was out of there for $5. of course, i only had a water so if i had a soda, beer, or whatever it would have been slightly higher.

i gave 3 stars because it was my first time there and i'd like to try more of the menu. if i was just going off the asada i'd go 2 stars, but the carnitas, salsa and service have me @ 3. if i can go back and try more stuff maybe i'll adjust my rating.

3599 E Butler
Fresno, CA 93702
(559) 457-0964

pg porn

the spike network on your tv has some real interesting programming. like, i watch the ufc on it a lot. or mxc is on it. whatever. it's a network who's main demographic is young males.

their website, no different.

a great example, pg porn. now, i'm not sure if this is sfw or nsfw. you make the call. there is swearing and whatnot. it has porn "actors" in it. but, there's no nudity, no sex. there are swear words. maybe it's porn parody. but holy crap, they are pretty funny. especially the one about roadside assistance. intentionally bad acting, cheesy music, lots of double entendre.

so, i post about this, and it reminds me of this post in my archives. and it all comes full circle.

rain on a sunny day

i heard the rain this afternoon and noticed that it was sunny outside as well. it looked pretty cool and so i thought i'd shoot some video of it to share. enjoy.

the uncler

so, this is a pretty funny video, well, at least mildly entertaining video if you've seen the wrestler (which i did on sunday)

The Uncler w/ Uncle Sam and Alyssa Milano from Alyssa Milano

and then i remember that we're in a recession, and that the central valley has double digit unemployment (some of the worst in the nation) and that the state still hasn't passed a budget.

obama's elf

hey, i'd be obama's elf. and thanks to the prez for signing the stimulus package bill.

now if california would only get on track, 7 months late, and sign a budget.


(thanks to boing boing for pointing me to the video)

lunch review hero's sports lounge and pizza

as long as this place is open, i think will be enjoying major sporting events at this place. and, i think i'll be going here before or after (or both) fresno grizzlies and fuego games.

the food here is super nice. the decor is even better. honestly, tv's galore, great sports memorabilia, and that upstairs is super cool. i can't wait to see a band play there.

my buddy and i both had calazone's for lunch, and they were both great. i had the italian stalion and he had the classic something or other. my wife had thai chicken salad.

let me rave about the thai chicken salad i didn't have: the spinach looked hella fresh. really. crisp, fresh spinach. wait, i thought this was a sports themed pizza place? they have a fresh spinach salad with an excellent thai dressing. holy crap. and, they have like 5 other legit looking salads on the menu, and i imagine they're as good.

both our calazones were really good as well. the presentation was nice, and the flavors were excellent.

the only drawback is that it may be a bit pricey and slow for the average downtown worker for lunch. but, if you're going to dinner or don't have to quickly be back to your job after lunch this is definitely a place to go.

handball wager score

0-0
2-0
3-1
4-2

taco bell bacon cheesy burrito

look people, i eat this stuff so you don't have to. i was out running a few errands, and needed to grab some lunch. i knew there was a taco bell near my location so i settled on it for eats. as i walked up to the store, i tried to decide what to order and looked @ the ads on the windows.

i came in, and settled on the bacon cheesy burrito combo, which comes with a taco supreme and a drink. i also ordered some triple layer nachos off of the value menu because i'm fat like that.

so, the bacon cheesy burrito tastes like bacon. i mean, it taste like bacon flavoring, not real bacon. i see bits of what is supposedly bacon, and strips of what is supposedly bacon, but i'm not convinced. the ground beef is negligible, and the potato chunks don't add much either. i say skip this burrito, especially because it alone costs $2.79! really, for $2.79 @ taco bell you can get a whole meal that's better than this burrito.

what i do recommend is the triple layer nachos. mike recommended these to me. well, he actually ordered them in front of me in line one day and i tried them as well. they are good. chips, beans, nacho cheese. all good. and, only 89 cents. you can order three of these beauties for the price of that crap bacon cheesy burrito. you'll be more satisfied. and pay less.

radio advertising

so, i listen to the jim rome show when i'm able to. like all radio shows, it gets by on advertising. it's a combination of local and national ads. and basically, after hearing most of these ads over and over, i don't think i'd shop at any of them. here are some of the big offenders:


-ara karkazian jewelers - i don't care if tarkanian took his watch and ncaa championship ring to you. hearing his dopey old voice, and really when i hear his voice i think of dopey from the seven dwarfs (i know, dopey didn't talk, but look @ a picture of tark and then a picture of dopey, tell me i'm wrong), i am not inspired to go to your jewelry store. i know fresno has an obsession with tark, and i liked him @ unlv, but he didn't do jack for us. and, his coaching ability and recommendation don't do anything for me as someone considering jewelry.


-vermont teddy bears


my wife assures me that women do not, i repeat, do not, want a teddy bear for valentine's day. i always thought it might be a bit odd to give an adult a stuffed animal. i mean, she's not six after all.

-fresno pacific university: apparently they have an online master's degree program in kinesiology that will help you be a better coach. i don't have a problem with the program or the ad, i'm just pretty sure that one of the people featured in the ad is the soccer coach. i mean, how many graduates do you have from a program when you're sneaking your staff into ads?

now, this next ad doesn't actually play during the rome show. my friend mike told me about it, and i heard it monday morning when i borrowed the car and was listening to the adam carolla show on the way to work.

-ashley madison. ummm, this has got to be one of the creepiest things i've heard about. they are pretty directly advertising having affairs with people that just want to have affairs. really, here's their tag line:"LIFE IS SHORT. HAVE AN AFFAIR.™" they try and hook up married people with other married people just looking to get down. it's a crazy world we live in when you're advertising affairs in the 6 am time slot.

i'm sure there are other offenders...errr, i mean advertisers out there that i could talk about. those are just ones that to the top of my mind. and, i guess they're doing their job because i am talking about them. i'm not going to use any of them, but they've got some secondary advertising off of me.

streets of blood teaser trailer

hmmm, here's my thoughts:
1. i don't like curtis "50 cent" and his mush mouth raps
2. he's not rapping, so maybe i'll understand him
3. i do like val kilmer
4. sharon stone? huh, she may be decent in this
5. i do like cop movies, especially movies where you're trying to figure out if this cop is dirty
6. i like gangster movies
7. a film about post katrina new orleans? interesting premise

if it looks like the movie will hold up after seeing more previews, i think i'd see this movie.

kittens inspired by kittens

thanks boing boing for pointing both of the kitten videos out to me

kittens inspired by david after the dentist

how many of you are there?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1,588 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

there may be 1588 people in the u.s. with my name, but if you google it without capitals i'm the #2 result. with capitals, i'm #3. suck it you 1585 other people below me in google.

rogue festival 2009

the rogue banners are available. if you'd like to put one on your website and help promo some great entertainment, click here:
http://roguefestival.com/rogue09/?page_id=515


as you can see, i've got one here and in my sidebar. get some.

builder: a devil in the woods compilation

emusic is just the place for local music right now. local heart throbs the sleepover disaster apprear on a devil in the woods (their label) compilation that is available free to all emusic members called builder! so, you can get 4 songs for freezy! more exclamation points!!!!



really, this is hella cool.

aimless never miss, who were in fresno last week.
light fm, who is crazy good, and has played fresno several times (search my archives)
buildings breeding, who i don't know if they've played fresno
and, of course,
the sleepover disaster is on there.

yes, you need to get on emusic. and, you need to buy the sleepover's album if you haven't already. it officially released today. or, if you were lucky enough you might have picked one up @ a cd release show.

look out for an upcoming episode of the view looks good from here, fresno featuring the guys from sleepover.

selected + collected: emusic compilation featuring rademacher

i told you that post last night would be my last one about rademacher...until the next. well, here's the next.



rademacher has made it on to a emusic collection of bands that will own 2009. hellz yeah they will. it's called selected + collected: an emusic selects compilation.

here's some of the emusic review:
Editor's Note: We have put together an amazing (if we may say so) set of liner notes that you can download from 17 Dots for free. It includes great artist art, Q&A's with everyone involved and a whole lot more. It's slick, and our thanks go to Jess Larrabee for making the beautiful cover and Dave Scott for designing the liner notes. We are indebted to you both. We also want to note that while it's not ideal that this album be bundled together like this, it's extremely important to us that everyone here get a fair shake, and that this be consumed as a whole. After you listen, we hope you'll agree.

On the one-year anniversary of eMusic Selects' creation, we are thrilled to unveil Selected + Collected, a 16-track tour of what excites us the most about music right now. The vast majority of these artists are completely unsigned, but they are not toiling away in obscurity. Far from it. These artists are making incredible music, and there are audiences out there waiting to hear it. Isn't that what it's all about?

and a little more review specifically about rademacher
That piano. It comes charging out of the gate, a bold and pounding statement of intent. Fresno, CA's Rademacher are not one for the small gesture, and "If U Got Some Magic" is proud and purposeful. It pushes without detonating, getting grander with each go-round. "Some questions are tough/ Some don't got answers at all," Malcolm Sosa sings halfway through the song. Maybe so, but that doesn't mean they're not going to look.

anway, i've blogged about how emusic was a great way to get new music, especially stuff that is outside the mainstream mess. this is further proof of it.

btw, the compilation also features another band that i'm really digging right now, called she keeps bees.

really? with seth

seth meyers had a nice take on the michael phelps bong situation. enjoy a favorite segment of mine, "really?"

new rademacher videos

so, this will be my last rademacher post...until my next one. sunday the band had a little tour fundraiser bbq/show for friends over @ there studio. i headed over and had a great time hanging out with the band and with a lot of other people as well. the turkey burgers and ballpark franks were delish.

i was super stoked that death to anders drove up to play a set solely for this event. i thought maybe they were on the way back to l.a. or on the way out of l.a. for some touring, but nope, they came up for a sunday afternoon. i'm not sure if they made it over there, but they were also really happy that brian kenney fresno would be playing across the street later. anyway, death to anders rocked the joint, and i took some video but haven't uploaded it yet.

i did upload some rademacher video. now, before you watch any of it, know that the quality is pretty low. greer's bass was just too heavy and low for my camera. so, the sound is decent at points, terrible @ other points.

now, this was also the first time i would see rademacher with new drummer eden davis. i chatted with her just a bit, or more stood there while someone else chatted with her and i nodded along. turns out that this is her first band. she's done musical stuff and i think some drama tours as well, but this was her first "band". yikes! you're about to go on a huge tour, hit sxsw, and it's your first tour.

however, eden's playing showed talent and calmness that others might not have playing with some very seasoned musicians like malcom & greer. i'm interested to see how the band continues to develop and hope all the best as they head out on tour.

btw, malcom was telling me that their whole tour was already sold out. granted, it's more the groups they're playing with (airborne toxic event & henry clay people). but still, i'm hecka happy for them.

enjoy some low quality video below


i love the intro to this next song. the sticks + whatever malcom's doing

monday haikus

the grammies are gone
did anyone notice it
or even care much?



rain rain came today
bathing fresno clean once more
puddle splashing fun



california still
wading in deep budget mess
trying not to drown

to do lists on yellow sticky notes

jeff chiba stearns likes yellow sticky notes. a lot. a whole lot. over the last nine years of his life, he has built up quite a collection. here's an interesting video that takes us through those years of his life as well as world events. quite interesting.



seen over @ neatorama.

post arthop show review

last night i went to the post arthop show @ tokyo garden. this is no surprise, as i pretty much go every month. on the bill were the aircrash, aimless never miss, and rademacher. aimless never miss is from the bay area, and their drummer is also in cilian rail, which is a really good instrumental band. the aircrash and rademacher are both fresno bands, and frankly, they both outshined the bay area band. they were all good, so it's not like i'm trying to insult anyone. the aircrash really stood out to me on the night. i'd never seen them, despite the fact that they've been playing around fresno for over with a year.

here's some videos i shot from the show, they're all a little dark (especially the aimless never miss vids) but i hope you enjoy them anyway:

the aircrash



the aircrash



aimless never miss



aimless never miss



rademacher



rademacher



rademacher was really on top of things last night. their sound was very good, and i enjoyed the overall set and it's feel. this was eli's last fresno show with the band, and it was a good one.

dj swamp @ audie's olympic

i'll actually miss this show because i'll be out of town, but there is no reason for you to miss it. what a line up:
dj swamp (beck's old dj) - awesome
aesop fables - fresno's own member of the living legends crew
the fay wrays - amazing local heavy band

and some more.

i'd be there. be there for me.

david after dentist remixes

so, i posted the animated version of this the other day, and teh internets are afloat with more remixes. here's metal one that made me chuckle



as many things, i saw this over @ boing boing.

lost reflections

today I was talking to my class about mass media, and the idea that media serve an effective purpose of entertaining and even distracting us from the life around us.

tonight, lost totally served that purpose. i really enjoyed the episode, and the last five minutes had me downright giddy. so, i realize i'm excited, and then i think about how the economy is in the tank, california is broke, and our world is in the crapper.

and then i came crashing back to reality. it didn't take me to the dumps, but it was a bit if a slap in the face.

oh well, i will survive.

and please don't post any lost spoilers in the comments for a few days.

airwolf theme on my motorcycle

occasionally when i am driving around i think of this song



now, i can't think of a precise reason, but sometimes when i'm accelerating i think of that tune. here's some possible reasons:
- the show was sort of big when i was a kid. we remember these things fondly and sometimes associate other things with the memory
- airwolf was like knight rider in the air, or the a team with a helicopter - and these all were on in the same era
- they didn't just play the music @ the start of the show, but whenever they had to really gun it
- jan michael vincent was a badass. way more than david hasselhoff. and, he rode a motorcycle. i think. anyway, he had some vehicle accidents that pretty much killed his career.
- well, it's a kick ass theme, right up there with magnum p.i. and knight rider


enjoy having the airwolf theme stuck in your head. i know i'm going to have to drown it out with my ipod on my way to work this afternoon.

crips & bloods: made in america

i was sifting through teh internets last night and came across a very interesting looking documentary. now, i love documentaries, or at least the idea of them. they don't all deliver. anyway, i saw something about this documentary so i had to go and watch the trailer. it's done by stacy peralta, of powell peralta skateboard fame. he also did the documentaries 'lords of dogtown' and 'riding giants,' so he's done good work in the genre already. this looks promising:



you can find some more info on the film @ the website and watch other clips, like this one featuring baron davis, who produced the film, snoop and lil wayne:



the film will obviously have a very limited release, as most documentaries do. here are some dates, if you want to travel or live in that city

l.a.
February 6-12, 2009
Laemmle’s Sunset 5
8000 Sunset Blvd W. Hollywood
CA 90046
323-848-3500
http://www.laemmle.com/viewtheatre.php?thid=2

chicago
February 6 & 10
2009 Gene Siskel Film Center - Chicago, IL
http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/

san francisco
February 20-26
2009 Roxie Film Center - San Francisco, CA
http://www.roxie.com/

portland
March 13-19
2009 Hollywood Theatre - Portland, OR
http://www.hollywoodtheatre.org

seattle
March 13-15,
2008 Northwest Film Forum - Seattle, WA
http://www.nwfilmforum.org/

i'm pretty sure i'll just be catching it on dvd when it's released.

new packaging on guerroro flour tortillas

last week i noticed something when i was at the grocery store about my tortillas. well, the tortillas i buy, anyway. guerroro tortilla redesigned their packaging. this made it a little harder for me to just grab the pack i normally get, as i had to actually look at the names and not just the one i recognized from my fridge and years of buying. as i looked, i realized something else about the "new look" guerroro tortillas - you get six less in a package.



bastards! it used to be a 30 pack of flour tortillas, now it's only a 24. agh. 6 tortillas can make several more quesadillas, burritos, tacos, or whatever the heck else i want to wrap in a tortilla. well, six less to be precise.

it's a bad economy when they're taking away my tortillas.

kid on drugs animated remake

mike oz seems to be winning the best of the day youtube battle over here with the kid whacked out from the dentist office.

someone has done an animated version that i saw over @ boing boing.



i must say, the original is better.

how about you enjoy this animated parody (?) called conspiracy rock i encountered over @ laughing squid

free grand slam

did anyone go out and get a free grand slam? i mean, i know that tons of people did, i'm just wondering if anyone that occasionally hits this blog did? i'll admit, i thought about it, but i had other things on my plate today. (buh dum bum! thank you, i'll be here all week.)

when i heard about the offer, and how denny's was using it to "reintroduce" themselves to america. i didn't think it would be that big of a deal, but, they did get a lot of press out of the issue. and, the morning news i watched while getting ready @ 6 a.m. showed that there was already a long line @ one of the fresno locations.

this article on the sf gate made me think about some other angles of the story: those who are in need due to a sagging economy. they interviewed several people that were out of work and either really needed a free meal or just could use the help not having to pay for one meal would give.

i also wondered about tips for such a meal. i mean, any percent of 0 is still 0, so all the cheapskates could go in and leave whatever, if anything. myself, if i was eating i think i would've just figured in the $5.99 that i would have paid and scratched off the tip like that. the waiter still had to serve me food, refill my drink, and talk to me. it seems that not everyone thought the same, (taken from same article)
"Nobody's leaving anything," said one waiter, who identified himself as Raymundo. "And some people are not so nice."

The trouble, Raymundo said, was that only the Grand Slam breakfast - bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage - was free. Not the coffee or the orange juice and certainly not the steak.

"One man ordered the T-bone, and I told him it wasn't included, and he said, 'F- you,' " Raymundo said. "That's the kind of day it's been."

savages. just because you're getting free grub doesn't mean you have to treat someone else like crap, even if you situation stinks. i'm sure that most people were civil, and i bet a few even left a decent tip.

post art hop show

guess who's playing this thursday night: rademacher



they've got three shows in three days. that's quite productive of them. the thursday show is one of the last where you can see eli reyes on the skins. well, you can still see him in the fay wrays, but his time with rademacher is almost up.

come out, have a good time and shake your money maker.

monday haikus

california is
broke economically now
boot conan today


superbowl tarnished
the cardinals got jobbed
an incomplete pass


the rogue festival
is coming soon to tower
need to get painting