It has been a while since I have been over here. I really wish I could write more, I am brimming with brilliance, but alas I don’t have the time. That is sorta the default condition of this band at this point. No one has the time.
That said, despite being busy, Spencer managed to find time to talk to the good folks at MSNBC about where to find good music.
The answer is 
iTunes of course. Add to the $10.00 in royalties that is already waiting for us!
I currently have 3 different video game systems plugged into my television and I only read comic books. Normally this isn’t a problem, but tomorrow I am getting braces and it puts these two facts in a whole new context. I am 12 again.
I agonized over the decision to get braces. The big problem for me was the thought of turning 30 and having braces. I am still not really comfortable with that idea, but the more I thought about braces, the more I hated my teeth, and that led to my appointment tomorrow.
I have been told that the type of braces that I am getting are not noticeable farther than 3 feet away from me. I don’t really believe that.
Oh, and I will have to wear rubber bands as well.
What does this mean for you gentle reader? First, I anticipate that the having metal on my mouth will propel me to Kanye Westesque heights, so you should take this opportunity to suck up to me now. Also, Wednesday at Dahlak will give you the first opportunity to come out and make fun of me in person!
One of the many things that kills me about both the radical right and left is their inability to see the world as it truly is, which is a muddled shade of gray. The right’s blindness to reality is redundant to discuss at this point as they’ve spent the last 8 years demonstrating to the detriment of everyone else, in the nation and the world. But the left’s blindness to reality is also very real and potentially just as dangerous.
I find it curious, though, that outside of true conservative circles the delusional left seems rarely discussed. Maybe I just run in scenes that are too liberal (a definite possibility considering the amount of time I spend in DC and New York), but I think it’s worth noting.
I started thinking about this today after reading this editorial by Greg Anrig in today’s Washington Post. I agree with his central theme, which is that conservatives are facing bleak odds in the fall primarily because their policies (mostly) don’t work, and not just because of Bush’s mismanagement (though that certainly didn’t help).
However, he goes on to state that John McCain is running a “limping, message-free presidential campaign” as if this were a fact. This has been a common theme liberals have been pushing lately, though nothing could be farther from the truth. McCain’s campaign has a definite three-point message, and anyone who’s been paying attention has heard it clearly: 1). McCain’s the only one who can fix gas prices, 2). Obama is a defeatist who wants to lose the war, and 3). Obama is a scary outsider that you can’t trust. Moreover, IT’S WORKING. RealClearPolitics averages the results of all polls together; on June 24th, Obama had a 7.5 point lead over McCain. His current lead is 2.3 points. Does that look to you like McCain’s campaign is “limping”?
For all his faults, I would rather see Obama than McCain. I hope his advisors are more in touch with reality, because he could very, very easily lose this race. John Kerry was up big in summer polls in 2004, just as Dukakis was in the summer of 1988.
Oh, you’re still here?
Thank you to the (maybe) 5 people left reading this after we neglected to post for about a week. We’ve all been busy with stuff outside of the band like jobs and such (you know, the stuff that actually pays us) so we’ve been pretty bad about posting.
Not much going on City Vein land this week as a result. Although, like Aaron said, we had 2 practices last week in which we tried to write new songs and they were awful. In one practice, Charles completely forgot how to play the guitar. He had an audit earlier that day at work and I think our poor Rickenbacker bore the brunt of his frustrations. In the other, we had some good ideas but nothing coherent or particularly moving.
I will say this about our band, though: I like that we don’t force songs. Writer’s block sucks and can be demoralizing, but we don’t commit to songs unless we really like them. I wish more artists did this. I feel like some artists record and put out every little musical thought they’ve ever had, for better or for worse. Others just phone in it and make mediocre records just to make more money or fill obligations. We don’t do either, which means we might not crank out new music as quickly but when we do, you can be guaranteed we’re excited about it. I like to think that translates on stage as well. Several people have remarked that we seem to have a lot of fun on stage, and we are, in no small part because we really like our songs and njoy playing them. Shouldn’t more artists have that attitude?
Now, some random stuff:
I will stand…I will stand for nothing. Say the right thing when electioneering. I trust I can rely on your vote.
Happy weekend everyone. Next weekend (August 9), we’re at the DC Arts Center in Adams Morgan for a bone cancer benefit with Anchorage and My Friend Autumn. Great show, great bands, great cause.
This photo of Charles was taken a few weeks ago while on vacation. What I love about it is how natural he looks with that hat and bottle of Jack - this was not posed, he was in the background of this pic and I cropped everyone else out.