So I made my first ever music video. Let me say that iMovie is a cool program.
It's footage I shot from the BART Party I went to the other night. The basic idea was: Friday night dance party on the trains. Damn it was a good time! There was a bunch of us, and we all had the same mix playing through our headphones (although we did pick up some new partiers along the way who joined in with their own tunes). We went from Oakland to Berkeley to San Francisco, changing trains often and stopping at various stations along the way.
The video uses a song from the official BART Party mix, but keep in mind that as an outside observer, you wouldn't have heard anything as the music was all self-contained on our headphones.
Holy crap. BEST SHOW EVER!!!!! And I missed the first half-hour of it.
They played all the right songs, they rocked a couple harder than usual, and the Fillmore is freakin' tiny compared to the stadiums they normally play. Billy was crackin' jokes here and there, and I don't care what everyone says, the new band members are actually pretty good.
This band is basically the reason I started playing guitar, so finally seeing them live after all these years, and them putting on the show that they did, was unbelievable!
I can't remember the last time I smiled for 2 1/2 hours straight like I did last night.
Here're some pictures, unfortunately, my camera phone kinda sucks.....
So I'm in another band folks. Once again I'm playing guitar and singing back-ups. It's an Indie Rock kinda deal, called Paper Tiger. It's a lot more accessible than all of the punk/metal/hardcore stuff you guys are used to seeing me play. You'll probably like it. We've got a show in SF on the 25th. You should go to it. It'll be kickass. I'll spam the hell out of you as the show gets closer.
In the meantime, listen to us at www.rockpapertiger.com. Those are "pre-Steve" recordings, but it'll give you the basic idea. Paper Tiger myspace page coming soon.
Yup, I'm out for a week. Going to Colorado to see my Dad. He's still not really sure what a computer looks like, so I probably won't be checking my email or myspace messages 'till I get back.
If y'all want to reach me, call my cell. If you don't have my cell number, just yell really loud. If i don't hear you, just take a deep breath and try again. Repeat as necessary.
Be back on the 23rd. 'Till then, Be excellent to eachother, -Steve
So I moved into my new place. I fucking love it here. Heres something that happened to me on one of my first nights in Oakland:
Im tired from a stupid day at work. The suns been down for a while, but its still warm out. So I brew a cup of tea and go stand out on my front porch.
Im looking out at my new neighborhood as the last traces of daylight fade away, listening to the cars driving by on Park Blvd. Wondering over how obscenely tall the palm tree in front of my building is.
I look down and see a young woman across the street pushing a baby stroller up the sidewalk.
She stops, looks up at me and says, Nice night out isnt it?
Yeah, I say. It really is.
She smiles and keeps on walking. I have another sip of tea.
So I'm moving to Oakland tomorrow. I need to buy a couch, and get my acoustic guitar set up because the action is totally fucked. So I'll be a little busy this weekend. Also I'll have no internet at the new place until Saturday the 10th, so if you need to get a hold of me, try me on my cell.
For those of you who need your "Steve Fix" for the next week or so, I posted a couple songs on a Myspace Music site. You can hear them at:
www.myspace.com/mysicbyme <---(yes I spelled music wrong. Shut up.)
It's nothing special, just a couple of home recording projects I did. The first song on there I just recorded a few days ago, and the second one is a couple years old so some of you may have heard it already.
So anyway, next time I'll be logging on from Oaktown. Wish me luck! -Steve
I know I told a lot of you guys (especially my friends in SF) that I was moving back home. Alas, it simply wasn't meant to be.
I love San Francisco. I was born and raised there, and I'll be back there at some point before my life is over. But what it comes down to for me right now is that the rent I'm paying for a one-bedroom right next to Lake Merrit with a balcony and a garage, will only get me a rundown studio in the Tenderloin in San Fran.
I thought I would be disappointed, but actually I'm really excited about living somewhere new. Oakland is a virtual unkown for me. I've got a whole new town to learn about now.
Also I'm looking forward to being in a city again. The burbs are boring me. I'll have plenty of time to be a hermit, living in isolation, when I'm older. Right now I need bustling streets and tall buildings.
Wish me luck! -Steve
P.S. And for all of you sports fans who are worried about me switching to the darkside, FEAR NOT! I'll still be at Giants games, and rooting for the Niners in the Fall. Shame on you for doubting me!
So I've decided that I need to start another band. After seeing some live music over the weekend, and not being very impressed, I said to myself, "I can make some music that's so much better than this!"
I have to now. I've got the itch. I've done punk a million times over, and I'm burned out on metal (sorry Katie and Mark!). I've been described lately as "Indie as Fuck," and I think that might be what I'm after in a band this time around.
