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If you have not started growing one then it seems unlikely you can participate unless you are a bigfoot or some hair growing freak of nature.

Where were you?

If you missed the show at JJs last night then I regret to inform you that you missed a happening. You know what I am talking about. One of those events that people will be talking about for years to come with quotes like:

‘Yeah, I was there. He dumped my beer on my head.’

or:

‘You should have seen it when he dumped a trashcan full of crap on the drummer and he kept right on playing without missing a beat.’

Yes all these things did happen and only 75 people were there to witness it. As a bonus Giant Tiger opened up and they sounded better than ever but the real icing on the cake was Monotonix. It was Easter, they are from Israel and they rocked the house. If you were there then you are one of the lucky ones.

On a side note here are some links to new music that I have found recently:

birushanah – akai yami – Japanese Extreme Metal in the vein of Zeni Geva

I don’t know about you but I am sure happy that Spring is back. After work rides on the road bike, runs along the river walk, weekends spent outdoors doing who knows what other than enjoying the warmth in the air and the fresh blooming flowers. This spring I intend to do bike camping, long hikes or trail runs and up the ante on my bicycle training to include some mountain climbs.

$1 beer and 2 awesome bands on the way to SXSW. Could it get any better? I am still asking myself this after the show a week ago at JJ’s featuring An Albatross and the Apes. All you old farts who skipped this thinking the show would not be over until 2:00 in the morning missed out. The 2 out of town bands opened the show followed by local rockers Coral Castles. The Apes were fantastic as I expected but they were completely outdone by An Albatross whose spazzy hardcore sounds destroyed the tiny JJ’s room. Lead vocalist Edward B. Gieda III was a frenzy of whirling energy. At one point he was flailing wildly out in front of JJ’s in the center of main street as if daring a moving vehicle to try and take him down. At other points we was jumping from bar to stage and back. If he could have scaled the walls I have no doubt he would have. The rest of the band were packed onto the tiny stage but managed to have enough room to really throw down. If you missed this show then you really missed one of the better live shows to grace our fair city in some time.

Well tonight (I know short notice) is a great one at JJ’s Bohemia. The Apes w/ An Albatross and local acts Coral Castles and Forest Magic.

Later this month we have Monotonix.

For starters work has been a beast lately. Beyond that I suffered through a bout of bronchitis/influenza that had me reeling for 7-10 days and required an additional 7-10 days to fully recover.

Just as I had recovered I ventured off to Big Sky, Montana for a long weekend where I learned to snowboard. Yes, you heard that correct, drewcifer learned to snowboard and experienced his first ski slope in all his 37 years. To learn this I took a lesson that was incredibly painful but after a few hours of advice from our instructor we were ready to hit the green runs the following day.

It was absolutely one of the most fun experiences I have ever had. I will be going snowboarding again in the future and hope to someday live in an area where I can do it more often without flying 3/4 of the way across the country. It was worth it though as the resort was very nice and not at all crowded. We never had to wait in lines and our group lesson became a private one as the wife and I were the only 2 people to sign up. How cool is that?