These Metal Fingers Be Holdin' (Hot Sh!t)

dinner is good things, korean barbecue beef with green bell peppers, asparagus, and basmati rice.

it might look like a monster movie but it's deeeelicious!

mm food!


LRV, b

new hobby

used to think the masks and bandanas were because they were bad. now i know. fumes are a bitch.

LRV, b

What She Said

sorry i missed yesterday. my little art project consumed my afternoon and evening. and my tapes look rad. too bad they won't play. the reels won't turn. guess i used too much paint, and didn't block the toothy circles well enough. so now i have to record them ALL again. 3 of them. that's 4.5 hours of mixology. and god knows how many times i've had to/i will be go(ing) back to the beginning to start over until every transition is perfect. this ain't no build-a-playlist-and-walk-away bullshit. this is real-deal live person mixing... the likes of which i've always wanted to do but never had the means... until Traktor entered my life. on a related note, got my first bite on a possible wedding to DJ in May!



this is my Irish dedication to you, in honor of a "holiday" which is in my blood but not really my heart. (at least, not in the I Must Get Wasted Because It's St Patrick's Day way). even our little Jewish American Princess barmaid came to work dressed like a Irish Fairy Skeezer today, complete with green tutu and tiara. She got plenty of gawkers. i just rolled my eyes.

btw, also related, Prince tickets wound up being like $150. and i'm sure they're well over 300 now through brokers or scalpers. i still woulda done it if you wanted, but i don't feel so bad about missing it anymore.

but really what i want to say is That's What She Said. she = Sinead, and nothing compares to you, babygirl. I miss you

LRV, b

Finally, There's an Answer to This Question...

i know this one! it's SOON! like TWO WEEKS kinda soon! precious moments, indeed. of course, your Cali family will make your departure bittersweet, and i fully expect you to not want to leave San Fransisco after your visit (seriously, SF rules and three days ain't enough time, by far) but your parents and i, not to mention your legions of local fans, can't wait to have to back! getting goosebumps just thinkin' 'bout it.

and for anyone who thinks this song is cheesy, i say "you, sir or madam, can't recognize greatness" as the Three Degrees are freakin awesome. for all-female singing groups, i think they're as good, if not better, as the Supremes. The Supremes were on the cusp of the Motown wave, and we can never take their classics away from them, but all the "Baby Love"s and "Heat Wave"s in the world can never live up to the supreme lyrical surreality and total vocal control inherent in one "Collage". (plus, it's a natural head-nodder with spooky vibraphones, fuzz bass... all great things).



winter time is a razor blade that the devil made, it's the price we pay for the summertime..... fantastic.

LRV, b

Gone Writing...

gonna take the next few days off writing this blog to concentrate on College Application Essays. while this in no way reflects me taking days off loving or being devoted to you, i need time to concentrate on getting my shit together. i'll spare you the lamentations of how my job zaps me, daily, of motivation and inspiration. you'd think that that might light a fire under me to move mountains, NOW, but it does just the opposite. i hate to have my letters to you be even a temporary casualty because of this, (and i understand it's thin reasoning, at best), but this is simply an attempt to minimize distractions. my mixtape wave is almost done, and after that i have nothing immediately pressing, musically, so now is the time to get these essays written. i hope you understand.



will return on Monday,

LRV, b

Dolphins Into the Future

not to boast but i made music like this years ago. these guys are catching some serious press right now, too. an article in WIRE last year mentioned their near-impossible-to-find debut and follow-up, which have both just been reissued. mirror meaning: they're not so elusive to DL pirates anymore, so we're able to see what the fuss is about. and honestly, i like it but, a little part of me remembers all the hours i spent with the moog, theremin, and whales LPs making similar sounds and asks "where was all the press then?"

Swallowed by a Whale (aka: The Deep) by Donovan Quixote

maybe my titles aren't hip and weird enough. maybe it's because i never really pursue promoting anything. (most likely that).

or maybe it's because it's not a constant aesthetic, as if to say "to do it once is easy. to build a catalog with it takes endurance, patience, and innovation; lest the music becomes stale and redundant". this is what i like the most about Dolphins Into the Future. he/they? are exploring the possibilities in an extremely niche area; aquatic new age noise, superambient improv, yoga massage music. it doesn't get more esoteric than that. not to say The Mark of Quality is Obscurity, but you have to respect someone proudly flying their freak flag down their own path.

LRV, b

KAB + MxBx = LRV(b)

outside of family, there are two things that i love in this world: you, and Melt-Banana. if asked to choose, well.... let's just say i'd probably jump out of the boat if one of the three of us had to go to keep from sinking. the world would be fine without me, but couldn't suffer one without you(s). allow me to elaborate.

you and Melt-Banana share a few common traits:

1. You are Incredibly Unique. maybe i ain't been around the world but i can sure as hell say i've never met anyone like you. your magnetism is obvious, you draw all smiles. MB too. there's lots of spazzy music, lots of hardcore, lots of metal and noise... but Melt-Banana sounds like nothing else on Earth. INTENSITY! like it or not, your presence is felt wherever you are. you got That Thing (i know i better watch out). likewise, when Melt-Banana is playing, people notice. you can't shake it. (to me, that's a good thing).

2. Your Name is Rad. tattoo-worthy, i might add. if i had any guts i'd rep you both.

3. The Songs You Sing Don't Make a Lot of Sense but They're Fun Anyway. i swear if i had a dollar for every doodoo song you ever sang, i'd be a zillionaire. but scatology aside, you have a knack for mangling grammar and inventing verbiage, the likes of which would make Pootie-Tang sign his pennies. similarly, Melt-Banana's English is beyond broken. you'd think over how many years and how many tours of the US and Europe they'd pick up a grasp of the language they choose to sing in, right? even if it is willful wreckage, respect: "Who wants to be in panic / Bugs are all in pancakes / We are all ecstatic."

don't you know no good?




really the only big difference between you two is that Melt-Banana can be an acquired taste. you seem to connect instantly with people (although you may not think so). and pretty much everybody that knows you thinks you're Awesome. but not everybody can deal with Melt-Banana. they are loud, raucous, and deal in barely-controlled chaos. for some, that don't fly. for others, it's delightful!

basically, you're (both) a hell of a lot of fun to be around, and my life wouldn't be the same without you.

KAB + MxBx = LRV(b)