This game has officially been upgraded to “Pre-ordered on Amazon”

Sir, you can’t ask to not be seen as a racist when you say things such as:

Blacks Using 8-Bit Music To Entice Youth

and

I’m worried that this rapping mongrels want to brainwash our children to be the next gangsta thug. I’m love blacks, I just don’t like their hipped hopped culture.

I wish I had the faith in humanity to believe no one would take this guy seriously, but well…I know better. I wonder if the concept of me being an ivy league graduate working for MS is too much for him to grasp. It would probably just eradicate his mind to know that I’ve been listening to hip hop and rap since I was a teenager. How can anyone be successful under such conditions, especially being black. Shouldn’t my “hipped hopped” (wtf does that even mean?) culture prevent me from succeeding. And I won’t even begin to start on his “x-tian” (I refuse to acknowledge him as a Christian) values. His responses in his comments are so anti-Christ it’s actually painful.

Oh the internet, allowing me to see how retarded humanity can get since 1997.

As an aside, you should check out the “satan” music. It’s pretty hilarious. How anyone could take this seriously is beyond me.

• The first album is Shakin’ The Rafters by the Abyssinian Baptist Choir, and I must say, with a start like this, I’m actually really excited for this journey. I will be the first to admit that I don’t regularly listen to Gospel music. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just not something I actively seek out. But this album, well…I’m listening to this right now. It’s just so good. It’s Gospel to the fullest. It’s praising Jesus to the fullest, and these people sing with Joy (that’s right, capitol J). But what is also great is that these songs just have a great groove. The arrangements feel like they are straight out of a 60′s R&B album and they really pull you in. The rhythm section is great and the voices…well…just go listen. It’s amazing. I highly recommend this album.
• The next album is Johnny Adams Sings Doc Pomus and well…this one just didn’t grip me. It’s a good album, don’t get me wrong. It’s quite a great pairing of singer and songwriter (not to mention Doctor Jon playing behind) but…eh. Just not gripping. I’ll probably revisit this when I’m in a more sentimental or mellow mood. I found myself thinking it just wasn’t what I was feeling. If I come back and get into it, I’ll definitely write something to the effect. If you’re a blues person, you should definitely give it a listen. Otherwise, it’s not one I’d reach for right away.
• The first Jazz Album of my adventure is At the Lighthouse by the Cannonball Adderly and this was another pleasant surprise. While the artist is certainly familiar to me, this particular recording was not. And I’m very very glad I found it. While my favorite album is still the live album, Mercy,Mercy,Mercy; Lighthouse has moved into a close number two. There is just so much joy and cheerfulness in this album, it’s infecting. This is definitely a better overall example of Adderly than Mercy is, in my opinion. So I understand why this was used, and personally, I’m very glad. If you like jazz in any way, this album is not to be missed.
• Next up is Best of the Classic Years by King Sunny Ade. “World” is a genre of music I tend to have an issue with because it just seems like such a jumble of different actual types of music. It’s why I’ve often shied away from it. Regardless, this album was pretty fun, it’s upbeat, has great guitar and rhythm work and is just…moving. There’s a soulfulness and joy that’s hard to deny and it’s just kind of a good way to get you moving in the day. I found myself moving more after putting this album on while working. I recommend it as long as you keep an open mind.
• Up next is one that I’m really kind of…meh…about. Dirt by Alice in Chains just didn’t grip me. I listened to it, but by the end, I was kind of ready for it to be over. I wasn’t a huge fan of the band when they were big, and I’m not a fan now. Just…yeah. It’s a solid rock album and at moments it hits a really great rock flow. But for the most part, it doesn’t stand well next to the company of the other albums so far.
• The last album the six pack is by far the most pleasant surprise: The Allman Brothers Band live album At The Fillmore East. Hot damn, this album is awesome. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the group, I totally respected their abilities and knew they were good. But for some reason, I just kind of missed it. This album, well, it’s the first album to open my eyes so wide I want to hear more. I actually wasn’t in the mood to listen to the group when I put it on, I just kind of clicked and and before I knew it, I was rocking out in my office as I was working. I ended up listening to this on repeat for like two and a half hours. I was sucked in completely. The guitar and bass work is outstanding and …just…wow. Hours later, I’m still floored by the listening experience. If you’re only going to listen to one album from this list, make it this. You won’t be disappointed.

So yeah, that’s the first six pack. Hopefully I’ll do these consistently and without having to do as many at once, but yeah, this is going to be a fun ride.

Some of the tracks…a little weird, but some of them are just amazing. Personal favorites are “Icarus! the Angels Sing”, “Kraid, Rest Ye Merry Mother Brain”, and “Carol of the Belmonds.” It’s probably good I found this now as I will file it under Christmas music and not drive my friends nuts listening to this till next year.

So now, I’m rectifying this. I’ve already downloaded all of the ‘A’ artists that i can get with my Zunepass. While it’s not all of the recordings, it’s a place to start. This is going to be interesting, but a lot of this stuff sounds pretty tight. Plus, if I want to make good music, I need to listen to the best, right?

So here we go.

The first bit of gear, a gigging amp, I have picked up today. Thanks to the magic of craigslist, I was able to find a 300w Fender combo amp for 200 bucks. What’s even better, is that I like the sound and, well, it’s loud as a motherf**er. Seriously, I asked Yorke if he could hear me playing with his door closed and headphones on and it was a resounding yes. Sweet.

The other bit of gear I ordered was an M13 from Line6. I’ve been lusting after one, and decided it was my Christmas gift to me. I don’t really need effects. But they are awesome and I really like to play with them. This weekend, I’m going to see about picking up a bas wah from a guy on craigslist for 50 bucks.

While I will admit that it is kind of ghetto to be picking up all of this gear off of craigslist…I don’t really care. It’s cheap, sounds/plays incredibly well, and it’s getting me going. But yes, I think I’m a decent practice amp away from being done for a while.

Now, however, I have full on GAS.

And what’s worse, it’s all kind of justifiable. Well, kind of. I think it’s best to just list what I’m looking for and why I want it:

• Effects (in particular this) – So I used to have a pretty good Boss ME-30, but that was stolen back in college my senior year, and I never replaced it. Now, it should be known that effects aren’t required for playing, but for certain styles, the sound of a clean bass just isn’t…right. So I’m looking to get some effects and, after thinking about it, I realized I’d rather have a multi-effects board than try to find all of the exact individual pedals that would make me happy. Thus how I landed on the M13, which is the closest to what I want, which is essentially just a virtual pedal board that doesn’t try to do any amp modeling or stuff like that. It’s just effects, and I can easily switch between them, tweak them, and I can put them in any order. The only thing it lacks is a true auto-wah but that’s cool, I don’t mind buying specialized ones.
• Practice Amp – So the practice amp I own is a really little, rather lame, 15w bass combo practice amp. In a word, it’s shitty. That’s the best way to describe it, and I only have it because it came with the first bass I ever bought. (100 bucks from my friend Jenn for a shitty bass and the amp) For the most part, it’s been ok, but I just got a new Variax Bass off of craigslist, and after thumping through that for a little bit, I’m hearing how my amp is beginning to kick the bucket a bit. So I’m looking to pick up a decent practice amp. Right now, I’m thinking something from the LowDown line by Line 6. I’ve played through the 300 and really liked the sound.
• Gigging Amp – The last thing i’m in need of is a real gigging amp. I recently started jamming with a band, and I realized that I need an amp that will allow me to be heard when I’m playing live with a drummer, guitarist, keyboardist and singer. While a combo amp will be fine for practicing, for gigging, I’m looking for a two piece setup. It’s not going to be cheap, but it will be worth it to be heard. Not sure what I’m interested in yet, but I figure I’ll spend a lot of time at Sam Ash and Guitar Center when I’m back in Cincinnati for the holidays.

As you can see, I’ve got a bunch of stuff I want to purchase. All told, it’s probably gonna be close to two grand in gear; which is a bit of cash. But at the same time, it’s looking like I will be in need. Thankfully, I can at least get the line 6 stuff at discount. Plus, there’s Ebay and Craigslist, which may also provide me with some good deals.