2016 Best Sounds

If you know me, you know that I am driven by new music and discovering and referencing albums by all kinds of bands. This year had a very common theme for me and my top ten list is very one-sided. Washed out sad bastard pop won out every time I listened to it. No hip-hop, soul music, reggae, top 40, mainstream whatever. Just indie bands. It wasn't for lack of trying. The new Tribe Called Quest record is good, real good. It just didn't hold my attention. This year I need my music to take me away and let me wander through my head. I needed an escape most of the time and my go to is introspective wall of sound/newgaze dream pop/acoustic simplistic woe is me melodies. I gotta stay true to my self. Below I have my top ten and some honorable mentions. Take a trip down my 2016 best sounds.

1. The Amazing - Ambulance (Song: Through City Lights)

When the young become old and the old get older.

 O.D. and LP... old cold and goin home

BURNIN' DOWN THE HOUSE

I'll see your Bikini Kill and raise you a Riot Mädchen. Light 100 candles in a highly flammable abode with few accessible exits. Drink a beer, but save some for firefighting.



Rumor had it that Greensboro PD tried to recruit a German exchange student to translate a Mädchen flyer calling for the "final solution" against patriarchy.

Truth and Soul

Maggot hipped some of us to a new documentary about 80's/90's supergroup (whoops) Fishbone that some folks made. They were some weird cats, but for some reason what 6 guys in late 80's LA did- (with too much energy and totally confused about where they belonged and what they were doing there)- resonated like hell with 6 young guys in late 80's suburban Raleigh (who had too much energy and were totally confused about where they belonged and what they were doing there). I can remember the feeling at those Fishbone shows. There was some wild shit. In Wilmington one time Dirty Walt Kibby was singing into a weird looking microphone- upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the FIRST black dildo I ever saw. I remember knowing that I didn't know anything, but that whatever this was, it was for real and it answered that nagging doubt that tormented us and made us ride skateboards and search the cassette wall at Record Bar for answers- that there had to be something else out there.

The years went on and we moved on to other music, other obsessions. But soon after I got to the newspaper in Stockton in 2006, I got assigned to cover a Fishbone show in town. I was psyched. I think I tried to negotiate some kind of backstage shooting access that got shut down. The place was nearly empty. Most of the crowd sat in the theater seats. The Rialto it was not. I tried to feel that same explosion in me, but it wasn't there. I couldn't tell what had changed- if it was me, or the band, or the scene. Or maybe just time. After the first couple of songs, Angelo decided to matters into his own hands. He scaled the seat backs, crawling with the mic until he was face to face with the (lack of) crowd. He screamed at them into the mic. In all those years, his energy had not dimmed a bit. He seemed like he was asking us, begging us for an answer- why had it turned out this way? Why were they just sitting there, and why hadn't his band ever become famous? For all of this effort and all these songs and all those miles, why were they playing to 50 people in a shitty theatre in a nowhere town? And why wasn't I screaming and jumping and going to the end with them? Where had we been, and how did we end up here?

I took some pictures, and they came out in the paper the next day. I didn't have an answer for him.

DERBY DAYS

Spring 2010, meeting of the minds in Luhville. Radar, Darnel, Jizza. Pure classics.

Appalachian trail

1997 - april 5th - august 5th. -2,163 miles . 5 months 5 days of nowheres to be and all day to get there . Always something to do and somewhere to go. 1) last mountain summit in maine foggy day ,once up top the clouds cleared for 5 mins with perfect views and i looked down and saw three bear ( Sow and 2 cubs) then it fogged back up.I took this photo by the sign ate some food then hiked back down the mountain. The A.T. from ga, to maine it didn't seem real that the trip was over. but the walking wasn't done yet .I still had to walk to the next town. 2). The famous mysterious uncle charlie( hell raiser)

3). River crossing ( two cables to scoot across over the water, one cable up high to hold on to and the other down low the walk on ) in Maine or new hampshire somewheres

Trains

black and white photos are on the way back to n.c. from mexico. ole maggot b. and myself in january 98.

The color photos are jiza and I on the west coast in oregon headed south to ca.

motorbike/lawnmower trip

Newman and I summer of 95 took or vespas to san diego ca. A buddy helped us rebuild them ( Rob H.) We rode up hwy 1 back to s.f. .We camped on the beach ,cliff sides and stayed with friends .One of us everyday damn near died it was a fun trip. Hell jerry garcia did die when we were on that trip i remember seeing his face on every news paper stand in some small coastal town. Our top speed was 70-75mph which also was our average speed wide open. Newman had no registration nothing neither of us had licenses .The trip was 500 to 600 miles total. We had planned on going across country on them from sf to kentucky . Then Lump Lump got on newmans bike and popped the clutch. That vespa popped a wheelie lump lump fell off the back and the scooter took off riding a wheelie then smash under a car the trip came to a stop in sf . Ive got better pictures some where from that trip ill post if i can find them.

WHERE THE SUN DONT SHINE

Spent the weekend up at the Truckee River. Sunburns. Dogs. Beer. Bear. Questionable discharge of firearms. Goodtimes. You will notice there are no actual pictures of the river. Pretty sure any camera brought within 50 yards of the water and Mr. Joe W. would not have survived. See yall next year.

FoodLion Skatepark

Many years ago, Many beards ago the Food Lion skatepark in Asheville was new and exciting. A handful of us took to the 12 foot deep concrete bowl. 

Salad days (Second Helping). Photo's by Victro.

Still going strong

Old Babies

In between Beards. Not yet fat. Best shoes ever.

The Sarge commands 

Pacific

Yeah, that was a damn good day. A year huh? Doesn't seem possible. How do we make the time stop?

Charleston Beard Contest Ride

The nicest weekend of the year fell upon us these past few days. Darnel and I took a 600 mile road trip to Charleston so I could participate in the 2nd Southeastern Beard and Moustache Competition. On friday it was 75º and sunny. We had absolutely no agenda and it felt amazing. 

 We stopped at the Town Creek Indian Mound outside the uwharrie's. I had no idea this was even existed here. It was pretty cool. Worth the $0.00 price.

 We camped first night on the inner coastal waterway. Full moon over the water and some busch beer and some backpacking meals. Next day in Charleston we met up with an old friend from Reidsville and her husband and we kicked it around Folly Beach and other parts around and within.

 Some sweet graffiti 

On saturday, we met this tweaker, Capt' T. He has this freaky sunken rolled back unusable left eye and this fresh as hell 4 inch scar on the right side of his forehead. He had to get right up on ya to see you, so I can't imagine how well he rides his harley. He and his buddy, mouse, (a meth runner) rolled up next to us because Capt' T's bike was smoking. He jumped off and came up to me instead of checking his bike and said, "Who's that?". He wasn't concerned about his bike at all. The Captain was certainly a crack troll set loose onto the fading light of this early spring day. I wish I was making any of this up, but I'm not. It's all true.

The Quien competing as the "Electric Starfish" He got second. He was robbed.

 Relaxing on the way home. Good Times