AndyLand

a month later

2008-10-31T10:22:00.001-05:00

so i't been a month since i got back from europe and i haven't blogged about it yet. So... Estonia was awesome. I went out there with my friend Todd and our band The Royal Guard. I posted some pics on myspace from our stay. We visited many places throughout the country. We worked with V:NL, youth organization and did a little tour around the country. It was great. We went into the schools during the day, and played a few songs during classroom changes, and invited them to the free concert in the evening. The crowds were great. The concerts were so much fun. We can't wait to go back, and we are starting to talk about going back next year.
See you soon.
-Andy

Food for thought?

2008-09-28T12:53:00.001-05:00

When we eat, we say beef, pork, chicken and fish. Why don't we say, would you like cow, pig, chicken or fish?
-Andy

New York. Europe. Mixing and Shaking.

2008-08-20T09:58:00.003-05:00

This saturday The Entertainment Resistance is playing in NYC at The Annex. We go on at 8pm. 21+.

I'm going to Europe at the end of September, with my friend Todd. The band is called, The Royal Guard. We are playing a festival and a few concerts. Also whilst there, we will be doing a TV spot and a few radio interviews. We're flying into Sweden but we'll mainly be in Estonia.

So i am currently mixing both bands debut albums. Both bands offer different sound and I can't wait to just play this stuff for people. Hope you enjoy what you hear.
See you soon.
-Andy

theentertainmentresistance. com
myspace.com/theroyalguard

let me catch my breath

2008-06-10T00:03:00.001-05:00

The past few weeks.
After returning from my little vacation in Rhode Island I have gone straight into a very heavy recording schedule. I was in long island last week recording drums, bass and guitars for the Todd CD. We were recording from noon 'till 4am for almost 5 days straight. Then I came back to work a 15 hour day on friday and then we started doing guitar tracks for The Entertainment Resistance CD on saturday and sunday. Then back to LI on monday to start vocal tracks. This week I am working on tuesday and wednesday, then on thursday i'll be at Pratt with Insane-o-Rama for a show and tell on making movies for film students. Then friday, saturday and sunday i will be home working on my vocals for the Todd CD. Then back to LI on monday to record more vocals with Todd.
In conclusion, for all those people that think being a musician means waking up at noon and getting high and drunk, it's not. It's hard work and I hope you will enjoy what I have been slaving over for the past few weeks.
I need a vacation.
-Andy

Punk Rock Yoga

2008-05-28T01:29:00.006-05:00

OK. So in Rhode Island, myself, Brandi, Chrissy and Michelle went on this cliff walk trail, some parts paved and others not, that went around this big harbor. Of course when venturing on this sort of expedition, one would dress accordingly in black, stretchy jeans and a black CBGB's shirt, right? Oh, you mean your supposed to wear cargo shorts and boots. Well if I wore that I wouldn't have been able to come up with, what I simply call.....'PUNK ROCK YOGA'

*please don't judge my form. i really don't know what i'm doing. but i had to do it. just look at that scenery.
Photos by Brandi. Yoga coaching by Chrissy.

-Andy

Q & Andy

2008-05-28T00:35:00.003-05:00

Q:What are ya doing?

A: I have just come back from a great little vacation in Rhode Island.

And now that I'm back it's back to work. Before I left for vacation, The Entertainment Resistance, went into the studio to record our first full length album. We did basics at the Magic Shop in manhattan. Now we just gotta do some vocals and some solos and such, mix and print.
I am also recording with my friend Todd's band. We did some drum tracks so far and we will be doing some guitar and vocals this week. My friend Todd has a few albums under his name, and right now we are not sure if this CD will be under his name or if we're gonna make it a band CD. We do need to get it done quick because we are going to Estonia in the fall. Todd's wife is from there and we have been invited to go there to participate in some festivals.
So basically it's gonna be a busy summer.
-Andy

Shhhhhh....

2008-03-21T03:31:00.002-05:00

It's 3 am and I am awake. There is nothing strange about that. I am usually up around this time. The strange part is that i was actually trying to fall asleep. And I was until my yorkshire terrier, Franklin started barking. But it was an unusual barking cadence. Silence. Then a low growl. Then a single "ARF!" What is he barking at? I can usually hear a sound that he would be responding to, trucks, wind or rain. But what is it? As I slowly tune out the sound of the ticking clock near me, yes some people still own clocks that tick, I can very faintly hear a very quiet, as to mean far off, single bark, at which Franklin responds. How can he hear that? No wait, how can I hear that?! After all it is actually softer that the tick, tock, tick that is closer to me. Last night as I tried very hard to fall asleep all I heard was the ringing in my ears from rocking with my band and being in a noisy bar for 5 hours.
Franklin has calmed down. And yes, if you know me I don't call him Frank or Frankie, 'cause his name is Franklin. Sometimes I simply refer to him as dog. What? Is that wrong? People sometimes refer to me as man. Hey man. Hey guy.
Now I start to hear some noises. My ears are very attuned to my surroundings now. As I lay, trying to sleep, I hear a garbage can being dragged up and down the block. Perhaps someone digging through the receptacles looking for bottles and cans for deposit. My curiosity has forced me up. Oh, it's just all the garbage cans on my block rolling around from the wind. That's all. End of story. Or is that the beginning of the story? Perhaps the first dog was barking at the garbage cans rolling around, which then arose my dog from it's slumber to start chatting with that dog, so I would start listening to every sound around me that would in fact lead back to the wind blown garbage can which started the whole thing. Which then inspired me to share this seemingly boring story with the whole world, the very words you are reading right now.
As I look to head back to bed, I am reminded that I will be woke up by Franklin, the dog, again. Why? Cause tomorrow he is going to the groomers. He doesn't go out often, so anytime someone tries to put his leash on him, he barks like crazy. Mostly for the excitement of the chance to go outside. It's a really fast repeating, high pitched bark. The kind that will wake you right up.
Good night.
for a little bit.
-Andy

Awarding Art

2008-03-13T22:34:00.003-05:00

I don't even know where to start. I've been slacking on this blog thing. I don't really know why. Maybe it's because I have a lot to say, or maybe I don't. The truth is that i have a few unfinished blogs that i have not posted. One about the golden globes, and a general award show season wrap-up. But who really cares about my opinion? Well maybe that's the point. You can read here about my opinion and then agree or disagree. So here we go.

Award Show Season Wrap-up.

First I would like to say that I hate award shows, but if you want to have a conversation with someone you should at least know what is going on. It's very hard for me to watch these shows for a few reasons. First, everything I like never wins. Second, you can't award art. Movies, music and performance is all opinion. If someone can run faster than you - they win. That's it. So how can you award art. You can't. but they do.

I was happy this year that a lot of the people that won, I respected and liked. Finally the right people are winning. But still you have people that don't really deserve the acknowledgement.

Golden Globes. Whatever. No writers and lame show with lame people giving their opinions.

Grammy's. I am very pleased that Herbbie Hancock won album of the year. I have been a fan of his for a long time, and am very happy that he is getting the acknowledgement for changing the world of jazz, from being this decrepit fossil of a history lesson, to an evolving life form, that moves forward with time.
Does anyone else find Amy Winehouse boring? Why am I supposed to like her music? 'Cause it has a retro-'60's-soul vibe? If you want to listen to retro '60's soul, listen to Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings!!
And I'm happy, Flight of the Conchords won best comedy album. yay!

Oscar's. My 2 favorite movies of the year were 'No Country for Old Men' and 'There Will Be Blood'. So I was happy about the outcome of these awards.

In other news.........

The Entertainment Resistance is rehearsing like crazy. We are getting ready to start recording. We are also playing on wednesday, the 19th at the Cargo Cafe, in staten island NY. And joining us will be Bess Rogers, starting at 10pm. So come on down.

I think that's enough for now. See ya soon.
-Andy

My missing keys...

2008-01-29T23:36:00.001-05:00

The original line-up of HIT ME WITH IT has returned!!!

I have to figure out where all my keyboard gear is!!!

Here's the info:

This Saturday, February 2
10:30 PM

Flannery's Bar
205 West 14th Street
New York, NY

The original lineup is:

Jason Spoor - Lead Vocals
Richie Castellano - Guitars/Vocals
Chris Kuffner - Bass/Vocals
(me) Andy Ascolese - Keyboards/Vocals
Jared Apuzzo - Drums/Vocals

-Andy

MP3's

2008-01-03T17:17:00.001-05:00

MP3's....Ahh what a phrase. Remember when you used to have to buy a whole album just to get the song you liked? An then fast-forwarding the cassette to get to that song. side-note: fast-forwarding a cassette was an art form....anyway... It's funny how great it is to download what you want. I remember someone called me up once to learn a song, and before the conversation was over I downloaded the song and got the lyrics. What a wonderful world it is.
But what a sad state we are in. It's this damn MTV generation. You can't listen to the same band for more than one song. Is it the bands fault, for making an album of twelve versions of the same song? Maybe. Or is it just the way we listen to music now-a-days. Either way, what happened to the album?
Remember when you used to have to buy a whole album just to get the song you liked? Wow, I sound like a broken record. That phrase is obsolete... After you would listen to the song you liked, you would listen to the rest of the album and like it. So now we have all these people only listening to a few songs of a release. I call it release because it's not a CD or cassette or album or download but rather all of the above.
So now I start to think of my own wrong doing. I do own a couple of singles. But you can't call them singles really, more like stray tracks. And the thing is, I have turned around and have purchased the whole release. And there are great songs that I like now, that I didn't like when listening to the 30 second clips.
I hate it when I browse through some ones iPod and they have a band I like or a classic album and only have like two of the songs.
Now wait...I totally understand. A lot of albums have 'skip tracks' but that's what you do. You skip them. Oh, it's to much trouble to go into your bag and hit the skip. It's not like you have to fast-forward it. And those skip tracks are there for a reason. Once your sick of the songs you like, you start to listen to the skip ones and start to like them. The sad thing is we don't listen to albums, we listen to playlist.
Well, I guess the whole system is breaking down. The next thing we'll do, is start cutting out boring scenes from movies we like. That actually doesn't sound that far off. What was I saying?....oh yeah... buy complete albums.. 'cause I might come and browse your iPod and yell, I mean explain to you what amazing music you are missing out on.

-Andy

What's wrong with me????

2007-12-06T02:25:00.001-05:00

I just went outside and started decorating my house. That's not too weird. But the weird part is that it's 26 degrees and it's 2 am. What's wrong with me? Why do I operate from noon 'till 4 am? I am definitely a night owl. I can stay up all night watching movies, writing songs...bloging.... why? Maybe it's my punk side... you know... anti-establishment... don't do what the machine tells you to do... your supposed to do things between 8am-10pm. I don't know.
I guess that's just the way I am. It's the chaos and the non-normality that I live on. Oh yeah! It couldn't feel any better.
-Andy

Sweet,sweet chaos!!!

yeah!!!

2007-11-20T20:07:00.000-05:00

I just got even happier right now!!! A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is on!!! I love all the Charlie Brown specials. Even at 26 years old. Of course I'm a big fan of the music. Those Vince Guaraldi songs are great!
OK. I'm gonna watch now.
-Andy

yawn...

2007-11-16T22:51:00.000-05:00

I am tired. We had to get the broadcast facility I've been wiring up and running, ahead of schedule. So I spent 120 hours there in one week. I was able to sneak home to sleep a couple of hours but the last couple of days, I worked through the night. I went to work on Sunday at 10am and didn't return home until 6am Wednesday. Right now I am mixing a show in a mobile truck. Luckily audio has a separate room in the truck, so I can nap and blog. Well the good part of working this much is that I'll have some money so I can help finance my new band, The Entertainment Resistance, new CD project.

I'm really looking forward to recording. It looks like we are going to record on analogue. Yep. That means tape. Even though our world is so digital, analogue recording is still preferred. For music at least. The coolest part about this project is that we have a great team of people working with us. So far we got Omar to produce, Frank to engineer, and Anthony for web design. We also got a few photographers. I'm really looking forward to this whole thing. I think we should do a behind the scenes movie thing and/or a video blog about the making of the project.

I've been thinking about doing a video blog for this, but I like writing. If not for any other reason but for the fact that it is a good exercise. I always liked free writing in english class. Just an empty paper and a pen. Just writing whatever. A journal-like entry or a short story. And that's how I look at this thing. Except it's an empty screen and a keyboard. Actually I have a couple of entries that I have hand written. I should scan and post them. Maybe..
-Andy

Time Machine.

2007-11-02T22:14:00.001-05:00

Time machine.
Forget about making millions, the best use for a time machine is the ability to oversleep. You can go to bed at 3am, wake up at 6am and sleep for 14 hours!!! Think about it ;)
-Andy

New Orleans '07

2007-11-02T21:59:00.001-05:00

I am now on a plane heading home to new york, from new orleans. The trip was great. I am a foodie and new orleans is a great place for great food. That whole southern / french thing is great. I had some great po-boys, gumbo, red beans and rice, oysters, crawfish, etoufettee, jambalya, cajun meats and beniets. All of the places we went to were great. I did have a few dishes that weren't spectacular, but still good.
The other great thing about new orleans is the music. When your walking down a street and you hear the classic new orleans brass sound, as you would in a movie, you might stop and think this is the best place for music. But it's not. Living in New York we have the whole street / subway musician thing,too. And I have heard amazing music comming from those subway platforms. People playing everything from Caribbean music to Mozart. But in new orleans i was not impressed with the musicianship as much as I thought I would be. I was prepared to hear non stop amazing creole swing, but I mainly heard the same ten jazz standards that every jazz musician plays all over the country. Although when I heard the tuba, clarinet and banjo start to play, everything started to get right. All the bars have bands playing. Some of the rock bands were lame. Well most of them were lame. The other half of the bar scene consisted of rhythm and blues bands. They were all great. Most had horn sections and really put on a show. We did happen to stumble upon a New Orleans wedding, which was awesome. The bride and groom walking the streets with a New Orleans, creole swing band behind. And then all the guest.
The french quarter is beautiful. The buildings, with their balconies stretching over the sidewalk, with gas lanterns hanging underneath, might bring one to paint a picture, as do many local artist do. There is a lot of art happening here. The antiques shops and courtyards reminiscent of english gardens hide in-between buildings on these small streets. One might get lost in these small streets and forget of the large hotels and casinos casting shadows on this old world area. And that's were the confusion comes in.
Upon my arrival, I looked out the window over New Orleans, and I can see the swamps and marshes that are iconic of this place. But once on the ground and driving on interstate 10 it just looks like any other place in the mid-west. Just flat plains. With the sight of a small group of skyscrapers in the distance I feel like I'm in California now. Canal street is a palm tree lined street, that has trollies rolling down the center. Where am I? I think it's call New Orleans.

****Warning Personal Thoughts Ahead******

I went to New Orleans with a great group of people. Frank, Brandi, Marc, Chrissy, Helena, Chrissy and Kelly to be exact. Over the past few years I have vacationed with different groups of friends, and there is something about this group that works really well. I know it sounds cliché, but I have the best friends in the world.
-Andy

WARNING!!! PERSONAL BLOG AHEAD

2007-10-18T21:10:00.001-05:00

I've always kept everything on my website and myspace very professional. All blogs are not that personal. I've always felt that I would use the internet as a tool to promote myself professionally. So I usually talk about music, film, food and other activities. But maybe I should try writing something personal. I consider myself an open book, so why am I so closed in print.

*****WARNING!!! PERSONAL BLOG AHEAD*****

Well, I am working. And when I say working, it means I am not doing what I love. The only reason I work is to make ends meet. Well I guess the problem is that my ends never meet. Right now i am building a 4 stage broadcast facility. I guess it's better than working at best buy. The things is, I'm good at it. I can totally make a career doing it. But I don't want to do that. I can't. But I am working for a friends company. And that's really the only time I work. If a friend has a business, I'll work for them when they need me. But that's it. I need to be free. So I can work on my real passion. Music. I don't care what it is, performing, recording, scoring, creating, recreating. The sad part is, that over the past few years I have been working more and playing less. I freak out when I realize this. It almost scares me. I'm just glad that I have a good enough head on my shoulders that I don't fall into depression or drugs. I mean, I feel great. I guess that is one off my amazing traits. That I don't get upset when things don't go as I planed. Well, even though I have worked a lot for the past couple of years, I can also look back at know that apparently I DID have time for my passion projects. 2005 I worked for a construction company, but I did play with a band, worked on a film, and released an CD. whoa... 2006 Worked 7 months at 2 wiring facilities,but I scored and edited a full length feature film. And now 2007, worked a lot, but scored another film and began a new band. So i guess I have been able to do both. But what will happen in 2008? Not sure yet. I'm hoping to release a CD with the new band, maybe a CD of my own, maybe start work on another film, and try not to work at all. I know some people aren't so astonished by the things I've been doing. It's the way it goes here in New York. The starving artist don't starve anymore. They work for a little and then play for a little. That's just the way it is.

Well some more person stuff. I've been single for a while. Once again, I guess I'm lucky that i don't get depressed about it. I am also lucky that I have really great friends. It's almost like I don't need anyone else. I'm not really sure what I want in a relationship, but I think I know who I am, now. If that makes any sense. I'm not even sure if I have time for a relationship. Just in case anyone was wondering, I like: blondes or brunettes or redheads. I like em' tall or short. Good or bad. Smart or dumb. etc... HAHAHA....

I need a haircut. I've been growing my hair out for a while now, but I need to get it styled and cut. And I need to get it done right. I think I need to just go and get a $100 haircut by some great stylist. Maybe $200. I don't know. Does anyone have any ideas????

I'll be in New Orleans, for halloween. I am looking forward to it, very much.

Well all the variables are a little crazy, but hey, that's life. And either way it goes, I know I'm gonna be alright. Although, my 10 year high school reunion will be in 2 years, and I hope I'll have a better story to tell. But if not, I think I'm doing pretty good. I am at such a great point in my life, and have been here for a while, that I don't what to be doing anything else. Man, that sounds like a slogan for some resort.

-Andy

mmmm....

2007-10-16T21:58:00.001-05:00

I highly recommend the Orange Scone at Au Bon Pain!!!
-Andy

Fall (Retraction)

2007-09-25T22:30:00.001-05:00

Well, I never thought I would have to write a retraction to a blog but of course after my ode to autumn, our weather is now in the 80's. So I guess I will have to wait a little longer to wear my hats, scarves and gloves.
-Andy

Saturday

2007-09-25T15:30:00.000-05:00

Fall

2007-09-16T23:09:00.001-05:00

I love autumn in New York. Now that the weather is changing, and the air is crisp and cool, I'm happy we are starting fall. This might not sound very manly but i enjoy cold weather accessories. Jackets, scarves, gloves and hats are fun. And if you don't have fun with that stuff then your just missing out. I have a bunch of different jackets and I probably own more scarves that the average man should, but what's wrong with that. I'm allowed... you know... 'cause... I'm a musician... entertainer... and.. we're allowed to have a lot of useless clothing. And believe me... I do have a lot of useless clothes.
Don't forget to bundle up kids!
-Andy

August wrap-up.

2007-09-03T23:49:00.000-05:00

August wrap-up.

August 1st. The Police at Madison Square Garden.
The Police were great. The sounded better than ever, and they played all the songs that I wanted to hear. I’m glad I was able to see them live.

August 6th. Muse at Madison Square Garden.
Muse is incredible. They just came out and blew me away, from first note to last. They are truly an amazing band with amazing songs.

August 12th. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at McCarren Park Pool.
This was a cool thing. The McCarren Park Pool used to be a huge public pool in Brooklyn. Now it’s a huge empty pool with a huge stage next to it. It’s a very cool venue. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists were great. This event totally had the whole indie vibe going on, with Brooklyn Brewery not Bud, local street food, and with a line up of bands that no one has heard of.

August 14-16th. Camping/Mountain Biking.
I went camping again. This time it was scaled down a little bit. No generators, xboxs, etc. We also had a chance to do some mountain biking. The trails were ok. Not that great, but we were happy with the 9 mile ride to the beach.

Pink Eye.
I’ve been scoring a new movie, Pink Eye, with Marc and Frank. The score is awesome. It’s that last piece of the puzzle that makes a horror movie scary.

Movies

Superbad
Superbad was super-good.

Halloween
Rob Zombie’s Halloween was surprisingly good. The first half was Rob Zombie’s take on Michaels psyche, and the second was a nice homage to Carpenters original.

Disturbia
Disturbia was a cool movie. The first half just kept building for the explosive second half.

Perfume: The story of a murderer.
This was a cool movie. It had a cool story and an interesting ending. But it needed to be a little more condensed.

Blades of Glory
I’m gonna try to state all the flaws in this movie, but the bottom line is that I laughed throughout. So, I guess it was good then.

Ode to an eight-dollar bagel

I was in midtown manhattan early one Saturday moring, and I found myself drawn towards the Dunkin Donuts sign, and then became aware of the bagel store that was next door. As I walked inside, my eyes were drawn to the salmon in the display counter. As I waited to be helped I was planning on getting my usual, onion bagel with lox-spread. But then the European guy in front of me ordered a bagel with cream cheese and lox. The only reason I know that’s what he ordered and that he was from somewhere in Europe, is because he had to say it three times so the shop clerk could understand his broken English. Then the clerk had to ask him three more times if he wanted the NOVA lox. That conversation ended with a walk down to the end of the counter to point it out. So now I have to make a quick decision. Why do I get lox-spread anyway? Well, the local places don’t always have the fresh lox. It’s usually packaged. So I usually get spread made with the packaged stuff. But now, I can see the whole fish. I’ve had the fresh stuff before, and the packaged lox isn’t that bad. So why would not get this now? So I ordered an onion bagel with cream cheese and NOVA lox.
(Nova or Nova Scotia salmon, sometimes called Nova lox, is cured with a milder brine and then cold smoked. The name dates from a time when much of the salmon in New York City came from Nova Scotia. Today, however, the name refers to the milder brining, as compared to regular lox, and the fish may come from other waters or even be raised on farms).
As I waited for my breakfast I looked at the menu board. The regular lox was was 7 dollars, and the Nova was 8. I thought to myself, what’s one more dollar, and man this better be good.
So, how was it? It was delicious. The fresh bagel and the Nova just melted in my mouth. Definitely worth the eight dollars.

-Andy

Camping

2007-07-25T11:37:00.000-05:00

I went camping for an extended weekend with Clinton, Cliff, John H., Justin, John L., Rob V. and Rob B. It was great. A couple of highlights were; fire, air mattress’, fans, generators, coffee, espresso, Xbox 360, Fire, rafting, cannoning, volleyball, FIRE, curry chicken, skunk, steak, FIRE!, sand burgers, FIRE!!!, Wal-Mart, FIRE!!!! And RAIN!!!

Pictures to follow.

-Andy

The Entertainment Resistance

2007-07-16T11:34:00.000-05:00

The Entertainment Resistance.
The Entertainment Resistance is a trio from NYC. The Entertainment Resistance specializes in catchy Low-fi Pop with lyrical fervour.
The mission of The Entertainment Resistance is to provide entertainment at any cost with no rules and without sacrificing our beliefs.The Entertainment Resistance is a brand new band, comprised of the musical stylings of me, Damian and Johnny Spo. You can't check us out at: http://www.myspace.com/theentertainmentresistance

Join The Resistance!!!

-Andy

Food, Movies, TV and Biking

2007-07-16T00:27:00.000-05:00

Soooo… so much to say. First, why can’t I find decent greek food on staten island. There are a couple of places here but they all stink. A new place opened and it looked like it would rescue me from all the mediocre greek places here. This place was even worst than the other ones. Well I’m not totally sure yet. I just had take-out. But the restaurant looked nice. Basically the take-out stuff tasted like left-overs. But they did have a great taramasalata.

Movies.
I’ve seen the pretty much all the summer blockbusters. Knocked Up was good. Spiderman 3 was bad. Pirates of the Caribbean 3 was bad. Die Hard was good. Transformers was good. Harry Potter was good.

Flight of the Conchords.
Where do I start. First I am a fan of musical comedy. All the way from Victor Borge to the Smothers Brothers, Allen Sherman to Spinal Tap, Tenacious D to Flight of the Conchords. Although, I am not a fan of comedians that just write joke songs. Let me explain. I don’t like the comedians that write songs that every line is a joke. With the people I mentioned, the song isn’t always the joke, they are the joke and punch line. The two exceptions to that for me, is Allen Sherman and Weird Al. They were the great parody writers. Come on, you don’t like “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah”? So then, Flight of the Conchords continue to bring forth musical comedy with their show on HBO. Wait a second, that how Tenacious D started. The show is about 2 guys from New Zealand,(the joke starts there) that are living in New York, and have a folk band, with the original line-up of Bret, Jemaine, the 2 of them. The best part about the band is that they never really play a gig, well except at the worlds fair thing but that was just Jemaine with the tape. So usually they just break into song in the middle of the plot. They went for a more R&B, Soul, Electronic thing, than the Tenacious D acoustic metal. It works on all levels. The characters are great with their funny New Zealand accents, and the songs are great, talking about girls, monkeys, robots, cutlery, underpants, synthesizers, food, tape, kabobs, tea-parties, etcs… Check it out, but you should watch it with friends.

Hitting the Trails.
As you can see from my myspace pictures that I’ve been hitting the trails. Mountain biking is great. It’s great to get away from paved roads and cars and just be surrounded by trees and dirt. Check out the pics if you didn’t already. And if anyone knows of any cool trails around here, tell me.

-Andy

Falling Ants

2007-06-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

For some reason, during the warm months, my basement gets these flying ants. We can’t really figure how to get rid of them. We’ve tried some stuff, but they come back. It’s no big deal. They’re really small, and they die after a day or two. The funny part is when I’m sitting in my basement, like I am now, and they fly around the light fixtures, and they get a little too close, they fall to the ground, or to my head, or my computer screen. But the best is when they hit a string on my acoustic guitar, or bounce off a drum. That’s just funny. LOL.

2 weeks ago I went to Rode Island, with Frank, Brandi, Marc, Chrissy, George, Helena, Chrissy, Michelle and Kelly. It was a great time. A couple of highlights… fried clams at Flo’s, cinnamon basil gelato, chowder, clams, (wow that’s a lot of food stuff), running by the water at sunset, mowing the lawn without shirt(sorry ladies no pics), ukulele in backyard and car ride, unable to find a open dunkin donuts at midnight, and last but not least….. SKYDIVING!!!! Brandi, Kelly and I did it to celebrate Kelly’s birthday.

I’ve wanted to go skydiving for some time now. I wanted to do it last year but was unable to get it together. When Brandi ask if I wanted to go, it was an unhesitant YES! I’m still not sure why I couldn’t wait to do it. Of course the first time you jump, you have to go tandem. That means you’re strapped to some guy that does everything and your just there for the ride. So I got suited up and hopped into this tiny plane. After a very nice 15 minute scenic ride, up to 10,000 feet, the guy strapped me up and opened the door, told me to put my left foot out and onto the step, the he said your right and I don’t think my foot touched the step and we were in the air. Flying to the ground at 140 mph. I say flying ‘cause the falling sensation only last a second. (bing)))(By the way a flying ant just hit my drum)) Flying to the ground at 140mph is very loud and windy. After a 40 second freefall, at 5,000 feet I get a tap on my shoulder, to remind me to be prepared for the insane jolt of the chute opening. Then a peaceful, silent, beautiful, floating experience for the next 5 minuets until we touch down in a grassy field. The whole experience was very surreal. You don’t feel like your falling, it doesn’t feel like a roller coaster. It’s amazing. I am addicted. I want to jump off of everything. I want to get my license so I don’t have to go tandem. And when it’s not tandem it’s much cheaper.

Richie and I auditioned bass players, and we found one. Once we start rehearsing, we’ll start to book some gigs, and then all of you can experience 2 Part Invention LIVE!!!

I saw the movie Paprika. Ah named after one of my favorite spices. It’s an animated Japanese movie about a dream-recording device and all that would happen if this type of technology existed. This movie intrigued me mainly ‘cause in the trailer, one quote said that ‘this is proof that Japanese animators are looking to the future, while the Americans animators are stuck in the sandbox.’ ….Yeah. What’s up Americans? Another penguin movie. Surfing penguins. What’s the matter with you?... Sorry. Back to Paprika. The director that did Tokyo Godfathers, which is critically acclaimed, did this movie. So far this sound great. Right? Well it was good, but not great. It was very dreamy which I guess it was supposed to be, and that element worked great. It just didn’t seem like it was going anywhere, and the end didn’t really sum it up either. I might have dozed off too. But all in all it is good.

I love going to see movies in the small theaters in the city. (flap))(another flying ant fell onto my laptop)) One main reason…Coffee. I’m not a coffee fanatic, but I really only drink coffee, tea, espresso, iced-tea, water, seltzer, orangina, Goji, wine, gin, scotch and sometimes beer. Regular movie theaters only have soda… and water… and frozen coke(which I usually drink, but they’re usually out of it, anyway). So as I walk into the Angelika or Sunshine theaters, I am happy that I can have a coffee and dried fruit and nuts. The artsy theater crowd that these places have are just fun also.

-Andy