Interview by Josh Massie. [audio:http://www.meltedzipper.com/podcastMusic/Tigers%20Jaw%20Interview.mp3] Interview with Tigers Jaw from Scranton, PA.

Tigers Jaw from Scranton, PA.

Members:

Last weekend, we had the joy of meeting up with an up and coming band out of Austin, TX called The Ghosts of Texas, we have an interview with them in our interview section as well as some videos, but in case you don’t want to go there to watch the videos, I’m posting them here as well.  I had obligations to take care of the next morning early, so I was unable to stay and watch their set, but according to Deano and Tim, it was amazing and from watching the videos? I believe them.  I suggest you go to one of their shows and show some support!      

Interview by Timothy Danger. [audio:http://www.meltedzipper.com/podcastMusic/theGhostsOfTexas.mp3] Interview with The Ghosts of Texas from Austin, TX.

The Ghosts of Texas – Cow Punk/Old School Country from Austin, TX.

Members: JonBoy – Lead vocals, baritone guitar Andrew – Slide guitar, harmonica, backing vocals Will – Electric guitar Eedann – Backing vocals, Washboard, Stompin’ box Curt – Doghouse bass

Interview by Timothy Danger. [audio:http://www.meltedzipper.com/podcastMusic/theRevival.mp3] Interview with The Revival @ The Downtown Bar and Grill in Victoria, TX.

The Revival :: Southern Folk n Roll from Victoria, TX.

Members: Joel Anthony Williamson, Matthew Melik Garrett, Andrew Lindsey Davis, James Edward Williams

 

For those of you who follow us regularly, you know that my good friend, cohost, and partner in crime recently went on a short tour.  As a parting gift, I made him a mix-tape, one of the best gifts a person can give a person they care about. (and its super cheap!)  However, through my years I’ve learned that there are QUITE a few RULES about making a mix-tape.  Ever seen that movie High Fidelity?  Well everything he says about mix-tapes are true!  Here are a few rules that I live by when I create mix tapes for people and myself. One :: Your audience is important! As you pick music, be sure to keep in mind how the audience will react to it and what they will think about it.  Pick music that the listener can enjoy and that will keep them interested.  Personally? I like to pick music with hidden meanings that I hope the listener can decode as the songs unfold.  However, if your making one for your mother, she probably won’t enjoy loud and fast music and your younger brother probably wouldn’t want music you hear on the oldies station. Two :: Every song tells a story.  I like to consider each song a chapter in a book that once put together tell a whole story.  Each song will add to the plot until the final song that will bring it all together with a definite ending.  Most of the mix tapes I make have a definite purpose and meaning so I choose songs that fit that purpose (see why I used the book metaphor?).  Keep in mind, however, that not all mix-tapes have to convey a message or a hidden meaning.  And remember! You are using other peoples words and phrases to convey your feelings, so choose them carefully and wisely.  You don’t want the listener to misinterpret your message! Three :: Use a variety of songs! A big no-no in my book is using more than one song by one artist.  You aren’t copying someones cd, your combining the works and minds of many people.  The mix-tape does not have to be made up of all one genre or one theme either.  Mix it up a little bit!  Different sounds and different artists add variety and make it interesting to listen to. Four :: Pick your songs.I usually have an idea in my head of the songs I want to use.  I get out a notepad and write a list of about 20 – 30 songs that I’d like to include then go through and listen to them and see if they’ll work for what I’m going for.  By the end, I’ll have usually whittled it down to only 15 or 16 and probably even added some that weren’t on the list that would work better than some I had previously chosen. Five :: Arrangement of the tracks is crucial. As stated earlier, a mix-tape is like reading a book.  The songs should flow into each other.  They should play off of each other.  They should start from an introduction (I choose a very catchy first song to grab the attention) from the it should build up to a climax  and come to a ending.  It sometimes takes a while to get the progression right, but believe me, spending some time on this will make it better in the end. Six :: Demo your mix tape. Listen to it.  A lot.  I spend more time on this than on anything.  For one because I usually love the songs I choose and secondly because without listening to it you don’t know how the songs flow together or if they even fit your purpose. Seven :: Presentation, Presentation, Presentation! Once I finish creating the mix tape, I’m usually not done.  Sure, it’s awesome, but why not go a step further?  Get crafty and create a cool looking cover or holder for the mix-tape.  This is a MUST for me.  Mine have ranged from a sketch on a folded over sheet of paper to a full out arts and crafts session. And that’s that! Enjoy my minions!  

At this past year Comic-Con, Marvel released it’s first trailer for it’s upcoming sequel to the less than desirable movie adaptation of Ghost Rider, entitled Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Now, to say the least, the first Ghost Rider wasn’t all that great, but I did enjoy it. Maybe it was Eva Mendes, maybe it’s because I’m one of a few people who like Nicolas Cage, I don’t know, but I liked the movie despite it’s complete neglect of the source material. Anyway, despite the overall negative responses to the movie, a sequel is currently in the works and Marvel has released it’s first trailer showing the new movie’s dark, and gritty tone. Take a look at the trailer for yourself. I personally liked the trailer. I hope it sets the tone for the movie itself. Just looking at the look of Ghost Rider sets the stage for the tone of the movie. As you could see, the Rider’s skull was darkened and charred from being set aflame numerous times, and you could see the his leather jacket and pants bubble and sizzle from the heat of his Hell Fire covered skeleton, which looked pretty cool to me. It’s being made by the same guys who made the Crank movies and by judging what was seen in the trailer, the action should be pretty intense, and by the looks of it, kinda violent as the Rider really doesn’t seem to show any remorse for his enemies and victims. So what’s your opinion of the new Ghost Rider movie? Think it’ll be better than the first?

Hey everyone! Here’s the first official trailer for the upcoming sequel to THQ and Vigil Games’ generally unknown but well received game, Darksiders. For those of you who don’t know what the first game was about, check out my BusyGamer.com review of the game right here, http://www.busygamer.com/?p=6276. This game was a real surprise to me. It combined a lot of game aspects that I enjoy, and the sequel is looking pretty good if you ask me. Here’s the first official trailer for Darksiders 2. Enjoy!

Hey guys! Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. Here’s a little more info in regards to the game reviews I’m gonna start posting on my blog. First of all: a scoring system. Now, if you’ve read any game reviews on BusyGamer.com, you’ll notice that they score their games based on the quality of the game, as well as the amount of time it takes to complete the game or how time consuming the game is overall based on a 1-5 scoring scale. A game receiving the score of a 1 is a game that takes a lot of time to learn and play through, and a 5 is a game that is fairly easy to pick up and play through. I’m gonna do things a little bit different. I’m going to use the same scoring scale, but I’ll be scoring the games based on the quality and fun of the game. All in all, I’m pretty excited about doing this. Like I said in my announcement post, I’m gonna try to get at least one review posted a month, and like I said, I’m open for suggestions of what games to review for multiple systems. Expect to see my first game review, which will be of L. A. Noire, by the end of next week. Laterz!!

Saturday Night in Victoria TX was on fire. In addition to hometown favorites, Stout City Luchadores, Doug Blank and The Violent Man, and The Revival, roots country/cow punk band “Ghosts Of Texas” came out and wowed the crowd. Seriously this band has a stand up bass, guitar player, washboard player and a resonator/harmonica player. Their stripped down minimalist setup only accented how good they really were. We got an interview with them as well as some video I’ll be posting soon.    

Well, I’m happy to report that I woke up this morning in the band house. I drove in from Austin last night after making the decision to come home a day early. The whole experience was basically a choose your own adventure, and I’m pretty excited to be back home, energized to work on new songs for the band, new story ideas from the characters I have met along the way, and looking forward to getting back to school next week. A big shout out goes to my friend Mathias Issasi who is continuing his monthlong trek down Hwy 66 for a month. I’m proud to know him, he’s a great musician and has a lot of heart. A lot of people talk about the things they want to do, Mathias goes out and makes it happen. I think that’s what this is all about. I don’t want to be a “big fish in a little pond” tried that in the ninties with the blacklisted… it’s alright but I don’t want to stay local. My idea was to always get out there. I dont want to be famous. But I do want to be relevant. At least relevant to someone. That’s what’s important. I’m pushing 35, I don’t know how much time I got left on earth, and I want to make sure the music I leave is a testament to what I felt, thought and did. In a way we are our own living legends. We go out and do these things, we go and play to total strangers, not just friends who will like us no matter what…(but we love ya friends!) We get out of our comfort zones and play the unknown and give it as much of our soul as someone who was playing Emo’s on a sold out tour. We have set out to write our own history. I will continue to do this until I can’t anymore. I’m not trying to be anyone other than myself. But somewhere.. someone listened. Thanks to everyone who sent good vibes my way, I promise to have more confirmations next time so I can see everyone. below is a video I took this past week, it was shot and edited with my iphone. See ya.