Saturday, February 24, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
something old
I've been a fan of 16 Horsepower for a few years now, and recently I've been listening to the song "Flutter" from the album Folklore. Here's a video of them playing it live.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
poem
Flutter
Chris Mattix
35 lines
I met this girl at the bar
the other night, Marcie.
The kind of girl
who smells like men
and says things like
"Hey there cowboy."
Her dress, red of course,
was riding up in all the wrong
places, but I was coming
from a dry spell
so I took it in stride.
We talked for a while
and I smoked the rest
of my pack and downed
five scotch and waters.
We stumbled back into
my dirty apartment
tripping over clothes,
bottles, and a hamper
filled with old pizza boxes
and ash.
She stood in the corner
and undressed
while I fixed the sheets
and prepared the bed
for a thrashing.
We fucked, but I held
back. I didn't want to wake
up sore in places that weren't
easily blamed on booze.
The next day she wanted
to take a shower with me
so I tossed her out.
I didn't want her getting
too comfortable.
Chris Mattix
35 lines
I met this girl at the bar
the other night, Marcie.
The kind of girl
who smells like men
and says things like
"Hey there cowboy."
Her dress, red of course,
was riding up in all the wrong
places, but I was coming
from a dry spell
so I took it in stride.
We talked for a while
and I smoked the rest
of my pack and downed
five scotch and waters.
We stumbled back into
my dirty apartment
tripping over clothes,
bottles, and a hamper
filled with old pizza boxes
and ash.
She stood in the corner
and undressed
while I fixed the sheets
and prepared the bed
for a thrashing.
We fucked, but I held
back. I didn't want to wake
up sore in places that weren't
easily blamed on booze.
The next day she wanted
to take a shower with me
so I tossed her out.
I didn't want her getting
too comfortable.
Jens Lekman (cover)
I've been listening to this Jens Lekman cover of the Scout Niblett song Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death...so here's a link:
http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Jens%20Lekman%20-%20Your%20Beat%20Kicks%20Back%20Like%20Death.mp3
http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Jens%20Lekman%20-%20Your%20Beat%20Kicks%20Back%20Like%20Death.mp3
Monday, February 12, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
crazy shit happens sometimes...
so Dalisha called me from the back of a cop car because Greg got drunk and thought it was a good idea to provoke her until she punched him in the face.
Greg is a douche-- plain and simple.
Greg is a douche-- plain and simple.
Monday, January 29, 2007
new band
Dalisha and I have decided to combine our powers and give back to the people in the form of Precursors and Blasts (our new band). Expect great things.
www.myspace.com/precursorsandblasts
www.myspace.com/precursorsandblasts
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
poem...
I'm About to Throw My Teeth Into Your Face
Chris Mattix
27 Lines
The villain in me wishes
nothing more than torment
and callousness to fill
your hearts. With a wave
of my clenched fist you will
all crumble into piles
of dust and blow away with
the eastern wind.
The hero in me would unhinge
my jowls and take that fist,
leaving a stump that bleeds
for the people; a symbol
of humanities need for protection.
Everyday the heros and villains
that dwell inside me battle
for reign over the masses.
Some nights I fall asleep
to the sound of panic and dream
of my tyrannous world.
Other nights I fall asleep
to the sound of nothing
and take that to mean,
peace.
I think of these things for hours
each day and remind myself
that I'm normal. I'm just one
of many sheep with delusions
of unreachable grandeur.
Chris Mattix
27 Lines
The villain in me wishes
nothing more than torment
and callousness to fill
your hearts. With a wave
of my clenched fist you will
all crumble into piles
of dust and blow away with
the eastern wind.
The hero in me would unhinge
my jowls and take that fist,
leaving a stump that bleeds
for the people; a symbol
of humanities need for protection.
Everyday the heros and villains
that dwell inside me battle
for reign over the masses.
Some nights I fall asleep
to the sound of panic and dream
of my tyrannous world.
Other nights I fall asleep
to the sound of nothing
and take that to mean,
peace.
I think of these things for hours
each day and remind myself
that I'm normal. I'm just one
of many sheep with delusions
of unreachable grandeur.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
music writing
here's something that I wrote for Stylus Magazine's stypod mp3 blog.
Fusing Your Worth
by
Chris Mattix
It's interesting to watch a band try to recover from a break up. Regrouping and refocusing can't be easy, especially for members of bands riding the coattails of past success. The pressure to prove yourself again as a musician increases tenfold after a break-up, and comparisons with the group that attained earlier chart success or critical recognition are hard to escape, But sometimes when one band dies another band gets its wings.
Kylesa was formed out of necessity. When Damad broke up in 2000 guitarist Philip Cope and three other Damad members formed Kylesa so they wouldn't have to stop writing songs. At first I assumed that Cope and company were going to pick up where Damad left off, in some grisly pit in the swamps of Georgia. Cope, however, turned out to be a much better musician than I gave him credit for, and Damad's demise has turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to the guy.
I didn't notice it at the time, but now when I listen to Damad, specifically Cope's guitar work, I can pick out the subtle nuances that have become fully realized within Kylesa. I can hear Cope's influences because they wander, as if Cope is a child who can’t focus all of his attention on one thing. Consequently, he sneaks things in where he can -- a riff here, a riff there, but always in moderation, so people won't catch on. The track "Second Hand" from Damad's album Rise and Fall is one of the more obvious examples of this. If you listen closely you can hear riffs that sound eerily familiar to early Emperor and Neurosis. This track makes me wonder what it was like for Cope to have to restrict his creativity for so long; constantly repressing the urge to fuse together a variety of styles.
I suppose it doesn't matter what it was like for Cope in the 90's, because he's a creative juggernaut today, and Kylesa are getting better with every album. Their latest release, Time Will Fuse its Worth, eclipses the band’s previous material because it’s more focused and the songs are more challenging. The physical make up of Kylesa is as unique as the music. In particular,using two drummers makes the band sound more full and adds tribal elements that take Cope's songs in interesting directions. The other band members deliver as well and guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants' bark is one of the highlights of the record. She and Cope trade off seamlessly on the track "What Becomes an End," which starts with a heavy dose of old school hardcore guitar work that reminds me of Artimus Pyle's song "Showdown," and then a saunters into a sludgy riff for a moment before picking up speed and taking off again, finally ending with a wah-wah infused guitar solo that would make Matt Pike proud.
Although Damad fit so nicely into the world of crust punk and His Hero is Gone-style hardcore, it makes sense that Kylesa are a band who are reluctant to tie themselves to any particular genre.A lot of bands strive unsuccessfully to make fans and critics wonder what they will do next. They never quite break the mold that formed them and, as a result, they become predictable. That’s not a problem for Kylesa. In fact, unpredictability is the whole point. We don't know what to expect from them next because they truly don’t know what road they are apt to take.That’s what makes them so much fun.
p.s. here's a link to the last article I wrote.
http://stylusmagazine.com/stypod/archives/579
Fusing Your Worth
by
Chris Mattix
It's interesting to watch a band try to recover from a break up. Regrouping and refocusing can't be easy, especially for members of bands riding the coattails of past success. The pressure to prove yourself again as a musician increases tenfold after a break-up, and comparisons with the group that attained earlier chart success or critical recognition are hard to escape, But sometimes when one band dies another band gets its wings.
Kylesa was formed out of necessity. When Damad broke up in 2000 guitarist Philip Cope and three other Damad members formed Kylesa so they wouldn't have to stop writing songs. At first I assumed that Cope and company were going to pick up where Damad left off, in some grisly pit in the swamps of Georgia. Cope, however, turned out to be a much better musician than I gave him credit for, and Damad's demise has turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to the guy.
I didn't notice it at the time, but now when I listen to Damad, specifically Cope's guitar work, I can pick out the subtle nuances that have become fully realized within Kylesa. I can hear Cope's influences because they wander, as if Cope is a child who can’t focus all of his attention on one thing. Consequently, he sneaks things in where he can -- a riff here, a riff there, but always in moderation, so people won't catch on. The track "Second Hand" from Damad's album Rise and Fall is one of the more obvious examples of this. If you listen closely you can hear riffs that sound eerily familiar to early Emperor and Neurosis. This track makes me wonder what it was like for Cope to have to restrict his creativity for so long; constantly repressing the urge to fuse together a variety of styles.
I suppose it doesn't matter what it was like for Cope in the 90's, because he's a creative juggernaut today, and Kylesa are getting better with every album. Their latest release, Time Will Fuse its Worth, eclipses the band’s previous material because it’s more focused and the songs are more challenging. The physical make up of Kylesa is as unique as the music. In particular,using two drummers makes the band sound more full and adds tribal elements that take Cope's songs in interesting directions. The other band members deliver as well and guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants' bark is one of the highlights of the record. She and Cope trade off seamlessly on the track "What Becomes an End," which starts with a heavy dose of old school hardcore guitar work that reminds me of Artimus Pyle's song "Showdown," and then a saunters into a sludgy riff for a moment before picking up speed and taking off again, finally ending with a wah-wah infused guitar solo that would make Matt Pike proud.
Although Damad fit so nicely into the world of crust punk and His Hero is Gone-style hardcore, it makes sense that Kylesa are a band who are reluctant to tie themselves to any particular genre.A lot of bands strive unsuccessfully to make fans and critics wonder what they will do next. They never quite break the mold that formed them and, as a result, they become predictable. That’s not a problem for Kylesa. In fact, unpredictability is the whole point. We don't know what to expect from them next because they truly don’t know what road they are apt to take.That’s what makes them so much fun.
p.s. here's a link to the last article I wrote.
http://stylusmagazine.com/stypod/archives/579
Sunday, December 10, 2006
old hardcore...
so i've been listening to a lot of old hardcore/crust stuff lately and i'm really into Damad and His Hero is Gone (i was always a fan but i haven't listened to them in a while). Since I couldn't find a good HHiG video I'm posting a Tragedy video instead (the band that the guys from HHiG formed after breaking up).
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
I can't get enough of this
I love this video/cover. I saw them play this song at Bumbershoot and it was crazy sexy.
Cocorosie Turn me on
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Cocorosie Turn me on
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