Playlist Friday...
Playlist curated of songs featuring Paramore front woman Hayley Williams...not Paramore songs! I have been in a Paramore kick and wanted to see what else the band or she had done! Enjoy!
Playlist Friday...
This weeks playlist is a throw back to some mainstream punk classics. From The Offspring to Green Day (obviously) this list of songs set the tone for a short, neighborhood jog. If my 17 year old self could see the suburbanite I've become he would be pissed. Go listen and enjoy!
Record Store Day 2015...
The last man in line...Happy Record Store Day!
"Holy crap. This sucks." I am the last man in line at Amoeba Records in Hollywood. What the hell was I thinking?" I went through this last year and it took me four hours to get through the line. I didn't get half the records I wanted. "This year will be different." I told myself. "I will get up early or sleep out the night before!" Over and over again.
Waking up at 9:00am on Record Store Day I figured I'd be screwed. And I was. I rounded the corner after parking about a mile away and then I saw it. The mother of all lines filled with vinyl junkies waiting to get their fix. The one good thing that Amoeba does on Record Store Day is keep a list of all the releases on a white board out front of the shop. This allows them to cross things off as they sell out of them...and when Brand New releases a vinyl press of their "break out" album and it’s limited to 1,500 world wide...chances are I'm not getting it when I'm standing in line 3 miles away.
I stood around for a few minutes chatting with a few of my fellow slackers who slept in before I decided to wander up to the front of the store to see what was already sold out. What do I care if I lose my spot in line. As I expected...every release I wanted was sold out. I heard people in the front of the line saying they had been camped out since 7pm...the day earlier. Watching happy folks walk away from Amoeba toting their prize record purchases just adds insult to injury. These people were the smart ones…or crazy ones…who slept out all night. Bastards.
So. I left. Broken. Beaten. And bummed.
I gave it one last-ditch effort and decided to hit one more record store before I went home with my tail between my legs. Record Surplus on Santa Monica, less than 2 miles from my house, had ALL the releases I wanted and NO LINE. The record gods shined down on me after all. This place is an oasis. I couldn't believe it. This is truly a neighborhood record shop and I will be shopping there before I cross the 10 any day. It just goes to show…if you sleep in…you win.
Couldn't they have told me my hair was sticking up?
Hell on Earth...
I am at the Department of Motor Vehicles. This is hell.
February 3rd 2015 - It's a Tuesday morning. The DMV opens at 8 on a beautifully brisk SoCal morning. I grab my coffee-to-go mug and leave to get there by 7:30am, to be the first in line when they open. Pulling onto Colorado Ave. I see a line of people and think nothing of it. After all my local DMV is across the street from Universal Music Group, maybe there is a celebrity signing or free concert. Nope. This endless line of disgruntled zombies holding paperwork is here to get a title changed or take their drivers test. This should be fun.
They don't open for another half hour.
This is probably my fault. I should have followed the rules, been aware of my expiring license and got it taken care up in a timely manner making a reservation. I did not do any of that and now I am paying the price. When I finally got into the building, just to get into another line, the chipper administrative officer told me I needed a reservation to take my California drivers exam and added "They next one I can schedule you for..." trailing off in silence squinting at the glow coming from his computer screen "Is late March! Wow! That's not bad at all." I stare in awe. I can't do anything but I can't be without a license for a month and a half. I beg and plead asking if there is anything else I can do and he brings me in close to tell me a secret. "The DMV in Granada Hills accepts walk-ins." He whispers "You should be able to get in and out of there quick!" I thank him for the tip and jump in the car - and expired license - to Granada Hills.
After sitting in in the other Hell on Earth Los Angeles provides to the world - The 405 - I arrive a quick hour and a half later at the next DMV and there is no place to park. Usually not a good sign. Remember how that guy at the other DMV said I should be able to get 'In and out'? Well, this is what I walked into.
5 hours, 3 different lines and a panic attack later I walked out. 5 hours. 5 hours of sitting. I had so much time on my hands I wrote this blog, downloaded the DMV App and took practices driver tests. I even called home to a few people to let them know I was still alive.
This is a tale of caution. Don't make the same mistake I did. Make a reservation for the DMV. And if someone gives you advice at the DMV punch him in the balls.
Safe to say 2014 ended with a bang...from what I remember...(this was in my camera roll the morning of January 1, 2015...no idea who that guy is.)
Hello 2015...
Shit to do in 2015:
-Get passport and get off North America…even for a weekend.
-Play drums for a band at a show in LA…and beyond.
-Post a blog once a week…totaling at least 52 post in 2015.
-Work on next film.
Shit accomplished in 2014:
-Survived Los Angeles for 365 days straight…fuck yeah!
-Fell even more in love with Jamie Cartlidge.
-Got promoted.
-Launched YourFriendMatt.com.
-Adopted our dog Piper from a parking lot.
-wrote, produced and starred (unintentionally) a short film. ..along with went to Vegas to do a short.
2014,
You were a good year, a great year - a stupendous year! Thanks for holding it down. You will be missed but we have to keep pushing forward. We will build on top of what we started here and strive for better.
Thanks for everything 2014.
2015 - don't be a dick.
-YourFriendMatt