Largeblackcat

A lil bit for ya.

•01/22/2010 • Leave a Comment

Yeah Dom

Rad

Eric uses no hands.

Eric Turndown.

Sometimes you have to fall.

Sometimes you ride on walls.

Ice Ice Baby

Posted in Bicycles, LBC, Photography, Universal
Tags: bikes, BMX, LBC, LKB, Photography, Photos, Pics, Woodward

Sometimes BMX makes me mad.

•01/13/2010 • Leave a Comment

Why?

You're doing it wrong

I understand light weight, I understand ’slamming’ your seat if all you do is 180’s and tailwhips. But why delete the seatpost, it’s such an awesome part of your bike… it should always be there… No excuses.

Posted in BMX, Bicycles, Photography, Universal
Tags: BMX, dumb, EW, Not BMX, Retarded, senseless, Stupid, WHY?

Top 5 Albums of the 2000’s

•01/09/2010 • Leave a Comment

(Note: This was originally supposed to be top 10 albums, but I actually listened to each album as I was writing the descriptions, so I decided to only do 5.)

Now that the decade is drawing to an end, I look back in amazement at what I have (and have not) accomplished. At 24, I am now engaged to a beautiful woman, I have a stable life, and I have the opportunity to do things some might never experience. All of which I’m thankful for. 2010 really feels different, I haven’t the slightest clue as why that is but these past 3 days I have been more cheerful, thoughtful and just more relaxed. I have decided to maintain a series of goals through this year that will be fun and not too serious. First up? My favorite albums of the 2000s

1. Most Precious Blood – Our Lady of Annihilation (2003)

When this album came out, I was probably the most excited and annoying person in all of Littleton Colorado. I had heard the One King Down track ‘Defiance’ on an Equal Vision Sampler sometime in 2001 and was hooked. The melding of true NYHC, pure aggression and a melody that made sense had me eating out of their hand. Backtrack a little further in the 2000s and I had got my grubby little hands on a copy of Indecisions’ ‘To live and Die in NYC’ and I felt as I had struck gold.

Fast forward a little and One King Down calls it a day, and after an amazing run which can be read about all over the internet, Indecision decided to disband. From the ashes of Indecision the original Vocalist Tom Sheenan joined what was left of Indecision, formed Most Precious Blood and blasted onto the scene with the 2001 release of ‘Nothing in Vein.’ Although I love ‘Nothing in Vein,’ and ‘The Knot’ is one of my all time favorite songs, to me it always sounded like an Indecision record…

Our Lady of Annihilation marked a turning point for Most Precious Blood. With the road taking its toll on Sheenan, he decided he was better suited to city life and left the band. In a somewhat hurried search for a replacement vocalist, Rob Fusco of One King Down fame was selected to get on stage and fill some rather large shoes. If nothing else Our Lady of Annihilation confirms what was already thought.

From the opening of ‘The Great Red Shift’ to the end of ‘Closure’ the album is an onslaught of what NYHC should be. Between production values that clean up the rather mid scooped sound of Indecision, and the content of the lyrics it’s absolutely the perfect blend of logic, emotion and pure rage. I have owned 3 copies of this CD because I simply wore it out, or my CD player ate it. It’s one of my all time favorites and is definitely my favorite album of the 2000s

2. The Nerve Agents – The Butterfly Collection (2001)

What can I say about this band when this album was released I was very much so devoted to playing in a band, listening to anything obscure, strange and or interesting. Fronted by Eric Ozene the Nerve Agents reminded the hardcore scene it was OK to be punk rock. That basketball shorts, Hatebreed and throat tattoos weren’t the only things happening.

Having roots in older more traditional hardcore bands such as Redemption 87 and Unit Pride, the message and aggression stayed, but the sound was new. I remember seeing The Nerve Agents with F-Minus, Agnostic Front and The Business in 2003. I was blown away. The movement, the screeching vocals, the incredibly simple yet profound guitar parts and a bass player who was all over the place. It was like I had to remember how to listen to music.

Above all I remember how down to earth all the band members were when I bought merch from them. Sadly shortly after that tour, The Nerve Agents disbanded and members went onto start other projects, but nothing even close to the feel of what The Nerve Agents evoked from me.

3. Atmosphere – Seven’s Travels (2003)

I was working at Sam Goody (lol) when this album came out and I once again forgot every preconceived notion I had about music and did something that even shocked me. I Bought a Hip-Hop album. A co-worker would not shut up about this rapper named Atmosphere, I thought to myself ‘garbage’ a dude named ‘Atmosphere’ A white rapper from Minneapolis, was I really about to buy the hype? But as the album played on it grew on me… a lot.

I made one of the best decisions in my life buying that album. Released on one of my favorite labels at the time (Epitaph) it was a breath of fresh air. I distinctly remember catching the bus home from the mall and listening to this album the entire way looking like a little white dork singing along like the songs were mine.

The entire album is catchy beyond belief. It’s just an awesome album to chill and relax to. It’s somewhat of a guilty pleasure but I just don’t care. ‘Trying to Find a Balance’ is a song that I swear was written to help me through rough times in my life; I guess anyone who can listen to the song and relate can turn that into something positive.

Since the release of ‘Seven’s Travels’ Atmosphere as ‘matured’ if you will, with each album being more detrimental than the last. I am a fan for life and will continue to be.

4. Every Time I Die – Hot Damn! (2003)

Oh man, this album Rocks. I was dying for something careless and fast in 03’ and I got it. ETID had been around a while before this album was released, and until this album was completely under my radar. I remember seeing them with As I Lay Dying, Black Dahlia Murder and Scarlet. I was blown away.

They melted everything I loved about metal, rock, thrash, and hardcore into a sound that was more than pleasing. ‘Hot Damn!’ really brought their blend of rock and no care attitude to a pinnacle where they gathered an entire legion of followers and copycat bands.

Romeo a Go-Go starts off the album at breakneck speed and the rest of the album doesn’t disappoint. It’s a through beating of all things aural for 27 minutes. The best part of this album has to be the production values. It’s so rich and full while still maintaining the raw edge that makes ETID so amazing.

5. Sage Francis – A Healthy Distrust (2005)

How do you describe an album that made you change the way you live? Sage Francis is a genius. Not a genius that you’ll read about in history books, but more of a virtuoso that screams at you. Sage Francis packs more thought-provoking, angry, sincere, love filled rhymes into one album than most Emcees will pack into their entire discography. I emerged into a Sage Francis fan through a friend who happened to like Atmosphere. I remember him telling me that songs about Lucy were fun and lighthearted but also pointless. He played me ’Makeshift Patriot’ off of the EP by the same title and I was hooked. It was the perfect song to listen to after 9/11. It embraces the horrifying events, their effect and the reaction of the public and the media immediately following the attacks. In my opinion the world would be a lesser place had this song never been produced.

A Healthy Distrust arrived 4 years later, but packed even more social conscious and brain melting content. I’ve always admired Sage’s way of almost talking as he sings, preaching as he screams, and almost whispering while demanding your attention.

Even now, this album is gold all the way through. I can still sit down and admire and think about each song as if it was the first time I had heard it.

Posted in LBC, Music, Photography, Universal
Tags: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 9/11, A Healthy Distrust, Atmosphere, Decade, E.P., epitaph, ETID, Every Time I Die, Full Length, Hip-Hop, Hot Damn!, Indecision, L.P., Minnesota, Most Precious Blood, New York, Noise, Notes, NYHC, Old School, One King Down, R&B, Rap, Sage Francis, Sevens Travels, Slug, The Nerve Agents, Top 10, Top 5, Underground

X-Mas

•12/23/2009 • Leave a Comment

Get into it…

Posted in LBC, Photography, Universal
Tags: Christmas, Family, Friends, Gifts, Holiday, Lights, Rad, Snow, Spirituality, Winter, X-Mas, Xmas

F*ck you Mr. Snow.

•12/11/2009 • Leave a Comment

I don’t remember a winter this cold in a long time. I’ve lived in this damned state all my life and cannot remember a cold spell like this. So what does this mean? Day after day of riding Woodward. As you might guess its the only indoor place to ride in this state, so that’s what everybodyhas been doing… a lot.

Also it’s been great to find CD’S I forgot about:

Holy Roman Empire – ‘Lost in Landscapes’

Tiger Army – ‘Tiger Army’

Saves the Day – ‘Through Being Cool’

Coalesce – ‘There is Nothing New Under the Sun’