don't waste it

Seriously how fuckin' great is this song? I mean, come on.

This song's like the 1973 equivalent of those Everest College commercials you see on daytime TV telling you to get up off your ass and do something with your life. Yeah, it's a bit of a depressing reality check.

Don't put off your dreams and ambitions till tomorrow. Before you know it you'll be old and dying.

"No one told you when to run. You missed the starting gun."

Then comes that guitar solo. Jesus Christ, that guitar solo!

DO SOMETHING

Same as it ever was

The lyrics never really stood out to me when I first heard the song. I remember being about 9 or 10, driving somewhere with my dad, when this song came on the radio. “I finally understand what this song is talking about” he said. What he meant by that statement, I had no clue at the time. I probably was only thinking about when we would arrive at the mall so I could get some new pokemon cards.

I think I finally get it though.

This song is about how life is never what you expect it to be. The truth is, “you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack” or in turn “behind the wheel of a large automobile” not knowing how the hell you got there.

I think one of the most poignant lyrics is the “same as it ever was” line that singer David Byrne repeats towards the end of the song. The more things change, the more they stay the same. History repeats itself. Time in the grand scope of things is pointless - man-made. We're all just living in one big moment.

Wrap your head around that one, brah.

Big5 Barber: Classic Tattooing in the Heart of the Harbor

Walking the streets of Wilmington, Calif. one encounters many things. Liquor stores and run-down motels adorn nearly every street corner. Delicious aromas coming from the city’s many restaurants waft through the air. A homeless man dressed as sailor dances on a street corner for money. Wilmington truly is a unique gem in the harbor area. Wilmington is also the home to Big5 Barber. A tattoo artist who, in a competitive industry saturated with thousands of artists, managed to achieve a cult-like following.

Born a pastor’s son in Gardena, Calif., Big5 Barber, now simply known as Five, spent his childhood days running around the streets of the South Bay with dreams of becoming a cartoonist.

It was when he was 10 years old that he first started to get into graffiti.

“Graffiti pretty much ran my life from elementary school on up,” Five says.

Despite getting him in his fair share of trouble as a youth, the graffiti lifestyle also introduced him to countless artists, some of which remain his friends to this day. Five was even in the same graffiti crew as legendary tattooist/skateboard artist Mike Giant.

In the early 1980s, Five started to get into the South Bay punk rock scene. He noticed that a lot of the bands he was into had tattoos. Many of friends also started getting tattoos. Since he was already a skilled artist and painter, he thought tattooing might be something he could see himself doing.

“I tried to get an apprenticeship when I was 18, but no one would teach me. So I bought a tattoo machine and pretty much just practiced on myself and my friends,” Five says.

Five eventually landed a job and cut his teeth working at nearly a dozen different high-traffic walk-in tattoo shops in the Los Angeles area.

Flash forward to 2006, with not much money and just an apprentice by his side, Five opens his very own shop, Union Electric Tattoo in Wilmington, Calif.

Since he was already friends with many longshoremen, he wanted to open up a shop where he could cater to a lot of his clientele.

Though the shop is located in a part of Los Angeles dense with street gangs, Union Electric doesn’t specialize in the black and gray tattoo style that has become associated with gang culture. The crew at Union Electric specializes in a style known as traditional American. The traditional American style utilizes bold lines, bright colors, and often incorporates nautical themes – something a sailor might get in the 1930s or 40s.

It’s a fitting trademark considering the shop’s close proximity to the Los Angeles Harbor.

“By today’s standards we stand out a lot, just because of the way the neighborhood has become. I feel like we’re a more classic shop. This is the way I think a classic port shop would be back in the day,” Five says.

The cobble stone gutters and old brick buildings that adorn the neighborhood definitely add to the vintage feel of the shop.

Though traditional American is the shop favorite, Five has become well-versed in almost every tattoo style in his 18 years in the game and still has a soft spot in his heart for the gangsters.

“I do everything. I love doing portraits. I love doing black and gray, gangster shit. I try not to just do one style, because I think that just limits what you can do,” Five says.

Five’s been lucky enough to tattoo many celebrities over the years including Ray Liotta and Danny Trejo. Five was even featured recently doing some work on professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek on the hit MTV show “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory”.

Five attributes much of success to his wife, Mrs. Five, who constantly pushes and inspires him, even through times when he contemplated leaving the tattoo industry. Though he claims he is not always on the right path in life, Five also believe his faith in God has gotten him to where he is today. He has a tattoo of a cross next to his right eye as a proud testament to his faith.

Though he’s managed to make a name for himself in the tattoo scene, Five’s goal has never been fame and fortune.

“A lot of the guys out there just want to be super famous, known worldwide. I just want to be famous right here. I just want my clients to know who I am and be happy with their work. That’s all I really care about.”

When he isn’t tattooing, Five enjoys drawing, painting, reading about government conspiracies and building hot rods. He’s been building his own cars since he was 14 years old and is currently working on restoring a 1926 Ford T coupe.

Five also helps with the art coordination for his wife’s clothing line, Mrs. Five Clothing.

Though he is only 36, Five fears he may not be tattooing full-time much longer. Tattooing nonstop 6-7 hours a day has started to take its toll and he’s built up a repertoire of injuries including arthritis in both hands and chronic back problems. He frequently visits the chiropractor and acupuncturist and even has a personal masseuse come work on him at the shop while tattooing clients.

Don’t count him out of the game just yet though. Five plans on tattooing for as long as he can then possibly passing the shop onto his sons, acting as shop manager and occasionally tattooing.

And if the tattoo industry suddenly dries up and the shop goes under?

“I don’t know, maybe I’ll just retire and become a lounge singer,” Five says with a smile.

Union Electric Tattoo is open seven days a week and is located at 309 N. Avalon Blvd. in beautiful Wilmington, Calif.

Call today for an appointment (310) 522-5003

Ronnie James Dio dies at 67

Metalheads worldwide shed a tear today.

Ronnie James Dio, the iconic metal singer/pioneer/godfather, lost his battle with stomach cancer and passed away at 7:45 a.m. this morning, according to his official web site.

From his wife Wendy Dio:

Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away 7:45 am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.

The death comes as somewhat of a surprise as the announcement that he had stomach cancer came not even six months ago.

Besides his semi-operatic vocal style and diminutive stature, Dio was best known for helping to bring heavy metal to a mainstream audience. Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath and was also the lead singer for Rainbow and DIO.

R.I.P. Dio. Truly One of the saddest days in metal history.

Top 5 reggae artists you might have never heard of

When most people think of reggae, Bob Marley is probably the first name that comes to mind. For some people it might be the only name that comes to mind. The fact is, there are literally hundreds of reggae artists, both living and dead, that have been putting out great music since the 1960s.

So here they are, in no particular order, the top five unsung heroes of reggae:


1) Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff best known among mainstream audiences for songs such as "Sitting in Limbo", "You Can Get It If You Really Want", "We all are one" and "Many Rivers to Cross" from the soundtrack to The Harder They Come which helped popularize reggae across the world and his covers of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" and Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" from the film Cool Runnings.
Standout track: "They Harder They Come"




2) Jacob Miller
Jacob Miller was a Jamaican reggae artist who first recorded with Clement Dodd. While pursuing a prolific solo career, he became the lead singer for reggae group Inner Circle with whom he recorded until his death. His success was cut short when he was killed in a car accident at the age of 27.
Standout track: "Baby I love You So"



3) Gregory Isaacs
AKA the "Cool Ruler" or the "Lonely Lover," Gregory Isaacs is a Jamaican reggae musician, described as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae" according to Milo Miles of the New York Times.
Standout track: "Night Nurse"



4) Eek-a-Mouse
Ripton Joseph Hylton, better known as Eek-A-Mouse, is known for his trademark high-pitched voiced, comedic song lyrics as well as his use of Patois and gibberish syllables in his song.
Standout track: "Ganja Smuggling"


5) Alton Ellis
Alton Ellis was a Jamaican musician best known as one of the innovators of rocksteady music and was often referred to as the "Godfather of Rocksteady." His Mr. Soul of Jamaica album is regarded as one of the definitive rocksteady albums.
Standout track: "You Make Me So Very Happy"

Info courtesy of Wikipedia

Mastodon's Bill Kelliher hospitalized

Atlantan sludge-rockers, Mastodon, were forced to cancel their sold-out concert April 27th at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, New York due to the hospitalization of guitarist Bill Kelliher. The show was originally going to be moved to the April 28th, according to the official Mastodon website, but according to the venue website the show has now been rescheduled to sometime in May due to "ongoing illness with Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher."

Though no other information is available, the hospitalization may be linked to Kelliher's alcohol-related illness that forced the band to sit out some European dates on the Unholy Alliance Tour in 2008 - but again there is no evidence that supports or denies these rumors.

Here's wishing Bill a full and speedy recovery.

In other news, the newly-reformed Soundgarden played their first show in almost thirteen years on April 16th in Seattle under the name "Nudedragons" (anagram? pretty clever, guys).

Needless to say the guys can still play and Cornell can still belt it out like the good old days.

Here's some footage from the sold-out show:

Option Paralysis: anarchic innovation

Dillinger Escape Plan’s music might seem like pure chaotic noise to any first-time listener. Upon further examination, however, one discovers the complexity, technicality and sheer aggression that makes the band so appealing.

“We’re bringing a sense of unpredictability back to music. We want you to feel uncomfortable, to challenge you,” said guitarist, Ben Weinman in a 2008 interview.

The band’s latest release, Option Paralysis, definitely stays true to that unpredictability that fans have come to love. Though it features some of the band’s heaviest material to date, there’s also a good amount of slow songs – a style the band began experimenting with on their 2004 album, Miss Machine. It’s on these softer songs that vocalist Greg Puciato really gets to show his chops with a clean vocal style that’s equal parts Mike Patton and Trent Reznor. The song “Parasitic Twins” sounds like it could have been taken off of a Nine Inch Nails album.

The standout track on the album, “Widower,” is essentially a heartfelt piano ballad featuring guest pianist Mike Garson. The song builds up to a super heavy climax, as if to remind the listener “Yeah, we can write slow songs, but don’t think we’ve gone soft on you.”

All in all, Option Paralysis further proves that Dillinger Escape Plan continues to be one of the freshest and most exciting bands in the underground metal scene today.