Ok, it’s been a while since I sounded off on my less-than-desirable date the weekend before last.  Thankfully, last weekend was much better as I went out to the Handlebar Friday night to see an old friend and former DEAD AT DAWN bandmate Steve who was in town catching INSIDIOUS DEMISE play with ANTISEEN.  I didn’t get to stay for the show because I was pooped and had to be in Boiling Springs fairly early the next day.

Speaking of which, I was at the grand opening of the new O’Reilly Auto Parts in Boiling Springs.  Conveniently, my friend Mike Burket, formerly of GHOST IN THE MACHINE lives right in behind the store as we were meeting up to discuss jamming on a new project he’s been working on with Leman, formerly of TEN GRAND LEG and a new kid named Jessie.  So Burket came out to our tent and we were talking some music geek talk with our metal show host Diesel when he mentions JETHRO TULL yet Mike and I both misheard him and thought he said DETHRO TULL.  I immediately doubled over and blurted out, “That’s the best band name EVER!”  Needless to say, it is the working title for our project as it now stands….

After our ‘meeting of the minds’, I met up with my friend from York, SC Heather and we went to go see Alice in Wonderland in 3D.  The film was astonishing and was everything I expected and then some.  Tim Burton proves himself yet again and I was surprised to see the equally strange Crispin Glover (“George McFly” from Back to the Future) play the Red Queen’s knight.  A bit dark for a Disney film, but what would you expect from Burton?

Alice in Wonderland  \m/  \m/  \m/  \m/

While I was on the air Monday, my friend Kyle called me and asked if I wanted to catch The Crazies that night.  I was a bit broke, but I figured why not.  Carpe Diem!  So I met him at his apartment and we caught the 9:50 showing after my broke ass had eaten some dinner at home!  Granted I haven’t seen George A. Romero’s 1973 version, but I thoroughly enjoyed the remake starring Timothy Olyphant (Hitman, Live Free or Die Hard) and Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill, Man on Fire).  Again, it was what I expected plus more.  A good horror flick!

The Crazies  \m/  \m/  \m/  \n

Tuesday night was the first night Burket, Leman, Jessie and I all got together for the first time to discuss the project and jam a little before Leman had to head out.  Everything went well and everyone seems excited about the potential this band could have.  You know me, I definitely thrilled to get back into action!  More to come!

I regret to report that, no sooner had I written my last blog, I found myself flirting with someone on facebook who had obviously found me because of being on the Planet staff because of our mutual friends Dex and Intern Tyler (the latter of whom has also had an unfortunate run-in with this crazy individual who we will call Spam, Spamela Wain).  It started out innocent enough as I was just making funny comments on her status which was talking about her wanting to beat Adam Lambert’s gay emo ass.  Well comments turned to messaging and the rest is history.

Well, we made plans to meet on Friday and go out or just chill but then she contacts me on facebook on Thursday telling me her car has broken down in Anderson so I agree to ‘rescue the damsel in distress’ when i got off work later that evening.  So I go and pick her up and we go hang out at my place.  Now, over the years I’ve learned to pick up on certain signs from women and, when she sat down on my couch, she sat in a spot that left just enough room for me to sit right next to her so our legs were touching.  So I got cozy with her as we watched Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story with Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn.  As we watched the movie (which we both have seen), she confided in me that she has trust issues with men.  Respecting that I didn’t try too many smooth moves so not to set her off.  I did, however, ask if I could kiss her once the movie was over and she said I could.  So we started making out for a few seconds then she started freaking out.  I pulled back but she continued on a tirade so I took her home giving her my two cents worth on the way.

When we pulled up at her place, we sat in the car and talked for an hour or so and somewhat cleared the air.  I then walked her to the door and managed another quick kiss as we said goodnight.

The next day came and I texted her to see if she still wanted to go for round two despite the rocky night before and she said she did and told me to pick her up at 8:30.  Still skeptic from the first round, I dragged ass leaving to pick her ass up and arrived around 8:45 or so.  The night started out ok as we ran by Blockbuster to see Reverend Jim and rented The Hangover and Zombieland on Blu-ray and then ran by the grocery store and Wendy’s to grab some snacks and some grub.

We started with Zombieland since Spam hadn’t seen it yet and I wanted to see it a second time.  I gotta say I enjoyed just a bit more than the first time back in the theater, but the deleted scenes sucked so they were deleted for a good reason!

Zombieland  \m/  \m/  \m/  \n

Next we watched The Hangover which I hadn’t seen and she wanted to watch again (so it worked out overall).  I was skeptical about the movie because, honestly, the previews were NOT funny.  However, I have to admit the movie was pretty funny but still didn’t meet the hype.

The Hangover  \m/  \m/  \m/  \

During the movies, we got a little cozy on the couch, but as soon as the last movie was over she wanted to go home very abruptly.  Granted it was already after two but she had expressed no desire to be home at a certain time all night and was rather rudely insistent on going home so, instead of fighting with her, I hopped up and got ready to leave with as much urgency as her to go – only mockingly as I was obviously perturbed.

On the way back to her place, I remained fairly silent as she went on and on about random crap I honestly no longer cared about.  Finally sensing my agitation, she started on this lecture about how she’s too busy for relationships with her upcoming schoolwork and that I obviously was too because she knew I had just put in a 55 hour work week.  Refusing to let her try and pull a fast one on me I asked her what she was trying to say and pointed out what she undoubtedly already knew: I didn’t care!  Irked by the fact she was trying to get the upper hand on me, I told her it would probably be better if she never called me again and let her know how rude I thought she was to accept my courtesy and then so quickly throw such an icy shoulder.  She agreed that she was rude but showed little or no true remorse and, as she got out of the car she unconvincingly said she was sorry to which I replied, “No you’re not!  F#%k off!” and sped off.  Outside off sending a few pissy text messages later that night, I haven’t heard from her since.  Good riddance to bad rubbish!

This weekend I made my way up to NC to catch some SWA (Southern Wrestling Association) action with our very own Jeff Lewis Neal opening the show with his match against Chris Hamrick.

Before and after the show I hung out with Miles from The Wicked Needle in Rutherfordton, NC, his wife Melissa and some of their friends and family before heading back to Greenville.

On Sunday, I had an old friend from York, SC named Heather come down and see me since we hadn’t seen each other in at least four years.  Outside of that, that was about it!

Right now I am wrestling with something of a different sort….the lusts of the flesh!  I’m 33 and I’ve never been married so, technically, I can do whatever I want with whomever I want.  However, after 11 years in radio and hitting on almost every female caller I’ve ever had, it’s just really sad.  It’s not professional and, no, it’s not moral!  No wonder I’ve never met the right woman!  How can I find Ms. Right when I’m constantly chasing Ms. Right NOW!

Over the years, my frustration has been steadily mounting and I have vowed numerous times to stop but to no avail.  This is why I am writing about this rather personal matter because it helps me to share my problems with others without forcing them upon people.  So, if you’re reading this, feel free to comment with some encouraging words and, by all means, pray if you are one to do so!

Well Valentine’s Day sucked being single and all, but overall I had a pretty good weekend!  Especially considering both my state tax return and my paycheck posted to my bank account on Friday!  So I immediately ordered the Traben Phoenix lefty bass I’ve been wanting for like two years now!

On Saturday I met up with Daniele and her friend Brittany again only this time at the Barnes & Noble up in Spartanburg and then we hit the IHOP close by.  I took a wrong turn on my way home and ended up passing Raisin’ Cains where Matt and Nine were hosting the finale of Big “O” Contest.  So I stopped by and got in just in time to catch all the ladies show off their moves and then some!

Afterwards, I followed Matt, Nine and One-Legged Batman back to Nine’s house which was…..interesting!  LOL!

Sunday morning I actually got up early and went to visit Mauldin First Baptist since I met their worship pastor Pruette Plemens at the Mauldin High Battle of the Bands the week before as he was another one of the judges along with myself and the LIONZ OF ZION.

The people there were really nice and I even had a few people recognize me so I didn’t feel so out of place.

Afterwards, I went to go visit my aunt and that was pretty much it since I had a few different date plans fall through.  I’m not gonna lie, I flirt with numerous women at once simply beacause most women I encounter are extremely flaky!  And, despite having several plans and back-up plans, I ended up alone on Valentine’s Day.  Screw it, I enjoyed the free time!

Yesterday I had part of the day off as the office was closed so I went down to see Eddie “The Monster” Lamb at Monster Ink to get a new tat.  Being I had just ordered a new Traben Phoenix to go along with my Traben Chaos Obsession, I figured I’d get the Traben Bass Company logo on my left forearm.  Since it’s just a big ‘T’, it doubles for Todd and triples for Twisted!

When I got off the air I ran down to Blockbuster to see ‘Reverend’ Jim who always updates me on all good games and movies to check out.  He was playing the demo for the new game God of War III which looked amazing!  Since I don’t like to spend $60 on a brand new game, he recommended getting the God of War Collection which has both God of War and God of War II re-issued and remastered for PS3 and is only $30.  So I went down to Best Buy to pick up a copy and I am hooked!

This morning while I was getting ready for work there was a knock at my door.  I was rather alarmed – and naked since I’d just got out of the shower!  I waited a moment and when they knocked again I yelled for them to wait a minute as I grabbed up the closest pair of fig leaves I had lying aroud and went to the door.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was the FedEx guy with my new bass and case!  It was like Christmas morning – which made up for this past Christmas sucking!  Now I can’t wait to get home and play with my new toy!

Well last weekend was Super Bowl Weekend with the New Orleans Saints winning their first ever Super Bowl as they defeated Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts at Super Bowl XLIV!

Kicking off the weekend, I went to a movie with Rebecca since she was in town as we saw The Lovely Bones directed by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.  The film is a very surrealistic look at the afterlife of a teenage girl who was murdered and how she tries to reach out to her family after her death.  Not a bad film that has some very touching moments.  A good alternative to a chick flick for a date movie.

The Lovely Bones  \m/  \m/  \m/  \n

Saturday I met up with Danielle (P1 Yellbell) and her friend Brittany who were in town from Union to celebrate Brittany’s 20th birthday.  We met and had dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse and then ran to Toys “R” Us to get a gift for Danielle’s son Gavin for his second birthday which was the next day.

I then had to leave the ladies to continue their celebration without the grace of my presence as I had a prior engagement as a judge of Mauldin High School’s Battle of the Bands.  I normally don’t agree to judge battle of the bands competitions because I don’t like to show any sort of favoritism since I host Upstate Unsigned and a lot of them end up being popularity contests but I gotta say there were some pretty impressive musicians in the competition including young acoustic guitar prodigy Dakota Burwell and alternative rock groups THE RIGHTEOUS and SING SING 76.

I slept in Sunday (again!) because I was just starting to fight off some sinus trouble which I am still dealing with as I am writing this though it hasn’t been as bad as it could have been.  I stayed in until around 5 as I went to Joshua Scott’s house for a great Mardi Gras styled Super Bowl party.  Being an unofficial company party, many Entercom employees came bringing goodies including our GM John Burkavage with his homemade chili and Chase Murphy with his famous cheese dip.  Granted this was on top of the Cajun styled food prepared by Mr. Scott including gumbo and roast beef po’ boys!  Yeah I gained several pounds I am sure!

Needless to say, a majority of the party attendees were rooting for the Saints as the second half of the game (especially the fourth quarter) was a bit of a riot!  Joshua even broke out some very good champagne as even I enjoyed it not being a fan of champagne myself.

So the Saints took their very first Super Bowl as I got a little emotional as it was a Cinderella story of sorts for the franchise based out of New Orleans, a city still recovering from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina.

And I am also relieved and pleased to announce that I just found out this morning that I will not be required to have surgery on the hernia I have developed in the past year or so!  Thank God!  I HATE hospitals!

Wednesday was a great day for local metalheads as the mighty FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH invaded the Handlebar and brought their allies in SHADOWS FALL, GOD FORBID and 2 CENTS and effectively sold out the place!

Earlier in the day, I had the privilege of having their bassist Matt and drummer Jeremy takeover the studio during the Ride at Five and play some rather unique songs that you would not normally hear on this station to say the very least!  If you missed it, here’s the video:

ffdp in studio

I managed to get to the show and find a parking spot before 2 CENTS took the stage and put on a very impressive show for a new band!  GOD FORBID followed and gave the TRUE meaning of Black Metal!  SHADOWS FALL fell in next as they were my favorites in the show as I have been a fan for some time now.

But I have to say, even though FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH are only on their second album, it wasn’t “Hard to See” how they have not only successfully landed a headlining tour leading some heavy hitting metal veterans but even managed to sell out shows along the way as their presence live is something one can’t just “Walk Away” from because it’s “Never Enough” no matter how bad “The Bleeding” gets from the monster-sized mosh pits!  I actually didn’t intend to get all cheesy, but once I got started I had to just let it fly!

In summary, GREAT SHOW and I have a new SHADOWS FALL tee to sport!

Well I am finally starting to pick up the pieces from 2009 and I am feverishly rebuilding my empire for the new year!  Thursday I got my renter’s insurance check in the mail so on Friday I went and picked up a new PS3, Blu-ray remote and HDMI cable to replace the ones that were stolen during the break-in last month.

After work that night I went to the Handlebar to catch NOXIOUS’ return to the Upstate with special guests KELEN HELLER and DOGFIGHT.  I ended up tuckering out rather early that night since I had to head up to NC first thing Saturday.  P1 QuickKart31 had not only invited me up to catch another night of SWA (Southern Wrestling Association) but also to fix my Jeep Compass which had several war wounds from being both scraped and keyed in late ‘09.

When I got into town, he met me and led me to his dad’s shop, 3D Kustoms and Restorations in Ellenboro, NC to drop my car off.  QuickKart and I then ran to grab some lunch and went to the Forest City National Guard Armory where I ’helped’ set up the ring for that night’s wrestling event.  By the time we got back to the shop, my car was done but still drying so I rode with QuickKart back to the armory so he could get ready for his THREE matches that night – ALL of which he won (under the name Kendall Slayer) with one of the matches being the main event cage match!

After the event was over, everyone gathered at the wrestler Wicked’s house for some after party drinks and continued mayhem as I got fairly tanked (yes, that’s me holding the belt and drinking pineapple juice and vodka out of a HUGE Mason jar)!

I ended up catching a ride with QuickKart’s two brothers Mark and Justin and crashed at their place after making a much needed stop at Waffle House!

The next morning I caught a ride with their dad, Will who did most of the awesome work on my car and rode with him back to the shop to pick up my car and head back home to catch the last two playoff games of the weekend.  I kept up with the first two by checking the scores on my BlackBerry and was pleased to see New Orleans venture on to the NFC Championship as they will be taking on Minnesota who slaughtered Dallas!  I was disappointed that Baltimore got taken out by Indianapolis and that my Super Bowl pick San Diego lost to the New York Jets.  This weekend should be great as I am torn between the Vikings and the Saints for the NFC title.

Monday morning I went to the dentist to have him look at what seemed to be a piece of tooth protruding from my gum where my last pulled wisdom tooth was.  As it turns out, it was actually my jaw which had healed with an angular rough edge that was cutting through my gum so he grinded it down and smoothed it out a bit.

After leaving the dentist’s office I went to the doctor to get a physical and have them look at my suspected herniated area.  Indeed, I have a hernia so I will be making an appointment with a surgeon in the near future to get that taken car of (JOY!).  Since I had breakfast that morning, the doctor told me to return the next morning after fasting for at least 12 hours so I could get some bloodwork done.  She did, however, have me go ahead and get a Tetanus shot (I HATE those!  My arm STILL hurts!).

After getting my physical, I treated myself to a movie and let my curiosity get the better of me as I broke down and went to go see Avatar and see what all the hype was about.  And I’ve gotta say I was actually quite impressed!  I admit the plot wasn’t entirely original as our webmistress, Tracy pointed out, it’s basically FernGulley: The Last Rainforest just live action and on another planet.  And just like Aliens (which James Cameron also directed) this one features Sigourney Weaver as a strong-willed protagonist facing off against a greedy corporation and working with futuristic Marines one of whom is a badass Hispanic tomboy.  But, despite the film’s lack of originality, it’s eye candy is spectacular and almost worth the hype if you go see it in 3D at a movie theater.

Avatar  \m/  \m/  \m/  \m

Yesterday morning I got up early and went straight to the doctor to get my bloodwork done then came home and showered and got ready for work.  At about one (my usual lunchtime) I had my replacement TV delievered to my apartment so I took a few minutes to get it set back up and hook my PS3 up to it and made sure everything worked fine. 

Now my living room is at least functional as it once was before my apartment was broken into….and my car looks like it did the day I bought it (or it WILL after I give it a BATH)!

After getting off work Friday night I went home and grabbed a bite to eat to save my broke ass some money and then headed out to the Handlebar to catch TREND KILL OMEGA, GHOST IN THE MACHINE and WAITING FOR AIR.  When I got there I found out that, instead of three bands, six bands were playing as the openers SHARP SHOOTER had already played.  WAITING FOR AIR was next followed by SECOND TO NONE and FROM TOMORROW.  GHOST IN THE MACHINE took the stage next and then TKO wrapped up the show.

I had fun with a bunch of local musicians and then joined Mark and Eddie from KELEN HELLER at IHOP for a late night bite which Mark’s girlfriend graciously treated my underfunded self to.

The rest of the weekend I stayed at home watching the NFL Wild Card games as New York defeated Cincinnati which will send the Jets into San Diego to face the Chargers this Sunday.  Unfortunately I had to witness Dallas dominate Philadelphia but the Cowboys will surely not fare quite as well when they face the Vikings in Minnesota this Sunday….or so I hope not!

Sunday’s games went much more to my liking as it turned out to be the Day of the Bird as Baltimore pummeled the Patriots IN New England allowing the Ravens to advance on to face the Colts in Indianapolis this Saturday.  I just hope they can keep up Poe’s poetic prose and send a message to the former undefeated AFC team, “Quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore’”!

You couldn’t get any more of a knockdown-dragout fight than watching the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers go back and forth during the second half of the game as neither team’s defense could stop the other team’s offense.  Then Arizona missed what would have been the game-winning field goal and then lost the coin toss at the beginning of overtime.  Things were not going well for the Cards when, all of a sudden, the Packers’ had the ball pop up and into the hands of Arizona defensive linebacker Karlos Dansby who ran 17 yards to score the winning touchdown and solidified a date with the Saints in New Orleans on Saturday.

I can’t wait for THIS weekend!

Before coming to work last Tuesday I stopped by MY toy store Best Buy and picked up a copy of the movie I thought was the best film to come out this year, Inglourious Basterds the new film by Quentin Tarantino.  The cast, the acting and the script are all superb and Brad Pitt is a riot as Lt. Aldo Raine who leads a band of mostly Jewish Americans into Nazi-occupied France to do one thing and one thing only: KILL NAZIS!

Inglourious Basterds  \m/  \m/  \m/  \m/  \m/

I managed to watch the entire film and a few special features that night before going to bed.  I fully intended to watch the rest of the special features when I got home Wednesday night however, upon arriving, I first noticed my doormat was pushed all the way up to the doorway (I always pull it back an inch or so when I leave) and then I noticed that the front casing of my deadbolt had been chiseled off.  Needless to say that the lock was already opened when I slid my key in and, lo and behold, I found someone had jacked my apartment.  My 40″ LCD TV was gone as well as my PS3 and numerous PS3 games and DVD and Blu-ray movies – including Inglourious Basterds!

After the initial shock wore off and a few minutes of kicking and screaming, I called 911 and filed a police report.  An officer soon arrived followed a bit later by a forensics officer who dusted my apartment for fingerprints as one of my maintenance guys replaced the locks.

The next day I had my checks cancelled to be on the safe side and filed a report with my insurance company.  Keep in mind I still have an applicable $500 deductible and my rates may still go up in June even though this was not my fault in the slightest.

Friday night we had both the Rise Guys Big Ass P1 Christmas Party and the Entercom Company Christmas Party both of which I attended considering it’s no fun being a hermit cooped up in my apartment without my TV and PS3.  The Rise Guys Big Ass P1 Christmas Party was being held in my hometown of Simpsonville at the Zone Sports Bar and Grille and the place was packed!  I had fun hanging with the Original P1 Lauren and P1 Big Counsy and had a paper tube fight with Fat Boy which I unanimously won and earned some much needed stress relief.

During the course of the evening, our transmitter, which sits atop of a big ass mountain in North Carolina, went out due to the perilous winter weather in the area.  The conditions were so severe that our engineering team couldn’t even reach the transmitter until Sunday morning managing to keep us off the air for a whopping 41 hours!

The weather was bad enough locally that a tree fell on Roper Mountain Road and knocked out the power up and down the street….which I live on.  So I ran home after the Rise Guys Big Ass P1 Christmas Party to change into something a little nicer and more business casual for the Entercom Company Christmas Party and did so in the dark.  The power was restored by the time I got home later that night but went off for a while longer during the early morning hours.

I had a great time at the company Christmas party hanging with Intern Tyler, Diesel and some of our lovely promotions staff….and the free food and booze helped a lot too!  We basically shut the place down that night and still tried to find a place in downtown to continue the festivities.  When we found nothing else to do, those of us left parted ways and went home.  Some of us had to sober up just a bit first….

Saturday I ventured out to the deadly malls and other stores of holiday frenzy to do what little shopping my broke and burglarized ass could afford.  I also managed to take in a movie in an attemt to boost my own morale and revive any amount of Christmas Spirit I could muster.  I went and saw The Blind Side, the football biopic with Sandra Bullock.  The film was very heartwarming and inspirational which I definitely needed to lift my spirits.

The Blind Side  \m/  \m/  \m/  \m/

Sunday I went to church for the first time in forever (maybe to try and win favor with the Lord – LOL!) and then went to borrow a small TV/DVD combo from my best friend’s parents who’ve been like a second family to me.  Unfortunately I couldn’t get my digital antenna to work on the set so I didn’t get to watch football but at least got to watch some movies and relax a bit.

I got my renters insurance forms in the mail Monday and filled them out first thing yesterday morning and faxed them to my claim representative.  Now I just gotta wait for the check and try to get as much replaced as possible since I will be receiving $500 less than what my stuff was worth because of the deductible.  Sucks.

Today I wrapped up the 12 Days of Axemas from noon until 2 at First Cash Pawn on Rutherford St in Greenville.  The turnout was great but I had to rush back to the station to be on the air at 2!

Right now I’m trying to wrap up all my work and take the day off tomorrow for Christmas Eve and then come back and do my shift on Christmas Day.

Even though this year has been a rough one for me having had some legal woes, totaling a car, having my new one keyed and then my apartment broken into, I am remaining optimistic that 2010 will be a much better year kicking off a brand new decade.

I want to take a minute to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed and Happy New Year in 2010!

It seems everyone I know who lives out of town came to Greenville for a visit this past weekend!  My cousin Tonya came in from Portland, OR, my best friend Kenny came in from Atlanta to play a show and my ex-girlfriend Rebecca came in from Savannah, GA to pay her respects to a high school friend of hers who passed away in a tragic accident.  Rebecca and I had been on shaky ground for the past couple of weeks due to an incident where she had an ‘episode’ to put it lightly.  She came by and gave me my Christmas presents early and managed to make peace between us although our relationship is still fairly strained.

We did manage to coexist long enough to go pick my cousin up from my aunt and uncle’s house and go to Gumby’s to see Kenny play with his new project KENNY B & THE FRIZZ.  Opening the show was HEART MACHINE who put on a fairly energetic set before Kenny and the boys took the stage.  They played some MARTIANS SEE RED (Kenny’s former band) tunes as well as some new songs plus an acoustic version of the mellow portions of QUEEN’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” where Kenny demonstrated his truly incredible voice.

After their set, some of the members of HEART MACHINE returned to the stage donning Santa outfits and performed under the moniker BAD SANTAS as they ‘punked’ out some Christmas classics such as “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”.  It was great but I had to take off during their set since I had to work the next morning.

I dropped Tonya off and got Rebecca back to her car just in time for Kenny to show up with his bandmates to crash at my place.  A couple of them had to leave at six so they barely got in a good nap.  Kenny and his drummer Troy (a former roommate of mine) got up and hit the road when I did the next morning.

After getting off the air Saturday, I came home and laid low for the remainder of the weekend watching football and the second season of My Name is Earl which Rebecca got me for Christmas.