I Like My Music Loud

Festival season is upon us! Never mind the fact that the actual festivals are still months away. Every year, about this time, I sit and look at the lineups for the English/Scottish music festivals and wish I had an extra $2000 lying around. Last year, with my very first Lollapalooza and Pitchfork experiences on the horizon, I didn't think about it at all. This year, I've already bought tickets to Lollapalooza and Pitchfork, but I can't help looking at what I'm missing out on half a world away. For example, Blur and Oasis may both be playing at Glastonbury this year. Can you imagine? This would have blown my mind in 1996. I think they should play at the same time on opposite ends of the park and see who draws the biggest crowd. Seriously, guys, let's settle this feud once and for all, ok? ;)

I think next year might have to be the year I go back, with Jon in tow. He's never been to the UK and he loves music (generally the same kind of music that I do) just as much as I do. I know he would have a great time...and it would be such a cool thing to do together. I don't know if I'll ever actually brave the camping aspect of it, but if I did, I'd feel better having him there too. This may be wishful thinking if we do end up moving next summer, but we shall see.

Right, so enough daydreaming about what I'm not doing. In terms of music, I can't really complain. I saw Primal Scream last Sunday at the Metro. I would offer an opinion on the show, but my views are pretty similar to these and these. Let's just say my ears were still ringing well into the next day. I think it finally stopped around 3pm. Pretty intense, eh? It might be time to give in and buy earplugs. I go to enough concerts that it will genuinely affect my hearing later in life (which is closer and closer to being now, instead of "later") if I don't start taking real precautions. It may have affected my hearing already, honestly. I haven't noticed, but I didn't notice my vision getting worse over the last two years either...which apparently, it has.

(More pictures on my Flickr page)

I guess the Scream were hanging out at SmartBar (an after-hours type of venue attached to and owned by the Metro) post-gig, so I officially missed my chance to meet them by *thismuch*. To be fair, it was a Sunday night and late and I need more sleep than I used to. We got home pretty late as is, and meeting bands is always a toss-up. Back in the day, I would have waited hours and hours for a slim chance to shake a hand, but I suppose I'm getting lame in my late 20s. Jon was with me too, though. It's one thing to keep yourself up, but another thing entirely to make someone else wait up with you.

So, in keeping with the music theme for this post, I have been listening to The Charlatans all week. I sometimes get on a kick where I will avoid them for a while and then when I put them on again a few months later, *BOOM* everything seems fresh again. If you've never listened to The Charlatans: 1) I'm not too surprised...especially if you live in America. They never did make it very big here 2) You have no idea what you're missing. I'm not going to say they're perfect, but if you like the kind of music that I like, they're pretty damn close. 3) They were compared to The Stone Roses a lot when they first started in '89, but have since grown into their own sound quite nicely. 4) Talk about range. No album is quite like the last. They're not afraid to try something new, which terrifies me, but almost always pays off. 5) I can't pick a favorite song, but this is a really good one from their latest album:



In other news, I've changed the name of my blog and I may change it again. I'm still trying to find some kind of groove with my posting, so I'll just keep changing it up until it feels right. As with everything even remotely creative that I attempt, I'm never satisfied, so we'll see. I'm just happy that I've stuck to it. It feels good to write about things other than manufacturing companies and all the other stuff I fill my workday with.

In my last post, I mentioned going to the eye doctor to get contacts. That was...interesting, to say the least. It was far from the simple task I thought it would be and it took visits on two separate days (five hours in total) to convince them that I should be allowed to take the contacts home and practice. I still haven't gotten both of them in at once. At this point, I don't know if I ever will, but I'm trying. On the plus side, I was told that I have excellent reflexes and "superhuman" eyelids, which is good for life, but bad for contacts, I suppose.

Last night, Jon and I went to a Gapers Block meet-up. They have one every month, but I haven't gone since November, maybe October, due to holidays/being out of town and then due to the bitter cold and not wanting to go outside in it. Anyway, last night was a blast. I am really happy and proud to be involved with GB in any capacity. Since I left my position at V89 and moved to Chicago, I missed being involved in something that wasn't necessarily a job, but required self-motivated work. I like being part of a unique organization and I like the people that I've been able to meet, both through V89 and GB.

The meet-up last night was at an Irish pub called Emmit's. There was a beer sponsor (featured above), which meant free drinks in addition to the great company. It was pretty crowded when we got there, but gradually thinned out. I saw a few people I already knew and got the chance to meet a few more that I only knew of through GB or Twitter.

Today has been fairly low-key. It's been raining all day and is supposed to snow tomorrow (here's hoping it's the last time?). I will do just about anything I have to in order to stay indoors, including cleaning. And blogging...