Wednesday, December 30, 2009

A Clean Shave

Dear Readers, Thank you so much for your unique visits. I have hit 10,000! That's a nice round number, lots of zeros and a great jumping off point to start 2010. I re-started this blog a little over a year ago to stir up the creative pot and get back to writing after a long hiatus and the death of my sister. It has been a nice ride...sometimes a white knuckler, sometimes with the wind in my hair and other times riding in the rain with the top down. I'm just a guy, like so many other bloggers out there, who is trying to do something, say something, shine a light on something he is passionate about. And I can be a cranky mess, a snarky fireball with most of my posts....but that's who I am...so thanks for reading,lurking and commenting.  I'll keep going if you keep reading. Thanks to any of you who have told a friend or linked to me here.....and here's to 2010.

Nuff Said. Rock On.

And now I can shave my beard. And the sun will come out and cough up a rainbow. Confetti will fall from the sky and I'll be surrounded by bubbles and hummingbirds wherever I walk today. Later I will poop diamonds.

Thanks again,   Seano

Thursday, December 24, 2009

"Pa- Rum- Pa -Pum -Pum"



I post this every year at Xmas time, and every year there seems to be more of a reason to post it.

Happy Holidays and continued hope for Peace on Earth someday.............................Seano

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Beard Update



I still have not reached my goal for hits on this blog, thus my beard stays. This has lead to bank tellers reaching for the panic button when I approach, strangers dropping quarters into my hot coffee as they pass, and the harvesting of many leftover morsels, south of my lips. I woke up to the cat grazing crumbs from its depths the other night. Its been 6 weeks, and like I said, it just ain't gonna happen. Its unruly, unkempt and unfinished. Here's a few more pics....



 


I think its time you tell your friends to visit here, so I reach my goal before Xmas and no other children are scared. My own son is hiding behind the couch as I write this. I told Him I'm trying to look like Santa and he said, " you've got the belly, daddy."

I need 200 hits by Xmas, and I can shave this face roadkill off. Help a brother out.

The Best 50 Albums of the Decade

Yes, fans and fervent followers:  another one of my year end lists for you to devour, decipher and dis. But this one happens to be Decade-licious and not focused on 2009. Without further ado : My 50 Best Albums of the Decade!!



1.         Kid A –Radiohead -2000
2.         Songs For the Deaf-Queens of the Stone Age- 2002
3.         Them Crooked Vultures- 2009
4.         Wilco- A Ghost is Born- 2004
5.         Mark Lanegan-Field Songs- 2001
6.         Beck-Sea Change- 2002
7.         Allison Krauss and Robert Plant-Raising Sand -2007
8.         In Rainbows-Radiohead -2007
9.         Mastodon-Crack The Skye- 2009
10.       White Stripes-De Stijl- 2000
11.       Mars Volta-Deloused in the Comatorium-2003
12.       Queens of the Stone Age-Rated R-2000
13.       Kings of Leon-Youth and Young Manhood-2003
14.       Drive By Truckers-The Southern Rock Opera-2001
15.       The Hold Steady-Separation Sunday-2005
16.       Built to Spill-You In Reverse-2006
17.       Ray LaMontagne-Trouble-2004
18.       Radiohead-Amnesiac-2001
19.       Clutch-Pure Rock Fury-2001
20.       U2-No Line on the Horizon-2009
21. Elliott Smith- From a Basement On a Hill- 2004
21.       My Morning Jacket-Z-2005
22.       Heartless Bastards-The Mountain-2009
23.       High On Fire-Death is This Communion-2007
24.       Neko Case-Middle Cyclone-2009
25.       Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-Dig! Lazarus Dig!-2008
26.       Eagles of Death Metal-Peace, Love and Death Metal-2004
27.       Black Keys-Attack and Release-2008
28.       Valient Thorr-Immortalizer-2008
29.       LCD Soundsystem-self titled-2005
30.       Diamond Nights-Popsicle-2005
31.       Iron and Wine- Our Endless Numbered Days-2004
32.       Death From Above 1979- You’re a Woman, I’m A Machine- 2004
33.       Blitzen Trapper-Furr-2008
34.       Wilco-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot-2002
35.       Spoon-Kill The Moonlight-2002
36.       The Darkness-Permission to Land-2003
37.       Comets On Fire-Blue Cathedral 2004
38.       Mark Lanegan-Bubblegum-2004
39.       Mastodon-Leviathan-2004
40.       Flaming Lips-Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots-2002
41.       The Sword-Gods of the Earth-2008
42.       The Parlor Mob-And You Were a Crow-2008
43.       Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit- 2009
44.       Thom Yorke-The Eraser-2006
45.       Priestess-Lay Down-2006
46.       Black Mountain-In the Future-2008
47.       Early Man-Closing In-2005
48.       Black Crowes-Warpaint-2008
49.       Howlin’ Rain- (self titled) 2006
50.       JJ Grey and Mofro- Lochloosa- 2004

I'm sure I've surprised a large majority of you with my diversity. Hell, you should see all of the different flags that I have hanging off of the front of my house. The neighbors all scratch their heads as their little foofy dogs crap on my immaculately manicured lawn. The fact is, you never know what you'll get here at Circle of Fits. Sometimes full circle, always a fit.









Thursday, December 17, 2009

Seano's Best Experiences of 2009

Sounds so self-important. I mean who the fuck am I and why do you care what I did or did not do this past year? Maybe you're in one of those fly-over states and you googled sarcasm, humor or anger management and it sent you here, and since Wal-Mart, Clear Channel and Taco Bell provide most of your weekend entertainment, you were intrigued. You can't spell intrigued, but you know what it means. You want to live vicariously through me..in which case your plight is much worse than we thought. You read on and come across this list:

Seano's Best Experiences of 2009

10) Watching a woman pee in a bottle while driving 75 miles an hour: Yes, she still had one hand on the wheel. No, the 15 men in a touring band van did not see where the bottle went. Yes, she was Miss November in the Countrywide TrailerPark Gal Calendar. No I'll never forget it.

9) Being Held at the Canadian Border: If you would like to see the view of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side, but then change your mind at the last minute and do an illegal U turn before the bridge with a van full of hairy rock musicians, one of whom is carrying no ID and is from New Zealand, be prepared to answer a shitload of questions from your own US customs agents while they search your van. The shitload may also be in your boxer briefs by the time they are done with you.

8) Valient Thorr and Red Fang at Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia.- I became a Thorrior on this night..there may be no other live experience quite like the one Valient Thorr dole out nightly. A blur of beards,blood on denim, a rush of bang to the head and a mist of flop sweat from Valient Himself as I manned the front row. Red Fang as the opening band turned out to be the 2nd loudest experience I've ever had behind seeing Fastway open for Rush on the Grace Under Pressure Tour over 20 years ago. Hail Tinnitus!

7) A flock of vultures invades my neighbors tree: This should not have happened, but it did about a month ago. I've known as a human how dead it can be in the suburbs, but not dead enough to make vultures circle with their own culinary need...most of us here have no flavor anyhow....but there they were, about 30 hulking masses, shadows on the branches at dusk...and 45 minutes later, they were gone.

6) Performing on the Purple Rain Stage: Otherwise known as the First Avenue Club in Minneapolis, Bang Camaro was lucky enough to open for Electric Six on one evening this past April...there was no choir member coiffed in Jheri Curl, or Morris Day cheering us on in a yellow zoot suit from the balcony, but the energy of his purple highness could be felt through the haze of the smoke machine and the roar of the crowd.

5) A Photographic Fluke at the Wilco Show- I write live reviews for another website and have been lucky enough to get a press level Photo pass at several shows. In July I had my first photo assignment to get live photos of Wilco at their Delaware show. I had my camera and assumed that I was allowed to take pics anywhere out in the depths of the crowd. I had no idea that with a press pass, you are allowed to be IN FRONT of the front row barriers for the first three songs, but soon found out before it was too late. I was the last "press" photographer escorted into place in front as Wilco's set began. The thrill of seeing Mr. Tweedy close enough to touch, sure had me reeking of fanboy. I snapped 4 photos....and my camera battery died. I had no replacement and had to fake shooting photos for the rest of the three song agreement. FAIL.

4) Getting my Kid- in- a- Candy- Store on at SXSW:  I love Austin, TX. If you love music, and you have not been there...then you really don't love music. You can't be in the club. You don't know the password. Just stay home and re- evaluate yourself...  SXSW is ground zero for music afficionados, performers and critics. 5000 bands playing in 40 clubs within in a half mile radius for three days straight. All genres, Shiner Beer, secret shows and organized chaos in and around 6th Street in March. Bang Camaro did two shows there this past year but we stayed for the whole weekend. I was able to see bands I wanted to see and stumble on a remarkable array of others.

3) The Rainbow Bar and Grill- Yeah, I've been to Los Angeles before, but never to the legendary Rainbow Room until this past April. I knew the history...Led Zep knocking back vodkas and holding court in this booth, Guns and Roses or Black Sabbath passed out in that one, John Lennon losing his weekend there, John Belushi eating his last meal there, Lemmy a more than frequent patron....but to be such a rock fan and to finally walk around those booths, checking out the memorabilia, imagining the scene in the 70s..smelling the pleasant pungent-ness of the grody carpeted floor and imagining if it was puke piss, cum or blood..That's Rock and Roll, people...and.oh what a night it was!

2) Them Crooked Vultures @ The Electric Factory in Philly:  You only live once, and if I had to over pay for anything this year, I knew it was gonna be for this show. John Paul Jones in a medium sized club, with the same bass pedals he used on No Quarter, and he also brings out a Keytar???? Oh yeah and Mr Grohl and Mr. Homme thrown in for outstanding awesome-ness.???? OK ,then  Turns out I bought 2 tix for 70 BUCKS! My wife could not go...so I went alone and I got in line with the hopes of selling the ticket for face value to a dingy scalper ..but I did not want to get out of line...so I waited too long and KEPT THE EXTRA TICKET instead.???!!!  But that ridiculous move was thwarted by the sheer roximus maximus of the show...my fav of 2009...

1) The Jimmy Kimmel Show- Bang Camaro plays on the Jimmy Kimmel Show in April and I was privy to be there as one of the "choir" members...living the dream 10 years past a rockers prime and rocking it extra spesh with the men I shared the stage with.....Thanks Bryn, Alex, Doz, Pete, Steve, Nick, Rod, Morgan, Richie,Andre, Jason for that and all of the triumphs and trials of the spring tour. A memory worth preserving for my son, the pride of my loins and a rock star in waiting....


And how was your year..did you get the DVD Box Set of Law and Order Season 2?  Did you Jazzercise that last ass bulge off? Did you recycle enough? Did you take the wallpaper down in the powder room?       Let me know...............Seano

Seano's Best Albums of 2009

The votes are all in. I checked myself twice and I'm ready spill my guts about the Best Albums of 2009. It was a far superior year than 2008 for yours truly in so many ways. I can only hope that the madness and momentum of motivating music continues in this next decade.


I had a half year best albums of 2009 up on this blog back in July...feel free to check the archives for that..

The Best Albums of 2009

10) U2-No Line on the Horizon -U2 gets their backwards in time, risky ambient freak on and still sell out stadiums.

9) Spinnerette- Former Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle loses the punk and sexes the cherry on this dark dance album..most likely overlooked because of her husband's recent work.



8) The House Harkonnen-Vol 6.  If this crazy talented band ever leads Denton, TX they are gonna lay you out with their fearless riffs and fist to the grill vocals.  Seek them out! then take cover!...scary southern gamechangers.


7) Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit- Formerly one of the 3 prominent songwriters from the Drive By Truckers-Jason and Co. hit their stride and kick up dust on the dirt roads travelling from one lonely episode to another. "Cigarettes and Wine" is a standout, and just one of the brilliantly woe-d up tales on this release.

6) Dan Auerbach- Keep It Hid- One half of the Black Keys branches out(but not too far) in this slow burning romp of a sleeper. A 30 year old man from Akron cannot sound this world worn, humbled and dusty...but he does..with a grimy gleam of dark blues to boot.

5) Neko Case- Middle Cyclone-A scarred, beautiful and fearless troubadour churns out tales of love and nature put to poetry. There is no lyricist like her right now. Every album is better than her last.

4) Heartless Bastards- The Mountain- Erika Wennerstrom's voice is torn, broken and mesmerizing and we have no choice but to climb back up with her.

3) Baroness-Blue Record- This sophomore release from a strange, sometimes sludge-tastic 4-some from Savannah, turns metal upside down and empties all of the worn out parts into the atmosphere, only to patch in anything from acoustic balladry to swatches of echoing vibrato..incredibly groundbreaking for something known as metal.

2) Mastodon-Crack The Skye- A monumental change of course for this already legendary Atlanta metal troupe, taking the concept album to new heights in the loudest vein possible. Suddenly there are warm vocal melodies sustained and soaring over riffs in the story where once the nodes of singer/guitarist Brent Hinds were shredded down to black nubs adrift in the crush of speed. Some metal thing for everyone in the name of progress.


1) Them Crooked Vultures- Quite frankly, enough has not been said and never will be about this record. The hype was matched, not only because of the virtuosity and history involved, but because the songs blend many genres of hard rock unconventionally and succesfully. One rarely has heard a hard rock album this loud and SEXY at the same time. Underrated lyrics and weirdo guitar chords by Josh Homme are overshadowed by the stomp and circumstance of the relentless rhythm section. If you're not moving by 30 seconds in, you're dead.


So there you have it.  Honorable mentions include Slayer-World Painted Blood, Lightning Dust-Infinite Light, Wilco-Wilco the Album, and Clutch-Strange Cousins From The West.


Send your Huh?, Really? and NFWs to me as soon as you can.



Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Stooges Are In and There's a Blizzard in Hell

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2010 has been announced and those pitiful bastards did something right this year...THE STOOGES are IN!  That headline should have been written in 1994 when they were first eligible...but the numbnut fogies had to get " icons" like Percy Sledge, The Talking Heads and Run DMC to the front of the line. Those "musicians" remind me of  the snotty goody two shoe kids who tell on the greasers sneaking a hit from the bowl behind the school.

The Stooges were the first of their kind to introduce a sound that esteemed Creem Magazine critic Lester Bangs would call "punk". It was unruly from the first note, which was out of tune, but aggressive as fuck. And the thousands of greasers,nobodies and outcasts that followed their lead...punching and kicking their way through 3 minute songs of distrust and disgust all the way to the wall of Hot Topic...owe it all to the Stooges.   I've said it before but it bears repeating: The Punk family tree is rooted in Stooges, NY Dolls, Ramones and Sex Pistols. Those are the four punk seedlings that were spit out from moldy mouths of the hippie 60s...and it grew from there.

Congrats to Iggy...Scott and James and to the dearly departed Ron Asheton and Dave Alexander.

If you really care,  Abba, The Hollies and Genesis are in this years class as well.
I hope Iggy headbuts Phil Collins and spits on Benny from Abba during the jam at the end.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Bang Camaro is Dunzo

                                                         

     
 The news out of Boston, Mass. is that the many-manned band Bang Camaro is calling it quits after almost 5 years, 3 US tours and 2 albums. Since I am in this band, the news took me by surprise. They played their last? show this past weekend at the Paradise in Boston. Had I known it was their last? show, I would have strapped my kid in the seat, driven 6 hours to the show and sat him in the green room with some ear plugs, a sippy cup and a blindfold while Dad rocked the mic with the rest of "The Choir".

The sustainability and financial survival of a band that takes an average of 10 people on the road with them is(was) overwhelming and it is for this reason, (as well as the sheer logistics of an undertaking like this), that the road has ended. There may or may not be studio only activity (another album?) from now on. The choir has scattered..the necks are healing.

I do feel sad. As a performer who had his share of everything bad and mediocre about the music business thrown my way over the years, my experience with BC was anything but. It was professional, outrageous, and one never knew what they were going to get from one gig to another. Band members would wander,hook up, get sick, lost..and at times the lifestyle would creep up on us like a post gig plague. But as I was able to tour the country playing some of the most famous stages anywhere, be on national television, and sleep 6 to a room...one thing remained constant. Bang Camaro came to entertain you. Whether it was 12 people in a "War Legion" in Amarillo, or a Standing room only crowd at the Viper Room in LA...you got the same show. Raucous, sweaty, blasts of rock with a chorus line of lead singers. I am proud to be one of them.

And now I will go down in my basement and stare at a wall.

Feel free to take a look back in my archives(March-April 2009) for my "diary' of the Bang Camaro Spring Tour. People seem to have had a good time reading it. And now they can all come down into the basement and join me.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Dear Santa

Dearest S. Claus,

I've been marginally good this year...my road rage levels are way down, I completed almost 71% of my household responsibilities thoroughly and on time, I called my wife every day while I was on tour(even if she didn't want to hear word one from me), I have only used TV as a babysitter maybe 8-10 times in the last six months, I bought 11 of the 172 albums I downloaded (LOL, RIAA!), I have a pair of underwear for every day of the week and I have successfully traded years of being a phobic hypochondriac for a future in curmudgeonry.

I'm too big to sit on your lap and the mall cops would have me tasered in front of the house frau photo elves..so I send you my wishlist from home.

1) I would like the power to disintegrate with hot eye lasers and puke grenades any uninteresting and questionably famous person.

2 I wish for 5 minutes with Jay-Z to tell him to stop fellating himself and give his wife a break from performing at awards shows.

3) I would like to buy a concert ticket in 2010 with less than 20 dollars in surcharges.

4) I wish for a ban on indie bands with wildlife, livestock, or woodland creatures somewhere in their name..Deer Tick, Deer Hoof, Antlers, We are Wolves, Grizzly Bear, Wolf Parade, Minus the Bear, Dept. of Eagles, Band of Horses,Panda Bear,The Mountain Goats, Lambchop.....

5) I want less expensive denim and more expensive flannel.

6) I want to write the great American novel after 10 years of work and then switch to writing movie blurbs and ghostwriting tweets for the chronically uninspired.

7) I want a speed metal offering from Jack Johnson and an acoustic folk offering from Tom Arraya.

8) I want Iggy Pop's workout video. I know there isn't one out there, but if I could just bust a quarter of his moves every day for 15 to 20 minutes I might be able to fit into those skinny jeans that all of the kids are wearing.
9) I want a Lou Reed Smile, a Billy Corgan wig, a Brann Dailor waltz beat, a Dave Grohl permanent drum seat, a Gene Simmons drive- by, an Adam Lambert chlamydia infestation, a Ryan Seacrest-Adam Lambert secret glory hole video, a Robert Plant come- to- papa moment, a Lester Bangs renaissance, a Black Eyed peas Bus Crash where Fergie pops an implant and Will I Am's Adams apple is crushed, I dont care if it hurts, I wanna have control, I wanna perfect body, I wanna perfect soul.......

10)  I want War is Over If We Want It............izzat too much to ask?

P.S.  I want a get out of Land of Misfit Toys for free card if you can swing it, Sir Kringle..I'd gladly take over a hungover elf's hours in exchange.. thanks  Seano

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Who Spiked The Eggnog Before The Interview



Lou loves a good Company Xmas Party ..looks like the folks at Main Man dropped a few Mandrax under the Mistletoe, and before he leaned in to tongue kiss the Thin White Duke, he found 'em.



"Iggy, that was Bolivian Marching Powder on those doughnut holes shaped like snow men, not powdered sugar ! They're waiting for you on the interview set. Where's your shirt? Did you just cut yourself with the fruitcake knife? Does anybody have a paper towel?"



"David,  the bennies were right next to the holiday Jelly Bellies..hope you didn't mix them up. Mr. Cavett is waiting..now here's your cane....no not the snorting kind...get out on the stage! Your hair looks Purp..er, perfect."


Ahh...the Xmas party that never was......let's be careful out there everyone. No Kris Kringle keg stands, tinsel covered toots in the corporate bathroom stall, Jingle Bell Jager bombs with the decades younger secretaries, or Karaoke on crank this season.  Just say no to the eggnog. Its usually always spiked. 


I am merely poking fun, since these three fine gentlemen are good, clean and wealthy 30 years later...but now using canes, walkers or golf carts for their morning stroll around their summer estates.

Happy Holidays to Main Man's main men.......

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Remember



Remembering.........

Monday, December 07, 2009

The Archive

In my opinion, music news is slow near the end of the year. There are painful Grammy Nominations to spray with verbal bullets, There is Bob Dylan's new Xmas album to decimate, and every day Lady Gaga's attempt via costume to hide her butterface get more grandiose and forced...but why bother going into depth with the obvious?
Even though I'm not really a music news blogger, I do my best to cherry pick the best bits and spit out the pits. But I think I'm just going to have fun and dig deep to find items that fulfill my fancy until I do my best and worst of 2009 lists in a week or so.

Today I found a snippet of a film called The Archive, by Sean Dunne about a man in Pittsburgh who claims to have the world's largest record collection. Here's a 4 minute clip. This makes me want to go get that stylus that I've needed for 16 years, and maybe back away from the Ipod a little.

Couldn't we all chip in, set up a Pay Pal account in his name and buy this sucker? We could empty out a Best Buy near one of our homes and keep it there. We could charge all of people a dollar and a half just to see 'em. And for an extra 50 cents, anyone 21 or under gets to actually hold an LP..maybe get their picture taken with it.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Facial Hair Apparent: Great Rock Beards

I've seen all good people turn their heads and say I'm too la/zy to shave today....Well...Its time for my annual "lets try to grow a beard again" contest with myself. I'm incapable of growing a full beard. It never fills in, and I end up looking like I'm sporting a spotty clump of spaced- out goat hairs or one of those Hollywood glue and go beards. I'm practically hairless except for my head. In coming to terms with my masculinity, I always felt shorted..follically challenged on the chin except for a flavor saver that looks like a wire brush. But every year I give it a go. The longest I've gone without a shave is around 36 days. Right now I'm right around 18 days...so I've decided that I'm going razor free until 10,000 visits get tallied here, or until I buy the next volume of Now That's What I Call Music...whatever comes first. I'll post pics of my progress for you to hurl insults at.

I've always admired a good beard on a musician, who usually goes beard free. It shakes things up a bit, keeps the women at bay and gets a variety of foods stuck in a mustache that said musician doesn't know how to use or groom. Now when I say beard on a musician, I don't mean Elton John's short lived marriage in the 80s, I mean facial hair.

heres a picture list of cool rock beards (with no ZZTop allowed)


Doesn't Kim Thayil look like Osama?Poor guy, thats probably why we haven't seen him in years.  I wonder if Bob Weir gets alot of tofu stuck in his? Kerry King from Slayer looks like he could stab an unruly fan with his beard. I bet nobody has seen a pic of Mick with a beard unless it had a leg on each side of it. Trent Reznor looks like he's working a shaker at a Rainbow Gathering. Page and Plant look like Russian novelists. Jim M. looks like he just struck gold from the inside of a dumpster.

I think I'll go for Macca's look. But I'll need some black spray paint, testosterone pills and some freshly plucked back hair from a few Italian buddies of mine.

lets hear from you!