Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead
Posted on April 26th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 3:10 am
So, the BCC student newspaper, the Jibsheet, ran a review of Revision4920, a surprisingly glowing review at that, though it’s not the first time I have recieved ink from them, and I suppose it’s the result of people expecting nothing, thus making any achievement seem interesting by comparison. I mean, I listened to an NPR review of Ghostface Killah’s lauded new CD, Fishscale, and the few clips interspersed with the over-intellectualized-though-accurate review are amazing. I might have to get that disc just for the Spongebob Squarepants references, the outstanding production and the raw acuity in the vocal delivery. Anyway, the fellow from the newspaper really dug my CD, and even enjoyed the remixes. Pretty cool deal on the whole, right? It even gets me thinking I could send the CD out to some local newspapers. Maybe Seattle Weekly or something. Just bundle it with a press packet and go.
Meanwhile, I get out of class and their is wrecked car sorta behind my car, partially parking me in but not completely. I try to pull out, but I graze the car to the left of me. I pull back into the park spot, stop, check the damage, freak out, get back in the car, re-adjust the steering and pull out cleanly, and then I’m weighing my options as to what to do next. Do I just leave? No, that’d be a really punk move, and having had my own tail light smashed-in w/o a note by some anonymous nare-do-well, I really grasped what a horrid and mean move that’d be. However, waiting for the person to comeback wasn’t necessarily feasible either, as I had no ETA on the owner of the vehicle I scraped. I check again to see how bad it is. Maybe paint will just rub off? No. It’s not damaged beyond paint rubbing off on the other vehicle, but that paint is definitely on there and it’s not easily removed. It’s not body damage, but still, it’s not easily remedied. I really screwed up. I decide after calling home to leave a note with my contact info, but even that left me feeling like an idiot and a total jerk. I probably should have just left my car at BCC and taken a bus rather than trying to get out.
Basically, any endorphin boost I might have received from that positive review was more than shattered by my own incompetence and ego. Very icarian I guess. If a claim is filed and my rates are bumped, I think I’ll cancel my trips (AX/Comicon and Comiket/Korea) this summer. I can’t justify those trips if my folks are suddenly stuck an extra 1000 bucks a year on insurance. It’d terrible of me to go to LA, San Diego, Tokyo and Korea after forcing the insurance rates up via pure idiocy, especially since my parents are already so nice to me.
I mean, it’s already looking anything beyond AX is out between my budget and my lacking a place to stay in LA for 5 days after AX, and I really hate that fly-in-fly-out stuff. I mean, I guess I have to do AX for Toon Zone cause they need the extra people (maybe Jim should just go for me, I can get him the credentials) but if I do, and the claim is filed, I’m not taking any extra spending money or anything. Just the most barebones, minimal essentials for food (and no eating out – I’ll hit a grocery store for a bag of generic cereal, some cheap bread, a jar of cheap peanut butter and a few gallons of distilled water to which I can add some gatorade mix,) shelter (hotel cost) and airfare (I should look into online deals now if I’m going to do this before the fuel cost makes airfare stupid expensive.)
I guess on the plus side, I’ll be around this summer if everything does fall through. No chance of missing out on the nerdcore documentary interview nor PAX that way.
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Eventually, this site will have hours of music.
Posted on February 27th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 11:20 pm
For now, my back-catalog repository (which may end up growing to into something more at some point in the very distant future,) Nekodashi.com only hosts one measly CD (revision 4920,) albeit in a better quality of mp3 than I could host on the limited account I have this site on. Eventually, the rest of my back-catalog (which will be broken down by album when possible) will be up there. At point, I might end up radically tweaking things here or there for greater integration, but for now it works. By not using a ready made blog system at nekodashi, I’m getting a lot more experience with php, and at somepoint, I’ll probably either change that or I’ll build a program that allows me to automatically generate pages, but for now, it’s keeping me sharp.
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Documentary’d and stuff.
Posted on February 25th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 3:53 am
Yeah, I’m going to be in this, and I am excited about it. I hope the camera man doesn’t get stuck filming me in boring panels all day when it comes to the convention though (actually, I like panels, I just doubt me asking questions of a rep makes for great footage.) Granted, the whole idea of being press being filmed is sorta weird. It’d be like someone making documentary about a war reporter, thus having a camera filming as scene being filmed. Very recursive or Escher-esque I suppose.
Hopefully, my second CD is actually done by the time the director flies out to shoot interviews and such because that would be a nice little boost to my over all perception of being a nerdcore artist to have more than just one CD. It shows a commitment to the genre in my opinion.
Meanwhile, I hung out at AK, went with a group of those folks for food at Crossroads, then capped that at Denny’s with the BCC crew. Very fun stuff. I mean, Chicken Teriyaki, Peppermint Earl Grey Tea, Smothered Fries and Hot Cocoa, all with a side of great friends? That’s a lovely evening, even if it freezing outside. All in all, I think I could get used to this kind of social interlude. Really unwinds me for the weekend, allowing me to attend to other things because I’ve gotten my destressing from the week’s worries. Certainly did today…
…Well, atleast until I heard news of 4kids getting Pretty Cure, compounded by the CEO of 4kids repeatedly saying at an anime con “kids don’t read,” apparently ignorant of that whole Harry Potter thing, apparently ignorant of the success of manga, even in the target demographic he’s after. There goes my leisure because I’m going to have to camp the Toon Zone Anime Forum this weekend to put out fires. I guess that’s balance for ya.
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Private: “Eat At Taqueria / [Write For NewsPapers In] Korea” – Beck, Hollywood Freaks
Posted on January 5th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 9:09 pm
So I wrote a game review for the JoongAng Daily. Yay for having friends that have connections, jobs at newspapers and very tight schedules that result in me getting in the paper. Well, it’s probably only for the online, but still, woooooooo.
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*blatant ad for my annoying music*
BTW, the nerdcore CD is up for sale again . Supplies are limited, paypal only (and I mean paypal – no credit or debit via paypal. If you want to email me about entrusting a check to the postal system, I’m up for that too) and US only (unless you want to email me so I can find out how much it’ll cost to ship a CD to your locale.)
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On a related note (in as much as it’s nerdy rap,) here’s a link to something you’ve probably already seen. However, I still find it funny. “You can call us Aaron Burr / From the way we’re dropping Hamiltons.”
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I’m Home With Music.
Posted on December 31st, 2005
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 9:12 pm
Had an interesting vacation visiting my various relatives, and I even got a few presents out of the deal, including my own cellphone, some night clothes and some money which bought me some CDs and manga. Not a bad deal on the whole.
Meanwhile, what should be waiting for me at the door but my CD, 100 (now 99 since I gave a copy to my mom for x-mas,) copies of it. Soon to be sale for a measly 8 bucks which includes S&H anywhere in the US. (Intl. Orders contact me for pricing/availability. Ditto for bulk orders.)
Some of you may note that 8 bucks is a 50 cent bump over the original cost. I assure I’m not trying to be a moneygrubbing jerk about it (though I do dare to dream that maybe one day I could eat off my musical talent.) It’s just that it’s costing me more to get each disc made. Actually, more than twice as much per disc, so the 50 cents doesn’t actually fully cover the bump in cost per disc, just off sets it so I don’t have to sell the majority of my run just to break even. Should you know me in real life, I’ll still sell it to you at the old 5 buck price, but only because you’re probably a friend, acquaintance or hanger on, and as such, have probably fed me/lent me money/didn’t kill me when I made some stupid off-color remark/broke your foot, and that kind of favor deserves some kind of repayment.
Anyway, I’ve got to get down to Issaquah to celebrate New Years in the most nerdcore fashion I can: going to an arcade to play DDR and ParaPara with a bunch of nerdy cool friends. Maybe when I get back, I’ll actually have the paypal link for the CDs. Maybe… 😀
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Rocking the mic/End of an Era
Posted on December 23rd, 2005
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 3:14 am
Good News: I wasn’t too terrible for my first live show out side numerous screw ups. I’m really going to have learn how deal with hot lights, sweat dripping into my eyes causing sudden and massive pain, and I’ve got vocally train more – everyday, each day. But, I want to gig more. Even though I wasn’t perfect, it was fun. I’m more sure than ever that this will likely never be much more than a hobby, but atleast its a fun hobby that gets me out of the house and meeting new people.
Bad News: Ampcast the site that had long hosted my music, is going to be shutting down by Feburary. This means it’s your last chance to download any music I’ve put up there, and to buy any CDs I’ve created there. After that point, it’s gone, and unless I can find a decent tracker than I can setup remotely so I can host torrents of my music on my server, that stuff will likely never show up again until a huge boxset retrospective on my career, but given that this is likely to stay a hobby, that boxset “ain’t gonna happen time soon,” as my old anthropology prof might say. So, get it while it’s hot.
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Me doing a planned in advance live show? For the first time ever?
Posted on December 18th, 2005
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 4:05 am
Yes, and it’s a cancer benefit (the ACS the IBCRF to be specific) at the Preston Community Center at 8625 310th Ave SE, Preston, WA. I’m not sure quite yet exactly when I’ll be playing (heck, I’m still kind of dazed from finding out that I’ll be playing,) but the actual time for the whole event is 5:30pm-10pm on December 22nd (IE: this Thursday.)
How this came to be: What I thought was going to be a little set at an acquaintance’s private X-mas party at their house now may turn out as many as 125 people (assuming capacity can be reached,) and not just myself will be performing, but various local acts who likely are much better known than myself. As such, if any of my friends from AK could turn out (I know my BCC posse will show as that was the original deal with x-mas party,) I think it might make things a little easier for me. Or vastly more stressful. I have no idea. Boy, I hope I can rehearse myself into some level of confidence and competence for this.
PS: Food is apparently going to be covered by the cost of that 5 bucks, so even if you only turn out to see me, and you’re unhappy with me, atleast you will be fed. Besides, I’m sure the other bands and artists will rock, so it’s way totally worth it.
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Progress Report
Posted on December 15th, 2005
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 7:12 pm
So, since in next few weeks reprints of my old CD will be available (and since someone brought it up in my myspace,) I thought now might be a good time to go over the progress on the next CD. It’s basically done, save for 2 tracks and cover art. The two tracks are, of course, the collaborations, and really it’s my fault for not persuing them harder. However, I recorded my segment of what will hopefully be the Tycho collab (I think I’ll have another shot at emailing him, but realistically, I should just drive down to Seattle next week and see if I can just talk to him about it at his offices.) Meanwhile, I need to email Nurse Hella about our collab. I really sorta dropped the ball while I was working on school stuff, but school is important, ya know?
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Billards, Burgers and Bomber Girls.
Posted on December 4th, 2005
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 3:17 am
Ok, so I basically did nothing today (as in Saturday.) Well, I read the manga I bought yesterday.
But Friday was eventful.
Got some new manga at Anime Kingdom (Nana, Bleach, Full Moon, Fruits Basket, Keroro Gunso, Kare Kano and Midori’s Days.) I went to Starbucks (repeatedly,) chatted with friends, went to Chili’s with friends, got dripped on by Chili’s broken ceiling, bought cheap manga at Half Price Books (Bomber Girl – vapid and fanservicey, but it brings balance to the heavy shoujo stuff – besides, it’s out of print now, and it was a silly little read in Raijin Weekly Comics back in the day, so why not.) Then I wandered around Tukwila looking for a bowling alley that’s also a billards place, and I eventually found it (stopped into Target for Advil and Powerade first. Then, I got my butt soundly kicked all but once (and that was dumb luck.)
Oh yeah, today wasn’t totally uneventful – I got myself running litestep and boy it’s come a long way since the old days. I’m using a very, very stripped down theme, and outside needing a clock that’s not stuck in the launch menu (I’ll find something I can embed on to the desktop,) I’m loving it. Much lower system load than Explorer (which is great, especially since I’m waiting on Kingston to hook me up with fresh RAM under their lifetime warrenty, though I suppose they might stick me on it since I put those RAM heatsinks on. Cept I never OC’d the stuff and they broke with out my stupidity helping it along.)
Anyway, on a less “boring-everyday-life-noone-cares-about” note, I’ve gotten things underway for reprinting the first nerdcore cd. It’ll be even nicer than the last batch when it comes to print quality, and all that, and it’ll probably be available either just before or just after Xmas. Also once class is done for the year, I will get those collaborations I need for my CD resolved in some fashion, some how.
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Generic Interstitial Beats
Posted on November 18th, 2005
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 7:43 pm
as heard on the Toon Zone podcast.