I might have the most random blog ever, posting everything from Seinfeld shoe critiques to Jim Jones’ rollerblading team, and I don’t plan on changing the style any time soon. I just want to post entertaining stuff that keeps the people happy. So here are some pictures of cats that I found on http://cashcats.biz/ where cats are just rolling around in money, alcohol, and guns. Talk about a genius idea for a website. I’m hooked, already added it to my favorites and I’ve looked at all 25 pages already too. Check it out.
One Love
Dmaine
Okay so here’s the deal, I discovered Troop 41’s song Do the John Wall (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meYIbAt2iaQ). Bold statement? Yes, but very true. I found that song when it had a mere 500-something views, and now it has over 12 million views and I’ve heard it on every basketball warm-up mixtape across New England. Does it matter that I heard it first? No, probably not but I’d like people to know that I was in the top .0000416 % percentile of viewers. The problem with that statistic is that I can’t prove it.
Fast forward to January 2012 and I made sure I saved a screen shot of Pat City because I knew it would blow up. View number 311, and 5 months later it’s got 144,000 views (If the Patriots actually won, it would have blown up even more). Let’s just say I’m psychic due to the fact that I won 3 pairs of Cutters gloves, a shirt, and a hat for predicting the two Super Bowl teams (Saints vs. Colts), predicting 1 point off the actual point total (it was 48 but I said 49), and the MVP (Drew Brees) all before the 2009 playoffs even started. I also predicted the 2013 Madden Cover vote before the voting started (shouts out to Calvin Johnson aka Megatron).
Why am I boasting about my psychic abilities? Well I’m hoping some rich man reads my blog and invests money in my powers. Other than that, I’m letting all of you know that I can help you predict simple things such as who you’re going to marry, what you’ll be doing in 20 years, or who’s going to win the 2012 NBA Championship.
One Love
Dmaine
P.S. I’ve loved Avery Bradley ever since the Celtics drafted him. Just know that he is going to put the team on his back during the playoffs!!
So I’ve been wanting to respond to Rudy’s post about our group of friends (http://funwithrudy.tumblr.com/) but I had trouble starting it and finding an outline for it that I wanted to follow without copying what Rudy did. I think I’ve finally figured it out.
The Story So Far is a pop punk band from Walnut Creek, CA. I was introduced to their music by Jack Nicholson (no, not the actor http://jjjack3.tumblr.com/) who I believe was introduced to it by B-Kelly (http://bktumbles.tumblr.com/). I saw them play in Boston over SPRINGBREAK12 and I fell in love. Everything from their smooth sound to the themes of their songs, which usually deals with how girls are smuts. This song/video is called Four Years, and I posted the acoustic version on here simply because the video is more entertaining than watching their album artwork for 3 minutes.
I’ll admit it, I miss my friends from home. I have met some great people here at school, but there’s something about a bond between the friends that you grew up with that isn’t easily let go. Senior year in high school, I kind of lost contact with my best friends for a period of time, and throughout that whole year I had a missing-your-ex-girlfriend type of feeling, except that ex-girlfriend was a group of 8-10 dudes! And don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed spending time with my closest friends at SJ, but it was something about my connection with my Gtown friends that I wanted to get back. Thank God for bringing them back into my life.
And now I find myself 166 miles from home, in the wildy of Maine (I’m not going to mention my school because it turns out that they have people that scan all social networks and try to get you in trouble for ish you say on the internet… I plead the first amendment!!!!). Words cannot describe how badly that I want to be home again so that I can bring back my suburban sense of humor and I can stop worrying about being politically correct.
I think The Story So Far sums up what is going through my mind right now:
All my friends have gone away.
Sailing vessels leaving the bay.
For the best four years and the promise of pay.
But they don’t even know what they’re chasing.
Greater men have tried and failed.
And all this time I thought that I’d stay.
As a ghost who would haunt this mountain.
And all this time I thought that I’d stay.
Alive in the ground digging out my coffin.
Time was short on courts and pavement.
We knew we had to leave.
But did I make the most of every day.
And did I give to not receive?
Are there any better words to express the full extent of my grief?
It hits home when you’re not home.
There’s no space to grow, and all this time not much to show.
And all this time I thought that I’d stay.
As a ghost who would haunt this mountain.
Maybe I should hold my tongue.
And do my best to live with the stress that’s mounting.
I never thought I never thought a bond was something we lacked.
I gotta find another way to keep myself intact.
I understand we all went away so we could have the stories to share when we’re back.
Try to pass the same old shit to get a ahead and start your paper stack.
I never thought I never thought a bond was something we lacked.
I guess some of us just needed a change to heal the bones we cracked.
It takes four years away from your friends.
To make you all forget how much time you spent.
Now I’m not going to sit here talking about how I’m some sort of Ellie Goulding specialist. All I know is that she is blonde and she is English. But for some reason I love this video. I can’t tell if it’s the song is good, or if she’s cute, or maybe it’s her jean jacket (might be a blue khaki material, but read Christian Dior’s blog if you really care about that), but I thoroughly enjoy this video. Hope you like it too.
One Love,
Dmaine
P.S. Can someone tell me if the country is actually called England or Great Britain? Like a country can’t have 2 official names, can it? I’ve gone through 13 years of schooling and I’ve never learned that nor have I learned how to start a fire.
P.S.S. Who decided to go along with calling Great Britain, Great Britain? They’re not that great, I mean the Sons of Liberty absolutely destroyed their tea trade when they dumped all of it into the Boston Harbor, and eventually we told them “HEY GREAT BRITAIN, EAT OUR SHORTS.” All in favor of the U.S. renaming itself to the Extravagant United States, say I.
2pac’s hologram showed up to perform at Coachella with Snoop last night. People are freaking out about how this is morally wrong or they think it’s weird because it’s like his “ghost” coming back from the dead to perform. I think this shit is sick!! When did we get the technology to make 3D holograms?! I thought that only existed in Halo and Star Wars!! And no way is this morally wrong because it’s the same thing as watching a video, just better because it’s in 3 dimensions. Imagine being able to watch a movie where the stuff is happening around you! I need to invest in this 3D projection stuff, because I’m trying to get Selena Gomez in my dorm room ASAP.
Nike chose to take the conservative approach to the NFL uniforms when they recently took over Reebok as the NFL’s licensed apparel/gear supplier. Most of the NFL teams’ uniforms look identical. It’s good to see that they still make uniforms dripping with swagger for the college gridiron.
When people ask me what type of music I listen to I tell them “rap and pop punk.” I always get the same confused look, either due to the fact that the two genres are completely different on many levels, or maybe because they have no idea what “pop punk” is. To be honest, I couldn’t truly define it. I’m not big on confining a band/rap artist to a certain genre because not only is it difficult, but quite honestly it doesn’t truly matter. All genres help you do is find other bands and artists that preach comparable values and/or sound similar, but to argue whether a band should be classified as power pop or pop punk is unproductive.
Jack Nicholson (not the actor), Brendan Kelly, and I were driving back from Papa Gino’s over SPRING BREAK ‘12 when someone popped the question: “top 10 pop punk albums. Go.” (Yes it’s in the form of a statement, I know). Going back and forth discussing different albums and where they should be on the list, I realized that each of our lists would vary depending on our on personal bias. For example, I can connect with Soupy’s lyrics on The Wonder Years’ The Upsides because he doesn’t drink and also because this album is all about looking at the brighter side of things and accepting that “most days are bad days, but I can’t wait for someone to pull me off of the concrete” (from It’s Never Sunny in Philadelphia). Also, I have a strong inclination to favor local music because there’s something about the “Local Boy Rises to the Top” headline that makes me want to support the cause, propelling A Loss for Words to a spot on my list. No doubt in my mind Four Year Strong’s Rise or Die Trying should be near the top of the list, especially when my best friend’s cousin is one of the lead singers of the band and he played guitar for me in my basement when he was 13 years old (Shout out to Ben Shaw & Alan Day). When you see countless shows in local, rundown churches when you’re 12 years old, you don’t forget those roots.
People are introduced to pop punk through different connections, and not everyone hears the same bands. I remember back in the day when my brother cranked Taking Back Sunday on his computer while I was playing Call of Duty: Big Red One on my PS2 and although I pretended to hate it, deep down inside I thought it was incredible. That’s where it all started. And that’s why I’d put Tell All Your Friends on the top 10 while Jack did not. That doesn’t mean Jack is wrong or he “wouldn’t know a good pop punk album if it hit him in the face.” (That quote was taken from http://jakesonaplane.tumblr.com/post/20234208843/take-what-you-want-from-me-top-10-pop-punk-albums which was a response to Jack’s top 10 post…. Jakesonaplane sounds like a hipster if I’ve ever heard one).
Another blogger (http://pine-tree-state-dudecore.tumblr.com/) decided to attack Jack about his post also, saying that it was a list of Jack’s favorite albums and “not the most well written, most influential and well preserved (meaning in ten years, kids are still going to be listening to that album regularly).” Jack clearly stated that he based his blog off of his opinion. I didn’t know this pine tree state dudecore (PTSD) was a professional analyzer of music…?! How does PTSD know what albums are the most well written and influential albums? Has he studied at Oxford?! How does he know that The Story So Far won’t still be listened to regularly in 10 years? Just another blogger making an outlandish claim and supporting an unproductive argument.
Anyways…
Here’s my top 10:
1. The Upsides - The Wonder Years
2. Rise or Die Trying - Four Year Strong
3. Mutiny - Set Your Goals
4. Tell All Your Friends - Taking Back Sunday
5. Take this to Your Grave - Fall Out Boy
6. Deja Entendu - Brand New
7. Enema of the State - Blink 182
8. The Kid’s Can’t Lose - A Loss for Words
9. New Found Glory - New Found Glory
10. Under Soil and Dirt - The Story So Far
One Love,
dmaine
The idea for this blog came from two places. One place was over break when my my friends and I had a debate on the best Pop Punk albums in the current era (nothing before blink?). I have been thinking about this question for awhile and when one of my friends posted a top 10 list on her blog, I decided I could do the same for Pop Punk albums.
My list is a combination of accounting for the major bands who defined this music, who’s albums were awesome and elevated them to a major band in the genre, and really just what I think. There is no criteria for list. Just straight opinion. Without further adieu, I give you my list:
(EP’s were not included in this list)
Honorable Mentions (no order): Tigers Jaw (Tigers Jaw), All I have To Offer Is My Own Confusion (Fireworks!), Tell All Your Friends (Taking Back Sunday), Take Off Your Pants And Jacket (Blink 182), Get Stoked On It (The Wonder Years)
10. Under Soil and Dirt - The Story So Far The Story So Far just took off with this album. This is their first album and It is relatively new, so it is difficult to tell how it will be looked at in the future. I saw them play a couple weeks ago and they were awesome. I have a feeling (as do a lot of other Pop Punk fans) that this band is will be around for awhile. Favorite Song - Roam
9. Your Favorite Weapon - Brand New I am not 100% sure that Brand New is classified as Pop Punk, but they were on wikipedia so I decided it was ok to include them. Overall, Brand New is a good band and a lot of their other albums are decent but their first album is by far their best. Ranging from the sing alongs in Soco Amaretto Lime, to the relaxing feel in Logan to Government Center to the screamed emo lines in Jude Law and a Semester Abroad, this album has all the qualities of a top emoish pop punk album (or would it be a pop punkish emo album? I don’t know). Favorite Song - Seventy Times 7
8. Rise Or Die Trying - Four Year Strong Similar to Brand New, I am not really sure if Four Year Strong can be labeled as Pop Punk, but for me, this album deserves a spot in these rankings as much as anyone. This album was the album that got me into this music, and although I do not listen to it much anymore, it is still phenomenal. It should be noted that the reason I do not listen to this album that much is because I would listen to it on repeat time after time after time. And I would listen to every line with attention from “Start the take over!” to “Rise or die, here at the top of the world!”. Favorite song- Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die
7. The Kids Can’t Lose - A Loss For Words Being from a boston suburb and following Boston Pop Punk relatively closely, I needed to include the an album from a Boston Pop Punk band. There is no better band that exemplifies what Boston Pop Punk and Pop Punk in general is all about than A Loss For Words. The Kids Can’t Lose has an abundance of gang vocals and great, uplifting lyrics (not easy to find uplifting lyrics in Pop Punk). Also lead singer Matt Arsenault is just the man and a wicked friendly guy to all his fans and deserves a shout out. It is really just a fun album to listen to, there’s just no other way to describe it. This album is Boston Pop Punk. Favorite Song - Stamp of Approval
6. The Upsides - The Wonder Years The album opens with “I’m not sad anymore” and this theme seems to carry throughout the album in a weird way. Not many of the songs scream “Hey, I’m happy!” with cheesy lyrics. Better yet, the album screams “Hey, life sucks but you just have to say fuck it and make the most of it!”. Soupy tells many personal stories assuming you know his pals Matt and Molly and although the lyrics are very personal, listeners can still get his message. Like most of these albums, there is such a range of types of songs and this album is arranged in a way which seems to tell a story. The album closes with 5 lead singers from other bands all joining Soupy which is really cool. Favorite Song - Melrose Diner
5. Take This To Your Grave - Fall Out Boy Most bands’ best albums are often their first. This cannot be more true for Fall Out Boy. Most people here Fall Out Boy and immediately think “OMG! Dance, Dance and Thanks For The Memories!” however their first album, which is practically unknown to the mainstream world, is the best. Take This To Your Gave is a phenomenal Pop Punk album that helped establish modern day Pop Punk. Following this album, Fall Out Boy changed. No disrespect to them or anything, I mean they did their thing and became famous but their music changed. The song Our Lawyers Made Us Change The Name To This Song So We Wouldn’t Get Sued from their second album opens with “Brothers and sisters put this record down. Take my advice cause we are bad news” which shows that the bad itself knew they were changing for the worse. Take This To Your Grave is a classic Pop Punk Album from a not so classic Pop Punk band. (O Yea and Sugar, We’re Going Down, which is off their second album, is catchy as fuck I don’t care). Favorite Song - The Patron Saint Of Liars And Fakes
4. New Found Glory - New Found Glory In a lot of ways I consider New Found Glory the most classic Modern Pop Punk Band. I know Blink and Sum 41 are more popular but something about New Found Glory just seems more like a typical Pop Punk band who happened to explode and get really popular. Like they just headlined a tour titled Pop Punk’s Not Dead! This album is just full of a ton of catchy songs, and is in my opinion, their best ahead of Catalyst. Oh and Chad Gilbert dated Hayley Williams <3333! Favorite Song - Better Off Dead
3. Mutiny - Set Your Goals Mutiny is Pop Punk. There is no other way to describe it. Everything about this album screams Pop Punk. Two wild vocalists, fast songs, gang vocals, cheesy yet beautiful lyrics, and poppy breakdowns. This was the first real Pop Punk album I truly got into and the first pure Pop Punk band I saw. I saw them for the first time in awhile this winter and they still played songs off this album and are still awesome live. Also, although Goonies Never Say Die is not on this album, it might be the best representation of what Pop Punk Song is. Favorite Song - Mutiny
2. Enema Of The State - Blink 182 You cannot make a Pop Punk list and not include Blink. You just can’t do it. My favorite album from them is Enema Of The State which probably shows that I am not a die hard Blink fan. A serious fan would probably choose one of their earlier albums like Dude Ranch, but I personally like this album the best. Many people agree as this was the album that got them mainstream. Almost every song on this album is considered a classic. Without this band and even without this album, I question where Pop Punk would be today. Favorite Song - Going Away To College
1. The Last Thing You Forget - Title Fight Title Fight is weird. They are not really Pop Punk yet they are not really Hardcore. They are Title Fight and they are my favorite band from this genre. This choice seems weird for #1 but like I said, this is all my opinion. When Brendan, Cam and I somehow made it to Wakefield to see Title Fight, we knew that was going to be the best show we would ever see. And we were right. I have listened to this album all the way through an unreal amount of times. From the two stepping beats to the interludes to the unbelievable lyrics, this album just has everything. Out of all the Pop Punk I have ever listened to, something about this band was just different for me which makes this album #1. Favorite Song - Memorial Field
Thank you for viewing my top 10! If you are a Pop Punk fan I would love to hear your thoughts and possibly you’re own top 10.
Incredible picture by PJ Couture. RIP Worcester Common Outlets. I remember my dad bought me my first Starter jacket and a Miami Dolphins’ Zach Thomas jersey in that mall. And I know you would have an incredible Nike store if the Wrentham Outlets never murdered you.
Humans destroy. I just hope we don’t stop rebuilding.
(Source: pjcouture)
Green Eggs&Ham. I’m only posting this on Tumblr so I can rub it in PJ Couture’s face that iPhones are superior to droids.
A Goofy Movie. Max kills it in both of these scenes. Just classic 90’s cartoons in it’s prime.
Powerline (the singer) was an absolute stud.
P.S. I was in love with Roxanne back in the day.
The Twitty Stevens Connection. Even Stevens was too funny. Beans slappin tha basssss mannn.
Christmas in Harlem by Kanye West ft. Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Cyhi Da Prynce, Pusha-T, and Big Sean came on shuffle today. I randomly got the urge to tweet “Jim Jones” and then proceeded to Wikipedia him, where I discovered he started an Inline Skate team (aka rollerblading) called Dipskate (a play off his recording company Dipset). There aren’t as many videos as I’d expected, but this one is pretty hot. Check it out in HD.
Justin Bieber gets hated on so much. But I love him because a) he is nice at drumming b) he slays Selena Gomez
Check out this video of him rapping over Kanye’s beat from Otis.
Justin Bieber!
Damn damn JB where tha hell you been?
Yeah I got a new necklace, diamonds
2 big face rollies, no I aint lyin
Makin momma so proud that she cryin,
Yeah you say im crazy, guess that makes 2,
But I never knew that dreams really came true,
Started playin drums when I was only 2,
Now I kick it in japan, kung fu
So I’m heading for the gold
Im sweating
I swear Otis redding
Will be oh so ready
Got ahead-y
Of the game Im with Kenny
And we steady, getting many.. I mean money uh
Ridin in the all black benz
With the all black rims
Then we lookin at some 10’s
Through some all black lenses
Wait Im not done…
I thanked Jesus at the awards so im never goin to hell,
Call me zach morris im savin ya by the bell
My girl says im perfect, she just loves an imperfect person
Personally I think she is perfectly perfect
Get it done abundantly, she wants to get up under me
I swear that I got hundred these
Cause baby im a money tree,
So baby be my honey bee,
My little bitty bunny,
I got hunnies all up on me,
Baby I just get it done-y
Possibly, youre probably thinkin this type of swag is impossible
And logically we’ll probably be
But you just hit me lyrically,
Try to feel me spiritually,
Get out your mind, literally
There’s a bigger me inside this little me,
Screaming out: “I SHOULD MAKE HISTORY”,
I am like a mystery
Hated by jealousy, because they envy me
Run up on my enemies,
See if they remember me,
Soon as they remember me,
Ill wipe away their memory,
Cant you see the private jets flying over you,
I aint even Otis, but my focus on my photos,
Might be bogus, but there shouldn’t be a photoshoot,
Funny how you want to take my picture,
And its like its your first time,
Playing with the camera
Claiming that “its not mine!”
Just calm don’t, you don’t gotta hurry,
Don’t be nervous, you aint gotta worry,
My fans are like my glasses,
Without them id be blury.
Pat Shunney recently tweeted this, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I’ve watched it 6 times already. Pure beauty. I’m only tumbling this because I know Brendan doesn’t have a twitter and I don’t know how often Shawsy reads his twitter feed.
