Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Woody Guthrie
I've been listening to a lot of Pete Seger lately. And I find myself thinking a lot about the 1960's, thinking about the civil rights movement, thinking about love. For a long time I had wished that I came of age in the 1960's, so I would have something to sing about, be in the middle of the civil rights movement or the Vietnam Protests. Always thinking that there is no great battle for my generation to fight, but that isn't true.
Our Civil Rights cause is Gay Rights. The right for homosexual couples to express their love in any way that they personally see fit, that includes the right to get married and the right to adopt children.
Back when I was in College I was harassed at a local restaurant. A man there started trying to insult me, calling me "gay" and names like a "faggot." He asked me if I was gay, I responded by asking him why it really matters, why, if I were a homosexual, he would choose to harass me, what was so wrong about being a homosexual. He continued to bait me, the entire time I was there as if I were some kind of freak, less than human, that I was some a worse person than anyone else just because I refused to acknowledge that I was a heterosexual and because he thought I was gay. This is the point of view that I have found all over the country, some of my closest friends hold this opinion, however unguided and ignorant it is.
A week ago, my home state of Connecticut overturned their ban on Same-Sex Marriage. I have never been more proud of my home state in my life, I am honored to be a citizen of the third state to legalize Gay Marriage. But that being said, it is 2008 and Connecticut is the third, let me say that again THIRD state to legalize Gay Marriage, that means that there are still 47 states where it is illegal.
Many politicians, including Barack Obama, John McCain and Joe Biden have stated that they support Civil Unions but do not support same-sex marriage. Many opponents of same-sex marriage claim that a Civil Union is legally the same as a marriage, this is not true. Civil Unions only exist in a handful of places and the Civil Union is not valid in states that do not recognize Civil Unions. Civil Unions are also not recognized by the federal government, therefore couples would not be able to file joint-tax returns or be eligible for tax breaks or protections the government affords to married couples. Civil Unions also do not include all of the benefits that a marriage include. No one should be able to tell someone that their relationship, their love is less valid than another one, that their love doesn't deserve the same as another's love.
Right now in the United States same-sex couples are not allowed to adopt children in five states, the law is ambiguous in 36 states. Some states even allow single homosexual parents to adopt but will not allow couples to adopt. In the 36 states that don't have a clear stance on adoption for same-sex couples, prospective parents are at the mercy of judges who decide whether or not they should be allowed to adopt, mostly based on their sexual orientation.
It is beyond me, how someone could say that the love between any two people is not valid. There are plenty of homosexual couples whose love is more pure than many traditional male and female relationships. There is no way of disguising this, it is completely undeniable bigotry and discrimination. Marriage isn't only a Christian institution, pretty much every major religion has their own definition of marriage. It can be a religious, social, spiritual or legal union of individuals and not every religion regards marriage as specifically between a man and a woman.
People tend to forget that we are talking about people, people who want the same rights as everyone else. These are citizens of the world, people who care about the future of this country and this planet as much as the any other "righteous" groups of people. People. People. We are all human beings and we all deserve the same things and we in the United States can't claim that we are spreading freedom and we are a symbol of democracy when we are denying simple inalienable rights to our own citizens. It makes me fucking sick that there are people really intolerable to believe that homosexual citizens of the United States, no citizens of the Planet Earth, are some how less of human beings.
So while I listen to Pete Seger, while I listen to Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, the great folk singers of the Civil Rights movement it is important that I do not sit around and wish that I had a great movement to support, because I do, we all do. This is my call to action, my call to arms, to treat every single person on this planet the same, no matter their skin color, their religion or their sexual orientation. I urge you to join me.
We shall overcome,
we shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.
Our Civil Rights cause is Gay Rights. The right for homosexual couples to express their love in any way that they personally see fit, that includes the right to get married and the right to adopt children.
Back when I was in College I was harassed at a local restaurant. A man there started trying to insult me, calling me "gay" and names like a "faggot." He asked me if I was gay, I responded by asking him why it really matters, why, if I were a homosexual, he would choose to harass me, what was so wrong about being a homosexual. He continued to bait me, the entire time I was there as if I were some kind of freak, less than human, that I was some a worse person than anyone else just because I refused to acknowledge that I was a heterosexual and because he thought I was gay. This is the point of view that I have found all over the country, some of my closest friends hold this opinion, however unguided and ignorant it is.
A week ago, my home state of Connecticut overturned their ban on Same-Sex Marriage. I have never been more proud of my home state in my life, I am honored to be a citizen of the third state to legalize Gay Marriage. But that being said, it is 2008 and Connecticut is the third, let me say that again THIRD state to legalize Gay Marriage, that means that there are still 47 states where it is illegal.
Many politicians, including Barack Obama, John McCain and Joe Biden have stated that they support Civil Unions but do not support same-sex marriage. Many opponents of same-sex marriage claim that a Civil Union is legally the same as a marriage, this is not true. Civil Unions only exist in a handful of places and the Civil Union is not valid in states that do not recognize Civil Unions. Civil Unions are also not recognized by the federal government, therefore couples would not be able to file joint-tax returns or be eligible for tax breaks or protections the government affords to married couples. Civil Unions also do not include all of the benefits that a marriage include. No one should be able to tell someone that their relationship, their love is less valid than another one, that their love doesn't deserve the same as another's love.
Right now in the United States same-sex couples are not allowed to adopt children in five states, the law is ambiguous in 36 states. Some states even allow single homosexual parents to adopt but will not allow couples to adopt. In the 36 states that don't have a clear stance on adoption for same-sex couples, prospective parents are at the mercy of judges who decide whether or not they should be allowed to adopt, mostly based on their sexual orientation.
It is beyond me, how someone could say that the love between any two people is not valid. There are plenty of homosexual couples whose love is more pure than many traditional male and female relationships. There is no way of disguising this, it is completely undeniable bigotry and discrimination. Marriage isn't only a Christian institution, pretty much every major religion has their own definition of marriage. It can be a religious, social, spiritual or legal union of individuals and not every religion regards marriage as specifically between a man and a woman.
People tend to forget that we are talking about people, people who want the same rights as everyone else. These are citizens of the world, people who care about the future of this country and this planet as much as the any other "righteous" groups of people. People. People. We are all human beings and we all deserve the same things and we in the United States can't claim that we are spreading freedom and we are a symbol of democracy when we are denying simple inalienable rights to our own citizens. It makes me fucking sick that there are people really intolerable to believe that homosexual citizens of the United States, no citizens of the Planet Earth, are some how less of human beings.
So while I listen to Pete Seger, while I listen to Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, the great folk singers of the Civil Rights movement it is important that I do not sit around and wish that I had a great movement to support, because I do, we all do. This is my call to action, my call to arms, to treat every single person on this planet the same, no matter their skin color, their religion or their sexual orientation. I urge you to join me.
We shall overcome,
we shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.
..beans
"Especially with Beans...I really felt we were good enough to make it this weekend." - Johnny Mainstream.
And you think I wouldn't share?
beans (walsh.sacco / 2008)
daydream on the hudson line
think of all the things that i could find, tonight
and just in case i cease to breathe
don't let me leave without my memories..alright
'cause i see the way you do it
with your subtle twists and turns
and you ask; "does this drive you wild?"
oh, the fever's taken hold
and i see the the sweat come off your skin
as we're swimming in the sheets
and I come into you
and you come into me
fall asleep to the rhythm of my heart
i've been waiting for so long, waiting for so long
let me in to the dreams inside your head,
just so i know.
yeah, there's love between the two of us
stuck in between the smoke and lust
i'll believe it if you believe it now
a parlor full of playing cards
reminds me not to try so hard
i'll believe you if you believe me now
sometimes it gets so hard
you can't take it anymore
when all of your ambitions
come knocking down your door
a bean for some salvation
a bean for something more
yeah all you really want is in your hands
i'm in your hands
fall in love to the rhythm of my heart
i've been waiting for so long, waiting for so long
let me in to the dreams inside your head
where we can go..
And you think I wouldn't share?
beans (walsh.sacco / 2008)
daydream on the hudson line
think of all the things that i could find, tonight
and just in case i cease to breathe
don't let me leave without my memories..alright
'cause i see the way you do it
with your subtle twists and turns
and you ask; "does this drive you wild?"
oh, the fever's taken hold
and i see the the sweat come off your skin
as we're swimming in the sheets
and I come into you
and you come into me
fall asleep to the rhythm of my heart
i've been waiting for so long, waiting for so long
let me in to the dreams inside your head,
just so i know.
yeah, there's love between the two of us
stuck in between the smoke and lust
i'll believe it if you believe it now
a parlor full of playing cards
reminds me not to try so hard
i'll believe you if you believe me now
sometimes it gets so hard
you can't take it anymore
when all of your ambitions
come knocking down your door
a bean for some salvation
a bean for something more
yeah all you really want is in your hands
i'm in your hands
fall in love to the rhythm of my heart
i've been waiting for so long, waiting for so long
let me in to the dreams inside your head
where we can go..
radfax press release
To all those who breathe the ..rdfx air:
On October 20, 1803 the United States senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase. Only fitting that 205 years after the United States began to truly expand their empire, ..rdfx is beginning to expand theirs. The troupe practiced in New Rochelle this past weekend, showing mastery of 2007's These Are My Eyes, revealing a more polished Planet Nonstop and demonstrating true promise in their work on their loosely-formed third LP. The practice turned into an impromptu performance / collaboration when Joe Sacco's friend and mentor Danshoo entered into the mix. The Rastafarian dropped knowledge, shared spliffs, and helped show the world the guys' true versatility as they left their punk/rock roots to embark on a 10 minute reggae jam of 2006's runaway hit Telephone with a little bit of Bob Marley's Buffalo Soldier thrown into the mix.
Camp Planet Nonstop, the lobbyist group devoted to promoting the band's 2nd LP, issued a press release that there are currently discussions to add Wintersession and The Rolling Sea and the New Wave Cavalier to the already impressive track listings. The thinking is that these 2 songs, arguably the most impressive from These Are My Eyes, would not only supplement the existing P.N. songs but also fit right into the underlying theme of the album. Camp P.N. is confident that competent production and a little more polishing would turn these two already gems into something special on a CD full of potential singles.
In other news from the Planet Nonstop front, it seems that long-stagnant This Song Is A Pipebomb may be nearing completion of writing. The piece, fragments of which were composed in 2005 by Johnny Mainstream, Matt Walsh, and Sean Prinz, has been through the perpetual ringer of writer's block. Last week, however, bassist Diego Rivera and Mainstream sat down and went a completely different direction from the song's punk rock undercurrent by adding more of a hip-hop/funk beat into the breakdown. As for the breakdown's lyrics, which has seen more ch-ch-ch-changes than a David Bowie single, Mainstream and Rivera implemented a reference to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Upon practicing this weekend, the new idea seemed to fly well and the band looks forward to releasing a strong opener to their much anticipated album.
In a rare interview with Alternative Press this weekend, bassist Diego Rivera was asked about the seemingly two different directions that ..rdfx and Johnny Mainstream were heading. He is quoted:
The biggest news and surprise of the weekend came in the completion of Beans, the second song in which drummer Joe Sacco is given a major share of the writing credit (the first, of course, being Telephone). The song, slated to appear on the yet unnamed 3rd LP, came together as Johnny continued to develop his role as lead guitarist and Sacco relented to a faster beat than that which appeared on the original demo. The song, one which Matt Walsh has been quoted as saying he is most lyrically proud of, is proof-positive that the band is ready for the post-Planet Nonstop world already.
As the boys turn into men and work on their future,
we pray you continue to be honest to yourself.
There are a million stars in the sky. Which one is yours?
On October 20, 1803 the United States senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase. Only fitting that 205 years after the United States began to truly expand their empire, ..rdfx is beginning to expand theirs. The troupe practiced in New Rochelle this past weekend, showing mastery of 2007's These Are My Eyes, revealing a more polished Planet Nonstop and demonstrating true promise in their work on their loosely-formed third LP. The practice turned into an impromptu performance / collaboration when Joe Sacco's friend and mentor Danshoo entered into the mix. The Rastafarian dropped knowledge, shared spliffs, and helped show the world the guys' true versatility as they left their punk/rock roots to embark on a 10 minute reggae jam of 2006's runaway hit Telephone with a little bit of Bob Marley's Buffalo Soldier thrown into the mix.
Camp Planet Nonstop, the lobbyist group devoted to promoting the band's 2nd LP, issued a press release that there are currently discussions to add Wintersession and The Rolling Sea and the New Wave Cavalier to the already impressive track listings. The thinking is that these 2 songs, arguably the most impressive from These Are My Eyes, would not only supplement the existing P.N. songs but also fit right into the underlying theme of the album. Camp P.N. is confident that competent production and a little more polishing would turn these two already gems into something special on a CD full of potential singles.
In other news from the Planet Nonstop front, it seems that long-stagnant This Song Is A Pipebomb may be nearing completion of writing. The piece, fragments of which were composed in 2005 by Johnny Mainstream, Matt Walsh, and Sean Prinz, has been through the perpetual ringer of writer's block. Last week, however, bassist Diego Rivera and Mainstream sat down and went a completely different direction from the song's punk rock undercurrent by adding more of a hip-hop/funk beat into the breakdown. As for the breakdown's lyrics, which has seen more ch-ch-ch-changes than a David Bowie single, Mainstream and Rivera implemented a reference to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Upon practicing this weekend, the new idea seemed to fly well and the band looks forward to releasing a strong opener to their much anticipated album.
In a rare interview with Alternative Press this weekend, bassist Diego Rivera was asked about the seemingly two different directions that ..rdfx and Johnny Mainstream were heading. He is quoted:
This weekend's practice fulfilled at least part of Diego's prophecy, as the band showed a marked increase in positive reception to what was previously "Mainstream-only" tracks, such as Old Cathole Road, Aquamarine, and the cover of Bill Browning's Dark Hollow. The band also touched upon some of the tracks recently released on Matt Walsh's 2nd solo EP Leviathan, such as When Pluto Was a Planet, Cinema, and (This City is) Burning Alive.I do not see ..radfax and Johnny Mainstream as two separate bands. On the contrary, we are one band that is currently working on developing our sound. We know that our competitive edge lies in our diverse writing styles and collaborative song development.
We will not fall victim to the plus44/Angels & Airwaves conundrum that blink-182 faced. The band could no longer work together. The division in musical directions was too much for the boys to handle. The result was the formation of two mediocre bands.
The biggest news and surprise of the weekend came in the completion of Beans, the second song in which drummer Joe Sacco is given a major share of the writing credit (the first, of course, being Telephone). The song, slated to appear on the yet unnamed 3rd LP, came together as Johnny continued to develop his role as lead guitarist and Sacco relented to a faster beat than that which appeared on the original demo. The song, one which Matt Walsh has been quoted as saying he is most lyrically proud of, is proof-positive that the band is ready for the post-Planet Nonstop world already.
As the boys turn into men and work on their future,
we pray you continue to be honest to yourself.
There are a million stars in the sky. Which one is yours?
Friday, October 3, 2008
flashback
The State of The Union (Maynes/2004)
Staring out the window at this hollow burnt out city
come on and wallow with me and help me swallow my self pity
back to the bars where I drank away my dignity
it's a long ride home
Chalk up your faces and fake an identity
It's a night on the town and we'll fit in so beautifully
A routine engagement that we'll forget just as easily
but it's better than being alone
chase away your problems, just keep downing shots
a healthy prescription for medicine on the rocks
Ease my empty head and let my soul be bought
watch me while I drown
it's a hell of a way down
Down by the corner there's a Mother and her child
Hopelessly searching for shelter from the wild
Passed without a glance as we clock another mile
Put them out of my mind
I see a kid in the street playing guns with his brother
another helpless soul caught just following orders
in the rocket's red glare he cries for his mother
but she's just so far away
now each day I find it's becoming harder to pretend
as I keep trading meaning that I can't comprehend
hidden under my covers waiting for sunday to end
and saturday to come
oh please won't you point me home
a boy told me once that he would never give in
cries adding check marks to his list of deadly sins
written by the eyes that had yet to see a damn thing
I nailed him to the cross
with centuries spent just fighting and killing
the river of blood leads to corporate buildings
Houses in the suburbs raise material children
where the grass is no longer green
so I sat in the pews singing praise the corporation
where god sells salvation for a hefty donation
a business transaction at the point of revelation
well the apocalypse is here
please let me disappear
Staring out the window at this hollow burnt out city
come on and wallow with me and help me swallow my self pity
back to the bars where I drank away my dignity
it's a long ride home
Chalk up your faces and fake an identity
It's a night on the town and we'll fit in so beautifully
A routine engagement that we'll forget just as easily
but it's better than being alone
chase away your problems, just keep downing shots
a healthy prescription for medicine on the rocks
Ease my empty head and let my soul be bought
watch me while I drown
it's a hell of a way down
Down by the corner there's a Mother and her child
Hopelessly searching for shelter from the wild
Passed without a glance as we clock another mile
Put them out of my mind
I see a kid in the street playing guns with his brother
another helpless soul caught just following orders
in the rocket's red glare he cries for his mother
but she's just so far away
now each day I find it's becoming harder to pretend
as I keep trading meaning that I can't comprehend
hidden under my covers waiting for sunday to end
and saturday to come
oh please won't you point me home
a boy told me once that he would never give in
cries adding check marks to his list of deadly sins
written by the eyes that had yet to see a damn thing
I nailed him to the cross
with centuries spent just fighting and killing
the river of blood leads to corporate buildings
Houses in the suburbs raise material children
where the grass is no longer green
so I sat in the pews singing praise the corporation
where god sells salvation for a hefty donation
a business transaction at the point of revelation
well the apocalypse is here
please let me disappear
el alba de nuestro segundo término..
Welcome to rdfx nation.
Four years. It has been exactly four years since our modest troupe has begun to expand upon the ears of the willing. Coincidentally, four years ago we were on the eve of another presidential election. And while much has changed for the better at Camp Radfax...can the same be said for everything else?
The VP debates last night answered that question for me, at least.
Only fitting, then, that our first post shares the lyrics to our first song written together as a band. Written exactly...four years ago. The lyrics speak for themselves.
-matt
earnest. (walsh.gafaffa/2004)
in the end all our bones will be bleached
by the absence of blood in our arteries.
pay us well and we wont mind
about the fact that we're losing our minds
over credit cards and not each other;
you don't know your mom, but you know her number.
we'll look down from far above
and regret the loves we forgot to love.
all across this land, i see nothing;
it's all, it's all been done, it's all been done before.
we're all the same as the bishops and rooks,
just taking up pages in the history books
like any burning rome;
or any falling king;
or any stubborn winter not moving for spring..
So!
Bide your time with your money and your hate
learn new ways to kill a man, and fuck on the first date.
Spend wisely on things that you know you don't need
You know that you're alive..but are you sure if you bleed?
do as you will! do as you please!
live your life in prison, or
live your life free.
live in fear of who will tend
to your fields when this all ends..
so why bother to try and create,
when it's much more fun to masturbate?
take a bow and enjoy the pleasure
about the fact that you wont be remembered.
all of this land; all of this hate; all of these men trying to blow the world away..
they disappear (or so it seems!)
when something better is on the tv screen
watching the channels we never falter:
the media, our gods! the tv, the altar!
Four years. It has been exactly four years since our modest troupe has begun to expand upon the ears of the willing. Coincidentally, four years ago we were on the eve of another presidential election. And while much has changed for the better at Camp Radfax...can the same be said for everything else?
The VP debates last night answered that question for me, at least.
Only fitting, then, that our first post shares the lyrics to our first song written together as a band. Written exactly...four years ago. The lyrics speak for themselves.
-matt
earnest. (walsh.gafaffa/2004)
in the end all our bones will be bleached
by the absence of blood in our arteries.
pay us well and we wont mind
about the fact that we're losing our minds
over credit cards and not each other;
you don't know your mom, but you know her number.
we'll look down from far above
and regret the loves we forgot to love.
all across this land, i see nothing;
it's all, it's all been done, it's all been done before.
we're all the same as the bishops and rooks,
just taking up pages in the history books
like any burning rome;
or any falling king;
or any stubborn winter not moving for spring..
So!
Bide your time with your money and your hate
learn new ways to kill a man, and fuck on the first date.
Spend wisely on things that you know you don't need
You know that you're alive..but are you sure if you bleed?
do as you will! do as you please!
live your life in prison, or
live your life free.
live in fear of who will tend
to your fields when this all ends..
so why bother to try and create,
when it's much more fun to masturbate?
take a bow and enjoy the pleasure
about the fact that you wont be remembered.
all of this land; all of this hate; all of these men trying to blow the world away..
they disappear (or so it seems!)
when something better is on the tv screen
watching the channels we never falter:
the media, our gods! the tv, the altar!
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