The Good - We got to open for Trouble
The Bad - I screwed up a song pretty badly
The Ugly - People can really be jerks
First, wow what a night it was getting to open for Trouble. I've listened to those guys for years, and to actually open for them was pretty friggin cool. That was a goal of mine and Don's since we started this thing...to open for a band we knew about and listen to. Next up, we MIGHT get to open for Overkill! We'll see what happens. Anyway, let me get the bad out of the way. Man did I screw up a song. We played two knew songs at the gig...one of which we've only gone through in two practices. The song we kick off with is one we've played out once before, and I roughly knew the lyrics but had a cheat sheet taped to the stage floor so I got through it. However, when we got to the third song, "Gates of Eternity", I blew it. We're all supposed to start at once and I had a major brain fart. I start playing a different part, then realize I'm WAY off and just have to drop out for a sec to figure out where the tune is at. Then, I go to read my cheat sheet taped to the stage floor and I can't see it very well because of the lack of lights. So everyone who heard it got ot hear me kick it old school and go freestyle on the lyrics...hahaha. Now since the song has a theme to it, I was able to make stuff up that fit. But when we got to the solo, I completely screwed it up again. I couldn't hear where we were at...just another wonderful night at The Muse. I basically re-wrote the bass line on the spot. As long as it contained some D's and E's, I knew I would be ok. I was just pretty happy when the song ended. The rest of the gig went pretty good, and the aftermath was unlike anything we've had at a gig before. This dude came up to me who drove up from Texas just to watch Trouble, and told me that NoiseCult did not disappoint at all and went on about how kickass we were. After we loaded up the gear we were hanging out by the new van Don bought and the sound guy for Trouble came up to us and said that he never pays attention to opening bands, but we were really good. And we also sold more merchandise then we ever have. One girl who bought a t-shirt and CD was telling us she was getting them for her boyfriend because he was saying how NoiseCult was "the shit". I gave the dudes from Texas both of our CD's and they were pumped about listening to them on the drive back. When I was standing behind some people, I heard them saying "man, that second band kicked ass", and that second bands was us. Yeah, we did pretty good and it was awesome to hear how well we went over. I've said it before, I don't take compliments well...they almost embarrass me in a way. But it was really cool to hear how many people really enjoyed what we were doing, especially when these people came out to watch Trouble. So that's the good and the bad, and now for the ugly. Oh, before that, did I say Trouble played a heckuva set? They did.
There were four bands playing before Trouble, so we decided to play a short set knowing people would lose patience. The first band played under 30 minutes, we reduced our set to 7 songs and played under 30 minutes, and the band Dissaray was only going to play about 7 songs as well. So what about the other band? The other band's name is Christine, and we've played some gigs with them before. Now over the last few months I've been hearing about the ego the band has got because they signed to some indie label. I dismissed it because it was all word of mouth and I hadn't personally seen anything to make me think that. Well, last month we were supposed to play a gig with a band that is somewhat known, and we basically got screwed over because Christine wanted the slot after they already turned it down, too much to get into all the details. So yeah, I had a bad taste in my mouth already. We get to the gig and I run into the guys in Dissaray who we've gigged with before and they are some cool guys. Originally they were supposed to go on after us, and Christine would be playing 4th, right before Trouble. Well Dissaray mentioned that Christine wanted to swap slots and play third, so they were like "yeah, that's fine". When I heard this I mentioned about how I wondered what the motive was for that. Like I said, the first band played under 30 minutes, we played under 30 minutes, and then Christine played...for close to a friggin hour. We were all joking before they played how they would probably play a 45 minute set, honestly not expecting them to go even that long, let alone close to an hour. So what happened when Dissaray played? I was on my way to grab a beer and the sound guy for Trouble told Logan of The Muse that he needed to pull the plug. Yep, just so happened that Trouble was supposed to go on at a certain time and because Christine took it upon themselves to play almost an hour, Dissaray only got about 20 minutes. Now they had only planned a short set anyway because, like us, they knew they shouldn't be taking up Trouble's time. So here was a band who was going to do the right thing getting screwed by a band with an ego without any reason to have one. Now in saying that, I have no clue who's call it was to play that long so I'm not going to condemn the whole band, but whoever did is a jerk. Oh, and in case you don't know, I heard from MANY people how horrible they were...and that's not just some sort of sour grapes...it's just a fact. Now another interesting thing is that after Dissaray got done, Christine was nowhere to be found...they took off. From what I heard, they wanted on the gig because they're fans of Trouble...yet they didn't stick around for the show...hmmmm. Could it have been a perceived chance for self-promotion in front of a crowd? I kinda think so. When we take a gig, it's done for fun. If people dig it then awesome. I am not about to play a gig trying to make myself look good at someone else's expense. Now, I may be completely wrong about the way things went down, but the way it looked wasn't good. One thing you don't do is disrespect someone who's playing by the rules. If you do, it will come back to haunt you. One dude who wasn't in a band told me that night he thought it was a "dickhead thing to do" when the third band played so long after the first two played short sets. So Christine, many people took your set as being nothing more than self-promotion at the expense of others. Just letting you know.
I hate being so cynical, but I am. This incident Monday night was just another wonderful example of how self-serving some people can be without one iota of care about anyone else. And sadly, I've run across more than one person like that in my life...that's why I'm still single...hahahaha. That's why I know I'll probably never get married. The idea of putting that much trust in someone outside of my immediate friends and family just probably isn't going to happen. I learned something a while back, and that's when you start looking to anyone else to bring happiness to your life, you are in big trouble. The only one that can make you happy is you. Yes, I am a Christian and do try my best to let my faith bring me happiness as well, I'm just talking about relationships with other people. I don't mean everyone is evil by any means, but you have to be careful. Honestly, outside of my close friends and family, my dogs bring me more joy than anyone else probably could. I guess there's a reason dog's are called "man's best friend", and that's because they don't lie to you and they show you loyalty. If I come home and one of my dogs doesn't come running up to the fence barking but kind of hangs back, I know there's probably some dog poop in the garage or something got torn up. They know they're caught. It's a great thing, but it's kind of sad that my dogs display more honesty and loyalty than a lot of people do.
I saw that the movie "300" is still the number one movie in theaters this past weekend, and it got me thinking. Why would this movie still be number one? Was it because of the carnage and violence? Was it because of the cinematography and directing? No. The reason this movie is still number one is because of two reasons - honor and nobility. For example, loook at how acclaimed "Braveheart" and "Gladiator" were. Yes, the visuals and directing were impressive, but it was the characters that drew people in. People love to watch epic movies where the story revolves around someone's honor and nobility. So what I would like to know it why are these traits so lacking in people I meet? When "Braveheart" came out, guys loved it because of the battles and women loved it because of the traits William Wallace had. When "Gladiator" came out, guys loved it for the fighting and women loved it because General Maximus was a man of honor. Now, I truly believe that guys liked these movies for more than the battle scenes...they looked at the characters and thought to themselves "man, that's the kind of guy I want to be". Maybe not all, but I'm sure more than one did. And the same goes for "300". Men seem to enjoy these movies because they almost live vicariously through the characters, and women like them because of the traits the main character has. So again, I wonder why these traits seem so absent in people I meet.
General George Patton stated "Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men" and I couldn't agree more. Now, I am not trying to sound like I'm the epitome of virtue by any means, but I honestly try. Moral courage doesn't just apply to a battlefield, it applies to life. It means knowing who you are, what you value and believe, and never being afraid to take a stand on those principles regardless of what anyone thinks. It's not just courage, it's MORAL courage, meaning you see things in black and white, right and wrong, and will live your life according to those morals. You know what the greatest thing that happened from running for Senate did for me? It put me in a position to where I was constantly having to defend what I value and believe...and that meant more to me than anything. I'd do radio and newspaper interviews where I would openly talk about my faith, my beliefs, and my values. Every time they would be questioned...not like someone was saying I was lying...but people would differ with me and try to back me into a corner. Like one radio interview I did where the guy asked me about my stand on AIDS research. My Senate website stated very plainly that we are wasting TONS of money researching a disease that can be controlled through behavior changes. I pointed out that the amount of money spent on AIDS is ridiculous when suicide ranks right up there with the number of AIDS deaths in America. All these groups scream about more funding for a cure so they can continue to have sex anytime and anywhere with whoever they want with no consequences. Sorry, I don't see it that way and I never held back in interviews. Sure, I was called all sorts of names during the campaign. Did I care? Not one bit. People may have disagreed with me, but they knew exactly where I stood. And that's how I try to treat those around me. Like the band I mentioned previously, I honestly wonder how some people can live with how they disrespect others, and thankfully I don't understand. Sure, confrontations or saying something to someone can be tough and uncomfortable at times, but I am so sick of the cowardice people display by ignoring stuff hoping it will just go away. I can't think of one problem I ever had where trying to ignore it helped.
If I got in trouble as a kid, and I did a lot, telling my dad a lie basically trumped anything I was in trouble for. My dad could not tolerate lying, and to this day I know when he says something it's honest. Sure, there were times like when I was a real little kid and he would tell me about Santa Clause dropping off toys and stuff like that, but that's just having fun. Once I got through my rebellious teenage years and hit my 20's, I realized my dad was always the one person who was honest. It may not have been what I wanted to hear, but it was truth. Not taking anything away from my mom, you know what I mean. I have no patience for lies, I have no patience for flakes, and I have no patience for selfishness. A lot of people are only out for themselves, and I try my best to stay away from them. One girl I used to work with told me I was going to die alone. Hey, as long as I don't sell out what I believe in then so be it. It just really sucked that on Monday night, when I got to live a dream opening for a band I really like that some had to take it upon themselves to be jerks and remind me how selfish some people can be. Oh well, you reap what you sow.
I feel the need to end on a positive note. Opening for Trouble was pretty awesome, especially with the reactions we got. And this weekend we're filming our new DVD!!! I can't wait! And you know what else was really cool? I took Tuesday off work, went and bought "Rocky Balboa" on DVD and watched it that afternoon. I was so happy because I was finally able to shed a tear or two while watching it knowing no one could see me...hahaha.