Weekend Redux: Recording

This weekend we started the recording process for a new album. So far drums and bass are done then next is guitars and vocals.
I really enjoy the whole recording process. We each get to dissect our parts, fine tune them and put all our passion and emotion into the songs.
Unfortunately having a child means Brian and I have to take turns watching him and we don't get to be apart of the entire process.
Saturday evening we attended a very rock n roll/metal/hardcore baby shower for a friend of ours who is in a local band at a Horror themed rock club. We drank, rocked out and had fun while Rocky Horror Picture Show played in the background.

I don't have any awesome pics to share :( but our friend Dave will have some for us soon.

WEEK DONE

  The crickets are out, Hayden pretending to sleep so he doesn't have to take a bath, shower face and my new 8-bit sunglasses.

This has been a quick week. Or should I say it feels like it's been a quick week. We start the process of recording a new album this evening and I've been feeling really productive this week in all aspects of my life.

At work I've been hitting the keyboard hard and keeping busy doing my thing. At home I started doing Yoga  again (or rather my version of some form of yoga).

Last night Hayden and I took a walk around the neighborhood with Barley then spent 45 minutes riding around on his bikes and scooters. 

It's frustrating mostly trying to teach him how to ride his bike. He'll start to do really well pedaling then he just gives up. I try to be patient but I feel like he's not listening to anything. He doesn't quite grasp the concept of his push scooter. He'll just walk around with it and say "YAY! I'm scooting!" but yeah, not really.

We'll keep working on it, or I'll have to buy him a horse to ride to school instead. 

School of Hard Rocks: A Happy place

The band is heading into the studio to record this weekend. We have six songs we're super excited to get down on cd and out into the world. Last night at practice I made the guys act like my cd player so I could write down all the lyrics for these songs that I hadn't put down in my notebook.

I love everyone of these songs and I feel like they are some of the best we've ever written. 
On top of that we just booked a show with one of the longest running metal bands in Vegas: Hemlock. 15 years ago I had an underground zine called The Spit, in high school. The first band I ever interviewed was Hemlock It was the precursor to a long career of underground music journalism and involvement in metal for me. On Halloween 1998 I got to see Hemlock play at the Huntridge. My good friend Scott and I got kicked out in the middle of their set for throwing smoke bombs into the crowd. It was a good time and one of the last shows I got to go to at the Huntridge. 
I am beyond stoked for this show!

13 years ago

13 Years Ago yesterday -Brian and I met. I picked him up with some co-workers/friends to drive to San Francisco to see Crystal Method. Little did we know that evening that within three months of that fateful night our lives would change forever.

We've spent many more amazing years together than bad. And even through the bad we have come out stronger.  We are truly each others best friends and neither one of us can image our lives with any differently. 
We are strong together and love each other so much. A true partnership that neither one of us takes for granted.  

Our sweet little family is full of so much awesome love at times it seriously feels like we're gonna burst into piles of glitter and confetti. But instead we appreciate each other with hugs, smiles, teasing, eye rolls, video games, cookies, and most of all a million "I love you's" a day.

You can go throw-up now. 

1999

2003

2006

2007

2008

2011

2011

2012

Weekend Redux: The Boy Turns 6!

This weekend was a whirlwind of fun. From an amazing birthday party at the Cheese to mountains of Legos, and hours of video games. 

Saturday morning I woke up early and crawled downstairs to cuddle with him as he watched cartoons. I told him about the day of his birth, his first birthday, and his second, then he drilled me with questions about Angry Birds and which ones were still coming in the mail. He had pancakes for breakfast and then we shopped for what he wanted to put in the goodie bags for the friends coming to his party. 

Hayden wanted to celebrate turning 6 at Chuck E Cheese. As much as the thought of children cracked out on birthday cake yelling and screaming while walking UP ON the skee ball game makes me cringe, I have to oblige his Cheese addiction at least once a year.
He played, he ran, he laughed, he ate pizza (without making me remove all of the toppings), he ate cake, then he opened more presents than any six year old kid should even be allowed to open.

And at this one, he stopped, stared, and smiled so big he was speechless.

It's quite amazing that a video game is what motivates my kid to sit in awe, considering his parents fell for each other over video games and beer.

He's the most amazing thing that has ever happened to both of us. We have huge egos about our super cool parenting skills. I mean, no other kid at Chuck E Cheese names their parents secret side band Penguin Throwup and rocks a local punk band's shirt that says "Don't Eat Poop". 

He does however have a stigma about people mistaking him for a girl since his hair is so awesome so he now greets people with "I'M A BOY! And my name is Hayden."

He has so much personality and love everyone just gets pulled into the orbit of awesome he has made.

Someday he'll be embarrassed and won't want to hang out with his parents and their crazy rock and roll friends on his birthday. Some day. 

But for now we revel in the sweet hugs and soft "I love you's" that he shares with us and celebrate all that is Hayden every day!

Really? Instagram jealousy.

I started using Instagram again. After the saddening loss of my iphone I was skeptical it would work the same on my droid. It's pretty awesome actually.@domrockstar if you want to follow me.
I have only 15 users I'm following, most of them my friends. A few musicians who get to tour post some photos that make me pretty jelly. Especially if they post photos of huge crowds I only dream of playing in front of.
But this
Rich Kids of Instagram

This makes me sick.

All I want is a damn car and these rich kids are riding around in helicopters.

Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts.

I will buy the car I want. I just have to keep telling myself this.

And then I stumbled on this gem:

The 17 Funniest Descriptions of Interview Subjects The News Has Ever Broadcast

And it just made me laugh so much I forgot about the damn rich kids versus me having to ride the bus. 

Weekend Redux: Summer Rains

Saturday found us getting Hayden his sought after Boomerang Angry Bird after months of not being able to find it in the store. He was super stoked, even though he loves to give my camera dirty looks. 

I found a couple awesome skirts BOGO at Forever 21 and had a hard time deciding which glittery awesomeness to wear for our show on Saturday night.

Both Brian and Chris were repping some of our friends' bands from Nor-Cal.

The show was a lot of fun and the celebration of our guitar player Rob's birthday.  Our friends are awesome and we love that they support us, even when they have to sit through some bands they don't care for.

All weekend it showered off and on. A rare humid night last night I sat under the tree in our front yard watching the sky and the amazing lightning show. 

TiLT-Metal Things

It's been super hot here in Vegas. Like 113 and junk. Luckily I work in a very air conditioned office but I did however pass out a couple times in the last 2 weeks from being overheated in the truck and at home. I have to make sure I'm protected from the heat.  Summer is in full effect but that doesn't mean we can't bring the METAL full force with black, and leather, and spikes.

Here are some awesome things I'm loving this week. 

The Dark Knight Rises Starts NEXT WEEK SUCKA! 

Here's MetalHammer's :Top 10 reasons Batman is Metal as F*ck.

This Skull Top from Styles for Less and these Spike Leggings from NastyGal

This Faith No More poster from SecretSerpent 

This  Licensed Batman Saddle Plug and This Skull Butterfly Bling Necklace

PROMOTION

Last week I mentioned that I had good news but didn't want to jinx it. So now that it's official I can announce it : I GOT A PROMOTION AT WORK-
Basically I got a hefty raise and will be getting paid for stuff I've actually been doing for a while. With a new boss and a new direction for my role I'm pretty excited about my career.

Things have been busy and productive which is how I like my work...

Weekend Redux: Brian's Birthday!

We had an amazing weekend to celebrate Brian's birthday.
On Friday we hung out at our friend Dave's house where Hayden and I chased a black bunny that has been hanging in his backyard. I fed it some broccoli and tried to catch it but it got away from me in a neighbors yard. Hayden thought it was hilarious when Brian told him I was "hunting wabbit."

Saturday was Brian's birthday and I had a special plan for him. We had an awesome breakfast and gave him presents. Then we headed to the movies to see Spiderman.

Hayden wanted to be a part of "whatever this movie is."

We walked around Town Square for a while killing time. Then when we got home a whole slew of our friends were there for a surprise party I had planned with help from our friends Dave, Cody and Chris. 

Cody had a drum cake made for him. We played rock band, drank, ate some great food, and played Celebrity. The party was a blast! 

Our 4th in pics

Brian's birthday is on the 7th so the 4th is always a big deal for him. He loves celebrating his birthday all week and takes the fireworks as a personal party. Yesterday it was unusually cool and rainy here in Vegas.

We made mimosas, played video games, barbecued, and hung out with the boy. 

Barley was a little freaked with all the loud noises that went on until around 2:30am.  He's never been like that on 4th of July so we made sure he was comfortable and calmed him down. 

Hayden liked sparklers but got bored after a little while and said they were lame. 

We got to watch about five different firework shows just from the front of our house. It was pretty awesome.  

I hope everyone else had a great 4th!

Weekend Redux: Weekend of Deth

This weekend was quite eventful. Friday we hung out at a friend of a friends house and jammed for 3 hours. 2 guitar players, a bass player, 2 drummers, and 3 singers. We had a blast. 
Saturday we went to our friend Eric's house and enjoyed a Pool Party of Deth. 

Hayden had a lot of fun in the sun but got pretty bored a couple hours into it then hung 

out inside watching TV.

Chris (our bass player) found this clip of what looks like Brian on Metalocalypse cheating on us with Dethklok.

Then later that night saw our friend Kyle play in his one-man-band Mechanical Death. 

It was a pretty great weekend overall. This next month is full of fun as well with Brian's birthday this weekend, a show next weekend, Hayden's birthday the weekend after and then us starting our recording of the new album YAY!