Meat Over Moscow is Dead!

It's Been a While, Here's a Fishhead.

2011-10-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

"Sound & Fury" preview.

2011-02-01T22:12:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of the Korea Herald.

DAEGU ― Fans of independent music are not always well-catered to in Korea, in the midst of the ever-powerful K-pop industry. Seoul and Busan have, with the help of dedicated supporters and promoters, made great strides.

But somewhere between the two lies the lesser-known, more conservative city of Daegu, taking its own steps toward an eclectic music scene with a small but equally passionate band of followers.

The Korea Herald spoke with expat Aaron Thompson ahead of his photography exhibition “Sound and Fury” about his attempts to document it.
“There’s kind of exciting stuff going on in regards to independent music,” said Thompson, who plays bass and synthesizer in “dark noisy shoegaze group” Black Hanbok.

“With my photo show, I’m hoping that people who aren’t actually exposed to the indie scene will take a look at these images and go ‘wow,’ there’s something really exciting and cool going on here.”

The 26-year-old, who trained as a photojournalist, started photographing performers at Daegu’s oldest nightclub, Club Heavy, back in June 2009. He met members of promoters Supercolorsuper and has been working with them ever since. The team help keep Daegu’s alternative music scene abuzz by getting musicians from around Korea and abroad to play.

Attracted by the similarities he saw with the indie scene in his native Las Vegas ― principally the same struggle with getting people to show up to gigs ― Thompson became fascinated by what he feels is a special time for the city, when people are trying to change things.

“A good photojournalist is there to capture the moment that if it isn’t captured, will be gone forever,” he explained.

One of the centerpieces of his show is an image of the female lead guitarist in Dogstar, the only Daegu band featured.

“They’re (Dogstar) probably one of the best unheard of bands in Korea. They just bleed music,” Thompson, also a music writer, enthused.

Referring to the striking shot of Ryu Sun-mi as an example, he said, “I want to make images that when people look at them they can hear the music, they can imagine the style.”

Other acts featured in the exhibit, include Sighborg, 10, Yamagata Tweekster, Handsome Furs, On Sparrow Hills, Juiceboxxx,
All of the shots were taken at Supercolorsuper-organized shows in Daegu. The four core members with the promotion/booking organization there have put a lot of time into publicizing and extending the scene from its initial base at Club Heavy, into other venues with new acts, explained Thompson.

“They hit the ground running … whenever a show’s going they’re out the weekend before putting up posters, hand-billing and you know, they’re spending their own money,” said Thompson, recognizing the hard work and challenges involved in trying to establish the underground scene there.

But, he said, people are starting to take notice and he hopes this show of his photography will contribute.

Thompson’s meticulously selected images ― it took two months for him to pick nine from his collection of around 4,000 ― instantly catch the eye with their trademark vibrancy and kaleidoscopic waves of energy.

In order to keep editing to a minimum, he said he swings the difficulties with lighting in murky clubs to his favor, using as little flash and as much ambient light as possible. “I tried to keep all the images as absolutely pristine and raw as possible,” explained Thompson.

“I put everything into it and I’m just pretty crazy I guess. I’ll do anything for an image.”

In the past he has sustained injuries for his pictures and said once, as he was trying to get a shot of a band from above, he fell off a speaker onto his back.

His commitment and talent have not gone unnoticed; Thompson’s images have been featured internationally in publications ranging from Rolling Stone magazine to British tabloid the Star.

But Thompson seems happy staying on what he calls “the ground floor,” capturing music, and life, at its grassroots. Although his prints are available for purchase, he will charge only twice the printing cost ― the other half being reinvested into the local music scene and new projects.

He uses a Canon 40D which has been with him since he trained. “It’s been through hell, you know, like a good camera should, but it keeps on kicking,” he said, hoping he wouldn’t jinx his good fortune by telling how it had broken and endured beer, dirt and even blood.

Next up for Thompson is another project that will take him to the fringes of Korean society: An in-depth pictorial of Daegu’s migrant workers.

“Sound and Fury” will be at Doyo Gallery in Daegu from Feb. 1-28. Entrance is free and opening hours are midday to midnight. An opening reception will be held at the gallery on Feb. 5 from 7 p.m. with music by experimental band Not Jeremy Jones. For more information, call (053) 421-6233. -Hannah Stuart-Leach

Art show.

2011-01-17T06:52:00.001-08:00

Featuring many photos from this blog. Come if you're in Korea, or even if you're not. :)

Merry Christmas from the kids of Elite English School, South Korea

2010-12-26T07:03:00.001-08:00

Juiceboxxx

2010-11-05T08:02:00.001-07:00

Juiceboxxx in Daegu, South Korea, Nov. 2010.

Third Grade Color Test

2010-10-06T06:44:00.000-07:00

Dogstar 2

2010-10-05T06:22:00.001-07:00

Dogstar, September, 2010. Another awesome photo from these great Korean rockers

Hooraay

2010-09-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

Congrats to me and Hwang Ju Hyun for winning third place in the 2010 Kyungpook National University photo contest for this photo of the school's famous building which's name I honestly don't remember. She got some really expensive soap, I got to post about it on my blog, so I guess, in the end, we're both winners.

-A

Handsome

2010-08-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Handsome Furs, Daegu, August, 2010.

Korean Psych Vol. ?? Shin Jung Hyun

2010-07-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

I've had this C.D. for more than a year now, but for some reason, never put it up. Meet Shin Jung Hyun, Korea's Godfather of Rock n' Roll. Since the 1960s, Hyun has been popular with everyone, from U.S. and U.N. forces protecting a post-war Korea to the small, but one-time fierce hippy/democratization movement that took its roots from the late 1960s to the 1980s in Korea under the oppressive rule of president Park Chung Hee. In a weird twist of irony, Hee at one time asked Hyun to write a song for him, but Hyun refused. Instead he wrote a song about the beauty of Korea in a slightly-confusing "fuck you" to the autocrat Hee. Later Hee became famous for being so bad and dictatorial, his own head of the Korean spying agency shot him.

Now-a-days the 70-something year-old Hyun plays occasionally around Korea, even after apparently retiring sometime last year. Here's his collaboration with his former band The Yup Juns, which is about as dirty, garagey and as pysch-ish as pretty much any record I've ever had. It's also about one of the best. Enjoy.

Best Of SuperColorSuper and Daegu Concerts, April/May/June 2010

2010-06-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

King Kahn & BBQ Show / June

Xiu Xiu/May

Ssighborgggg/May

Some dude dancing to I Am Robot and Proud/April

Yamagata Tweekster/May

Ceremony/May

Fishgekaufen

2010-05-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Windows

2010-05-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

Tough Ghost

2010-05-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

Big City Vs. Country/Are Vs. Aren't

2010-04-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks, students of E6e.

Guitar(ded)

2010-03-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Dogstar, for being so awesome live.

Psycedogic

2010-02-22T06:14:00.000-08:00

Winter 4

2010-02-14T15:38:00.001-08:00

Winter 3

2010-02-14T00:43:00.001-08:00

Winter 2

2010-02-14T00:32:00.000-08:00

Winter

2010-02-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Draw your favorite animal ....

2009-12-04T05:52:00.000-08:00

Draw your favorite animal day at E3a class. Thanks, you morbid and crazy kids.

-A

Headache

2009-11-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to Alex, e4a for the drawing and acting prowess.

-A

Do you know (how to use photoshop?)

2009-11-19T08:09:00.001-08:00

-A

October

2009-11-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it's 11 days into November, who cares?

N.W.O.K.H.M.!!!!!

2009-11-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

Meet Method and despite their hilariously cheesy cover art, these ghoulish Seoul progenitors of the 'New Wave of Korean Heavy Metal' scene deliver some of the most epic and amazing Death Metal I've heard in a looonng time. Pelvis obliterating solos, brutal vocals, and mindocaustingly destructive energy along the likes of At the Gates, they've got it all any D.M. fan would want, and then some. Check out their 2006 debut and get ready to get your K.H.M. on!

RPKDM!

-P.S. Bonus live studio cover of "Slaughter of the Soul."

Halloween

2009-11-01T00:39:00.001-07:00

-A

Perspective (is weird.)

2009-10-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today is the day, one year ago I started my ultimately abortive job prospects at CityLife, which promptly ended nearly three-months to the day I started them. If you would have asked me where I thought I'd be a year from now, it would be hard for me to say that I'd be in Korea teaching English and trying on a daily basis not to die in literally the most accident prone country on Earth. I had everything, yet nothing; and now, I have nothing, yet everything. It's a total mindfuck. Ok. now that the emo-air is clear, here's about the two coolest pictures I've taken since I got here, five months ago to the day.

-A

A bunch of photos from a bunch of stuff that is unrelated in Seoul and Deagu, but also because I didn't organize anything at all this month.

2009-10-06T09:53:00.001-07:00

-A

10 (AGAIN)

2009-09-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

I'm reposting this because, let's face it, 10 rules. 10 is the project of a Japanese guy and a Korean girl who make some wickedly infectiously groovy avant pop. If that's not enough, think what would happen if Ikue Mori and Yoko Ono both had a had a love child with Merzbow. A must have for any avant rock and/or noise fans.

Here

Update: They are touring the East Coast U.S. this month. Check em' out, you won't be sorry.

www.myspace.com/weare10

-A

Henna Dress

2009-09-20T04:03:00.000-07:00

Henna Dress is a little awesome Japanese woman who plays some of the coolest lo-fi minimal Nintendo noise you will ever hear. Her hypnotic songs punctuated with everything from low, low, low bass lines to tinny and pretty blips and bloops is so infectiously beautiful, it's jaw dropping. I had a chance to see her in Daegu in Seoul last weekend and Henna said it would be cool if I put her 2009 release "MySpace Diary Excerpts, 2007-2009" up here on the DeadScow, so check this out and be amazed at what I like to call the soundtrack of modern Asia.

Here

-A

I am dissapearer - OR - 3 PICTURES SUMMING UP WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO BE AN INSOMNIAC IN DAEGU

2009-09-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

Johngun's Wild Ride Part 2 - The Boat

2009-09-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

-A

Johngun's Wild Ride

2009-09-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

Meet John Gun. With streaks of psychotic eccentricity matched with an equally as crazy disposable income, this man is both the living incarnation of the Mad Hatter, and subsequently, the coolest guy you'll ever meet in Korea. His love for machine guns, photos, fishing, extreme sports, jimjibangs, fireworks fights on the beach and regular sports puts this guy above the pack when it comes to cool people I've met in Korea. If I had tons of money made from 'government robot and a.i. design' work, as he said, I'm pretty sure I'd be this guy. Meet my new hero and look at some pictures when we wailed on some milk cartons with his $2,000 M4 replica Airsoft b.b. gun on the streets of Sachon.

More photos soon. That being, when I'm done making them all pretty.

- A

Foreign Lives

2009-08-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

It was 2003. I was fresh out of High School and had just moved into my dorm room at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. It was my first time away from all the things that I knew, and to sum it up, it left me in a dark and brooding state of confused ecstasy, misery and joy. Before I left, I had already started my band Meat Over Moscow in 2002 up as a one-man homage to hatred, perversion, misanthropy and noise. My first tracks were nothing more than horrendous noise created by PC microphones, broken karaoke amps, tapes of my first, and ultimately unsuccessful punk band Cold War Crisis and some other terrible Vegas bands whose CD's I ripped and destroyed. I made some 6th Grade-level covers for the CD's I burned in my house on my old Compaq and randomly put them in magazines at Tower Records, on a shelf at Cafe Roma or under the windshield wipers of cars at my High School.

Anyways, in 2003 I found myself isolated from the world I knew, having little friends I liked and felt totally cut off from the rest of the world as I knew it, I put together this little monster as a reaction to my dissolution. This could be why in 2009, I return to my second album (first real one) "Foreign Lives" with a new perspective on isolation. "Lives," an homage to "Alien" soundtrack composer Jerry Goldsmith, is a 51-minute drone-cum-noise exploration of alien worlds, that, more than six years after I made it, still reigns as one of my favorite things I've ever recorded and made. Check this thing out and use it to remember why you are, or always were, alone.

Here

-A

Korean Psych Music Vol. 2. - Run Way

2009-08-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

Run Way is an exploitativly romantic group of late-70s psych rockers who sound like the demon seed of early Deep Purple with a fine helping of Italio and Franco thrown into the mix. Add the melodramatic nature of Hangul, the Korean language, and spice it up with some of the most hauntingly eerie faux-Hammond organs, and you have an absolutely beautiful homage to Korean Psych rock this side of Pyongyang.

Here.

Also:

A cool preview from good friend and fellow Noise fucker Lil' Ron Reirson sort-of chronicling and remixing parts of the 2005 noise scene that sort of blew up in Vegas thanks to the help of guys like Ron, Chad Martinez, who now runs an awesome electronic music show, Friday nights at KUNV and of course, perpetual best friend Ian McKenzie. Look hard for cameos by almost all of these people and maybe I'm in there, somewhere.

Also, Also.
-A

And Now These Messages

2009-08-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

Korean Psych Music Vol. 1. - The Key Brothers

2009-08-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

A new fun feature. A spattering of the strange Korean music I find around here that I rip and put up for your listening pleasure. The first spattering is a Korean psych rock group known as The Key Brothers. One of the best known and general 'best' of the widely coveted Korean Psych Rock era of the 1970-80s, The Key Brothers' melodramatic psych rock is a bastion of fuzzed out guitars, morose keyboards and the best of Korean wailing rock vocals I've heard thus far. A real musical masterpiece of drama, fuzzed out fun and the best 9-minute cover of 'Love Potion No. 9' you'll ever here. Listen to this when you're feeling the urge to either drop acid and cry about the love you lost, or when you're trying to cook fish. Either way, this album works.

Here.

-A

Erasable Philosophy, Vol. 1.

2009-08-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

Board to Death 3

2009-07-31T00:57:00.000-07:00

Il, I, Sam, San, Oh!!!!

2009-07-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

After about a month of inactivity thanks to a broken lens, I got my darling DSL fixed and, during a fit of vacation inspired adventurism, took photos around the oldest parts of Daegu. Enjoy these fucking pictures, because I think they rule.

- A

Level 1-completed. Level 2 beginning...

2009-07-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

It's 1:03 a.m. in the so-called 'Land of the Morning Calm' (or the Hermit Kingdom if you'd prefer) and it's been a little more than a month and week since I packed up my bags and aborted myself from the dusty world that is Vegas. What's changed in a month? Apparently while the Vegas economy continues to spiral down the literal toilet faster and faster than anyone can predict, the only toilet I'm stuck worrying about is whether or not mine is going to flush. I eat dinners for $1.50 that would cost $12 in the U.S. I swill dozens of glasses of shit beer and still only pay $10 for it. While having its own problems, thanks to the crashing U.S. consumer electronics market, Korea is strong and, with only a 4-5 percent unemployment rate, is still kicking the crap out of most internation economic markets.

What brought me to Korea, while sort of interesting, is nearly completely irrelevant. Once you get off of the bus and step into the night-time chaos that is Daegu, not even remembering if you've lost your iPod or a kidney, all the things that lead up to your departure become useless. Survival instinct, in all of its primal consistency, kicks in. Simply put: You freak the fuck out. But the days go by, you meet friends, and you come to realize that we're all here, for better or worse, to get away from our homes. Whether it be because you're an out-of-work journalist, a 20-something fresh out of college, or a 50-something who's only choice between life and death was removing himself from the so-called "Western World," we're all running the gamut between reality and fantasy, that hard part is knowing which part of the two Korea really is. Korea is wonderful. The kids are awesome, the people are friendly (mostly) and everything can be an adventure, provided you have a lot of patience. Patience for the fact that while modern in nearly every way possible, you still have to hang out clothes outside to dry them and most building don't have fire sprinklers, much less smoke detectors, safety complient stairs or even toilets in public bathrroms. Yet you can get YouTube on your cell phone for free and old people play with their Korean iPhone equivalents more frequently than some of their 30-something sons and daughters. In short, in my first month in Korea, I've found that the world, as easy it is to label as shitty, is a beautiful place and if you're willing to give it a try, there's still adventure to be had. Just be willing to deal with a lot of bullshit, and be ready to lose your iPod on the bus.

Junk Food Review: Vol. 3. The Squidburger

2009-07-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

Lotteria is Korea's version of McDonalds. With burgers ranging from the good ol' Hamburger, and Shrimp burgers to the infamous Lotteria Squidburger, along with its modern, but bright decor and uniforms that are starkly similiar to Mc'D's aprons of doom, the reign of the "L Restaurants" is solid in Korea.

Thus enters the Squidburger.

A small, 1,200 won burger, the Squidburger is a small square of squid with lettuce, some weird hot sauce and a sort-of-toasted bun all wrapped together by the metaphysical promise of its squiddy goodness. One bite, of course is insane as the squid is chewier than pretty much anything you'd ever put between two buns, but the hot sauce kicks in, essentially killing all taste sensation you may possibly get from the squid. Not only that, but the sauce is so intense, at some point the burger becomes nothing more than a vessel for a 15.4 bites of pure hot sauce and deep-friend rubberyness. Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting when I bought the Squidburger, but what I ate, didn't really match whatever bonehead and fucked idea of what a Squidburger might taste like in reality.

Next time, I check out the Shrimp Burger, smothered in, of all things, avacados.

-A

Board to Death 2

2009-07-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

Pardon the oncoming postgasm of blog stuff. I've been very busy not sleeping and battling a broken Korean toilet. First up, Board to Deatttthhhhhhh Part 2.

Board to Death Part 1

2009-06-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

A new feature on the blog, a sampling of the random things that end up on my whiteboard after a week of class. These are completely real and usually come a result of discussion with my Korean English Students. Enjoy!

-A

Downtown Cowtown

2009-06-23T07:27:00.001-07:00

In the Church Hospital, no one can hear you scream...

2009-06-18T05:57:00.001-07:00

As per Korean government regulations, all incoming foreigners with Visas must submit to a full health screening. Of course, I didn't know this, so when the nice lady up at the front desk of my Hagwon told me I had to get a health check, I was a little scared. Not that I have any horrible ailment like Swine Flu or Habitual Retardation (It's only occasional.) Anyway so we walk to the church hospital where for the next hour I am inspected from head to toe to make sure I won't die of some health issue in the country. Best part of the health screening: When the school assistant tried to explain to me that I needed to give a Urine sample, but all she could do is point to the bathroom, raise the daisy cup they gave her and giggle a little bit. Also on Thursdays the neighborhood i'm in, Sinmae, has an open market where you can buy pretty much any fruit or veggy or seafood item for super cheap. Also some pictures of my first day at school. Check out the photos, leave comments and enjoy.

-A

Daegu where? Daegu to Korea.

2009-06-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

Hey yall. I made it to Korea and even after what was actually more than 24-hours traveling and a totally fried brain, I managed to survive my first 48 hours in Daegu. So rather than write a huge diatribe about the excentricities and weirdness of Korean culture and being about the only blond person in all of the Sinmae neighborhood, the insanity that is trying to hail a taxi, only to have them not take you somewhere because the destination is too far for them, or the strange awesomeness that is E-Mart, Korea's way awesome version of Wal-Mart, i'll let my first day of photos from walking around Daegu tell the story.

Seoul'd Out...

2009-06-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

Well, today is the long-awaited day where I leave my comfortable suburby digs for the mega cities of southeast Asia. It's 14 hour flight that takes me from Vegas to Seattle, then Tokyo, the Korea. All-in-all, 14 hours of grueling flight love. Anyways when and if I get Internet, I will post my day on the road and the events of the night before.

A

Reno - Day Four (Half of UNR's budget must go to lawn care)

2009-05-19T21:12:00.001-07:00

-A

Reno - Day Three (Waterworld, eat your heart out.)

2009-05-18T13:19:00.001-07:00

Reno - Day Two (Didn't Shoot Much, Because I was Drunk)

2009-05-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

The she-mermaid from hell says: Aaron didn't take a lot of photos because he was drinking all day and left his camera in a friend's car. But here are the few he managed to get off before he passed out on a couch in Reno.

Photos from the Truckee River and Lake Tahoe sooner ... or later.

- A

Reno - Day One (The Desert is Friggin' Weird)

2009-05-17T20:18:00.001-07:00

U.N.K.L.E.

2009-05-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I haven't blogged in a long time. So to make up for it, here's a ton of photos from around the time I last blogged until now including pictures of band Monotonix, some kid sleeping on a football field, Robin Leech's ear, a pissed Miss U.S.A. contestant and a number of images from both Spring Valley Ranch and from the accident scene that took the life of a Metro Cop last week. I'll be heading to the funeral tomorrow, so maybe I'll have some photos of that. Enjoy, oh yeah, and leave comments!

-A

State of the Nation

2009-05-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Indie Rock Standard Message

2009-03-02T03:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a little more than a month since my regular source of income was all-but eliminated thanks to the contracting market that is intelligent journalism. In the last month, I've done more things randomly than I've ever done before. Here's a list of stuff I've done and some numbers I've been keeping mentally to reflect the unemployed life

4: Number of times I've randomly gone on walks in the park
1: Number of times I've visited the Springs Preserve
30 +: Number of resumes I've sent out to potential employers in the last month
2: Number of interviews I've gotten so far
>8: Hours per night I sleep after unemployment
5.6: Number of hours I slept before unemployment
1: Number of times I've watched "Regis and Kelly" on morning TV
4.5: Number of hours I drove for an interview
3: Times a day I check job sites like MediaBistro, Journalism Jobs, or CraigsList looking for work
6.7: Average BAC after 6 p.m. on a weekday
1 Hour and 45 Minutes: Time I spent waiting on phone line with Unemployment
2 Weeks: Time I have to wait until I complete an interview to see if I'm eligible for benefits
14: Random quotes I've picked up from "King of the Hill" and begun using in daily life
72: Weeks I get unemployment for
2010: Nearest estimated time the economy is suppose to recover
3,000+: Number of reported journalism jobs cut already this year.
20: Theoretical band names I've come up with for no good reason except to save their names on MySpace in case a band with that name gets famous
1: Number of times I forgot why exactly I was compiling these numbers in the first place

That's all I have now. Photo post tomorrow, I promise.

Execute the brutes!

2009-02-25T10:29:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I never made it to Kristy Totten's Buckhunter Deathmatch 2009 because of a cold, but here's a picture of her absolute domination. That disembodied head was later given to her as a memento to her both scary, and totally awesome abilities as a Bunkhunter champion and a totally rockin' broad.

-A

Junk Food Review: Vol. 2 - The Del Taco in Barstow

2009-02-24T17:05:00.000-08:00

Legend has it that one time, millions of years ago, three angels came down from the Heavens for some totally awesome Godly smite against the Moores or something. Anyways when they were totally done kicking non-Christian ass, they were hungry, so they created the saint of Del Taco. But they had to create Del Taco somewhere pure and un-touched ... so they chose Yermo California and instead waited until sometime in the 1960s to make it. Since then, Del Taco has become the unparralleled leader of the fast food mexican world (at least in the West) and continues to do so. Anyways that store in Yermo closed, but the second store ever built still stands, and it stands in the awesome road-stop on the way to L.A. town known as Barstow. This little Del Taco is known by fast food enthusiaists as the best D.T. of all in the chain, so on my way home from an L.A. job interview I took an opportunity to eat at this haven for heart attack-inducing food.
I had actually been to it once before on my way to an Akron/Family concert and remembered that just two hard-shelled tacos were so filled with meat and so delicious, hippy music just sounded thus much better. So yesterday I had the same thing ... and it was glorious.

Two huge tortillas stuffed with chicken, cheese, lettuce and whole, fresh tomato slices put these two tacos up there with your average taqueria shop tacos and then some. And the service of the employees was friendly, the restaurant clean and totally the near 100 percent opposite of nearly every other Del Taco on earth.

Not only that, but I got out of the restaurant only spending a little under $3. Now that's a winner, regardless of whatever economic fuckatude is going on at the moment.
So yeah, thank Saint Del Taco and those angels for the best god damn Del Taco ever and if you're driving to L.A., stop and eat here or you might as well deserve the E.Coli you may get from some place like the Mad Greek or Rosie's Diner.

Tomorrow (or tonight), highlights from Kristy Totten's Buckhunter Challenge 2009!

Hank. Help, the molds gotten in!

2009-02-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

Only two today. Sorry, but don't you have something better to do that read this?!

Over, and over, and over, and over.

2009-02-16T23:40:00.001-08:00

Here's that picturelicious post I've been promising but putting off since the inherent chaos of moving has placed me in a constant state of mental fatigue. Ok, enough about me, photo time.

There's soo going to be more pictures. But while you're looking at my shit, please be sure to head over to the Las Vegas Weekly Web site and read my cool-ass story on punk rock radio on the A.M. dial.

... and then I woke up ...

2009-01-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Huzzah. I'm now one of several million other Americans who are now unemployed. While I search mostly in vain for a new job, here's a picture of the old Meat Over Moscow line-up in a picture we took ironically for CityLife a couple of years ago. Enjoy! From Left: Me, Ian and Wyatt McKenzie.

-A

2009-01-21T01:52:00.000-08:00

I have never really written on this blog since it's creation more than a year ago. Instead, what was suppose to be a blog for the resurgence of my former music project, has in a way, turned into my un-secured, totally free forum for me to post cool pictures and occasionally take a stab at humor with reviews of commercials, junk food or other assorted things. Ultimately though all those things, whether it be my lame attempts at humor, or my lame attempts at art, it all comes down to one thing ... I keep myself buzy. I've never really known why I do, except for the fact that when I'm busy, the inexplicable feelings of sadness and regret that I have for no real reason, go away. It's a brutal lie I live, hiding from my soul and running from my true feelings, but I do it, and I've spent all of my adult life and most of my teenage life doing it and I do it because its what keeps me going. Its what keeps me from falling off of the margins of society and becoming what we all know so trivially as "another sad fucking story." I've always wanted to break free, but I always feel like I can't. Call me a pussy if you will, but if freedom means the same marginalization from society that I feel like I encountered so long ago, I'd rather be miserable ... because I'm at least miserable for a purpose. But some reason, today I feel different. I feel like there's something out there that is beckoning my call ... but I don't know what it is. And while I sit inside of my ivory emo tower, I am excited. I have hope, for once in my life and I gotta tell ya, its scaring the fucking shit out of me, and I don't know how I'm going to handle it. For an emotional control freak, that's scary enough.
Yeah, I know I'm being ambigious, but that's the point because I don't even know. What I am certain though is this, I took a huge step today in trying to rid myself of my nagging self doubt, and I gotta tell you something, it felt greater than anything I've felt in a very, very long time.

-A

Junk Food Review: Vol. 1. - The "Angry" Whopper

2009-01-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

As a service to all one of my readers, I have embarked on a mission to subject myself to torture for your enjoyment. So, welcome to the junk food review where I review the junk food I eat on a very rare occasion.

So enter the Angry Whopper,

A two-charbroiled patty whopper topped with sweet peppers, jalapenos, jack cheese and onion rings, the angry whopper isn't nearly as great as a regular whopper, but it's suppose to be angry and spicy and whatnot ... only problem is it's about as spicy a glass of orange juice ... except topped with onion rings, jack cheese and not nearly as fulfilling, completely unlike orange juice.

The other weird part of the burger was it's strange mayo/special sauce that tastes strangely sweet, like something that Jack in the Box would use ... only problem, when I'm eating a fucking spicy burger, it should not be sweet, it should be spicy, leaving me tasting only one thing ... burning ... and the irony taste of blood that I cough up as my body slowly metabolizes the meat-laden gut bomb and goes into anaphalactic, caloric overload shock. All I tasted after this burger, was dissapointment ... and blood.

Pros: two charbroiled pattys, onion rings, jack cheese
Cons: Weird sauce, not hot, forgettable, made me want to die.

2.5 out of 5 fatty stars.

It's been a while ...

2009-01-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

Since I've posted anything. Sorry. So while I go through two months of images for a big picturelicious post, enjoy this here image of former actor Jaoquin Pheonix and the media frenzie surrounding him in town on Friday.

-A

Thanksgav-ing

2008-11-30T23:54:00.000-08:00

In a weird sorta of meta-blog on a blog I posted here, please find below more pictures from this year's Thanksgiving specaturama in the foggy wonderland that was Vegas on Thursday. Also please note my cool new header for the blog I made last night. I guess that means this ridiculous Hell hole for content is, like, official now. Either that, or I was bored. More than likely that one.

Burmese

2008-11-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

Pictures from the shuttered Golden Palm Hotel and Casino from last night's delightfully rainy day.

The British Invasion

2008-11-26T01:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I got a gig shooting my first boxing match. Here are a couple of cool pictures I shot from the match and afterward while I was dicking around on the Strip.

Fill in the blank

2008-11-16T23:56:00.000-08:00

After one of the worst weekends in history, here are some pictures of these people.

Apartment Store

2008-11-11T23:29:00.000-08:00

Well, in celebration of doing Juy Duty tomorrow, here are some photos of my recent trip around my apartment complex, now known by myself as "Murder Ridge." Hah. I would write a really painfully long blog about the levels of despair I feel about having to do both jury duty and living in the modern eqivalent of Laos, but what fun would that be to read. Fucking no fun, if you ask me. And that's why I'm not writing about it.

Check out these fine prices...

2008-11-10T20:59:00.001-08:00

More Mother McKenzie photos from his performance at the KGPA. Update on my latest awesome apartment experience tonight!

And now, a word from our sponsors

2008-11-05T23:05:00.000-08:00

Watching the inevitable at the Nevada GOP party on election day.

U.S. Representative Jon Porter shunning off the news cameras after his loss.

Mother McKenzie at the KGPA

I am dumb...

2008-11-05T22:52:00.000-08:00

Because I forgot to my pay power bill, and I came home to an apartment with no power. Now normally that would be mean I'm a fiscally irresponsible heathen (I am.) but the reality is, I really hate checking my mail. So when I did, I noticed a bill from the power company. Now little ole' me figure "Oh!, they need money, must pay." But the world of whatever the hell I do when I'm not working (Wait, there are times when I'm not working?) caught up and I spaced it. Until I got home today to a noticeably darker apartment apartment outside of my black effigies of Cookie Monster impaling Elmo that not only plaster my walls, but also suck light into the abyss. Open up my mail, yet again and find out that the bill was due four days ago. Whoops. Anyways, the bill is paid, but the world of e-commerce clearly does not including same day power service, so here I am, sitting in Tea Planet thinking of things to do to delay the inevitable sitting in a dark apartment doing nothing. Yeah, I guess I am pretty dumb. But think og it this way, if it wasn't for not having power, I wouldn't have learned this valuable lesson:

Always check your fucking mail.

Change we need? No, change we NEEED!!!

2008-10-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

TØTALITÅR!!!!

2008-10-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

More photos from last night of Spain's fucking awesome Cop on Fire. I'm usually not a fan of scandi-style punk, but these guys fucking brought it.

And on the other end of the spectrum...

2008-10-25T03:14:00.000-07:00

The Fucking Party may be one of the best bands in Vegas.

My head hurts

2008-10-25T02:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to this guy. About five second later, a misinterpreted "Hey dude, just be cool." turned into the guy looking into the doorway, pummeling me in the head about two dozen times while I grasped my camera desperately trying to not drop it. After it was over, he and I talked and everything was cool, but my head still fucking hurts and if I die in my sleep tonight thanks to brain swelling, I'm so going to fucking haunt this dude. But artistically, there's something about the raw emotion in this picture, not to mention the fact that about five second later I was trying to block a series of blows to the head, that really speaks to me. I'm really glad I shot this in black and white and not in color and that Gin is a great painkiller.

FUCK!

2008-09-08T00:34:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks to a nice little fuck-up on my part, I nearly lost every single fucking mp3 and file involving anything having to do with Meat Over Moscow, my eclectic photo collection and my exhaustive collections of, well, everything. So the MOM stuff will have to wait. Until then, enjoy a sad Darth Vader.

-A

5 p.m. to 9 p.m. naps are the worst....

2008-09-05T03:06:00.000-07:00

Because at 3 a.m., you're still not fucking tired. So instead I went through some old CD Roms I have lying around from my younger days. Enjoy the images!

Adult Swim Commercial Recap No.2

2008-08-31T00:16:00.000-07:00

1. T.G.I. Fridays "rib" commercial.
2. Same killer death mercenary video game with a very irritating song.
3. Anti-Pot commercial.
4. Some import SUV commercial.

Adult Swim Commercial Recap No.1

2008-08-29T00:41:00.000-07:00

In a random idea that I thought was cool for no real reason, here are some commercials I saw on a Thursday night on Cartoon Networks' "Adult Swim programming block

-A video game where you're a mohawk-sporting mercenary killing everything for some monetary reason .
-A 'You can join the Army and play video-games and hold cool ass guns and kill real people' commercial.
-A trailer for "The House Bunny."
-A high-end jeans commercial.

Rippin' Shit

2008-08-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Meat Over Moscow is (NOT) dead

2008-04-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

Or are we?
Coming soon.

Obligatory "welcome" message

2008-01-23T00:28:00.000-08:00

Yeah, welcome to another one of the blogs that I will probably forget about and never update. Anyways now that my iron-clad reign at the Yell-dominating and publishing random editorials proclaiming my love for pig wrestling, bear hunting and the tragedies of Cyborg oppression-is over, I need a place to put my off-kilter and out-of-my-mind rants about art, music, society and God knows what else may come to my mind. So here it is. Enjoy. Or not. Honestly, who cares.

-A