Sideshow & Syrana

I’m posting this since it’s been rolling around in my head and getting it typed out helps me collect it all in one place. Plus, I should probably talk about these metal guys before more of them die off (Rest in Peace.)

Throughout my music listening career, I’ve never been much of a drummer fan. I’ve always noticed it. It’s there. I just didn’t think twice about it. Then, once we had ownership of Rock Band, I decided to see how bad I was at the drums. It turns out I was very bad..at first. Once I got into it and once I learned how to control each limb on it’s own, it became really fun. I’m still no expert and you could argue that they’re not real drums; I definitely have more rhythm than I had a year ago. There is no doubt about that. One thing the game does teach is rhythm and limb independence.

Once that happened, I started hearing music in a brand new way. Now I can hear the drums and each and every note. I can now pick out the bass drum and other drums. Music that I haven’t listened to in long time suddenly becomes new to me. I have much more respect for a lot of the drummers I listen to. I find myself reading more articles on metal drummers and watching them more in concerts. I still have no idea about the ins-and-outs of a drum kit, but I’d love to learn. If money and floor space were no object (sadly, they are) I’d love to get a drum kit and learn. Fortunately, my current Rock Band drum kit can also work as a pretty decent electronic drum kit, so I do have that going for me.

I thought I’d brain dump my favorite metal drummers (in no particular order) and maybe, hopefully open up others to their style and talent.
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So, we finally did it. We finally tackled Rock Band 2′s Endless Setlist 2 with our virtual band, “We Have Heads.” 84 straight songs with no stopping (except some pause breaks, cuz we’re gettin’ old.) I was completely insane and did the whole thing on Drums on Hard. Syrana was just as crazy and did it on Vocals on Hard. So, I can’t walk or raise my arms and she has no voice. We’re probably the saddest couple in the world. We should join the circus. But, we had to do it since Syrana said she would. (continue reading…)

On Friday, October 30th, after work, Sideshow and I decided to get some Rock Band time in.  First we checked to see what battles were available and saw there was a Halloween Battle!

The songs We Have Heads performed:

Dragula by Rob Zombie

Date with the Night by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold

Sideshow was on drums while I was on vocals.  Both of us were on the hard difficulty.  Now, to hit the top on the battle leaderboards, you pretty much need a full 4 piece band on expert.  So you can imagine our surprise when we saw:

And no, I’m not going to mention that we were the only ones to complete the battle within the first hour it went live.  >.>

Ink and Metal, Part 1 – Getting Ink’d

So the day after getting my tattoo, Sideshow and I went to see KoRn at The Rave in Milwaukee on July 18th.  This was my 4th or 5th time seeing them live.  (It’s terrible when you start to get old enough to lose track of concerts….)

Overall, it was a good concert.  We had fun and came away with zero injuries.  I’m at the point in my life where I steer clear of moshers because I can’t afford to deal with the injuries that can be incurred.  They played a mix of older and newer songs, which was to be expected since they aren’t promoting a new album at the moment.

Jon Davis - Image Courtesy of Chad Davis*

I was a bit bummed that Jonathan Davis (who has the same birthday as Sideshow and I!) wasn’t wearing his kilt… nor did he have his special smexy Giger microphone stand with him.  I do like seeing them at The Rave (this was the 2nd or 3rd time at this venue) better because it’s smaller, closer, more intimate.  However, there is a lack of seating while waiting around for them to start.  Sure, some would say to show up closer to the headline time and skip the opening band.  But, parking is sucky as it is around there, so the later you arrive, the harder it is to find decent parking.

I did have an issue with the sound there though.  Sideshow and I were talking and comparing different concerts we’ve attended at that venue and have determined it’s related to the time of year.  In the winter, the acoustics seem good.  But in the summer, they have the windows open because it gets so hot inside.  I think it messes with the acoustics of the ballroom a bit, especially for metal bands.  If you know the band and their music, it’s easier to figure out what the songs are, but if you are not familiar with them, it can be harder to differentiate songs.

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So… we don’t have any “fresh off the cam” videos to share, but this one has not been featured on the blog yet.  I love Metallica, but please… a fair warning… the lyrics get a little butchered.  But! It’s all in classic BBV style that is still good, wholesome fun.

Also, it is one of the first.  I think I’ve presented the videos in a backwards progression… this is back when we had worse lighting issues (we’re amateurs, what can I say?), the voxman was not very loose in front of the camera, and Sideshow is in it!

We were going to make a new video the other weekend; however, Sideshow couldn’t find the charger for the video camera and it was dead.  D. E. A. D.

I forgot to post up a bit of glee /happydance of a RL achievement…. my mount is paid off!

Woo!

Now, if only I could save the gold to buy an epic…

Goals Schmoals

I can’t believe June is almost over already.  Half the year is gone!  A tweet tonight about the Loremaster achievement reminded me about the goal list I posted at the beginning of the year.  I figured now would be a good time to take a look at what can be checked off and what still needs to be worked on.  Hopefully it will help refocus me as I ease back in.  (At least after I play firefighter!)

….

Eesh only 2.5 of my 10 gaming goals have been completed so far! Let’s take a looksee, shall we? (continue reading…)

I really can’t begin to describe what you are about to see.  This video is the crown jewel, the cream of the crop, the best of the best of the Rock Band videos we have with our good ol’ friend here.

I seriously thought I was going to die laughing and almost had to leave the house.  You might even be able to hear me laughing and gasping for breath.

The best stuff of this video is actually near the end, that’s where you will hear the murloc.

Watch… if you dare! /cackle /giggle /choke

Our third post ever (well, Sideshow’s second post, the site’s third post) featured a video of a friend that plays Rock Band with us.  Today, I’d like to share another one of these gems with you all.  We have too much fun making these, I think.  Although, it’s been quite a few months since we’ve made one.  We’re about due.

And, yes, ladies, we know him in real life.  I could hook ya up. *waggles eyebrows*

… it feels like I did that many, many times into the wall.  Which is unfortunate.  I shouldn’t feel so headachy after a Rock Band session, but I do.  You see, we bought a new TV Wednesday evening.  I know that sounds all well and good.  (And it is a nice TV!)  But, I hadn’t joined Sideshow in Rock Band prior to our jam session with Deekow tonight.

What I discovered, was that the words were scrolling by in blurriness, which hurt my eyes and eventually my brain.  I tried switching to static vocals, but I NEVER use that, so it just made things worse to try and change it up like that.  Sure, I could read the words which were nice and crisp when they stood still, but I wasn’t used to how that flowed with the pitch lines and I preferred the blur.  At least some of the songs I knew the words by heart, and just focused on the pitch flow.

So, last week there was no posting of our setlist because Sideshow and I had to practice sans Kow since he had something else come up at the last minute.

Without further adieu, I present to you….

The Thursday Night Setlist:

All That Remains – “This Calling”

All That Remains – “2 Weeks”

All That Remains – “Chiron”  (the Kow finally picked up this great track pack!)

Killswitch Engage – “My Curse”

Metallica – “….and Justice for All”

Static X – “Push It” (would you believe I don’t really have to alter my natural pitch much on this one? hehe)

White Zombie – “Black Sunshine”  (Woo hoo Zombie DLC this week!)

White Zombie – “More Human Than Human”  (They cut out the moans in the beginning… I was curious if I’d have to ‘sing’ them)

Coheed and Cambria – “Welcome Home”

Metal Health Day

So the band played again tonight.  I think we’re back on our practice schedule! *crosses fingers*  I’m going to post on that tonight because, frankly, my brain cannot handle putting together anything else for you this evening.  And I don’t even want to touch the preview of the next patch yet.  I need more time to process the info I’ve read thus far before making speculations.  Plus, I’ll have some other thought provoking (hopefully) posts for you in the coming days.

Syrana gets a new look!

To the setlist!

Offspring – “Come Out & Play (gotta keep ‘em separated)”

Disturbed – “Into the Fire”

Kansas – “Carry On My Wayward Son”

Avenged Sevenfold – “Almost Easy”

Testament – “Souls of Black”

Journey – “Any Way You Want It”

Godsmack – “I Stand Alone”

Offspring – “Self-Esteem”

Vagiant – “Seven”

As you can see, we like to keep our fans guessing.