Saturday Rock Show: The Rage parts 5, 6 & 7.

Punk Song was one of the earlier songs The Rage put together. I think I was about 19 when I banged out the riff and the lyrics.  Sonically it is probably more of a sped up version of Black Sabbath than punk but the attitude was pure punk.  The message is basically the same as that of Satisfaction, My Generation, I Wanna Be Sedated or Smells Like Teen Spirit; I'm young and I'm not happy about this world the last generation has left me.  It might be our most popular live song.  We played it at just about every gig.  It was usually our opening song.  The crowds always got up and got crazy during it.  It's just so simple, fast and aggressive.  I dig it.

This is just a glimpse at the awesomeness that is Trigger Mortis. The Rage movie had a lot of little interview bits mixed in but I'm not inclined to preserve all of them for youTube nation. They don't really add a lot to the songs and seem odd taken out of context of the movie as a whole. But, I find the bits with Trigger to be really engaging so I'll leave a few of those in. Maybe I'll post the interviews in their entirety at a later date. Maybe.
Never Forgive is a pretty dark and desperate song.  One of our later songs.  This performance is probably one of the first times we played it.  It is obviously influenced by a lot of the dark movies, books and comics I was into at the time. Like a lot of our songs, it is a song from a movie that does not exist outside of my mind.  

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

RIP Mitch Mitchell.

I'm real sad that Mitch Mitchell has left us. Now all three of The Experience are gone. I consider The Experience one of rock history's three greatest bands and I consider Mitchell second only to Keith Moon. Mitchell was just a kid when The Experience was the biggest band in the world. He took things in a wild manic jazzy direction that few have been brave enough to attempt since. A few people have came close to capturing Hendrix's magic but I can't think of any that captured Mitchell's. He was something special.

Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

Because I'm important... or... my "Best of 2007" list.

So far in my blogtacular bloggy life I have harnessed the awesome power of this fully armed and operational blog to promote my comics, music and other people's comics. (Rather than destroy planets.) I have avoided rambling on about my personal nonsense and opinions but no more! Now I will indulge in that most wretched of the blogging arts, the "best of" list. I think it is impossible to determine what makes one work of art better or "best". Art is totally subjective. That being said, I will now list some of my favorite things from 2007. That that being said said, yes and or no, some of the things I will list may or may not have actually been released/unleashed during 2007. Yes, I'm sure I could have googled to find out but no, I couldn't be bothered. Enjoy. Or not.

Music

In any given year that the White Stripes put out an album, I would include said album in my best of list. That being said, Icky Thump is a good album but not my favorite White Stripes album.

In any given year that Tori Amos put out an album, I would include said album in my best of list. American Doll Posse is fantastic. I think it is Tori's best album since Choirgirl Hotel. Maybe even as good as Boys for Pele. Definitely her edgiest since Pele. Just a great album. Incredible sounds. Incredible sounds. If it has any weakness it is that there is just so much to choose from. Something like 20 tracks. Wow. Tori continues to be the best singer in the best business. Her musicianship and songwriting are remarkable. That is all a given. What I keep wondering is when the rest of the industry is going to notice that she might just be one of the two best producers in the business. (The other being Nigel Godrich who produced...)

In any given year that Radiohead put out an album, I would say that said album was the absolute best (or my favorite) of the year. This year, Radiohead released In Rainbows and it is not just my favorite album of the year, it's my favorite work of art of the year and one of my favorite albums ever. I have found it really difficult to listen to anything else since it's release back in October.

Movies

Do they still make movies? Really? I probably only went to the theatre twice in 2007 and that was to see computer animated talking animals with the daughter. I saw some flicks on DVD but I really don't know if they were released in 2007. A Mighty Heart was good. The Bourne Ultimatum was a nice study in the idea that if you make a cut every three to four seconds that the film will be exciting no mater what it is about.

EDIT 1/14/08: Hey, I actually saw a movie in a movie theatre. Yeah, I saw it in 2008 but I think it came out in 2007. Either way, Sweeney Todd was great! Very funny. Very entertaining. I love Tim Burton when he is not making movies about people in rubber ape or bat costumes.

Television

The Office was good. My Name is Earl is funny but this season was a mess compared to the first two. Far too ambitions for a sitcom. They pretty much abandoned their situation part of the sitcom formula. I like Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends a lot. I enjoy The Batman, Teen Titans and the Legion of Superheros shows. Robot Chicken is good for a laugh but makes me sad because I used to do the same exact thing on public access about ten years ago but Cartoon Network never hired me. I guess the best way to break into cartoons is to be a thrid rate movie/TV star. My absolute favorite show on television is Weeds but I have not seen any of season three yet.

Floppy Comics

The only mainstream comics I could make any sense of in 2007 were All-Star Superman, Daredevil and Kabuki. Kabuki is way to good to be insulted by the term "mainstream comic" but it was published by Marvel so that makes it a mainstream comic. Kabuki is just fantastic. Go buy seven copies of each issue.

Thick non-Floppy Comics (or as they say in the book trade, graphic novels)

I worked in a bookstore for the first seven months of 2007 and had access to a lot of great graphic novels but I still feel like I may not have yet read some of the better ones. Some of my favorite creators have released books this year that I have not yet seen. Out of the books that were released in 2007 that I did read, I really liked:

Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi.

The Salon by Nick Bertozi.

Need More Love by Aline Kominsky-Crumb.

House by Josh Simmons.

Anything by Jeffrey Brown. He probably put out a new book since I started typing this.

Thick non-Floppy Comics that Don't Have Pictures (or as they say in the book trade, novels)

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon and The Invention of Hug Cabret by Brian Selznick. I read a lot of books in 2007 but I think most of the other books were either textbooks or written by dead people.

Web Comics

American Elf

Set to Sea

Manley Days

Mini-Comics

And now, the most glorious of all mediums, the mini-comic. I picked up tons of minis in 2007 but when I went back through my boxes to pick out my favorites I found that may of them were from 2006 or earlier. I thought for certain that I had new minis from J. Chris Campbell, Drew Weing and Eleanor Davis but nope, they were from 2004 to 2006. Here are my favorite 2007 minis from the box. I'll save my longer thoughts on why they are my faves for future reviews at file under other.

Paper Pusher by Brad McGinty. The third funniest mini I've ever read. (The first two also being by Brad.)

Rashy Rabbit by Josh Latta. You really can't ask for more from a $3 comic. Nice cover. 32 pages of great art and story. Why can't every comic be this good?

Manley Days Vol. II by Jeffery J. Manley. This thing is very impressive. It's the size of a quality paperback but I sill think of it as a mini-comic because of it's hand crafted nature. The book is beautifully made and the content gives you a whole year of Jeff's Manley Days strip. Well executed, funny and touching. All that for just ten bucks. Wow.

Big Deal Comics & Stories #8 Eddie Goes to Portland by Patrick Dean. A nice thick mini with a fantastic color cover collecting an odd ongoing story from Dean's now retired Flagpole strip.

Arguably Comics No. 4 by Adam Casey. There is not a ton of substance to this mini but I'm including it because it is a great example of what I look for in a good $1 mini comic. For one buck it has an awesome color cover and every page makes me laugh. It's the perfect type of mini to pick up over and over again for a quick chuckle.

Well there you have it folks. Some of my favorite stuff from 2007. I'm sure you were riveted.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Chillun o' de Corn Dog

I've posted new track on my mySpace music page called Chillun o' de Corn Dog. It's from back in 1994 when I was serving my country by playing guitar in a metal band. Those were dark days. Cobain was dead and the airwaves were being taken over by the Hootie Blossoms, the Gin Gin Dolls and the Goo Goo Fish. If you don't like metal or songs with bad words then you will hate this song. Check it out here. You can read some behind the scenes details on the song here.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon "yes I was in a metal band" Smith

Rock is dead they say...

Click here to see the larger version in my comicspace gallery!

Do I really think Rock is dead? No. But I do feel that in the eternal cosmic war between Good and Suck, that Rock N' Roll is currently an unfortunate casualty that has gone into hiding. I don't blame the soldiers. The soldiers still believe. For every Jack White that keeps trying to save the airwaves there are a thousand kids across the globe learning to tune their first guitar in hopes of fighting the war against Suck someday. No, the soldiers are still out there. It is the generals who are losing the war. They have surrendered to Suck. Radio, MTV, the labels, the magazines, the producers, the industry has a whole has surrendered to Suck and I say good riddance. They will all be gone soon and it will the the best thing that could happen to Rock N' Roll. The only power they still maintain is manufacturing and distribution and soon that will be gone. iPods and YouTube will destroy the industry and rebuild it in the image of each musician's and each listener's choosing. It will be great. It's already better than the industry standard. Yeah, it will be different. There will be less big stars and more niche stars. But really, the pop star is already dead. The Justin Timberlakes and 50 Cents of the world consider it a blockbuster smash if they break 4 million in sales. Guns N Roses and Metallica used to sell 12 million without radio or MTV. Yes, the pop star is dead. Good riddance. Long live rock.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

New (old) song on my MySpace.

From wayyyyy back in 1994. A heavy metal hoe down poke in the eye at 90's teen angst and anti-intelectualism.
Click click clickity clickity click click clack.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

New (old) song on my MySpace

I've posted a new song on my MySpace page. Its not really new because I recorded it years ago and some of you may have already heard it but it is new to my MySpace page. It is called Little Blue Smoke and features my wicked-sweet dulcimer skills. The song is inspired by Carlos Castaneda's book The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge. Check it out.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

My Music on MySpace

So I started up one of them there MySpace band pages so I could post some tunes. Check it out here or just click the "Shannon's Music" link over there on the right. No, your right. These are old unfinished songs that I hope will be finished songs someday. There are also a few pictures and some commentary about the recordings. I'm new to this whole MySpace thing (I don't even have any friends yet) but once I figure it out I may post more songs and pictures. I'll use the MySpace page as the home for my musical endeavors. Why MySpace? Its free.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon

Watch out for Shock Cinema

My pal Autry's band Shock Cinema was featured in last week's Creative Loafing as a band to watch for in 2006. Check out their website and listen to the tunes. They're great! My pal Josh was featured in the CL a short while back so what we've learned today is this... if you want to be in the Creative Loafing, be my friend.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon

Shock Cinema

One of my best pals, Autry Fulbright, came by the other day and gave me a copy of his band Shock Cinema's new 45 rekerd and it is great! Last week's Creative Loafing gave them some love. You can check out Autry on a podcast on the loaf's earhsot page. Also check out their myspace page and listen to the tunes. My favorite song on the myspace page is The Hall. I've know Autry for a few years now (even played some gigs with him) and this is the best stuff he's put out yet. Treat yourself to a listen.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

Third Impressions of The Strokes

I'm a big fan of The Strokes first two albums but their new rekerd is big step forward. Thank God someone in the rock and or roll is smart enough to see that guitars can do anything computers and keyboards can do while having the advantage of not sounding like Styrofoam. I think it is awesome that in this producer's age, them Strokes boys have had the guts to learn how to play their instruments. It's amazing how much better musicians sound when they take the radical leap and actually learn some scales and arpeggios. Wow! Amazing! What's that odd sound that you never hear on the radio these days? Oh, they used to call that music? Wow! I'd like some of that!
Casablancas has also come a long way. I liked him on the first two rekerds but the the production was harsh. The vocals on those two rekerds should like they were recorded with a Mr. Microphone and a 1981 $10 boom box. I'm glad the gang chipped in and bought the boy a good microphone. Now I can clearly hear the Dean Martin/Lou Reed drunken love child crooning as well as I can hear the rest of the band.
My favorite toon on the rekerd is Electricityscape. It has this awesome riff that reminds me of the theme from the John Carpenter film Starman. The post-punk Beatley toon Ask Me Anything is quite interesting. I think the lyrics are well in-touch with the current mood of my slacker generation. "I'd like a part. I'd like the lead, but I've got nothing to say." It has that same feeling of what I call aggressive apathy as some of the toons on Radiohead's Kid A. (Another of my fav-o-rite rekerds. )
First Impressions of Earth is not as poppy or accessible as their first two tries, it's just better. I recommend the rock and or roll faithful give it a listen.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

Words and stuff...

So I've now read five Star Wars novels and eight Star Wars graphic novels in the past five weeks. The best were Shatterpoint, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous and Labyrinth of Evil. Labyrinth of Evil leads right up to Revenge of the Sith (The novelization sits on my books shelf mocking me, "C'mon, you know you want to read me, spoil everything, do it!") and is a very good book, probably the best prequel book I've read. All things considered though, I probably enjoyed the John Ostrander stories in the graphic novels as much as any of those in picture-free fancy pants novel-novels. Anywho, my nerd powers have never been stronger. On May 18th, I will go see Revenge of the Sith more prepared than any nerd ever before me. (I've already bought my tickets.)
Other words causing recent trouble in my fragile grey matter come from the R. Crumb Handbook (excellent), Howard Chaykin's Bite Club (not quite essential), and Chuck Palahniuk's new book Haunted (genius).
In other news, the new The Mars Volta album Frances the Mute is so good it is terrifying. Some parts are so amazing I just have to stop the thing before my head explodes. It's Mahavishnu Orchestra with the Latin Robert Plant on vocals. It makes me want to practice guitar, a lot.
After this whole Star Wars thing is done, I'm going to have to ban myself from fiction for a while and focus on finishing some new comics in time for HeroesCon in Charlotte.
Nerd out.
Just because I don't call, doesn't mean I don't care,
Shannon Smith