Random Thread

[Travis B.]

I just tried out for a grindcore band and apparently got in.

Congrats!

[Raphael]

Congratulations from me, too!

[Linguoboy]

This is pretty fucking random.

I was coming home from dinner with a friend last night. About a block from my house, a boy about 8 or 9 years old walking a dog came up to me and asked for help. I assumed I was about to get panhandled, but he told me he'd gotten locked out of this apartment. Now I began to wonder if this was some kind of entrapment scam. The more questions I asked, though, the more I became convinced he was on the level. His story was that his aunt had left him alone at home while she was at work and told him not to leave the apartment but the dog had started whining to go out so he took him out and closed the door behind him without thinking.

He said his aunt usually got home around 10. He didn't have any way to contact her or any other relatives and apparently didn't know which neighbours, if any, he could trust. Eventually he got one of them to buzz him in. But that time it was nearly 11 so I gave him some water and some candy bars and told him to go sit outside his apartment and stay there until they came back. This morning I walked past the house just to make sure he wasn't outside. I didn't see him, but I did find out why he didn't know his address: There's no house number on the building.

All in all, a very odd experience.

[Raphael]

Odd, yes, but it seems to have turned out well after all? I can imagine all kinds of ways in which it could have turned out worse.

[Linguoboy]

Odd, yes, but it seems to have turned out well after all? I can imagine all kinds of ways in which it could have turned out worse.

I mean I hope so? I was leery of involving the Department of Child and Family Services because he told me his father was serving time and he apparently doesn't live with his mother either, though he still has contact with her. He didn't seem obviously neglected: healthy, decent clothes, no visible marks or symptoms of disease. He's probably not getting the nutrition, education, support, and help he needs but neither are a significant percentage of children in my neighbourhood.

[bradrn]

An interesting article: the formation of Afrika Mashariki will probably badly miss the set deadline of 2023. (Though it’s at least on track for 2068…)

[Raphael]

Unrelated random thing: I just wanted you all to know that the spam postings caught recently by the spam filter for my blog comment section included items by "Jaxon Arkwookerum" and "Philomena Bieber".

[MacAnDàil]

I was thinking more of the Anglophone world than Germany.

1968 was significant for protests in America, France, Northern Ireland and Wales as well as Germany.

[doctor shark]

Random: I'm now an official member of the American Chemical Society. (Got offered a free year of membership due to reviewing some articles for their publications.)

[Travis B.]

Random: I'm now an official member of the American Chemical Society. (Got offered a free year of membership due to reviewing some articles for their publications.)

Congrats!

[Moose-tache]

I just learned that one of the largest gilded statues in the United States is in a roundabout in the middle of nowhere. They put a little plaque on the ground, as if anyone's going to dart across this marking-less road to read it. Seriously, put David (inspired by Michelangelo) in the green field site and put this thing in front of the downtown hotel!

[Linguoboy]

I just learned that one of the largest gilded statues in the United States is in a roundabout in the middle of nowhere.

Jackson Park in the hizzouse!

It's not "in the middle of nowhere"; it's in the middle of one of the most popular parks in Chicago. I used to go there regularly when I lived in Hyde Park.

[Moose-tache]

I just learned that one of the largest gilded statues in the United States is in a roundabout in the middle of nowhere.

Jackson Park in the hizzouse!

It's not "in the middle of nowhere"; it's in the middle of one of the most popular parks in Chicago. I used to go there regularly when I lived in Hyde Park.

My thought as a tourist was: "Wait, you expect me to go aaaall the way down south to the Science-and-Industry-DuSable-Robie-House area, then keep going even further? What am I, William Fucking Sherman?" Also, I don't know when the Google van drove through Jackson Park, but I didn't see anyone when I zoomed around; it really felt like one of those parks that's mostly roads, bird-swamp-preserve, marina parking, and golf. But maybe it's better than that. I believe you that there are occasionally one or two joggers, or U of C students dogging or whatever, but either way this statue is terribly wasted in its current location. Put this glorious shit where everybody has to look at it all day!

[zompist]

My thought as a tourist was: "Wait, you expect me to go aaaall the way down south to the Science-and-Industry-DuSable-Robie-House area, then keep going even further?

Jeez, wait till you go to New York and learn that the Guggenheim is a fuckin' hour-long walk from the Empire State Building.

[Rounin Ryuuji]

I am more amused at this exchange than I likely ought to be.

[Man in Space]

This:

More: show

is the Crystal Ship.

I bought the Crystal Ship a couple years ago. It's a Tama Silverstar Mirage; originally I passed on them, and then when I decided I wanted one, it had been long enough that their production (limited run) had ceased and not long enough that people were willing to part with them. I had to find a drum shop in the UK that was selling one. They actually messaged me a few weeks later; the guy who had sold them it had an extra custom piece that he brought later and they gave me first crack at it. I set it up because Cardinal Richelieu (a Tama Granstar from the '90s) was too unwieldy to use—the very reasons I love it make it infeasible for regular use; it is big, loud, and dumb. So I mothballed it and broke out the Crystal Ship, and I regret not doing so earlier because it is gorgeous, both visually and acoustically.

I bring this up to say that I just started a band that I think the board will be amused by, as the name of said band is "Seven Kill Steel".

[keenir]

This:

More: show

[img]https://i.imgur.com/y8g1z03.jpg[/img

is the Crystal Ship.

Most impressive!

I bring this up to say that I just started a band that I think the board will be amused by, as the name of said band is "Seven Kill Steel".

Tis a good name.
{at the very least, give that name to the drums}

[bradrn]

This:

More: show

is the Crystal Ship.

Ooh, very nice! Enjoy!

(Out of curiosity, what are the long black things in the lower-left corner?)

Cardinal Richelieu (a Tama Granstar from the '90s) was too unwieldy to use—the very reasons I love it make it infeasible for regular use; it is big, loud, and dumb.

I find this comment very interesting… I have a drumset myself, but I don’t practice on it very often because it’s too loud when other people are in the house. I’ve always blamed myself for that; I never even considered that it might be due to the drumset itself. (Though then again it probably is my own fault, anyway…)

[Man in Space]

Most impressive!

Ooh, very nice! Enjoy!

Thank you!

I bring this up to say that I just started a band that I think the board will be amused by, as the name of said band is "Seven Kill Steel".

Tis a good name.
{at the very least, give that name to the drums}

With one major exception, I name my drums after what they look like—I used to have a nine-piece Superstar Classic in Indigo Sparkle called "Big Blue"; the Cardinal is a deep red/maroon color; my first-ever Big Boy™ drum kit was a plain black-finished Rockstar that I called "Black Beauty"; and the Irwin, a Vox Telstar reissue, is finished in "silver croco", so I named it after the late Crocodile Hunter. The exception was the First Act, which was a First Act-brand set that was bought from Wal-Mart as a trial before I got Black Beauty. (Incidentally, the very first time I played the First Act, I had visibly dented the cymbal. By the time I got my first Paiste hi-hats, the First Act hi-hats looked like a dog had digested them. I also scuffed up a Magic Brass crash/ride pretty good before, again, upgrading to Paiste. [Incidentally incidentally, the Paiste Alpha 20" metal ride in brilliant finish is the best ride cymbal I've ever used. Fight me.])

Big Blue ironically provided me with a white whale. As I mentioned above, it was a nine-piece kit, but it didn't start out that way: I purchased a second kick and 13" rack tom for it. The last thing I toyed with getting was an 18" floor tom, but when I had the opportunity I passed on it for some reason and never found another one until after I had sold it.

(Out of curiosity, what are the long black things in the lower-left corner?)

Octobans! Just like my favorite drummer, Stewart Copeland, used during his tenure with the Police. I bought them a couple years ago but never was really able to integrate them into the death-metal sound of Amniote, so they were relegated to mothballs until the other day. One of the guitarists in Seven Kill Steel graciously offered to help with cable management and cleaning the basement where we practice and suggested that I set them up. (Seven Kill Steel's sound thus far seems to be more amenable as it leans more on the progressive side.)

Cardinal Richelieu (a Tama Granstar from the '90s) was too unwieldy to use—the very reasons I love it make it infeasible for regular use; it is big, loud, and dumb.

I find this comment very interesting… I have a drumset myself, but I don’t practice on it very often because it’s too loud when other people are in the house. I’ve always blamed myself for that; I never even considered that it might be due to the drumset itself. (Though then again it probably is my own fault, anyway…)

It might well be your equipment. There's a couple considerations here.

First, materials. Big Blue was made of…I think it was some variety of birch?…and it had a very distinct sound through the mix, and the Crystal Ship, being made of acrylic, is incredibly clear and punchy, to the point that I think it's helped me improve my drumming because the strokes of the kicks are tight and defined. The First Act was exactly as cheap-sounding as you'd expect. The Cardinal had particularly unhelpful kicks from my vantage point. You also have the percussive elements themselves to contend with—calfskin heads vs. synthetic, coated vs. uncoated, center dot vs. no center dot, and that's just heads. A fuzzy-wuzzy kick beater will sound different than a plastic disc à la, say, Trick pedals.

Second, size and shape of the drums. The OG Telstars from the '60s/'70s actually had a strip of wood dividing the oblong kick in half, the idea being that you could change the nature of the kick noise by switching the pedal from one side to the other (12" and 18" subdivisions; reissues lack this attribute). Conversely, the Cardinal was big, and I mean big—the smallest of the toms was 10" wide and, I think, 12" deep; its fifth (!) rack tom was 16" wide, which I have never seen before or since on another make kit (and which was a significant factor in my decision to purchase it); its floor tom was 18"; and the kicks were both 24". I had a double-width rack system and even with that I could barely fit all of them on it.

Third, straight-up design. You get a kit with Remo Silentstroke heads and Zildjian L80 cymbals and they remain a whisper no matter how hard you hit them. I've demoed some L80s myself, and the effectiveness of the dampening is shocking. I would legitimately be able to have a drum kit in an apartment using those. (Even if you don't want to shell out big bucks for Silentstrokes and L80s, they do sell drum mutes/muffles for drums other than kicks. I was in a band back in college that practiced in an apartment and no one ever complained [that I know of] while using them. In Amniote, we used to dampen the kicks on Big Blue by putting bath towels or blankets in them.) Different bearing edges, for instance, can also change the quality of the sound you're getting out of it. Installing Kickports on your kicks will also increase the volume. Moongels, or Tone Control Rings, or (as in high school concert band) some upperclassman's wallet placed on the drumhead will also do stuff to the sound.

Fourth, location, location, location. Depending on where you practice, the acoustics of the environs will do something or other to the sound. Big room? Small room? Carpet? Tile? Ventilation ducts right above the kit? It all adds up.

I describe the Cardinal as "big, loud, and dumb" because that's exactly what it is. You could very likely find a Granstar on stage at a thrash metal show in the '80s or '90s; Lars Ulrich appears to have used either a Granstar or (possibly an Artstar?) on the …And Justice For All tour. The guy who sold me it claimed that at least one thrash album was recorded on it back in the day but was unable to elaborate further. Unfortunately, it was bulky to the point of being unable to ergonomically set up. As I related above, it was a tight squeeze on the rack system, and the increased depths of the toms conflicted with the increased diameters of the kicks, so my options were either a) use impossible angles on the heads or b) position the heads in the stratosphere. You couldn't arrange cymbals around it very well either, particularly the hi-hat and ride. Even less wide cymbals (12" hats, 18" ride) defied ergonomic placement, and over the hi-hat, if you wanted to keep it in a reasonable position, you had to jack up at least two of the toms. The 16" rack tom couldn't be put vertically at all using the standard mounting system and it was so heavy it often settled on the surface of the drum and led to damage to the finish. The size of its footprint in the basement was, and remains, also a concern. Miking it up was difficult when we were recording Fully Formed. And it was heavy—it's an absolute unit of a kit. All of this meant that the Cardinal was never going to see the outside of the basement again as I knew from prior experience that the guys in Amniote would refuse to lug it around (and quite frankly I didn't want to, either).

That, interestingly enough, was a contributing factor to my purchase of the Irwin. In addition to the novelty of the Telstar, it was very small, and it became my gig kit. It turned out to be an incredibly excellent purchase as it was sufficiently small (and the kick suitably shaped) that we could basically fit all of our gear and personnel into our vocalist's SUV and therefore only have to take one vehicle to shows.

Music excites me. Can you tell?

[Ares Land]

I bring this up to say that I just started a band that I think the board will be amused by, as the name of said band is "Seven Kill Steel".

That's one awesome name.