Author: Michael

  • Let’s Go!

    Let’s Go!

    I have the semi irregular tradition of listening to DePaPepe the Japanese acoustic guitar duo while reading 100 years of solitude. It’s a good tradition and it reminds me of spring in Japan cherry blossoms warmish weather green trees busy streets and the beautiful city skylines. Man, what a great memory. Like Saturday afternoon Fox movies. Something warm and good from childhood. Essentially, you know that’s what I think about when I listen to DaPaPePe’s album Let’s Go while reading 100 years of solitude in the spring.

    spring or summer.

    It makes me think about spring in Hirakata at the Tsutaya bookstore sitting in the back by a window reading, which is interesting because you know when you kinda have nostalgia for a time and place, but you were reading a book about nostalgia about a time and place There’s a kind of circular literary satisfaction that makes the tradition pleasurable. I also enjoyed the kind of pureness and the great mixes in the audio of the DePaPePe songs, the simplicity of the guitars yet the stories and drive of the music make for a really good experience and reminds me a lot of when I used to play guitar in high school in college.

    It takes me back to another time when you know, I guess one memory leads to another sometimes they’re just kind of a chain reaction of thought and this memory is a good memory because it makes me think about another good memory of eating lunch at Kansai Gaidai with Scott and Thomas and Rye and Bryan and Rebecca and Levi, Brack and Chris and yeah it makes me think about eating rice balls at the Kansai Gaidai cafeteria with the little chicken nugget inside the rice ball wrapped in a piece of seaweed so there is sort of this cyclical nostalgic weaving that’s going on that I guess is pretty well illustrated in 100 years of solitude and for me it’s wrapped up in this Spring weather sunny day guitar playing listening to DePaPePe music.

  • Waiting to Mosh

    Waiting to Mosh

    These guys were bored during the Mars Volta set so they started up a game of checkers. I got bored too after a few songs and got in on match number 3. I played a strong game and felt like I had it won right up to the very end. Somehow my opponent made a big comeback to continue his win streak. We shook hands like gentlemen and had some laughs. The Deftones took the stage and these nice dudes began to knock the crap out of each other and everyone around them with some serious aggression.

    Nashville brings in a wide variety of people. It reminds me some of Austin. I’ve had a hard time finding a fun spot downtown after concerts to hang out at, but I’m sure there’s some weird edm or jazz club somewhere.

  • Kuru Kuru Kururin

    Kuru Kuru Kururin

    The pick up and play factor of this gem is golden. People have all kinds of reasons for turning to older games. For me I like the ability to just jump in and start having fun. Kuru Kuru Kururin is available on the switch on the game boy advance emulator. If I told you the premise you might just raise an eyebrow and never look back, but jump in and twirl away around various mazes of gradually increasing difficulty. The colors and the music make for a nice zone to wash away in. I recommend this to anyone looking for a quick bit of fun with the potential for a serious challenge. I would put this game in the ‘quick to enjoy long to master’ category.

  • Listening tonight – Friday last day of February.

    Listening tonight – Friday last day of February.

    Sunset Rollercoaster has several songs that put me in a good place. I’m not sure of the precise thread but the Espresso song scratches a similar itch. A lot more upbeat, but the bass groove sits well with me.

    Both songs tease out the retro adult oriented rock vibe but from the place of a fan. I don’t get a tongue in cheek feel. This isn’t a cheap knock off but rather a sincere nod. High five to the producers that pulled off these tones and created this space. Is it that sweet? I guess so.

  • L’arc En Ciel without Tetsuya

    L’arc En Ciel without Tetsuya

    Have you ever wanted to listen to L’arc en Ciel without the Bass? Neither have I. But there is a release of Driver’s High without bass. Most likely this exists because they needed to fill up space on a b-side or some single release or some such rare release that only happens in Japan. I think bass driven pop music tends to be more interesting and L’arc is a master of bass driven pop songs.

  • Carnivorous Plants is something I would get excited about as a kid

    Carnivorous Plants is something I would get excited about as a kid

    But it’s not really something I interact with at all I my adult life. We did have some Venus fly traps in the house.

  • Eternity Forever – Fantasy (Guitar Tutorial)

    Eternity Forever – Fantasy (Guitar Tutorial)

    There’s a bunch of stuff to like about this song, but for me it’s an example of all the right things happening with modern tech and conveniences. The production quality and mastering sit well in my ears. There’s no major studio backing. It was basically a DIY project by good musicians. Here’s a tutorial of how to play the main guitar part. What I enjoy seeing is that the actual guitarist for the song chimes in on the comments. I sent a Facebook message to the producer and he responded about a mastering question. This is ‘home recording’ at its best and a good example of what can be done independently.

  • Switch Play

    Switch Play

    The music took me way back.

  • Winter 2025 Walking

    Winter 2025 Walking

    This past year I’ve been exploring the Warhammer Horus Heresy series. After reading the first three books I listened to the Legion audiobook. It’s great for outside walks and indoor cycling. The experience is different than reading, but I will explore some more audiobooks while exercising. It might be worth looking into one of my favorite books, the Ring series, on audiobook for the next go around.

  • Currently Reading

    Currently Reading

    The City and Its Uncertain Walls – Haven’t read a Murakami book in a while. After reading a lot of his short stories recently it will be a fun change of pace.

    The Name of the Wind – Trying a new fantasy.

    100 Years of Solitude – I reread it every few years. It’s especially fun to read to Depapepe songs like I initially did inside Tsutaya in 2006.