Good news.

This whole injury thing has been a total pain in the ass, but today I can straighten my arm for the first time since I fell about 6 weeks ago! Now it's just a matter of building my strength back up.

I've been scared shitless during most of this time, worried my future in music could be severely limited. Today the simple act of straightening my arm has relieved much of that stress, and I feel so much better. I still have more healing to do, but that will happen over time, and soon enough I will be back to playing regularly. I can't wait!

In the meantime, I'll still be writing and investigating cool places for my other blog, Paranormal US.

Update on the injury, and my latest tattoo!

I'm still having issues with my wrist and elbow, and all the tendons in between, but I am healing up and looking forward to the day I can pick up my guitar again, and play keys, and beat on stuff with a pair of drumsticks. I miss it all so much.

But every day, it is getting better and better. Some days hurt worse than others. It just happens, I guess.

I want to thank everyone for the positivity and get well wishes and all the help over these past few weeks. It really has helped me to keep a good attitude about it all and push forward, even when I feel helpless and miserable. You guys keep me smiling, and I can't thank you enough for that.

But now, before I start tearing up like a sap, I want to share my latest tattoo! (You may laugh at my geekiness, but I love it.)

USB toe tattoo by Gl1tchZ

P.S. 

I feel pretty shitty that I couldn't get Evils III out on time, and it will still be a while, so don't forget about my little 10% discount code for any music you download from Bandcamp. I love you guys, and this will never expire.

Happy Holidays!

2012 is drawing to a close and the holidays are here yet again. Whatever you celebrate, if anything at all, I wish you a safe and happy holiday.

You will hear from me again soon, after the start of the new year, and I'll have plenty to share in the months to come..

Until then, spend some time with your loved ones. <3

Not the end.. Yet again.

It cracks me up how gullible society is as a whole, and how making sense out of total nonsense is possible, especially if you give up your right to think freely, for stories, books written and rewritten over the centuries by men who claimed the words they wrote were the words of God. Or an ancient calendar ends now, signifying the end of the world.. What is this shit and why are people buying into it?

Yet again, the world has NOT ended. And already people have set other dates predicting our termination..

"What does it mean?" is not the question you should be asking, but rather, "What does it matter?" If the end is tomorrow, we probably won't know about it, nor be able to stop it.

So why fret over something that we may never see in our lifetime? Enjoy each day for what it has to offer, live and love as if every day is your last. There is no need for worry if you live life to its fullest- once absorbed with happiness, you will not fear the days to come, but look forward to them.

Lots of new things coming soon...

There's so much I want to say about everything in progress right now, and so little I can share at this point. To sum it up- I have more than just my solo project going on. New music, remixes, collaborations, and much more...

These things will begin to surface soon, most of them after the start of the new year.

Thank you for following me thus far, and you'll be hearing from me again soon enough.

Regarding Hurricane (Now Post-Tropical Storm) Sandy

"Sandy has lost its tropical characteristics and the National Hurricane Center has now classified the system as "post-tropical". However, this does not mean anything in terms of impacts (damaging winds, coastal flooding, etc.) as they will continue to be the same.

Sandy made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone on the southern coast of New Jersey near Atlantic City at 8 p.m. with top sustained winds of 80 mph." - from weather.com

The Weather Channel Wireless Forecast Station (Google Affiliate Ad)

There is a lot of talk about Sandy right now and though I don't intend to spit out what everyone else is saying, I have to put it out there- please follow all safety precautions for your area. There has been enough damage and death already, we don't need any more if we can help it. Stay safe.

Where I'm at, we haven't really experienced Sandy's wrath yet. Just a lot of rain and wind gusts I could barely walk through. A lot more rain is headed our way and the locals are concerned we're going to flood like last year. It's possible, but I can't be so sure.

I'm not so worried, regardless. I've experienced worse weather than what we've seen here, and it's not going to be nearly as bad as what everyone is making it out to be. People will say just about anything- you can't take them too seriously. Just, once again, stay safe.

* * *


Es gibt eine Menge Gerede über Sandy jetzt und obwohl ich nicht die Absicht haben, ausspucken, was alle anderen sagen, ich habe es genommen da draußen folgen Sie bitte alle Sicherheitshinweise für Ihre Region. Es hat genug Schaden und Tod bereits, wissen wir nicht mehr brauchen, wenn wir ihm helfen kann. Bleiben Sie sicher.

Wo ich bin, haben wir nicht wirklich Sandy Zorn erlebt noch. Nur eine Menge regen und Windböen konnte ich kaum durchgehen. Viel mehr regen wird unser Weg ging und die Einheimischen sind besorgt wir zum Hochwasserschutz wie im letzten Jahr gehen. Es ist möglich, aber ich kann nicht so sicher sein.

Ich bin nicht so besorgt, unabhängig. Ich habe schlechteres Wetter als das, was wir hier gesehen haben erlebt, und es wird nicht annähernd so schlimm, wie, was jeder macht es aus zu sein. Die Menschen werden nur etwa sagen, du kannst sie nicht allzu ernst. Nur noch einmal, sicher bleiben.

* * *


Hay un montón de hablar de arena en este momento y aunque no tengo la intención de escupir lo que todo el mundo está diciendo, tengo que ponerlo ahí, por favor, siga todas las precauciones de seguridad para su área. Ha habido bastante daño y la muerte ya, no necesitamos nada más, si podemos evitarlo. Manténgase a salvo.

¿Dónde estoy, en realidad no hemos experimentado la ira de arena todavía. Sólo un montón de lluvia y ráfagas de viento que apenas podía caminar a través. Mucho más lluvia se dirige hacia nosotros y los lugareños están preocupados que vamos a inundación como la del año pasado. Es posible, pero no puedo estar tan seguro.

No estoy tan preocupado, de todas formas. He experimentado peor clima que lo que hemos visto aquí, y que no va a ser tan malo como lo que todo el mundo lo está haciendo para ser. La gente dirá lo que sea-no puede tomar demasiado en serio. Así, una vez más, estar a salvo.

Video: My Experience With EVPs and the Paranormal

I recorded my tour of an abandoned sanatorium and much of what I experienced there. The audio is left untouched- these EVPs are exactly as I received them. Also note the times this voice says something, and I repeat it. It happens twice. You be the judge.



According to Wikipedia:
Electronic voice phenomena (EVP) are electronically generated noises that resemble speech, but are supposedly not the result of intentional voice recordings or renderings. Common sources of EVP include static, stray radio transmissions, and background noise. Recordings of EVP are often created from background sound by increasing the gain (i.e. sensitivity) of the recording equipment.[1]
Interest in EVP surrounds claims that it is of paranormal origin[2], although many occurrences have had natural explanations including apophenia (finding significance in insignificant phenomena), auditory pareidolia (interpreting random sounds as voices in one's own language), equipment artifacts, and hoaxes.

What I found:
**This is what I heard. You may hear and/or see something different. The whispers are fairly loud and clear.

• 0:14 - "It's so amazing." - I say, "it's just fucking amazing" at 0:25.
• 0:38 - "It's open."
• 0:45 - ???
• 2:12 - "Come on."
• 2:31 - "There we go." - This was about the time I found my flashlight, then handed it to my friend. I told him how to turn it on, zipped up my backpack, and also said "There we go", at 2:43

What I felt at the time:
I felt welcome, and (mostly) safe, and like my gut instinct was driving me to explore further. I did not hear this voice while I was there.

Afterward:
Once I started fitting the pieces together, it's been an experience of both shock and awe. Now, I'm not so sure what I believe as far as EVPs and 'ghosts' and other paranormal things go, but the more I think about what happened and how I felt, it was almost as if I was getting a personal tour of the abandoned facility, rather than just exploring further on my own. Weird.

Discuss:
You can go directly to the YouTube page to vote and comment. What do you think about my find?

Sun, Fun & Sun Poisoning (not so fun)

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Worst sunburn of my life.

I went rafting with friends on Sunday, and despite the fact that I was wearing SPF 100+ sunblock, and reapplied with SPF 30 later, I still managed to get fried.

Fortunately, I was wearing a shirt (a sleeveless shirt, but still, a shirt) and capris over my bathing suit, but I also got some really weird burn lines.

The worst part is my left knee, which is almost purple in a couple spots, and it was horrible putting aloe gel on it (I screamed, I won't lie). I'm using Solarcaine spray now, and it's helping a lot more, but the next few days are going to be terrible.

More of the story:
Apply sunblock like crazy. Reapply. Reapply again. And again just to be sure. Because second degree burns suck, and you want to save your skin. Especially if you have tattoos- you don't want them to turn into blobs, do you? (And tanning beds are even worse. Stay out of them.)

Ocean City, Maryland - Video Diary Pt5-8

Here is the other half of my 8 YouTube videos from my trip to Ocean City, Maryland last week. (Check out Pt7 with Zac Mayfield of Oh, Sleeper.)

Ocean City, Maryland - Video Diary Pt1-4

So my trip last week to Ocean City, Maryland was awesome. Aside from the severe storm on the second night that tried to blow our tent away and drown us, we had a great time. (And when I came back, I had to laugh at all the traffic my XXX photo is getting from Google. Did you REALLY think you'd see me naked? Perverts.)

In Transition - Choosing Freedom Over Money

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I'm not usually one to make rash decisions. Ever. Especially when it comes to employment.

But sometimes you just don't give a fuck anymore. Every fuck that I had to give, has been given. I've been shit on by corporations for far too long.

So I quit.

I'm not quite sure where I'm going from here, but I know that this is not where I need to be. I need to be spending my time creating and doing what I love, not wearing myself out doing shit I hate and pushing my passions aside for... not much money. 26 and digging my own grave- I don't want to live to die. I live to live. So if I'm going to be broke either way, I'd rather do what I love.

I'll be blogging a lot more now, and spending a lot of time on my music most days. Two years ago, I couldn't make it like this. Now, it's different. There will be a lot of big life changes taking place very soon. Big steps can often be terrifying (I know I'm nervous right now), so I can use all the support I can get- if you like what I do, please share it with others.

P.S. Thanks for all the Facebook love! I never really expected all the great feedback in comments and messages.. It feels amazing, knowing people dig my work.

Blog Update: I Haven't Done One Of These In A While

photo by Andy Wheeler

So much has happened in so little time..

The INFEKT album is coming along nicely. There were a few setbacks along the way -I had hoped to release it by now- but overall, I think it's a good thing I'm taking my time in creating this. I'm piecing together a masterpiece.

I've also been getting into photography and urban exploration with friends. There are so many great things around us that we overlook every day.. I've posted some photo sets already, like Dundas Castle and Grossinger's, and singles like The Tunnel. And there will be more in the coming days.

Tomorrow I start my new job at Electric Zombie Tattoo, and I'm looking forward to that.

And yesterday, it was announced that I am now the PR assistant for Ludovico Technique. If you want to feature the guys in your show, podcast, or article, send me a message on Facebook, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

You can expect more frequent updates from now on- there is so much happening, so much to blog about.. my photography, music updates, photo shoot later this week.. More soon!

INFEKT Album Update

I would just like to say that I am quite pleased with the INFEKT album as it stands so far.

I've put a lot of work into the music, and there is still plenty more to do, but it's almost finished.

The overall sound is something I've wanted to bring out for a while now, but it was just months ago I found the inspiration I needed to make this vision a reality.

I've received a lot of praise for "Bound", the first single of this album. I'm glad you guys like it, and there is plenty more where that came from.

Part of the reason this album is taking so long is that I put a lot of thought into my music, and as time progresses and my feelings toward certain topics change, so do my lyrics. Sometimes I'll spend days agonizing over a single line. Sometimes I lack the confidence to write/record the words that even I, on occasion, find to be a little offensive. Some days I'm flowing with creativity, and others, not so much. I've spent a couple weeks at a total loss for words, as well as melody. And I've spent many long nights working until I crash.

This project has given me the opportunity to overcome my previous limitations and explore deeper into my own mind. I have invited my darker half out to play. I am no longer afraid to speak the words I've written. I feel free, finally.

A little good natured philosophy, and why I don't owe you shit.

The cat's already out of the bag, it has been for long enough now, so I'm just going to spew this out- I was assaulted a few short weeks ago by someone I thought I could trust.

Before you jump to conclusions, I want everyone to know how I feel about it.. the last thing I want is pity. It does no good, and I find it incredibly annoying. I hate pity. I'm allergic to it. And it's not because I'm an emotionless robot, it's because I have a very good head on my shoulders.

Yeah, I almost died. But it's over, my body heals quickly and I know I did nothing to deserve that. Shit happens and you do your best to overcome it. I hold no grudges. I am strong-willed enough that I did not let anyone violate me on an emotional level. I kept my head, did what I had to do, and walked away in the end.

The reason I'm talking about this is because recently I was approached online by a couple people who want to drag this out and blow it way out of proportion.. and somehow "profit" from my case. (The messages have disappeared from my FB inbox, but they are still stored in my phone. Snaptu keeps that shit.) And I'm posting it here because I know they are watching this page.. so here you go. Read and digest.

No, I don't owe a "certain woman" an apology. I don't owe her, or anyone involved with her, shit.. However, many thanks go to the officers, my representative in court, the doctors, nurses, and ambulance ladies, who took excellent care of me. Even the lady who questioned my sanity every time I cracked a joke in the ER.. (hey, I'm an optimist) Kudos to you guys. (Note: Now, I will delete the one post that was quoted in one of the messages.. not because suddenly my opinion has changed and this person is completely innocent, no. I am deleting it because it is out of date and no longer applies to my artist resume.) I think it is awfully grimy and narrow-minded for someone to intrude on my case, something that is personal to me, kick a man who is already down and paying for his mistakes, and "profit" from his pains. Why would I want more drama than necessary, and greedy intruders to catch a sick thrill from it all?

What, do you think, makes a "monster"? Have you even thought about that? What would make a person act in such a way, and so emotionally? What hardships have built up and were never overcome.. how hopeless had he felt at that time, that made him crack and give up everything he had going for him? This is, of course, no excuse for what had happened to me, but all aspects of the situation need to be considered in order to understand.

Shit happens, some things higher degrees than others. What's done is done. I kept a cool head, did what I had to do, and I gained "superhuman" status among many of those I've talked to personally. It's all being handled now, and what will be, will be.

If there's anything I want to get out of it, it's not built on spite, or any ill feelings. I have none. ALL I REALLY HOPE FOR IS THE EMOTIONAL SATISFACTION IN KNOWING THAT PEOPLE HAVE LEARNED FROM MY EXPERIENCE, THAT, WITH THE RIGHT MINDSET, YOU CAN OVERCOME ANYTHING. Inspiring others to grow and learn something about themselves is what makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And as for my attacker, I hope he gets the help he needs. I can't fix it and I'm not going to try. He has a long road ahead of him. I may have had the shit beaten out of me, but I'm okay, and in the end, the one who conquered- that's what matters. I'm proud I stayed alive. That was one hell of an accomplishment, and I learned things about myself that I wouldn't have otherwise.

I am not going to be a part of anyone else's drama, and they will not be involved in my life if I can help it. I need to surround myself with people who support and inspire me. I want to grow as a person and an artist. I have big goals to accomplish. I have a (hopefully) long life ahead of me, and so many things I want to do during that time. Leave me out of your drama. There is nothing you can do for me, and I will not humor what appears to be another's twisted mental complex. You're on your own, lady. I'm better than that.

Hello, September.

Lots of things happening this month--

In addition to the new toolbar at the bottom of the page, I'm now building a collection of "guide" pages that contain links to my favorite lyrics/poems and some of my more popular articles.

You'll also be hearing from @J_Boner every now and then, when he decides he wants to spew some Linux geekery at you guys.

Over the next few days I'll be posting a series of blogging tips articles- old posts from IGTB that I had recovered and rewritten to meet the changing times, and the 'feel' of this blog. If you're here because of my previous blogging articles and more to come, hope you enjoy them. If you're not, well, just bear with me. It'll only be a week.

Music still on the way.. ;)

Happy September!

Long overdue for an update.

Okay, so here's the dilly-o. (Does anyone say that anymore?)

I have been incredibly busy so far this summer. With several projects underway, it's difficult to focus your energy and it takes longer to get things done. But soon enough, everything will come out into the open, one thing after another, and all this work and stress and lack of sleep will pay off.

The EleKtrostatiK release is still on hold until further notice. There are some kinks I'm still trying to work out, and finding the time to do that is proving to be rather difficult right now. However, I still keep chugging along.

And I'm sad to say that the awesome Sir Chris is moving away very soon, and so everything to do with T7N is on hold for the time being. But it's not over yet.

There are also clips of me doing that drunken karaoke thing on last night's Casey Wheeler show. (Recorded from Wednesday night.) He also caught me voicing my opinion about the missing stripper pole over the mic, as well as another comment ("..we've got a better one, shut up!") that got the crowd laughing.

Speaking of @casey_wheeler.. Google Maps. Try it sometime. LOL

Quick (and pointless) update from Buffalo, NY

June already. I don't know about you guys, but I'm finding that hard to believe. Feels like it was just yesterday that I was freezing my ass off. Now I'm sweating off the remnants of said ass. That's it, I'm starting my own nudist colony.

May- a (relatively) quiet month at QtR

Hi kiddies, and welcome to May. It's going to be a fairly quiet month here at QtR, simply because I'm working my ass off on the EleKtrostatiK album I plan to release June 1st.

This digital album release is going to be a little different from what I've done thus far- I'm unleashing a song a day (free download), which pretty much means I'll be posting and promoting free music on my blogs for nearly two weeks straight. To those of you who are here for my music, this is my gift to you. (To those who aren't, bear with me. LOL)

Oh, by the way, I'm not that good at keeping secrets when it comes to stuff like this. So you can listen to some of the EleKtrostatiK tracks on Last.fm and Reverbnation before they're officially released.

EleKtrostatiK LP Update

Beans and disease, kids!

I've been hard at work on the eleKtrostatiK LP over the past few weeks (when I'm not enlisting the help of a friend on the Delirium tracks, and the randomness that ensues).

For those who don't know, eleKtrostatiK is an instrumental project I took on, as a learning experience, and an outlet for stress and frustrations, and is the next evolution of my musical persona. Like all my music thus far, it will be available for free download once released.

At this point in time, I'm about halfway through the production. And with songs like "Indigo", "Switchblade", and of course, "Elektrostatik", I'm excited and trying to release this as soon as possible (without ignoring all the important details). Album art is also in the works, and I'm thankful I took that Photoshop course back in '04.

As of right now, it's looking like the release date will be sometime in mid-late May. It could be sooner, but I'm playing it safe for the time being.

If you wish to stay up to date on what's happening with my music, I encourage you to join my mailing list. That way, you won't miss a thing.

Video: April 2010 Update