Ian is officially here.  Geeky jokes have officially been made.  Scott Pilgrim has officially been quoted WAY TOO MUCH ALREADY.

Today's song:  Here's a song by the opening band for that show we're seeing on Saturday.

Math the Band - Why Didn't You Get A Haircut

Today's thing:  Here's what I've got so far with that thing I started the other day.  I reused the second segment of it from an earlier thing I posted, but added a synth line that I've been playing around with.

TBC fuller demo

I've been having an interesting and introspective few days.  Ian comes in tomorrow.  Things should continue to be interesting.  There's that saying about "may you have an interesting life" being a curse, but as I said in my college essay, I see it as the opposite.  I relish my life being interesting.  Can I say "interesting" more?

Today's song:  You can do a lot with Autotune.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Sings

Today's thing:  More lyrics, more of the song that I posted yesterday.

Zach's arriving in Boston Tuesday night, but staying with another mutual friend.  Ian arrives Wednesday.  Summer's drawing to a very quick close, but I'm still working on stuff.  My apartment feels strange with my roommates almost entirely moved out, but it means that I can record demos at one in the morning and not worry about waking anyone up.

Today's song:  Someone just turned me on to these guys.  Pretty raw, but pretty cool.

Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm A Machine

Today's thing:  A good, large chunk of lyrics, plus this bassline.

TBC bassline test

Had a heck of a day.  Taught my last class, played capture the flag in the halls of MIT, saw Dustin as he made his move back into Emerson College, then hung out with him and a few other friends well into the night.

Today's song:  So, it turns out I'm going to be seeing these guys with Ian and Zach and possibly a few other friends on Saturday as a bit of a last hurrah.

Peelander-Z - So Many Mike

Today's thing:  That last class.

I feel like I should explain a little bit about what I mean when I cite "lyrics" as a day's work.  After all, I haven't actually displayed any of them, or even uploaded any songs with vocals (aside from Sorrow, which already had lyrics).  This is because, like with a lot of my work, I have a hard time finishing things.  I have an ever-growing text file full of couplets and lines, things that sound catchy and are evocative.  The thing is, all of these snippets are going un-expanded-upon.  I'm faced with the fact that while my tidbits may work well, it's hard to craft entire songs around them.

Today's song:  This is Cee-Lo Green's newest single.  It plays like Kanye's "Gold Digger," but more to-the-point, more melodic and more profane.

Cee-Lo Green - Fuck You

Today's thing:  Some more shots for my summer project, as well as lyrics, as usual.

Well, it was excellent seeing those friends again.  We had a guitar/bass jam session and explored the city.  Stayed up way too late and threw off my sleeping schedule, but that's life.

Today's song:  Lately, everyone's been talking about this - it's a Justin Bieber song, but it's been slowed down by 800%.  Now, it sounds like ambient music.

Justin Bieber - U Smile

Today's thing:  I threw this together as the intro to a possible song heavily inspired by the style of that "Love Smiles" that I linked to the other day.  For some reason, I'm thinking of making it a song to be played as a sound check, complete with lyrics like "Left mic check, 1, 2" and such.

D buzzy sound check test

Well, the friend who I was going to see Reefer Madness with is sick and can't make it, so instead I'm just taking a walk until my other friends get out of their Red Sox game.  It's a nice night, as it usually is.  I spent a ton of time today playing bass and guitar, though my lack of a table is still throwing me off.  THIS IS EXCITING STUFF.

Today's song:  I know I've posted a lot of Beck, but here's a FANTASTIC chiptune remix of one of his songs.

Beck - Girl Remix (Bit Rate Variations in B-Flat)

Today's thing:  I recorded a new bassline and toyed with a possible guitar riff for it.

Today, I moved some stuff back home.  I'm now without a chair or table, but I have a guitar, bass and keyboard still so it's all good.  I'll try to record something new tomorrow, because jeez, I need to.  I'm also hosting a few friends from RI, as well as possibly seeing Reefer Madness for the first time, so that should be interesting.

Today's song:  Here's another one that I'd like to capture the sound/energy of in my work.

The Pillows - Sleepy Head

Today's thing:  If you guessed "lyrics," you guessed right.

I saw Scott Pilgrim for the fifth time tonight with my parents.  There were about 30 people in the theater, despite it having just been released.  It's a shame that it's not making more money, but I have to say, I'd rather have directed something that brilliant and made a disappointing amount of money than have made just another average-yet-successful blockbuster.

Today's song:  Yet another awesome song from the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack.

Blood Red Shoes - It's Getting Boring By the Sea

Today's thing:  A line or two of lyrics, an idea or two for summer project footage, dinner and a movie with my parents and a bonfire with old friends.

With each day lived in the city, I feel more and more like the world is my oyster.  Yet, with each day closer to leaving, I feel more and more like I'm missing out on all the things I haven't gotten the opportunity to do.  Not much to write today aside from that.

Today's song:  I ran across this today, as I'd been thinking about the movie that it's from.  While watching it, it occurred to me that I want to play music this raw and energetic.

Billy Nayer Show - Love Smiles

Today's thing:  Some more lyrics.

With the end of the summer coming up, I'm forced to rethink all my goals and figure out which ones I can complete before I leave Boston.  Yikes.

Today's song:  I'm seeing these guys tomorrow.  Again, a friend has a spare ticket.

Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Today's thing:  I taught my class, as usual.  We edited the music video we shot in class last week.  Sadly, we had to use Windows Movie Maker, which is a terrible program, but we at least have a finished product.

Class Music Video 2010

Tonight, I rode around the city on a bicycle.  It was amazing, and made me wonder why the hell I didn't bring MY bike with me this summer.

Today's song:  Someone told me I should get some The Cure, so I did.

 The Cure - Friday I'm In Love

Today's thing:  Took a couple of shots for the summer project, worked on Anime Boston costume stuff and practiced the guitar.

So, I'm outside the movie theater after seeing Scott Pilgrim.  It's 2:30 AM or so and I'm talking to some friends when this dude comes up, tries the locked doors and asks if we work at the theater.  We say "no," and he explains that there's supposed to be a meteor shower that night, but he can't see it.

"So... why are you trying to get into the theater?"  I ask, kind of stupidly.

"Well, I'm on shrooms," he explains,"so I want to watch SOMETHING."

Which makes sense.  My friends and I nod and decide to move on.  As we leave, I say "Well, I wish you the best of luck finding something cool to watch."  The guy apparently takes it as some kind of insult.

Accusingly, he asks "You haven't ever done shrooms, have you?"

Walking away, I try to respond in as un-judging a manner as I can.  "No," I say, "But who knows what the future holds."

"YOU'LL NEVER DO SHROOMS!"  He yells after my friends and I as we round the nearest corner and proceed to crack up.

"Shit, dude, I think you made him mad..."  One of my friends says.  Sure enough, as we continue to get the hell out, the guy comes to the corner and stands there yelling after us.

"HEY!  HEY, WHAT IF I GET A SHIRT... THAT SAYS... 'HIPSTERS ARE PUSSIES,' WHAT ABOUT THAT, HUH?"

The friend keeps yelling "Hamsters?" back at him as we get further and further away.  Finally, Senor Shrooms gets fed up at our feigned confusion and walks off down another street, grumbling about hipsters and pussies as he fades off into the night.

Today's song:  Here's to you, Senor Shrooms.

The Lonely Island - Shrooms (Interlude)

Today's thing:  Played some music, wrote a few more lyrics, hope to record vocals for Stage Fright City soon, wrote a bit of unrelated script.

Tonight at midnight, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World officially comes out.  Despite having seen it three times already, it looks like I'm seeing it again with some friends.  While I don't remember the last time I saw a movie even twice in theaters, I'm looking forward to seeing this a fourth time.  It's THAT good.

Like I talked about yesterday, though, I'm taking a long walk first.  My goal is to see something new today.

Today's song:  I'm a fan of Bowie and I'm in the mood for this song.

David Bowie - Sound and Vision

Today's thing:  Some more lyrics for that Stage Fright City song I'm working on.  I'm getting sort of close to finishing it up - I aim to ponder/polish it more while on my walk.

It's striking me that while I've discovered new parts of Boston and strengthened my knowledge of already-familiar locales, there are still so many areas I haven't explored, so many streets that I haven't been down.  I think I'll go for a long walk tomorrow.

Today's song:  Everyone, this is Bis.  Bis, this is everyone.  Play nice, both of you.

Bis - Statement of Intent

Today's thing:  Worked on a few lyrics, cleaned my room.  The latter isn't much of a creation, but OH MY GOD IT LOOKS SO MUCH NICER YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

The good:  I'm already planning short films to work on with my friend Ian when he visits.

The bad:  When he does, that'll mean that the summer's about a week from being over.

Today's song:  Good song!  Good video!  Nerdy complaint, though - the arrows (4) shown on the screen of the arcade game are for Dance Dance Revolution.  The arrow buttons (5) on the pad are for Pump It Up, a different dance game.

The Bird and The Bee - Love Letter to Japan

Today's thing:  More lyrics, more song-arranging.

Today, I worked on music, then walked to Guitar Center and played around with all sorts of cool stuff that I can't afford.

Today's song:  So, because the soundtrack's out today/tomorrow and I've been way too much about it within the past few weeks, here's a song from the band that the titular character from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World's band is supposed to sound like.  Yes, it's purposefully overblown.

Times New Viking - The End of All Things

Today's thing:  I worked on lyrics (slightly), recorded bass and guitar for part of one song, while rearranging a little bit of another.

It's kind of strange to realize that I only have just over three weeks until I go back to Hampshire.  Where (as most everyone has said every year) did the summer go?

Today's song:  Fun disco song, fun backyard-music-video take on it.

Patrick Hernandez - Born to Be Alive

Today's thing:  In class today, we shot footage for a music video that we'll edit next week.  Afterwards, I shot more footage for my Big Summer Project, Oh Man.

Tonight was another strange and adventurous Saturday - I hung out with a friend, got recruited off the street by a bachelorette party to go to a karaoke bar, ran into some 30-something guys (again on the street) and went with them to a bar where I'm pretty sure a bet was going on to see who could wear my headphones.  To top it all off, I came home with more money than I left with.  I'd call that an all-around success.

Today's song:  It's come to my attention that I need to listen to more Beck, which probably means you need to listen to more Beck.  So here you go.

Beck - Devil's Haircut

Today's thing:  A bassline and some more lyrics.

I saw OK Go tonight in Providence - they did a free show at Waterplace Park.  It was pretty fun.  As usual, I ended up standing directly up front for most of the show.  This was the third time I'd seen them, but the first in any venue but Northampton's Pearl Street.  At the end, I snagged a setlist and a guitar pick, as well as a high-five-turned-handshake from the lead singer/guitarist, Damian Kulash.

It was an awesome experience, but it struck me afterwards that things of this nature are becoming almost routine.  That's not a bad thing by any means - it just means that my summer is living up to most of my hopes.  In the past week (in addition to the free OK Go concert), I've had a ridiculous and unexpected Saturday-night adventure with geeky strangers, two free advance screenings of Scott Pilgrim and an encounter with Michael Cera.  I've been hanging out on the streets at 2 AM with friends and been given a free bag full of McDonald's by a homeward-heading worker.  A man in a bar won a porn DVD out of a crane machine and gave it to me, then I proceeded to give it to a friend, who gave it to a drunk guy.  I played Pokemon on a fire escape.  And this is all in the last SEVEN DAYS.  Finally, I'm having a summer that's filled with adventure - adventure that revolves around getting out of my shell, going places and meeting people.

Today's song:  I was listening to this while walking down the street.  I dug the sentiment.

Blondie - 11:59

Today's thing:  Lyrics.

The other day, I happened to be in a bar with a friend and someone I'd just met.  The newcomer played Weezer's "Say It Ain't So" on the jukebox, and as we sang along, I couldn't help but remember all the times that my friends from school and I played the song in Rock Band.

Then, when mentioning this to one of said friends from school, I had the distinct hope that one day, I'd hear one of my own songs in some public place, and remember all the times my band and I practiced and tweaked the song.

Today's song:  A friend with excellent music taste just linked me to this.

The XX - Intro

Today's thing:  I came up with/recorded this (and its fantastically descriptive name) today.  Regarding the second segment of it - I think I'm learning the difference between basslines and guitar riffs.  I'm pretty psyched about that.

whum whum whum test

The Importance of Being Cera (part 2)

(NOTE:  If you haven't already, you should read Part 1 of this strange saga.)

Tonight, I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. The World for the third time.  A friend from school (Zachary Clemente, a true hero) had told me that a comic shop was giving out passes, as well as that Edgar Wright, the director, would be at this screening.  I was completely alright with seeing the movie again and I think Edgar Wright's a brilliant director, so this was a no-brainer.  I met up with a few other friends from school, and we arrived early this afternoon to get good spots in line.

As always, the movie was fantastic.  Then, there was a Q&A session afterwards with Edgar Wright and "special guests."  Said special guests turned out to be Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman and Anna Kendrick.  They all sat on stools at the front of the theater, took questions and cracked wise.  It felt strange being in the same room as Michael Cera, given how much I've been compared to him lately.

I realized that this was probably going to be my only shot at closure.  Towards the end of the Q&A, I finally raised my hand.  I knew almost instinctively that as soon as I did, I would be called on, as I was the only one wearing one of Cera's character's shirts (a shirt that Wright had referenced earlier in the session).

And I was.

I stood up and said "This is a question for Michael, and a selfish one at that," then proceeded to explain the perceived likeness that had dogged me, asking if I could get a picture with him (either then or after the session) to resolve the thing once and for all.

He said "sure" and made a joke about me needing to kill him to really stop the problem at its root, while Wright invited me to come on the press junket in Cera's place.  Cera told me I was a handsome man, an audience member yelled that the actor was more handsome, and it became kind of clear that I wasn't getting my picture right then.

When the session got out, however, the celebs were immediately escorted out the fire exit, while the audience was ushered through the normal doors.  One of my friends (Max) and I decided to book it out of the theater and run around the back of the block to see if we could catch them leaving.  Another friend (Madeleine) rushed behind us, apologizing to everyone we'd whizzed past.  We got to the rear exit just in time to find no indication whatsoever of anyone remotely resembling myself. 

As we stood on the sidewalk, wondering what to do, a black SUV with tinted windows rolled past and stopped at the corner.  One of the promoters who'd doubled as security during the Q&A jumped out, pointed at me and beckoned.  My friends and I jogged over, and Michael Cera himself walked out from around the far side of the SUV.

"Hey," he said.  "Glad I caught you."

So I got my picture - hell, I got two.  He signed one of the wristbands that was part of my Scott Pilgrim costume (as I thanked him profusely), as well as the tickets of a few people who'd seen him and jogged over.  Before a crowd could gather, though, the promoter announced "Sorry, Michael has to go."  I thanked Cera again, high-fived him, and as quickly as he'd appeared, he left.

As we were walking away, one of the theater workers who was clearly managing the event ran into me and said that Michael had asked for my name and address, thinking he'd missed me.  I explained that I'd actually run into him but gave my info anyway, all the while thanking them for running such a fun event.

So now, I've finally met the guy everyone tells me I look like.  And you know what?  He's pretty damn nice.  Maybe I shouldn't get defensive when someone new says "Hey, you remind me of that awkward kid."  Now, I can chuckle and say "Yeah?  Maybe.  You be the judge."

Today's song:  Just click it while the story's fresh in your mind.

No More Heroes - Righteous, Triumphant, Et Cetera

Today's thing:  This was pretty much an all-day adventure.  IT COUNTS.  A LOT.

Saw Scott Pilgrim again tonight.  Will see it again Wednesday night.  Will tell you more after that.

Today's song:  Not only is the song fun, the ice skating routine done to it is pretty ridiculous.

Tom Jones - Sex Bomb

Today's thing:  Lyrics!

Today, I found one of my Gameboys, as well as Pokemon Red (one of the originals).  I made macaroni and cheese and started a new game.  What a nostalgia trip.

Today's song:  I know this is the third Anamanaguchi song I'll have linked to on this blog, but this one's another new track of theirs and I can NOT stop listening to it.

Anamanaguchi - Airbrushed

Today's thing:  I recorded vocals for that Sorrow demo.  They're not great, but I guess I did better on this than I would have done on a lot of other songs (which isn't saying much).

Sorrow demo fuller

I walked to MIT today, since it was Sunday.  The sun was shining, chiptunes were blasting and I had an overwhelming sense (just like I did when making the same walk last week) that THE WORLD WAS AWESOME.  And then I saw a robot made out of cardboard boxes on the corner.

Today's song:  Oh hey, some indie music I ran across the other day.

Hot Lava - Apple + Option + Fire

Today's thing:  My class.  I talked about psychology tricks, then we went into the main lobby and did a few flash-mob activities.

I went wandering around Boylston Street with no particular ambition or activity in mind, then heard internet catchphrases and said "oh, hey."  I was adopted into the circle of these strange internet denizens and then came home a hell of a lot less sober than I started out.  Bizarre.

Today's song:  This is already pretty good for chiptunes, then a pre-existing song kicks in.

Renard - Sinisterrrrrrrr

Today's thing:  More of that Sorrow demo, more lyrics.