YouTube - itgetsbetterproject's Channel

YouTube - itgetsbetterproject's Channel

There are so many emotions I feel when I read a story about a kid being bullied or tortured for any reason and my heart totally breaks when I hear that a young man or young woman has ended their own lives due to bullying. It's especially heart breaking when it is due to bullying because they are gay.

See when I was young, my parents, taught me that people are people not matter what. I was a theater and dancing geek so trust me when I say... I grew up around gay men and women all my life and couldn't have given a hoot, if they let me sing... I loved them. If they let me dance I adored them. If I got a part in a play I worshiped them. If they let me sing, dance and act with them, they were my friends. Hell if they let me just be in the room, lets be honest. SOOOOO... when I was in high school and it was clearly apparent that I couldn't carry a tune in key, had really bad rhythym and couldn't remember choreography and acted as if I was still reading a script and poorly at that, I still got to hang out... I realized, this is acceptance and love.

My best friends were white, black, asian, gay, straight, transgendered and amazing.

I realize today how lucky I was and how lucky I am.


To hear that a young man killed himself because he was outted on the internet I have to realize what a powerful medium we have at our literal fingertips. You can type in anything and search it and do so in relative anonymity and this is something that should be emphasized.... relative. There are repercussions for our actions. We need to live in a world of kindness and acceptance.

And to each kid out there... I have friends that will tell you ... it does get better. And you will do yourself a huge favor to live through it. You will do this world a favor to live through it because you will make this place better. With more love and more acceptance... the world will be a better place.

I am sorry that Tyler Clemente died. What makes me even sadder is the children (no adults of 18 years of age) who put into action the events that caused Mr Clemente to die are only charged with illegally taping and invasion of privacy. They should be charged with manslaughter. They killed this young man. I am sorry Tyler Clemente didn't live to show them that his life was more valuable than anything they could EVER want to and try to denigrate.

Live through it. Live. It really is the best revenge. I have seen in with friends and people I consider family. I can't stress it enough. Live through it. It does get better.

Visit the You Tube Channel linked above and see what Dan Savage and his husband have to say. See what other people are saying. It has brought me to tears of joy that this is in the world now. The is so much value in the "it gets better" message. Shit for drama geeks like me... it gets better. Even I was tormented because of what I appreciate in the cultural world. It does get better and I am better for each and every person that I have learned something from, gay, straight or otherwise.

I honor each and everyone of them by living my life to the fullest. They have. They got through it. Everyone should. There is no shame in being who you are. And this is the message here.

If you save one life gentleman I applaud you and if one young man or woman saves their own life or a friends life... the world is better for it.

Thanks for the positive message and reminding me as a straight 43 year old woman that these messages are important to share and how wonderful life is.

Pythian Whispers – 8.28.2010 @ Denver Does Denver

Pythian Whispers – 8.28.2010 @ Denver Does Denver: "

Getting off to a slow start posting the Denver Does Denver material, here’s one of the first tributes from the festival, with Tom Murphy and Piper Rose teaming up to cover some local underground favorites.

Pythian Whispers (Tom Murphy and Piper Rose)

8.28.2010

Denver Does Denver, Meadowlark Basement, Denver, CO

Source:  DPA 4060′s > DAD6001′s > Lunatec V3 > digi-coax > Oade Mod Edirol R44 @ 24/48 > SDHC > Adobe Audition 3.0 > Resample to 16/44.1 > CDWave

Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:

1. Glitter Galaxy [Space Team Electra]

2. Revenge Bikini Body [Lust-Cats of the Gutters]

3. “The Puppy Song” [Night of Joy/Hideous Men]

A zipfile of the mp3s is available here.

FLAC files can be downloaded as a zipfile here.

"

This is seriously so funny to me not because of the quality of the music because Tom Murphy is terrific and a really wonderful guy, but that he totally stole my Cat Piano band name. On August 14th we were all at this gallery opening chatting and laughing about something and I made note and said that I am naming my Cat Piano band Pythian Whispers. Tom... you didn't even ask me to come and play with you?! What the heck! But I guess if there is anyone in this world that can legitimately steal my Cat Piano band name it can be Mr. Tom Murphy!

Meow....

Live review from @Reverb (Denver Post) Nuns of Brixton @ Bender’s Tavern

Live review: Nuns of Brixton @ Bender’s Tavern: "

Sister Act: The Nuns of Brixton at Bender's Tavern last night. Photo by Michael McGrath, denverpost.com/reverb.

Having seen Jim Yelenick in his other bands — the hardcore Pitch Invasion and the hilarious acousti-punk Sputnik Slovenia — I figured I’d seen the gamut of his personas, and loved them all. But none topped his loose adaptation of Joe Strummer in a full nun habit, wildly leading a packed house through a litany of the best tunes from the Clash. Yelenick fronted local quintet the Nuns of Brixton (a Clash tribute band) last night at Bender’s Tavern and put on a simultaneously heroic and hilarious show — all in full convent uniform.

The Clash, a.k.a. “The Only Band That Matters,” has forever topped my live dream list. I’m a bit skeptical of tribute bands, so I was prepared to take in a mediocre show at best, but I knew I’d enjoy just being a part of the nostalgia.

View a full photo gallery of last night’s show!

The Nuns proved me wrong from the first chord. Not only were they a legitimate and respectful tribute to the Clash, they proved to also be a damn good band, outright.

And why not? The lineup was stacked with Denver scene heroes: bassist Tim Beckman (from ‘90s Denver band Spell, also the Nuns’ founder), Jon Solomon and Robb Froschheuser on guitars and Tony Weissberg (formerly of Boss 302) kept the rhythm as a more-than-adequate Topper Headon on drums. All wore matching habits, and all had ear-to-ear-grins for their 70-minute set, though none reached the spectacle that Yelenick did from the first minute.

As the quintet stormed onstage, all in costume, Yelenick grabbed the mic, gave a quick “Hello,” then screamed “London’s burning!” From there the set became a runaway train, with a brilliant Clash soundtrack.

They burned through “Janie Jones,” “Career Opportunities,” “(White Man In) Hammersmith Palais,” “Pressure Drop,” of course “The Guns of Brixton” and more — all perfectly sloppy, fast and each one as true to the original as need be. But there was also enough Nuns’ personality to make these more than merely covers – they definitely had a life of their own. Yelenick neither sounded too much like Strummer when screaming the oh-so-important punk themes, nor did he embody the original frontman too little. It seemed that Strummer and Yelenick’s sprits melded beautifully beneath all that black and white polyester.

The crowd, after singing along to every song nearly word for word, seemed as spent and satisfied as the band when the set wrapped up with “White Riot.” I actually felt like maybe I’d seen almost enough of the real spirit of The Clash to be fulfilled. Almost.

Gestapo Pussy Ranch, the brainchild of local radio personality John WIlbur (AKA “Whip”) opened the evening with a solid rendition of Scratch Acid-meets the Sex Pistols, complete with the requisite old-school punk snottiness and provocation. If this band can keep it together and continues to play out, they’re worth a glance, if only for their historical significance and downright irreverence.

View a full photo gallery of last night’s show!

Follow Reverb on Twitter! Here! Foursquare, too! Here!

Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s explorations at DenverThread.com, and his giglist at Gigbot.

Michael McGrath is a Denver area photographer. His work is available at Twist and Shout Records. Visit his website.

"

Type in Motion - What's he building in there? - Animation

(crossposted just about everywhere I post)

No more live music after next month at PT's Club Inferno

No more live music after next month at PT's Club Inferno: "

Throughout the late '60s, 1601 West Evans was a prime destination for live music, with acts like the Doors, Cream, the Grateful Dead and Van Morrison performing in the space now occupied by PT's...

Continue reading "No more live music after next month at PT's Club Inferno " >"

What is very fitting is that Barry Fey's first club failed and now is a peeler joint. Saw a couple of shows there recently for sure and it was NOT necessarily a nice place. Can't speak to the Family Dog. PS there is no history there at all, so don't feel like it's important to see a show there before the upstairs goes back to a VIP lounge.... just my commentary of course.

There are a ton of great shows to see this weekend though... if you are looking for me... I will be seeing and shooting (no doubt) Nuns of Brixton at Benders! They rock.

Shhhhhhhh! This concert isn't a library but it isn't your living room either...

There seem to be quite a bit of complaints by the reviewers about shows over the weekend.  Both the reviews from the Westword Backbeat blog for Wilco and Vampire Weekend pointed out and made it at least noteworthy the amount of talking going on during performances.  It has long been one of my pet peeves.   Me? For the longest time I think it sucks, is obnoxious and rude to those who actually give a shit about the performers and the fact that they are up there pouring themselves into it.  If you aren't interested in seeing them perform and for you... go home, put the cd on in your stereo with ear cans on and talk them ok?

Even a few weeks ago I was at a show at Dazzle and in the main room to boot... one of the performers girlfriends chatted away for the ENTIRE second set of the show with her gal pal.  I have it on video. Seriously, I know you may have seen the band a bunch of times, but seriously to sit in the front row the entire set and talk? In Dazzle where it is pointedly a "listening room" blows my ever living mind. Shame on you... you should know better.  I even gave MY gal pals the stink eye when they pulled out their cell phones and started posting to Facebook that they were there.  There is a level of decorum and it annoyed me.

Everywhere I moved to at the show on Friday (we were at Wilco) there seemed to be distracting conversations everywhere.  I wanted desperately to go up to this gaggle of boys and ask them how much they paid for their ticket.  See this is actually what I would have said:  you paid $70.00 for the pleasure of seeing Wilco in their only Colorado performance of the year, drove 3 hours probably, are staying at a hotel for $100 bucks tonite, or camping even perhaps and for that estimated $200 bucks (not including all the beer and food you have eaten and drunk) you insist on standing here, yelling at one another about fishing and drinking beers.  Really?  Couldn't you do that maybe further back in the beer tents or something? Why must you do this in the middle of the field. 

Now... there were some chicks doing the whole hippy sauce dance that was distracting, but they were having a hell of a good time, they would break to sing along with Jeff Tweedy, they would break to hug one another, they would break to look over to make sure that their bags were still on the recycle bins, but damn those girls barely spoke two words the entire time they distracted us.  THAT was a pleasure.

I am guilty of a little talking during shows too... mostly and even on Friday night I did lean back and pull F to my side and ask into his ear what one or two of the songs were. They were songs off the first album that I just couldn't place.  But pretty much.. that was about it. 

The security dude held a conversation at one point with two chicks that was wholely sidetracking, he even chatted with some chick whose flask he took away.  It just seems rude. 

These little parking tickets exist (and yes I own a set because they are in fact really funny) but I think I am going to have to design a set of concert tickets / show tickets /performance tickets and have them at the ready.  Because I am seriously very much ready to try and take on the monster.  I can make them in little tear away booklets from the company that makes the "parking tickets" or less expensively at Vista Print. Either way... I am going to do it.  I might not hand out my business cards at shows as much as I thought I would, but that is because I really am not a photographer and taking pictures of stuff at shows is a hobby, but this might just be a new avocation.

And I totally get the fact that sometimes things just have to be said. Seriously I do, but an entire conversation should be moved out of earshot of those there to hear the music.

I will never forget being at the Calexico show at the Gothic theater maybe a year and a half ago or so... and some girl stood there, said she is so "flippin" excited to be seeing Calexico and then proceeded to talk about her weekend the entire time.  We moved to the other side of the room, where there were much shittier views but the people there around us were enjoying the show.

I guess the point really came across at the UMS this summer when in between songs at the HiDive, when I was seeing Munly and the Lupercalians (WHO ARE AMAZING & will be at Benders next week), while Munly was tuning his banjo, this really drunk (but very happy to be there guy turned around and started talking to me, asking me when I last saw them, if I knew about 16 Horsepower, how much did I love Slim Cessna's Auto Club... and ON and ON and ON).  At one point (and this totally could be a coincidence but.....) Munly stopped talking, sat there for a second and I swear to gawd, glared in our direction.  Trust me Mr. Munly... I never want to see that face again because you looked PISSED, trust me I was too.  I wanted to hear you and your group play, not listen to this bro, I mean I ran across Broadway doging traffic to get in there and not miss it, giving up a spot at 3 Kings (gladly I have to add).  That look alone put the fear of gawd talking at shows in me let me tell you.  I wish I could have captured it because I would have put it on the cards... it was scarey as hell and totally appropriate.  I thought Munly was going to curse me forever... at one point I mouthed "I am so sorry". I hope that he saw it because I was mortified.  I had to move again, from my prime picture taking and show hearing spot because the guy wouldn't quiet down. 

So... the point is:  Please be considerate, if you have something to say... certainly say it, but quickly and relatively quietly... but should you want to have a chat, a conversation or dialouge move it away from the main area, there is always room in the back of a venue, near a bar or something where it is much more appropriate.

Oh!  and if I hand you a "shhhh card", I am trying to not be rude.