"Maybe If I Yell at You..."

Luna - Sideshow by the Seashore from Monty49 on Vimeo.

A "Behind the Scenes" Look at C.B.S. Photography

Remember this shot?

This is the first time I've watched the video.  You can see me snapping the shot above (if you care to) at...

Al Franken on "Target" Regarding Location Privacy and Stalking Apps

In a recent opinion piece appearing on Wired.com, Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota) examines the issue of information and location privacy in the digital world.  Franken, chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology & the Law, introduced last June the Location Privacy Protection Act.  The bill, co-sponsored by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), calls for...

Heartless Bastards Solidify on "Arrow"

J. Paul Zoccali

As satisfying and artistically impressive as the Heartless Bastards' first three LPs are, there was always something not quite right with the final product.  A dense cloud of inspired lyrical ideas swirling around lead-singer/writer Erika Wennerstrom seemed to dissipate in the wind of hit-or-miss execution.  Growling guitars and rumbling drums remained cramped in a recording style that offered no room to breath.  Final mixes varied too much from song to song within the same album.

Many, if not all, of those issues have been rectified on the band's latest gem, Arrow, their first effort with Partisan Records.  From the explosive conclusion of the set's opening benediction, "Marathon," to the 70s-metal closer, "Down in the Canyon," the garage-rockers' eclectic-Americana style of punk rock alternately flies with the Eagles and explodes like an ill-fated Zeppelin on a dark Sabbath.  (Did I hear a theremin in "Simple Feeling?")  A refreshingly "loosened" recording and mastering style that permits evidence the band is indeed being recorded in a room in a studio as apposed to through a vacuum holds true throughout the set.  That just-right tweak in warmth and sharpness of sound combines with a coalescing song-crafting dynamic to push the Austin-via-Cinci quartet's art closer to critical mass than ever before without sacrificing their soon-to-be-trademark guttural punch.

Shaking off the Texas mud adds to Wennerstrom's ethereal guided tours of vast prairie in "Skin and Bone" and "The Arrow Killed the Beast," as well as gnarly-rock sledgehammers, "Gotta Have Rock and Roll" and "Late in the Night."  Instrumental parts and arrangements with better focus and less fluff show a group that's truly found themselves.  That said, while this album marks her biggest step yet, Ms. Wennerstrom still hasn't hit her stride as a lyricist.  I greatly appreciate the grammatical correctness, but on occasion she seems too dedicated to complete sentences.  Maybe she should take a page from the band's new producer, Jim Eno's notes, and loosen up a bit and make full use of the poetic license she's got coming to her.   Still, if a better Indie-Rock album comes out this year, someone please bring it to my attention.

4.5 stars out of 5

Chicka Chicka Pow HOW!!!

Poor Junior.  Goober's histrionics do annoy him so...



It's so perfect.  So perfect.

Occupiers, Serious Air & Bouncing Dragons

Well, I'd like to post all the things I learned about photography over the weekend, but there's just too much.  Here's a few of the best shots I got around town:










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As luck would have it, during a very frustrating shoot, one of the very best shots I got is of Ronald McDonald. 
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Hotel Workers' Strike

 

Anarchists' Influence on Occupy Oakland

I would like to thank Susie Cagle for featuring my photography in her Truthout.org piece today on Anarchists' influence on Occupy Oakland...

Activists and Anarchists Speak for Themselves at Occupy Oakland 

 

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Greatest Muzak Song Ever?

By the way... (Passport Fun)

This is going to play out right here on C.B.S., step by step.  It's news-worthy to a degree.

I recently applied for a passport.  I have no privacy whatsoever and various occurrences in my life over the past few years make it abundantly clear that there is nothing the United States federal government doesn't know about me.  I applied with an official copy of my Ohio Birth Certificate and a California Driver's License a Post Office Clerk made a photocopy of.  Nevertheless, I received this reply:

I should have used a flash, but you can read it.  This came with it:

The mailing also included a 5-page "Supplemental Worksheet" asking for every place I've ever lived, worked, or gone to school, and for my immediate family memebers' names.  I already started filling it out, so I'm not going to post it.  When I got it, I called the number provided and the kid who answered acted like he wasn't familiar with the letter and asked me to read it aloud to him.  I did.  Obviously, they record these calls and can use that recording as proof that I received the letter should the need to do so arise.  Why else would he ask me to read it?  Somehow, the friendly folks at the U.S. government got my name wrong, too.  Of course, it's easy to see how a C can be mistaken for a G, but I think the name was on the application 4 or 5 times including my parents' names in addition to being very clearly printed out on the birth certificate and the driver's license.  And, of course, I know damn well they know my name.  Maybe this is all quite normal, but the day before I got it, some  guy lookin' all sharp and acting slightly nervous (He must be new.) walked by me and made the comment, "Sorry to cut you off."  Once in a while, people stand behind me somewhere and make comments about how great my life could be and of course, occasionally threaten to prevent me from obtaining employment.  Fascinating.  Just fascinating.

Stay tuned.


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