Headphones Highly Recommended – Ministry Live in Pasadena, CA. 05-11-2024

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inistry Live at Cruel World 2024 in Pasadena, CA. 05-11-2024 (Full Set)

Pigs can now fly….This is a triumph! Love it, Uncle Al!

It was in August of 1992, on a hot summer’s day on the second Lollapalooza tour, (in Barrie, Canada) when Ministry took the stage, that time-and-space split apart…I’d never heard, or seen, anything like it. I know I wasn’t alone in that perception. I became an instant fan. Sure, I’d heard Ministry singles on the radio, like “Everyday is Halloween”, and danced to them in clubs –  but seeing Ministry live was on a whole ‘nother level.

I went on to scour used record stores for any recordings of Ministry I could find. The early albums I found from the 1980’s were very different from the type of music I had heard that fine day. But I loved the early music, too! It was well-written, masterfully composed and played, and recorded on cutting-edge technology that made it possible – true 1980’s art you could dance to!

As for this show from the Cruel World Festival, I never thought I’d get to hear older Ministry songs performed live, as Al Jourgensen had strongly disowned them numerous times, publicly. I always thought that was a shame, and found that attitude hard to digest, as those early songs are some of his best work; many seem to agree, as evidenced by the positive comments on YouTube to this concert.

I can say that finding the video of this show is a very unexpected pleasure! Wish I had been there! I hope they tour with this stuff (and even expand it more), I’ll be there!

I’ve heard that Paul Barker is going to part of an upcoming Ministry record…wow! Hope it’s true. His presence has been very missed on the serval albums since his departure, since he and Al laid down the breakthrough Ministry sounds. This Ministry “revival” could truly be the gift that keeps giving! New recordings of select old songs on the way, too? Am I dreaming?

To sum up: If you’ve never experienced Ministry live, and you get the chance, I have two words of advice: DO IT!

-Dave

Multicam:

Great interview with Al Jourgensen and Lyndsey Parker that goes into the how’s and why’s of the new/old music:

2 new videos – Frog songs from May, 2024

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It took me a while to get these videos online, let’s just say my new phone is not as “intuitive” as my old phone, so there was a learning curve – plus I was doing some cross-country travelling that distracted me (in a good way).

It’s turning out to be a capable phone that takes decent video, so I’m now using it for most of my videos, after my stand-alone pocket video camera stopped working. I still have my DSLR camera that takes video too, but mostly the phone is more handy.

These videos are from spring of this year, and they are more in my series of “frog songs” videos. Years back, I noticed that frogs can be very loud in the springtime, as they sing to attract mates. I’ve been recording their songs for a while now, see my Youtube channel playlist for more: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDwiaottyseiXsYR0meke-UfQeH17ECis&feature=shared

And happy September/Fall Equinox today! The times of the day and night are equal today, then tomorrow we head into the first day of fall, as the days get shorter, for the northern folks! I love fall, so been looking forward to the cooler temperatures and leaves changing colours.

 

Happy mid-summer/solstice

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Today is the longest day of the year, and the shortest night, in the northern part of the world. Tomorrow is also a full moon. Heavy vibes. No wonder I’m feeling it.

The regular weather sites and reports call it the “first day of summer” tomorrow, but really, if the days are getting shorter again, it’s actually that summer is half-over. Mid-summer…as in “a mid-summer night’s dream”…

The plants, trees, and critters know it, I’d bet. That the peak of the sun has been reached for this year, and it’s on the way back south again, and with it the shorter days and growing nights.

But that’s ok, I tend to like it a bit on the cooler side.

Saw a rainbow today after a brief “sun-shower”, so it made the solstice extra special.

The beggar took credit cards…

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(A little bit of a story, it may form part of a larger collection one day.)

It was late, well after midnight, on one of those warm summer evenings with a slight breeze, the moon out, and the crickets chirping; pretty much perfect. I couldn’t sleep, which was nothing new for me, so I went out for a coffee at the 24 hour cafe nearby, across from the beach. There was no one else home, anyway, as I lived alone, a good way to be for a wandering, insomniac writer.

I got a cup of joe and sat at one of the tables on the patio out front, enjoying the smell of the coffee mingling with the ocean air, and the moon sparkling off the waves. There were others out enjoying the night: some on the beach, some on bikes, a few in cars, some on the sidewalks, and some in cafes.

I looked over at the other patrons of this particular cafe, of which there were only three: one couple engrossed in each other, and some other strung-out guy staring into space. No one paid me any mind, and I liked it that way, as I could be alone with my thoughts and my loneliness, which wasn’t all bad, as I got some good story ideas that way.

I didn’t get to enjoy the nuances of the night for long, as along came a clearly homeless man, dirty-looking, and his smell preceeding him. “Oh, god,” I muttered into my cup, drinking some more delicious coffee down (I could still sleep after coffee, if I were really tired, so it didn’t phase me). He stood across from me on the sidewalk, only a flower box providing me any protection. It didn’t take long for him to utter the expected words: “Can you spare any change?”

“No, sorry, I only carry a card most of the time, these days,” I replied, sure it would defeat him and cause him to turn to his next prey.

The beggar’s deep-set eyes widened and he smiled a dirty-toothed smile. “That’s ok,” he said. “I take credit cards! All of them! Phone payments, and crypto, too!” He pulled out a mobile phone with a card reader attached.

I stared at his device, just about lost for words. “I-I…can’t, I’m sorry.” I shut my hanging mouth and drank some coffee. There was no way I was going to trust this guy with a payment from my credit card, and besides, what was a beggar doing accepting all those sorts of payments? Was he making a career out of it? That type of thing I definitely didn’t support; someone truly in need was another story. But not a guy with a setup like that, it just seemed like a good way to play on people’s sympathies and be a scammer. Maybe I was wrong, but that’s how it appeared to me.

I left the patio as the beggar worked the others, taking my coffee down to the beach. There were fewer people there, and I was nearly alone with the sound of the water. It was good to feel the slight moisture from the crashing surf. I walked slowly in the sand, trying not to get too much of it in my shoes. I looked up at the partial moon, and how its light fell on the waves.

I walked along the seawall for a long time, restless, until my coffee was gone, and the first light of dawn was starting to appear in the sky. I made my way back home, to my empty house, and wondered if I’d be able to sleep, hoping I could.

Copyright 2024 by David Sloma

 

 

 

 

Spending too much money at Tim Hortons (Horton’s?)

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The warm weather is here in these parts and that means road trips! (And lots of road construction.)

During these road trips, I regularly stop in at “Timmies” AKA Tim Hortons (or if you are concerned with English punctuation, like me, it should be Horton’s – with the possessive apostrophe…). I spend far more than usual at Timmies when I’m on the road.

Why? Well, “Tim’s” are everywhere. Not quite everywhere, but there are a LOT of them around, over 5000 stores in 13 countries, apparently. All I know is you can’t go far in Canada without seeing one. Also, they are still fairly reasonably priced, the service is usually fast, the washrooms are usually alright, and the food and coffee is decent (sometimes even delicious). This is all especially appreciated when on the road in a strange town, tired and in need of coffee, and/or hungry, and there are few, if any, other options available.

I’ve taken one road trip so far this season, in mid-May 2024, and I’ll likely write up something about that here, soon. It was about a 2 week trip, I stayed in motels/hotels, as my camper van bit the dust last year, and I wasn’t able to find another camper in time for the trip. The trip was a mixture of business and pleasure, and it was nice to get out on the road after a long winter! When I got back, I had a few Tim’s cups, wrappers, and napkins to clean out…as usual.

But I’ve found another camper, one that will fit in the back of my pickup truck (the truck was a used one I bought last fall, after I had to give up my unrepairable camper van – a bit of a long story, so I’ll save that for another time). I will be making my maiden voyage with the new-to-me camper soon, so that’s going to be something new, fun, and exciting (as the saying goes)! So far it’s free of cups and stuff from Tim’s in it, but for how long?

No doubt that first trip with the new camper, and trips to come, will include me stopping in at Tim’s when the need arises. I really should buy some stock in the company, with what I spend there – and also, nearly every Tim’s I’ve ever seen has been PACKED! (This is not financial advice, just an observation from being at many Tim’s around Canada.)

Happy New Year 2024

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It’s still January, so saying Happy New Year is still in vogue, I believe. So, Happy New Year, 2024!

Wow, is that really the date? How did that happen? Seems the last four years just flew by and a lot of things don’t feel the same. Maybe you can relate?

I saw a posting online where someone was talking about feeling like they moved into another timeline in 2020, when all the “covid” stuff hit the fan. I can relate, funny enough. Seems it’s been a bizarro world since then, and life has turned into a strange science-fiction movie. It’s weird and bound to get ever moreso (and I write science-fiction – yikes!).

Despite it all, I can say things are mostly well with me, and I am looking forward to the new year, I think it will be filled with good things; I wish the same for you and yours.

-Dave

On the Road…Stuff

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What’s my solution? Taking road trips seems to help, seeing new places, visiting old friends, seeing old places again after some time, the lure of the open road and meeting new people. So, I’ve gotten “on the road” many times to get my fix of these things. I must have a travelling bone, as they say; and some of us just like to wander from time to time – growing up in a family who took many road trips is no doubt part of that.

Right now, I’m on a road trip, took my camper van out to see some of eastern Canada,(but it’s turning out to a short trip, due to the heat, wasn’t my ideal time to go, long story, but it’s still been pretty fun). I’ll be making some entries here and sharing some pictures from it soon. Then later, I’ll put together some writings and pictures of my past road trips; if you are interested in that sort of thing, then you can check it out.

As I’ve indicated, this time of the year here it gets very hot. It’s not the best time to be on the road for me, but it is nice to see the growing things of nature in their lushness, and the long days of daylight. I’m planning to make more road trips in the spring (which I did twice in the last three years, blog entries/memoir to come), and also in the fall and even winter (very doable if you take the right preparations with the right vehicle).

More on all that later.

(Mid) Summer Heat

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One of my favourite singers has an album titled “Crazy From the Heat” and I have often been able to relate!

I’ve been feeling (and reeling) from the heat this season, which is now mid-summer since June 21 here in the “northern part” of Earth called Canada (don’t be fooled, the days have been getting shorter again since the mid-summer equinox, it’s NOT the start of summer; we are now in the “dark part” of the year). The heat continues to build, however, not one of my favourite things, I’ll take it cooler, thanks; fall and spring are my favoured times.

There have also been the many forest fires going on in Canada (and others places, too), which have been adding to the difficult times many have been having this year/summer, not only with financial issues, but with natural disasters.

But there is also abundant good, and there must be, in this world of duality.