'morning! I woke up rested, energized and thinking it was Monday for some reason.

I think I might not be coming down with something. Else I just fought it off, which surprises me just a little. I feel congested, but that can be any number of things.

Today will be for organizing, methinks.

********************

NEMESIS. I think it went rather well.

Ideally, we would be using the venue's sound system. Electric Lotus Restaurant has speakers embedded into their ceiling. During preliminary inspection, they sounded decent, and there was even distribution throughout the room. After some discussion with xianvox regarding sound physics (there was some concern about bass delay from one side of the room to the other, phase adjustment, etc.), we decided we'd use the house sound and suppliment with either my speakers or some speakers they have there. Given the size and nature of the room's architecture and layout, we figured we'd be in fairly good shape.

I spent Wednesday thinking about what I was going to play. Which turned into fretting. Which turned into stressing. This would be my first outting playing music for someone else's promotion since Viagra Falls. My skills, style and selection have evolved a bit since then. Having watched and listened as most of the goth and industrial clubgoers I know picked apart DJs and music in a hypercritical manner, it seemed important to me to come out solid and strong, with a good tempo flow.

When I arrived at the venue, I discovered that nobody there had anything more than a light, passing operational knowledge of the sound set-up. After a very brief drama interlude with one of the venue reps, Xian and I decided to go with what we had. This put me immediately under pressure to get my speakers set up. I'm glad I decided to bring both sets, and to not just bring the bass boxes. The hustle to get things wired and rolling AFTER doors open rattled me and took my head WAY out of my game. Personal drama getting poured into that mix really made things difficult, with regards to concentration.

Xian was feeling fairly under the weather as well, so we made quite the pair. Actually, I think we worked well together. She spent the beginning of the evening setting up a nice down-tempo atmosphere and vibe, and had the people dancing. She made the effort to let me know what she was playing, and even picked a song to end her first set that would leave me an easy outro. So of course, after she walked away, secure in the knowledge things would transition smoothly, I came on to dead air. Yep, it was my usual "something HAS to go wrong, or it's not a real gig" curse. My laptop decided on its own that it would drop gain to -25 for about 20 seconds, while people stood and looked at the amateur who killed the dance vibe (me).

Years of Gigsville jackassery paid off in full - I completely ignored everyone around me and worked on the problem. Once the sound abruptly reached normal gain, I was in motion. And surprised. People picked up where they left off with the dancing. However, I was still wound up from all the other stuff I let get to me. I was worried about staying within genre. I was worried about picking songs most of the people would dance to. I was worried about not sucking.

About midway through the third song, I snapped. Quite literally, I stepped away from the rig and assessed. Earlier in the evening, djmermaid was kind enough to lend a sympathetic ear and give me a little pep talk and some good advice. I took a deep breath, grounded myself, and like little dead jedi, there were her and jovino cheering me on. I took a look at my playlist and realized I wasn't playing MY set. I wasn't throwing MY style. When did I ever play it safe? Granted, that logic hasn't really gotten me very far, but this was about having fun. Nui had told me repeatedly, "dont' worry about genre, just play YOUR style." So I gave her what she wanted.

The people responded, for the most part, far and away more positively than I ever thought they would. Hell, they even cheered for a few songs. At one point, Xian looked at me with her trademark Cheshire grin and said, "I *dare* you to play that!" It was the Strongbad / Rammstein mashup I'd just told her about. And thus began about 30 minutes of me playing all the truly whack tracks I love. She and I sat back and giggled at the way the dancefloor handled some avante garde, stupid fun. The crowd, to their credit, danced through most of it. The couple of exceptions that cleared the floor weren't too bad, and I was able to pull them back in within a song each time.

Xian tagged back in after a little over an hour. I'd lowered the bar, lowered the brows, and opened some doors. She played a solid, quality dance set and stretched her wings a bit further than normal, taking advantage of what proved to be an open-minded crowd. I came back in and closed the last 20 minutes or so.

At the end of the day, I'm very pleased with how it went down. I know I have an issue with my gear that I need to resolve, and that's fine. I didn't get to show off all that fancy beatmixing I'd been working on for the last few months. But I feel good, I held my own, and people danced and had fun. I'll take the win, there.

Nui - Thank you for the opportunity. I'm ready for another party, whenever you like.

xianvox - Thanx for the support and company throughout the night. That was a great time, and I'm sure we'll cross paths again some time, musicwise. :-)

djmermaid and jovino - There aren't enough words. Much love to ya both.

This evening sees the lovely dreadeddragon taking over the tongs in the
Ground Control galley, and she's got some good food coming our way.
I've heard whispered mentions of chicken casserole, salad, carrots, wild rice,
and pumpkin bread! Bring a few extra bucks and your appetite.

We're still working out the details on a new monthly schedule, but
this evening is standard operating procedures. Food & drink, karaoke and other
insanities, you know the drill.

See you tonight!
- Sark


GROUND CONTROL
Alternative Karaoke / Eclectic Audiovisuals / More
Every Monday Night @ Jewel's Catch One
4067 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90019
18+, Full Bar w/21+ ID, Free Secure Self-Parking (walled+guarded)
$4 admission, no charge per song
Doors open 9pm-2am, dinner from 9:30pm
GC HOTLINE - (323) NEW EDGE

Ground Control website - http://www.groundcontrolkaraoke.com
Ground Control MySpace Profile - http://www.myspace.com/groundcontrolkaraoke
Ground Control LiveJournal Community - http://community.livejournal.com/gc_la/

If you have a smart phone, I could use a little help.

Please check out my most recent Facebook note. It has instructions for tuning in to Theory Radio via your phone. However, Coleman is having some difficulty, and I don't know if it's him, me or the instructions that need to be corrected. :-P

http://www.facebook.com/the.angelus?ref=profile#/note.php?note_id=153594378077&ref=mf

Let me know your results, please.

Frog is back from out of town. I'm getting MY show ready. Busy busy day, but life is good.

If you feel like checking it out, you can get to the show via http://www.theoryradio.org

If you're on a cell phone or somesuch, you can access the stream directly via http://loudcity.com/player/theory-radio/pls_mp3.pls?cache_bust=1257531088&max_bitrate=1000

Tonight, we're up to our usual trouble. Singing, dancing, dinner and drinks,
the regular mayhem you've come to expect from a typical night of Ground Control.

HOWEVER, there is one major change I want to announce:

We are going BACK to the plain old $4 cover, with no charge per song!
I know, we're just making confusion and trouble for y'all, but it's for a good reason.
We'll only be opening Room 2.0 once a month now, on a weekly rhythm
to be determined. We love doing it, and there's a lot of benefits to it, but we think
it will be more effective if not overused.

Spread the word - $4 cover all night, no charge per song.
TIPS WILL STILL BE APPRECIATED. :-)

See you tonight!
- Sark


GROUND CONTROL
Alternative Karaoke / Eclectic Audiovisuals / More
Every Monday Night @ Jewel's Catch One
4067 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90019
18+, Full Bar w/21+ ID, Free Secure Self-Parking (walled+guarded)
$4 admission, no charge per song
Doors open 9pm-2am, dinner from 9:30pm
GC HOTLINE - (323) NEW EDGE

Ground Control website - http://www.groundcontrolkaraoke.com
Ground Control MySpace Profile - http://www.myspace.com/groundcontrolkaraoke
Ground Control LiveJournal Community - http://community.livejournal.com/gc_la/

---

<a href="http://www.groundcontrolkaraoke.com/"><img alt="" src="http://gc.darxxide.com/images/banner-gc-20080601.gif" /></a> <p>Tonight, we're up to our usual trouble. Singing, dancing, dinner and drinks, the regular mayhem you've come to expect from a typical night of Ground Control.</p> HOWEVER, there is one major change I want to announce: <p><strong>We are going BACK to the plain old $4 cover, with no charge per song! </strong>I know, we're just making confusion and trouble for y'all, but it's for a good reason. We'll only be opening Room 2.0 once a month now, on a weekly rhythm to be determined. We love doing it, and there's a lot of benefits to it, but we think it will be more effective if not overused.</p> <p>Spread the word - $4 cover all night, no charge per song. TIPS WILL STILL BE APPRECIATED. :-)</p> See you tonight! - Sark GROUND CONTROL Alternative Karaoke / Eclectic Audiovisuals / More Every Monday Night @ Jewel's Catch One 4067 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90019 18+, Full Bar w/21+ ID, Free Secure Self-Parking (walled+guarded) $4 admission, no charge per song Doors open 9pm-2am, dinner from 9:30pm GC HOTLINE - (323) NEW EDGE Ground Control website - <a href="http://www.groundcontrolkaraoke.com/">http://www.groundcontrolkaraoke.com</a> Ground Control MySpace Profile - <a href="http://www.myspace.com/groundcontrolkaraoke">http://www.myspace.com/groundcontrolkaraoke</a> Ground Control LiveJournal Community - <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/gc_la/">http://community.livejournal.com/gc_la/ </a>

Thank you, twistedcat , for the Dia de los Muertos ceremony and gathering. There is a part of me that feels healed, and enabled for coping. I really needed that.

Up early. Laundry is tumbling back to warmth in the clothes dryer, so 'Drew doesn't freeze pulling on his pants when he gets up. Gotta run Heather to the train early, and then drop the boy off at school.

I'm running Sun Virtual Box on a decently-strong desktop. I'll be installing Eclipse on a development VBox to get back into programming. I might as well start looking at iPhone development since I'm already chewing on Android. And then there's all that Java mobile crap to contend with too.

Gotta build another VBox to keep learning Joomla as well. Looks like I could be getting a bit of freelance work doing Joomla installs and integration.

I'm feeling very motivated, but need to work on keeping focus.

ZOMBIEOKE breaks quarantine this Monday at Ground Control!

Come as your favorite zombie, hunter or apocalypse survivor and join the fun! Food, drinks,
singing and BRAAAAINNSSSS. Windows To Sky have also prepared a special short performance
for the evening. Room 2.0 will be on stand-by, in case we get packed to the rafters
with ZomPocalypse refugees!

Tonight we'll have the Hot Toddy and Jade Fire warm drinks, and the Round 1 Shooter special, too!

Check out the website for more details!

We'll see you tonight!

GROUND CONTROL
Alternative Karaoke / Eclectic Audiovisuals / More
Every Monday Night @ Jewel's Catch One
4067 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90019
18+, Full Bar w/21+ ID, Free Secure Self-Parking (walled+guarded)
$2 admission, $2 per song
Doors open 9pm-2am, dinner from 9:30pm
GC HOTLINE - (323) NEW EDGE

Ground Control website - http://www.groundcontrolkaraoke.com
Ground Control MySpace Profile - http://www.myspace.com/groundcontrolkaraoke
Ground Control LiveJournal Community - http://community.livejournal.com/gc_la/

MP3J Sark - NOT WORK SAFE - Theory Radio
http://www.theoryradio.org - noon to 3pm - 2009.10.23

Seal - Crazy
Bauhaus - The Sanity Assassin
Iron Maiden - Can I Play With Madness
Twisted Sister - S.M.F.
Cubanate - Oxyacetylene
Combichrist - Sent To Destroy (Sacrifice Remix)
Everything Goes Cold - I Will Harness the Powers of Darkness to Destroy You (Because You Made Me Title This Mix by Panic Lift)
Traci Lords - Control
Rosetta Stone - Adrenaline (Mainline Mix)
The Wake - Nazerene
Sisters Of Mercy - Adrenochrome

Jonathan Coulton - RE: Your Brains
Marcha - Zombie
Dead Or Alive - Something In My House (Razormaid Mix)
Shriekback - Nemesis
Snow Patrol - How To Be Dead
Gorillaz - Every Planet We Reach Is Dead
L.A. Style - James Brown Is Dead
Birmingham 6 - The Kill
BiGod 20 - The Bog
The Doors - Horse Lattitudes
The Doors - Not To Touch The Earth
Ethyl Meatplow - Tommy
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Candyman
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Burn Up
Drywall - Triangle Head
Of Despair - Death Becomes Art

brainwashaudio - Chemical Sensor Array
MC 900ft Jesus - While The City Sleeps
Berlin - Masquerade
Adam And The Ants - Prince Charming
City Of Prague Philharmonic - For A Few Dollars More
James Ray and the Performance - Mexico Sundown Blues
Revolting Cocks - In The Neck
Oingo Boingo - Weird Science
Thomas Dolby - Hyperactive!
PartyBen - I Feel Crazy
The Sinister Ducks - March Of The Sinister Ducks

I think it's nice that both squeakytina and Devin Mayer now share a birthday. :-)

It was a bit tougher than usual getting up at 6:15am yesterday and today. I'm going to have to step up my physical exercise, methinks.

There is consideration of reformatting this laptop again. I like to do it every six months. A software inventory is in order first though.

This week's computer layout is an HP DC7600 Pentium 4 2.6GHz Hyperthreaded, with half a gig of RAM, running a fresh new install of Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop; a Dell Optiplex GX270 tower with a Pentium 4 2.6GHz and a full 1GB of RAM; and my old standby, this Dell Inspiron 2200 laptop with a Pentium M 1.6GHz and 760MB of RAM. Due to the hyperthreading on the desktop and tower, there's a pretty respectable amount of processing power at my disposal right now. I'm trying to make use of it.

This week's focus points will be:

• Learning Cinelerra on the Ubuntu box, to clean up and edit videos
• The usual DJ / VJ practice on VirtualDJ
• Site building and content management workout with Joomla

I think that's enough on my plate for now. There's also the weekly work hunt in Craigslist, and trying to drum up business for Ground Control. OH, and a fresh dialog has been opened regarding the return of Straylight at Roberto's, which sounds VERY promising.

I still have no idea what I'll be wearing for Halloween.

Tonight is Pajama Party night! Wear your comfy, cozy, sexy or silly sleepwear
and come on down for what promises to be a fun night.

We also have a couple of hot drinks to spring on you, for those of you who
like your liquor with a little hot tea in it. ;-)

Check out the website for more details!

We'll see you tonight!

GROUND CONTROL
Alternative Karaoke / Eclectic Audiovisuals / More
Every Monday Night @ Jewel's Catch One
4067 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90019
18+, Full Bar w/21+ ID, Free Secure Self-Parking (walled+guarded)
$2 admission, $2 per song
Doors open 9pm-2am, dinner from 9:30pm
GC HOTLINE - (323) NEW EDGE

Ground Control website - http://www.groundcontrolkaraoke.com
Ground Control MySpace Profile - http://www.myspace.com/groundcontrolkaraoke
Ground Control LiveJournal Community - http://community.livejournal.com/gc_la/

---

Help spread the word!

<a href="http://www.groundcontrolkaraoke.com/"><img src="http://gc.darxxide.com/images/banner-gc-20080601.gif" alt="" /></a> Tonight is Pajama Party night! Wear your comfy, cozy, sexy or silly sleepwear and come on down for what promises to be a fun night. We also have a couple of hot drinks to spring on you, for those of you who like your liquor with a little hot tea in it. ;-) Check out the website for more details! We'll see you tonight! GROUND CONTROL Alternative Karaoke / Eclectic Audiovisuals / More Every Monday Night @ Jewel's Catch One 4067 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90019 18+, Full Bar w/21+ ID, Free Secure Self-Parking (walled+guarded) $2 admission, $2 per song Doors open 9pm-2am, dinner from 9:30pm GC HOTLINE - (323) NEW EDGE Ground Control website - <a href="http://www.groundcontrolkaraoke.com/">http://www.groundcontrolkaraoke.com</a> Ground Control MySpace Profile - <a href="http://www.myspace.com/groundcontrolkaraoke">http://www.myspace.com/groundcontrolkaraoke</a> Ground Control LiveJournal Community - <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/gc_la/">http://community.livejournal.com/gc_la/ </a>

MP3J Sark - NOT WORK SAFE - 2009.10.09
http://www.theoryradio.org - 10:00am to 2:40pm

INTRO:
De-Vo - De-Vo Corporate Anthem

The Mission U.K. - Wake (RSV)
The Sisters Of Mercy - On The Wire
The Sisterhood - Giving Ground
Bauhaus - Kingdom's Coming
Nitzer Ebb - Nobody Knows
Skinny Puppy - Testure (12" Mix)
Of Despair - Dreams Are Dust
Dead Can Dance - The Carnival Is Over
Covenant - Like Tears In Rain
Nine Inch Nails - In This Twilight
The Doors - When The Music's Over

Rosetta Stone - Venus In Furs
Joy Division - These Days
Sex Beat - Sex Beat
Spahn Ranch - Heretic's Fork (Inquisition Mix)
Brainwashaudio - Aisle 10
Attrition - A Girl Called Harmony
Idiot Stare - Captured Emotions
Sinead O'Connor - All Apologies

Babyland - Worst Case Scenario
Babyland - Structure Fall
Babyland - Burnin' Up

Babyland - Youth Choker
Babyland - Dyn-O-Mite!

Babyland - Sophomore
Babyland - Hillhurst
Babyland - Ramona Moraga

Babyland - Smrow-Toh
Babyland - Traffic
Babyland - Dismissal
Babyland - Kill Bugs
Babyland - Plain Talk
Babyland - Logan's Run

Babyland - Creeping Up

Yes - I've Seen All Good People
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - The Mercy Seat
Mr. Fingers - Can You Feel It?
Penal Colony - Halidified (Naked Men Only Mix)
Idiot Stare - Mad Drunk

Pailhead - No Bunny
The Doors - The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)
Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-Tone Single)
The Clash - London Calling
Radiohead - Talk Show Host
Beck - Where It's At
Bay City Rollers - Turn Up The Radio
Elvis Costello - Radio Radio
Hedwig And The Angry Inch - Midnight Radio
Question Mark And The Mysterians - 96 Tears
The Sinister Ducks - March Of The Sinister Ducks