The Monkey Song

People often ask me what the first song I ever wrote was. I also often lie about questions people ask me in order to come up with a reason to share something of mine. That happens to be the case in this scenario.

So to answer the initial question that no one asked, the first song I ever wrote is called The Monkey Song. I wrote it in 2002 while in the country of Sri Lanka. I was sent through my high school as part of a program called Earthwatch. I was part of a research team that studied the social patterns of a specie of monkey called the Toque Macaque...or just Macaques as we called them. It was awesome. And maybe someday people will ask me about that and I'll share all my findings. But I began writing The Monkey Song while out in the jungles of Sri Lanka kicking it with some sweet monkeys. I made up the guitar part and finalized the lyrics upon my return to the states. And I never recorded it until last year when my friend Kathryn requested I do so in preparation for her trip to Sri Lanka. So thank you Kathryn for bringing the song back to life.

Highlights of the video to lookout for: my mustache and a sweet kazoo solo. Lowlights: everything else.

I'm Kind of a Big Four Whore

This past Saturday marked a momentous occasion in my life: my very first metal show. And what a metal show to be my first! The Big Four of heavy metal consists of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. I kinda think Iron Maiden got robbed there, but maybe they're sticking to American bands only? I don't know. Regardless, these four bands are legendary and when my brother offered me a free ticket to The Big Four show at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA, there was no way I could say no.

Now I have seen Metallica once before but they were a part of KROQ's Weenie Roast, so the crowd was much more calm than that of a metal show. So I braced myself for this one. The metalheads were in full force and they were all nuts. But the feeling of community I got there was awesome! Sure, any of these people could shank me without warning, but I oddly felt safe knowing that everyone was there for the same reason....to rock the eff out.

So as you may have predicted, I chose to document my experience at the Big Four. I went around and interviewed as many people on camera as I could. And I got people from all over the world. Mexico, Canada, Turkey and various states around this nation. And every single one of them was awesome! Even the ones who gave me the death stare and threatened to felate me without consent. Happy watching my metal friends.

WARNING: Language & content may not be appropriate for younger viewers...or people with good taste.

U + Me = Us

Not too many people know this about me, but I was actually a member of a semi-successful boy band when I was 18. We were called 5gether and we were a 2gether cover band. In case you don't know who 2gether is, they were a parody boy band created by MTV to spoof on the boy band craze of the late 90s and early 2000s. So 5gether was a cover band of a parody band who spoofed on crappy music. So it's no surprise that 5gether was so short lived.

5gether consisted of myself (the bad boy), my sister Erica (the shy one), my best bud Danny (the cute one), my homie Dan (the older brother type) and my dear friend Irene (the heart throb). We only had one song. And we only performed it once. But what a performance it was. Check out our one and only performance at the La Verne Church of the Brethren's Youth Coffee House and be sure to stick around 'til the end for a "Where Are They Now" update. Oh, and you might find yourself asking who choreographed this fine routine... these moves were created by none other than yours truly.