my careless contagion

I would be remiss to leave this space without posting something from Samiam (it's been a while, but I did post something before). I had to do a bit of a thinky-think session as to what to post, though. She Found You (1997) won, though many others deserve honorable mention. Simply wanted to post a good song from a band that captured my attention for many years. This was one of the first songs I heard and it's still a favorite. I even drove from Ohio to Pittsburg (staying in New Jersey, eww) to see them play a festival, and then turned around and caught them in Detroit about a week later. They continue to record music and tour. Anyway.  Other songs contending for the prize were Mud Hill (a proper breakup song), Dull (about how dull life can be when you're alone), and Sunshine (how I imagine being a girl and the object of someone's affection feels like). None of them made as much sense as She Found You, as it is clear I was greatly affected by relationships with women in...

I don't know when I first started listening to punk rock. Sometime during high school. It is such an expansive genre. My preference was hardcore, notably melodic hardcore. I was drawn to Bad Religion because they were unique and intelligent but also listened to Nitro bands like Guttermouth and AFI. I knew all the Fat Wreck Chords bands. Greatly appreciated Gorilla Biscuits and, later, CIV. I loved Fugazi (I think they were my first show; tickets were $5 plus a Ticketmaster service charge of $1). Later, I got into Social Distortion, Face to Face, Samiam, and others too numerous to list. I had tapes. I had CDs. I had vinyl. Gigabytes of mp3s. Rare stuff, covers, bootlegs, live shows, stuff that was never released anywhere but Japan (why always Japan?). I recall seeing Sick of It All open for AFI and was more impressed with the opening band (even though I wanted to see AFI for about 15 years at that point). I was ready to go home after that. It was ridiculously good. I saw a ton of He...

Mud Hill is a breakup song by the band Samiam. I think we've all been there before. If we haven't, then we haven't lived. Right now I'm assessing my life and taking stock of my 41 years' worth of experiences. What strikes me is how many times I've broken up with girls when we weren't even dating. What's more surprising is how many times it messed me up. Maybe it was the fact that we weren't even dating that made it worse.  Samiam is a band better listened to than watched. Maybe this is why they never made it big, or perhaps because they didn't take themselves seriously enough. The band is (mostly) defunct, or at least off and on defunct. And who cares about Samiam when Ariana Grande just released another shitty track? She wouldn't know poetry if it bit her in the ass, but then again, neither would her fans. I digress.  There really isn't a point to this post besides the fact that I'm going over my list of failed relationships...

Lyrics:  Pull down the blinds Don't think I'll make it out today Spilling down from the sky Another day, one more than I can take Get my irons from the fire Cause mistakes are all I seem able to make these days Later to bed, later to rise Feeling unhealthy, unwealthy, and unwise I'm not screening calls I just ain't answering the phone Don't come banging on my door Please just leave me alone I don't know another way I'm waiting for my luck to change Without you by my side This loneliness I feel Is the kind I fear I'll keep I'm trying to fall out of love But I'm only falling asleep I miss you so much I might as well miss everyone Ain't we having fun   I've committed a great crime of omission. I have neglected to mention one of my favorite bands, a band I thought I would never get to see live yet got to see twice. Samiam! How do I describe Samiam? They're indescribable! Their name is clearly derived from Dr. Seuss. W...

I've let you go, but the memories remain like the smell after the rain. In every bad thing, there's something good to be found.  I remember the first time you met my parents, when I drove that angry old Jeep out to South Dakota and we drove through the Badlands. It was so hot my rearview mirror melted right off the windshield. We didn't have any reason to look back, though, did we?  You would sneak into my room and sleep on the floor next to me just to be close. We weren't married so we couldn't sleep together, but you couldn't help yourself.  There are so many memories; I'm sorting them now. Some are good and some are bad, but they're all us. We made them, for better or for worse.  How about the night I rolled up to your mom's house for the first time. It was December, but it wasn't cold. I saw you in the flesh for the first time. We talked until the wee hours of the morning. And the next day was Christmas Eve Day. I said I d...