My 2009 - As Seen on Youtube

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but here are some videos shot from the crowd that I've found of some of the shows I've done this year. Hopefully 2010 will be even better!

Systems Enginner - Avenged Sevenfold / Buckcherry / Papa Roach / Saving Abel

FOH - Burn Halo

FOH - Avenged Sevenfold - Rock on the Range Festival and Foro Sol Stadium, Mexico City.

Systems Engineer / FOH - Bonnaroo "The Other Tent" 2009

Systems Engineer / FOH - Rothbury Sherwood Court Stage 2009

FOH - Detroit Electronic Music Festival Main Stage 2009

Systems Engineer - Rod Stewart Tour 2009

FOH - The Kin (tour support for Rod Stewart)

Tech - Metallica - Rock n Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert

The American Public Education System... LOL

The evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1. Teaching Math In 1950s A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

2. Teaching Math In 1960s A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970s A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980s A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990s A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying , it's ok.)

6. Teaching Math In 2009 Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

E-Rock Video Music Awards

I just watched the Beyonce video that, according to Kanye West, is the greatest video of all time and frankly I just don’t get it. For one thing, I had to look it up on the Internet because I don’t think I’ve seen a music video on MTV in 15 years. Aside from that I’ve seen some great videos in my day and frankly three chicks in leotards dancing while the camera spins around them is rather lame. Since we’re judging the video and not the musical content, I’ll spare any further commentary on how lame the song is.

I decided to compile a list of videos that are superior to the Beyonce video. I mean no disrespect to Beyonce, but Kanye started this. In no particular order here is the E-Rock list of better videos that would disqualify Beyonce’s video from its “greatest of all time” status issued by Kanye West.

1. Michael Jackson – Thriller
2. A-Ha – Take On Me
3. Tom Petty – Runnin’ Down a Dream
4. Twisted Sister – We’re Not Gonna Take It
5. Warrant – Cherry Pie
6. Robert Palmer – Addicted to Love
7. Dire Straits – Money for Nothin’
8. Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star (this one started it all)
9. Devo – Whip It
10. Metallica – One
11. U2 – Where the Streets Have No Name
12. Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach
13. D.12 – My Band
14. Dixie Chicks – Goodbye Earl
15. Avenged Sevenfold – A Little Piece of Heaven
16. Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer
17. Beastie Boys – Sabotage
18. Pink Floyd – The Wall (the whole movie was a music video)
19. Foreigner – I Don’t Want to Live Without You
20. Van Halen – Right Now

This is not a definitive list and I hope to get plenty of input. Comment with your additions.

Bonnaroo Day 1

After a long flight from Mexico City, a 12 hour visit at home and a 6 hour drive to Manchester, TN I finally arrived at Bonnaroo. Before the masses arrive we have a day for set up. I wake up, go to the hotel lobby, get some coffee and wait for my commerades to begin the day when out of nowhere a dreadlocked, tie dye wearing douchebag hippie comes up to me asking if he can photocopy my credentials to sneak into the gig.

Of course I tell him no, but I actually try to be nice and I don't tell him to go fuck himself or anything of that sort, but he keeps persisting. When i offer him the alternative of buying a ticket for the show he responds in typical hippie fashion with all of the wealth envy excuses that could lead me into another blog but I won't go there now. He tries to explain that the artists make too much money and that he's a musician who plays for free all of the time. I tell him that I'm a capitalist and that his attempts at guilting me into giving my pass to him won't work he tries the typical hippie wealth is evil assault approach.

Dirty Hippie - "What does money do for you?"

E-Rock - "It provides me with the things that I want or need."

Dirty Hippie - "Like what?"

E-Rock - "Like my mortgage payment."

The hippie tries another approach.

Dirty Hippie - "So does money, like, give you power?"

E-Rock - "only in your mind."

Dirty Hippie - "What makes you say that??

E-Rock - "you think that because I hold capitalist ideals that I am wealthy. You also think that since I have something you want, namely my pass, that I should share it with you because you are less fortunate than I am. You are wrong on all accounts."

The hippie moved on to someone else thankfully.

Later that day a REALLY dirty hippie approached me while I was tuning and aligning the PA with pink noise after standing in front of a stack of subs holding his ears.

REALLY dirty hippie - "are you making that noise?"

E-Rock - "yep"

REALLY dirty hippie - "why are you making that noise?"

E-Rock - "I'm taking reference measurements and aligning the sound system"

REALLY dirty hippie - "you're listening to that noise?"

E-Rock - "yep, along with my computer"

REALLY dirty hippie - "oh. do you have to make that noise?"

E-Rock - "yep. Hey why do you have mud on your face?"

REALLY dirty hippie - "I'm making a cob house"

E-Rock - "so it's mud and shit?"

REALLY dirty hippie - "It's cob"

E-Rock - "isn't cob part mud, part shit, part straw?"

REALLY dirty hippie - "sometimes but we just use mud."

E-Rock - "couldn't find some quality shit for free around here?"

REALLY dirty hippie - "we never use shit, just mud"

E-Rock - "still looks like you have shit on your face"

The hippie leaves and I return to my adventures in pink noise. This is going to be a fun week.

Day Off, Mexico City

Friday was an off day. Since Thursday was a LONG day I slept in late and finally got up around 9:30 am. I spent about an hour convincing myself to get out of bed after which I ventured out into the unknown.

I like to explore so wandering a strange city is very appealing to me, however I'm not used to not being able to communicate with the locals that I meet. I've retained a little Spanish from my high school days, but communication is still difficult. Luckily, the locals seem to be very patient with my slow and choppy Spanish, even trying to help my language skills out with a friendly correction now and again.

Mexico city is nothing like the Mexico that I expected. I expected the American stereotype of Mexico. Dirty. Desert. Rusty El Caminos and Camaros lining the streets. Instead I discovered a gigantic metropolis that sprawls for what seems like forever in all directions. The streets are very clean and there are people going about the business of living in a big city everywhere. I wandered into a lovely park that had a rose garden that led me to a monument and statue of Ghandi. (I don't know what Ghandi had to do with Mexico, but he's there nonetheless)

The graffiti is much more artistic than the typical USA graffiti and just as illegible.

I should take this opportunity to tell my American friends that your favorite Mexican restaurant sucks in comparison to the food here. The only problem is the water. Drinking the water here will turn your colon inside out; this includes ice in the mixed drinks. I'm looking forward to coming home and having a glass of nice, chlorinated and fluorinated, government water.

My wandering lasted about 3 or 4 hours when I finally realized I was tired and lost in a foreign city. I tried to find a landmark, but there are no tall buildings here to use as a reference so I walked in what I thought was the right direction. Block after block I just soaked in how the Mexicans went about their lives and stumbled upon a bicycle rental kiosk. (these kiosk's are cool. You can rent a bike and return it to any of the many kiosk's around the city) The kiosk had a map of the city on the side of it and after asking the clerk where I was (in Spanish, thank you very much) I was happy to see that I was only 6 blocks away from the hotel. I wandered up the street, back to the hotel and straight back to my room for a nice siesta.

Not at all a bad day.