High Wave Sounds

Things that make me proud of ‘Merica….

(via sankaku666)

So something kinda important happened the other day… A guy named Jason Collins, a role player for the NJ Nets and Boston Celtics, became the 1st (active) out athlete in major American sports. I’m sure you’ve all already heard, but lets hear it again. This is a big deal! I’m not gay, but I’m incredibly proud of Mr. Collins. Our country obsesses over sports, which makes them an important indicator of our culture. Jason Collins just put a 7 foot hole in hypocrisy. So A(fucking)men!

Hmm…. this is not what I am supposed to talk about. Right, but there is a connection. Stepping up to the plate! I’ve never admitted this to anyone (who I didn’t have dirt on), but I am an Ashley Simpson fan. Her 1st album “Autobiography” totally sucked me in. Who knows if the vocals we heard are actually hers or not… My guess is that they were “Ashley-ish”. In the end I don’t really care. I love pop songs and I love a female singer with pipes and a rock n’ roll attitude. 

Enter LA Singer/Songwriter Diana Meyer. Recently I was asked to take a listen to Diana’s newest song “Wake Up”. I can tell straight away that Diana is also a big fan of pop songs with attitude! “Wake Up” comes out of the gate with a big-as-the-sky chorus, smacking you right in the face. The arrangement checks all the required boxes for the pop charts: a great hook, big bass, loud guitars, and a nice little break-down before the end. 

The video for “Wake Up” is also a really nice piece. It features a mash-up of the classic 50’s Hot Rod movie theme with a touch of absurd 60’s Sci-Fi. Production values are quite high and the whole piece works really well. I’ll also say this, I am an old skool crate digger. If I check out your youtube channel, I will look at every video. So where I do think “Wake Up” could be the start of big things for Diana, its also worth mentioning: This lady has more gas in the tank! I was very impressed with her covers of Rhiana’s “Stay” and Alanis Morissette’s “Thank You”. The real stunner was her take on Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up”. The biggest misconception in music is the need for autonomy. There are literally hundreds of thousands of great songs out there that have only been used by one artist on one album. Every time a song and a singer meet its like a date, some work and others don’t. But there are some incredibly exciting nights on the town out there… waiting for you! 

PS- And she plays a Gretsch acoustic guitar … How RAD is that?!

Today, April the 29th 2013, will go down in David Hopings history with a particularly odd distinction. Today the state of Ohio, Lucas county, reaffirmed the date and location of my birth with an official copy of my birth certificate… And I received word from New York,Tompkins county, that a warrant for my arrest has been dismissed (oddball tax issue, don’t ask). So, to recap… I both exist, and I am no longer (unbeknownst to me) on the run from NYS Johnny Law. Well fuck, you can’t do much better than that… Then again, I did have two beers before work. Keep in mind sports fans, I start work at 3pm… Slightly less scandalous… just saying.

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Mean.

(via sankaku666)

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about our budgetary situation in this country…. There’s something both incredibly simple and extremely convoluted about it. On one hand it seems incredibly simple that America is massively in debt. It is also horridly obvious that there are many people in this country who depend on regular government assistance. Of course how we go about decreasing that debt, while delivering those services is where all the fun begins. In honor of this nasty little passion play, I will tell y’all about the day Tam and I are had today. Perchance it might shed some light on the country’s mood, this post sequester eve……

Tamsin has a dear friend by the name Brian. Our man Brian is an Ithaca resident, but because of an educational program going on in NYC, he travels our way once a month. When he’s down, Brian stays with us, and while he’s in the city we often take his car on little day trips. Its been a really nice trade off. On Sunday classes run into the early evening, and once he’s done Brian heads back to our place in JC, we swap keys, and then he’s off. A series of coincidences this weekend led to an interesting confluence of events. Much like the senators and congressmen in question, we all had a song in our hearts or a little corner of rug to protect. Regardless, as long as everyone acts conscientiously things should be fine…

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The back of the boy’s sweatshirt read… “Are you free from sin”? Good God man. I hope not! That’s like saying, “Are you free from bacteria”? Sure it sounds great, but it only takes a fourth grade understating of science to see that we need bacteria. They keep us safe from contagion, they settle our stomachs when we are ill, and they make cheese for crying out loud! To go without them would mean living in a lopsided weird world… One that would be so far off the beaten track, it would be impossible to sustain. Do the words “Howard Hughes” ring any bells? Not a pretty site for sure…. So lets accept that we all have sin, k? Better still, let’s all accept that we will continue to sin. And that we don’t truly have any idea how to live beyond or without sin.

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If you get it you do…. if you don’t fuck off.

(via tomohiro9r)

1 year’s worth or ramblings, edited (somewhat) for your approval. Art, Ideas, Politics, Americana, and god knows what else. Available (here) in the Kindle eBook store. Free excerpt avail!