project jukebox..

about 97% finished.. some new additions this weekend including the likes of:

cro mags
d.o.a.
rage against the machine
candiria
cursive
dead boys
d.r.i.
government issue
gg allin
municipal waste
pelican
pentagram
boston
cream
crosby, stills, nash & young
the dirty stayouts
led zeppelin
descendents
gojira
the haunted
megadeth
motorhead

plus more.

**a lot of people have been asking me why i'm doing all this work for dingos. am i getting paid? etc. and for the record, i'll tell you why. if you didn't already know, i bounced and bartended at dingos and dingbatz from 2005-2008ish. i was broke and unemployed and freddy dingo was awesome enough to hook me up with a job when i needed it terribly.

with the exception of occasional fill-ins that i've done, i haven't worked there regularly in about 2 years. but regardless, i am still treated as an employee and enjoy the benefits of employee price drinks and having a running bar tab that i can pay like a no-interest credit card. at a point last year, it went as high as $1800 (over the course of a few months) and no one questioned anything. because they knew it would get paid, and it did. freddy always invites me to his holiday staff party and is always generous with rounds of shots and everything else. and on top of that, i consider him a good friend. and if you know me, i'll do anything for my friends.

being a regular there for many years, i noticed that business was starting to slow down. i talked to a lot of people that used to come there a lot and heard the same thing from a lot of people - "we'd rather be at dingos, but we are gonna go where the drinks are cheap." so i came up with a list of specials and ideas, ran them past freddy, and he gave me the green light to get started. we started with a new stepping out ad. then i did a much-needed overhaul of the jukebox. i talked to a lot of different people and got a serious list of bands that people wanted to hear. i got rid of a lot of the same old stuff that has become synonymous with dingos and added about 600-700 new tracks in total. it really changed the place drastically. i dare anyone to check it out and not find anything they like.

some people ask me: "don't you get sick of the same place all the time?". and no, i don't. i've lived a pretty insane life. in my younger years, i was all over the map. drugs, girls, constantly at shows, going to the city and hoboken, driving all over to different bars, travelling around the country, canada, etc. but in a respect, i've slowed down with all that. still drink a lot, but i haven't touched any drugs besides weed in about a decade. and don't get me wrong - i'm down to go anywhere if there is something worthwile going on. but otherwise, i would absolutely rather be at dingos. it's comfortable, cheap, you never see guidos, and now - even more so than before - there is so much amazing music being played. my days of going to the city and paying $8 for beers are long behind me. who the fuck wants to drive into manhattan, spend 100+ dollars in a bar or club and then drive all the way back to jersey wasted? yeah not me. i love new york. it's the greatest city on earth, but i'm just as fine looking at it from 10 miles away in jersey and not buying over-priced beers in bars full of hipsters.

in these times - where everyone lives such bullshit, technological, (self-created) complicated lives - i'm all about simplicity. i'm all about hanging out close to my house, having good times, drinks and laughs with good friends and good tunes. what else could you possibly ever ask for in life? if i died tomorrow, i would be happy. maybe i don't have a big house, a fancy car or a stock profile, but who gives a flying fuck? my mom is always asking me when i'm getting married.. when i'm having kids and settling down.. and honestly, i don't know if i ever will. i've tried the whole "love" thing a bunch of times. maybe it works for some people, but i've always gotten burnt. and honestly i'm not even bitter. i just really don't care anymore. if someone comes along and it happens, that's awesome. but if not, that's fine too. and i'm certainly not out there looking for it. some people are so afraid of being alone and not being a cookie cutter like everyone else. it's sad. i have awesome friends, an awesome job, an always growing art portfolio and my life is never, ever boring. to me, i really don't need anything else. a little off-topic but truth nonetheless.

anyway, hopefully this clears up any questions people had about my recent work with dingos. helping friends and living a simple and fun life. that's it. come check us out soon.