if you build it, they will come.

once again i find myself needing to stress a few points to some inquiring minds in regards to my affiliations and work with dingo's den. as many people well know, i took over all the promotion and advertising for them. people have been wondering what i'm getting out of it and what i'm doing it for. and for all the inquiring minds, i'm going to break it down for you:

many people also know that i bartended and bounced at dingos for a few years. i was always a regular at dingos since i was old enough to drink. but when i started working there, my life was at a very low point. i had been fired from my previous job over some complete bullshit and i was collecting minimal unemployment and just barely scraping by with my bills and even putting food in my stomach. at this shitty time in my life, freddy dingo was kind enough to throw me a few bouncing shifts here and there for extra cash. i told him that i had bartended for many years, but there were no openings behind the bar. one night i went in for a bouncing shift, and one of the bartenders called out last minute. they asked me if i wanted to bartend and obviously, i said yes. it was all history from there. i wound up becoming a steady bartender there for a couple of years after that.

so obviously, i will always have loyalty to dingo's den because it helped me in a real time of need. but beyond that, i truly believe it is an awesome place with tons of potential. it is literally one of the only places in clifton and the surrounding areas where you have basically zero chance of running into guidos and such. it is the only place around that has such a diverse selection of music without a DJ. the selection of metal, rock, oldies, classic rock, 80's, funk, indy, hardcore, punk, thrash and everything else is second to none and its still being improved upon. there is definitely something for everyone. we never made the switch over to a digital jukebox, because i think some old-school things are better. but i challenge anyone to find a better selection in an old-school CD jukebox anywhere in this area. outside of possibly bars in manhattan or other parts of the city, i doubt you'll find it.

i've travelled all over the place. i've been to countless numbers of bars in different cities and countries. i can honestly say that dingo's den is a truly amazing bar. it is a dive bar and its dingy, rustic and old-school, and that's exactly what i like about it. in a lot of ways, i have a very old spirit. i enjoy simplicity and good times with good friends. i've gotten to a point where i've seen so much and explored so many places, that i can truly appreciate a place that just feels like home. i've met so many amazing friends in dingos. i've met so many talented artists and musicians. people from all walks of life. rich, poor, young, old. you name it. i've never been anywhere else that has such a diverse group of people that all like to hang out at the same place.

but i digress.. basically what this boils down to is that i ain't making shit from all the advertising and promotion that i do for dingos. not one single dollar. i do it because it's something that i believe in, and something that i'm taking on like a school project in a sense. it used to be packed 7 nights a week. now its packed on weekends and randomly during the week. obviously, i understand the economy tanked and people had to curb a lot of spending, but i really believe we can get it back to its rightful place. as of late, i have done many major improvements to start getting people back. anyone who knows me, knows that i throw good parties and fun events.

here's a breakdown of everything we are doing:

DAYS:

HAPPY HOUR 12PM-7PM / 7 DAYS A WEEK

SUNDAY - FREE BACKYARD BBQ 12PM-9PM (WEATHER PERMITTING) / FREE HOTDOGS AND BURGERS FOR EVERYONE AND YOU CAN ALSO BRING ANYTHING YOU WANT FROM HOME OR THE STORE AND USE THE GRILL LIKE YOUR OWN.

NIGHTS:

SUNDAYS, MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS: $2 DOMESTIC PINTS / $3 IMPORT PINTS 9PM-CLOSE

WEDNESDAYS: LADIES NIGHT - $2 LADIES DRINKS / $2 PBR CANS FOR ALL 9PM-CLOSE / HALF-PRICE APPETIZERS 9PM-2AM (INCLUDES 3 VARIETIES OF WINGS, CHICKEN TENDERS, BROCCOLI OR JALAPENO POPPERS, CHICKEN QUESADILLA ROLLS AND BAR PIES)

THURSDAYS: $2 BRING YOUR OWN MUG (DOMESTIC BEERS ONLY / 32oz MAX / MUST HAVE A HANDLE)

EVERY NIGHT: THE DINGO'S COCK AND BALLS SPECIAL - ONE DOMESTIC BEER AND TWO SHOTS FOR $10

WE HAVE 5 TVs IN THE FRONT ROOM FOR ALL YANKEES, METS, WORLD CUP, NBA, HOCKEY, FOOTBALL OR ANY OTHER GAME YOU WANT TO WATCH.

BACK ROOM HAS ITS OWN JUKEBOX ALONG WITH TWO POOL TABLES AND A DARTBOARD.

i put a lot of time and effort into all the improvements and i learned a lot in the process. i talked to literally hundreds of people over the last few months and got suggestions on music for the jukebox, specials and all kinds of other things. we are really trying to make it a bar for the people, by the people. if you have any suggestions, please send them my way.

and if you haven't already, please add the offical facebook page. click here. thanks!

new work: dingo's den full page ad

so after two weeks running with that horrendous mutation of my original half-page ad (read about it here), i finally got a new full-page ad finished and i just sent out the artwork today:

fucking annoyed.

about a month or so ago, i designed this half page ad for dingo's den:


at some point we were supposed to switch over to a full page ad. i was going to design a completely new ad. instead, someone decided to take my half page ad, stretch the same exact artwork into a full page ad, mangle the shit out of it, and KEEP MY FUCKING NAME ON THE BOTTOM. LIKE I WOULD EVER DESIGN SOMETHING THAT LOOKS THIS TERRIBLE:


needless to say, i am embarassed and pissed off.

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.

don't forget.

fuck 52x.

so as you probably already know, i did some major updates on the jukebox at dingos. it is a CD jukebox, and some have asked, why not just get a digital jukebox. well i'll tell you why. first, they are way more expensive. second, some jerkoff could put in 10 hours worth of menudo if they wanted to. so, with this one, we have some type of control over where the music is gonna go.

unfortunately, since the technology is older, i ran into a snag. burned 26 discs, printed labels for them and they all went in last friday. however, the brand of discs i used are high-speed (52x) which this thing does not support for some reason. so NONE of it worked. i was beyond annoyed. so i re-burned about 20 of them, which are now back in and working. i just finished up the rest tonight and they will be going back in tomorrow.

after tomorrow afternoon, you will also be able to hear a ton of new stuff from the likes of:

dinosaur jr.
foo fighters
primus
radiohead
smashing pumpkins
mountain
pink floyd
david bowie
foreigner
beck
danzig
flogging molly
built to spill
johnny cash
jethro tull
ween
captain beefheart
jawbreaker
steely dan
frank zappa
fantomas
h20
nofx
sonic youth
the toadies

in addition to all the stuff i already have listed here, PLUS lots more that i can't even think of off the top of my head.. i can honestly say it has something to please pretty much everyone, and that's exactly what we were going for. come check us out sometime and let me know what you think. cheers!

not another teen movie.

NO.. it's just another boring, old two dollar bring your own mug night.. (not to mention the absolute low point in my design career with this 3-minute flyer).

TONIGHT AND EVERY THURSDAY:


*DOMESTIC BEERS ONLY - YUENGLING, MILLER HIGH LIFE & DINGO'S DUNGEON ALE (MADE BY JERSEY'S OWN CRICKET HILL BREWERY)

*MUGS MUST HAVE A HANDLE (YOU KNOW.. ACTUALLY BE A MUG)

COME DOWN, LUG A MUG AND DRINK THE NIGHT AWAY TO SOME GOOD TUNES AND GOOD PEOPLE.

get your groove on.

TONIGHT AND EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT DINGO'S DEN:



$2 LADIES DRINKS
$2 PBRs FOR ALL
HALF PRICE APPETIZERS TIL 2 AM


COME CHECK OUT SOME FRESH NEW TUNES. TONS OF NEW STUFF IN THE JUKEBOX, AND EVEN MORE COMING THIS WEEKEND. 80s, CLASSIC ROCK, FUNK, METAL, PUNK AND TONS MORE.

glory be thy jukebox.

my brother called me from dingo's den during happy hour on friday. all he said was "glory be thy jukebox". in case you haven't heard, i did a major overhaul on the jukebox there. i catalogged (sp?) everything a couple weeks ago. we took most of the popular songs and consolidated them onto mix cds to make room for others. with the help of a few friends, i added - in total - around 500 brand new tracks. classic rock, 80s, funk, metal, hardcore, punk, thrash. you name it.

just off the top of my head, here a some of the bands you can now find in the jukebox at dingos. some already had stuff in there but are all new tracks from:

slayer
the sword
converge
cave in
for the love of
jimi hendrix
the beatles
led zeppelin
the doors
mountain
david bowie
pink floyd
rick james
cameo
zapp & roger
t. rex
misfits
dead kennedys
animal blood
caught in a trap
suburban scum
bad brains
black flag
circle jerks
DOA
gang green
negative approach
minor threat
metallica
iron maiden
warzone
regan youth
merauder
blood for blood
irate
butthole surfers
frank zappa
mr. bungle
faith no more
nirvana
parliament
rolling stones
steely dan
ac/dc
alice cooper
curtis mayfield
average white band
booker t & the mgs
pantera
electric wizard
sheer terror
youth of today
madball
no redeeming social value
cro mags
gg allin
government issue
leeway
judge
the cult
danzig
guns n roses
the stooges
underdog
strength 691
homicidal
carnivore
death threat
nj bloodline
agent orange
articles of faith

and dude.. honestly, there is so much more. i'd say at least another 20-30 bands.. i just can't think of any more at the moment. you don't even understand. last night i put in a few bucks and it took me like 20 minutes to pick all my songs. we had that place jumpin. come down and check it out. i guarantee you will find a whole bunch of stuff you'll like.

oh yeah and we put godsmack and disturbed in the back jukebox so all the kids who's "parents don't get them" can stay back there. haha.

new work: dingo's den half page ad

worked long and hard to come up with some improvements for dingo's den. got the OKs with freddy and its ready to roll. just finished up this half-page ad for steppin out magazine:

(full page ad coming in a couple weeks)

NEW SPECIALS:

SUNDAY, MONDAY & TUESDAY:
$2 DOMESTIC PINTS / $3 IMPORT PINTS

WEDNESDAY:
$2 LADIES DRINKS / $2 PBRs / HALF PRICE APPETIZERS 9PM-2AM

THURSDAY:
$2 BRING YOUR OWN MUG (DOMESTICS)

WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE ADDING SOME MORE STUFF TO THE JUKEBOX AS WELL. COME CHECK IT OUT. AND DON'T FORGET YOU CAN DRINK OUTSIDE UNTIL 9PM NOW.

death of a salesman.

if you've been to dingo's den, chances are you might have seen rich. he was very well known for saying lots of weird things to everyone, especially girls. i'll always remember a time when i was bartending and he walked up to two girls (about half his age) who were sitting at the bar by themselves. he put his arms around them and the first words to exit his mouth were "i'm not going to hurt you". i've never seen a couple of broads finish their drink and leave the bar so quickly in my life.

time and time again, rich would say the creepiest things to girls. and he always struck out. he would often tell me about how he had such a "boner" for some of the female staff at the bar and lots of other things you should just keep to yourself. i don't know anyone who has been rejected as many times as this man. but he never gave up. and he had no boundaries. young, old, fat, skinny, ugly, pretty. he would attempt his game with anything and everything. and for that i give him respect. he was just a lonely guy.

a lot of people didn't like him and mistreated him. and in some ways it can be understood. he would strike up conversations with just about anyone and if you didn't know the guy you might get a little creeped out from the things he would say and the way he would carry himself. but from working in dingos and seeing him there all the time, i know he was a good man with a good heart. he lived a few blocks over from the bar with his elderly mother. he was the only person who took care of her. he just didn't know how to transfer the good in him to the shit that would spill out of his mouth.

on numerous occasions through the years, he would make blatant sexual comments about girls i was with or dating. as recently as a month ago - commenting on how nice my girl's tits are and asking if he could talk to her. obviously i told him to fuck off, but with rich, you just gotta let some shit slide. he's done it to other people who have reacted differently and nearly punched his face in, but they didn't know him as well as we did.

regardless of what he's ever said or done to you, he was always the first one to buy you a shot or give you a cigarette if you needed one. he was always friendly and as creepy as he was at times, i couldn't say a bad thing about the dude. i truly hope that he is up in heaven surrounded by tons of hot bitches that are interested in every word he has to say.

through the years, i've managed to get some flicks of rich. him and his signature white t-shirt will definitely be missed and will go down in history among the people in dingos.












last night when i was walking out of the bar, i just happened to glance at the shelf before you walk out and i couldn't believe what i saw. it was rich's bike helmet. he would sometimes place it on the ledge next to the motorcycle helmets. i always found that kind of funny. we got a hammer and a nail and gave it it's rightful place on the wall.

RIP CRAZY RICH

Richard D Mazur
(March 30, 1967 - August 28, 2009)

Richard D. Mazur, 42, of Clifton on August 28, 2009. Born in Passaic, he was a lifelong resident of Clifton. Beloved son of Margaret (Kalinich) and the late Edward J. Mazur. Devoted brother of Edward Jr., of Clifton, Patricia McChristal of Essex Co., and Pamela Kessler of Hamburg, Pa.. Funeral Tuesday 10 AM at the Shook Funeral Home, 639 Van Houten Ave., Clifton. Interment, East Ridgelawn Cemetery, Clifton. www.shookfh.com

blah.

some silly things. like a sunset.


friday night, voice or no voice had their last show.



we chilled at dingos after.


although you can't really tell, the afterparty got bloody ignorant. actually had a conversation with the landlord about it today.




saturday, i bartended at dingbatz. it was slower and slow, as you can probably tell from these pictures.




last night i got drunk and took pictures of bathroom graffiti. i think i'm going to start doing that everywhere.

lost art.

in the era of mp3s and ipods, the art of making a mix CD has basically become obsolete. however, i am lucky enough to have an ongoing outlet into this forgotten skill. through my years of bartending at dingo's den, i have become an unofficial jukebox curator. currently, i have 10 mix CDs in their jukebox, and i just got the call yesterday that i love so much... they need more CDs. so i sat in my room last night with a dope chick and a bottle of whiskey and i added 5 more installments to the jukebox.

dingo's den reminds me of something from a quentin tarantino flick. the lighting, the decor and especially the crowd. on any given night it can range from 21 years old to 60 years old. it can range from a pack of burly hell's angels to a bunch of college kids and everything in between. punk rockers, metal heads, bikers, skaters, artists. basically everyone who isn't a guido or some abercrombie douche. and everyone gets along. i've been going there for about 10 years. i worked there full-time for 2 years. i still work there on a fill-in basis. i can count on one hand the number of legitimate fights i've seen in all that time. and that's why it's a great place. people just chill, drink and enjoy the tunes.

so when i put together a mix for the jukebox i try to keep that diverse group of people in mind. in the age of digital jukeboxes, it's very rare to find a really good CD jukebox these days. outside of a few places in the city, dingo's definitely has the best jukebox around.

here's the rundown for the latest additions that i made:

ONE
1. The Weight (Take A Load Off Annie) – The Band
2. I Don’t Care – Black Flag
3. Wasted – Black Flag
4. Fix Me – Black Flag
5. For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield
6. Going Up The Country – Canned Heat
7. Hope – Descendents
8. Surf Beat – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
9. Hava Nagila – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
10. Night Rider – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
11. Mr. Eliminator – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
12. Taco Wagon – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
13. Tidal Wave – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
14. Banzai Washout – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
15. Alabama Song – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
16. Son Of A Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
17. Search And Destroy – Iggy Pop & The Stooges
18. Filler – Minor Threat
19. I Don’t Wanna Hear It – Minor Threat
20. In My Eyes – Minor Threat
21. Die, Die My Darling – The Misfits
22. Children In Heat – The Misfits
23. We Bite – The Misfits
24. Skulls – The Misfits

TWO
1. Regulator – Bad Brains
2. Riot Squad – Bad Brains
3. Destroy Babylon – Bad Brains
4. Big Takeover – Bad Brains
5. Song About Old Roller Coaster – BearVsShark
6. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer – The Beatles
7. Happiness Is A Warm Gun – The Beatles
8. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles
9. My War – Black Flag
10. Lord Of This World – Black Sabbath
11. A National Acrobat – Black Sabbath
12. Symptoms Of The Universe – Black Sabbath
13. Heart Of Glass – Blondie
14. Runaway – Bon Jovi
15. Orgasm Addict – Buzzcocks
16. Crossbearer – Cave In
17. Wicked Game – Chris Isaak
18. You Fail Me - Converge

THREE
1. Casey Jones – Grateful Dead
2. Friend Of The Devil – Grateful Dead
3. I Know Why – H20
4. Surrounded – H20
5. Family Tree – H20
6. Day-O – Harry Belafonte
7. Jump In The Line – Harry Belafonte
8. Where Eagles Dare – Iron Maiden
9. The Trooper – Iron Maiden
10. Aces High – Iron Maiden
11. 2 Minutes To Midnight – Iron Maiden
12. The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice – Jimi Hendrix
13. Ezy Ryder – Jimi Hendrix
14. 1983..(A Merman I Should Turn To Be) – Jimi Hendrix
15. Orange Blossom Special – Johnny Cash
16. I Walk The Line – Johnny Cash
17. Man In Black – Johnny Cash

FOUR
1. Dancing Days – Led Zeppelin
2. Lucille – Little Richard
3. That Smell – Lynyrd Skynyrd
4. Trapped Under Ice – Metallica
5. Creeping Death – Metallica
6. Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – Nancy Sinatra
7. Southern Man – Neil Young
8. Old Man – Neil Young
9. Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) – Neil Young
10. Marigold – Nirvana
11. Curmudgeon – Nirvana
12. Even In His Youth – Nirvana
13. Reborn – Slayer
14. Expendable Youth – Slayer
15. I Hate You – Slayer
16. Fly Like An Eagle – Steve Miller Band
17. The Knife Rises – Superjoint Ritual
18. The Sundering – The Sword
19. Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians – The Sword
20. On The Road Again - Willie Nelson

FIVE
1. Domination – Pantera
2. Hard Lines, Sunken Cheeks – Pantera
3. Planet Caravan – Pantera
4. 13 Steps To Nowhere – Pantera
5. I Might Be Wrong – Radiohead
6. The Bends – Radiohead
7. Electioneering – Radiohead
8. Young Turks – Rod Stewart
9. Do Ya Think I’m Sexy – Rod Stewart
10. 19th Nervous Breakdown – The Rolling Stones
11. Monkey Man – The Rolling Stones
12. Ruby Tuesday – The Rolling Stones
13. Maladjusted – Sick Of It All
14. In The Name Of God – Slayer
15. Point – Slayer
16. Piece By Piece – Slayer
17. 1979 – Smashing Pumpkins

as you can see, it's really all over the place. old and new. heavy and mellow. 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond. and that's what makes dingo's such a good spot to chill. not to mention $3 drinks for ladies all day and night, 7 days a week. and you can't beat that with a bat.

old/unused.

super quick, budget photocopy flyer for voice or no voice.


gdp flyer that never got used. gdp, being the modest guy he is, didn't want his name bigger than the other artists, even though it was a party for his record release. turns out the city of clifton closed down the warehouse anyway, so the party never even happened. r.i.p. division east warehouse.
(front)
(back)

freddy, my good friend and owner of dingo's den and dingbatz is also president of the new jersey licensed beverage association and he had me do a flyer for their annual picnic this year.


a super-quick flyer for my boys down at 660 grand.

vacation

one beautiful thing about having a "real" job is getting paid vacation. today, i returned to work for the first time in 9 days. people at my job asked me where i was going, to which i simply replied "my couch". but i did a little bit more than just sit on my couch. right in front of my couch is my laptop which i sat on for like 8-10 hours on some days working on some projects.

first of all, i finished up the layout for the new GDP album. it's a double-disc release (cd & dvd) with an 8-panel booklet insert complete with lyrics and a bunch of ill flicks taken inside GDP's house by this dude named tone, and some sick piece of cover art that was hand drawn by one of his boys.

besides that, i finished up artwork for a bunch of t-shirts. four shirts to be exact. they will all be available at division east in the near future. no previews right now. i'm keeping them a mystery. but i will be sure to let everyone know when they are in the shop so you can all go buy them.

besides sitting in front of my computer, i did manage to get out a tiny bit. last saturday, my homegirl mimi was kind enough to hook me up with a ticket to nine inch nails and jane's addiction at the PNC art center. typically, i like shows in dive bars where i can be about 2 feet from the stage and occasionally grab the microphone and get all up in that shit. for the most part, i am totally opposed to large venue shows. they are so impersonal and they attract tons of people who don't know shit about music. not to mention 9 dollar beers, overpriced snacks and other bullshit. like for example, you couldn't bring your own blanket into PNC, but they were selling blankets for 15 bucks. fucking scumbags.

anyway, as much as i'm ranting, i can't take anything away from either one of those bands, regardless of the venue. we got in as nine inch nails was starting and we were pretty far from the stage. i managed to get a couple OK flicks from far away:




the rest all kinda looked like this, although they are pretty cool and i might use them as background textures in some design projects:




photos of jane's addiction weren't too much better:


we even snuck onto the special needs lawn seating, but we got kicked out of there and i still didn't get any good photos:






luckily for me, i'm the fucking man and i randomly ran into my boy by the bathrooms and he hooked me up with a couple of fake VIP laminates for me and my homegirl:




they worked like a charm:










all in all, i have to say those bands put on a good fucking show. obviously, it was much better once we were 5 feet from the stage, but i grew up with both of them and i can't take anything away from them. they had that place roaring and honestly, i didn't see quite as many eyeliner/fishnets/black fingernail freaks as i thought i would at a nine inch nails show.

leaving PNC was a shitshow, but we managed to get back up to clifton in time to see NJDOTS at dingbatz which ruled:
















obviously we all got shit hammered and had a blast. sunday we woke up bright and early (5pm) to attend the pig roast at dingo's den and check out for the love of and agents of man at dingbatz:












for the love of was amazing. brought me back to my cassette tape days so badly. i remember driving around in my silver oldsmobile in like 96 listening to those dudes and screaming at my windshield. so fucking good. i even got to grab the mic and scream along with the singer for a song. it fucking ruled. i was real busy enjoying myself, but i did grab a couple flicks:




i was so shitfaced that after those dudes i went outside to smoke a cigarette and wound up at dingos, thinking we had plenty of time to get back for agents of man. i walked back in as they were finishing their set like a fucking asshole and totally missed them. but, i did have the pleasure of seeing my homeboy kevone and bulldoze do a quick, last-minute, 3-song set. so fucking good. kids were so siked on this:












we finished the night off across the street and closed the place out:




















the week basically consisted of drinking, sleeping, working on designs and then doing it all over again. early in the week mimi stopped by with this bottle of plum moonshine from switzerland. it wasn't actual moonshine, but christ it really tasted like it:


throughout the week i grabbed some random flicks here and there. i ran into marlene who used to be one of my co-workers when i was bartending full-time at dingos. she rules:






bite it.


bootylicious.


thursday night my boys anthony and brother bob played with their band, the dirty stayouts. they were awesome:








grabbed a few more over the weekend and now i am back to my regularly scheduled program:




























there were a few faces that i'm surprised weren't involved in any of these pictures. and you know who you are. get on top of that.