We’ve been in the midst of a late summer heat wave and I’m not liking it. Tuesday was a nearly all-time record high around here, with the heat index getting to 105 degrees. Listen, if I wanted to fry my brain walking to and from my car I’d live in Arizona, Louisiana, or Florida. As it turns out I don’t want to live in any of those states, so Indiana can stop with its attempt at becoming them. We’re already there legislatively. Let’s keep the weather to a boring, Midwestern heat.
On the hottest day, Tuesday, I skipped the YMCA and just came straight home. I ended up listening to a couple albums and did some drawing. It felt nice to just come home and not do anything. It’s not often that I do that. Typically if I come home after work and melt into the chair it’s because I’m sick or something is sore on my body(usually my back) and it needs iced. Tuesday was just chilling for chilling’s sake, and with it being 100 degrees outside chilling had more of a meaning.
First album I spun was Zombi’s Cosmos. It was their first full-length album, and their first of many released via Relapse Records. They announced a couple months back that they were re-releasing it in a 20th anniversary edition(came out originally in 2004) in a 3-LP version. The original album was remixed by Steve Moore, as well as being remastered. While LP 3 is outtakes and alternate versions of some of the songs. All were repressed in some pretty amazing spatter color variants.
Cosmos is one hell of a debut, and truly showed where Steve Moore and AE Paterra were planning on taking this project. While I have the 2014 reissue on vinyl, I just couldn’t pass up this release. Plus I’m a sucker for great splatter vinyl.
Up next was Pinkish Black’s excellent 2015 release Bottom of the Morning. This was my first exposure to the dark synth/drum duo of Daron Beck and Jon Teague. Musically they resemble Zombi, but with the dark vocals of Daron Beck putting them into a completely different category. Beck’s vocals are somewhere between Ian Curtis and Layne Staley. While Zombi’s albums are instrumental and veer towards prog rock territory, the synth and drum sounds of Pinkish Black are more Gothic metal. The lyrics are dark and paint pictures of the dark aspects of society. But oddly it’s not a downer. I think of a band like Joy Division that kept things from sinking to the depths with the music, but if you paid too much attention to Curtis’ vocals and lyrics the darkness shown through.
Sadly Daron Beck passed away a week ago at the age of 48 due to a heart condition. He suffered two heart attacks back in 2018 within a month of each other. The damage was significant even then. But since that time Beck had recorded another record with Pinkish Black in 2019 called Concept Unification(excellent, btw), as well as recording several soft rock covers with Zombi & Friends. Zombi & Friends included Moore and Paterra of Zombi, as well as members of The Sword, Trans Am, and Pinkish Black. If you haven’t heard that album, do yourself a favor and check it out. It’s amazing(check it out here.)
RIP Daron Beck.
I also did some drawing. Started something I’ve dubbed ‘Alpha, Omego, and Carl’. Just one of my weirdo art things. It’s not done, but you can see it below.
Tomorrow night my wife and I are heading to Noblesville to see The Best Of All Worlds Tour with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Joe Satriani. The band is performing some classic VH songs as well as solo Hagar and maybe even some Satch songs. Who knows? I think this will probably be a pretty low key show, for my wife and I at least. It’s only two hours from home and a real easy drive. The Ruoff Amphitheater is located in Noblesville, IN. It will always be known as Deer Creek to the locals as that is what it was when they first built it. Plus, it’s a much better name than an amphitheater named after some huge bank conglomerate.
I’m excited to hear this band perform some classic Van Halen cuts. I saw them on Howard Stern back in the fall of 2023 and what they played on there was pretty sweet. Should be fun, and hopefully it’ll be a little cooler as well. Oh, and I guess Loverboy is opening this show, so we don’t have to show up right at the start time.
Folks, I’m just ready for fall. I’m ready for changing leaves, cooler temps, and sweatshirt and jeans weather. There’s nothing better than a late fall walk; overcast skies, swirling leaves from cool winds, and just that feeling that Halloween is right around the corner. I’ll take that all day, everyday. Anything over smothering humidity and 95 degree heat. Me and my old pooch Otto are in agreement with that.
Okay, have a great Thursday.
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