Other: The End

We need to talk ...

First off, my computer ended up not being fixable, and the "company", as all companies do, wormed their way out of warranty  coverage by claiming there was traces of water damage, which according to them, invalidated the claim. It's really almost funny, how poor workmanship is covered under the warranty, but not the resulting conditions of poor workmanship, ie. moisture seeping into the product over time due to bad insulation.

Anyways, after I got over that whole ordeal, I did my research and got a pretty decent deal on a new laptop.

Hopefully this one will hold up better then the last.

Now I wish that was the worst news I could be bring to you today, but it sadly is not. I came back from my leave to discover a disabled account. Now this isn't the first time I've had a tussle with the big man upstairs, but it will be my last, as I am just tired of constantly having to deal with their utter lack of care for theirs users.

It's just no longer worth it any more, at least under current conditions, and because of this, I have decided to take a  permanent leave of absence from the blogging community. Hey, maybe in a while I might reconsider and come back to blogging - maybe even right back here ... but most likely not.

Well, it's been a fun ride. Times when I loved it, times when I didn't. Overall though, I really enjoyed sharing my knowledge, opinion, interests and just my self with you guys, and hopefully you enjoyed it just the same.

Thanks again for your time over the past months, and hopefully you learned something!

Jonny D, signing off.

Other: Downtime

Hey guys!

Thanks for the supporting comments on my Lollapalooza recap, I really appreciate the replies. Sadly, not all that glitters is gold, as some bad news appeared in my life, although temporary. My normal computer (a three year old HP HDX16 laptop for you techies) experienced a case of death a few days after arriving back home.

Luckily, I bought a 3 year warranty on the machine, and it thankfully slipped in just before the expiry date. The catch is that I have a two week period where I am stranded without computer (I am posting this from a bud's computer), and therefore am forced to put a temporary hiatus on the whole What Goes On project.

For those who actually care about the whole computer repair progress, I believe my issue was the hardware wiring just giving in due to extended use. As a computer science guy, I tend to push my machine, and just from overuse, I think I really pushed it to its death. Now, according to the company,  they will look at it, figure out the issue, and send in for the parts to fix it. If the parts end up not fixing it, or they find that no parts would solve the issue, they'll give my in store credit for the cost of purchase towards a new computer. Either way, they say I will lose my saved data (/sigh) so I'm actually hoping they can't fix the beast, as it would mean I could get a totally new and incredibly better computer essentially for free.

I can only hope.

Music: Lolla Recap!

Hello everyone! 

Now that the Lollapalooza Music Festival is over, I finally am able to look back onto the weekend and make sense of all that happened in that short period of time, and hopefully understand what was good and what was bad about the weekend.

The Good

• Chicago was a lovely city to hold a festival. Most festivals are stranded far from civilization, but as Lollapalooza is hosted right in the middle of downtown Chicago, there is plenty to do both in and out of the park.
• Grant Park, the location of the festival, was a perfectly sized mega-park that provided plenty of room for park activities, while never seeming like it was TOO big (travel time, desolation, etc). 
• Plenty of selection was provided in the food category. It wasn't like some events where all you can buy is Pizza Pizza and Pepsi, or whatnot. Instead, local vendors bid to have a booth in what they deemed "Chow Town", resulting in hundreds of unique food options.
• The transportation system in Chicago was spectacular, removing any sort of panic that usually follows a late arrival or big crowd.
• There were thousands and thousands of porta-potties. No lines. Ever. 'Nuff said.
• With over a hundred bands to choose from, every genre was covered and everyone could see and hear their own unique lineup of bands over 8 stages throughout the three day fest.
• Every band that was booked played, save one smaller band, which is a rarity when dealing with talent.
• The headliners were balanced very well considering how every night featured two major headliners (as well as cult headliners for smaller audiences), ie. My Morning Jacket vs. Eminem and Foo Fighters vs. Deadmau5.
• The front of the stages weren't saved for the rich people, as their were no restrictions in front of the stage for where you could or could not go. 
• The rain.

The Bad

• As a negative to the first point in The Good section, because the festival is hosted in the city, you are forced to rent overpriced Chicago accommodations, as opposed to relatively inexpensive country-festival camping.
• Against the fourth point in The Good, because of the complex schedule, many similar bands were impossible to see due to lack of travel time, crowds, among other factors between the many far off stages.
• A few bands were off their mark over the weekend, namely Ce Lo Green and Noah & The Whale. Ce Lo, as expected, came late, and he was very rude to the crowd once he realized that they were not happy. All he did were covers and almost completely ignored his own songs. I didn't actually see him first hand, but according to some, he thought he was being smart by trying to say he was not going to do his hit Fuck You (and then surprise them at the end), but it turned on him as the audience got rowdy. 
• Noah & The Whale on the other hand, just really didn't fit well into the live experience. Mainly, their songs are odd because nobody and I mean nobody (at least in North America) likes their folky stuff, and the only reason people saw them was for their synth pop-hits. However, their folky songs are so bad, namely the whole violin thing, that it actually turned off the audience to the point were most people were leaving before their popular songs were played.
• The only disappointing headliner clash was Coldplay vs. Muse, both being successful European rockers. I guess one is lighter rock and one is a more heavier experience, but that being said, its still a close choice.
• The rain.

Well, it was a fun weekend to say the least! Make sure to check the free videos of the shows on Youtube.

• Did anyone else go?
• Have you ever gone to a outdoor music event?
• Any questions that I could answer about the event?

Let me know below!

Other: Ola Lolla!

Well, two caffeine drinks, three toll roads and 8 hours later, I have finally arrived in the good ol' Windy City!

First stop, deal with my wristband issues. Being the idiot that I am, I read all the fine print, except for the key bolded line specifically telling event-goers to put the wristband on their right hand. Guess which hand I put it on?

Yeah.

One hour later in line ... all is settled. Thank God for nice customer service reps.

Took a stroll through Millennium Park, saw some art, has some deep dish pizza. Ready to go. Excited for tomorrow? Oh yeah. More to come!

Oh yeah, and I forgot to say that Lollapalooza was cancelled. I guess they filled the gap with this new festival Lol--Palooza. See for yourself...

• Anyone else in Chicago?
• Any suggestions for alternative attractions?
• Oh yeah?

Music: The Search for Lollapalooza - Pt. 6

Ahhhhh... Almost done!

Noah & The Whale

Genre: Folk Pop

Lollapalooza Show Time: 2:30-3:15 on the Bud Light stage.

Band Profile: As a part of the recently successful British "Folk" wave, with the likes of Mumford & Sons, Noah & The Whale electrifies folk to create a unique ready-for-radio pop sound. Having just completed their third album, the band has matured from their young-roots into a more developed view of their trade. Already topping the British charts, Noah & The Whale are just waiting to break into America.

Personal Opinion: They've got a really relaxed sound that can really help them break into the charts, a tough feat in the pro-pop atmosphere of today's radio. They've got an interesting sound and have, if they keep it up, a big future ahead of them.

City & Colour

Genre: Folk Rock

Lollapalooza Show Time: 3:15-4:15 on the PlayStation stage.

Band Profile: Another name for another band by Canada's Dallas Green, who is known from his solo-work, collaborations, and the hard rocking band Alexisonfire. It makes sense how he divides his songwriting, with the heavy hitters being used in Alexisonfire, the soft solo guitar work for his namesake, and the halfway in-between for City & Colour. (Dallas = city, Green = colour, get it?)

Personal Opinion: As a Canadian myself, I am already pre-deposed to love Dallas Green's work - wherever he goes. Putting that aside, his songs speak for themselves, as all of them are classic in their own rite. I would suggest everyone check him out, and hopefully you can appreciate his talents. 

• It's almost here! Soooo excited. Since you can watch it on youtube for free, will anyone be tuning in?
• Coldplay or Muse? I still can't decide!
• Deadmau5 or Foo Fighters? Ahhh!

Please let me know by leaving a comment below!

Music: The Search for Lollapalooza - Pt. 5

Last day!

Gold Motel

Genre: Summer Rock

Lollapalooza Show Time: 12:15 - 1:00 on the PlayStation stage.

Band Profile: Founded by singer Greta Morgan during the hiatus of her previous band The Hush Sound, Gold Motel brings Cali rock to the table featuring Chicagoans Matt Schuessler, Adam Kaltenhauser, and Eric Hehr. The band recently debuted its first album Summer House and has been touring in support since.

Personal Opinion: These guys give me the impression of a buzzed-up She & Him, which to me is a great combo. I am really impressed with their songwriting - which is a rarity for bands in the "up-and-coming" early festival slots. 

The Joy Formidable

Genre: Indie Rock

Lollapalooza Show Time: 1:00 - 1:45 on the Bud Light stage.

Band Profile: If you think Ritzy Bryan's voice is a little ... well ... odd, you'd be right, because The Joy Formidable, hailing from North Wales, brings the noise with their buzz guitars, screaming chants and epic sounds. After years of writing for fun, Ritzy and bassist Rhydian Dafydd finally decided to go professional, picking up drummer Matt Thomas and recording their first EP A Balloon Called Moaning. The band has been supporting the album since.

Personal Opinion: Oh the BUZZ. With their big guitars and unique vocals, I really predict that The Joy Formidable will truely become a formidable force for the future of rock (pun intended). Really remind me of Arcade Fire! Good stuff.

• All the bands are fronted by girls today. How do you like them?
• Any personal opinions or suggestions to share?
• How's your weekend been?

Share a little, below!

Other: Prepare For Music Overload!

Hey guys, how are you all doing this fine weekend?

EDIT: By nothing I meant nothing of Lollapalooza! Haha. Don't fear, I am not leaving you!

As you might have noticed, I post just about every other day. I also wanted to finish my Search For Lollapalooza series, and plan on doing just that. The catch is that I have about 2-3 more installments to go, but only roughly 5 days to do this. After receiving comments from you guys, I got the impression that you preferred spacing out the installments, and while I think that was a good idea, it no longer can happen in my tightly packed schedule.

Therefore, the next few installments will solely cover the series Search For Lollapalooza, so I hope you understand that I would prefer to space them out, but due to time constraints, I must pack 'em in to get 'em in before the festival next weekend!

So how 'bout it? I post solely Lollapalooza up until my wrap up post, (hopefully I can get some pics!) and then after that, NOTHING for a LONG LONG WHILE.

Deal.