The Story

“They thought it was the lack of food and the dehydration. I knew it was the drugs.”

--

When I saw Adrian and Josh sitting on my porch I was returning from a daylong hike up Mt. Baldy. The trail we were on when to 10,000 feet and was one long continuously steep path 3.3 miles long. The sheer repetition was grueling but the added lack of sun cover and dusty road made the hike a mental challenge more than anything. The type of activity where you have to convince yourself that your body can keep going even though your hearts been pounding for the last 30 minutes. I kept telling myself  “people have proven time and time again that we can accomplish more than we think”. This was the inner dialogue that got me through the hike, that and the wonderful company and honest and deep conversation.

During our long drive back to LA my headache began. The dull cerebral pain persisted throughout dinner and was with me when I saw Adrian and Josh on my porch. Seeing them began the second half of my day, one, which I thought, could not be more interesting or challenging than the first.

I shower and we’re off to the show. Our excitement radiated throughout the car, at least Adrian and Josh’s excitement. With my head steadily pounding like the footsteps from hours before, I’m becoming more and more uninterested in music. When I ask them to lower the car volume I start to fear that the night was going to be very uncomfortable. Josh instructs me to the location of chocolate. Chocolate, which we were all to eat. Only half the recommended amount of chocolate. I’m relieved. Chocolate will surely cure my headache, Adrian and Josh agree. We eat chocolate.

We pick Argentina off the street and try to find parking. With only ten minutes till show we have success. Soreness setting in and not in the mood for more physical activity, I trail behind a few steps. We run into Brett on the street?! That’s a weird one. We talk for maybe 30 seconds but quickly leave to try to catch the beginning of the show.

To our surprise there is an opening act! Here’s Adrian experience with the opening act:

The opening act was aight.  It was a married couple called Peaking Lights.  Their music was loud and electronic, and as the set went on the songs gained a bit more musical quality.  I was thinkin how they were trying to be clubby and dancy, but it just sounded too ordinary so people weren't getting too into it.  But the fact that it was just 2 people on a sampler making all this sound intrigued me.  Me and Brandon are 2 people, could we play our shit like this?  I started imagining how a Happy Hill concert would be.  Perhaps narcissistic, but fuck you I'm allowed to think what I want.  Anyways, I realized what I didn't love about Peaking Lights was that they never really let the music ride.  But you gotta let the music ride.  If not, what's the point of the music?  I posed that question to myself in the moment.  I remembered an art theory course I took freshman year, where we talked about how art can transcend language.  How I thought of it during the show, though, was that music IS language.  Just not all the words are spoken by mouths.  And language has this awesome power to take you to new little nooks and crannies of consciousness.  So to reach the FULL potential of music, you shouldn't just be trying to make a catchy dance tune, or some background noise to back some words you want to say.   There's someway to do all these things at once to completely transport bodies and minds to a new nook/cranny of life, thus expanding the universe.

Anyways, the last couple of songs they played had some solid musical parts they let ride, and I enjoyed those moments.  And for the last song, they had these lights above the stage, and coming down through the fog they made these spinning cone shapes.  They reminded me of teepees, and I thought of how cool it would be if that was incorporated into a live performance.  Like picture an awesome guitarist or two, and they're like right of center stage, and there's this fog all around them, and next to them on the stage, the lights are illustrating some awesome song that probably has something to do with teepees.  Thought it was a solid highdea at the time, and I still think it is now.  Yeah I think my own idea is good.  Does that make me an egotistical douchebag? Maybe, or maybe we're all just portals serving the purpose of pouring novelty into the material universe, and we don't deserve credit for our ideas because they come from the void.  I don't know, fuck you.

--

I experienced the opening act a bit differently. The music was good but my headache would not let go. I began to fear that the chocolate would not take effect and I would be unable to enjoy Panda Bear. I was worried I’d be stuck feeling the physical pain of pounding music against a brain already in aching. I remember relaying this to the group. I felt selfish, like I was ruining everyone else’s time by spreading my fear but I was in panic mode. I had looked forward to the experience and couldn’t accept that it was just not going to happen.

Then the curtains open for Panda Bear. His concert video, the most interesting and artful display I’ve ever seen at any concert begins. The music starts. Not unlike the beginning thrust of modern rollercoasters, I am off moving very fast towards something unknown. Chocolate.

Describing the music and visuals and the effect they had on me would be insufficient. As I’ve heard many trips described, “it’s like bringing the ocean home with you”. All I can say is that I felt I understood music and sound and image better than I ever had before. It was as if he was putting on a display how these things worked within our brain. Like all the best experiences I’ve had with art, it seemed to turn the mirror towards the audience and show how we as humans function.

Here’s Adrian’s experience with the Panda Bear coming on stage:

--

So Jesse was being really selfish, and it was really starting to ruin my time.  JK, i don't know what the fuck he's talking about.  But anyways, yeah.  The curtains open, one of my favorite artists to ever create walks on stage in a t-shirt, sits down, in a friendly voice says, "Hey everybody, thanks for coming," and starts messing with his sampler.

The first sounds he was playing sounded like long screams.  He'd just play these screams with seemingly no pattern, until your brain comes to realize there is a pattern, and as soon as you realize the pattern, he starts adding sounds to the mix, like a chef adding new spices to what was once separate, raw, inedible ingredients.  Music.  Jesse summed up the video pretty well.  It was perfect.  All that stuff I said about the full potential of music?  It was being carried out to a tee in front of my eyeballs.  The sonic and melodic elements were so new and interesting, the beats and rhythm undeniable, and after letting them drown you into his ocean, only when you were completely submerged in his world, Panda would add his voice to the mix.

Watching the Beatles anthology documentary, a comprehensive 10-hour walk through of the Beatles' career, you can witness them transcend the previous boundaries of music, pushing back the borders and thus expanding the universe that your consciousness can exist in.  As Panda's songs transitioned flawlessly one to the next, with new and unique sounds, melodies, and song structures in each mix, I felt I was witnessing the same thing.

--

Deep in a trance, I watched the first three or four songs. They are long and many of them drone on like mantras. It was a spiritual experience I felt wrapped up in. Then something took me out of it. Something unexpected. I felt something on my leg. I thought, perhaps someone dropped a phone and was searching for it. But when I looked down I saw Adrian collapsed on my feet in front of me. I don’t know how long I stared before I kneeled down to try and help my friend. It could’ve been just an instance or ten seconds but I can vividly remember my confusion to seeing him there. What happened?

--

As we already described, these songs really did put you in a trance.  At one point I had a thought about myself, which led to another, to another, deeper, deeper, and deeper into myself, until I pulled myself back.  (over the past few weeks I've kinda realized how hard I am on myself, and have been realizing I have way more self-doubt than I would've thought, so it was probably something along these lines.)  Was I just hypnotized?  Probably not, but I may have been closer to hypnosis than to non-hypnosis.

The song that was being played was once again an example of expanding the borders of musical expression.  Similar to the way "Daily Routine" perfectly expresses those sleepy morning moments with words, music, and sound, i felt like this song was perfectly expressing what was happening to me in that moment.  He'd play a few bars, then he'd say something to the effect of "you won't come back to IT!" and the entire tempo would get slower and slower under those words, until "IT!" brought you back to the normal jam-speed.  And every time he said it, I was further out.  "I really might not come back to it," I thought.  Things started to get darker, gradually darker and darker until there was nothing.  Did they just do something cool with the lights for the song, or am I blind?  I rubbed my eyes. Nothing but black. Feeling weaker, weaker...

--

I bent down to see him better and couldn’t get a grasp of what was happening. He was lying very still with his back on the floor. I though, it couldn’t be a seizure, he would be shaking. Some guy standing next to me yells, “I don’t know what to do”. Just the least helpful thing you could possibly say. That guy yelling, “I don’t know what to do” only made me question if I knew what to do. And when I thought about it, I had no idea what to do.

--

The dream-void was being populated by heads, fading in from every side of the frame, shouting.  They reached out and touched. The black faded. I was looking up at them. This was real.

--

I decide to try to sit him up. I put my hand under his neck but felt that his body was completely stiff. In what I could only understand as a rigor mortis state. Is my friend dead and turning into a vampire, I thought to myself. No that’s a chocolate thought. All the move around must have done something because Adrian woke up.

--

I was helped to my feet, and I knew what had happened. Fuck, I'm that kid that just passed out. Immediate paranoia.  Did I just have a fucking stroke or something? I don't faint. I heard Jesse look for my glasses, and felt a wave of relief when he found them, and felt another wave of relief because I was able to understand that he was looking for my glasses, and in general everything that was going on.

--

The way he sat up and began to stand could only be described as empty. It was like he had come out of a void, a place with nothing. He began to speak and we quickly decided to get him water. Once we got to the bar I began to understand what had happened. I could see he was white pale. It was something I’d seen before; he had fainted. I’ve seen my mom faint on two occasions. It’s her body’s reaction to food allergies. She goes pale and then passes out. I thought, great all he needs is water and time. I gave him a bottle of water and felt relieved. Thankfully that was over. Then I watched as Adrian’s knees went very gently weak and he flopped on the floor again. Damn it!

--

Yeah so that water didn't help quite enough.

--

This time his recovery was quick. He got back up and we escorted him to a chair in front of the venue. By this point Adrian and Josh had joined us and we were in full friend mode. Security asks him about why he fainted to which he answers dehydration and lack of food. Hearing this a lady comes by and tells us she’s selling tacos right next door and it would be a good idea to get him one. I could be misreading this but I’m pretty sure this lady is trying to make a buck out of our friend’s medical issue. Not cool taco lady. But Josh and Adrian buy him tacos. He eats and slowly regains some color.

Periodically, I go back in to see how the concert is going and man its good. The music and visuals are still linking up to heighten your senses. After a long recovery, Adrian decides he can go in and we all rejoin the concert. I watch the last three songs: one which visualizes death, one of rebirth and one of normal life where death is always present among the beauty. Those songs alone were an incredible and deep experience.

As the concert coming to a close I notice no one is behind me. I walk outside to find Adrian, Josh and Argentina waiting outside. What happened, I don’t really know.

--

So I caught the end of the last song, then we waited around for the encore, then he started playing what I believe was Last Night at the Jetty.  Great song, but I felt myself fading again.  Didn't want people to miss more of the show, but Josh saw me leaving and tagged along.

The chair I'd been sitting in was gone, so we had to sit outside the taco place. Josh set up the closest chair to us so I could sit, but it was right by this girl who was sitting there alone.  My T instincts told me I should sit farther away, but my body needed to sit right away, so I did.  I was apologizing to Josh (/would like to take a moment here to apologize to everyone again), but Josh was just being super-friend.  We start talking about something but the girl behind me interrupts.

I can't remember her exact words, maybe Josh does, but she told us how she'd been abandoned by her friends since she wasn't feeling well either, and how seeing Josh helping me restored her faith in humanity.  And how everyone needs a friend like Josh.  And I was like, "Bitch I got like 10."

So yeah. Josh was a fucking hero that night. To me, talking to that girl was just further proof of how special our friend group is.

Anyways, the crowd starts filing out.  Jason Matzoukas walked right by us.  Josh said he saw Avey Tare in the crowd earlier.  Just added to that vibe that this concert was something special, where music was being pushed to new mind-blowing places.

--

Amazed at the crazy experience we all walk back to Josh’s car. All finally seemed well once we started joking again. Adrian and Josh refuse to tell us some story that happened and instead infuriate us with a nonstop barrage of catch-phrases. Argentina acts like a deer in traffic, causing us to yell repeatedly “that’s what deer do”. And we decide to end every sentence with “ya dead to me”. Order restored, we work out a plan to get everyone home. I’m the first dropped off. I go home still on mars. I eat a bunch and watch some weird documentary and eventually fall into a deep sleep wondering how the rest of everyone’s night goes.
--

I think it was Josh acting like a deer, because I was trying to control him like video game character with my phone.  My controller was all fucked up though so I could barely control him.  Later when he was driving ahead of me and Argentina, I pretended to control his car with my phone.  "Drive-mode"

I got home, grateful, but still paranoid as fuck.  The girl we talked to said she'd had a similar edible experience, and woke up high as fuck the next day.  And I had just assembled a standing desk at work, meaning I would have few moments to sit down all day.  But being the lucky asshole that I am, everything worked out and I was fine. (My left ear's been kinda fucked up the last couple days but it seems to be a-ok today.)

--

To end, my favorite part of the crazy Adrian events from when he was sitting outside the venue.

Finally he craned his head up, looked at me and said “yeah, it’s a bit embarrassing, but...”. His voice faded out, he looked away, towards the street, and became lost.

There's a story to be told

If I remember tonight tomorrow.

My Really Long Beach Bike Ride (and blog)

It was Monday, Memorial Day. I woke up late because I hadn't had much sleep the last couple of days but I decided that I would still make something of the day and not laze around. 

Got up, took a shower, ate some breakfast and cruised the webs. I was feeling pretty tired but I knew that as soon as I did some physical activity that the tired feeling would go away.

I ate some lunch and decided that after letting the food digest I would go on a bike ride through Venice beach. Even though I was still feeling really sluggish, I got up on the bike and headed over. 

Immediately the tiredness went away and I was down for whatever. 

I got to the beach and it was packed as expected. I brought my headphones so that I could listen to some music on this bike journey, something I had never tried before because I think it's dangerous to do on the road. But this was a bike path along the beach so nothing could go wrong. 

I decided to keep the headphones off at first. I was enjoying the soundtrack that was going on so I had no reason to change it. The sound of the waves crashing, the families enjoying their time playing games, the sound of the bike tires on the sand and the wind hitting my face all felt just right. 

I also decided that I would go slow so that I could take it all in. There was no rush, there was no final destination, I was only doing what felt right to me in that moment. 

I kept on riding until I stopped to watch some roller bladers dance to some funky music. It was dope. These guys were having a blast doing their thing and not giving a fuck. There was this old couple roller blade dancing together that was so in sync with each other that it was beautiful to watch. Made me think that when I grow older I hope that I can find something unique like that that I can do with my girlfriend. Something that takes years to create and cannot be replicated because of the bond that is needed between me and my partner.

Another thing to note was that as I was riding there was different music being played by all the different people that were there so every part of the bike ride had its own little soundtrack that I really enjoyed. 

I kept on riding and riding and I didn't know when I was going to stop. Every time I asked myself if I should stop I was just like why the fuck not keep going so I just kept on peddling. 

I finally reached a point where I wanted a water brake so I stepped off the path, ate some nuts, got some water, and then decided it was time for some music

At first I was thinking Outkast for some fun beats to cruise to. As I was about to select it, "I think I can" started playing and I was like damn, I think I have to play the whole Fall Be Kind album. 

"Graze" hit my ears and all was good with the world. I was zoning. There could have been one thousand people in my way or nobody, it didn't make a difference. I was in my zone, in my own little world, and nobody could take me out of it. 

Then the second part of Graze hit and I couldn't take the smile off my face. That beat brings nothing but absolute joy. It even brought the thought, what if humans died when they reached a peak level of happiness and satisfaction with their lives. Now of course this doesn't make much sense but I suddenly felt like if that's the case I might die on this bike. Of course I had to blog this story so there was no way I was going to let that happen. 

Finally the bike path ended and I came to this. 

Took a few moments to take it all in. The people, the beach, the sky, the sun, the beautiful music, and then I jumped back on the bike.  Ohh yeah "What do I want? Sky" was playing. 

After I finished the Fall be Kind album it was time for some Merriweather Post Pavilion.

All the songs were amazing! My Girls hit really nicely. No need for any extra bullshit, people were at the beach enjoying their time with good friends. And I thought, I just need the basics so that I can keep repeating this simple task: hang out with the people I love. What's that saying, crazy is repeating the same task over and over again and expecting a different result? Well I'm a fucking mad man because every time I hang out with you guys I expect something different to happen and every time an original moment, one that's truly different from all the others, is created and stored in the collective brain of the group for us to reminisce on on a future date. What else could I want in life? (Maybe a girlfriend).

I kept on riding sometimes fast to see what it would feel like and then slow again. I also took on the spirit of the roller bladers and was trying to bounce on my bike as much as I could to the beat of the music. So much fun, I just wish screaming in public wasn't such a big deal cause on some of those songs I just wanted to yell with them. 

I watched some skaters do their thing at the bowl, and finished off the album before heading back to my place. 

Overall it was a beautiful experience. I wish I could have had you guys biking with me. I definitely want to do it again and a tandem bike ride with you guys would be dope. Let's do it, please?

Tldr: listen to some music and ride your bike down the beach. You will not regret it.

Ps: I wrote this on my phone.

Oops I just slayed another girl

Keep in mind she got this message from a guy whose prof pic is this. 

Truth on the News

I feel like y'all have seen this video before, but i just came upon it again high, and realized how jarring it is when real truth hits the news.  What we have here is a human, with no rehearsal or script, just straight up communicating facts.  Facts that needed to be known.

This is what news should be.

Tandem Bike Date? UPDATED

UPDATE:
I will be meeting this girl for coffee on saturday morning. We haven't gotten to know each other at all so this is definitely going to be an interesting one. At one point she thought I was fake...

                                                                                                                                                                  


I usually don't get excited before shit actually happens, that's just not the type of person I am, but I may be on the verge of a tandem bike date. If it it happens, I may have just found the one. Again, I usually don't overhype and then get kicked to the ground so this is unusual territory for me.

I'll keep you guys updated!