Portlandic Adventures

“Ohh you two do the weird stuff!” I internally mention to myself amidst conversation with tall skinny blonde just previously heckled by oversized men in more oversized clothing and her post LA boyfriend well adorned with Metal music cultural stylings. Vivid images flash through my head like vision’s of flogs and leather straps dance around my head.

It almost felt like I was getting close. The ultimate “in” you can say with people and the nightlife community. Like being part of the coke crowd at the party. That time when the host and a select few slyly slip into the shadows and gather into some sort of isolated bedroom and nasally inhale some Colombian Gold. You have to be pretty comfortable with someone to expose them to such a dirty secret. Those certain things that people do and are proud of or enjoy but do not want to share with the world.

Of course you have the other say normal party guests maybe awkwardly dancing to that one remix of that one song as some DJ takes over the home computer’s Pandora Station to enlighten anyone in audible range with their well saturated knowledge of music. Unknowing of the consortium just nearby committing casual felonies nearby in the comfort of somebody’s home. But it is not all about the rapid consumption of an and all mind altering substances. As they pass the hundred dollar bill to you, you can smoothly say “No I’m cool.” and you know what. You are cool. Because you are in that room witnessing what others are not privy to. But then you are also thinking in the back of your mind that the Taco Bell is drug testing and that Shift Manager position is looking very promising. Then you kind of consider taking the hundred dollar bill and sprinting because that would be a great way to pay for your electric bill and get at least a weeks worth of Crunch Wrap Supremes.

Three weeks, one gig, no pay, and still no job. Still I become slightly egotistical as another DJ approached me as I was adjusting knobs and pushing buttons in the ever present attempt to make two songs sound as one. Introduced him as somebody the resident DJ of the very venue I was performing at. I guess he casually asked me for lesson’s as I egotistically blurted that out later on in other conversations.

Though it is only skin deep as I feel that my progress has slowed. I feel like that out there on the same Friday night there is someone else sitting at home working even harder, composing better songs, and seeing better results. Skillfully avoiding such distractions as one of your high school flings posting hot bikini photos and you falling into a self depreciating spiral of what if’s and trying to create some coy comment to spark interest. But of course it could be something less awkward yet more impressive as finding out about a site dedicated to Tom Selleck, Waterfalls, and Sandwiches. One hour wasted. This damn song isn’t going to create itself. Curse you Selleck, curse you!

But back to the nightclub and finding what all of us writers, musicians, and artists seem to crave. Inspiration. Though being rapidly commented on being “Good”, “Awesome”, and “Killer” is great but still not getting the job done. Though having a short but sassy conversation with one of your musical heroes does help. Thinking that he (and his band) are in their mid thirties and have wives and kids and such responsibilities. It is my turn to live in a van on endless tours and drink cheap beer in a different city every night and have young awkward girls scream “I want to marry your beard” at me.

But I think it all starts with David Bowie and my newfound interest in Dutch funkadelic bands.

To be continued…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bemp3DKDwc4

Side note:

I’ve been working on a Kamele Demo with a few remixes and a couple original tracks on it.

I also have a weekly rock DJ gig at Dirty in PDX. The weekly is called Conflict.
Just about too busy to blog randomness. Keep posted though.

Kamele dabbles in come live guitar during the set.

Kamele definitely plans on recreating the mix from the live set and distributing it out among the internet. Stay tuned for that.

4/24: The Ruby Room w/ The Polish Ambassador & Hannibal Selector
5/1: Fables by Barrie grand opening

Check out Kamele’s latest mix as he talks about himself in the third person.

Kamele’s Mini Mix

Also check out Ample Mammal’s (aka The Polish Ambassador) latest mix.

Afterwards Kamele and WeAreAroundYou will be relocating to Portland to work on a full length album and a book titled “How to Kill Yourself and Live to Tell About it”.

Kinda happy that Kamele’s first show got a little press coverage.

Also still working at The Ruby Room slinging $1 Draft Beers:

The Polish Ambassador and friends in space.

Captain Kamele and the nefarious Hannibal Selector are opening up for The Polish Ambassador on Saturday April 24th.

$10 at the door or $5 with a Facebook RSVP

It was Sunday morning I think. I was sitting in a hot tub watching the sun come up drinking my last round of vodka shots before figuring out how I should start the day or end it. I was pretty amped but everyone else in the tub was naked and making out after I put on The Polish Ambassador’s Pandora station. So I got out and found my clothes and hopped in the Southern Coach which was still parked at The Ruby Room and headed downtown to my studio.

I just kinda laid there in a daze listening to the sound of highway traffic and wondering whether I should muster up the strength to fight this headache or just keep lying here and accept the pains of being a man after becoming a beast. It must of been about 5pm so I decided to go to the Ruby Room after stopping to say hello to my two friends who work at Dungeon Servitus. After drinking some more at the Ruby I headed to Pokez to rescue my friends from an irate dominitrix. We continued to imbibe at my studio and we watched High Fidelity. My phone rang and I realized that Bullet wanted to go to SXSW in an hour. I wasn’t too sure if we are even going put apparently it was a go.

They showed up in about and hour and I just grabbed a couple things and threw my couches in the back of the van. Everyone packed pretty light except for Jamie who pulled a Princess Vespa. Then we drove out to The Riveria to pick up the last member of our team. Not after having a final round of shots for the road. Of course I would start a 20+ hour drive with no sleep.

DAY 01 -
The drive there / Raided by Border Patrol

DAY 02 -
Arriving in Austin / Tape Deck Mtn / Constellation Branch

DAY 03 -
Knife Prince / GZA / Bill Murray / Emo’s

DAY 04 -
Holy Fuck / Matt Pond PA / Phantogram / GWAR

DAY 05 -
Free Energy / Demolished Thought / Broken Bells / She & Him

DAY06 -
The long road home

All in all I think I only spent $250 for the whole trip. We had no passes, wristbands, or press credentials. Though most of us worked for the media. Our antics were mentioned on air on 91x. We will be back next year for SXSW 2011.

Minus The Bear vs Matt & Kim

Download:

IntoTheDaylight

Get Matt & Kim’s: “Daylight“
Get Minus the Bears: “Into the Mirror”

Captain EO bitches!

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After seeing Captain EO for the first time and then finding enlightenment on Space Mountain. Kamele now goes by Captain Kamele and has made a new mix tape full of beats and nostalgia. For some reason the Captain did not include and of Michael Jackson’s hits on it. Perhaps he is up to more nefarious deeds.

The Mix is over this way ->