7.01.2010

A WORD FROM YOUR ADMINISTRATOR.

While I'm finding less & less time to devote to Lo-Res Viscera, I am also finding the desire to do what I do here waning as of late.
The lack of comments -which I realize is the one thing all bloggers bitch about- versus the amount of download activity is enough to make me seriously think about killing Lo-Res off altogether.

I've been doing this thing long enough to know what sets a good blog apart from "just another blog", and I feel like I may be nearing the end of the road - who knows? The one thing I do know is that there is gonna be some major changes happening around here very soon, and what the future holds around here, well, I'm just not sure...

I am not into "group" blogs that much, I'm not interested in adding people to upload to L-R V, and I'm not really interested in joining someone else's blog - blogs are meant to be personal - and while there is no hardline as to what it is or what I think it should be, the bottom line for L-R V is that unless the level of feedback from you guys out there in internetland speak up, share stories, bitch & moan, praise me or hate me, trade links - whatever, really - I may just pack it in soon w/o warning.

Your honest opinion on the bleak outlook of the future of L-R V is greatly appreciated.

43 comments:

  1. I've been thinking the exact same thing recently. Was close to jacking it in 2 weeks ago, deleting all the posts bar one or removing all the links with an obituary on blogging. Google might kill blogs but anon freeloaders really twist the knife. It's comments which spurn you on to post more. Even semi-negative comments are welcome where you can discuss topics, even if they are called anon. They've made a effort rather than just take take take and give nothing back.

    If anything it's us who face the penalties whilst they honestly don't care. Fuck mentioning support the artists. In a perfect world they would but instead they couldn't give a fuck.

    Speak out or lose the things you love. I'm gonna keep mine going a little longer but am seriously close to jacking it in.

    I might not leave a comment on every post on other blogs but i tend to always leave one whenever i take or visit regularly.


    So to all those freeloaders. When our blogs die. The blood is on your hands. Thanks for killing the things we love!

    p-S. I was well chuffed when you added me to your blogroll. I thought someone appreciates my work after all.

    Cheers Lo-Res, and i hope some of you cunts out there make a fucking effort and show your support and help keep this wicked blog alive.

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  2. Lo-Res is the shit. I feel you on the fact that the comment/download ratio is very discouraging as it seems like you're just being constantly used without so much as a thank you but I'm sure you know your blog is accomplishing something. I can't tell you how many albums I heard for the first time here due to your suggestion and I hope to find many more.

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  3. Hey, mate
    don't even think on giving up...
    this is a struggle, or a type of...
    Write on your balls all the fuckers that don't give a damn about your efforts...
    I know, when someone leaves comments you feel so perfect, like you communicate , share common opinions and the rest..
    but if they don't give ashit and keep on consuming mp3 like consuming coca-cola, fuck 'em.
    don't drop the blog, man.

    "go back to the mall.
    go back to your normal life, we will take care"
    Cursed - III (intro)

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  4. this post demanding comments is getting out of hand...if you can't see comments,but you are getting downloads well to me,..that would seemlike your blog is doing well...so why demand or threaten to leave..get a fucking flag counter,...most collectors want anonymity...and if you know who who is,..well,.."YOUR NAME IS NOT ANONYMOUS, so please POST WITH A FUCKING NAME..."
    this is not making me want to stop in...so go fuck your glory seeking...do the blog..if it pleases YOU...fuck the G ride

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  5. Guilty, I download from you all the time and really enjoy your blog quite a bit. I never comment either. What you do is pretty awesome! I can understand feeling un-appreciated, so whatever you decide I would understand, but to re-iterate your blog rules!!!! If you keep it up i will comment

    Josh

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  6. One more thing, these people won't appreciate anything until it's gone. Then they can only bitch to themselves. Any hard work on your behalf is wasted. There's a translator box at the top or if they fail to see that, write in they're own language. We all know how to use google translate.

    i was once happy with traffic, but it doesn't bother me anymore. A comment is worth more than faceless leeches. At least you know you are doing something right and people appreciate it and if the bands themselves visit here, i am sure they would appreciate reading a comment also rather than feeling used.

    There are too many blogs out there that post music and say nothing. I love reading posts especially when there's a story to tell in there. Not just copy & pasting a review from elsewhere.
    So think about your mute self fapping over internet porn and get involved a bit more by showing thanks.

    like i said in previous comment.
    GOOGLE WON'T BE THE DEATH OF BLOGS. YOU WILL. THANKS FOR FUCKING UP WHAT WE LOVE DOING!!!

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  7. I started my first blog at the beginning of the year and did not realise how the lack of any comments or thanks when I can see what albums are being downloaded would piss me off..... how fucking hard is it to leave something in the comments box?

    I am going to give it until the end of the year and see how things pan out but am thinking about starting a new blog with no links/tags/captain crawl etc - just something I can talk about music with mates, knowing that albums I put up are for them, ie people I know.

    How possible this is, I have no idea!

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  8. I appreciate your posts/insights/bands/comments and work my friend. Do what is best for you - thanks for helping me find those bands I lost, discovered new bands and keeping the flame burning bright for bands that deserve respect and fans!!!!!

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  9. Man I've always loved how personal your blog was, I hope you keep running it for sure.

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  10. Dude, you have a killer blog and I would miss it. I don't pass through to often(I should though) but I do leave comments, it's the least someone can do to say thanks. I hope LRV sticks around

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  11. I would hate to see the blog close down, but if you're not into it then perhaps it is best that you end it now. I and a buddy used to do a label and after a few years and a lot of loudmouth idiots, I reached the same point. I grew to despise everything associated with the label. It really bothered me because I loved everything about it at the start. If you close it down, I will miss it; at the same time I would hate to be selfish and urge you to keep it up if it becomes a labor rather than a joy.

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  12. I feel ya! But hope ya dont pack it in cause I for one love yer blog!!
    Cheers
    And keep up the good work!

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  13. don't think i've ever commented before. though i've never d/l'd anything either. i've actually been peepin your blog for the past year or two. i think i stumbled upon the blog while Googlin' for Beyond Possession, and i appreciated the fact that u actually did a blog for the RIGHT reasons, and not just some mass consumption blog for the kids (FUCK that shit, lets not even get started on that BULL shit). so i've been comin back to peep the page every now and then as we seem to share a lot of the same taste in music. never commented as i always kinda thought it was just somethin no one did to be honest. i'm really not well-versed in the world of blogs, and it never really even occurred to me that folks not commenting would be frustrating and lead to a lack of interest, etc, etc. this is def one of my fav music blogs. i'll take quality over quantity any day, and i really am not someone who needs blogs for d/ls as much as an occasional reminder of how great a record i already have is. if that makes sense. and i know it might not mean much coming from someone who never commented here before, but its def one of the few music blogs I DON'T want to see die.

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  14. i say keep it going, but if some lurkers aren't taking the iniative to appreciate what you do (by sharing stories (experiences, memories about the bands), then, if needed be, axe it. its your decision mate. its been real though, and on a side note, you've exposed me and bunch of like minded duds too some really good stuff.

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  15. I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of how blogs (and the internet in general) works.

    You provide a link to a file that a user must download, pop into iTunes, and then listen to. It's generally not something that provides an avenue for immediate feedback. This isn't a philosophy blog where we can discuss the merits of Kant versus Nietzsche.

    Users opt to take the path of least resistance. I've downloaded numerous albums from your blog and enjoyed them thoroughly, but I've never commented a "thanks," because why would you expect that? What benefit is it to you personally that I acknowledge that you gave me something among dozens of other people? It might be polite, but I certainly don't think you care. If anything, you get a stream of incessant chatter that amounts to nothing substantial.

    Blogs that generate comments pose questions. They foster dialog. You're providing a one-use service: you recommend and provide albums. However, you aren't someone I see in the office that I have to talk to anyway, so I'm not going to tell you whether or not I liked it, because that doesn't contribute to what is actually going on here.

    And while I'd be let down for you to shut down the blog because I've found some really great music here, your threats are pointless. If you shut it down, we (the visitors to your blog) are going to forget soon, and just move on somewhere else.

    It's sad and callous, but that's what the anonymity of the internet does. I don't feel personally connected to you on. Losing this blog isn't like losing a friend; it's just an inconvenience.

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  16. Shit, I'd be sad to see the blog go. I understand about the comments vs dl's ratio being totally frustrating. But, if you aren't enjoying it, and nobody is encouraging you, there isn't a reason to do it anymore. Whatever you decide, thanks for sharing some great jams, photos and thoughts.

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  17. @Exzoomer - This post isn't "demanding" comments, it's about talking to other like-minded folks who happen to be fans of the same stuff that I am in to.
    I DO the blog if AND when it pleases ME, yes.
    Thusly, I only post once a week - quality shit, too.
    Downloads-versus-interaction w/ like-minded individuals is what keeps ME going, and if you think that is "glory seeking", YOU might want to get off the dilznick, son.


    @yrfkt - I like "the incessant chatter" that commenting/feedback provides, and dialog IS a good thing when it comes to blogs - for reasons I have stated already. And while I don't have to "care" about what you have to say, it is the sauce that keeps blog publishers doing what they do. I think I understand the blogosphere pretty well, actually.

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  18. LOL on the flag counter. I was pretty chuffed when all these people from the middle east and other far away countries would visit my blog. But after doing some detective work via mediafire and googlystics. A lot of traffic are actually seeking porn. and not the usual shit either but something that involves a school bus.

    As for the "Glory" part. Don't talk shit. I don't expect every post to be full up with comments and i don't care if it's a anon. Reading comments actually M O T I V A T E you to write more or concentrate on a particular genre more. Even some of my IRL friends don't post. When asked why one said "oh i never thought about it:. Bit like shoplifting in a free music shop. Why not say "Hi" to the guy/girl behind the counter once in a while. I am sure they would really appreciate it rather than being just a doormat!

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  19. I understand how the lack of comments can be discouraging, but I've actually stopped caring too much about that 'cause I'm also kind of lazy commenter (and blogger) too. When I feel compelled to do it I do it, but more often I don't. Even though I enjoy getting comments I find "online friendship" somewhat funny. I mean the feeling that you get to know someone through comments is 90% bull.
    I truly appreciate the effort when I find something that I've searched for and take comfort in download statistics that those people who d/l-d it from my blog feel the same way.
    I suggest not to kill (delete) the blog 'cause you posted tons of quality stuff with good and personal write-ups and that stuff will reappear on some shitty blog with just the record title and a d/l link.
    You could just slow down, even if that means one post a year when you feel like it, but it would be really a shame to see LRV go 'cause it's one of, let's say, 5 blogs that I check out almost every day even though I rarely d/l any music lately.
    Also, this amount of comments shows that a lot of people do care and follow your blog.
    I got only 4 comments in last 2 months and one of them was thanks for the record that the person looked for for obviously a long time and I thought that nobody will like it. And that's why I make the records that I rip for myself available for others too.
    I hope this will be just a temporary blogger blues and that you'll skate it off.
    Cheers and keep up the top notch work.

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  20. LO-RES - maybe we should go back to tape trading and sort the men from the boys AGAIN like we did before, once already. Or trade with flashdrives which I do already often. Burn out is burn out though, no matter what causes it, I know.Our attitude with GT (beyond the old timers) was to bring even just a single person into the fold of one of the old bands - and we made that happen and an Argentinian kid came to love Insanity and buy their recordings. It was worth the 8 months of blood to get Gorsuch that one new fan (in our opinion). The trouble is we were TOLD about it, and that's not the case usually, the ratio between freeloading and finding that one super band you can support is a chasm. From a collector's standpoint, one needs to give a thumbs up to the source - it's like getting ripped off in a tape trade, a couple supportive words takes nothing to give, even if that's all you've got to give.

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  21. i had no idea comments were that important...ill try to leave more in the future, even if it's just a simple "thanks"...i hope that whatever you do, you maintain the archives...there's just so much good music back there...stay true to yourself and do what you feel you have to, and all will be good :)

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  22. @Malisha -

    I like your attitude/outlook on the big picture. Makes alot of sense - thanks for your input...

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  23. I just found out I have a child, and now you want to take him away from me?

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  24. I would definitely miss lo res, for what it's worth...

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  25. Can i chip in one more on anonymity?

    Yeah, anonymity. That's why we all have stupid blogging names. We're not gonna bang up our real names and birth dates now are we! And i imagine a few of us are using proxy servers too, why? Cos we like our anonymity.

    But reading these replies, Mr Lo-Res you efforts have not been in vain as a few minds have been changed and that's a good thing.

    Just because a lot of people like their anonymity and don't say anything. It doesn't mean we all have to be like them now, does it!?!

    just a simple common courtesy once in a while is good enough and if you have a story to share, please do tell it. We're all ears (or is that eyes).

    ok we might not be inviting one another over our house;s for a piss up, we'd probably grate on each others personalities in the flesh with our unruly ways, but on t'internet we're having a ball with our anonymity.

    Keep it friendly.

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  26. I get sick of no comments too, but then again maybe if I posted stuff more people were interested in I'd get more comments, haha. But the downloads are happening for sure. So who knows.

    But yeah, I dig this blog a lot. Keep on keepin' on, brother.

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  27. I check in on about 5 blogs, a couple times a week, and this is one of them. I seldom write anything because who gives a fuck what I think about anything? Well, apparently, you. :) I just don't have anything interesting to contribute, but do leave a "thank you" when I do DL something, which is not often. But I continue to check in because there HAS been great stuff here in the past, and I enjoy the writing and attitude just as much as the tunes. I do agree that this should be up to YOU, if YOU get out of it what you're expecting. However, it should be noted that many, such as myself, tend to not bother to write when things are rolling along just fine. I apologize if that's a bummer, it's not from greed or apathy, but "everything's fine" attitude. I like thrash, but not death. I like hardcore, but not punk. I like rock, but not stoner. And it's the great variance that keeps me coming back, checking in on everything. THANK YOU!

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  28. @SomeJackoff-

    Your comment has to be one of THE MOST PERFECT & HONEST comments I have ever received here, and I thank you for your honesty. Seriously. That's the kind of stuff I'm looking for...

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  29. Here's an observation from my own blog that you might find interesting.

    Sometimes I write about horror movies without posting anything for download. Sometimes I post punk, metal and horror soundtracks for DL (and I go to the effort to write about them too).

    Guess which posts get the most comments? The ones where I just rant with no DL to offer. Guess which posts usually get NOT ONE FUCKING COMMENT? The ones where I post music!! If that doesn't say something about the culture of getting shit for free and taking it for granted, I don't know what does!

    Also, you and I have 90% different music tastes (I'm not that into death for one), and I've only ever DL'd about five things from here. But that doesn't stop me from dropping in to see what you've posted and what you've written about it.

    So don't quit, do it for yourself and fuck the assholes who just take it all for granted.

    - Chris

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  30. There is a balance isn't there? I used to comment on just about every post because your short but sweet verbiage accompanied by a variety of killer tunes, is just plain old addictive. Inspiring for me in my thing. Took a lot of your advice actually, tried out Twitter, used the chat function here, kinda feeling a part of the Lo Res flow, but we both know how that ended (Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde). "CREEPY". So I stop in weekly to see what's going on but I noticed that you don't really respond to that many of the comments, so it ends up being more of a monologue instead of a dialog and so I've reduced myself to the passive observer. Everybody, who comes here (you must too), even the boob who was copying your posts and links word for word, knows that this site kicks some serious fucking ass. So I already said too much, but if you decide to pack it in, know that I thank you for EVERYTHING, bro.

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  31. Ha, i think we (the commenters) made you change your mind...
    While i'm a bloodsucker for good old-scholl hardcore/crust i love your death metal posts. Reminds me the high-school years. And i can say that i can listen only old-school swedish (well type of) death metal like Entombed or Dismember...
    So, hahahaha i got a request..
    Post some Death Breath (i want to read your opinion about 'em)
    cheers, man

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  32. wow -- 29 comments already! i read your post last week and although i'm also guilty of not always leaving comments, i just wanted to let you know your blog is definitely one of the best ones out there. i really like the personal notes you add, it just gives that HUMAN feel, rather than all the linkfarms out there. please, continue to share the music YOU like. i might not be the biggest death metal fan in the world, but when YOU recommend an album and say they're killer, that is so much more valuable to me than genres. the list of bands i discovered / woke my interest after your recommendation goes on and on: lurker of chalice, squirrel bait, mol triffid, orthodox, sliang laos, palehorse, etc. (and the other week i picked up 'violent students' from ektro records -- didnt you mention them to me yeeaaars ago when audioscrobbler had just started out?) i guess i just want to let your know your recommendations and effort is very much appreciated and thank you for that.

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  33. Some people are cut-throat with their comments! It seems all Lo Res is saying is hang out if you like what he posts? If you want, share some common ground and even if you don't like what he posts just voice an opinion, whats the fucking rush... sit back relax, talk shit, tell him how your turd fell onto the seat of the toilet earlier or why you don't even want to talk about music, whatever. The post content is just the bait on the end of a hook, listen and digest it then theres an open door to the Inn if you want to warm your toes. No big deal. I understand most of the pro mp3 automatons are way to busy downloading than listening, maybe its a reflection on people socially; alot of people have become self-serving, bad mannered and bigoted and its shit. So... as far as I'm concerned its YOUR blog and you can say and do as you please, thats what they're for.

    Cheers!

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  34. I too check in on a few blogs regularly, of which this is one. I'm new, but also guilty of DL'ing "Beneath The Remains" without comment (ignored that album as a kid, as I didn't think it could hold a candle to "Arise" which was the first Sep album I heard. need to give it another go-round.)

    I usually comment when something is esoteric enough (Finntroll one day, MC Lyte the next?) and/or more of a ranting emotive thing. Invisible Oranges doesn't post much music, but I'll comment there from time to time due to observations on the blog or other comments.

    Anyway, thanks for doing what you do. I realize it's a big time-suck to keep a blog like this regularly updated—and for seemingly little thanks. I promise to be a better citizen if the viscera doesn't rot away.

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  35. thing is, we hungry selfish bastards visit countless blogs a day looking for fresh stuff. by the time we actually came to listen to some of the new shit we pile on our HDisks we're already amnesiac and prob forgot where we take it first. so a new downloaded rip today means and old one we couldn't tell for shit which uploader belongs to in the first place. i know it's kinda like that for me, and i'm sure am not the worst offender at all (guess i consider myself a moderate downloader).

    so, much respect and sorry by the lack of input to yr work. i taken and enjoyed a bunch of selected jewels from this blog (*can't recall which ones anyway*) and raise my glass to countless more in the near future. thing is, you should take it easy to avoid a burnout. let's say... 10 posts a month is more than enough, don't obsess over it. ha. thanks man.

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  36. I imagine you and most of us would get more comments if we openly stated that we were single females, or anything female. Guy's tend to leave more comments then with a little flirt or thinking 'we females' must be cool.

    Sexism is alive and well in blogging. Tho with Sickness Abounds, i guess most feel intimidated on the vast musical knowledge or whatnot going on there.

    Don't feel intimidated or that your opinion is vey noob. We are all noobs to new music every week and i don't mind saying so.

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  37. Guilty also - thanks for this kick up the ass - will do better in future - it does not take long to say thanks - we are supposed to be a self-supporting network and downloaders have a role to play too - this participation or lack thereof reminds me of politics - some lead and others follow without getting involved/active even when there are plenty of opportunities. in this situation it is not us and them - it is just us (or should be).

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  38. Don't let go brotha! I've been feeling the same way about my page for a while too. But for some strange reason, I just won't let it go!

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  39. I'm enjoying the dialogue from everyone; I have a very full plate right now outside of doing this - some of it a very personal nature (terminally ill friend nearing the end), so while I am not around here much right now, I am weighing lots of different viewpoints about my how many of you feel about this blog. It is not the end - yet anyways - but I need to find the time to really get back into it. Hopefully it will be soon...

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  40. it has been quite some time since i have visited this blog as i have been without regular access to a computer for over a year, but i am sad to hear you have lost interest in continuing the wonderful work you have done in this little corner of the web. i must admit i am among those who have regularly downloaded without commenting (though i have given thanks from time to time under different aliases), and for that i apologize. i just wanted to express my thanks and appreciation for your posts while it is still possible. thanks to you, i have discovered quite a few sick records i would not have otherwise known about.

    thanks again.

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  41. Most of the comments I get are from Chinese porn/dating sites. Be thankful that as many people care about your blog as do, even if it is silently. My blog is much younger than yours, but even if it was up for another ten years, it would probably never get the kind of traffic that you or Aesop probably get. I just don't have the time to dedicate to it. I'm lucky if I can post once a month. It certainly wouldn't get the kind of outcry you are getting right now for sounding the alarm. You've got a good thing going on, and even if you have to take a break to tend to other things, It's no reason to take it down. I hardly ever get a chance to post on mine, but my long-winded enthusiasm for ugly sounding death metal, Japanese hardcore and Italian prog is at least there for someone else to read. Maybe they will listen to it and really get into it. I don't care, as long as they don't sic the DMCA lawman on me. It would be nice to hear about how I made a difference, but I accept the fact that people are just as obligated to comment as I am to make a post every night. In the meantime, I guess I can pretend that hot Chinese chicks are getting into Henry Cow and Blood Of Christ because of "...Mediocrity."

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  42. Man I just "found" this blog and you're thinking of pulling the plug! I read your piece about Mol Triffid and was hooked. I lived in A2 from the mid 80's until the late 90's, some of the best times of my life. My friends and I went to shows every weekend and often during the week, thats just what we did, our lives revolved around music. I don't think I ever missed a local Mol Triffid, Mule, or Laughing Hyenas show in the years I was there. The Herb Tarlicks, Morsel, Slot, God Bullies, The State, The Bats, Harms Way, Acme Speed Queen, Nadsat Nation,Monster Bait and too many others to mention were also big draws for us whether they played at proper venues like The Blind Pig, Heidelberg, (or really early on ) the Nectarine Ballroom or in friends basements ( my friends got the Hyenas to play in their living room after the Hash Bash). Ann Arbor had an awesome scene those days, punks, skins, skaters, hippies, metalheads, etc. we all knew eachother, hung out together, went to shows, and for the most part, got along. We all supported the local music scene because the bands were usually friends of ours. I always lived in houses or co-ops full of like minded people who were either students or worked in local restaurants and bars( i worked at the Brown Jug for 8 years ). We spent the little money we had on cd's, 7"s, shows, booze, and drugs. The summers were the best! School would end and the population would seemingly drop by 50%. We would sublet a whole house for $500-$600, fill it full of people, and just party for 3 months. Heroin did alot of damage in the 90's, the friends that didn't get hooked or die started moving away, got into the rave scene, or just grew up and by the time I left in '98 the cohesive A2 scene was pretty much dead. I may be being nostalgic and seeing things through rose tinted glasses in my old age (40) but that's how I remember that time. Ann Arbor had a great scene and I was part of it. I'd really dig hearing from anyone else who was there

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  43. socialfilter -

    hit me up - lefthandpathos AT gmail DOT com

    and we can talk all about the old A2 scene.

    I was there too...

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Please refrain from posting as "ANONYMOUS", thanks!