Missing the Deadline

Well I'm going to have to push the deadline back, as today is the 29th and I am not yet ready to upload "More Songs For You".

The new deadline is the end of January, but I expect to be done before then.

I will be uploading a More song on Wednesday December 30 2009.

If you missed it, "An Early X-Mas Gift" can be downloaded here.

HA

Update From the Batcave

"More Songs For You" is almost done. I plan on uploading the mp3s on Tuesday December 29 2009 (if all goes well and I finish these last 4 songs before then). 15 songs that span the years of 2008-2009.

I've been experimenting in the laboratory and have developed a new method of recording. This happened after I saw Lil' Wayne (ever heard of him?) recording tracks on the recently released documentary film "The Carter". No more writing on paper. Just record the rhymes to the beat. Stop. Think. Record more rhymes to the beat. It's brilliant in it's simplicity.

(Wayne just got another drug charge. Damn.)

These new tracks will be designated to other projects. Like the Joker album (already recorded two of these songs. Ex.1 uploaded this week: Capes).

Ex.2 also uploaded this week: Watchmen (Over Dr. Dre - The Watcher instrumental)

I also hope to have a Holiday themed song to share with you. I plan on uploading that on December 24th. It's called "An Early X-Mas Gift".

Stay tuned.

Fear and Loathing At The Library

I've been meaning to go into the Library for a while now. I've heard that they've really stepped up their "Graphic Novel" game. I use the term "Graphic Novel" in quotes because it's kind of a lame euphemism for Trade Paperback Collected Comic Books. But that is a long title, so I opt for using "Graphic Novel" in quotations, even if it annoys me a little. For the sake of cutting to the chase.

Anyway, I went into the Library and looked at their selection of Comics. They had a display set up using the drawers that used to hold the cards for the now dead Card Catalog System. All of it is set up on computers now.

They had a decent selection. I saw a "Y the Last Man" Hardcover and "Sandman" Absolute Editions (which aren't cheap at $99.00 printed on the book). I asked the nice librarian lady if there were any more and she told me of another display around the corner. And that a lot of the "less adult" books were downstairs, in the kid's section.

I checked out the display around the corner and saw a Love and Rockets collection and a few other O.G.N.'s (Original Graphic Novels). Oddly enough I am comfortable with this term. Even if it includes the before-mentioned-annoying-term, "Graphic Novel".

I went downstairs to the kid's section and saw some of the books I've seen there before and did notice some more new ones. I've taken out "Graphic Novels" from the Library before but haven't been back in a while. Last time I borrowed "League of Extraordinary Men" (which I never got around to reading) and "Batman: Dark Knight Strikes Back" (which is the only Frank Miller work I've read that I didn't like). Both of these I knew were late. At least a few weeks. Maybe a month. But I wasn't worried about late fees because what are late fee's at the Library? A nickel a day?

I picked up Neil Gaiman's "1602" and went back upstairs to check it out. I gave the nice librarian lady from before my card and she told me that the book looked interesting.

"Yeah. I really like Neil Gaiman. He's a good writer", I gushed like the fanboy that I am.

She scanned my card and said, "Oh I'm sorry...We can't let you take this book out. It says you owe $52.64".

Whoa. "Why is it that high?", I asked. Myself, a little high.

"Well, you owe late fee's on the DVDs "League of Extraordinary Men" and "Batman: Dark Knight Strikes Back" and $25.00 each for two missing items."

I'm thinking: "They weren't DVDs...".

"Can you tell me what the two missing items were?"

She takes a second. Doing some clicking on the computer.

"Looks like they where the same DVDs, "League of Extraordinary Men" and "Batman: Dark Knight Strikes Back.""

I'm thinking: "Those fucking books don't cost that much. I can get both of them for...wait, I just saw "League of Extraordinary Men" down there and I know I fucking returned them both!"

"Um...I know I returned those. And they're not DVDs, they were books. I just saw "League of Extraordinary Men" downstairs. I can go get it for you?"

I'm about to run down there when she says, "Oh...um...why don't you go talk to the lady downstairs. I'm not really in-the-know here. She can help you."

"Okay," I say. I still have "1602" in my hand. She reminds me to leave it up there, on her desk.

I go downstairs and the other librarian lady is moving some cardboard signs around in the lobby. I quickly tell her what's going on and that I was sent down to talk to her. I go and find "League of Extraordinary Men". AND THE OTHER ONE. They both look to be the same (and in the same condition) books as I borrowed.

She comes inside and walks to the computer. I tell her that I found BOTH of them. She's still probably a little confused because I explained the situation so quickly. And likely, incoherently.

She looks up my membership, looks at the books, reads the numbers, and confirms that these are the same books. She then tells me that the computer system is messed up and this happens to a lot of people.

I am now very annoyed.

She casually mentions that the books are 13 days late.

It takes me a second, but I realize something and ask, "How do you know that I was exactly 13 days late if the books were never returned?"

"Well the charge is $1.32..."

"No. I understand that. But doesn't it mean the books were returned and scanned at 13 days after the return date? If there is a charge for 13 days?"

She can't answer me.

I'm then told that I can go back upstairs to take out my book. Upstairs, the Librarian takes a few minutes confirming downstairs that it's okay to let me borrow and how to enter it in the system.

"Should Have Been Done Long Ago"

Well, I'm still working on More Songs For You. It's a matter of recording certain songs and finishing writing one song, "Jump". I need to record more.

Andy is working on beats from what I can gather. He sent me one the other night and last night, was talking about a blues one he's working on.

I just watched Trick 'R Treat and I must say it was worth the wait.

Spent some time trying to find out if the Forth Kind is really based on true events. Looks like it may not.

All for now.

Another Open Mic in Bratt this Sunday.

In case you missed last Sunday...

Another Open Mic in Bratt this Sunday. Come on out to the Weathervane. Starts at 9 pm. I perform some time after that. Come give me some love.

http://www.theweathervanemusichall.com/

Recording "She's the Darkness"

Got Boots done and now I'm on to She's the Darkness.

A little (tiny) history:

Andy made a beat around samples from the Fleetwood Mac song, Rhiannon. He made one version, and then another. I liked the 2nd one. Damn this song's old.

And has been a real bastard to record. I've done 2-3 passes on it and none of them seem to strike the right vibe. It's an issue of capturing the spirit of the live performance in a bottle. And I think I may have done that.

Or I thought so yesterday when recording it. Upon today's listen, we shall see. If I deem it worthy, I'm recording thy overdubs.

Next week: Will he survive the heat? How long can he record in an all black room? Will our heroes be reduced to nothing? Stay tuned.

Recording "Boots"

This week has been about recording Boots. The lyrics come from a 1984-like future I imagined. The image of "Boots stomping human faces" being the start of it all.

Andy made a jazzy-punky beat that has some spazzy electic guitar cuts. The beat allows me to walk a line between calm/methodical and violent/energetic.

The songs These Boots Were Made For Walking by Nancy Sinatra and When Will They Shoot? by Ice Cube inspired the intro (Cube) and outro (Nancy).

Today I finished up the primary vocals and half of the overdubs. Should be finishing the other half tomorrow.

Humble Among on last.fm

Check it out. Add data or something.

July Update

Still recording and re-recording songs for the new record. More Songs For You . I wanna finish this sucker so bad. Move on to other things.

Andy recently got a MPC. He was quoted as saying, "It's like making beats on a graphing calculator." Stay tuned.

Not much going on other than that. Maybe some open mic performances soon. Must record first.

That's all folks
Eric

Humble Among (minus the Kings) + Recording "More"

I made the decision to drop Kings from the name. Now just Humble Among. Knew I was going to do it for a while now. Now I can be Humble Among ANYTHING.

I'm recording vocals for "More Songs For You", the sequel to "Songs For You". Which you can still download for free. "More" will be about 15 tracks. After "More", I dive into the Joker project.

Dr. Manhattan's Penis

"The superman exists and his penis is blue."

Watchmen is a 12 issue comic book series collected in trade paperback and hardcover editions. Now also a major motion picture. Watchmen has been hailed by critics of both fiction and film. Not for it's message or it's complex story-telling. No. It's all been about Jon Osterman's cock.

A man is disintegrated in a science experiment gone wrong. He somehow pieces himself back together again. His atoms. His blood. His skeleton. His nervous system. His penis. And it's a blue penis.

My biggest complaint with Watchmen is that the penis didn't play a more important role in the story. There's been talk of a prequel or spin-off movie (or movies) coming out of Watchmen. I think the one they should consider is a Dr. Manhattan dick movie. We can follow his shlong on all kinds of wacky multidimensional adventures, and people can get a whole movie of what they really want to see.

Just please. Pay respect to the source material.

911 is Bad for ya Health

Another story of someone calling 911 over fast-food. People who are unsatisfied with their orders are calling 911 and letting the operator at the other end know of the food crime being commited against them. In this case: a woman didn't get her chicken nuggets becuase Mc Donald's ran out.

Food crime is becoming a problem. This has got to be the 3rd story in a year I've seen about this. The first, last year in Jacksonville, was a man calling 911 over the lack of sauce Subway put on his sandwich.

Last month came the 2nd, when a man was upset that he couldn't wash down his chicken fries with a lemonade. And Coca-Cola would not pacify this crusader for justice! He did what any decent citizen would have done: called 911.

Now maybe some people would take the easy way out and call these people idiots, but I would say that they represent a certain type of human being. The kind that will not sit while fast food places are fucking up orders and "running out" of food that could be gurgling in their bellies. They are the ones who stand up! And do something to change it. That something being calling someone else to do it for them.

Or maybe it's just people who live in Florida?

Descendant sues Skull and Bones over Geronimo's bones

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/26/geronimo.remains/index.html

(CNN) -- The great-grandson of Apache warrior Geronimo argues in a lawsuit that a secretive society at Yale University holds the remains of his great-grandfather.

Harlyn Geronimo has sued Yale and the society -- the Order of Skull and Bones -- to try to recover the remains.

"I think what would be important is that the remains of Geronimo be with his ancestors," he said.

Skull and Bones, a collegiate society that's been around since 1832, includes alumni such as former President George W. Bush and his grandfather, Prescott Bush. Watch Harlyn Geronimo discuss 'the spirits' »

Author Alexandra Robbins said evidence backs up the younger Geronimo's claim that Skull and Bones has the Apache warrior's remains.

"There's a Skull and Bones document that describes how Prescott Bush and other Bonesmen robbed the grave of Geronimo, and I spoke with several Bonesmen who told me that inside the tomb there's a glass display case containing [human remains] and the Bonesmen have always called it Geronimo," said Robbins, author of "Secrets of the Tomb," a book that delves into secretive societies at Yale, with special attention to Skull and Bones and its paths to power.

CNN attempted to contact Skull and Bones, but no one returned calls. Yale said it does not have Geronimo's remains and that it does not speak for Skull and Bones.

The controversy began in 2006, when a letter was found tucked into a book in the Yale library, according to an article published that year in Yale Alumni Magazine.

According to the article, the letter -- written on June 7, 1918, by one member of the society, Winter Mead, to another, F. Trubee Davison -- said the secret society had Geronimo's bones, which had been dug up by other members of the group at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Marc Wortman, a writer and former senior editor of the magazine, said he was the one who discovered the letter in Yale's Sterling Memorial Library.

"I found it and said, 'This is amazing. This is quite stunning to see this.' It was laid out so clearly in straightforward language saying we've got Geronimo's skull, femurs and horse tack, and we've brought it back to the tomb, as they call [the Skull and Bones house] in New Haven [Connecticut]," Wortman told CNN.

The robbing of Geronimo's remains fits into what Robbins calls "crooking" -- a competition among Bonesmen to steal valuable things, which were then hidden in the tomb, which has extremely limited access.

Geronimo is one of the many Chiricahua Apache leaders who fought to preserve the culture and the lifestyle of their people in the late 1800s. He fought both the Mexican and U.S. governments in the area of southern Arizona and New Mexico.

His descendant said it's important to honor Geronimo's legacy.

"Geronimo's legacy today is that he is looked to as one of the strong leaders of the Chiricahua people who fought to preserve homelands, cultural identity, to preserve their way of life," said his great-grandson.

Harlyn Geronimo is offended by the alleged actions of the Bonesmen.

"After a while it hurts you inside because you know this is your (great) grandfather," he said. "It's just something that is uncivilized for people of this nature to do."

Geronimo died in 1909 of pneumonia while he was a prisoner at Fort Sill. The burial in the cemetery wasn't true to Apache tradition though, and his great-grandson wants to rebury his ancestor in accordance with Chiricahua ways.

"They long for returning to their own homeland. They do not have their own reservation today. They are sharing a reservation with the Mescalero Apache," he said of the Chiricahua people.

Not everyone believes the Bonesmen found Geronimo's bones.

Some researchers have concluded that the Bonesmen could not have even found Geronimo's grave in 1918.

In the Yale Alumni Magazine's article, David H. Miller, a history professor at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, cites historical accounts that the grave was unmarked and overgrown until a Fort Sill librarian persuaded local Apaches to identify the site for him in the 1920s.

"My assumption is that they did dig up somebody at Fort Sill," said Miller. "It could have been an Indian, but it probably wasn't Geronimo."

That isn't stopping Geronimo's great-grandson from pursuing what he believes are his ancestor's bones.

President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of the Army Pete Geren are listed as defendants in the 32-page lawsuit Harlyn Geronimo filed in the District of Columbia.

In 1990, a federal law was passed to protect Native Americans' rights to their family member's remains. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act addresses the rights of lineal descendants, Indian tribes and native Hawaiian organizations to Native American human remains as well as cultural objects.

The lawsuit references the statute, asking the court "to free Geronimo, his remains, funerary objects and spirit from 100 years of imprisonment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the Yale University campus at New Haven, Connecticut, and wherever else they may be found."