Help Me Hurt Them

I know Megs does these all the time, so I thought I'd try my hand at one. This ballad is how I feel about Seal of the Martyr and the healers that make it work. Get your rotten tomatoes ready, this is going to be horrific:

To the tune of "I Touch Myself" by The Divinyls

"I Cut Myself" - sung to a healer
I cut myself
I want you to fix me
When my health is low
I want you behind me
I hurt myself
I want you to heal me
I bleed myself
I want you to infuse me

Chorus:
I don't want anybody else
When I think about you
I cut myself
I don't want anybody else
Oh no, oh no, oh no

You're the one who makes me healthy honey
You're the buff that makes me leet
When you're around I'm always bashing
I want to declare it on the street

I cast my seal
And see you behind me
Know I would die
If you were to forsake me
Recount can see
Just how much I need you
I get down on my greaves
I'd do anything for you

Chorus

I cut myself
I want you to fix me
When my damage is low
I want you behind me
I hurt myself
I want you to heal me
I bleed myself
I want you to infuse me

Chorus

I want you
I don't want anybody else
And when I think about you
I cut myself
Ooh, oooh, oooooh, ow!

Chorus

Disclaimer: Josh does not actually cut himself, this is merely a commentary on the interaction of Seal of the Martyr / Seal of Blood, paladins, and their healers.

I Didn't Write These

... but she did. Much like a certain muffin-headed pony-tailed muchacha, I received my pre-order of Julia Nunes's newest album, "I Wrote These," recently (and for those who are interested, you can order it here). On said album is contained nothing short of audiological awesomeness. This latest release by Nunes is all original work, and includes several of her YouTube most popular songs. Here's a track list, and my short reactions to each song:

1. Maybe I Will - she played this at the Knitting Factory concert I went to a while back. It's pretty catchy, and features Nunes's characteristic multi-tracking of her own voice.
2. Into the Sunshine - the song that put her on the proverbial "map," it now features a some drums and bass addition. I've heard it bunches, but it's still good.
3. First Impressions - one of Julia's ukelele originals, little depressing but I still listen to it over and over.
4. Binoculars - another one that I heard at the Knitting Factory, kinda stalkerish but definitely fun. I can almost dance to it.
5. Pen to Paper - this song was the most fun song from the Knitting Factory, and I love it. At the peak of each guitar riff, the audience would do a 'stomp clap' thing for two beats and it was friggen awesome. This song rocks my socks.
6. Short and Sweet - true to its name, this song is like 2 minutes or less. You can sense Julia's anger.
7. Welcome Vacation - when this song goes into its reprise, it leads off with Julia doing this 'ba ba baaaaaaa' thing that I want to cut down and use as an intro on a presentation or something. Very good song, probably one of my favorites on the album.
8. You Were - I don't think I had ever heard this one before, but I likey. Hard to describe what it is I like about it, but I do.
9. Stairwell - this song is great, but so very depressing if you listen close to the lyrics. If I could remember the one lyric toward the end that really gets me, I'd post it, but at the moment I don't. EDIT: the lyric in question: "Well I can't lie / Perhaps I didn't trip / I've been having troubles lately / And I've got something to admit / See I was standing at the top / Just thinking about the Earth / It's been so hard to keep on living / So I thought it might be worth it..."
10. Regrets - FINALLY HAVE IT AS AN MP3! This is the one I had been waiting for ever-so-patiently (not really, I messaged Julia at least twice on YouTube asking if it'd be on this CD). My favorite Nunes original, she sings this one with such emotion - bottled up frustration/anger with a touch of sadness. As an added bonus, it's got a great bass riff in the CD version that you don't get on YouTube. The only drawback is the delivery has softened from the YouTube version as well. But, beggars can't be choosers, eh?
11. Odd - I'm going to be perfectly honest. I don't really like this song very much. But, many do. It's one of her uke songs.
12. Sugar Coats - a collab effort with another guitarist from Julia's general geographical area (name escapes me, left the CD case at home... Kirk? Kirk Stevens? Yea I'll go with that), this one has a very different tone than the rest of the CD. It sort of sticks out. Not that I'm saying it's bad! I like the song, it just doesn't blend with the other tracks.
13. Roles Reversed - heard this one live at Knitting Factory, where Julia told a little of the story behind it. I love this song, easily my second favorite Julia original. Also, it's slightly better recorded rather than live because of the multi-tracking.
14. The Debt - creative pseudo-beatboxing in the background makes this one very unique. Plus, the last line of the song sort of sticks with you.

I really liked Julia's first album, "Left Right Wrong," and this one is as good if not surpasses the first one in likeability. Some may say that Julia alone with her guitar/ukelele is the way to go, but I disagree - I love a good bass riff, and unless she grows extra appendages, there's no way that would work. As long as Julia keeps belting out her songs with charged emotion and feeling, and the accompaniment doesn't overpower her voice/guitar, I say include 'em.

Update: Good Times, Good Music, Good Concert

I had sent personal messages to Julia and to Lauren over YouTube, asking quick questions of both - both of them responded! The answers are...

Julia: Yes, "Regrets" is on the next album. (She said nothing of Roles Reversed though...)

Lauren: "1988" will be available in mp3 format in the near future, but she doesn't know when exactly. It's one of her top priorities as far as what to record next. And because of the CD sales at the concert and the pitcher of money that got passed around, she has enough to buy her own guitar so she doesn't have to use Julia's.

Good Times, Good Music, Good Concert

I know TJ is jealous. I went to the Lauren O'Connell / Julia Nunes concert on Saturday, which was very, very good. I dragged 3 friends along who had never heard either of their music. To be honest, I had not listened to more than a minute of Lauren's stuff either, despite listening to most everything on Julia's YouTube page multiple times (and having a copy of her album from iTunes...). At left you can see me (on the right) and two of my friends waiting for the concert to start.

Both of them had great senses of humor, played very well, and there was even audience participation in a few of Julia's songs. Lauren managed to break one of the strings on her guitar early in her set, though, as she rocked out a bit too hard. Which is impressive, since she plays solo acoustic guitar. She then went on to reveal that it wasn't even her guitar (it was Julia's), and one of her friend's in the audience of about 50-75 at the venue took a pitcher from the bar after the set and started collecting for the "buy Lauren her own guitar so she doesn't have to borrow Julia's" fund. She also told the audience that she works at Blockbuster and was probably being fired for not showing up to work and playing this show instead. All very funny, even though a bit tragic if she really does lose her job. Later on, during Julia's set, some of her friends from [her college] (name withheld to protect to the popular) brought the noise for Julia.

Lauren was great, which I'm afraid got overshadowed by Julia's e-stardom. I especially liked one of her songs called "1988,"

It's not on her CD (which I bought), but I can forgive her.

The whole experience was very... what's the word I'm looking for... I want to say intimate, as in close and friendly and warm, but that's not the right term. Julia and Lauren even hung out near the merchandise table after the show to sign stuff/take pictures/talk with fans. I wanted to ask Julia if Regrets, First Impressions, or Roles Reversed are on her next album (which will be coming out at the end of the summer, for those interested), but I totally got deer-in-headlights syndrome when I got up to her. I did manage to get a friend to take a picture of me an' her though.
That's me, holding up the t-shirt I bought for TJ (which says "TJ <3, Julia Nunes" on it but I didn't spread it out correctly for the pic) with Julia. And I keep mentioning TJ because she's the one who introduced to Julia through a link on her blog. So you could say I owe her for linking me over to awesome music.

I did feel very old being at the concert though. Both Lauren and Julia are 19 and just finished their first semester of college at [name removed]. They kept talking about dorm life, and college this, and coffee house that... I miss that time in my life now. Being [number removed] years out of college, I sort of wish I could do it over now. Cliché, I know.

After seeing them one after another, I think Lauren is a great talent on guitar and as a songwriter, and has a beautiful yet familiar voice, while Julia is a personality who is creative and charismatic. I loved the concert, and I hope my friends did too.

I know this is a long shot, but if anyone knows whether those 3 songs of Julia's that I linked are on her next album, I'd love to know. I want them on my iPod. Like, now.

I hope the t-shirt I bought for me isn't too small. The large seems smaller than I need, now that I look at it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find an envelope large enough to send TJ her t-shirt.

EDIT: And, funny side note, this post has generated links to my blog from Google searches entitled "julia nunes in concert." Apparently E4AE shows up on page 3 of said Google searches. I bet anyone wandering here from a Nunes Google search who checks out the rest of the content is asking themselves what the bork I'm babbling about.

Weez-y Breezey

I've been stuck on Weezer lately. They put out a new album, The Red Album, and it's got a few songs that are pretty catchy. The catchiest is the single they released onto the internet, Pork and Beans. Here's the Youtube video:

Very fun, and they manage to incorporate just about every internet meme of the last year or two, which is pretty impressive.
I've had another song from the album, "Everybody Get Dangerous," stuck in my head for the last day or so.
To go along with the Weezer theme, Temerity Jane linked this fun video not long ago - Julia Nunes playing a Weezer song on her ukelele - can you name the song without looking up the lyrics?

Orc's Best Friend

First up: Woot! Reliquary of Souls was nice last Wednesday night, and dropped me a shiny new mace. I probably won't be rid of this thing 'til Kil'jaeden or WotLK - got it 'goosed and ready to go for Sunday's raid. Fun fun fun.

Next - totally unrelated to WoW, but a few weeks back I went to a Third Eye Blind concert at Nokia Theater in NYC. Very nice venue, great concert. 3EB played all their hits, some new stuff from their upcoming album, and generally put on a great show. What really impressed me was the opening band, though. 3EB is currently touring with a Chicago-based band with pretty good sound, Absentstar. After the concert, my brother bought their album and I've had one of their songs, "Give In to Me," stuck in my head for 3 days now.

My Orc Hunter will hit level 10 very soon, so he'll get himself a pet. Something I didn't anticipate - what do I name the pet? I usually have a hard time naming my characters names that I like, and if I don't like the name, I won't play the character - conversely if I like the name, I have a hard time not playing that character and end up fixating on 'im. That reminds me, I'll have to write up the origin of my character and his name at some point. It's long and involved, and he wasn't always named as he is.

Anyway, he'll get a trusty boar sidekick. What's a good name for a boar? Only thing I can think of is "Babe" after the movie about that pig, but I don't like that at all. It's gotta have an Orcish ring to it and make you think "fierce" and "boar" at once. This is a toughie, especially because I don't speak Orcish. Maybe I could just name 'im "Zug," that sounds Orcish... not especially fierce though...