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These aren’t new, but the videos are really cool and I don’t have much else to post about lately, so I figured I would share some more metal. You know you love it, interwebs.

These two videos go together in an awesome episodic sort of way. I love watching them back to back. You will too.

You’re welcome.

This just made my day. This guy is my hero. Rock on, dude.

August Burns Red – Composure
Click above to watch at youtube in high definition

Two updates in one day? How lucky are you people?

I’ve been wanting to share this for quite a while now. I was never able to find a copy that didn’t have embedding disabled until today. Quite simply, ladies and gentleman, this rocks. I’d go so far as to say it’s a perfect song and perfect video. The drums are ridiculous.* The guitar parts are a fantastic concoction of crushed skulls and spring lilies. The bass compliments well without being overbearing. The vocals are brutally beautiful. The lyrics are spiritually both convicting and uplifting at the same time. It’s about the broken nature of humanity and the opportunity we have to turn our backs on our past, our sins, our shortcomings, and plot a new, hopeful course. The video actually flows with the lyrics instead of being a cheap collage of unrelated superfluous imagery.

So, from us at the Protus Mose Institute For The Dissemination of Music To Rock Your Face Off, enjoy, and God bless.

Shake it off.
Pick yourself up, they say.
Your life fell apart in your hands, and you’ve got the scars to prove it.
It’s not the first time, and they’re getting deeper.

Pull it together.
Button up your shirt.
Roll down those sleeves.
Don’t let them see how you’ve coped.

More and more your demeanor looks like quicksand.
It seems like your giving up on everything you worked for.

It’s pulling you under.
It’s gripping around your throat.

Life can be overwhelming,
But don’t turn your back on the strongest crutch you’ve ever had.
They have always been there to brace your fall.
Wave goodbye to the past.
You’ve got your whole life to lead

* Click here to watch a fan demonstration of just the drums to see how awesome the track is. How awesome? Awesome enough that I’ve watched this video probably 20 times. The drum part is so distinctive, you can hear the whole song just by listening to it.

Sorry about the lack of (actual) updates, gang. Work and school and kids and dinosaurs, and aliens, and yard work have been keeping me busy.

I figure I’ve got to put something up just to keep the 2 or 3 faithful checkers checking.

This had me rocking and giggling like a schoolgirl at the same time. Plus, that blue SG is uber-hawt. It’s makin’ me want to win the lottery so I can get one……

This just in. I am now accepting donations to throw away on lottery tickets.

Here at the ProtusMose Institute for the Dissemination of Musical Excellence, we pride ourselves on ensuring you have access to quality music you may not otherwise have access to. Thanks to our efforts, you have had the pleasure of experiencing such acts as The Devil Wears Prada, Matisyahu, and Living Sacrifice. We are pleased to once again serve up melodious palate rockers.

Remember a few years back when Prince played half-time at the Superbowl and everyone was all “z0mg! Prince can play guitar!??!” No surprise to your friend teh Mose. Prince is a musical genius. Even if you don’t like any Prince songs (assuming you’re old enough to remember them), you probably enjoy some of the dozens he wrote and sold to other artists. A lot of people were shocked by Prince’s rockage that Superbowl. For those of us not ashamed to be Prince fans, it was no surprise. Tonight, we bring to you a performance from the evening Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is a rock classic. It’s #7 on “Rolling Stone”‘s list of the 100 greatest guitar songs of all time. and #135 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. It’s been covered no less than 30 times by major artists. (source) During this performance, the first half is a rather enjoyable and soothing rhythm fest, led by Tom Petty, whose voice isn’t completely annoying this time. While it’s not too dark, the moody (almost to the point of melancholy) nature of the song comes through subtly. Then Prince comes in. While Petty, Lynne, and Harrison sing about how the guitar weeps, Prince lets you hear it weep. The guitar wails in agony, in a sonic account of human heartbreak and suffering.

If you’re a music lover in general, or a guitar lover specifically, this one’s for you.

This isn’t the show we were at, but you get the idea.

Rock.

That is all.

As a married father of two, I don’t get to go to as many concerts as I did when I was a free-wheelin’ teenager. My lovely wife has been gracious enough to accompany me to a few shows over the years, and I’ve always had a blast. I love her for taking one for the team to spend time with me doing something she knows I enjoy. It’s epic amounts of brownie points.

A few weeks ago, we went to go see Barlow Girl and Benjamin Shafer. The tickets were a present from my mother-in-law; however, my wife agreed to spring for the upgrade to VIP tickets. That’s when the lulz ensued.

We showed up nice and way early for the show to go to the VIP event. After sitting around the lobby for 15 minutes, surrounded by 14 year old girls, we overhear someone say the VIP meet & greet hullabaloo was down the hall. We go down, expecting to find some adults. We found them, escorting their 12 year old daughters. It was the most awkward half hour or so of my life thus far. My wife and I surrounded by little girls during a Q&A session. Granted, this is a band comprised of three girls. But they’re all in their mid/late 20s, like myself. I didn’t expect it to be a 7th grade party.

We then moved into the auditorium and waited around for an hour with nothing to do. Older people started showing up, and the balcony started filling up with teenagers, which left me feeling a little less weird. Apparently it was just the little girls parents and my wife who shelled out the VIP tickets. At least I got a cool souvenir pass.

Benjamin Shafer opened up the show. Even though he did a really short set, it was great. I hadn’t ever heard of him before but immediately recognized him as the front man from a local band, 10th Hour Calling. We ended up getting his CD later. (You probably should too. It’s great!)

Finally, BarlowGirl came out. It was worth the wait and humiliation. They really rocked the house and delivered. Like a schmuck, I forgot our camera and was able to capture some horrible video and pictures on my cell phone. To show you how bad they are, this is the best of the batch.

It really was a great show, though. Very cathartic with a lot of the stuff we’ve been going through lately. Words of truth were spoken. Jesus was proclaimed. And I got some Barlow Girl drumsticks.

Rawk.

So, if you haven’t been blessed with the opportunity to rock with BarlowGirl yet, check ’em out. Buy some CDs. Become a fan. If you do, maybe my wife and I won’t be the only people over 20 willingly at the next show.

On a personal tangent, I’m waiting to hear from a potential employer later this week on a decision. I’ve got my fingers crossed. I’m really loving the time I get with my girls, but, financially, we’re going to what’s left of our savings in another paycheck or two. Then, we’ll be in real trouble. So, if you’re inclined to pray, it would be most appreciated.

I’m still waiting to hear from B-town, Sarpy County, and Papio on cop jobs, but those won’t happen at least until March. I’ve preliminarily signed up for testing with OPD, much to my wife’s chagrin. Their testing process takes 3 months to even finish though. I liked doing them all in one day better. :/

Mosecrest out.

Well, today was a good day of honest, hard work. We took care of business, got stuff done, and made it home through the ice-storm in one peice. It was also my last full-time day working with my good buddy Bob. With the economy tanking, there really isn’t going to be enough work going forward to keep me around, and the schedule was taking its toll on both my wife and the kids. I’m needed around here more than I’ve been able to be. We also need to pay bills, so I’m still looking for another job until Bellevue PD, Sarpy County Sheriffs, or Papillion PD realize how awesome I am. Technically, I still work there, but (extremely) part time. I’m effectively on-call for nights and weekends. When the other guy is out of town (like today) or doesn’t want to go out at night, I’ll take care of it. It’s a good arrangement.

I applied for a help-desk job yesterday, that may pan out. If anything, I’m overqualified for the position, but not so much that it should prevent them from considering me. If you know anything about my self-deprecating nature, you know that I’m not a braggart by any stretch of the imagination; but, this company would be foolish not to hire me for this position. We’ll have to see if I can make them see that.

Coming back to the ice-storm, it kind of hit me out of nowhere. I guess that’s what I get for not watching the news. I didn’t have an ice-scraper in the car, and both of the driver’s side windows were covered with ice. So, I carefully drove to the gas station and proceeded to humiliate myself. I started the gas going and went into the station to purchase an ice-scraper. I also got a Bananas Foster Cappuccino. (Fantastic by the way!) Then I went back out to the car. I put the coffee in the car and start scraping the heck out of the windows. I finally got them cleared, got back into the car and pulled away.

Did you spot it?

That’s right, I drove away with the gas nozzle still in the tank. I’m not even a woman. How is that even possible? I got 5′ away when I heard a thunk. *CRAP* I turn around and, sure enough, there’s no hose hanging from the pump. I get out and find the nozzle still embedded in the tank. I put it back and tried to reattach the hose. I then take a walk of shame into the station to confess my sin. The two girls manning the shop were both watching and one of them was apparently already on the phone with a maintenance guy. I stop and say, “You both just saw that happen, huh?” 😐 Luckily, they make the hoses idiot-proof these days. They shut off and disengage at some sort of release nut. They let me know it was okay and sent me on my way. I screwed it back in to the best of my abilities and slowly drove away with my tail between my legs. The worst part of this is I can no longer make fun of other idiots who do this.

On the good news front, my mother-in-law was super enough to buy us tickets for the upcoming BarlowGirl concert. We’ve got a babysitter lined up and will make a night of it. Yes, I love BarlowGirl. They are my escape from the Christian Hardcore/Metal world, yet they still rock. Check ’em out.

You’re welcome.

Mosecrest out.

My back and my fingers.

Something in my back decided to go on strike last night. It apparently doesn’t want me to move much (or at all), so I am stuck at home instead of working. At least I’ll be home when it’s time to go out for Ava’s first birthday. I still can’t believe that kid’s one year old. Time flies by too fast.

While sitting here trying to think of a way to be productive, I picked up Stephanie. I haven’t played with my guitars much in the last few months, and it shows. My left hand is aching something fierce right about now. It’s a good fierce aching, though. I’m going to need to work on taking care of that.

So, I’ve been going through some of the old recordings. I’m not happy with them. They’re really not as good as I remembered them being. The timing is off. The editing is lazy. It’s time to go back into the studio, AKA swiveling this chair 180 degrees and turning the amp on.

Reader feedback time. What should I record? Should I do one of the existing ones again? Clean up More Love More Power or or Oblivion? Should I record a different cover? Or should I actually write something (scary). You have the power. Comment. Comment! COMMENT!!!!