Web Pages
Most of you probably know about my band pages for
HATE DEPT., KEVORKIAN DEATH CYCLE and COLLIDE.
I did these because I'm friends with the bands, and I had a lot to say/display. Collide actually asked me to do the page for them, until they can get their own Official one up and running. Working on these pages has taught me a lot about graphics and HTML, and I'm learning more every day. Unfortunately, I also spend a lot of time online or otherwise working on these pages and others, like my 'zine,
MAINLINE : OnLine Music Review & Interview 'Zine.
Then there's my fledgling publicity & promotions racket
ÜBEL ENGEL PROMOTIONS
which is always under construction. I've been slacking off on it (and all my pages) because I've been busy working too much and getting myself in over my head, as usual.
Photography
I also used to take a lot of pictures for my old 'zine, Levity. Mostly "gothic"-type stuff. While I can't stand the gothic "lifestyle/attitude" -- whatever they use as an excuse to be annoying -- I do love the visual aspects, and yes, even some of the music (REAL gothic music, like funeral procession-type stuff). Here are some of the photos I took way back when....
Graphics
In addition to what I do for the pages above, I LOVE working on graphics, just for the hell of it. I don't claim to be an expert, but I can hold my own. Most of this is either stuff I did "by accident" (experimenting with new applications, filters, effects, etc., not intending for anything to come of it), stuff I did because I had the idea and felt like "playing with my computer" (It pisses me off when people say that -- all the time, no matter what I'm doing -- I'm "playing" with my computer. It's not a fucking toy!!! I don't even have any games on it. Video games are ALL good, but there's just not enough room on my hard drive for the types of games I'd want to have on it. That's what GameWorks and laser tag is for. Plus, if I DID have the games I really want on here, I WOULD always be playing with my computer, and I'd never get anything done. I could be breeching national security here, or finding a cure for AIDS.... and everybody thinks I'm "playing." Umm... Oh, yeah....), or there's also stuff I did because I was asked to, or I had a mission, a purpose, etc... like my freelance stuff for bands or the stuff I do for the club I work at.
Music
And I don't mean just listening to it, though I do do that about 90% of the time I'm occupied in an activity that doesn't require my full listening attention (which is often).
I also make music. Mostly I just work with keyboards and drum machines and effects, and I record it directly onto my Mac with Macromedia SoundEdit 16 (Extra-special thanks to Christian. I love you, man!!). I have some really rough sketches of stuff I've developed over the past few months, which I've just recorded real quick so I don't forget it. My hard drive isn't big enough to do anything of CD-quality right now. And I really don't have all the equipment I need at the moment to make the exact music I would like to make, so I just kind of work with what I've got. We're working on it, though. My roommate aeri and I have both contributed to the "studio," and have worked on a lot of stuff separately. We'll probably do something together someday. We've both liked most of what the other has worked on. Once we have the money, one of the things I really want to get (aside from a 9gb hard drive...) is a real, nice bass guitar, so I don't have to rely solely on synths. I mean, synth bass is ALL good, but I like the sound and the feel of a real bass just as much or more. Anything with more than four strings, though, and I get lost. I'm not really a guitar bitch. We just got an XP-50 (synth/sequencer)a few months ago, so it makes things easier than before when we just had the Prophecy and my little Yamaha PSS-380 that I've had since I was 13. It also holds me over when my computer is at work (which is pretty much ALL the time), since I can sequence and save stuff for later, when I do have my computer back at home. By the way, the projects I'm currently working on are PX5 and geffnecht.
I'm also putting together a compilation, entitled The Glory of Destruction, which will feature some of my own music, as well as the music of several of my friends' bands and some people I've never met before in my life. Basically, it's just a bunch of stuff I really like and think should get some play. I'm also doing all the publicity, promotions and graphic design for it.
Murder
This should be
self-explanatory.
