Archive | August, 2010

Be a part of the conversation: the Future of Music Policy Summit

31 Aug


Almost a decade ago, Metallica discovered their otherwise-forgettable “I Disappear” floating around the Internet, months before a proper release. Traced back to its source, that song became the thread that unraveled Napster. Ironically, file sharing, and the future of the music with it, became more complicated and less controlled – an issue that continue to dominate any discussion of the music industry.

Founded around that time, the Future of Music Coalition works to ensure that musicians have a voice in the issues that affect their livelihood. From October 3-5, at Georgetown University, the FMC will hold their 10th Anniversary Future of Music Policy Summit, a music-tech-policy conference that promises to continue the discussion.

The Future of Music Policy Summit brings together all stakeholders – musicians, arts advocates, policymakers, technologists, media representatives and industry figures – to discuss issues at the intersection of music, technology, policy and law. On Sunday, a “Musicians Education Day” will feature presentations and interactive discussions on subjects ranging from fan analytics to direct-to-consumer case studies. Sessions on everything from new business models to artist activism, combined with film screenings and cocktail parties, make this a must-attend educational and networking opportunity for anyone in or around the industry.

Keynotes, additional speakers and the complete programming schedule – including a live concert – will be announced shortly. Musicians and students can register for conference scholarships, attending this essential conference for as low as $20. The general public can take advantage of discounted registration until this Friday, September 3. TGRI Online will be reporting from the Summit, but if you’re reading this and you’re interested in the music industry, sign up today.

MIXTAPE REVIEW: RAtheMC – Heart of a Champion

31 Aug


Next to Phil Ade, RAtheMC is the brightest rising star in the DMV hip-hop scene. She rocked the stage at last October’s All Killer No Filler and her Twitter-themed mixtape Trending Topic was one of the best local releases in 2009. Since then, she’s been steady grinding, prepping Heart of a Champion, backed by AB the Producer.

Heart of a Champion showcases the same talent and range as Trending Topic. Ra’s flow continues to sharpen, and in the Age of Drake, her self-sung hooks are a well-executed necessity. Tracks by AB the Producer are clean soundscapes for Ra to perform over, never repetitive in tone or style. Throughout the tape, samples pay tribute to Ra’s forebears: Sade’s “Love is Stronger than Pride” on “Pretend” and Lauryn Hill’s “The Sweetest Thing” on “Intoxicated.”

Ra references DMV leaders Wale, Tabi Bonney and XO; the latter appears on the sweeping “So Gone So Long.” Throughout the tape, on songs like “One Shot” and “Heart of a Champion,” Ra proves she is focused on one thing: following in their footsteps – and going farther. After Ms. Hill’s bewildering performance at this weekend’s Rock the Bells, it’s clear that the crown is ready to be passed. So why not to RAtheMC?

COP/DON’T COP THIS MIXTAPE

Tracklist after the jump.

RAtheMC – Heart of a Champion Tracklist

01. Pretend
02. The Grind
03. Intoxicated
04. One Shot
05. Dreams
06. One Life
07. Change
08. Pricey (ft. Ihsan Bilal)
09. Lights
10. Smile
11. Heart of a Champion
12. Good Friends (ft. AB the Pro)
13. Gone So Long (ft. XO)

Tales From the Darkside Vol.21-DC Prepares For the Shitstorm

31 Aug

Clearly DC is sacrificing the right people to right needy deities. For the second week in a row, I am fortunate enough to carve up this piece of land for a proper band rolling into our domain. While last week might have brought lo-fi hardcore in the vein of Leather or…well…Veins, this week sees a hellacious onslaught of grind-done-right at the hands of the blast beat plague known as Shitstorm.

At the long end of the rope of the bastard legacy of Napalm Death and Terrorizer, Shitstorm are part of the blast attack of such contemporaries as Mehkago NT, Chainsaw to the Face, and Weekend Nachos. Their music holds deep and true to the genre as they straight blast beat through tracks an average of twenty seconds, carried on high by angry hornet swarms of guitar. This is definitely for the die hard, who mourned the death of Tony Schepkens from Agathocles, owns more than five Unholy Grave 7” ‘s (dear lord, don’t even ask about the number in my possession), and who’s idea of a good time is listening to the entire Fear of God discography straight through.

Judging from the release date of their demo in ’04, I’d have to peg their existence somewhere around that time. However, I became familiar with the group after helping set up the record release show for their split with Magrudergrind. Outside of putting out a handful of splits, (including a new split with the insane Conga Fury), Shitstorm has also appeared on the retro-thinking, Relapse compilation, “This Comp Kills Fascists,” and a single full length, “Paranoid Existence.”

It’s no surprise to hear the absolute sonic fury of a group such as Shitstorm. They hail from Florida, a state that surely must have something sinister in the water. A legacy of the most punishing music in the country comes straight from that phallic peninsula. Everyone from Deicide to Black Witchery have come to make Florida a pillar of all things unholy and terrifying.

Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on your circumstances), any in the District will not have to make a pilgrimage down south to witness onslaught of Shitstorm, as they will be posting up at our very own Smash! Records, this evening. Along with the brutal attack of Deathrats, and the almighty grind holocausters, Magrudergrind, Shitstorm promises to rip the paint off the walls, fleck by fleck. So, I throw down my gauntlet at the average reader of TGRI: leave your world of Michael Jackson remixes behind, get out of your comfort zone, and jump in the circle pit as all hell breaks loose.

(It’s ok, I know you won’t.)

http://www.youtube.com/v/sAGo0MWNTnc?fs=1&hl=en_US

MIXTAPE MONDAY: Dubstep Edition

30 Aug

From the Dubstep Dossier to Future Grooves, TGRI Online is committed to bringing you the newest, cutting-edge sounds in bass-heavy music. Still, we sometimes take for granted the fact that the world at large isn’t as familiar with Rusko, Skream and the like as we are – even if they will be soon.


Seemingly with that in mind, DJ D Painter’s latest podcast – recorded live from Jamaica – is titled “Dubstep for Dummies.” Rather than a history of dubstep, the podcast is perfect for the uninitiated: dubstep of the moment, including remixes of “Forever” and “Womanizer” and a few recent essentials (“Innocence,” Sub Focus’ take on “Hold On”). Quick and to the point, “Dubstep for Dummies” is the perfect gift for that bass-less somone in your life.

Dubspot podcast episode 9 – Jubilee track list:

01. Kyla – Daydreaming (Lil Silva Remix)
02. Dj Shaun – D – ALien Spaceship
03. Mujava – Source of Drums
04. Bambounou – Nappy Head
05. Distal – Apple Bottom
06. Ramadanman – Work Them
07. Canblaster – Clockwork
08. DJ Donna SummerxGucci Mane – Fighter (Jimmy 2 Times Aw Man Blend)
09. R1 Ryders – Hydraulic
10. DJ Bigga – Boeke Anthem
11. Untold – Anaconda (Guarachero Refix)
12. Roska – Squark (Guarachero Refix)
13. LOL Boys – 123
14. Tim Dolla – Number Advisory
15. Blondes – Spanish FLy (Brenmar Remix)
16. Kingdom – Fogs
17. Baobinga – Ride It (Untold Remix)
18. Ikonika – Aqueous Cream
19. Jubilee interview

S*** I’M DIGGING THIS WEEK: Awe Inspiring Edition

30 Aug

50 Cent, Rihanna other artists now as cool as Kanye West –

Many seemed shocked when I stated that Kanye West was a clear identifier of where we are headed for the next wave of pop culture in society. Well, let’s take the tweets above as proof of this point. Many top shelf mainstream artists with Twitter accounts have them controlled by their labels and are pretty much an RSS feed for their websites or a newswire of a multitude of their accomplishments. However, the man from the 31st Century changed all of that, as when Yeezy commandeered his own Twitter account from Day One, recognized mainstream artists like 50 and Rihanna decided to claim their accounts for themselves. 50’s account reads like a parody of his thug persona, while so far, the most entertaining thing Rihanna has stated is that she’s perfectly aware that many people insult her abnormally protruding forehead. This trend will be one to watch as the lines that divide fans from artists become not even blurred, but ultimately invisible.

——————-

“GRIFF, BRING IN THE KATS!” –

Well, it’s clearly that most wonderful time of the year when KW Griff releases the club banger that sends the entirety of club music scurrying into the studio and leaves clubgoers overjoyed. On Friday nights, KW Griff spins one of the most important DJ sets in radio and music anywhere. His Baltimore club set on Baltimore’s 92.3 FM is legendary. Also just as important is the studio host at that time, vaunted personality and club DJ himself, Porkchop. Porkchop’s humorous, loud and stentorian voice being on a club track is something that CLEARLY should happen more often, as Griff and Porkchop’s latest, “Bring in the Kats” is an instant classic. Staccato drum loops, a party vocal and hard synths dominate this winner, and clearly shows that the veterans still have the magic touch in creating hits that transcend the club and the mainstream, but become cult classics and the stuff of folklore.

THE DROP: Three time #1 DJ in the world Armin van Buuren interviewed!

30 Aug
Armin van Buuren is far more than the world’s leading trance DJ, he’s a force of nature. His weekly radio program A State of Trance is listened to by 30 million people in 40 countries. His six hour “Armin Only” DJ sets are easily the dominant ticket on the trance music calendar, setting a standard for excellence followed wittingly or unwittingly by contemporaries and rising professionals alike. Perpetually travelling and touring, van Buuren was selected as the #1 DJ in the world in DJ Magazine’s yearly poll in 2007, 2008 and 2009, clearly identifying him as a top tier live DJ and producer and establishing legendary status. This coming weekend, he is one of a select handful of DJs coming BACK to Randall’s Island as a headliner at the Electric Zoo Festival. I had the opportunity to discuss with him this weekend, his soon to be released artist album Mirage which drops on September 10th, and his feelings regarding not feeling the pressure of his status and his evolved nature regarding his stature as a star producer and performer. Enjoy!

Club Music, Evolution 3.0 started in DC this weekend. Tales of DJ Sega and James Nasty.

30 Aug
As far as Bmore staples are concerned, club music will dominate the charts
long before the Orioles will dominate the standings again.

Let’s state that the evolution of club music at this point had a definite beginning, and a definite next step. The beginning will encapsulate the early era, where Jimmy Jones'”Big Girl” and the adopted Chicago anthem of Cajmere’s “Percolator” were added  to the musical lexicon and fabric of international music. The second era encapsulates the build and development of club music, as it spread nationally and internationally, making cult heroes out of Unruly and Bmore Original Records affiliated spinners and making underground DJ sets on 92Q as important of cultural identifiers as the work of any deep house, trance, hip hop or techno legend behind the decks. That of course culminated with DJ Class’ “I’m The Shit” being blessed with the cosign of 31st century forebearer and kingpin of all music Kanye West. In my most recent interview with him, Unruly Records chief Shawn Caesar mentioned club music was “headed back underground for a bit.” If this is the case, then in the last week, we have found ALL of the component parts necessary for the next evolution of club music. While we are still yet unsure of who, what, or when the mainstream surface will be yet again pierced by the trademark bass loops, drum kicks and hot melodies, we know where it’s coming from.

Foremost, let’s mention the steady, yet understated influence of Crossfaded Bacon’s Emynd, local Baltimore youngsters DJ Pierre and Murder Mark and Unruly’s next in charge, King Tutt. They all deserve mention because their tracks are the bread and butter of where things are headed. Emynd released a remix of Cee-Lo’s virally explosive “Fuck You” that was so great that Warner Media Group, the media group behind Cee Lo’s label is hurriedly attempting to shut down all download locations across the internet. Electro club maven Tutt has an EP forthcoming that given his own hype for the release portends big things. Before KW Griff and Porkchop decided to “Bring In the Cats,” Pierre’s “Uhh Break” was likely the hottest club track of the year. Murder Mark stays in the studio, attempting to start to set a standard as a producer that will ultimately make him far more valuable to club music than ever having to DJ a live set in his life.

But club music isn’t best experienced on iPODs and over Wi Fi on laptops. It’s experienced live, and this weekend, DC was treated to three incredible sets from the two fastest rising headlining club DJs in the game, Baltimore’s James Nasty and Philly’s DJ Sega. Due to unforeseen occurrences, James Nasty DJed a 90 minute club music set at U Street Music Hall as the headliner of TGRI’s own Michael Jackson Birthday/Motown Happy Hour on Friday night. Of course, our hope was in having Nasty play that this would eventually lead to hearing Scottie B’s “Motown Medley” or DJ Technics’ “Please Mr. Postman” alongside the standard versions of Motown hits, but when it became obvious that we were going MUCH longer than expected, Nasty, whose confidence as a top notch producer and live DJ professional has grown as a headliner of the Ottobar’s Moustache Party played a set that paid homage to nearly every major Motown or MJ sampling track in the  history of club music, and as expected, the revelers went wild. What started off as an austere and fun event became a mess of sweat and excitement with U Hall patrons applauding Nasty with each increasingly more classic or rare club remix. Alongside Dave Nada nearly causing massive amounts of cardiac arrhythmia on the dance floor with his classic club set at U Hall for Stereo Faith’s benefit, club music is clearly NOT DEAD, but alive and well as ever on the underground, preparing for the next mainstream invasion.

Usher is not the only one in the mainstream these days saying “oh oh ohoh, oh my god” to the sounds of club music these days. Anybody in the listening vicinity of DJ Sega’s East coast mini tour this weekend may be dead. Or, if not dead, completely flustered by the ferocity that the Philly Club King intends to bring to club music in the future. At first, Sega was merely a creative wizard. Taking songs we knew in the most non-club setting and riddling them with a hail of drum and bass patterns. However, something great has happened to Sega. He has developed his style yet further, and is applying his trademark intensity to dubstep, electro and pretty much anything in his path. Toddla T, Donaeo, Dr. Dre and Caspa have all recently been remixed by the boy turned man who dares to be king.

DC’s H Street “Atlas District” corridor may be the hottest party locale in the city. Capitol Hill kids looking for something new have flooded the streets of NE in high numbers. These aren’t underground kids or jiggy club heads either. These are fresh scrubbed and hard working sons and daughters of white collar parents who like their beer cold and music top 40 or classic rock, no exceptions. Well, hold up…maybe not. At the Distract party on Friday night at Rock and Roll Hotel, the kids danced to electro. Not surprising. Pop radio sounds like Ibiza in 2002 and Brooklyn in 2006 these days, so, we should not be surprised. What was surprising is DJ Sega altered nothing, and beat kids over the head with sledgehammer cut after sledgehammer cut, marauded, steroid ingested club break beats spilling out of the sound system upstairs at Rock and Roll Hotel until it died. Yes, DJ Sega played a set so hard on Friday night that is caused a surge that activated a circuit breaker. Rock and Roll’s upstairs has become a resurgent spot for quality dance nights in the city with DJ Doc Rok and his proteges our own DJ Cold Case and gaining in experience Ratt Moze at the helm. They have refurbished and entirely renovated the upstairs area due to dancing being on the rise with U Hall’s white hot start out the gates, but, clearly after this weekend’s assault by Nouveau Riche’s Gavin Holland (who set the table perfectly) and Sega on Friday night, sonic reinforcement is necessary.

Between ease, finesse and classic dance friendly style, and rave friendly asskicking, these are the two extremes of club music. From James Nasty to DJ Sega, and all of the ultra important new school stops in between, club music is in great hands for its development and future.

FUTURE GROOVES: DJ Nate

27 Aug


Chicago is an epicenter of electronic dance music. It’s the birthplace of house music, and like Baltimore, Philadelphia and Miami, it has its own brand of club music as well, the result of filtering house through hip-hop and other underground influences. Chicago house mutated into the stripped down style known as juke house (typified by Cajmere’s “Percolator”). In the same way, juke is giving way to footwork: music built for frenetic dance moves that are exactly what they sound like.

The fastest rising footwork DJ is wunderkind DJ Nate. The 20 year old Nathan Clark has been making footwork beats since before he could get into the clubs that play them. His stylistic trademarks are off-kilter drum beats and repetitive, pitch-shifted vocal samples, often with conflicting rhythms. A polarizing style, footwork rejects traditional dance music conventions like four-on-the-floor beats. For the uninitiated, it may sound dissonant and seem un-danceable.

Luckily, the folks at groundbreaking record label Planet Mu saw something in the young Chicagoan. Planet Mu released DJ Nate’s Hatas Our Motivation and will be dropping a compilation of Nate’s footwork tracks entitled Da Trak Genious (named after his (intentionally?) misspelled moniker) in September. Recognizing the confrontational nature of his music, the title of his EP is instructive. “Hatas our motivation” isn’t just a sample: it’s a mantra and a motto.

Throughout the EP, DJ Nate crafts beats that are exciting and new. The tracks sound like they will cause irregular heartbeats and seizures: elements collide into each other haphazardly, but when they sync up, it’s pure bliss. Looped R&B and hip hop samples practically become percussion instruments and lend a hypnotic nature to the music, especially on tracks like “We Can Work This Out” and “Ima Burn Him.”

The strongest track is the finale, “See Into My Eyes,” which brilliantly samples the goth pop of Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life.” Twisted and pitchshifted, a bizarro Amy Lee mournfully asks “How can you see into my eyes?” over increasingly chaotic drum fills. (The track can be heard at the beginning of this juke battle video).

Between DJs like Willy Joy, Rob Threezy, and now DJ Nate, Chicago is guaranteed to be central to dance music for years to come.

THE DROP: The Greg Nice Interview

27 Aug
With all due respect to every blipster emcee and party starter that tried, and in many cases has succeeded in doing this hip hop/party/electro thing, you were clearly close, but ultimately doing it wrong. Let’s re-introduce the man to the table who has been doing it right all along, who is back at the forefront with forthcoming album release Popcycle, Greg Nice. Greg N.I.C.E. And before you even get started, he still rocks for a fee, for charity, and wants all of your employers and employees to pay attention. On his latest, the deans of the new school of what we’ll call for lack of a better term, electro hop, from club producers Scottie B and King Tutt to A-Trak and a plethora more show no old dogs and no new tricks, but a slew of classic material set to leave a dance floor flooded in sweat.
Since the inception of his career, the veteran emcee has been far off of the typical hip hop path. Coming from the Sleeping Bag Records family that always represented for house, hip house and freestyle, he has a well versed background in the club, and will always be aware of what’s popping there. In his career, he’s had hits not only with Nice and Smooth, but with freestyle diva Lisette Melendez, reggaeton flips of Nice and Smooth classics, New Kids on the Block with “Dirty Dawg,” and possibly his biggest hit, providing the vocal sample that powers The Wiseguys’ 2002 hot from the Zoolander soundtrack, “Start the Commotion.” Without Greg Nice, there is no such thing as a Lil Jon or an LMFAO. In having the legitimacy in the hip hop world and an understanding and appreciation of different styles of rhythmic dance music as well, he’s one of the few artists who can provide instantaneous legitimacy to any track they touch in both worlds. 
I had the opportunity to chat with the music legend at length regarding his latest album, record industry politics, recording with new producers and old favorites alike, his creative process, and thoughts on his future and the future of music. Listen and enjoy! Like his new track says, he is indeed “still that motherfuck@.”

Greg Nice “Motherfuck@” from URB Magazine on Vimeo.

WILLIAM BRUCE WEST presents – "Why Do You All Hate This Boy?" – Thoughts on Justin Bieber

27 Aug

Seriously, I don’t really understand what has become of humanity. In a world where there are natural disasters, Wall Street corruption, and Sarah Palin to worry about, why are people directing their anger at this child? Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, then you’re already familiar with Justin Bieber. He’s the pop star du jour, adored by teenage girls from coast to coast. Like many North American heartthrobs, he’s a cute blond kid, with a slightly prepubescent voice. For some reason, though, he has become quite the hate magnet. People love to hate this kid! Why? I think it says a lot about our society when people just full on hate someone/thing, even though they really have nothing at stake in the matter.

When we were in middle school, it was the “masculine” thing to hate on a pop star. “Eww, the New Kids are gay!” Yes, this was an ignorant and homophobic time, but you grew up, learned the error of your ways, and laughed whenever you saw that same band on I Love the 90s. Today, however, it’s an older crowd getting in on all the ridicule. I don’t feel that Bieber is so pervasive that he interrupts the flow of your daily life. I haven’t heard him on the radio in months. Sure, I see his face on magazines in the store, but I also see Angelina Jolie equally as much. Why doesn’t someone tell her to stop adopting babies, so Mila Kunis can have a shot at a magazine cover?

Can someone over the age of 21 honestly tell me what their beef is with Justin Bieber? Seriously, don’t you have better shit to do with your life? Don’t you have a job and bills to pay? He’s a kid. Sure, he’s beloved by millions, and he’s worth more than you, but he’s a kid. Yes, his voice is shrill, but it’s changing. For all of his perceived “faults”, you still can’t justify your irrational hatred of him. Plainly put, you’re a hater. Just own up to it, rather than waste the time to unravel the mystery of his celebrity. Teen Heartthrobs aren’t supposed to make sense. They aren’t. There are few requirements: cute, no aversion to attending Teen Choice Awards, and did I mention “cute”? That’s it. If you’re an adult, you’re already out of your wheelhouse, as he’s not for you. Teen Heartthrobs prey on the irrational hormones of teenage girls. If you’re a grown man or woman, weighing in on how you feel about something made for children, you might as well go off and “spread democracy” in some 3rd world country, since you know everything.

How old are you? 30, you say? How about I call your parents, and ask them about those phone bills when you kept calling the Coreys on that hotline? You forgot about that dumb shit, didn’t you? But we let you off the hook, ’cause you were young. At least “Beliebers” have the internet, so their shit is free. You kept Ma & Pa Bell in business with your shenanigans! Sure, grown ups probably thought there was something wrong with you, but they remembered what it was like to fawn over Frankie Avalon or whatever. They had bigger shit to worry about, like The Cold War and New Coke, than to weigh in on how much of a waste of space Corey Feldman may have been.

Sure, you see Bieber’s name a LOT. You also see his picture a LOT. As far as music goes, you kinda have to work to hear a Justin Bieber song. They’re not played in every gas station or Dennys. If you hear a Bieber song, you’re either in Claires or you’re listening to pop radio. If you’re so anti-Bieber, you had no business doing either of those things.

Anti-Bieber Fever seems to have even spread to corporate levels, as demonstrated by Twitter’s recent changes to their Trending Topic algorithm. Say what you will, at the end of the day, it was an anti-Bieber initiative. People had complained that they were tired of seeing him trending all the time. If that’s what people were tweeting about MOST, why shouldn’t it trend? I’m tired of hearing about the various wars we’re fighting, but I can’t complain to NBC and ask them to shift shit around so we only get news about anything other than the wars. Sure, Twitter gave some PR response about how and why the change took place, but now we’re left with runner-up Trending Topics, which are usually about some obscure Korean boyband and their new song “Jelly Rainbow Overdrive (Love Stars)” or something.

Nobody hates Hanna Montana this much, and the same people would say that she “sucks”. Is Disney protecting her? Just from a purely business standpoint, this is a kid who built his way up from YouTube, sparking a bidding war between Usher and Justin Timberlake. It’s a technological Horatio Alger story! Those are two guys who know something about the music business, so they must see something in him. Had he been some kind of money grab promoted by Joe Francis, I’d probably be on the side of the haters. That’s just not a union that I would be able to get behind – like if Chris Brown opened a Pilates studio.

Is it his look that bothers you? It’s not all that uncommon these days, but I still encounter people who can’t stand his look. Well, he looks just like that lesbian barista at that fair trade coffee place you pretend to like. So, maybe you should stop boycotting Target and take some time to deal with your issues.

Something odd has happened with this generation, where passion has paved the way to elitism. In music criticism, as well as that of comics and movies, no one is willing to agree to disagree anymore. You can’t have an intelligent exchange with anyone who disagrees with you – it quickly descends into who can say “that sucks! You have no taste” first. This is bad enough with the layperson – spurred along by gamer culture and the prevalence of high-speed internet. It gets FAR worse with the opinionated, self-proclaimed “expert”, spouting, “I am right and you are wrong. And dumb. And shouldn’t be allowed to breed.” I’ve seen this shit happen! Life’s too short, and there’s too much to really worry about, than to devote the amount of time and hatred that many do toward Justin Bieber and the like. A lot of this is coming from the “cultural elite”, but why is their shit protected while everyone else is fair game? How’d you like it if I started raging on how fat Hurley was on Lost? Motherfucker was on that island for how long, and never lost a pound. “But he was hoarding food…” FUCK YOU! I’m shitting in your sandbox now, and you don’t like it, do you?

So, before everyone starts running their mouths about who does and doesn’t have talent, as well as what is and isn’t culturally worthwhile, why don’t you take a minute to process all the bullshit that you’ve been involved with that didn’t hold much water? Leave Justin alone. He’s not for you. That’s fine. Just be classy about it. You’re an adult, so act like one.

P.S. Stop getting high and watching Spongebob. That shit’s played out.