Eyes of Fyr

Blog archive: 2010

Go to current blog entry

Go to blog archive index
 

Back in the circle again

For another dose of Circle II Circle before they headed back home for the holidays. It was a rare treat having them linger here for a while — a nice early holiday gift for us! Many thanks to them for giving us several opportunities to see them perform. I made it out to 3 of 5 possible dates of the mini tour in this area and from what I gather so far …

• they like doing shows here :-)
• they work hard and play even harder
• they've gained some new fans along the way
• they're heavily promoting the new album Consequence of Power (CoP), doing 6/10 tracks in the sets
• CoP and Delusions of Grandeur were said to be concept albums (that's what I thought I heard uttered on the Nite Cap stage anyway)
• Andy is no longer listed as a band member on the CIIC FB page
• Rollie appears to be in as new guitarist
• they may come back here next April for more shows

More shows on the way? Cool! They're a class act. I wish them continued success and look forward to their return.

Ke tou chrónou!

Back in the circle

Last month at Cruisers the Circle II Circle guys said they'd be coming back around soon, and they weren't kidding. They've since played at least 3 more shows this month (that I know of) in the northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin area, and there's another one tonight back at Cruisers. So basically, I have to eat my words in the last post about how they don't come around here that often. It has not been the case for the past month anyway. :-)

Despite the fact that they've set up camp here I've managed to make it out to only one of the subsequent shows—the one last weekend at Nite Cap in Chicago. This event was similar to the Cruisers experience, i.e., a small bar/club show with a small but enthusiastic audience. The set list was nearly the same, too, although I didn't snatch up a hard copy this time. A most notable difference at the Nite Cap show was the absence of guitarist, Andy Lee. Not sure what the story is there but the band is carrying on with substitute in that position for now. Improved lighting conditions is another noticeable difference in the new set of Nite Cap fotos. The setup of that room hasn't changed since my last visit. The end of the bar is still within a mere few feet of the stage. An environment like this calls for a better arsensal of camera lenses, e.g., a fish-eye. The fish-eye could definitely help to improve the close quarters full-stage shots.

Anyway, it's been great to have more opportunities to see Circle II Circle perform their magic right here in front of our eyes. Stay tuned, there may be more to come!

Accentuate the positive

Did I neglect to mention that one of the really cool things about Windows 7 is the movable taskbar icons? Yep, that positive was grievously omitted when the focus was leaning in the negative direction. My sincerest apologies for that. So yeah, jockeying the icons around at will may be a minor thing but it's one of those bling-y things I find extremely useful, so I support the idea.

Alrighty then, this is not going be another long tech rant except to mention that the scanner is back in business and a couple other things. The background on the scanner issue is: the first install attempt of the software took out the CD-ROM driver. It went bye-bye somehow, so it was error report and system restore to the rescue at first, then Program Compatibility options for the re-attempt and the win. Having scan capability back is sweet. Also, the GPU thingy is pretty choice in combination with the new wide screen monitor, too. The entire PC package—hardware and software—was a rather expensive venture, but a wise investment nonetheless.

Ok, /technobabble. Moving on to other stuff, like …

The latest fotos:

• Squirrels – Foto output remains somewhat scant in MMX but it won't escape without a few squirrelie pics.
• Drays – When autumn arrives and the leaves fall off the trees it tends to expose some of their squirrelie little habitats.
• Septemberfest Fireworks – The latest Night section was kind of sparse so it was back to fotos for the 'fest fireworks this year.
• Nevermore/Warbringer @ Reggie's – Sixty-five (mostly poorly flashed) pics from the show on October 29. We were situated off to the side so expect to see several profile views in each set. This was something like the 10th Nevermore show I've attended since 1997. The objective was to see them again because: 1) they don't come around much anymore – last time was Gigantour in 2005; 2) they're an incredibly awesome band so missing the opportunity would have been ludicrous; and, 3) the new album has been kicking my butt since I bought it so I had to see them do it live. Mind-blowing Loomis riffs and insanely genius Dane lyrics = the kind of skull candy that makes my head want to explode. Lots of hindsight regrets for not doing the official meet-n-greet thing, though. If there's another opportunity for something like that in the future I won't hesitate.
• Eden's Fall Ray was my travel companion for the trip into the city for the Nevermore show. We got there early and landed a fabulous parking spot on State Street about half a block from the venue. With time to spare, we grabbed some food and then walked around down by the lakefront before heading back. After the show, a dude with a Nevermore set list let me snap a pic of him holding it, but not before he pulled in Ray for the shot. Thus, I give you the ultimate Nevermore fans foto op (take 2). The original take is posted as well. Use the "Back" arrow button on the take 2 page to see it and then back up some more to see other fotos of Ray in the city.
• Sculptures – The Eye on State Street and the Lincoln Memorial
• Circle II Circle @ Cruisers – Thirty-five pics from the show on November 12. How often do these guys come around? Not very, which is why it's important to get out and support this highly under-rated band even if it's in the middle of nowhere like Mayberry, er, I mean Beach Park, IL. Actually, it would've been more like Green Acres had they played the originally scheduled Penny Road Pub venue. Even Chicago City Limits might seem like Mayberry to some, so at the end of the day Cruisers in Beach Park was not a deal breaker for me. The Where wasn't as important as the Who in this case. And for a mere $5 cover? They really deserve better than that. I'm glad their handlers were able to reschedule the IL date. Fortunately, info about the date/location change filtered through my firewall otherwise I probably would have missed it, which would've been a real shame because that intimate little bar gig was amazing!

And the latest scans:

• Cover art: Newly signed and scanned Circle II Circle and Savatage CD covers; plus Iced Earth's Days of Purgatory cover and some cryptic writings from 2003 on the back of the Mind Bomb booklet.
• Set lists: After the Circle II Circle show I snagged the set list from the soundboard. :^) Parenthetical notations have been censored so as not to give away more info than the actual list of songs they played. :p
• Ticket stubs: 1) Iced Earth, Sep 21 @ the HOB. The HOB? Hadn't been there in a while. The show was on a Tuesday and inbound rush-hour traffic was so brutal we missed the opening act, Sons of Liberty. That was a major bummer because I really wanted to see their performance, but seeing Iced Earth again made up for it. Many thanks to Scott Davidson for the free ticket to the show!; 2) Nevermore, Oct 29 @ Reggie's. After all these years it's the first time I've obtained a ticket with their name on it. And it's in a huge font size no less! This is a milestone for sure.

The big spew

[ Warning: Put your reading glasses on and grab some popcorn. ;-) ]

My old Windows XP desktop machine bit the dust in the middle of June. I really liked that operating system (OS). It was a pretty good setup. It served me well for 5 years so the end was a painful parting. Since late June I've been running Windows 7 with Office 2010 on a new system here at home. There are things I like about it and things I don't like about it. I've been a Windows user for a while now starting with 3.1 up to XP Pro at work, and a user at home from 98 (minus ME & Vista) up to 7. Some knowledge of performing tasks in several different types of Windows-based programs have been gained along the way, but the skills needed to ensure a proper secure home network could be improved. It's only been within the past couple years of running XP at home that I've become more concerned with this issue. There has always been only a single desktop system setup at home since 1998 so I haven't spent a lot time learning all there is to know about the nuts and bolts of servers, networking and network security. Of course I blame myself for the previous lack of concern. As long as the computer and programs were working and I could log on to the ISP I was good to go, or so it seemed at the time. More recently, after reading some of the network and security help files (and feeling overwhelmed), it seemed to me that one needs to become a highly-educated system administrator to truly understand the complicated workings of operating systems and networks. But it also occurred to me that even if one does manage to master these subjects, one is still at the mercy of the alpha dogs above them in the e-communications technology food chain. This is the case for me right now and I'd imagine that it's probably the same for others.

So what's cool about Windows 7 on my new system?

1. The UI is all slick and new and that's what really counts, right? :p Ok, that was sarcasm. It really does look nice. Si, es muy bonita! For years I preferred my personalized version of the Classic Windows theme so the first things I noticed after the initial start up of 7 were the new visual features like Aero Peek and the transparency settings. I checked out all the Aero Themes and other personalization settings too, and so far I haven't looked back at the Classic theme. But I have since turned off Aero Peek and transparency, and created my own theme. All the new features are way cool but really not necessary for my customization needs. It's good to have the option to turn them off and it's nice to know that they are there if I want them back.

2. The new User Account Control feature is interesting. I'd imagine it's probably a welcome addition for the more knowledgeable sys admins and other uber geeks. But for folks like yours truly with limited knowledge of digital security, encryption and whatnot, it's another thing to stress over and divert attention away from doing all those other desired tasks. Hopefully this new feature will help me to better understand UA settings.

3. Windows Defender — Yay! Will a Windows antivirus program be next?

4. Haven't had any problems installing new software but there were a couple of bumps installing 2 older programs. The one with the proper install from disc eventually played nice but the other install attempt failed. It didn't seem to take long to get certain things customized to my liking within the new environment, but I can see that there's a lot more stuff to learn about. There are some things that are missing from previous versions and there is one thing that works kind of flaky in this version that was pretty stable in the others. See the section on "What sucks about Windows 7 on my new system" for more details.

5. More space and better speed to handle all the bells and whistles of the OS coming from the new hardware setup.

What sucks about Windows 7 on my new system?

1. Some features have changed, some have disappeared, and one is kind of flaky. It figures. Just when I thought I was beginning to better understand XP and the inner workings of Windows OSs in general this happens. The new one isn't a total departure from other versions so fortunately I've been able to locate the things I need to get programs and peripherals running. I was just starting to get a better handle on the basics of how IPv4 works too, and now IPv6 is here, which really doesn't suck but now I feel like I'm back at square one trying to learn the new IP stuff and all its new terminology. Overall I'd say that Windows 7 is a bit frightening at first but at the same time it's rather intriguing. I'm not against moving forward but sometimes I have doubts or concerns.

2. The Clipboard Viewer utility is gone.

   Why does this suck? Because it was available before and now it is not. Perhaps this is no big deal for some users but I miss it because it was used frequently to view/delete stuff, especially during online sessions. I'm curious to know the true reason why this valuable resource has now been dropped in this version. This would not have been one of my ideas. :p Was it found to be some sort of a security threat? With the proliferation of phishing scams, malware, spyware and such, current conventional wisdom dictates that users should not click on links in emails or on "questionable" Web sites, but rather copy and paste URLs into address bars. This means that link copying vs clicks should be on the rise as more users become aware. So what really is the big deal with that then? The issue is that some of the more nosy Web site owners and their marketing perps (the ones who are anal about stats and filthy lucre) want desperately to know what link referrers their visitors use to access their site(s). That's not all they want to know but I already digress. Anyway, these nosy types might feel compelled to try and glean that copied clipboard information from unsuspecting visitors via scripting or other means. That's why I learned to start turning off Javascript, cookies, etc., and would choose Prompt or Disable for the "Allow Programmatic clipboard access" setting in the Internet and Restricted zones. For copied URLs I would usually use the clipboard viewer to delete them after pasting them into address bars and before clicking the Go button or hitting Enter. That — among other things — became one of my usual routines in XP for the past few years. I don't think it's a sure-fire way to avoid being tracked but it helps.

   So, to whomever it was that had the bright idea to remove the clipboard viewer, may we please have this accessory returned? :p

3. Offline help files could be better.

   I wouldn't say they're extremely terrible but at times they haven't been all they could be. For instance, the other day I could not find any useful offline help for the following search keyphrases in Outlook:

   1. view email source
   2. view+email+source

   Why must we be online to get the latest help files that are ok'd for publishing? Can they not be downloaded along with all those other updates? Could they be here but I'm just not seeing them? I don't think so because for some topics I'm now getting no information at all. This BS just started the other day so now I'm really taking note. During the first 2 months of searching offline help in this edition at least some info would come up along with links to more online info, but now I've gotten a few screens that indicated the full content of the help topic is only available online. This is happening not just in Outlook but also in the main Windows help system.

   By the way, this online requirement to get the latest help info and updates for software isn't specific to MS alone. This long-ass rant may mention them a lot but that's because it's the native environment I choose to run and I doubt the situation is much better with other computing solutions. I've been using a Windows OS exclusively from the beginning so I don't think I'll be jumping over the fence to other pastures anytime soon. Graphics software packages are another perfect example of the need to be online for frequent updates and upgrades. It seems like all these providers/publishers want you to live at their site(s) nowadays. Ridiculous.

4. The search function is flaky.

   The search function in previous versions of the Windows OS was better, so I miss that too. The new one, at least on my system, is flaky and not as reliable as previous versions. I'm fairly certain I have the settings I want correct but there's the possibility that I may still have overlooked something. If not though, I'd say there were a lot more options in past versions. In 7 here, the "Add a search filter" option is currently disabled but the Size and Date options are available. The times that successful directory searches were performed did look promising, though. However, if this semi-functional feature is fully-functional only in the upgraded editions of this OS, or only while I'm online, then this is definitely a major suckage point since it's been better and available (even offline) in lesser versions/editions.

So what's cool about Office 2010 my new system?

1. The UI is all slick and new and that's what really counts, right? :p

2. Honestly though, the way the myriad of settings options for all the 2010 programs are grouped in the new Ribbon and Quick Access toolbar makes it easier to find things. The slick new UI does seem to make things a lot more user-friendly.

3. Outlook is a powerful email program. It does a lot of things that Outlook Express couldn't do. However, there were some very useful things that Express could do that Outlook doesn't. See the section on "What sucks about Outlook 2010 on my new system?" below for more details.

What sucks about Outlook 2010 on my new system?

1. No more Outlook Express

   Why does this suck? Because it was available before and now it is not. With that program we had the ability to view the source of all available full email headers and message source code without ever having to fully open a message. Please excuse my ignorance but did this feature not have the ability to help a user possibly avoid nasty shit like viruses, malware, and spyware? Did it not allow us to gain more knowledge about what's going on "Backstage" in our email communications? I don't think it bodes well when useful features like this are removed from the hands of the user. We need to try and learn where all that spam crap comes from so it's easier to expose the asshats perpetrating that shit. Furthermore, was the ability to see message source code in unopened messages ever a standard feature in any version of Outlook? I know we can get the full header info if it's available but getting an unopened message's source code has never worked for me in any version of Outlook that I've used. Why is this not a feature in Outlook? It does so much but not that. Why?

2. Something else that sucks, other than myself if I've overlooked pertinent settings, is that in this new version of Outlook the View Source option is disabled even in opened messages. Sometimes I don't even see the View Source option at all. Could this be due to how some emails are formatted? Perhaps an upgrade to a higher edition is needed to obtain this functionality? If it's the latter then that blows.

3. Email header information is present for all incoming messages but it is missing for all of my outgoing messages. Again, not sure if I'm missing a setting somewhere or if I should be pointing a finger at Microsoft, the system manufacturer, my ISP, or the publisher of the fully-licensed 3rd-party antivirus/Internet security suite application that is currently installed. Yes, let's all point our (middle) fingers at the 3rd-party perps, and ourselves while we're at it … bah!

Damn. I really spilled my guts on this one. I'll probably regret posting this after I learn the answers to some of my questions in this tome. Then I'll get all shy about it and clam up again for months (or years?) and just spew about other stuff. I've been very hesitant to share my thoughts about computing/tech issues because it exposes too much info, particularly about what I know, what I think I know, and what I don't know about sooo many things. It seems like whenever I feel confident I know something about a certain subject it usually turns out that I either:

1. have a pretty good handle on it,
2. thought I knew more than what I really know, or
3. don't know shit from shinola.

Sometimes I feel like Sgt. Schultz from Hogan's Heroes … I know nuss'ing! :-)

Hooboy. What could possibly be next?

dicentes enim se esse sapientes stulti facti sunt – Romani I:XXII Vulgata

Millennium Park excursion

Earthen Grave played at Millennium Park on July 11th. My travel companion for the excursion downtown was Mark (Rebel) Raimer. We took the Metra into the city to see the show. An opportunity to get some new cityscape fotos was highly anticipated but it ended up being a limited endeavor due to intermittent downpours of rain and threat of lightning. When we arrived at Union Station we waited a while to see if it would let up. Mark chatted with his friend, John, who happened to be passing through while we were waiting. After about 45 minutes we decided to brave it and head over to the park. Along the way I managed to capture a few images of skyscrapers, the Chicago River and the Flamingo sculpture in between the raindrops and lightning. There was a shot of a burned out CPD patrol car that was part of the Transformers 3 movie set on the card too, but I kindly deleted it at the request of the nice movie set security guy patrolling the area. :) Nightfall had arrived by the time we got to the park and fortunately the rain let up enough at that moment to allow for a few shots of the place from the back of the venue. Millennium Park at night is quite an impressive sight from that angle.

The rain continued to fall while Earthen Grave was playing but it wasn't bad under the covered area near the stage. Never thought I'd ever see them play a place like this. This momentous gig opportunity must be the result of Rachel's connections. She had played with baroque and classical ensembles that night prior to the Earthen Grave set. We missed that while we were trying to wait out the storm at Union. As previously noted in earlier blog posts, Earthen Grave sets often include guest appearances and this one was no exception. Three instrumentalists from the classical ensemble joined them on stage for a fabulous rendition of Rainbow's "Stargazer". It was awesome! We also saw Bruce Franklin up there with them again. That was awesome, too! It was a good night out downtown despite the soggy weather.

Breakin' the law

When the site redesign was launched in 2008 the plan was to not re-add any of the tribute band fotos except Heaven and Hell (Chicago). That plan didn't last long. I didn't want to introduce any new tribute bands either, but that plan is quickly being kicked to the curb as well with the addition of Judas Priest tribute Painkiller and U.F.O./Michael Schenker tribute MST from the show at Chicago City Limits on July 10. These bands share a common member between them and they both have members with ties to other original and tribute acts from the area. Evidently, these guys don't get enough playing time with their other bands so they feel compelled to get out and play under different guises. :)

Surreal atmosphere

We've had some crazy storms so far this year. The one today produced dark clouds with heavy rain, winds, and lightning. Then, when it began to let up just before sundown, the entire sky turned an eerie orange-yellow color with mammatus clouds present. Pics taken from the balcony capture only a small portion of the entire range of atmospheric theatrics that played out today.

Tribute, Pt. 2

A good number of Chicagoland area Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and Dio fans turned out to see Heaven and Hell (Chicago) this weekend at Tailgaters in Bolingbrook. This show was a must-see for those of us who are still affected by the loss of Ronnie James Dio. It was good to get out and hear some favorite tunes and pay our respects to one of the greatest-ever talents in the world of music. Crowd response to the question of whether we wanted more Dio-era Sabbath was overwhelmingly in favor, so the band made sure to give us all the best of the best. Audience approval of the performance was quite evident after each song, too. It was an excellent show in an excellent place and I'm glad I didn't miss it.

Tribute to RJD

Fans of hard rock and metal the world over are mourning the loss of one of its most definitive voices today with the passing of Ronnie James Dio. My sincere condolences to all of his family and friends. May they find comfort and strength in this time of terrible loss. Requiescat in pace.

Dio at Poplar Creek Music Theater, August 1985

Metal Haven Farewell Show

A half dozen bands played the Metal Haven Farewell Show at Reggies Rock Club on Saturday. Adorned in his Viking helmet, Mark, the host/guest of honor and proprietor of Metal Haven, was on hand to announce the bands and address the audience between sets. He and his cohorts even brought along the store's suit of armor to use as a stage prop. That was a nice touch. Reggies is newer city club. I'd heard and read about it but had never been there before this visit. It seems to be a decent place for shows. It's not as big as Metro or even Austin's out here in the 'burbs. But it has a stage that's more than a foot off the floor and graded theater-style flooring, which is great for the vertically challenged (like moi). The management seems to be cool about allowing cameras too, so I'll probably visit there again.

Slauter Xstroyes and The Chasm were in the lineup of six and on my agenda for foto ops. Slauter Xstroyes has been to Greece since their last show here in February and from what I could see in the videos I watched, they appeared to go over as well with that audience as I had expected. :) It was great to see The Chasm again, too. Last time was in 2003 at Rockhouse USA in Aurora!

Shout out this month goes to Eden's Fall Ray for coming out to the farewell show with me. Thanks, Ray!

Two Ton Anvil in-store

The self-titled debut CD from Two Ton Anvil was officially released in early March. On April 29 they were doing some promotion for it with an in-store CD signing event at Hot Topic in Woodfield Mall. The band was on hand to greet fans and sign some CDs, posters and other swag. I stopped by to pick up their new disc, get it signed, and take a few pics. Since I last saw them at Chicago City Limits in August they've acquired a new member, recorded their debut CD, and signed on with Dark Star Records. Things seem to be rapidly progressing in the TTA camp. I wish them lots of luck and continued success.

Divina natura

Good Friday was a warm and lovely day here in the neighborhood. The return of spring was a welcome relief after 4 long months of winter's cold embrace. To celebrate, I decided to take a little stroll through Atcher Park and capture some more of nature's beauty here at home. The daffodils were in bloom and the swans were making their rounds in the pond while the ducks were keeping their little webbed feet on dry land. I was hoping the swans would come ashore too, but they weren't having any of it.

February foto ops

Part II of this chapter continues with the February 5th Rebel Radio show at Metro. All of my foto output from there for the past five years has been made possible only via Rebel Radio-sponsored events, so hats off again to my buddy Scott for inviting me to come out, and for the latest Metro pass. The collection continues to expand! As always, it is a privilege and a pleasure to shoot bands in one of the best clubs in the city.

Slauter Xstroyes, Septer and Rival were in the lineup and on my agenda for foto ops.

The recently-reformed Slauter Xstroyes headlined. According to their bio they got the band back together to play some shows here and abroad, and possibly record some new material. The first part of that objective is off to a good start and there's more to come in the months ahead. They'll be heading to Greece this year. I have a feeling they're gonna go over well with the Euro crowds. There was at least one video cam set up by the soundboard, so check the usual digital haunts for the vids of them at Metro for a preview.

It would have been a shame to squander an opportunity to see Septer play at Metro. It's such a cool place for shows. They looked good on the big stage and they played it up very well too, for about 40 minutes. The only thing missing was a kickass backdrop. Well, that and more CDs for sale at the merch table. Running out is a good sign, though. Right?

Rival was another good reason to be there. The time that has elapsed since the New Year's Eve '06 jam-space bash doesn't seem like it's been that long. But it has! The years have gone by in a flash. I've missed some shows in the interim so I'm glad they're still bringing it. Hopefully more opportunities lie ahead in MMX.

And in closing, this month's shout out goes to Mark, owner of Metal Haven at 2003 W. Montrose in Chicago. Thanks for the quick catch-up chat at the show. Hang in there, dude!

Anno Domini MMX

MMIX is in the can. It's history, it's in the archives ... the 2009 blog archive that is. The archival system implemented last year will stand since I don't intend to migrate over to a blogging software system (yet). Go to the archive to revisit the '09 blog entries that were here before.

And so, as the wheel in the sky keeps on turning, the blog slate here has been cleared to make way for the coming notable events of MMX.

The next chapter begins with Scott Davidson's Birthday Jam. This year's (Jan. 16) party was at the Pyramid Club in Addison, the successor to Legends in that area. Blackfinger, Earthen Grave, Wrath, Septer, and Torg provided the evening's entertainment.

While both are worthy original bands on their own, Blackfinger and Earthen Grave on the same bill is usually a clue for local Trouble fans to rejoice in anticipation of guest appearances and special set lists. This year's jam provided just that. They mixed in old Trouble and Sabbath tunes amongst the originals in the set lists, much to the delight of those of us in the crowd who get off on that stuff. Bruce Franklin joined both bands onstage too, which was grand! They did not disappoint us.

Septer and Wrath didn't disappoint us either. (Regrets for missing Torg again though.) Septer needs more stage time. It seems like there should be more fotos of them but then each time I've seen them they've had the opening slot, which usually doesn't offer much playing time. There could have been a 2nd Wrath foto gallery going here too, had it not been for last year's delete mishap. Good thing this is just a hobby.

Check out the Cover Art page in the Scans scrapbook while you're here, too. The Trouble CD covers in the collection have more sigs added to them. (Thanks, Eric!) There's also a new scan of Earthen Grave's Dismal Times CD cover.

Also, a shout out to Neil Gregie, Chris Carlson and Norm Glomski for taking time to chat between sets. It was good to catch up with all of you guys. Thanks!

More … »

eyesoffyr.com Site Map