Walking Tightrope High Over Moral Ground

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:53:42 GMT

Fuck the bullshit.

It's not perfect. Of course it's not. There's a massive age gap and there's a lot of adjusting and settling-in going on.

But there are people who are drawn to negativity and drama and I do fear them poisoning her mind. People who know nothing of me or of what Grace and I's life together is really like.

I hope she's able to see through it all... I hope she can stay focused on all the good instead of the things that go wrong.

Her and I both fuck up, but it's for us to address as a couple and I really fear it being influenced by people who seem to think they may know all about Grace's life and who she is because they happen to read whatever she writes.

I wish things could be kept more private. I dislike that she reveals god-knows-what to people that she doesn't know. I find it troubling, really.

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:26:49 GMT

She calls me up. 2 in the morning. I didn't sleep well last night. Have been exhausted all day. But it's fine.

She wants to book her flight. But she's unsure about how to do it. Doesn't trust the website she's on. I try to look up some info on it, see what we're dealing with. She begins to insist that I just book it for her. I tell her that, no, I'll help her but she needs to be able to do this for herself. She's overwhelmed. Wants me to figure it out. I tell her it's just filling out the info. No matter. She asks why I hate her so much right now. No idea where that came from.

After checking out some of the other sites, I advise her to check STA. She can't get the flight search to load properly. I advise her to ring the 800 number. "Thanks for your help" she snaps.

What the fuck?

She outright refuses to call. She wants me to do it. I question why she is making this such a big deal. Apparently I'm insensitive and an asshole. I tell her I'm trying to help but that she doesn't want to listen to me. She wants me to do it. I tell her I won't and that she needs to speak to them about the discount. She says she just won't come then. I say fine.

Of course I'm then "being a dick".

Click. I hang up. Had enough of being called names. Had enough of being treated like some servant.

I'm not in this relationship to be treated this way.

I don't know what right she thinks she has to behave like that to me.

I've asked her time and again to not insult me, to not call me names, but to no avail. Is it that she doesn't care how hurtful that is? Or is that the point?

Either way, there's no excuse, at all. I deserve better than that. There was no reason she had to take anything out on me.

How Quickly Things Can Turn Around

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:01:26 GMT

It's been an amazing week. On Tuesday I was lucky enough to win the Ten Club lottery draw to get a pair of tickets for Pearl Jam's gig at Shepherds Bush on 11 August. These tickets are like golddust and again I totally lucked out. Tonight, Grace got an email from the British consulate notifying her that her visa has been issued!! She should have everything back tomorrow.

I'm so fucking happy and excited for all this. Grace and I have made a lot of progress the past few days and I feel so good about things right now... I feel a lot more secure in this relationship, I feel secure in knowing that she really does want this... I have been so overcome by fear the past month, it's so nice to feel free of that. It's just been a fantastic week. Grace could be here in a week's time!! I cannot put into words how happy this makes me. This is what we had hoped for from just about the start and now it's days away!! And we're in such a better place as a couple than we were just a few days ago... it's all just coming together wonderfully right now. The gig is on our 10 month anniversary and I cannot think of anything better... our first concert together is gonna be front row (I don't care how early I have to get there) at a small London Pearl Jam gig. She comes from a PJ loving family and she pretty much grew up on them. I feel like it's a dream coming true. I'm so so so happy.

Damn. It's been a hard road, but if this is the pay-off, it's been so very worth it. I've had some difficulties sleeping over the past month due to anxiety and such... I wonder if I'll be able to get to sleep tonight. If I can't manage too well, at least it'll be down to this overwhelming excitement that's in me right now.

So. Happy.

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:35:31 GMT

Her love means so much to me.

I wish she really knew how much.

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:59:45 GMT

It's sad that people only talk to you on the streets in London to either ask for money or a smoke.

Anger

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:39:05 GMT

I've been thinking a lot lately, about all kinds of things. Meanings of things, in a variety of ways.

One thing that I've come to realise is that anger isn't truly an emotion. I think the only time I ever truly feel angry these days is when either myself or someone I care about is attacked by someone else. Otherwise, anger is just a mask that disguises the true emotions beneath. It's a defense mechanism to somehow cope with feelings of sadness, disappointment, self doubt, rejection, anguish, etc. I think I spent a lot of time in my teens and early 20s using anger to cope with the things that upset me in life.

I'd like to think that I've more or less left that behind. I'd like to think that I'm more open to just allowing myself to feel those pained emotions without it transitining to anger. Now that's not to say I don't have my moments of frustration where anger momentarily flares up, but those moments don't last long.

Anger is so counter-productive. It doesn't deal with the true emotions at hand and it can only make matters worse, which is why I really have no interest in even being angry. It serves no purpose in the day-to-day life. I'm much more interested in coming to terms with the world in which I exist in and finding some peace in that, regardless of how that word makes me feel.

I am an emotional, complex person. There's a lot of things I may be, but angry isn't one of them. Not any longer.

The Ghost Frequency & So So Modern 16 January, 2008 ArtRocker Festival, Buffalo Bar

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:29:21 GMT

So So Modern

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All photos copyright©2008 Jeff Galasso

Why Camden Town Depresses Me

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:25:57 GMT

The heart of Camden Town, torn out

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Annnnd this sucks.

I've lived in the Camden Town area for over about three years now. I have loved it here, despite its numerous flaws. But this is hard. I first saw it like this at night but it really is no less depressing during a busy Saturday. I also discovered that the former Virgin Megastore (now Zavvi- how ridiculous) has closed up. Losing Fopp sucked but at least there was still a decent place left to pick up dvds and the odd cd- or to just kill time browsing. But now? Meh.

Proud Gallery is supposed to re-open in the Horse Hospital, which I have mixed feelings about. On one hand I miss Proud. I loved the atmosphere and it was where I was truly inspired to try my hand at concert photography. Still, it'd be quite sad to see the traders at there be displaced, as so many others have been due to the demolition of the stables.

*sigh*

The Enemy @ ULU 14 December 2007

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:23:06 GMT

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All photos copyright©2007 Jeff Galasso

The Verve 13 December London's O2 Arena

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:32:36 GMT

RA's setlist with authentic cannabis burn- Man Called Sun was dropped from the set

Twat

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All photos copyright©2007 Jeff Galasso

The Ghost Frequency @ Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:26:31 GMT

Support from This City

The Ghost Frequency

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All photos copyright©2007 Jeff Galasso

The Verve at the London Roundhouse 9 November 2007

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:30:33 GMT

The setlist for the gig ran:

The setlist ran:

A New Decade
This Is Music
Gravity Grave
Weeping Willow
Life's An Ocean
Sonnet
Sit and Wonder
Man Called Sun
Already There
Stormy Clouds w/reprise
Let the Damage Begin
On Your Own
Rolling People
Drugs Don't Work
BSS
--------
A Northern Soul
History
Lucky Man
Come On

An infinitely better gig than the night before, where things seemed quite off. There was tons of energy on stage from everyone and the focus on the older material was a welcome change to the usually Urban Hymns heavy set.

All photos copyright © 2007 Jeff Galasso
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmgphotos/

The Verve at the London Roundhouse 8 November 2007

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:14:44 GMT

All photos copyright © 2007 Jeff Galasso
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The Return of The Verve - Glasgow 2 & 3 November 2007

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:07:59 GMT

The Glasgow Academy

The setlist from the first Verve gig in eight years. The running order isn't exactly as planned, and Gravity Grave, History and Appalachian Springs were dropped due to time restrictions. Gravity Grave and History were played on Saturday night, however, as well as On Your Own and A New Decade. As an added bonus I was able to get Richard to give us some So Sister, though only the first verse and chorus.

Nick McCabe, the one missing element from my only other Verve experience back in 1998

A pretty awful photo of me with Nick McCabe before the show. He was a pleasure to chat with before the gigs on Friday and Saturday- and lots of interesting nugget of info were shared.

Night Two 3 November 2007

Look!! There's Simon back there!

Simon and I before Saturday night's gig.

The gig Friday night was incredible. There were some sloppy moments but that's to be expected when a band hasn't performed live together for nine years. It was great to see Simon and Nick so thrilled to be up there. Nick settled into 'the zone' after sporting a wide grin for the first couple songs while Si kept pumping the crowd up and singing along as he laid out some thick grooves. Ashcroft seemed a bit reserved and almost disinterested, but to me in was about the rest of the band anyway. There were some fairly obscure song choices and of course the big guns from Urban Hymns. I actually did get goose bumps when Space and Time kicked off, no joke. Weeping Willow was fantastic though somewhat abridged. We only got one new song, but it was a real gem taking them back to their roots. I was pleased that BSS only closed the first set and not the gig as I was hoping that they would go out on a harder note to end the night. Before launching into Lucky Man, Ashcroft asked the crowd what they wanted to hear. As I do (every solo gig and yes, even when I saw The Verve in 98) I called out for So Sister. Ashcroft repeated the song title to Simon and laughed. I was denied yet again. Actually, before the gig, after chatting with Nick for a bit behind the venue I called out to Richard to play So Sister since he owed me. This goes back to the last time I saw him solo and he admitted to not remembering how the song goes and promising that he would play it then next time in London. He didn't but I didn't even go to the following London gig to find out anyway.

Come On closed the show, though Ashcroft cleary struggled with the lyrics. It left me desiring a cleanly performed version, as the performance back in 98 was extremely rough without Nick to handle all the brilliant guitar work.

On Saturday night had a chance to meet and speak to Si briefly and Nick as well. I found it all terribly interesting and I have to admit that I would have never guess Nick to be such a nice guy. Si was really cool too, Ashcroft should take notes from them ;-)

The gig opened with This is Music again and was followed up by Space and Time. The next song surprised me as I definitely would have had Gravity Grave down for an encore song but they tore right into it, with Simon's incredible bassline rumbling through the Academy.

The set proceeded then in a similar fashion to the night previous, as the band again tried out Sit and Wonder. Whereas on Friday night, the song seemed to fizzle out just as it was beginning to hot up, on Saturday Nick and Si lit the Academy up, as Ashcroft ad libbed vocals making the live debut of the song seem like little more than a rough demo. The set progressed with A New Decade, On your Own, and History taking the places of Man Called Sun and All in the Mind, and A Northern Soul. The songs were performed beautifully and though they closed the first set again with BSS, they added new life to a frankly played out song by tagging on a funky jam outro.

The encore opened with History, after which I took the chance to file my usual request for So Sister. Shockingly, Richard steps to the microphone and begins to strum an up-tempo version of the song! He leaned in for the opening lines of the song eleciting a surprisingly large sing along from the fans on the floor. As he progressed to the chorus Simon looked over to Nick and shrugged, seemingly having no idea where this was going. Ashcroft finished the chorus and cut the song off, admitting that we know the song better than he does and that they'll have to learn that one. I'll be crossing my fingers for London- the O2 that is ;-)

After an adequate rendition of Lucky Man, the band wrapped up their two night stay in Glasgow with Come On. This time Richard nailed the verses and broke out the teardrop guitar for the closing jam. Nick and Simon brewed up a sonic hurricane to close out the song that reverberated throughout the Academy well after four left the stage, clearly a tighter unit musically than they were even 24 hours earlier.

All photos copyright © 2007 Jeff Galasso
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmgphotos/

Editors with Strings 24 October 2007

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:58:01 GMT

Tonight's setlist, Tom's pick and ticket stub

All photos copyright 2007 Jeff Galasso
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmgphotos/

The Ghost Frequency at the Barfly 12 October 2007

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 14:03:29 GMT

Doran, man of the people

Murphy...

Man in the people

Some post gig fan love

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All Photos copyright©2007 Jeff Galasso

Editors at Brixton Academy 10 October 2007 - A Fan's Perspective

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:47:33 GMT

Chris making a rare appearance in the lights

Chris' setlist for the night

It's strange to shoot with my Fuji compact again. Good results given the camera. If only I could use the Nikon as a fan. I've also added a few more photos to last night's set if anyone is interested.

All photos Copyright©2007 Jeff Galasso
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmgphotos/

Editors at Brixton Academy 9 October 2007 (Updated)

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 01:24:29 GMT

Tonight's setlist

A photo I was never meant to take. Whoops!

What a strange, interesting night. My first big concert experience as a photographer, which as I was there through the band also entitled me to all the VIP stuff as well. I also got a lucky break by getting in trouble for shooting from the balcony. Later at the after party, drummer Ed Lay crushed my hopes of ever hearing one of my favourite b-sides. He's still a good guy though and a great drummer.

All photos Copyright©2007 Jeff Galasso
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmgphotos/

State Radio at the Barfly

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:43:32 GMT

The Ghost Frequency 13 September at Industry Bar

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:21:11 GMT

Johnny Borrell of Razorlight 19 August 2007

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 23:59:45 GMT

Charlotte Hatherley/Jack Peñate 10 August 2007

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 14:33:04 GMT

Goldspot/Maccabees iTunes Festival at the ICA

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:42:04 GMT

I had my first go shooting in the photography pit Saturday night. I was in as a crew member of the supporting act Goldspot. the nice thing was that I was able to feel out the position during their soundcheck, a luxury I would not be afforded under normal circumstances.

The lighting was a pain though as there was very little front lighting, most of which was there being red, but check out the results if you'd like.

GOLDSPOT

Everyone loves the photographer!!

Working out the kinks

I don't even know how I did this

THE MACCABEES

All photos copyright©2007 Jeff Galasso

Also, I'm now using a flickr account to highlight my better shots and bands I shoot as opposed to concerts I attend. If you're interested check it out over at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmgphotos/

Editors Itunes Festival at the ICA

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:06:58 GMT

Managed to get into the small Editors gig at the ICA last night. It was a short but brilliant show as they tore through 12 songs, including a debut of a yet to be released b-side.The venue supposedly holds 350 people, but I don't see how they could have had more than 200 in that room last night.

Tom's setlist, pick and the ITunes tickety card thing

Tom detaching his jaw to belt out the debuted Banging Heads.

Thanks again to Keryy and Tizzy for playing important parts in getting me in last night. After the gig, I came across Chris, the guitarist, outside and had a chat with him. It was quite funny really, but I won't get into that.

All photos copyright©2007 Jeff Galasso

Pearl Jam in the Park- Nijmegen, Nederland

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:31:58 GMT

The last of my five shows, a special festivalish Pearl Jam show.

First up was Perry farrell's new project, Satellite Party. To my surprise they played a handful of Jane's Addiction material including the opener, Stop!, Been Caught Stealing and Mountain Song.

Next up were Kings of Leon, who were pretty good, if not a bit repetitive. Things picked up once they were joined by a special guest for their last song.

Following that was Incubus. It was decent stuff from them, enjoyable enough.

Then it was time for the fifth and final Pearl Jam show for me this tour.

A three week tour and three haircuts

Stone says: Holland's got some good shit, dude

He's come from the future to rock us

Damn, that's hot- the guitar, I mean

Not a great photo per se, but too funny to omit

No, I won't sell it to you

PJ's set ran:

Kings of Leon with Ed
Slow Night, So Long

Main Set
--------------
Release
Go
Hail, Hail
World Wide Suicide
Whipping
Do The Evolution
Given To Fly
Not For You
Wishlist
Even Flow
Insignificance
Unemployable
Jeremy
Nothingman
Better Man
Corduroy
Why Go
--------------------------------
Comatose
Daughter/W.M.A./Another Brick In The Wall, Part II/War
Leash
Rearviewmirror
--------------------------------
No More
Blood
Alive
Rockin´ In The Free World
Yellow Ledbetter

Setlist-wise, not a brilliant one, but it was a great time. I met some great people, got to know some great people better and just had a blast all-around. It was the best way to say goodbye, really. Well, Rats would have made it a bit better, but you can't have it all.