DAGO's week in review

I haven’t written on here in a minute so I thought I would get on to do a weekly recap of what’s GONE DOWN in the last little bit. My baby girl started Kindergarten the day after Labor Day! I am SO proud of this kid. She brings so much magic and inspiration to my life. I would be lost without her. She means so much to me and I feel like the luckiest person on EARTH to watch her grow. I shed a few tears after I dropped her off for her first day. Ok, so the Dolphins lost their first game of the season and I have to admit I was WAY depressed. They held steady through the first three quarters and fell apart in the fourth. Fans will most likely blame Saban for not throwing the replay red flag out their more aggressively on a questionable TD catch for Pitt or blame the refs for the “hands to the face call”, etc. This is a team game. You win and lose as a team. The defense was worn out in the forth, period. The secondary made Charlie Batch look like Peyton Manning and Dante made a couple of bad decisions airing the ball out downfield. Mistakes cost them the game and they beat themselves (PENALTIES!). Some positives: WES WELKER!, Dante’s leadership under center and Ronnie Brown making things happen with NO offensive run blocking. Also, Mularky has to get better (and quick) with the play calling. If I were in that position and not working as a starving artist I’d run Dante out of the shotgun or some play action on certain situations and McMicheal has to be more involved in the offense. On a separate note, when are they going to let some of these kids that win the MADDENBOWL coach competitive football? Some of these players can read blitz packages better than Al Micheals. I really am waiting for that day. My bday was over the weekend and the Rotten Musicians rocked the Urban Lounge. My mom brought a cake to the gig that said “Happy Birthday Hee-Man” on it. Let me give you the back story…she called me up and told me over the phone that this was written on the cake and I was like “Why He-Man? I didn’t even really like that cartoon as a kid” and she replied with “Well, isn’t that your stage name?” and I was like…”No, It’s MADMAN”. Pretty funny…and to whoever made the cake…He-Man is spelled like that and not like “HEE-MAN“. Don’t you know anything about pop-culture? I took the day off of work on Sunday and had a very wonderful and chill “Floater Holiday” as CR England likes to call it. The K-Dawg and myself went to the “Original Pancake” house for some crack-cakes then on a mini-hike and then to see Outkasts movie “IDLEWILD”. I really liked the films brazen approach and it has many flashes of brilliance. I appreciate artists who try to push the envelope with projects that they get involved with and aim high. I would give it 3.5 out of 5, very inventive. Last night, K and I went to The Depot to check out J-5 and X-Clan. We got there around 9:30 and X-Clan was finishing their set? What’s up with shows starting RIGHT at 9pm, LAME! Jurassic rocked for over an hour and I have to say even with no Cut Chemist these guys can still put it down. When hip hop is done good …it’s REALLY good. A very positive FORCE for people. The place was packed. Most of the peeps there treated the gig as more of a social event and less like a musical massacre. I think this is my fifth time seeing J-5 and I am NEVER disappointed. The Numbs office is up and running and all we need now is a table for the peavey mixer. I’m going to be heading down there tomorrow to try and finish up the work for the radio station 1320 KFAN.

Stay positive out there, one love! DAG. 

MIAMI DOLPHINS 2006 PREVIEW

"Sure, luck means a lot in Football. Not having a good quarterback is badluck."
-Don Shula

Excited is not the word but it is one that comes to mind. What about inspired, stimulated and maybe even..."high". That is how I'm feeling. The Miami Dolphins kick off their 2006-07 season this Thursday night against the super bowl champions, Pittsburgh Steelers. I found out yesterday that "BigBen" Roethlisberger had an emergency appendectomy so he will be out for the opening contest and that means Charlie Ward will get the start. Hines Ward is "questionable" for the game as well. This sucks! I wanted the Phins to beat them at full strength so there are no excuses on who will be reppin' the AFC this year. But, before I get ahead of myself...I want to break down the team and give my predictions of where this team should be in January. Daunte Culpepper was the key acquisition this summer. I haven't been this AMPED over a Dolphins QB since Marino. I mean, we have had SCRUBS the past several years: Lucas, Feeley, Greise, Rosenfells, Ferrotte, Fiedler, etc...OK, with Fiedler it was a no-win situation being the successor of Marino and he did play hard in every game he was involved with. However, watching Daunte in his limited action this preseason was refreshing. Daunte brings leadership and confidence to this team despite his knee injury. He is competitive and driven. It seems to "Daunte" he has a lot to prove to "Daunte" and that could mean VERY good things. His desire for winning is through the roof and that also means everyone's expectations for what can bea ccomplished this season will mirror that. For the Dolphins to get deep into the playoffs he MUST stay healthy. I say this year #8 gets...25-30 TD's,10-15 picks and 3,800 to 4,000 yards. His QB rating will be in the range of a 90-95%. Other QB notes: Joey Harrington was consistent through the preseason and should be a decent "Plan B" if something was to happen with C-Pep (knock on wood!). Cleo Lemon played well against St Louis but it was against a bunch of Arena Football League hopefuls. Still you cannot overlook the depth at this position. The best it has been in YEARS. For the last few seasons I have been hyping my man, Chris Chambers to ANYONE with an ear. If this guy were on the Colts, Eagles or the Patriots he would have been in the top three (if not NUMBER ONE!) receivers in the entire NFL. He is that good. Now finally he gets the chance to shine. He eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career last season and Gus Ferrotte was at the helm (WTF?). A healthy Culpepper with Chambers could be an explosive thing to watch. I say this year #84 gets...12-15 TD's and 1,300-1,500 yards. He will also make the Pro-Bowl (2nd year in a row). Other Receiver Notes: Wes Welker has stepped his game up and should see more action this year. McMicheal is a SOLID tight end and he should see 5-10 TD's and 800-1,000 yards this season. He represents a major presence over the middle of the field. Booker has been underused since he arrived in Miami and Rookie Derek Hagan has impressed the naysayers by excelling in the preseason. Culpepper will make all of these players better and vice versa. Think "Stockton and Malone"...different sport but you get the idea.

Some people (even Phinactics) think picking Ronnie Brown over the "Cadillac" was a bad move. They should look at this game of football like a marathon versus a sprint. Ronnie almost had a thousand yard season with an offensive line that could not even open a can O' beans! Let's hope the O-Line gets to where it should be. The addition of Kendyl Jacox is a welcome one and Vernon Carey seems to be getting better year-by-year. I say #23 gets...8-10 TD's and rolls for 1,200 on the ground. Other Rushing Notes: It looks like Lee Suggs is now in the aqua and orange (if he passes the physical, cough cough). When this guy is healthy he is a workhorse. This should take the pressure off of Travis Minor since Sammie Morris is out for four games due to the infamous "Sudafed Incident"!

Defense has never been the problem. Actually, this side of the ball kept Miami in most of the games the last several years. The current roster of players seem to be picking up on Saban's 3-4 defensive schemes even though it has not been fully implemented. Thomas and Taylor are still dominant at their positions (getting better with age?). Crowder is evolving into a strong WLB and "Big Daddy" Wilkingson's first year here in Miami looks optimistic. Let's face it...the soft spot is the secondary. Poole and Howard...gone. Madison outty 5000 to the Giants. What's left? A bouillabaisse of "average" talent and receiver coverage. The first round pick Jason Allen does not seem ready for this next level as he got burned no less then a handful of times in the preseason. With that being said, Opening day lineup should look like this: Will Allen and Travis Daniels at the corners, Jason Allen at free safety and Tillman at strong safety. Will they be able to play consistent and get it done? I just hope these new starters play hard week in and week out.

Are the expectations for a Super Bowl with the Dolphins in Miami (where itis being played this year) too much, too soon? There is something to be said about Saban and the discipline he has instilled in this organization that suggests his team will play hard every week, and will win more than it loses for that reason. I say this team in January (with a healthy #8) will be...11-5 (loses from New England, Jacksonville, Kansas City, The Jets & Indianapolis). They will get to the AFC Title game and the dream stops there...baby steps, you know.

...FORGETABOUT it...MIAMI goes to the SUPERBOWL and WINS!!! I take a week off from work... head to Florida...bask in rum drinks and south beach and celebrate with my cousin, Rob and Marcus Vick (who will BE called up from the practice squad this year). Rob molded me since I was a wee boy into the FAN I am today.

That's a MUCH better ending, let's go with that.

PEACE-DAG!

I Miss...

You...KDAWG! 

NUMBS MASSIVE AUDIO

The project studio is up 60% complete. We still need same cables and misc. items and I’m going to try and lock these down in the next couple of days (c’mon Craigslist, don’t let me down!). Rick and Roo did a HELLUVA job on the sound booth. We should be able to record vocals starting September 6th or so. We need to bang out some heat as we have to finish up A LOT in the next month or two. Peace-DAG! 

I'd buy this guy a beer...

Today Rocky Anderson called Bush the "Worst president in history". That's a pretty fair assessment. I saw on the local news that there were about 5,000 protestors walking around in downtown SLC. That's a good thing. I am so sick of theses damn "Suburbanite White Male Middle Age Right Wing Yuppies" that have been wandering around the Gateway the last couple of days. They can tuck their ASSES back into their cul-de-sacs and keep living in thier dream worlds. Yeah, I'd but this guy a beer if I ran into him. 

Hate & Love

Some reasons on “Why I Do Music“…

I think The Roots “Game Theory” comes out today and I’m planning on heading out to get it. The Roots are one of my all time favorite groups. Black Thought is such an underrated emcee. I love what this group does and what it stands for. It got me thinking…”Why do I do Music?”. Is it because I can? Or because I want to? Is it that I am “radical “or a radical? Music moves me in so many ways. It is something to change your life around for. I want more important themes and ideas to reflect through the music I make and am involved in. You know…love, raising my daughter, the higher purpose, duality in all things, my faults and my insecurities, friends and family, my contradictions, my character, who I am, etc. Planet Rock is not just a place it is a state of mind. What were Bambaataa, Kool Herc and others thinking when they invented hip hop? What we’re they trying to get to? Or get away from? The spirit is still there. A medium for good as well as evil. Greatness as well as garbage, for or against it’s original intent. For or against the spirit. Hate and love. It is all of this and more. I would be lost without it.

Peace-DAG! 

Saturday Morning Cartoons

It was so much easier when I was a just a kid. I looked forward to Saturday Morning Cartoons. When did life get so complicated? Everything is nothing by itself. When did I become so cynical? Why do I have trust issues? Why doesn''t my brain work the way it should? No detail is anything by itself- DAG!

A planet short of a solar system...

Scientists have decided that Pluto is no longer a planet. It looks like I can save a few minutes now when I explain the solar system to Elektra. My question is...when does Sam Cassell (who calls Pluto home in the offseason) get to hear this news? When it's reaches there in like 4,000 light years? or at the start of training camp? DAG! 

The Nitty Gritty

I thought I would write a “cliff notes” version of what the Dago’s life has been like the last week or so. I have been working to hard at my job. The reason I say this is that I could be replaced in a blink and to the system it wouldn’t matter. My hard work, my progress at my job…it really doesn’t matter. Just another cog in the machine and brick in the wall. I have been there almost five years now and I think the sooner I come to terms with this the happier I will be. I was lucky enough to FINALLY get my hands on an Xbox 360. It was a cost efficient move for me so I HAD to pull the trigger on it. I went out and got “Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion”. So far it’s a RPG dream. I also threw down and bought Madden for the PSP. Culpepper in Aqua is some kind of site. The Numbs office is coming along however the building electrician had to replace all of the wall outlets in our room. Rick plugged his MAC in without a surge protector and it fried his power source so yeah now we are like a week or so behind. We have been ordering and buying some equipment for the pseudo studio. A lot of what we have gotten has been purchased off of Craigslist. It’s going to be a NICE set-up as soon as we are up and running. We are meeting with KFAN 1320 tomorrow about the use of NUMBS music and/or special instrumental “bumper” music being made for one of their local shows. As far as my projects go, the lyrics are coming but not as fast as I would like them to be. I’m reading again (and not just comic books). I’m on a big UPSKI kick as of late. Like I need anything else to add to my Nihilistic point of view. I picked up Outkast's new LP...“IDLEWILD”. I dig it. I have strayed away for the PODcasts of late and I blame my Sirius radio for this. BACKSPIN is audio heaven. A little too much Kurtis Blow but yeah I can manage. I have been feeling well even though it’s TO DAMN HOT in Utah for the end of August. Here is a picture of the Devil breaking my glass jaw. Be good y’all!- DAG! 

Just like 1978. The Boston Massacre revisited!

That's right CHOWDS! the five game sweep is complete. The Evil Empire wins out again. Maybe Theo Epstein should have pulled the trigger on a deal to make your team better before the All-Star break. You did nothing and now you will all suffer the consequences. I know that NY has not won a championship this century but I think all that is going to come to an end this October. Enjoy the ride since I'm sure you won't see another championship for over fifty years while the Yankee faithful will be on number 27 by the end of the 2006. How you like them Apples? Dag! 

Whatcha Want...

I heard this on my Sirius on the "BACKSPIN" channel. I forgot about this guy for a minute but damn there is something about this song that I LOVE. FRESHness...

Ava Janette Murphy

Everyone meet Ava Janette Murphy (I hope I spelled it right). I went to visit Shanty & Jana last night over at LDS hospital and was able to grab some snaps of the little kiddo. We followed Shawn and Ava down to the nursery where they took all of her vitals. When Elektra and I were standing outside the door Elektra noticed a food cart and she said the following..."Looking at the babies doesn't make me hungry but looking at that cart does". After we were done visiting we hit the cafeteria for ice cream and banana cream pie...MMMmmm. 

PROUD DADDY DAYS

I've had Elektra over at my place since Tuesday morning and she has been nothing short of WONDERFUL! This kid is an angel walking the Earth. What a blessing...DAG! 

Office Space

It's official. Numbs & Earthburn records now have a home and it is Suite 8. If you take the eight and lay it on it's side it resembles an "infinity" sign. There is a possible CLUE there so pay attention. We signed the lease today. We are going to start moving all the gear in tomorrow and pay the first six months rent with CASH MONEY. It is going to be GREAT to finally have a solid home base and hopefully we can bang out a LOT of music in the next little bit. We have all come a LONG way since the days of rappin' at The Palace and I am SO greatful that I have life long friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin. This is so much more than just a "band". These guys are my brothers. I'll take some pics of the moving fiasco tomorrow, it's going to be GREAT! Peace-DAG! 

Tomato Eyes

That's right. I see better with two RIPE tomato's as my ocular devices. What a LONG week it has been. Work is steadily driving me CRAZY and it seems that every Monday I end up as the punching bag for many departments. But today on the other hand marks a VERY special day for NUMBS and Earthburn Records. We now have an office space that we are turning into our recording studio (see pic and explanation above). It is official and we have signed the lease. Also (bigger news)...DJ SHANTY is now a proud father as BABY JANTY? SHANNA? was born this afternoon. Both baby (it's a girl) and mom and dad are doing very well! I will drop by the hospital tomorrow and hopefully I can get some snapshots of the kiddo to put on here. CONGRATS to the Murphy's and Partida's! On top of all this, I'm playing Mr Mom tonight and my nephew, neice and daughter are all still up and playing "store". They are selling toys and food to each other. It's aprox 11pm here in UTAH. Why won't they sleep? Why? Peace-DAG! 

I still love H.E.R.

This song gave me chills the first time I heard it. Straight classic! What ever happened to No I.D & Dug Infinite..."Skys The Limit" was FRESH!

Ever Dance With The Devil...

...In the pale moonlite? Well, I finally felt a little closure with the whole NUMBS/GUAPO fiasco the other night. Rooster and myself went over to LUNA Studios because we heard that Franklin Gerald the 3rd was in town. He is harder to photograph then the YETTIE! We had a nice sitdown about what has gone on the past three to four years and it felt productive. I had a weird flashback sitting in the old studio. Everyone in the same spots, the same mannerisms and the same sarcastic jokes. We will see if they deliver what they said they would on their end and then we can close the chapter. At this point does it matter what they did or didn't do? Does that erase the last several years of let downs, false promises and label disfunction? or is it better to take the knowledge and lessons and move forward? I don't know but damn I would have been happy if we could have launched that "SOME BITCH" out a window! Pictured from L to R- Andrew Mishmash & Gerry. Peace- DAG!

I AM ALIVE!

Hey there my good BLOGGER peeps. I'm sorry I haven't written anything for a bit on here I have just had a REALLY crazy week with "My Life, My Life, My Life...". Besides work being the usual cluster that it is my personal biz has been getting all up in my ASS! 99 problems and so on and so forth. I won't bore you with the details but in this past week I have: laughed, cried, bled, drank, told the truth, lied, bought stuff I didn’t need, under-slept, wondered where I am headed with my life, prayed, read, wrote, watched TV, saw a couple of movies about town, listened to music, did not eat any meat, made people mad and upset at me and exercised. I’m sure there is more to it BUT that’s all I can think of right now. There are some positive things going on…we are like 4-5 songs away from finishing the NUMBS LP. It WILL be out in October 2006. We have a name for it BUT we are keeping it under “raps” for right now. Also, NUMBS might be doing music for an AM Sports radio station here in UTAH (more on this later). Fischer gave me some tracks for my SOLO jawn (exciting!), Shanty and Jana should be parents by the next post (VERY exciting) and Elektra continues to amaze me EVERYDAY with her imagination. Anyways, Roo & I are off to shake down Franklin Gerald the 3rd for some NUMBS CD’s. If you hear about a guy being thrown threw a glass window don’t rat us out. Peace- DAG! 

G.I. Jjjjjooooooeeeeee!!!

That little girl CREEPS me out!

Pre-Season in less then two weeks!

I'm REALLY getting excited for the 2006 NFL season and the best team EVER! the MIAMI DOLPHINS. The first pre-season game countdown is on (11 days) and I'm GEEKED over the news from www.finheaven.com. I'll be posing my predictions on the Dolphins' season soon BUT in the meantime...check this out... http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=2258127 Nick Saban is the MAN! Best line..."I feel like my first responsibility is our team". I can only hope the players are as dedicated as he is. 

Don't Touch!

One of the best MELTDOWNS ever!

New Releases!

Jurassic 5 “Feedback” (3 out of 5)

I have to start off by saying…I LOVE J-5! I admit a couple of months ago when I heard the lead single “Work It Out” and found out that Cut Chemist left the group I was a bit nervous. Actually, I was thinking BLACK EYED PEAS all over again. I went ahead and tested the waters today and picked up “Feedback”. While this LP isn’t a complete let down it really doesn’t make me jump off the ground with my arms in the air looking like Grover. I don’t know what it is and I can’t put my finger on it but this is my LEAST favorite J-5 outing. Maybe it will grow on me over time. It’s not that the rhymes, subject matter, style, etc is out of wack it’s something else, elusive. So far the goodies on here are: “Back 4 U“, “Radio” (Dope throwback song!) and “Red Hot“. The rest seems like a mish mash of tunes that don’t really hit me like “What’s Golden” or “Jayou” did back in the day. I’ll give it more time to sink in.

Pharrell “In My Mind” (3 and a half out of 5)

This is Skateboard P’s debut solo outing and I would have to say it is a VERY solid one. These tracks have range and are all OVER the place from 80’s sounding New Wave pop to early MJ songs to straight up gut busting hip hop anthems. You have to respect a dude that can produce and write an ENTIRE project. That takes skill. A lot of the subject matter on here relates to feelings, relationships, chicks, hot chicks and the ladies. Some of my early favorites are: “Raspy Shit“, “Young Girl/I Really Like You“ & the single “Number One”. The CD is VERY long and maybe it’s my ADD kicking in but he could have left about 4-5 songs on the cutting floor and I would have probably given this a 4 or 4.5. He’s doing his thing and doing it well. Me likey.

Peace-DAG! 

Is It The Hottest Day Of The Summer?

There is enough hate in the world to go around. I will be posting a couple of music reviews later today.

TRU

Well, I just got in from laying down a couple of verses and some chorus work on NUMBS songs. I'd say it was a fairly productive night. But now I have to try to sleep for what...5 hours? Then I get to wake up...work for 12 hours, come home, change and head to Ogden for a ROTTEN MUSICIANS show @ Brewskis. Someone please call the WHAMbulance for me. Peace- DAG! (side note: I ran into Dave Payne today outside of Black Cat's Comics. he spit a BAD RAP for me and it went like this...My Penis is Illin/I need some Penicillin/Or my dick will be mispellin') 

DROP!

Why can't all RAP videos be this good...Enjoy!

Goodbye

"The hardest part of loving someone is knowing when to let go, and knowing when to say goodbye"- Unknown 

CRAZEY BUZEE

This pic is from the Rotten Musicians show this past Friday. Look how "IVORY" my arm is. The RMR (Rocky Mountain Revue) started this past weekend. The Utah Jazz have played two games and they are one and one. I am SOLD on Paul Milsap and I think he should play behind Boozer at the 4 spot. The guy is incredibly active and has a knack for finding the ball (a big guy who can hit his free throws, what?). D-Will is a man among boys out there. If he keeps playing with confidence and leadership like he has been and the "Williams vs Paul" debate will soon be over. What about Ronnie Brewer?...this guy is cat-quick and a slasher. His game kind of reminds me of Corey Magette (LA Clips) but it is obviously not as polished. I REALLY like what i've seen of him so far (ATHLETIC!). Dee Brown could be a sparkplug off of the bench (think Bobby Jackson) through the season...I think he will make the team as well. I hope to get out to a few of these games this week over at SLCC and politic with the ballers! On a different note, "Pirates 2" made $258 million over the last 10 days. that's alot of Booty! Johnny Depp knows how to make those panties (BLANK). Fill it in...Peace-DAG! 

The INFAMOUS Dojo Fight

This clip deserves multiple viewings to get the full effect. Pinky should have NEVER went against B.B.J! Check out the ultimate BURN when Jones is delivering a kung fu smackdown on one of the goons and he is wearing the thugs HAT, CLASSIC! this has some language in it so if that offends you, EARMUFFS! Peace-DAG!

Three fingers pointing back at me...

What's up BLOGSphere? Put on those Mickey Mouse ears and feel better about yourself. Things seem to be on the up and up. We had a good Rotten Musicians practice last night for the SLUG Localized gig on Friday. I picked up some new cords and a new MIC at Guitar Center yesterday. I need to try and get down to Provo this week for a little LYRICAL KUNG FU. I like posting the videos on here from the YOU TUBE. Expect MORE to come. Speaking of...If you have never seen "Black Belt Jones" it is a MUST...so get on it. "Dolemite" rules as well! My guilty little pleasure lately is posting on the "Rants And Raves" section of the Salt Lake City Craigslist. My monikor on there is "BABA GANOOSH" check more of that here... http://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/rnr/ Peace- DAG! 

Black Belt Jones

This is the intro from one the the BEST American films ever made. Later this week I'll post the "Dojo Fight Scene". I got to get this on DVD.

We were a bunch of "PALLIES"

New Story Arc

It feels good to wipe the slate clean and start over. Everyone needs a RETRO GIRL to step in with her powers and set things straight. This is a metaphor of course but you get the idea. Oh yeah, Roo called me last night to tell me the NUMBS show was on Comcast again, I got the VM this morning...DAMN! Peace-Dag! 

Crazy Girl

Look at this CRAZY picture of Elektra on July 4th. She looks sooo intense. Spooky- Dag! 

Nothing Is Static, Everything Is Falling Apart

Nihilism: An extreme form of skepticism that denies all existence. A doctrine holding that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. A rejection of all distinctions in moral or religious value and a willingness to repudiate all previous theories of morality or religious belief. The belief that destruction of existing political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement.

SO, AM I A NIHILIST? or just a LIVING DYSFUNCTION? There is no POWER or MAGIC that can take me back to where I was once (If I was ever there)...Things were so MUCH easier when I actually FELT something. Hope is more pain then pleasure. But then again I can't feel it...DAG! 

Happy 4th of July, Enjoy The Fireworks!