one last thing before I quit

Creed Bratton. You may know that name from a character in The Office (US version). Well, that's the name that the actor ges by as well. I do watch the show every week and I absolutely love it, but I can't say that I'm a big fan of his character. Maybe it's just because he's not very prominent in most episodes.

Anyway. That's not the point. Much like many of the actors in the show, I knew nothing about them before the show. Some had starring roles in other TV series, or maybe they mostly just have a stand-up background. Well Creed used to play bass in a band. The Grass Roots. Since 1966. He had a top 10 single. And a platinum album. Seriously, insane! I hope he's got some musical scenes in an episode sometime soon.

I listen to a ton of music spanning many genres, and something I rarely find to be mediocre, and either just awesome or crap, are covers, remixes and sample songs. Sample songs and 'artists' seem to be constantly growing for the last 10 years or so thanks to the internet and its fun time download freedoms. So, curious as to who's playing whos song? Check out Who Sampled? It looks fairly new and just getting going, as sample artists like Mike Relm and Hot Chip don't have much info yet, but some more seasoned bands like Van Halen and Foo Fighters have some more songs going for them. Yes, this site certainly isn't close to perfect as Wikipedia is or anything, but maybe quite possibly it can blossom into a nice little gem of a site. And if it doesn't, oh well.

I get to go on an official bon voyage this Saturday as me and my lovely are both experiencing our first Europe adventure as we'll be hitting up Paris for a week. Chances are you shall be seeing some of this trip as it unfolds.

Monopoly is a game I've certainly enjoyed. Sure, I haven't played it in many years but that's mostly due with the fact that it can potentially take three weeks to play a full game. Now why bring it up? Well, I don't mind the 731 spin off games that they've made, as I understand the niche demographic that they're made for. But their new 75th anniversary edition just seems strange. A circular board, no cash but a credit card. Weird.

Yes, I know what's going to happen. One of my friends will buy this and we'll end up playing. I'll get suckered into the new modern look and enjoy the lack of having to pay attention to counting bills. I shall get reeled in like many others, I'm sure. Crap.

Despite my unquestionable enjoyment for varieties of music, my actual musical capabilities are quite low. I spent my elementary years playing the traditional recorder, xylophone and wood blocks to a T, but that came to an abrupt end once middle school started. I did pick up a bass once though, in my college years. I learned about a dozen songs in two weeks and played a New Year's Eve at a frat house for, and with, a bunch of friends. That bass was never touched again. I've just accepted that I'll forever live my rock star dream vicariously through my best friend.

But maybe I can learn this. A company called Misa Digital has come up with this ... touch-pad guitar?! INSANE!



Here's the simplest description of it's possibilities that I've found: In electronic music, the timbre of the sound can be morphed in an infinite number of ways. For a guitar to do this, the strumming hand needs more control than just plucking strings. Apparently it allows you to control elements of the sound, such as sustain, pitch, filter cutoffs, contour or any other synthesizer parameter, in a way that has no physical constraints.

And yes, you can plug it right into your regular amp and fire away. I'm curious how long it'll be before Harmonix gets their hands on something like this for a new Rock Band experience.