Ra Ra Riot & The Virgins

Just got back from a show @ Mohawk Place downtown. Ra Ra Riot and The Virgins were the bands I was mainly going to watch. $10 cover, $2 OV's and PBR, not too bad. Plus my expectations weren't all that high because neither has a full length album out, at least that I have heard. So here's my quick review.

It is kind of rare for good music to come through town. Maybe a band a month is worth watching and I guess tonight was the rule more than the exception. Neither band knocked my socks off. The "headliner" was Ra Ra Riot from Syracuse and the Virgins opened for them.

The V cards took the stage about 10:30, and weren't all that bad. Add some stage presence, and this young band could be worth watching again. They were a mix of cheap Arctic Monkeys and some Franz Ferdinand in there. They were a bit softer than both and again quite young. There performance was definitely better than the band they were opening for in Ra Ra Riot.

To my dismay, RRR had, gasp, women in the band, gasp gasp, playing wind instruments! If I knew there was an electric violent and a cello I would not have gone. They could have at least been in the back behind the drummer or something.. Then again women playing this non-rock instruments is better than men playing those said instruments. Plus the cellist was pretty hot.

I'll give them credit thought, the lead singer had energy, actually told the crowd the name of the band, and mentioned a few songs by title. Obviously those are something you need to do, something Virgins did not. Granted they had the title of their band on the drum kit while Ra Ra Riot did not. But I digress.

Overall the concert was a bit of a let down and now I "owe my friend a concert" aka I have to go watch some band he wants to go see when he has no one to go with. Ouch. One last thing, WTF is with tight painted on jeans?!1 I don't get this phenomenon. If you got a big package... I guess.. but lets leave the tight jeans to the women ok? They look better and you just look like a queero.

Bashar Issa blues

Oh shit. Now our golden goose, our knight in shining armor is having problems. International developer/baller Bashar Issa, according to this article is in real hot water and not only in Buffalo but England as well.

Here is the gist, a construction worker in England died on a site that Issa was building a hotel. Allegedly the site was not properly regulated and possible manslaughter charges could be brought against him. Issa blamed the incident on poor management and may be in some deep shit. To add to his problems, local union muscle is bringing up b.s. charges about safety conditions because not enough of Issa's workers aren't union members and are making pennies compared to them. Issa himself described the situation as simply “distractions instigated by Laborers Local 210” to force his company into agreeing to a contract."

All of this could add up to bad things not only for the currently under renovation Statler towers but also the proposed 40 story building Issa is proposing for downtown Buffalo. “We’ll have to revisit the numbers on construction on the tower, and if they don’t work, we won’t do the project,” Issa said. “We want to be in Buffalo and do these wonderful projects, but the investment has to make sense.”

This is pissing me off. Unions are pissing me off. Can anything get done in this city without lawsuits, unions bitching, extreme regulations, high taxes and other anti-development impetuses? It is the same old story every time.

Here is a supposedly honest guy who sees what many of us in this area see, a wonderful city worth investing in and he can't even do that! Now I can't speak for the incident in the UK but in reference to the Buffalo situation, it most definitely sounds like a bunch of bullshit. Who do these union ass holes think they are? Are they that dumb and not realize that if you keep running these deep pocketed investors out of the area because they don't hire enough union workers sooner than later there will be no investors and consequently no jobs?!?!

If the pie in the sky 40 story building doesn't get built I won't be shocked, buttt if the Statler renovation isn't completed because of bullshit regulations and union strong arming, shit is going down. I will absolutely snap, a call to arms will be sent out, and I will bring war to anyone that illegally or ignorantly gets in this mans way to spend money and bring back to life a once beautiful building.

Let Gaughan Speak

Alright, so Joel Giambra was a bust. He fizzled because of the media coverage, voter outrage, and yes of course because he was kind of a bumbling idiot, at least when it came to red and green budgets. However, he did have at least one good idea, one that shouldn't be buried with his political career. REGIONALISM.

Yes, it is kind of a scary word, especially around Erie County and even more so among town, village, city, and county counsel members. Whaaaa reduce the size of government, consolidate and allow fewer entities to produce the same result as over lapping toe-stepping duplicate agencies currently are doing? Save tax dollars, reduce redundancy, reduce redundance errr and bring Erie Country and all of Buffalo Niagara into the 21st century? Outrageous!

This rant is stemming from this news article, Local governments grudgingly hear Gaughan’s downsizing credo. Yes Kevin Gaughan, the new regionalist! He and his students created The Cost, a study on exactly how much it costs this area to continue its' ways of overlapping bloated government.

The results were alarming if not shocking and certainly eye opening. And, as per usual for this area, no one listened, or at least the vast majority did not listen. Thus, Gaughan decided to go door to door so to speak. Visiting as many town board meetings as possible trying to deliver the message of consolidation and attempt to peel away some of those layers of government. Well whadda ya know, our elected officials don't want to listen.

"Council members spent nearly 15 minutes at a work session last week trying to get Gaughan uninvited to tonight’s regular meeting, citing time constraints and the fact that Gaughan is not a town resident.

When Gaughan prepared to make his pitch before the Village Officials Association of Erie County last week, he recalled, “It was a little colder inside than it was outside.”

Given that the meeting was held in a Hamburg restaurant and no journalists happened to be present, some might have found it impressive that Gaughan was willing to speak before so many elected officials holding knives."

and..

"Two town boards — Cheektowaga and Amherst — have taken a more aggressive approach to dealing with the eager advocate. They reorganized their agendas and left Gaughan’s presentation for last, undercutting his ability to draw an audience."

Rough, they let him in the door, promise him time, and then basically snub him. Well yeah, who would want to listen to someone tell you your job should be not only replaced but eliminated, and that the position is actually a waste. However, they are "public servants" aren't they there to help us, to improve their town/city/village?

The least they could do is take 15 minutes from these "jam packed meetings" to let the guy speak. What is the harm in hearing what he has to say? What if it makes sense, what if it does save the town money? Then again you could be like this asshole Mark Manna who had this to say...

“He wants to be on TV,” Manna said, referring to Time Warner’s cable telecast of regular meetings, but not work sessions. “Let’s be honest here: Why should we indulge him in this? We’re here for Amherst taxpayers, not for free TV time for anybody.”

Give it up pal, resign. Save the residents of Amherst not only the sight of you and your arrogance, but maybe some money along the way. 439 elected officials?!! An economy and population nearly stagnant? Something has to give, and lord knows it can't be the tax payer for much longer.

Down state is bitching, and a shooting

Awww poor poor down state, ie New York City/Long Island. They have some blight and poor people as well. According to this Buffalo News article state congressmen are less than enthusiastic about King Elliot's "new 'fund'" to help rebuild the upstate economy. Well I have three letters for you all GFY. And in fact, Buffalo developer Carl "I hate tolls" Paladino agrees with my sentiment, “We’ve been poorly represented. Downstate has always controlled our destiny through the Assembly and weak governors — I don’t think they even know we exist in New York City,” said Paladino, lashing out at the Western New York delegation, the downstate-dominated Assembly and “limousine liberals” from Manhattan.“They have to start thinking that upstate is a part of this state,” Paladino said."

Couldn't agree more.. but what is with Paladino these days? He gets more run in the Buffalo News than Jerry Sullivan or Donn Esmonde for Pete's sake. He just had an editorial bitching about the Hyatt getting state money yesterday, and today he is closing out front page articles? Damn, he is ballin.

But I digress, so what the eff is downstate possibly have to bitch about? They have never been here, they have no idea how bad it is, and more than likely have no idea what Upstate or Western New York even is or how big it is.

Maybe we should just shut off the plant in Niagara Falls, and/or start charging 1000% more for the electricity that is made in our own backyard. Then maybe "down state" would realize just one of many benefits they receive from us and WNY "Appalachia". They have seemingly everything and we have nothing, the least those elist ass holes could do is throw us a god damn bone once and a while, shit son.


More great news to comment on, Shooting in Entertainment District.. WTF shooting near Chippewa? I was down there that night shit. This is another in a long line of violent events that have taken place in and around these Pearl St. bars within the past 12 months. Is it that hard to shut these places down? No one ever hears of shootings on Chippewa or Allen/Elmwood, why are these owners on Pearl getting a seemingly free pass. Then again this time Croce got pissed, so I assume something is going to be done about it once and for all.

And what the hell is with these pussies these days? Well, actually I don't know if its new to 2008, in fact it isn't, but what happen to just fighting people with your fists? At worst a small knife. You gotta feel big and use a gun? It seems like in all of these cases there is a lone gun man. Doesn't that tell you ya don't really need the gun? Put up your dukes and be a man douche bags.

First post, and boy am I pissed

Here is a letter I sent to "King" Elliot Spitzer after seeing that New York State tax payers are subsidizing $70 mil for the rich and powerful to get free valet parking for Yankees games.. Absolute bullshit.

I read with much outrage and contempt this news article from the NY Daily News Titled "Taxpayers will fund Yankees' VIP parking, NYC gets less money"

How can this possibly be the case that the State of New York and its' citizens are paying for the rich and powerful to park for free at New York Yankees games. Remind you that the New York Yankees are one of if not the most prosperous and successful sports organizations in all of sports. In fact, according to this news article in the Washington Post, , the Yankees are worth $1.2 billion. And we the beaten down tax payer are to subsidize valet parking for them? As a tax paying citizen of Western New York I found this to be an outrage and find my self at a loss for words. The state of New York has continually kept a blind eye towards Western New York and all of "upstate" New York for decades missing out on the collapse of infrastructure, the loss of thousands upon thousands of jobs with little recourse or action, and we now have to pay for the rich to attend Yanks games?

Disgusted,
my name here


Write to Spitzer here:
To Write To The Governor:
Eliot Spitzer
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

518-474-8390

or email him here >http://161.11.121.121/govemail