AVAILABLE NOW AT http://www.weathermen.shopshogun.com

The Weathermen are Yak Ballz, Camu Tao (R.I.P), EL-P, Cage, Aesop Rock, Tame One, and Breezely Brewin

I heard about I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell by Tucker Max from a friend and usually when I’m home from the road I try to pick up something worth reading. This book strays from the choice novel I would otherwise get, however, I must say if you haven’t heard or read this yet and your into hearing stories about hilarious drunken debauchery, this might be of interest to you. It’s consists of random stories occurring from his high school days through college and law school (mostly law school) about his sexual and punch drunken experiences. It’s not for the faint and feminist hearted in the least but it’s laugh out loud funny. And I have laughed out loud many a time throughout his adventures. Mason even got his share of Tucker Max one morning and I smacked him with the book after he chewed and left it sopping in his doggie saliva. Afterwards was peeling the pages apart with vigor to read it. Funny thing is when I had the book in my hands, he’d be afraid to come near ever since he took a couple swift ones to the grill, but upon seeing it laying around he can’t help but sneak up and snatch it. We approve.

Looks like they are even making it a feature film.

LOOK AT THAT FACE!!!@#$@!%$@ AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

photo by Janeworld

I went to Nick Hook‘s a little while back in LES with Janeworld to wrap up some things on Gas Galaxy. Chauncey was staying at Daryl‘s closeby so we got up and kicked it. I’m thinking there are still some things I want to add to this project. I’m super amped on it but I can’t just let it out without me feeling like it’s a complete and well rounded body of work even for an E.P., and I think I want to do one more song, of which I will produce myself. So we will see what happens. Since I’ve been home from tour I’ve been making beats and getting a small studio wrig up and running. A new work in progress that will allow me to make and record music whenever the fuck I want, naked.

Nick Hook plays keys for Cubic Zirconia and is a great friend of mine.

I been slacking a little on the blog since I’ve been home from tour. My apologies. I did finally get to see District 9 and I’m glad I did. This movie, to me, was the most entertaining movie I’ve seen in the theater since Star Trek. The storyline is consists of aliens, or “Prawns” coming down from wherever and basically living on earth among humans, in a blocked off area in Johannesburg, for 20 years and treated as if they were subhuman. Of course they aren’t human but the way they were being treated could be compared to Nazi Germany. I saw the trailer a while back at my friend EL‘s and the actual UFO/Ship captivated me but once I saw the movie, there was much more to be captivated by. First of all I love that the aliens don’t look like stereotypical aliens in every single sci-fi movie. However, I really think the storyline in this movie was the best part and I couldn’t pick out holes that normally ruin these types of films for me. Shot like a documentary, but still played out like a cinematic picture with pretty good acting from people I really have never heard of, as well as amazing camera work and imagery. Surprisingly funny as well. This movie has so many underlying themes and messages if you can see past the gore, which didn’t bother me and seemed appropriate. The most important theme or message I thought shined through the most is, humanity, or lack thereof, but strangely depicted through a race of aliens. Terrorism, propaganda, and racism are all messages this movie addresses, which make it not just a good movie, but great in my eyes. Hard to believe it’s number 1 for this reason. Lastly I think the end of this movie took the cake for me. You aren’t left completely hanging, and it was just enough to make me walk out like, hmmmmm that was damn good. The ending I felt ended on a note a sci-fi flick would have in the 80′s. I think all unanswered “mystery” in newer movies is just an excuse for writers not knowing where else to take it without people thinking it’s going to suck. Put it to you this way, I’m buying District 9 on DVD when it comes out. 5/5

Gas Galaxy – Produced by Chapter7

Halogen Glow – Produced by House of Blow

Gas Galaxy live at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, CA on the DFM tour. Great show and crowd. Thanks SF! Peep Chauncey doing backups! This is the first new video from YakBallzTV featured on YakBallz.net. Click HERE to visit YakBallzTV on YouTube, the official channel for yours truly and SUBSCRIBE now.

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of DJXP4 at http://www.djxp4.com

I realize how much of a pain in the ass it is to download Gas Galaxy for free from Definitivejux.net so here is a zSHARE link for it…go get it and share it with a lover or a FRIEND.
http://www.zshare.net/audio/639454541694cb54/

Speaking of FRIENDS, my freng Timmy Wiggins captured this right outside before the SF show. This is the first I’m seeing or hearing of this happening and I love it. Priceless/Wasted Talent. Listen to what he’s saying. Truly amazing and it’s about “friends.”

ENJOY!

Pre-order your copy of DJXP4 as well as preview the tracks HERE

DJXP4 comes out September 1st on Definitive Jux Records.

It somehow worked out in my favor that I have two songs on this compilation. One of which is the title track to my forthcoming EP, Gas Galaxy, produced by Chapter 7. If you haven’t yet, you can download the song,Gas Galaxy, for free HERE. Just add it to your cart and continue following the directions to check out. If you came out to any of the shows on the DFM tour, you may have seen me play this song. The Gas Galaxy EP will be coming out on Def Jux some time in the near future. Possibly this year.

The other song I have on it is called Halogen Glow and it is produced by House of Blow (F. Sean Martin & Daryl Palumbo). I’m stoked on this song getting the chance to be released to the rest of the world. Here is a little video interview I did a few months back with Daryl and Chauncey about the song.

Really looking forward to the release of this record. Support art.

We stayed outside Boston somewhere. I woke up a little hung over. Cage woke up feeling sick. We jump in the rickety van and head out to Providence, RI. Meet in the lobby sans Sean but now we have Deefy, who jumped in the van in Boston, while Sean jumped out to ride with his girl for the remainder of the trip. Good thing because shit was getting really REL and we were seeing signs of the infamous Meltdown Martin in the last couple days. Timmy pulls over because he see’s a sign for a Picadilly’s Pub and Todd is like what the fuck is that? Timmy goes “Goot Fout Tot.” And we just kept saying that the whole time after. “Goot Fout Tot” We circle around to find it and when we do we do, it’s on because we are fucking starrvinggg. We all order. The food comes out and when Cage’s steak is placed in front of him, it’s covered in mushrooms actually looks gross, but everyone elses food looked good. He was furious and sent it back because the menu never said it came in a bowl of soupy mushrooms. It was actually funny but he didn’t find it funny in the least. Eat and dip. So we head to Rhode Island and get there a few hours before we had to and check in the hotel. While we are in the lobby waiting Chauncey and I are cracking jokes. Chauncey likes to make up fake names for places to eat like “Chachki’s, Rippers, Zippers, Flingers, Nate’s, and Jims Sandwhich Emporium.” One time we were starving and driving he told Todd to look for Jims Sandwhich Emporium and Todd actually started looking it up on his phone. The joke is so great and one of my favorite stupid jokes of his that I told him we should just start making up fake venues that we are playing at on the “Gas Galaxy Tour,” which is another joke we have because the Gas Galaxy tour obviously doesn’t exist, except in our minds, and who knows if it ever will? Nevertheless the joke is that we are on the Gas Galaxy tour at the same we are on the DFM tour. So we start coming up with fake venues and we agree that addition to playing Jerky’s tonight, we will also be playing Legends, Corner Pocket, The Furnace, and The Lilly Pad. We know that there has to be venues with these names or some of them, somewhere, but it doesn’t matter. We made them up. We’re all pretty relieved to be able to check into a hotel before the show because we’ve been running around like headless chickens for a while now and this may be one of the few times where we’ve actually made it with time to spare. We get to our rooms and I take a nap until Todd wakes me to get ready to go to the venue to check sound etc. We begin unloading and B. Dolan of Strange Famous Records comes strolling up and we kick it with him. He’s opening tonight and I know him from Paid Dues shows with Sage so it’s cool that someone I actually know is playing the show with us.

We soundcheck and I have a feeling it’s going to be a lowkey night compared to last night in Boston. After soundcheck, Chauncey and Deef hang around the venue and I take a ride with Todd to drop off Cage at the hotel. We drop him off and Todd and I hit this spot down the block from the venue called Roadhouse BBQ. It was really good. We head back to the venue and there is time to kill. Sean is hanging out with Jessica as well as Deef, Chauncey, and Andy from CT. I don’t mind if I do have a couple spritzers with Chauncey before the show. Just to kill time. I had a couple spritzers too many and now it’s showtime. Walk upstairs to a lot more people than I thought and I’m actually a little concerned because I got carried away. It was the last night of tour and we were celebrating. I get up there and basically go really hard because there are no more shows and I figure I might as well kill myself. It turned out to be a surprisingly great set. We were cracking jokes and laughing with the crowd. It is big enough for a show vibe and small enough to connect with the audience. There is a bittersweet feeling amongst us as it is the last show and it seemed like a fitting atmosphere for it to end. When I made it downstairs to the backroom, Cage had a cup of tea in his hand and was obviously under the weather. He said he threw up a few times before he got there. However, if you saw his set it wouldn’t be easy to tell. I was sick on this tour for a few shows and playing a show is one of the most difficult things to do under those conditions. When I’m sick, it is written all over my face. Cage came on and actually delivered maybe the most sincere set I’ve seen on this tour and I think most people felt the same about it. We greeted the fans for one last time and I had some Blue Moons to cap off the night. This tour was one of the most fun, self fulfilling, and challenging tours I’ve been on. It put all of our abilities to the test and I think everyone met the challenge and proved themselves. I learn a lot about others and myself on the road. LIFE TOUR. This one will go down in history as a great one. Congratulations to Cage for a successful kickoff tour and I want to thank all the fans for supporting and following us on our adventure through America. You make it all possible. Tomorrow will be spent traveling home. When I get there, I will be doing a lot of laundry.

Yours,

Yak Ballz CCWM

It took us forever to get to Boston. The traffic in Connecticut was horrible. I slept for most of the ride. What’s new? Tour has been great. Every person on this tour has their respective wild sides and it can get extremely crazy when they all come out at the same time, like on the verge of having an anxiety attack for a dude like me. I can always hear Sean yelling at the top of his lungs and Cage and Chauncey cackling behind me when I’m “SLEEP.” Todd plays backseat driver with Timmy, who’s ready to rip his head off. At this stage of the tour, all of this just means everything is normal. Never really a dull moment. When we get to Harpers Ferry in Allston, MA I’m reminded of the last time Chauncey and I played the Paper Dance Party here months back. We were late because of the traffic so there wasn’t much time to soundcheck. They start bringing the alcohol but I’m starving so I sneak out the backdoor, inconspicuously walk with my head down past the line wrapped around the corner, and get two slices of Pizza from the place next door, to go. As I walk back, Todd, who was standing waiting for me, thinks it’s funny to blow up my spot to some people on line and all of a sudden the whole line is chanting Yak Ballz while I’m waiting for Todd to open the door with a box of pizza in my hand. It is funny and equally embarrassing, but all in good fun of course. Todd is smiling from ear to ear. He gets a kick out of shit like that. He lets me in, along with my dude Frank “The Butcher” Rivera of Concepts clothing in Boston.

We kicked it backstage before showtime and swapped information on the type of camera we coincidentally both have. It was a really nerdy convo about lighting, settings, and shutter speed but if you’re into that kind of stuff it’s actually awesome. Before I go on, I hear the host of the show trying to be funny, at our expense. Cage looks at me in disbelief as he is listening to what this dude is saying. It got to the point where it was so bad and offensive that Cage went down there and physically roughed the dude up on stage, threw him down, etc. Not too long after that, and a little bit more liquor in us, Chauncey and I got on and pretty much destroyed any pre-conceived notions of anyone thinking they were coming to a regular rap show. We are not them. I actually was wasted and everything was in place for Cage to bring the house down. After he got off we all celebrated the successful, packed show, backstage. An epic night.

Went to a diner in Wilmington right by the hotel in Wilmington, PA. Surprisingly I don’t feel hung over. I’m definitely worn out even though I actually slept. Last night was insane and I don’t think I can repeat my behavior tonight. I ate eggs and french toast at the diner for breakfast. We discussed auto-tune at breakfast and how it was never meant to be used and abused the way it is now in mainstream music. There is actually a real reason why auto-tune exists other than to make you sound like a robot. Cher used it years before the fad. Auto-tune automatically brings your vocal in tune if the notes are flat. It sounds robotic when it’s bringing the vocal into the correct range. When used correctly, one would never even know it was even applied to a vocal. Since we are not far from Philly, we arrive to the venue early. As we were driving we were reciting Peedi Crack lines. CC loves Peedi. We pull up to the First Unitarian Church where we are playing tonight. I step out and walk down the black to a coffee shop called Caffeination, where I use the internet, and reflect on yesterday. On the road, days in my memory become like a roll of film that I would never fully remember if I don’t hold them up to the light. These blogs are me literally doing just that, for myself, as much as they might bring others enjoyment. This coffee shop is too hot and the employees here insist on making smalltalk with me, which is fine, but I don’t feel like carrying it on past the weather. Normally I don’t even like to get that far but it’s human nature to talk about nothing of importance with strangers most of the time if you are to ever exchange words. In this case they are asking me if I am on tour and I answer “Yes” and of course the next question is “what is your band name?” You can imagine this is usually where it gets awkward. All I want to do is relax, drink my iced green tea, and use the net.

I manage to dodge their inquiries, finish up, and walk back down the block to see everyone greeting our friends and CC brothers, Wesley Eishold (of XO Skeletons/Coldcave) and Max. We all decide to walk a few blocks to Goodburger and shred some eats. Get back to the venue and hang out until showtime. This venue is a fully functioning church. It is sweltering everywhere except for our backstage room, which is some just a huge room with nothing in it but a piano and chairs. It is not comfortable really. I have a conversation with Max about NYC in the late 90′s and different places that we used to go to that don’t exist anymore like Tramps and Wetlands. That was an era in NY that I came up in and was very much a part of so it’s always a pleasure to talk about it with someone else who I didn’t know at the time but witnessed and went to the same places I did. So it’s time to go on and Todd walks me down. Chauncey is already out there setting up. When I walk on, the humidity feels like I can cut through it with a knife. I’m actually a little taken back by how many people are in this basement of a church, transformed into a venue. I’ve played here twice before and have never seen it this crowded. It has never been this hot in here either. The walls are sweating and this crowd is fired up, yelling at me. It’s great. Chauncey is cracking jokes with me and the two of us are taking this set to the limit. Timmy came up and ripped his verse and then we all left the stage. The crowd is amped and loud by the time Cage goes on. So much so that I could hear the crowd cheer for him from upstairs when he walks out. Philly loves to party and the people here appreciate live music so much. It’s how it’s always been since I first started playing here and always look forward to playing this city. It’s not far from home. After Cage’s set we went down to the merch table to do our usual meet and greet. Head back up and hung out with our friends, Hate Your Guts, and Chauncey told them tour stories and we took group pictures like it was middle school.