Check out this Good Band!

Here is an article I wrote about a band I hold near and dear to my heart and i wanted to share it with you all...

The Moss Landing evening-fog ventured south-west into Castroville, shielding the Artichoke Capitol of the World from the afternoon sunrays. Thick, salty, moist fog strolled past an open two-car garage echoing an acoustic guitar, bass ridden, Congo drum, beat-boxin’, freestyle melody.

Far from being a conventional garage, the concrete floor, masked by a throw rug, was littered with cigarette butts and empty 40-ounce beer bottles. The walls served as creative outlets for colorful graffiti-art, poems and lyrical freestyles. In one corner of the Castroville garage was a chair for tattooing, while another served as a plant-growing area. Surfboards and damp wetsuits surrounded couches that acted as the epicenter for the happenings of the garage.

The beginnings of the Hallway Ballers happened anywhere with these kinds of impromptu gatherings of friends and family, perhaps after an evening surf session in Moss Landing, over ice-cold beer and some smoke. Even the band’s name was discovered on a rainy day at church. “We were over at Harbor Chapel after a night of jamming,” said bassist Nate Hydie, “and we went outside in the hallway and started kind of juggling and dancing with this child-sized basketball, passing it around in a circle like the Globe Trotters. Hallway Ballin.”

At this time, the band was a loosely formed group consisting of Hydie, Brothers Raphael and Dave Grijalva, and whatever friends they could find to fill in at the time. In 1999, a Big Sur party hosted their first show as the Hallway Ballers. Tuning their instruments before the show, the group of blue collar surfers was enthusiastically told by the crowd they sucked. “Back then we didn’t have a drummer,” said acoustic guitarist Raphael. Grijalva. “I was on Bass, Nate was on the turntables, my brother was on lead guitar and [a friend] filled in on Congos.”

The four of them played one song –for a half-an-hour– and walked off stage. After being told they suck and jamming for 30-minutes at this party, the vibe of the crowd just wasn’t there, said Hydie.

While the free arrangement of instruments and band members fit the spontaneous garage gatherings, backyard barbeques and parties of Hallway Ballers and friends, it didn’t lend itself to an evolution of the music.

Six-years after Big Sur, in 2005, the Ballers welcomed drummer Adam Huntress into their family. “Nate told us about this guy in Santa Cruz who played drums,” said lead singer/guitarist Dave, “and me and Raph said, ‘yeah, have him come jam, see if he fits.’”

The first time Huntress was able to escape Santa Cruz was to be the first show for the complete band. “Our first show was at Steinbeck,” Dave said, referring to Steinbeck Country Mortgage behind the bowling alley in Salinas, as he playfully backhanded Raphael in the chest. “That was the first time we had drums in the Hallway Ballers. It was cool to hear some drums in our music.”

The band’s variety of musical influences range from Jimi Hendrix, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus, Smashing Pumpkins, Dead Kennedys, Pennywise, Bob Marley and Bradley Nowell to Outkast, Lauren Hill, Flipsyde and TuPac. “Every one of us has a deep vain where we come from in music,” said Huntress, “and we just kind of roll with that. The experience of being in this band and each of our influences, combined with everyday life, shapes the way that influence is played out in our music.”

Along with musical influence, the Ballers allow their love of life to play a major role in the crafting of their tunes. Making sure to make light of life and have fun with it is their goal. “We’re serious, but really try to enjoy life,” said Hydie. “Our avenues for this happen to be skateboarding and surfing – we came up like that.”

The surf, skate, snowboarding, and fishing lifestyles of this laidback foursome inspire their mellow reggae, rock, hip-hop, funk sound. With Dave controlling the electric guitar, Raphael strumming the acoustic, Hydie wielding the bass and now Huntress carrying the beat on drums, the Ballers effectively draw upon their musical heroes as well as their lives to create a unique, hodgepodge musical style of their own. “It’s everything from when you grow up all in one,” said Dave, “roots music.”

Since that first Salinas show in 2005, the Hallway Ballers have rocked venues like Santa Cruz’s Vets’ Hall, High Times Cannabis Cup, Moe’s Alley and Monterey Live, while sharing the stage with big name bands like Rebelution, Natural Incense, The Mermen, The Expendables, and legendary Fishbone.

Over time, the band has succeeded in playing with noteworthy bands, traveling the state doing what they love and producing their first self-titled album. Such success, however, does not come without adversity. The biggest challenge for the Ballers thus far has been staying together. Spending three or four days with the same people can be trying for anyone. Add being cooped up in a vehicle with toxic farts, lingering body odor and the smell of dog shit from someone’s shoe. “You have to live in everyone else’s world,” said Raphael. “Everyone has their own opinion, not just with music, but with the way they live. When you go out living with them for three or four days, some people can be hard to get along with.”

In addition to quarrels on the road, Dave and Hydie struggle with being away from family. Both fathers of two, the musicians are forced to go on the road for days and leave loved ones behind. “My biggest struggle is being away from my wife and kids,” said Dave. “That’s the thing with the band, but I got a pretty supporting family.”

Hydie, who is forced to commute from San Francisco to meet with fellow Ballers, said being away from his sons is difficult. “I come home a few days later and I’ve seen a huge growth spurt –like ‘Wow, he’s grown in just two or three days.’”

Finding time for the four working-class Monterey Bay area natives to meet up to practice is near impossible. Earning a living and paying the bills conflicts with band practice. Because of the current economy, Hydie, a former real estate consultant, is working long hours in construction. Dave sometimes has to do side jobs to earn a little extra on top of his working with autistic children. Even when practice is scheduled, sometimes Raphael, who makes his living with graphic design, painting murals, selling paintings and tattooing, has to cancel because he has random tattoo appointments. “Working is an obstacle,” said Huntress. “If we were all rich we would buy a jam studio with a wave pool and a half pipe.”

Hydie living two-hours away and employment, hinder their practice time together. The Hallway Ballers still manage to turn heads. With their self-titled album for sale on iTunes, and CD Baby, they have attracted sponsorships from Fender and aerial clothing company AZHIAZIAM. “It is frustrating,” said Dave. “But we all know that no matter what we do, we’re all going to do music. Just when we think it’s over, something else comes up.”

Scheduled to play at the 2009 Mavericks Surf Contest in Half Moon Bay, the Ballers were on-call for the event. Unfortunately unworthy surf conditions prevented the contest from being held this year. The group will trudge-on and continue their grassroots effort of promoting their music. “We are just trying to make a living with our music,” said Dave. “But we’re trying to do something we love, so, it’s a different path. In the mean time we still have to work hard to make our dreams happen.”

If you’re lucky, you will run into one or all of the Hallway Ballers free stylin’, beat boxin’ or playing at a local party. Until then you can find them and their music at www.MySpace.com/HallwayBallers.

Ready for the summer to be here already!

The only final i have during finals weeks is this one. It is take home and we are allowed a few days to complete it. All my other classes require portfolios or final projects. In all actuality, I only have 1.5 weeks of school remaining for the 2008-09 school year.

One would think that news like that would drive me to study and get all of my work done. On the contrary, i am procrastinating worse than ever. i waited until 1:15 to start the second half of my cover essay for my portfolio that was due today. I did underestimate the time it would take me and I did do a little more work than was do but would have had to do it anyway because it would be due with the final portfolio. So I got done eating dinner around 8pm. I sat on the couch until 10:15. Then i sat in my room browsing the Internet, talking to friends i hadn't heard form in a while, and downloading music. By the time I actually started writing the essay, it was 1:15am. I didn't turn off my light and go to sleep until 5:30 am. Managing an amazing three hours of sleep, here I sit having just turned in the rough draft of my Otter Realm article.

I know I have already blogged about why I think I procrastinate. But if I know why, then why am i still doing it. It is okay to do it a little bit. I sat and watched TV for two hours after dinner. Ok fine, no big deal. Had i began my HW then, I could have been in bed by 2am and earned approximately seven hours of sleep.

Well here it is. This is my proclamation to stop procrastinating for the next 2 weeks. That isn't that long. i am sure I can manage some self discipline for just 2 weeks. Funny thing is as i write this i am already laughing inside because i know this little pledge to be studious is bullshit. I am procrastinating as i write this. i have a million other things i could be doing. I have to make a portfolio for Otter Realm Workshop, I have to Revise my Creative work for 339S, i need to make up work in my reporting class, I have a final project i haven't even started in reporting...and yet i am finding time to blog about what a bad time manager I am. Well i better get back to what is pressing, assignments that are due.....take care, good luck with finals and capstones you all and see you on Thursday......Peace be da journey...

USA PRIDE!

The pictures i took from some other website and make no claims to having taken them myself.

Iraq, what a horrible place to live. Extreme highs and lows in temperature, sand storms and shitty infrastructure. My brother has been there since February.

Its funny, with all the violence and terror occurring in that native land, i never really worry about any towel heads taking him out. I mean he's my older brother. Something like that cannot happen to me, to us, to this family. Its funny you just can't think like that. You have to assume nothing will happen, otherwise you worry all the time.

No Haji will put an end to his wife's happiness. She toils in loneliness every time he is deployed to defend this country. As a result when he IS home he spends most of his time with his wife. People don't seem to understand the sacrifices made by soldiers who give up their lives to protect this country. I would love to see the pussy totin' liberals I see walking around our campus who complain of recruiters taking advantage of poor minorities volunteer and sign up their life to protect what they take for granted every day.

My brother and his wife have been married for 7 years. You know how much of those 7-years the two of them have spent living together. Three. Three years they have spent together in a house living with one another. Otherwise my brother has been in Virginia, Pensacola, Fl, Meridian Mississippi. When he wasn't training within the united states, he was busy being deployed landing and talking off of air craft carriers all over the world.

Now he sits in a shit hole in Iraq. While i agree that the war in Iraq is bullshit, lets hope that since we are already there something good comes of it. And lets alienate people who put us there but not alienate the military. They are not evil. It is because of the military that we have this country today and it isn't in the hands of the United Kingdom. Our first president was the General of the Continental Army.

While you sit there and bad mouth our service men and call them gullible and stupid for signing up to serve this country, maybe you should get the fuck out!!!...I hear the Canadians are a bunch of pussies, go join them.

Crap

Sometimes it think my girlfriend is crazy. And then sometimes i think it is just me.

I'm sure you guys have been there. And i used to be looking for that one girl that wasn't nuts. I had sampled quite a variety and found that most of them had issues, were annoying, or were only good for one thing to me. Then, since I had participated in such experiments as to figure out what kinds of girl i wanted, I decided to stop being a whore and look for "The One."

Finally i found a girl who is cool. If she is the one or not remains to be seen. There are so many things about her I really like. she's a dork like me, she likes to do a lot of the same things as me, she's funny, has a great sense of humor, my family loves her, and she is smart. There are also a few things that really piss me off about her. She won't admit it but she always has to be in control, of everything.

Anyway, I guess I am just writing all this because I don't know what to do. I like her a lot. I was looking forward to spending the entire weekend with her, and we got in a fight last night. Of course when she gets mad at me its all my fault, but some how when i get mad at her, it is still all my fault, What the is that?

Anyway my conclusion is that there are no girls out there without issues. Also, i think us guys have our share as well. I guess it is just about finding the "the one" who compliments that craziness in a positive way...

Holy Moly

The weather here was fabulous this weekend and through Tuesday. I love it when the sun is out all day, not a cloud pollutes the bright blue sky and the warm breeze relaxes the most stressful situations like a sauna.

On Saturday I went dirt bike riding for the first time. Well not the very first time. Lets put it this way i had been on a dirt bike 3 times before and they were all at my friend Jarod's house. The first time I rode his Kawasaki 220cc 2-stroke and wheelied it twice in a row. I down shifted to first and released the clutch suddenly having never gotten off the throttle. Wheelie number one. It scared the shit out of me but I managed to bring the front wheel down to the dirt. As the front tire pounded to the grounded, the impact cause my throttle hand to twist down. The front end violently bucked up like a horse and my legs dangled off the foot pegs like super man flying in the sky. Again, somehow I managed to bring the front end down.

The other two times were on a Suzuki 250cc 4-stroke and i just putted around never getting out of 2nd gear or loosing traction. On Saturday, however, I ventured to Hollister Hills. not only did i have to worry about man handling the bike, i also had to worry about other traffic. My girlfriend grew up riding dirt bikes and has a 150. We picked up a 250 2 stroke from her parents for me to ride. She wanted me to start off on her little 150, so i did. after about an hour we were gonna switch and i would ride the 250. I have my motorcycle license and we figured i would pick it up rather quickly.

If you thought motorcycles and dirt bikes were the same, let me be the first to tell you, They are COMPLETELY different! You you have to constantly downshift, upshift, break gas, stand up, sit down. While all of this is going on you have to watch for other riders and maneuver the bike in muddy, sandy, and hard concrete-like terrain.

I think it was a wise choice but I stayed on the 150cc all day and we ended up having to leave because i slide out and punctured the radiator hose and bent the gear shifter so that it wouldn't shift up because it was hitting the engine. Until I do not have to think about what i am doing at every turn, clutch, shift, decelerate, front brake, back brake, turn, tire traction, accelerate, I will probably stay on that 150cc, as pussy as it looks. I would rather look like a pussy than break my neck. I will be on that bigger bike soon enough.

All in all it was a fun day at the trails and we capped the day off with a birthday party in Scotts Valley.

94-year-old Ft Ord Resident

This is Interesting


I am writing an article for the Otter Realm this week about the deconstruction of the old Barracks on Division Hill located second st and Divarty. Curious as to what the history of these five buildings were, i sought out an army historian. He told me about the rock wall around the building that was built by POW's from either Germany or Italy during WWII. 94-year-old Retired Army Major Lee Stickler informed me that the barracks were done being built in September 1940 or 41. He was shipped up to Ft. Ord in June of 1940. The first tow buildings built were the division hill barracks and the horse stables.

Stickler was a member of the 76th field artillery during world war two. This was Horse drawn artillery. The unit was later broken up to the 74th, 75th, and 76th Field/Mechanized artillery unit. It was very interesting to hear from someone that had been here since the begging of Fort Ord. Now everyone seems to be consumed with tearing down the old buildings. making a beautiful college campus. But what about the history of the old military base? What about our past? Shouldn't we remember what went on here?

Stickler said it was sad to see something from his past be demolished. At the same time, he he acknowledged the importance of education and admitted the importance of CSUMB.

All in all i found it very amazing to talk to a man that has been breathing for 94 years. A man who served his country and fought in Europe during World War II. One of the first group of soldiers to stay at ft Ord in the division hill barracks. So my perspective had changed. what i once say as eye sores on this campus, i now see as a part of our states and country's history that to some extent should be preserved and shown off for generations.

Schoolhouse Rock -Procrastination-ation

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Here I sit in the famed TANIMURA & ANTEL MEMORIAL FAMILY LIBRARY, laptop in front of me and an endless list of assignments on top of me. Instead of completing, finishing, or even starting this work, I choose to procrastinate, and no that is the similar to Masturbate. Getting out minds out of the gutter, Lets try to find the reasoning behind my procrastination.

I have always linked my procrastination to ADD, a disorder I doubt I have or have ever been diagnosed with. However, if I don't wanna get started in work its because I get distracted too easily. The solution to this problem was to go to a library and then I would be forced to complete my work or I would sit in a boring library. Nowadays, libraries aren't boring anymore. They have coffee houses, free internet access, tons of computers, and with the advent of WI-FI and laptops, I can find procrastination at the push of a button in the entire library.

So I can conclude that I do not have ADD and that my options for procrastinating are limitless, from the internet, to television, to eating food or sleeping, it surrounds my very existence. This rules out the solution of riding the world of appealing modes of procrastinating. The next angle I must look at this pedantic problem from is my self. If it isn't something outside, it must be something inside myself.

The reasons I have found for procrastinating that are legitimate are few. However they run deep. the first I choose to look at is the Fear of Failure. If I approach an assignment with %110 and do not receive an A or B then in my eyes I have FAILED. Therefore if I put this assignment off until the very last minute, I will be satisfied with a C because I didn't even try on it. It is a way to validate myself and know that if I fail or am rejected in sense that it is because I didn't give it an honest effort-just a last minute one.

Next is the fear of Success. Afraid to be successful because of the failure that might ensue, the added responsibility of reaching one's potential, and the expectations others and the self will put on you. This is a complicate one. I mean don't we all strive for success? I do, but not because I care so much. more so because that is what I am supposed to do right?

Finally we fucking procrastinate because we just don't want to do the god damn fucking assignment. It was a long day at work, on my feet for 10 hours or a tiring, long day on campus from 8am to 6pm and the article or short story due tomorrow is the farthest thing from my mind. What I want is to turn on the TV, lay on the couch and pass the fuck out!

Whatever the reasoning for my delay of the inevitable, it seems that no matter what I do, I still procrastinate. I have accepted it, which is bad, because I know that I am doing it, that I shouldn't, and that the end result is mediocre work, a runny nose from lack of sleep and added stress that is unnecessary.

Maybe one day when $ is on the line I will act more responsibly, but until then I will strive for excellence and see what happens...you know what they don't say, "You can teach an old dog new tricks."

This old dog has yet to open his bag of tricks...