kingsnake

Ah the critics....

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Message to President/CEO from REDACTED
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 09:31:00 -0500 (CDT)
From: REDACTED FOR USER SAFETY
To: jeffb@

     I'm a regular user of your website and I'm very disappointed to see a big SLAYER concert link on your homepage. What the heck does some acid rock band have to do with reptiles??? All this does is continue to draw a direct parallel between reptiles and acid rock,drug using,tattoed head to toe scumbags.
     Are you going to start having a separate category for crack pipes,drug scales and porn links next?
     This is a reptiles website,please help keep it that way.
     Thanks,
          

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You know I expected people to ding me on my web site for my musical tastes and I have no problem with that. I am a music critic after all. I also don't have a problem with people that think our music site is the wrong direction for our business to go. I think they are wrong, they think I am wrong, but we have far more users and advertisers that think I am right so we're gonna keep on going. Its a difference of opinion. I don't have a problem with that. If they are right my experiment will fail and the web site will implode in a public fireball. If I am right thenthe web site will see an increase in traffic, the hobby will increase it's  presence in the mainstream and all the businesses and hobbyists in the industry will benefit. It's a risk, but it's my risk to take.

When you start calling my friends "drug using, tattoed head to toe scumbags" that's where I am going to have to draw the line.

I know Kerry King, spent several hours with him yesterday, and he allowed me the privilege of photographing his show, going so far as to give me special photo pass, something coveted by music journalists and wannabe journalists worldwide. He may have tattoos, but he is no scumbag and I have never heard any mention of him using drugs, the hardest thing I have ever seen him ingest was a bag of almonds. Of all the musicians we have covered so far he is by far the most directly connected to the reptile industry. Being a commercial reptile breeder and having purchased animals from a good number of reptile dealers that advertise on our site, he has stated to me he is about to join those ranks himself as soon as his reptile site is ready. Kerry was one of the first people of note that I met when I started this site 9 years ago when we bumped into each other at an IRBA show in San Diego. Mr. King is probably one of the more upstanding members of the reptile community and one of the nicest guys you could ask to meet and I was appalled that this ill informed person would send me such a disparaging email.

This persons narrow minded attitude is unfortunate. Not all people that play rock & roll, listen to rock & roll, and have tattoos use drugs or are scumbags. And LOTS and LOTS of them own reptiles.

Rock & roll & reptiles were linked long before I got here and will be so long after I am gone and the reptile industry has never excluded people based on their color, religion, sexual orientation, proclivity for body art or musical taste. If you don't like the music references on our site, fine just don't click on them. If you don't want tattooed rock & roll lovers in the hobby, perhaps you should choose something a little more whitebread to do with your time like collecting tea cozies and going to Captain & Tenille concerts.

Me, I am going to kick back, put on a little Slayer, and get my first tattoo. At 43 this will be a little easier to break to the parents. I am thinking a shirtsleeve design with a couple of kingsnakes intertwined around the bicep. Anyone know  a good artist?

Pictures from last nights show at Emos

I have posted a few pics from last nights show at Emo's into the Other Concerts Photo Gallery. These pic's are of  local  Austin favorites  The Punkaroos and the Pink Swords. I will have photos of the 7 Shot Screamers and the Original Sinners ( w/Excene Cervenka of X) up shortly.

Upcoming shows

So many great roadshows coming to Austin. Wish I had someone to go see them with but few of my friends are local enough(or single enough) to go and I do not currently have a significant other, but I am just not going to miss out. I hate going to shows alone though, makes me feel like an idiot.

Here are some of the upcoming roadshows I am planning on seeing.

• Original Sinners with Exene Cervenka of X April 8 at Emos
• Neko Case April 18 at La Zona Rosa
• Hells Belles April 22 at Antones ( who knew there was an all-female AC/DC tribute band?)
• James Brown May 10th at Stubbs
• Beck June 19th at the Backyard
• Ministry w/the Revolting Cocks July 20th at La Zona Rosa

If your planning on going to any of these shows let me know, maybe we can hook up and I'll buy you a beer. If your a cute single woman between 25-45 look me up and I might buy you a ticket;)  Look for reviews of these shows on the super secret upcoming kingsnake.com music web site.

What Did I Get Out of SXSW 2006

Wow - what didn't I get out of SXSW 2006?

Some personal highlights to recap -

• Getting to have lunch with my sister and Owen Wilson
• Talking one on one for 5 minute with Craig Newmark of Craig's List
• Hearing Craig and Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia say that of all the controversial topics on their sites, including sex and politics, their biggest problems were with the feuding in the dog community
• Getting to ask Henry Rollins a question during his interview by Andy Langer

SXSW did a number of other things for me as well. It re-awakened the dormant punk rock teenager in me and re-introduced me back into Austin's music and clubs scene. It gave me a wellspring of contacts both local and worldwide in both the internet industry and the music industry. It has given me a burst of energy and excitement and has made me want to do new things and look at things in new ways about how people are using the internet in general, how they are using our communities, and how we can apply that knowledge every day in our business.

Some of the stuff we are doing right now that is directly related to our SXSW experience are...

• The building and launching of a serious music component to the kingsnake page
• The implementation of BLOG technology in our existing communities
• The re-introduction streaming audio interviews in podcasting compatible formats

I spent 9 days at SXSW, saw 20 panel discussions, 2 interviews, 40+ bands, and didn't even scratch the surface of the things to do, and I still came home exhausted every night. Next year I won't commute in
I will get a room and stay downtown. It has taken me until today to recover ;)

I would have to say the SXSW 2006 was one of the best experiences of my life.

More SXSW photos uploaded

I uploaded some more photos from SXSW yesterday including more pics from Linea 77, Girls in Hawaii, Clear Static, and San Andreas. I have more that I am trying to assemble, including pics of a band from the Lizard King showcase at Spiros that I can't identify. If anyone knows the name of the band that went on before
Clear Static please let me know.

Technorati Tags: SXSW, Linea 77, Clear Static

kingsnake.com launches music page

kingsnake.com has launched a music page that will introduce it's users to the latest and greatest in alternative music. The page is planned to have reviews, links to bands and streaming/downloadable music as well as a special photo gallery and special audio interviews, podcasts and chat events. Already several bands and artists have expressed have expressed an interest in participating, including Kerry King and Slayer, and Kevin McCurley and Crotalus. and Martin Heath of Lizard King records expressed an interest in participating as  well. The music page is currently located at http://kingsnake.com/music

kingsnake.com and its staff look forward to providing you with  some interesting music and a chance to meet your favorite alternative music artists.

We will be looking for a select number of volunteer music editors and reviewers who would like an opportunity to have their works published here, as well as looking for bands and record labels to work with.

Lyle Lovett, Rosanne Cash SXSW 2006 photos now uploaded

I just finished uploading the Lyle Lovett, Rosanne Cash, Rhet Miller and What Made Milwaukee Famous
photos to the SXSW 2006 photo gallery. I have a bunch more photos of other bands that need to be cleaned, sorted and identified so expect to see more pictures uploaded this week.

If YOU have any interesting SXSW related photos share em!

Technorati Tags: Lyle Lovett, Rosanne Cash, SXSW, 2006SXSW

Pretenders photos uploaded

I have just uploaded some photos from The Pretenders  SXSW show at the world famous Stubbs Barbeque
last night. I will have photos of other performers such as Lyle Lovett and Roseanne Cash up later tonight. They are in my SXSW 2006 Photo Gallery .

Technorati Tags: Lyle Lovett, Rosanne Cash, Pretenders, SXSW, 2006SXSW

Surprised to hear me say thrash...

One of my readers sent me an email saying "To see you even say the word Thrash surprised me".

Behind these glasses and nerdy demeanor I am really a long time hard core fan from way way way back.
Whether it's hard core punk, or metal I have been a fan since the wayback days of MDC, Black Flag, The Dead Kennedy's, I was slashing and burning with the best of them in my youth. Unfortunately the corporate path of suits and ties diverted me from the social scene but I have tried to keep up.

I have what some would consider very eclectic musical tastes. A sampling of what is in my CD Changer right now is probably a pretty good example. Currently I have Ministry's " Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed & the Way to Suck Eggs", Miles Davis "Birth of the Cool",  Seether's Karma and Effect , the String Tribute to Tool, Johnny Cash "At Folsom Prison" and a SXSW2006 mix MP3. Don't be surprised if I slide in a little Chemical Brothers or even N.W.A. from time to time.

At this point in my life I have probably seen a couple thousand touring shows, bar bands, and sound checks stretching back to my first concert experience in 1976, Genesis. About the only things I don't like are Accordion Music and Polka but even then the way Joe King Carrasco does it, its hard even to say that. I have the combat scars from when we would thrash and roll around on the floor, before they called them "mosh pits", and I have the prerequisite "I saw them when" stories like seeing U2 for 4 bucks at a club on the Boy tour, Hanging out with the Ramones backstage in 81 on the Road to Ruin tour.
Being in Austin has given me access to a lot of great music over the years.

So there is very little I don't like in the way of musical genres, there are certainly plenty of bands I don't like .

So many bands - so little time

I find myself wandering from showcase to showcase, stepping in for a few minutes to get the flavor of the band and then either staying or moving on. Last night I watch the sets of 10 or 12 different bands in a variety of styles from thrash and new wave to advante garde to acoustic. My favorite band from last night was Linea 77, an Italian thrash band with some road experience behind them. Maybe I liked them a bit too much beacuse when the lead singer jumped into the audience I narrowly missed being clobbered by his mike stand by mere inches. If it had drawn blood it wouldn't have been out of place. These guys reminded me of some of the early thrashers like Black Flag.