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Happy New Year! OK, I’ll admit I threw this one together under duress – My production system’s drive bit the big one on Monday, and it took until Friday morning to get the new one in and the backups restored.[1] So I picked several of my favorites from the past shows, mixed ‘em up, and have them here for your listening pleasure.

By the way, there are a couple of songs in here that make references to 2012, but not directly. I’m guessing you can pick them out.

Title – Artist – Album
The End of Days – Abney Park – The End of Days
Battle Ready – Otep – Sevas Tra
More Human Than Human [Explicit] – White Zombie – Past, Present & Future [Explicit]
Where’s Your Head At – Basement Jaxx – Rooty
I’m Afraid Of Americans (Nine Inch nails V1 MIx) (NIN V.1 Mix) – David Bowie – Earthling
Battle Flag (feat. Pigeonhed) – Lo-Fidelity Allstars – How to Operate With a Blown Mind
The Gun Song – Ayria – The Gun Song-EP
Surgery (No Anesthesia Remix) – Spider Lilies – Eyes of the Storm[2]
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover) – The Cure – Live[3]
Vittoria – The Razor Skyline – The Convergence CD[4]
Sisyphus – J. Grant[5]
Something Good ’08 – Utah Saints – Running Trax 2011
The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning – Smashing Pumpkins – Rarities and B-Sides
Bela Lugosi’s Dead – The Electric Hellfire Club – The Passion of Covers – a Tribute to Bauhaus
Hell Broke Luce – Tom Waits – Bad As Me

[1] You *DO* make regular backups of your machines, right? I’ve had three drives fail in the last six years, and VMWare eat my home directory at least once. In every case, Time Machine saved my ass. Make regular backups. Go do one now. I’ll wait.
[2] I have mode no secret of my love of this band. Check them out at the Spider Lilies Reverb Nation Page
[3] Of the rarities I’ve found or had handed to me, this may be one of the best. And goth-est
[4] Another band I really, really, like, and you’re probably getting sick of hearing. I don’t care. Go check them out on the Razor Skyline page at ReverbNation
[5] J also writes novels. Go buy them from his web page – hopefully you’ll like them as much as I do, and as much as you should like his comics Flem and Two Lumps

Originally published at In The Evening.

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I saw this on a friend’s journal, and figured it made for an interesting look back. And so :

- Pittsboro, NC (naturally)
- Williamsburg, VA
- New Orleans, LA
- Orlando, FL (two locations, one trip)
- Chicago, Il
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Bellevue, WA (three different trips)

Many thanks to the awesome people we got to meet and hang out with in all of those fine places. I’ll have a list of when and where Ursula (and I) will be in 2012 (that we know of so far) later today.

Originally published at sonney.com.

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2011 was a fun ride, for the most part – good company, good travel, good gaming, good friends, and a good job all sort of blend together into what is qualified as, I think, a good year. 2012 started with good friends, so I’m hoping that sets the tone.

I’m pretty sure we have more of the same in store for 2012, so I’m cautiously optimistic about this one. Later this year will mark the 4the anniversary of Ursula and I starting to go out, followed by the fourth anniversary of her moving in. Four amazing years, all of which have their ups, downs, and wibbly-wobbly bits[1], but all have been on a generally “upward” trend. I couldn’t have done it without her – or you – my friends, readers, and listeners.

Here’s my wish for 2012 – that it is better than 2011, and that we all be able to find (more) happiness in it.

[1] I blame her for my new vocabulary.

Originally published at sonney.com.

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Back to the good stuff for the last episode of 2011! I hope you enjoy this one, since I had a lot of fun making it, and it contains some of my favorite tracks.

Song – Artist – Album
Sound of Madness – Shinedown – The Sound of Madness (Bonus Track Version)
Stigmata – Ministry – Every Day Is Halloween – Greatest Tricks
Who Made Who – Terminal Sect With En Esch Of KMFDM – AC/DC Tribute
Hallucination Generation (Syametic Nightmare) – The Gruesome Twosome – Nettwerk: 25 Years Of Music [60 Track Edition]
Harder Better Faster Stronger – Daft Punk – Musique Vol 1
Dead Boys – Spider Lilies – Special Edition
Voodoo Child – Rogue Traders – Here Come The Drums
Baby Got Back – Richard Cheese – The Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese
My Favorite Things – OutKast – The Love Below
This City Never Sleeps – The Razor Skyline – The Convergence CD
This Corrosion – The Sisters of Mercy – A Slight Case of Overbombing
Change (Deftones Cover) – Ayria – Hearts For Bullets
Kashmir Cover – Maynard/Janes Addiction

I’m looking forward to 2012, and hope you are too. See you next week!

Originally published at In The Evening.

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You may hate this one. I started to hate this one, since in order to make it, I had to listen to several hours of holiday music. It all started when I had two songs – a new Razor Skyline track and “Gothic Christmas” – and a theme show started to form. But then I had to finish the rest of it….and then there were hours of Goth Holiday Music collections to review….

…..I think the trauma was worth it. Enjoy!

Title – Artist – Album
Gothic Christmas – Within Temptation –
Kidnap the Sandy Claws – Korn – Nightmare Revisited
Krampusnacht – Unto Ashes – Excelsis:A Prelude[1]
Oi To The World! – The Vandals – Oi To The World
Happy Holidays You Bastard – Blink 182 – Take Off Your Pants And Jacket
Comin’ Out For Christmas (Live Version) [Explicit] – Voltaire – Live[2]
Christmas, Christmas – Mojo Nixon – Christmas, Christmas
The Christmas Massacre of Charlie Brown – DJ John – Santastic: Holiday Boots For Your Stockings
The Crypt Keeper’s Holiday – Gein And The Graverobbers – Songs In The Key Of Evil
Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis – Tom Waits – Blue Valentine
Fairytale Of New York – The Pogues Featuring Kirsty MacColl – The Best Of The Pogues
The Atheist Christmas Carol – Vienna Teng – Warm Strangers
Making Christmas – Danny Elfman – Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The 12 Days of Christmas (Live) – Straight No Chaser – Holiday Spirits (Bonus Track Version)
O Tannenbaum – They Might Be Giants – O Tannenbaum 7″
Carol of the Bells – Arcanta – Excelsis:A Dark Noel[3]
Longest Night of the Year – The Razor Skyline – Dowload[4]
Happy Christmas (War Is Over) – Crüxshadows – Excelsis:A Winter’s Song[5]

Next week, we’ll be back to the normal programming. Wait, there is no “normal” programming….

[1][3][5] After listening to all three Excelsis CDs, these are the best tracks of the bunch.
[2] To prevent damage to your computer, please refrain from drinking while listening to this song.
[4] New Razor Skyline album coming in 2012. You may not hear it here first, but you will hear it here….

Originally published at In The Evening.

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So this one….I was in a mood when I put this one together, and so it may be a bit further out than my other shows. That much being said, I liked what came out in the end, and had a lot of fun with it.

For next week, I’m doing holiday songs (mostly). And just for you, dear listeners, I’ve been spending a good chunk of today listening to mostly Christmas songs, finding the good, the bad, and the “if I never hear this again it’ll be too soon” (thanks Projekt *sigh*). And we’ll be back to normal (I hope) by Dec 25.

Song – Artist – Album
Bring The Noise (feat. Anthrax) – Public Enemy – Apocolypse 91
Johnny Quest – Reverend Horton Heat – Psychobilly freakout!
Lay Lady Lay – Ministry – Cover Up
The Humbling River “Duet Mix” – Puscifer – Sound Into Blood Into Wine
The Man With The X-Rays Eyes – Bauhaus – Mask
Goth Girls – MC Frontalot – Nerdcore Rising
Nrrrd Grrrl – MC Chris – MC Chris Is Dead Black
Passive Manipulation – The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan
The Creeps (Fedde Le Grand Radio Edit) – Camille Jones vs. Fedde Le Grand – The Creeps – EP
Perfect [Exceeder][Vocal Club Mix] – Mason – Perfect
God O.D., Pt. 1 – Meat Beat Manifesto – Storm The Studio
Jerry Was A Race Car Driver – Primus – They Can’t All Be Zingers
March of the Pigs – Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral [Deluxe Edition] Disc 1
People Are Strange – Echo And The Bunnymen – Lost Boys Soundtrack
Memory Go – Peter Murphy – Ninth
The Beat Goes On – Firewater – Songs We Should Have Written

And remember, folks, you can listen to the show Sunday Nights at 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific (or 1AM Monday GMT/UTC) on Dark Mother Media. And be sure to check out the other shows we’ve got…

Originally published at In The Evening.

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• My Main Blog
• Alchemist in the Evening (Music show)
• Kevin and Ursula Eat Cheap (Food reviews)

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New ones this week from Tom Waits and Voltaire, old ones from Nick Cave and A Perfect Circle, and a whole lot of good stuff in between. The show starts off with “Now that We Found Love” by Heavy D and the Boys. Heavy D died this past week, and this is the track I spent HOURS dancing to in the clubs back in the early 90′s. I hope you enjoy it.

Now That We Found Love (Club Version) – Heavy D. & The Boys – Club Mtv Party To Go Volume 2
Doctorin’ the Tardis – The Timelords – Doctorin’ The Tardis (Single)
Sahara – The Razor Skyline – The Convergence CD[1]
The End of Days – Abney Park – The End of Days
Hell Broke Luce – Tom Waits – Bad As Me
Golgotha Tenement Blues – Machines of Loving Grace – The Crow
Tainted Love – Marilyn Manson – Lest We Forget (The Best Of)
Only Happy When It Rains – Garbage – Garbage
Magdalena – A Perfect Circle – Mer De Noms
Juke Joint Jezebel (Single Mix) – KMFDM – Wurst
Lucretia My Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy – A Slight Case of Overbombing
Aerials – System Of A Down – Toxicity
Where The Wild Roses Grow (Feat. Kylie Minogue) – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Murder Ballads (2011 – Remaster)
Oh Lord (Wake the Dead) – Aurelio Voltaire – Riding a Black Unicorn…

[1] The Razor Skyline is in the studio working on their new album. I’m excited. Are you excited? You should be excited…

Originally published at In The Evening.

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So last week I promised new Puscifer, which I fit in, and new Tom Waits, which didn’t. I DID include something from the new AngelSpit album, some classics, and one or two of my personal favorites.

Next week, Tom Waits – I Promise!

Song – Artist – Album
Violet – Hole – Bridesmaids Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Dark Days Indeed – Firewater – The Man On The Burning Tightrope
St. Vitus Dance – Bauhaus – In The Flat Field
Conditions of My Parole – Puscifer – Conditions of My Parole
Killing an Arab – The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry
Detonation Boulevard – The Sisters of Mercy – A Slight Case of Overbombing
Sweet Blasphemy – Black Veil Brides – We Stitch These Wounds
So What – [0pt-0ut] – [0pt-0ut]
More Human Than Human – White Zombie – Past, Present & Future
Punk Rock Girl – The Dead Milkmen – Death Rides A Pale Cow
Jailbait – Angelspit – Hello My Name Is
Cutting (P24 Remix) – Ayria – Flicker
Surgery – Spider Lilies – Cyclogenesis[1][2]
Days and Days – Concrete Blonde – Bloodletting
Love Reign O’er Me – The Who – The Who: The Ultimate Collection

[1] It is no secret I love Spider Lilies and if you haven’t checked them out by now, for SHAME!
[2] Next time I see them, I hope to have worked the awkward fan-boy out of my system.

Originally published at In The Evening.

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As many of you might have seen (or heard), Google Reader recently got “updated” to a new UI and backend. It now talks to Google+ (good) but stripped out almost all the features that the hardcore reader users like myself actually USED – the friends feeds, public sharing options, the Next/Previous Buttons, and the really nice navigation sidebar that would show the read/unread feeds, folders & tags, & etc.

If you’ve been watching the social networks, you may have also seen how the users reacted : badly. And to top it off, both Google and several commentators have basically taken the stance that we should suck it up and deal.

Since the web UI has taken out everything I used and liked (and then dumbed it down to an interface that is barely equivalent to the old mobile view), I started looking at standalone apps that I could use instead.

What I was looking for :
- The ability to use Google Reader as a “sync point” – that is JUST to save read/unread marks and the feed list.
- In not using Google Reader as a sync point, some kind of Sync function
- iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux support

Turns out there is no single RSS reader that does this. What I’ve done is try to find what works best for me on each platform. Here is what I’m using now. All of these sync to Google Reader, so when I switch platforms, my read/unread and subscriptions carry over. Additionally, all of these are FREE (or free with ads and a paid ad-free version).

- iOS : Perfect RSS (free with ads, paid without). May people recommended Reeder, but I like the UI for it better
- Linux : OwlRSS (free). It’s based on Eclipse, and supposedly runs on OSX, Linux, and Windows. On OSX it was dreadful, but on Linux it kicks ASS.
- Windows : OwlRSS again. I’m surprised that this app runs so well on Linux and Windows, and blows on my OSX Lion machine.
- OSX : NetNewsWire (free with ads) which has been the standard on OSX for several years.

There are also some apps that I tried and felt were dreadful in handling RSS :
- Thunderbird
- Mail.app
- Outlook

Seriously guys, RSS support feels bolted onto these apps, and each assumes you read your feeds in that app and ONLY that app. Plus the disk usage and caching used in all of them will KILL performance if you have more than about 10 feeds that update a LOT.

So that’s what I’m doing, and I’m interested in hearing what other people are doing.

I understand the new gMail Look & Feel is not a happy thing either, but I use desktop/phone clients for that these days.[1]

[1] I’d go back to running my own mail server, but gMail does have damn good spam handling…

Originally published at sonney.com.