the far out son of a lung and the ramblings of a madman

Vertigo Venus Opening for THE QUEERS this saturday @ Launchpad - we have tickets for SALE!

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:36:28 GMT

Hi Everyone,

This is going to be our last big show for the year. We won a contest from Punknews.org to open for THE QUEERS, an iconic punk band that many will be familiar with. We are selling tickets for Ten Dollars, and this is the only way we get paid, so please, if you want to go , buy your tickets from us!

We will deliver your tickets to you! You can email us at vertigovenus at gmail dot com, or call us at 505-750-8365 (you can text us at this number, too). Please consider coming our for our LAST big show!

This show is at LAUNCHPAD (618 Central Ave. SW), in Albuquerque, NM. It is 21+, and doors are at 8pm. WE GO ON AT 9PM, so please get there early!

We will also have NEW MERCH for this show, including new shirts and patches!

For the Facebook event, see here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=173867835960232

Thank you all!

-brian

DJ set tomorrow for Vagrant Variety comedy/circus/burlesque

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 22:18:07 GMT

Hey everyone,

Tomorrow I'll be DJing for this event, a great Vareity Show being put on by some of the members of Albuquerque's Burlesque Noir. It'll be good fun! If you're in the mood for some off the wall comedy, this is the place to be! I'll be dropping some DJ stylings, and making it a good time.

The Facebook event is here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vagrant-Variety/315996834030

The show is November 12th at Low Spirits 2823 2nd St Albuquerque, NM 87107-1413. $10!!!!!!

Here's a little video teaser from the Vagrant Variety Girls:

I also did a remix recently, of Die Antwoord's "Wat Kyk Jy?". You can hear it below. Please share it with friends! Let's make this year go out with a bang!

Die Antwoord - What Kyk Jy - PC computer remix by brian botkiller by brianbotkiller

Thanks as always for your support! Take care.

-brian botkiller

My Cd release is tomorrow!

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:55:32 GMT

It's finally here. "Welcome to Postwar USA" see the light of day tomorrow when I release it at Burt's Tiki Lounge (313 gold SE), with The booty green and my band, Vertigo Venus.

the facebook event is here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141509209198410&ref=search

I'm really excited about this, so I hope to see you out.

Not in ABQ, and want the CD? Buy it from my online store. These are limited to only 100 copies! Signed and numbered. Buy yours here:

http://www.brianbotkiller.com/store

Thank you, as always, for your support!

Vertigo Venus Pajama Party All ages CD release!

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:30:04 GMT

Vertigo Venus Pajama Party All ages CD release!

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:28:41 GMT

releasing my new CD

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:24:16 GMT

Hi everyone,

I'll be releasing my new CD on july 24th, the info is below.

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:24:53 GMT

does anyone know where to buy a portable room swamp cooler in ABQ? I've looked everywhere and can't find them.

white mapex drumkit for sale

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:37:07 GMT

Hi all, I'm selling my white Mapex drumkit, it's a 5piece:

- Never knew what model this was, just an average kit. I'm guessing poplar or birch on the wood, unsure on number of plies. Sizes are:

22x18 Kick
12x10 Rack tom
13x10 rack tom
16x17 floor tom

Snare is a Ludwig steel snare, 14x6 - the kind that most of us used in high school marching, comes with a hardshell case:

Toms are stem mount on the Kick drum.

No hardware, shell pack only. Kit is in pretty good shape, considering having been toured and gigged on heavily. Heads are in decent condition, mostly all Evans coated or hydraulic. Kick heads are an Aquarian super kick on the batter side and a Remo Emperor coated on the resonant side - no kick port. Rods and Lugs are all in good shape.

Asking $200 OBO.

email me, botkillerpromo at gmail dot com, if you're interested. I won't be showing this at my studio, I'll meet you in a walmart lot or something, if you're interested.

I also have a ddrum Ace steel 14x10 in. snare for sale, $100 OBO. It's white, with a golf ball like shell, very poppy in sound.

Thanks!

DJ set 6/9 for Burlesque Noir @ Low Spirits bar

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:37:05 GMT

Hey all,

Tomorrow (weds 6/9), I am doing a DJ set with Burlesque Noir for their "NY meets NM" showdown show. Sure to be good fun! At Low Spirits bar (2823 2nd st. NW, Albuquerque, NM), $10 @ door, 21+, doors @ 8pm, I'll be DJing big beat and 8bit tunes, then playing for BN's set, then DJing a bit more! Please come out!

My new CD is done, too! Stay tuned for updates!

Thank you all for your support!
/brian

My CD is FINALLY DONE!

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:25:42 GMT

It’s been about ten years, tons of various releases, and now I’m finally doing a CD release.

It’s a CDr, yes… but I don’t personally want to release a full-on silverback CD right now.

The CD is nine tracks:

oscillation
suddenly the next day (new recording, unreleased anywhere)
wake up call (unreleased via the net or anything else save for some live versions)
renovate (new, never heard unless you’ve seen me live recently)
mind and space
it’s computer time
communication
welcome to postwar USA (feat. en esch)
against all odds
about 60 mins of music.
It’ll be $10 +$2 shipping if you’re somewhere else in the US. It will also be on iTunes and all that bullshit soon enough.

last reminder! TODAY!

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:49:20 GMT

Hey everyone! This will be a great show. I have tickets for sale for only Five bucks! I'll be selling them tonight at Moonlight Lounge (corner of central and 2nd, attached to Sunshine Theatre) when Diverje opens for Android Lust with 66guns, doors at 8pm. You need to see this show!

Listen to some music:

Reminder! Slick Idiot (former KMFDM/Pigface members) live this tuesday!

Thu, 27 May 2010 17:18:17 GMT

Slick Idiot - former KMFDM/Pigface w/ Vertigo Venus @ launchpad

Tue, 11 May 2010 05:38:11 GMT

SLICK IDIOT, Featuring former members of KMFDM and PIGFACE En Esch and Guenter Schulz, takes the stage at LAUNCHPAD with special Guest MONA MUR. Opening the night will be VERTIGO VENUS. This is sure to be a great show! Pre-sale tickets are only $5, and $8 at the door. The show is 21+.

Listen here:http://www.slickidiot.com

Tickets are here: http://holdmyticket.com/event/8039

Please vote now! Monday 3/29 is too late!

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 03:42:49 GMT

Hi Everyone!

Your chance to vote "Best of Burque" is almost at an end. The deadline to vote is Monday, March 29th at 11:59AM. I'm pushing for BEST ELECTRONIC ACT, and BEST DRUMMER. We're pushing for BEST PUNK BAND in Albuquerque for VERTIGO VENUS. - please take a moment to vote!

If you can, PLEASE take a moment to go vote by clicking here:

You’ll need to vote for TWENTY ITEMS, OR YOUR VOTE WON’T COUNT, so here is a list of SUGGESTED VOTING ITEMS:

We are campaigning for:

LIFE IN BURQUE:

BEST DJ – Tommy T

Best issue of the Alibi – The one where Vertigo

Venus won EVERYTHING.

ARTS:

Best art gallery – Chroma Gallery

Best theater troupe – Burlesque Noir

MUSIC: (here's where it counts)

BEST DJ – JUSTIN GEORGE

BEST ROCK BAND – DIVERJE

BEST PUNK BAND – VERTIGO VENUS

BEST ELECTRONIC ACT – BRIAN BOTKILLER

BEST AVANT-GARDE – ALCHEMICAL BURN

BEST SINGER/SONGWRITER – JEFF CANNON, VERTIGO VENUS

BEST DRUMMER – BRIAN BOTKILLER, VERTIGO VENUS

BEST BASSIST – KEN CORNELL, VERTIGO VENUS

BEST GUITARIST – CHRIS CANNON, VERTIGO VENUS

BEST VOCALIST – JEFF CANNON, VERTIGO VENUS

BEST LOCAL MUSIC PROGRAM – CYBERAGE RADIO

BEST SOUND GUY – JASON WOLF

BEST LOCAL MUSIC LABEL – DSBP RECORDS

BEST LOCAL MUSIC NONPROFIT – NMROCKS! PINUP CALENDAR

WRITE IN –

Best anything we forgot:

BEST INDUSTRIAL BAND – DIVERJE

These are SUGGESTIONS, you can make up your own mind about these things; our biggest request is BEST PUNK BAND. We would love to see all these categories, as well, though. It’ll keep pissing off ABQ’s whiners, and proving why we’re the best at what we do.

Again, please take a moment to do this; I know I ask a lot of you all, but I'm very thankfulf or your support! Thank you!

/brian

Happy Holidays, all my music is free

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:00:48 GMT

As part of the "holiday spirit", I've made all of my music freely downloadable via reverbnation.com. All I ask is that you consider joining my mailing list. Get it all here:

Music

Join the Mailing list

Happy Holidays!

FMMF synthesizer (with presets by brian botkiller) takes 3rd place in KVR Developer Challenge!

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:00:12 GMT

Hey everyone, I'm happy to announce that the software synthesizer I did sound design for in the KVR 2009 Developer Challenge, FMMF by Delamancha, has taken 3rd place in the competition! I'm super proud. Download it for Windows here: http://bit.ly/vhfWr

Thanks to all those who voted for the synth! It means a lot.

tinseltown takeover tour overview/wrap up

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:06:58 GMT

Alright, so I've been saying I'd write this for awhile.

We got back from the Tinseltown Takeover tour a little less than a week ago, and we've been catching up since then, so it's taken me longer than I'd like to blog about this.

The tour was a success in many ways, and I'm going to outline a few things about it.

The buildup to this tour was a LOT of work, more than I think I'd have expected, but at least as hard as I'd think it'd be to book a tour on a shoestring budget. I'll go into some detail about how we booked it later on in this post.

We left on Thursday, Oct. 4th, for Phoenix AZ, where our friend Dave Strand of Industrial band The Strand lives. We played that night at Chaser's, a venue we've had the pleasure to rock before. We played with a new local band called Human Experimentation; the crowd was not huge, but Dave took good care of us, putting us up, feeding us, and getting us ready for our next night in Long Beach. At some point in our set this night, the new Keytar we'd build crapped out; the next morning, we wrenched on it to find that it's sending incorrect MIDI signal between two of our keyboards. Unfortunately, the Radium 49 keyboards are not easy to factory reset, which is a serious design flaw. Dave sent us off with an Alesis Micon, "just in case". That was a good thing, we'd find out.

On the 2nd we drove to Long Beach, CA, for a gig at Que Sera bar with locals Crush, Slomo Erotic and Shitting Glitter. The venue was quite cool, with a nice staff and a fairly well sized stage. Nice sets by everyone led to us closing the night to about 20 or so heads. We found that our keytar was indeed not working correctly at this time, and had to go it without Jeff on Keys. This was disheartening, but we pressed on.

We moved on that night to stay with my friend Zach, who was kind enough to put us up for the entirety of this trip in his apartment in LA. Take heed, folks; this is not an easy undertaking. We were VERY lucky to have this support.

The next day we took on the challenge of two shows in one night; the first, at The Anarchy Library in Downey, CA, was the most punk of venues and shows I've played in awhile. Rolling up to the front of the venue to find guys wrenching on cars in the front lot, to the back, where I was greeted by a grip of punkers smoking and arguing, I knew this would be one of the more memorable gigs of the tour. The interior of the venue was a black cave with a few tables, a bar, and a tiny drum riser; the stage was the floor. This was a true punk bar. We all cut down our stage footprint to the bare minimum for this show; I played my kit in four piece (as opposed to usual six piece) configuration, Chris played with only one guitar effect pedal, Kenny went straight into his amp, and Jess and Jeff played one keyboard each, and we stuck to a distinctly punk and heavy set. Those in attendance enjoyed what we did, which was nice, being that we were so different from their usual house band. It takes a lot to impress punkers; I should know, I'm one of them.

We packed up the van and moved on to our second gig of the night at Mr. T's Bowl, a converted bowling alley in LA that now houses music shows. The venue was by far one of the coolest that I've ever been in; it had a feeling like I was stuck in the late 60's or 70's, with just the right darkness and air to it, as if I was in the Big Lebowski for rock bands.

Unfortunately, not much of anyone was around for the show. We were informed around 10pm that all bands would have to cut their sets, due to the bar being slow, and so we did. However, just as we ended our set, LA's hipster elite began to show up to the venue, and of course, things went back to normal, with the following bands being allowed to play full length sets. This was pretty annoying, as the two touring acts, that being ourselves, and the awesome Warren Tegarden from San Francisco, were given the opening slots of the night. At that point, all we could hope for was that we'd be paid a little money from the door. Sadly, we found, after waiting around for the entire night, that we were being paid nothing. The best thing I can say about this gig is that Mr. T's sound guy, Arlo, is indeed one of the best. I'd read about him on the internet, and his reputation stood up. The man could probably make a wind up toy sound awesome.

Sunday the 4th's gig was one that I approached with much trepidation; I'd booked it via Myspace with a venue called TRiP in Santa Monica. The kicker? We'd be following an acoustic singer/songwriter themed night. Awkward? Yes. However, we stepped up, and canvased the crowd with stickers, asking them to stick around. We had a fairly good crowd, despite the change in pace, and met some promoters who said that they would be interested in getting us on as the supporting act for Right Said Fred on an American tour. This made it all worth it.

Monday the 5th was our only day off, and we spent it in Santa Monica, bumming at the beach a little, and hanging out.

Tuesday the 6th was a gig in East LA at a venue called the Airliner, in MexicoTown. I wasn't sure how to feel about this gig; the stage reserved for us was RIGHT in front of the bar, and was more like a runway stage; too long to have us all in usual formation, and so we had to make due and twist ourselves around it. The night was called TANK!Tuesdays and was an electro themed night, with DJs upstairs and in the outside patio - it made it hard to get people in one place all at once. We again didn't play to many heads, but those we did enjoyed what we brought. Luckily, the night's promoter, Vince, was kind enough to understand that we were a touring act, and passed some money our way. We also shared the stage with a great band called Antique Imp, who reminded me a lot of my friends Model A from Sacramento, mixed up with some David Bowie. I was glad to have played just to have met these guys.

Finally, on wednesday the 5th, we took some time to walk Hollywood blvd. and pass out demos, visit some local shops, and get some pizza. We closed our tour playing Hollywood's Dragonfly Bar; a great venue with an impressive stage, we again shared the stage with Slomo Erotic and Shitting Glitter. again in the closing slot of the night, we played probably the tightest set that we've ever played, in my opinion. We did show that we have what it takes to blow some Hollywood heads on their asses, and did it with style. I was also glad to see many of my old friends come out to this show (thanks to Angus, Oyuna, JJ, Leah, and Elektra), as well as some folks we'd met at our other shows. We finished the night hanging out at a house in Hollywood Hills, and then took in a little much needed rest, before beginning the 14 hour trek home.

Overall, I can't complain about this tour in the slightest. It allowed us to make some good connections, meet some good people, and get some music out. It was an experience that can't be forgotten, and was still more fun than doing nothing but working and playing music sometimes.

So, how did we do this tour? I'll tell you.

Firstly, as to booking shows; we were lucky to have help from Devin of Shitting Glitter, who got us onto a couple shows with his band. Secondly, we used Myspace HEAVILY. Say what you want about Myspace, it is still one of the best networking tools at your fingertips. We spent night after night adding people as friends in the LA area, and booked two of our gigs this way, thanks to random Myspace adds. We also used Indieonthemove.com , byofl.org, and Yelp.com (to get information on venues)

We promoted heavily; we printed 11x17 tour flyers and made demo CDs to send to those who booked and promoted us. We got these packages out no later than two weeks before the gigs. We sent out press releases to local newspapers and blogs about the tour, and contacted any and all radio stations we could. The internet is your friend, plain and simple. It can do more walking for you than any other tool that you have, save for getting street team folks to walk the streets for you. When you don't have that, lean on the internet. We stayed in constant contact with those who booked us, checking in, and making sure things were good to go.

How did we raise money for this tour? Firstly, we worked, a lot. We played gigs and saved money. Secondly, we asked our fans to donate money to our tour fund, and we're lucky enough to have some very good fans who helped get us on the road (thanks Che, Adric, Leah, Jason, Maggie, Massimo, and others). Finally, we of course poured a lot of our own money into this venture. We printed a lot of Tshirts, made Demo CDs to sell, buttons, stickers, patches and more. Jeff built a great Merchandise stand, probably the most creative one I've ever seen, and did it to get attention to our merch while on the road. Jess pushed her calendars heavily, selling a lot, and promoting like crazy. Chris and Kenny got the word out, promoted and booked. We all did everything we could to make this thing happen. We sent out email blasts, bulletined like crazy, and used Twitter to its max; I was on Twitter constantly with updates and photos, and it allowed me to get the word out about shows very easily.

Oh, and one other thing; get yourself a phone that connects to the internet. You'll thank me. My Googlephone (the Tmobile G1) single phonedly got us around LA and into every nook and crannie that it had. Using Google maps as a GPS, combined with a compass App and other tools (as well as being able to browse the internet via phone), was a huge help. Also, running Twitter on my phone was a very viable tool for what I needed to do to keep fans updated on what we were doing. You may not like the cost associated with a "smart phone", but it's well, well worth it.

In the long run, we probably spent about $700 on merchandise, and about $400 or so on gas for our van, as well as some other money for new tires and van tuning. We didn't sell much merch, but we did use our stickers and demos like crazy. We came home with no demos left, and very little stickers. Remember, the point is to get them out there, folks. Get them into people's hands and begin the process.

After the tour, I suggest you follow up with everyone you met, and the promoters you worked with; keep your connections alive, they are all you have sometimes.

The final thing I can say about touring is that you will find yourself learning more about yourself and your bandmates/friends than you ever expected. You'll get frustrated, be happy, confused, ecstatic, and about a million other emotions under the sun, while you're doing this, but you have to remember that you're doing it because you can't NOT do it. There's no way to get your music to more people than to tour it around; even the internet can't always take the place of that. Remember why you're doing it, take everything with a grain of salt, work to be calm, and remember that the people you're in that van with are some of your best friends, and probably some of the people you'll ever be closest to. Treat it well, and soak it in; not many people or bands get to do this, so the fact that you even do counts for more than you'll ever think.

/brian

support NM female musicians!

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:30:37 GMT

today @ the NM state fair! Meet the girls of the New Mexico rocks pinup calendar @ the NMSF pavillion. Calendars are only $10 and feature NM's finest female musicians, all proceeds benefit warehouse 508, ABQ's newest youth arts program. Jess Crockett (of my band, Vertigo Venus) is ms November, so show your support and come out. Calendars may also be purchased thru the bands, or at http://www.myspace.com/nmrockspinupcalendar

Post from mobile portal m.livejournal.com

Oh, my

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:14:17 GMT

The changes in my life have been many, many.

I don't really want to go into particulars; if you're someone who'd like to know the bulk of what has happened to me recently, you are free to call, or email me. Suffice to say, I have effectively rebooted my life. Leaving behind many things, I am in search of the happiness that I feel I deserve. I have found much of it, strangely, without having to search very far.

The only thing heavily paining me right now, strangely, is missing my dog and cat. I know that I will not have them in my life again, and that saddens me greatly.

I took a trip to LA in the past week, and enjoyed it greatly; escaping the streets of ABQ is a good thing. I was quite impressed by how well I was able to survive off of my G1 phone and its browser alone; the thing is a workhorse. It directed me over thousands of miles of driving, and many free apps made life even easier. I am also impressed with my car, which took the 3,000 plus miles very well, giving me no problems, and rocking along the whole way. VWs are amazing vehicles.

Music is going pretty well, working on the new Vertigo Venus album. Unfortunately, with my life as it is right now, I have been unable to work on new material of my own. I hope to change this soon.

As I recently read somewhere, as I go along, I realize that life is not about growing up, but learning to grow. I think this is more true now, than ever. Onward, ever onward.

Live set tonight on KUNM radio!

Thu, 21 May 2009 19:43:04 GMT

I'll be doing a live PA set tonight (5/21) on KUNM radio's "Fresh" show in Albuquerque from 11pm to midnight MST. This is the first time I've done a live set in awhile on the radio, and it's the easiest way for you to hear me play live, without even having to leave your house! Tune in locally at 89.9 FM, or on the net at http://www.KUNM.org - feel free to get in touch with me before, after, and even during the show via Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/brianbotkiller - hope you are all well!

Reminder: My life with the thrill kill kult this SATURDAY!

Fri, 01 May 2009 07:06:21 GMT

Just a quick reminder, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult will be here in Albuquerque on May 2nd, this saturday! My bands, Diverje and Vertigo Venus, will be opening this awesome gig! The show is at the Launchpad (6th and Central ave, downtown ABQ), Doors are at 8pm, and the show is all ages. Tickets are $20 at the door, but only $15 if you buy directly from the band, which you can do by emailing me, or finding us outside the venue between 5pm and 6:30 on the day of the show. This is sure to be one of the best shows of the year, so I encourage you to come out and see it! Vertigo Venus will be debuting a number of new awesomeness (including a visit by the ladies of Burlesque Noir!), as will Diverje. Please come visit us!

event.myspace.com/index.cfm click here for the Myspace event page!

www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php click here for the facebook event page!

www.twitter.com/brianbotkiller follow me on Twitter

www.twitter.com/vertigovenus follow Vertigo Venus on Twitter!

-brian botkiller

http://www.reverbnation.com/brianbotkiller

Plenty of stuff...

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:59:22 GMT

I know, I know; we ask for your vote more than a politician; the difference is, we'll actually DO something once we win :)

The Fender Road Worn Contest continues!

Vertigo Venus is in the running to reach the top 10 in Fender's national contest, and we have a few more days to get as many votes and friends as we can at the contest's webpage. If you can, please take a moment to click http://tinyurl.com/d56wgt , vote and add us as friends on the site. If you'll spread the word to others, too, we'd be grateful. We could really use the winnings from this contest, and since we've beat out thousands of other bands to get here, we're pushing hard! Thanks for your support.

Vertigo Venus Live This friday in Santa Fe!

And, speaking of Vertigo Venus, we'll be playing at Warehouse 21 (1614 paseo de peralta, santa fe NM) this coming friday the 24th, to mark the anniversary of W21's demolition of their old building, and continue celebrating their brand new, awesome one. We'd love to see you out! Everything starts going down at 7pm, and includes entertainment by Mantis Fist, Savage Wizdom, CassoVita, and of course, Vertigo Venus.

Get your Thrill Kill Kult Tickets now!

Finally, Vertigo Venus is opening for My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult on Saturday, May 2nd at the Launchpad (6th and Central, Albuquerque), and we've got tickets to sell! We're selling 'em for $15, which is a $5 discount over the door price. If you pay $20, you'll get our CD, "Run for your lives", and a ticket to the show - The Vertigo Venus Combo meal! If you're interested, click the Paypal Button below for what you're interested in. Your support means the world to us, it's the only way we can be successful at this!

Click this to buy the Combo Meal Deal! We will contact you to send you your Ticket and CD after your purchase.

Click this one to get just the Ticket, we'll need your address so we can mail it to you.

-brian botkiller

http://www.reverbnation.com/brianbotkiller

why didn't i mention all this earlier?

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:40:01 GMT

I was recently voted best electronic act and best drummer in Albuquerque, and my band, Vertigo Venus, garnered Best punk band. I especially like the fact that the Alibi makes me sound like only a marketing guy by the time they get to Best drummer; never mind the fact that I played over 100 shows last year with Diverje and Vertigo Venus combined, or that I work my ass off for what I do... nah, that doesn't matter. They also mention that my music makes you think you're in a "Bush re-education camp", and that I have an "evil sounding voice". My bet is that they listened to "Welcome to postwar USA" once, and decided that En Esch's voice was mine. I guess that's all ok, but I would have liked it if there had been even a mention of all the work I do as a drummer, because it is a lot.

either way, thanks to all those who voted, your support means the world to me!

Check the specs:

Best Punk Band
Vertigo Venus
vertigovenus.com • myspace.com/vertigovenus
It has the quick chord changes, rapid tempo and antiestablishment attitude of a punk band, but there’s more to Vertigo Venus. The band could also be considered an industrial act or an electronic outfit. Punk is a genre that embraces change and encourages the defiance of convention. That’s exactly what Vertigo Venus has done with synthesizers and metal riffs.

Best Electronic Act
Brian Botkiller
brianbotkiller.com • myspace.com/brianbotkiller
This guy can compose a symphony with a synthesizer. Sometimes you feel like you’re inside a video game or a George W. Bush re-education camp; but Brian Botkiller’s ability to transport you into a different realm is a gift. His evil-sounding voice, danceable beats and frightful keyboard create a beautiful nightmare of strange sounds.

Best Drummer
Brian Botkiller from Vertigo Venus
brianbotkiller.com • myspace.com/brianbotkiller
Beside banging the skins with the greatest of ease, Brian Botkiller is a regular Svengali at pulling for BoB votes through the Internet's many spidery arms of networking. Way to drum/organize, Botkiller!

http://alibi.com/index.php?story=27233&scn=feature

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:59:16 GMT

I haven't been a good blogger lately, that's for sure.

So, where do I start? Well, march was one of the worst months in awhile, that's for sure.

It started off with me losing my contracts with Keytosound and Koblo, leading to no steady cash coming in. My friend Jason decided it was time to close The Agency, and so Albuquerque lost the best all ages venue its ever had, and a great resource for the arts. I found out that my dog has either failing kidneys or diabetes insipidus, and in general, I was a wreck for most of the month.

The good things? Vertigo Venus took best Punk band in the Alibi's Best of Burque, and I took best electronic act, and best drummer. We also scored best theater production for our stint in Hedwig and the Angry inch, as well as a slew of other little things. That was all quite nice.

So now, I'm nearly halfway through April already, and I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing, in some ways. Luckily, I'm not a person who spends outside of my means, and so I have a good amount of money to fall back on at this time. However, I don't wish to spend all of that money, and so I'm not resting on my laurels. I've been working hard to find new clients in any capacity that I can, but as of late, I've mostly just dealt with a lot of people who say they want to do things, and then don't call me back. I have a little bit of video work to fall back on, and a couple I/T clients, but not much beyond that. I'm unsure what to do with myself because, honestly, Albuquerque doesn't exactly have a big need for people who do what I do; multimedia work isn't in high demand in this city. I'm very lucky to have what I do have, though, and I know that.

I can't decide what I should do, though; I don't know if I should be sucking it up and going back to Trader Joe's right now, or if I should be taking some other job, or if I am on the right path. I do believe that if I could get just a few consistent clients, I would be ok. My monthly overhead isn't much, and honestly, what I'm going to make at most jobs right now isn't going to be a lot more than where I'd be with only a few clients. Of course, the steady money is the issue in the long run. If I can't keep a steady stream, I will start to falter; but I am telling myself that that won't happen. I'm telling myself that I will get a few steady clients, who will put me on retainer, and that I will pay for what I need in life that way. There simply isn't anything for me in this town - what there is is likely already filled, or will be filled by friends of friends. Getting hired for anything that isn't everyday bullshit in ABQ is most certainly painful.

So, I dunno. Life is what it is, and I'm glad to have it at all times. I'm working to not blow out of proportion the small things, and to pay attention to what is good. All I ask is that the Universe do the same.

final show at the agency tonight!

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:19:41 GMT