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blue-eyed-bloodstains · 1 year

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What color are your eyes? blue

Is anyone you work with currently on maternity leave or vacation? I haven’t worked in over 5 years

Favorite boy’s name? Riley

Baked macaroni and cheese or regular? regular, not a big fan of baked.

What’s the first thing you learned how to draw? probably whatever any kid does?

Name one of your friends’ children: Trinity

What was the name of your 5th grade teacher? honestly I can’t remember and I wish I could cause she couldn’t stand me for god knows what and I couldn’t stand her because of it lol

Sterling silver or titanium? my skin is iffy with silver and gold, the whole turns green thing but I love silver anyway!

How many hours do you work in a day? I haven’t in over 5 years

Have you ever been to a casino? several times just walking through or at the bar in Atlantic City plus seeing Evanescence live, but I’ve never gambled

Who wrote the last book you read? I honestly can’t remember...it’s been a long time, trying to push myself to pick up again

What’s the middle name of your bestfriend? girl - Spencer, guy - doesn’t have one

What’s your favorite food? sushi always, any seafood really!

How far away do you live from the closest aquarium? oh god I don’t even know lol I just had to look it up and closest to me is Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. so from where I live in PA, that’s an hour and a half drive so not too bad, pretty much the same drive I make to visit my dad and stepmom in NJ

Favorite girl’s name? a few...Vada, Kairi, Riley, Neveah, Shay

Name one of your candle scents: I need to get more candles but there’s lots in Yankee Candle I would load up on! vanilla, lavender, ocean/beach are a few

What’s the name of your favorite restaurant? there’s some good local ones around here for different foods

Are you in a relationship? If so, how long? yeah, Feb 13-14 marked 7 years together, we’ve been engaged for 2 years as of Christmas last year

Who in your family has a birthday in January? sigh this had to be a question....my cousin Tony, Jan 16 who this year just three days later went missing and on Jan 21 was found dead in a park sooo...as of now? none that I can think of... :(

When was the last time you lost power? How long was it out and the cause? umm few months ago maybe, we do on rare occasions when weather is real bad here which happens often given the area. it’s usually a few hours, worst case near half a day/overnight depending on when they can get it back

Do you know any twins? I used to in school

What’s your favorite flower? white rose

Pick 3 random colors: navy, olive, beige

Would you ever dye your hair that color? well beige is basically light brown, close to blonde soo done that...olive, no and navy...maybe especially with my blue eyes and pale skin

Do you own any underwear that color? beige yeah

Can this be used as a last name? the colors? I hope not that’d be weird lol I know Olive can be a first name but not last

What’s your favorite country song? oh lord where to start? so many

Do you drink alcohol? heh...let’s not go here right now...

Do you use any food delivery services such as UberEats, DoorDash, etc? we live on DoorDash literally every single night, neither one of us cook

What color is your mailbox? your typical generic black one

What age did you lose your virginity? 19, three months shy of 20

Dogs or cats? both

Do you know anyone who’s been to prison? ohhh yeah, try most of the family...granted mostly jail but some were prison stints too

What’s one thing on your shopping list? CLOTHES. neeeeeeed clothes.

Freeze tag or musical chairs? freeze tag, I love tag and miss it

Where did you go on your last vacation? LA with my fiance

Have you ever been stuck in the mud? no thankfully

What was the last thing you took a picture of? screenshotted something important on my phone

Name someone you work with: I don’t

How far away is the closest Walmart? about a 10, 15 minute drive it’s close

Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell or McDonald’s? Taco and McD’s, never liked Chic-Fil-A much

Did you ever get an allowance as a child? once for all of a few weeks lol mostly we’d just go to the mall and get a video game or something for a good report card or honor roll

What food do you see the most of at baby showers? I’ve never been to one so not sure

Do you know the capital of your state? Harrisburg

Have you ever rode on a motorcycle? yeah more than once, loved it

When’s the last time you ate any type of sweet? last week, finished off a tin of Lindt chocolates I’d forgotten about and found while looking for something

Pizza rolls or bagel bites? oooo both and now I want some!

What kind of flooring is in the room you’re in? carpet

Is the internet connection good where you live at? yeah

Do you need to do laundry? no just recently did it

What’s your favorite scent? coffee, vanilla, lavender, ocean breeze, Old Spice, sizzling steak or barbecue

Have you ever lived in a hotel before? no

What kind of pets does your grandmother have? none

Do you follow any type of trials? no

What’s the last show you really got into that you have to wait for the next season of? The Umbrella Academy Season 4, and the last part of The Final Season of Attack On Titan grrrrr both of which are this fall sometime

SpongeBob or Patrick? Sponge, though Patrick has his moments

When’s the last time you saw fireworks? sometime last year. we can see em outside our front door over the skyline of Reading, our house is way up in the hills overlooking it

Have you ever witnessed a car accident? several

Do you own a pair of fuzzy socks? no

What kind of ice cream is your favorite? oh god you’re killing me! Rocky Road, Banana Split, Coffee, Cotton Candy, Pina Colada...(yes obviously some of these are italian ices but still count lol)

Have you ever been skinny dipping? no

Sprinkles or frosting? frosting, I don’t mind sprinkles but meh I loooooove me some frosting though

Do you like mushrooms? I looooove mushrooms oh my goddddd

How many tattoos do you have? one on the inside of my right wrist

Do you own any type of hand sanitizers? just a mini travel size one from when COVID first hit

Have you ever worked in a grocery store? no

What’s your Subway order? it varies, I usually go for a BLT footlong, tuna footlong or Italian footlong

When was the last time you used the bathroom? why the fuck would you wanna know that...? O_O

Do you know how to roller skate? uhhh not really. actually I kinda skipped skates and went to blades, which I can just barely do only on a rink but I haven’t since I was like preteen

Can you read sheet music? no I wish

How old is your youngest sibling? I’m an only child

Do you have an Amazon account? no

What day is payday? I don’t work

What’s one food your family has at Thanksgiving? stuffing

Do you like painting? if I had any clue how to, I’d love it

Have you ever been swimming with dolphins? no I would love to though that looks like so much fun

What’s your favorite snack food? ANYTHINGGG. I’m a snack food junkie! I swear I could live on the shit if I could, especially popcorn

You’re watching Law & Order, is it the regular or SVU? SVU and wowwww timing cause there’s actually a marathon right now playing XD

What were you doing last time it snowed? not sure, we didn’t really get snow except a dusting all last winter

Do you have to sleep with a fan on? yes

Chapstick or lip gloss? both but it’s been a minute since I wore lip gloss

When was the last time you took a shower? seriously getting personal here man, get out of the bathroom! :P

Do you know how to play basketball? for fun yeah, was on an all girls team once in 5th grade but hated the competitiveness and the glory hounds

Name one thing you put on a salad: on, not in so I’m assuming dressing? balsamic vinaigrette

Do you own anything that’s your favorite color? oh yeah lol

What’s the last thing you ordered from a Mexican restaurant? quesadilla

Do you carry a purse or a backpack? purse

What kind of soda is your favorite? any kind really, love soda

Have you ever cut yourself shaving? a few nicks every now and then....

Penguins or pandas? they’re both cute Do you like your in-laws? not quite in laws yet...but yeah I love his parents to death, they’re amazing and we mesh so well

What do you usually do for Christmas? usually visit family, his one day and mine the other

Have you ever used any type of Aromatherapy? no

Toe socks or ankle socks? ankle Who’s your favorite Pokémon character? just Pokemon or the characters too? wayyyy too hard no way that’s asking me what’s your favorite song?

What’s the temperature range in your area? not sure what you mean by range but..currently it’s 81 degrees F at 6:03pm, it’s gorgeous out

Does your trash need to be taken out? no already did it

Nachos or chips and salsa? chips and salsa baby!

What’s the name of your pets? Danyell, female tabby cat

Have you been around anyone that creeped you out? several times

What’s your Chick-fil-A order? I never eat there

Regular or pink lemonade? either one, just pray I avoid heartburn

Do you know anyone who’s lost their house in a natural disaster? no

What’s your favorite candy? pretty much anything! I’m a sucker for raisinets and sour gummy worms though Chinese or Japanese cuisine? Chinese

Colored pencils or sharpies? colored pencils

Do you own a pair of Crocs? hell no never

Have you ever been to DisneyWorld? sadly no

Does anyone in your family have a birthday in February? not that I can remember right now

How long does it take for your phone to fully charge? I always have it on the charging cord when I’m home, which is always..but if it needs a quick charge, doesn’t take too long. maybe 45 mins and it’s good to go

What color is your hairbrush? black

Is there any movies out that you want to see? yeah several and a few coming soon too

Do you know how to run a cash register? I did while I was working...but it’s been 5 years since I last worked, so I’d definitely need a full refresher

Chicken or beef noodles? both

What year did you get your drivers license? 2010

Do you have any piercings? yeah, the usual one in each ear and a belly button ring

What kind of makeup do you wear? eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick/gloss..sometimes eyeliner

What’s your Taco Bell order? party pack (12) of soft taco supremes, add/extra tomato with a large Baja Blast

Do you wear any type of shimmer spray or glitter? no

Have you ever lived in a trailer/doublewide? no surprisingly..though some places I’ve lived we used to call vertical trailers cause they may as well have been

What’s your boyfriends/girlfriends middle name? fiance, and his middle name is Robert

Are you into anime? hell yeah I love anime!

Pizza or nacho lunchables? pssh are you kidding? there’s never been any contest, PIZZA!

Have you ever been to a strip club? no

Do you know how to play any instruments? I used to play clarinet and bells in school, 1 year for each...other than that no

Have you ever been inside of a courtroom? yep several times especially this past year with my DUI, and even been through a TRO trial I had against mom...

What kind of restaurants do you eat at while you’re on vacation? I never get to go on vacation, but I’d usually try out local spots especially ones they’re well known for

Did you ever participate in any pageants when you were younger? hell no thank god, I can’t stand seeing what the parents put those poor girls through it’s sick

What kind of cheese is your favorite? I’m Italian/Irish mostly..cheese is life lol I love all of it

Does your phone have any cracks or scuffs? only a slight one on the screen protector of it, the phone itself is fine from that and the case

Have you ever had a professional massage? no

Which would you rather have, twins or triplets? less would be easier so twins but whatever I’m meant to have, are my kids

Do you drink energy drinks? Monster and Starbucks Doubleshots

Can you swim? the basics yeah, for some unknown reason my body refuses to learn how to just lay back and float though lol

Make the perfect taco salad: never had one but basically a taco supreme without the tortilla lol

Have you ever lived with friends or a roommate? friends yeah once or twice

Who in your family has a birthday in March? my dad, March 8 and my stepsis March 10

What kind of pasta do you like? GIMME ALLLLLLLLL THE PASTA

Do you know how to play volleyball? for the most part yeah...I’ve taken a straight within inches, full strength spiked ball to the face like a pro too :|

How much decorating do you do around the holidays? none, we barely even do a tree anymore really..well at our house anyway, family always does

Have you ever been on a cruise? no and I want to soooo bad...straight to open bar for a mai tai and lounge by the pool on the top deck in the sun

At what age did you learn how to tie your shoes? uhhh it was kindergarten so hell...I was maybe 4?

Oreos or chocolate chip cookies? both

What did you dress up for Halloween as a child? lots...pumpkin, chicken, Jasmine from Aladdin, Marill from Pokemon..that’s all I can remember out of em all

Can you count to ten in Spanish? yeah

Name a character from your favorite TV show: Jude Harrison

Do you like going to arcades? yeah I’m a gamer always have been

What was the last personal care item you bought from the store? pads

Airplanes or helicopters? planes

Have you ever been camping for more than a week? never more than a few days

What kind of meat do you like the most? most of it

Do you actually stop and pet dogs you actually see? I say hi and call to em, smile and compliment them to the owner if there is one but no, I don’t pet without permission just in case

Have you ever been in an ambulance? yep several times

What’s the craziest thing you’ve found at a hotel before? when we got to the room on vacation in VA a few months into dating and he was showing me his “stomping grounds” from when he was stationed in Newport News for the Navy, I happened to look in the drawer of the nightstand and there was the bible (usual) but next to it was this coin purse which looked full. curious, we opened it and it was full of like, four different brands of condoms lol the irony of the bible being next to it was amazing

How far is the closest Target? about 15 min drive, not too far

Snakes or spiders? oh dear god snakes, get the fuck away from me with the latter! I’m severely arachnophobic!

What’s your Panera Bread order? depends..usually a flatbread pizza and I always get their chicken noodle soup, best damn chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had! whatever they do to it is amazing

Do you have any cool keychains? my fiance brings home a few from the jobs he’s sent to sometimes, they’re all on my carabiner that holds my keys

How old is your oldest living grandparent? none biologically, I forget how old my dad’s mom is

Do you watch movies? doesn’t everyone?

Who in your family has a birthday in April? my fiance’s mom April 12, my grandfather (RIP) April 13, my fiance April 23, my cousin Jakey April 30

Have you ever had your nails done professionally? a few times

What color Christmas tree do you use? green, we always get natural

What’s your go to dipping sauces? ranch or ketchup

Do you know how to properly pack a U-Haul truck? no

What was your least favorite math? honors level Algebra 2...furthest I got before graduation, moved around so much and repeated Algebra so much I never got to take most of the others everyone else did like calc or trig

Have you ever been published in a magazine? no

What color is your snow gloves? don’t have any

How old were you when you last went to the dentist? 17...yeah I know it’s disgusting, overdue is not even the word

Do you own a printer? yeah never really use it

What’s your Applebees order? depends on what I’m feeling...but one thing’s for sure going on that damn table and that’s my spinach and artichoke dip!!

Do you bring home seashells from the beach? yeah always

What kind of video games do you play? pretty much anything, more adventure/rpg..think Zelda, Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, etc. but I love all games

Is anyone in your family in law enforcement? not anymore, some have history though.

How long ago was the last funeral you attended? January 29, 2023 so this year...my cousin only a year older than me, murdered days after his birthday the week before it...

What color is the blanket on your bed? my weighted blanket is like a burnt orange color

Where did you get your name from? mom loved my first name from the get go and at the time it wasn’t as popular like it was as I got older through school. my two middle names, one is hers and one is my great grandmother’s first name. last name is sperm donor’s last name unfortunately...can’t wait for our wedding so I can finally rid myself of it once and for all

Do you wear lipstick? when I put on make up yeah, which I rarely do anymore except going to see family for holidays or date night which rarely ever happens too...

What’s a fruit you dislike? can’t think of one, I love fruit

What kind of donuts do you like? not a big fan but when I do eat em on occasion, boston creme filled for sure and of course I’m east coast so I gotta reference Dunkin Donuts here! :D

Do you know how to braid hair? no

What’s one accessory you wear? occasional earrings or necklace..other than that it’s just my engagement ring which I always wear it’s not an accessory

How many hoodies/jackets do you own? many, I love hoodies (and yes most are his that I wear more)

What was the last name of the road you lived on? not putting that out there

What brand of chocolate do you prefer? Reese’s

Nike or Adidas? either one

What will your future wedding colors be? not sure yet...can’t even plan cause he’s barely ever home and we’re struggling to try and even save up..

Do you have a phone mount in your car? need a car after what happened last year but yeah, once I finally get a new one (hopefully soon), I’ll definitely have one. otherwise I just prop it in the cupholders lol

Make the perfect omelet: eggs, bacon, sausage, bell peppers, diced onions, ketchup, salt, pepper

#survey #bored #random #about me

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bethestaryouareradio · 6 years

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Dead Serious and Lighthearted, Beautiful Bouquets, Fire Recovery Guide

National award-winning author, Mack W. Borgen, a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of discusses the release of Volume I (Years 1957-1976) and Volume II (1977-1993) of his latest book series entitled Dead Serious and Lighthearted – The Memorable Words of Modern America. In these books, Borgen introduces history in an entirely new way by the exacting presentation of its “Memorable Words.” With thoughtful explanation and brilliant commentary and without the litany of “isms” and “ologies,” the Memorable Words of Modern America are presented one by one – the fascinating and frivolous; the tragic and momentous; the eloquent and bumbling; and the touching and endearing.

How do you create beautiful, lush arrangements with flowers and branches from your own garden? With a few simple tips from Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian, you won’t be spending extra dollars at the florist but may be planting your future bouquets.

How does land and its inhabitants recover after a devastating fire? With this fire recovery guide, you’ll learn to identify the actions you can take to benefit your land and the biodiversity you steward.

Bio: Mack W. Borgen is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a national award-winning author for his prior books, The Relevance of Reason – The Hard Facts and Real Data about the State of Current America (Volume I – Business and Politics) and Volume II – Society and Culture) which were released in 2013. Both books won a number of national book awards.

He is a native of Montana and was raised in the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest. Upon graduating from the University of California (Berkeley) with Honors in Economics, he delivered the last university-wide student commencement address before heading east to law school.

Upon graduation from law school, he went on to serve more than four years in the U.S. Army. Thereafter, he lived and wrote in Europe for a brief period, and then returned to the West Coast where he began a long career in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Orange County, California simultaneously practicing law and writing about various economic, political, and social matters.

He has devoted much of his time to the writing the three volumes of Dead Serious and Lighthearted - The Memorable Words of Modern America – (Volumes I-III). The books present those Memorable Words” – the real currency of American life – which by their passion eloquence, prescience, or wisdom frame our history and reveal our past. The author hopes that the books will help, in their own quiet way, lift the spirit of our country and help lessen the discord and rancor of our national conversation.

He has also taught adjunct professor courses at Rutgers University (Camden, NJ) (The History of the Labor Movement), the University of Virginia (The History of the Supreme Court), and various law courses. www.mackwborgen.com

Listen at Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel: https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/109155/dead-serious-and-lighthearted-beautiful-bouquets-fire-recovery

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When you are looking for upbeat, life-changing, and mind-stretching information, you have come to the right place. Host Cynthia Brian takes you on a journey of exploration that will encourage, inspire, and motivate you to make positive changes that offer life-enhancing results. It's party time on StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!®. And YOU are invited! Join us LIVE 4-5pm Pt on Wednesdays or tune in to the archives at your leisure. Come play in StarStyle Country. Catch up with all broadcasts on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/starstyle-be-the-star-you-are!/id669630180?mt=2

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#cynthia brian Mack Borgen Dead Serious and Lighthearted – The Memorable Words of Modern America Harvard law history fire recovery florists m

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phclemenza-blog · 7 years

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Track 2: The Shackeltons (2008)

On July 12, 2008, I was attending the annual WXPN XPoNential Music Festival on the beautiful Camden, NJ riverfront (and I do mean that unironically). It was a sweltering day even into the late afternoon, which it so happened to be. I had just finished watching Teddy Thompson, son of Richard and Linda Thompson, on the main stage and sauntered over to the smaller marina stage. I saw about 50 hearty folks arranged in desultory clumps about the semicircle of grass surrounding the stage lined with small open shops where some were avoiding the sunlight and awaiting the next band.

When they arrived, I wasn’t sure if it was the actual band or just their roadies checking the instruments. They were a young, ragged, trippy unit wearing bits and pieces of army fatigues, that seemed to wander in individually. As they started to play, I took in the stage that had a sort of free-standing awning structure made out of pipes that was festooned with flowers—daisies?—for some reason. The stage was littered with flowers as well and they were stuck in the singer’s mic like the straws in the game Kerplunk. But that was quickly forgotten as the singer arrived on stage with an old corded telephone in hand (base and handset), fully clad in black—back cap, long-sleeve black shirt, and black pants—and proceeded to stomp and cavort frenetically about the stage.

The ragtag crew quickly came together and started rocking out with what, I believe, turned out to be the opening track to their album, “Your Movement” and I was rapt for the next half hour. The bands at the festival were only allocated about that amount of time before the act on the other stage had their turn to perform. I remember that the Shackeltons went off to uproarious applause, the concert ending with lead singer Mark Redding first loosing seemingly the entire stage of flowers on the audience on the appropriately named “Get Out”, then smashing the phone that he had used to sing into intermittently and had swung about like a Roger Daltrey microphone continually throughout the concert, and finally joyously wandering through the audience as the song ended.

I knew that I had just seen one of the greatest concerts of my life, and I had to go up to the singer shake his hand and tell him how much I appreciated it. It seemed that I made his day as he embraced me and earnestly told me, “Wow, that really means a lot.” I had one of the warmest feelings I had ever had leaving a concert. I quickly strode over the merchandise table and plucked down ten bucks for their album. I would have bought a T shirt, too, if they had any. (Note that though I did recognize the bulk of the songs on the album after the concert, it was hard to reconstruct in what order they were played, and unfortunately, a playlist is not available online.)

The Shackeltons were formed in Chambersburg, PA June 2004 with founding members Mark Redding (vovals), Eric Fisak (guitar), Dan Schuchman (bass), Josh McDaniel (bass), and Jonathan Slick (drums).1 They took their name from a misspelling of the name of the explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton was of the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration” and was knighted for the then-closest approach to the South Pole but after a number of attempts, including a sea-to-sea attempted crossing, never actually made it to the Pole and died of a heart attack at 47 on his final attempt.2 I imagine this made him all the more romantic a figure to the boys.

Within a few months, the Shackeltons had secured their first live gigs and recorded a five-song eponymous EP in January 2005 at Chambersburg Church of the Brethren with Michael Mateer as engineer. Two months later, they self-released a 6-song live set Live on 103.7 that they recorded as part of a radio broadcast. Their first full-length LP, Red, was again self-released January 1, 2006 after they returned to the Church of the Brethren again with Mateer. The band continued its prolific pace releasing a six-track EP, Madeline, one month later again with Mateer but at a different Chambersburg church, the simply named Clifton Newell's dad's church.

Each of these releases had early version of songs that would end up on The Shackeltons: ”Emergency” on The Shackeltons EP; Live versions of “Soft Heart”, “Bloke”, and “Emergency” on Live on 103.7; “Bloke”, “Your Movement”, “Soft Heart”, and “Yellow Cadillac” on Red; and “Madeline”, “The Ship”, “The Breaks”, and “Tremble” on Madeline, all but one song. The band continued to hone the songs through touring.

2006 witnessed the band’s first lineup change as two members, Josh McDaniel and Jonny Slick, left for college. Justin McDaniel replaced his brother on bass and 15-year-old Sean Hallock took over on drums.1

The band got their first break debuting the lineup at the 2006 CMJ Festival at Sin-é in New York (October 31 – November 4) when John Richards of KEXP and Loveless Records (Seattle) caught their act: “After seeing The Shackeltons live I realized why I started a record label. When you see and hear a band this full of energy and passion you can't help but be moved.”1 Richards signed the band in 2007, and they travelled to Seattle for a reportedly exuberant live set at Neumos that also appeared on KEXP. The next stop was Los Angeles to record their first album for a label with the help of Sam Jones, producer, and Tom Biller, who had won a Grammy working with Kanye West, producer/engineer.

The album was released January 29, 2008 and received some notable reviews. They were named a “Breaking Artist” by Rolling Stone:

The Shackeltons provide a stout combination of clean, straight-lined production and cacophonous bursts of sound on their self-titled debut. Their blasts of angst, which are equal parts danceable bliss and seering [sic] noise, are held together by the jittery, literate lyrical musings of frontman Mark Redding.3

Spin made them their featured artist of the day on January 18, 2008.4 They later published a review praising the Shackeltons: “Palpable desperation is one of rock’n’roll’s most valuable commodities, because it’s impossible to fake... A half-dozen times on their debut, the Shackeltons sound completely convincing, and that’s about six more times than most bands ever manage.”5 Myspace made them a featured band for a week, while they averaged 15,000 plays a day.4 The music blog New Rock News 43 called them “freakin' amazing”6 and Hybrid Magazine said the band is “[i]nfused with a life rarely seen” with a sound “like the bastard product of so many intelligent influences”7:

There is something inherently different and good about The Shackeltons, this indefinable essence, that even if you could quantify it, no other band could replicate the success. Part simplicity, part commitment and purely movement, it just works so well to create this beautiful album that invades you as a listener. This energy pervades the record like a nervous tension that hovers over the quiet sections and swoops in for the kill during the breaks.7

Reviewers compared the band to the Pixies, Joy Division, Interpol, Fugazi, Television, The Cramps, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, and Cage the Elephant, to name a few. However, “while it may be easy to assign sections to certain forerunners, the completed product is nothing but The Shackeltons.”7 On their first album they were said to play post-punk, new-wave/indie-rock, lo-fi garage rock, proto-punk, they were a band with an “unmistakable CBGB's sound about them” 8. Their style defied being pigeonholed, at least successfully.

So let’s return to that amazing summer concert nine years ago. At the time, I did not know about these stellar reviews. I just knew that I loved this band. I kept an eye out for new releases or even any mention of the Shackeltons. I scoured all of my sources to no avail for years.

Their next release was not until 2014—Records, which is also very good. Meanwhile all of the members of the band turned over except for lead singer Mark Redding.

So how does a band with this much promise, that is this good live, that got recognition from major media outlets, how does such a band not make it big? Apparently, such is the music industry today. Twenty years ago, the Shackeltons could have become the next big thing. Now, they may be a cautionary tale but man, they have created some great music.

Speaking of which, here are reviews of the tracks of the album, each with a link to an audio track (or video for the singles) and with any live versions if available:

The Tracks

1 Your Movement (4:12):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gcywqaitwM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLHnKysY8Ng & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9IAaPNM4Cg (live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Ek0gD5j28 (live as “Pirate Song”)

You tear my heart in two

But I will always offer you…more

The album opens with a track that lays out the aesthetic of the entire album both lyrically and musically. Musically, the energy of the rhythm section, the tension of the two soaring, crunching, wailing guitars, and the passion and earnestness of Redding’s voice are all there. Lyrically, Redding cries out about love, perhaps unrequited, but with a pure heart and expressed sincerely from said heart. This perfectly introduces the song arc loosely tied to ships and pirates with love and life as an adventure and the Shackeltons in their military garb fighting on love’s side. Or something close to that.

The track itself starts out mid-tempo with sole guitar quietly churning in a repeating riff joined by a nice bouncing bass line and a nice skipping drum beat. Redding then quietly joins in. The whole band including a second wailing guitar jumps to a crisp crescendo as Redding expresses his love. The song even sounds like a ship sailing along in a lapping sea until they run into an emotional squall.

Check out the second live clip to see Redding walking through the festival audience high-fiving exultant fans. It’s just as I remembered it.

2 Tremble (2:47):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yqVku0NcFI

Certain treasures are never sold

Certain stories are never told

“Tremble” starts out with the high energy of “Your Movement” with a crunchy guitar riff opener and takes it up a notch as Redding repeats over and over about trembling “in these trials of love”. Redding wails throughout except for a quiet bridge that does little to dissipate the energy but rather keeps the tension up until a final chorus. No one mentions them as an influence, but I hear Pink Floyd’s more harrowing, entreating tracks from The Wall like “In the Flesh”, “One of My Turns”, or “Don't Leave Me Now” in “Tremble”. (And I love the sock puppet video.)

3 The Blood (2:56):

https://theshackeltons.bandcamp.com/track/the-blood

I found a rose by the riverside

I picked it up by the thorns and watched the blood go down my fingertips

“The Blood” cuts out the middleman, starting with a quiet intro with the lyrics above, a snare, and bass slowly doing a scale. It quickly turns into a crazed wail with bits and pieces of these lyrics over the band yowling with both guitars doubling each other followed by the bass line as well and crashing cymbals aplenty. The song ends with Redding’s distraught voice crying out. (No sock puppets on this one.)

4 Yellow Cadillac (4:42):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KQJaFrSJNo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7XuUHMnl6U (live)

All I ask for is the yellow Cadillac

And all I pray for is for you to come back

“Yellow Cadillac” starts out slowly and quietly with yearning and a sense of loss. Again, I hear echoes of “Hey You” from The Wall. Maybe it’s just me. Then after Redding pours out his heart to a single guitar picking out a response, the energy suddenly builds in the music and the voice slowly builds along with it until the entire band is zooming along. It again falters while Redding ponders whether that other person will come back. Then, as if a switch is flicked, he confidently states, “I will see you coming back,” and the music again soars, now in his revelry. It falters again just slightly, then rushes headlong to the end.

I love the stop-start tempo of the song, making use of the Pixies quiet-loud dynamic, and the great, melodic guitar riff towards the end doesn't hurt either. Brilliant song. 6

I particularly remember this song as one of the standouts live.

5 The Ship (3:08):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_aDcxiVmTo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HopCWUcjIA (live)

In the sea of love

It’s going to be cold

“The Ship” is a slowly building, whirling frenzy after Redding calls seemingly everyone on the planet to join him on the ship before it embarks for its wild journey. The pirate motif is back in spades. The ship seems to run aground amid chants of the mighty ship being lost, but it is only for a moment as the band takes the song to an even wilder faster height before a single fading note trails off at the end.

6 The Breaks (2:35):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhrI9Ff3Jyo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F4nIL3SEtU (live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIFdXebALbg (live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbxtKz07qzI (live)

I can’t sleep at night

My heart breaks all night

Redding chants out a confession from his heart until he shutters to “the breaks” and the band halt and pop along with him. Guitars then slash and stutter and crunch. Then suddenly the band breaks down like the protagonist’s mental state, getting slower and slower until it stops a la The Cure’s “Grinding Halt”. Then a little bass riff revives him. The music builds again while singer breaks down to a wailing ululation.

7 Emergency (5:05):

https://theshackeltons.bandcamp.com/track/emergency-3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twaa6KeD7Yg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpqwx4Q_xKE (live, 2 pts)

Well, my home is more than rented bricks

And my heart is more than repeated beats

And my love is more than just some fleeting cries

“Emergency” again finds the protagonist at a low point a la the fits and starts of The Wall. Redding is singing into that prop phone that I mentioned from his live set as a quiet, defused, plaintive voice over a melodic guitar as the song starts. The rest I will quote from elsewhere since they say it better:

The key to this entire winning style is the ability of this band to tease and release the builds into a worthy end; the best analogy I can come up with is the dawn. You see this beam of light on the horizon that grows and grows, you can feel the potential the inevitable warmth, and finally the sun comes up and it is beautiful and bright and everything you wanted. "Emergency" is such a case that should be studied by other bands in hopes of catching a glimpse of where they should be going.7

[A]n easy-starting song that rides on Fisak's melodic guitar progression as Egolf's lays down a rhythm track. One thing I love though, is the way Redding speaks the vocals at the beginning of the song. I'm reminded of a Johnny Cash/Jim Morrison sound, where Redding here is trying to get something deeper out of the lyrics. Trying to push the poetry through to the audience, and I love it. Among it all is McDaniel's bass, softly keeping time in the background as Hallock's drums are slow, almost lazy, but still managing to find the snare and cymbals at the right times. Definitely a new-wave-inspired track, and I'm almost tempted to label this track at least as shoegaze-alternative. It reminds me a little bit of Smashing Pumpkins through the lazy beat and heart-felt, poetic vocals. And with everything speeding up towards the end, it's definitely one of the must-hear songs on the album.6

The song runs the gamut of human emotion and is like the dawn that the reviewer above mentions. The second review mentions a Smashing Pumpkins feel to the song, and a certain kinship to “Tonight Tonight” is definitely palpable.

8 Soft Heart (3:29):

https://theshackeltons.bandcamp.com/track/soft-heart-3

Think about the pain of now versus the pain of being alone

And I’m not sure if I’d rather be with you or ever alone

“Soft Heart” differs from the rest of the album’s style quite a bit. First, it is mid-tempo which almost seems slow compared to the rest of the album especially the couple of songs preceding it. The guitars sound a bit different, more “Peter Gunn”-ish and the bass is of the walking variety. Redding still has the plaintive, forlorn lover chanting out lines in fits and starts and the guitars still soar. This is where the comparisons to Joy Division come in and they are earned:

But then just when you think you have the Shackelton lads figured out, the Joy Division-ish "Soft Heart" comes peaking around the corner. Like quite a few alt bands of the early 21st century, the Shackeltons are well versed in late-'70s/early-'80s punk history.8

9 Madeline (4:48):

https://theshackeltons.bandcamp.com/track/madeline-2

Madeline, I swore I’d never use your name in a song

Celebrate your last night

“Madeline” starts off with a great fuzz bass line and the band joins in with dual blaring, weaving guitar lines and an almost disco drum beat with shimmering cymbals and danceable beats. It builds to a driving, almost soaring, wall of sound. The song stops midway, and after a solo guitar riff blares out, it must be restarted by Redding’s chants into wailing. As the singer asks, “Can we ever find our way back?” the song soars back to its previous heights and keeps building until an abrupt cymbal crash to end it.

By the way, he broke his promise to Madeline about not using her name in a song, but the way that it takes him 45 seconds in the beginning of the song to tease out that one line makes you feel the weight of it. Other than the breakdown in the middle, the rest of the lyrics are just bits and pieces of these two lines. Redding’s lyrics are never more painful and never more exultant.

What I love most about this track, besides the catchy guitar riffing, is the incredible ambiance it exudes. It just feels like you're falling into the music, and that's something that will take a song right to the top if it can do it right. 6

10 Bloke (3:11):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8A_uYXGvp8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAw0-GvKVpk (live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mELNdObe7Ps (live with Get Out)

I was looking for you and your love so true

You better watch out for a bloke like me

Reverberating wails start this one out followed by blaring, weaving guitars, a walking bass line, and a propulsive drum line. All are standard fare for the Skackeltons to this point, but if there is one song that can be said to be a bit slick this is it. “Bloke” sounds more like a single than anything else on the album, just another great track this late in the album tells you how good this album is.

11 Get Out (3:04):

https://theshackeltons.bandcamp.com/track/get-out-2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i6jg12vnnc (live with flowers)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mELNdObe7Ps (live with Bloke)

Arms are falling to the side

We are slow dancing without touching

“Get Out” sounds like a last track from Elastica’s great 1995 hook-laden classic album. It’s completely the Shackeltons but the hooks are getting heavier as the album goes. It is a great number to end on and fades out with a little organ playing something that sounds like it’s from a carnival. This is just as Redding finishes chant-wailing about love.

Watch the first video to experience Redding’s manic marching and dropping to his knees to wail into his prop phone. Watch the second live video to see him throwing flowers in the audience at the end. It’s great stuff, just as I remembered it.

Fisak's and Egolf's guitars are distorted pleasures to my ears, blending new-wave/indie-rock with blues rhythms and garage-rock beats. Hallock's drums are crazy here, reaching John Bonham-like levels, and as McDaniel's bass just keeps pumping and pumping, I'm reminded of John Entwhistle by his style. Above it all are Redding's frenzied blues-rock/funk vocals. I can't decide whether he's singing or screaming, or a mixture of both, but the bottom line is that I love it, and whatever he's doing, he's doing it right. 6

Credits (from the CD liner notes)

Eric Fisak, guitar

Sean Hallock, drums

Mark Redding, voice

Justin McDaniel, bass

Daniel Schuchman, guitar

References

1 Sonicbids: https://www.sonicbids.com/band/theshackeltons/

2 Ernest Shackleton on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shackleton

3 Rolling Stone Breaking Artist review by Kyle Anderson, January 30, 2008: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/breaking-artist-the-shackeltons-20080130

4 The Shackeltons Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shackeltons

5 Spin review by Josh Modell, February 25, 2008: http://www.spin.com/2008/02/shackeltons-shackeltons-loveless/

6 New Rock News 43, “Friday Night with The Shackeltons”, November 20, 200: http://newrocknews43.blogspot.com/search?q=shackeltons

7 The Shackeltons review on Hybrid Magazine: http://www.hybridmagazine.com/reviews/0108/shackeltons.shtml

8 AllMusic.com’s Shackeltons review: http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-shackeltons-mw0000781522

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