Engineering an Empire: About the Show and the Guys.

Engineering an Empire are not only a band full of promise and talent, but I can also call them very close friends of mine.  The five boys had their second show at The Vibe Lounge in Rockville Centre, this past Tuesday and I had the opportunity to see them perform.  They performed some songs off of their new EP which consists of five tracks.  The new tracks show a very creative side to the guys, and I couldn't be more proud of the direction that they are going.  They are recording what THEY want to record, and this new EP is definitely showing their listeners and friends how much they have grown as musicians. All five of them showed their passion and dedication to their music as they rocked out on the Vibe Lounge stage.

The band consists of some very talented lads.  There's Sean Suchara who is their singer and Mike DiGuilio the lead guitarist who started this band when they were in tenth grade.  We all joke about how they are pretty much like a modern-day Taking Back Sunday in the way that there have constantly been new members and people that just left their group.  The newer members of the group are Jacob Nycz, who is actually their youngest member being just a senior in High School, along with their drummer Nick Roberts who is a senior in High School.  Their rhythmic guitarist however, is their newest member and their oldest member (in terms of age), being a sophomore in college: Rich Castillo.  And on one of the tracks, they have one of my best friends (who was actually one of the original members) featured on one of their newer songs, which was exciting. I didn't even know he was going to be on stage until I saw him jump up from the crowd and sing with them.All five of them have music interests that are all very similar and some that are very different.  But they are able to come together and make something really lively and heavy enough to their liking.

The five were so happy to be playing at the Vibe Lounge, once again. For it was the place where they played their first real show.  And the fact that the turnout for it was at least four times bigger than the last time they played.  But they had fun up there, most definitely.  We were all so proud of them, and very happy that they're all getting their music out there. We all enjoyed listening to them play, and we were all abole to tell that they had fun with it too.  That's why they do this.  They do it because they love it, and they love that we do, too.

Their show was a blast, and not only did I get to hear them, I heard some bands that I've never heard of before and they were all very good. I got to meet some great people in those bands, I got pushed into some mosh pits, and I even did a little bit of crowd surfing, myself.  I like to indulge in some of the activities that go on in shows like that, such as those following things.  And I'm happy that I was able to do a lot of that.

I did get the opportunity to interview Engineering an Empire, but sadly my interview won't play on here.  I've been asking myself the question as to why, since the moment I saw "Error". So you shall expect another interview in the near future with them.  But these boys are so talented, so generous and so funny, too.  You can see that from just talking to them like I did, but you'll know all of that just by speaking to them for about five minutes.  They're all great guys, and talented guys, so give them a listen if you're into the heavy genre with some rock and "pop".

Pathetic Dog Is Pathetic.

Shieva's been a member of the McManus clan since I was in about second grade. And this is pretty much what she does all day. I came to this realization after coming home from school and just hanging out in front of my house, as I was watching a movie.  My sister told me earlier this month that this (as shown in the video) is where my dog sits all day, waiting for my dad to come home.  Shieva's obsession with my dad was creepy, but if this were true, the creepy level definitely would be taken up a few more notches.

Now,  I was watching a long, long movie on FX. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button when shown on TV is about four hours long, so as I said before..I was sitting there for quite some time.  And my dog just stayed up there, waiting and staring out that very same window.  The window she's looking out of stares out at the street in front of our house, as well as our drive way.  She didn't leave once, from 4pm to 8pm.  You can even see the lightness change throughout the video.  The day grew darker, as well as later, and she continued to sit up there.  My father ended up getting home about a half hour after my movie was over, which made her jump over my head and onto the floor where she sprinted towards the door.  So, as one can see: Pathetic Dog is Pathetic.

Clarity in Chaos!

Considering the fact that I'm a sophomore in college, I was given a lovely gift that lasted this whole week: Spring Break. It wasn't all that eventful, really. I spent it either relaxing in my house with my dog and watching some marathons, or I went out with some friends for the night.  Nothing too crazy, though!

But on Friday the 13th, I did get to witness something rather exciting.  Three friends of mine had their first gig at The Vibe Lounge in Rockville Centre, and I of course went to support their musical dreams.  They were a huge hit, and I was so very proud of them. I'm still very proud of them.  They were given this opportunity to play their first show at the Vibe Lounge, and they've been ready for it since the day they were asked.  The trio were happier than ever when their oldest member, Tim gave his fellow band members the awesome news!

Clarity in Chaos consists of three awesome guys who are very good at what they do.  There's Roland "Rambo" Williams, one of the best drummers I know, if not the best. And the other two lovely and talented members are cousins who switch  on and off on both instruments with different songs: Tim and Dom DiGangi.  The three come together with their different takes on music, and have made something that they all love, and something that they are all extremely proud of.  With their music interests being pretty much all over the place, one would think it would be hard to make something all three of them like, but they make it work! The favorite bands range from the individualistic and alternative Radiohead, to the grungy sounds of Nirvana, to the loud and heavy tones of the J-Metal band Dir En Grey.  That's one of the things that makes them so special, though.  Their sound is rather unique, and they pull at different elements of music, making them create their own sound which I think is great.  The three of them together sound great, and they've really matured as a band from the first time I heard them about six months ago.

Also, this local Long Island band has what not a lot of musical artists have nowadays according to Roland Williams.  "We have the support of our families. It's not something that a lot of people who do this can actually say," He says. The support that they get from their family and friends is something that makes it all the more fun for them to do this.  The three of them actually had all of their family members there, which was great for them. It gave them more confidence, and eased the nerves that Guitarist/Bassist Tim DiGangi told me that he did in face have.

We couldn't be more happy with their performance the other night.  They really looked like they were having fun up on that stage, and they were so happy. It's great to see them finally fulfilling their dreams, and performing for the masses.

During this break, my friends and I who went to this gig like to say that we saw something rather historical for them.  Why? Because all of us are in 100% agreement that they're going to be big one of these days.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: A Show With a Dark Twisted Humor.

A group of my friends were awesome enough to get money together, and buy me a great present.  What they got me was the first six seasons of one of my favorite shows, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  And since I was sick pretty much all weekend, I sat in my bed for most of it and I have already watched the first four seasons.  It was the first time I ever sat and watched every episode in order, and I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life.

This hit on FX is one of the funniest shows on Television, right now.  It has a very different kind of sense of humor than the other television series out there.  It's more dark, more offensive, and just..dirty.  The things that the makers get away with on this show. It's unbelievable! This show definitely expresses that the world we live in is a very sad one..and it goes about that in a very funny and rather messed up way! And you know what? I love that they do that! I think that the way they go about things on this show is very brave.  Everyone in the cast throws something absolutely ridiculous and offensive into the mix, and it's always hysterical.

It's Always Sunny also has some really great characters. You have Dennis, who is so vain that it hurts and is all about himself all the time.  Then you have Charlie, who the viewers watch go from being the most normal at the beginning to one of the strangest and funniest characters on the show.  And there's Mac (now known as "Fat Mac" because of his sudden gain of 50 pounds which he put on because "fat is funny"), who is all about strength, and has some of the greatest one liners I have ever heard ever.  And Dee.  Sweet Dee: The only girl in the group, and someone who really holds her own on the show.  She may be the only girl, but she keeps up with the other guys in terms of dark humor and messed up motives to get things on the show.  And no one can forget Danny Devito who plays Frank. Frank is one of the funniest characters I have ever seen in anything.  The five of them together make this awesome force of comedy that can't really be stopped and can get away with much more than you think! Even the minor characters like Cricket, the infamous McPoyles, The Waitress! They all add such a funny quality to the show that no other one really has.

I love how much they get away with on this show, and I love the simplicity of it! Have you heard the names of these episodes? What happens first is that there's a minute of film, and then based off of what you see..that's the name of an episode.  Some are really bad (as in offensive) or just really ridiculous! Allow me to name off a few: The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby, The Gang Goes Jihad, Charlie Goes America On Everybody's Ass, The Gang Finds a Dead Guy, and my favorite: Frank Sets Sweet Dee on Fire.

If you haven't picked up on watching this show yet, you definitely should! If you like dark comedy and bitter and hysterical characters, this show is definitely right up your alley. Sit back, and watch the madness unfold with the gang in Paddy's Pub, and enjoy yourselves as you watch their lives on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

This is one of the funniest episodes of It's Always Sunny: The Gang Solves The Gas Crisis.  This is THE episode that got me into this show!