Jaminbenb

(Oops, just saw this.) I have done some kelp dives here in Monterey and they are pretty wonderful. Swimming through the kelp you feel like you are flying through a forest. I haven't been in a couple of years mostly because I am too lazy. I need to find a motivated dive buddy that will get me off my butt. (My last regular dive buddy was even lazier than me, hence the not going.) If you ever have a chance to try it you will love it! Cool...good to know... I'm planning on a trip within ththe next year or two, I have a friend that lives in Laguna Niguel that's trying to get me out, so I figure if we DO go out, we'll be ther longer than a week, and I'll make sure I get to do some Pacific diving.

That was an awesome thing! Good job Gene! RIP Dilan! Glad you got to experience that!

Welcome...you have a lot of catching up to do!

Got to listen to a little more yesterday, not much this weekend...with family, and not many are into prog metal.... Still not thrilled with it...sounds like formulaic DT, lots of notes, and epic sounding stuff from Rudess... Which pretty much puts me at a "why I don't like Rudess so much" head... I think that other than when he plays piano..it s kinda of tough to discern his playing other than the orchestral motifs all over the piece...I miss the old days when keys sounded like keys, and besides a few occasional spots, everything I've heard is "grandiose", not chops laden...and again...don't get me wrong, the man can play...but I don't like his playing in this band... If I get a road trip or weekend by myself, I'll give it a better critical listen, and see if anything strikes me.

GuP is the only one that matters.....

Are we all drunk? Yellow Tail, Beer, Gin?

Or... Your BLOATED Gonads...could be the sign of an accident....

Probably shared some good weed at one point....

That'd be an interesting band....

Maybe a few smaller venues here and there?!?! They were a theater act for the longest time, so...

We've all had this conversation before...but my biggest complaint was that they didn't do their usual, and add some "dates in the Spring" and just do another leg of a tour. I had an attitude of; "ok, they have this leg...they'll break for the fall and holidaze, then come out in February or March, and do another X-amount of dates, then have one big blow out in Cleveland or Pittsburgh" (since that's where they had the first one) You knew it had to end at some point...it's not easy music to play night after night like a lot of bands that are still out there...and they aren't the "back up band" type where they can just go out, go through the motions, but the 10 other guys and gals on stage are the ones playing MOST of the music...it's three guys, and that's it! But I really thought that after they did one part of a tour, they'd be back in the swing of things and be able to go out and do another (which it now sounds like Alex is on board with that) But if they put out another album, and DON'T tour, that's at least something, I guess. (and the fact they can find a studio near where NP lives so he can put Olivia on the school bus every day is probably the plan)

YBG, Prog section. The Yukon Blade Grinder? That was what I thought of, too! Yiddish Bond Girls? (oy vey)

That's a little more direct that some of the "reading between the lines" comments they've made...

Where'd you pull that from? must have missed that one....

I listened on headphones. It's really nice! But I am finding the DT sound rather sterile, no texture... I still really like them, but I find it hard to see them as one of the greats. But a wonderful band, and a really good album, all the same! And I think The Astonishing may improve with further listens, this is just my full initial reaction after one play. I'm in the same boat with them... I think they are talented, but they put in too many "notes for the sake of notes" which to me takes the musicality out of some of the tunes....GRANTED...they over-play because that's what's expected of them, but to me that detracts from them becoming "one of the greats"....I'm also not a fan of the revolving door musician thing... I liked the original band with Kevin Moore, and then liked what they did with Derek Sherinian...and don't get me wrong, Rudess is an amazing player...just not the guy that belongs in this band, and I can't say I like Magnini. What I've heard of the new album so far is decent, but "formulaic" DT music..they're stuff is all starting to sound the same. Once I'm able to get through the album, I'll be a little more specific on things, but what I've heard so far is "ok" and not blowing me away!

Way back when I was in high school...someone created a mural with that verse on it, and had some Hemispheres-like art on it! (that he purportedly took home and put on his bedroom wall) (wish we had cell phone cameras back then, or I would have taken a picture of it)

I thought that was the RtB kid?

Three albums that never really impressed me (except for maybe one or two songs) were Hold Your Fire, Presto, and Roll the Bones ....Presto probably has the least amount of stuff that I like, and I would not have been totally surprised if they "called it" after that run! I just remember not liking HyF, except for maybe two songs, liked the first little bit of Presto, but not much else, and after Dreamline, pretty much hated RtB! I remember buying the CD on my way to a recording class, basically got through Dreamline, and a little bit into Bravado before I had to go to the class...walked into the studio, and the rest of the guys I had class with had it on, and were all standing there with disappointed faces...The one guy said "after the first tune, it all sucks!" And as I listened to it several times after that..had to agree!.. Just could never get into it!

Interesting...I've been reading the "Art of Rush" book by Hugh Syme, and HE claims that the guy that modeled for that picture was a stock broker! (the article claims it was a waiter) Hmmmmm......

I've been using "We are only immortal....for a limited time" for a while.... ironically, I'm not a big fan of Roll the Bones as an album, but Dreamline is one of my favorite songs!

It is what it is....

I've done most of the good wreck dives in the Keys, Duane, Benwood, Speigel Grove, Vandenburg, Busch, Thunderbolt, Eagle. Lots of great stuff down there. Pretty good reefs as well...most of those are in the Big Pine area, but there are a few up in Key Largo. (need to get there again soon!) hahaha! Do you do any of the kelp diving out there? Heard some cool stuff about that. Have a cousin with in-laws out there who goes out occasionally, and did a few kelp dives...said it was a neat thing to experience.

Excellent! I'm glad to hear you enjoy diving. Too many people try it, but they don't keep up with it. The closest area to me to dive is Monterey, which is fantastic cold water diving, but just far enough away to be inconvenient. Most of my diving is tropical, and I've been all around the world; it's the main reason I travel. I'm not on Scubaboard, but I was on Wetpixel for a couple years (but not the past few years). I was...but there are too many know it all's over there... (kind of like on here occasionally!) I've been doing a lot of cold water diving, they just closed a great quarry, so we have to do a little traveling to go diving at the moment. We were out on New Years Eve day, were talking about going this weekend, but with this snow storm...JUST not possible! hahahaha! I have a few cool shops I use in the Florida Keys, love some of the wrecks down there.

Cool! I've only been diving since 2004 (decided to try it on my 40th birthday) And have been a crazy fan of a few local quarries, and the Florida Keys! Never tried an aquarium, but a friend that has a local shop has been trying to get me to try Baltimore. I guess the other question is ...where else do you dive? Do you do Scubaboard?

Have a Chicago/Earth Wind & Fire concert coming up in April...that's about it so far...