Cover Songs

Throughout my music career, I have rarely played covers.  I would learn a song or two as practice, but I have always been one to perform my own music on stage.  Not that my songs are better, I just would rather focus on my own material / the band's material.  I can count on one hand - the covers I have played at gigs with various bands over the past 15 years.  (1) Warsaw by Joy Division, (2) Working Man by Rush, (3) Sonic Reducer by the Dead Boys, and (4) Angel by Massive Attack.

With Stockhausen & The Amplified Riot - we started off playing a few covers at rehearsal: Discipline by Throbbing Gristle, and a mellow, krautrock version of Down In The Hole by The Rolling Stones.  But none of those songs were ever performed at a gig.

So, at my most recent gig at the Black Magic Social Hour, I decided to break out two covers in one set: I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You) by Hank Williams, and Roy Rogers by Western Threads.

I decided on these songs because I wanted to try my hand at performing some country / honky tonk songs... just something different.  The rest of the set was mostly new material from the upcoming album and one track from the first album.

Overall, a well-rounded but also slightly confusing set as a few people pointed out to me afterward.  

And yeah, that's a hollow body Gretsch G5120 guitar I'm using... boy howdy, does it howl and hollar!!

Thousand Helmets: version 2.0

I know the importance of safety while either riding my bike or while on a skateboard, but I was never keen on the styles available.  Not that safety NEEDS to be stylish, I just found the dominate bicycle helmet styles to be a little too… I don't know... weird?  And then Thousand comes along and I was immediately sold on their aesthetic.  So, if you’re shopping around for a helmet, I’d like to recommend Thousand helmets – but only their latest version (aka 2.0).

I bought my first Thousand helmet (Speedway Crème) in August 2020.  I instantly loved it: comfortable, solid, and looked cool.  At the time - we were still in the arms of the pandemic and even though I didn’t see a lot of people out and about, I definitely didn’t see anyone in Houston wearing a helmet like this.  More importantly – I was doing exactly what Thousands’ marketing was hoping to achieve: wearing a helmet, but also, doing it in style.

Many riders have more than one bicycle and I am no exception.  I have one at my apartment and one at the house where my sons live.  So, I decided to buy a second helmet and just keep it at the house so there’s no excuse for NOT riding.  The second helmet I ordered was in Stealth Black (#2 in the photo below) and is a good quality helmet, but didn’t feel as solid as the first one.  After examining the two helmets side-by-side I found that my perception of the “solid feel” of the first helmet was due to the straps that are used.  #1 uses vegan leather straps, which are slightly stiffer / thicker than the all-fabric straps used on the Stealth Black.  The difference in the thickness of the straps allows the plastic harness in the back of the helmet to move up and down a bit more.

I presume it is more of an aesthetic thing to use the different strap materials as the brown vegan leather wouldn’t look as stealthy on a black helmet with a blacked out logo.  It didn’t bother me too much that the back harness moved around more freely (but still stayed secure while on your head), but I noticed it.  If I didn’t have the two helmets side-by-side, I would have never known the difference.

After a few more months of riding and increasing my distance / stamina, I decided to upgrade my helmet to one that had a higher safety rating.  Again, I ended up back with Thousand but this time, I purchased their Chapter MIPS helmet.

When I received the new helmet, I tried it on and immediately did not like it.  I had never worn a MIPS helmet before, so I can’t fault Thousand.  The helmet wobbled quite a bit on my head, which is understandable as the MIPS design is like a cage inside the helmet that allows the exterior of the helmet to move / rotate in case of an accident.  However, the wobble was distracting and I felt like the helmet was going to slide off my head.  The MIPS design inside the helmet was nice and snug but that exterior shell moved around too much while riding.

Thousand was quick to respond about my concern and offered me either a refund or an exchange.  At this point in my post, I want to note that Thousand have been consistently quick and friendly with my questions and concerns.  So, I decided on an exchange – I ordered (basically) the same helmet as before but in navy blue.  My plan was to give my stealth black helmet to a friend who needs a helmet and just have the two.

However, when helmet #3 arrived, I noticed something was off.  The black plastic harness in the back was attached a little closer to the center of the helmet, which made the helmet feel too snug, even when the adjustment wheel was fully loosened.  Also, I noticed the trim around the bottom of the helmet was not fully attached, so I added a little glue to the inside and now it’s secure.  Neither of these are deal killers, but it was weird.  So, I kept helmet #2 and was planning to give #3 away… but then my friend bought himself a helmet (after I kept bugging him to do so!)… so now I have three helmets and decided just to keep #3 in a box until someone else comes along that needs a helmet.

All was going just fine until……. Thousand announced version2.0 of their helmets!  They claim that the new helmets are lighter and have better ventilation – which is appealing to me as it’s really ding-dang hot here in Houston for most of the year.  So, why not give it a try?

Enter helmet #4 from Thousand!

Right away, and I mean right-out-of-the-box right away, this helmet felt great!  It felt more secure… solid… but also familiar.  However, the white trim was also a loose like on helmet #3.  What’s up with that Thousand?  Anyway, I had the Gran Fondo Texas ride coming up so I took this helmet with me to give it a go.

Straight up, the vents on top are better positioned for air flow to your scalp.  Version 1 was good, but I felt a major difference with the airflow using the new 2.0 version.  Also, there’s a “howl” that occurs with version 1 from the air vents when you’re gaining speed (or hit with a strong head wind).  That howl is the sound of the air going across the air vents on top.  With the new design, that howl is gone.  The internal pads are good too, although they are on the thin side.  I would recommend Thousand consider adding a second set of internal pads to each helmet as the pads will wear out before the helmet does – as is the case with my #1 helmet.  I noticed that the pop-lock hole feature on the back is slightly bigger than version 1.0.  Oh yeah, and the new versions have a small “shelf” on the back so you can magnetically attach a bike light – although (as of this post) those lights are not available and it’s not clear if future purchases of this helmet will include the bike light like the MIPS version does.

Bottom line – I’m impressed with the improvements on version 2.0 of the Thousand helmet and I recommend it over the original version.  I implore Thousand to keep an eye on the quality control as they have a great product.  #4 will be my main bike helmet for now!  I'm keeping helmets #1 and #2 (mainly to be used for skateboarding) and donating #3 to a local bike shop that's active in the biking community.

TLDR: please use a helmet when either bike riding, skateboarding, or rollerblading.  These helmets are great for those sports. 

Noble Coyote Coffee Roaster – Mapendo (Congo)

Oy!  I'm a wee bit behind on my posts this month, but with so much has been going on, I haven't made time to sit and type it all out... so, let’s start with some coffee!

Today, I opened up a bag of beans from Noble Coyote that are from Congo.  I’m not familiar with Congolese beans, but I'm a fan now.  Here's an outstanding blog post about these beans and their cultivation.  

With the first sip of this brew, I was like, oooooooh yeah!  Right away, I’m tasting dark cherries in the front with a finish of (stay with me here) graham crackers.  Yeah, graham crackers because I can taste that honey, cinnamon essence. It’s mild but definitely not boring.

Noble Coyote says it has a bright and zesty finish…. And yeah, I would agree.  It’s a wonderfully smooth roast that I would not dilute with any creamers or sugar.  Definitely not sugar as it has a natural sweetness that is pleasant.  Also, because of its natural sweetness, this coffee would also be outstanding as a cold brew.