Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Q/A with Mike Simonson






Mike simonson, AKA simonster If 90's metal/drug band Pantera, were native to the Miscene in the past 7 years they may have named there CD Vulgar display of Power, about this guy. Just watch him ride, anything MTB Cross, Road, it looks as they he is dumping watts everywhere. This season looks to be No different. he is aiming for the triple crown, a feat only obtained by another former Miscener( brian Matter) Heres a little look on buliding the perfect monster..

Hey, thanks for giving me the opportunity to voice my thoughts! Can I thank.... Bells Brewery and Quiring Cycles and all my team mates (including my wife) for supporting me over the past few seasons. There's no way I would be as competitive without them!
Q.How long have been racing
A started racing BMX when I was 13. Then I got into BMX Dirt Jumping all through high school. When I got into college, I started getting more into XC mountain biking and eventually into racing.

Q. what changes have you seen in the Miscene over the years
A Honestly... not very much as far as XC goes. Sure there are new people always phasing in and out of the scene, but it seems to be the same race courses with the same size fields. Now there are more races than ever. The endurance scene kind of blossomed in the years I've been into XC MTB'ing, but now that's starting to fizzle out and cyclocross is all the rage lately.

Q. ever plan on doing a full tour of road or cross?

A Cross really interests me and I think it's really fun, but it comes after a very long season which starts in March. I mean... throw in a cross season and you're racing from the end of March until January. Then, it's time for base miles again and you get no real break to re-group and spend time with your family.
I really want to do more road racing this year as prep for the Chequamegon. That's the main race on my radar screen for 2007. You can blow it out on a 70 mile road race on Saturday, then still get training in on Sunday. Road doesn't wear your whole body out either like MTB racing does.

Q past sponsors?

A started out racing with the Flying Rhino's back in 2000 I think. It's a great club and they do a lot for cycling in this area. Then I got on the Cannondale Midwest team with Bart Wellesley before jumping ship to Bells/Trek. Then we switched bike sponsors over Quiring Cycles. I really liked what Scott was doing right here in Michigan and he helped design me a bike I could use to win the races I wanted to win.

Q.what are some of your secret cravings?

A Oh man... chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. Good pizza. Red Coat Burgers. Of course Bells Beer.

Q. what are your weakness, cycling specific?

A don't have a really good jump, but I've been working on that. I think it's because it takes fast twitch muscle fibers and I haven't really developed them. I work on cycling strength mostly which I think is the most important discipline for XC MTB racing.

Q. how many bikes do you own?

A own four right now. Three MTB's and a cyclocross bike.

Q.What are some of the funniest cycling moments you have had?

A One time my team mate Joe and I were riding on the birt roads and these two guys in a big pick-up truck blew by us going like 70 MPH honking and throwing the finger. Joe and I decided to follow them up the next road. Sure enough we found the truck parked in the driveway of one of the houses along our route. The next day I went back to that same house and kicked the dudes mailbox down. I was still pretty pissed off.

Q. what races are looking forward too?

A That has to be the tripple crown races. Iceman, Ore to Shore, and Chequamegon. I've never been to any race more fun than those.

Q.big goals this season?

A win at Chequamegon. Top ten at a NORBA national. Top ten at the Sea Otter.

Q .Have you have been injured?

A Only back in the dirt jumping days, which is one reason I switched to XC MTB.

Q. do you coach yourself or have coach?

A I've always coached myself. In my opinion, coaches lack one thing. They don't really know how you're truly feeling. How could someone tell you how to train when they have no idea how you feel from day to day. Using a coach requires a very close relationship. He/She has to know about everything that's going on in your life. Your daily life stresses, the amount of sleep you get, your schedule, etc. Unless you're a big name super pro, not many coaches out there have the time to develope a good relationship with their athletes.

Q do you set up a peak for a season?

A Yes... usually three peaks works well for me. Once in April/May, once in August, and once in November.

Q what other intrest do you have or hobbies?

A Not too many other hobbies. I pretty much race, go to work, or hang out with my wife and friends. My wife and I like hiking in the woods or camping.

Q . favorite place to ride?

A The dirt roads North of my house in Oxford. It's kind of like Belgian terrain. Really hilly, but nothing over 200ft of vertical. The best part is there's no traffic at all!

Q . best advice to newbies?

A Ride lots of miles. Read lots of books about cycling and training. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not cut out for racing bicycles. Do you realize how sick I am of people telling me that the big name pro's don't have to go to work. It's true, but it's not impossible to beat them with a full time job. You just have to plan and utilize every minute of your day and stay super focused and dedicated. If you want it more than anyone else, you will eventually do what it takes to get it.

Q. Last C.D. you bought?

A Green Day. Bullet in a Bible.

Q. good book or Ipod?

A Good book. The Ipod thing is a lot of maintenance.

Q . whats friday night like at the Mikes house?

A Usually a bottle of wine and chillin on the couch with my wife. She builds these little nests out of pillows and blankets and before you know it she's asleep by 8PM. We have a pretty tough schedule during the week and I'm usually just ready to go to bed on Friday's.

Q . Married/kids?

A, married. No kids yet though. Maybe in a few years.

Q . big hour traing week ?

A I'll do a couple 25 hr weeks in the early months (Jan/Feb), but during the season I get 10 to 16 hrs per week.

Q. do you follow a strict diet?

A
Yes, very strict. I always say my speed is directly proportional to my weight, so it's very important to stay lean. I eat pretty much the exact same thing every weekday. On the weekends I'm not as strict because I usually ride more hours.

Q . would you still ride if you didnt race?

A Absolutely. I can't wait for the day when I leave my house on my bike and not have to worry about how many hours or how many hills I'm going to ride that day. It would be nice to finish a ride with some friends, pound some beers, and stuff yur face with pizza.

Q. if you drink at all...beer or wine? dumb question

A drink my fair share of both. Probably a little too much. I like my buzz! I can eat nothing but brocolli and chicken for 7 days a week, but just don't take away my buzz.

25 THANKS your one of the best!! and thank those that keep you rollin!!!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

aphex twin...


Current work: 2000-Present

Music sample:

In 2001 Aphex Twin released his most personal album yet, drukqs, a 2-CD album which featured prepared piano songs influenced by Erik Satie and John Cage. Also included were abrasive, fast and meticulously programmed computer-made songs. Rolling Stone described the piano songs as "aimlessly pretty"[12]. drukqs is perhaps Richard's most controversial album to date; the album lacked the novelty found in his other albums, so reviewers guessed that it was released as a contract breaker with Warp Records—a credible guess, as James' next big release came out on his own Rephlex label. It was also rumoured that he had left almost all the album's tracks on an MP3 player that he accidentally left on a plane, and rushed its release to pre-empt an Internet leak. [13]

In late 2004, rumours of James' return to an acid techno based sound were realised with the Analord series. This series concentrated on producing fully analogue pieces of music, written and recorded on analogue equipment and pressed to vinyl. James was very meticulous about the whole process of recording, mastering and pressing. However, label co-owner Grant Wilson-Claridge convinced James to release a digital CD, Chosen Lords, which included a selection from the Analord series, with some tracks slightly altered to improve the flow of the album.

Music sample:

For the Analord records, James used his extensive collection of Roland drum machines which he bought when they were still at bargain prices. He also used one of the rarest and most desirable synthesizers of his generation, the Synton Fenix, and the notoriously difficult to program Roland MC-4 sequencer (a sequencer with a reputation for excellent timing), as well as the famous Roland TB-303 for his trademark acid melodies.

James usually creates his own photography for his releases' artwork. Many of these photos show James' own face, grinning or slightly distorted in some way, as it can be seen in some of his videoclips ("Come to Daddy", for example). Towards the end of the second track on the "Windowlicker" single (commonly referred to as "[Formula]", "[Symbol]", or "[Equation]") a photo of James' face is revealed when run through spectral analysis [14] . The picture illustrates his famous toothy, evil grin (with a spiral also visible at the end of "Windowlicker"). In addition to this, the cover of "Two Remixes by AFX" is actually contained only on the CD, encoded in SSTV format.


Sunday, February 25, 2007

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Love is..FFF


I wonder what Lee Ving is doing right now.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

2007 Road Season preview part 3

With old man winter relaxing his grip on us, alot of us our probably looking forward to the warmer more friendly weather. either we have logged a ton of indoor trainer miles, or toughed it out in the cold Ala Herriman style, or maybe we have just been throwin beers back for the past 8 weeks or so, either way the best way to test were your at before the season starts in full swing is hittin up some of the early training races, yes, you can drive for 4-5 hrs and do some of the southern Buckeye events, but if that doesnt fit in, we have good choice's here in our own scene.

  • First MIscene choice.. March 25th Fisk Knob TT always a good lung buster for the first REAL exertion, Watch for guys like Burke, Russ Tiles and other WMCR dudes here, could be nice and mild.. could be cold and snowy..its Michigan

  • Flyin Rhino www.flyingrhinocc.com Waterford training series, starts March 31st as We all found out last year, onlt the tough need apply, the wind whips across the infield of the Waterford race track like its No ones business, this is a great way to start as you can see who has been hittin it or not, Guy's like Dybo (who is well warmed up scince he rode out), Danny K, Pappa T, Dudley, Riveria and even the SIMONSTER are playing for keeps early. could be nice and mild and could be down right shitty..its michigan remember.
  • Ann Arbor Velo Quick Release Event Promotions spring training races at Runway plaza, April 1st these bring out the numbers sometime, eeer most of the time 60+ riders in the A game, this is excellent venue for newbies, safe no real dangerous stuff, just flat balls to the wall early season lactic nightmares, this too has the makings of a tough day at the office, just sitting in could be a No NO, get popped.. get lapped, by guys, like Brian Adams, Josh Tarrant, Dybo( remember he rode here from detroit, and raced yesterday!!) Danny K will be rollin, Dudley flies here too!! this too will also be the first time the Cyborg and pals rear there heads, that is unless you hit up the next one, on the spring road to pain.
  • Maumee Valley Wheelmen/www.freewheel.com Spring equinox annual ride, Perrysburg OH on March 18th .Heres one that often goes missed by misceners... dont believe its really a ride! when you get all those wheelmen and Saturn/Shell riders together and guys like Texas Roadhouses Mike House and Mike Busa, and maybe former National champ Paul Martin to show up, its not just a social ride. 50+ miles of narrow farm roads in the open northwest part of Ohio, if you dont make the selection (dont feel bad...very few will) your left to fight the wind and whatever wheels await you. This could be the jewel of northwest Ohio, a fine tune up for the Cone Azalia classic, could be windy and cold..its Ohio what do you expect??
heres a quick blip from a post that was on the MCG forum of last years MVW equinox

If you went, then you know its what the locals call the HET VOLK of northwest Ohio, The Spring Equinox, on March, 19th..its a flat 54 miles, give or take a few due to wrong turns.of narrow farm roads, with a ever present stiff wind. that made guttering the special of the day. they call it a ride but when you roll into the parking lot and see Guys Like former Cyclocross National champ and this past year pro 1-2 winner at Cadiuex.Texas Roadhouse's Mike House and teamate Mike Busa, The Cane Creek group, of Card, Walker, Foshag and other, throw in the The Whole Saturn of Toledo team, which includes, The Cat 3 festina champ Phil Mishk and bro, Masters Champ Jim regan, Crawford, and others. the only 2 normal supsects MIA were Super Fast Steve Clark, and Matt thourot. Now you know why the wheelman come out swinging at the early races..with comp like this.DAM.The story is from many riders, but in short at the near half way point the 50+ rider field was whittled down to a select 20, by the half maybe 15 riders were able to hang on. The deceiding selection was when House threw down a nasty attack in a cross wind section taking Card and Regan with Him. Walker who looks to be carrying some form over from the cross state Championship win powered away in a second group with Busa and a few others, but when Busa left a good chunk of his New Roadhouse kit on a nasty Ohio rode, this allowed 5 others to join in which had Mishka, Foshag and 3 other saturn riders latch on.. Up the road Card, House, and Reagan were LONG gone... the second group continued to disintgrate as they neared home. coming down to Walker Busa and a few others...WHEW all in all everyone looked like they enjoyed the pain. as riders filtered in for the next half hour looking for that hot cup of JOE. the wheelmen did a great job once again, if ever get a chance to check out a Wheelmen event do so, as this one was as hard or harder than any MBRA race in Mi!

there it is make a choice, and support it........ its your scene!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Richard D James


Aphex Twin (born Richard David James on August 18, 1971 in Limerick, Ireland) is an electronic music artist, credited with pushing forward the genres of techno, ambient, acid, and drum and bass.

Richard D. James was born of Welsh parents Lorna and Derek James in 1971 in Limerick Regional Hospital, Ireland. He grew up in Cornwall, England, enjoying, along with two sisters, a "very happy" childhood during which they "were pretty much left to do what [they] wanted." [1]

Early career: Early 1990s

According to Benjamin Middleton, James started producing music at the age of 12. As a teenager he DJed at the Shire Horse in St Ives, with Tom Middleton at the Bowgie Inn in Crantock, and also along the numerous beaches around Cornwall. His first record was the 12-inch EP Analogue Bubblebath, the last two tracks of which were made with Tom Middleton.[2][3]

In 1991 James formed Rephlex Records with his friend Grant Wilson-Claridge to promote

"Innovation in the dynamics of Acid - a much loved and misunderstood genre of house music forgotten by some and indeed new to others, especially in Britain."[4]

Between 1991 and 1993 Richard James released three Analogue Bubblebath EPs under the AFX name, two Bradley Strider EPs, and three Caustic Window EPs. Under the Aphex Twin name he released the Xylem Tube EP and Didgeridoo, a fast-paced song designed to tire dancers at the end of a DJ set. These early releases came out on Rephlex Records, Mighty Force of Exeter, and R&S Records of Belgium.[5][6]

Early in his career, James moved to London to take an Electronics course at Kingston Polytechnic, but at the time admitted to David Toop that his "electronics studies were already slipping away as a career in the techno business took precedence". After quitting his course, James remained in London and released a number of albums and EPs on Warp Records and other labels under many aliases, including AFX, Polygon Window, Blue Calx, The Dice Man, and Power-Pill. Local legend has it that James lived on the roundabout in Elephant and Castle, South London during his early years in the cap

ital.[7][8]

[edit] Gaining success: 1992-1999

The first Aphex Twin album, Selected Ambient Works 85-92, was released in 1992 on R&S Records. John Bush of the All Music Guide described it as a "watershed of ambient music". Pat Blashill of Rolling Stone wrote of the album: "Aphex Twin expanded way beyond the ambient music of Brian Eno by fusing lush soundscapes with oceanic beats and bass lines". Critics also noted that the songs were recorded on cassette and that the sound quality was "relatively poor".[9][10]

Warp Records pressed and released Selected Ambient Works Volume II in 1994. The sound was much less beat-driven than the previous volume, and the track names were mainly described with circles and pie charts rather than song titles in words. James made unverifiable claims to The Wire magazine and other media that these songs were inspired by lucid dreams and synaesthesia.

For his 1995 release, ...I Care Because You Do, James used an image of his face for the album cover, a motif that would continue in his later records. The album was a compilation of songs composed between 1991 and 1994, and represented a mish-mash of Aphex Twin's various music styles. This was Aphex Twin's last record of the 1990s to use mostly analogue synthesizer; later releases made more use of computers and software synthesizers. Aphex Twin collaborated with minimalist composer Philip Glass to make an orchestral version of one of the songs from this album.

In 1995 (primarily with Hangable Auto Bulb), he began releasing more material composed on computers, and embraced a drum and bass sound combined with nostalgic childhood themes and strange computer-generated acid lines. Aphex Twin's early adoption of software synthesizers predated the later popularity of using computers to make music. The late 1990s saw his music become more popular and mainstream, as he released the Richard D. James Album and two singles, "Come to Daddy" and "Windowlicker", which were shown on MTV and were cover features of music magazines including NME [11].

Monday, February 19, 2007

Good Things




Speedy Sheedy, Brent Bookwalter, and Scott Stewart of Oxford, MI riding for the VMG-US National team. makin the MIscene look good!

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Thursday, February 15, 2007

2007 road preview part 2


Road season preview 2 brings us to the Teams and where everyone is at for the season, there has been some shake ups, and sponsor changes throughout our scene but the fact remains it looks like everyone is pretty serious when it comes to tryin to take that trophy from the WMCR team, there gonna have to work for as it looks as not much has changed on there end there all still intact and strong. Heres a brief rundown on the known moves, please be advised most of this comes from Bloggin, alittle hear say, and some rumors.. so correct us if were wrong. with no order of any, here go's..
  • The BIG News is the new Essex Brass team, gone are the Trek/Bontrager mounts and in with custom euro Scott Bikes and Zipp wheels
  • key additions, former Wolverine Sprinter Terry Palmer, Ken Veriner, crosser Tim Sari, Matt Scott, and ol Rippin Sink. With Riveria, dudley and Palmer all together that makes one tough bunch of Sprinters. almost on par with WMCR sprinter squad..
  • HDI/Giant picks up west sider Jimmy Mcmurray and rumor has it they are working on former Cane CreekCross lord Jeff Weinert. but that comes with a loss of Solid Norm Zellers, and Ken Veriner to the new Essex team
  • Ford/Giant now Lathrup industries, still retains its ever powerfull squad. theres not weak spot on this team and should never be counted out.
  • Sunrise/jittery joes, is now South Lyon cycles/Jittery joes, not much of a change here, they still have crit master Jeffery Hamilton, and all arounder IAN. and up coming JBRAKE. key losses though will be Andrew Weir, Rick Lung, Brian Rosewarne, who have left to start a new squad within the Ann Arbor /velo Two wheel Tango area, they also lose up and comer Matt Scott to Essex
  • Saturn/Shell once again comes back with a squad of tough all arounders, King of Dirt Jeff Crawford, the Cyborg, Steve Clark, and sprinter Jim Regan took advantage of the Defunct Cane Creek squad and picked up the ever powerfull Jon Card, and Rob Foshag, The Cyborg and the black ace Card on the same team could make for a tough TT punch.
  • Wolverines used to be refered to as the RED ARMY, but gone are the blood red uniforms of the late 80's but the power is still there, they may feel the loss of Terry Palmer and Rippin Sink but, Pappa T, Dybo, Danny K, Tim Finkle, and Young luke.as wellas FRANKIE. and some other up and comers will be out in force.
  • Priority Health will be still field a regional team that will have its share of guns, Like Sven, northerner Jeff Koch, Ben Whitehead,Scott Anderson, Eric Forrester, Jon Doyle, Derek Grahm.

With the season slowly approaching there still may be more on the move. If we missed any or mixed up some, drops us a line..its your SCENE support it

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

KMFDM, dont do it again

Break-up, MDFMK and reforming

KMFDM disbanded, albeit temporarily, on January 22, 1999. According to Sascha Konietzko, the split was due to "a deep rift between some of the co-members and unsurmountable difference regarding visions and objectives for a possible future."[5] The album Adios was released three months later, with the title originally intending to symbolize the band's departure from the Wax Trax! label, but later signaling the break-up of the band. Günter Schulz and En Esch formed the band Slick Idiot, and Konietzko and Tim Skold temporarily regrouped as MDFMK with the addition of singer Lucia Cifarelli. MDFMK released one self-titled album with Republic/Universal Records. KMFDM reformed in 2002 with Konietzko, Skold, Cifarelli, and former members Raymond Watts and Bill Rieflin. Günter Schulz and En Esch were invited to rejoin the band but declined.

Currently KMFDM comprises Sascha Konietzko, Lucia Cifarelli, Jules Hodgson, Andy Selway, and Steve White, with contributions from Raymond Watts.

[edit] Controversy

[edit] Copyright infringement

The song "Liebeslied" from KMFDM's 1990 album Naïve contains an unlicensed sample of "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. The band was threatened with legal action by Orff's publisher (Orff himself died in 1982), and the album was withdrawn from production in 1993. The following year, a new version of the album was released entitled Naïve/Hell to Go, containing remixes of several songs, including the offending track (with the sample removed) which was renamed "Leibesleid (Infringement Mix)" (the modified name is a play of words in German: Liebeslied = "love song", Leibesleid = "physical pain"). Consequently, the original release of Naïve has become highly collectible among KMFDM fans. KMFDM still occasionally performs the original version of "Liebeslied" in concert. Live versions, complete with the controversial sample, can be accessed on both the Beat by Beat by Beat and 20th Anniversary World Tour 2004 DVDs.

[edit] Columbine High School shootings

In wake of the Columbine High School massacre it was revealed that lyrics to KMFDM songs ("Power", "Son of a Gun", "Stray Bullet", "Waste") were posted on the website of shooter Eric Harris, and that the massacre coincided with the release date of the album Adios and the birthday of Adolf Hitler. The media was quick to jump on the apparent connection of the massacre to violent entertainment and Nazism. In response, Konietzko issued a statement the following day:

First and foremost, KMFDM would like to express their deep and heartfelt sympathy for the parents, families and friends of the murdered and injured children in Littleton. We are sick and appalled, as is the rest of the nation, by what took place in Colorado yesterday.

KMFDM are an art form — not a political party. From the beginning, our music has been a statement against war, oppression, fascism and violence against others. While some of the former band members are German as reported in the media, none of us condone any Nazi beliefs whatsoever.[6]

[edit] Album cover artwork

KMFDM has a long-standing relationship with commercial artist Aidan "Brute!" Hughes, who creates the iconic artwork adorning almost all of the band's albums and singles. Brute!'s artwork is also featured in KMFDM's music videos for "A Drug Against War" and "Son of a Gun", and on the band's promotional t-shirts (some of which have become quite collectable).

[edit] KMFDM "code"

Around the time the album Naïve was released, a member of the press assumed that KMFDM followed a pattern of naming their albums and certain songs with a single five-letter word. Konietzko adopted the idea and every studio album thereafter was named in this manner, even the compilation albums (Agogo, Retro). In typical KMFDM fashion, the band began mocking their self-imposed conformity by intentionally misspelling words so they would meet the five-letter criteria (Xtort, Attak).

In 1997, they took the concept a step further by adopting five unpronounceable symbols (explosive starburst, skull and crossbones, bomb with lit fuse, spiral, pounding fist) as the album's official title, imitating similar stunts previously done by Led Zeppelin and Prince. The band, fans, and record executives alike simply referred to the album as Symbols out of convenience, although some listeners — in an attempt to keep the title within the five letter "mold" — referred to the album as either Icons or Curse, alluding to the symbols used in comics to indicate profanity. This five-symbol word is also apparently used in the song "Down and Out" according to the printed lyrics included with the album; however, it is bleeped out of the recording.

Often, the five-letter album and song titles are portrayed in a distinct color, possibly to convey apparent importance to those particular words.

The tradition of five-letter-word album titles was broken in 2005 with the release of their fifteenth studio album, Hau Ruck, which translates to "Heave Ho". Likewise, none of the album's song titles are five letter words.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Thursday, February 08, 2007

2007 road preview part 1




Michigan Challenge
Apr.28.2007
Willow Run Time Trial
This is a great TT to get everyone rollin,
riders to watch: Steve Clark, Danny Klien, Jon Card, Tom Pretzold

May.06.2007
Cone Azalia Spring Classic
Spring Classic come late...Great race a bit a game of luck but still awesome
Riders to watch: Pappa T, Stan Andrie, Jeff Crawford, Paul Martin


May.19.2007-May.20.2007
Tour of Kensington Valley
were looking at a 3 stage 2 day race..
Riders to watch: Any of the WMCR, Grahm brothers


May.28.2007
Tour de Gaslight Village
New race. Lets hope it sticks.
Riders to watch: Docsavage, Any WMCR , Bruce Riveria


Jun.10.2007
Tour of Cedar Creek - State Championship
One of the best roadraces michigan has had. ran flawlessly
Riders to watch: Priority Boys, Tom Burke, Danny Klien


Jun.16.2007
Sunrise Sports Allen Park Criterium
Industrial park crit racing at its best...
Riders to watch: Docsavage, Brian Adams Pappa T


Jun.24.2007
Wolverine Time Trial - State Champioinship
TT hard guys will be out in force..
Riders to watch: Brian Sheedy, Steve Clark, Jon Card, Tom Pretzold


Jun.30.2007
Dexter Criterium
2nd year race, tough course..
Riders to watch: Docsavage, Jeff Hamilton, Bruce Riveria


Jul.15.2007
Common Crit
2nd year race in the captial center.
Riders to watch: Jeff Hamilton. Docsavage Pappa T


Jul.21.2007
Malliot Jaune Road Race
awesome venue, lets hope they clear the traffic issues of last year.
Riders to watch: Steve Clark, Danny Klien, SIMONSTER


Aug.04.2007
Delta Imports/Ada Criterium - State Championship
Final straight.. hit the nitrous....
Riders to watch: Hendler Bros, Ben Renkema, Docsavage


Aug.12.2007
Hines Park Time Trial
One last outnback...
Riders to watch: Steve Clark, Tom Burke

Aug.25.2007
Priority Health Rockford Criterium
only the strong men need apply...
Riders to watch: Priority health crew....


Sep.03.2007
Rock City Criterium at the Palace
poving parking lot crits are NOT boring..watch for a host of riders travlin over the border for the finalk day of the big crit weekend.
riders to watch, Ben Renkema, DARKO, Paulo Eugine and other multiple Canucks
This looks to be the best scheduled race season in LONG time..throw in some early club events and were racin heavy often.

those at fault


We have been tryin to figure out why we have been plagued with this bitter cold weather...We have came to the conclusion, you can blame SIMONSTER for this stuff, winning the ICEMAN, he kept the COLD and The EVIL with us in our home state..thanks Mike! Do it again next year we can live with it!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Find it ^%$# it Forget it...





Recording, performance and fanbase...yes they coined the phrase...

KMFDM guitarist Jules Hodgson
KMFDM guitarist Jules Hodgson

Since the beginning, KMFDM has been one of the hardest working industrial bands in the business. They have released at least one album or EP every year since 1986 and toured extensively for nearly every release. Even during their brief hiatus (1999–2002), Konietzko and other band members engaged in a number of side-projects (see below).

The early albums were recorded in Hamburg, Germany. In 1988, KMFDM began working with the famous (yet now defunct) industrial label Wax Trax! Records and relocated to Chicago the following year. After reforming in 2002, KMFDM worked with the Metropolis and Sanctuary record labels. In 2004, Konietzko started his own record label, aptly titled KMFDM Records.

Previously confined to touring the United States and only portions of Europe and Japan, KMFDM embarked on a 2004 world tour in which they performed in Australia, Russia, Canada, and much of Europe in addition to the US.

KMFDM has had a longstanding commitment to their fans, striving to present themselves as personable and approachable entertainers. Konietzko and most KMFDM members both past and present often converse with fans via e-mail and chat rooms. The band tours seemingly non-stop, pausing briefly to record an album. At most concert venues, KMFDM typically mingles with the fans before and after the show to sign autographs, take photos, and answer questions. Konietzko and the band's representatives are constantly testing new ways for fans to interact directly with the band. In 2002, KMFDM launched the HORDE, an exclusive fan club where members had the opportunity to attend a private meet-and-greet with the band before every show, as well as gaining access to members-only music and footage online. In 2004, they experimented with "FanKam", a project in which a member of the audience was selected to record that night's show, as well as some back-stage antics, with a handheld digital video camera. The project was highly successful and the resulting footage was incorporated into the 20th Anniversary World Tour DVD the following year.

During the summer of 2006, Metropolis Records announced that it would reissue KMFDM's entire album back-catalogue, initially released on the now-defunct Wax Trax! label. All pre-Metropolis KMFDM releases have been out of print since the late 1990s. The first three albums, What Do You Know, Deutschland?, Don't Blow Your Top, and UAIOE, were the first reissued albums available on September 12, 2006. The second batch, comprised of KMFDM's three early '90s albums NAIVE, MONEY, and ANGST, were released on November 21, 2006. NAIVE, originally released in 1990 and recalled as a result of an uncleared sample of Carl Orff's O Fortuna, has been reissued with the original track for Liebeslied, but without the sample. It also features remixes which initially appeared on 1994's NAIVE: Hell To Go album.

[edit] Etymology

The cover of 84-86, featuring the original stamp used by KMFDM in 1984.
The cover of 84-86, featuring the original stamp used by KMFDM in 1984.

KMFDM is an initialism for the nonsensical and grammatically incorrect German phrase "Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid", which literally translates as "no majority for pity" but is typically given the loose translation of "no pity for the majority" or "no mercy for the masses". The most common account of the origin of the name involves Konietzko cutting headlines from German newspapers and shuffling around the words to produce the now infamous expression.[2] The name was shortened to "KMFDM" in 1985 in order to simplify the long phrase, with one popular account having Raymond Watts originating the acronym to avoid the difficulties he had in pronouncing the German.

Confusion often arises regarding the correct German expansion of the acronym, primarily stemming from the aforementioned language issues. In German, nouns possess genders that require proper declension of any preceding articles or adjectives. In the true phrase, the articles preceding the nouns "Mehrheit" and "Mitleid" are inflected for the wrong gender. However, swapping the two nouns yields the grammatically correct "Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit", which additionally translates directly as "no pity for the majority". Adding to the confusion is the fact that this "correct" phrase appears within the lyrics to the song "Megalomaniac", which Konietzko revealed was done in order to confuse people who were always telling the band their name was wrong.[3]

When the band first toured the US in 1989–1990, band members and their associates began using alternate English meanings for their name to tease journalists who could not understand German. The most prominent and most widely repeated was "Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode", which is attributed to Shawn Joyce. After the release of Angst, TVT/Wax Trax! Records launched a promotion (without consent of the band) in which fans were encouraged to come up with at least 1,001 different meanings for KMFDM. College radio DJs Kinslow and Smith of WKGC Florida won the contest with an entry of more than 1,200 potential meanings.[4]

The lyrics to the song "Moron" feature a slight variant of the traditional translation: "no pity for the masses". Likewise, the song "Light" reveals another possible alternate meaning: "Keiner macht für dich mehr", which translates as "no more power for you".

Monday, February 05, 2007

Friday, February 02, 2007

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Cenotaph



EYE OF GATTO

The EYE of Gatto, caught in the Lense of Balogh.