I never update this thing. God I hate the idea of a blog. But now I’ve actually got a few things to write about, so here goes. First, and most exciting (to me anyway), is the news that I will be co-hosting a radio show with Karen from Define the Meaning. Why she asked a bitter 90’s hardcore kid with a voice that cracks just about every 12^th word is beyond me, but she did and now she’s stuck with me. Here is a little portion from the press release with the details:

Punkradiocast.com has teamed up with Define the Meaning in the launch of FAN TIME LIVE! Radio. FAN TIME LIVE! Radio will be launched on April 12th, 2011 at 8 PM EST with hosts Karen Mitchell of Define the Meaning and Ryan Roberts of Pins & Needles Fanzine.

Our first show will include a live interview with Pete Cortese from Death Ray Vision (featuring members of Shadows Fall/Killswitch Engage and the almighty Overcast) talking about the demo they just recorded and the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival.

FAN TIME LIVE! Radio allows fans from all over the world to get involved in interviewing their favorite artists. To participate in interviews on FAN TIME LIVE! please call our request line at 908-866-1079 or email fantimelive@gmail.com

So definitely tune in and give us a shout so that I don’t play Deadguy and Overcast exclusively. I’m kidding…I’ll be mixing in some Kiss it Goodbye for sure!

Next up in the “exciting news since the last time I posted on here” category is the news of the return of Harvest. Harvest was one of my favorite hardcore bands in the 90’s. They were on Trustkill Records and they were incredible. And now they’re back. The best part about it is that it’s not just a reunion (which would have been insanely exciting in its own right) but that they are back together and are starting a new chapter. Their live return is set to take place in Minneapolis on July 16^th with Disembodied, Former Thieves, and more. I am currently trying to figure out how to get my ass out to that show. Any ideas?

Last but not least, the print version of pins&needles will be getting a complete overhaul. It’s time to change up the format because let’s face it, issue after issue of me ranting away could get stagnant real quick (if it hasn’t done so already). This does not mean that my rants will not be included; you’re not getting rid of me that easily. It just means that I am going to mix it up a bit and include some writings from others and give it some more variety. I’m also hoping to find someone to design the thing, because trying to do it all in Word 2003 is killing me. So if you know anyone who works cheap (free), then send them my way. This will also leave me with a ton of unused rants so maybe I’ll post them on here and update this thing more frequently.

Oh, and one more thing so that I don’t make this post all about music: if you want to laugh your ass off then do yourself a favor and check out Bill Burr. He did a Comedy Central special called Let it Go recently and I literally watched it 8 times. It was like a sickness, I just kept watching it and watching it. Also I saw him live twice over the winter and he was amazing both times. He’s seriously the best comedian around today so check him out. You won’t be disappointed.

All right, that’s all I’ve got for now. I’ve got to go listen to Ken Mode’s new record Venerable for the 8th time today. Thanks for reading.

We’ve got a little situation going on in my household. Our neighbors forget that they have a dog for a good part of the day. They seem to forget every single day…and every single night, in fact. Unless they’ve got some weird Memento type amnesia that makes them truly forget all about the dog, and each night when they remember they feel deep remorse – then the fact of the matter is that they are assholes. But just knowing that they are assholes does not help us get to sleep while the poor dog is outside barking to get inside. So do us a solid, won’t you? Head over here, read the details, and give us some suggestions. We’re feeling quite defeated and would really appreciate the help.

Is it me or are blogs the reality television of the internet? It seems that everyone has got one, and they just serve as proof that not everyone’s voice needs to be heard. That being said, welcome to mine. Hey, I never said I was any better than any of those reality TV schmucks.

In case you couldn’t tell by the rest of this website, I have a print zine called pins&needles. It’s something I put together in my spare time. It’s mostly an outlet for me to get some of the trivial thoughts that take over my brain onto paper. I throw those into a Word document, add some pictures that I’ve taken, print them out, fold and staple them and voila – I’ve got myself a zine. Much like itunes and bit torrent sites have done to cds, blogs have pretty much made zines all but obsolete. And I’d be lying if I said this didn’t bum me out immensely. I love the convenience of internet news sites as much as the next guy. And I cannot go a day without reading the amazing 90’s hardcore blog xStuck in the Pastx. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a need for zines. So while I’ve certainly taken the “If you can’t beat em, join em” approach by joining the blog nation, I hope that you’ll give the print version of pins&needles a shot. I’ve put up a few stories over here, here, and here.

I’m going to try to make this blog different than the writing in the print zine. To be perfectly honest, I don’t yet have a plan for the content of the blog. Sure, I’m obsessed with 90’s hardcore, but there are much better outlets doing the hardcore music blog thing, such as the aforementioned xStuck in the Pastx. So while I’ll certainly touch on music, it will not be the main focus. I’m thinking that this will incorporate all things entertainment; such as the television shows that I think are worth watching, the gems I stumble upon on Netflix Instant, stand-up comedy, etc.

This blog and the entire website will serve as an advertisement for the print version of pins&needles and not the other way around. That being said I hope that you’ll come back often and comment as this will be so much more interesting if it’s not just me rambling on and on. After all…that’s what the print version of pins&needles is for.