Rocking in Second Life

As an up-and-coming internet user, I always am willing to explore and add on to websites all over the internet. When it comes to exploring the online world, I am into following or making my own path.
I was instructed in assignment from my Interactive Media class, to join and create a character in Second Life. In Second Life, you control a character which you design and create. Once you create your character, you enter the virtual world by going to different places where there are other characters that other people created. The other characters which you can interact with by typing messages to them, were designed and are being controlled by other actually humans who are sitting at home in front of their computers. In this online world people can interact just like in real life, they share thoughts, visual interaction, and conversations.
The only main flaw is that physical interaction is not possible. In fact the people you are communicating with are at best 100 miles away.
Our teacher gave us a tour of a place in Second Life that showcased art and beautiful backdrops. There were mini pools of water that would teleport you vertically in the sky to buildings in the sky to see the art. It was visual stimulating and I was able to interact with some other characters around the art.
Second Life is fun, and to tell you the truth it is not a bad replacement for real life, but the tangible feeling of real life is so authentic that you can even sometimes sense forces stronger than sight, sound, smell, touch or vision. I am talking about what it is to be human and to be physically alive. People who religiously play Second Life are taking their real lives for granted and hide behind the veil of their online character. Second Life is a novelty program, that is like an old-school online chat room with characters interacting on a visual 3D plane, instead of the mundane chat room template. I recommend Second Life to those who want to explore what is possible online, but do not spend too much time living your online life and neglecting your real one.

Fort Faxon: We got down. The cops sometimes don't hate.

We rock out so hard on friday night May 16th 2008. We had a round robin concert. each band played two songs and then we would switch to another. Some others called it the rock rotation. The point is we got down, and let the heavans know how the mortals party.
It was stressful trying to keep the party under the police's radar. I kept hearing sirens mixed in with the powerful sound blarring from the garage.
The bands that played were Tatanka Iyotakehttp://www.myspace.com/tatankasf, Swank, Ordstro, Gunner and Hihennas from San Jose. Thank Dio, none of the bands decided to hold back. It was pedal to the metal type playing from the start. Tatanka hit the stage and got the crowd pumped. The next band Ordstro built a brick wall of power. They were loud, intricate, and played there music from the gut. Swank got down, and I will tell you the head banging came with a punch. The crowd was forced to open wid and take in the entire ear full. The Hihennas were putting the rock on the line with the force. The lead singer rocked some turquoise with flare and stood tall and belted loud. Gunner showed up as late arrivals and threw down so hard that there set broke the garage door.
Gunner's preformance brought on the destruction of the bottom panel of Fort Faxon's Garage door. The people were rocking out too hard, and there was a unamious refusal on any kind of limitation.
With the garage door in shambles, and almost eighty people cramed in the side yard i felt the heat rise. The garage was also packed. The movement brought made some room but also caused some arguments. The passion is there and when people are ready to rock they usually go crazy.
Robert Serviss the newest memeber of Faxon Pride, was and awesome co-host. He put his heart and mind on the line just to make the show happen. He loves to rock and his commitment to the power of momentum is steady. Robert is a good man that deserves respect, and a just salutations from all the rockers at Faxon that night. Robert Serviss and your's truly Tony Fantano definetly got pulled the rock to one location and added a new chapter to the saga of the Golden Gator Rockers.

Cops always got to Hate

S.F.P.D can't stop the rock. They can stop it for the time being, but not forever. The rock will continue as long as we continue to push it. There is no stopping the momentum when the Golden Gators are dead set on rocking.
There were at least two hundred people out at Balboa and 40th Avenue on April 18th. There were some haters and some people who didn't realize there were bands playing and blew off the rock. Those who remained true and concentrated on the passion were sweating. I mean, the atmosphere was down right damp, but hot.

Swank and Tatanka Iyotake played and we did it rough and tough.
Ihabial from Sacramento came out and threw down the power. They were an instrumental four-piece that came with a mystical shot from the moon. They set the tone and the Gators got down. The living room was cleared for the bands. The room was lit with a dim red light bulb and is set a mood.
We were grinding it out and the females were showing up in packs. I swear, just as the night was turning into quite the sausage fest, I found myself in a room surrounded by beautiful able-bodied women. I got a few smiles and a few eye-rolls. Even if the ladies knew it or not, I set my impression in their minds and it stuck.
Everyone downstairs knew where the rock was and when it was going down. Everyone was killing it. I mean, the bands didn't give a crap if you wanted to rock or not. The music was overwhelming.
As the droplets of sweat began to collect on the audience's faces, the people with long hair started to shower the non-believers. Yeah, that is right; the sweat from the rocker's hair was flying all over the place. Just trying to get through the living room to a place with some air was difficult. It was packed, and that is what got the cops called. A good time mixed with booze always seems to get those cops jealous. They try to come and ruin all of our fun. Cops are not cool. They will never be cool.
The cops showed up with a force. They kicked down the door and made their presence known. They were definitely not welcome, but they always seem to want to crash the best parties. To their dismay, and to our brief joy, the cops gave up on corralling the party and bounced. After they left, there were still about fifty Gators that were still there and eager to rock. Even though the musicians had retired their instruments for the night, the party was starting to warm up again.
A few new twelve packs of beer arrived and the party was jump started. As smiles started to appear all around the house and people started to pack bowls and roll up blunts, the already diluted party volume was rising.
Next thing I knew, I saw her. Sitting alone, naive but composed, I could not keep myself from speaking to her. Her soft eyes drew me deep inside and I felt a connection with a sweetness I never encountered before. Her soft lips make my heart swell and then she has me. I know what I want, if only she wanted the same. There was a flash in the corner of my eye. As I turned toward its direction, there was another harsh blue flash.
The cops were back, and when they come to your house, it is never a good thing. When the cops come twice in the same night, you know you got problems. The party's host, Greg, was getting tired of these petty annoyances and decided to give the ugly boys in blue a little piece of his mind. In hindsight, he probably wishes he would have changed his mind, because whatever he said earned him a trip downtown and a six hour stay in a holding cell. In true Golden Gator fashion, Sam Carr (Greg's roommate) argued with the police about his friend's whereabouts. The cops ignored him and refused to hear his plea. With the tenacity of a warrior, Sam would not take the police's ignorance for an answer. He pressured and pressured until he was put in the cop car and got taking down to the station himself.
Well, at least no one can say that the Golden Gators went out without a fight. Those lame cops were messing with our livelihood. When you mess with the passion, you know your going to get the horns. This case is not closed, and we will have our day. The rock will thrive no matter what. We come to bring it, and we will never stop. Rock on Golden Gators, Rock on forever.

Blog About Staying Neutral on the Net

The opportunity to access unlimited information is what makes the Internet so popular. If service providers regulated connection speeds consumers would cease their desires to access the Internet. The factor that attracts so many users online is the quick and simple access Internet provides to anyone seeking information. The Internet is an encyclopedia holding current and past information about anything imaginable. If the Internet’s speed was regulated, it would be similar to flipping through the pages of encyclopedia only to find that some pages were harder to turn than others. These cumbersome pages would contain the most important and unique information and gaining access to the information would be tiresome.

If this were the case, as a user, I would close the encyclopedia all together and enjoy the physical world. In the world of instant access, consumers would not tolerate waiting. Consumers would diminish their use of the Internet as a primary information source.

Net Neutrality keeps the Internet quickly accessible on all levels. From a small forum that receives one or two posts a year to a banking website that probably has at least 400 users at any giving time; net neutrality keeps access speeds equal for the entire Internet. As a citizen of the new millennium, the Internet has provided me with countless data and creative opportunity for the last twelve years of my life. Net neutrality has provided me with the ability to meet and stay in contact with friends all over the world, pursue job opportunities and entertain myself with all kinds of media experiences. As a human I have no need for net neutrality, in fact I have no need for the Internet at all. If the Internet did not exist information exchange would proceed at a much slower pace and I would learn fewer facts and lessons. It could be thought however,that the information that I did learn would be much more exclusive and inaccessible to others.

It could be surmised that the Internet has made the world a more challenging place to navigate for enterprising people. Many people in the world don’t have access to a computers or the Internet. While sharing information online may help to give a voice to people who may never otherwise be heard, it also silences the people who can’t get online. The digital divide between those with or without a computer creates a wide opportunity gulf between economic action or inaction. Privileged countries have the opportunity for rapid world-wide communication and monetary transaction while third world countries are still pretty much left out of the loop when it comes world economics and monetary and political policy and power.
In an article about arguments for and against net neutrality Freedom Works, a group which advocates lower taxes and less government, urges Americans to just "say no to net neutrality." Freedom Works feels that as the Internet grows and innovation takes place, pressures on bandwidth capabilities will slow down the Internet for everyone. Freedom works purports that streaming high definition video and hour-long pod casts will require that internet service providers make substantial financial investments to ensure that the basic internet infrastructure continues to run smoothly. Freedom Works President Matt Kibbe said, “What is clear is that 'Net Neutrality' is a government expansion masked with populist rhetoric." He feels that it is not part of the government’s role to regulate the Internet.
Senator Ted Stevens from Alaska argues that by not giving Internet service providers the right to create a two-tier system, the consumers are the ones that lose. He feels that by keeping access abilities neutral among all websites, heavy Internet users will slow up the Internet for practical uses. He feels that net neutrality has slowed up the Internet and has limited Internet service provider’s ability to grow and secure access to low bandwidth websites like an e-mail address.
An argument for net neutrality is located just below Senator Stevens streaming recording. Bill Herman argues that the Internet is not just made up of consumers. The Internet is made up of editors and consumers. Herman believes that people against net neutrality don’t see the Internet as a way to deliver and receive information they see it as a way to gather information.
In another argument for net neutrality, Illinois Senator Barack Obama posted a pod cast about the freedom of being a United States citizen and how that relates to our ability to access the Internet. In his statement he sums up his argument for net neutrality. “It is because the Internet is a neutral platform that I can put out this pod cast and transmit it over the Internet without having to go through any corporate media middleman. I can say what I want without censorship or without having to pay a special charge. But the big telephone and cable companies want to change the Internet, as we know it. They say that they want to create high speed lanes on the Internet and strike exclusive contractual agreements with Internet content providers for access to those high speed lanes,” stated Obama.

Representing the Rock

In the Bay Area it is difficult to step up and pursue your passions completely. With all of the differing influences conspiring against you, it is easy to become distracted. For individuals who desire loud and powerful music, you have to break out and embark on a search for your sound. The strong Hip Hop influence the Bay Area can leave passionate rockers out in the cold. True rock affectionatos know that when the beat is driving and the singer is wailing they need to embrace the primal urge to rock out. While music fans enjoy the easy-going and predictable beats produced in Hip Hop; rockers want to be inspired.

Much of the Bay Area music culture is focused on representing their hometown fan base. Whether the artists are from Oakland, San Francisco, South City, or Vallejo; it is all about making a name for their "hood".
People representing their hometown and proclaim so, can lose sight of the fact that this is one San Francisco and one world. No matter where you are from you are still human and in most cases enjoy listening and engaging in music.
There are all kinds of different sounds from different people in a variety of neighborhoods any city. The popularity of certain musical styles can be pervasive enough to create a certain sound in a city. An example would be the "memphis sound".
In some cases the music can be so defining that it influences not only the airwaves but even clothing. For example, Seattle is known for having a huge grunge rock scene. Not only is the music grunge, but the style of clothing is defined with the music. As a result, all of the hip hop artists from Seattle are marginalized because Seattle is known for grunge not hip hop. Since the Seattle music scene has been branded as grunge it has just made it difficult for hip hop artists from Seattle to gain national recognition and success.
I pose the idea that one band or type of music should never define a city or the city’s style. When San Francisco bands play in other cities around the United States they usually will mention to the crowd that their band is from San Francisco. The crowd in attendance will subconciously measure the quality of the live band from San Francisco as a means to judge the kind of music coming out of San Francisco as a whole.
I believe this representative controversy is a two-way street. Artists should define themselves by a style which makes their individual sound stand out. Fans need to realize that all kinds of different music coming from one area is possible. Music patrons should support a band or artist because their music is good not because a scene says they are popular. If a city had only one particular type of music available, that would be a boring city.
In the spirit of defining individual music style, the next show for Tatanka Iyotake goes Tatanka Iyotake will be playing in Oakland on Saturday April 12th with the Fucking Buckaroos in a warehouse at 2999 Peralta Avenue. The show rocks hard.

Rocking on Gator Turf

The Golden Gator Rockers are getting down on their home turf. In Jack Adams Hall, on the third floor of the S.F.S.U. student union, Swank and the Rockers, took the student center to its limits. On April 2, 2008 Swank set a standard for rockers of the past and hopefully the future. Jack Adams Hall was packed with S.F.S.U. students looking to enjoy a calm orientation. Students were gathering to meet and discuss opportunities for involvement in San Francisco city activities. In contrast, Swank gave students a lot to handle. As the Rockers hit the stage, the walls of Jack Adams Hall began to shake and it wasn't a fault line causing the motion. The students did not realize what they were in store for. Mixed emotions flowed around the entire auditorium as the Rockers began to play. Some students rushed the stage, stood tall and embraced the power coming from the stage. Other students prepared to leave because the power of the music was too out of this world for them. The mixer was packed with all kinds of student organizations that were hoping to recruit new members. Many sororities and fraternities sponsored tables. They were giving out free canned soda. They had Strawberry Fanta which is basically Golden Gator Rocker fuel because it is just so damn good.
The remaining students were blown away as they listened to the music. One in particular was reduced to tears over the mere fact that such solid rock had graced the stage of Jack Adams Hall. Swank hit the stage directly at 7:00 pm and approximately fifteen minutes later Jack Adams himself turned in his grave. Swank got down for one reason: to introduce the young or unknown Gators to the lineage of the pack. When describing the pack, I am referring to the Golden Gator Rockers, the one true organization that is solely devoted to kicking your ass with music. Swank is a proud representative and carrier of the Golden Gator Rocker torch. Of course there is no physical torch constantly burning in someone's garage but there is a symbolic flame that burns forever deep inside the soul of anyone who has experienced the thrill and overt impact of a Golden Gator Rocker performance. It's about the grittiness of a house party and the intrusion of people who will not rest until they have rocked.
For all of the young gators who attended the April 2nd mixer at Jack Adams Hall- welcome, to a lineage of power that will only stop if you let it. The gator mascot was there showing his support. A true gentleman, the gator mascot honored me with the rocker salute. When Swank's front man got very loud. All the gators, who could not handle the rock and roll pressure left the auditorium. For the remaining gators who endured the audio power surge on stage- way to go! Thanks for showing support for your fellow gators! As the Golden Gator Rocker lineage grows everyone must continue to remember that you've got to get down, rock hard, and make it happen.

Ripping up down by Ocean Beach

San Francisco has a wide variety of neighborhoods that possess their own individual character. These characteristics help distinguish each one of the small communities that blanket this seven by seven mile urban peninsula. There is no determining which neighborhood is most appealing, except for the Sunset District. It's the only San Francisco neighborhood that doesn't possess a unique and lively attitude. In it's own way the Sunset does standout because it is so dull.

The Sunset District is a miniature suburbia on the west edge of city. It's located just south of Golden Gate Park and just north of San Francisco State University. The dull family-oriented atmosphere in the Sunset is pleasant but cold. Enduring the frequent fog, Sunset San Franciscans (Sunseters) primarily keep to themselves. Sunset Residents have no reason to talk to someone they don't know; so they usually don't.

On the night of March 15th 2008, the Golden Gator Rockers brought the rock to the sunset. At the invitation of our dear friend Nikki Lapage, the Rockers got down in the name of an unearthly demon that was summoned by the horde's collective surge to inspire the residents of The Sunset District. At the corner of 47th Avenue and Irving Street in what San Franciscans call the "outer sunset", the fun began. At 8pm the bands began to turn the heat up with an unrelenting thrill to give the Golden Gator rock hordes the sound they desired.

The first band to play was Scurvy and the Pox, an up and coming band that put the crowd in its place. Like the blue flames heating up on a gas stove top, there was an unspoken anticipation warming up as the next band took the stage. Street Justice played hard, fast and balls out. In a refusal to fade into the soul-less limits of the Sunset District, they created harmonic ruckus. After one song they were done and the hordes were left stupefied.
The next band Black America pleased the garage gods and brought a long awaited east bay influence to the occasion.
As the nighttime fog began to roll in from the Pacific Ocean, Tony Fantano raised his tomahawk high into the air and welcomed low looming clouds. Tatanka Iyotake had played that night for one reason to inspire the Sunset District. In an effort to set the entire Sunset District ablaze in rock n' roll frenzy, Tatanka Iyotake played hard and true. Even though there were not any sudden flames, the souls of everyone in attendance that night burned brightly like a light tower in the lifeless streets of The Sunset District.
As the party ended and the Golden Gator rock hordes dispersed, the thick fog encompassed the night. The soul-powered fire was extinguished by the silence of the Sunset District. Long live Rock n Roll!

If you have the spring break doldrums, check out this choose your own awesome adventure quest in rocker hell.

Enjoy your life.

Fort Faxon Lives

What a world; what a world. The band rocked so hard last night. At 395 Faxon Avenue, along Holloway Avenue, we stuffed at least 30 people in the Fort Faxon garage and got down hard. We hollered at the heavens and cried out to the rebel ghosts of our past. We summoned the spirit of past royal rockers of our age and got wild with them. Mini Muses, The 68’s,Tatanka Iyotake, Swank, and Chronic Narcosis all showed up and threw down audibly. Each band ripped hard. Kevin and Greg rocked with a precision that corresponded to exact geometric angles.
Involuntarily, Swank struck a uniform stance with their guitars aligned parallel to each other. It looked epic. Swank’s string section struck the pose and, like two ancient warriors from the med-evil ages, they swung their weapons with pride and purpose. The two wielded their guitars as if they were swords. There was an overwhelming presence of pride in Swank’s stride. As they dominated the forefront of the Faxon garage, people could not help but to scream and chant. Swank's bad-ass performance was legendary. It will forever serve as a lesson in rocking for those in attendance that night.
For all those that were in attendance, you deserve a pat on the back. The people who stuffed into what open space was left after we crammed all the instruments inside were the foundation for this momentous party.
The current Fort Faxon inhabitants -- Robert Serviss, Josh, and yours truly, Tony Fantano all threw $10 on four 12-pack cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon. We were giving out the beer for free. The music was also free. The people gathered, and we were successful.
The real question is what is, the measure of success? We all had fun and the best part: the cops didn't even show up until 10:45 pm, almost thirty minutes after the headlining band finished playing. The headliner, Chronic Narcosis, represented the Bay Area Metal scene.
There was a mystical presence at the corner Faxon Avenue once Chronic Narcosis arrived from South City. As they rolled in, so did the fog, along with an undeniable aura that encompassed the band. They carried an unspeakable power on their shoulders and shrugged it off as Yohan (the band's guitarist) ripped into his first note. The head banging started and the audience followed suit. With a beer can in hand, I dove into the midst of the pit and started pushing to the rhythm of the metal. Yohan later stated on the "Powerfade" (a radio show on KSFS radio) "Fort Faxon is like a bunch of ignited fireworks thrown in a shoe box." Everyone went crazy. They rocked all their pent up fury out and put it all on the table for the occasion. The evening at Fort Faxon was glorious because every one embraced the night and partied hard no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Let me know if you want to come out to one of these Golden Gator Rocker extravaganzas.

2427 Mission is how we do.

Hey,Golden Gators.
First thing I got to say is that Golden Gators rock and they do it hard. I want to keep it conversational, but the powers that be need me to tighten up this blog.
So, in the goal of delivering information to the rocker legions of San Francisco, I will make this blog clearer.
As the lyrics go from the Tatanka Iyotake song go, "I'm storming the castle as a wolf howls, I rush on the holves of a ram, and than I take the gate, and I take the gate, and I take the gate."
As long as I stay determined I will triumph.
Golden Gators, on the night of February 23, 2007, we did take that gate and we did dominate. The cops barely stopped us, and no one got in any trouble. The night was a definite success, and it is because you the people made it happen. 2427 Mission street was on fire with a passion that burned deeply and truly in the souls of those who attended the party on Saturday night.
Next week, the rock will be going down at Fort Faxon. A welcoming location at the corner of Faxon Avenue and Holloway Ave, directly up the street from SFSU.
I expect every student and staff with two legs to be up at Fort Faxon on March 1st, 2008. Don't let this one get away Golden Gator Rockers. You have to be ruthless in your quest for rock. In the name of Ronnie James Dio, I summon the blessing from the pagan fire that burns in the depths of the earth's deepest underwater valcanoes.
For the blaze shall have its day.
In the mean time check out my podcast at mypodcast.net.
Tony Fantano's Powercast is up and running and can barely be contained in digital medium of the internet. Enjoy my friends.

The show the other night was super awesome

Golden Gators way to come out and bring the ruckus. We got down and we did our damn thing. Thanks so much for coming out we really put on a hell of a free show.Tatanka Iyotake tried their best and it really was one of the best shows the band has ever played.
There are free shows all over the city for the true Golden Gators alumni and current students. This weekend there is another show at 29th and Mission.

There will be 8 kegs of San Francisco's own Speak Easy Brew. This beer is so great and gets you really drunk so alcohol patrons be aware.

The new and upcoming band Gunner will be rocking.

Go see the show it is on Friday and will start at about 9:00 pm
and SFSU's own The Fucking Buckaroos will be rocking out. Click on the picture below to see their site.
Rock on Gators

A Salute to fellow Rockers

This Guy is such a Bad Ass and is at one of the many pinnacles on the ancient but epic pathway to Rock n Roll Glory.
Look out for the next couple posts because they will be coming at you hard and fast like the music we adore. Yeah Baby, He's got the horns: The Rocker Salute.

There is some free rock going down

Golden Gators,
There is some awesome rock n roll going down in San Francisco on Saturday Feb 2nd, in the Mission District. There will be a lot of people and a lot rocking. Everyone is welcome even if your not a Golden Gator from SF State. The show is free so there is no reason for you not to go. My personal band will be playing Tatanka Iyotake.
If you are free on Saturday around 8pm you should call me for directions. To get there you have to take a right on Mission St. a left on Maynard and than a right on Gladstone. Call me at 415-279-8586 for the actual adress.