6 December 2014: Wellborn Road Tears Down Dirty Dog Bar

“To me, rock music was never meant to be safe. I think there needs to be an element of intrigue, mystery, subversiveness. Your parents should hate it.”~ Trent Reznor

A little change of pace but with the same good music all wrapped up into one charity event that in the end would put smiles on many unfortunate children.

Yep. Its time for Toys For Tots. And what better time than to do it on Saint Nicholas Day….. which is celebrated predominately in Europe and awareness spread throughout Wisconsin.

But as always there is a method to the madness.

Wellborn Road was coming to town and I had not seen them play since March. I could have had a baby by now since the last time I saw them at the Red Eyed Fly, just days before the insanity of the 2014 SXSW Music Festival. And nearly a month since I last had been to Dirty Dog Bar.

But to bring a new toy and get indoors is an awesome act of charity.

When I had reached Sixth Street, I ran over to a different shop to grab batteries for my camera as I did not want to be left stranded taking a ton of photographs and then not being able to finish the night because of dead batteries.

I noticed on the wall some really kick ass “toys” for sale. I picked up a Dr. Who figure and flipped the package over and then swiftly put it away.

Then I found a Godzilla figure and did the same thing. These figures were running almost $30 a piece!!!

My childhood… ruined by inflation and time!

I am sure that some child would absolutely love these toys. But damn. My wallet would have something to say about it in protest.

So I zipped over to the Dirty Dog and turned in the toy that I had purchased into the collection boxes that were set up. I was horrified to find in the mix of action figures, stuffed animals, and Lego boxes, was a sex toy.

I could not believe it.

This is TOYS FOR TOTS. Not TOYS FOR TARTS!!

Who the hell put that in there?

Wait on second thought, I don’t want to know. Oh well. Moving on!!

Then I was swiftly greeted by members of Wellborn Road. I took advantage of the opportunity and took some photographs with the guys. But always missing the drummer. Why is it always the drummer?? Nonetheless, the guys were there. I was there. And it was time to get it going.

First up was just music for one song. I went to the stage area to figure out what was going on. Suddenly I looked up and I saw two strippers dressed as either reindeer or Santa Claus just squirming all over the stage. You would have thought they were earthworms high on crack.

My question is: Who hired the strippers?

Next was INCH OF DARK.

I’ll admit. The first two band I had never heard of. The last two bands I have. But I sat there watching and listening and thought that the lead singer and guitarist looked similar to someone but I just could not put my finger on it. But the most I sat there and listened, the better and better and better it got. So I was impressed. Only today did I find out that they were a local band. Bonus points for me.

Their bass guitarist screaming at the top of his lungs at the crowd to keep them going. He didn’t even need a microphone. I thought that was really impressive as well. To outdo a microphone!

Then was TEN FOOT BEAST.

I do not know what the situation or story is behind this band, but it ended up being just two people. A drummer and a guitarist. No vocals whatsoever. Due to conversations I participated in, I didn’t take a lot of time to listen to them unfortunately.

Wellborn Road was next, and I felt a jolt of adrenaline just shoot through my body. I knew that they were going to play my favorite song of all-time “The Mirror” and it was early in the set. How funny though to watch them write up four copies of a set list just moments before getting on stage. That’s rock and roll for you!!! 

Kicking things off with “New Found Life” from their latest album PAIN HATE REDEMPTION, there were a few people that really started to get warmed up.

There’s always something about Wellborn Road crowds that just make them cut loose.

One fan was front and center and was everywhere. He was moving to the music, headbanging, swinging on things, and overall enjoying himself. All the while attempting to hang on to a beer.

During the middle of the set, he got so into it that another man came up to him and walked him to the side up against the wall and gave him a cup of water.

Lead singer Scott Emanis probably covered every last inch of that stage either walking, marching, or jumping all over it. His stage jumping is definitely a sight worth paying for! I tried so hard to get photographs of him in mid-jump that he was in the air. But my efforts sadly were in vain. Maybe one of these days in the future. Maybe.

Tyler Tracy

A tribute was done in honor of Dimebag Darrell. A medley of Pantera songs were performed and that probably had to be one of the coolest things I had ever personally been an eyewitness to. Very humbling too!

A few moments later was the icing on the cake for the night. At least for me. Tyler Tracy switched guitars and pulled out his custom made American flag guitar. Watching him play that was a big thrill. Considering I had been harassing him on social media to bring it with him the next time that he was in town.

Damned near broke my camera taking so many photographs of him with that guitar. Trying to get as many close up shots and shots from the floor which now I am calling TOE CAM.

Tyler Tracy is a remarkable musician. A fire fighter by trade. And an all-around, all-star bad ass. This is the guy you want in your pocket for sure!!

My first memory of him was that he stuck his guitar behind his head and then played a rocking version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” at the House of Blues in Houston, Texas. And even before that rocking out at Acadia Bar & Grill during R.N.I. Fest some years ago. So I have seen them in Houston, I have seen them in Austin. Hot damn!!!

But to be sincere, the entire band is very down to earth and very humble and proud of their growing audience and fans that they nickname the “Brew Crew.” They know that without them, they wouldn’t be who they are today.

Then Tyler totally took it to another level and allowed me to take a photograph with his American flag guitar. I damned near shit myself when he asked if I wanted to do so.

So yeah, that totally happened. The photograph- not the shit. I am however forever thankful for that opportunity.

And through all of that Scott Emanis was actually ill with a cold. But he got all those screams out and I did ask various members of the crowd if they could tell if he was sick, and they all but one said “No.”

Even Critical Assembly who played after Wellborn Road threw some respect out there stating that they destroyed the place.

I honestly hope that I get to see Wellborn Road play again and again and again and again. As much as I can. Whether I am here or there or wherever. Being the #1 fan in this area and a member of the Brew Crew, I have that flag flying at all times.

Black Widows

Marjorie Orbin

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” ~ Voltaire

I am thinking either one of several this evening. Either I need new friends or the rain that has been falling over the past 24 hours is getting to me. Or it could be that the knowledge and information that I have been obtaining as of lately is poisoning my head. But I think the last option is far from the truth, to be honest.

This afternoon I was given a surprise visit by a male colleague and his brand new, spanking-fresh girlfriend. There’s probably more emphasis needed on the spanking than usual, but I’ll leave that one alone.

So then yeah, a surprise visit from him with his new girlfriend on his arm, and lap, and neck, and groin. Made me wanna roll my eyes so far into the back of my own head that I could look at my brain.

You see dear readers, she’s a stripper at a local gentlemen’s club. Whether or not that’s where he found her, I do not know because I didn’t ask.

The lowered demeanor of the both of them made me so glad when they left my home that I was quick to lock the door behind them and it wasn’t even dark outside. Which brings us to our lovely tale of black widows. 

Marjorie Orbin was a showgirl and a stripper. When she met her husband Jay, she was 35 years of age and going on her seventh marriage. That’s right — 7 marriages by 35 years.

Marjorie with then boyfriend, Michael J. Peters

As I went through and learned more about her story, it was blatantly clear that Marjorie had a taste for the high life. She had champagne tastes and caviar desires. A woman, whom I personally probably would go through life and never be happy.

But she had the world brought to her whenever she snapped her fingers. Men pined and craved for her. And the attention blew her ego to 100,000 times the size of China.

And then enter Jay Orbin. A successful man who fell for Marjorie’s charms.

It had seemed that Marjorie was totally and completely irresistible.

After having spending time with the wealthiest of the wealthy in Florida, she knew she found her true desires.

But as with many of these kinds of women who’s appetite can never been conquered, she began to mess around with yet another man, even though she was married to Jay.

The marriage got in the way, and Marjorie needed Jay to leave her alone so that she could continue on with her affair. 

The next thing you know, in 2004, a homeless transient in the Phoenix, Arizona desert was passing through when he found a large container. At the moment he opened it, he found a human torso, with all of the internal organs removed. The police were then called in.

It was the torso of Jay Orbin. His head, legs, and arms had been cut off and stuffed into the container.

A murder mystery was now in the hands of the Phoenix Police Department.

And I actually started to feel bad for Marjorie when I read about this horrible murder. But the more that I read and researched, the more sick to my stomach I became.

Longer story short….. the boyfriend that she had the affair with while married to Jay is enjoying his freedom while Marjorie is in jail for the murder of her own husband. And she claims to this day that she had nothing to do with it, that she did not kill her husband. 

But you know what? I’m not buying all of it. She KNEW it happened. She KNEW that Jay was the obstacle in the way of her getting what she wanted.

Marjorie was even found on security camera actually purchasing the container that would eventually hold the severed remains of her husband from a local store.

There are others that I’ve read about, such as Karen Newell. Another woman who was found to be so attractive and irresistible that she claims that men would kill and DID kill for her. However, I did not spend a second of research on her because the pattern was already there from what I had learned to that point.

But its all a part of this fantasy life they have in their heads. They are innocent, their boyfriends/lovers are the ones who are guilty, and they’ve not done a single thing wrong. And now that their lives of glamour and riches is stripped away from them, they are bitter. It repeats itself over and over and over again when a woman is often found guilty of murdering their husband and/or boyfriends/lovers.

To go back now…. does my colleague have money? OHH, you bet!!! Is he rich? DEFINITELY SO!!!

Do I take from him? Not at all. I don’t even allow him to pay for times that he and I have gone out to eat or whatever, if I have the money, then I will go and pay for my own.

Will this local stripper kill him for his money? Ehh, I don’t know. But what I do know is that he better be EXTREMELY CAREFUL about it. And this blog post is my warning to him.

Yes, he will be receiving the URL link to this blog post when I am finished writing it. And its probably going to piss him off a little bit. But hey…. I’d rather have him pissed than have him robbed of what he earned…. or worse.