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Oriphiel · 01-09-2015, 05:24 AM

Looking at obscure Garage Rock is fun, but I think it's time that I expanded my musical horizons. So I asked myself "What's the furthest genre from Garage Rock?" It's raw, minimalistic, brutally unpolished, created on a shoe-string budget, and usually about dark subject matter. The opposite of it would have to be something very light and intricate, as well as being happy and easy-going. The answer was simple; Disco! I've never really given it a fair chance as a valid genre of music, and nowadays it's kind of become an easy target for criticism. I think examining the genre could be a lot of fun, however I don't want to have multiple journals where i'm simply reviewing albums over and over. I'm having a great time writing that Western, so in this journal, i'm going to focus on writing one large story, creating each chapter as I listen to different songs from the genre (an idea that is indebted to journals like http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html and http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ravaganza.html). Maybe I've been watching The Warriors too often lately, but I think I can make this work! In terms of music, I'll be avoiding Rock in all of it's facets, sticking to the main genres of the late 70's/early 80's dance club scene, which includes Disco, Hi-NRG, Funk, and early Techno (although there were a few bands that combined Rock/Punk with Disco that I might include, like Blondie). Let's get started!

Chapter One

The Red Shark club was legendary for it's anything-goes atmosphere. Located right at the border between the territories of three rival gangs, every night was host to dozens of bloody fights, and while the angry boys were bopping, the shady cats in the corner were pushing whatever drugs they could get their hands on. Situated less than a mile from a metro station, other gangs from all over town often showed up to make guest appearances, looking to join the revelry. However, from the outside, it's dangerous reputation was betrayed by it's humble appearance; it was one of the many brick buildings that comprised the downtown of the city, marked only by a small red neon sign beside the front entrance.

It was summer, and the night air was thick with humidity. The asphalt of the street was wet from a small shower of hot rain that had fallen earlier, and it seemed to glow under the street lamps and neon signs above it. A small group of restless teenagers were sitting on the steps of an apartment building, fiddling with a large boombox that gave out only the sound of static. One of them gave it a good smack, and the music from the radio began to replace the vacant hissing. Just as the music began, a handful of men came up the stairs from the metro tunnel.

There were three of them, and without pause they began walking towards the Red Shark. They were quite different from each other; each was of a different height and skin color, and dressed in an entirely different fashion. However, they all had a red bandana tied around their right arms. While two of them wore dour expressions on their faces, preparing themselves for the inevitable bloodbath that would soon be upon them, the other was smiling and walking with a stylish stagger to their step. He cracked his knuckles, before lightly punching the arm of the man next to him, saying "Well, here we are. The Shark. It may not look like much, but it's where the heart is for guys like us. You ready, new blood?" The man next to him gave out a weak smile, but his eyes remained as intent and serious as before. "Yeah. I'll hold my own," he replied. The third man tightened his bandana, and said "Just watch out for knives and snubnoses. People get sore when you beat 'em fair, 'n try to use their toys to even the odds." The new blood shot him a glance, saying "Yeah. You showed me." The third man laughed and said "I did, didn't I?" as he looked down at his right arm, and the thick scar that ran down it's length, winding through a maze of tattoos.

The three men walked through the front door, and soon found themselves in the heart of the Red Shark. The darkness throughout the club was broken up by the flashing lights that were scattered about, especially in the proximity of the dance floor. It seemed relatively peaceful inside, with a decent amount of men and women dancing to the loud music and sharing drinks at the bar. There were a few people sitting at a table who wore denim jackets with identical patches on the back. The first man eyed them, and elbowed the new blood as he nodded towards them, saying "See those pricks? They're from the 53's. They muscled out the Crypt Boys from this block about a week ago, trying to take the Shark. Guess they never learned that nobody holds the Shark for very long." While they were talking, the third man walked over to the bar and took a bottle from someone who was on the verge of passing out. He joined the other two as they nonchalantly walked towards the table of 53's, who were too busy gambling to notice their approach. The third man took a swig from his bottle, and then asked the first man and the new blood "Want a drink?" as he raised the bottle towards them. They both gave him a questioning glance. He shrugged, said "Alright, then", and threw the bottle towards the table of 53's. It hit one of them in the jaw, refusing to shatter as it bounced off of their face and rattled across the floor.

The three men had the advantage of surprise, and they fell upon the 53's before most of them could even get out of their chairs. The first man laughed as he grabbed one of them and threw them across a nearby table, while the third man kicked one of them in the chest as they tried to stand up, sending them stumbling backwards. The new blood grabbed a chair and threw it at the 53's on the other side of the table, before taking a punch to the gut that stole his breath. Before his attacker could land any more hits, the new blood used all of his remaining energy to kick him in the groin. At this point, half of the club-goers were running for the door in a panic, while the other half were either too used to the violence or too amused by it to run away. The fight became a furious mess, as two 53's tackled the first man over the railing that surrounded the dance-floor. He quickly got to his feet as the 53's jumped over the railing, and they began to fight on top of the flashing tiles of the pit. One of the 53's pulled out a switchblade, and carefully approached his prey.

The other two men finished off their enemies at the table, and jumped over the railing to help the first man. The new blood grabbed the 53 with the knife and tried to choke him from behind, however the 53 escaped his hold by stabbing him in the thigh. The new blood yelled in pain, and dragged the 53 to the ground. As the 53 tried to stand up, the third man kicked him in the face, and the first man knocked out the last enemy standing with a heavy punch to the jaw. Out of breath and covered in sweat, the three men took a moment to collect themselves. "Damn it..." said the new blood, as he nursed the deep cut in his leg. The first man laughed and raised his hand, clapping the new blood's back as he said "Looks like you've got a scar of your own now, new blood!" The third man joined him in this laughter, while the new blood remained unamused. "Hey, after you guys are done cracking jokes, can you maybe, I don't know, help me?" The first man ceased his laughter, although he was still smiling, and said "Sure, man. We'll take care of it. Don't worry." "I just got stabbed, man, of course i'm gonna worry! I swear, if my leg gets infected, i'm gonna kick your ass." The third man smiled, and said "If your leg gets infected, we'll have to cut it off. And it'll be kinda hard for you to do any kicking with only one leg." The new blood punched the third man's arm, and eventually the three of them found their way towards the entrance of club as they started back on their way home. As they walked out the door, a man got out from the table he was hiding under, and he asked "What the hell was that?" to the woman sitting at the table beside his. She set down the burger she was eating, and said "The usual. It's why I love coming here, you know? Dinner and a show." He looked at her as if she was crazy. She noticed his expression of shock and smiled, saying "I love this city."

01-09-2015, 05:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,355	Blood and Diamonds: A High Energy Story Looking at obscure Garage Rock is fun, but I think it's time that I expanded my musical horizons. So I asked myself "What's the furthest genre from Garage Rock?" It's raw, minimalistic, brutally unpolished, created on a shoe-string budget, and usually about dark subject matter. The opposite of it would have to be something very light and intricate, as well as being happy and easy-going. The answer was simple; Disco! I've never really given it a fair chance as a valid genre of music, and nowadays it's kind of become an easy target for criticism. I think examining the genre could be a lot of fun, however I don't want to have multiple journals where i'm simply reviewing albums over and over. I'm having a great time writing that Western, so in this journal, i'm going to focus on writing one large story, creating each chapter as I listen to different songs from the genre (an idea that is indebted to journals like http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html and http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ravaganza.html). Maybe I've been watching The Warriors too often lately, but I think I can make this work! In terms of music, I'll be avoiding Rock in all of it's facets, sticking to the main genres of the late 70's/early 80's dance club scene, which includes Disco, Hi-NRG, Funk, and early Techno (although there were a few bands that combined Rock/Punk with Disco that I might include, like Blondie). Let's get started! Chapter One The Red Shark club was legendary for it's anything-goes atmosphere. Located right at the border between the territories of three rival gangs, every night was host to dozens of bloody fights, and while the angry boys were bopping, the shady cats in the corner were pushing whatever drugs they could get their hands on. Situated less than a mile from a metro station, other gangs from all over town often showed up to make guest appearances, looking to join the revelry. However, from the outside, it's dangerous reputation was betrayed by it's humble appearance; it was one of the many brick buildings that comprised the downtown of the city, marked only by a small red neon sign beside the front entrance. It was summer, and the night air was thick with humidity. The asphalt of the street was wet from a small shower of hot rain that had fallen earlier, and it seemed to glow under the street lamps and neon signs above it. A small group of restless teenagers were sitting on the steps of an apartment building, fiddling with a large boombox that gave out only the sound of static. One of them gave it a good smack, and the music from the radio began to replace the vacant hissing. Just as the music began, a handful of men came up the stairs from the metro tunnel. There were three of them, and without pause they began walking towards the Red Shark. They were quite different from each other; each was of a different height and skin color, and dressed in an entirely different fashion. However, they all had a red bandana tied around their right arms. While two of them wore dour expressions on their faces, preparing themselves for the inevitable bloodbath that would soon be upon them, the other was smiling and walking with a stylish stagger to their step. He cracked his knuckles, before lightly punching the arm of the man next to him, saying "Well, here we are. The Shark. It may not look like much, but it's where the heart is for guys like us. You ready, new blood?" The man next to him gave out a weak smile, but his eyes remained as intent and serious as before. "Yeah. I'll hold my own," he replied. The third man tightened his bandana, and said "Just watch out for knives and snubnoses. People get sore when you beat 'em fair, 'n try to use their toys to even the odds." The new blood shot him a glance, saying "Yeah. You showed me." The third man laughed and said "I did, didn't I?" as he looked down at his right arm, and the thick scar that ran down it's length, winding through a maze of tattoos. The three men walked through the front door, and soon found themselves in the heart of the Red Shark. The darkness throughout the club was broken up by the flashing lights that were scattered about, especially in the proximity of the dance floor. It seemed relatively peaceful inside, with a decent amount of men and women dancing to the loud music and sharing drinks at the bar. There were a few people sitting at a table who wore denim jackets with identical patches on the back. The first man eyed them, and elbowed the new blood as he nodded towards them, saying "See those pricks? They're from the 53's. They muscled out the Crypt Boys from this block about a week ago, trying to take the Shark. Guess they never learned that nobody holds the Shark for very long." While they were talking, the third man walked over to the bar and took a bottle from someone who was on the verge of passing out. He joined the other two as they nonchalantly walked towards the table of 53's, who were too busy gambling to notice their approach. The third man took a swig from his bottle, and then asked the first man and the new blood "Want a drink?" as he raised the bottle towards them. They both gave him a questioning glance. He shrugged, said "Alright, then", and threw the bottle towards the table of 53's. It hit one of them in the jaw, refusing to shatter as it bounced off of their face and rattled across the floor. The three men had the advantage of surprise, and they fell upon the 53's before most of them could even get out of their chairs. The first man laughed as he grabbed one of them and threw them across a nearby table, while the third man kicked one of them in the chest as they tried to stand up, sending them stumbling backwards. The new blood grabbed a chair and threw it at the 53's on the other side of the table, before taking a punch to the gut that stole his breath. Before his attacker could land any more hits, the new blood used all of his remaining energy to kick him in the groin. At this point, half of the club-goers were running for the door in a panic, while the other half were either too used to the violence or too amused by it to run away. The fight became a furious mess, as two 53's tackled the first man over the railing that surrounded the dance-floor. He quickly got to his feet as the 53's jumped over the railing, and they began to fight on top of the flashing tiles of the pit. One of the 53's pulled out a switchblade, and carefully approached his prey. The other two men finished off their enemies at the table, and jumped over the railing to help the first man. The new blood grabbed the 53 with the knife and tried to choke him from behind, however the 53 escaped his hold by stabbing him in the thigh. The new blood yelled in pain, and dragged the 53 to the ground. As the 53 tried to stand up, the third man kicked him in the face, and the first man knocked out the last enemy standing with a heavy punch to the jaw. Out of breath and covered in sweat, the three men took a moment to collect themselves. "Damn it..." said the new blood, as he nursed the deep cut in his leg. The first man laughed and raised his hand, clapping the new blood's back as he said "Looks like you've got a scar of your own now, new blood!" The third man joined him in this laughter, while the new blood remained unamused. "Hey, after you guys are done cracking jokes, can you maybe, I don't know, help me?" The first man ceased his laughter, although he was still smiling, and said "Sure, man. We'll take care of it. Don't worry." "I just got stabbed, man, of course i'm gonna worry! I swear, if my leg gets infected, i'm gonna kick your ass." The third man smiled, and said "If your leg gets infected, we'll have to cut it off. And it'll be kinda hard for you to do any kicking with only one leg." The new blood punched the third man's arm, and eventually the three of them found their way towards the entrance of club as they started back on their way home. As they walked out the door, a man got out from the table he was hiding under, and he asked "What the hell was that?" to the woman sitting at the table beside his. She set down the burger she was eating, and said "The usual. It's why I love coming here, you know? Dinner and a show." He looked at her as if she was crazy. She noticed his expression of shock and smiled, saying "I love this city." Last edited by Oriphiel; 09-15-2015 at 05:07 AM.