So Long, And Thanks For The Memories

So Long, And Thanks For The Memories

It’s a sad day today, my friends. The first recording studio I ever used with my band has shuttered its doors and the building is set for demolition in the coming weeks.

I have a lot of fond memories of the place, despite how grody and dingy it always was. The first track we ever managed to get picked up and played on the radio was recorded there, as well as every demo tape we made before we got picked up by a record label.

Ever since I heard the news, I’ve been looking back fondly on the things I used to find disgusting about the place. How the faulty air conditioning vents would drip all over the place, making the carpet always kind of damp and everything smell of mildew. The drops on your skin would even leave a track of black dirt picked up along the filthy metal.

The strongest memory is of the thing they got closed down over: the bug problem. When I say you could not sit down for more than a couple of minutes without some fresh new horror climbing up your pant leg, I am not exaggerating.

I remember falling asleep during a late night recording session and waking up to a slight tickle on my nose. I sneezed, and what would I feel as I covered my mouth but the squirming of a huge, fat roach now desperately trying to escape.

Needless to say, I freaked. I got in a screaming match with the guy who owned the place, called it a dump straight to his face and said I’d never be back. Ah, memories!

Well, apparently I wasn’t the only one who had an uncomfortable run-in with the resident insect population. A local official came in with his son who complained about the conditions of the studio and slapped the owner with a health code violation, a fine, and a mandatory inspection for any other creepy crawlies.

Unfortunately for the owner (and my nostalgia), the inspection turned up a massive termite infestation that was bad enough that the building needed to be condemned. For the life of me I can’t think of why he didn’t have a Pasadena termite exterminator come out sooner, but he was a real skinflint in my youth and I suppose old habits die hard.

Something I was surprised to find out is that the old recording studio is situated pretty close to the HQ of the company I usually use for my own pest control issues, Grand Oaks Termite Control. They’re some of the best in the biz, and if he had just listened to some of the Yelp reviews, he’d have saved himself one heck of a headache:

This is the third time we’ve used Justin and Gary and they always continue to exceed our expectations.  From thoroughly and thoughtfully answering all of the questions we bombarded them with, to leaving the worksite better than when they arrived, they are always so polite, courteous, and professionally.  Definitely one of the few businesses we’ve grown to trust even though we don’t have the need to use them very often.  Would recommend them without any hesitation. – Amy P.

I highly recommended Grand Oaks Termite Control.  I had an unusual situation where there were many areas of my wood paneling and roof that were affected by termites and wood rot. I have a decorative tree growing through the front part of my home which makes it very difficult to treat without damaging the tree. When Jason came for the preliminary inspection, he knew exactly how to effectively treat my home without harming my favorite tree. His estimate was very reasonable and his communication was top notch. He kept me appraised of all the curve balls and never stuck me with any unexpected cost. I was very impressed with the workmanship of his teammate Gary who took care of all the woodwork, a true craftsman.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Grand Oaks without any hesitation. – John B.

Don’t let yourself become like the hardheaded owner of my favorite old, dingy recording studio. If you’re having pest problems, get the best professional help in the area.

Grand Oaks Termite Control

+16265384156

110 S Worthy Dr, Glendora, CA 91741

An Unwanted House Party

An Unwanted House Party

Through my years as a wannabe and then fully fledged rock star, I’ve attended a number of disastrous parties. Things getting thrown out windows, hit with blunt objects, and not a few buildings getting burnt to the ground in some particularly boisterous affairs. If I’m being honest, the disastrous parties were often times the ones that were the most fun, though my lawyer would probably advise against me saying so.

While I was mostly partied out by the time my time in the limelight came to an end, that wasn’t the end of the parties. Not only did my band mates continue their youthful shenanigans, I had some rather unwanted guests in a number of the properties I had bought over the years stage some parties of their own.

Who are these uninvited guests, you ask? Not hippies, not grungy punks, not even star-sucking sycophants looking to lap up any crumbs of clout they could steal from my plate. These guests were of an even more invasive species I’ve had to deal with.

Termites! The little critters invaded not one, not two, but three of my residences and establishments over the years, including my favorite home in southern California. This presented a pretty big problem for me, as at the time I was going through a bit of a health kick and believed most pesticides were basically evil.

One major thing I wish we had at the time was an environmentally- and health-conscious movement in society at large and pest control in particular, like we do now. As it stands, when it comes to natural removal of termites and other creepy-crawlies for my Southern California enterprises, I always call the same guys: Natural Science Exterminating.

The Garden Grove-based company prides itself on its use of natural remedies to not only remove pests once they’ve infested a building through tenting and spot removal, but also preventing infestations from occurring in the first place. They use a number of naturally derived and plant-based chemicals that the plants use to ward off pests themselves to give your home a reprieve from damaging insects, so you don’t have to worry about your pets getting poisoned or gigantic swarms of bugs coming crashing through your roof as you sleep.

When my homes were host to such unwelcome house parties, I had to just clench my teeth and allow the smelly exterminator to tent them up for a week. Once they took the tent off, I couldn’t go into the houses without my skin crawling from the thought of all the chemicals that were pumped into the walls and how every time I touched something I was now doomed to a painful cancerous death.

You don’t have to go through the mental torture I put myself through (I am a bit of a hypochondriac, admittedly, so you might not do it regardless). Natural Science Exterminating offers free termite inspections in Garden Grove and its surrounding areas, so if you’re like me and can’t stand the thought of every chemical monstrosity known to man being sprayed all over your possessions, give them a call.

Natural Science Exterminating

(800) 246-7378

11642 Knott Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92841

Rock For The Cause

Rock For The Cause

ArrowSith Presents Green Is The Safest Color Benefit Concert

While the wild humdrum of anti-war sentiment may be settling, activism is a far cry from over. New band, ArrowSith, takes the stage this Friday in support of environmental causes for their benefit concert Green Is The Safest Color. Tickets are $3 at the door with a table for further donations. The raised funds will go to a myriad of causes including clean water, less plastic, and natural pest control.

ArrowSith recently took off, hitting #1 on the charts with their new hit single “Before You There Was Me.” The band formed earlier this year lead by frontman Steve Miller (not of Steve Miller Band notoriety), drummer Gary Woodworth, bassist Ernie Hamsterdamn, and keys/percussionist Lillian Farly. Brought together by their mutual appreciation for archery and George Lucas’ revolutionary Star Wars film, ArrowSith brings a spirited angst in their music to illustrate their passion for change.

ArrowSith preaches a message of action through both song and interview. “I can inspire change with just my guitar and a few powerful lyrics. I can multiply that with the addition of each of my bandmates.” Steve Miller explains, “We are young. We are dreamers. We see a world full of chaos and injustice and we still believe something can be done. We have talent and a platform and we intend on using them. We don’t think it’s foolish to try and stop the corporate greed. We think it’s foolish to sit back and do nothing.”

Green Is The Safest Color intends on bringing validity to ArrowSith’s message. Alongside the benefit concert, all profits from merchandise sold at the event will go toward funding a new initiative for environmental education. ArrowSith plans on debuting three new t-shirt designs at the event: one advocating clean water, one advising less plastic, and one supporting natural termite control.

Lillian Farly, who spearheaded both the benefit concert and the new initiative, further describes ArrowSith’s aim. “We have all these activist songs and catchy phrases but that only goes so far. I noticed a lot of issues root from not knowing. If a farmer doesn’t know the pesticides they’re using are harmful, how can they be expected to stop? I didn’t want ArrowSith to be all talk and no action so I went to the band with my concerns. They agreed and we got to talking and I proposed the idea for the initiative. I had no idea how we would pull it off, but together we came up with the idea for Green Is The Safest Color to raise money and awareness. Now that we have some success we can finally maybe pull it off.”

ArrowSith is only in the early stages of actualizing their education initiative. However, supporting Green Is The Safest Color on Friday with attendance or donations is an immediate way to pledge support for their cause. It is never too late to make a change. The environment may be suffering, but ArrowSith and likeminded groups won’t let it happen for long.

Natural Science Exterminating
11642 Knott Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92841
(800) 246-7378

We Thought Our Performance Brought the House Down…

So here I am again, learning more things than I ever thought I would about things I never thought I would. I’ve made it pretty clear at this point that I am dedicated to my lifestyle of rockin til I drop. Well let me tell you something that is entirely frustrating and gets directly in the way of this bitchin lifestyle. Sneaky freaking termites!

Here’s the scoop. I obviously have a place I go where I can jam. A solid studio where I keep most of my instruments and always invite other people over to share in my jamming exploits. I love my studio. I love all the instruments I have in it. I love the way it smells musky and worn. I love the ripped and torn couch that has accumulated way too many different substances over the years. I even love the occasional groupie that swings by and listens to me or us play way too loud and rough on instruments that definitely don’t deserve it but continue making those lovely rock sounds anyways. There is not much I don’t love about that studio. So there I am one evening jamming out with some of my best pals and we are on it! We are actually making some great tunes and most of it is improvisation which makes the whole jamming experience feel godlike. We lay into this stream of music we’ve been on for almost five minutes and it feels like the music keeps getting better and louder. We are coming to a crescendo when suddenly, my stage collapses from under us. I nearly broke my leg, the bass got away unscathed fortunately for him, and the drummer ended up with his entire backside bruised all to hell. At first, we thought we jammed so hard the stage broke. AWESOME! Quickly after that thought we were swarmed with the truth quite literally. A swarm of termites came up from the wood that used to be my stage. I wondered what those flying bugs were that kept popping up recently. I just never slowed down to look into it. Not my lifestyle. Needless to say, I needed help. So I looked up some people online and on Yelp and found the guys that eradicated my termite infestation for good! Natural Science Exterminating in Garden Grove showed up almost as soon as I called and saved the day. Unfortunately, my stage was lost but at least all the other wooden things in my studio won’t crumble to pieces at my next jam session.

As always, if you don’t feel comfortable with my rocking recommendation, verify for your pretty little self on Yelp. These guys live up to their reputation AND they do it all naturally! That’s right, that wonderful musky smell I loved so much about my studio didn’t have to be overtaken by some obscene chemical smell. It gets to stay just as it is. Can’t say the same for those termites. Natural Science Exterminating really should be your go to guys for termite control. Here’s the Yelp!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/natural-science-exterminating-garden-grove

Once you take your gander and realize these guys really are the real deal and will take care of your termite infestation issues, map em! They serve all of Orange County and are located in Garden Grove. While I will never be a preemptive planner, I know that if I need to react to another termite control issue, Natural Science Exterminating will be hearing from me again. Here’s the map!

 

Until the next time folks! I’ll make sure to chime in soon to leave another rocking golden nugget for y’all as soon as I find one.