Today marks the 3rd week since I moved into (e:yesthatcasey)’s apartment with him and our other roommate Brad. The emptiness that is my bedroom is slowly being filled with furniture that’s being donated or found online, but in time it will all come together and I’ll finally be settled. My first actual full day in the house I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu while sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast, and strange as it felt at that moment it seemed perfectly natural. I met Casey and the rest of the crew downtown this past Friday night and he informed me of 2 things that were hidden in the lease but required: 1.) to be his wingman when we go out and 2.) ditch my camera phone and actually obtain a smartphone like the rest of the modern world. I think I can handle both of them. Man, it feels good to be home.

I’m a freelance graphic designer/illustrator that works primarily with local “DIY” bands in Buffalo which encompasses a lot of what’s considered the punk community here. I’ve been designing hand-drawn flyers for basement shows throughout the city since March of 2013, and it’s given me a chance to connect with local musicians and make a lot of friends. One of my best friends introduced me to this scene through shows that he booked for his own bands; one is an instrumental gypsy band called [link=hangbobewell.bandcamp.com]Hang Bob Ewell[/link], and the other is a pretty well-known ska band that goes by the name of [link=bsidebasterds.bandcamp.com]B-Side Basterds[/link] (he plays sax in both).

The “Basterds” are fronted by a cool guy who goes by the name Vader Mike, and I’ve had the privilege of getting to know him more the these last few months. Tonight (Saturday) they played a show at Mr. Goodbar on Elmwood along with The Blank Shots and The Naturalists, both other local bands. I met up with some friends, grabbed a few beers, and skanked the night away. B-Side played the last set of the night, and with 3 songs left on their set list Mike took the mic to give thanks to the other bands and others who made the night possible. He also gave a shout out to our friend Mitch who ran The Crow’s Nest, which is sadly now-defunct, but was one of the prominent house venues within our group. To my surprise Mike then gave a special shout out to me for coming out to see them play and singled me out in the crowd for all the art I’ve made for them. Their set ended with a bang and I thanked him. His reply was that he appreciated my hard work and would do what he can to make sure I received recognition. My night ended on a very hot, sweaty, and beer-tastic note, but I walked back home feeling like a million bucks.

I have some really cool friends.