Memories on videos....

So, when i was in What Feeds The Fire we did a tour with Hatebreed, Bane and Poison the well, from late January to Late February in 2002.

I finally got around to uplaoding some of the video from a whole Hatebreed set i taped in San Francisco.

Visit http://richgaccione.com for more videos, click on the "Hatebreed Video" along the top of the home page to view some more. This will be a work in progress.

Thanks
-Rich

" you're the reason i cannot forget this season, and i'll still be ranting about this most early May..." Thanksgiving 2008.

This year is flying by. Just when one memory of where i was and who i was with in Los Angeles pops up, another day happens when i can place my every movement, thought, sight and sound from a year ago. Today i spent thanksgiving with my best friend Mark, his girlfriend Melissa and a few of Marks family members at their house. Mark and Melissa are vegetarian, and im Vegan, so i offered/was invited to, make the vegetarian/vegan thanksgiving feast. I gladly obliged. Im not too much in the mood to write. Im in a "mood". Ill let the pictures from today do the talking.

Oh, quick run down of food:
i cooked everything ( except the dessert) outside, on a grill with a side burner.
tofurky feast.
corn, cranberries and tofu sauteed in earth balance and garlic salt
vegan italian seasoned sausages with a vegetable medley, sauteed with olive oil and basil.
small dinner rolls made from fresh dough.
cranberry stuffing dumplings.
mushroom and rice stuffing
vegan mashed potatoes made from scratch.

and dessert was vegan pumpkin cheesecake with soywhip.

i feel sick.

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake



Carving the actualy real life, alive once, now dead turkey.


Vegan Feast



Me, Mark and Melissa


Marks family.


Ali, Marks sister.


gracie.


Marks Family.


Ali.


Cooking the feast.












Guitar Hero. I suck at this game so much. Good thing im handsome...

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake!

I wish i had someone to cook for like this all the time.


So i found this on the internets. A recipe for a vegan pumpkin cheesecake!
i hadn't made a "cheesecke" yet, so i figured...why not.

Be advised, a food processor/blender of some type is required. I didnt have one available, but i did my best.

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake:

2 graham cracker crusts

Filling:
2 tubs Toffuti brand "Better Than Cream Cheese"
2 cups firm silken tofu
1/4 cup cornstarch or tapioca starch
One 15oz can pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp sea salt
Cube the "Better Than Cream Cheese" and place in food processor with remaining ingredients. Blend until everything is smooth and thoroughly combined. Pour over the crust, and bake on 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to set for 10 minutes on a wire rack while you prepare the sour cream topping.

Sour Cream Topping
1 tub Tofutti's "Better Than Sour Cream"
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp vanill
a dash of salt
Blend all ingredients in your food processor until smooth. Pour over the still-warm cheesecake and return to the 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Chill the finished cake in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Thats how i made it. They look decent still, and the pre-baked mix tasted dreamy.
the above recipe made 2 pies. Cant wait to eat it tomorrow.












this is the topping. Needs to be food processed, otherwise it wont pour easily onto the top of the pie in the part of the recipe that calls for it.

Tis that season, once again.....and i miss the GP

this entry ended up being very pro-guitar center, and im totally fine with that!


The holidays. Here they come, swooping in out of nowhere ready to rip us all out of the water, like a bald eagle grabbing a fish out of a moving river. I have the first "non-guitar center" retail job ever. And today, i have to admit...i really, really miss working at guitar center. Yea, i know that may be weird to some, but those who truly know me, it can make sense. See, this new retail job i have is at a store called Ritz camera. Its in a gigantic mall, on the 3rd floor, tucked away in the very tiny corner, right near the entrance to Nordstroms. Its a small store, not very busy, and the worst part, is that its...well...stagnant. Im not used to standing still for extended amounts of time. Im not used to being " the new guy". Im not used to a computer system that doesnt require me to use the tenkey pad blindfolded, and at a faster rate than the computer can keep up with. The customers too. They are way different than the mom and dad shopping for their sons first Gibson or Marshall. There is no sparkle in kids eyes as they look at the wall of guitars and hope someday they can own the 59 reissuse VOS custom shop that looks like Jimmy Pages les paul he used in Song Remains the Same.

I miss the smiles the parents had while i walked them through the store, HELPING them through the tedious task of getting their child exactly what he or she wants to become that next Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix. I miss seeing the kids leave the store with their new present that they cant have until christmas day, but were allowed to come pick it out and make sure it was "the one".

There was a certain gratification i would always get when a flustered parent would leave the store smiling, shaking my hand or even giving me a hug, because i helped them through a process that takes more than walking into a store, pointing at something and walking out.

Put me back on the guitar floor and i wont feel as if i ever left.

GQPC.


"Hi, thanks for coming in, getting some shopping done today?"
"was there someone specific you were shopping for? Can i point you in the right direction?"
" we have an awesome new les paul, check this out"
" i bet this will make his/her christmas, let me take you over here and get that wrapped up for you."



i was a fucking good salesperson, but not to that stereotypical visage of what most have of a "guitar center dude" salesperson. i was there to help, provide outstanding service and create an incredible customer experience, making sure that, the customer i helped for the first time, i would continue to help for the rest of their musical journey.

I guess what im saying is... Im more than what i am at this point in my life, and its killing me.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie and being, pretty much, the best friend ever.

Its no secret. I like to cook/bake/eat. So, my friend Danielle, who works at the store across from me at the mall, asked me to make her and her co-workers a pumpkin pie, i was more than happy to. Even if it meant after working 2 jobs today, having to be up at 7am and getting in at 11:30pm. Im still doing it. I guess im just that awesome, and thats why im surrounded by all this awesomeness. (can you feel the sarcasm dripping from that last line??) ANYWAY. here is a super super easy and tasty holiday favorite.

Vegan Pumpkin pie.

1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup soy milk
tablespoon apple sauce
1-2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
cinnamon and allspice to taste

mix all together, put in pie crust,( i use graham cracker crust, i suggest you do too, its soooo good.) put in oven at 350 for 50-60 minutes. I usually let cool, then put it in the fridge to help solidify the pie a little bit more. Makes it easier for cutting and serving, and it wont fall apart.

How simple was that? Right?

Friends. Star Wars. Seasonal Depression.

I went to boston for the second sunday in a row. This time to meet up with Mc Chris, Anthony and Sully. All good friends. It was great to see them and enjoy a fun show put on by Mc Chris. I also gave MC a gift. One of my pictures i took of him in chicago, from the reggie tour in a 24x36 print. he loved it. I hope. ha.


More pictures from the Mc Chris show click here.

Mc Chris @ Harpers Ferry Boston MA 11/23/2008


Me and Anthony.


me and sully.


Me and MC


Mc Chris' lego AT-ST






on another note....

i thought i saw you today. i looked up and thought it was you, my stomach flipped and i lost my train of thought for a second. Sigh.

Vegan Banana Bread. Winter. New Tattoo.

I haven't done a cooking update for a while, so today when i got home from work, i just had a random inspiration to make Banana Bread. So, a quick google search, veganize the ingredients and this is what i made:

Vegan Banana Bread


4 ripe smooshed bananas
1/3 cup melted earth balance stick( 5 tablespoons)
1 cup of vegan sugar
3 tablespoons of applesauce
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of flour

Method:

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Smoosh bananas up nice in a large mixing bowl. Add earth balance when melted.
mix in sugar, applesauce and vanilla. Next sprinkle in baking powder and salt.
lastly, add in the flour, mix well until fully blended.
pour into a 4x8 size baking pan, bake for 1 hour, let cool then enjoy!

Here are pictures for a step by step tutorial!




















Next up... Reason #2 why i miss California. I dont have to suit up like this to go outside...in November.





And finally, i just got tattooed. Ever hear the saying " You've got a chip on your shoulder."? Well, i have. And i do, but at least i try to keep a sense of humor about it. Done by Luke Taylor at Hope Street Tattoo Providence, RI.

SOUL CONTROL PRE-ORDER UP NOW

http://deadbutdreamingrecords.bigcartel.com/

last but not least, my soul control pre-order is now available. tests were approved today. records will ship in december. 3 colors available: mixed color (100 pressed), orange vinyl (125 pressed) and black vinyl (225 pressed). you can also add on a limited soul control "4 vol" black sabbath shirt which will be printed to order and shipped with the records. so thats it, head over to the store and buy these things up.

so sick.

The past few days in a few pictures.

Mondays and Tuesdays consist of me working from 9am to about 2pm, then having a few hours off, and going to a seond job from 5pm to 11:30pm. Thats constant, so i have accepted the fact ill never do anything on mondays or tuesdays.
Wednesday i worked in the morning, and took the afternoon off and went grocery shopping and cleaned up my apartment and fell asleep early i believe. All these days lately have been a blur....

As usual, Click on the image to see a High Resolution version.


Thursday Night. 11/13/2008. Worked 2 jobs then went to see Soul Control and Walls (from Seattle/Olympia) play in the basement. Sometimes called " the land of heaviness and joy" sometimes called "the metal mansion" and sometimes called "easy axxess", The basement is the best thing providence has for underground bands. Its a house that a bunch of dudes in bands live in, and are also able to practice in, and the best part, have shows in the basement whenever they want. Its a great spot for small touring bands to come and play. People always show up, hang out, donate money for the touring bands and all around have a great time. Im glad the place exists, and if i ever get my musical ideas to take the form of a band, i hope we play the basement as our first show.
SOUL CONTROL.



WALLS



Friday Night. 11/14/2008 My Friend Eric turns 30 in a few days but he was going to europe this week, so we had a birthday party/vegan pre-thanksgiving potluck dinner. I made vegan pumpkin pie and a raspberry chocolate cake with dark chocolate frosting. Yum. I love to cook.

This is Coen, my friend Marks son.

Me, Zak and Mark ( NOT the father of Coen)


Saturday Night...worked at Trinity from 5pm-3am. Its ALWAYS worth the long/late night when i get tipped out at the end of the night. Best Job.

Last Night. 11/16/08. Drove to boston after working and saw 3oh!3 at harpers ferry. Thanks to Will Evans for getting me in. 3000 miles away and still makes shit happen.

Take a second and think...

...Of where you were 365 days ago. To the day exactly. What happened?
Was it significant to your current life and state of mind? Who did you
meet? Where were you? I do this every so often and it takes me to a
spot where I can smile, but sometimes it makes me sad. Most of the
time, because of the decisions I have made, I end up wishing I could
go back to that day and make sure I tell past me to not fuck it up, so
future me will be happy.

Think about it. Smile. Let yourself go back to that place and think, "
would I want to do it again?"

I always will want to do it again. Always.

--
Rich Gaccione.

http://richgaccione.com

Trash Talk photo set up for order NOW!

Up for order now, are a set of four 8x10 photographs of the band TRASH TALK.
These were taken at their "Plagues" Record release show, at the Epic Lounge in Downey, California on January 13th 2008.

The set will consist of these 4 photos, framed:





The cost is $35 US Dollars. plus $6.00 for shipping to the continental United states, via the USPS Priority mail, with delivery confirmation. So, $41 bucks gets you a sweet set of Trash Talk photos ready to hang or display in your home, office or where ever.

Here is an exmple of one of the Trash Talk prints framed and hanging on the wall ( far right, next to the Have Heart print. )


Turnaround time from placing the order to getting them shipped should take no more than 7 business days. So, you will get these quick.

Sets will be hand numbered and limited to TWENTY FIVE sets.

****BONUS OFFER!!!**** If you order the Trash Talk set, for an extra $55 i will send you an unframed Have Heart print ( see previous blog entries )*****

Thanks for looking.

Paypal/Contact me at richdgaccione@gmail.com

Master Cleanse Update #1

This is my first update for the cleanse. For those of you that dont know, this is a brief description of what the "Master Cleanse" Is:
The Master Cleanse, also known as the Lemon Cleanse and the Maple Syrup Diet, was created by Stanley Burroughs in 1941 and later popularized by Peter Glickman in his book (2005) Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in 10 Days. Burroughs states that it is a detoxification program that aids in the removal of harmful toxins from within the body, as well as a reducing diet for loss of weight, and a cure for ulcers and "every kind of disease," resulting in "the correction of all disorders."
The Master Cleanse claims to be a way to cleanse the body of toxins and remove the cravings associated with drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and eating junk food. "Coffee, tea, and various cola drinks, as habit-forming beverages, also lose their appeal through the marvels of the lemonade diet." The cleanse involves drinking only lemonade made from fresh lemon or lime juice, Grade B maple syrup, water and Cayenne pepper. No solid food is eaten for the entire cleanse. The master cleanse is technically not a "fast" and proponents say it is more gentle on the body because it does contain some essential vitamins and minerals. According to proponents it is recommended to be on the cleanse for a minimum of ten days, but some people stay on the cleanse for longer periods of time, even as long as 45 days.

Since there is no intake of solid food, special precautions are taken to avoid constipation. Senna tea is taken every night, and in the morning warm saline is required. This passes through the digestive system extremely quickly, usually causing defecation in 30-60 minutes. It is essential to go off of the cleanse slowly. The lack of solid foods for such long periods, requires careful breaking, as gut flora need to re-develop and mucus linings re-build. This usually involves drinking "full strength" juices for a day or two, while slowly adding in soups, then fruit, vegetables and nuts before resuming a regular diet. Some individuals have returned to their healthy diet the following day after stopping the program without any problems, but this is rare and not recommended, especially for first timers.

Check the wikipedia for more info

I decided to do this again recently after thinking about it for a bit.
This is the first half of the routine. Each picture was taken before i went to bed for the night. I weighed myself also right before bed, usually around 11pm or midnight.

Oh yea, and I have funny underwear.


DAY ONE Nov 4th 11:30pm
Starting Weight 220 pounds
always the easiest day. Body didnt realize what was going on until the next day.






DAY TWO November 5th 8:30 pm
weight 215 lbs
Feeling a little sluggish, but was able to keep busy and not worry about it.




DAY THREE November 6th midnight
213 lbs
worst day. So moody and tired.





DAY FOUR November 7th midnight.
Weight 210 Lbs




So a ten pound weight loss in 4 days total. Gnarly. (currently im at 208)

this is all for now. Ill Do a final update this weekend when im all through.

May 2nd and 3rd 2009...

I will be in chicago.

I will finally get to see Unbroken.

I will finally be able to see Disembodied again.

Tickets have been purchased. See you there.

--
Rich Gaccione.

http://richgaccione.com

Master cleanse, official starting stats.

So, the 3rd master cleanse of my life begins now.
I will provide photos when I have real internet available. Here is the
starting stats:

Wed. Nov 5th 12:20am eastern time.
Weight 220lbs
Mood: tired and anxious. Woke at 7:50am, worked 10:30-4 and then
5-1045. Long day.
Food before official start of cleanse today: odwalla berry smoothie,
odwalla choco chip bar and an all lettuce salad with rice vinegar.
Settling into bed now, going to drink my tea and begin the daily cycle
when I get up at 8 am.
Prepared a day and a halfs worth of juice also to have it ready to go.

Here goes.

--
Rich Gaccione.

http://richgaccione.com

Couple quick things.

I still don't have the internet at my home. So I'm via blackberry 5
days a week. Mondays and tuesdays I use the work computer. And if I
feel like taking my laptop to starbucks, I can use their internet, but
I usually just talk myself out of it. I'm holding out for verizon fios
to be available on my street. I'm told any day now. Sure.

Master cleanse version 3.0 starts in t-minus 22 hours. With our new
president will come the cleansing of my colon. How fitting.

Working a lot but feeling mindless. I can't really hang with jobs that
you just...stand there. I need stimulation and action and things to
do. I feel like the pimply faced kid who works at krustyburger who has
the crackly voice and is always asking " you want fries with that?"

Round one of prints is going well.
Round 2 will come in a week or two. Trash Talk is the subject. Set of
4 8x10's will be the layout. Should be fresh. Still got a few of the
have heart print from below so hit me up!!

Wings is the only tv show I can watch every single night and day and
still be entertained. I've watched season 8 every day since I've moved
into my new apartment. Can't wait for zak and jims netflix to queue up
the earlier seasons.

I bought a tv from my friend lee for 30 bucks tonight. I was tv-less
since june. I bet I won't get cable for another month.

I may drive to south carolina if I get 2 days off in a row.

A year has gone by so fast and the emotions I've went through are
unbelieveable. My brain is a confusing thing. Emotions are even more
confusing. Someday ill figure out how to handle how my brain and
emotions interact with one another. Hopefully.

All in all. I can't wait to cleanse. I will be doing a picture update
daily with notes and weight info.
Stay tuned.

--
Rich Gaccione.

http://richgaccione.com