Menifee Plugged In: There's a Sports Game for Everyone

By Neil Kristjansson

So, Super Bowl XLVIII was a bust, am I right? I love Seattle, but I love Peyton Manning. Good for the Seahawks, but you can’t help but feel bad for the Broncos. Oh well, maybe next year will be a good game. Anyway, this is my way of segueing into a discussion about sports games.

I’ve never really been much of a sports kind of guy. I mean, I like watching football, hockey and basketball, but I don’t invest enough time to draw any conclusions from it. No real favorite teams, no favorite players. None of that. But one thing that’s always kept me somewhat in touch are sports games. The only downside is my football roster hasn’t been updated since 2004.

See, sports games tend to get a bad rap from people who don’t play them because they see it as this sort of excuse for not going out and actually playing the game. It's similar to Rock Band or Guitar Hero – the lame accusations that people were sad and sorry for not playing real instruments. But who cares? They’re fun.

I’ve seen sports games used as simulations for how games might turn out, I’ve seen them played as people’s dream Super Bowls. Heck, I’ve even heard of people using them to live out their fantasy sports fantasies.

When people look at me, or people like me, they don’t really imagine a sports fan. But I can say that I do have some favorite sports games. Here’s a quick list of them:

5. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Whether you think racing games are sports games or not, you have to admit that the Gran Turismo series is really fun. I don’t like NASCAR. Cars driving in circles isn’t my thing. What I do like is watching fast cars driving around a semi-complicated track. And Gran Turismo 3 introduced me to that.

I remember being 7 years old, watching my dad and his friend construct one of those simulation controller gizmos. You know, the ones where people actually use a steering wheel and gas pedal to control the game. It blew me away. Even without one, I loved driving around and so much as losing was still satisfying to me. This being my introduction to sports games, I was finally able to think something I’d never thought before. But I’ll get to that in a bit.

4. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
I know this sounds even further away from your typical idea of what sports are, but the THPS series is embedded in just about everybody my age’s memory. I could go on for a long time about the impact these games had on my tiny mind, but I won’t. Just know: A lot of the 20-something skateboarders you see might not have cared about skating if it weren’t for this game. Great series.

3. Madden NFL 2004
I love this game so much. I still play it on occasion. Actually, last night I wanted to try and recreate the big game, hoping that maybe the Broncos would have a chance. But, considering I played the Broncos … well, that didn’t go well either. See, this game is hard. To me, anyway.

I’ve never been great at playing these kinds of games, let alone sports themselves. In the decade that I’ve had this game, I’ve probably played over 100 full games and only won one. This definitely gave me a closer-to-reality idea of how difficult playing professional football could be. Gotta give it to NFL players.

2. NHL Faceoff 2001
Oh man, this game is fun. Being from Canada, I have a natural affinity for hockey. Jokes aside, this one really got me into the NHL. Hip checks, fights, all that violent stuff that makes for a good game. Actually, now that I think about it, this is the only sport where I do have a favorite team. Go Jets! Or Senators, if you’re a younger me.

Just writing about this game is making me want to play it. Even though I’ve never played an actual game of hockey ever in my life, there’s something so great about playing this game on a nice cold day like today. The sound of the ice, the look of it, the sound of the skates scraping against it as they’re chasing the puck. Hockey. The great sport of the north. Love it.

1. NFL 2K2
My absolute favorite sports game of all time. I’m pretty sure I bought this close to when it came out because of my father. He was always a big football guy – even almost ending up in the CFL. This game is the only reason I ever played sports as a kid. Although baseball is considered the great American pastime, I believe football is far better.

The first time I popped this game in, I was so blown away by the look and feel of everything. Football was so intense, so fun. I had to have invested over 200 hours just into this game alone. Everything from creating my own football player to pitting my favorites against my rivals. Good times. Good times.

What these games gave me was something so simple, but so great. The idea that I, or anybody else, could participate in sports without being able to actually play was really something great. I mean, there are people who practice to get better, and there are people who couldn’t catch a ball to save their life. I’m the latter. But these games gave me the opportunity to catch a glimpse of how it felt to make a 20-yard pass, or drive 90 MPH left and right through a race track.

Some people love sports, and some people don’t. But I honestly think that everybody should buy and enjoy at least one sports game in their lifetime. Whether it’s football, basketball, or even billiards. To anybody who says they don’t like sports: You haven’t found the right one yet. There’s enough out there for anybody to connect with at least one. So get out there and give them a test run. Play Madden, play catch with some friends and have some fun.

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears here every other Monday. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Grammy Awards Ends on a Low Note

By Neil Kristjansson

So the Grammys were on TV last night. I usually don’t watch these sorts of things. Knowing most of my personal favorites won’t ever make an appearance there, let alone get nominated for anything, is kind of a turn-off.

Fortunately, I found out that quite a few of my interests were going to show up. Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl (from Foo Fighters), and Lindsey Buckingham (from Fleetwood Mac) were going to close the show. How cool is that? Yeah, I mean, sure my favorite band is playing. But with Lindsey Buckingham? Live? That’s even better. But there’s a terrible twist to this that I’ll get to later.

For the most part, the Grammys were actually pretty enjoyable this year. Of course, most awards fell into their expected place, but a few stand-outs made their way onto the list of winners. Lorde, although a pretty big sensation now from her popular song “Royals”, actually surprised me when she won Song of the Year. Something about a 17-year-old New Zealander showing up all over U.S. radio and taking home an award like that is odd to me. But good for her, you know? That takes some effort.

Winning both Record of the Year for their track “Get Lucky” and Album of the Year for their album “Random Access Memories”, Daft Punk definitely came out on top. If you haven’t heard it, go check it out. I’d easily put it in my top 5 albums of 2013. But that victory is even more surprising to me than Lorde’s.

For the most part, the Grammys have been nothing more than a popularity contest without any judgment of the quality of the music. And now, for once, they did it right. Although it wasn’t my favorite, I definitely think Daft Punk deserved the win. Good for you, DP.

Oh yeah, how could I forget? Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed their song “Same Love” with Mary Lambert and Madonna joining them as Queen Latifah wed 33 couples – some gay, some not. I’ll be honest, I actually got chills at that. Tears welled up in much of the crowd’s eyes as 66 people walked away from the show in one of the happiest moments of their lives. Pretty beautiful stuff, really.

Lastly, after a pretty stellar Grammys (what I’d have called them up until this point), it was time to close. Between Yoko Ono fumbling around her words to announce nominees and LL Cool J’s too-long-to-be-funny jokes, the show ended up running about 15 minutes late. Pushing the time slot of any show is going to be bad for viewers, regardless of what they’re watching. In this case, I (and several other people) waited three and a half hours through the pop culture sensations to get to the ‘supergroup’ performance at the end.

Boom, introduction and it’s on. Nine Inch Nails starts with their single “Copy of A”, with Lindsey Buckingham playing guitar instead of a synthesizer. The song builds up, explosion, bam, boom, screens part and Dave Grohl is on drums, Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age) plays a mini-solo and soon Nine Inch Nails finishes their song.

It’s shortened for the Grammys' sake, but it was still intense. The show quickly segues into Queens of the Stone Age’s single “My God is the Sun”. Everybody’s going crazy. The band is spectacular, the visuals are spectacular – everything is going great. Until, out of nowhere: A sponsorship ad for Delta Airlines right in the middle of the song. It just showed up.

The sound was louder than the band, the logo completely took over the screen for a good five to 10 seconds and it cut back to a long shot of the band playing. Then? Credits. The credits start rolling, and as the song is nearing its last note, the Grammys are over. They pull the plug and it goes straight to commercial.

“The biggest night for music”, and this is what happens? I get that a thousand cool things happened before hand, but on a night specified for showing respect to the music industry, they don’t even allow the band their full attention, let alone the last note of their song.

I was happy enough to catch the moment where two of my favorite bands joined the stage together, but it fell apart with that absolute disregard for them as both artists and people. That’s completely disrespectful, and shame on the Grammys. That’s disgusting.

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each week. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: One Man's Favorite Songs

By Neil Kristjansson

So lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my phone. The screen’s cracked, it’s slower than molasses and I use it all the time. Not really for browsing the web or chatting on Facebook, though. That’s about 25 percent of what its purpose is in my life. For the most part, it’s all about the several gigabytes of music I have stored on it.

Most of the time, as I’m driving to wherever I’m going, I’ll have it blasting into my ears so loud the car vibrates. I never realize it’s that loud, but it gets there. I get so lost in the music that I forget there’s a world around me.

Typically, I’ll play one band when I drive. I’ll just throw it on shuffle and let that one band do its thing. But lately, I’ve noticed that I’ve been less focused on that and more so on the other stuff that’s mostly been storage for me. All of it is music I like, so why would I just leave it unplayed? Badda-bing, badda-boom. It’s been playing into my ears nonstop now for days.

I wanted to share with all of you my favorite songs. Not my favorite bands, but my top five favorite songs of all time. The songs I absolutely hope to hear now that I let my phone shuffle through the entirety of its music library. The songs that are so close to me, I know them front and back like I know my own friends. Here we go:

5. Henry Purcell – Dido’s Lament (When I am laid in earth)

For me, this is almost an odd pick. I enjoy the sounds of opera, but a lot of it I don’t. When I discovered this song, something about it just clicked. I connected to it immediately. Something about the emotion behind the singer, regardless of who's playing Dido. It’s just one of those songs that strikes a chord in whoever is the voice. And it’s absolutely beautiful.

4. System of a Down – Radio/Video (2005)

System of a Down has always been one of my favorite bands. In fact, if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be who I am today. But this song is my absolute favorite from them. If I’m ever feeling blue, I throw this song on and I find myself smiling for four minutes straight. The vocal harmonies, the joyful and thankful lyrics, the middle-eastern inspired scales. I don’t know. It’s definitely not something everybody would be into, but I know that if I’m ever introducing System of a Down to any of my friends, I would show them this song. It epitomizes the band’s sound, it shows their talent, and it’s just a really, really good song.

3. Nick Drake – Pink Moon (1972)

A couple years ago, I heard about Nick Drake from some comment online. I tend to stay away from the '60s/early '70s era because it’s never really done anything for me. I respect it, I enjoy it, but it’s just not my thing. Maybe it was just the timing, but Nick Drake and his last album Pink Moon really, really meant something to me. It was so mournful, but also so reassuring in its own way. The whole album is beautiful, really. But this, the opening track, is what sets the tone and man, is it probably his best song.

2. Aphex Twin – Avril 14th (2001)

Aphex Twin. What an odd guy. His music is generalized by its fast, electronic beats. He’s known for being almost disturbing in both his image and his art. Way ahead of his time, and even considered a favorite by the likes of Skrillex, Aphex Twin is actually a really great musician. This track, Avril 14th, is something incredibly unique from him. It’s not just a solo piano piece. In fact, he’s not even playing it. In terms of behind the scenes, it’s special because of the work put into programming it all. At the time, that was a difficult thing to accomplish and Aphex Twin did it. But on a more personal level, this song resonates a lot. This is the song I imagine when I see myself at my future wedding. This song, to me, sounds like love in every sense of the word. Absolutely amazing and beautiful.

1. Nine Inch Nails – A Warm Place (1994)

A Warm Place. It’s my absolute favorite song of all time. This song has done so many things for me, as a person, a friend, a son, and a human being. I can’t even begin to describe the depth of this song. The context of its placement on The Downward Spiral (the album it’s from) is absolutely perfect. In the middle of chaos and dissonance is this break. A Warm Place – it’s titled so perfectly. This song, to me, is the moment of peace and solidarity when everything around you has gone to hell. But, it’s so much more than that.

It transcends just emotionality, sadness or happiness. Close your eyes, think of the world, think of the past, present and future, think of everything and everyone around you. This song is peace of mind. In sadness, it makes you sadder. In happiness, it makes you happier. I can’t find anything wrong with it. A Warm Place was there for me when I had nobody. Fittingly, it’s my warm place.

Underneath the opening sounds is a quiet message. One that’s resonated inside of me for years. I’ve constructed my morality, my mentality and my life in general around the simple message in this song. “The best thing about life is knowing you put it together.”

Just typing about these has put me on a roller coaster. Wow. I’m going to go sit back, relax, and listen to some more music. Music, man. Isn’t it great?

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each week. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Guns of Icarus Online is Worth a Try

By Neil Kristjansson

About a month ago, a friend of mine introduced me to this game called Guns of Icarus Online. I had no prior knowledge of the title. I was unaware of the genre, never saw any gameplay footage – nothing.

This was something completely new to me, and I had low hopes at first. Usually, when I’m introduced to an indie game, the process of me playing it goes as such: Buy, download, install, play for an hour, put it away, and forget I even own it.

Indie games are really a huge hit and miss for me, because most are incredibly cheap and hold little content. But Guns of Icarus Online was something pleasantly surprising -- like trying a new food that I would find I loved.

Guns of Icarus Online is essentially a game based around airship combat. But here’s the kicker. It isn’t a strategy game, it isn’t a side-scroller. It’s in first person, and an airship takes four people to maintain and run. It’s a multiplayer game that really, really emphasizes the aspect of teamwork to succeed. And the best part is, it’s good at it.

In my experience, my friends and I always play multiplayer games while communicating via Skype so that we can work better and complete goals quicker. Guns of Icarus had us literally yelling at each other as if we were actually on the ship together. I’d pilot The Fairy Foot (our ship’s name) through clouds, over mountains, and under bridges, telling my friends to shoot which cannons where or which parts to fix. It was so… intense.

In a really slow paced way, it felt like legitimate airship combat – if there’s even a real thing. As if I know what it’s like, but it’s fun and scary and a great way to work at communication and teamwork. I actually have nothing bad to say about the gameplay.

On the other hand, I do have some major gripes about the customization aspect of Guns of Icarus Online. See, I never have a problem with customization if there is none to begin with. And see, there’s a bit of customization to be done in this game, but it’s all either locked or obtained through microtransactions.

The former is understandable, except for the time it takes to actually unlock them. The latter? Those are horrible. This is a personal preference, and hopefully I speak for many people when I say this: Microtransactions are awful. Companies should never, ever do them. In terms of cosmetics, they should be included in the game to be unlocked. In terms of gameplay, only for expansions and add-ons. In terms of mechanics? Pay to win is just as awful as microtransactions.

The aesthetics of Guns of Icarus Online are actually quite pretty. It has an awesome art style and a lot of what’s unlockable, that doesn’t require you to pay real money, isn’t half-bad looking itself. In terms of ship customization, well, that’s a different thing. I’m not sure if you can purchase add-ons for it, but you can certainly choose from a variance of turrets, cannons and other weapons to bulk up the offensive aspect of your ship. Oh, and you can also rename it from the presets.

My ship went from being the Goldfish to the Fairy Foot. Why? I dunno. But there’s something so funny and ridiculous knowing that I’m dominating the enemy in a ship called “the Fairy Foot”.

All-in-all, I’d honestly say Guns of Icarus was a near-perfect example of what an indie game is capable of being if it weren’t for the customization problems. The gameplay is phenomenal and original, the music is great, the art-style is pretty – it’s a really great game. If anybody is interested, you can purchase it via Steam for $15. And if I were you, I’d get your friends in on it, too. This is definitely a game to enjoy with your buddies.

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each week. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Time for Some Christmas Cheer

By Neil Kristjansson

Christmas is coming fast. What’s so great about that? Lots of things. Especially the cheesy jingles on the radio.

So I figured: What’s the best thing to write about right now? Christmas songs.

I took a small poll to find out what some folks’ favorite Christmas songs were. They could nominate one song but not vote for their own. Then, the final four would make the list. So here they are:

4. Burl Ives – Silver & Gold

3. Libera – Carol of the Bells

2. DMX – Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer

1. Frank Sinatra – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Personally, I absolutely love "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Never before have I heard such a classy way of portraying the Christmas spirit. It’s great. This is the list from the folks I asked, but I’d like to give a couple of honorable mentions.

These are songs that I like to hear every year around this time. Unfortunately, they aren’t all quite up to snuff with what qualifies as the holly jolly Christmas tunes, but they are based around the holiday itself. So, here they are:

Low – Just like Christmas

Sufjan Stevens – Sister Winter

I think the beauty of Christmas music is that it seems to maintain a sense of joy in it regardless. That track from Low, while being a rather melancholy song in lyrics, sounds upbeat. It sounds holly and jolly. That’s the thing about this time of year. No matter how bad the year was, there’s something uplifting in the lights, the cold air, the piano and tambourine of the jingles we always hear. This is the best time of year.

Happy Holidays, everybody! And have a safe, happy New Year.

Menifee Plugged In: Just a Few of Music's Turn-Offs

By Neil Kristjansson

This week, I have found myself listening to more music than I typically do. And by more, I mean more variety -- things I normally wouldn’t figure I’d catch myself listening to. It could be something poppy, mellow, or an old tune I listened to when I was a little kid. It’s weird.

It’s all got me thinking about music in general again. Now, I don’t like to go on rants about these sorts of things. When it comes to something subjective, I don’t want to be the guy to try and force my opinions onto you or be the self-righteous critic. But with everything that’s been going into my ears the past couple weeks, I’ve caught myself making a mental list of things that sort of ... irk me. My musical turn-ons and turn-offs, so to speak. It doesn’t necessarily annoy me, it just doesn’t create a spark in me. The things I think are boring in music.

Here’s a list:

1. The “Whoa-Oh-Ohs”
You know what I’m talking about here. Typically, they’re at their most popular in catchy mainstream pop songs. The stuff you hear on the radio that everybody complains about. When the beat gets going, the song builds up, and the chorus kicks in, then bam: There it is. The “whoa-oh-oh” that everybody listening can sing along to.

For what it’s worth, the hook is what keeps people listening. It’s the moment of the song that the mumblers can sing and the singers can mumble. Because, well, it’s not hard to remember melodies. Roar? Bad Romance? Tik Tok? Even as far back as "Hey Jude." They’re not bad, they’re catchy, but they’re getting old.

2. The Insincerity
This isn’t a new thing either. And in all honesty, I don’t have anything positive to say about this one. See, the thing is, sincerity doesn’t mean it has to be some deep, sad song that makes you think. Even a party song can be sincere. People give Miley Cyrus a lot of flak for acting the way she does now, but I appreciate the effort she’s putting in.

I’m talking about the people who stand on stage, singing fantasized sorrows of something that never happened to them. Or, the people who half-sing a song about some intense party every time they throw something out there without any kind of variation in their creativity. Just off the top of my head? Pitbull. I don’t like Pitbull. Why is he famous? I don’t get it. Brokencyde is another. Man, I hate Brokencyde.

3. The Forced Angst

When I hear a song that starts out sounding really awesome, I enjoy it. But that enjoyment becomes embarrassment if the first line happens to be something about darkness and broken hearts. Or vampires. HIM is a guilty pleasure of mine when it comes to this, but for the most part, I can’t stand to hear it. It becomes especially embarrassing when you do some further research and find out that a 37-year-old man is writing about being the “Leader of the Broken Hearts” (looking at you, Papa Roach).

There are instances this sort of thing works, reaching back to HIM, where everything ties in together. The vocals aren’t whiny, the music isn’t regurgitated from the last hit single, and the lyrics usually go beyond “she broke my heart, I’m filled with darkness, the world is black, I am so heartless.” It’s incredibly one-dimensional and juvenile to do it. If you’re angsty, be open and honest. Don’t write it like something you’d find on a wristband at Hot Topic.

4. The Same Thing
Whether it’s the barefoot acoustic, catchy drumming of an indie band or the synthesized claps of radio pop, it’s all the same. One tune after the other, whether it’s popular or not, sounds like one long drone of catchy music over and over. I know I sound like I’m being overly cynical. It’s really just feel-good music. Not something you sit down to find some deeper meaning. That’s not always great.

It’s not just the big bands that do that sort of thing. Metal bands are especially notorious of this. It’s great if you’re into a certain genre, but I don’t like hearing about a band playing the same exact style of music after 20 years. If that’s the case, at least try to keep it interesting. Not the same thing over and over and over again.

5. The Autotuned

This is not as irritating as the others. Autotuning is actually pretty widely used in production. It really depends entirely on the subtlety of it. Not everybody can be an Alicia Keys or a Meatloaf. But? When it comes to some talentless businessman like will.i.am? That stinks. Daft Punk’s alright, though.

6. The Bad Fans
This is all about the fans. The fans that like to rub in how long they’ve listened. The fans that like to point out their age. The fans that caricturize the band’s image. The fans that force it into you.

“Oh, well I’ve known about them since before they performed.”

There’s nothing more of a put-off than being called a poser by somebody trying their absolute hardest to outdo their favorite band in the world. I can’t stand the rabid fans that attack and ridicule somebody for not understanding or knowing the same things as themselves. If you find yourself in a position to help somebody into a new style of music – unfamiliar territory – show them around. Don’t belittle them because your musical empire is so much more vast and important than somebody else’s.

Music is entirely subjective. It’s all opinions. That’s what’s great about it. But a smudge on the scenery can ruin an entire painting. And that’s what these feel like to me. Smudges, smears, scratches. Things that can so easily taint something so beautiful.

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each week. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Elder Scrolls Online, Hearthstone a Hit

By Neil Kristjansson

This week’s been all over the place. Between Thanksgiving and sickness, I didn’t have the chance to do everything I’d wanted to, but thankfully I had the liberty of trying out Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls Online and Blizzard’s Hearthstone games last weekend.

So, in my post-Thanksgiving nausea, I got the chance to think over what I’d played and whether I really liked it or not. To start, I’ll discuss Hearthstone.

Hearthstone is essentially the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game for the computer. It's similar to Magic: The Gathering, in the sense that you play a card and attack your opponent. It’s super simple, but man is it fun.

Decks are composed of cards that fit into a certain category (I.E. hunter, warrior, mage, warlock, etc.) and can be customized in and out of each other if not specific to a class. Well-known heroes of Warcraft make their return in this, too. Every deck needs a leader, and everybody from Rexxar to Anduin is there.

Other than being a simple card game, Hearthstone isn’t much else. But after it’s officially released to players as a full game, I’d definitely recommend giving it a shot. I’m not much into card games, but I’ve played this one for a long time already.

Now, about The Elder Scrolls Online…

This title’s been surrounded by quite a bit of controversy. Die-hard fans of the Elder Scrolls (TES) series might go as far as to call it a bastardization of its former glory, while others see it as just another MMO.

Honestly speaking, I was genuinely surprised by it. I woke up one morning to find out I was accepted into the beta. Half of me was thrilled, while the other half was kind of apathetic. MMOs have a tendency of being hyped to no end, only to come out on the other end as just another World of Warcraft clone set in a new world. It's something that doesn’t really hold up on its own and kind of falls apart.

So, time came for me to jump in and see what Bethesda had prepped for us beta testers. And, like I said, I was pleasantly surprised by it. Customization was great, game play was solid, graphics were beautiful...

Let me elaborate. We’re talking about an MMO about a game based around the universe of Skyrim. To give you some insight on why those surprise me, Skyrim was released two years ago and is known for being one of the more beautiful games of the previous generation.

Now, MMOs have a history of having pretty poor graphics. Usually it’s out of bad optimization or trying to appeal to a wider audience. The Elder Scrolls Online managed to bypass those MMO tropes and still actually feel like your standard TES title. The only difference? I could actually play with other people.

Experience this vast, open world with other people. Go into huge dungeons and fight who-knows-what kind of enemies with other people. What used to be 50 percent reluctance had become 100 percent optimism.

The 12-year-old-me’s dreams had actually come true, and now it’s set to be a full game. I don’t want to say it will be a World of Warcraft-killer, not by any means. But I certainly hope that The Elder Scrolls Online broadens the MMO market. It’s new, and it’s awesome.

Keep in mind, both of these games are still in the beta stage. Things are prone to change and may be incomplete. While that may be the case, if what’s been showcased already is any indication of how the final product might turn out, then sign me up.

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each Monday. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Closing of The Vault Signals End of an Era

By Neil Kristjansson

Last week, news came out that The Vault, a music venue in Temecula, is set to close by December. Serving no alcoholic beverages but catering to audiences of all ages, it struggled to keep up a high amount of traffic to fund itself.

I’ve been there a few times, and I can honestly say that it was a great venue.

Not every band I’d seen was my type, or fit into my taste, but the venue itself made a huge difference here in our little area of Southwestern Riverside County. Local talent could come out of their bedrooms and their garages and pursue the dream they’d always wanted. Even just a group of people who want to have some fun. Either way, people could play there; that’s all that really mattered.

From local talent to big names, plenty of different groups came through. From punk to party, it was always fun.

I remember my first time being there. A friend of mine had approached me, asking if I wanted to go and see his band play at The Vault. I bought a ticket and showed up. Up until that point, the only concerts I’d ever been to had been in arenas or amphitheaters, so I had no idea what a smaller place like this would be like. But I wasn’t disappointed.

In a room that size, there’s something more intense, more personal, than what you would normally experience at a bigger venue. Whether it’s a band you like, don’t like, or don’t really care for, the motion and vibration of that moment is enough to make you say "screw it" and have a good time.

Nobody cares if you’re throwing yourself around or just standing in the back. That’s the beauty of what The Vault gave to our little spot of California.

Thankfully, as we wave goodbye to this chapter of the local music scene, another is already planned. The Vault’s promoter, Ivan McClain, is currently looking for investors to open up an even larger venue early next year. Whatever happens, I support the venture.

So what’s going to happen with The Vault in its last week? Zebrahead performed on Nov. 22, a free-to-attend show titled "The Death of the Vault" is scheduled this Friday, Nov. 29, and lastly the latest installment of Band Wars will take place this Saturday, Nov. 30.

"The Death of the Vault" will feature several different artists who supported and attended the venue over the years. This includes The Maxies, Defunked, The Infamous They, Illnoise, Indica Roots, and Expulsion. It’s the last chance any of us will have to be there, and I’m not passing it up.

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each Monday. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Playstation 4 Hits the Mark

By Neil Kristjansson

Last Friday, Nov. 15 marked the release of Playstation 4. The next generation of gaming has arrived, and boy is it pretty.

For eight years, the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 have controlled the market. While Nintendo’s Wii sat on the sidelines, appealing to a more general crowd, Sony and Microsoft pushed towards a more “dedicated” approach to gaming. And so, after so long, it’s time for the new.

With a different design and different technological specs, it’s better than ever. Graphically speaking, it’s nothing but pure eye candy. Oh man, oh man, I cannot emphasize that enough. People have a tendency to say that graphics aren’t a big deal when it comes to games. That gameplay is all that matters. Which, to some extent, is true. Gameplay is what makes a game a game. But gameplay can only change so much over time. It is composed of ideas and algorithms that mostly stay the same.

Graphics, on the other hand, have changed so much in just the past 10 years. We used to see heads in the shape of flat diamonds, textures that looked like colorized white noise. Now? It’s borderline real. For example, seeing images from Metal Gear Solid V makes me think, how much further can we go? I grew up with the progression of visual technology and even I’m astounded at how far it’s come.

Going back to speaking of gameplay, the Playstation 4 has a new line of titles that don’t quite blow my mind. Typically, games that come with the release of a new console – the first lineup – are never the best. However, that’s probably due to the fact that most of them happen to be sequels of the previous generation. Oh well. In time, they’ll come to prove themselves.

In time, everything will be absolutely amazing. As for now? One of the launch titles is this cute adventure called “Knack”. It’s essentially trying to emulate the Pixar quality of being cute and cartoony. But it doesn’t quite add up to being an astonishingly great title, as it’s short and typical. At least it’s cute and pretty.

As for my major, major, MAJOR gripe: The Playstation 4 is NOT backwards compatible. I HATE THAT. It’s a marketing scheme by game companies to make more money. It’s absolute crap. What backwards compatibility is, is the ability to play (for instance) a Playstation 2 game on a Playstation 4. In order for that to work, you’d have to repurchase the title on the Playstation Store and download/install it to the system.

It’s an absolute waste of money if you actually have the game already. In a perfect world, all consoles would be backwards compatible. But, in my opinion, the best approach to this would be the ability to at least read the disc and provide a free download to the system. Or a discount at least. It’s so stupid.

As for everything else? It’s great. Fantastic. Sony did a great job with the Playstation 4. It’s improved its social features tremendously. You can stream your gameplay from your console. You can use Facebook from your console. And with the new Share button right in the middle of the controller, it’s literally as easy with the click of a button.

The next generation has arrived. And it’s only going to get better from here. I can only hope you’re as excited as I am.

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each Monday. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Nine Inch Nails Rocks Staples Center

By Neil Kristjansson

Nine Inch Nails made their way to southern California Friday night, headlining a show at the Staples Center for their tour, Tension 2013.

The night started with post-rock band Explosions in the Sky (most famously known for their song "Your Hand In Mine", which they happened to play, and it was great). It blew me away; I’d never seen an opening act that put that much passion into, well, opening for another band.

Unfortunately, because of their role in the show, people felt it was OK to sit around, eating their food and drinking their beers, discussing the most trivial nonsense anybody could have heard. I mean, this guy behind me was yelling, over the music, to his friend about the long line at Hooters and how he didn’t want to wait around to get in.

Oh, it drove me nuts. Luckily, they quieted down toward the end of Explosions in the Sky’s set and I could finally enjoy the ambient sounds.

Afterwards, the lights re-dimmed and the faint bubbling of a poppy-sounding synthesizer stirred the crowd. Everyone was going wild. No more than 10 seconds later, the show had begun.

Nine Inch Nails began with the second single off their new record Hesitation Marks, “Copy of A”. The whole room was dancing, the lights were flashing, and the quality of everything was amazing. Besides being just a tour of concert after concert, Nine Inch Nails has decided to create quite the spectacle by turning the typical show into an absolutely stunning light display uniquely from song to song.

I’ve been to quite a few concerts and I can honestly say this was the best one I’d been to yet.
I’d gone in without much anticipation for hearing the songs I was hoping for. I understood that the Tension 2013 tour was more about promoting the new album with a dash of older hits. From my research, my favorite tracks off the new record had made themselves scarce, only appearing from time to time on separate occasions. But I was in for quite a treat.

Halfway into the set, I heard a familiar bass and chiming noise, indicating the intro to the track “Various Methods of Escape”. I lost it. I couldn’t believe my ears, but I had to. It was really happening. Just a few tracks down the list, I caught a drone I’d heard a million times before. “In Two” was about to begin, and by now I was about as excited as a kid in a candy store.

And even then, just in between those two songs were at least three more that I wasn’t expecting to catch. But I did. Up until this point, everything was absolutely perfect. Nothing was wrong, and nothing could get better than it already as. But I was wrong. So, so, so wrong.

It wasn’t until I heard my favorite song of all time that I knew this was a special night. You know, one of those nights where the right song comes on at the right time. When something’s going on and there’s just that one track that tugs at your heart string and lets you come back to feeling OK. Yeah, it was that kind of moment.

My favorite song, “A Warm Place”, came seemingly out of nowhere, like the calm of a storm. So peaceful, so serene, so happy, yet so melancholy. The moment had transcended beyond just the band I was listening to performing a song I liked. It was a break. A break from the intensity of the lights before it, the sounds before it, and even as much as the events of my week before it.

The importance of the song had gone beyond the usual listen, seeing as I was standing before the man who’d created it, hearing it being performed right in front of me. It was special.

Following my three-minute, teary-eyed “moment”, the band continued with the hits. The big names, you know, “Wish”, “The Hand That Feeds”, “Head Like a Hole”. The songs that would get the lazy, not-so-big fans back up and dancing. The only way to describe the room was just a giant, collective smile that wanted to scream along to the words that it knew. For songs that are so aligned with angst and anger, everybody was really happy to hear it.

And suddenly, a screen appeared with the band’s logo “NIN”. It appeared as if they’d walked off stage, but we all knew it wasn’t true. The encore was yet to come.

They returned to play a final six songs. Everybody was really surprised to hear the return of two lesser-known songs: "Even Deeper" off The Fragile and “In This Twilight” off Year Zero. The very last song, the traditional song for all Nine Inch Nails shows, the one song that a room full of heavy to casual fans would know, and would sing, began. The haunting sound of an acoustic guitar, and the even more-so haunting lines “I hurt myself today”, resonated through the room as the crowd chanted alongside Trent Reznor to his, arguably, most famous song, “Hurt”.

I can’t describe the emotions going through the room. The show was nearly two hours long, and it had come down to this moment. It was like catching the final episode to a television show you’d been following for a long time. You didn’t want it to end, but there was this level of acceptance that told you it had to.

The room was filled with this sense of sadness emanating from thousands of fans all singing the same words that seemed to bounce back and forth from person to person. You look to your left, somebody’s on the verge of tears; to your right, the same thing. It only intensified the emotions I’d felt, and everybody else around me.

“If I could start again, a million miles away, I would keep myself, I would find a way”. And boom. Dissonance, noise, a fading wail of a guitar, and a wave goodbye from the band. The show was over.

Frisson. A word used to describe that chill of excitement that runs down your spine when you listen to music. That’s all I can really say to describe it. All of it. I laughed, I cried, I danced – I did it all here. Hopefully, somewhere down the line, they will tour again. Or maybe another band will come along and surpass it. Who knows?

I can only say that I have never been so blown away by a group of musicians than I was Friday night.

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each Monday. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Blockland, 'Game Where You Build Stuff'

By Neil Kristjansson

As a kid, LEGOs were the closest thing one could use to build cities, landscapes, or tiny spaceships. They were the sort of thing to find on the bookshelf of a childhood memory. Albeit, they were more than likely varying in color, never being able to make the whole ship green or the whole house blue. Pieces were hard to get and it was left to the imagination, really.

Fast forward about a decade and the Internet is the biggest thing in the world. From physical to digital, your memories always find a way of manifesting themselves through some sort of image or video. Some kind of spark to trigger a train of reminiscing.

Back in 2005, I had a much similar experience. One night, my friend had mentioned to me that he’d heard of a LEGO-like game from a television show and that I should check it out. So, with the Internet being the Internet, I went on to discover a game that would ultimately change my life.

It turns out this game was called Blockland. Blockland: That game where you build stuff. Simple, right? The concept is simple. Place a brick, and expand. It was just like my early childhood all over again, but now I had the creativity of a few years past and the freedom of a digital recreation of LEGOs. It was great. My houses were the right colors, I could paint the roof a separate color than the walls below it. Anything I wanted to build, I could.

Eventually I discovered a modification (mod) for it. One of the major components of Blockland (early and present) is online play. It’s entirely multiplayer, unless you want to play single player. Anyway, so I find out this mod is filled with so many more players than the version I was on. Return To Blockland, they called it; RTB.

RTB was far more expansive than what I’d been used to. New additions I’d never seen, new blocks I’d never used before even in real life. Building was more complex, but also easier in a way. From stacking bricks to being able to morph and bend them to what I wanted, my previous freedoms had become limitations I wasn’t able to see.

Things were great. It was even better than before. And on top of all that, the community was bustling. Players were on at all hours of the day, all over the world. It was an online forum dedicated to everything I was interested in at the time. Essentially, Blockland/RTB had become the only game I would play.

Fast forward to 2007, and the news that Blockland was being developed into a retail game, available for $20, and it would be something completely new. A new design, new building, new everything. Reactions were mixed for a while, but ultimately this new incarnation of "that game where you build stuff" was a resounding success.

Blockland had gone from a simple copy of LEGO, in both concept and design, to something of its own. Of course, to keep the integrity of what it used to be, it kept the same basic structure and phrase. It was still like LEGO. The game’s idea was to build and build to your heart’s content. But it needed originality, so included were different game modes. Different items, weapons (for said game modes), and even vehicles.

Furthermore, the "wrench" tool had become the main source of altering bricks. Designing, say, a street lamp was easier than building the actual thing itself. With the wrench, for instance, you can whack a brick and set it to be a source light, emitting different colors, smoke trails, etc. Little details like that made buildings even more interesting. Effects really would make a difference.

The community would grow even more. Over 50,000 members, and it’s still growing. The forums that I used to know have grown even more and become mostly dedicated to creating mods, helping newer players, and showing off completed builds. And don’t even get me started on the modding community. Tons, and tons, and tons of add-ons are available for download through the re-imagined RTB mod. RTB is now the almost-necessary mod manager for Blockland, recommended by almost anybody playing. It’s handy and dandy and chock-full of everything from pointless soundbytes to game-changing bricks. Expansive is the best word to describe it.

So what this all boils down to is: If you like LEGOs, if you ever played with LEGOs, you’ll love Blockland. Take any other games you enjoy, from Call of Duty to Read Dead Redemption, Blockland has some way to emulate it. Blockland is one of the best games I’ve ever played and invested time into and anybody who’s interested should definitely check it out. A demo version is available on the website, and Blockland itself is only a cheap $20. If I rated on a scale, this one would be high. Go on and check it out.

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each Monday. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Reznor's New Release is Study in Contrasts

By Neil Kristjansson

In 1994, "The Downward Spiral" album was released. Noisy, raw and visceral.

At 28, this marked Trent Reznor’s most successful era, bringing his band Nine Inch Nails into mainstream light. Unfortunately, under overwhelming fame and success was festering frustration and a growing addiction. As the title suggests, this marked the period of his own personal downward spiral.

Deep in the throes of depression, his condition worsened. His work had begun to take shape and manifest as Reznor’s life. At the time, one of the most notable tracks from "The Downward Spiral" was the track "Hurt". It marked the sorrowful end to a sorrowful journey -- the might-have-been if he’d continued down that road.

Following a grueling two and a half year tour, Reznor just disappeared.

In 2009, he retired Nine Inch Nails. After seven albums, one lengthy EP, two award-winning film scores, and a side project, he was finally on the other side. Now 48, Reznor is married with two kids. A happy end to a sorrowful journey. But was the journey over?

In 2013, "Hesitation Marks" was released. It's minimal, masterful and clean. So what does a man who’s been through it all do after that? Announce a new tour and a new album, completely out of nowhere.

This announcement was met with mixed reactions. Although mostly excited, many people were confused as to how it would work. The man is happy, a contrast to the usual themes of Nine Inch Nails. But despite a happier life, he is not immune to the ghosts of his past. The first single from this record, "Came Back Haunted", deals with this issue. Filled with the musical tropes of Nine Inch Nails, it’s widely accepted as a "test track" for Reznor to get back in the game.

Many people were not entirely accepting of the song at first. It wasn’t until other songs had begun to creep from their hiding place that people latched onto the album.

Now objectives aside, in my opinion, this record is easily his second best. A borderline sequel to "The Downward Spiral", "Hesitation Marks" is essentially the other side of what was happening. It's a long conversation with his past self, trying to come to terms with the fact that he used to be the self-destructive man most people remember him as.

Nobody wants to face the skeletons in their closet. Void of frustration, fear, and addictions, Reznor is able to reflect on that side of him. With tracks like "All Time Low", a sort of on-top-of-the-world track exclaiming "We’re never gonna die", and "Various Methods of Escape", a song of remorse and trying to "let go [and]… get straight", we get to see the contrast between the past and present self of Trent Reznor.

As previously mentioned, this album is minimal and clean. It's not nearly as heavy or dark as his previous albums, but he still maintains a masterful, yet different approach to his usual mixture of electronics and rock. An artist known for his melodies, he definitely emphasized the use of beats and percussion this time around.

Not nearly as layered or scary as the past, this album is definitely easy to approach. It’s catchy if you want to hear, it’s deep if you want to listen. I mean, when Trent Reznor is featuring artists like Adrian Belew (of King Crimson and David Bowie) and Lindsey Buckingham (of Fleetwood Mac) in his work, you know that something great is about to unfold.

"Hesitation Marks" is an amazing collaborative work behind the mastermind himself, Trent Reznor, and is definitely worth a listen or two or 10. And, considering it’s now available, there’s no excuse. Go get it!

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each Monday. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Andrew W.K. Rocks the Vault in Temecula

By Neil Kristjansson

Party Messiah himself, Andrew W.K., came to The Vault in Temecula last Friday for what was quite easily one of the best parties I’ve ever been to. Well, it was actually a concert. But it was most definitely quite the party as well.

The party started off with Ascension, a post-grunge band similar to the styling of Foo Fighters, or the early incarnation of Three Days Grace: Groundswell. Young and talented, they kicked off the night with a set of fun, memorable songs.

The Infamous THEY came on next to party it up and play quite the fusion of genres. From metal to jazz and hip hop to classic rock, the energy of the room was steadily rising as their set went on and everything began to unfold.

The Coltranes, a hardcore punk band, followed, displaying an intensity to be reckoned with. Right off the bat, they had the whole room moving, moshing and jumping around. And it was loud. Good loud. A good, loud party.

Strike Twelve, a pop punk band reminiscent of early Green Day, entered the stage and played a seemingly short set. Between interaction with the crowd and one another, they sustained the energy into the following acts. They were definitely in their party suits.

Midnight Satellites, a rock group before the final act, came out to finish the line of openers and get the crowd ready for what was yet to come. Ranging from mellow rock grooves to faster beats, they took the stage as if it was just another part of the day and made it look so easy. That’s talent. That’s party.

And finally, the man of the hour himself emerged from the shadows and fog, with loops chanting "party, party," asking the crowd if we were ready to party. Right off the bat, there was an intensity in the room far beyond anything seen throughout the night. But it wasn’t from Andrew W.K. himself that it came. He only hosted the party. He only played the music. So what made everything so special? What made the party so ... party?

Andrew W.K. is on a solo tour right now. Instead of playing with his usual band, it’s just him, a piano, a microphone, and his buddy "Blakey Boy". So how exactly does that work? How does a man known for his unusually upbeat hard rock sound manage to move so many people with just a piano?

Well, backing tracks are involved. On top of those, Andrew stood firm beside his keyboard, wailing on it and creating melodies like he was cutting butter – so smooth. While Andrew screamed his party-friendly lyrics into his microphone, Blakey Boy was next to him, doing the same thing -- only without an instrument and partying it up with some fun little jigs. And so was the crowd.

I started at the front of the room, right against the railing in front of the stage. I had a great view, and through the distortion of being so close to the speakers, I could still make out the marvel of what was before me. It was an image so wondrous to behold.

Never had I been so close to an idol of mine before, but now I was there, finally seeing the show I’d been waiting for. I’d noticed the front row crowd was going nuts, and I had to wonder what was going on in the back. In the pit. It was crazy. Tons of people running around and into each other, just having fun. Just partying. Early on in his set, Andrew exclaimed that it was a night to have fun, party and be friends with one another. And that’s what his party was.

Ultimately, his show was incredible. Unbelievable. Superb. I got to meet him very briefly afterwards; we talked for a few minutes as he signed a couple of autographs (one which I was lucky to get). Besides being such a great musician, I can say from personal experience that Andrew W.K. is, in fact, one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. His only advice to me and my friends after the show? Don’t waste gas and stay away from green burritos. Party.

Andrew W.K. might play intense music. Andrew W.K. might be an intense man. But party is party. For anybody who doesn’t know Andrew W.K., check him out. He’s great, he’s awesome, he’s talented, he’s hilarious; he is party.


Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each Monday. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: Pokemon X/Y Carries on the Tradition

By Neil Kristjansson

It’s been such a long time since I picked up a Pokemon game. But with all of the hype surrounding the newly-released addition to the series, Pokemon X and Y, I had to see what was going on.

Now on the 3DS, developer Game Freak has given us a new world with new Pokemon to experience. So let’s see what's with all the hubbub.

Back in the late 90s, when I was probably 3, I remember getting a Gameboy Color and Pokemon Red. I swear, I had to have played it for hundreds and hundreds of hours on my front porch. At 3 years old, I was still able to finish the story, and I continued to play until I had several of my Pokemon at level 100. It was such a groundbreaking game for its time, and oddly enough, it hasn’t really changed much since.

I picked up Pokemon X/Y with the knowledge that it was quite a graphical update from my last experience. What was once a bird’s-eye view of a 2D, 16-bit world has become a beautifully rendered 3D world with varying camera angles. Right off the bat, that caught my eye. It’s nice to look at, most definitely.

And finally, being able to see almost every Pokemon that’s ever existed in 3D? Well howdy-doo, that’s exciting. And now I can customize my character? I get a name and a nickname? I can run without running shoes?! Well howdy-doody-doo, that’s even more exciting!

But, unfortunately, notice how I said almost every Pokemon? That’s right. This has been a gimmick of Pokemon for years now, but I will never enjoy the segregation of Pokemon from one game or the other. It’s, in my opinion, a really shallow marketing ploy to get you to buy both games. It shouldn’t be that way. But luckily, if you have friends who play as well, it isn’t really a problem.

It’s just silly to have one Pokemon available in one game, and have its (new) mega-evolution only available in the other. It’s hogwash, I tell you. Hogwash.

Speaking of which, the mega-evolutions are a really cool new feature. Essentially, evolution is a huge component of Pokemon. Level up, your Pokemon evolves into a new form – a new evolution. But these mega-evolutions take once previously maxed-out evolutions and evolve them even further. It’s a temporary change for, say, when you’re in the middle of a difficult battle.

There are quite a few mega-evolutions, and it’s up to you to go out and find out what’s it's capable of. Fortunately, these make up for the lack of new Pokemon added. At an underwhelming approximation of around 65, that’s a far lower count that previous titles. Oh well. I’d exchange an ice-cream looking Pokemon for a black Charizard any day.

My only major gripe with the path Pokemon has taken is this new, more obvious complexity behind Pokemon stats and types and gender. Way before when I used to play, it boiled down to which Pokemon looked the best. This could be a personal thing, but even as an adult, I cannot grasp this idea of how a Pokemon’s attitude plays in, or all of these (seemingly) secret abilities happen. I guess they’re for competitive players. You know, people who like to battle each other in tournaments – that kind of thing.

For a casual fellow like me, somebody who’s just jumped back in after a decade vacation, it doesn’t matter too much. I can wrap my head around the items necessary to evolve certain Pokemon, which Pokemon has the best stats, yadda-yadda. It’s not difficult, just complex -- to better players than I.

As for everything else, it plays exactly like I remember it. Pokemon has had a long habit of being incredibly formulaic, which is good. Well, sort of. It’s been a great game from the start. Changing it too extraordinarily could have been a huge mistake. In other ways, though, an almost 20-year run of the same game play can get boring. Good job, Gamefreak. You made a fun, lasting game. And for once, I can honestly say: I hope it doesn’t change.

Neil Kristijansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column appears each Monday. He writes about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.

Menifee Plugged In: No Matter What, It's All About the Music

Editor's note: Today we welcome Neil Kristjansson as a new columnist for Menifee 24/7. In his weekly "Menifee Plugged In" column, Neil will write about two things of interest to most of the younger generation -- music and electronic gaming. Neil has lived in Menifee most of his life. During that time, his taste in video games and music has grown and shaped his experiences in the community. He aspires to build a career in journalism around his interests.

By Neil Kristjansson

There’s something magical about the first album you get -- or the first song you learn all the words to. The ones that get stuck in your head and force you to listen to them on repeat until they’re out. It’s all music.

Music. The universal art. Well, it’s not the only one, but it’s definitely my favorite.

What defines it? In my opinion, it could be as simple as banging on pots and pans in a rhythm. As much as the metalheads hate rap or the rappers hate pop, it’s all music. That’s what’s so great about it. Genres and subgenres aside, they’re all art in their own form.

I remember being 4 years old, listening to the Backstreet Boys and just jamming out. I wasn’t some musical prodigy, I didn’t care about lyrics or chord progression – all I knew was what made me want to bob my head and memorize the words.

Backstreet’s back, alright.

Those words echoed through my head and through the walls for days straight. It was just so catchy and fun.

Of course, as I matured, so did my taste in music. Up until fifth grade, all I knew was pop. I knew whatever played on the radio. I remember my father and I would drive around listening to anything, from The Doors to Linkin Park.

One thing, I don’t know why, it doesn’t even matter how hard you try.

At the time, I had no idea who Linkin Park was, but those words stuck in my head for years. The whole song, front to back – and it’s still in there today.

By middle school, I was into classic rock: Queen, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin. I wasn’t old enough to understand it or explore it entirely, but I knew it was good music. I loved it. My taste started to dwindle after a while, though. My tunnel vision wore the rope that tied my tastes thin, and I had to venture into new territories.

System of a Down, Marilyn Manson, Linkin Park? I was certainly beginning a phase of angst.

The more I grew, so did my taste in music. I’m an adult now, but I still have so much left to explore – literally and musically. I’ve come to a point where music is music and I appreciate it for what it is. I’ve settled into the territories of whatever sounds good to me, whatever draws me in, and relates to me and my life.

It isn’t about what’s darkest, heaviest, or fastest. I don’t care about the high equalization on a kick drum, and I don’t care about the masterful picking of a guitarist. I make music of my own, it’s something to understand in order to play it, but a listener shouldn’t care. They’re there to listen and appreciate. What’s to judge?

I have my favorites now. They vary in genre, from Nine Inch Nails to David Bowie. Ambient to rap. Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” to Purcell’s “Dido’s Lament”. It’s universal. It’s art. It’s the beginning of eras and memories.

It’s music, and it’s good. Damn good.

Neil Kristjansson's "Menifee Plugged In" column will appear each Monday on Menifee 24/7. He welcomes your comments here or though email at menifee247info@gmail.com.