My oldest son came over the to the abode, the other day, and told me that he had torn up his voter registration card. I started to tell him that I thought that that wasn't the smartest thing to do, that voting is important,that it is his right, that his vote mattered,until he inititated a discussion about "who owns the voting machines."

This is an interesting thing to think about. If they are stealing your vote anyway, why go through the long and boring process of standing in line somewhere to touch names on a computer screen, the names mainly of millionaires, who it seems to me act in each others' best interest and not in the interest of you and me, the common man and woman, when the names you touch are not guaranteed to receive the votes you gave them.

I ran across a Sex Pistols My Space site, today, and there was a You Tube video on there of the band singing "Anarchy in the U.K.," in the early days. Somehow, tearing up your voter registration card and screaming "Anarchy" seem like, if not sensible, then somewhat or somehow liberating things to do in kind of very unliberated times.

I mean, business, as usual, just ain't happening for the ninety nine percent of us who are holding one percent of the cash jack and tearing up your voter registration card and screaming "Anarchy," whatever that word actually means, seems like kind of having a choice and at least trying to have a voice during these times of very limited political choices.

Anyway, this was not to be a political discussion, but rather a look at one of my favorite bands, Brain Box, who were playing at, of all things, a political benefit. This benefit was for The Libertarina Party. I don't know if the three gentlmen in Brain Box are Libertarians, but I do know that their music is liberating.

One last aside before we get to the show folks: there was this guy at the benefit running for the Public Service Commission and when he came up and shook my hand I told him that Neil Boortz was enough to make me run fast from The Libertarian Party. He shot me a weird look and headed back to his table.

Gosh, I was only kidding. Just as I was only kidding about screaming "anarchy." I am not an anarchist, I don not advocate anarchy, I am just expressing a frustration with the political process as it exists now. I want to meet the new boss, not the same as the old boss.

Dig?

Now, to the band Brain Box...

The Bass Player in the band Brain Box looks like he was in the Clash. He's got this thin mohawk, pinstriped pants and some loud and wild red shoes on. He holds his bass like it's a weapon, like if you got up onstage with him and you messed with him that he would take you out with his bass.In other words, he looks like he takes his gig as a bass player very seriously and has put much time into not only learning his craft as a bass player, but he has also given some thought as to his appearance on stage and has not wandered up there like some Seattle grunger who just rolled out of bed or had just pulled the needle out of his arm.

The Singer might be a gemini. He has multiple voices and many personalities, while he is up there working the microphone. One minute he reminds me of Lee Ving, lead singer of the L.A. punk band, FEAR, and the next he is singing sweetly like Paul McCartney. In other words, the guy is versatile and enthralling. As much as anything else, you follow what he is doing on stage to see what he will do next, what type of song and delivery of that song he will pull out of his song bag next. The Singer also wields an axe, a weird axe, like three quarters of an axe. He plays it like the whole guitar is there from angry guitar to happy smiling guitar, exhibiting a wide range of sound and emotion on his guitar, just as he does in his song.

The Drummer is one of those kind of drummers that you don't notice. And you know why you don't notice him? Because he is not playing too loud, becauss he is completely in synce with the other two members of his band. He's not frustrated that he's not the lead singer. He's not crying out for attention. There is no me me me, about this guy. He could be said to be from the Ringo Starr school of drumming: do your job, do it happily and let the other guys in the band do their job, without trying to take over. I didn't see the drummer tear up his voter registration card or hear him scream "anarchy.," but I did hear some fine drumming.

"It's all the same...It's all the same," sings The Singer over and over in the band's first song. Coincidence or reference to busines as usual in American politics?

There is no pause between the first and second songs thea Brain Box play. The band didn't give the crowd a chance to applaud. "Take back the system," shouts the singer, smiling at those in front of him at the end of song two.