u/moosecoaster

I'm game, if you don't have someone already. Pete has me working on a big project right now that will likely involve fan sites like this.

You're replying to last year's tour. They just wrapped up a second US tour last night, which will likely be their last one on this side of the world. Sorry you missed them.
And I know what it's like when they don't play where you live. The closest they've ever played to my house was a 12 hour drive. Other than that, I've had to get on a plane with my passport and leave the country to see them.
I've done that six times. Worth every penny. The first show I saw involved me doing a 27-hour round trip with six plane changes. Still worth it. Their live shows are NUTS.

Took my Nova to acupuncture appointment. Got the needles in, then he leaves me alone for about 20min for it to work its magic. Popped on "Vitality" 15min session and it was a whole different experience than usual. I normally see vibrant sunset colours with that one, moving and flowing. During acupuncture, it was a giant flat wall of teal, absolutely smooth, then some flashes of pale yellow, and eventually a kaleidoscope tunnel of blues and greens and white. Felt like I was floating for a bit.
Doc said that greens indicate healing, which is good, since I'd had chemo the day before.

exactly the opposite for me. I almost never get to the end of a track because I'm in a DEEP sleep about five minutes into a session

Starting slowly, then getting faster seems to be the opposite of what I was doing. I could've sworn that the CJ videos said to go fast first, then slow down.
I'll give this method a shot (pun intended).

I'm grinding my own, on the finest setting.

yes. My problem was my unit shipped with the plunger all the way up and I didn't yet understand that it was a plunger. Eventually, I messed around with it a bit, turned the crank a few times and noticed the disc was lower. After that, easy peasy.

I discovered that if you crank the handle anti-clockwise until it stops, the plunger disc will go down and you can fill it water.

I wasn't worried about the look as much as I was accidentally yanking my laptop off the table, lol

The headphones are playing a beat track so that all those videos will line up properly when I put them together. I've since gotten some wireless ones, so it doesn't show as much.
As for bells - this ain't my first rodeo. https://youtu.be/JrbaFa0zOlM?si=cv4wl5JWs1T1IVi7

...and just in case you needed proof of me on stage with Pete and Bas....
Pete loves to dance. Sometimes, he'd rather dance than sing. And if I'm at the show, that's always an option. https://youtu.be/dGlY6fiNu5s?si=9lK4myT4ZQ0ZYUJL

ok, the last line made me spew my coffee.
re: handbell cover vid or it didn't happen
...AS IF I'm gonna put that much work into something and not make a video.
https://youtu.be/BqXH2g3-hP0?si=iPUW6GTuCljx8CIq

Looking forward to discovering new music. Pete (of Pete and Bas) introduced me to Rion S, saying I might like his stuff. Understatement of the century. His new track "Next to You" was a watershed moment in my musical life. That led to me doing a handbell cover of it (stop laughing!) which blew his mind... and now, miraculously, we're collaborating on a new song.
None of his stuff is what I'd have normally listened to, but his upcoming album is one of the most exciting things I've heard in ages. Just wait till he drops the next single, "Shiver" (or maybe "How My Gonna").
So I'm totally open to discovering the PROF catalogue... even if he can't grow a proper moustache (ducks and hides).

I had heard the rumours, but didn't have details. Funny that the boys hadn't mentioned it to me, but they often keep the upcoming stuff close to the vest. We talk about other stuff, usually.
I'll have to hop on the PROF train, I guess, and see what he's about. Not really familiar with him, but P&B are straight fire. Looking forward to the upcoming tour, when they'll be playing a city that's only a 12-hour drive for me and I won't even need my passport. I've seen them several times and I've always had to book long international flights to do it. Got to rap on stage with them twice, though, so absolutely worth it.

Doesn't matter if you believe it or not. I heard the a cappella sound check with my own ears. The voices were identical to the studio tracks.
At the end of the day, though, does it really matter? It's entertainment and it's incredibly fucking entertaining.
Getting to know them and become friends with them was a gift I didn't expect to get, but I can tell you that they are two of the most genuinely good people I've ever known.
Solid blokes, having the time of their lives right now, and I'm here for it.

another US/Canada tour in June.

I've seen this. Regardless of how the project got started, Pete and Bas are legitimately spitting the bars. I've heard them in a soundcheck, rapping with no backing track. They were even ad-libbing a few lines to throw the other one off for fun.
It's possible that they answered an ad such as this, but in the end, they had the ability to do it for real. Frank and Maury never did a live show. There's a reason for that.
Pete and Bas have done tours all over the world. I've been to several shows. I've rapped with them on stage twice. I've gotten to know them personally and I've had long conversations with them about their writing, their rapping, and the inspiration behind the songs.
I'll admit that I went in skeptical, but came out of those convos with a better understanding of what they do.
I'm also friends with other UK artists who know them and have worked with them. I'm currently collaborating with one of those artists on a new song. He is mates with them, too (that's how I met him) and he would tell you that they're rapping as well.

I thought that US tour would kill them, but I went to Portland and Seattle and they were still going strong. Their live shows are NUTS. High energy, crowd participation, beer guzzling contests, ladies dancing on stage with them.... have a look at this bit from Seattle: https://youtu.be/dGlY6fiNu5s?si=PrLycscf-yegVlit

FYI: there's another US/Canada tour coming up this summer. Keep an eye out on peteandbasmerch . com in the TICKETS tab. Stuff gets posted there first.

"by their admission, they aren't even familiar with UK drill" - this is one of the problems. People take things that they said in the very early days and project them onto present day. They WEREN'T familiar then. They are now. They didn't know the modern slang then, they do now. OF COURSE they got help early on, not just with writing but also with crafting flows, etc - but they've been studying the craft ever since and the reliance on help from outside is minimal at best now. But even in the early days, the ideas for the songs and the bulk of the lyrics were still written by them.

um... no. They're not real gangsters, they didn't know the Kray twins (but Charlie Richardson is godfather to Pete's daughter), and they were obviously coached by 9&D when they started out, because they came into this whole thing cold.
I asked Bas what other rappers they listen to and he said they don't, other than Bas being a fan of Sean Paul. "We have our own style and we're not really wanting familiarity with other artists influencing what we do."
I talked to them at length about their writing style, going in with a healthy dose of skepticism, but leaving that conversation convinced that they're the ones writing. Wordplay is heavily influenced by both of their love for crosswords. In the UK, the crosswords are Cryptics - if you're not familiar with those, google "how to solve a cryptic crossword" and you'll see what I'm talking about. Bas hasn't missed a daily puzzle in more than 50 yrs.
I asked where they got the gangster bars - drug culture, pig farms, etc. Bas laughed and said, "they got MOVIES, mate!"
I came away from that afternoon with a profound respect for these guys. They were more than happy to shoot holes in a lot of the other rumours about their pasts, speaking quite frankly about what was true and what was kayfabe. But when it came to their songs, they were steadfast about the work they've put in and they're rightfully proud of what they've done.
Since then, we've kept in contact - we live on opposite sides of the world, so it's not like we hang out a lot - but we've gotten to know each other and I would list them as friends. And so it irks me a bit when I see my friends get disrespected.
I asked Bas about that, too. Why not defend themselves in the forums and such. He said, "because it's a waste of time. They believe they're in on some secret and they're not going to admit they're wrong. We'd rather spend out rime making music."

Pete and Bas have been in.. you know... films? Not feature-length, but both the boys were in "The Brazilian Investment", which Bas also wrote the screenplay for. It's a sweet little film.
Pete is in the title role of an upcoming film called "Uncle George", but it's still in post-production

Will Smith has an IMDB page. Where's your "I'll bet Will Smith is faking his rapping" thread?

The Gs were harder, yes, but the trains were much more comfortable. Also, rather than the typical hold brake at the top of the drop, it engaged a very slow chain and crept over the edge until you were completely vertical. The large front ends of the mine cars kept you from seeing the track AT ALL. You were vertical, no track visible, creeping slowly down, then it just disengaged the chain and you fell into the shack. Legit terrifying.

according to coaster-count, I've got three coasters with 3-5 riders. A wacky worm and a crazy mouse in Mexico, plus 'Pipeline Express' at Putt-n-Pond Speed Park in Ohio

Did you ride the original ToT with the mine carts and the chain lift, or the revised one with the open-front cars and elevator lift? I've done both, but the mine car version was legit terrifying.
Also: Anaconda at that park is still my fave inverted.