No plans yet. I'm tired of caring too.
I am looking forward to 2011.
Unless this happens...
Hyperinflation
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Navidad
Christmas was good. Grandma has a bad cold and spent the entire time sleeping/coughing which sucked but she is feeling better today. Getting old. Dont get me started.
We played a lot of games at the kitchen table which was a blast.
There are a lot of animals in this house so I spent a good portion of time screwing with their minds as much as possible. It makes me want a pet. To terrorize!
But as usual I am pretty much ready to head back home already. I need to work a few days before calling it a year.
Speaking of. 2010. I need to put together my thoughts on it. I posted very little this year and Im sure Ill regret that.
Here is a chubby dog. One ear always flops down which I am sure is strategic on his part. Now love him.
We played a lot of games at the kitchen table which was a blast.
There are a lot of animals in this house so I spent a good portion of time screwing with their minds as much as possible. It makes me want a pet. To terrorize!
But as usual I am pretty much ready to head back home already. I need to work a few days before calling it a year.
Speaking of. 2010. I need to put together my thoughts on it. I posted very little this year and Im sure Ill regret that.
Here is a chubby dog. One ear always flops down which I am sure is strategic on his part. Now love him.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
See what I mean!
So I spent the entire day yesterday reading about creationism versus evolution.
I found an interesting debate. I was surprised to find a surprisingly good creationist debater. Of course once he said he actually believes we are all descendants of Adam I chuckle but the guy is well spoken and obviously really intelligent.
Too bad he was busted on tax evasion. Oooops.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL-cORRZdng
I found an interesting debate. I was surprised to find a surprisingly good creationist debater. Of course once he said he actually believes we are all descendants of Adam I chuckle but the guy is well spoken and obviously really intelligent.
Too bad he was busted on tax evasion. Oooops.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL-cORRZdng
resolution
Im going to write more frequently in this blog. I went back through it and remembered things I would have never remembered.
Here is a pic of my girlfriend all gussied up for the office christmas party. Just because I can.
Here is a pic of my girlfriend all gussied up for the office christmas party. Just because I can.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Hooray Beer!
Admittedly, I spent 7 years in college simply for the chicks.
I got a degree that I didn't believe in and had no clue about what I was going to do with it.
I had shit jobs after college. The first one I recall well. $8 per hour doing help support for a call center. The kind of call center that you THINK is the official company support, but rather farmed out to a warehouse of college kids who literally read the manual while they answer your questions.
Then there was the sales job where I sold high-end networking hardware. I dealt with a 25 year old boss that would fake-golf while talking to you. What the hell is up with that? I hated that they posted our sales numbers. I hated the people that I worked with. I hated my life.
I had no prospects and was on the path to 30 years of mediocrity.
Somewhere in the middle of this I went out to have a beer with my current roommate.
And I met a guy he used to go to high school with. He was enjoying a beer with his laptop and we struck up a conversation. He worked from home and created a little book teaching people how to generate leads for their businesses. He sold the book online.
I recall vividly when he leaned forward and showed me the screen. As we were talking he was making sales for this book. 30 bucks a pop. The list scrolled down the screen. He was pulling in something like $1000 per day at the time. (Now he owns an empire online and is truly self made crazy wealthy.)
I sat back with my head swimming. Making money while you sleep, eat, drink. It blew my mind. I befriended this guy asap and hung out with him a few months.
His views on money and life were new to me. I met others like him. The silently rich folks who sold stuff online. And the people that helped the cogs flow smoothly. Webmasters, copywriters, etc.
I quickly began reading the books they recommended to me on marketing, copywriting and personal development. I started playing with my own ideas. Writing sales letters and testing them online. I got good results.
At this same time I took the networking aspect of this new life just as seriously. I met others and rubbed elbows. I quickly learned to close my jaw when they would mention things like making $50,000 in one day.
Through my networking and quest for new knowledge I got a job working for a prominent direct response marketer in Austin. One of the best copywriters in the country. I was underpaid and I was drawn and quartered with to-do's.
But I saw the innerworkings of his business. His model for success. His patterns of thought. I worked for him for 2 years. It was like school. But this time it felt real.
I digested his copywriting. His emails to his prospects. I got to spend his money testing various sources of online traffic. I met other gurus through him. I would sit in on lunches with them and hold my own conversationally while they casually talked about things that I would have never dreamed possible a few years ago.
Now I sit here in my room, working from home. I have just acquired a new client totaling 3 for me. What is now simple marketing common sense to me, I am getting paid to show others. They are happy to have me. Thrilled. One client calls me a rainmaker. I have a long way to go to a life of passive income, but today I am proud of myself enough to write this blog.
I think about how that moment of going out with my friend altered my entire life for the better. I never had an answer for those kind of questions before. But that night is clearly one of those moments that sent things off in a completely new direction.
The only other time I can think of is right around the same time when I realized that music was something I was completely ignoring and put a craigslist ad for the band. The very first post of this blog was right around that time actually. Ive come a long way in 3 years. Looking forward to more years of surprises and twists. (mostly good I hope!)
I got a degree that I didn't believe in and had no clue about what I was going to do with it.
I had shit jobs after college. The first one I recall well. $8 per hour doing help support for a call center. The kind of call center that you THINK is the official company support, but rather farmed out to a warehouse of college kids who literally read the manual while they answer your questions.
Then there was the sales job where I sold high-end networking hardware. I dealt with a 25 year old boss that would fake-golf while talking to you. What the hell is up with that? I hated that they posted our sales numbers. I hated the people that I worked with. I hated my life.
I had no prospects and was on the path to 30 years of mediocrity.
Somewhere in the middle of this I went out to have a beer with my current roommate.
And I met a guy he used to go to high school with. He was enjoying a beer with his laptop and we struck up a conversation. He worked from home and created a little book teaching people how to generate leads for their businesses. He sold the book online.
I recall vividly when he leaned forward and showed me the screen. As we were talking he was making sales for this book. 30 bucks a pop. The list scrolled down the screen. He was pulling in something like $1000 per day at the time. (Now he owns an empire online and is truly self made crazy wealthy.)
I sat back with my head swimming. Making money while you sleep, eat, drink. It blew my mind. I befriended this guy asap and hung out with him a few months.
His views on money and life were new to me. I met others like him. The silently rich folks who sold stuff online. And the people that helped the cogs flow smoothly. Webmasters, copywriters, etc.
I quickly began reading the books they recommended to me on marketing, copywriting and personal development. I started playing with my own ideas. Writing sales letters and testing them online. I got good results.
At this same time I took the networking aspect of this new life just as seriously. I met others and rubbed elbows. I quickly learned to close my jaw when they would mention things like making $50,000 in one day.
Through my networking and quest for new knowledge I got a job working for a prominent direct response marketer in Austin. One of the best copywriters in the country. I was underpaid and I was drawn and quartered with to-do's.
But I saw the innerworkings of his business. His model for success. His patterns of thought. I worked for him for 2 years. It was like school. But this time it felt real.
I digested his copywriting. His emails to his prospects. I got to spend his money testing various sources of online traffic. I met other gurus through him. I would sit in on lunches with them and hold my own conversationally while they casually talked about things that I would have never dreamed possible a few years ago.
Now I sit here in my room, working from home. I have just acquired a new client totaling 3 for me. What is now simple marketing common sense to me, I am getting paid to show others. They are happy to have me. Thrilled. One client calls me a rainmaker. I have a long way to go to a life of passive income, but today I am proud of myself enough to write this blog.
I think about how that moment of going out with my friend altered my entire life for the better. I never had an answer for those kind of questions before. But that night is clearly one of those moments that sent things off in a completely new direction.
The only other time I can think of is right around the same time when I realized that music was something I was completely ignoring and put a craigslist ad for the band. The very first post of this blog was right around that time actually. Ive come a long way in 3 years. Looking forward to more years of surprises and twists. (mostly good I hope!)
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Ohm
The studio experience was a rollercoaster of emotions.
We knocked it out like professionals and I am 90% happy with our results. Bass and drums are solid for the most part. One song (possibly my favorite) is a hair too fast to me. Ill see if its possible that we rerecord it or I just live with it. I am considering forking over my own money to make it happen if possible. Its possibly something no one would even notice but me. Yet I am concerned.
This band is a constant growing experience for me on both a personal and artistic level. In particular my experience with humanity. But Ill keep the rest of that thought to myself. God knows I obsess enough to never forget.
We knocked it out like professionals and I am 90% happy with our results. Bass and drums are solid for the most part. One song (possibly my favorite) is a hair too fast to me. Ill see if its possible that we rerecord it or I just live with it. I am considering forking over my own money to make it happen if possible. Its possibly something no one would even notice but me. Yet I am concerned.
This band is a constant growing experience for me on both a personal and artistic level. In particular my experience with humanity. But Ill keep the rest of that thought to myself. God knows I obsess enough to never forget.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Dream - Death and the Cave
had another dream that felt important.
I was back at the old house. Down the hill was a cave. There was a staircase that lead to a very dark section of the cave. In this dark little section was a seal that if you sit on it, spirits surround you and visit you. The only catch is when you take part in this experience, you die.
For some reason my grandmother told me that I had to take part in this. She was younger. Maybe in her 50s, early 60s. She wasn't deeply upset telling me this. It was more like something bittersweet and to be accepted. I found myself walking down the hill alone towards this cave. It sort of reminded me of Empire Strikes Back when Luke went into that part of the forest alone and fought himself. I think as I was walking to this cave I thought of that in my dream. But all trace of irony and humor was lacking here. I was heavy with the realization that I was literally walking down the hill to my death.
I went into the cave and saw the staircase. It was dark and scary but I remember being disconnected from the fear enough to remain pretty calm. The realization of this being my last moments alive dawned on me and I went back outside awhile to take in the world one more time. The sun was setting and reflected off the water like thousands of gold flecks. I was acutely aware of the beauty of everything. It was a windy day. I didn't want to leave.
I walked back into the cave, looked at the staircase and then completely changed my mind and left. The dream gets totally random at that point so nothing really worth talking about but that part was so grave and sad. I was totally alone. Enjoying the world one last time before walking up that narrow stone staircase into the darkness, to my death. I couldn't do it. I was supposed to. But I didnt.
I was back at the old house. Down the hill was a cave. There was a staircase that lead to a very dark section of the cave. In this dark little section was a seal that if you sit on it, spirits surround you and visit you. The only catch is when you take part in this experience, you die.
For some reason my grandmother told me that I had to take part in this. She was younger. Maybe in her 50s, early 60s. She wasn't deeply upset telling me this. It was more like something bittersweet and to be accepted. I found myself walking down the hill alone towards this cave. It sort of reminded me of Empire Strikes Back when Luke went into that part of the forest alone and fought himself. I think as I was walking to this cave I thought of that in my dream. But all trace of irony and humor was lacking here. I was heavy with the realization that I was literally walking down the hill to my death.
I went into the cave and saw the staircase. It was dark and scary but I remember being disconnected from the fear enough to remain pretty calm. The realization of this being my last moments alive dawned on me and I went back outside awhile to take in the world one more time. The sun was setting and reflected off the water like thousands of gold flecks. I was acutely aware of the beauty of everything. It was a windy day. I didn't want to leave.
I walked back into the cave, looked at the staircase and then completely changed my mind and left. The dream gets totally random at that point so nothing really worth talking about but that part was so grave and sad. I was totally alone. Enjoying the world one last time before walking up that narrow stone staircase into the darkness, to my death. I couldn't do it. I was supposed to. But I didnt.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
recording soon
next month we hit the studio. We have been working hard on overdubs and getting things right. I am excited and ready for the next step in our careers. I am 100% clueless as to what kind of response we will have to the album.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
lost my wallet
crazy night for david's birthday. Now I am wallet-less and a bit pissed about it.
I did however jump off a balcony into a pool. That was great.
I did however jump off a balcony into a pool. That was great.
Monday, October 11, 2010
10-10-10
ACL was pretty cool. Great weather and a decent lineup. The National being the standout for me.
They were inspiring and transitioned to the live environment well. I was there with my girlfriend, my roommate and his sister. We all enjoyed each other, laughed a lot and drank lots of beer. A joint was introduced at one point. Good times.
Now its back to the real world. We have an album to start recording next month. I have new clients to meet with.
Ill post those updates as they transpire.
They were inspiring and transitioned to the live environment well. I was there with my girlfriend, my roommate and his sister. We all enjoyed each other, laughed a lot and drank lots of beer. A joint was introduced at one point. Good times.
Now its back to the real world. We have an album to start recording next month. I have new clients to meet with.
Ill post those updates as they transpire.
Friday, September 24, 2010
birthday #32
Okay so it was cool. About 10 people showed up which was right about what I guessed it would be. We had fun. I got drunk and threw up. First time in a long time. Pinnacle of maturity!
A friend took me to Roaring Fork for a nice dinner before meeting everyone out. Very sweet of her and I am ashamed that I ended up puking it up at my front door. At least it wasnt on Abes carpet. But its my birthday!
I got a raise at work and a possible new client so that is also great.
Finally we are playing a legendary Austin music venue tomorrow night. So yeah this has been a pretty great week all around.
Words of Wisdom:
Okay 32. About the same as 31. Sort of. Not really.
I am aware of time's passing now more than ever. For some reason I feel rushed to do amazing things before suburban life takes over and I have a nagging wife and expensive children. (I say this partly with tongue planted firmly in cheek)
And that's the thing. I want to learn how to re-associate new emotions to this fear. I told my friend over dinner that I know exactly what has to happen in my head. I have to believe that marriage and kids equals freedom rather than a limitation. I have to not let the media and my preconceived illusions rule my decisions. Because I know that its all in my perceptions and I don't necessarily have the healthiest view of this whole adulthood thing. Because reality and meaning is totally up to me.
I know that life after the age of 35 doesn't have to be a cheesy sitcom. I know it doesn't stop being exciting at 40. And I simply wont stand for it. Boredom is not an option.
So that's on my mind a lot. Securing my finances, recording this album, making new friends, cultivating the friendships I already have, learning about my new girlfriend, exploring the world, learning as much as I can all the time (Ive been reading a lot lately) and just trying not to take anything for granted and remember to be present in this moment right here. Not worried or stressed about things in the past or whats to come too much because it means nothing anyway.
So not necessarily anything revolutionary (Im no Robert Frost) but there it is.
PS Grandma turns 86 today. Wow.
A friend took me to Roaring Fork for a nice dinner before meeting everyone out. Very sweet of her and I am ashamed that I ended up puking it up at my front door. At least it wasnt on Abes carpet. But its my birthday!
I got a raise at work and a possible new client so that is also great.
Finally we are playing a legendary Austin music venue tomorrow night. So yeah this has been a pretty great week all around.
Words of Wisdom:
Okay 32. About the same as 31. Sort of. Not really.
I am aware of time's passing now more than ever. For some reason I feel rushed to do amazing things before suburban life takes over and I have a nagging wife and expensive children. (I say this partly with tongue planted firmly in cheek)
And that's the thing. I want to learn how to re-associate new emotions to this fear. I told my friend over dinner that I know exactly what has to happen in my head. I have to believe that marriage and kids equals freedom rather than a limitation. I have to not let the media and my preconceived illusions rule my decisions. Because I know that its all in my perceptions and I don't necessarily have the healthiest view of this whole adulthood thing. Because reality and meaning is totally up to me.
I know that life after the age of 35 doesn't have to be a cheesy sitcom. I know it doesn't stop being exciting at 40. And I simply wont stand for it. Boredom is not an option.
So that's on my mind a lot. Securing my finances, recording this album, making new friends, cultivating the friendships I already have, learning about my new girlfriend, exploring the world, learning as much as I can all the time (Ive been reading a lot lately) and just trying not to take anything for granted and remember to be present in this moment right here. Not worried or stressed about things in the past or whats to come too much because it means nothing anyway.
So not necessarily anything revolutionary (Im no Robert Frost) but there it is.
PS Grandma turns 86 today. Wow.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Birthday tomorrow
Going to have a few folks join me at a cool little place called Shangrila tomorrow night to celebrate turning 32.
My girlfriend (whaaaa?) got me a book on songwriting that I lent to a friend years ago and lost. It has been updated with some new people and its a welcomed return to my library. She also got me Coming to America the movie and a joke present... fiber supplements because I am always constipated (around her at least)
Finally we are headlining the legendary Austin venue Antone's Saturday night. Total right place right time situation but very cool. Album starting in November.
Thoughts on being 32 tomorrow. Figured I'd made that a yearly trend.
My girlfriend (whaaaa?) got me a book on songwriting that I lent to a friend years ago and lost. It has been updated with some new people and its a welcomed return to my library. She also got me Coming to America the movie and a joke present... fiber supplements because I am always constipated (around her at least)
Finally we are headlining the legendary Austin venue Antone's Saturday night. Total right place right time situation but very cool. Album starting in November.
Thoughts on being 32 tomorrow. Figured I'd made that a yearly trend.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
First off this will make you smile so check it out:
http://hypem.com/track/616167/Vampire+Weekend+-+Everywhere+Fleetwood+Mac+Cover+
Secondly, I realized today that I simply cannot continue to work from home in the isolated way that I have been. I am losing my mind slowly. I begin to think dark thoughts and feel bad about everything. The funny thing is I have been battling it for awhile, mad at myself for this aspect of my humanity.
But I realized this is what everyone goes through in isolation. Holy shit Im human.
Of course this touches on something interesting. I have a lot of moments where I beat myself up for what i later realize is me just being a person. Why do I think I have to have some sort of superhuman drive to succeed, untouchable confidence and unshakable internal peace all the time. Fuck it.
I need human contact. It helps me get there. And that's not a weakness.
PS Today is Loreeces birthday. Feels like yesterday I wrote that in this blog.
http://hypem.com/track/616167/Vampire+Weekend+-+Everywhere+Fleetwood+Mac+Cover+
Secondly, I realized today that I simply cannot continue to work from home in the isolated way that I have been. I am losing my mind slowly. I begin to think dark thoughts and feel bad about everything. The funny thing is I have been battling it for awhile, mad at myself for this aspect of my humanity.
But I realized this is what everyone goes through in isolation. Holy shit Im human.
Of course this touches on something interesting. I have a lot of moments where I beat myself up for what i later realize is me just being a person. Why do I think I have to have some sort of superhuman drive to succeed, untouchable confidence and unshakable internal peace all the time. Fuck it.
I need human contact. It helps me get there. And that's not a weakness.
PS Today is Loreeces birthday. Feels like yesterday I wrote that in this blog.
Monday, August 30, 2010
ive lost all desire to post blogs
not 100% true. But still I don't muster up the strength much these days. Even though things are moving along. The album. The job. Etc.
I will get around to it. Because there are soooooo many people dying to know.
Tell you what. Call me and Ill tell you all about it. Yes you.
I will get around to it. Because there are soooooo many people dying to know.
Tell you what. Call me and Ill tell you all about it. Yes you.
Monday, August 9, 2010
very boring weekend. I did practically nothing.
I did however write a new song i dig. It makes me uncomfortable a little bit. In a good way. A definite departure from my usual stuff.
I am seriously considering getting some folks together to just get out my desire to play some songs in a stripped down setting.
Yesterday I went swimming at my old apartment pool and then grilled with my friend David and his roommate Steve. Steve is a fantastic guitarist so he is high on my list of dudes I want to hit up for my little project.
David is a vegan so he made some awesome vegetable kabobs while I threw down some bratwurst (sp?).
And that was the highlight of my weekend.
Making plans with a gal to travel to the desert later this year to go camping. Yes the desert. Sounds awesome to me.
I did however write a new song i dig. It makes me uncomfortable a little bit. In a good way. A definite departure from my usual stuff.
I am seriously considering getting some folks together to just get out my desire to play some songs in a stripped down setting.
Yesterday I went swimming at my old apartment pool and then grilled with my friend David and his roommate Steve. Steve is a fantastic guitarist so he is high on my list of dudes I want to hit up for my little project.
David is a vegan so he made some awesome vegetable kabobs while I threw down some bratwurst (sp?).
And that was the highlight of my weekend.
Making plans with a gal to travel to the desert later this year to go camping. Yes the desert. Sounds awesome to me.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Brought it.
We rocked the shit out of the Parish last night.
that venue just does something to us. Its on to San Antonio tomorrow night to play a slightly obligatory show for our friend Jacob. His venue is shutting down due to the fact that San Antonio sucks and he wants us to play one final show there before he packs up and moves to Austin. The guy has paid us so much and been so good to us its the least we can do.
that venue just does something to us. Its on to San Antonio tomorrow night to play a slightly obligatory show for our friend Jacob. His venue is shutting down due to the fact that San Antonio sucks and he wants us to play one final show there before he packs up and moves to Austin. The guy has paid us so much and been so good to us its the least we can do.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Album update
We have another show this month and then we will take off awhile and focus on the album. The amount of work for properly prepping this is overwhelming.
So much of our songs are works in progress when we play them live. Ill try a little different guitar part here, a different vocal line there. Its just how we do things.
When it comes time to record the album all of those little nuances are going to have to be planned out. And that gets hard when you are not married to any certain thing you did. Sometimes I think one way is better than others. Others times not.
Then there are whole songs that we are pretty shaky playing live that we will have to nail in the studio. Tempos need to be figured out. Vocal harmonies fine tuned to laser precision.
Its going to be a huge undertaking to make 11 songs. But we can do it and we will do it.
Finances are a big concern. We dont want to be cheap but we dont want to overspend. We figure its a three phased undertaking....
Tracking - the focus in this is to get everything recorded correctly. Tone, tempos etc. Some concerns I have are guitar tone, amp choices, and just getting things down without losing our minds or killing each other.
Mixing - When our work is done its then handed off to someone who knows what the hell they are doing to mix it. Do we use a different source for this? Or the engineer who recorded us? We know this is where the magic happens with albums. We cannot afford to skimp or shortcut around this in any possible way.
Mastering - The fine tuning of the final stereo mix to give that extra ooomph into the realm of professionally recorded stuff. Once again another art completely out of our hands.
Its actually 4 phases if you count the couple months we are going to spend just deciding which instruments go where and what parts to leave out, add or correct.
So that initial prep phase is upon us. We have to craft the songs into their finished and concrete ideas before ever stepping foot into a studio.
So much of our songs are works in progress when we play them live. Ill try a little different guitar part here, a different vocal line there. Its just how we do things.
When it comes time to record the album all of those little nuances are going to have to be planned out. And that gets hard when you are not married to any certain thing you did. Sometimes I think one way is better than others. Others times not.
Then there are whole songs that we are pretty shaky playing live that we will have to nail in the studio. Tempos need to be figured out. Vocal harmonies fine tuned to laser precision.
Its going to be a huge undertaking to make 11 songs. But we can do it and we will do it.
Finances are a big concern. We dont want to be cheap but we dont want to overspend. We figure its a three phased undertaking....
Tracking - the focus in this is to get everything recorded correctly. Tone, tempos etc. Some concerns I have are guitar tone, amp choices, and just getting things down without losing our minds or killing each other.
Mixing - When our work is done its then handed off to someone who knows what the hell they are doing to mix it. Do we use a different source for this? Or the engineer who recorded us? We know this is where the magic happens with albums. We cannot afford to skimp or shortcut around this in any possible way.
Mastering - The fine tuning of the final stereo mix to give that extra ooomph into the realm of professionally recorded stuff. Once again another art completely out of our hands.
Its actually 4 phases if you count the couple months we are going to spend just deciding which instruments go where and what parts to leave out, add or correct.
So that initial prep phase is upon us. We have to craft the songs into their finished and concrete ideas before ever stepping foot into a studio.
Monday, July 12, 2010
looking ahead
Okay so I will be 32 in about 2 months.
For some reason that feels old to me. Like full-fledged adult kind of old. But I don't think i am a full fledged adult yet.
What I have been thinking about is planning ahead much more than I used to. Up to this point I have lived my life with a narrow level of foresight.
Im starting to think ahead 5...10 years and seeing where I want to be. Then I realize that if I want to be there I have to start doing things TODAY to make it happen.
The new album, further securing my finances, a healthy relationship.... this is what is keeping me up at night. I have so much I want to do. It wont happen without a plan.
For some reason that feels old to me. Like full-fledged adult kind of old. But I don't think i am a full fledged adult yet.
What I have been thinking about is planning ahead much more than I used to. Up to this point I have lived my life with a narrow level of foresight.
Im starting to think ahead 5...10 years and seeing where I want to be. Then I realize that if I want to be there I have to start doing things TODAY to make it happen.
The new album, further securing my finances, a healthy relationship.... this is what is keeping me up at night. I have so much I want to do. It wont happen without a plan.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Jareds a father
Looks like my cousin is going to have a baby.
I remember the first time I met Jared. He was in a little carseat that his mom and dad brought in. We got along instantly. We spent many summers in the backyard coming up with cool ideas to entertain ourselves. We were true buddies. Never had a single argument about anything.
I really miss having him in my life as much as he used to be. But that is the way things go sometimes.
Now he's going to be a father! Ready to explore the world with him/her the way we used to do.
Congrats man. I know you don't read this so Ill just have to tell you in person how awesome of a Dad you are going to be.
I remember the first time I met Jared. He was in a little carseat that his mom and dad brought in. We got along instantly. We spent many summers in the backyard coming up with cool ideas to entertain ourselves. We were true buddies. Never had a single argument about anything.
I really miss having him in my life as much as he used to be. But that is the way things go sometimes.
Now he's going to be a father! Ready to explore the world with him/her the way we used to do.
Congrats man. I know you don't read this so Ill just have to tell you in person how awesome of a Dad you are going to be.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Shut in
Sadly I have not done much outside activities on the weekends since I have lived in Austin.
The fact that I am a ginger has something to do with it but the sad truth is I was usually recovering from a night of partying until the late afternoon.
Well I see the error in living like that and I want to see more great things Austin has to offer.
This weekend I got to do that. I went to Hamilton pool with a gal and it was so awesome. Its not really a pool at all but a natural body of water underneath this cool waterfall.
And its minutes from where I used to work. Who knew?
http://www.texasoutside.com/hamiltonpool.htm
Unlike Barton Springs the temp of the water is easier to adjust to. I hope to drag more friends to it someday. you have to get there early because they limit the amount of people into the park and by noon there is a long line of folks waiting for other folks to leave so they can get in.
Very neat thing to do in Austin.
The fact that I am a ginger has something to do with it but the sad truth is I was usually recovering from a night of partying until the late afternoon.
Well I see the error in living like that and I want to see more great things Austin has to offer.
This weekend I got to do that. I went to Hamilton pool with a gal and it was so awesome. Its not really a pool at all but a natural body of water underneath this cool waterfall.
And its minutes from where I used to work. Who knew?
http://www.texasoutside.com/hamiltonpool.htm
Unlike Barton Springs the temp of the water is easier to adjust to. I hope to drag more friends to it someday. you have to get there early because they limit the amount of people into the park and by noon there is a long line of folks waiting for other folks to leave so they can get in.
Very neat thing to do in Austin.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Update:
Update:
New job(s) going well.
I have a weird fear of losing them per my usual worrying but its not grounded in reality. I have recently began to distinguish the difference between my standard worrying and actual red alerts. I am a worrier. Its not cool or sheik or rock. But its the truth. I can be quite the vag. I read into vocal tonalities and assume everything is masked subtext of my expendability. (prob not a real word)
The biggest problem is I am not putting in the hours I probably should be. I work a few hours a day and find reasons to get distracted. Even though I am producing results that is the one thing I can see my employers taking notice of and questioning.
I have more money in my bank account than ever before. Its all untaxed so its a bit deceiving but it feels good to not have to worry about overdrafts, bills etc. My little side business is pumping out a solid little chunk per month to help out also.
Need to start saving. One for the taxes and two for the future.
I am considering buying a new recording setup to get back into making whole musical ideas alone as opposed to relying on the band for that outlet all the time. With whatever technology they have these days I'm sure I can get a decent setup pretty cheap.
But talk about even more reasons to step away from work.
New job(s) going well.
I have a weird fear of losing them per my usual worrying but its not grounded in reality. I have recently began to distinguish the difference between my standard worrying and actual red alerts. I am a worrier. Its not cool or sheik or rock. But its the truth. I can be quite the vag. I read into vocal tonalities and assume everything is masked subtext of my expendability. (prob not a real word)
The biggest problem is I am not putting in the hours I probably should be. I work a few hours a day and find reasons to get distracted. Even though I am producing results that is the one thing I can see my employers taking notice of and questioning.
I have more money in my bank account than ever before. Its all untaxed so its a bit deceiving but it feels good to not have to worry about overdrafts, bills etc. My little side business is pumping out a solid little chunk per month to help out also.
Need to start saving. One for the taxes and two for the future.
I am considering buying a new recording setup to get back into making whole musical ideas alone as opposed to relying on the band for that outlet all the time. With whatever technology they have these days I'm sure I can get a decent setup pretty cheap.
But talk about even more reasons to step away from work.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Pathetic
I have barely left the house today. No prospects for going out. Its one of those nights where I am just going to drink and watch hulu.
I feel like a loser.
BUT tomorrow will be a new me. I have PLANS with a capital P. ;)
Not sure what the emotion means but I have to be in the thick of something. Always. And tonight is full of pent up anxiety without cause despite knowing full well that this weekend is going to rock. I wish I were not on this couch typing to this desert of a blog.
HELLLLOOOOO? Is anyone out there?
Of course not. You are somewhere having a blast right now. Jerk(s).
I feel like a loser.
BUT tomorrow will be a new me. I have PLANS with a capital P. ;)
Not sure what the emotion means but I have to be in the thick of something. Always. And tonight is full of pent up anxiety without cause despite knowing full well that this weekend is going to rock. I wish I were not on this couch typing to this desert of a blog.
HELLLLOOOOO? Is anyone out there?
Of course not. You are somewhere having a blast right now. Jerk(s).
Friday, May 28, 2010
BP
Dont check out the underwater footage. Its gruesome. Plumes of oil just vomiting into our environment.
I hope we get it plugged soon. I watched legendary oil man T Boone Pickens on Larry King last night. He was not optimistic about our current ideas for stopping this. The only sure fire way to stop it is to tap into it from somewhere else.
And I heard that this is a process that may take a very long time. That BP actually started this the day it happened, knowing full well this would be a slow process and every other idea would be a shot in the dark.
Unfortunately I heard this from a reliable source.
I hope we get it plugged soon. I watched legendary oil man T Boone Pickens on Larry King last night. He was not optimistic about our current ideas for stopping this. The only sure fire way to stop it is to tap into it from somewhere else.
And I heard that this is a process that may take a very long time. That BP actually started this the day it happened, knowing full well this would be a slow process and every other idea would be a shot in the dark.
Unfortunately I heard this from a reliable source.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
San Francisco!
So Thursday I am heading to San Francisco with my friend Michelle where we will stay with her friend and just goof around until Sunday. Were going to hit up Alcatraz, all the districts and hang out by the ocean. Should be a fun few days. I will have some pics to share when I get back.
Excited!
(fingers crossed this weekend isnt the one where everything slides into the ocean)
Excited!
(fingers crossed this weekend isnt the one where everything slides into the ocean)
Thursday, May 13, 2010
High Violet
Something tells me this album is going to become important to me.
"The storm will suck the pretty girls into the sky"
"The storm will suck the pretty girls into the sky"
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
I decided that my inspiration as a songwriter is primarily made up of people, particularly females. Not just in a romantic dynamic but just the world of the female. Friends, family, lovers and passers-by.
I don't enjoy political songs. I don't enjoy stories much. I like focusing on the minutiae of human interactions and how people get by and for some reason the female consumes the bulk of my writing.
My most recent song is about a friend of mine. Its about her mess of a life. I know her well. She is a window to me and I get everything about why she has made the choices she has made. I see her clawing at her own mistakes reaching for the shore. She has had it tough and those hazy memories are affecting her deeply. Her friends, the men she dates... it all comes back to a tragic foundation completely out of her control and I don't judge her for it.
We never dated or were intimate. I wonder if we would have good relationship we have now if that were different. I wonder what she would think if she knew the song was about her.
But I'm proud of it and think i captured a part of my life and her life pretty well. It makes me want to write more about people I know or have met or think about. There are novels in each of our lives. We just trick ourselves into thinking we are boring.
I don't enjoy political songs. I don't enjoy stories much. I like focusing on the minutiae of human interactions and how people get by and for some reason the female consumes the bulk of my writing.
My most recent song is about a friend of mine. Its about her mess of a life. I know her well. She is a window to me and I get everything about why she has made the choices she has made. I see her clawing at her own mistakes reaching for the shore. She has had it tough and those hazy memories are affecting her deeply. Her friends, the men she dates... it all comes back to a tragic foundation completely out of her control and I don't judge her for it.
We never dated or were intimate. I wonder if we would have good relationship we have now if that were different. I wonder what she would think if she knew the song was about her.
But I'm proud of it and think i captured a part of my life and her life pretty well. It makes me want to write more about people I know or have met or think about. There are novels in each of our lives. We just trick ourselves into thinking we are boring.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Progress
Just turned around a campaign for my new employer. It is now a 10K a month producing little biz directly related to my efforts.
Snap!
Snap!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
motivation to me
I realize I am bordering on the attention span and motivation levels of a child. I usually hate to do things that I am not wildly interested in. I hate to do things like cook, clean and pay bills. I do them. Usually at the last minute or after some kind of fee has been imposed on me but its never when it should be done and with a smile on my face.
But despite all that there are moments when I am crystal clear and focused. I can sit in one place and work on something a solid 8 hours without moving. And there are times when after doing mundane things I feel like a million bucks in a strange way.
So I figured I have to treat my inner lazy punk as another person outside of myself. Like my child or nephew or some little kid I know whats best for. I have to find discipline and a way to not let myself slide.
Because life is here. Whatever it is, its doing it right now. So I cant afford to listen to my lazy inner little bitch anymore. I never could. I just think I am learning how to deal with him.
But despite all that there are moments when I am crystal clear and focused. I can sit in one place and work on something a solid 8 hours without moving. And there are times when after doing mundane things I feel like a million bucks in a strange way.
So I figured I have to treat my inner lazy punk as another person outside of myself. Like my child or nephew or some little kid I know whats best for. I have to find discipline and a way to not let myself slide.
Because life is here. Whatever it is, its doing it right now. So I cant afford to listen to my lazy inner little bitch anymore. I never could. I just think I am learning how to deal with him.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
lazy
few posts. guess nothing really new to talk about.
digging elbow. Playing shows. Think I like a girl. Like actually like. Maybe. or not. Whatever.
digging elbow. Playing shows. Think I like a girl. Like actually like. Maybe. or not. Whatever.
Monday, April 12, 2010
mini-tour recap
ugh. Some shitty shows went down. Shitty in that we played to either crickets or disinterested people for the most part.
Dallas was cool though. Hung with Michelle and the guys. It was more like a vacation with a few shows sprinkled in. Dallas was especially cool because Mom, Mollie and Michelle came. We did much better than the only other time they saw us so that was cool.
Met some really nice folks in the other bands that night. The bill was solid and the other bands were actually good. Really good.
Lots of driving. 700 miles or so put on my car. We made a profit due to our San Antonio show. The owner is Alex's friend and pays us unreasonably well so we are in the black from the trip because of him.
More shows this week. The Parish again! Arguably the best venue in Austin.
Dallas was cool though. Hung with Michelle and the guys. It was more like a vacation with a few shows sprinkled in. Dallas was especially cool because Mom, Mollie and Michelle came. We did much better than the only other time they saw us so that was cool.
Met some really nice folks in the other bands that night. The bill was solid and the other bands were actually good. Really good.
Lots of driving. 700 miles or so put on my car. We made a profit due to our San Antonio show. The owner is Alex's friend and pays us unreasonably well so we are in the black from the trip because of him.
More shows this week. The Parish again! Arguably the best venue in Austin.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
1 show down
we rocked the shit out of it.
I talked more. That was good.
But i threw on a shirt that had not been dried properly. I started to sweat. My body reacted to it and it created a stench I cannot put into words. The whole band was beside themselves with how bad I smelled. I never knew a human could get that bad. After the show I immediately ran to the car and found an old shirt to change into.
After the show we were approached by a national print magazine and they are going to do a feature on us. She even took our set list so she could have the names of the songs to mention. She even took notes.
San Antonio tonight. High pay, low pressure. Ah.
I talked more. That was good.
But i threw on a shirt that had not been dried properly. I started to sweat. My body reacted to it and it created a stench I cannot put into words. The whole band was beside themselves with how bad I smelled. I never knew a human could get that bad. After the show I immediately ran to the car and found an old shirt to change into.
After the show we were approached by a national print magazine and they are going to do a feature on us. She even took our set list so she could have the names of the songs to mention. She even took notes.
San Antonio tonight. High pay, low pressure. Ah.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
mini-tour
mini tour starts tomorrow with a show at Emos here in Austin. Then on to San Antonio, College Station and Dallas.
We shall see if I can hang.
We shall see if I can hang.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
new job FAIL
Just as my new boss calls me a godsend, i make a mistake that cost them a few thousand dollars.
Nice man. Really nice.
Nice man. Really nice.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Albert you are correct sir
Albert Einstein was asked what the most important question to ask was.
His answer?
Is the universe a friendly place?
This question is at the heart of your happiness in my opinion. It trickles down into everything you do. Your relationships, how you see yourself and your potential. Your success in your chosen profession. Everything.
I totally agree with him. I am doing my best to reprogram myself from all my negative patterns of thinking. Fear. Doubt. Insecurity. If the universe is truly friendly then I have nothing to fear.
His answer?
Is the universe a friendly place?
This question is at the heart of your happiness in my opinion. It trickles down into everything you do. Your relationships, how you see yourself and your potential. Your success in your chosen profession. Everything.
I totally agree with him. I am doing my best to reprogram myself from all my negative patterns of thinking. Fear. Doubt. Insecurity. If the universe is truly friendly then I have nothing to fear.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
continuing the trend
Played another show last night. I didn't think I would have the energy but I found it. I was on all cylinders.
So no wonder it took me until 4 this morning to fall asleep. I had to take nyquil to make it happen. That whole "so tired that you cant sleep" thing is very real. My body was heavy but my brain just raced until a few hours before I had to get up.
Some super well-known surprise DJ played after our set. In fact they asked us to cut our set short. We would have said fuck you and just kept playing but we thought the guy was one of the CO-OP people and cut a song.
Pissed us off when we realized who was asking us to do it. We showed up at 8. Tired, setting up the stage. We put together the nights bill except for them. I wish I would have known and told them to suck it. Lesson learned. Figure out who the decision maker is for that kind of thing is and tell everyone else to kiss our asses.
No more shows for awhile. Sleep. Glorious sleep. I didn't drink a drop of alcohol last night and think it was one of the best ideas I have ever had. Tired is one thing. Tired and hungover is nearly unbearable.
This last week was learning what I am physical capable of sustaining. And without sleep and moderate partying, its not very much.
So no wonder it took me until 4 this morning to fall asleep. I had to take nyquil to make it happen. That whole "so tired that you cant sleep" thing is very real. My body was heavy but my brain just raced until a few hours before I had to get up.
Some super well-known surprise DJ played after our set. In fact they asked us to cut our set short. We would have said fuck you and just kept playing but we thought the guy was one of the CO-OP people and cut a song.
Pissed us off when we realized who was asking us to do it. We showed up at 8. Tired, setting up the stage. We put together the nights bill except for them. I wish I would have known and told them to suck it. Lesson learned. Figure out who the decision maker is for that kind of thing is and tell everyone else to kiss our asses.
No more shows for awhile. Sleep. Glorious sleep. I didn't drink a drop of alcohol last night and think it was one of the best ideas I have ever had. Tired is one thing. Tired and hungover is nearly unbearable.
This last week was learning what I am physical capable of sustaining. And without sleep and moderate partying, its not very much.
Monday, March 15, 2010
im soooooo tired
Busy weekend of shows and another one tonight. Im very tired. I simply cannot hang like I used to. Any real tour is going to require me to keep a tight lid on my partying. But a great weekend overall. The 101x show was cool. Kevin and Demetria came down which was way cool.
For some reason the venue filmed a pizza commercial during the first two songs of our set. Totally lame. We refused to have our faces filmed so lets see if they respected our request.
I got stopped by a cop at 3am (definitely tipsy) and was let go with a warning. Not sure how that happened exactly but I am very grateful for it. Like screaming out loud grateful.
The show last night was ok. Muddy backstage area set me off a bit. But there was a decent sized crowd of folks who never saw us. A SXSW film student interviewed Alex and I afterwards for some project he is working on with the Alamo Drafthouse. I didn't say much. Alex did most of the talking. But they were nice guys and we totally dont mind being filmed for something like that.
Tonight is a show for a commune style living situation on campus called the 21st street CO-OP
SXSW starts wednesday. Everyone has parties they are RSVPing to and I just stare blankly at the screen wondering what to do. One of these years I am going to take it seriously and hit up everything I can think of. Buy the damn badge and just go wild.
Still keeping our fingers crossed a SX gig will manifest itself. Probably not. But maybe. No actually probably not.
For some reason the venue filmed a pizza commercial during the first two songs of our set. Totally lame. We refused to have our faces filmed so lets see if they respected our request.
I got stopped by a cop at 3am (definitely tipsy) and was let go with a warning. Not sure how that happened exactly but I am very grateful for it. Like screaming out loud grateful.
The show last night was ok. Muddy backstage area set me off a bit. But there was a decent sized crowd of folks who never saw us. A SXSW film student interviewed Alex and I afterwards for some project he is working on with the Alamo Drafthouse. I didn't say much. Alex did most of the talking. But they were nice guys and we totally dont mind being filmed for something like that.
Tonight is a show for a commune style living situation on campus called the 21st street CO-OP
SXSW starts wednesday. Everyone has parties they are RSVPing to and I just stare blankly at the screen wondering what to do. One of these years I am going to take it seriously and hit up everything I can think of. Buy the damn badge and just go wild.
Still keeping our fingers crossed a SX gig will manifest itself. Probably not. But maybe. No actually probably not.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
rodeo = ridiculous
oh my god what a wild weekend.
Shit was broken, blood was spilled, stuffed animals were stolen, my neck is sore for some reason.
Shit was broken, blood was spilled, stuffed animals were stolen, my neck is sore for some reason.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
This might be the coffee talking but....
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Our New PR Guy Michael
Is worth his weight in Gold.
He mentioned to the producer of several Spoon albums that we are looking to record later this year and the guy requested a copy of our EP to listen to.
I dont know how paying someone like that works but I hope hes not expecting us to sell a shit ton of records.
Lets just say I am not holding my breath. The producer of Spoon? Are you kidding?
In other news... I am hearing from third party sources some fantastic things being said about us from industry folk. An honest to goodness buzz.
The show last night was decent. I expected the sound to suffer and it did. But next week is Lamberts. Looking forward to it.
He mentioned to the producer of several Spoon albums that we are looking to record later this year and the guy requested a copy of our EP to listen to.
I dont know how paying someone like that works but I hope hes not expecting us to sell a shit ton of records.
Lets just say I am not holding my breath. The producer of Spoon? Are you kidding?
In other news... I am hearing from third party sources some fantastic things being said about us from industry folk. An honest to goodness buzz.
The show last night was decent. I expected the sound to suffer and it did. But next week is Lamberts. Looking forward to it.
Guilt
I don't know why when things are going good for me I have a consistent slight tinge of guilt/apprehension
Im not catholic. =P
But there's a superstitious part of me that feels like having it good is leading to some sort of inevitable fall or punishment. I am rational and understand this is purely my own issue but its still hard to shake. I hate it.
I am searching myself for answers. My Christian private school days? Something else?
I dig my life right now. I really do. But I feel guilty for it. Fearful.
I am scared my core is a true cynic no matter how much outward positivity I can muster. I am never fully in the moment of my good times. I hope Im not alone on this.
Im not catholic. =P
But there's a superstitious part of me that feels like having it good is leading to some sort of inevitable fall or punishment. I am rational and understand this is purely my own issue but its still hard to shake. I hate it.
I am searching myself for answers. My Christian private school days? Something else?
I dig my life right now. I really do. But I feel guilty for it. Fearful.
I am scared my core is a true cynic no matter how much outward positivity I can muster. I am never fully in the moment of my good times. I hope Im not alone on this.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
averting unemployment
I just had perhaps the closest call in my working life.
A webinar replay was scheduled to go down today.Somehow I failed to inform the necessary parties that said webinar was to be aired.
I was casually checking my email when I saw the reminder email for the webinar. For some reason I asked myself if I remembered to email the folks who would be replaying it.
Nope.
I realized this at 11:30. The webinar was scheduled to go down at noon. I bolted out the door, prayed the building wouldnt be locked and raced to the office to air it myself.
The door was unlocked. I barely made it.
This is the simplified version but I want to remember this day. It was the most focused determined 30 minutes i can recall. There is no reason why I should have remembered my slip up. I was planning on enjoying this beautiful day. I would have received a call when my boss realized he didnt notice the thousands of dollars that should be in his account. Thats when I would have remembered.
But as usual, unseen forces have my back. I am certain of this. It was the most random realization and not a second too soon.
GIANT BREATH OF RELIEF.
A webinar replay was scheduled to go down today.Somehow I failed to inform the necessary parties that said webinar was to be aired.
I was casually checking my email when I saw the reminder email for the webinar. For some reason I asked myself if I remembered to email the folks who would be replaying it.
Nope.
I realized this at 11:30. The webinar was scheduled to go down at noon. I bolted out the door, prayed the building wouldnt be locked and raced to the office to air it myself.
The door was unlocked. I barely made it.
This is the simplified version but I want to remember this day. It was the most focused determined 30 minutes i can recall. There is no reason why I should have remembered my slip up. I was planning on enjoying this beautiful day. I would have received a call when my boss realized he didnt notice the thousands of dollars that should be in his account. Thats when I would have remembered.
But as usual, unseen forces have my back. I am certain of this. It was the most random realization and not a second too soon.
GIANT BREATH OF RELIEF.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
This part-time job rocks
This part time thing is going to be cool. The guys at the company are super nice and excited to have me on board. The pay thing is hourly which is kind of weird and hard to quantify. Do I charge for just looking through their campaigns? I am meeting with their tech guy tonight to see how they structure their analytics. Do I charge for that? I will assume yes because my time is worth something to me. I was on the phone last night for an hour setting up my account with them. Do I charge for that?
My brain and my time is valuable so I say yes. I will make these guys money and I am not going to sell myself short here.
The coolest thing is the product is so closely tied to me as a person. Guitar how to info products? Insane how I was contacted by these people. They had no clue I was even into music. Things work out in weird cool ways sometimes.
My brain and my time is valuable so I say yes. I will make these guys money and I am not going to sell myself short here.
The coolest thing is the product is so closely tied to me as a person. Guitar how to info products? Insane how I was contacted by these people. They had no clue I was even into music. Things work out in weird cool ways sometimes.
Monday, February 1, 2010
new song
We finished a new song yesterday. One of our best yet as a group. Seriously it capitalizes on all of our strengths and is a blast to play. Some minor work left but the overall structure is done. Solid harmonies, very dynamic and lots of energy.
It came together pretty easily compared to other songs we try to write so thats always a sign of something special.
We talked through it, hammered out differences in opinions (I was wrong about a couple things that became apparent eventually) and it just came together nicely. The scary thing about this is that I always fear it will be our last.
But this one going on the album for sure. I'm very excited about it. More than ever I want the whole process of recording from tracking to mastering to be top notch and give the songs the fidelity and production value they deserve.
It came together pretty easily compared to other songs we try to write so thats always a sign of something special.
We talked through it, hammered out differences in opinions (I was wrong about a couple things that became apparent eventually) and it just came together nicely. The scary thing about this is that I always fear it will be our last.
But this one going on the album for sure. I'm very excited about it. More than ever I want the whole process of recording from tracking to mastering to be top notch and give the songs the fidelity and production value they deserve.
Friday, January 29, 2010
busiest two hours of my life
Took off for lunch to drop off cds to a radio station who contacted us as well as take a parking lot phone call from a company that heard about my Google Adwords experience from a friend of a friend and wanted to talk about working for them in some capacity.
I have never seen two hours disappear like that.
I met the radio station lady and she was very polite and thankful that I brought her the CDs. She works for a radio program I have heard called Texas Music Matters so hopefully we will be on that program.
Then while driving back I had to pull over to talk marketing with two guys.
Looks like I have a chance to make a little extra cash working for a company that sells guitar how to info products online. I was able to talk shop with the guy (well I might add) and he was impressed and excited to have me on-board.
Looks like its going to be an 8-10 hour/wk thing for awhile and then we will go from there. I am very excited by this. Doing that kind of thing full time would be a great job. First things first. Do right by them and see what happens.
Great Friday. And its getting better tonight.
I have never seen two hours disappear like that.
I met the radio station lady and she was very polite and thankful that I brought her the CDs. She works for a radio program I have heard called Texas Music Matters so hopefully we will be on that program.
Then while driving back I had to pull over to talk marketing with two guys.
Looks like I have a chance to make a little extra cash working for a company that sells guitar how to info products online. I was able to talk shop with the guy (well I might add) and he was impressed and excited to have me on-board.
Looks like its going to be an 8-10 hour/wk thing for awhile and then we will go from there. I am very excited by this. Doing that kind of thing full time would be a great job. First things first. Do right by them and see what happens.
Great Friday. And its getting better tonight.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Suprising Quote of the Day
"Where is my faith? Even deep down ... there is nothing but emptiness and darkness ... If there be God—please forgive me. When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul ... How painful is this unknown pain—I have no Faith. Repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal, ... What do I labor for? If there be no God, there can be no soul. If there be no soul then, Jesus, You also are not true."
- Mother Teresa
- Mother Teresa
Monday, January 25, 2010
Viva Conan
Watched the final episode of The Tonight Show With Conan tonight.
Pretty inspiring. He left with some very classy final comments about the whole NBC debacle and even choked up a little. I highly doubt this is the last I will see of him but it was still a cool moment in television.
(Some may say that walking away with some 30 million in cash probably makes it a bit easier)
But the funny thing is I look at Conan and I honestly believe its not about the money for him and never has been. I saw him on Charlie Rose and it was cool to see him being completely serious for an hour talking about his career.
Tom Hanks was one of the guests for this final episode and was talking about how he remembers him being one of the unseen writers for SNL (Arguably during its heyday... coincidence? I doubt it)
The guy is truly funny. He wrote some of the best episodes of the Simpsons for God's sake. The guy has helped shape my idea of what funny is in more ways than I realized.
I doubt when he was sweating away in the SNL dungeon with Robert Smigel he was imagining what it would be like to walk away from NBC with 30 million. He was just doing what he does best.
This final episode tonight is especially interesting to me because I have been going back and forth with this whole "do what you love"/"think about your future thing" for awhile now.
I was reading about Britt Daniel of Spoon today as well, and in 2003 during some of their first strokes of critical acclaim someone asked him if he was making a good living. He said something about it barely covering his rent for a few months and then he had to be doing something else. Lying? Maybe. But I doubt it. The life of an indie artist without major label funding can be pretty shoestring.
But once again... its not about that. And I am starting to understand this whole thing on a level I have never really "gotten" before.
Adulation, wealth, acclaim all these things sound pretty sweet. But if there isn't some kernel in you that is doing it for no other reason than you feeling like its what you HAVE to do and truly feel life is better when you do it then you are wasting your time and time of the people who have to sit through it.
Conversely if you are doing something you despise and feel like you HAVE to do it then that's an even bigger travesty and worth examining very carefully.
I think this idea is the root of a lot of people's mid life crisis' and total breakdowns when they get older. There are so many pretty illusions to chase and unless you get real fucking honest with yourself you end up chasing them for years before realizing it was all for nothing. Or the payoff wasn't worth what you lost.
Even crazier is how people can end up convincing themselves that the bullshit is the actual prize. That's pretty terrifying.
So no this isn't some excuse as to why I am 31 and don't have much of a savings account. That's something I definitely need to work on and have no excuse but my own bad planning.
This is about having to remind myself to stick to that thing that makes me feel like I am alive regardless of how many people scoff at it or think its a waste. And I need to keep reminding myself because its easy to get caught up in the illusion. Its easy to ignore how important it is to find that pure, undiluted joy that comes from going after all those crazy harebrained schemes.
Because when I'm dying I'm pretty sure that's the stuff that will make me smile.
Pretty inspiring. He left with some very classy final comments about the whole NBC debacle and even choked up a little. I highly doubt this is the last I will see of him but it was still a cool moment in television.
(Some may say that walking away with some 30 million in cash probably makes it a bit easier)
But the funny thing is I look at Conan and I honestly believe its not about the money for him and never has been. I saw him on Charlie Rose and it was cool to see him being completely serious for an hour talking about his career.
Tom Hanks was one of the guests for this final episode and was talking about how he remembers him being one of the unseen writers for SNL (Arguably during its heyday... coincidence? I doubt it)
The guy is truly funny. He wrote some of the best episodes of the Simpsons for God's sake. The guy has helped shape my idea of what funny is in more ways than I realized.
I doubt when he was sweating away in the SNL dungeon with Robert Smigel he was imagining what it would be like to walk away from NBC with 30 million. He was just doing what he does best.
This final episode tonight is especially interesting to me because I have been going back and forth with this whole "do what you love"/"think about your future thing" for awhile now.
I was reading about Britt Daniel of Spoon today as well, and in 2003 during some of their first strokes of critical acclaim someone asked him if he was making a good living. He said something about it barely covering his rent for a few months and then he had to be doing something else. Lying? Maybe. But I doubt it. The life of an indie artist without major label funding can be pretty shoestring.
But once again... its not about that. And I am starting to understand this whole thing on a level I have never really "gotten" before.
Adulation, wealth, acclaim all these things sound pretty sweet. But if there isn't some kernel in you that is doing it for no other reason than you feeling like its what you HAVE to do and truly feel life is better when you do it then you are wasting your time and time of the people who have to sit through it.
Conversely if you are doing something you despise and feel like you HAVE to do it then that's an even bigger travesty and worth examining very carefully.
I think this idea is the root of a lot of people's mid life crisis' and total breakdowns when they get older. There are so many pretty illusions to chase and unless you get real fucking honest with yourself you end up chasing them for years before realizing it was all for nothing. Or the payoff wasn't worth what you lost.
Even crazier is how people can end up convincing themselves that the bullshit is the actual prize. That's pretty terrifying.
So no this isn't some excuse as to why I am 31 and don't have much of a savings account. That's something I definitely need to work on and have no excuse but my own bad planning.
This is about having to remind myself to stick to that thing that makes me feel like I am alive regardless of how many people scoff at it or think its a waste. And I need to keep reminding myself because its easy to get caught up in the illusion. Its easy to ignore how important it is to find that pure, undiluted joy that comes from going after all those crazy harebrained schemes.
Because when I'm dying I'm pretty sure that's the stuff that will make me smile.
cool sunday
Played frisbee golf with Dave yesterday. Gorgeous weather.
We then went to a totally lame Haiti benefit concert. It was just a bunch of Texas artists which means boring Americana. I sort of expected it to suck but it felt good to give to a very good cause. All proceeds went to it, so my $30 was well spent.
Also caught a Karaoke championship. That was a trip. These people pulled out all the stops with insane costumes, props and group singing. Decent sound setup so that was surprising. Very entertaining. Made me want to do something like that with a fun group of people.
Good weekend.
We then went to a totally lame Haiti benefit concert. It was just a bunch of Texas artists which means boring Americana. I sort of expected it to suck but it felt good to give to a very good cause. All proceeds went to it, so my $30 was well spent.
Also caught a Karaoke championship. That was a trip. These people pulled out all the stops with insane costumes, props and group singing. Decent sound setup so that was surprising. Very entertaining. Made me want to do something like that with a fun group of people.
Good weekend.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
interesting night
show recap:
Overall a good, dare I say it, a great show.
Just got home. Exhausted. I didn't sleep well last night and felt heavy all day. I would say I was at a 6 or 7 in energy but there were a few factors making up for my atypical energy level.
The lights: Wow
They recently invested in a new light system. We had colors of every kind and all kinds of flashing things happening. I played to blackness most of show because the lights erased all trace of the audience from the stage.
The sound: The stage was big and the sound was a top notch, touring band kind of sound. A few people including Abe said it was the best we have ever sounded. I felt just okay with my performance but the sound aspect was indeed one of our best.
Cool stuff to mention:
A girl grabbed me and told me we were great. Then she said "Do you want my honest opinion?" I was like "of course" and she said that even though our sound wasn't exactly her style ("a little too poppy for me") she still could tell that our arrangements and our talent was apparent and we were good.
I think thats the kind of compliment that I remember most. Winning people over who arent necessarily into us as much as just having an outsider appreciation for what we do.
Finally the coolest aspect of the evening and what made it totally worth it:
The owner came up to use right after the set and said we tore it up. He then saw me at the bar a little later and said people were coming up to him asking who we were. The coup de gras came when Daniel went to collect the money and asked... "So not sure we are on par with what you are used to, but we'd love to play another show". He told Daniel that we were a great candidate to open for a nationally touring act and gave him his info.
Thats it for me. Mission accomplished. I am beyond exhausted but that is some fantastic news and what made the night worth it. The owner said we kicked serious ass. Done.
Also received an email today from a PR firm but before I expound on that I am going to see if it was a mass emailed thing or specifically for us. Its wild if its true though.
Overall a good, dare I say it, a great show.
Just got home. Exhausted. I didn't sleep well last night and felt heavy all day. I would say I was at a 6 or 7 in energy but there were a few factors making up for my atypical energy level.
The lights: Wow
They recently invested in a new light system. We had colors of every kind and all kinds of flashing things happening. I played to blackness most of show because the lights erased all trace of the audience from the stage.
The sound: The stage was big and the sound was a top notch, touring band kind of sound. A few people including Abe said it was the best we have ever sounded. I felt just okay with my performance but the sound aspect was indeed one of our best.
Cool stuff to mention:
A girl grabbed me and told me we were great. Then she said "Do you want my honest opinion?" I was like "of course" and she said that even though our sound wasn't exactly her style ("a little too poppy for me") she still could tell that our arrangements and our talent was apparent and we were good.
I think thats the kind of compliment that I remember most. Winning people over who arent necessarily into us as much as just having an outsider appreciation for what we do.
Finally the coolest aspect of the evening and what made it totally worth it:
The owner came up to use right after the set and said we tore it up. He then saw me at the bar a little later and said people were coming up to him asking who we were. The coup de gras came when Daniel went to collect the money and asked... "So not sure we are on par with what you are used to, but we'd love to play another show". He told Daniel that we were a great candidate to open for a nationally touring act and gave him his info.
Thats it for me. Mission accomplished. I am beyond exhausted but that is some fantastic news and what made the night worth it. The owner said we kicked serious ass. Done.
Also received an email today from a PR firm but before I expound on that I am going to see if it was a mass emailed thing or specifically for us. Its wild if its true though.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Tonight baby
No clue what to expect. Every single show I have ever played has always had something about it that I did not expect. Crowd size smaller or larger than anticipated. Audience reactions being lukewarm when I thought we kicked ass. Audience response being incredible when i thought we sucked ass. Sound being shitty/great, soundmen being shitty/nicer than expected, etc.
So tonight is going to be interesting. I have seen 3 separate facebook events created for this and each has a decent amount of people as confirmed guests. I am actually a little nervous for this one. Its the 4th top pick for things to do this evening in Austin. on http://do512.com/
In other news we have befriended an amazing soundguy who wants to work with us specifically and help us book shows and be there at others to handle the sound. This is huge because shitty soundmen are common and this guy takes his craft very seriously and only works with a few people in this capacity.
And just this very second a girl texted me saying she is driving with her windows down listening to one of our songs.
I hope 2010 keeps this momentum. I'll have to beat my inner-cynic up and tell him to shut his stupid mouth for a change.
So tonight is going to be interesting. I have seen 3 separate facebook events created for this and each has a decent amount of people as confirmed guests. I am actually a little nervous for this one. Its the 4th top pick for things to do this evening in Austin. on http://do512.com/
In other news we have befriended an amazing soundguy who wants to work with us specifically and help us book shows and be there at others to handle the sound. This is huge because shitty soundmen are common and this guy takes his craft very seriously and only works with a few people in this capacity.
And just this very second a girl texted me saying she is driving with her windows down listening to one of our songs.
I hope 2010 keeps this momentum. I'll have to beat my inner-cynic up and tell him to shut his stupid mouth for a change.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Coachella
I probably cant go but man the lineup looks fantastic this year.
(which makes this post title misleading... oh well)
Got a short check this pay period. Someone input that I worked 52 hours rather than 72. So yeah considerably smaller paycheck. Still waiting on word on when I get it.
I applied to 2 jobs. But the resume is very simple. I dont even know how they should look these days. I pretty much have 0 formatting. Just 2 pages of qualifications. I realized I haven't had a proper job that required a resume in years.
We have a pretty cool show Friday at the Parish and I am nervous and excited about it.
I have been once again considering trying my hand at a comedy open mic. This is something I go round and round with as the years trickle by and I will one day do it. Its totally terrifying to me. It has nothing to do with playing music so its totally foreign. I figured I have to have a good sense of humor about it because I am going to suck, no question about it.
I thought about starting with a joke about how I like Wikipedia because its like cliff notes that may or may not be true. Then some comment about Fat Albert being one of the principle existentialist philosophers (and doubting it).
Yeah that's all i have so far. I would definitely have to bring some support with me. But I have few people that come to mind right now. sad.
(which makes this post title misleading... oh well)
Got a short check this pay period. Someone input that I worked 52 hours rather than 72. So yeah considerably smaller paycheck. Still waiting on word on when I get it.
I applied to 2 jobs. But the resume is very simple. I dont even know how they should look these days. I pretty much have 0 formatting. Just 2 pages of qualifications. I realized I haven't had a proper job that required a resume in years.
We have a pretty cool show Friday at the Parish and I am nervous and excited about it.
I have been once again considering trying my hand at a comedy open mic. This is something I go round and round with as the years trickle by and I will one day do it. Its totally terrifying to me. It has nothing to do with playing music so its totally foreign. I figured I have to have a good sense of humor about it because I am going to suck, no question about it.
I thought about starting with a joke about how I like Wikipedia because its like cliff notes that may or may not be true. Then some comment about Fat Albert being one of the principle existentialist philosophers (and doubting it).
Yeah that's all i have so far. I would definitely have to bring some support with me. But I have few people that come to mind right now. sad.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
underestimated
I sat down and wrote out all my skills, then checked some online job postings. I am more than qualified for a lot of these jobs. I have more stuff in my head then I realized.
I am going to apply.
I am going to apply.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Big Freaking Awesome News
101x Homegrown Live contacted us to play a show in March. Its a special edition of Homegrown Live. Andy Langer's "The Next Big Thing" show at Ghost Room.
Heavily hyped on the radio station. Were on the bill with Oh No Oh My. Im calling everyone for this one.
Heavily hyped on the radio station. Were on the bill with Oh No Oh My. Im calling everyone for this one.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Buckley did it
I think the sexiest line in a song in the history of the universe goes to Jeff Buckley...
29 pearls in your kiss
a singing smile
coffee smell and lilac skin
Your flame in me
29 pearls in your kiss
a singing smile
coffee smell and lilac skin
Your flame in me
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Hole in the Wall
Wow. Great freaking show.
The mix was unlike anything I have ever had on stage. HUGE monitors that just envelope you with what you are doing allowing you to just lose yourself in it.
The sound guy was killer. I had actually heard of him and he had heard of us. He was very impressed after the show so that is cool.
Our transitions between songs are getting solid. Despite some issues like my power cutting out for an entire song I kept cool and just focused on singing right. A couple moments of jiggling the power strip brought the signal back and we were on track again.
The energy in the place was amazing. People were yelling more than usual. I was jumping around more than usual. Mikes new bass was thumping the fuck out of the place. It was a wonderful feeling.
Everything was crisp, tight and focused. I sung at about an 85% comfort level. Still working on it.
The pics look good. Our friend Sarah took them and she should be getting them posted somewhere soon.
These kinds of shows are going to solidify us as a great live act. I am proud and thankful to be able to do this and look forward to a stage/sound setup like that again very soon.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Here we are
2010. I had a hell of a new years. Probably one of the best in many years. Fingers crossed the rest of the year keeps this up. ;)
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