thanksgiving recap

this was a great thanksgiving. We had something like 22 people at my aunt's house. The kids are getting big and the bulk of the adults are still staunch republicans. I kept my mouth shut about how my uncle and aunt said they would vote for Sarah Palin as PRESIDENT "in a heartbeat".

just let it go man.

We played games and talked about memories. The food was excellent and I felt good for the most part. Except Thursday night. I had perhaps the worst sore throat I have ever had in my life. Its like the last several days worth of illness collected into a tiny spot in the back of my throat and gave me hell most of the night. Daggers.

Now its back to work, interviewing drummers and trying to start a side business to get me out of financial mediocrity.

Dating and being in a band

The parallels to dating and being in a band are so close its scary.

I keep going through waves of emotion from knowing he could have dedicated himself more if he really wanted it, to being on his side because his acting is his real passion, and then back to hating him again. He plays in another band that is actually going on a small tour in January. This is like cheating or something twisted like that.

Then its like fuck it. He doesn't want to be a part of this anymore. Fine.

So is it me? Is it the material? Fuck it either way!

The landscape of new musicians seems too big to conquer. Every person who responds feels like a big mystery we have to uncover, and time must be spent to find out if hes a good fit. Time and energy invested on something that could be better spent elsewhere. I dont want to find a new drummer. I want our old one to be cool.

I am confidentit will be fine, then I am not. Then I am again. Perverse parallels. A band is truly a relationship of sorts and I feel the loss.

I did finish a good song the other day. Its about winter. I like winter imagry.

Here are the lyrics...

I'm throwing in the towel
extend the branches out
its time
when you come around
holding up the stars in the sky

in winter's fading light
winters fading light
I wont let you down this time

the smell of coffee grounds
look at what we found
alright!
that kind of love surrounds
youre smiling at me with your eyes

in winters fading light
winters fading light
I finally move like Im alive

singing only vowels
making sure the owls
are in time
listen to the sound
as the world is covered up in white

in winters fading light
winters fading light
I wont let you down tonight

responses coming in

got a guy from Berklee College of Music who can play like 6 instruments who is very interested.

Craigslist works people. Use it for something in your life and watch what happens.

level headed me

the guys are worried. its definitely a sea change for us. But something I felt was inevitable. I know what makes up my character is found in moments like this and I refuse to accept nothing less than total control of my emotions.

I listened to the EP tonight and felt 2 of these said emotions. One was bittersweet with a tinge of fear for losing an amazing drummer and 2 was holy shit I cannot let this crumble, its fucking good stuff. and our new stuff is even better so there's nothing to do but keep going.

I hope the guys can keep their heads together. We have an EP to finish by the new year and a drummer to prep for shows.

Drummer-less

Well after a year of mostly great things, we've hit a roadblock. Travis our insanely talented and very flaky drummer told us we need to find a new drummer. His life is too hectic to give us his full attention.

No hard feelings but the show must go on. Literally. Here is the new ad I am about to post on craigslist. (and yes the band got started via craiglist so viva technology)

"Subject line: Argh! Now is not the time to lose a drummer!!!

We are a band called Legs Against Arms who have been together about a year. A new EP is in the final stages (months in the working). Brand new website nearly complete. We have played several decent venues around town, including Emo's opening for Oh No, Oh My and Corto Maltese. A review of that show is a quick Google search away.

Anyway, Murphy's Law is a bitch and we are now without a drummer. He was good.

So this is an ad in search of a drummer who knows what he/she is doing.

A drummer who thinks more like a musician instead of just a drummer. someone who understands dynamics, volume control, and structure.

A drummer who can soft rock one second and then furiously indie rock dance party USA the next.

Someone who can practice at least twice a week. We are flexible with schedules but this project is also a priority for us.

Someone who is fun, positive and just a cool person to be around.

We understand you are not our old drummer and expect new energy to change things around a bit. We look forward to what you bring to the table.

http://www.myspace.com/legsagainstarms
www.legsagainstarms.com

We're a bit reluctant to show our myspace because everything else we play sounds nothing like these two songs. These songs are on the outskirts of our style but its all we have until the EP is released yada yada.

But now would be a good time to join us. We have passed our "new band" stage and have solid material and can get shows relatively easily. Who knows what this EP will do for us.

Feel free to pass this on to anyone who might be interested. We'd like to meet someone ASAP and get prepped for shows. Thanks."

This will not stop us.

Death of the Internet

If this is coming down the pipe in a few years we are screwed

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2008/120608_a_death.htm

Imagine if a bunch of corporations came together and forced us to pay a subscription for access to fractions of the web. Rather than have access to everything once you sign on, they have agreements in place so you can only visit a handful of sites. You then pay extra for other sites almost like cable TV. Some sites wont even be available anymore. The internet as you know it would be dead.

Its much more complex than this but apparently the infrastructure to do this in the next several years is already in place. Yikes. Now I'm not a conspiracy theorist but this site is saying there are plenty of mainstream media sources verifying this. Check it out and make your own decision.

I have a hard time imagining this will actually happen but this would really suck if it did.

Nerd Alert - Ico

so im not much of a gamer but I am obsessed with getting to play this game called Ico. Its on the Playstation 2 (which from what I hear is now waaaay outdated) but its heralded as more of a work of art than a video game.

Youre basically this little boy, banished from your village and locked in an enormous castle and you meet a little girl also in the castle. You have to help her escape and protect her from these shadow creatures trying to capture her soul. So the game is you guiding her through this very richly designed world and its full of subtleties like the controller doing things to simulate you holding her hand and an almost complete lack of dialogue and music. The music that is available is supposedly on par with a film soundtrack and apparently it has an incredible ending. Every review says its the most original game they have ever played and it completely changed the face of gaming. Strangely it was a commercial flop but became a cult classic later.

"On the most basic level, the challenge is just to move from point A to point B, overcoming the inanimate obstacles in between. As an experience, though, it's almost impossible to describe.

Ico is short, Ico is quiet, and Ico is in fact nearly incomprehensible. It has an action quotient very close to zero. It has a story, but you see and hear only tiny hints and snatches, spending most of the game on one side of an impenetrable language barrier. So what is there to actually recommend this game, given that I do recommend it almost without reservation? The experience.

The feeling of simply being in the world that Ico creates is one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen in a videogame. The visuals, sound, and original puzzle design come together to make something that is almost, if not quite, completely unlike anything else on the market, and feels wonderful because of it. The sensation is like a very strange dream -- a little frightening, a little beautiful, intriguing throughout -- and its only main problem is the same one all dreams suffer from. It's over a good deal sooner than you might like."

I cant wait. I hope its available in Austin.