Thursday, December 30, 2010

Time suck...

I wonder how much time I wasted on the internet, tweeting, trolling facebook, watching TV this year...

Enough time to:
- learn how to do a proper drum roll?
- figure out how to format the metadata of an mp3 with album arwork and track details?
- write 30 more songs?
- read Chase 100 more books?
- take Rachel out to dinner 26 more times?
- write 50 more blog posts?
- see 15 more instances of live theater?

...

I should rethink the next time I want to use the excuse, "I didn't have enough time"...

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Christmas Shopping

'I have only been to the mall once this holiday shopping season.  And it definitely felt different than years past: not as crowded, no urgency, more people just looking instead of ponying up and buying.  Times are tight.  And it shows...

The thing I love the most about Christmas shopping is people watching.  There's a desperation to Christmas shoppers.  Is this the right gift?  I hope they have the right size.  Man, my kid is gonna hate this toy.  Crap, they don't have the earrings my girlfriend wants.  I never get the right gift for my husband...

I'll be in the thick of it again later tonight.  Christmas shopping on the 22nd is going to be pretty rad...

Hopefully, I won't have the deer in the headlights look that a lot of other shoppers have...

And hopefully, I remember that it really is the thought that counts.  If you have a story behind your gift, then it's the right gift.  If you're just going off a list, you might as well just get gift cards.  Gifts should have personal touch and love all over them.  I don't want to know what you want for Christmas.  I want to come up with it myself.  Because you're my friend, brother, sister, mom, dad, son, fiance... and I love you and want this gift to be a symbol of that love.

Sure, you can tell me what you want.  But, if we're really as close as I hope we are, I should already have a pretty good idea...

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Oh Girl is recording soon...

The stars have aligned.  The planets are in all of their correct houses.  And adulthood has opened a tiny window of opportunity...

Oh Girl is tracking drums on Saturday.

And I'm very excited to finally start doing more work on the singles we'll be releasing next year.  Like everything else Oh Girl, it's happening when it can, we're not forcing it, organic, organic, organic, "Hey, you wanna record?", "Sure, I'm down", "Sweet, let's make it happen"...

Oh yeah, we have a show, too.  With this band, when it rains, it pours.  And it literally might be pouring on Sunday.  So say the meteorologists...

Goals for Saturday's tracking session:

- Focus on the feel not the technique
- Have fun
- Document for posterity (not just the tracks, but the actual recording experience)
- Lots of pictures

That is all.  I'm so excited.  I can barely contain myself... ;alsfkhgpaoisrhgpoadjnbaowripghpaowt120389tru

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Beginning...

... is always fun.

The puppy love stage.  The making up the band name phase.  The learning everyone's name in the office time period...

It's easy to stay motivated during the beginning, too.  You need to impress your new love.  Shit, I've gotta make sure all these songs that I introduce are good.  I better double and triple check these emails so I don't sound like an idiot.

But then, the beginning turns into... everyday life.  And that's when it gets hard, when you need to focus, when you pass or fail.

You don't succeed in the beginning.  You succeed when you realize that everything after the beginning still needs the emotional investment you made in the beginning.

That being said I love my job, my band, my fiance, my son, and my family.  Even more than I did "in the beginning"...

Monday, December 6, 2010

Patience

I have a lot... and at times, none at all...

Now, now, now, not later, just now, no waiting, stop stalling, get off your ass, get it now, don't wait, don't put in the time, just win the lottery, just get the raise, don't pay your dues, stop practicing, stop paying attention to details, fly by the seat of your pants, now, now, now...

Easy to say when you're 19 and living in the dorms and getting a check from financial aid for books and food and housing and all you have to worry about is finishing the paper and learning the lines and remembering the choreography and the directions to the party...

Not so much when you're 29 and living with your fiance and 1 year old son and driving to work and trying to write music and chase a dream and put food on the table and keep the apartment clean and not drive your love crazy and keep your love safe and still get up in the morning and live up to your own expectations...

Patience.  Because it gets easier, but only if you put in the time.  And nothing worth having ever comes easily (or quickly)...

Wow... a profound quick stylee lunch post... (smirk)

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Weezer...

8 days ago I saw Weezer's first of two nights at the Gibson Amphitheater.  It was an absolutely amazing show.  I hadn't seen Weezer for 9 years (the last time I saw them was in 2001 down at UC San Diego).  I remember them being very, very boring.  Not this time around, though.  Rivers was non-stop energy.  For their greatest hits set, all four members were up front with Josh Freese drumming... so eggin' food.  And their blue album set was just like being able to worship at the altars of all things I enjoy in an album.  I was transported to 1994, and I didn't want to leave at the end of the night...

Here are some pics from the show:

 Best Coast was great.  Solid set, no frills, just good rockin'...

Rock for the masses

 The crowd in the palm of her hand

 Right before Weezer hit the stage

 Light show, rock show, please no, don't go

 Rivers a couple yards from me.  I shoulda ran up for a high five...

 Making his way back to the stage.  Give the man a hand

 Webmaster and Weezer guru Karl treated everyone to a killer slide show in between sets.  Here's an early Weezer flyer.  Karl explained that Club Dump went on to notoriety as the Viper Room.

Kiss Medallions but for Weezer as made by Mykel and Carli back in the day

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Larry David is a genius...

Curb Your Enthusiasm is on in the background, and all I can think is that Larry David is a genius.  I don't even watch this show... I've never seen an episode... I don't know the characters or any of the plotlines... but there's something about Larry David yelling at kids selling lemonade because their lemonade sucks that lets me know that he's a genius...

Is genius learned or are you born with it?  My educated guess is a little bit of both.  And a lot of luck.  And good timing.  And plenty of desire, latent or obvious...

I'm a genius.  You're a genius, too.  The only problem is that our brand of genius isn't popular yet...

I'm tired.  This genius is tired...  Larry David probably never gets tired.