I'm Excited About...

... a website that will hopefully make some waves in how music business is conducted: backsta.gr/

Well... damn...

I just read a thread about the website on Reddit, and now the only thing I'm excited about is not being a lawyer... Seriously, though. Red tape and the rabbit hole and compliance and legalese make me... so sad...

I'm really excited about going to my first Dodgers game of the season.

And about recording more music with Lexy Baeza.

And about posting my "Making of" video for the song "Be Boring" based on a chapter from Austin Kleon's Steal Like an Artist.

And about doing the RW Summer Running Streak 2012, which basically means I'm going to be running at least a mile a day from Memorial Day to Independence Day.

Yep... lots to be excited about!!!

Going Out on a Limb

You've got to put yourself out there.

Stick your head out.

Flirt with the possibility of falling off the cliff.

Take the low percentage shot because you feel in your gut that you can clear the water hazard and have that putt for eagle.

Go for the harder riff while you're tracking guitars (even though this has been your most solid take) because you know people will wonder how it all came together.

Start a two piece band that takes song suggestions from the crowd and makes up the music and lyrics on the spot because you can't wait to feel the sensation of being inches from falling flat on your face... or achieving sonic brilliance.

Take a chance.

What have you got to lose?

Create

Because you can. Because you must. Because it feels good.

I recorded a 3 song demo about my son Chase today in just under 2 and a half hours. And it was so much fun and the time flew and I can't wait to to do it again. Record. Music about something I love or something I hate or something I feel strongly about. Tell a story. Convey a message. Get on a soapbox. Become a participant, not just a spectator.

The behind the scenes video was fun, too. Less pretense, more content.

And consistently ship. Set deadlines. Test hypotheses and make adjustments and learn and soak things up like a sponge and regurgitate what you've learned and become better and become better and always strive to become better.

You can stream and download the demo here.

And here's the behind the scenes video!!

Things That Aren't Worth a Second Thought

Self-doubt, any types of doubt, living in the past, second-guessing yourself, making mistakes, falling flat on your face, breaking your diet, eating that burger, killing those fries, bigoted ideologies, haters, hatred, following trends, taking yourself too seriously, the Kings absolutely demolishing in the playoffs (begrudging congrats, Kings fans...), Kobe or Jordan, Brady or Manning, Tebow or Sanchez, Pacquiao or Mayweather, Kemp or Pujols, Lebron or Wade, Jared or Jeff, Battleship...

Oh, yeah.

The title of this post could also be: These Things Keep Glynn Awake Until 1:48am

Emo... Isn't Good for Anybody...

I've been emo a bit lately. So, let's change it up with a good old fashioned ramble...

Matt Kemp's on the 15 day DL for the Dodgers. But I'm happy to have read this article, which outlines why the Dodgers won't be that too badly out of shape without him.

Spotify is the best $10 I spend every month. I've been exposed to so much good music... older albums like the Miniature Tigers' masterpiece Tell It to the Volcano... newer jams like Schoolboy Q's Habits and Contradictions. I finally feel like I'm able to keep my promise to myself to constantly listen to new (and old!) music, and it's all thanks to Spotify.

Dropped off on running for the past 9 days. And I can feel it. I'm antsy. But with Rachel at the 3DT Box Office on the weekends and trying to play more guitar and keeping the house clean and cooking more instead of eating out... well, running was bound to take a hit. Wait... this post was supposed to avoid being emo... oh yeah...

I love going to Disneyland with my family. Chase is at an age where everything is interesting and he's curious and energetic and feisty and has opinions and Disneyland is the perfect place to keep him engaged and satiate that need for exposure to new things. And he loves the Monorail, which is a plus.

Word. Sweet. Holla. Play guitar more and so on and so forth...

Every Once in a While...

I just get tired.

Of working. Of sitting at a desk and worrying about other people's problems.

And that's the truth. It's not my problem. It's your problem. It's not something I can get behind. It's something I appreciate, but it's not something that I go to bed wondering about, at least not for the right reasons.

I want something to believe in. And I have something to believe in.

I just want to take away the safety net...

Live the Life You Want

It has to start somewhere
It has to start sometime
What better time than here
What better time than now

-Zack de la Rocha

This is a blog post to psyche myself up. Complacency begets complacency. If you want success, you have to work for it. You have to sacrifice. You have to sweat and cry and bleed.

Success isn't pretty. It's a million things behind the scenes. It's a tornado beneath the lake's calm surface.

Stop dreaming about the life you want and start living it.

Gay Marriage

"Homosexuals
should be able to marry."
How's this in question?

I can understand how someone would be against abortion. I can understand how someone would be against universal healthcare. I can understand how someone would be against gun control. I can understand how someone would be against affirmative action.

But I can NOT, for the life of me, understand how someone would be against homosexuals being able to marry... What logical argument is there...? Anyone...?

Making history... Obama Backs Gay Marriage

Ramble, Young Man, Ramble...

This blog is totes a ramble.

Writing a couple songs about a horrible, horrible situation right now. Empathy certainly makes better artists.

One liners are completely under(over)rated.

Sometimes it really is best to just shut your damn mouth.

How does my typing always wake her up?

Make time for friends.

A laundry list of to do something with your life time is a funny channel the energy and let it flow down the mountain top that you filthy animal animal animal!!!

Not quite stream of consciousness, but it'll do.

I remember waiting to do the pledge of allegiance and announcements when I was the president of ASB at St. Bruno's. Such a random memory to have while blogging. I'll bet I can remember the exact smell of that little room if I tried hard enough. That seems like a lifetime ago, seems like I might be making it all up, seems like it might never have happened... Funny how memories work. The actual items within and the container of...

I got nervous a lot when I was a kid. Nervous to read during mass. Nervous about which items to bring to the altar when I was an altar server. Nervous about going up to bat. Nervous about having a cool enough outfit on 70s day during spirit week. Where did all that nervousness come from? And why don't I feel it as strongly now as I did then? Everything seemed like it could be the end of the world when I was a kid. Maybe it feels like that for my son Chase. Maybe I should remember that the next time he's screaming for his Lightning McQueen...

I think the best part about blogging is thinking about the times in the future when you'll read your posts and either think, "Yeah. That's so true" OR "Ummm... what's wrong with me?"

Time to sleep...

My Hair is Not Perfect... but it's pretty close...

I have two cowlicks at the back of my head that have always pushed my hair into a natural mohawk.

Didn't bug me so much when I was super little, but then I became a tween and the "wave" hairstyle was in fashion and my hair didn't do that and I hated it because all I could do was buzz my hair because I couldn't get the "wave" hairstyle to be perfect.

Fast forward to late teens and Fight Club came out and Tyler Durden's hair was rad. But yeah... two cowlicks kept that from happening, too, so instead I grew my hair out and looked like this...

I turned 27 and a rad woman named Jeanna Pizzolo started working where I work and she does hair and starts to cut mine and I have found the absolute raddest stylist in the world she gets my hair and makes me look pretty like this...

And I've had this haircut for 2 days and each of the last 2 mornings I've tried to make my hair "perfect"... but "perfect" doesn't exist. It's a myth, a shadow, a ghost, the whisper and promise of something unattainable. So, I'm not gonna focus on "perfect" any more. I'm going to focus on imperfect and human and really effing good because it's a representation of me. And not just with my hair, but with my music, my blog, my work, my life. Strive for perfect, but deliver exceptional, deliver awesome, deliver great, deliver something worth remembering.

But having really good hair helps, too...

Sidenote: our room is so dirty it's embarrassing, and I half expect the film crew from Hoarders to be at our door any minute...

Keep Plugging Away

When things are going well... it's easy.

The Dodgers are winning = I'm such a huge fan!

The songs are just flowing = I want to play guitar all the time!

I feel good after every workout = I'm gonna run everyday!

...

But then things don't go so well, and you'd rather be doing anything else, like lying in bed watching TV, or lounging on the couch on your iPhone, or sitting at a computer looking at really expensive triathlon bikes.

Those are the times when it's most important to focus and stay motivated and keep plugging away. Because the pendulum will swing, the tide will turn, the momentum will shift... and things will become easy again.

On a sidenote... the muppet on top of Rachel's desk is really scary in the dark...

Break Through the Wall... and some Goals

It's fun to surprise yourself. To come up against a self-imposed wall and smash through it. Even if it's just on a run of the mill training run on a Tuesday in May...

If you keep pushing yourself past what you think you're capable of, you can't help but become more fit, become a better songwriter, develop a more entertaining and engaging stage presence.

Incremental improvement. Fastidiously measured and notated. Keep track of the time and distance run. Be aware of time spent strumming, writing, singing, developing your art. Test the recipe then do it again.

By the end of 2012, I would like to:

- Complete a sprint triathlon
- Have 5 Go-To recipes under my belt
- Record at least 10 songs
- Perform my acoustic material at least 6 times
- Finally have a clean house

Incremental improvement. Baby steps. And always be grateful and motivated and never take anything for granted.

Oh yeah... bomb haircut today... I am a rockstar...