You Win Some

You Lose Some

But the important thing is... 

... you picked up your guitar today. 

Life Happens

There's no escaping it. 

Where once ideal circumstances existed...

... now exist challenges and responsibilities. 

Make the time to play guitar. To write. To be creative. 

But not at the expense of the things that are your ultimate priority. 

Family first always. 

Especially when taken out by the norovirus. 

Disinfect every surface, people. 

Or suffer the consequences.......

And then... you feel guilty

For not keeping your promise. 

For failing to pickup your guitar. 

For putting other things, less important things, ahead of the things you want to accomplish. 

Not everything can be pushed aside, but not everything should pull focus either. 

Go play guitar and write a mini song and get back on a creative crawl. 

You'll feel better for it. 

When You Do Things Even If You Don't Want To

 You might end up with something really special by accident...

Missed Days

Missed days are opportunities. 

To re-assess motivation. 

To re-assess discipline. 

To come to terms with how much you really want to make this a positive habit. 

How much do you want it?

Will one day turn into two turn into a week turn into a lost opportunity?

Or will you figure your shit out and get back to one day at a time?

Drums or Guitar

If I had to choose... I think I would pick guitar. 

If only because the guitar is logistically less annoying than the drums. 

Volume-wise, setup-wise, technique-wise. 

But... thankfully I don't have to choose. 

The Bare Minimum

Doing the bare minimum is better than doing nothing at all. 

Keep going. 

You can do it. 

Flow State

It happens every so never. 

I'm playing guitar. 

And I'm singing. 

And it's not something I've played or sung before. 

And I have no idea where it's going to go. 

But it goes somewhere beautiful. 

And I couldn't have done it again if I tried. 

I'm chasing that feeling every... single... time...

Live Shows with a Band

Few things are more fun. 

When you're locked in as a group and things are clicking and the audience is grooving...

It feels like being a rockstar. 

I can only imagine what it would be like to have a packed house screaming along to a song I wrote. 

What a rush that would be...

No Guitar

 This is the first day of 2026 that I will not play guitar. 

Which is fine. I'm slightly bummed, but it also means I will be that much more motivated to get right back at it as soon as I have the chance. 

I miss my guitar, which is a solid feeling. It means I love it, too. 

Almost as much as I miss and love my family. 

But not quite...

Quick and Easy

 Quick and easy is surely better than slow and hard. 

...

Wait... what?

Discipline Beats Motivation and Inspiration

You're not always going to be feeling it. 

You won't always be running to write lyrics in your notes app or pick up that guitar to work on your manual dexterity. 

The skies will not always part to reveal that inspired guitar lick, lyrical couplet, or memorable melody. 

Better to rely on loving the process, putting yourself in a position for the magic to happen, but also finding magic in the act of showing up everyday and putting in the work. 

Keep the promise. 

Delayed Gratification

 To reach your goals, delayed gratification is a must. 

It would be way easier to doom scroll and play Fortnite and watch Netflix and YouTube rabbit hole and passively make your way through the night. 

But that does absolutely nothing to support your goals. 

So go pick up your guitar, post a mini cover, post a photo of this blog post, write a mini song, and listen to Let It Be by the replacements before you read a bit of Our Band Could Be Your Life. 

Keep your promise. 

Attention Span

Mine is short. 

Barely able to finish a 7 second TikTok short. 

Forget that I just exited an app and go back into it short. 

"Why did I come downstairs?" short...

It's a miracle I ever finish a song at all. 

Which is also why mini songs are so great. 

They're as short as my attention span. 

Look Back and Know that You Put Yourself Out There

Life is too precious and fleeting to spend it worried about protecting your ego. 

Put forth things that you are proud of and let the world's reception of them have no bearing on the knowledge that you love what you've created. 

The only opinion you should ultimately be worried about is your own. 

But keep in mind... commercial success extends beyond your own opinion. 

So what is your art worth to you? And what does your art stand for?

And do you do it for the sense of accomplishment and to give a piece of yourself back to the world? Or do you do it for a potential payday?

What Truly Matters

The path of distribution does not matter. 

What you create matters. 

Not how you get that creation in front of people. 

If you're falling in love with the systems that get your creation in front of people... it's time to recenter yourself on the creation. 

You are more than just your digital/social media footprint. 

Why Now?

I'm getting old. 

And I keep saying "someday"...

But I'm realizing someday is when you make it so. 

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. 

I'm making it so. Making the time. Writing the songs. Spending time with my guitar. Vocalizing my ideas into the world. 

A song a month in 2026. 

My time is now. 

This was a lot easier when I was in my 20s

I had all the time in the world. 

Except... I didn't. 

And now I purposely carve out time to work on music and writing and practicing guitar and singing. 

Which someone is more meaningful because it's intentional. 

Rather than just filling the time aimlessly. 

At least that's what I tell myself...

Make Sure the Guitar is Within Reach

 There are plenty of things commanding my attention these days. 

Family. 2 younger children. My teenage son. My amazing wife. Work. Household tasks. Listening to music. Reading. Social media. 

I made a pledge to play guitar every day as long as I'm not traveling for work. 

But... my attention gets pulled in all sorts of directions. 

So I make sure to leave my guitar where I will see it and be reminded to pick it up. 

In the kitchen. In the living room. In my workspace at home. 

It helps me keep my promise. 

Force Yourself to Do It

 When you don't feel like writing...

When you're uninspired...

When everything feels wrong...

Force yourself to write something...

A formulated idea. Something from nothing. 

It beats doom scrolling for another 30 minutes...

Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't

 So you might as well do. 

Action is better than inaction. 

Speaking in platitudes is... lazy? Unoriginal? A sign of being told what to think as opposed to thinking for yourself?

An original thought... can you come up with one?

So much has been thought of and forgotten by humanity already. 

Writing and erasing and editing is a waste of time. 

Your thoughts can end up being wrong. 

That's okay. 

You have permission to fail. As long as you learn from the failure. 

Habits

 Habits take time to build. 

Repetition and intentionality. 

Why did this all of sudden turn into pretentious ramblings. 

I think they're playing Coachella next year. 

Anyways, develop the habit of posting everyday.

Even if it's nonsense. 

Especially if it's nonsense because it's one of the many times the nonsensical will serve a purpose. 

Get It Done

 Literally the only thing you should be concerned with when it comes to your songwriting. 

Just get it done. 

5 Music Things That Make Me Happy At The Moment

Reading Our Band Could Be Your Life. 

Having picked up a guitar everyday so far this year. 

Hearing Chase play along to Metallica in his room.

Calloused fingertips.

Knowing I will be playing and writing later tonight.

Fun is the Point

Fun in the point. 

Not followers or likes or listeners or eyes and ears on your creations. 

Those things can enhance the fun. But they're not the sole provider of the fun. 

The fun comes from creating something from nothing. 

The fun comes from taking what's in your head and bringing it into the real world. 

Writing and playing chords that fit with sung words that tell a story and convey an emotion. 

THAT's the fun. 

And fun is the point. 

Don't get it twisted. 

One Person at a Time

Everyone has biases. 

If you're an artist and one of your biases is NOT "I am going to change the world" then what in the good god damn hell are you even doing?

And how do you change the world...?

One person at a time. 

And it starts with yourself. 

And it radiates outwards to your family and friends and then people who discover you and figure out for themselves that what you have to say matters to them. 

Here's to doing it one person at a time. 

New Music to Me- Pussy Whipped- Bikini Kill

It's hard to articulate but you can feel the Bikini Kill-Nirvana connection when you listen to this record. 

From a sonic perspective, the vocals are buried in the mix, but that doesn't detract from their impact. 

I listened to this album on my commute home and I was tired and I don't think I gave it a fair shake so in the spirit of the goal of listening to albums and digesting them, I'm giving it another listen at home while I write this. 

The first thing I notice is how locked in the music is. Intense and fast paced but complementary in the best sense. 

Kathleen's vocals draw you in and then punch you in the neck... in a good way?

The reclamation of the female sexual identity and power is prevalent throughout the album, specifically on Sugar. Kathleen Hanna knows the power women hold and she proclaims it confidently and with strength. 

Great riff to start Hamster Baby. 

Rebel Girl has a swagger to it. GREAT song. 

This album packs a TON into 24 minutes. Solid from start to finish. 

7.5/10

Never Too Late

I've been playing guitar since the summer of 2000. 

Over 25 years. Over half my life. 

And I've never taken it upon myself to push out of my comfort zone and really dig in to becoming a better player. 

I know some covers and am comfortable with open chords and power chords. But I know there's so much more. 

As I dig into writing and recording this year, I want to grow my guitar vocabulary so I can express myself more fully with this instrument that I love. 

Here's to always being open to learn, open to fail, open to being really, really bad at something before the work pushes you towards getting better. 

New Music to Me: What Makes a Man Start Fires- Minutemen

They're getting really good. 

There's a confidence here. And an even more pointed perspective. 

Three musicians, three artists locked in on their craft. 

Too many stand out songs to mention, but I do know I found myself grinning and oohing and ahhing several times throughout this first listen. 

Mike Watt is bringing the jazzy musicality on this record. 

George Hurley lays down a tight groove but explores the space and provides breath on each track. 

D. Boon noodles, but even the word noodle does him a disservice. This is playing for the song to its utmost, while also providing enough chops to make you want to run it back 15 seconds to really hear what's going on. 

My favorite listen so far this year. 

9.0/10

For the Right Reasons

 The right reasons:

- For fun

- For fulfillment

- For making the world a little bit of a better place

The wrong reasons:

- Accolades

- Recognition

Re-calibrate and get back to doing it for the right reasons. 

New Music to Me- fireparty- Fire Party

Context is everything. 

I can only imagine what it would have been like to be an all-female post-hardcore band in the 1986.

This is compilation of their two mini-LPs (6 songs and 8 songs) with 5 additional tracks  

The first track draws you in with feral, dare I say, erotic wailings. 

The first mini-LP (fire party) is droning guitar and bass and guttural moans and screeches. Their full album (New Orleans Opera) kicks in with tracks consisting of more melody and intricate instrumental work. 

Love the drum intro to Gethsemane. 

Amy Pickering's voice is infectious.

Overall the songs are good. Standouts include Pilate, Gethsemane, Basis, Are You On?, How To, and Stray Bullet.

It's easy to see why they chose to include additional tracks as they are all standouts in this compilation.

7.5/10

Slumping

Acknowledge it, and move on. 

It accomplishes absolutely nothing to dwell on the slump when you're in the middle of it. 

Change something. 

Get up and walk around. 

Listen to opera. 

Write a mini song playing only one note. 

Slumps are inevitable. Control what you can control. 

And you can 1000% control attitude and openness to whatever's on the other side of the slump...

The Rules

A Song A Month. 

Power trio. Guitar, bass, drums. Vocals. 

Self-recorded in Southern California by Glynn. 

Mixed in Berlin by Adrian. 

Les Paul Jr. Lite thru an Orange Mini Crush 3 Watt. 

Boss Distortion, Overdrive, and Chorus Pedals. 

SM-57 in the "guitar box". 

Nameless Bass direct thru my iRig.

Suitcase drumkit. 

Single mic placement. 

Lewitt LC240 Pro. 

Song titles are done. 

Songs must be 179 seconds or less. 

Keep your fucking promise. 

New Music to Me- The Punch Line- Minutemen

 Listening to this so closely to their initial EP makes it abundantly clear that the musicianship and the recording techniques improved DRASTICALLY for the band from 1980 to 1981.

There's a focus on the first track, and they craft a solid opener in 53 seconds.

Musicality in such a tight space is impressive.

I'm not paying attention to the lyrics... which I think is missing a big point if not THE point of their music.

The Struggle... intro is great. Ya... not a fan of the vocal... the lower pitched one, which I think is Mike Watt...?

It's very jazzy, which begs the question... could a more catchy and mainstream band succeed within such a constrained timeframe of songs? Repetition is such a big part of developing the hook.

There's a very slam poetry feel to the songs. Music and lyrics punctuating each other.

History Lesson is the most memorable track IMO.

18 songs, 15 minutes. Hot damn that is a SPRINT.

7.5/10

New Music to Me- Paranoid Time- Minutemen

 It's rough. It's fast. It's poetic.

7 songs. 6 minutes.

For such a short work of music, it's impact is lasting.

Is it my bag? Kind of? I'm not the biggest fan of the vocals, but they fit the vibe.

It's taken me longer to write this than it did to listen to the EP...

7.1/10

If YOU Like It That's All That Matters

 As an artist, writer, musician, creator of things... you need to come to terms with the fact that the only thing that matters is if you like it and are proud of it. 

The second you start chasing accolades and recognition and letting that dictate what you do is the second you start to unconsciously tweak your creations in the potentially wrong direction. 

And, truthfully, if pandering is what it takes to be a success, is it even worth it?

... says the person with marginal success...

It is but it isn't...

Write What You Know

Writer's block is real.

To fight it, write what you know. 

What did you have for dinner? Is there something coming up you're excited about? Who was your grade school crush? Where did you see the first sunset you can remember?

Writer's block happens when we try too hard. 

Get back to basics and write what you know. 

New Music to Me- Sports by Modern Baseball

Re-do- can't get mad at a banger album opener.

Hours outside in the snow: I'm a sucker for a half time break.

Re-done- damn that drum lick/groove is really good.

Cooke- dynamics are great.

Play Ball!- vocal harmonies make me go a rubbery one.

Coals- I need to revisit for the lyrics. I love the lack of resolution at the end.

I very much feel Weakerthans meets Manchester Orchestra.

7.9/10

New Music To Me: Damaged- Black Flag

 What a rush this must have been in 1981. 

Songs that impacted me on the first spin:

TV Party aka "Get off your damn couch and stop consuming and do some real shit".

Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie- the vocals sans instruments to begin and end the song are (chef's kiss).

Depression... those first guitar chords feel so somber. 

Life of Pain- It feels like the album builds to this point. Henry sounds so desperate but hopeful but angry but concerned.

Annnnnnd... googling Black Flag today shows how far they've come... or, you could argue, how far they've fallen. But that's a topic for another post  

8.5/10

Just To Do It

 Doing things just to do them sounds like a wonderful idea. 

Some things need to be done just because. 

Not everything needs to be life changing, but everything is life changing. Literally... every moment is life changing. We just need to pay attention. 

Finding A New Song

 When I find a song that's new, either actually or only new to me, and it tickles the part of my brain that releases dopamine into my system...

Damn. 

Is there anything better...?

Someone Needs Your Art

 In the midst of everything, someone out there needs your art. 

But only if it's authentically yours. 

The audience can spot a pretender right away. 

Find your voice and yell from the rooftops with it. 

Because someone needs your art. 

Thoughts on Tracking

For reasons even I can't fully comprehend or explain, I am in the market for a second iRig microphone pre-amp to give me the ability to record two microphones at the same time. 

I point out the lack of reasoning because the method I am currently considering is pretty damn close to the least efficient way to multitrack. 

I will need to:

1. Setup two separate phones with their own iRig preamps and microphones. 

2. Press record on one of the phones

3. Press record on the other phone

4. Provide some sort of loud noise to create a sync point for the tracks

5. Record

6. After recording, export one of the tracks as a WAV file

7. Drop it in to the main project file

8. Sync the tracks based on the sync point 

It would be far easier to just get a multitrack interface like a Focusrite 2i2. 

But... I feel as if I won't record if it's on to my laptop. I have no idea why...

And I want to create as little barriers to recording as possible. 

And also, maybe... I'm self sabotaging and creating excuses for when things don't sound how I want them to sound...

Ugh... I need to carve out some time to record. 

Plays Poorly With Others and Musings on Turning Ideas into Reality

 This time I'll get it right. 

I know exactly what I need to do. 

---

About 45 voice memo ideas going back to the beginning of December. 

It's time to sift through and look for diamonds in the rough. And then sit with the ideas that have potential and tend to them and water them and watch them grow. 

Wait... are they diamonds or crops? Mixing metaphors is potentially confusing. 

What To Do When It All Feels Wrong

Pick up your guitar anyway. 

Play a favorite cover. 

Strum a song you've written that you love. 

Listen to some new music. 

Go for a walk. 

Take a shower. 

Write. Write. Write. 

Even when it feels wrong. 

It's better than doing nothing. 

You are quite literally creating something.  

Which in and of itself is a huge win. 

Punk

Punk is a game of youth. 

Rising up against the system is hard when you are worried about Q1 forecasts and ERP integrations. 

Except... there are other ways to adhere to the punk ethos. 

Lifestyle choices. Free thought. Social awareness. Standing up for the oppressed. Giving voice to the marginalized. 

The easiest way to change things is from the inside. 

1:23 am

 I should be asleep. 

But instead, I just started a new book, listened to an album I had never listened to before, and I'm considering picking up my guitar again. 

I won't pick up my guitar... but only because this bed is so damn comfy. 

It's fun to consciously choose to be obsessed with music again. 

New Music to Me: Signals, Calls and Marches by Mission of Burma

 I just started reading Our Band Could Be Your Life. 

Mission of Burma is mentioned very early on. 

So I stopped reading for a bit and started listening to their first album Signals, Calls and Marches. 

Post-punk, indie rock. 

One of my favorite things about good bands is the sum is greater than its parts. And Mission of Burma is a well oiled machine firing on all cylinders. 

The vocals aren't my favorite, but they're not trying to be anything they're not. 

I know nothing about this band. I'm assuming there's two lead singers...?

Evan woke up in the middle of listening/writing this. And I went to the girls' room, gave Evan water, and sang to her. 

On a side note, can a 44 year old husband and father of 3 make a great indie rock album?

Why the fuck not?

Outlaw is a great song. I need to stop trying to be a good guitarist and focus on playing good music. 

The sum is greater than its parts. 

Wow. Fame and Fortune is really good, too. 

This Is Not a Photograph. Guitar work doesn't need to be over wrought. It need only be impactful and work within the song. That goes for every single piece of the Rubik's cube that is each and every song. 

What a great assemblage of songs. Red really feels like the peak of a long building crescendo. 

And god damn it. I love an instrumental album closer.

8.7/10

When It Clicks

 When it clicks, it's a lot of fun. 

And when it doesn't, it feels awful. 

And you need to go through a lot more not clicking than actual clicking. 

And sometimes what you think is clicking feels like not clicking the next day. 

But you keep going and chasing the clicking because...

... when it clicks, it's a lot of fun. 

New Music: Kleinkunst by Joost

Dear Me,

This is not an album you would personally pick. 

NOTE: That is a good thing because you should step outside of your music bubble from time to time. 

Hit or miss, but the hits are really good. 

Dancey, techno, house beats. Droning in a non annoying way. Some of the hip hop lines are legitimately clever. 

I like listening to songs that are not in English.

Joost is a YouTuber, which is no surprise because if there's one thing YouTubers are good at, it's garnering attention and making people love or hate them. No in between. 

All in all, a pleasant experience but hindered by the inconsistency from song to song and the constant attempts at shock value to elicit reaction. 

6.8/10

Expectations

The higher the expectation, the more likely the disappointment. 

Am I setting the bar so low because I don't want to be disappointed? 

Or because I genuinely have no confidence to aim higher...?

Ready for the Moment

Professionals are always ready for the moment. 

There is no hesitation. Each action is steady and sure. 

Professionals exude a sense of effortlessness. 

Which belies all the work it takes to get to that point of confidence. 

Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours. 

A massive amount of preparation. 

Every day is a chance to layer on more preparation. 

Little steps towards perpetual readiness for the moment. 

2026 Goals

 GLASS PLATES

1. 12,000 push-ups (33 a day)
2. 12,000 squats (33 a day)
3. 500 blog posts
4. 12 recorded songs (drums, guitars, bass, vox)
5. Play guitar for at least 2 minutes every day I sleep in my own bed

PLASTIC PLATES

1. 6 rounds of golf
2. Read 12 books
3. Listen to 1 new album uninterrupted from start to finish every week