Alter Egos

The last time I performed live in front of an audience with just myself and an acoustic guitar... I failed miserably. 

According to my own standards, I failed miserably. 

I have no idea if I actually failed miserably, but I know what my head thinks and I know what my memory contains and I know that memories can be unreliable but I also know how I feel about what I remember...

And tonight I picked up my guitar and played some of the acoustic songs I played that night. 

And something clicked. 

I failed because I was grossly unprepared and also because I didn't know what I was trying to accomplish. 

I had no direction, no through line, no confidence. 

And so... I want to create an alter ego. Because I'm not the person who wrote those songs anymore, but I love those songs and I know there are other people who would love them so I need to figure out how to get them out into the world in the best way possible. 

So an alter ego... it would be a great vehicle for these tunes. 

Complicatedly Simple

glynnjammin

I like glynnjammin, but I would rather it not be something so closely related to my actual self. 

I need to think on it...

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. 

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. 

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...

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...

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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

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

Songs I'd Like to Write

A song that's one chord the entire time. 

A song that starts with the chorus. 

A song where every verse, chorus, bridge, etc. is based on a completely new musical motif but it all still fits. 

A song that starts with only bass. 

A song that starts with only drums. 

A song that starts with a harmonized riff on bass and guitar. 

A song that's just acoustic guitar and vocals. 

A song that's full band instrumental. 

A song that's traditional intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro. 

A song where the first chorus is a half version of the actual chorus. 

Even better if I can have all of these songs on a 10 song album.