more music...

Well, our first big show is just around the corner. I've been so busy/focused on the music, I haven't had time for much else. I was pretty uptight about the show and the music, but we have been practicing, writing and rewriting like crazy. And last night things really began to click. With my influences being mainly the Pixies, Radiohead and Neutral Milk... and the boys influences being mainly Pantera and the like, I find it interesting to listen to our new creations at this point. I can hear the influence. Definitely in the lyrics b/c 5 of the songs are all the same theme or concept (no album here...yet) and the other two songs not so much. The concept is centered around the Great Gatsby. I really enjoy that they are not complete. I like the fact that when we play them, most are still works in progress. And although I can hear the influence of my favorite bands, we sound nothing like them. At least, I don't think we do. At this point, I (along with the band-mates) are the only people who have heard the new music. I'm interested to hear what others hear/think. It's also kind of cool that I am not 'in love' with any of the songs yet. Maybe I am just a point where I'm okay with that fact, but in the past, I would have been very frustrated that I wasn't in love with them. I see more and more that making music is a relationship. It takes work and a lot of attention. And if you keep working on it, you may eventually fall in love with it. You love some. You are in love with some. Some you never want to hear again. Some you cry over. Some get you through hard times. Some get stuck in your head. Some you take baths with. Some you just use for sexxx. And so on.

hardly ... containing ... excitement

Meeting/rehearsing with a trumpet player. Wow! It'll be a long process of writing. I have over 75 incomplete songs that are unfinished. I, typically, start writing a song and don't finish it because I hear other instruments, and don't have access to those other instruments. It's kind of bizarre to me that, in going through my personal music library, I find I have very few complete acoustic songs. Very few complete songs at all, really. It's because of the reason I described, more instruments. When writing, I rarely just hear an acoustic guitar. Or just guitar, drums and bass. I hear violin, piano, sax, trumpet. Or I hear some other odd sound, beatbox, etc to layer in. So, I am very excited about my recent musical process. I have written to completion two new acoustic songs in the past two weeks. A new thing for me to write from start to finish in that short a time. Having more access to other musicians happened organically and opened up a whole new creative process for me.

On the band note, songs have new life and new structure. I brought 2 other incomplete songs to the band. Both around four to five years old and I haven't played either of them in probably 3 years. We rehearsed them last night and they are now nearly complete. Super cool!

On another musical note, I've been doing some song-writing with my girl, Lauren. LaLa has some songs complete with lyrics and melody, but she wanted some guitar. So we worked on 2 of her songs on Monday. I have a couple of songs complete with music and some melody, but no or incomplete lyrics. So, tonight we are meeting to work on one of my songs. I love collaborating with her.

I am very lucky to be able to play, write and sing music in this life. Very lucky!

new song

hey cats.
check out my newest song: lame let me know what you think. i wrote it two weeks ago, so it's still in the early stages. i happened upon a trumpet/piano player who's going to play with Anna NicoleMiner's Daughter at the 2/1 show at Masquerade. i am super excited about that. he will be playing on lame and there will be guitar and drums soon, too.

something inspiring.

Radiohead will be featured in a film opening in the U.S. (in select theaters, of course) on Jan 24th. Not only does this film Coachella feature Radiohead but also the PIXIES, the Mars Volta, Bjork, Beck, Flaming Lips, Belle & Sebastian, Morrissey, Mos Def and many more. It's a documentary about the festival. It's one of the few music festivals I would love to trip to... all of my favs have played there. Don't know if the film will hit Atl yet. Fingers crossed tightly.

UPDATE: Coachella is screening one night only. January 24 at 7:30pm.

ATLANTA	MALL OF GEORGIA STADIUM 20 plus Imax	3333 Buford Drive	Buford	GA	30519
ATLANTA	HOLLYWOOD STADIUM 24 @ NORTH I-85	3265 N.E. Expressway Access	Chamblee	GA	30341

And if you haven't seen this, you haven't seen cats with stuff on them.