...both ends

Music? what music?
This is how life feels.

This weekend we will hopefully complete mixing for the album,"Deathcard"
I hope to God that it is completed. It's taken entirely too long. In my mind it basically doesn't count anymore.But, it HAS to be finished before I can complete new songs. Which is ridiculous but it's totally how I am.
There are old old old songs that need to come back to life, that need to grow in to something. There are new tunes that need to be finished just so we can figure out if it's a boy or a girl. Not until I finish this album though and are pregnant with the joy of a new release!

I mean, I'm grateful because I've learned so much. I've learned how you should work on a full length album. the answer is quickly. Know what you are doing, Get in there and shut and up and get it done.I went in not knowing what i was doing nor what I wanted...I see that now. thank God Ken is a patient person. thank God i have a patient band.
band? what band?

I hope it doesn't happen this way again in the future. I'm sure the next EP we do will have it's own set of challenges -like recording winter songs in the summer- but, I'll have a better grasp on things.

In other news I am trying to learn some theory. My father is helping me with that.
Fuck,I'm just trying to learn.

Stone Shouldered Men

Well...I finally got over being sick and did spend a fair amount of time playing guitar. Something came out that has a jazzy hint to it. Nothing crazy or actually jazz , just pretty i guess.
To me it sounds like waking up next to her on a sunny, end of winter kinda morning.One with two clouds in it.

I have some idea that I'll provide an "update" It's really just a check list of things I need to do for myself.
-Make sure that the weekend of May 16-17 mixing gets done for the love of God!
-Get your ass some shows.
-Get that g-d damn mother f-cking amp fixed!
-Get better at guitar.
-Keep writing and writing.
-Keep going...

Something along those lines. It's always so simple really.
Guitar is easy. It's easy for me to see and hear what I need to get better at.
Writing is a struggle because you just have to do it. lots of it. And write down so much utter bull sh-t. Then at page 87 something finally escapes from you that is acceptable.
Whoever said creativity is easy?

On other notes, I like us. I like feeling comfortable and talking about what a dork I am. She knows anyway. Everyone does.

Bad news is I feel rough today, not working with 100% strengf.

aww shit!

Chops

So, lots of my energy has been focused on the guitar lately.
I've been looking up different lessons on youtube. Tony Rice riffs, blues Am scales, watching Jim Hall clips(Thanks Fretboard Journal) etc...
And I'm working on things hoping eventually I'll have some kind of "sound"
All of this is built on the notion that the sound comes more from the player than it does from the equipment.
In years past I've been little more than an acoustic guy. A strummer with moderate picking ability. As an electric player I was always a smash em bash em kind of gent. You have to add some sensitivity into the mix. That's what I'm workig on now. It's difficult.
I find that I still want to crank up the gain and rock out a little. Almost sounds childish in some respect but, I'm sure I'll find it to be totally neccesary.
Truth is I can't handle too much noise. Hurts my ears like hell!!!
(ear plugs?)

I'm hoping for a balance between thick chords and twinkley picked notes. All to end up backing whatever lyrical imagery.
Which as I've noticed lately still has lots to do with loss. Still, in another spectrum, there is a lot of things about joy. And things that were written with a joyful notion are finding there place in the chords.
The focus on guitar comes from needing to take a break from too much lyrical over analyzing. not for it's quality so much but for it's content.
Never one to obsess over sadness(knowingly) I think in watching the news and listening to what happens in the day to day, there's just too much of it...

Someone's neighbor dropped dead the other week. Leaving a wife and two small children.
Cancer constantly challenges someone's life...
The other day in Alabama someone decided to go after everyone who'd "done them wrong" There was a man on the news with a painfully blank look in his eyes. His wife and months old child were both killed by this maniac. He said

"I cried so much yesterday I don't have anything left. I've never cried so much in my life. I keep thinking I'll walk in there and they'll both be ther but, no..."

What sound goes with that?

Did you hear the one about the...

This will be some kind of stream of consiousness bullsh-t. I'm sure.
I have a lot of things in mind for what I would like this site to be. I'm sure it won't be those things.

The goal for this site is to be a show, studio, song log of sorts. I will talk about songs and the meanings. I will mention band members and what they do/what they mean to me.

We're coming close to completing a full length.
Imagine the you're on a trip,a journey etc. Your directions say you have 2 more major highways to travel on before you reach your destination.
I want to describe the sights, sounds and feeling of those last two highways...before we make it to our location.

Then there may be a finished album.
Accidents are known to happen.