Frankie finished.

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Kitchen lady.

Thanks people.

Desert line.

IMG00052-20101125-1328.jpg

Frank

Franklin

Death hag

Hard to believe.

So here we go about to embark on the adventure of making a thanks giving meal. It's sort of stupid, what the tradition has evolved into and where it came from but ultimately I'd rather have stupid tradition than none at all. So gander at my horn of plenty above and consider that this is the first time Angela and I have ever attempted to host a thanksgiving meal. And that we will have out of town family present to boot. I'm nervous to try and cook the turkey but everyone assures me it's easier than it seems.
Today at work Craig gave me a pecan pie and ham. Now I have something else I need to learn to cook.

Ronnie guitar

Ronnie sea monster.

Ronnie California

Last weekend kicked off with a big surprise. I had a rehearsal Friday evening with Devin Tait & the Traitors. After which we went to our keyboard player, Elene's place. Saturday Morning I woke up around 9:00 am, my plan was to get Angela on the road to San Diego and then go put in a day of work Craig's house. At 9:15 my phone rang and it the caller ID proclaimed that my front gate wanted to speak with me. Well this is unexpected. I knew my uncle would be ringing me sometime Sunday morning, but this Saturday business was totally unexpected. Let me just put my failed attempt at building suspense to rest, as you already guessed or know, it was in fact Ronnie at the gate. He drove from Kansas to California in about 26 hours. With a 5 hour nap in his car in Kingman Arizona.
I brewed Ronnie a pot of Coffee, since he hadn't had any on the road. I then took Angela to the gas station to check her oil, water and fill up her car for her trip. She can do all these things herself, but we've found that a girl opening her hood in a gas station is like a beacon for creepy.
Angie dropped me off back home on her way out of town and Ronnie and I had breakfast together. It was great to see my friend again, and I was a bit sad that I had to go work. Work was fast and proved to be a very good thing. Craig sent me home after only 2 hours with more cash than I deserved and some of California's finest medical plant products.
Ronnie and I then began a day of adventuring.

Here we are enjoying the old zoo in Griffith Park. I drug Ronnie all around the park and drove him through much of the east side of Los Angeles. I have a feeling my driving was giving him a minor heart attacks here and there but he rode it out like a champ.
Our day of seeing the sites had left us hungry so we stopped off for a burrito. We then went to the store for beer and coffee for the morning.
We returned home and decided to kick our feet up.
We enjoyed our beers, worked on my guitars. I recorded some basic tracks for a new version of a new song, "I'm a mutation". Try as I might I could not get Ronnie to lay down a guitar track. He won't escape me completely though.

Devin was busy with theatre tickets when I called him, but Dylan was free and excited to see Ronnie so he came over. The three of us took a delightful dip in the hot tub and had a good chat. Soon Dylan left and Ronnie and I called it a night.

Sunday morning we woke up around 9:15 and had the coffee we bought the day before. I ventured out and picked up some bagels. I made sure all the pets were cared for and we then made our way out to Malibu. Ronnie followed me on the trip, I was a bit nervous for him, there are 3 freeways on the way to Malibu from my place and they can be harrowing when you drive them everyday, Ronnie did fine though and soon we were at K's place in Malibu looking over the pacific ocean.

K gave Ronnie a tour of the grounds, letting him get acquainted with his new temporary living situation. Soon that was over and we were mixing up concrete and getting to work. We worked away the afternoon and into the evening. IN the end the concrete pour had gone very well and seemed to set up nicely.
Just as we were finishing Devin showed up with food and beer! What a hero. We ate and talked and soon we ventured to the patio with instruments for a jam. It was cool to look around and see everyone playing at once. By default we ended up playing songs I wrote or know. I felt a bit like a dominator, but I'd rather be playing then not so someone has to make that happen. I had a total blast dusting off many of my old tunes. Devin and I even played a few Singe songs, which was a total trip.

Eventually we called it a night and I drove home to see Angela, freshly back from San Diego. We had a few beers and unwound together. And then I began a week of running without my head.

Uncle Rambler

I suppose yesterdays veterans day post comes off a touch disrespectful. I happened to come across the quote yesterday while reading about Iain Banks and I just couldn't resist. It was just too coincidental to pass up posting.

I have varied my morning routine somewhat. Rather than staying in bed until the very last second, popping out of bed and pulling on my clothes, brushing my teeth and washing my face and running out the door 5 minutes after I wake up, I've actually been getting up and having a cup of coffee or two on the couch. It's been nice to have a little time with Angela and the pets before starting my day.

I'm very excited. Uncle Ronnie is loaded up and on the road to California. I've been helping good friend and ultra producer Hoagie "K" rebuild his studio in Malibu. I have only been able to get out to Malibu about once a week since the project began, which simply isn't enough extra help, so my recently retired uncle has made the big step to load up and drive out to assist. He'll be waking up every morning overlooking the pacific ocean for the next three weeks to a month. I'm over the moon.

He should arrive here ready for rest after a long haul sometime Sunday morning.

The Use of Weapons

"In all the human societies we have ever reviewed, in every age and in every state, there has seldom if ever been a shortage of eager young males prepared to kill and die to preserve the security, comfort and prejudices of their elders, and what you call heroism is just an expression of this fact; there is never a scarcity of idiots." - Iain M. Banks

Happy Veterans Day.

Fresh Flash

Wake up the instigator
Call out the inebriator
it's as good a day as any just to have a while

got my start in axes, blessed be the fascist, that make it all make sense, if only for a while

Stood together cheering, nodding then repairing
I have milk to last for days,
or until it sours

Yummy

Until the end a perspective

I found me interesting today

Occasionally I look back at my blog, to see what I wrote about on this very day some years back. Five years ago on this day I wrote this, and I still like it today:

Dear Friends,
I find myself wanting to write down all the things you've done. I want to copy paste your entire life into multiple formats in the case of fires and floods. I know this is not possible or logical but I'm amazed and feeling alive with all of you, I see other people who don't feel their lives like this, and I don't want to find myself within their ranks.
Are all these memories only possible because we are willing to pay for them with forgetting?
I know that a precious item held close to the heart is a joy to have, but I must keep in mind that if my arms are full of too many precious items I will never have free hands with which to pick new ones up.
I rely on this blog as a means of recording things that are important to me, they don't all fit here, and the most inspiring items can not be expressed in word form. Our minds are big. Friends, lets all remember to listen to each other and to talk to one another, you never know when your going to need know something your friends have already learned.
Thanks

I Have an Extra Set of Arms

I am a firm believer in taking naps. I was talking with a friend last night about how it is basically the equivalent of hitting 'reset' on a piece of electronic gear which has ceased to function normally. When it comes to naps, I am blessed. I can benefit from a very short nap. I can lay down feeling beat for just eight minutes and get up feeling new. The result isn't one hundred percent, but it's in the seventies for certain. And considering I play hard an fast with a night's sleep it's understandable that I would occasionally be so far overdrawn from the sheep bank that I nothing short of death would lead me back to rest.
This isn't what I meant to say about naps at all. I wanted to talk about my extra set of arms. I think naps are great for more than the rest/reset reason. There is something to our sleeping life that is mystical. Yet in the course of a long sleep we go so far that most of it never travels back, least of all the body sensation of how it felt to be there, or when we are deep in it, the sensation of our physical body at rest is forgotten.
At work on my breaks I will lay down on some chairs I have pushed together in the warehouse and set my alarm for 12 minutes. I will then pull my hoodie down over my eyes, but not my nose, as I cannot sleep while I can't breath. I will cross my arms over my chest and shut my eyes. I don't try and fall asleep, I just sink into the dark. Soon my thoughts completely drift and I am on the edge of a dream. What I've noticed lately is that very often my mind comes around to encountering an object, I seldom know or remember what the object is, it's usually something mundane. What I find striking though is that I am physically manipulating the object with my hands, yet at the same time I can feel my arms and hands folded across my chest.
Today when I awoke from my nap I thought to myself, is this how it feels to be an amputee? Obviously not, because rather than a lack of limbs I have an abundance. It is a very powerful feeling to have four arms and I now look forward to the sensation as much as the resting.

Late night dinner.

Malibu sunset.

Goals

I'm going to have a good week. I tell myself this and I'm aware that such notions disolve rapidly sometimes. This time I have it on good authority. Yesterday I did good work at work, which felt nice. Then I went home, had a puff and went for a run. I ran along the LA river, doing interaval sprints. My lungs were burnin, it felt great. It was a clear winter sky laying over top of me, and I had the familiar feeling of this season. A reminder of long walks I once took in Hays, Kansas to watch the sunset in the winter sky.
After the run Angela and I ate a fine meal which she prepared while I ran. We then went to two different home depots in order to find more protective coverings to bunny proof the wires ran here and there about the apartment. We then went to another store and picked up a few more supplies, and took a short drive to check the progress of some crazy fellas halloween display in glendale. He has a lot of work to do, but he was out front working by shop light at 9:30 when we drove by, so I have faith he can get it done.
We returned home and I started moving the furniture around. We've decided to add a desk in the corner of the living room where Angela will work on her projects, while I work at the other desk on mine. I moved the heavy ass television and it's lardo cousin the book shelf. Then it was time to re-wrap many of the wires, while I was at it I decided to splice out a section of the cable. I had doubts about it's continuity, since Bettina had chewed through it rather well.
Finalaly around 11:30 I finished my tasks, this is when I meant to start working on finishing the mix of Devin's song "sleepytown", but I was beat so I just joined Angela in bed and watched a few episodes of "It's Always Sunny".

Tonight I'm headed to Malibu after work to help revamp Seamonster Sounds.

Buddy and I headed to the bank

I'm clearing my phone of pics and dumping them here

I moved from a farm to los angeles

And still when I walk out my apartment door this is what I see 50 feet from my door.

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Heard You Call Me Radio Frequency

Friday Night I Angela and I went with Marc, Devin and Dylan to see the Electric Six. It was such a great show. They are one of my all time favorite bands and nothing is more fun than watching them do their thing. So many of their songs are absolute classics in my personal history that I can't help but feel totally overjoyed to stand ten feet in front of them and bop around. It was a super fun show and a great night had by all.
We slept in a bit the day after the show and then headed over to hang out with Devin and Dylan while Devin worked on his costume for the "Alien Nation" video shoot the next day. We watched some television and chatted. Eventually the boys needed to leave to go see Spencer day and Angela and I headed home early to eat pizza in bed and crash out since we had to wake up really early the next day.

Sunday was a day of magnificent adventure. The alarm went off at 6:30 am and I damn near threw it across the room. Angela was calmer than I, and rose from bed and began to work preparing herself to be filmed. I slept another half hour and then joined her in preparations. We selected outfits, applied some make up and teased our hair, it was then off to Santa Clarita. We left the house a bit after 8 and as soon as I walked out the door I was glad the alarm had allowed me to wake up.



We met the video director, Shawn at a Starbucks in Santa Clarita and then headed out to Vasquez Rocks to shoot our scenes. We didn't shoot long before a ranger came down and pointed out that perhaps our live music and skimpy outfits might be offensive to some people and that she should perhaps call the sheriff and have a deputy come work it out. We took a quick poll of the people gathered about and it was deemed the only thing offensive was the noise. We agreed to accommodate the other people at the rocks then and moved further out and used a quiet cell phone to sync the performance.
We only shot for about half an hour, and then we climbed the rocks for kicks. It was a very painless video shoot.
After leaving the rocks we took a scenic drive back into Santa Clarita to meet up with our cars and have some lunch. It is so nice to be in a band minus ego, such a rare and wonderful thing. Lunch was fun and laid back, we laughed and enjoyed each others company.
After lunch Devin and Elene left to head back to LA but Angela and I went with Shawn to flea market. We found a wine decanter, socks, a hat, a ring, two tennis rackets and a machines of loving grace album that I've been looking to find for a very long time.

Later in the day we drove back and watched the Social Network at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences theater. I enjoyed it very much.

Back at home we did laundry and paid deep attention to our pets. Angela made a terrific meal and we ate and then slept.

I'm back at work, listening to the score of the Social Network, loving it.

while I blink

Last week went by and there wasn't so much as a blurt and nary a blog. It was a pretty decent week it seems.

The show I blogged about went well last Saturday. I recorded the entire thing and spent sunday mixing it and running a few errands. Devin put on of my recordings to the video and we came up with this.

Monday was spent I presume in some sort of resting capacity. I recall working and getting home from work. I then went for a run. I wanted to go for a run through the Corralitas Red Car Property which I had recently discovered while reading the internet. It's a beautiful patch of nature in the middle of the city and I was suprised that I'd never heard more about it. The run was uneventful but very pretty. On this night I explored the area south of fletcher ave and west of riverside drive.

Tuesday I went to Malibu and worked on the studio rebuild with Hoagie and Ben. We poured concrete in an effort to level one section of the floor. The work went pretty quick and I found myself home faster then I expected to be.

Wedenesday we had a spur of the day invite to join Devin and Dylan at the TV Academy theatre for a viewing of "Let Me In". I was cautious, because I loved the original film and the remake seemed a bit too soon, and shortening the title scared me. It was well done though and I enjoyed it and have no complaints.

Thursday after work I went for another run to go explore some more of the redcar right of way. This time I ran down the LA river again taking a look at where it used to cross the river, and then went north of fletcher up the public stair case to waverly. Fun run!

Friday I stopped off on my way home and got my oil changed. I always feel lighter after performing this task. I then picked up a few supplies and sundries and headed home for a night in with my significant. She made Mahi Mahi tacos and we watched some television.

Saturday I woke up early and went to Craig's house to work. We trimmed trees and raked the yard. Saturday night Angela and I went to the scream awards at the Greek Theatre. We followed it up with a late dinner at the house of pies. It was soo much fun.

Sunday We woke up and worked around the house.

Now I'm back at work.

Demented Disney

Sitting out front of the palms, waiting to set up and then play with Devin Tait & the Traitors. I'm nervous about the set up and a tad buzzed, its one of those emotional combinations that feels like life.
I'm not so nervous about the performance, separate from the sound, I have practiced many times this week and even though the band is only a week old I feel prepared.
I love to play my guitar.

First Rays of the New Rising Sun

Invisible Material - Grown Man Cries from Richard Skrip on Vimeo.

Wednesday night was great. We had a premier party for the new Invisible Material video, which we filmed back in March. The premier was at Fubar, and it was well attended, which felt nice. People seemed to relaly enjoy the video which also felt nice. It was a bit odd to be going to the premier part for a band I'm no longer playing in, but it also felt nice that I could meet my old band mates with a hug and smile and not have any bad feelings. I sometimes feel like an adult, an always surprising sensation.
After the video party was over our friend Myles was spinning at the Plams. It was his electro night, and the playlist was on fucking fire. There were only about 8 people in the bar total, 4 of which I didn't know, and by all accounts one of those lucky people left with my phone. So it goes...
So the absense of my phone made it really inconvienient when I blew a tire on the 5 freeway the next morning, while nursing a hangover. UG.
I handled it, it was a bit stressful. Today is way better. I feel great. I got home last night and Angie had cleaned the entire house top to bottom. We made a short trip to Devin and Dylans for a quick visit then came home, watched some tube and crashed like the dead.
We have a rehearsal tomorrow night for Devin Tait and the Traitors. I'm so excited that we have 2 gigs next week! More on that as it happens.

Back to work.

Keep Blogging Weird.

Thinking My Way Out of Hell

It's 109 degrees outside. I'm sandwiching these words about the weather between 2 pictures of Angela and I which a fellow snapped of us at Mission Bay, on a day and time which was much cooler. One avoids the heat however they can.

Longing

It's been a long week. I keep staying up way to late and my job starts at the same time every day, regardless of how late I stay up. I'm ready for a bit of R& R this weekend, though there is a strong possibility that I'll end up working tomorrow for one of my bosses. I Like physical labor money, even more than I like sleeping.

I've been getting a little harder to be around lately. I'm getting so close to being able to do the things I wish to do musically that I have trouble turning my mind off and paying attention. When I used to get this way, back when I was working on my own music in Kansas City I was single. Now I find myself being less able to pay attention to the people around me because I'm thinking about music a lot. Much of it is not even productive thought, it's just spinning possibilities which I am currently not finding the time to make realities. These things can really do a number on me, there is truth to the analogy that ideas are viruses.

I realized last night that I owed my girlfriend an apology, for not being as present in my life as I desire to be. Writing, recording and performing music takes an incredible amount of time, unfortunately so does my life. Live for me will forever be a delicate balance of work, hedonistic desires and the simple pleasure of stillness. I've never believed in moderation in anything, I want all of everything.

I've learned throughout the years that it is important to streamline my methods for accomplishing anything. I sleep until the last minute possible to still get to work on time. I attempt always to simplify the set up of recording gear, so that I may be playing and recording within minutes of making the decision to do so. It's a strategy for dealing with this problem of limited time.

This battle I'm fighting against the clock is one we all lose in the end. We artists try to leave something behind us, that lays claim to the time we put in by existing as a consumable piece. In this manner what we create takes the time from the people who ultimately end up experiencing, observing or consuming our art.

I've lost my thread, I shall stop with the taking of your time, but I'll return to try another day.

New Project

Monday night Ben and I drove out to Malibu with a load of drywall to meet with Hoagie and discuss plans for his studio build. Seamonster Sounds is going to be stepping up in the world! It's going to be a a very interesting project. Hoagie has already got a lot of the planning and preparation done. I'm super excited to see it evolve. I wish I had thought to take a camera out for some before pics.

Next month Devin will be playing a five song set at the palms and I am going to play with him. Angela is even going to lend some back ups live. I'm excited to get to play again.

The Difference

I've been doing a bit of dieting and it's doing wonders. I've been at it about 13 days now and I'm down about 19 pounds. I had taken a week off running during this process since it's hard to find the energy when I'm restricting my carbohydrate in take. I went for my first run since droping some wieght the other night and my it felt great. At first I thought it was all just because I was lighter, that I was able to run faster, then I realized it also had to do with that I've been eating so much better. Also there is probably an added measure of confidence that comes from feeling slimmer. Whatever the reason it rocks. I was starting to think that I was getting older now and that I'd always feel a bit slugish on a run, not the case this week. A very nice feeling.

I've been working on my reverb nation page a bit, keeping myself motivated to get more work done. It's working.

Have some recording scheduled tonight to have Angela do some more vocals on one of Devin's Tunes. I'm excited to get to it!

Backyard Blogger

Angie and I are at her grandmother's house in san diego this weekend. I'm enjoying a moment to myself in the back yard, alternating between reading "as I lay dying" and making notes to myself.

In my jottings I have listed songs that I have found in going through my archives and songs I am currently working on that I might not care to use for Turbo Sunshine. In making the list it occurs to me that it is rather long. Thinking now that I will split them into 2 different s no s albums. The more polished and accessible will be "Albino Elephant" and the rougher, rawer often older tracks will be a sort of out take album called "the odds".
This plan is sitting well with me on a peaceful sunday afternoon. This will could put a tidy bow on top of the last 10 years of my creative life at just the right time too. New burners are beginning to boil.

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S No S Revives

The other reason I come to work.

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Hole in my mouth that goes all the way to China

I had a tooth pulled yesterday. It was not as scary as I imagined it to be. When/if we got to put an implant in, the price will be the scary part.

Due to the tooth I was able to go home early. I used the time to mix up versions of the songs I had been working on over the weekend. I was pleased with the initial results. Doom Sensation needs more work, but hearing Angela and I singing together was very encouraging, our voices blend well together on a double lead. I am hoping to have Devin help out in writing a second section to the chorus, he's sort of the master at the pop chorus, so it would be a real asset.
Devin's song Bridge to Nowhere is shaping up well. I need to refine the mix and Angela wants another crack at her vocals, but there are already some sublime moments happening.

I also managed to get a good half hour of guitar playing in. Still in love with my Telecaster all over again.

Today is gloomy, the day seems to be making empty promises of rain. I'll take it over the sunshine after the blazing summer sun of this past weekend.

This transition; my life grinds on.

Labor Days

I had a long weekend. I ended up accidentally committing to work at 2 different people's homes over the weekend, doing general maintenance and yard work. It was 102 in the valley where both homes were so it ended up being not all that pleasant. Sunday was the worst. I was asked to spray paint a wrought iron fence, by the 14th can of spray paint I didn't actually have any fingers left that would hold down the little nozzle button. I'm sure they make some type of tool which makes that motion much easier. There is a numb tingly feeling still in the fingers on my right hand, I'm hoping that goes away soon.

For the record I'm complaining a bit about having too much work, at a time when most people don't have any. I acknowledge this. I do wish my monday through friday were more financially fulfilling, I would enjoy spending my weekends on myself. I suppose I don't love being idle, though I think I would like to give it a try.

My uncle Ronnie is now retired. He is the first friend of mine to retire, and he seems to have taken to it rather well. I think about not having a job to go to, what would that be like? I worry that I'd be less focused if I just had a sea of time stretching before me, but secretly I like to believe that I would use it, and that I would be much happier for it.

Yesterday was my day off. I slept in and it was nice. I woke up around 10am to the sound of Angela sweeping the patio. What a wonderful sound sweeping is. I like a simple tool, much like I like a complex one. Why even say things like that?

The sweeping was nice. Angela had figured out that movies at the burbank AMC that play before noon are $6. I got up and had a cup of coffee and dressed. We left home and headed out to see the last exorcism. It was fun to watch a horror movie at 11am.

We left the theater at 12:30. There is nothing so bright as the mid day sun after a morning movie.

We did some shopping then and went home to make a nice lunch. Then we made more coffee and I started to give some of my guitars a bit of love and affection. The Telecaster I used to play in SG has sat pretty much unused for the past 6 months. It had a broken string and was just a bit dirty. I removed all the strings and stickers from the guitar and used goo be gone on the residue. I then cleaned it lovingly and re-strung it. If a guitar were ever an old friend, and believe me they all are, this guitar is my old best friend. After I finished the makeover I set up a little recording station in the bedroom and laid down a simple guitar part on Devin's song "Bridge to Nowhere". The Tele felt so nice, and I feel like the simple part worked well for the song.

Next I did a scratch guitar part on a song for Turbo Sunshine called "doom sensation". Angela had wanted to do some singing so I quickly wrote the words for the song and recorded myself singing them. This is a song we want to sing together, so I then called her in and had her do her part. She did the first verse once, listened to it, and then made adjustments, listening carefully again at the end and asking to redo it. She did this several times, each time getting better. I was impressed. I have become so spoiled and lazy in my recording. I seldom listen back to anything to see how I like it, and if I can improve it. I'm always in a rush to get to the next instrument or the next chorus or the next song. I need to remember to take my time and do things right.
In the end she nailed the whole song word for word with me. I'm excited now to do a rough mix of it.
After we finished with Doom Sensation I had Angela track some vocals on Devin's song Bridge to Nowhere. She did some beautiful parts and I'm excited to share them with Devin.

We finished the day with a trip to Fresh and Easy, a home cooked meal and a few episodes of mad men. The weekend is now over and I miss it very much.

We are on a major health kick, Angela, Devin and Myself. It was funny to be out at a club on satruday night and have all three of us ordering club sodas. I feel good.

Happy days are here.

Nodter got a bath and new strings.

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Neon Mirage

So this morning I have the pleasure of listening to the new Stan Ridgway album. I'm lucky to be hearing it, since I didn't really have the cash to purchase it yet. The person who introduced me to the music of Stan works with me and this morning he brough in the CD so that I could burn it into my Itunes. I promise I'll buy it when I'm a bit more flush, but until then I'll put into it in love what I can't put in with money.

The first two tracks set the mood nicely.

1. Big Green Tree - A soft start to the album, I'm catching up to my listening as I type, so I won't have good notes on the first three.

2. This Town Called Fate - This is a re-record of an old Stan standard, I believe it was certainly worth the revisis.

3. Desert of Dreams - this is what the original album was called. A fine bit of saxaphone here.

4. Halfway There - A beautiful song. Nice fiddle work! Lyrically I love this song too.

5. Turn a Blind Eye - The first dramatic change in tone of the album, we've turned a bit darker. Is this a bossa nova? I have no idea. The character singing here seems to have a dark side, but he seems to be on some sort of a journey. I dig it.

"out in the fields the fire is up and the water is runnin' dry
folk of the earth see the storm clouds coming
while the rest just turn a blind eye"


6. Wandering Star - First time I've noticed his signature harmonica this record. Seems to be a song about a broken relationship. One person seems to down to earth, the other in the heavens.

"infinity in your eyes, incadescent and bright you are"

7. Flag Up On a Pole - Harmonica in full effect on this track. Strong low down grooe from the bass here too.

"Battle lines drawn there in the dirt, no one wins and everyone gets hurt, up ahead, drive the highway, pay the toll, for a flag up on a pole"

Yes, I like this one a lot.

8. Lenny Bruce (bob dylan cover) - I don't know the Dylan version. Very nice tune.

9. Scavenger Hunt - Nice lead guitar line. A nice narrative song about coming home, presumably after fight and then searching for the partner who left, possibly for the last time.

10. Behind the Mask - This one winds out sweet and slow, but stunning in it's beatury. So much landscape and space. I hope that I'm still recording music when I can just lay back and let it wind out like this.

"And when the parties over, and confettie's on the floor, will I be grateful? or will I just ask for more?"

11. Neon Mirage - Instrumental. This is thicker than spaghetti western, it's lasganga western.

12. Day up in the Sun - Very nice organ happening here.


Wow, the album is over so fast. It's a beautiful piece of work. Not as many immediate stand out songs as his last album. Lyrically it's a very well donw album, and it sounds stunning, spacious and beautiful. There is much more listening to be done.


From Stan Himself:
"It's like a Rubik's Cube, you view it from every angle and make decisions. The choices define what people hear or see, and it's hard to say where they come from. They're choices that made the creator comfortable, which doesn't mean they're right. It breaks down to about 50-50 - half work, half don't. All you can do is sweat it and try to find the right way. It's like 'career strategies,' a notion that is somewhat laughable. It's all gonna just roll over ya anyway."

Listening to this makes me want to keep on recording.

I've been working on mixing a couple more songs from Devin's album. Trying to put a bow on sleepy town, but it's a massive song and it's become a bear. I'll make it happen though, I'm close.

Inspire

Saturday night was my brother's first ever solo show, at the Palms in Weho. The palms has become to feel a bit like home at this point. It is one of the first bars in Los Angeles in which I stepped foot and I myself have performed there more times then I care to remember. It felt like an appropriate setting for witnessing Devin's first step towards performance independence.

Our friend Rawburt hosted the event, a bi-monthly night called "Blender". The evening began with a pot luck dinner, which consisted of meatballs, fondue, pigs in a blanket and my brother's own version of my mother's classic "Hot Hamburger Dip".
After the food, and some confusion over the lack of a proper microphone cord Devin took the stage, Devin seemed a tiny bit nervous but still in control of his piano. He opened the set with a new song of his "Winnepeg Beach", The song went over very well with the crowd and I felt myself beginning to relax, realizing that Devin was going to be able to pull off the performance just fine.
Next up Devin performed a cover song, Kylie Minogue's "Get Out of My Way". I really like his rendetion, it makes me want to hear the original!
His third number was "Not in a Million Years". He introduced the song by explaining that it was not about anyone in particular, but that it was simply his attempt to write something very commercial. I think he achieved his goal nicely. His Friend Kevin performed after him and he started at least 3 songs by explaining that they were about no one in particular, though I had a feeling they were all about his ex-boyfriend.
Devin closed with a cover of Duran Duran's "Oridnary World". I've loved this song since Devin left the cd it's on in my car back in Hays Kansas, I used to play it often while driving around. Angela, Adro and myself all helped out singing along from the audience with the chorus of this one. It's a new favorite moment memory for me.

Devin had only planned to play for songs, but the crowd wanted more so he ended up closing with an encore performance of "Alien Nation".

I was so proud of Devin, it took courage and a lot of work to be able to pull the set off. The inspiration the show gave me woke me up sunday ready to go. I'm still inspired and hope the feeling continues for months to come.

Sick of the Self

I had gotten sort of tired of me lately so I have not been blogging much. I spent some time away from me, and it seemed to help. When I passed myself in the hall last night I said hello, and all shy like I looked up and smiled. It seems like a little break did us some good.
I turned around and followed me back to the couch. I have been up to some pretty ridiculous stuff and I had a lot to catch me up on. I split a few beers we me and we came we came to some conclusions about where we've been and where we are going.
I didn't realize how much I'd been missing me. It was nice to just have a little chat and remember why the two of me keep coming back together after all these years. We really have so much in common. Sometimes we don't even need to speak, it's as if we share one mind.

My sister visits in two weeks.

Stan Ridgway has a new album out on 8/24/10

The Eels have a new album out on 8/24/10

Devin's album is going well.

I have too many forks in the pasta.

We won today!

Wow!

Door

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Getting there!

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Attacking the room part 2.

Gotta love my uncle

A Little Bundle Has Arrived

Angela has been volunteering at an animal shelter near our house for the past few months. While working there she fell in love with a bunny named Bettina. Bettina was found in a dumpster by a maintenance worker at an apartment complex. The worker took the bunny to the only person in the complex who had a bunny and said, "I found your bunny." The person said, "that is not my bunny".
the worker said "okay, I go put it back"

as in I'll go put it back in the dumpster.

Luckily the person who had her own Bunny new about the shelter where Angela volunteers and took her there.

I was not at first wanting to add another member to the family. It is hard enough to make ends meet as it is. I worry about unexpected vet bills and what not. I also worry about unrestricted travel. If it were up to me I'd probably worry the earth to stop spinning. It's better to do something than to not do it. So we adopted her. She is so super sweet. I've never lived with such an odd creature. She is not like a cat. She has her own language and I'm trying to learn it.

Simone our oldest cat, likes her already. They have bonded. Frusciante is scarred of her and hisses at her. She thumps the ground in warning to other bunnies when he is around. I've seen them looking at each other more lately though, and I think they are both about to come to the conclusion that neither one of them pose a real threat to the other.

We usually let her run around the house in the evenings when we are home. She has lived in a cage almost her entire life, so this new freedom is pretty powerful for her. Rabbits do a special jump for joy, a jump with a twist, it's called a binky and from what I read they do it when they are overjoyed. Angela witnessed her first binky yesterday afternoon.
Last night Angela was out of the house and I was home alone with her. Angela had the day off so Bettina had already enjoyed plenty of time out of her cage to run around the apartment. I had some music to work on and I knew I would not be able to keep an eye on her like I like she needs at this point in her new home. I decided to combine her cages and make one mega cage with many obstacles inside. She loved it. We haven't had the heart to take it down yet. I snapped some photos.

Enjoy.

I do.

More Work Than Predicted

I've been using much of my writing time on the re-write of "More Possible Than Perfect". I also started work on an S no S EP in order to motivate me to finish the above mentioned project.
Currently Angela has done more work on Turbo Sunshine this week than I have.

This past weekend was great. We had a BBQ at Hoagie's in Malibu and enjoyed a movie on the golf course by our house under the star.

I've been reading about Nikola Tesla again today.

It is hot.

Back to work.

I will blog again soon