Things We Think

obvi gonna be a follow up

so playing other peoples music is sweet and i really enjoy it. however, i feel like (99% of the time) if you dont write your own shit then whats the point? after becoming aware of the ENDLESS amount of ‘covers’ by turds on youtube/being around people who just play other peoples music, its like, uhhhh, get another hobby. not only is it fun and fascinating but it seems like there are so many people out there who are capable of PLAYING these songs, singing perfect covers, etc., but what makes it cool is that some person actually CAME UP WITH THAT SHIT. not just copying it perfectly and then doing it again. and not to say that sweet arrangements arent awesome or freaking some shit in a new way to where it doesnt resemble the original piece youre inspired by isnt cool, but trying to at least be somewhat original is wack. for me at least thats the only way to go.

IDEAS ARE ALL THAT MATTER. END O STORY.

rekkid update

oh boi

so pretty much the final steez for this project is gonna be 10 songs and 3 extras(bside things whatev). im not sweatin the extra songs too hard although i do think theyre cool. i’m pretty much not sweatin any of this shit actually, its just been fun to do and i’m doin it whenever i have some free time or am bored. its definitely crazy the amount of shit that gets filtered down to songs that are cohesive/have enough to make a full tune/fit the image of what you want to happen. jesus knows i came up w/ like 100 melodies that i recorded but didnt use, or tunes that i didnt finish or other ideas that were cool, or not, or cooler than the songs i chose to go with or whatever. kinda freakyyyyyyyyyyy.

for the 10 songs that’ll make up the actual project, i have 2 more to do drums on, and like 3 or so to do bass on. maybe one to do acou.guitar overdubs on too, but thats pretty much it for the instrumentation i’ll be doing on the songs i think. then i’ll have all the vocals to do. should be fun though. still writin some lyrics,etc and that process of tweakin melodies and figuring out harmonies is always kinda cool to do just when im actually recording it (kinda like what i did w/ the masked.. thing). so i’ve def. done the bulk of the recording i need to do which is pretty rad. the rest of the recording other than my shit will be overdubs coming from karl on guitar and devonne on keys probably. i need strings on one song that i need to figure out and horns on a few thatll probably be played by jonathan and alex or whoever other nerds wanna do it.

im glad this project has taken this shape. i’m pretty happy with how its turned out. i worked alot on this shit playing a bunch and recording stuff over the past year, and its come together pretty nicely. i have never written ‘real’ songs before per se, and so i think im rather happy with being able to turn out an albums worth of shit for something that i’ve never done before. and i think some of the shit is actually kinda sick and something i’d actually listen to, so thats cool too.

but yea, i’m not stressing any of it and i think thats been really good. i realize that since i wrote all the songs on guitar, that i can always play and sing these until the end of time, so thats cool. i usually like to have in my mind that with any music shit i do that i would like to try and get people to listen or get the attention of music peeps, but i dont really care w/ these. i just realize that i wouldnt even play a show for another year or so and so thats kinda cool. itll give time to these songs and i can get them down or whatever needs to be done to give them justice. maybe i wont play them. who knows. im just glad i have these and i did it myself. i just wanna take time and practice things and get shit sounding good, whatever that takes.

just like most of the things i do, these songs and the desire and push to do them was not only out of love for music but out of frustration with working with people and not getting shit done that way. it is disappointing, but at the same time its cool because i was able to do this thing and prove to myself that i can do some shit if i want. BUT, its also cool because i realize my limitations and would love to work with people, so thats what i’m doing. i realize i can be a rhythm guitar player, and play chords etc, but as far as tasteful licks/solos/improv-ing, i cant really hang. if i hear a part that is specific and i know what i want, i can probably figure it out, but i’d probably rather just have karl or devonne rage some nasty shit to flush it out.

not worrying super hard about this shit has been good. accepting that i still have a year of school and hard work to do is cool because i’m not stressin about what i’m gonna do for this project. im happy with how its turning out and want to continue to get better as a musician over the next year and then use that knowledge to probably start on a new project or do some shit when i can devote more time to it. but better believe that when im done w/ school that i will be working hard as fuck on writing dope songs and trying to play sick music :)

birdlips is tight as shit btw.

WORD

skoolz out yo. got good grades. got summer school. leaving for seattle thurs morning. recording steady for these next 2 days til then.

WORD

omgee

IM PRETTY MUCH FREAKING OUT. LIKE ALWAYS.

art art art art art

ideas ideas ideas

time

care

people are so inspiring. that may be my biggest influence? life is just too cool. i love it so much. everything is so interesting.

YOU TUBE is so interesting. holy shit. being able to experience shit that i would have otherwise never come across is the best shit ever. puts stuff into that much more perspective.

like i said. freaking out.

OWNED

me and heather ran the 10k yesterday and finished and did pretty well so i’m happy! yesterday was a crazy day but i’m back to bein a chillbo baggins now. holla atchya boiiiiiiiiiiiiii

dove

holypoop this bird that has given birth in our flower pot is the best thing ever. i just saw her and she has barely left her stoop in the past week+ but was off of her perch and i was able to peep her 2 eggs. i came up to the window and she flew back on them and snuggled up and protected them. jesus. so adorable/insane to watch and very heartwarming.

one more

ya, so me and rob have recorded a bunch of shit in the past few months. i have drums on 5 of his tunes, and i think theres a few more i’ll do stuff on. i pretty much have the last 3 or so  of my songs that i’m gonna do as well. i have like 3 or so ‘bsides’ so far that i’ll prob. record when i’m bored or something. we’re also gonna revive a few of the older songs we played as an instro. duo. the songs rule and we just never got to record them properly, but now we can so we’re gonna! so yea, probably roughly 20ish or so songs that we’ll have b/t us. THANK GOD. i definitely needed some proper documenting of me playing live. vcu jazz stuff and the ‘Masked’ project and playing gigs was not enough for me. still bitter i dont have any rec.’s of me w/ clarence, afrobeat or marshall, but you know, there’ll be more bands in the future :)

finally

so yea, all things going according to plan, i will be done w/ school next may. one more year. sweet. its been a long time comin, but i’m really glad that i’m on track and stuff. i think everything has worked out for the better, and i am glad that i’ve have been and will be readying myself to be in a much better position (in the grand scheme of LIFE) than i would have been in otherwise had i not finished/transfered schools.

so yea, 5 years it took. changed majors once (b.m to b.a. - and thank god, i’d rather be a badazz than a bowel movement). also 2 yrs in the middle there where i “couldnt handle it anymore”/”had to MillerChill”, but you know, it all served a purpose. ACCEPTING THAT PATH, Y’ALL. definitely the key.

hmwk/tunes await! yarrr!

holysh*t just started peeping karls recital that i had to miss cuz of work, damn! he’s so burning! haha. f’in privelage to be homeys/play w/ this bozo. ridiculous. STILL dont really like devonne’s drumset playing though. hes def dope but plays too much i think. WHY does he get so many calls/sought after. playing w/ dearth every week? cmon. ya i’m hating.

sabbatical OVER

i havent been blogging very hard lately, and i’m not sure why. just kinda fell off it and didnt care about it. whatever. i like to think of blogging as a sport. ok.

so i bought a rolling stone yesterday. i’ve bought like 4 in the past 6 months for some reason, maybe just to see whats goin on with the major retards of the entertainment biz, but there was an interview with bono. for the record, i think bono is a total boner. so, i read the interview (u2 does work w/ b.eno and s.lillywhite).

sidenote: daniel rossen’s songs are again WIGGING ME OUT. they are so cool omg. make me just want to be such a better musician.

so basically the point is that bono was talkin about being busy/involved etc., and was talking about making albums and having ideas and shit, and he was just like, “yea, if i could stop i would. my problem is that i always feel the need to write my idea down or follow up on it”.

thats how i feel too bro! its like. i wish i could stop. but im addiiiiiiiiiiicted i think. (btw, amy winehouse got her new reggae-lite trax refused by the label. god. im sure theyre ill, but i really hope she doesnt fuck this up). but yea, i just always feel like i need to do more, play more, write down this or that, record this…..i dont know. i guess the ideas are just there mostly. which i think is good. if i have ideas i can keep going, but i need to work on cultivating ideas too. on that note, that post on the greenleaf board about practicing/music was very uplifting to read.

i’m in love…

….with music

big news right!?!? it never gets old, makes me feel incredible, and really makes me feel like i have a purpose in life. i feel VERY, VERY grateful to have an interest that is so deeply affecting like this. i can’t shake it. i’m at the mercy of it and that’s an incredible power. i have a feeling that i won’t be able to escape this addiction and i’m glad for that.