Well, we had to cancel Nuci's due to that drummer being M.I.A. I can't hold it against as it was kind of last minute but it's still a bit bothersome.

Frank, Joe and I got together anyway. We're getting a lot better about actually working (or "fighting inertia" as Frank calls it). We worked more on Joe's new song. He had improved it a lot since yesterday by cutting it down considerably and changing a B major section to a B minor. Now it has more "feel". It's kind of funny as I'm trying to make it more epic while Joe's trying to keep it more pop. Maybe the middle ground is best. It's definitely getting there. Today, we discussed lyrics a lot as I believe his current lyrics could be improved majorly. So he's taking that part back to the drawing board. If Joe keeps pushing himself, I believe we're going to have another great song (Wait! We're working on the 3rd album already?) on our hands. It'll be great to have a signature song for Joe in our live set, too.

In the evening, I dug up my old high school broadcasting videos to make a copy for Steve Berwager's wife (who I've never met but contacted me today). I think she and her daughter will enjoy seeing him as a teenager. Even though I remembered that we were close, I'd forgotten just how close until I watched some of the vids.

Dammit, Steve! Why didn't you wear your sunscreen?

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I got together with Frank and Joe for a while today while Amanda was at an audition. We drilled some more of the stuff and spent time trying to figure out where we're heading (as soon as we start heading again). To that end, I set up time at Nuci's tomorrow for another audition tomorrow. After I set it up, I couldn't reach the guy at the number he gave me and I only have his work email which he won't get until too late. That's very frustrating and not a positive sign for the guy. Oh well. That kind of thing happens.

Oh yeah, Joe also brought in a new song. There were 2 parts that I really loved but the other sections seemed to be shoe horned in. It could be a nice epic with work but as it stands now, it's not living up to its great potential.

Amanda finished up rehearsal for us by flopping onto the floor at the bottom of the stairs feigning starvation. So the band wrapped up and she and I went to celebrate her December 28 birthday a month and a half late. It was our first nice dinner in a while and I enjoyed it.

I felt kind of crappy all day today. I didn't get much donel. I think I needed some caffeine. In the evening, I got it at Ci Ci's (blech but cheap) and felt a lot better. I need to wean myself back off of that chemical but I'm not rushing it.

Of course about the time I started feeling okay, Amanda started feeling rough. So after I watched a pretty cool Pete Townshend solo show from 1985 (with Dave Gilmour on lead guitar), we went to bed early.

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Thursday February 1, 2007

What an absolutely miserable freezing rain, sleety, nasty day it is today.

Still, it didn't stop Joe. He came over and we ran through a bunch of the new songs and some of the old ones after we realized how rusty we were at rehearsal on Monday night. All forward movement stopped when we got to "Sadder Day". Since Frank wasn't here, we decided to work up the harmony guitar solo part at the end. You can hear it on the demo just as it's fading out. I didn't realize how complicated that section is until we had to learn it. Remember, I ad libbed the solo and promptly forgot it. As is turns out, Joe's playing 3/4 against a 4/4 beat while I'm playing 10/8 against 4/4 at the same time. It's pretty weird but I hope it doesn't come across that way. I do love sneaking stuff like that into apparently straightforward simple songs. Who knew we had something so demanding and math-rocky in such a simple little groove oriented song? It's cool, though. Maybe one day a guitar magazine can try and figure it all out!

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Today was the day to turn in submissions for the upcoming AthFest compilation CD. I turn in things most years and have never made it. I'm friends with most of the guys who put it together but I really feel like (with or without my music) the CD's have gotten redundant over the last few years. It always seems like more or less the same thing.

We were hoping to turn in a remixed recording of the demo for "An Uncertain Flight" with Mike playing live drums on it but he didn't manage to finish his part in time. I think that would've had the best chance of getting onto the disc. Since we couldn't do that, instead (at the request of Frank) I turned in that semi-indie sounding demo of "Wide Bicycle" as the band submission and my demo of "If You Try To Make Me Choose (You Lose)" as a solo submission. And that's almost definitely the last you'll hear about that!

If you haven't figured it out, I'm getting excited about music again. It's been a while. I'm enjoying listening, playing and watching it for the first time in a while. I burned myself out so hard at the end of last year that I couldn't even enjoy it the way I should. Now I'm getting back.

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Have you ever had a friend that's drifting away into some nether region? I do right now. It's hard to watch someone that you care about fade away. Some say you need to hit rock bottom to come back but for some "rock bottom" is too deep to come back from. That's what I'm worried about here. Oh well - you probably know who I'm talking about if it's you.

I wish you the best and I wish I could help you but it looks like you're on your own. If you think I can help, I'll do what I can but it's all on you. It's time to make it or break it.

As for me, I'm still in "spring cleaning" mode. I got tons done today. I'm feeling productive again. In the evening, I watched a Jimmy Page concert from 1988. It was interesting to see him do songs from Zep, The Firm and his solo career all back to back. Too bad the video had some cut outs.

I wrapped up the evening by watching an Elvis Presley soundboard / silent film sync from a summer 1970 stand at Vegas' International Hotel. I always forget how incredible songs like "I Just Can't Help Believing" and "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" are. Great stuff.

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Monday January 29, 2007

Tonight, we did an audition with Dave at Nuci's. I must say, he fit in better with us personality and looks wise than anyone since Bavis. He's a good guy. He's in another band, too so I guess we'll see what he can or can't do time-wise and commitment wise. There's a pretty big learning curve when someone joins up with us and it takes up a lot of time. We've got a huge backlog of material and it's not like you can merely "sit in" on a lot of our stuff. You've got to know it. So far, we've got at least 2 that I feel like could do it. And we've still got auditions to do with at least 2 others before we begin call backs.

Click here for last week with resolve, Tykes and the loss of a great friend.

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