"Muse" - ings on Rock & Life

I spent a bit of time in the studio today.  It happened in the hour or so before I had to leave for a random Sunday night shift at work, so it was a little bit rushed, but it felt good to get a few things brought down there that needed to be brought down there, and then it was also good to be able to spend a few minutes down there taking stock of where everything sits.  It felt very much like returning to something after a considerable time away, which made me sad, but it also was fairly easy to pick up the thread of where things had been the last time I spent any real time down there, and that was a good thing. I keep thinking that my journey back to doing more writing and playing doesn't start until Thursday night (after my last shift for the semester), but in all reality it can start Wednesday, with an official clearing of the decks to get ready for summer.  That's coming up soon, and I think that's a really good thing.

I did some late night work on what will, by the end of the summer, be a finished EP.  I'm going back and forth in my head as to whether or not I want to go all acoustic on it (because I'm essentially writing and recording alone, thanks in part to where we live), or have it be a mixture of acoustic and electric instrumentation.  I'm not sure yet which way I will end up going, or whether I will try and do two separate versions of the thing, and then just pick the tracks I like the best and combine them into one record.  Either way, there is much work to be done this summer. Tomorrow I really need to find some time to sit down and work on the songs for the gig at the end of May.  I've also got myself a small pile of music mags that I should spend a bit of time with, too.

Today was our day this weekend for running errands and generally being away from home.  That left me with a lot of time to think things over.  It seems like there's been a lot of that lately... more of it than there has been time for playing, which is at least a little bit soul crushing.  Tomorrow is the day to be home, though, and while there's stuff that needs to get done, I'm really hoping to have some time down in the studio. As for the other positive thing that I'm focused on: This is the last week of classes for the semester, and while I know there will be work over the summer, I also know that I'm going to have a bit more time to focus on music.  I'm definitely looking forward to those opportunities. Tomorrow is, I think, going to be a pretty good day.

Today was quiet.  Almost maddeningly so.  But then again, after the busyness and fun of yesterday, that was almost to be expected. I did some more listening today, and did a lot of thinking and planning when it comes to what I'd like to get done this weekend.  And really, that was about it. Still waiting for my copy of the new Barenaked Ladies album.  I guess ordering two weeks early (and being promised delivery on the day of release) doesn't mean as much as it used to.  Oh well, it'll get here eventually.

Tonight went well, for the most part.  The music was good, and while I screwed up one of the verses I had the pleasure of singing, nobody noticed except for me (and maybe M.).  Still, the songs went smoothly, and the good people who were there seemed to enjoy what we played.  It also let me know that I still need to work on singing and playing together.  Most of that is due to the fact that I just haven't played live enough to get truly comfortable with it. Lately, it feels like everything that happens leads me to the next thing I need to focus on, which is cool. Short post, but a good day.

Today was a bit of a quiet day. I touched base with M. and we sorted out that we are getting together at 10 tomorrow morning. The slight bit of panic that happened to me today involved getting the slides for tomorrow night and spotting a song that I had no idea we are supposed to be doing. I'm sure that M.  and I will be able to sort it all out tomorrow, though. Preparedness aside, I am really looking forward to tomorrow night.

After touching base with M. yesterday about a time to get together this week, I was thrilled when I remembered that two of the songs we're planning on rehearsing later this week are in a mandolin book I have down in the studio. Sure, the chord shapes aren't going to be the same, but the chord progressions are. I had a good bit of fun getting those underneath my fingers tonight.

Spent most of the day in the car on the way home from Cherokee. I got in some good listening again, just like I did on the way out. The best thing about the day was setting up a time to get together with M. on Wednesday so we can get in one last practice before Wednesday night's service. Good,  if quiet, day.

Happily, I found at least a few minutes to sit down and play/write today. They came in the moment I least expected them to, as I was making sure that I had enough music for the road. I simply took the time to sit down with a guitar and tinker. What came out of it was a short progression that I like enough to keep working on. Also of note: I finally got to the rest of the new Aimee Mann record this afternoon. It's perhaps the darkest, most completely acoustic record of her career, and I am looking forward to getting another listen to it tomorrow. Today was a great day.

Today was a good day, if a bit slow paced. I got myself caught up on some of the pile of guitar magazines, did a bit of acoustic work, and continued with the listening that has occupied a good bit of my time the last few days. It always feels good to sit down with a guitar in my hands, and while I knew that I should have been focused either on songs for May or trying to do some writing, what I really enjoyed most was just doing some playing.  The way I see it, the writing will start to get rolling here as the school year winds down. Either way, it was a good day all around, with more to come both tomorrow and Sunday.

Mostly quiet day today, although I was able to get to the new John Mayer record in the car on my ride to and from work.  I have to say, I was impressed.  Is it his poppiest work in years?  Definitely, but there are any number of songs on it that I really liked, and one ("In The Blood") that is an absolutely great song. Moving forward, the weekend is here!  I'm really looking forward to doing some playing this weekend.  I know I need to do some practicing, but I'm hoping to get some writing done too.  The other thing that needs to get done this weekend is spending some time with the songs for May.  I know the posts have been short of late.  I'm hoping to have more to write about by the end of the weekend

New John Mayer record came today.  I didn't get to it because of the other things that were lined up in front of it. In all honesty, I didn't get to as much as I had hoped to today, because I spent four hours in the middle of the afternoon/early evening going to, attending, and coming home from a meeting at work. That said, I did a bit of acoustic work, but didn't get to the songwriting that I had hoped to.  That was disheartening, because I really have been in the mood to write lately. Probably the best part of my musical day was a conversation that I had with a co-worker after my meeting.  Somehow music came up, and we had a really good back and forth about artists we loved and songs we had long since forgotten about. Not a bad day in the end, but also not the day I was expecting when I went to bed last night.

Better, more productive listening today.  More thoughts about the EP as the summer starts to get closer.  I'm looking forward to having a chunk of time to sit down and really focus on that project. Not much else got done today, but here's what I'm hoping for tomorrow: 1.  Finish listening to the new Aimee Mann 2.  Work on the songs for May 3.  Time for both the acoustic and electric 4.  Start a new music bio That's a smaller list than normal for an off day, but I'm hoping that will give me a better chance to get through it all.  We shall see.

Today was a good day for listening.  I got to some more of the recent New Pornographers record in the car on the way to and from work.  I also put in an Amazon order for the new John Mayer album after hearing an interview with him on NPR, and I pre-ordered the new Barenaked Ladies album. Aside from that, today was a super busy day both at work and after it, so I didn't get to much aside from thinking through the way I'd like things to go once the semester is over. One of the other things I'd like to get around to this week is to get caught up on the flood of guitar magazines that has spilled over in the studio. Hopefully tomorrow offers me a bit more time for playing than today did.

So, with today being Easter, it was an understandably quiet day. Still, I did some listening, and picked up the acoustic for a little bit.  It was an enjoyable part of my day. I had high hopes of doing some songwriting and some reading today, but just didn't get there.  Both of those things are going to be a focus this week, and with that, there will definitely be some serious acoustic playing going on. There are only 3 weeks left in the school year... and then the great adventure starts.

Today was a great day. I got together with M. and we had a great practice session that helped to sort out the songs we're hoping to play this summer. From here, I definitely know what I want to focus on over the summer, and I think that the next few months are going to be great. I also found a bit of time to spend with the new Aimee Mann record, which was great.

Touched base with M. today, we're getting together tomorrow afternoon. I'm fairly certain that I know at least a few of the songs we're going to start looking at, but who knows what direction things will go. I got to some listening today, too, but in a perfect world, I will get to a bit more of that, as well as some playing in the morning.

Finally started to get ready for practicing with M. today. I haven't reached out yet, but I am definitely hoping that she is able to find a time to get together tomorrow. I got started with a bit of the listening that was on my list today, too. I fit in a couple of tracks from the latest New Pornographers disc in the car today. I'm still needing to get to the new Aimee Mann, but that is going to happen tomorrow.

Never did get in touch with M. today.  I guess my prediction was a little bit off.  That really needs to happen tomorrow.  The other things that need to happen include: 1.  Acoustic playing & Songwriting 2.  Reading (new music bio) 3.  Working out songs for this gig next month. 4.  Electric stuff... anything loud will do. 5.  LISTENING! Those things seem like they will make up a pretty full day.  Here's hoping I get to it all.

Today was a good, if somewhat quiet, day of lead-in to the rest of the week. I had a bit more conversation with M. today about songs.  Really cool ideas flying back and forth right now.  We haven't settled on a time to get together, but I have a feeling that might be decided in the next day or so. Also cool: the fact that the new Aimee Mann record I ordered ( Mental Illness ) came a day early, so I'll be able to crank up both that and the recent New Pornographers release tomorrow on my first of a couple days off in a row. I have a feeling that it's going to be a fun end to the week.

Short conversation online with M. tonight about songs.  She brought some great suggestions to the table, and so now the excitement ratchets up a little bit.  I'm still on the lookout for a few more song options, and like I said last night, we're getting together at some point this week, so the other songs might come out of that get together. I had hoped to do a bit of listening today on the way to and from work, but in the end, I wound up just cranking up what was already in the CD player and not adding in anything terribly new.  That will happen tomorrow on the way in, I think. Not much else to speak of today.  I got home later than usual, so that cut into my music time today.  It's all right, though, because I will definitely make up for it the rest of the week.

Ran into M. at church this morning.  We chatted for a bit about the music for the possible gig in May.  Apparently there have been a few issues where time is concerned.  She's still optimistic that we'll get to play at least something .  I sure hope so, because I'm really looking forward to this.  She said she hasn't had much of a chance to look at songs, which is good because other than putting that playlist together, neither have I.  This week is going to be good, though.  We've tentatively set it up that we're going to get together and work on some stuff this week. I'm really looking forward to working a couple of days and then seeing what happens with the rest of the week.  I think things are going to start rolling slowly toward summer.

So, I (finally) got my moment of peace and quiet tonight that was long enough that it let me sneak down into the studio and spend some time starting to work through things.  It was a good night, in that, I got to play around with a bit of acoustic stuff and spend a few minutes on the Zeppelin side of things as well. The other cool thing that happened?  I got my copy of the latest record by The New Pornographers in the mail.  Nothing wrong with a good dose of power pop by any stretch of the imagination.  This way, I'll have something fresh to listen to on the way to work this week. For a day that we were either out of town or on the road for most of, today ended up turning out pretty good.

Not much work got done in the studio today.  Instead, the time was spent doing a bit of running, as we are going to be out of town tomorrow, but that did give me a good bit of time to do some listening and some processing of what is coming up. I know I said yesterday that things really needed to get going this weekend, and they definitely do, so tomorrow night after we get home, I need to find a quiet spot to think and write and get moving on some of this stuff.  Whether that's the studio itself or our front room, I'm not sure yet.  All I know is that it needs to happen.

Today was a good day. I got a good deal of listening done in the car on the way to and from work, and I had good time to spend in thought about what I want to get done this weekend. I also got a chance to talk to my brother for about three quarters of my drive home tonight. It's always good to hear what he is up to musically. The way I see it right now is that the weekend really needs to be the jumping off point for all of the acoustic work I have to put in over the summer. I'm looking forward to getting a good start on all of that.

Heard from M. about the songs I sent yesterday, and she didn't veto them all immediately, so that's good. I got a few minutes to sit down and play today, but not as much time as I was hoping to. Still, though, I was happy with what I got done. Today wasn't a bad day, but I was hoping for more than I got to. Tomorrow is going to be better.

Today was... an adventure.  Flat tire on the way in to work meant that I didn't get my usual listening time in, and changed the course of my entire day. What I was able to do today: I sent that email off to M. about song possibilities, and spent the rest of my day thinking through all of the acoustic playing I would love nothing more than to get to tomorrow on my day off.  Really, I'm just excited to dive in tomorrow and see what happens.  I've got a few ideas on what direction I'm at least going to start out in, but we shall see what happens. Hopefully my day tomorrow is better, by far, than my day today.

Today was a good day, if a quiet one. I will say this for my start to the week, I got into some good listening in the car on the way to and from work today. I'm also feeling pretty good about the songs I have been thinking about for this gig in May. I really need to email M. about that tomorrow, because it didn't happen today. The best thing about the day was the chance to sit down and plot out what I hope to get looked at this week. It's a good list that doesn't seem like it is going to be too overwhelming, so that's good. New issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine came in the mail today, too.

So, that potential gig that I had mentioned the other day?  We're now almost 100% sure that it's happening.  I talked with M. about songs for a few minutes after church this morning, made a few suggestions for possible songs, and told her I would email her with anything else that comes to mind. I need to email her tomorrow.  I also need to start up some sort of acoustic regimen, so that my skills are as sharp as they can be for this gig of ours.  I've thought of a few more songs that could be possibilities tonight. Today was a good day, but another sort of quiet one when all was said and done.  Hopefully the week ahead is a little bit busier.

Today was quiet.  There was more going on in my head today than there actually was outside of it.  On some level, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the list of things that I want to get done as spring turns to summer.  There's just a lot going on in my head.  Maybe tomorrow is the day it will help to lay it all out and really get started on it. Not much time in the studio today.  Tomorrow will be better.