"Muse" - ings on Rock & Life

Wasn't feeling very much like myself today.  Made a bit of progress in the studio, almost in spite of myself, however. I finally got all of the assorted posters & artwork up on the walls.  The room feels more like a messy, creative space (in the best sense of the phrase) for having done that. Tomorrow really needs a number of things in it: 1) Listening 2) Uploading some of the newer music & syncing the iPod 3) Finish watching John Mayer's Berklee speech on YouTube 4) Practicing 5) Songwriting/Work on the EP project(s) 6) Getting some CDs put away 7) Uke And, yeah, if I make it through all of that, it will be a huge victory for me.

I got the bookshelf put in the right place today.  I only started to get things put away on it, and I can already tell a difference in the studio.  That shelf, as small as it may seem, truly feels like the missing piece for getting the rest of the room set to rights.  Granted, there is still work to be done in there to get things where they need to be, but just feeling like I have enough places for things went a long way for me today. I got a bit of listening and a bit of playing done today, but not as much on either front as I had hoped for heading into the day.  Tomorrow will be a big day of focus for those things, as well as (hopefully) finishing off the organizing, and getting some CDs put away. Watched Jason Isbell on Austin City Limits today, too.  A great set, definitely one that I'll be saving to watch again.

Got the bookshelf moved into the studio tonight.  Don't have its location squared away just yet, but I got it in there, and that feels like the biggest step in the whole process.  This way, I have a really good reason to get into the studio early in the day tomorrow. Got out for a few minutes tonight, and picked up the latest disc by The New Pornographers in the process.  This way I'll have something new to listen to while I'm moving furniture around in the studio tomorrow. Aside from that (and watching the latest episode of Linda Perry's music-based reality show), it was a pretty quiet night.  Going to be a great three day weekend, though.

Back into the studio tonight, and another good night was had. I, 1) Learned a bit of Jim Croce on the ukulele ("Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown") 2) Worked on the songs for the EP project for a little bit tonight.  I feel like I'm getting closer to figuring out how the first song is supposed to be structured, but I'm not quite there yet.  Hopefully the weekend will provide some clarity and guidance in that regard.  In a perfect world, I'd also like to get started on climbing at least a bit of the lyrical mountain that is in front of me. 3) I did some listening tonight, as well.  Not as much as I have the last couple of days, but it was still something. Really looking forward to the long weekend, and the opportunity it will bring to get a lot done in the studio.

Tonight was awesome.  In truth, tonight's goings on were what I had hoped for out of last night , only to have last night come up short.  Anyway, I: 1) Got a bit more listening crossed off of the list today.  Slowly but surely I am making my way through all of the new purchases from our Wisconsin trip.  I'm cautiously optimistic at this point that I might get through everything by the end of the weekend. 2) Learned "Stand By Me" on the ukulele tonight.  Not only is that a classic song, but it's a fairly simple one to rip through, and it's a whole lot of fun to play. 3) Things started to get better when it comes to the mess that has been the studio for the last week or so.  I don't have all of the posters and artwork hung up yet, but I scouted places for most of it.  I also got a lot of the resources and books that have been lying out in the open put back into the closet, which frees up quite a bit of floor space.  I haven't moved the bookshe...

If you read last night's post, it included the phrase, "things always look worse before they look better." Tonight followed up on that statement in a big way, although I think I may have solved the extra bookcase issue in the process, which is a good thing. There wasn't a whole lot of time for playing tonight, as we had a lot to get done in other parts of the house, but with the progress I've made the last few days, I'm feeling pretty good heading into the middle of the week.

Okay, so, tonight's post is somewhat of a follow-up to last night, except that I didn't have a whole lot of time to spend in the studio tonight.  No, I didn't get any of the posters up on the walls.  I did , however, manage to get at least a little bit farther down the path. I've got a pretty good handle (or so I hope) on the way the rest of the studio is going to shape up, and I've got tomorrow afternoon off and a three day weekend ahead of me.  By the time Friday comes around, I need to have gotten the posters up on the walls, and scouted for a small bookshelf to go in one of the corners.  I have officially hit that "things always look worse before they look better" stage again, although things are in way better shape than they were a year ago at this time. I got some more listening done tonight, and got to spend a bit of time with the electric as well.  Not as insanely productive as yesterday, but still okay in the grand scheme of things.

Today was, far and away, the most productive day of the weekend.  Not only that, but it was the most productive day I've had in the studio in the last couple of weeks. I got a lot of listening done (Gaslight Anthem, Arctic Monkeys, Spoon), while also managing to do some playing, and get a few other long term projects kick-started again. It's hard to believe that it was a year ago yesterday that we moved into this place.  It has been 365 days that I've had a place to call my own when it comes to musical adventures.  Having that space as a respite, and a place to work on learning and improving has been a blessing.  I haven't accomplished everything I hoped to in a year, there are still lyrics to write and a record to finish, but the plus side of that is that a record got started this past year. There is definitely still some organizing to do (I could use one more bookshelf), and there are CDs aplenty that need to find a bit better home than they currently have....

Today was fun. I got back to the ukulele, stopped by the bookstore to pick up a couple of music magazines, and spent some time in the studio. I had said yesterday that I wanted to get some listening done, and that I was also hoping to do some playing.  Some of that got done early in the day, and some of it got done exceedingly late in the evening, still, it got done. I'm hoping that tomorrow is another mix of relaxing and productive, with more time in the studio than there was today.

It took all the willpower I had, but I ignored the ukulele tonight. Instead, I hit the studio and picked up the electric for a while.  My goal going in was to just get it back underneath my fingers for a bit, work out any kinks that had appeared in the last week, and set myself up for a huge weekend of playing, listening, and (hopefully) writing. The Mrs. works in the morning (8-4), so if I can get up early, I should be able to get a good chunk of studio time in.  I really want to get a lot of that listening in tomorrow, along with a lot of playing. Short post tonight, but it should lead into a great weekend.

Tonight was one of those nights where I really, really meant to spend a lot of time in the studio, most of it with an electric guitar slung over my shoulder.  What did I do instead, you ask? I sat on the couch, next to my wife, with the ukulele in my hands, and worked my way through another couple of songs.  The last couple of nights have been good for that.  They have gotten me back on track, working on one song each day, in the hopes that I can work through every song in the book over the course of a year. As for the weekend, I know it needs to include at least two things: 1) listening 2) time in the studio with the electric. In a perfect world, I would also like it to include 3) a bit of acoustic time. 4) some work on original music. 5) theory studying. That seems like a decently aggressive list for the weekend.  Anything above and beyond that would be an amazing success.

Tonight was the ukulele night I've been waiting for since Monday. I knew I was behind by a few days headed into tonight, so I wanted to take it upon myself to get at least some distance toward caught up.  All told tonight, I ran through about five songs.  The chords (for the most part) are coming along well.  The strangest part for me about this collection of songs is the key that some of them are in.  Having the original versions of a lot of these songs so drilled into my brain has made adjusting the vocal melody a minor challenge. What didn't I get to tonight?  That's easy.  I didn't pick up the electric, and I didn't find the time to fit in any listening of consequence.  Those two things will have to be put off until tomorrow, I fear. All told, however, I got done what really needed to get done today, and for that, I am happy.

I got into the studio on the early side today, hoping to get back, at least a little bit, to the roll I was on before we left for a much needed vacation. I started in on a little bit of the rather large pile of listening that I brought back home with me, making the new Gaslight Anthem record my first dip into that pool.  I didn't make it through the whole thing before the urge to pick up a guitar struck me, but I got through the first eight tracks or so, and while it is a darker, heavier record by their standards, their voice still comes through clearly.  They may not be your older brother's Gaslight Anthem, but they haven't lost sight of who they are as a band. I really thought that, first day back from bit of time away, I'd go straight for the electric, cranking up the volume on the amp, and blasting away, just happy to be back in what has become my comfort space.  It surprised me all the more, then, when it was the acoustic that wound up in my hands for the entir...

So, we made it home. I got all of the new music into the studio, and all set for listening tomorrow.  I've got a doctor's appointment to go to in the morning, but aside from that, I've got the rest of the day free to get re-acquainted with the idea of being back in town. A lot of that time will be spent in the studio, doing some listening, some catching up on ukulele work, and most definitely spending some time with a guitar in my hands. I picked up a couple of music mags when we made a quick stop in Madison on the way home.  The new issue of Acoustic Guitar and a magazine put out by one of the major music mags (don't recall which one at the moment, and it's already in the studio), devoted entirely to songwriting.  That should be a fun thing to work my way through tomorrow. I know today wasn't a spectacularly productive day, but it was just good to get home.  Having had a bit of a vacation, the serious work begins again tomorrow.

Today was another quiet sort of day. The only thing that I am looking forward to about going back to Dubuque is the fact that having the studio at my disposal will force me to be productive again. I am fully expecting to make up for lost time when we get back home. Tomorrow and Tuesday will both be days of great productivity. The Mrs. having a meeting to go to tomorrow night means that I will have the house to myself, and will therefore have no excuse for not being able to get some work done. The break has been a good one, but I am ready to get home and get back into a bit of a routine again.

Went to the symphony concert tonight at the hall in Fish Creek. Had a great time,  and saw some great live music in the process. That said, my plan for tonight's post was to track through all of the music that I've picked up the last few days. I know it's not much in the way of documenting my own progress, but it's still a fun breakdown, so here goes nothing :

Today was a day of musical finds. Between a stop at The Exclusive Company and one at the Half Price Books in Appleton,  I made out exceptionally well. There were a lot of records on my list of things that I had hoped to find,  and I think I wound up with a lot of them,  along with a few other discs that came as a surprise. It was a long day of driving, and there wasn't a big chance to sit down and play much music today, but I am hoping that tomorrow will give me a little bit of time to play. Good to see family today, and also to have a bit of a vacation. I'll be better tomorrow than I was today.  Having a full day in one place will help, I think.

Today was mostly a travel day for us,  heading up to Wisconsin for the next few days. I brought the uke along with me on the trip,  though, so I'll have something musical to occupy the bits of free time that show up over the weekend. We stopped at half price books on the way up, and I found some good stuff,  music-wise. Lots of John Butler Trio records that I didn't have yet and a few other discs. The coolest thing I found,  though,  was a few older guitar magazines.  There was an issue of Guitar One that I didn't have,  and a few issues of Acoustic Guitar  that I didn't have.  All told,  it was a good day for finds, and I think that it's all going to be a fun addition to my collections.

Tonight was all set to be a great night of music. It was my last full day of work before a small vacation, and I was excited about the possibility of a productive studio session before we take off tomorrow.  The day didn't really go that way,  however,  and so, once again I found myself struggling to find enough time to get done the things I wanted to get done before we leave. As has been the norm this week, I got just enough time in to feel like I am making a bit of progress, but not enough time for me to feel like I am getting the most out of each day. The uke song was Johnny Cash tonight, and that part went just fine.  The guitar side of things went well too, for that matter,  with progress being made from where I was last night,  it just didn't feel like enough tonight. I'll be bringing an instrument along with me on our little vacation,  though,  so hopefully a bit of time away from the recent stresses will be good for my progress.

This week is starting to develop a familiar feel about it.  As has become the norm, I started out by learning a song on ukulele ("Daydream Believer" today), and then moved on and picked up a guitar. Tonight's guitar focus was mostly devoted to going back over what I started to work on last night before I was too exhausted to continue.  It went far better tonight than it did last night, so I'll take that as a win. I'm starting to feel comfortable guitar-wise again.  There was a brief period of time where that comfort level seemed to disappear for a few days,  but now,  almost three weeks into year five, things feel like they are coming around again.  I've been doing a bit more listening the last few days than I had in a long time, and it seems like the fun of the uke, the studying aspect of the guitar, and the time taken to listen is all adding up to something that,  by the end of the year,  will be an amazing adventure. More tomorrow,  as...

Tonight started with me learning Patsy Cline's "Crazy" on ukulele.  I'm starting to like the flow of things starting with the uke and then moving forward to guitar. It was another night that I was wishing I could spend hours in the studio.  I kept going through the fretboard roadmaps book, picking up at a spot where I had left off intentionally the last time.  Partially that was because there were a few tidbits of information that I suspected would take a little bit more time for me to absorb (this section is something I will be going back to again tomorrow), but also because it feels like I'm getting closer to another one of those jumping off points, and I really want to be fully awake when I get to that moment (something that has felt rare the last week and a half or so). All told, it was a good studio day, if not one with quite enough time spent in the studio.  Tomorrow will be a better day with more exciting adventures in it.

Tonight was one of those nights I wish I didn't have to work tomorrow, because I felt like I could have stayed in the studio all night, happily switching back and forth between listening and playing. As has become the norm this week, I started out with a song from my new ukulele book, and then moved on to guitar related topics, which tonight took the form of working through some songs from Recovering The Satellites by Counting Crows. It really was a Satellites kind of day.  Most of it spent in a minor funk that I couldn't put my finger on.  Getting into the studio and having a guitar in my hands went a ways (as it always does) toward breaking through that.  I'm hopeful that it's going to be a good week for music.

So, I got a few things done today, in no semblance of order or structure whatsoever. 1.  I started in on the listening that has somehow eluded me the last couple of days.  Spoon's Girls Can Tell is the record that made it into the CD player in the car on the way to (and from) work today, and then out running errands.  Really enjoyable listen.  Made me excited to both crack into the new record and listen to all of the older stuff. 2. I started my list of CDs I'm going to be searching for on our trip to WI at the end of the week.  That may be a bit silly, but I know there will be an Exclusive stop, and a couple of Half Price Books stops in there, and if I'm going to do it, I might as well go in prepared. 3. I made it through my ukulele song for the day (Van Morrison), and did a bit of guitar work before realizing how exhausted I was and needing to jot down my somewhat disorganized music thoughts for the day. I'll do much better tomorrow, both in terms of ...

Tonight was a fun night in the studio. I went for some Everly Brothers when it came time to pick the ukulele song of the night, and that went pretty well.  Not only have I enjoyed learning new songs on the uke, but the chords (if not the shapes) transfer over to guitar, which is cool. After that part of my session, I knew I wanted to focus in on a song that had at least a few chord shapes up the neck.  Having worked on the fretboard roadmaps book (which has focused on that quite a bit so far), it made sense to me that I would follow up on that bit of study.  I grabbed an issue of Guitar World that had a transcription of John Mayer's "Waiting On The World To Change," and had a half hour's worth of fun jamming along with that.  It's a song that has always struck me as having a fun groove, and it was a cool song to start to learn. Tomorrow I really need to sit and do some listening for a while, along with everything else.

Tonight was Beatles night when it came to the ukulele.  "All My Loving" showed up early in the book, so I thought I'd go for that tonight.  It turned out pretty well.  Considering I'm going through these at a song a day, I'm feeling like all of them have gone well so far.  I don't have anything memorized yet, but playing through them with the chords in front of me has gone really well. After the uke, I picked up the acoustic for a little while.  That was a good feeling, as it felt like it had been a little while on that.  I worked on a little bit of Springsteen, "Darkness On The Edge Of Town," specifically. About the only thing I didn't get to tonight was the listening.  That will happen over the weekend, for sure, though. I didn't get as much time tonight as I had hoped I would, but I made good use of the time I had.

Tonight was a good night in the studio.  I felt like I got back to guitar a little bit tonight.  I worked on some of the fretboard roadmap stuff that had been a priority last week, and am pleased at the way that is coming along. Aside from that, I went through the second song out of my ukulele book.  I'm hoping around a bit, picking songs I know, until I can find recordings of the ones I'm unfamiliar with. Tomorrow night I need to find the time to do some listening.  The new records from yesterday need to be heard. Not as much done tonight as I had hoped, but I'll take the steps forward I did make and use them as jumping off points for tomorrow's musical adventures.

Spent most of the day in the car today, but still made it home in time to do a bit of work in the studio. I got started on my 365 Days of Ukulele, thanks to that book from the Mrs. that I got for my birthday.  I'm planning on starting at the beginning of the book and just making my way straight through.  he first song in the book was "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"  It wasn't in the same key as the Elvis version, so I played around with both, working through the chords on guitar after I had done so with the uke. Went to Moondog on my birthday, as well.  Picked up four new records: Hypnotic Eye - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers They Want My Soul - Spoon Girls Can Tell - Spoon Disgraceland - The Orwells Tomorrow night needs to have a bit more guitar in it, and a bit more time in the studio.

In NW Iowa for a quick visit.  It's very much a here today, gone tomorrow sort of visit, but I brought the ukulele along with me for the trip. I got into the studio for a little bit this morning before we left town.  It seemed like a good idea, with the growing amount of uke-related resources that I've acquired in the last year, to have everything a bit more centralized and organized together.  It didn't take all that long for me to get things put to rights the way I needed them, but it was good to separate that from the bass and banjo resources that were in the same file. There's also a folder and a blank notebook for questions, songs to learn, etc. I'm excited for the chance to get home tomorrow and get back into the studio.  Having this extra couple of days off as a mini-vacation has been a good thing, but with tomorrow being the last of it until our Wisconsin trip in a few weeks, I want to spend a good chunk of my birthday in the studio.

Quiet day today, with the notable exception of one thing.  My wife gets antsy when it comes to birthday presents.  Strange introduction, I know, but stick with me on this.  My birthday is in two days, and she has let me know, repeatedly, that my presents have been in the house for more than a week.  She doesn't like waiting when it comes to presents or surprises or birthdays.  So tonight, she couldn't wait any longer and just had to give me one of my presents.  She made me close my eyes and hold out my hands and the whole bit. What she put into my hands was a 365 day ukulele songbook that has everything from old standards to Beatles classics and everything in between.  She said she had noticed that there hadn't been as much ukulele playing coming from the studio of late (she's right), and she wanted to change that.  The book looks pretty awesome.  There are some playing hints and tips in the front, and then the year's worth of songs.  ...

Decent day today.  Managed to get two sessions in today.  It qualifies as decent as opposed to something better than that only because I could have spent more time in there today than I actually did.  Still, I: 1) Got a little bit of listening in. 2) Had a bit of fun with some of the theory stuff from the last few days. 3) Started to take another look at some of the theory that has tripped me up a bit recently. That leaves the soloing and the record for tomorrow.  Not too bad, all things considered. Also, I scored a couple of cool music-related books for my birthday from my brother-in-law, his wife, and their kids.  One called Tragedies & Mysteries of Rock 'n' Roll , that details the lives and deaths of 63 artists from the music world (I've already started reading it), and the other is a book called Classic Rock Posters that has pictures and stories from 1952 up to the present day. Yes, today was a good day indeed.

Tonight was a much better night in the studio. There was a mixture of acoustic playing and electric work.  There was a bit of theory and a bit of playing for the sheer enjoyment of it. Most of all, there is at least some sense of a plan going forward through the weekend.  I need to: 1) Work out a couple of kinks in the theory side of things that are still tripping me up. 2) Take an objective look at what I've got recorded, and try to find a way to make at least an EP come to life. 3) Take a bit of time to do some listening. 4) Work on my soloing with backing tracks behind me. Anything above and beyond that will be great, but I need to start there.