I had a good rehearsal last night with the Lianna band. It’s nice being the hired gun, because you don’t have to take the performance so personally. And, as I discovered, when the singer wants to hang out and jam for a few bars, the hired gun is at an …
We just returned home from a week’s vacation, blissfully Internet-free, in Maine. The place we stayed was wonderful and the sea air was just what I needed to clear my head of all the various and current claims on my time. Now to apply nose liberally to grindstone.
This is an email letter I wrote to my childhood friend Eric, who, with his wife and family, are missionaries in Thailand — having just moved there from Malay — regarding the nuptials of our mutual friend Christopher and his lovely bride Darya. I didn’t want to lose this to …
Everyone has been listening to and despairing at the awful news from New Orleans, where it seems as if the world has toppled over the brink of some crazy abyss. This entry is not about that situation, but rather about my good friends Christopher and Darya, who are getting married …
I had a rehearsal recently with members of another band, with whom I will be doing a few performances later this year. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, because I have been playing for so long with my drummer and musical partner in crime, Rich, that it’s always weird …
The last week has brought both good tidings and bad… Our van broke down, and we thought it might be the alternator. But we found out our extended warranty would cover that, so it would cost us very little out of pocket. Unfortunately it turned out to be the battery… …
Studio madness, part 1.5. My next date at the studio is on Thursday, to help Leah complete vocals. We have all the rhythm tracks in the can, and this week Tom is finishing the guitars, banjo, and lap steel, while Okorie lays down the cello madness. (By the way, never …
I see that Karsten also has succumbed to the temptation of a popular new multiplayer stragtegy game in Linux, Battle for Wesnoth. I can feel the remainder of my meager spare time leeching away already. Must… resist…
We had our first night of recording at Kevin Gutierrez’ Assembly Line Studios last night in Vienna. We were all thoroughly impressed with his ears, his skill, and most of all his efficiency. Even in professional studios, recording can grind to a halt when you have an engineer who can’t …
It’s been a very hectic week between work, finishing preparations for a teaching gig in D.C. last week, and trying to complete rough mixes for the band’s preproduction demo that wouldn’t embarrass me in front of our producer. Thankfully, I got to see a lot of the kids this weekend …