Over this past week some friends and I went in to record some music together. We prepared on Tuesday and got started the following afternoon. When we arrived, Steve was already manning the chair, in which he makes magic happen. The room was at a pleasant 62 degrees, which we enjoyed on account of our knowledge that it would soon be pushing 100. Fordham got right to setting up his drums, and soon thereafter, we got to recording. Drum tracks took around four hours. The guitars, about six. Bass was kicked out in just over three. Then we started the most grueling part, vocals. Vocals took the better part of a day and a half. We got three of us around the mic and did a few group parts together to back up the lead melody. Then Mark sang lead for the first time on a song of his own. It was a lot of fun to work with him.
We go into the studio to finish mixing and to receive the final product tomorrow afternoon. I'm fairly happy with the way everything is sounding. I hope those who choose to give any of the songs a listen enjoy them as well.
I'd like to be able to say that I did things besides this, but I really didn't. I just hung out and bummed around. So, until next time...
Take care.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
May 17th, 2009
I've realized that it takes too much time to think of a title to each one of these things, so starting today I plan to write nothing other than the date, save for big news, of which my life has very little. I just thought that I'd let you know every Saturday what happened over the previous week.
I started an exercise routine; most likely soon to be abolished, but I will keep it up for as long as I can. I've already been playing a good five hours of basketball a week on the court behind my apartment, but I'm going to do my best to add other things to the mix. I started running, mainly taking advantage of my parents being out of town to commandeer their treadmill. I did 7 miles yesterday and three today. I also plan to hike as much as possible until the heat becomes intolerable.
The band is recording this week, and I'm pretty stoked about that. We go in on Wednesday to begin drum tracks on three songs, to be finished by the weekend. We also have two shows tentatively (as all shows seem to be) scheduled for June 10th and June 17th. I'm for sure looking forward to those.
Take care.
I started an exercise routine; most likely soon to be abolished, but I will keep it up for as long as I can. I've already been playing a good five hours of basketball a week on the court behind my apartment, but I'm going to do my best to add other things to the mix. I started running, mainly taking advantage of my parents being out of town to commandeer their treadmill. I did 7 miles yesterday and three today. I also plan to hike as much as possible until the heat becomes intolerable.
The band is recording this week, and I'm pretty stoked about that. We go in on Wednesday to begin drum tracks on three songs, to be finished by the weekend. We also have two shows tentatively (as all shows seem to be) scheduled for June 10th and June 17th. I'm for sure looking forward to those.
Take care.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
The Graveyard Shift
As I often tend to do, I stopped blogging for an extended period of time on account of my thinking that I had nothing of importance to say. After a little considering, I realized that I'm the only person who reads my blog--normally as one would reread journal entries, just a quick nostalgic glimpse into a small time ago--so who is to lash out against the boring and banal diatribes that I'm normally inclined to produce? So my rants or observations may be arrogant, self-centered, petty, ill-informed--a whole slew of adjectives held in negative regard--and it doesn't even matter. This is my blog. Such a thing is supposed to be all of the aforementioned things. That's its fundamental purpose. So, from here on out, I figure whatever is to be found here will be even worse, still more boring and narrow minded than it had been before.
So what have I been up to? If you know anything about me, you know that such a question will elicit nothing from me but a laugh and a self-deprecating comment or two, for I never do much of anything. But...for the sake of humoring myself on this nocturnal endeavor, I will try my best to recall all those things that I did manage, whether or not they are, in actuality, worth remembering.
So, since February, huh? Well, in March I went into Summit Studios in Midvale to record a five song EP with a few of my friends. It was my first opportunity to solely do vocals on a record, save for a small guitar part on a single song. The songs turned out decently, considering that we'd been a band for less than a month and a half when we went in to lay everything down. Since then, we've played two shows, one at Kilby and the other at Bert's, both being a good time. I didn't realize exactly how much I missed performing until I did it. I thought I'd be nervous because of the long lull in between these and the times prior, but I felt very comfortable on stage. It's a lot different to only be holding a microphone when you are so used to hiding behind a guitar. I couldn't figure out what I should do. So I just danced around a bit and made a fool of myself. Twice. But I'd do it again. In fact, we have two more gigs scheduled for June, which I'm looking forward to. Another recording session is hopefully in the works, too, because I'm quite the fan.
I went to Oregon for a week in March as well. Sam and I drove West to the coast, spending the first night in Frisco, and working our way up the coast from there. It's a long drive, for sure, but an enjoyable one, and we were in no hurry. In Newport, we were fairly idle, not venturing outside as much as we had planned on account of hostile weather. It rained all but a single day. That aside, a few storms were tolerably warm and made a stroll almost more enjoyable. We made sure to visit the beach several times, where we could view the horizon unblemished. If I had to pick my ten favorite things about this planet, physical and otherwise, the ocean would sit amongst the top contenders, as I'm sure it would on many such lists. When we were inside, we mainly just bummed around. It was nice to just have some time to relax, to read, to sleep in. And to watch Monk, of course.
Another happening that took place in March was my acquiring another job. I didn't need a second job. I didn't want a second job. But considering how vehemently I despise my primary source of income, I gladly accepted it when it happened to come along. It takes up over half of my weekend, but it makes it possible to avoid serving the Man for the bulk of the week, and for that, I am thankful. While I work, I am expected to do very little. I make sure everything is on the up and up, and if that is the case, I am expected merely to refrain from falling asleep, which I manage with minimal effort. It gives me ample time to read, practice guitar or catch up on this garbage that I'm spewing out at the moment. I'm not certain as to how long I'm going to be at such a venture, but I expect for at least the rest of the year. I see no imminent reason to think otherwise.
Lastly, I decided not long ago that if I reached a certain weight, I would do whatever I could to eliminate whatever put me over 160. That weight is 170. I weighed myself the other day and the scale had an ominous 169.9 across its display. It's obvious that soon, I can be negligent no more. I have gained 14 pounds over the last nine years, an amount most would find tolerable, but I'm definitely not a fan. I knew it would happen some day. My diet is atrocious. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. And I'm always hungry. Most days, I fall asleep within minutes of eating, and likely it's a dessert of some kind. Also, my father suddenly decided that he would go out and buy five hundred dollars of spices, a mortar, and a pestle, and do whatever he could to prepare a new meal every day. I frequently get invites to said endeavors. He has an obsession with his red pepper tree. He refuses to make a meal that won't put fire in your bowels a few hours hence. Regardless, most are delicious and worth the agony.
Anyway. I guess that about does it for a while. Hopefully I'll keep up on this a lot better now that I've got the time and a convenient means. Ciao.
So what have I been up to? If you know anything about me, you know that such a question will elicit nothing from me but a laugh and a self-deprecating comment or two, for I never do much of anything. But...for the sake of humoring myself on this nocturnal endeavor, I will try my best to recall all those things that I did manage, whether or not they are, in actuality, worth remembering.
So, since February, huh? Well, in March I went into Summit Studios in Midvale to record a five song EP with a few of my friends. It was my first opportunity to solely do vocals on a record, save for a small guitar part on a single song. The songs turned out decently, considering that we'd been a band for less than a month and a half when we went in to lay everything down. Since then, we've played two shows, one at Kilby and the other at Bert's, both being a good time. I didn't realize exactly how much I missed performing until I did it. I thought I'd be nervous because of the long lull in between these and the times prior, but I felt very comfortable on stage. It's a lot different to only be holding a microphone when you are so used to hiding behind a guitar. I couldn't figure out what I should do. So I just danced around a bit and made a fool of myself. Twice. But I'd do it again. In fact, we have two more gigs scheduled for June, which I'm looking forward to. Another recording session is hopefully in the works, too, because I'm quite the fan.
I went to Oregon for a week in March as well. Sam and I drove West to the coast, spending the first night in Frisco, and working our way up the coast from there. It's a long drive, for sure, but an enjoyable one, and we were in no hurry. In Newport, we were fairly idle, not venturing outside as much as we had planned on account of hostile weather. It rained all but a single day. That aside, a few storms were tolerably warm and made a stroll almost more enjoyable. We made sure to visit the beach several times, where we could view the horizon unblemished. If I had to pick my ten favorite things about this planet, physical and otherwise, the ocean would sit amongst the top contenders, as I'm sure it would on many such lists. When we were inside, we mainly just bummed around. It was nice to just have some time to relax, to read, to sleep in. And to watch Monk, of course.
Another happening that took place in March was my acquiring another job. I didn't need a second job. I didn't want a second job. But considering how vehemently I despise my primary source of income, I gladly accepted it when it happened to come along. It takes up over half of my weekend, but it makes it possible to avoid serving the Man for the bulk of the week, and for that, I am thankful. While I work, I am expected to do very little. I make sure everything is on the up and up, and if that is the case, I am expected merely to refrain from falling asleep, which I manage with minimal effort. It gives me ample time to read, practice guitar or catch up on this garbage that I'm spewing out at the moment. I'm not certain as to how long I'm going to be at such a venture, but I expect for at least the rest of the year. I see no imminent reason to think otherwise.
Lastly, I decided not long ago that if I reached a certain weight, I would do whatever I could to eliminate whatever put me over 160. That weight is 170. I weighed myself the other day and the scale had an ominous 169.9 across its display. It's obvious that soon, I can be negligent no more. I have gained 14 pounds over the last nine years, an amount most would find tolerable, but I'm definitely not a fan. I knew it would happen some day. My diet is atrocious. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. And I'm always hungry. Most days, I fall asleep within minutes of eating, and likely it's a dessert of some kind. Also, my father suddenly decided that he would go out and buy five hundred dollars of spices, a mortar, and a pestle, and do whatever he could to prepare a new meal every day. I frequently get invites to said endeavors. He has an obsession with his red pepper tree. He refuses to make a meal that won't put fire in your bowels a few hours hence. Regardless, most are delicious and worth the agony.
Anyway. I guess that about does it for a while. Hopefully I'll keep up on this a lot better now that I've got the time and a convenient means. Ciao.
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