outburst hurts so good.
not too much going on in the past month or so. lots of spookies stuff though. we played a show, and even though 3/4 of us were quite ILL, we rocked it. it was lots of fun. i paid for it the next day and felt the sickest and shittiest i'd felt in years. WORTH IT. a good musical thing is always worth it.
also, i auditioned for a new american idol wannabe called DUETS. the casting director first emailed me after finding me on youtube, then i sent her my basic info and bandcamp link and then she actually called me back to say they wanted me to submit a stupid casting video and fill out a super-ass long questionnaire with questions like "why do you want to sing with kelly clarkson?" and "what is your most embarrassing moment?" the video had to be me answering a few questions about my background and why i would be good for DUETS, then me singing a song. i hated every minute of it. it felt so fake and forced and a little bit of me died in the process.
i sang "new times and fire road" and "come together," but decided on "new times" for the final product. luckily alyssa was around to tell me which parts of the video sucked and pushed me to redo certain things, because i ran out of patience real quick. so i submitted it and then the next day, i had some beers and watched it again. i was happy with it. it's as good of a submission for a stupid singing show as i could do. i'm glad i did it; i like to try different things when it comes to music (like playing at a 7-11) and i've always wanted to try out for one of those shows, just to see how i'd fare. it's stupid, i know. i probably won't hear back from them, but i WOULD like to sing for kelly clarkson (which is the next step in the audition process).
other than that, i've felt slightly out of sorts lately. my days have usually consisted of watching some TV show (like the west wing or californication or whatever space/science documentary i can find) and playing angry birds on my iphone. and then watching either buffy, american idol or the voice with alyssa while we drink wine/beer. also reading a lot (scar tissue, vortex and game change). i'm not miserable by any means, but i've felt a bit directionless, which is never good. i HAVE applied to jobs too. OKAY??
but the other day, i sat down and REALLY thought about why i have been feeling weird. it's not because i'm being a slacker, as that's really nothing new (church). but i realized i haven't been working on any of my own music lately! i'd been recording a few instrumental scraps and ideas, but nothing that involves working toward a finished product of any kind. certainly no lyrics. after three digital 7" singles, i got kind of burned out on that whole thing and then i didn't know what to do. i figured i could just work on instrumental stuff here and there and do spookies for the time being.
but i realized that i really do always have to be working on my own songs (preferably an album) to be happy. i don't--and shouldn't--care if it doesn't catch on or become popular (PDR and real nights sure as hell didn't help me in that department either). i NEED to write and record songs because that's what makes me feel rad. not that it solves every problem in my life or anything, but it sure helps me on my end. so i decided to record an album by summer, like i used to in the old days. no more of this taking-two-years shit. i'm gonna put out an album by july.
i've had lots of little musical ideas that i've been recording over the past few months, so in the past several days i have been delving into those and developing the best ones into songs. writing lots of lyrics too.
this is going to be my "uh oh, i'm turning 30" album, which i like to think is (with much hubris) akin to the cure's amazing amazing awesome album disintegration (which was recorded when robert smith was the same age i am now...freaky!). it sounds stupid and possibly even shallow, but i really feel kind of shitty about turning 30. i don't feel like i am now where i hoped i'd be when i was 20. i'm starting to second guess some of the decisions that made me who i am now, and the common thread seems to be about the advantages and disadvantages of being a dreamer. also, the usual metaphysical musings and crap. but it won't be a pity-fest like wharfless was. this will be a positive album where i end up saying, "fuck y'all, i don't regret shit!"
and there will be NO joke songs--no mccain campaigns, no sexual taxis, no freeze tags--which i think makes it the first since history of fishes to be totally straight. but it won't sound like anything i've done before i don't think. i really think/hope this will be a special album.
after that album is done, then the next pugs album will start happening. i really want to co-write it with mayhaw and ky to make it a TRUE pugs album in every respect, as opposed to real nights where i just dictated my songs to them (although they came up with great parts and ideas in addition to my bare bones songs). i feel like the three of us are a really good team, so i want to really play on that for the next pugs album.
so as you see, i have all these plans now. this is a good thing. this is what keeps me ravenous. i forget that sometimes. anyway, gotta go work on some songs.
what's a steak fry?
what's a latitude?
also, i auditioned for a new american idol wannabe called DUETS. the casting director first emailed me after finding me on youtube, then i sent her my basic info and bandcamp link and then she actually called me back to say they wanted me to submit a stupid casting video and fill out a super-ass long questionnaire with questions like "why do you want to sing with kelly clarkson?" and "what is your most embarrassing moment?" the video had to be me answering a few questions about my background and why i would be good for DUETS, then me singing a song. i hated every minute of it. it felt so fake and forced and a little bit of me died in the process.
i sang "new times and fire road" and "come together," but decided on "new times" for the final product. luckily alyssa was around to tell me which parts of the video sucked and pushed me to redo certain things, because i ran out of patience real quick. so i submitted it and then the next day, i had some beers and watched it again. i was happy with it. it's as good of a submission for a stupid singing show as i could do. i'm glad i did it; i like to try different things when it comes to music (like playing at a 7-11) and i've always wanted to try out for one of those shows, just to see how i'd fare. it's stupid, i know. i probably won't hear back from them, but i WOULD like to sing for kelly clarkson (which is the next step in the audition process).
other than that, i've felt slightly out of sorts lately. my days have usually consisted of watching some TV show (like the west wing or californication or whatever space/science documentary i can find) and playing angry birds on my iphone. and then watching either buffy, american idol or the voice with alyssa while we drink wine/beer. also reading a lot (scar tissue, vortex and game change). i'm not miserable by any means, but i've felt a bit directionless, which is never good. i HAVE applied to jobs too. OKAY??
but the other day, i sat down and REALLY thought about why i have been feeling weird. it's not because i'm being a slacker, as that's really nothing new (church). but i realized i haven't been working on any of my own music lately! i'd been recording a few instrumental scraps and ideas, but nothing that involves working toward a finished product of any kind. certainly no lyrics. after three digital 7" singles, i got kind of burned out on that whole thing and then i didn't know what to do. i figured i could just work on instrumental stuff here and there and do spookies for the time being.
but i realized that i really do always have to be working on my own songs (preferably an album) to be happy. i don't--and shouldn't--care if it doesn't catch on or become popular (PDR and real nights sure as hell didn't help me in that department either). i NEED to write and record songs because that's what makes me feel rad. not that it solves every problem in my life or anything, but it sure helps me on my end. so i decided to record an album by summer, like i used to in the old days. no more of this taking-two-years shit. i'm gonna put out an album by july.
i've had lots of little musical ideas that i've been recording over the past few months, so in the past several days i have been delving into those and developing the best ones into songs. writing lots of lyrics too.
this is going to be my "uh oh, i'm turning 30" album, which i like to think is (with much hubris) akin to the cure's amazing amazing awesome album disintegration (which was recorded when robert smith was the same age i am now...freaky!). it sounds stupid and possibly even shallow, but i really feel kind of shitty about turning 30. i don't feel like i am now where i hoped i'd be when i was 20. i'm starting to second guess some of the decisions that made me who i am now, and the common thread seems to be about the advantages and disadvantages of being a dreamer. also, the usual metaphysical musings and crap. but it won't be a pity-fest like wharfless was. this will be a positive album where i end up saying, "fuck y'all, i don't regret shit!"
and there will be NO joke songs--no mccain campaigns, no sexual taxis, no freeze tags--which i think makes it the first since history of fishes to be totally straight. but it won't sound like anything i've done before i don't think. i really think/hope this will be a special album.
after that album is done, then the next pugs album will start happening. i really want to co-write it with mayhaw and ky to make it a TRUE pugs album in every respect, as opposed to real nights where i just dictated my songs to them (although they came up with great parts and ideas in addition to my bare bones songs). i feel like the three of us are a really good team, so i want to really play on that for the next pugs album.
so as you see, i have all these plans now. this is a good thing. this is what keeps me ravenous. i forget that sometimes. anyway, gotta go work on some songs.
what's a steak fry?
what's a latitude?