Early in the day, looking outside at the lovely blue sky contrasting with the white snow on the ground...and realizing it's damn cold outside, and soon I'll be out in it. Well, there's worse fates. I've got work, a good place to live, wonderful wife, and cats all around. I'm not so sure about the cats, but everything else is cool. Oh, OK, I guess they're cool too. When they're not making me crazy.
Had my first Skype rehearsal with Mike Katon last night. That was interesting...I remember years ago thinking stuff like this would be possible and being very excited about it. Jamming with friends in Turkey and Senegal!! Streaming performances from multiple countries simultaneously to the world!! Well, I haven't done that yet, but it was very handy to be able to work on Mike's tunes without having to drive to Hell, where he lives. Not that it's that far from my house, but it does save me in time, gas and the hassle of shlepping my equipment in the snow. And we got a lot accomplished...I think with a regular few of those a week, and with a few times all together in the real world, we'll be ready to kick butt out on the road in Europe and the UK!! I'm looking forward to it.
I still haven't played with the drummer for the tour, Johnny Bee, but I've heard so many good things about him that I'm inclined to feel real good about it. Hopefully we'll have some time to work out grooves together in the next month...there was some uncertainty about whether we'd have a drummer for a while there!! Mike's original guy from the Netherlands had to bail, and there was a period where we thought we'd have to have two drummers, one playing the early part of the tour and one the later. NOT the ideal situation!! So I was very happy to hear that Bee is on for the duration. It doesn't take much time for me to lock into a drummer's groove, but shifting gears mid-tour sounded like a real problem at the time. Problem solved now though.
My next series of problems is just learning all Mike's new material!! He's just released two new albums, and of course wants to promote them at the shows, so many new songs to play with. Now that he's got an initial list, I can concentrate on those songs...and as I've said before, learn them inside out. They're fun songs, too! Really, this should be a great tour. Katon is in fine form and in great shape mentally and physically, and I'm feeling really good about doing it. I still have my reservations about leaving my Dad here, but he's got an awesome support group now and Cyn and my brothers will be around, so I think he'll be OK. Mike is in much the same boat with his Dad too, I think it's interesting that our lives have that parallel. But perhaps it's just that we are rockers of a certain age!
sdlfkfjlk
Friday, December 27, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
I STILL can't get this cat off my lap!!
I STILL can't get this cat off of my lap!! Oh well. There are worse fates than having little beings that think you are great hanging out with you. And it's pretty easy to make them very happy. Not a bad thing. Although when they're all growling at each other around midnight, I often think of making them into a coat. Or a series of hats.
I once again, through the press of busy work and Dad tending, have let the blog slip into disrepair. All I can say is, if you could see the state of the office (and no, I'm not taking a picture) you'd realize that the blog itself looks just fine. A lot of it is also of course the function of depression. I've had that going on a long time at a low level, like walking pneumonia. I can get up and get things done, but only that which I really need to...everything else just has to slide for a while. Unfortunately, with the office it's slid pretty far. As I seem to be on an upswing right now, I'll have to straighten out things while I can...and it should actually make me feel a bit better, too.
Cyn and I had a good Christmastime, against the odds too, this year. I managed to help Dad shop (he loved going out and rambling around stores for hours) and packed his presents...got the tree, hung the wreaths, cooked the dinner, poured the wine. We all seemed to have a reasonably good time! My brothers were both there and in good moods, and we made it through the day in a fairly festive manner, considering everything.
This first Xmas without my Mom was certainly the hardest, I'll admit. There's a huge hole in our family now, one that can't be filled. I spoke of her in a toast yesterday, but I don't know if anyone else would have mentioned what we were all feeling otherwise, which I find strange. But I know I'm a different kind of person than my brothers. Not that any of our feelings are less deep, but mine seem closer to the outside, as if my skin were too thin sometimes. I'm finding that grief is different than I anticipated it to be...somehow I thought I'd have a total breakdown, and then slowly recover. Now I'm seeing myself cruising along, apparently OK, and then bursting into tears when some trigger of memory or emotion hits me, at random times. Then it passes, a bit. Then later, something else sets it off. One thing I know I've inherited from Ma is a very emotional nature. Yeah, I know, not very manly, but such is life and the cards we are given. I'm proud to be her son, and happy to have any part of her character in me as well. I miss her more than I can possibly say.
After the Christmas dinner Cyn and I went to my friend Dave's place. He's battling cancer and just got out of the hospital yesterday (Christmas Day!). Still weak from the disease and the chemo, he was happy to see us...Cyn helped and fixed him up some food, since he didn't feel able to manage that himself, and we brought a pie, which I think he appreciated. He's fighting this as hard as he can, and I hope all goes well with him. After losing two good friends in two years (not including my Mom) I am somewhat alarmed when someone's as sick as this. We'll be over as much as we can, to lend moral support and more pie.
And in the meantime I have a tour to get ready for!! I'm out with Mike Katon again next month, rushing around all over the UK, Western Europe and Scandinavia. What a gas!! I haven't been working with Katon, with the exception of a few local gigs last year, in over a decade. I guess I better re-learn those tunes, huh? Actually, since last time I think he's done at least 4 new albums, so a lot of new tunes too. I really want to be as good as I can for this tour, and I've been getting started with an intensive practice and listening regime to get his material down. I find with music that there's several different levels of familiarity with a composition...there's the initial learning of it, and then the finding of little variations, alternate fingerings, etc., that give you more freedom...and then there's the taking it apart and observing it from all different angles, reshaping it, understanding it on a much different and more complete level, that allows you to REALLY play it. That's where I need to be!! I'm working on it. And music aside, I have to be physically ready for the rigors of the road. Christmas is over...I'm back to the gym, and a healthier diet (I really enjoyed the cookies and the Bailey's, but it's time for a change), and my yoga and meditation as well. I'm looking forward to it!! It should be a positive experience...and I'm currently collecting as many of those as I can.
I once again, through the press of busy work and Dad tending, have let the blog slip into disrepair. All I can say is, if you could see the state of the office (and no, I'm not taking a picture) you'd realize that the blog itself looks just fine. A lot of it is also of course the function of depression. I've had that going on a long time at a low level, like walking pneumonia. I can get up and get things done, but only that which I really need to...everything else just has to slide for a while. Unfortunately, with the office it's slid pretty far. As I seem to be on an upswing right now, I'll have to straighten out things while I can...and it should actually make me feel a bit better, too.
Cyn and I had a good Christmastime, against the odds too, this year. I managed to help Dad shop (he loved going out and rambling around stores for hours) and packed his presents...got the tree, hung the wreaths, cooked the dinner, poured the wine. We all seemed to have a reasonably good time! My brothers were both there and in good moods, and we made it through the day in a fairly festive manner, considering everything.
This first Xmas without my Mom was certainly the hardest, I'll admit. There's a huge hole in our family now, one that can't be filled. I spoke of her in a toast yesterday, but I don't know if anyone else would have mentioned what we were all feeling otherwise, which I find strange. But I know I'm a different kind of person than my brothers. Not that any of our feelings are less deep, but mine seem closer to the outside, as if my skin were too thin sometimes. I'm finding that grief is different than I anticipated it to be...somehow I thought I'd have a total breakdown, and then slowly recover. Now I'm seeing myself cruising along, apparently OK, and then bursting into tears when some trigger of memory or emotion hits me, at random times. Then it passes, a bit. Then later, something else sets it off. One thing I know I've inherited from Ma is a very emotional nature. Yeah, I know, not very manly, but such is life and the cards we are given. I'm proud to be her son, and happy to have any part of her character in me as well. I miss her more than I can possibly say.
After the Christmas dinner Cyn and I went to my friend Dave's place. He's battling cancer and just got out of the hospital yesterday (Christmas Day!). Still weak from the disease and the chemo, he was happy to see us...Cyn helped and fixed him up some food, since he didn't feel able to manage that himself, and we brought a pie, which I think he appreciated. He's fighting this as hard as he can, and I hope all goes well with him. After losing two good friends in two years (not including my Mom) I am somewhat alarmed when someone's as sick as this. We'll be over as much as we can, to lend moral support and more pie.
And in the meantime I have a tour to get ready for!! I'm out with Mike Katon again next month, rushing around all over the UK, Western Europe and Scandinavia. What a gas!! I haven't been working with Katon, with the exception of a few local gigs last year, in over a decade. I guess I better re-learn those tunes, huh? Actually, since last time I think he's done at least 4 new albums, so a lot of new tunes too. I really want to be as good as I can for this tour, and I've been getting started with an intensive practice and listening regime to get his material down. I find with music that there's several different levels of familiarity with a composition...there's the initial learning of it, and then the finding of little variations, alternate fingerings, etc., that give you more freedom...and then there's the taking it apart and observing it from all different angles, reshaping it, understanding it on a much different and more complete level, that allows you to REALLY play it. That's where I need to be!! I'm working on it. And music aside, I have to be physically ready for the rigors of the road. Christmas is over...I'm back to the gym, and a healthier diet (I really enjoyed the cookies and the Bailey's, but it's time for a change), and my yoga and meditation as well. I'm looking forward to it!! It should be a positive experience...and I'm currently collecting as many of those as I can.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)