I took a little break from writing after the holidays...I'd just been a bit overwhelmed and there was so much going on. Now that the social obligations are down to a funky few, and the cookies have all been et (back to the gym for me!), and my folks have been packed off on the plane and delivered to Florida's land of Sunshine & Geezers, I've been relaxing a bit and playing catch-up with everything else in my life. Feels good! It's gonna take a little time to decompress...maybe take a holiday from the holidays...
Playing a lot more too, at least on guitar. The Mobsters band is a good impetus for me to woodshed, and I seem to be leaning into the Swing side of my influences again, which is really fun. Mickey Richard, Guitarist and Luthier Extraordinaire, found and gave me an old old old Doghouse Bass last week. Very Cool! It's gonna need some work, but not too much I think. I'm looking forward to stringing it up and working with that thing, maybe do a little Swing Duet action with Mickey...that would be great.
I also went Tech again and got Band-In-A-Box, a cool and kind of frightening tool. It's a software/MIDI/loops program, and what you do is basically type in your chords and time signature, etc, and then bango! The thing starts pumping out a full arrangement with drums, bass, guitar, horns and more. Scary really, but GREAT for practicing. I'd been just running through the Mobsters swing songs at home by myself, but typing them into BIAB and playing with a full band, much more fun! And strangely I find myself playing LESS notes, and leaving a lot more space. If this tool can help me then I'm gonna use it.
At any rate, hopefully I'm back writing again...who knows, perhaps writing songs again too. I find that creative periods can occasionally be goosed into being, but for the most part they come when they will, and I've got to respect that and enjoy it when it's happening. Right now though, I'm off to work again...
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Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Happy New Year (Or Thereabouts)
A new year in a strange century! The earth shifts, and the people wake to unusual changes in their world each day. New technologies appear and bend our lives and minds into bizarre new places, a bold new President prepares to lead this country into the future and who knows where, new arts and musics and more swarm into view to create beauty, chaos and controversy. And, all the while on a shelf in the shed, Kenny's Little Creatures on display.
As for me, I survived the onslaught of the Holiday Season, although barely. I get bombarded by friends and family who appear as if by magic and hijack any plans I may have made to get stuff done, and I have to kind of go with that and keep my seasonal cheer intact at the same time. I think I did pretty well considering...no fatalities (yet)! And there was indeed some good fun had by all. Although we were hampered a bit by some of the crappiest weather I can remember in the Xmas/New Year's period...we were snowed in a few days, iced in a few days more, and then camped out on my parent's floor for three more days when the windstorms knocked out power for about 30,000 people around these parts. Just glad me Ma & Dad were OK! Basically I just stopped over to our farm during the day, fed the completely demoralised cats and weasel, and turned on the generator to pump out the flooded basement, usually twice a day. Cleaning that is big fun! But that's part of the joy of country living. I'm just really glad to have things working again, and to have things a bit quieter. Now maybe I can get some music done again.
It's true, my upcoming CD has been sidelined by the Holidays, the weather and rehearsals for my new live band, but I've been back dusting off the studio and doing a little polishing of the existing recordings. This should be an interesting one...a little different from the last, with for some reason, a lot more electric piano (well it's just cool) and a good deal of groove-oriented post -beat songs. But as always, I'm not sure what'll happen till I'm done. Maybe it'll end up a Polka CD, I just don't know.
Anyway, a Happy New Year to all, and I hope you are having less travails with life and weather than us. If not, my condolences...please hang in there!
P.S. It's amazing! I wrote this out and the spellchecker only found one misspelled word..."what'll", which I guess isn't even officially a word. Can I be becoming a better speller in my old age? Very strange.
As for me, I survived the onslaught of the Holiday Season, although barely. I get bombarded by friends and family who appear as if by magic and hijack any plans I may have made to get stuff done, and I have to kind of go with that and keep my seasonal cheer intact at the same time. I think I did pretty well considering...no fatalities (yet)! And there was indeed some good fun had by all. Although we were hampered a bit by some of the crappiest weather I can remember in the Xmas/New Year's period...we were snowed in a few days, iced in a few days more, and then camped out on my parent's floor for three more days when the windstorms knocked out power for about 30,000 people around these parts. Just glad me Ma & Dad were OK! Basically I just stopped over to our farm during the day, fed the completely demoralised cats and weasel, and turned on the generator to pump out the flooded basement, usually twice a day. Cleaning that is big fun! But that's part of the joy of country living. I'm just really glad to have things working again, and to have things a bit quieter. Now maybe I can get some music done again.
It's true, my upcoming CD has been sidelined by the Holidays, the weather and rehearsals for my new live band, but I've been back dusting off the studio and doing a little polishing of the existing recordings. This should be an interesting one...a little different from the last, with for some reason, a lot more electric piano (well it's just cool) and a good deal of groove-oriented post -beat songs. But as always, I'm not sure what'll happen till I'm done. Maybe it'll end up a Polka CD, I just don't know.
Anyway, a Happy New Year to all, and I hope you are having less travails with life and weather than us. If not, my condolences...please hang in there!
P.S. It's amazing! I wrote this out and the spellchecker only found one misspelled word..."what'll", which I guess isn't even officially a word. Can I be becoming a better speller in my old age? Very strange.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Shot Out The Holiday Cannon
OK, OK, OK, I got the lights up here and at my folks house! And at my friend/client Tom's as well. Actually I got my folks lights up in October...they're a lot more work and more elaborate, I should just leave them up all year. Cyn and I will go and get a tree today from our good friend Duke, who drives his trees down from his farm up north and lives for a month in his Airstream trailer up on Washtenaw Avenue purveying them, making most of his cash for the year that way.
This holiday stuff is a little much sometimes, as I wind up having to shift things around with the cleaning biz (everybody's schedule changes at once), and lots of my friend's bands seem to have emergencies where I do sub gigs (I have two this weekend). Plus friends and family descending on us at unexpected times, social obligations popping up like mushrooms on a muggy day, Cyn's got the most crazy busy time of the year for her jewelry business, and there's a general frenzy in the stores. That said, I love this time of year...I love the lights on people's yards, the music, the sense of excitement that I feel everywhere, and maybe there's a little aura of spiritual energy that comes from having the central yearly celebration for at least three major religions happening at once. Plus, there's pie. It's cool.
Another cool thing going on is that I seem to be in another band! The Mobsters have made me an offer I couldn't refuse...looks like I'll be doing the Front Man/Lead Singer/Lead Guitarist duties for this Swing/Funk/Roots ensemble. Sounds like fun to me! They've assured me that I can have full control of the schedule, so I can keep doing my primary caregiver thing with my folks, and I'm hoping that works out well. They're a cool bunch, and I think I can help make it happen with them...I'll keep you posted!
Speaking of my caregiver functions, I'm back and forth this next two weeks (adding another layer into the holiday complexities) driving my Dad back and forth to the hospital for a battery of tests. His mental acuity seems to have taken a dive, and he's had some strange hallucinations. Talking to people who aren't in the room occasionally is kind of disturbing. He's also gotten confused later at night when he goes to bed...the other morning my Mom woke up and found the dishwasher sitting in the bedroom! Somehow he must of confused it with his walker. I asked him if he remembered doing it and he said "No, but I sort of remember thinking 'Man, this thing is hard to push around!'". So we've been off to the neurologists to see what there is to do, if anything, about that. So far the doc has ruled out Alzheimer's, thank God. He said it may be something as simple to address as a vitamin deficiency...so hence the tests. Hopefully he'll be right in that, and Dad won't have to lug that darn dishwasher around.
Anyhow, I'm looking forward to having everybody around this Xmastime...it was nice to see my bros on Thanksgiving, and everybody should be here for the December fiesta as well. I'm lucky that everybody can make it and be in reasonable health, we're a pretty close family, even though we're often pretty far away from each other(me on tour in Germany, Aaron out in Poland, Stu working in Chile, etc.). This should be a good time for all! And I hope, for you all as well.
This holiday stuff is a little much sometimes, as I wind up having to shift things around with the cleaning biz (everybody's schedule changes at once), and lots of my friend's bands seem to have emergencies where I do sub gigs (I have two this weekend). Plus friends and family descending on us at unexpected times, social obligations popping up like mushrooms on a muggy day, Cyn's got the most crazy busy time of the year for her jewelry business, and there's a general frenzy in the stores. That said, I love this time of year...I love the lights on people's yards, the music, the sense of excitement that I feel everywhere, and maybe there's a little aura of spiritual energy that comes from having the central yearly celebration for at least three major religions happening at once. Plus, there's pie. It's cool.
Another cool thing going on is that I seem to be in another band! The Mobsters have made me an offer I couldn't refuse...looks like I'll be doing the Front Man/Lead Singer/Lead Guitarist duties for this Swing/Funk/Roots ensemble. Sounds like fun to me! They've assured me that I can have full control of the schedule, so I can keep doing my primary caregiver thing with my folks, and I'm hoping that works out well. They're a cool bunch, and I think I can help make it happen with them...I'll keep you posted!
Speaking of my caregiver functions, I'm back and forth this next two weeks (adding another layer into the holiday complexities) driving my Dad back and forth to the hospital for a battery of tests. His mental acuity seems to have taken a dive, and he's had some strange hallucinations. Talking to people who aren't in the room occasionally is kind of disturbing. He's also gotten confused later at night when he goes to bed...the other morning my Mom woke up and found the dishwasher sitting in the bedroom! Somehow he must of confused it with his walker. I asked him if he remembered doing it and he said "No, but I sort of remember thinking 'Man, this thing is hard to push around!'". So we've been off to the neurologists to see what there is to do, if anything, about that. So far the doc has ruled out Alzheimer's, thank God. He said it may be something as simple to address as a vitamin deficiency...so hence the tests. Hopefully he'll be right in that, and Dad won't have to lug that darn dishwasher around.
Anyhow, I'm looking forward to having everybody around this Xmastime...it was nice to see my bros on Thanksgiving, and everybody should be here for the December fiesta as well. I'm lucky that everybody can make it and be in reasonable health, we're a pretty close family, even though we're often pretty far away from each other(me on tour in Germany, Aaron out in Poland, Stu working in Chile, etc.). This should be a good time for all! And I hope, for you all as well.
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