"the beat, the beat, the beat..."

"...and I believe with all of my heart that it is a contributing factor to our Juvenile delinquency of today. I ah hundred percent believe it. Why I believe that is because I know how it feels when you sing it. I know what it does to you. And I-I know the evil feeling that you feel when you sing it. I know the-the lost position you get into, and the beat... well ah, if you talk to the average teenager of today and you ask them what it is about Rock and Roll music that they like and the first thing they'll say is the beat, the beat, the beat."        -- Elvis Presley

The first time I heard this quote was part of an into to an old album/record/tape/CD I used to listen to.  I believe the artist was Dime Store Prophets, but I don't remember the song it was attached to.  It was 'the beat, the beat, the beat' that caught my attention and ran through my head constantly.  It got me thinking a lot about society and what songs say to people.  I love a song that has a good beat, a great hook and something that is memorable.  (ie, you find yourself humming the melody without even knowing it)  At the same time, it's a bit scary when you actually see the words you are trying to sing but fumble through what we can.  

A good example of this is when I auditioned for the Retreads last year, we played the song Semi-Charmed by 'Third Eye Blind'.  I knew how the song went, but I only knew half the lyrics (if that) from listening to it on the radio.  It's a very catchy song, has an upbeat melody and a great hook, what's not to like?  Of course the words go by very fast, when you slow them down, or actually read them, it's a very dark song dealing with Meth Addiction.  

I won't go into much detail, but here's one line from the song...what do you think it means?

The sky was gold, it was rose
I was taking sips of it through my nose
And I wish I could get back there, someplace back there
Smiling in the pictures you would take
Doing crystal meth, will lift you up until you break
It won't stop, I won't come down
I keep stock with the tick-tock rhythm, I bump for the drop
And then I bumped up, I took the hit that I was given
Then I bumped again, then I bumped again

Perhaps drug hallucinations from cocaine mixed with Meth, a drug high that eventually crashes, so keep taking more and more resulting in heart palpitations or arrhythmia, but take another 'hit' and keep your high anyways...of course that's just one opinion.  It could mean something completely different. 

For more on this song, you can look here: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2072

I would advise you to keep your overhead down; avoid a major drug habit; play everyday, and take it in front of other people. They need to hear it, and you need them to hear it.
--James Taylor  

 I figure the counter to Semi-Charmed Life would have to be James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend".  Since James Taylor is classfied as a folk singer, this song lacks the upbeat rhythm and hooks that Semi has. The Lyrics in this song are inspiring, and encouraging, especially considering how cruel or unfair the world can be sometimes.  In most cases, no one is ever completely alone.  If you are reading this, then I hope you know that I am your friend, and may not come knocking on your door, but will do what I can to help.  I know I have a few friends who will do the same.

If the sky above you
should turn dark and full of clouds
and that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep your head together and call my name out loud now
and soon I'll be knocking upon your door.
You just call out my name and you know where ever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer or fall
all you got to do is call
and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Please don't get me wrong, I would have loved to have Semi-Charmed in my old band's line up, but it just didn't sound right so we dropped it.  With my new band, Jack's Roommate, this song isn't even on our radar, but neither is James Taylor.  It's the audience that the songs are geared towards.  I find it a bit disturbing when I see girls under 10 singing Kate Perry, don't you?

I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans

Be your teenage dream tonight

Let me put your hands on my in my skin-tight jeans

Be your teenage dream tonight

***Shudder***

Lyrics and meaning aside, the true heart of any song is the rhythm, which makes me understand why Elvis said what he did.  It is the pulse, that makes a song move.  That uncontrollable drive that makes you unconsciously tap your toe, or get up and dance.  It provides an emotional effect.  And rhythm does not just mean drums...

Back in my High School days our drum line entered several Winter Percussion Ensembles and did really good.  For me the most memorable section was when we used no instruments and just our hands.  Clapping in various ways to create different pitches and rhythms.  It definitely turned a few heads....kind of like these guys below

I guess all I'm trying to say is...."I HATE SAUERKRAUT"!  


speaking of which...here is a true musical genius...

 

-Brian

"People are flowers. Music is water. Musicians are the hose."
-- Carlos Santana  

Jack's Roommate

As previously mentioned, I am back in the music business, or at least the business of making music.  Ok, so not really making music per say, but at least duplicating music that has already been made.  I'm doing this with two other local musicians in the Boise area.  Together, the three of us are a group called "Jack's Roommate".

When I joined the band and I heard the name, I was a bit puzzled as to the title and tried to figure it out.  There are so many Jacks out there.  Initially I thought Jack in the Box, maybe someone was his college roommate? (I could go for a couple tacos right now)  Jack Frost?  Jack Black? Jack Nicholson? Jackie Chan? The Jack that no one knows....from "You don't know Jack"?  As it turns out, our guitar player Roc does know Jack.  Last December the band had a "Naming Party".  Basically, it was a house party, where everyone put a potential band name in a hat, and then the band later went through the list and picked one.  Since this part was at Jack's house, and Roc is Jack's roommate, well, I think you can figure out the rest.

Because Jack's Roommate was an existing band, the initial playlist was already in order, so of course I have some catching up to do.  The list contains mostly Classic Rock, including artists such as Jimi, Tom, Lenny, Eric, the other Jimmy, Bob, Stevie, Joel, and others.  We will be adding more songs, and more artists, as well as some of our own takes on fan favorites. (Everybody loves a re-make)

Unlike the last band I was in, I'm getting in with this group on the ground floor.  Lisa has been in this industry so long that she is pretty much the musical director of the group.  She likes the fact that we all play different instruments and we will be using that.  I'll get our from behind the drums, starting next week, I'll have a mic (scary, I know)  btw, only 9 Months and 28 days till The Hobbit.

The pictures I've put up are taken in our rehearsal space is known as "Studio 10".  This is Lisa's private studio.  Only a handful of people are aware it even exists.  I'm blessed to be one of them as it has everything a band needs, lots of space and a fridge.

Be sure to like us on facebook , so you'll get the latest and the greatest news and events...

Till next time....

Back in the Saddle

So it's been about 6 months since I last "ROCKED" as the drummer of Retreads.  For various reasons, including tendinitis, that journey came to an end.  I started playing at my church about a month ago, and the hands feel good, so I decided to check out Craig's List again to see what was out there.  

After a few e-mails back and forth, an audition was arranged.  The following songs were requested to be played

• Hard to Handle - Black Crowes
• Born to be Wild - Steppen Wolf
• All Right Now - Free
• Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down
• Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty
• Sunshine of your Love - Cream
• Are you Gonna go my Way - Lenny Kravitz

So I wasn't familiar with all these songs, but thanks to YouTube, I became familiar enough to duplicate the songs.  A few things to note at this point, I haven't done "serious" practicing in a while so I was a bit nervous going in, but I convinced myself to just do the best I could and be myself.  Long story short, I'm in the band!

I believe the group will be called "Jack's Roommate", however I'm not %100 sure about that.  It is currently a 3 piece cover band, with guitar, bass, drums, and possibly adding keyboards in the future.  Our front-man is actually a woman who has played with various bands over the last 25+ years, plays multiple instruments...toured Europe, etc, etc.  The kicker is that they (she) have their own studio.  Since she is a "professional" musician, meaning she makes her living from playing music, she has her own place.  All the gear is setup and ready to go...I won't have to lug my drums around

Since they have only been together about 2 months, I'm getting in close to the ground floor.  I'm excited and looking forward to what the future holds.  When I know more, you'll now more.

-Brian


(btw, only 10 months, 7 days till "The HOBBIT".  (one has to keep track of these things))

Time...what to do?

So it's the new year..and January is already over.  Only 10 months and 12 days left before Part 1 of "The Hobbit" comes out on the big screen.  10 months and 12 days....that's about 317 days, or 27,388,800 seconds...give or take a few hours.  What are we supposed to do with ourselves?  I suppose we can watch the trailer, over, and over, and over again.  If you haven't seen it yet...behold your eyes, and be sure to turn up the bass on your speakers....those Dwarves can carry a tune...

So while we wait for that, I guess I'll go audition for another band.  My hands feel good and I've been playing drums at church the past few weeks with no problems, so let's see what happens, shall we?  And yes, I'll be writing more...must write more...after all, I have 10 months and 12 days before....we'll you get the idea...

wish me luck!

Road Trips

Who doesn't love a good road trip?  The sites, sounds, and smells.  I've take many road trips in my time, each one is a story on it's own, but as time goes by some of the finer details get lost in the mix.  In an effort not to lose them, here are just a few of my favorite.  As always, in no particular order

During my younger years, I was very involved with different church groups.  Between the highschool group, Maximum Security, and the church missions team, we took all sorts of road trips  I've driven to mountains, deserts, canyons, and even Canada.  From the multitude of trips, a few of them stick out.

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The Camper - It was a weekend to Bass Lake, at least I think it was bass lake, the trip itself is blurry, but the journey home cannot be forgotten.  I think there were 5 or 6 of us in the back of a camper.  I remember myself, Will, Susan, Jess, and either Gloria, or Irby.  (can someone please message me for verification?)  Behind the wheel was our fearless staffer named _____. (let's call her J, to protect the innocent).  Everyone is loaded up and we're off.  Being one of the kids in the back, we were in our own world.  I remember how we were singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in harmony (thanks to Will).  One of the girls thought the words were "We know nothing, we know nothing, ...." instead of "We Mo way".  We got a good laugh out of it.  Having fun, fun, fu....CRASH/SCRAP everything came to a grinding halt. Somehow we made a wrong turn and we found ourselves climbing up some narrow road mountain path towards Yosemite.  The loud noise we heard was the step of the camper being torn off my the low rock railing that separated the road from what can only be described as a long way down.  At this point we had been on the road for about 4 hours, it was dark and we had no idea where we were.  Cell phones were not available at this time, and I don't remember if we had a map.  Most everything else was a blur other than it took another 6 hours to get home, and we had a lot of fun at J's expense.

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Oh how Grand it is - At this point I was on staff with the youth group and had not planned on hiking into the Canyon that year.  I did however plan on visiting some friends in the Phoenix area.  Seeing as I drove a small pick up, I helped the group get to the Grand Canyon, dropped them off, and continued on to Phoenix.  Driving through the northern part of Arizona was beautiful.  Like something out of a movie, I was cruising down Interstate 40 between Kingman and Flagstaff.  I can vividly remember seeing a group of at least 50 horses in full stride running along the country side.  A plum of smoke followed in their wake as they ran along the green countryside.  Unfortunately they were running in the opposite direction so it was fairly short lived.  But it was a site to behold.
 
A few days later I was back at Supai hilltop to pick up the group.  It turned out that someone back home was not doing well.  Our youth pastor needed to get home ASAP, so the two of us took off from Kingman, AZ at a very early hour, while the rest of the group stayed behind and stuck to the normal schedule.  What would normally be a 10 hour drive, we did in about 9.  It was a good time watching the sun come up while heading north on I-5.  I've done that a few times since...

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Via con Dios - If I had a dollar for every time I drove to Mexico, I could get the Steak Tenampa plate from El Tenampa, with a drink!  During my younger years I was involved with Hope Center's Mission to Mexico.  These trips took us to a Ranch on the outskirts of Ensenada called Rancho Agua Viva.  Spending a week in Mexico and serving the people there was always a fantastic experience.  But anyone who was involved in the 90's knows that is was always the journey that made the memories.  We were famous for returning lender cars in better shape then we got them, usually.  We have had alternators go out, fan belts, A/C units, radiators, etc.  As the picture shows, we've even gotten hung up on the simple things. (You'll be happy to know both the station wagon, and utility pole survived)

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As the holiday season approaches and everyone is making plans to go see family, or stay home and family is coming to them.  Enjoy the time you share together, whether it is in a small compact vehicle, or a spacious SouthWest Flight.  Make the most of the time you have with your family and create those memories that will never fade.  My fondest memory takes me way back...

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It was usually around July that my parents would start dusting off the camping gear and make preparations for our annual trip to Pinecrest.  This is something family family has done for the better part of the last 35 years.  And when I say family, I mean family.  Imagine a Maltese version of "Big Fat Greek Wedding", without the wedding (that's another blog).

The day before we leave, we would load up the old pickup with our gear.  We had this down to a science.  She was a 1978 Chevrolet Pickup, complete with a shell.  What made it unique was the back window of the cab was taken out so we had access to the back of the truck.  Right beneath the opening we layered several foam mattresses for my brother and I to sit on.  The mattress stretched from one side of the truck bed to the other.  Behind you was all the camping gear stacked to the ceiling, but supported in a way that it wouldn't crush you.  From the perspective of a kid, this was AWESOME.  My cousin Eric would ride up with me sometimes, so we could "play" during the drive up.  As cool as it was, a 3-4 hour drive for a little kid without a DVD player or iPad, is pure torture.  What I remember most is when we finally made it to the mountains, and the further we drove, the more trees would populate the road sides.  All I could see staring out the little window of the camper shell was pine trees, and more pine trees.  We would open up those little windows and press our face against the screens and smell that scent of fresh pine.

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Happy trails.....to you.....

Planning

Today, tomorrow, yesterday, a week from last Thursday, April 15th, Canadian Boxing Day...next year?  All these things have something in common.  They are all a day that we plan on, regardless of what we are doing on Jan 25 (which is known as "National Voter's Day" in India) we are planning on doing something, right?  We wake up, we eat something, we may go somewhere.  Sometimes we may plan on something, but it doesn't happen because of something un-planned.  I really wanted to go see that movie tomorrow night, too bad I broke my leg and am in traction...maybe tomorrow I'll plan on getting some rest?

No, I did not break my leg, and no, I'm not in traction, but I do have plans.  Some I'll be able to achieve.  Others, not so much.  Here are a few things I am planning on....as always, in no particular order

• Clean the garage so I can get the Honda in there as winter is coming. I don't mind letting the car warm up while I scrap off snow and ice, but it does get old after a while.
• Leaves, leaves, and more leaves....i wish they would just leave me alone!  I hate this time of year.  Of course Isaac loves the big pile of leaves to jump into.
• Sleep
• Travel to Cali and spend some time with the family and friends
• Take Becky to Vegas for our anniversary
• Finish painting the kitchen/bathroom
• Take Isaac up the mountain and get some good sledding in this year (more snow required)
• A nice child free evening out to dinner with some friends.  (Preferably to Barbacoa)
• Christmas Lights
• Sleep
• Take that trip to Hawaii

So why make a big deal about this?  Plans are great, it's always nice to have a "plan of action".  I'm just saying that we can't rely on our plans to the point of rigidness.  We all need to be flexible to some point as we don't know what tomorrow will bring.

Growing up in suburbia, my mom always told me to save for a rainy day.  I was more of a "in the now" type of person.  That is till life caught up with me.  Marriage, family, credit cards, and stupid, stupid mistakes.  Needless to say it has been a bumpy ride after some courses from Financial Peace University, we finally learned that lesson. Other than our house, my family is debt free.  My mom (not sure if she reads this) was right.  If it's not in your hand, don't spend it.  Yes Mom, you were right.

I never planned on living debt free.  Heck before I heard of this class I didn't think it was possible.  It's like a diet, you can change the behavior for a little while and see some results, but you eventually fall back into it.  You need to make a lifestyle out of it.  Like Dave says, "live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else!"

I managed to get some extra sleep last night, not that I planned on it, but it happened.  Today I'm going to work, lunch provided, and then I don't know...I have nothing planned...except that list above.  Anyone want to help with Christmas lights?

The Pointer...

About a year ago I started blogging, and I blogged about my thumb, this year it's my pointer finger.  I figure at this rate in 5 years I'll finish with my right hand. Of course on the other hand, you have different fingers.  (please tell me someone got this...yes, it's a bad joke.)

So anyways, what happened to my finger this time?  Was it building a fence?  Perhaps it got shut in a car door?  A freak pruning accident?  Nay Nay.  The blame lays with the Zildjan company.  Zildjan is one of the top producers of cymbals, drums sticks, and other percussion equipement.  And since your going there, no, I did not drop a cymbal on my finger, but I did use their brand of "Dip Sticks."  These are drum sticks that are dipped  with a special adhesive that helps you hold on to your sticks.  The theory is, you don't have to hold them so tight that your hands get tired as quick.  As that might be true, which the music gets really fast and intense, the combination of sweat and the adhesive tend to rip your hands up.  I learned this the hard way.

As you know, I'm now a member of The Retreads, a local cover band.  As anyone in my position knows, when something like this happens, you suffer from G.A.S.  (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).  So while shopping for a cowbell/tamborine I thought I should try a new kind of drumstick before getting then in bulk. 
Musician's friend was more than happy to help me choose some sticks at a low cost, I just didn't realize the effects it would have....

So at our last rehearsal we go through three songs and I'm thinking I like these things, so I ask JD, who is also a drummer, if he ever used these.  His reply, "Yeah, they tore my hands all up".  I suddenly start to worry.  So the next song is a little ditty called "Whip It".  Those of you alive in the 80's know this song, and probably don't realize how fast it is...with a 16beat rhythm constantly through the whole song.  During those 2 minutes 40 seconds, these sticks decided to form a blister on my pointer finger, then pop the blister, and then remove any skin that decided to not hang around, as well as create a raw feeling on my thumb.  No, I won't post a picture.

Needless to say, I won't be using those sticks for any "fast" songs and my search for my stick of choice will continue...as my poor finger heals.  No one ever said that Rock & Roll was easy.

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