Posers

Okay, so it's childish, immature and completely cliche, but I just can't resist calling out posers.  If you don't know what a poser is, just read this standard definition set forth by yours truly!

POSER (noun) 1. an individual who, with limited knowledge, pretends to understand a particular trend; 2. an individual seeking a particular social-scene because it's trendy; 3. this dude at the coffee shop.

So Kayla and I went to get some coffee and WHOA! the dude was wearing a Mayhem tee-shirt.  If you don't know who Mayhem is (and you probably don't) just understand that they have a rather unique band history, especially concerning the founding members.  So, I asked this dude at the coffee shop if he liked the band Mayhem, to which he replied he did, and then I proceeded to uncover that he had actually no knowledge of the band's history.  Now, that may seem rather inane, but the band's foundation was a crucial moment not only for the band but for the music scene in which the band was involved.  And this guy, proclaiming to be a fan (not just of the band, but of the scene) was completely oblivious to those critical events.

*cough*POSER*cough*  

Blast Beats

 . . . as a child I remember standing there at the end of my driveway, waiting for the school bus and wondering what wondrous taunts the bullies would have for me, seeing as I was a geeky fifth grader carrying a xylophone . . . that's right, a xylophone!


THIS DORKY THING!

There's no way you could possibly look cool lugging that heavy thing.  And d____ those things were heavy. I remember in high school when I actually put on a pair of marching-xylophones (for our marching band didn't believe in drum-pits) and I was amazed at how heavy those things were.  I really gave it to the two girls for maintaining the stamina to keep up out on the field, but man I was glad to have been Sectional Leader (by seniority) and snare 1.

 . . . because that thing was so much more cooler than those dorky xylophones!

  

But in truth, I hated the snare.  I hated the xylophone.  And I really hated the crash cymbals (an unfortunate instrument forced upon freshman).  I just wanted to play the drums people.  And the guitar.  And the bass.  And video games and chess and Risk.  So I did . . . 

. 

 . . . .as I proclaim, thus I am.

Haha . . . aww, yes.

Blasting Back Into Action

It's been five months?! Five d___ months? What have I been doing???

A lot.

Kayla and I are now engaged. The proposal was nerve-racking, my hiding the ring for a whole month while simultaneously striving to devise a special gift for the occasion. As a joke, Kayla once said "[she] would like a snow-globe for Christmas, with a diamond ring in it."  Coincidentally, that week on the morning news a report was aired on Christmas Creativity, in which middle-aged housewives explained DIY snow-globes.  And so, voila!  A plan had formed.  On Christmas day, as Kayla stared into a DIY snow-globesque creation I concocted (complete with a gaudy, giant glass-diamond ring), she was rather puzzled.  Until, I asked gently for her hand marriage.  

She accepted.

In other news, Kayla's RV purchase has been quite the obstacle, but with a little help from some parentals and a lot of back-ache, our journey to Tennessee for a week of musical-debauchery will go smoothly.  The RV is a beast . . . a loud, rumbling, behemoth of pastels and childish-imagery.  I like it!

Look, a book!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful. Full of rich descriptions on wondrous phrases that will surely leave you smiling and tempt you to highlight three-fourths of the book. A stunning example of adjectives portraying the thematic elements. This book is definately for those who have a passion for literature, especially students.

The story overall was adorable, a cute little tale about love and opposition, centered around the fantastical world of a magical circus. It's a story that leaves you wondering what is happening and why, and when all comes out in the open, it's truly magical. The greatest element of all is how the characters are real, and their actions don't betray their mannerisms. This is a story that trumps many you may have encountered.

Great book, great read!

View all my reviews

Out of the Studio . . . more or less

Well, the drumming went as expected, though there were some definite surprises. A few technical issues sprouted up (including crashed-hard-drives and lack of Internet service) and there were of course some drumming issues (I think I may be developing arthritis in my knees and I never did find my tambourine), but all in all the recording session went very well.

In the end, a massive collection of over twenty songs were recorded in the span of five days. Some songs went smooth, some not so smooth, and some induced arguments -- albeit because I was cranky and tired! Yet, I walked away proud and excited, and I'm eager to hop back in to begin the mixing process and to record guitar/bass tracks for Silver Cypher.

As you may know (or rather, you would if you followed my blog), I also play guitar and come up with a few riffs from time to time. Over the past few months, I had kept a Vlog entitled I'm In the Band where I featured a song in the making known as 1 to 3 V.7. It was quite the journey with said song, having undergone several revisions. There was also the slight problem of it being my song as Silver Cypher hadn't the time to learn it; ergo, I hadn't the time to practice it on the drums. With that being said, I was left with but one option . . . my percussive imagination.

For days I listened to variations of 1 to 3 V.7 trying to imagine drum parts. I sat at work with my headphones and just tapped away at my cubicle -- trial and error. Finally, in the studio, I had a vague idea of what I wanted. And this is what I came up with . . . check it out:

In the Studio

So, this past weekend was my first session at Litter Box Studio recording material for Silver Cypher's upcoming fourth album. While there, I had some extra time to kill and decided to record a lil' ditty consisting of some old, old (like teenage old) material. I'm not the guitarist, but I do play, and occasionally I have the opportunity to lay down some riffs for Silver Cypher. Jon Krech, lead singer and founder of Silver Cypher suggested I recorded the riffs not only for the band, but for myself as well. The result was a short little song that I couldn't wait to jam out on the drums. And completely unrehearsed, I gave the song a go and the band was quite happy with the first take. So here it is . . . the first studio take of "Utopia."

Keep in mind, it's un-mixed and doesn't have any vocals yet.

A Writer Writes . . . some words

Holding hands
-- more exhilarating than a kiss,
As finger tips
-- amidst vigorous innocence,
Rock across tantalizing hips,
However,
Does one not see
Two hearts
Too in unison
To ruin
Such tender moments
With tender lips
. . . whispering sweet somethings?

New Song Up From Silver Cypher

1984

Status/Update

Whew . . . it's been a few.

In just three weeks I'm headed to the studio to begin recording the most insane musical project I've ever been involved with. The as-of-yet Untitled Project (album) from the band Silver Cypher will be the band's 4th release, and it's going to be quite a beast! In all, there's some 25+ songs with playing-time ranging anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes per song; and its been hectic these past couple of months rehearsing this gargantuan conglomeration of musical visions. How can three people (Jon Krech, Mike Lawson, and myself) have so much to say musically . . . especially after all these years? And believe me, this is the big one!

Okay, enough of that sappy-self-promotion.

Over 25 songs, each with dynamic contrasts and a multitude of time and key signatures, have taken quite a toll on me committing them to memory (muscle memory). I'm exhausted, so I've been relaxing a little lately. But in all honesty, my time-off from work and practice has been self-motivated. I need to just kick-back and relax, not bombard myself with constant practice leading to sheer exhaustion. But, I'm confident with my preparations. I cannot stress how impressive it is that in just three months Silver Cypher has constructed a colossal collection of songs that's sure to reach a few ears.

Yet, despite relaxing, I'm not relaxed. There's still a lot of work to do, and as I'm adding finishing-touches, I'm already planning my next project (or rather, planning on revisiting previous projects). And though I will be finished with the drums for Silver Cypher at the end of October, I'm not finished with the album itself. There's still guitar and bass work that has to be done, which I will also be adding. As such, I took Friday to work on a click-track to establish the tempo for the song 1 to 3 v.7. It hasn't been easy rehearsing this song on drums and looks like my only practices will be with the click-track itself before I head into the studio. So, much work, but I'm confident all will go smoothly. I've already coonstructed the main drum-lines and what few practices Silver Cypher managed with the song, all will fit nicely.

And so here it is, another segment of I'm In the Band. Check it out . . .