Thoughts from NashVegas

As expected, Nashville was quite an adventure. For years and years, i've heard (and read) about the scene down there and it felt great to be immersed in such a music rich culture.

Being a student of the rock school, it takes a bit of an adjustment to hear so much country, see framed pictures of those stars and hear music blaring from the Country Music Hall of Fame out onto the streets on a cold Sunday morning, but i respect the tradition.

The bulk of the weekend was spent at Sony/Tree Studios, that we used as something as a kickoff event for our new venture. It's excellent to be involved with 2 guys that I learned to play music with so many lifetimes ago. For me, Ben will always be the ridiculously tall kid in the leather jacket who's cracking jokes and playing 10 instruments far better than I can master one. And to be playing in a room with Jeremy behind the skins takes me back to his parents boiler room, which doubled as our practice space growing up. Until we were suitable enough for the garage. Funny how that works, especially since I hate the heat.

Our session on Saturday lasted about 15 or so hours, breaking only once for a late meal at 11:00p. This dedication and drive did not surprise me, it's something that Ben demonstrated the last time I recorded with him in Athens, in the fall of 2004. Hard to believe that 8 years have passed and now we're at Sony. The song ideas that came out of the weekend would all be very suitable being placed in TV, Film or commercial projects which is part of the goal these days.

On the snowy plane ride home, I kept thinking about what an advantage we had just by being in the Sony environment and working with friends who are pretty much like family. It's such a difference than recording at any other studio, where you're paying by the hour and hiring some engineer who really doesn't give a shit about your music or your mission. It made me think about all the solid material that I have with Leo or the band, and what level it could be taken to, if given the chance to use such resources.

Hard to know how it will all play into the bigger picture, but for right now it all seems like everything is headed in the right direction.

Headed South

I'm heading down to Nashville in the morning to meet Ben & Jeremy to plan the Tunewelder launch. We'll be working at Sony tomorrow to further scope out the business plan, followed by a late night jam and a full day in the studio on Saturday. In between all that, I hope to be able to get some decent Southern BBQ, because i've been addicted to those damn BBQ shows on Travel Channel for far too long. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

All in all, it's the perfect way to start the new year and map out some sort of plan. Ideas have to start somewhere....

talking pictures

I was in Boston this weekend for the usual "less than 48" hour session that Leo and I pull off during my recent trips. With our hectic schedules, it can be difficult if not impossible to find the time to get everything done. Recently we've been focusing on several songs from our past including "Closer" and this time we were joined by a talented drummer, Matt Christensen. He immediately understood what was needed for the song and it was refreshing to be able to spend the time talking for hours and hours about music. In my travels over the years, i've found very few people who enjoy analyzing those specifics aspects of music, let alone those who want to dive in deeper to our original music.

For me, writing music has always been a very visual process. Since I was a small kid, I've always had very vivid dreams and would often wake up with a distinct melody and storyline. And the most meaningful lyrics are the ones that paint the full picture and tell the entire story. To me, those are the best songs and the ones that mean the most.

As always, it was also meaningful to get back to the city and remember how long it took to actually get here. NYC seemed like such a daunting undertaking for such a long time and now it's hard to remember when I didn't live here. Slowly but surely, the energy and pace of living here is creeping into the writing and the music and I think that as the year progresses, it will continue to come out.

Perfection

This morning I was being lectured by the dentist about my inability to floss as well as possible. Although i think she yelled at me less because we both have iphones and she felt some sort of apple connection. It happens. The truth is, no matter if i had a mouth full of fake teeth, i think that she wouldn't have been happy at my cleanliness because she's striving for perfection. Which made me start thinking about the difference between settling and the search for something better.

When you're a musician, working on new material, in a band, and trying to build a brand and get off the ground you have everything against you. Especially when you live in a city like New York. There are thousands of bands working on thousands of songs, all trying to get the attention of everyone. And if you're lucky enough to have a couple of songs that people seem to like, is it safe to stay in that comfort zone, or reach beyond that, towards something bigger that you know you can achieve.

In the past I think that i've always stayed close to home. And was left wondering why the band email list never grew, why i struggled to make some sort of a connection at the show so people would want to be part of the music and your cause. I think that in order to truly break through from everything that you're used to, you absolutely need to strive towards perfection. It's true that you'll never get there, but it's also true that along the way, you might find your real potential. Which is pretty much what it's all about.

And So It Begins

his time of the year is always interesting. A forced rebirth in the middle of freezing temperatures and shortened days. I always joke about moving to California this time of the year although back in reality I don't think i could ever handle living there. Except maybe the San Fran area, if there were other factors at play.

But that will be in another life. The matters at hand are strictly music, and doing what is necessary to get this band off the ground. Musically speaking, to borrow the term from Obama, this was absolutely a year of change. I started off working on ideas with my bass player Chuck Hillwig, in a cold studio in Rockaway Beach, Queens, not far from where my Grandmother spent much of her adult life. The neighborhood was much different during those years, I suspect there weren't young kids trying to sell you drugs out of the back of dirty conversion vans. Just a hunch.

Although we spent the bulk of the year working on the new tracks, I was really trying to find some new blood for the band and although i didn't know it when the year started, I was also about to rekindle my musical partnership with Leo McInnis, my Boston connection that really had never gone anywhere. Throughout the year one drummer left to focus on his other project and we found Richie Latoni, a hard hitting, talented musician who stepped up to the plate when we needed him. Despite the fact that our music is quite opposite his metal roots, he seems to be comfortable. Except when i tell him to play with brushes. In August, we were lucky enough to find guitarist Joe Bognanno, who had apparently been looking for a band like ours for years. It's been fantastic to work with someone so committed, i was beginning to think this city had run out of such folks.

As we work on whatever resolutions we care to write down, the band is working hard on new material, and trying to do whatever we need to pick up the pace. In Feb we're back on the stage with 3 shows in 3 different cities. To the untrained eye this would sound like something of a tour, despite the fact that we all have day jobs.

Onwards and Upwards.