Dear Mr. Young,

I have to admit that I’ve never really thought much of you and have never really been a fan. Yet, recently, I was a bit disturbed to read an article on MSNBC.com. In it, you claimed that music has long since lost its power to change the world. Upon reading this, any chance of me ever being a fan were washed away. Sir, I wonder what world you’re living in if that’s truely the case and why you are still making music.

I recognize that you have written some phenomenal music and have had some amazing concepts. Most recently, your album Living With War drew a lot of acclaim for its raw unabashed nature. Your classic songs like “Rockin’ In The Free World” and “Heart of Gold” are covered and acknowledged by musicians everywhere. And your nature as an outspoken individual of opinion and integrity has been upheld by all. But again, why does music no longer change the world?

Back in the late 1960s when your early career was starting I know a lot of forces were at work in the world between JFK’s assassination, Vietnam, and The Beatles, but to say that their music changed the world and what’s around now doesn’t is absurd. Back in those times, the music influenced many minds to live and create and act on what they heard. They were anthems for standing up and taking action. John Lennon’s “Imagine” was a call for peace, Hendrix’s version of “The Star Spangled Banner” cried out for freedom, and Stephen Stills–your own bandmate–called for awareness in Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.”

You’ve also got tons of other examples progressing from there. You have Dylan dancing with civil liberties in “Hurricane” and Nancy Sinatra calling for women’s “Boots Are Made For Walking.” The Bee Gees wanted people to just be “Stayin’ Alive” and KISS wanted to “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Lynyrd Skynyrd called for people to remember the south and “Sweet Home Alabama” and Stevie Ray Vaughan revived the “Texas Flood.”

Music, sir, has been what has flowed through so many veins. Sometimes, people had to write the songs because it wasn’t written and other times they found the solace in someone else’s words. And today, has that changed?

Not in the slightest.

If that was the case, why did you release your album Living With War? Oh that’s right, it wasn’t to make a statement, it was to make money.

And then, you have Will.I.Am’s “Yes We Can” song, which definitely has affected change. And that’s one of many examples. Each and every day, people wake up and pop on a song to start their day and to get their lives on the right foot. Because what they hear moves them.

Just like you’re moved to write music too, sir.

Music still is a force for change. And if you don’t believe that? Maybe you’re not writing a song that means anything to anyone other than yourself.

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EDIT–23 April 2008, 9:47pm: Greetings to all whom might stumble upon this from ThrashersWheat.org. I appreciate the link-back. I know that this was something that actually appeared back in February, but I had written upon it back then and saved it as a draft until I could complete my thoughts. Even still, I feel like I haven’t completed my thoughts. But, I do appreciate you taking the time to read, and I openly welcome discussion if you’d like. And stick around if you see fit. The more the merrier, I say…

Yesterday, I picked up my guitar for the first time in a few weeks and played about half an hour. And it was interesting because as much as I used to love doing it, it was just work for me then. I didn’t derive anything from it. I was “going through the motions.” Playing guitar used to be such a release and something I enjoyed beyond everything, and to have it just feel so “blah”? What’s happening to me?

I think, quite honestly, its the stress. Its the atmosphere I was in.

I used it as a study break and I didn’t feel like it really. I had a small tickle for it, but not the urge to pick up that guitar and let it loose. And I’m hoping that when finals and this semester are all over, I’ll have a little less pressure when I’m on the job hunt that it can go back to being that relaxation. Heck, I’m even hoping that when I’ve got that job secured and I’m working after graduation that I can let it be that relaxation that it used to be.

Because, as I was telling a friend last night, there’s no greater release than playing. There’s a feeling that I cannot put into words at all about being on that stage or just being somewhere with a guitar in hands and knowing that what I’m doing isn’t just putting a smile on my face, but I’m impacting those around me. Even if its just barely hearing me through a wall or the next room over, or its someone blasting one of my songs as they’re away from home and hearing the words and feeling not so alone? There’s something to that that’s just plain amazing…

I’m debating heading to campus a little earlier than my class tonight and spending an hour or so at the fountain on campus, seeing I won’t have much longer to do that…

I’m fairly new to the world of podcasts and podcasting, so I’m much far behind on things. But at the same time, there’s one that I do listen to each and every episode more than others, and that’s this one right here…

Mike Garrigan’s Podcast

For those who haven’t heard his name from me before or heard me talk about Mike Garrigan, well, you haven’t known me very long. Needless to say, Mike is a guitarist/vocalist/singer-songwriter out of North Carolina. Formerly the lead voice of the band Collapsis and the backing guitarist/vocalist in the band Athenaeum, Mike’s a solid songwriter and has been moving to the world of music production and engineering. And at the start of the year, Mike just redid his website and decided to add in a podcast. In a fairly simple format each lasting about 20ish minutes long, Mike plays one studio cut from one of his albums, as well as one or two live outtakes or new studio recordings, and then uses the other time between the songs to talk about recent shows, recording updates, recording information, or just casual friendly things. A really nice guy whom I’ve had the chance to speak with on one occasion and e-mailed with occasionally, its a nice way to see inside the music business and with his blog on his site helps take some of the mysticism out of recording and reminds you that these musicians we listen to are real folks as well.

Last week, I finally picked up an album I had long ago meant to grab: Joe Hedge’s Curvature. The name might seem familiar to some of my friends, and that’s because he is. Joe is the vocalist/songwriter behind the band July for Kings. Breaking up after their Nostalgia EP in 2006 after a major label run with their debut album Swim, Joe decided to go solo. And with that, he released Curvature.

The thing is, whenever there’s a side-project or something different from a band, you expect that when its the lead singer or someone signature to the band, that it’ll sound like what you expect the band to do. Examples? Rob Thomas solo still has that Matchbox 20 vibe, Joe Perry has that heavy balls-to-the-floor blues that he brings to Aerosmith, and when you pried Slash away from G’n'R, you got the same thing in Velvet Revolver riff-wise. Now granted, there are the exceptions to that rule like Sebastian Bach, Tom Morello, and Angels & Airwaves (which to be fair isn’t Blink at all, but still).

And Joe is definitely an exception to the rule. The best way to do this is for you to take a quick jaunt over and listen to JfK’s “Normal Life” and then when you’re done, the first single solo called “Mitral Valve Prolapse.”

You’re back? Good.

See, Joe’s solo album is more ambient and melodic. JfK was a lot more alt rock. That being said, the songwriting has the same level of intensity and it ties it together beautifully. If you’re a fan of JfK, as a lot of my friends became with my constant goading towards their music and me playing “Normal Life” at a good number of open mics, I’d recommend picking it up and being on the look out for the reunion album that JfK will hopefully be releasing by the end of the year…

As you read this, I’m probably immersed in school work and just took a second to hit “publish” from my cell phone. But believe me, when I come back tomorrow, I’ll give full updates on the move and soon you’ll get all of the rants from me about how subleasing can be a pain and the stupid things I encountered…

Before even starting the move, I made a list of DVDs and CDs that I’ve been selling online through LiveJournal on some communities that I’m on there. We’re talking a list of over 140 albums that I’ve all digitized and no longer need or care for the CDs. Nope, don’t need the liner notes, and why the heck do I need to keep Boyz II Men’s II sitting around?

And then I started to think about how we all do that nowadays. Really, why do we need to worry about buying all of these CDs? Think of all of the space that they take up. Heck, I have almost 100 albums on my 4 gig iPod nano alone (just about 90, if you’re really caring), and if I were to carry that many CDs with me daily, I’d throw my back out. Have you ever stacked up that many CDs? You’re talking about a five to six foot tall stack of CDs.

So what’s really going to happen? Are we ever going to get rid of CDs? Where the hell am I going with this post? Nowhere. I’m sad because I spent $9-13 per CD and I’m reselling them for about $4 each. Considering I’ve named about 140 albums there? That means I’ve lost between $5-9 per CD. Over $500 that I spent on music that while I enjoyed it, in the long term I’ve lost the money on it.

I guess now that I realize it, here’s where my point is: the record industry tells us that we’re to buy more music and support all of these artists. I’d love to do just that, honestly I would. But I don’t have $500 to just throw away like that, and I shouldn’t have even done that in the first place.

And they wonder why folks download…

Recently, I read an interesting article on MSNBC.com about Zooey Deschanel. It was mentioning her first album, She & Him - Volume One. Now, folks know that I’m very very picky when it comes to my music, but I figured that I’d give this one a shot. I remembered when she was in Elf and she sung in the movie. For me, it was… interesting. There was a bit of awkward beauty to what she did, and I think that’s the sole thing that really sits well with Deschanel. She has a bit of an awkward perfection to the roles that she sits in. Think her “I’m here, but in a different sort of place” a la Tin Man or what she does in any role that I’ve ever really seen her in. I don’t want to call her a “one note actress,” but she’s typecast for that role often as I’ve seen it.

In listening to the album, well, that doesn’t come across. There’s an interesting enthusiasm that throws back to a late 1960’s early 1970’s folk rock feel. Jangly with beautifully arranged pianos and guitars across the board, the 13 song set comes across beautifully. Its a nice little “background listening” album to just let sit on for a half hour and do whatever you have to do. After my first listen, I’m adding this one to my noteables list so far… Like all albums I listen to, I’ve got to let it sit a few spins to figure out how it really grows on me.

The art of listening to an album… That’s something that folks don’t really understand…

It seems that I’ve come across a lot more musicians who are putting up free music for download or for sliding scale… I mean, here, a simple little list of ones I’ve seen so far:
Aaron Lee Tasjan - His EP is available on his site for free download.
Steven Foxbury - 2 EPs and 1 LP worth of songs for free download.
Saul Williams - Another free download of a whole album.
Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers - Are offering their new album on a “sliding scale” that can be set to zero.
Nine Inch Nails - Sliding scale with free download option for a portion of it.
Todd Carey - Another sliding scale option.

And the list goes on and on.

Ever since Radiohead hit it big when they released In Rainbows on the brilliant idea of having the fan pay what they felt was right. It’s not a new concept, seeing Jonah Matranga has been doing a sliding scale within a $4 range (plus/minus $2) on his merch for a while, and others have done similar. You’ve always been able to use sites like Last.FM for free downloads of sample tracks, as well as the iTunes picks of the week, and even musicians who have a few tracks on their site here or there for free download. Free is the way to get people to get their foot through the door. A recent MSNBC.com survey and reader response showed that if folks could get some music for free? They’d buy the album.

And that’s an interesting truth to the matter. I can’t count how many times I’ve grabbed free music in some legal or illegal form and if I really support the artist? I’ll buy a concert ticket, get a shirt, or buy the album. If I don’t like it? I’ll get rid of it after a while. We all do the same. When I was cleaning out our closet yesterday, I came across a ton of CDs that I’ve since digitized and never use. And I looked sickenly at all of the albums and realized how many hundreds of dollars I spent on music and how much of it I could have spent on other things.

But, what about the artist and all of the money? What about things like that? Everyone says the artist sees nothing from the CD sales, or from sites like iTunes and selling their music. Recently, I found out about a site called TheTrackShack.com from a website, BzzAgent.com where I’m a member of. Its a campaign that I’m involved in. With this campaign, I’m promoting how this is a new site for people to sell mp3s through. And its one that allows another percentage with money back to the artist. Add to that other plug-ins like SnoCap.com and plenty of other sites like ZooMoozik.com that give musicians the same capability. I’ve seen folks like Mike Garrigan and Steve Foxbury use both. They’re all options.

And then, there’s the sliding scale model, or something similar to what I’ve done with the way I’ve offered my downloads: Donations.

Whenever I’ve seen the sliding scale things, I have to admit that I’m usually broke and can’t afford them. And whenever I see the donation box like I have with mine, well, I think the same thing. I wish that I could chip someone something for their art, especially when its directly linked like that. It makes me feel like maybe I should do something to show just how much I appreciate what’s being done for me. You know, sort of like the whole “buy the shirt” or “buy the ticket” thing I mentioned earlier. And I thought that usually whenever someone does a free download, well, they don’t match things up when there’s a donation box. Heck, I know that I haven’t.

What’s interesting, though, is now on this side of things? I can tell you that everyone who’s talked about it is right: there is a 50/50 response to having something of that sort on your page. When you offer it up for free download, half of the people do donate just as a thanks and the other half just take it and leave. The truth of the matter is that I don’t care if people donate or not for my music. I’ve said plenty of times that I’m just happy that someone can enjoy it. But I do find it really interesting everytime someone does and it’s an amazing rush that someone cared that much to chip a few bucks my way.

The business model is interesting, that’s for sure. Definitely something new in the whole world of online downloads and music. Its a shot against the record machine, but no matter how many bands, musicians, artists, hack-hobbyists-like-me do it? These shots won’t bring down the label machine. But with time, the impact will be interesting to see…

I didn’t mean for this to be a guilt trip or an egotistical rant of “give me money, damnit,” which I feel it came off as. I just started thinking about this one after downloading the new Roger Clyne and the Peacemaker’s album on its own sliding scale and it made me think about how I run things around here.

And I wouldn’t change a thing… Except to add some more downloads, which I should do soon.

Yesterday was an exercise in cutting corners. Matter of fact, Saturday was too, just cleaned up better…

See, on the weekends, I don’t have much time to sit down and write, so I’m starting to “pre-draft” during the weekends with additional thoughts of mine and I’m just saving a few drafts so I can come in on the weekends and click and post.

In fitting with my Saturday morning theme, I’ll include this, which is a link to the 7M3 setlist from Saturday night. A bit more traditional, seeing it has “Cumbersome” and “Water’s Edge,” it’ll probably look a lot more comforting than the Friday night setlist. The difference? The Friday show was a “superfan appreciation show.” In other words: Folks who have heard “Cumbersome” and “Water’s Edge” so freaking many times that they’re sick and tired of hearing them and all of the “Cumber-fucks” in the audience who scream for just those two. Not that I don’t like them, but I’m glad to hear some of the cuts like “Flagship Eleanor,” “Home Stretch,” “Angry Blue,” and the infamous “? Song.”

Other than that, speaking of cleaning up, I’m going to be adding some WordPress plugins over the course of the next few days. I also really need to go back and start tagging my entries, seeing I haven’t since day one. When I have my new plug-ins installed on my site, well, I’ll give a heads up to them because a few of them will be functionally nice for some friends, I know. They’ll especially be that way for me.

I’d better get some food and off to homework before having my fun today…

Is that they come too few and far between.

Like usual, we do a big breakfast around here, but the problem is making sure that we have all of the fixings for it. Today? I’m like Old Mother Hubbard. Costco will be our “brunch”

Add to that the fact that my brain is set on “tired” from the fact that I rolled into bed close to 1am last night after seeing Seven Mary Three at the Backbooth. If anyone’s interested, I posted the setlist on their fan board for the night. As to tonight? Another late night with seeing them at the House of Blues.

Side note to seeing them is that I did see two very amazing opening acts. I’ve seen Steve Foxbury a long long time ago opening for 7M3 at the House of Blues, but now knowing who he was and his music, it was definitely nice to see a set of his that I knew. I recognized “Pink and Brown,” “Roses (Will Never Grow Here),” and “All in All,” and the other tracks that I didn’t recognize, well, it made me want to listen more to his music. But, I’ll have to juggle that with Aaron Lee Tasjan’s EP that I bought at the show. He really surprised me with his musicianship in his own songs and when he was backing 7M3. All around an awesome night.

And both of those artists have free music to download on their pages. So definitely, enjoy them in good health. Me? I need to wake up some more because I’ll be back rocking in another few hours…

For about the past month or so, I’ve been talking about the new Seven Mary Three album, day&nightdriving. I can’t count how many times I’ve posted that same exact link here, but if anyone wants to figure it out, maybe I’ll give you a cookie.

Needless to say, there are very few bands that I get all “fan-boy” over. If you know me well enough, you know that it comes down to just a handful, with them being the ones that I have posted on my links page, primarily. Seven Mary Three happens to be one of them. From the first time that I saw them in 2002–when I actually was able to get up on stage and sing with the band–I’ve been to a total of four of their shows, and this Friday and Saturday, I’ll be able to bring that total up to six. Always with a strong show and a back catalog of over 5 albums of material, they’re a forgotten rock gem.

Five albums? I should say six with this new one. The guys known solely for “Cumbersome” and “Water’s Edge” are once again striking at their mold with their new release, day&nightdriving. Twelve tracks long, the style of the album most mimics their sophomore album, Rock Crown with varying harder and softer songs and intricate arrangements of guitars and other instruments. My fan-boy nature aside, this album struck me at first listen. I really didn’t know what to think of it. I didn’t like the flow from song-to-song, and I had to play it again. And on the second listen, I started to get it. I really saw the sonic landscape and it made perfect sense. This album isn’t an album that you’ll put in for instant gratification, no not first listen at all, but this is an album that you’ll put on to let grow with you. This is what an album should be and could be if more bands focused on their arts–strong collections of songs that you don’t want to skip over when you come to them because they don’t make sense to listen to in any other order; strong collections of songs that tell stories.

Let’s take a look at the individual tracks that make up this story…

1 - Last Kiss: The lead off single from the album, “Last Kiss” strikes hard and strong. The acoustic guitars layer up slowly to the peak of the electric guitars and the band coming in on the second verse/chorus area. Short, sweet, and to the point, the song feels very poignant on love lost and left behind, and the hook line that comes up in the chorus is fast, ferocious, and delivered with such passion that it emotes fully and wholeheartedly the wavered sentiments of the verses.

2 - Laughing Out Loud: And here is where the first jolt hits the listener. A bit of a slower paced song from the first one, “Laughing Out Loud” has a swampy muddy feel to it, with a few bright guitars that chime through from time to time. The real treat in this song is that even though the first track sort of showed you a more elaborate songwriting style, the lyrics here are beautifully interwoven right up to the end hook of the chorus. Because of the ever mutating nature of the chorus here, its a familiar and warm welcome.

3 - Was A Ghost: If the jarring change in the first two tracks wasn’t enough, by the time you come up to the reverb laced distorted intro to “Was A Ghost,” you’ll be scratching your head. A fan favorite from the first “T-I-M-E” that it was played, the “R-U-S-T rust” line has become a call-and-answer part of live shows. The lyrics shine over simple guitar riffs, but that’s the key to Jason Ross and Thomas Juliano’s back and forth nature with the music: very simple guitar parts by Ross with intricately weaved melodies and riffs by Juliano. Look for this again on the whole album.

4 - Dreaming Against Me: The album’s multi-faceted appearance is drawing close to a close by this point when the country-tinged “Dreaming Against Me.” The first few times I listened to it, the only thing I could think of that felt close to this stomp-happy song was Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Down on the Corner.” A happy sort of track with a very positive “Hey, everything’s gonna be alright” chorus that you’ll find yourself humming in your head away from the song, the lyrics really shine here as well.

5 - Hammer & a Stone: Speaking of lyrics and sides of the album, “Hammer & a Stone” is the perfect example of the softer acoustic nature of some of these songs. A long time solo track that’s been heard at acoustic shows, the longing nature of the track and the analogies and syllogisms with the imagery envelope the listener in the open road and a transition between the twilight and the dusk. The acoustic guitar blended with the piano and a touch of sustained guitar in the background all melds together perfectly.

6 - Break the Spell: Back to the swampy distorted nature of some of the songs, “Break the Spell” is an older track that fans have heard for many years coming. I personally have a live recording from 2003 with a different chorus, and the chorus has undergone a lot of rewriting, but the melody remains the same. And beyond all of that, I can tell you that I walk around singing this song myself because the hook line just gets stuck in your head. A perfect build-up and very simple melody that has beautiful overlaying of lead guitar, this song is what songwriting could and should be.

7 - You Think Too Much: I’ve used the word “swampy” to describe a lot of this album, and on “You Think Too Much,” it fits that bill, but in a similar vein of “Laughing Out Loud,” with a twist that sounds like it belonged on 7M3’s Economy of Sound album. Serving as a good lead-off to the proverbial side B of the album, this track doesn’t shine or sparkle but merely glows. Its a nice mid-tempo rocker that doesn’t stand out too much till you find yourself singing it later on, trying to remember why you didn’t notice it the first time through.

8 - Strangely at Home Here: First heard back in 2005 at their 10 year American Standard anniversary shows, “Strangely at Home Here” was immediately a fan favorite. A fun song that connects the listener and the music to a memory of a favorite bar or hang-out, the upbeat nature and acoustic laid back feel would make this one sparkle or shine as a later single from the album, or a beautiful B-side to any second single.

9 - She Wants Results: The familiarity of the songs might have sunk in to this point, but the sampled drums on “She Wants Results” will certainly wake you out of that rut. A quiet softer song that further makes you feel like you’re on the night side of things, the lyrics are softly woven around the format of the guitar and the blatant sample. As a whole, the track grows on the listener, and it just takes a while to sink in, but the pleading message of the chorus intertwines with things so desperately that you start to hear it differently very shortly.

10 - Upside Down: While “Dreaming Against Me” has a country-stomp feel, “Upside Down” has a bit more of an AM country feel. The longing in the chorus and the lines leading up to it are the perfect country two-step that most folks shy away from. But make no mistake, the thing that makes this un-country are Ross’s vocals. While still bordering the twang in a lot of places, the progression of the song forces onward from the basic driving nature and lets you feel more of a softer alt-country a là Train type of pain. To bypass this song would be a travesty. It feels slightly out of place, but makes more sense the more you listen to it.

11 - Dead Days in the Kitchen: Another softer acoustic piece that by this time you probably forgot were on this album, “Dead Days in the Kitchen” feels like it should be the absolute last track on the album. It has a complete resolution in its tone and voice, leading into the type of song that you’d imagine listening to on the end of a long night drive as you pulled into your driveway. Quiet and somber, that doesn’t mean this song still doesn’t have the flow. Very nicely done instrumentalization as a whole.

12 - Things I Stole: And if “Dead Days in the Kitchen” was the song that you’d listen to pulling into a driveway, “Things I Stole” is the track you’d sit in your garage and listen to before tip-toeing quietly into your house. With an impromptu feel of picking up some guitars, the country-ish nature of the song doesn’t belittle it in any manner. It feels like the perfect closer to the long journey just taken, even if its a step or two beyond what you expected.

As a whole, these tracks meld together in some sub-etheral way that as different as they are all individually apart, together they make sense. It is a true album in every sense and heart of the word, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who has a chance to pick it up as it releases today. Only $9.99 on iTunes, most stores have it for about the same price. Or if you’re in Orlando, you can pick it up at Park Ave CDs for about $12 and get a free ticket to see them at the Orlando House of Blues with opener Big 10-4 on February 23rd. It’s worth your money, trust me.

Besides, that’s the only way you’d get to hear them play new versions of “Cumbersome” and “Water’s Edge,” seeing they’re both not on this album.

Yesterday I had a very nice surprise… The new Seven Mary Three album–Day & Nightdriving–finally was released on iTunes. I’ll be working on a full review of this album soon, but I’m letting it sink in still. Of course, I’d be lying if I said that the first time I listened to it was then, but I have my sources like most of the other fans, and I had heard it a few weeks ago. We don’t talk about that, though. Whenever anyone mentions getting any album early, its like a giant male genitalia waving contest to see who got it hours, minutes, seconds first. Even still, that’s all beside the point.

The real point is, is the fact that it’s a really solid album. I’m highly impressed with it and as the guitar tabs come out from the album, I get more and more excited about my own songwriting. You see, most of these songs are 4-5 chord songs that are very simple pieces, and what makes them sound so “special” is the way the other instruments come in with them and the lyrical writing. The lyrics are key. Its why most of what I’ve been listening to the past few days has been Lucero and Seven Mary Three. There’s something in the songwriting that feels more story-esque and makes them right for me.

And that’s why I haven’t talked much about new songwriting from me. I’ve not really been writing too much in that light because I have a really bad perfectionist complex. Whenever I write lyrics, I hate to revise them. Its actually funny because a lot of my songs, I like a piece here, or I like a piece there, but I’ll hate a whole verse or half of a chorus, and because I “finished it” I don’t touch it. I’m trying to get better, which is why you haven’t heard anything new from me musically in a while, but even still. I sort of have one EP mostly written, but I’m finishing off those songs, and when its done the honestly, i’ve never felt better EP will be accordingly released. We’ll see, though.

But I’m working on writing exercises. I’ve got a few books of prompts and I have a composition notebook that I’ve been writing in every few days just with a free-write or two. And I’m trying to write more in a lyrical manner rather than my 4 lines, chorus, 4 lines, chorus. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m not using my 3:30 to really tell an effective tale or get the message I’m trying to across. Well, I guess I’m getting something across–sometimes better than others–but even still it doesn’t feel as good as it could to me and as right as it could. If anyone’s up for joining me with some of these exercises and workshopping them, either via phone or internet or over coffee, please let me know. Writing is a social activity, as much as people have that image of someone crunched over a typewriter with thick glasses, in a log cabin solitary overlooking the woods or good ol’ James Joyce locked up in his postal uniform.

Aside from that, I’m proud to announce the tracklisting for the CD which I’ll be recording as my “greatest hits” album. Okay, its more of a “retrospective” than that, because there are only a few songs on this one that are “great” and even less “hits” than that. And looking forward to any thoughts on the tracks because I know its an interesting collection there and some of those might be familiar as the dirt we walk on and others are titles that you might remember but possibly never heard. Enjoy, and enjoy your Wednesdays…

Five Years of Trying So Hard - Songs I Haven’t Forgotten To Play

1) Trying So Hard
2) Chasing Amy
3) One More Time
4) Entrophy
5) And I Said
6) In 2 Deep
7) Down (Alone Now)
8) Breakdown
9) Running Back To You
10) Second Rate Superhero

Funny. I don’t feel like I’m turning 25 in a week.

Seriously. My birthday is next Thursday and it hardly feels like it should be this soon. That’s the funny thing with my birthday each and every year as I get older: it becomes less and less of a deal for me. Its just another day out of the year. I mean, seriously, if folks want to celebrate me and being on this planet for another year? Call me up any day of the week and do so, not one damn day out of the year. Show me that love and respect each and every day and not just because its the day that I crowned from my mother’s womb.

I’ve been feeling my right hand itch, and I’m trying to keep a notepad nearby. I’m also deciding to listen to a lot more country and other lyrically intensive music. Seriously. Folks don’t give country the credit it deserves. All too often its laughed at, scorned, or just kicked to the curb. I think the truth of the matter is, when you find a good country artist or a good lyricist in general, there’s something to study there. For me, I put Big & Rich, Montgomery Gentry, Keith Urban, Alabama, and Radney Foster into that category. And if you look at a lot of this “country” you can see that there’s a lot of blues and rock right in the mix there too.

And let’s look at something that’s little considered and you’ll keep hearing me say it right up and through this next year: music doesn’t need to be complex. It needs to be comforting at some sub-etheral level. Sure, the complex stuff can be comforting at that level, but look at some of the classic tracks out there that make us feel good, it’s a simple hook on the chorus that we sing along to and that everyone knows. I mean, “Livin’ On A Prayer,” “Don’t Stop Believing,” and “Jack ‘n’ Diane” ? Simple as heck choruses that it doesn’t matter the words of the verses, you’re singing along. I can’t count how many times my old roommate Nathan and I would be heading here or there and blasting one of these in the car.

And if you don’t sing along, I’m sorry for you.

See, songs like this are the simple joy to our lives. Songs like “Rock and Roll All Nite (Party Every Day),” “Rock & Roll,” and “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” that the second you hear that riff or that intro that you find yourself singing along and turning the radio up louder: not just because the titles have the banal message of the music, but because it moves us. We have that urge because the lyrics are so familiar. They feel right. They’re what we grew up on and with. They’ve just got that… feel.

Its something that takes you on the inside and the second it hits you, you know its there. Even if it’s not your life, you know what its like. You’re in the scene. It’s a living music video in your mind that no matter what words or images you try to find, you have none. It exists because its everything you need and could ask for in that simple nugget just under four minutes that just is right. Decades of people try to put it into words, but no matter what words you look for, there really are none. When its right and its there and everything just works: it just does.

And now? I don’t hear that arena rock. That anthem. That one hook that just wins everything over. Occasionally you get it, but with the esoteric nature of song titles nowadays that are so far away from what the song seems to be about, well, its hard to remember what’s what from time to time. I can tell you the names of half of the songs on Brand New’s albums from time to time, just because of how much I’ve listened to it, but ask me what my favorite song is from Mayday Parade’s album, and I’d be struggling to tell you their names. Conversely, ask me from what I’ve heard from Seven Mary Three’s new album (samples can be heard here), and I can tell you via song name alone because of how the lyrics and the names fit together.

I’m not really going anywhere in particular with this. For me, I guess its just that everyone tries to do something different, but I don’t hear that hook anymore. I’m looking for that hook. And I’m trying to write the best one I can that flows as smoothly as some of those great stories I linked above.

I can only hope to find it in me.

I mean heck, I’m only at my quarter life crisis. I’ve got a good amount of time left, right?

Of course, part of it has to do with the fact that my birthday caps off the month on the 31st. And like every person in the world being big on presents, I always just was happy enough to have the present be the presence of friends at a show on my birthday… I first played one in 2003, then did it again in 2004 and 2005. We’d have the show, then the party would be back at my place afterwards usually. There were a lot of fun times had at those.

The truth of the matter is, I don’t play out shows anymore because it takes too much away from me. Weird to say, right? Well, there’s a difference for me practicing for me around my apartment or at the fountain or hanging out and jamming with friends, than there is for me to sit down and figure out setlists, promote, juggle around supporting musicians, promote, work out new arrangements, promote, etc. You get the drift. And with a full courseload, my wife, two cats, and just trying to live, its hard to do. Especially to get the grades that I want to get. I can’t make Dean’s List and rock out, and well, Dean’s List looks better on the resumé than “rocked hard.”

So for the past few years, I’ve tried to time an EP or some new tracks at about the time of my birthday. I need to reflect a few new EPs on my discography page, but even still, I’ve just kept some new songs coming around. My 23rd and 24th birthdays were documented in songs–”Derry” and “Fifteen (Emergency)”–so seeing I’m hitting that big quarter life crisis, in the words of John Mayer (”Why Georgia,” if your mind is forgetting), its only fitting to release something big for me.

Back in November 2002 or so is when the official end of Mindflux occurred. Sad to see it go, but that was just life and what happened and we moved apart. That winter break, I worked on some songwriting and old songs that we had never gotten to as a band, and I made the decision that come January 2003, I would be starting the new year off as a solo artist. Matter of fact, I have some of my first shows from February on tape as “proof” of that. Not bad, huh? Heck, I even have the first recorded version of “Trying So Hard”–the song that would become my staple song–from the night right after I wrote it. Talk about an interesting flashback on that one.

And standing about five years down the road from the first time I took the stage without Lorn Miller or Harry Ticer, well, I honestly miss my first brothers in musical arms, but I did what I had to do. For me, its funny to look at all of these lyrics I have on my computer and all of these albums I’ve released on my discography, and to see where I’ve gone, where I’ve been, and how many damn songs I’ve written. I couldn’t tell you an exact number, but I’ll tell you that the number I still play is maybe one-third of any number that I’ve written. And probably even less.

In keeping with the theme of an album as a birthday gift to my friends, I’ve got two things in store for everyone…

1) Soon, very soon, you’ll be able to go to my music page and download full zip files of each and every album I’ve ever released with cover artwork. And, I might even dig up a rarity or two. All you’ll have to do is put in your e-mail address on signing up for them, and you’ll be good to go. I’ll be watching my bandwidth, so I might have to take them down from time to time, but even still, they’ll be free for whomever wants them. If you don’t feel right just doing free downloads, well, there’ll be a PayPal button for those who want to make donations for bandwidth/site upkeep/my general health and sanity/whatever. Covers all bases.
2) I’ll be releasing a new album of classic oldies that you’ll also be able to find on the discography page then too. And this one will go live as soon as its done. Tracklisting will be announced soon, but I’ve picked out 10 “classic” tracks of mine and I’ve named the album: Five Years of Trying So Hard - Songs I Haven’t Forgotten How To Play. They’re a mix of some songs that you might recognize, some that you might have heard of, some you might remember, and maybe one or two that you don’t know. Consider it my thanks for all of the time you guys came out for this show or that show or just hung out with me.

Expect the latest its done to be the end of February. I mean, I do need to keep my grades up so I can be on Dean’s List, you know? Thanks friends…