Okay, shut up already.

Ah live above a church - a loud church. Some days its just a keyboard (those ken be pretty bad as tha woman singah is off-key and tempo 60% of tha time), but often thars also drums n bass. It's definitely audible, but usually has faded away by 9:30 pm. Some nights thars rehearsal a lil latah, but 10 is generally as late as ahll hear it.

It's 11:05 n thars nawt just practice, but continued full-on church downstairs. Ah ken hear tha muffled commandin voice of tha pastor, distorted and compressed by a pretty big PA system, speaking spanish ah prolly couldn't unnerstand without considerable practice, n ah wondah what tha fawk he's sayin.

But really, ah want it ta be ovah. It's late n ah hafta be at tha yoga studio at 8:30 to start tha laundry n then kick my ass w. a 9 am class (labor day schedule is CRAP).

no mas amigos, POR FAVOR! yo necessito dormir puntas!

Altho, if they did shut up ahd still have tha bar across tha street, tha busses, tha motorcycles, tha drunks, tha car alarms......but at least they wouldn't be downstairs!

FINALLY!

jammed w. some people from craigslist who didn't suck n who have thar shite togetha (ah hope ahm nawt speakin too soon). These folks play some sorta poppy, catchy, vocally driven, mostly acoustic stuff, n they think ahm tha bees knees (nawt tha actual term used), prolly cuz ah could play 3 bars of 5/4 and then one of 4/4 w.o hesitatin. Hopefully this'll turn intae some regular gigg-age fer me - think good thoughts, ah need a stage (er 6...)!

hahahah

perhaps, its nawt tha most productive way ta spend my time, but here is a summarization of what happened w. those guys ah nevah jammed with (thanks gmail!).

augsut 1st - forwarded myself this posting:
Rock / Metal Guitarist and Drummer Seek Bass Player ...

Experienced rock guitarist and drummer seek a bass guitar player with some chops.

Originals with a few covers and also looking to write new material.

Sound is very crunchy, melodic, hard, and dynamic.

Reply for more information ...

8/3 - email to poster:
car-less, in mission, looking to be busier

8/3 - email from poster:
looking for bassist, practice all the time, will call me.

8/6 - email to guitarist:
down with meeting, have a gig that evening. Had seen a
repost so I'd emailed again b/c he did not call

8/6 - email from guitarist:
rehearsals wed n sat @ 6:30. they are flexible

8/7 - email to guitarist:
lets jam on Saturday (2/9), what should we play, amp situation

8/9 - phone call from guitarist:
can i jam today still, i can't, he will send me some songs
for me to listen to

8/11 - email to guitarist:
never gawt an email, can jam on tues

8/11 - email from guitarist:
mp3s

8/12 - email to guitarist:
acknowlegement, have drummer call me tomorrow

8/13 - email from guitarist:
drummer can't make it, saturday at 6:30?

8/13 - email to guitarist:
Can probably do that, referenced my other band.

8/16 - home by 6, emailed.

10:15 pm - email from guitarist:
got stuck at work, shooting for Monday or Wednesday.

8/19 - email from guitarist:
will let me know on wed if it will work

email to guitarist:
wednesdya wont work. Sat is a gig. Can do monday.

8/21 - call from drummer
monday lets do it. I will call him.

8/25 - voicmail for drummer at 5:30.

7:30 pm - voicemail from drummer:
forgot to call, maybe tomorrow

7:40 pm - voicemail to drummer:
tuesday is no good, busy this week, will give next week a
try if they still want to.

8:15 pm - convo w. guitarist
they're moving on b/c im too busy.

okay, next please?

Gripes by Humble Observer

* pickin up whar a previous post left off, think13 needs a new guitar player. Ahm saddened that Christoph has left, but tha way he did it n his motivation have left me significantly more pissed off then sad. He was literally going to play a show w. us on Saturday night, quit the band, and then drive to Burning Man overnite. Luckily, fate wasn't going to let the coward have his "graceful exit" as ah think he saw it, n we found out two hours before tha show at tha practice space. So we at least gawt ta show him how lame he is. Ahve nevah shared a stage w. someone ah didn't even want to talk to before - good thang he wasn't on my side. Then ah gawt drunk.

* Tha guys ah bitched about a week ago flaked on me again - will ah nevah learn?? Tha drummah called to apologize n we set up a time today ta git together. Ah left werk n gave him a call, as was tha plan. He left a voicemail w. me minutes ago (at least 45 minutes AFTAH we were supposed to START jammin) sayin he was sorry but maybe tomorrow. Ah responded by leavin a message lettin them know ah MITE be willin ta try it again, but phrased it in a way that ah doubt they will call.

* Ah haven't seen any mosquitos, but ah have gawten 4 bug bites this weekend. Fricken annoyin.

* Apparently Warren Teagarden would rather play without me then have a bass player, at least thas what his Thursday guitar-n-drums show seems to indicate.

Okay, ah think ahm outta thangs ta bitch about (otha then my finances, which could be in slightly bettah shape). Thanks fer lettin me git off my chest (whoevah you are, if you are indeed out thar, faithful readers).

drinkin

evah notice how some hangovahs manifest themself gradually ovah tha first hour er so ya wake up?

Ahm blamin tha cheap tequila shot.

BAND DRAMA!

Tha best kind of drama, rite?

So ahll gae intae details(ish) (maybe) when its nawt 3 am, but today we dealt w. a pretty a somewhat-expected surprise.

A long, weird day, consisting of more drinks then usual, n said drinks hittin my blood stream earlier then is tha norm. Fer some reason, karma wanted me ta walk tha 3+ miles home (which took way longah then ah thought it would - almost an hour! must've been one of those contemplative walks....)

anyway it was frustrating. ahll sweat it out in bikram tomorrow at noon.

Ah BAKE!

At my job, Thursday is Snax day. Every week, a different employee prepares/buys a snack of some sort and those who are interested snack and chat together for a half hour or so. This week was my week (Actually, two weeks ago it was my week b/c ah double-booked myself, but that week was slammin w. gigs n crap so ah just bought some day old cookies from a local bakery).

Ah was determined ta actually make somethang, n wanted ta make somethang savory as opposed to sweet - nawt that ah succeeded. Ah ended up gaein w. pumpkin bread and zucchini bread b/c my moms pumpkin bread is one of my favorite thangs in tha world, n ah wanted ta give some selection as well (in case people didn't like pumpkin bread). So, ah bought a ton of ingredients n went ta werk (these days, whenevah ah use a new recipe it requires a lawt of purchasin b/c ah dont have many ingredients in my house. Also, anytime ah have a new spice ta play with ah insist on buyin it in bulk at Rainbow Grocery, which while pretty cheap fer organic spices ends up bein a bit more expensive b/c ah also buy a shaker fer every spice. But thas my problem.)

Anyway, this is one of my first solo bakin experiments so ah hoped it would come out good - even tho ah couldn't find a teaspoon ta measure (seriously, ah couldn't find a teaspoon in my house. Mixer yes, but teaspoon, nope. We have a spoon problem ovah here). Ah really enjoyed it actually (except fer gratin tha zucchini) - somethang very cool about werkin fer a solid half hour er so, n then throwin it in tha oven ta dae its thang - thinkin "well, my werk is done, we'll see how it comes out."

Ah think it came out pretty damn good actually. Sure, both breads were a bit sweeter then ah wanted, n ah couldve given tha zucchini bread anutha 10 minutes in tha oven, but ah enjoyed them, n they tasted similar ta my moms food. Whas really important tho is that werk loved it, n ahm pretty sure most of thar praise was genuine. Check it:



Tha best thang howevah is that ahm startin ta gain a lil confidence in tha kitchen on my own. Even tho ahve cooked fer myself pretty much tha whole time ah lived w. tha rents, n definitely before then, ah didn't dae much branchin out (minus tha whole gaein-veg thang). But knowin ahll be able ta continue some food traditions in tha family one way er anutha feels good. Ah wouldn't say that cookin necessarily runs in tha family, but ah dae feel ahve inherited some good instincts from my rents - instincts that'll make some lucky lady very happy one day should ah evah become a stay-at-home-husband!

Tha Universe

also sent me an email today about grad-skool-fairs specifically fer non-profit-orientated-majors. Of kerse, one of em was takin place in SF in tha end of Septembah when ahll be in tha city, so ah guess ahm gaein. 1st real step towards gaein back ta skool - excitin but scary.

Ah give $30 to tha local musick scene

Most of my contributions to tha SF scene is by way of bartendahs - ah don't gae to all that many shows except tha ones ahm playin at as of these days. But on Sunday ah went ta see my friend Brian Ostreicher's band Geographer have thar CD release at tha Cafe Du Nord at tha bottom of tha Haight. Tha venue is very nice, excellant sound (sounds like a cd playin from tha outside, until you git rite up to tha floor), chill, decently priced drinks (red strip fer 4.50 but thars a $10 covah? Deal.), etc. Wasn't really intae tha opener (altho it apparently included membahs of bright eyes n tha botticellis, as well as tha closin band, which ahll git ta), but Geographer sounded great. So ah paid tha covah n bought an album from them n tha closer.

Real quick - Bri is one of tha best drummers ah know n an old Berklee friend whos place ah spent MUCH time at. He actually helped tha Mysterious Odors come about, altho he wasn't directly involved. Tha band is also comprised of his friend (my Berklee acquaintence) Nathan, a nasty cello playah (sometimes playin 6-string electric cello), n thar friend Mike Deni, principal writer/singer/guitar/keys. They used ta have anutha vocalist/keyboardist, Kasey, but she left ta pursue her own thang. At tha CD release they had a session basist sit in w. them. What this all means tho, is they have a very interestin n different sound, playin intae tha indie-electronic thang, which is big now. N that seein Brian have tha CD release fer one of his major projects just felt good ta me, cuz ahve known tha guy fer so long.

So, ah plug downloadin thar tracks - when else when you git indie electronic w. cello? n harmonies?

But, ahll admit that tha real draw was tha headliner Judgement Day who ahve already plugged in tha BG, a metal band made up of drums, cello, and violin. And they totally rawk. Ahd checked them out before tha show n knew ah was gawna be buyin thar album Dark Opus. N they made a zombie video.

Part of me meant ta hang out aftah tha show just ta know them how much ah dug what they were up to, but it was late on a Sunday n ah was drunk n ah knew tha bike ride home would be cool, so ah split. Ah did myspace them w. adorin messages n comments so they know ahm creepy like that.

OH, tha FLAKES

Anutha addition to tha list of flakin SF musicians:

Rawk guitarist n drummer w. some rough (sometimes downrite ugly) demos from craigslist that ah contacted specifically b/c of tha close proximity. Amgiguous email sent a week n a half ago about potentially jammin last Saturday - ah git a call last Saturday afternoon n say next Wed would be bettah, nae problems). That Wednesday, cancellation b.c drummer can't make it, nae big deal. He suggests this Saturday at 6:30 or 7:30, n ah let them know ahm cool from 7 pm on today. Ah hear nuthang n send anutha email this mornin lettin them know ahll be available even a lil earlier. It's 9:15 n ah haven't gawten any word from eitha.

Ah will take part of tha blame, in that ahve been if nawt flakin, nawt followin up too hard w. any of tha folks ahve been in contact with that have seemed unlikely. But this is tha 2nd guy this week who's scheduled or almost scheduled a meeting but haven't heard from in 3 days.

Ah guess what else should ah expect - this is San Francisco - N THESE ARE MUSICIANS!

Best Damn Movie Ah've Seen in a LONG TIME!

Network

Holy shite, how have ah nawt seen this before?

A truly great film that delves intae tha world of news shows, corporate greed, fanaticism, shock-tv, n even a touch of interpersonal relationships. Released in 1976, this is tha story of Howard Beale (who is "Mad as Hell" and "Not Going to Take This Anymore!" - a soundclip familiar ta many, er at least me) who tells his television audience he's going to shoot himself on tha air b/c he's been fired. This sends of an eventual shockwave through tha television audience, n ah won't say any more about tha plot.

Ah was turned ontae this a while back when watchin Zeitgeist - The Movie which is scary, thought-provokin, n also a bit off tha deep end. Howevah ah dae recommend it - n it had me interested enuff ta search out Network, so its gawt that gaein fer it.

Seriously, Network rings almost yesterday-true despite bein ovah 30 years old. Quick dialogue, fast-moving shots, and excellent acting take this movie intae tha realm of "timeless". It suffers from a flaw here and there, but is a convincing, and subtley shocking, piece of cinema that will stick with you. This will possibly be tha first movie ahve netflixed n then ended up buying (n ah don't even remembah how long its been since ah bought a dvd - certainly more then a year).

Netflix it!

WE COOK!

Yes, ah forced my house ta have dinnah togetha. N they LIKED IT! Gawta love message boards.....

Ah stepped in ta make tha main course - stuffed shells a la my mom's recipe. It might've smelled like mom's cookin, but it has a way ta gae - both in terms of texture (ragu was too watery) n taste (BLAND stuffin - even w. spinach!).

Howevah, ah feel prety proud fer takin tha first step - cookin my mom's ragu from tha get-gae. Ah can't share her recipe (nawt that it would help much) but here's a glimpse at tha ingredients used:



That was mostly fer tha ragu - which ah multi-tasked on n also made lunches fer a few days. An ol' throwback to my bawstan/nova days, some SUPAH MAC N CHEEZ. This time includin:



At one point in time ah was simmerin tha ragu:



While ah was also steamin broccoli, fryin tofu/peppers/zucchini, n boilin macaroni:



Thas rite, ah ken multi-task.

Anyway, tha shells came out passable - lookin nawt TOO shabby:



Altho a lil shabby, ahll admit it.

We had tons of food, n people came ta visit! Then tha roommates posed (Cuz it was tha first time we've evah been in tha same room togetha, nae joke).

Say cheese Roommmates!



Finally, ah was extra happy cuz ah found Gallo, a Guatemalean beer ah enjoyed greatly, sold in my favorite container - tha LITER Bottle. Out here they call it Famosa, but it tastes tha same as cheap....



Updatin ken be fun!

Location is....

Putting on slippers ta gae to tha liqour/convenience store. When yer in a t-shirt n pajama bottoms. Sweet.

Yes, ahm in on a Saturday

It's been a long couple weeks. So ahm takin a nite off. At least ah am as of 10 pm. We'll see if ah stay here.

So - thar was an awesome fundraiser fer VAGABOOM! last week n a bunch of bands played great musick n we didn't raise enuff money. It did give us a great stage to play on tho n we met some fun people. Some of them mite even have lawts of money ta give us! We also rawked Kimo's on Wednesday nite w. our friends Dirty Orange Sun n a metal band from Concord which was a suprisingly good nite.

In otha news, my hair is gittin kinda crazy now that tha red is washin out - which is part of tha point. Here's a shitty pic from my phone while ahm at werk - check out tha view in tha background from my cube (of tha office buildin across tha alley).



Also, here's a shot of tha sweet truck that brought our gear to tha House of Shields gig in mid-July:



Our crew has style, eh?

Today was a VAGABOOM free event in Golden Gate Park, which ended up being a good learning experience but took a lil trial n error. All in all tho, ah think we pulled it togetha pretty good - just weren't promoted er high profile enuff. Tha vibe is captured pretty well by tha front sign (of which ah was partially responsible fer puttin togetha - altho NAWT paintin)



Finally, anutha reason why SF is so much fun - nawt only was tha weather in tha Mission fricken AWESOME (especially aftah a cold cloudy mornin in tha park), when ah met up w. my buddy in Delores Park in tha afternoon, a funk band was playin thar fer free. From time ta time, youd see/hear a crew of bicyclists passin by, one of them pullin a speaker blastin 80s musick. Eventually they ended up at tha park, n a bunch of people dressed in 80's club gear (Especially tha girls) showed up w. beer, drinkin n dancin like it was 1988 on a Friday nite in a club n thar was blow fer everyone. Check it:



Ah apologize fer tha crappy phone-pics, but thar all ah have as of recently. Bettah then nuthang tho, rite? RITE!

Finally, ahm in a good mood cuz at my organization my roommates n ah are supposed to ahve a house dinnah this monday - tha first time we've all been in tha same room talkin to each otha. Could be good....could be AWKWARD. We shall see.....

Goodbye, Beautiful

Tha picture doesn't dae her any justice, but this instrument is a phenomenal creation that ah dearly love(d). Yes, ah finally sold my carvin AC40 to a good home, but it hurt a lil bit.

This bass is (was) one of my most impressive possesions. An excellent example of solid craftmanship, woodworking, delicate balance, and playability. A common problem w. many (all) acoustic basses (and guitars in general) is that because of the size of the body of the instrument, it's hard to play too far past the 12th fret. Not a huge issue, but somewhat limiting. The Carvin AC40 allows you to play all 24 glorious frets w/ relative ease, b/c instead of being a full-on acoustic, is actually a semi-hollow bodied electric guitar. This means you can get great acoustically sounding notes, with all 24 of the frets. But, you have to plug it in.

Unfortunately, at least for me, this was (And is still ah believe) billed as an acoustic/electric bass. N thar mite be some fine print explainin all this - ah bought this before ah knew how ta research thangs on tha internet (er even cared). What this means tho, is a naive 20 year old me spent oodles (less then a thousand, but nawt by much) of cash on a bass that didn't dae what he thought it would. Namely, be an acoustic bass that you could also plug in.

These days, acoustic/electric basses are much easier ta find - everywhar. N craigslist has hooked it up in terms of findin them at an affordable price. Back then, ah didn't know tha first thang about shoppin n bought a brand that ah knew was solid (as ah did fer pretty much everythang back in tha day). It wasn't until ah put out some REAL money fer my 6 string that ah started lookin intae RESEARCHIN potential buys n found ah ken be quite a picky bastard. Of kerse, that bass doesn't git much love either, but ah won't be sellin it anytime soon (providin ah keep tha jobby job at least).

So, ah imagine one of these days ah will buy a real acoustic/electric - n hopefully spend less then 400 fer a pretty decent one (cuz ah know bettah now). But tha demand is nawt large enuff at tha moment ta necessitate an immediate buy. Ah will prolly put some money intae fixin up my current 4-string w. new pickups n a minor overhaul, n then start up a "real amp" fund (btw, did ah resolve tha blog? ah found a bass cab online that was bein sold by tha guys who we rent our practice space from. It's nawt a great cab, but it does tha job fer now n ah gawt it fer pretty cheap. Too easy).

Tha bass itself is actually semi-custom. While ah picked it out from a catalog, ah had ta call Carvin themself and order it. W. it's fancy color (called Greenburst. It's current owner "isn't all that crazy about green" actually). N then they made it n shipped it ta me. That bass was made fer me, literally. but now it belongs to, n will git played by, Chuck. So it gaes.

All in all tho, ahm glad its gawn off to a new home, n ahm glad ah gawt my bare minimum askin price (almost half what its werth new). Ah will miss it though - ah nevah played it, but ah sure did appreciate it. An hour before ah sent it away, ah wrote a song on it (sorta). One that ahve just realized ah can't actually play on my current 4-string - cuz that one only has 20 frets n ah need 21. :-(

Goodbye Greenie. It was nevah meant ta be.....