Giving thanks rewind

A few thoughts: one, I have a great deal to be thankful for this holiday and there's no shortage of good feelings. My family, friends, job, music--all of it is a joy and there is no one to be forgotten. All who are in my life are a blessing; I take the good and the bad, so much love to everyone.

It's been a calm period; my health is good--body, mind and spirit are all realigning themselves and I feel linear and right.

I don't want to pontificate on social or political matters, but there seems to be a sense of checks and balances again. We just have to remain vigilant.

Now the season I usually find filled with cynicism begins and I don't have any negative position on that, either. Must be the new signs of aging with a less jaundiced eye...

Do you know...

A great weekend; rather than fall back on old patterns, I won't do a "weekend rewind", but suffice it to say that everything that was on my list of "to do" was done. A good, long session at the gym, Hoboken (including the flea market at Maxwell's), lunch at Golden's on Saturday and the necessary purchase of quality luggage made this weekend pretty busy but a total joy. Most of all, I sat down on Saturday and not only revamped the website, I mapped out the first three songs I want to record, so I'm finally moving with this. I always worked best in this manner; a proper layout of track by track progression, which enables me to pick up from wherever I stop.

The other thing is I watched a very good documentary about The Pixies, Loudquietloud. I loved Doolittle from the first time I heard it, but was never a big fan. This was an interesting slant/perspective of this band, which I appreciated and found fascinating. Check it out.

So the ensuing weekend will see the first acoustic tracks go down; if time allows, perhaps I'll tackle bass tracks as well. But at the least, this train is finally pulling out of the station.

dB factor

You only need to listen to this song and the album it came from, Repercussion.

Then you will truly understand.

And to the beginning we go

As this weekend approaches, I finally kick off recording, with no fanfare. It's just simply high time. I don't know how much I'll get done, but I know the time has come. Not an urge, just a return of the desire. I'm not shouting from the rooftops or levying these moral platitudes--I just feel like having headphones on and laying down tracks to "new" music (translated: "new" music for me are songs I haven't released yet. Doesn't mean they haven't been demo'd before. Hopefully, these versions would be of good enough quality to see the surface for public consumption.).

There have been too many instances where musicians resume operations after a lengthy layoff. Far too often, they've disappointed--not because of time or age but because they come across as not caring enough to deliver--as they are, in the here and now. I don't want to fall short of my own expectations. I'd like to deliver something that I can say, after time has passed, "yes, this is a good piece of work; I'll stand by it".

Whatever comes out of these sessions, I'll hope to surpass even my own goals and really, that's all any "artist" should ever want.

A change will do us all good

I feel a sense of relief; some lightness and the possibility that the malaise that has fallen over this country--much like it had in the late '70's--will now lift. The main focus is to keep perspective--I have some hope, but I also have trepidation and a sense of caution; President-elect Obama has the unenviable task of being the one who has to clean up the mess left behind by the current administration.

People with their false/misplaced sense of what is and what is not patriotism always seem to bark so loudly and yet they never do anything to improve the shape of this country (i.e. our social landscape). I am very proud to be an American; I am very proud to say I vote (and I always have since I was 18) and as a real patriot will admit "this country has screwed up; this president has screwed up and we, as a people, need to do something to right a rapidly sinking ship". Finally, we did something about it.

True, I am not a fan of those who jump on the political bandwagons every couple of years; I loathe the arbiters of the cause-celebre and I cannot abide with anyone who aligns themselves with a candidate because a friend or media figure told them to--but I feel like yesterday, the citizens of this country who love this nation woke up and did what the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were created to do and that's an exhilarating feeling.

Makes me want to start making music again--now.

Duty

I spent the first part of the morning voting. I take my responsibility seriously, especially with a Presidential election, where so much more is at stake after these last 8 (sometimes surreal) years. I did my duty; my birthright as an American. I am not a fan of either candidate, but it's fairly obvious which direction we need to go and how to appear on the center of the world's stage.

Make the time and go vote. It's that simple.