The Great Entrance

I have spent all day yesterday and today reworking some songs. I'm starting to think...well, I have been thinking it for awhile, songs are extremely evolving pieces of work. It seems that I cannot be happy with a song for long enough for it to be finished.

I wonder if this is what Axl Rose is going thru. It surprised me when I heard that he was trying to show Metallica a NIN's song backstage once. I think that Axl was trying really hard to be fresh and new. It's like another story I heard once about the Golden State Bridge. Someone is hired to paint it constantly...because once they get finished with it, where they started needs another coat of paint...so it's a continual process. I wonder if this is actually true...hmmmm. Anyways, I would think that Axl wrote all of these songs and then becomes an anal listener. He then realizes that this song or that song could be better if he just fixes this one spot. When that song is fixed (and once again is the best song he ever wrote), he realizes that another song needs fixes. He does this over and over and every once in a while he realizes that one of the songs he wrote is not as good as the one is just wrote last night. So he ditches the old song and replaces it with the new one (which needs another year's worth of spot fixes and overhauls). Thus, he never finishes "Chinese Democracy"…the “working” title until he decides this title isn't appropriate anymore.

Whatever.

Yesterday, I overhauled Porch. It received new lyrics, a new vocal melody, small amounts of restructuring, and some filter experimentation.

I messed around with Divine Chaos a small bit. Mostly just thinking about the direction I want it to go in. I think it has too much going on in it. I think it needs to simplified. I'm thinking about adding some acoustic guitar...but taking out everything else, aside from the acoustic already there, the bass, and the vocals. I'm sure I’ll add something else as well...I can't help it.

Finally I started working on Logic Cell. I love this song. I love playing it. It is my "Two Step." It has tho, been a hard one to record. Maybe because I want it as great to listen to as it is to play it. I've kept it simple for the most part...only an acoustic bass and 2 acoustic guitar parts. It got boring tho (see the Axl example above) and when I listened to it, all I could picture was a log cabin. Yes, that is very weird...I like log cabins, because it reminds me of camping in the forest, but it's like my face is being pushed up against the outside of a log cabin. I can't see the forest but only see the wood getting pushed up against my face. Strange? Yes. Anyways, I didn't like that. So, I started off by fixing the volume of the tracks. Today, I added an orchestra. Ha, that sounds funny. I did tho (with the use of soundfonts...man I love this technology!) I also added a dulcimer, more guitar (solo spots and some muted rhythm), and an indian drum (finally gave it a beat track). As of now, I'm still thinking about what else to do...I think it needs some more misc percussion...and I want to somehow add a flute.

I also worked on an Album list last night:

01. Porch
02. Divine Chaos
03. Jaw Crisis
04. Spaghettios
05. Summer Comin On
06. June 23rd
07. The Days of Summer Slumber
08. Crickets and Frogs
09. The Untouched Bridge
10. The Day the Gorilla Died
11. Alcohol
12. Logic Cell

Ok, I'm bored now...I'm out.

A New Direction

This Blawg has just been given purpose.

It will now follow the controversial path of my band. Controversial?? Not really, actually we are so unknown, and so much NOT a band, that there is actually nothing that is controversial. In all honesty, this blahhhg is more controversial than my band is.

Anyways, let me start off with a mock interview, and then I will write about a couple of updates....

Q. What is the name of your band?
A. Stare Decisis

Q. What in the f*** does that mean?
A. It means: let the decision stand.

Q. Why did you choose that name?
A. Ummm...because once upon a time, I used to work for this company and two of my co-workers dated.

Q. I don't get it, could you please explain further?
A. Ok, well, I have this idea that there is some unifying philosophy that people could live by (kinda like the theory of relativity (what that is to physics)...I think...it's been awhile now) Anyways, if people follow this philosophy then people could live correctly and happily. Many people like to follow religion...this is the same kind of deal...but sometimes I think that religion doesn't provide all of the answers...and often it requires blind faith.

Q. Uh, I still don't get it, you better get to the point, or I'm going to get bored of your senseless rambling...
A. Ok, well, I had a thought once that if two people decide to break up, then they should stay broken up. It just didn't make sense to be flailing around so senselessly hurting each other so meaninglessly. It seemed obvious that it wouldn't work out. Aside from that, it was annoying me and everyone else in the office. At that time, me and my band were looking for band names...and I stumbled across the phrase "Stare Decisis" in a political science book. It's a law term. It made sense, you know? If you break up, let it stand...let the previous decision decide how to approach the appeal process in a relationship. In this case, it was obvious that it wasn't going to work out, my two co-workers simply didn't have the patients and understanding for each other...so let it ride and stop letting it get into the friggin work place.

Q. I am sorry I even asked that question.
A. Well you should be.

Q. How long have you guys been together?
A. Well, me and my brother have been playing for...I dunno 7 years or something? The band that goes by the name of Stare Decisis has been around for about 5 years. The first song we played as a band is now almost 6 years old.

Q. What song is that?
A. June 23rd

Q. What is that song about?
A. Maybe I'll tell you another day.

Q. Ok, well, have you guys played anywhere cool? Done anything rad?
A. Hardly...let me think...well, we did donate $170 to the local radio station so we could get one of our songs played. The donation was for the Tsunami. Awesome cause...and at 2 something in the morning we got to hear our song cut short. But it was cool incidentally...the name of that song is String Theory. This is where the blog's name comes from.

Q. Any news lately?
A. Nope, not really. Oh yea, duh, this blog is going to watch the progress of our band...whatever that progress might lead to.

A. Can I make a shout out to my friends?
Q. Sure.
A. This is a shout out to my friends!

Q. Are you finished yet?
A. Yep.

Q. It's about time.
A. F*** you A**hole.


Anyways, that went rather smoothly. Umm...So a short list of updates to our music.

1. Two days ago, I went crazy and started a new song…mostly piano. I’m calling it “Knot Philosophy” so far…I’m thinking of it as a prequel to “String Theory.”
2. Worked on Alcohol a lot…added some piano and organ to it. It gives it a completely different feel…I’m not sure I like it yet.
3. Started work on a vocal melody for Crickets and Frogs.
4. Created yet another song list for the never-gonna-be-finished album. Kept it in the line of thought that I would like each song to represent a month of the year.

Anyways, I’m tired now. I’m out.

Work?

Geez, being out of work is starting to be old hat. For the first time in my life, I'm thinking that it might be exciting going to work, regardless of the place. Some interaction with society would be nice.

I worked all day on our t-shirt designs. Put up three new designs in our "extreme" shirts section.

1. a new skydiving design.
2. variations on our new logo.
3. a new variation on a skim boarding shirt that was never created in the first place.

Late...errr

Fortune Foes

I thought I was lucky because when I opened the fortune cookie I got two messages.
I was unlucky because when I bit into the fortune cookie it was slightly moist, but definitly rotten.

"education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
"seek advice from an octogenarian."

Cool Music

Wow, what a night!

1. I flipped on my poor friend tonight, she happened to touch a nerve. Thank you for helping me get it off my chest...sorry.
2. These last couple of weeks have been awesome...I can't believe I actually think that.
3. So, I was about to write about alot of the new music I have been listening to lately, when I thought about a recommendation I received earlier in the day.
4. So as I was checking to see a video from the group, The Killers, I was redirected to a video by My Chemical Romance.
5. The video was called Helena. So interesting, somehow. Ultimately cool.
6. Then I finally saw the video called Mr. Brightside by The Killers. I've seen this video, I think this guy looks like Rivers...another cool 80's sounding song...cool words too.
7. I checked out the Helena song again...and let the Launchcast continue playing...
8. A song called Existentialism On Prom Night by Straylight Run (I keep thinking Raygun...those witty guys)...another great song.
9. After that I got to hear The Cure and now Depeche...geez, maybe I should listen to this thing more often?
10. Dude, the lead singer from DM is ugly.
11. I was starting to think that maybe I'm just tired and that's why everything is sounding good...never mind ICP just came on...and remember that some music does suck...imho
12. Maybe I am being too easy again...this song is cool...Evil by Interpol...and a really cool puppet thing...one more video...let see if there is anything else cool on...
13. The Exies...sounds ok, not enough to keep me awake...later...

ps...check out this site...at least the front page looks cool.

Website Fu

I looked over at the shopping center today on my way home. I saw that there was a Kung Fu business located there (I've looked at that business thousands of times, always thinking about how I want to learn a martial art someday). I thought to myself that maybe I could actually attempt selling a website to them.

Shadow

Murray Hill said to me, what the hell is that you are trying to do here? Here is why there is no beer...because in the shadows that have chased us all down, we see that we are too often close to our shadows and not spending enough time trying to flee from its presence. Mine is gaining a little weight. I think it is funny how often I think that I see it add a few pounds and then shed a few. I think I am jealous of my shadow, she never speaks (which my friends are starting to realize I wish that I could do). My shadow has a great sense of patience. She likes competing with me, but never leaves me too far behind if it is ahead...and at the end of the day she always comes back and lays next to me.