I'm always rattled about what I want to write about when I blog. This blog is pretty random, and I usually just write a few paragraphs about something I think is cool or interesting. It's been a struggle for me to think of creating consistency with this blog, but I think I've figured it out.
"Random Thought of the Week." Let's try this out and see how it goes...
1. If you had one movie you could watch for the rest of your life what would it be?
My buddy Matt asked this question to me last night and I thought it was interesting. I said Forrest Gump. Now I don't watch movies very often, I'm the classic guy who says "I haven't seen that," and someone responds with, "HOW COULD YOU NOT HAVE SEEN THAT MOVIE," as if it's a necessity I missed in life like potty training or how to tie your shoes. Anyway, I chose Forrest Gump because it has everything I want in a movie: comedy, insight, life lessons, love, and great characters. Plus it's the kind of movie you can put on and do some chores around the house. You can pay attention to any random part and be entertained with a new story or situtation.
2. I LOVE Pandora radio.
I'd say 85% of the music I listen to is playing off of Pandora. I have the maximum 100 stations always and I'm constantly deleting and creating new ones. It's a great way to listen to music you've never been exposed to; for example, I've never really known much Elvis Costello music, so I made a station. I'm now at the point where I've been molding my favorite stations with up-thumbs and down-thumbs for a year now and they're getting to be perfect. Some of my favorites are...
-"Rich Girl Station" - based off of the song by Hall and Oates
- Amos Lee - I'm absolutely obsessed with this one
- Black Star - great for putting on when you're hanging out with some friends having drinks on a weekend night.
- Citizen Cope
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Phoenix
- Simon and Garfunkel
- Martin Sexton
- Bach, Mozart, Mahler - I own almost no classical - by classical I mean Western art music from 1000 AD to the present.
3. Eggs - an incredible food, I don't know what I'd do without them.
Omelets, over easy with toast, fried egg sandwiches, scrambled, boiled, eggs benedict. I love it all!
4. Cam Newton - this guy is interesting to me, and that makes me pissed!
He's an incredible athlete, and quickly becoming an icon because of all the media controversy over him. Now, I don't follow college football, but when I saw the Auburn game on TV last night at Classic Pizza I was intrigued to watch. All this guy does is smile; before plays, after plays, he never stops. There's no doubt in my mind that he loves all of this media attention, and there's no doubt it's only going to fuel the fire of him becoming a superstar. I think he's too cocky though, and I can't stand that he's just easily so dam good. When he goes the NFL I hope some defensive end crushes the smile right off his face.
5. I'm trying to improve my reading skills.
I've never been a good reader, I get exhausted and distracted easily when I do it. At the same time I like to read, so I'm constantly trying to find easy to read and exciting books so that I can slowly move on to more challenging ones. I think I'm gonna get a list of recommended middle school books to read. Feel free to throw any suggestions at me.
That's it for this week, stay tuned for more random thoughts next week.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Local Music Part 1
So something that I've been meaning to comment on is how much local music has affected me over the last couple years. When I was in college I went to school for recording, and I knew that's what I wanted to do when I got out. After about six months or so I realized that what I really wanted to pursue is performing, singing, and songwriting; it's something I just have to do, and I can very honestly say i'm never going to stop.
Anyway, I've always grown up as a singer that plays guitar and kind of writes some songs and knows some covers to play at parties. Over the last couple years I think I've improved my performing and songwriting by leaps and bounds, and so much of my strides have to do with using local resources to really explore my craft; particularly open mics. In college I wrote some songs, and some were okay, but I never really found myself knowing other writers, or hearing people who are also progressing to write good songs. When I began to perform my own songs I really didn't know where to start; I didn't have a set, I wasn't experienced at being onstage with my guitar in hands looking out at the audience - I was very lost (although I did know I could sing). The single most smartest thing I did at that point was go to an open mic; and man did I pick the right one.
When you walk into Amazing Things on a Thursday night and you don't know anyone, or really know what to expect, the best thing that could happen to a new-bee happens. Dan Cloutier, the host, talks to you, WELCOMES you, and has a conversation with you. This is so important because the last thing you want to do is be that guy in the corner that has no one to talk to just before you bare your soul to all these strangers onstage. Eventually when your name is announced, you walk up to the stage and Dan introduces you. The best part about this introduction is that he remember something about you and shares it onstage with the audience. He might say something like, "yeah so Dan here is a big Stevie Wonder fan." I love this because it makes interacting with everyone else at the open mic a lot easier; they know something about you, and there's been a bait thrown out there (Dan's comment) for someone to bite on. By the end of the night, weather you think your performance was good, bad, or mediocre, you end up leaving feeling like you've made a couple friends and you've conquered and you've conquered this roadblock of performing. I could have easily left that night feeling cold and distant from everyone, but the sense of community is local open mics is strong that its very encouraging.
Well, I've written enough for one night. Two other equally amazing open mics I like to go to are Monday nights at the The Center for the Arts in Natick (TCAN) with Trish and Phill Knudsen and Mark Stepakoff, and Monday nights at the Lizard Lounge with Tom Bianchi. Check both of them out, they're incredible.
More on different local music outlets some other time, Nighty Night!
Anyway, I've always grown up as a singer that plays guitar and kind of writes some songs and knows some covers to play at parties. Over the last couple years I think I've improved my performing and songwriting by leaps and bounds, and so much of my strides have to do with using local resources to really explore my craft; particularly open mics. In college I wrote some songs, and some were okay, but I never really found myself knowing other writers, or hearing people who are also progressing to write good songs. When I began to perform my own songs I really didn't know where to start; I didn't have a set, I wasn't experienced at being onstage with my guitar in hands looking out at the audience - I was very lost (although I did know I could sing). The single most smartest thing I did at that point was go to an open mic; and man did I pick the right one.
When you walk into Amazing Things on a Thursday night and you don't know anyone, or really know what to expect, the best thing that could happen to a new-bee happens. Dan Cloutier, the host, talks to you, WELCOMES you, and has a conversation with you. This is so important because the last thing you want to do is be that guy in the corner that has no one to talk to just before you bare your soul to all these strangers onstage. Eventually when your name is announced, you walk up to the stage and Dan introduces you. The best part about this introduction is that he remember something about you and shares it onstage with the audience. He might say something like, "yeah so Dan here is a big Stevie Wonder fan." I love this because it makes interacting with everyone else at the open mic a lot easier; they know something about you, and there's been a bait thrown out there (Dan's comment) for someone to bite on. By the end of the night, weather you think your performance was good, bad, or mediocre, you end up leaving feeling like you've made a couple friends and you've conquered and you've conquered this roadblock of performing. I could have easily left that night feeling cold and distant from everyone, but the sense of community is local open mics is strong that its very encouraging.
Well, I've written enough for one night. Two other equally amazing open mics I like to go to are Monday nights at the The Center for the Arts in Natick (TCAN) with Trish and Phill Knudsen and Mark Stepakoff, and Monday nights at the Lizard Lounge with Tom Bianchi. Check both of them out, they're incredible.
More on different local music outlets some other time, Nighty Night!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
My Rambling Thoughts About The Internet and Facebook
So a couple of days ago I saw The Social Network, I'm sure many of you have seen it or plan on seeing it in the near future. I thought it was a really good movie, not incredible, but it really lubricated a lot of thoughts in my head. I now can't stop thinking about how interesting it is that facebook got so huge and how the internet has completely changed our culture as a whole in the last 20 years. Just some thoughts that keep going through my mind...
The term "facebook me." In the movie Harvard students start using the term "facebook me" after just two weeks of the site was launched. That blows me away, it gives me some perspective on how fast it grew, and how people were stuck to it right away. Imagine being this kid, (a 20 year old her so) who created this website, and all of the sudden everyone around you is talking about it, creating catch phrases for it. Besides that, the only way it's growing is by word of mouth, e-mail, or instant message.
Another thing I can't stop thinking about is how valuable this site is/was. It creates a situation in which lawsuits on lawsuits are happening in the movie, and people are willing to go to huge lengths to be a part of it, and get control of it, and own it! The entire time I'm thinking to myself "this is all because people love being connected to other people and want to know what's happening with them all the time! It's socializing! that's all it is! It's so valuable because of us wanting to look at pictures and like things and comment! It's not even him that made it valuable, it's all of us!"
I don't know, I understand that what I'm writing might seem very "yeah, so?" but I just can't help but think back to the days of aim and how far the internet has come. Back in the day you'd get your friends screen name from them and you'd talk to them after school online for a little and then grab dinner, that was that. Now it's the biggest way people get seen and communicate, in some cases it's the only way. Even today, I noticed newscasters saying "comment about all of this on our twitter!" Aaaah! soo much connecting!
Anyway, my brain is fried right now, go facebook me or twitter me or something. Sweet dreams.
The term "facebook me." In the movie Harvard students start using the term "facebook me" after just two weeks of the site was launched. That blows me away, it gives me some perspective on how fast it grew, and how people were stuck to it right away. Imagine being this kid, (a 20 year old her so) who created this website, and all of the sudden everyone around you is talking about it, creating catch phrases for it. Besides that, the only way it's growing is by word of mouth, e-mail, or instant message.
Another thing I can't stop thinking about is how valuable this site is/was. It creates a situation in which lawsuits on lawsuits are happening in the movie, and people are willing to go to huge lengths to be a part of it, and get control of it, and own it! The entire time I'm thinking to myself "this is all because people love being connected to other people and want to know what's happening with them all the time! It's socializing! that's all it is! It's so valuable because of us wanting to look at pictures and like things and comment! It's not even him that made it valuable, it's all of us!"
I don't know, I understand that what I'm writing might seem very "yeah, so?" but I just can't help but think back to the days of aim and how far the internet has come. Back in the day you'd get your friends screen name from them and you'd talk to them after school online for a little and then grab dinner, that was that. Now it's the biggest way people get seen and communicate, in some cases it's the only way. Even today, I noticed newscasters saying "comment about all of this on our twitter!" Aaaah! soo much connecting!
Anyway, my brain is fried right now, go facebook me or twitter me or something. Sweet dreams.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
In-N-Out!
It's thursday of our saturday 6/26 - sunday 7/4. Our trip is more than half way over and I havne't blogged yet. Since the group as a whole has decided to do a journal-type blog, I've decided to highlight some major points of our trip, starting with our late night trip to In-N-Out burger.
For anyone who doesn't know, In-N-Out Burger is a chain of fast food burger restaurants located on the west coast. This place has excellent burgers and delicious fries, with options to order secret things that aren't on the menu and only told about through In-N-Out folklore. But aside from the food, perhaps the single greatest part of my In-N-Out experience was the cash register girl, Kayley.
Now, I'm not much of a wordsmith, but I'm going to try to paint a picture of the incredible sense of work ethic and customer service this employee had....
1:15am (closes at 2) 11+ people walk into the restaurant, most of us are intoxicated and probably pretty annoying. We walk up to Kayley, who I assme has been working for 7+ hours, and she's got a bigger smile on than most people who've just won money. As we order, she proceeds to recommend, explain items, cancel, and modify orders with complete enthusiasm. Her knowledge of prices on the menu was impeccable, and she let you know what the price changes were as you changed your order. She was truly in the moment.
Eventually, the moment I was truly blown away, was when she started prepping potatoes in the potatoe slicer for french fries between orders!!! AAAaaaaahhhhh incridble!!! She would then return to her register appologizing to the next customers for the delay and put the game face back on. I wanted to challenge her, tell her that the soda was out, or that a huge spill was made, just so I could see her become more hulk-like. As a fan of sports, arts, music, or anthing else where complete dedication is given, the amazing service she has is on the top of my list for admiration. Thank you In-N-Out, and thank you Kaylee for a truly memorable customer experience.
For anyone who doesn't know, In-N-Out Burger is a chain of fast food burger restaurants located on the west coast. This place has excellent burgers and delicious fries, with options to order secret things that aren't on the menu and only told about through In-N-Out folklore. But aside from the food, perhaps the single greatest part of my In-N-Out experience was the cash register girl, Kayley.
Now, I'm not much of a wordsmith, but I'm going to try to paint a picture of the incredible sense of work ethic and customer service this employee had....
1:15am (closes at 2) 11+ people walk into the restaurant, most of us are intoxicated and probably pretty annoying. We walk up to Kayley, who I assme has been working for 7+ hours, and she's got a bigger smile on than most people who've just won money. As we order, she proceeds to recommend, explain items, cancel, and modify orders with complete enthusiasm. Her knowledge of prices on the menu was impeccable, and she let you know what the price changes were as you changed your order. She was truly in the moment.
Eventually, the moment I was truly blown away, was when she started prepping potatoes in the potatoe slicer for french fries between orders!!! AAAaaaaahhhhh incridble!!! She would then return to her register appologizing to the next customers for the delay and put the game face back on. I wanted to challenge her, tell her that the soda was out, or that a huge spill was made, just so I could see her become more hulk-like. As a fan of sports, arts, music, or anthing else where complete dedication is given, the amazing service she has is on the top of my list for admiration. Thank you In-N-Out, and thank you Kaylee for a truly memorable customer experience.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
California In Just Under 16 Hours
I'm not sure if it's the Jack & Coke I had tonight or the fact that I'm going on the longest trip of my life tomorrow, but I can't sleep for the first time in a long time, so I thought this would be a great time to get back on the blogging wagon.
In just 16 hours I'll be getting on a plane to fly from Boston to Milwaukee, and then from Milwaukee to Los Angeles! From Los Angeles I'll be driving to Santa Barbara, where me and 7 of my friends from high school are going to have insane adventures for 8 days!
Albo, Steve, Jay, Abaz, Bass, Matt and I are staying with Geoff, who apparently has a small studio (where we'll be sleeping the whole time! Adventure all in itself, haha). Geoff's packed us with an itinerary of wine tasting, drum circles on the beach, hiking, night life, board games, 5am wake-ups, awesome restaurants, sports and more. At this point I can't begin to explain the insane, fun, and great stories that this trip will bring, but if you're interested in reading and checking out pictures of some awesome/funny/dangerous/ridiculous S*!^ then stay posted for the next 8 days. Catch you in California!
In just 16 hours I'll be getting on a plane to fly from Boston to Milwaukee, and then from Milwaukee to Los Angeles! From Los Angeles I'll be driving to Santa Barbara, where me and 7 of my friends from high school are going to have insane adventures for 8 days!
Albo, Steve, Jay, Abaz, Bass, Matt and I are staying with Geoff, who apparently has a small studio (where we'll be sleeping the whole time! Adventure all in itself, haha). Geoff's packed us with an itinerary of wine tasting, drum circles on the beach, hiking, night life, board games, 5am wake-ups, awesome restaurants, sports and more. At this point I can't begin to explain the insane, fun, and great stories that this trip will bring, but if you're interested in reading and checking out pictures of some awesome/funny/dangerous/ridiculous S*!^ then stay posted for the next 8 days. Catch you in California!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
It's gotta have soul baby!
So I went to see a friend of mine, Jared Salvatore play with his band the other night and something called to me, telling me I need to take this solo thing and turn it into a band thing. I apologize to anyone who is annoyed with this being plastered on my facebook, myspace, twitter and website, but I'm looking to get a lot of people interested to play with me. For anyone who's curious about the vision of this group here's one of my easy to understand lists...
1. Instruments: keyboard, drums, bass - the meat and potatoes - if you play something else I have an open mind about the group, but those are my 3 priorities right now.
2. Must groove - I love upbeat, fun, soulful music, in which everyone in the room will bob their heads up and down, so I'd love to get some guys with a jazz and blues background...
3. Songwriting is a plus - I'm a songwriter, and I plan to do as much work as needed in this department, but I would love some dudes that like to write and collaborate as well. Variety is the spice of life!
4. Singing is also a plus - harmonies, rounds, double parts would be awesome - let's have some fun with it!
5. Dudes that can solo - now I'm not the best guitar player around, but I'd love some guys that can really cut they're teeth in taking the spotlight with their playing.
1. Instruments: keyboard, drums, bass - the meat and potatoes - if you play something else I have an open mind about the group, but those are my 3 priorities right now.
2. Must groove - I love upbeat, fun, soulful music, in which everyone in the room will bob their heads up and down, so I'd love to get some guys with a jazz and blues background...
3. Songwriting is a plus - I'm a songwriter, and I plan to do as much work as needed in this department, but I would love some dudes that like to write and collaborate as well. Variety is the spice of life!
4. Singing is also a plus - harmonies, rounds, double parts would be awesome - let's have some fun with it!
5. Dudes that can solo - now I'm not the best guitar player around, but I'd love some guys that can really cut they're teeth in taking the spotlight with their playing.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Levi Schmidt and Rachel Brown
So last weekend I played a show at All Asia in Cambridge with two other great singer/songwriters, Levi Schmidt and Rachel Brown. I would definitely recommend listening to both of these guys because they're excellent.
Levi has a soulful sound that puts your body into a nice smooth groove as you listen. His voice is fairly reminiscent to Amos Lee, but the music is more R&B than Amos' folk sound. On top having great songs, and a great voice, Levi puts a twist to his tunes by rapping in the middle of most of them. Between the rapping and his songwriting you'll find very genuine, original music, check him out at http://www.myspace.com/levischmidtmusic (oh, and he's coming out with a CD real soon!!!).
This was the first time I'd seen Rachel Perform and I was really impressed. First of all she has good stage presence. She smiles, grins and looks out to the crowd and you can tell she's having a good time on stage. I think this comes natrually because her songs are very enjoyable and what I like to call "head bobby." Her voice has a nice tone, almost like a jazz singer, but not quite as inflective as a jazz singer. Her songs are also well written, you can tell that they're made up of real experiences and I think that's wicked effective. Check her out at http://www.myspace.com/rachelbrownmusic.
Overall, the two of them did some tunes together and it was great, Levi is also and accomplised percussion player and acompanied Rachel on djembe, guitar and vocals. It was a great night overall and I was honored to play with them!
Levi has a soulful sound that puts your body into a nice smooth groove as you listen. His voice is fairly reminiscent to Amos Lee, but the music is more R&B than Amos' folk sound. On top having great songs, and a great voice, Levi puts a twist to his tunes by rapping in the middle of most of them. Between the rapping and his songwriting you'll find very genuine, original music, check him out at http://www.myspace.com/levischmidtmusic (oh, and he's coming out with a CD real soon!!!).
This was the first time I'd seen Rachel Perform and I was really impressed. First of all she has good stage presence. She smiles, grins and looks out to the crowd and you can tell she's having a good time on stage. I think this comes natrually because her songs are very enjoyable and what I like to call "head bobby." Her voice has a nice tone, almost like a jazz singer, but not quite as inflective as a jazz singer. Her songs are also well written, you can tell that they're made up of real experiences and I think that's wicked effective. Check her out at http://www.myspace.com/rachelbrownmusic.
Overall, the two of them did some tunes together and it was great, Levi is also and accomplised percussion player and acompanied Rachel on djembe, guitar and vocals. It was a great night overall and I was honored to play with them!
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