3 Weeks And Counting!

It's officially 3 weeks (yesterday) to the big show. I think I'm getting a little more nervous with each passing day but that will happen when you haven't played a real show in about 4 years!

I finally busted out a set list, 10 songs, originals mixed with covers, that I can hopefully cram into 45 minutes. I don't think it will be a problem. Now it's just down to playing that set list over and over and over and over and over. That and I kind of have to finish a song that I've got in there as well. It's a song that I have tentatively called "U Can't/I Can". It's on the heavier side of the scale, as far acoustic music goes. The song is more or less the basis of what I'm trying to do with my music these days. If I could just get a band together and fill this stuff out we'd be in business.

My current sound is also based around one of my older tunes called "Lost In The Fray". I'm definitely going to jam that one out on October 10th. After all these years the song has been around it's still one my favorite original tunes to play. Feel free to take a listen. I'm off to rehearse. Rock on!

Guest Post: Grinding With Tony Little

Guest post written by Kevin Beach

One of my favorite infomercials is Tony Little's Gazelle. As I watched this infomercial on my satellite TV I always had to laugh especially since I could see all his make up with my Direct tv hd service. It looked almost like a cheesy adult movie. I am sure the product works great but I have yet to order a Tony Little Gazelle.

Even though I have never actually ordered the Gazelle I have watched the infomercial multiple times. When Tony Little would mount the Gazelle behind the lady it would make me laugh out loud every single time.

If I had a personal trainer like Tony Gazelle and he was mounted behind me on the Gazelle like he was in the infomercial I would be extremely nervous. Tony Gazelle had a great product with the Gazelle trainer but I do not think he would have been able to sell very many of them if it had only been him on the infomercial. Tony needed the help of a physically fit woman who was beautiful.

I am sure they were extremely nervous the first time the Infomercial went live with him behind the girl on the Gazelle grinding but it all worked out great for Tony Little as sales of his Gazelle trainer went through the roof.

Finally Gigging It Up

Thank you Reverbnation, because I now have a gig. A buddy of mine and I are going to be rockin' Joletta's in North Topeka on October 10th (10/10/10) for the Veteran's Aid Benefit.

It's been a while since I've played out. Not for lack of want, but mostly for the lack of motivation and put crudely, lack of balls. I used to enjoy playing out acoustic style by myself in college. There was never a shortage of open mics and music competitions to take part in. Before I was in a band, and even after I joined, that was my thang. Yeah, it was super nerve racking. It was hard getting up there in front of the varying size crowds that I used to play, but once I was up there it was like being in another world and all that mattered was playing and singing.

It would be nice to get back in the swing of the way it was back in those days. It's weird saying it like that, like it was a long time ago, but 5 years is a long time in the grand scheme of  things. So many things have changed since then; my job, new friends, living in a place 1500 miles away from home. But one thing has most definitely stayed the same; my passion to play music. It will be good to share again. I just hope I'm up for the challenge.

And it will be good to have someone beside me to jam just to take the edge off.

Rock on!

Guest Post: Practical Joke Cleanup

Guest post written by Abraham Sonne

I'm a history teacher and high school baseball coach so I put up with a lot of shennanigans. But one of my team's pranks that they routinely pull on me went awry a few weeks early this summer.

I proposed to my longtime girlfriend Julia in May and once my players heard about it they decided to toilet paper the trees in my yard and spray shaving cream all over my siding. They also wrote "CONGRATULATIONS" in big blue letters with that car window paint so you could see it from the street. They thought that stuff would wash off easily, but it stuck pretty good to my house's siding.

So I called sears Home Pro losangeles and got a quote on some new siding. The seniors on the team that did it offered to help me pay for it but I wouldn't let them because they didn't know that it wouldn't come off the house. Their parents were terrified I was going to press charges or take action at school like restricting them from walking at graduation, but I didn't think either one was necessary.

I picked out the same color again and the installation people were really nice. I also told my players that next time they should just stick to the shaving cream and toilet paper because they're a lot easier to clean up.