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.
Sep 20, 2010
Sep 7, 2010
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!
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.
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.
Aug 14, 2010
I Need To Get Out of Here!
I know I've said it before, but this place is not working for me...musically anyway. If this makes any sense, I feel like I'm trapped in a music killing cage where everyone can hear every single sound I make, see every move I make, while hating me for every second of it and poking me through the bars for good measure.
Is there any real reason to feel this way? Not really. None of the neighbors have complained. KJ doesn't mind the guitar playing and singing. Even the dog has gotten used to the extra sound. This feeling just emanates from inside of me, killing my focus, concentration and creativity.
I have so many ideas, none of which I can articulate into the full songs that play in my head as I doze of to sleep or daydream at the computer while typing a blog post.
What I think I really need is a sound proof studio. A simple set up with a place to relax with my guitar, my book and a pen along with a computer to catch those song ideas as they come out so forgetful me doesn't lose them. Or maybe just a simple, kind of out of the way practice space that I could rent and be alone with my thoughts and sometimes hideous noises that accompany my early songwriting stages that could compliment my intense lack of musical confidence. Heck, I'd settle for my own house, forget the soundproofing or the studio in general. Just a place that felt even remotely private, far away from the prodding, probably for the most part, non existent ears that judge and ridicule from all sides.
Perhaps this is just a bit of an overly dramatized dramatization. How many artists out there truly get there own safe haven isolated from the world to work on their masterpieces? I can imagine most of them don't. Though, a guy can dream can't he?
Overall, I'm just so antsy to get some of these ideas down and not sure how to do it. Any thoughts?
Is there any real reason to feel this way? Not really. None of the neighbors have complained. KJ doesn't mind the guitar playing and singing. Even the dog has gotten used to the extra sound. This feeling just emanates from inside of me, killing my focus, concentration and creativity. I have so many ideas, none of which I can articulate into the full songs that play in my head as I doze of to sleep or daydream at the computer while typing a blog post.
What I think I really need is a sound proof studio. A simple set up with a place to relax with my guitar, my book and a pen along with a computer to catch those song ideas as they come out so forgetful me doesn't lose them. Or maybe just a simple, kind of out of the way practice space that I could rent and be alone with my thoughts and sometimes hideous noises that accompany my early songwriting stages that could compliment my intense lack of musical confidence. Heck, I'd settle for my own house, forget the soundproofing or the studio in general. Just a place that felt even remotely private, far away from the prodding, probably for the most part, non existent ears that judge and ridicule from all sides.
Perhaps this is just a bit of an overly dramatized dramatization. How many artists out there truly get there own safe haven isolated from the world to work on their masterpieces? I can imagine most of them don't. Though, a guy can dream can't he?
Overall, I'm just so antsy to get some of these ideas down and not sure how to do it. Any thoughts?
Jul 23, 2010
Billy Ray Cyrus Rockin' It!
Who knew Billy Ray could rock so hard. He's in a band called Brother Clyde. Their first tune, Lately, is pretty sweet. They've been playing the hell out of it here in the Kansas City area. It sounds about as far from Achy Breaky Heart as you could get. Even though I dug my "Some Gave All" cassette back in the day, the new sound is definitely a good thing. Can't wait to hear the rest of the album when it comes out August 10th. Check the new song out for yourself below. Rock on!
Jul 3, 2010
One At A Time, Please
It's nice when things get rolling creatively. I really can't complain. Sometimes I'll go months without writing down anything significant in my book or weeks without jamming out a riff on the guitar. But when the gates truly open, there tends to be a flood and I'm helpless to stop it.
In some ways the creative avalanche that rarely comes my way is just as bad as no idea coming at all, mostly because I can never lock anything down. I'll be lying in bed and a great melody comes bouncing through my brain for one song. The next day, the bridge for another song hits me like a ton of bricks and I have to get it down.
But no matter how much work I get done, the constant song hopping is always my downfall. Before I know it I have a lyric book full of a scribbled mess of pages (the scribbled part for me is good, it's means I've been writing and rewriting and putting down lots of thoughts) but also a GarageBand folder on the computer packed with random recordings which in the end, never make much sense.
So what's my problem? I think it's focus. At the songwriting stage that I'm in, I feel I should be able to sit down and work on a song (one at a time) and bust it out. I've done it before. But here especially, there's always a distraction. Whether it's the dog needs a walk, I get an email, the tv gets turned on (the World Cup has me hooked), I think of a blog post idea and feel guilty for not posting in a month (like right now) or I simply don't feel comfortable playing as loud as I want in my apartment building. (I get a little self-conscious, most definitely in the early stages of songs when half the time I'm screaming nonsense words and fumbling on the guitar to get melodies and rhythms down.)
I have some ideas of how to be able to focus more and concentrate on one song at a time so I actually accomplish something, the most notable being getting out of this apartment. But otherwise, I'm not sure what to do. I really want to get these songs rolling. Anyone have any suggestions pertaining to focus and concentration, whether it be for songwriting or any other project you need to get done?
Rock on!
In some ways the creative avalanche that rarely comes my way is just as bad as no idea coming at all, mostly because I can never lock anything down. I'll be lying in bed and a great melody comes bouncing through my brain for one song. The next day, the bridge for another song hits me like a ton of bricks and I have to get it down.But no matter how much work I get done, the constant song hopping is always my downfall. Before I know it I have a lyric book full of a scribbled mess of pages (the scribbled part for me is good, it's means I've been writing and rewriting and putting down lots of thoughts) but also a GarageBand folder on the computer packed with random recordings which in the end, never make much sense.
So what's my problem? I think it's focus. At the songwriting stage that I'm in, I feel I should be able to sit down and work on a song (one at a time) and bust it out. I've done it before. But here especially, there's always a distraction. Whether it's the dog needs a walk, I get an email, the tv gets turned on (the World Cup has me hooked), I think of a blog post idea and feel guilty for not posting in a month (like right now) or I simply don't feel comfortable playing as loud as I want in my apartment building. (I get a little self-conscious, most definitely in the early stages of songs when half the time I'm screaming nonsense words and fumbling on the guitar to get melodies and rhythms down.)
I have some ideas of how to be able to focus more and concentrate on one song at a time so I actually accomplish something, the most notable being getting out of this apartment. But otherwise, I'm not sure what to do. I really want to get these songs rolling. Anyone have any suggestions pertaining to focus and concentration, whether it be for songwriting or any other project you need to get done?
Rock on!
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