Finding out that someone new reads your blog is pretty sweet. It is definitely motivation to continue writing, maybe even to a greater extent.
On that note I am sore, oh so sore. Last night, for the first time in closer to two years, I dusted of the sneakers and played basketball.
For those of you that were not aware, I played basketball in high school (sophmore through senior year) for the Cincinnati Trailblazers. This was a team comprised of homeschool kids from across the greater Cincinnati area and competed at a divison III and sometimes division II level. I was never the greatest player, but on top of working hard, I really did enjoy the game. Recently I have been working out and running, as I have written, but that was not enough to prepare for the up and down, stop and go game that is basketball.
We played at my church, Journey, at 6:30 and we had 16 guys total. Kirtis, Kaleb, Bish, and Pops all came out, but Bish left early in the night. I haven't really played a legit game with Kirt and Bub since they have grown into very tall experienced players. Kirtis plays for Miami Hamilton while Kaleb is still in highschool playing for the newer version of the trailblazers, the Landmark Eagles.
We played 5v5 with subs and pretty much didn't stop until about 8:30. The floor there is not ideal and it was extremely slick, which did not aid dribble drives and quick slashes. I was pleased overall with how I played. It was never said I made it look good, but I can score and dish. It was funny because a lot of the guys from the church have ever only seen me play the keyboard on Sunday morning, and a few comments were made like about not realizing I played or could keep up. Yes. By the end, my jumper was on and I had this ugly hook shot in the lane that kept falling. It was great to play again, and I am already looking forward to the next time I play, whenever that is.
Besides basketball, yesterday was pretty straight forward. I worked both jobs and worked out in between.
It was amazing out yesterday. Sunny and in the 60's. We are getting spoiled and I am nervous for what mother nature might have in store as some sort of karma type payback. -You like the warm weather? How about 6 inches of snow in the middle of March?- We shall see.
Following the basketball game, Joe Mayerik, one of the pastors at Journey, invited Kevin and I over to his house to hang in the hot tub. This. was. glorious. I need to get one of these. I was so relaxed and I know that it aided in a great night sleep.
I have been wearing shorts for the past two days and it is getting me even more excited for when it is officially spring. And then summer.
All of this writing and I haven't even had a cup of coffee yet! But don't worry I completely intend to. Maybe even before 9 this morning.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Better Than The Last Go
Another long period of time with out updating. Boo. However compared to the amount that I used to update this thing, it's not that bad.
Last weekend seems like forever ago. Basically the main highlights are as follows.
Saturday we went into the studio for what was potentially our last day of tracking. We focused on background vocals, and ended up not quite getting done. We probably have about another half of a day left. Then we are on to the mixing! Also, on Saturday I ended my 12 day coffee break. It was so amazing.
Sunday I played at church for the first time in 3 weeks. It felt really good to be back. Around 4:30 I headed over to Performance Toyota where I played accordion for Joe Dunlap who was playing one of his songs for a new thing Matt Hoffman is setting up called the headlight sessions.. It is similar to the takeaway shows.
Then I headed over to the Dooley's where we watched the Oscars.
Yesterday I worked at 1215 and followed that up with a mile run. I hit 6:44! Then I got my haircut and went to see Emily and the Complexes play at Galaxy Cd's in Hamilton. I arrived just after they finished playing. Very disappointing. But then this band called Honah Lee played and they were awesome. Real punk-pop. They were followed by Dave Paulett's band Yankee Go Home who was really good. Not crazy on the vocals, but the music was really good. It was 60 degrees out yesterday.
Today I am working the CGC and Tazza and it is supposed to be warm again. I am playing basketball tonight for the first time in probably almost 2 years. Bring it!
Last weekend seems like forever ago. Basically the main highlights are as follows.
Saturday we went into the studio for what was potentially our last day of tracking. We focused on background vocals, and ended up not quite getting done. We probably have about another half of a day left. Then we are on to the mixing! Also, on Saturday I ended my 12 day coffee break. It was so amazing.
Sunday I played at church for the first time in 3 weeks. It felt really good to be back. Around 4:30 I headed over to Performance Toyota where I played accordion for Joe Dunlap who was playing one of his songs for a new thing Matt Hoffman is setting up called the headlight sessions.. It is similar to the takeaway shows.
Then I headed over to the Dooley's where we watched the Oscars.
Yesterday I worked at 1215 and followed that up with a mile run. I hit 6:44! Then I got my haircut and went to see Emily and the Complexes play at Galaxy Cd's in Hamilton. I arrived just after they finished playing. Very disappointing. But then this band called Honah Lee played and they were awesome. Real punk-pop. They were followed by Dave Paulett's band Yankee Go Home who was really good. Not crazy on the vocals, but the music was really good. It was 60 degrees out yesterday.
Today I am working the CGC and Tazza and it is supposed to be warm again. I am playing basketball tonight for the first time in probably almost 2 years. Bring it!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Too Long
For some reason I have kind of been dreading writing this blog. I don't really know why.
It is already Wednesday and the next weekend will be here soon, but perhaps I will do a quick recap? Yes.
Thursday Night
IHOP night. This past week it was Me, Chaz, Luke, Tytus, and his friend Noah. I was actually very hungry and ate all my food. Normally I slow down towards the end and don't finish my pancakes. Not this time. I got home at a decent hour and went to bed straight away.
Friday
Started the day doing deliveries with the last one being Chris. Jen (his wife) made me a sandwich and we hung out and talked for a bit.
Leaving there I headed down to 1215 where I had a meeting with Bob. Long story short, I will be working there full time Monday-Thursday, and doing deliveries on Friday.
I left there and went home where I cleaned up until Caitlin came over. We got food and hung out until Kevin and Michael came over, followed by Stuart and Evan, and eventually Zach and Jarrod. We all hung out for awhile and I think everyone left around 1am.
Saturday
I worked at 7:30 with Gina. It was a pretty smooth shift, not too busy, made like $12 in tips and got out of there right at 12:30. I had planned to work out when I got home, but ended up sleeping for 3 1/2 hours instead. I did end up working out after I woke up, and then headed up to the UG where I was meeting Joe Plante and Max Johnson to see Joe Dunlap play with Brandon Gilliam. We hung out a little after they played and then headed over to b dubs where we ate and talked about the state of the music industry, local signings, and our musical ambitions. It was really awesome hanging with those dudes again, it had been a little while. During the first part of last year I was seeing those dudes at least once a week if not more.
I then headed over to Luke's house where I spent the night since we were heading to the studio in the morning.
Sunday
We woke up around 7:30 and left around 8:00 to arrive at The Bongo Tree around 9:00. Joe was puttering around, getting stuff set up. He had a late night prior due to playing that show. We sat around and talked for awhile and around 10:00 started tracking vocals. We ended up finishing almost all the lead vocals for the record. There is just one part on a bridge that I still have to write before we can record it. We then tracked some more tambourine, bass drum, feedback, and cymbal swells. So at this point, all we have left to do is that one lead vocal part, background vocals, and bass (Joe is tracking).
Monday
I worked at 1215, then came home, ran, got Chipotle, and then watched 50/50, Drive, and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. It was a great day.
Tuesday
After working both places, I left downtown and headed to Best Buy where I bought the new fun. record. (I had a gift card). I then went home, waited for Stuart to get home and then we got Jersey Mikes and watched 9 episodes of How I Met Your Mother before heading to bed. Another great night.
Today I am working at the CGC in the morning then heading to the studio at 5:30 with Luke. Sarah, his wife, is coming out with us tonight, it should be a great time.
It is already Wednesday and the next weekend will be here soon, but perhaps I will do a quick recap? Yes.
Thursday Night
IHOP night. This past week it was Me, Chaz, Luke, Tytus, and his friend Noah. I was actually very hungry and ate all my food. Normally I slow down towards the end and don't finish my pancakes. Not this time. I got home at a decent hour and went to bed straight away.
Friday
Started the day doing deliveries with the last one being Chris. Jen (his wife) made me a sandwich and we hung out and talked for a bit.
Leaving there I headed down to 1215 where I had a meeting with Bob. Long story short, I will be working there full time Monday-Thursday, and doing deliveries on Friday.
I left there and went home where I cleaned up until Caitlin came over. We got food and hung out until Kevin and Michael came over, followed by Stuart and Evan, and eventually Zach and Jarrod. We all hung out for awhile and I think everyone left around 1am.
Saturday
I worked at 7:30 with Gina. It was a pretty smooth shift, not too busy, made like $12 in tips and got out of there right at 12:30. I had planned to work out when I got home, but ended up sleeping for 3 1/2 hours instead. I did end up working out after I woke up, and then headed up to the UG where I was meeting Joe Plante and Max Johnson to see Joe Dunlap play with Brandon Gilliam. We hung out a little after they played and then headed over to b dubs where we ate and talked about the state of the music industry, local signings, and our musical ambitions. It was really awesome hanging with those dudes again, it had been a little while. During the first part of last year I was seeing those dudes at least once a week if not more.
I then headed over to Luke's house where I spent the night since we were heading to the studio in the morning.
Sunday
We woke up around 7:30 and left around 8:00 to arrive at The Bongo Tree around 9:00. Joe was puttering around, getting stuff set up. He had a late night prior due to playing that show. We sat around and talked for awhile and around 10:00 started tracking vocals. We ended up finishing almost all the lead vocals for the record. There is just one part on a bridge that I still have to write before we can record it. We then tracked some more tambourine, bass drum, feedback, and cymbal swells. So at this point, all we have left to do is that one lead vocal part, background vocals, and bass (Joe is tracking).
Monday
I worked at 1215, then came home, ran, got Chipotle, and then watched 50/50, Drive, and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. It was a great day.
Tuesday
After working both places, I left downtown and headed to Best Buy where I bought the new fun. record. (I had a gift card). I then went home, waited for Stuart to get home and then we got Jersey Mikes and watched 9 episodes of How I Met Your Mother before heading to bed. Another great night.
Today I am working at the CGC in the morning then heading to the studio at 5:30 with Luke. Sarah, his wife, is coming out with us tonight, it should be a great time.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Better Than Before
This is day 4 without caffeine of any type, and I think, despite some cravings for coffee, I am doing alright. It is really tough when you wake up at 5:30 and head into a job where brewing coffee is your first task. That makes it a little more difficult. Today I feel a lot more like writing, which I am glad of.
Yesterday sister Kate stopped by the CGC and hung out for over an hour. It was nice to just catch up about our lives, something we haven't really done in awhile. There are a lot of things happening in her life, and I am really excited for my big sis. It seems like it really wasn't that long ago that she could run faster than me, had more baseball cards than me, and got to sleep on the top bunk in our room. Then I realize that was 20 years ago. A lot has changed since then, but the one thing that remains is we are still related.
She actually hung out until I was off the clock, and we headed over to a Mexican restaurant, El Jinete, where we crashed a lunch with Mom, Dad, and Karina. We had a really nice time and it was great to see Mom and Dad (and Karina) as it has been a couple weeks since I last saw them.
From there, Kate came back to the apartment where I gave her the grand tour and introduced her to Huxley, who couldn't have cared less to meet someone new, let alone my older sister.
After she left, I set my alarm for 4pm and fell asleep with my favorite nap cat, Hux.
I picked Luke up from downtown at 4:30 and we headed to The Bongo Tree, but not before we stopped at LaRosas and picked up pizza for our dinner with Joe.
The best part of recording at The Bongo Tree with Joe is...well, I should say ONE of the best parts is that we get along so well with him. We normally spend the first 30 minutes or so just catching up on our weeks talking about random things. So after eating and chatting for a bit, we tracked some Rhodes, organ, bass drum, snare drum, and cello (midi). Joe played back some of the stuff he worked on for a couple of songs. Some timpani, orchestra, horns, and synth on Don't Tell Anyone and Tennessee. We loved every part. It adds so much it's crazy. That't the other amazing thing about working with Joe. Not only does he get the vision, he isn't afraid to insert an opinion or part in a song and it is really paying off.
We wrapped up around 9:30 and headed home. Another session at the studio in the books. We are getting close.
This is where I would normally post what type of coffee I am having. *sigh*
I will instead post that I am eating plain oatmeal with raisins, drinking water, and about to make a cup of tea. Tea with never replace coffee, but it's not horrible.
Yesterday sister Kate stopped by the CGC and hung out for over an hour. It was nice to just catch up about our lives, something we haven't really done in awhile. There are a lot of things happening in her life, and I am really excited for my big sis. It seems like it really wasn't that long ago that she could run faster than me, had more baseball cards than me, and got to sleep on the top bunk in our room. Then I realize that was 20 years ago. A lot has changed since then, but the one thing that remains is we are still related.
She actually hung out until I was off the clock, and we headed over to a Mexican restaurant, El Jinete, where we crashed a lunch with Mom, Dad, and Karina. We had a really nice time and it was great to see Mom and Dad (and Karina) as it has been a couple weeks since I last saw them.
From there, Kate came back to the apartment where I gave her the grand tour and introduced her to Huxley, who couldn't have cared less to meet someone new, let alone my older sister.
After she left, I set my alarm for 4pm and fell asleep with my favorite nap cat, Hux.
I picked Luke up from downtown at 4:30 and we headed to The Bongo Tree, but not before we stopped at LaRosas and picked up pizza for our dinner with Joe.
The best part of recording at The Bongo Tree with Joe is...well, I should say ONE of the best parts is that we get along so well with him. We normally spend the first 30 minutes or so just catching up on our weeks talking about random things. So after eating and chatting for a bit, we tracked some Rhodes, organ, bass drum, snare drum, and cello (midi). Joe played back some of the stuff he worked on for a couple of songs. Some timpani, orchestra, horns, and synth on Don't Tell Anyone and Tennessee. We loved every part. It adds so much it's crazy. That't the other amazing thing about working with Joe. Not only does he get the vision, he isn't afraid to insert an opinion or part in a song and it is really paying off.
We wrapped up around 9:30 and headed home. Another session at the studio in the books. We are getting close.
This is where I would normally post what type of coffee I am having. *sigh*
I will instead post that I am eating plain oatmeal with raisins, drinking water, and about to make a cup of tea. Tea with never replace coffee, but it's not horrible.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Weekend Recap and Piss
Tuesday morning. Longer my Monday morning. I don't even know where to start. Quick recap?
Thursday night IHOP included, Chaz, Luke, Tytus and myself. Small group, great times.
Friday I ran a few deliveries, paid a couple of tickets (expired registration) before heading home and grabbing some Potbelly's for dinner. Bish was at the apartment, and after I ate I showered and got ready to head down to the soft opening for 1215. I sat with Alex, his wife Vanessa, and Amos. I stayed until 9:30 before heading back to the apartment where we had planned to have some people over.
People did indeed come over. Bish, Breanna, Danny Kester, Sarah Brown, Michael, Marissa, Kevin, Dani, and Zach. We had a great time. A really great time I would even say.
Saturday and Sunday were both spent out at The Bongo Tree, where we continued to track for our upcoming ep.
Yesterday, Monday was my first shift at 1215. It went okay. It is really slow there and probably will be for quite some time. Wine is the main thing there. It will keep that place running, which is pretty cool. After my shift I went home and took a nap for about two hours. I was supposed to pick Luke up from work, but slept past that. I ended up meeting him at his place around 6:30. We got Thai takeout and watched some Louis C.K. stand-up. I went home and went to bed.
I am glad to get all that down. I guess I could have elaborated more, but I am just not in the mood. Today kinda sucks. No, not because it's Valentines Day, just a lot of decisions to make this week with work stuff. I basically have 3 places that want/need me to work there and I can really only do two. I am trying to figure out which ones will work the best for my situation. They all have their perks and downsides. Part of me hates this, I feel like I will pick the wrong one. The other part of me feels lucky to have multiple job options. I need to sit down and talk with each person and decide this week ah. On top of that I decided to go this week without caffeine. This isn't the first time I've done this in recent years, but I just decided I need a caffeine reset. Today is day two and it sucks. My head feels like it is going to cave in and almost everyone is pissing me off. This and the job stuff are ganging up to make today a real winner!
Alright I am done complaining for now.
Thursday night IHOP included, Chaz, Luke, Tytus and myself. Small group, great times.
Friday I ran a few deliveries, paid a couple of tickets (expired registration) before heading home and grabbing some Potbelly's for dinner. Bish was at the apartment, and after I ate I showered and got ready to head down to the soft opening for 1215. I sat with Alex, his wife Vanessa, and Amos. I stayed until 9:30 before heading back to the apartment where we had planned to have some people over.
People did indeed come over. Bish, Breanna, Danny Kester, Sarah Brown, Michael, Marissa, Kevin, Dani, and Zach. We had a great time. A really great time I would even say.
Saturday and Sunday were both spent out at The Bongo Tree, where we continued to track for our upcoming ep.
Yesterday, Monday was my first shift at 1215. It went okay. It is really slow there and probably will be for quite some time. Wine is the main thing there. It will keep that place running, which is pretty cool. After my shift I went home and took a nap for about two hours. I was supposed to pick Luke up from work, but slept past that. I ended up meeting him at his place around 6:30. We got Thai takeout and watched some Louis C.K. stand-up. I went home and went to bed.
I am glad to get all that down. I guess I could have elaborated more, but I am just not in the mood. Today kinda sucks. No, not because it's Valentines Day, just a lot of decisions to make this week with work stuff. I basically have 3 places that want/need me to work there and I can really only do two. I am trying to figure out which ones will work the best for my situation. They all have their perks and downsides. Part of me hates this, I feel like I will pick the wrong one. The other part of me feels lucky to have multiple job options. I need to sit down and talk with each person and decide this week ah. On top of that I decided to go this week without caffeine. This isn't the first time I've done this in recent years, but I just decided I need a caffeine reset. Today is day two and it sucks. My head feels like it is going to cave in and almost everyone is pissing me off. This and the job stuff are ganging up to make today a real winner!
Alright I am done complaining for now.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Crazy, Cool, Coffee
It's 11:00am and I hadn't even thought about blogging. It's been a weird day. I drank coffee at 8:30 (I normally wait until 9:00) and I think it's making this day feel longer.
Yesterday I had a meeting with Bob, the owner of Tazza Mia. Bob is getting ready to open up a wine bar/coffee lab in Cincinnati's ever-on-the-rise Over The Rhine district (OTR). It will be called 1215, which is its street number on Vine.
He approached me about working there, first as a barista, and then maybe moving in to a more managerial role down the road a bit. I explained to him how I really am pursuing this whole "band thing" and that we are planning for it to pick up shortly. I wouldn't want to be in a spot with a (manager) position where I couldn't just take a week or two off to travel or go into the studio.
This might sound crazy to some, as I am a 25 year old without a college degree, working two barista jobs and pursuing a career in music. But I am happy, and excited about the future and doing what I love most.
So as it stands now, I will start picking up a couple of shifts at 1215 and pretty quickly settle into a Monday through Friday 7-2 type position. 1215 is really freaking sweet. The coffee side of things is just pour-over coffee, and espresso drinks. Only two syrup flavors, chocolate and vanilla, and no frozen or iced drinks. Hardcore, high end coffee. My first shift is Monday morning, we'll see how it goes.
I have been on Pinterest all morning. Go check out my boards, I updated a lot of them today.
Yesterday I had a meeting with Bob, the owner of Tazza Mia. Bob is getting ready to open up a wine bar/coffee lab in Cincinnati's ever-on-the-rise Over The Rhine district (OTR). It will be called 1215, which is its street number on Vine.
He approached me about working there, first as a barista, and then maybe moving in to a more managerial role down the road a bit. I explained to him how I really am pursuing this whole "band thing" and that we are planning for it to pick up shortly. I wouldn't want to be in a spot with a (manager) position where I couldn't just take a week or two off to travel or go into the studio.
This might sound crazy to some, as I am a 25 year old without a college degree, working two barista jobs and pursuing a career in music. But I am happy, and excited about the future and doing what I love most.
So as it stands now, I will start picking up a couple of shifts at 1215 and pretty quickly settle into a Monday through Friday 7-2 type position. 1215 is really freaking sweet. The coffee side of things is just pour-over coffee, and espresso drinks. Only two syrup flavors, chocolate and vanilla, and no frozen or iced drinks. Hardcore, high end coffee. My first shift is Monday morning, we'll see how it goes.
I have been on Pinterest all morning. Go check out my boards, I updated a lot of them today.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Snow For Now
Worked both job's yesterday with a workout in between. Followed up my shift at Tazza with a 30 minute nap before heading to pick up Luke. We had set up a meeting with Joe Dunlap to go over a bunch of stuff for the record. We decided to meet halfway, so we convened at the Starbucks in Milford.
This is the point where some people would say "Ooooo, Starbucks, I'm telling!" or "I can't even drink their coffee" or "Are you even allowed to drink that? haha I'm so funny".
This is point where I roll my eyes and say that it is an easy place to meet with a good setting for talking and planning. While I do feel that their coffee is very sub par (to say the least), I have been known to enjoy an americano from time to time.
This reminds me of an observation I have made and want to share now. While working at two coffee shops I have observed that, people who dress and convey a general "hipster" image, will order americanos a large percentage of the time. (btw, in case you didn't already know Americano: Italian American coffee, is a style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to espresso) If someone like this walks in I might as well start pulling a shot and getting some hot water ready. It's uncanny.
So ANYWAY, we met and discussed a bunch of things surrounding this record. What we have left to track, what we need to do in order to be ready to track, and then actually scheduling dates to track. I am really happy to say that with the schedule we laid out, we should complete tracking this month! This is very exciting to say the least. For more details about whats coming up, check out the Canoes blog.
Today it is snowing. That's southwest Ohio for you. I am watching the snow fall whilst drinking a fresh brewed cup of the Direct Trade Guatemala via pour over. Tonight is an off night from band, while Luke writes a few more guitar parts. I think I'll go see PJ at Rock Bottom and then chill around the apartment and go to bed early.
This is the point where some people would say "Ooooo, Starbucks, I'm telling!" or "I can't even drink their coffee" or "Are you even allowed to drink that? haha I'm so funny".
This is point where I roll my eyes and say that it is an easy place to meet with a good setting for talking and planning. While I do feel that their coffee is very sub par (to say the least), I have been known to enjoy an americano from time to time.
This reminds me of an observation I have made and want to share now. While working at two coffee shops I have observed that, people who dress and convey a general "hipster" image, will order americanos a large percentage of the time. (btw, in case you didn't already know Americano: Italian American coffee, is a style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to espresso) If someone like this walks in I might as well start pulling a shot and getting some hot water ready. It's uncanny.
So ANYWAY, we met and discussed a bunch of things surrounding this record. What we have left to track, what we need to do in order to be ready to track, and then actually scheduling dates to track. I am really happy to say that with the schedule we laid out, we should complete tracking this month! This is very exciting to say the least. For more details about whats coming up, check out the Canoes blog.
Today it is snowing. That's southwest Ohio for you. I am watching the snow fall whilst drinking a fresh brewed cup of the Direct Trade Guatemala via pour over. Tonight is an off night from band, while Luke writes a few more guitar parts. I think I'll go see PJ at Rock Bottom and then chill around the apartment and go to bed early.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Weekend in Review
So it seems I have dropped into a schedule of updating only on Tuesday through Thursday when I am the CGC. It's just that when I am not here, life is non stop. This is one of the reasons I like this job. It's slows things down. I can't do anything but sit around, so I try to use this time productively. Hang on to your seats, a decent amount of content is coming your way.
Thursday Night.
IHOP night. Because of Luke and I going to the studio on Sunday I didn't attend worship practice prior to IHOP. Instead I went home and practiced my piano parts and started two loads of laundry. I met the dudes right at 10 and it was a great time. We had a new face, a guy Adam met named Dylan. He and his wife apparently live real close to me. Also, Thursday night marked the 3rd consecutive trip out for Tytus Planck, the pastor's kid from Journey. So we had Me, Chaz, Luke, Adam, Dylan, and Tytus. A great group of dudes.We ended up hanging out 'till 11:30 and then Chaz and I stayed just after midnight.
Friday
Started out like any normal Friday. Delivering coffee. I only had a few stops, with Chris' being the last stop. We hate lunch together and I headed out around 1:30. The weather was absolutely beautiful. I then headed down to the CGC where I picked up my check and drove to the bank to deposit it.
Stuart and I hung out for a bit, grabbing some Jersey Mikes for dinner.
At around 8:30 I headed over to the 86 Club in Clifton to see my friends in Wolves at the Gate play. I met them a couple years back while I was hanging out with the guys in Same As Sunday. The SAS dudes had stayed at my place over a weekend with two Cincinnati shows and at the second show they played with WATG.
We got talking and I found out they all went to Cedarville and we knew a lot of the same people. Their guitarist Jeremy and I have stayed in touch the most. They're all great dudes, with a solid foundation. Musically, they play a post hardcore style of music with plenty of screaming, breakdowns and big vocal hooks. If you like this style of music (as I do), you will like them. They recently signed with Solid State Records (Underoath, As Cities Burn, etc...) and have started touring a lot more.
The opening acts were real solid with a band called Come Wind standing out in the most. They were fantastic live and their sound was comparable to bands such as Moving Mountains, My Epic, As Cities Burn, and the likes. Real solid.
I hung around for a bit after the show, wished the guys luck, and headed home.
When I arrived back, there were already people at the apartment. Bish left when I got there as he wasn't feeling well. Michael Rogers made the trip down from Franklin. Alison Schlau, Paige, and Jarrod rounded out the night. We hung out for a while, playing a couple of games and talked until people started leaving around 2:30. This has kind of started becoming a thing we do often and I really enjoy it.
Saturday
Michael spent the night and we all woke up around 10:30 and headed over to First Watch for our traditional Saturday morning breakfast. It was raining pretty hard, so we drove. The wait wasn't too bad and we were out of there by 12:15. After dropping the dudes off at the apartment, I headed to work at Tazza where me and Ashley had a tremendous close. We walked out by 5:15, which is pretty awesome. I headed home where Stuart and Huxley were hanging on the couch watching TV. I ran through the songs on the piano and then fell asleep watching the Saves the Day Under The Boards studio documentary. When I woke up a little later, Stuart and I ordered our favorite buffalo chicken sandwiches from Rusty Bucket and walked over to pick them up. We ate them back at the place while we watched Netflix. I headed to bed around 11:30 as the next day would come quickly.
Sunday
I woke up at 6:15, showered and headed to Luke's where I picked him up and we headed straight to Joe's. We made great time and actually arrived at Joe's by 7:45. We took Joe's car and his dad Ken accompanied us to Chillicothe. We arrived at The Recording Workshop around 9:30 and studio engineer Brian Muth wasn't far behind. I jumped right on the piano and started playing through some of the songs. It sounded amazing. The piano was a Yamaha C7 grand. These puppy's run for around $35,000 bucks. Compared to a $100,000 Steinway, that's not a lot. But perspective is that I play a $1300 Yamaha keyboard. The tone was very diverse. When I was banging on it, the piano gave this very full almost twangy (in the upper register) sound. When played softly it was delicate and light. We hammered out the session in about 5 hours and finished tracking for all 7 songs on the record plus the b-side single.
We arrived back in Cincinnati around 6 and Luke and I went to Five Guys where we destroyed some food.
I watched the Super Bowl at my parents house, then headed home for some much needed sleep.
Monday
I got to sleep in a little! I woke up around 10:30 and laid in bed for quite some time. I worked at Tazza at 1:30, so I got up, showered, grabbed some lunch and headed into work. I worked with Ashley again and we got out of there at 5:40. Pretty sweet. I got home and started cleaning my room. It has been messy and disorganized for quite some time now and desperately needed some attention. Luke came down around 7:30 and we headed over to Potbelly's so I could get dinner and then to Starbucks for coffee and Canoes planning stuff. We mapped out the the next month and what we need to do in order to finish tracking this month. Lot's of fun ahead. Jarrod and Evan came over for a bit last night and we all sat around and talked. It was a great time.
It feels good to get all that down!
Today it was pretty chilly heading to work. So far I have had my two regulars come in and a lady to pick up some flowers. Pretty typical slow morning.
Today I am drinking a La Armonia Hermosa Direct Trade Guatemala via pour-over method. This is a coffee that Bob, Rob, Ryan and Les were able to help harvest and process.
Check out Canoes blog for more detailed updates about the band here! Or follow the link under the blog header.
Thursday Night.
IHOP night. Because of Luke and I going to the studio on Sunday I didn't attend worship practice prior to IHOP. Instead I went home and practiced my piano parts and started two loads of laundry. I met the dudes right at 10 and it was a great time. We had a new face, a guy Adam met named Dylan. He and his wife apparently live real close to me. Also, Thursday night marked the 3rd consecutive trip out for Tytus Planck, the pastor's kid from Journey. So we had Me, Chaz, Luke, Adam, Dylan, and Tytus. A great group of dudes.We ended up hanging out 'till 11:30 and then Chaz and I stayed just after midnight.
Friday
Started out like any normal Friday. Delivering coffee. I only had a few stops, with Chris' being the last stop. We hate lunch together and I headed out around 1:30. The weather was absolutely beautiful. I then headed down to the CGC where I picked up my check and drove to the bank to deposit it.
Stuart and I hung out for a bit, grabbing some Jersey Mikes for dinner.
At around 8:30 I headed over to the 86 Club in Clifton to see my friends in Wolves at the Gate play. I met them a couple years back while I was hanging out with the guys in Same As Sunday. The SAS dudes had stayed at my place over a weekend with two Cincinnati shows and at the second show they played with WATG.
We got talking and I found out they all went to Cedarville and we knew a lot of the same people. Their guitarist Jeremy and I have stayed in touch the most. They're all great dudes, with a solid foundation. Musically, they play a post hardcore style of music with plenty of screaming, breakdowns and big vocal hooks. If you like this style of music (as I do), you will like them. They recently signed with Solid State Records (Underoath, As Cities Burn, etc...) and have started touring a lot more.
The opening acts were real solid with a band called Come Wind standing out in the most. They were fantastic live and their sound was comparable to bands such as Moving Mountains, My Epic, As Cities Burn, and the likes. Real solid.
I hung around for a bit after the show, wished the guys luck, and headed home.
 |
| Jeremy and I talking after the show. |
Saturday
Michael spent the night and we all woke up around 10:30 and headed over to First Watch for our traditional Saturday morning breakfast. It was raining pretty hard, so we drove. The wait wasn't too bad and we were out of there by 12:15. After dropping the dudes off at the apartment, I headed to work at Tazza where me and Ashley had a tremendous close. We walked out by 5:15, which is pretty awesome. I headed home where Stuart and Huxley were hanging on the couch watching TV. I ran through the songs on the piano and then fell asleep watching the Saves the Day Under The Boards studio documentary. When I woke up a little later, Stuart and I ordered our favorite buffalo chicken sandwiches from Rusty Bucket and walked over to pick them up. We ate them back at the place while we watched Netflix. I headed to bed around 11:30 as the next day would come quickly.
Sunday
 |
| Tracking piano for the record in Chillicothe. |
We arrived back in Cincinnati around 6 and Luke and I went to Five Guys where we destroyed some food.
I watched the Super Bowl at my parents house, then headed home for some much needed sleep.
Monday
I got to sleep in a little! I woke up around 10:30 and laid in bed for quite some time. I worked at Tazza at 1:30, so I got up, showered, grabbed some lunch and headed into work. I worked with Ashley again and we got out of there at 5:40. Pretty sweet. I got home and started cleaning my room. It has been messy and disorganized for quite some time now and desperately needed some attention. Luke came down around 7:30 and we headed over to Potbelly's so I could get dinner and then to Starbucks for coffee and Canoes planning stuff. We mapped out the the next month and what we need to do in order to finish tracking this month. Lot's of fun ahead. Jarrod and Evan came over for a bit last night and we all sat around and talked. It was a great time.
It feels good to get all that down!
Today it was pretty chilly heading to work. So far I have had my two regulars come in and a lady to pick up some flowers. Pretty typical slow morning.
Today I am drinking a La Armonia Hermosa Direct Trade Guatemala via pour-over method. This is a coffee that Bob, Rob, Ryan and Les were able to help harvest and process.
Check out Canoes blog for more detailed updates about the band here! Or follow the link under the blog header.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Smell Of Morning
I promise that I really do enjoy mornings.
Even though sometimes waking up is the hardest thing, once I am up and about, I usually very much enjoy it. The feeling of a fresh day. The feeling that anything can happen and it's yours to make what you will out of it.
I think this dates back to spending time with my Grandpa Witt. He was great man. He would always get up early and spend time in the Word, drinking coffee, and having some sort of breakfast prepared. I remember times when he would be at our house, or we would be at theirs, and you would walk into the kitchen and smell the morning. This smell consists of coffee, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and other various breakfast foods. It is still one of my favorite scents.
Grandpa has since passed, and I miss him greatly. I think that in recent years I would have enjoyed and appreciated his company even more. Not that I didn't in the times we had, but now I think it would at a greater level. It is sad that so often we don't truly appreciate the things we have until they are gone.
After leaving the CGC yesterday, I went back to the apartment and cleaned up a little bit. I worked at one, so I didn't have that extra half hour like Tuesday and Thursday. While straightening things up, I opened up the windows and let the place air out. Huxley enjoyed this as did I and before leaving for Tazza, I threw on a pair of shorts. Yes, shorts in January. I headed in to work a little early and was just in a fantastic mood all afternoon. I worked with Ashleigh who is a newer employee recently moved from Sydney, Australia. She works real hard and is real nice to talk to. Yesterday afternoon we talked mostly about music and different artists that are big stateside and down under. There is for sure a difference, but at the same time there are a lot of similarities. I told her she needs to be my gateway to more obscure indie bands that people over here haven't heard of yet.
Luke came over after work and hung out in the shop until we closed and then we ventured over to the garage, got my car, and headed out to The Bongo Tree.
I don't know if I've said this before, but I love Joe Dunlap and The Bongo Tree. The ONLY thing I have a problem with is this: we all get along so well and are actually friends, that when we go out there we always end up talking to much! Last night we all literally had to be like, alright, we need to stop talking and work. I think this is good problem to have. I think it is going to cause the end product to be even better.
Once we stopped talking, we started tracking guitars for what is going to be a non ep single. I am really excited about this song. The working title is Alive, but this will probably change for it's release. We tracked that until about 8:45 then switched over in to prep mode for Sunday. We talked through what we would need and started compiling all the tracks etc...Then Joe started mixing down versions of the songs without piano and click added for me to practice with before Sunday. Somehow, a miracle for sure, we actually left when we said we would, about 9:30. I drove Luke home and as per usual, the ride home from the studio sparked amazing conversations. The more we get to know each other, the more we share. I don't think either of us wanted to end the night, but with work coming too soon in the morning, we said goodnight until tomorrow. I just realized how dumb that sounded. We see each other like every day.
This morning is beautiful once again and I am repeating the same coffee, both origin and brew method, as yesterday. Today is Thursday so that means tonight is IHOP with the boys. Yeah, I'm pretty excited about that.
Even though sometimes waking up is the hardest thing, once I am up and about, I usually very much enjoy it. The feeling of a fresh day. The feeling that anything can happen and it's yours to make what you will out of it.
I think this dates back to spending time with my Grandpa Witt. He was great man. He would always get up early and spend time in the Word, drinking coffee, and having some sort of breakfast prepared. I remember times when he would be at our house, or we would be at theirs, and you would walk into the kitchen and smell the morning. This smell consists of coffee, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and other various breakfast foods. It is still one of my favorite scents.
Grandpa has since passed, and I miss him greatly. I think that in recent years I would have enjoyed and appreciated his company even more. Not that I didn't in the times we had, but now I think it would at a greater level. It is sad that so often we don't truly appreciate the things we have until they are gone.
After leaving the CGC yesterday, I went back to the apartment and cleaned up a little bit. I worked at one, so I didn't have that extra half hour like Tuesday and Thursday. While straightening things up, I opened up the windows and let the place air out. Huxley enjoyed this as did I and before leaving for Tazza, I threw on a pair of shorts. Yes, shorts in January. I headed in to work a little early and was just in a fantastic mood all afternoon. I worked with Ashleigh who is a newer employee recently moved from Sydney, Australia. She works real hard and is real nice to talk to. Yesterday afternoon we talked mostly about music and different artists that are big stateside and down under. There is for sure a difference, but at the same time there are a lot of similarities. I told her she needs to be my gateway to more obscure indie bands that people over here haven't heard of yet.
Luke came over after work and hung out in the shop until we closed and then we ventured over to the garage, got my car, and headed out to The Bongo Tree.
I don't know if I've said this before, but I love Joe Dunlap and The Bongo Tree. The ONLY thing I have a problem with is this: we all get along so well and are actually friends, that when we go out there we always end up talking to much! Last night we all literally had to be like, alright, we need to stop talking and work. I think this is good problem to have. I think it is going to cause the end product to be even better.
Once we stopped talking, we started tracking guitars for what is going to be a non ep single. I am really excited about this song. The working title is Alive, but this will probably change for it's release. We tracked that until about 8:45 then switched over in to prep mode for Sunday. We talked through what we would need and started compiling all the tracks etc...Then Joe started mixing down versions of the songs without piano and click added for me to practice with before Sunday. Somehow, a miracle for sure, we actually left when we said we would, about 9:30. I drove Luke home and as per usual, the ride home from the studio sparked amazing conversations. The more we get to know each other, the more we share. I don't think either of us wanted to end the night, but with work coming too soon in the morning, we said goodnight until tomorrow. I just realized how dumb that sounded. We see each other like every day.
 |
| The Hope of Things To Come |
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Oh What A Beautiful Morning!
Two days in a row with amazing weather. Yesterday the temperature was in the 60's and the sun was out for a decent amount in the mid morning and early afternoon. Working at the CGC is nice because I can just walk outside when it's slow and enjoy the weather. I made sure to do that several times yesterday. Working at Tazza isn't all that bad either when its nice out because we can open the door. Yesterday the whole place was able to air out and it smelled great. By the time I left and was walking to my car, it had started to sprinkle and on my way to Luke's it was actually raining.
In preparation for Sunday's piano recordings we dissected the transition track and figured out the tempos we want for both of them. It took a lot less time than we thought, and we made it an early night.
Yesterday in between jobs, I worked out. I focused on my core and as of last week started a new core regiment. I start with knee to chest planks on the TRX, then jump right into bicycle kicks for 2 minutes, into a jacknife plank bend on the TRX, into a slide down plank with feet sliders, finishing off with a sideways oblique plank on the TRX. I rest for about a minute and a half and repeat. It is all I can do to finish. By the end I am completely wiped out. Today my core is very sore, which is an amazing feeling. I did eat some pizza last night, but then on the way home from Luke's I stopped at Kroger and picked up Bananas and Clif bars so I can maintain a little better today and tomorrow.
This morning, despite more sleep, I feel increasingly fatigued. But that's okay, because it is coffee time. Today's coffee is a Guatemala Huehuetenango brewed via pour-over method. It is another beautiful 50+ degree January day in Southwest Ohio!
In preparation for Sunday's piano recordings we dissected the transition track and figured out the tempos we want for both of them. It took a lot less time than we thought, and we made it an early night.
Yesterday in between jobs, I worked out. I focused on my core and as of last week started a new core regiment. I start with knee to chest planks on the TRX, then jump right into bicycle kicks for 2 minutes, into a jacknife plank bend on the TRX, into a slide down plank with feet sliders, finishing off with a sideways oblique plank on the TRX. I rest for about a minute and a half and repeat. It is all I can do to finish. By the end I am completely wiped out. Today my core is very sore, which is an amazing feeling. I did eat some pizza last night, but then on the way home from Luke's I stopped at Kroger and picked up Bananas and Clif bars so I can maintain a little better today and tomorrow.
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