Foggy thoughts for a foggy day...

It's 2pm on Monday. I just finished my 2nd cup of coffee and a cup of homemade granola.

Serious thoughts for a seriously foggy day.

I know that many people love music they just don't want to pay for it. Music never made it on Maslow's hierarchy of needs but there are groups of people that wake up in morning and if they don't have music, they will die. What about those people? Those people cross all demographic lines and cultural lines. Those people have a special part of there brain that crave music like some people crave chocolate, fresh air, caffeine or cigarettes.

Do you think with the internet that we can reach these people easier? Perhaps. Or is it those three words that I believe describes much of our current urban culture today "Too(.) Many (.) Distractions(!)"

Without a doubt, I'm much better at promoting other people's accomplishments and/or idea's then my own.
Especially when it comes to art and music. I guess I feel somewhat conceited always self-promoting "I'm an artist and I'm great", "Come, come listen to me!". I certainly want to have people come see our shows but I don't want to be one of those annoying people that send out 30 invites in 30 days.

With all the tools we have to tell the world what we are doing, thinking, where we will be etc, I often look at other artists posts and see what they are saying. Sometimes, I wonder "do I really come across like that?" Perhaps I need a manager to promote us and then we can just concentrate on the music and delivering a great performance. You know, like the good ole' days.

A few things I know right now that I feel to be true for me in this very moment:(maybe later I will eat my words)

1. I don't need a lot of money to be happy.
2. I believe working for someone else ultimately sucks. Yet working for yourself is ultimately a much harder task.
3. Being confined to an office 8-5 is like dying a slow death.
4. At 30 years old I am making less money then I have ever yet, I'm really happy!
5. I have no idea what I will be doing tomorrow, except it likely won't require me to wake up before 10am.
6. I would rather die broke then die bored.
7. Using my mind, my voice, my hands to make something that touch people emotionally or stimulate there senses is the ultimate feeling...now how to make a living doing just that...
8. To be an artist in a world where the priorities are different ... that is the question ... that is the challenge

Summer Eats...

A new creation using sole of fish, seasoned the fish with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. I then drenched them in flour and sauteed them till crispy on the outside. Removed them from the burner, added red onions, butter, white wine, chopped capers, some minced jalapeno' and more seasoning and cooked that till the onions were translucent. Placed the sole' of fish back onto pan over the onions, covered with foil and placed in the oven for 8 minutes, to get all the flavors of the onions. Removed the foil and then placed them in the broiler for 2 minutes to get nice an crispy on top.

On I side I had some baked sweet potato fries, broiled carrots with butter and cinnamon as well as chilled lightly salted cucumbers slices.

Overall, a very successful and delicious meal. The spicy fish was complimented by the sweet potatoes and the carrots as well as the coolness of the cucumbers.

I love cooking!

Don't Stop Warming My Heart

Whatever happens to this world

Whatever happens to us

Promise me one thing

Don't stop warming my heart

What's in a pile of papers anyway?

Once a month I have the tedious task of "purging me papers".

I discovered this time, I have a few things I don't normally have in the standard piles of paper.

A newspaper clipping from SF Weekly showing our upcoming gig at the Union Room. A scribble from Aja of Nico Vega when I asked her the name of her vocal coach "Katie Agresta", a week later Aja had blown out her voice and had to cancel 3 weeks of touring. A flyer for the worlds largest guitar ensemble playing "purple haze" happening in Oct at GG Park - I plan to be there.

A torn piece of my employment termination contract, a refund check for $4.00 - yes, I will cash it...that's a latte, a receipt from Mendell's sewing shop, all the goods I got to get back into sewing. All laying a top a book on music publishing I'm supposed to read someday.

A quarter note card, not mine, likely Dave's it ended up in my pile, some of the papers are sitting nicely on top a wool rug I got from Morocco, before the airlines started charging extra, you can see a little edge of a book by John Burdett "Bangkok 8" that I have been slowly making my way through, a photocopy of my passport, old business cards, a bunch of observations I'm saving for the day I'm ready for stand up comedy ... I like to call it "horrible truths about being an artist" a collection of the all the shit that venues put artists through to get "non-paying gigs"

Weekend of gigs in review...The Plough and the Stars and The Union Room

I'm going to attempt to recap this weekend but I realize that I'll be going back and forth between "I" and "we" in my recaps. Why? Because, I like to write about things "I" feel and observe as well as things that "we" (Lucid Lovers) did etc. Maybe it's because grammar along with calculus are my least favorite subjects in school...I barely squeezed by in both subjects.

This weekend was so exciting for me. We got to rehearse and play with Dave's friend Williem - a fantastic player from St.Louis who plays with all the greats out there and the only person I know that can learn 20 original songs in 2 hours of rehearsing, his timing is just impeccable and is he also an all around super great person, a heart of gold and a full-time musician.

Our first weekend gig at the Plough and the Stars was great. It seems the crowd in the first set didn't know what to make of us. We aren't really the typical "Irish Pub Band" but, the different sound seemed to be welcome. The bartender Laurie was warm, welcoming and also a fan of our music. I think it's the first time in awhile that I had "real" conversations with folks in the audience and to me is always awesome. When people really listen and appreciate the lyrics as well as the emotion projected in the performances that is so satisfying to me.

The Union Room gig was well, long...but nice too because a good number of my friends were there and that is always special. Rebeca, the Argentinean Korean hottie was of course there is full force in all her wonderfulness. Shaherose of Women 2.0 was also present and Torsten just returning from Denmark was able to come out and see us - jet lagged and all.

We got to see Jeff and Greg again from prior nights show, who we just met, two musicians who appreciate our music and are great audience members with superb feedback on our tunes. I really digg these guys, both genuine and these days it's hard to find genuineness - especially in people you have just met 24 hours prior.

At the end of the gigging, singing my heart out and standing up the entire time my voice and my feet both in need of rest I feel great that every time we perform we just keep getting better.

I'm looking forward to a week of writing and recording rough tracks to some of our newer tunes. "I love the ocean" right now, is my favorite tune and I'd love to lay a track out for that this week.

Our next original gig on August 15th for the Acoustic Chair Series @ CAFFE TRIESTE at Market St @ Gough, San Francisco we're opening for Tara Tinsley and Ryan Toth. I'm really looking forward to this!

Ok, now back to a new song I'm writing. I'm not sure I'll ever perform this one out but I always wanted to do a number based on a novel by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, the ultimate novel in my book. The words just plant you in another time - Love in the time of Cholera - about loving someone that is out of reach - for 50 years.