a tale of two shows

So, I've got a few more minutes tonight to talk about this weekend. It was one of the most tiring weekends I've had in recent history, but it was a lot of fun, as well. To start off, I slept for two hours Thursday night and then flew to San Jose, Ca for a Caedmon's show. Jeff and I got there way before everybody else so we stopped at In-N-Out. Oh Glory...



This was wonderful, as usual, and was followed by a few hours at the venue where I discovered my Memory Man had broken during the flight. Thankfully, the guys there had a soldering iron I could use. Not so thankfully, I sort of accidentally lit a rag on fire and it looked like I was running down the halls of the church with a smoke bomb. Alas, it was just another guitar player racing to throw a flaming rag in a dressing room sink while trying to avoid breathing the fumes. And I still couldn't get the pedal to work.

The show was fun, although I was so tired I sometimes forgot where I was, figured, "if I'm this tired, it must be Young Life camp" and started playing "Light the Fire" and "Brown Eyed Girl." Not really. But that would have been awesome.

Oh, and Danielle went in to get a haircut and the stylist went a little nuts and so she was blonde for a couple days. It's probably already gone, but check this out...



So, after the show I went to a hotel and slept for about four hours and then hopped on another plane to Little Rock, AR, where I rented a car and drove that little baby to Arkadelphia to rehearse with Father Maple before that night's solo show. They're a really good band, and even better guys, and I had a lot of fun jamming with them. They were very kind to let this old, fat guy sit in on their practice.

We then headed to Thrio's, the venue, set up and hung out for a little while. I ate my dinner with Nick Flora, who opened and sat in with both Father Maple and myself, and Jarred McCauley, who I've now hung out with a few times, and have quite enjoyed his company. Nick, you must know, looks EXACTLY like Ben Shive. I sent this phone picture



to Ben, and during the show he left me a message wondering why I sent him a picture of himself calling him his twin. I'm sorry, but they're the same guy. They both play piano, write good songs, have quirky, cerebral senses of humor, and um, look like Ben. And Nick.

So Nick played and did a great job, and then Father Maple played and also did a great job. During their sets I got to meet a number of people at the show, which was pretty packed out, and I got to hear a lot of stories from people who really got a lot out of the Normals back in the day, and that meant a lot to me. I also chatted a bit with the parents, wives and girlfriends of the guys playing, and they were all really kind.

I got up to play my set and did six or seven songs by myself. Or I should say, with Charley. Nick sat in on the piano on "I'll Be Home Soon," just like Ben always does, and then Father Maple came up and joined me. We played a couple Normals tunes, a few songs off "Photographs" and one new one called "Following the Blind." They picked the stuff up great and I really enjoyed having a band to play with during the concert. I thought it was really cool that they would go to all the trouble of learning my songs, and I can't thank them enough. Here are some photos from that part of the show.









This was definitely an experiment for me, having a local band who I didn't really know back me up, but they were so much fun to play with, and hang out with, that it makes me want to do this kind of thing more. What a cool way to get to know some people, make a show an experience for the audience, and to get to learn from each other. Hopefully, there will be more of this to come. Father Maple has paved the way... The only thing about these guys is that they really, really, really like Nickelback, and that's just hard for me. Some things I will never understand.

Oh, and Dave, the bass player, has an awesome beard. I hope he didn't mind I kept dedicating songs to it.

After the show, I packed up, said my goodbyes, hopped in the ol' Nissan Sentra rental and started to drive back to Nashville. Honestly, this was stupid. It was just after 11 o'clock and is a six or seven hour drive. And then it started raining. Hard. And never stopped until about a half-hour outside of Nashville. Man, that was rough. I listened to some good tunes, though. I spent some time with the new Cardigans, of course, listened to a bit of the new Caedmon's as well, still liked it, moved on to a pile of cd's given to me by people at the show, which I usually don't get time to listen to, but really enjoyed this night, and then, when music started lulling me to sleep, listened to some Dane Cook and David Cross standup. I think David Cross is a really funny guy on a show or in a movie, but he honestly was so negative and bitter that I didn't find it that funny. But I was home and alive at that point, so I didn't really care anymore.

I slept in, through church unfortunately, but got to spend the afternoon and evening with Alison and Ella, which made me really happy. Mark Nicholas came over and we finished up some photos for my record and I think they turned out well.

I guess that's about it. Thanks to everybody both in California and Arkansas who were so kind and encouraging this week, and thanks to all of you who came out and supported me at the shows. I had a blast, albeit a sleepless one, and was grateful for you guys. I'm going to bed now, but I'll drop another note tomorrow. Buenos Noches!

a quick word about the weekend

Hey everybody, I'll write more tomorrow, but I just wanted to drop a quick note to say I had a great weekend and my show with Father Maple and Nick Flora was a real blast. If anybody has any photos, send them here, I'd love to post them. Tomorrow I'll have some time and will be awake enough to tell you more. Have a great week and check back tomorrow.

weekend shows coming up

Well, my week at home is over. I had a fun session today with Andy Gullahorn and Matt Stanfield playing electric guitar on Jill Phillips' new record. They had some friends come over to sing background vocals late in the afternoon and did a track of Andy Peterson's little boys and Jill's little guy Drew, who's three, singing a little bgv part. It was terrible and so awesome. They were ecstatic about it.

Alison and I went to our church membership class and then came home to spend hours trying to look up old high school classmates/ex-girlfriends/ex-boyfriends with her brother Clay and his wife Sarah. Good times, good times. We're going to watch last night's episode of Lost tonight before I crash.

I have to get up at 4:15 am to get to the airport to go to a Caedmon's show in San Jose. Looking forward to the show, but not to hearing the alarm in five hours.

On Saturday I'll be playing a solo show with Father Maple at Thrio's Coffee House in Arkadelphia, AR. You should come. Father Maple is a good band I'm looking forward to hearing live, and they're going to play a few of my tunes with me as well, which should be fun. I'll be bringing my new Suhr guitar for its first live shows this weekend, as well, so I'm excited about that.

Well, I should really get to bed, or at least to the VCR, but I'll try to write this weekend and let you know how the shows are going. Have a great Friday...

drums - day 3

Well, today was the last day for drums and bass and it couldn't have gone better. Ken Lewis played kit and Aaron Sands was on bass. We tracked the songs "Santa Barbara", my rock and roll epic, "Following the Blind" and "New Beginning." I was really pleased with the performances and sounds.

I couldn't believe how quickly this time came and went, and I'm already missing it. My wife is not. She gets the house (somewhat) quieter tomorrow. I'll be doing guitar overdubs for Jill Phillips' record tomorrow, which will be fun. I'm excited to hear what they've added since the initial tracking.

Oh, before I forget...

Here's Aaron...


and here's Ken...


I just got to plug in my new Suhr Strat for the first time tonight, and I was really pleased with it. I was surprised by how different it sounded from my old '79 Fender American. I figured that since they're the same type of guitar, with the same pickups for the most part even, that they'd sound pretty similar. I could probably tell them apart with my eyes closed, though. Not that one's better than the other, they're both great.

The Suhr has a very full and round sound, the humbucker in the bridge is a rock monster, and it has a push-pull knob to let me add the bridge pickup to the other pickups; a very cool feature. It's got a silent singl-coil system that they're really proud of, but honestly, on and off it was so quiet I couldn't believe it. The neck feels really great, and almost out of my league! This guitar is definitely above my ability, but hopefully it can open new doors for my tone and my playing. The action is so great I'm excited about the freedom it will allow. And I think it looks pretty rad, too.

In other news, I got the new Cardigans cd the other day, via Best Buy bucks from McDonald's Monopoly, it wasn't all a waste, and a copy of Derek's new cd "Mockingbird." I'm too tired to write about them now, but I will say that I'm really impressed and excited by both albums, and I'll write about them more soon. The Cardigans made a fine piece of rock craftsmanship and Derek's cd is very thought-provoking and sonically pleasing.

Anyway, I've got about three minutes left before I start typing deluded flippers on see-saw wheels.... oh me... oh my... coffee on the couch is who?? Ok, I've been up too long. Write more tomorrow or Friday. Oh, and if you live in Arkansas, come see me play with Father Maple Saturday night. Thanks for swinging by.

drums - day 2

So today went maybe even better than yesterday. We covered a lot of ground and just got awesome sounds. The morning was spent on the tune "White Dove", easily the most complex song of the project, and one I'm really excited about currently. Like there are any I'm not excited about... Anyway, after lunch Will put the kit on "Marilyn". You can find the old demo for that on my MySpace page. Then we did the song "Dance Away the City", which probably needs a new title, and we finished up by working on a couple of shorter songs, of which you'll find out more later... Shane got some really amazing tones and vibes out of the kit and the bass, and all in my little studio. I was really impressed and grateful for his help. A lesser man (i.e. me) would not be able to pull such goodness out of that little room.

And now for the pictures...

First up, Will rocking the drum kit...



And here's Jeff, the bass player...



Cason, listening oh so intently...



and David, my old intern, learning the ways of a true black belt...



Here's the Will's view in the tracking room...



and he and Shane listening to an edit...



Thou Shalt Not Covet... Shane's gear.



Here's a blurry shot of all the action...



and this is probably my favorite; of Shane and Will at work...



Here's my new Suhr guitar. Pretty stoked about it...



and, because I have to, Ella on Halloween night in her bunny costume...



Well, that's about it for me. I'm still pretty wiped from this weekend, and am excited to get to hang out with Alison for the rest of the night.

This week is a whirlwind, and it's all going too fast. I've worked on these songs for almost two years and we're doing so much to them in just three days. I wish it could take a month. But I'm glad I get to do it all. And I should add, I'm able to pay for this because of the pre-orders and gifts over the past month and so, honestly, thank you, because I would not be doing it without you. Thanks again to all and I hope the pictures give you a little glimpse of the whole thing coming together. Take care and talk soon...