My Least Favorite Christmas Song

In my email to my mailing list last week, I talked about my top favorite Christmas songs, and yesterday on my Facebook page I posted my all-time favorite. So, now that Christmas is over (and I hope you had a good one), I thought I would fill you in on my least favorite. As much as Christmas is a time of peace and joy, I have hate in my heart for "The Christmas Shoes" by New Song.

Thankfully, I haven't heard this song on the radio this year, because it is the worst. It is so cheesy and melodramatic that it makes me want to gag, and the children's choir singing towards the end just makes me roll my eyes. I do believe that YouTube commenter nicholaswasright was on the right track when he wrote, "This song gave me diabetes." You bet it did. And what the hell is Sam Seaborn doing in the music video? Come on, Sam, you're better than that.

But don't take my word for it. Patton Oswalt has already beaten me to a phenomenal take-down of the song:

We Must Change

The tragedy that occurred in Newtown, CT - a town about an hour away from me - this past Friday has obviously and understandably been on everyone's mind. Over the past four days, I've been reading, and watching, and listening, and thinking, and I have some thoughts.

My first thought is that everyone who says that our continued violence epidemic in this country is a multifaceted problem is absolutely correct. I believe that the way we address the issues of guns and mental health are both heavily contributing factors, as well as the media reaction to events such as these. I'll start with guns since - even though I am not nor do I have any desire or need to be a gun owner - it feels more in my wheelhouse.

It's important to remember that the 2nd Amendment was written at a time when none of the following things existed: street lamps, telephones, cell phones, home alarm systems, police forces, automatic weapons, semi-automatic weapons, and basically any weapon that allows you to load more than one bullet at a time. It was written at a time when a person couldn't simply pick up the phone and call for help, and someone couldn't fire more than one bullet at you before having to reload. In no way could the founders have predicted or foreseen the kind of resources available to us today in terms of communication, protection, and safety, or the kind of firepower that is currently so easily available. This is why the Constitution is a living document, and (assuming that amendments 18 and 21 are a wash) why it has needed to be changed 25 times. Rejecting this fact is simply willful ignorance and evidence of residence in an alternate reality.

But even if the above paragraph were not the case, the amendment says, "a well regulated militia," and any serious look into overall government regulation into guns will show that it has been anything but "well." It is more difficult for a person to obtain and keep a driver's license than it is for them to acquire and use a gun. In the past four days I've read the idea that every gun owner should be required to be licensed and as certified as any police officer, and I agree. Think about this: no guns of any kind are allowed around the president of the United States unless it is being carried by a fully licensed, certified member of the Secret Service or other law enforcement agency. Why? Because they recognize how dangerous these weapons really are. The rest of us citizens, however, are not afforded the same protections.

Other ideas such as advanced technology and biometrics that only allow for the registered gun owner to fire a specific gun are also intriguing and should be discussed more, but here's one that I really like, courtesy of my neighbor: if you're a gun owner and your gun is lost or stolen, then you lose your right to possess one - either for a period of time or permanently. Why? Because by losing it or having it stolen, you have proven to society that you do not respect the weapon enough to keep it track of it, and you can no longer be trusted to manage one safely.

Another problem that we have to address is the lack of access to mental health resources in this country. Due to my relative unfamiliarity with the subject, it is difficult for me to suggest ways that this can be addressed, but the fact that it can be easier to get a gun than the help of a mental health professional must be addressed. Minds are like any other part of the body that can need attention, but too often we find it far too easy to simply slap a label on someone and move on. People are much more complicated than that, and its a disservice to everyone to not give it the attention is deserves. Show me one person who in their entire life could never benefit from access to mental health services and -- wait, no one like that exists. We can all use it at some point in our lives. Some more than others? Sure. But all of us at some time.

And let's not forget the media's role in all of this. There is a quote going around Facebook attributed (supposedly) to Morgan Freeman that talks about how the media's elevation of these shooters catches the eye of other would-be shooters who want the same kind of fame and attention, and thus creates a continuing cycle. Not a completely unreasonable point. Should the media be giving any screen time at all to the perpetrators of such terrible acts?

Sunday night President Obama said, "We can't tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them we must change."

I couldn't agree more.

12.12.12

I unfortunately watched the first 2 hours of last night's 12.12.12 Concert for Sandy Relief on mute, as I was at the Newburgh Brewery for trivia night (we came in 2nd and it's still sore so let's move on) and then I was driving home, but I've seen Bruce live so I know he's great; I've never been a huge Bon Jovi fan, but I'm sure they were good; I heard Roger Waters was awesome; and I heard that Clapton is indeed still God. So, let's pick up from there, but instead of going through every act I'll just hit the ones that I have significant thoughts on.

The Who's performance of "Love Reign O'er Me" was just epic. Like stop you in your tracks good.

What the hell was up with Kayne West? I mean, I applaud anyone doing their part to be involved and helping out, but when the bill was first announced I absolutely felt like he was the odd man out of the line-up. And then the performance was like a bad one-man show at an off-off-off-Broadway theatre. He was sure giving it his all, but every time he was onstage doing nothing while some pre-recorded music played I was like, "Seriously, dude?" And what the hell was up with that leather skirt? Was that supposed to be a biker's kilt or something?

I've been a Billy Joel fan for well-over a decade, and I've seen him 4 times. But Billy and his band haven't played a show in 2 years, 9 months, and even though he's had to drop some of his songs to lower keys ("New York State of Mind" and "Only the Good Die Young" were down a whole step; "River of Dreams" was down a half step), he and his band played like they're still doing 52 dates a year. I mean, they were tight! And his voice sounded great. That, too me, felt like the most impressive performance because it was almost as if Billy was coming out of a semi-retirement just to perform at this show, and he killed it. And it's always great to see Tommy Burns, Mark Rivera, and Chrystal Taliefero at his side.

And as for that Paul McCartney/Nirvana performance? I think the fact that the song and performance was completely in-your-face and badass should totally overshadow the whole reunion aspect of it. Because it rocked and it sounded awesome.

An Open Letter To HIMYM

OK, How I Met Your Mother - here's the deal: we don't care about anything but Barney getting together with Robin, and Ted meeting the mother. Everything else, at this point, is just filler. Now, I realize that might be tough to hear, but you brought it on yourself - despite the fact that last night's episode was pretty great with the bro-bibs and referencing "The Playbook," the Marvin sight gags and...wait...where was I? Oh yeah.

Kids, look: we love Lily, Marshall, and even little Marvin (despite his frequent absences...or maybe because of them), but in all honesty, their major story lines are over. They broke up in season 1, got back together and married in season 2, bought an apartment in season 3, Marshall lost his dad in season 6, Marshall got his dream job and they had little Marvin last season, and Lily finally got close with her dad for good earlier this season. Do we really care about Marshall winning his first big environmental case? No, not really. I mean, in the flashforward at the end of S3E2 we see what Lily and Marshall look like in 2029, what they're wearing, and the house that they live in. So, we know that they do very well. Does Marshall become a judge? What does it matter? In a show based at its deepest level on the pursuit and finding of love, they've already found theirs.

But we do care about Barney and Robin - and we're ready. They've gone through their ups and downs over the seasons in life - Robin's infertility, Barney's dad, Robin's career pursuits, and whatever the hell it is Barney exactly does for a living - and love, but quite frankly no storyline like that matters at all after the season 7 finale. It didn't matter how Barney's relationship with Quinn went, because we knew that it wasn't going to last. Same thing with Robin and Nick, and now Barney and Patrice?! Some people say that when you finally find "the one," things that happened in your past cease to matter. Well, that's how we feel about Barney and Robin, only we still have to suffer through everything that isn't going to matter. Barney and Robin are supposed to be together, all we want to do is get to the day of that wedding, and we're a little tired of the back and forth delaying the inevitable. (Now, whether or not they actually get married is another story...but we're interested in that one!)

And Ted. This is the other reason we want desperately to get to the day of Barney and Robin's wedding, thanks to information revealed in the season 6 premiere and later confirmed in this season's premiere. Ted meets the mother on the day of the wedding thanks to a situation that lands him at the Farhampton train station in the rain and that yellow umbrella. So, again, we need to get to that day! Nothing else matters. And we're ready.

We've all been fans of the show for years, but it's not season 5, anymore, and we've been together too long for you to be playing these games with us. "Who Wants To Be a Godparent?" Doesn't matter. Which member of the gang has the biggest rap sheet? Doesn't matter. Barney and Robin, Ted and the mother. That's what matters. Barney and Robin, Ted and the mother. Yes, it is going to be legendary, but we've been waiting for it for quite some time now.

Bad 25

Normally come the end of any holiday, I get bored. The food is eaten, the family is gone, the alcohol is wearing off, and you find yourself at 8:30PM saying, "Well, what the hell am I supposed to do now?" But not this past Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving I sat down to watch Spike Lee's new documentary, "Bad 25," about the follow-up to Michael Jackson's monster album, "Thriller." And it was awesome (despite the inclusion of interviews with domestic abuser/all around asshole Chris Brown).

I've always been a Michael Jackson fan. My brother got me into it when I was really young as he was a big fan, and I have good memories of listening to "Thriller" on vinyl (still have it). I loved the documentary/concert film "This Is It" (albeit not the stupid title), and "Bad 25" is just as good. If you didn't get a chance to see it, you have to check it out. As someone who writes and records, I am always interested in the creative process of people who are very successful at it, and the thing that struck me most was not only Michael's monster talent, but also his monster work ethic. Video was shown of the late-night dance and rehearsal sessions he would have with his collaborators, sometimes going until 2 or 3 in the morning after a full day of work, and it just blows you away. And he would use two different recording studios with two separate groups of musicians and engineers to compete against each other in pursuit of the best songs and recordings. Talk about impressive. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you have resources.

I especially enjoyed the interviews with Siedah Garrett, who I crossed paths with in LA in April 2009. I was at a conference and attended an intimate night of performances by a handful of songwriters, and she was one of them. She told the story of how she came to write "Man in the Mirror" with Glen Ballard (which she also told in the documentary), and then she performed the song accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. It was a very special moment that I will remember forever.

In death, lots of artists receive praise and elevation to a level that they do not fully deserve. Michael Jackson is not one of those artists. He really was that good, and this documentary is just more proof of it.

According to imdb.com, the full film is 123 minutes long, but on Thanksgiving it was cut down to about 69 minutes for airing on TV. I can't wait to see the additional 54.

The Greatest Thanksgiving Movie

The holiday season is chock full of themed movies. But if you look closely, the vast majority of the great ones center around Christmas. Home Alone - Christmas. The Santa Claus - Christmas. The Polar Express - Christmas. A Christmas Story - Christmas. Miracle on 34th Street - Christmas. Scrooged - Christmas. Elf - Christmas. Die Hard - Christmas. Die Hard 2 - Christmas! I could go on. But as we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, it got me thinking: what's the greatest movie about Thanksgiving? The answer is simple: Scent of a Woman.

Let's break it down. At it's most basic level, Scent of a Woman is the story of two people on a road trip who start out as adversaries and end up as friends over the long Thanksgiving weekend. It's basically just one step away from being a classic buddy comedy. Where do they travel? New York City - home of the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And even though the parade makes no appearance in the film, location matters. One of the main characters is on break from school, which is something we can all remember fondly from our younger years. One of the main characters drinks alcohol like its water, which obviously reminds us of time spent with our own families (it's not just Christmas get-togethers that need some social lubrication). Need I say more? OK, I will.

Scent of a Woman also features one of the most true-to-life Thanksgiving dinner scenes ever filmed. Who among us hasn't been to a Thanksgiving where an extremely disliked family member shows up unannounced? How often does a drunk uncle dominate the dinner conversation while everyone else sits silently, rolling their eyes? And no holiday meal is complete without one family member physically assaulting another - that's just a universal fact. And the whole movie culminates in a thwarted suicide attempt and one last alcohol-influenced lecture. Plus there's a dance scene! It's pure cinematic gold!

Let's face it: Scent of a Woman is the great American Thanksgiving movie. You may argue for Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but Al Pacino didn't win an Oscar for that film, and he's got my response for you right here.

Happy Thanksgiving.

The Wienermobile

Its the fantasy of many a child: take the hot dog - the ubiquitous and unofficial food of summer; the object of desire at every baseball game; the focus on your plate at every BBQ - and turn it into a car. What more could you ask for than the ability to step inside one of your favorite childhood foods and drive around? Nobody wants a damn Broccoli Van, Apple Car, or Potato Truck, but everybody loves the Wienermobile.

Sometime before noon on Sunday I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw that my friend Meghan had posted a picture of the Wienermobile with the caption, "The wienermobile is in Poughkeepsie!!!" Based on the post, it was headed north on Route 9 and had stopped had at the light at the corner of Route 9 and Spring Rd. when she was able to snap the picture. Good for Meghan seeing it, I thought - and then I was off to do what I had to do.

Fast forward 3 hours or so, when my bandmate/roadtrip buddy/motivator Tony and I pulled into the FDR Presidential Library & Museum to do some filming for one of the two music videos I'm currently working on. We pulled behind the welcome center to park and what do we see? The Wienermobile! It was parked toward the back of the lot toward in the RV parking spaces, so of course we headed over there as soon as we got out of the car. Other visitors and library staff had the same idea, and as one guy mentioned, "All this history and everyone's interested in a giant hot dog." Damn straight, but what are the odds of ever seeing the Wienermobile again? And at a presidential library, no less. As it turns out, the Wienermobile was in town for the grand opening of the new Stop & Shop near the library, so the drivers decided to stop by afterward. I guess in case you ever wondered: yes, Wienermobile drivers are interested in history, too.

And of course I couldn't resist:

November 6, 2012

Everything you need to know about what to do today: first raise your hand, then help your neighbor.

Henry Rollins & the Spoken Word

As all of us in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are riding out Sandy, I wanted to share a few thoughts on Henry Rollins. Last Thursday night at The Egg in Albany I had the chance to be at one of his spoken word appearances for the 3rd time, and my first time since 2005. Henry's music really isn't my thing, but I have really dug his spoken word since 2002 when a friend of mine let me listen to some of his CDs on the way back from a high school band trip to Virginia Beach. I have such a distinct memory of the bus pulling into the high school parking lot as we were getting back from the trip while I was listening to the track called "Marius" on Think Tank. I was transfixed and I had to wait until that particular story was over before I could be bothered to get off the bus. I was hooked.

A large focus of Henry's non-stop 2 1/2 talk on Thursday was about community - the coming together and connections he made as part of the Washington, DC, punk community back in the 80s, as well as that which our country is capable of and how strong we can be. He touched on the impending election next week, but not in the very specific way that I was expecting, though he did note that it's pretty easy to tell who he is going to be voting for. Instead, he spent a lot of time discussing Lincoln, and the former president's view that the US could not be taken down by outside forces. America's demise, Lincoln argued in a speech well-before the outbreak of the Civil War, could only come about as the result of internal conflicts, and it was a very appropriate topic given the current political climate in the country. In the past week or so, blogger Andrew Sullivan began making the case that the United States of America is in what he calls a Cold Civil War. We very well may be.

But the thing about Henry Rollins that truly strikes me is his range of topics and emotions. He goes from funny to serious in a matter of seconds, and the subject matters transition together seamlessly. So many things are discussed during the time he's onstage that by the time you get to the end of the night you can't possible remember everything that he talked about, or how you so easily got from 8PM to 10:30PM. There is a reason why I keep re-listening to the spoken word CDs of his that I have, and why I keep wanting more - because he says so much that you can't catch everything he says in one shot. And even if you can catch it, its fleeting, and you surely can't truly absorb it all at once. At least I can't. Always engaging, always thoughtful, and always real, Henry's ability to tell a story and entice a reaction is probably what keeps bringing me back, and why I find myself interested in organizations like The Moth.

"Words. Words when spoken out loud for the sake of performance are music. They have rhythm and pitch and timbre and volume. These are the properties of music and music has the ability to find us and move us and lift us up in ways that literal meaning can't." -President Josiah Bartlett, The West Wing, Season 3, Episode 6

If you're interested in listening to some Henry Rollins, I highly recommend starting with Think Tank or A Rollins In The Wry.

The Mixing Game

Last week I got the first round of rough mixes from the engineer mixing my album, Tom Rosato (www.stacksofwaxproduction.com). 13 tracks for me to listen to, soak in, and take notes on. Mixing is such a subjective endeavor - what one person thinks sounds best won't be what someone else thinks sounds best. It really is an art. So, the way it works is the songs are mixed initially by Tom, then they are sent to me to compile notes on what changes I think need to be made. Less organ here, more guitar there, etc.

The main objective when it comes to mixing (and mastering, for that matter) is to get the song to sound the best on any kind of speaker. Whether it's a pair of professional JBLs with subwoofers or built-in computer speakers, you want the listener to get the most out of the recording. So, when it comes to listening and taking notes, what speakers am I supposed to listen to the tunes on? Or to put it another way: where do most people listen to music? Where do I most listen to music? The car.

To anyone watching it must have been a little curious for me to get into my car, turn it on, and just sit there for more than an hour. At least from the outside it looked like I was just sitting there. On the inside I was actually listening to each song 3, 4, 5 times, and writing down what I think needs to be improved or changed. I had 13 songs to do this for, so I broke it up into two listening sessions. We all listen to music, but most people don't realize how draining it can be to really listen intently to the same songs over and over in an attempt to hear the instricasies of the arrangement. It's something I experienced in the studio as well, and after a while you just need a break to rest your ears and your mind. But the best part about the whole thing is that a number of songs sounded so good that they didn't need a lot of notes, which is a testament Tom's skill.

Late Sunday night I sent him the notes, and after he makes the changes he is going to send me new rough mixes. Then I will listen again, take more notes, and we will finish up the songs together in the studio. It can often times be a drawn-out process, but one that is absolutely worth the time and the effort. I've been working on this project for almost 2 years, planning it for even longer than that, and it's good to be seeing the finish line. I hope you're as excited for the finish as I am.

Saturday Night I Yelled At A Drunk Guy

One of my pet peeves (and I seem to have a lot of them) is having to deal with drunk people when I am stone-cold sober. I enjoy alcoholic beverages as much as the next person, but when I have to engage with people who have had a lot to drink I often times find them nothing but annoying, and sometimes enraging.

Saturday night I was playing Bacchus in New Paltz with In The Pocket. Partway through the 2nd set I noticed a tall guy in a black shirt who was obviously wrecked. He was trying to dance with every girl he could find, and he even gave one girl the full reach-around ass grab. Oh, dude, come on, now. She wasn't very happy about it, and I watched her give him the "This is my personal space, and this is yours" talk. It didn't help much.

Before the 3rd set I used the bathroom. If you're not familiar with the men's room at Bacchus I won't go into too much detail, but suffice to say that there's a trough. Well, I walked in to find this drunk guy standing at the trough, but he wasn't standing straight up - he was leaning forward against the wall face first. Apparently the dude (not "The Dude," just this dude) had drank so much that he (at least partially) passed out while standing at the trough. It was impressive, as I had never seen such a thing. He began to come back to reality as I was leaving.

As soon as I came out I went over to some friends to tell them what I had just seen, and mid-story the guy came wandering out of the bathroom doing his best to retain his balance. But as he moved passed my keyboard he somehow decided it would be a good idea for him to stop for a moment and press some of the keys. It. Was. Not. "DO NOT TOUCH MY KEYBOARD!" Even in his advanced state of inebriation he knew that I meant business, and he quickly moved on with a slightly shocked look on his face. My friends were highly amused.

If I don't know you and you've been drinking, please don't touch my equipment. You can be damn sure that I won't touch yours. But it was a great show.

Ben Folds Five

8 remarkable things about my first time seeing Ben Folds Five (in no particular order):

1 - The intimacy. I'm used to big concerts. The artist I've seen live more than any other in my life is Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, and it was just a few weeks ago that I saw them at MetLife Stadium, along with probably about 65,000 of my closest friends. The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, is almost as far from that as you can get. We were on the floor which was mostly standing room only, but unlike a Springsteen show I didn't have to arrive at 2:30PM for a wristband only to have to come back at 4PM to stand in line to be let into the pit to wait for a few hours before the concert started. The show was scheduled for 8PM, we walked in at 7:15, and we were able to get a great spot right in front of the stage with only one line of people in front of us. You can see from the picture just how close we were; so close I could hear the sound of Robert Sledge's foot on his pedals as he clicked them on and off. Very cool.

2 - The opening act, Kate Miller-Heidke. She's from Australia and also opened for Ben Folds when I saw him solo at UPAC in Kingston, NY, two years to the day before Tuesday night's show. It really says something about the songs when I only heard them once two years ago and I recognized them again. Specifically, her song "Caught In The Crowd" is very powerful, and upon further investigation I was surprised, but not shocked, to learn that it won the top prize in the 2008 International Songwriting Competition. It's that good.

3 - Ben Folds Five, dude! I mean seriously! I waited 10 years for this show! Sure, I've seen Ben Folds solo twice - in 2002 and 2010 - but this is the original.

4 - The setlist. Again, my reference is a Bruce Springsteen concert, where they keep things moving one song to another. On Tuesday night, with the exception of the last 3 or 4 songs of the set, the band had at least a little bit of a pause between every song. Also, most of the show wasn't even attempting to keep the momentum and energy moving forward quickly. Most of the set was structured: upbeat song, downbeat song, upbeat song, downbeat song, etc., until the last few songs that were all upbeat. And I don't mean this as a criticism - it's just different, and it allowed the show to just kinda wash over the crowd as a whole.

5 - My lack of expectations. Of course I expected the show to be good, but what I was not expecting was a certain song. We talked about what songs we might hear before the show, but I didn't go in with a hard list of songs that I was hoping to hear. I've seen Springsteen so many times at this point that I do go in with a mental list - songs I have been waiting to hear live that I haven't yet. But going along with the above point about the setlist, I just soaked this show in instead of waiting for a particular song.

6 - The "oops" moments. I counted at least 4. In the opening song, "Michael Praytor, Five Years Later," Ben seemed to forget a few lyrics at the beginning of the 2nd verse and had to fake it by muffling his words a little (a trick I'm well aware of as a singer). In another song I could've sworn I heard a wrong note on the piano. Ben's playing on the intro of "Draw A Crowd" completely fell apart, but he insisted that everything keep going and the crowd was into it. That was a moment that really drew the crowd in. During the encore, there was a slight timing issue in "Magic" when the full band comes back in toward the end of the song - it was completely noticeable and Darren Jessee got a big smile on his face as if yo say, "Yeah, that just happened." The crowd loved it.

7 - The vocal harmonies. The way that Robert and Darren backed up Ben's lead vocals was truly impressive. Harmonies are not one of my strongest points, but the two of them made playing and singing fantastic backgrounds look effortless.

8 - The Capitol Theatre. It actually is really impressive despite it being in what seems to me to be an out-of-the-way location. Recently renovated, the walls featured pictures of the legendary artists who have graced the stage, especially in the 70s. And the coat-check was key, as it would've gotten too hot standing on the floor.

All in all, a great show from beginning to end.

The Oddness Of Shooting A Music Video

In preparation for the release of my upcoming new album (and trust me it won't be "upcoming" forever), I am currently working on two music videos. The only other music video I've released was for "Endless Sky" back in January 2011, but to be honest that was more of a slideshow. And last Christmas my cover band In The Pocket released a video for "Please Come Home For Christmas" by The Eagles, but I just appeared in the video - I wasn't really the main focus and I didn't have to act. But these two new ones are full-out videos. One has a loose concept, one has an actual story to it. One involves me kinda just being there, the other involves me actually acting. These are somewhat new experiences for me.

When I was younger my sister studied film at Vassar College, and I helped out by starred in some of her student films. I remember one silent project that involved me not being allowed to play with the older kids at a baseball field, and another with music where I got scolded for not cleaning up my room to the tune of "Yakety Yak" by The Coasters. So, I'm not wholly without experience, right? Kinda, I guess. Being in front of the camera this way can take some getting used to.

On Sunday night we were shooting a scene in the Poughkeepsie train station. Obviously there were people around. I mean it is a working train station, and people have to get where they're going, but they were content to sit around watching us while they waited for their trains to board. Honestly, the only people who seemed to have an issue were the cops. We had been there for an hour when they came up and asked how long we were going to be there. Then they asked if we had permission. Permission? It's the freaking train station, dude. I guess somehow three people being in the train station lobby was going to prevent people from making their train, or arriving safely back to their cars after they arrive. I had no idea we had such power. We also shot on the platform, and there was a conductor who couldn't help but comment on how serious I looked. Even as the train was pulling out she was hanging out of the door, practially heckling me! It was at that point that I couldn't keep it together anymore. Thanks, Ms. Conductor!

Hopefully the shooting of both videos will be completed by the end of this month. But when they're be edited and released is still to be determined.

The Road Trip Playlist

Once you're a veteran at taking road trips you come to understand the importance of a good playlist. I've driven to Illinois, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Las Vegas twice, and Western New York countless times, and I've learned music selections can make or break a trip for sure. The first time I drove to Las Vegas we started every day by listening to Boston's debut album. Epic. On that trip I remember that the truck we were driving didn't have an auxiliary input for my iPod, so we had to rely on an iTrip which tuned the music to an unused FM station of our choosing. Not the best option, but it got the job done. The worst part was that it kept killing the battery of my iPod.

Anyway, last week I took a 3-day, 1,400+ mile road trip and we decided to keep track of the music that we listened to over the approximately 26 hours of traveling that we did (though the first 3.5 hours I drove in silence). Here is the list, in no particular order.

Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen
Ben Folds Five - The Sound of the Life of the Mind
The Beatles - Rubber Soul
The Beatles - The Beatles (I was giving Tony Beatles fun facts as we were listening to this one)
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Bee Gees - Number Ones
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love (I keep coming back to this album time and time again)
Earth, Wind, & Fire - The Essential
Hall & Oates - The Very Best Of
James Taylor - The Best Of 1& 2
Jimmy Cliff - Rebirth
Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane
Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Maroon 5 - Hands All Over
Maroon 5 - Overexposed ("The good songs, anyway" according to my traveling partner, Tony)
Matchbox 20 - North (We listened to at least twice as we are both currently obsessed with this album)
Michael Jackson - a general mix of Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, and a little more
Rancid - Indestructible
Rob Thomas - Something To Be
Rob Thomas - Cradlesong
The Script - The Script (I love this album. I always associate it with NYC since I first listened to it  on the train)
Stevie Wonder - Ultimate Collection

When I used to drive to and from Geneseo for school I would listen to essentially the same albums every time, but for these longer trips it's great to shake things up.

11

After seeing my last two Bruce Springsteen shows in arenas (the Izod Center & the Pepsi Arena), it was nice to get back to nose-bleed seats at an outdoor show at the Meadowlands on Friday - show two of a three-night stand at MetLife Stadium. And not only back to the the seats in the clouds, but the great tailgate atmosphere in the parking lot. People BBQing, drinking, playing games, and blasting music. It's such a great atmosphere that really brings the whole experience of a show to another level. Due to time and logistical constraints, we had to settle for deli sandwiches instead of grilled meat and Labatt Blue instead of...well, something else, but the goal was accomplished none-the-less.

The most remarkable thing about my 11th Springsteen show (the 10th with the E Street Band) were the number of songs played that I had never seen live before, and that this was the 2nd show I've seen where Gary U.S. Bonds was a special guest. 9 of the 28 songs were new live experiences for me, 4 of which welcomed Bonds to the stage, and it brought the total number of Springsteen songs I've seen live to 128 (yes, I keep track because I am an addle-minded music geek) There were album classics like "Lost in the Flood" and "Incident on 57th Street," some more pop-oriented songs like "Talk To Me" and "From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)," and some tunes that I didn't even know. I thought I was past the point where the band could break out songs that I didn't know, but there you go. And this was my first time seeing Bruce where he didn't play "The Rising." I had a 10-show streak going on, and I'm while I didn't need to hear the song again, the streak was kinda cool. At least in my addled mind. Oh well.

I was also happy to take one friend to his first show and another friend to her second (her first was on Wednesday, but we aren't counting that because she didn't get the full tailgate pre-show experience). It's always great to introduce people to the live Springsteen experience for the first time and show them why people come back time and time again.

Saturday night was the last show of the outdoor venues, but the tour now goes back indoors for arenas throughout the country. We'll see when I end up there, again. My next concert tickets are for Ben Folds Five on October 9th. Let's go.

I Play With Pain

My parents have a wood furnace in their house, and throughout the year my dad collects wood to burn over the winter. Last Thursday I was helping my dad clear a downed tree from my brother's property, which entailed pushing wheelbarrows full of wood up a hill and loading it into a truck. I don't know how many times I've done this with my dad, but on Thursday I pulled a muscle on the bottom of my ribcage, and the pain that I experienced from this pulled muscle was probably the worst of my life. Of course it didn't help that it was right at the bottom of my ribcage so that I would feel it every time I breathed, and the faster and deeper I breathed the more it hurt. And as if that wasn't enough, I also had two shows this past weekend with my cover band.

As we were setting up on Friday night I honestly didn't know if I was going to be able to get through the show. Every breath was painful, and I couldn't really bend, lift, or setup any equipment. We got through soundcheck and I decided to just go with it. The show must go on, right? The first few songs of the first set were the most difficult, and I had to drop a few lyrics because I literally couldn't get enough air moving through my lungs with the pain. But after that - because of the ibuprofen, the warmth in the bar, just loosening up, or all three - things got easier, and it was actually a really good show. That night I slept very poorly because there was no comfortable position for me to be in, and I was up more than 2 hours before I wanted to be.

On Saturday, after taking it easy in the morning and the use of a heating pad, we had an afternoon show from 3-5:30 at East Fishkill Community Day. Literally thousands of people, along with tons of food, vendors, games, and activities. I had never been and was a little shocked at how expansive it was. But my muscle was less than impressed, and it just kept hurting. As a result, I took things a little bit more gingerly than I did the night before, and pretty much stayed right at my keyboard. The wireless mic was there but I didn't even use it. Oh well - still a good show and a good response from the crowd.

I've performed with cold before, but never with a pulled muscle that caused this much pain. And as I write this, it still hurts a bit when I take a really deep breathe, but nothing compared to what I was feeling on Friday and Saturday. So to everyone who came out to enjoy In The Pocket at the Quiet Man Pub in Wappingers Falls or East Fishkill Community Day: You. Are. Welcome.

That's 5 1/2 hours of performance when other singers probably would've put themselves on the disabled list. I play with pain.

Hot Mess

I was back in Massachusetts over the weekend, in the Waltham area for the wedding of a high school friend. It was the first time I've done a 3.5-hour drive plus a full wedding, reception, and afterparty on only 3.5 hours of sleep. How I did it I don't think I will ever quite know, but I think the key was not having any cake when I was at my most exhausted moment, and avoiding the inevitable sugar crash that would've followed. Experience, for the win!

The majority of the reception was under a big tent behind an old house, complete with amazing food (we all needed our fat pants), a stellar open bar ("No, I can't pour you that in a shot glass, but I can pour you that in a much bigger glass"), and a great party band called Hot Mess. And as someone who does what they do, I'll tell you what impressed me the most about the group. A few hours into the reception a storm came through (like most of the northeast, apparently), and it dumped what seemed like a ton of rain. So much rain that it was running into the tent on the ground and blowing onto the dance floor. So much rain that my jacket hanging on my chair would've been in a puddle had I not moved it, and I was seated toward the middle. So much rain that the band had to scramble to get as much of their equipment away from the sides and covered in plastic as they could. So much rain that it shorted out all the electricity on the band's end of the tent. Yeah, that much rain. So there we were on the biggest day of my friend's life with at least 1.5 hours to go at her wedding reception...and the band had no power. We were about two 16th notes away from a potential nightmare.

Now, I personally know a lot of musicians, and some of them, if they found themselves in this situation, would simply say, "Sorry, the show's over," take their money and go. Truthfully, you'll find people like that in any business. But not with this band. They may be called Hot Mess, but rest assured that unlike my friend's girlfriend (yes, I know I'm crashing at your place this weekend but you were a riot and you admitted it yourself), this band had their shit together. They took a few moments to get everything situated the way that it needed to be, got their power back, and picked right back up where things left off. And the party thoroughly continued. My friend Sam Adams and I had a long, extended conversation that night, and we both agreed that it was professionalism at its best. My friend Dewars concurred, though my pal Mionetto thought there maybe could've been a little more keyboard in the mix - but what does he know?

Anyway, a big shout-out to my friends Matt & Tessa for putting together such a wonderful wedding. I'm so happy I stayed awake for all of it!

Hal David

A little over 6 weeks ago I was playing a show and spending the night on the Jersey shore. Thankfully, we were north of any MTV-type shenanigans, but on the Jersey shore we were none the less. And my friends and I started having a conversation about a song we could possibly start to play, "Always Something There To Remind Me," by Naked Eyes. Released in 1983, it's a really great song that I'm sure you know and have heard on the radio. We pulled it up, checked it out, and our bass player really pushed hard for it.

Then someone mentioned that the song was originally written and released in the 1960s. Seriously? I was somewhat skeptical of this claim, and being slightly OCD about information I immediately started to find out if this is true. And it is. The song was first released in 1964 by an artist named Lou Johnson. But the real revelation to me was who wrote the song: Burt Bacharach and Hal David. I was at once very surprised...and not surprised one bit. These, guys, after all, seemed to write everything, from "What the World Needs Now Is Love," to "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," to "I Say A Little Prayer."

Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter Hal David passed away on Saturday at the age of 91, a giant of the music industry. In 2011, I was at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Gala along with Mr. David, but I sadly never got the chance to meet him. I could go on and on about the impact that he and his lyrics had on American music, about all the songs that have found a place in the very fabric of our popular culture, and about moments and times in my life that I have come to associate with a Hal David song. But I wont. Instead, I want to give you a quote from an interview Mr. David gave for Paul Zollo's book, Songwriters On Songwriting. On where song ideas come from:

"Songs come from a million different places. Somebody says something. And suddenly it rings a bell. You're watching a movie or a show or a television program and you hear a line. You're in the audience and you hear a phrase, and suddenly there's an idea for a song.

I think most times they just come. I guess it comes to you because that's what you do. As opposed to doing something else. That's a specific talent you have, and the more you do it, the more it comes.

Early in my career, there were periods of times when ideas wouldn't come. And it used to worry me. I'm sure it worries any writer. Is it all over? [Laughs] Is this it? What do I do? Start learning how to make shoes, or cut salami? But I got beyond that at a certain point. And at this point in my life, when I work, I work. And the ideas come."

Hal David, 1921-2012.

Saturday On The Beach

I've played some bizarre gigs in my day, but Saturday's show that I played with In The Pocket on the beach in New Jersey may be one of the weirdest. Allow me to explain.

We were having power issues all day. Our power sources weren't strong enough to support all our equipment, and as a result our PA would occasionally cut in and out when we pushed it too hard. Our guitar player, Jared, was also having issues with his amp, presumably for the same reason. Now picture this scene:

It's about 8:45PM on a day that saw 3 of us drive from NY to NJ, we all had spent time in the sun and the water, and we're moving toward the end of our 3rd set. We're set up on the beach, playing for a bunch of vacationers who had been drinking all afternoon and evening, and some of us had been drinking a little as well. And that's when Jared's guitar decided it wasn't going to work properly without more power...that we didn't have.

So what does Jared do? He puts down his guitar, picks up his microphone, and starts singing his parts. Yes, he started to sing his parts. His guitar parts. Through "Wild Nights," "Summer of '69," "You Can Call Me Al," and "Tiny Dancer," Jared did his best to make his mouth sound like a guitar, and it was hilarious. And priceless. There were a number of times when I lost it and could do nothing but laugh into the mic, and thankfully the crowd was having as much fun as we were. Eventually we got to a point where we just couldn't go any further, so we had called it a night. But it is with almost 100% percent certainty that there will never be another ITP show like that again. One-of-a-kind. Out of control.

Earlier in the day we were having a discussion about who was the funniest member of the band. I think Jared made a pretty damn good argument.

Fenway

 
In an unusual turn of events, I've seen games at 3 different MLB stadiums this season: Citi Field, Camden Yards, and now Fenway Park. The first time I visited Fenway was in 2006 when I saw Dave Matthew Band for the first time (with opening act Sheryl Crow). I got a chance to see the park, touch the green monster, hear the ubiquitous Boston chants of "Yankees Suck," and experience "Sweet Caroline." On Sunday I actually got to see a game, and a Yankees vs. Red Sox game, at that.

I have to assume that every game at Fenway isn't as intense as Sunday's game, but I sure wish it was. Sunday's game was old school, helped in no small way by the old school venue. The fans were intense, and oddly enough I only saw one argument involving security. When they showed a replay of a terribly blown call by the first base umpire, the Boston fans seriously showed their displeasure. Those "boos" may be the loudest thing I heard all day. I also had one of the best Sam Adams Summer Ales I've ever had. I mean it should be damn good considering I'm drinking a draft Boston beer in Boston...and it cost $8.50. But at only a $.25 difference between Bud Light and Sam Summer, how can you not? In the end, though, as great a ballpark as Fenway is, it didn't feel like home.

After the game we made our way to the North End, stopped at the Old North Church, had a great dinner at Al Dente, and got a dynamite chocolate chip cannoli at Mike's Pastries. Luckily I'm going to be back in Boston in just two months, this time for a wedding. I love traveling and being places I've never been before.

MD, DE, MD

Baltimore, MD

I have a friend who lives in Baltimore, so on my way to Delaware I decided to stop and spend some time. First stop, the Inner Harbor. Walked around, enjoyed the sun (but not the heat and humidity), didn't rent a dragon paddle-boat, and had dinner at Cheesecake Factory. Why Cheesecake Factory? Because when you are trying to make it to the Orioles game you just go with it.

Camden Yards was great. It was warm, it was welcoming, it was everything that a great ballpark should be. If you've never been there for a game, I highly recommend it. And its always interesting to visit another ballpark. Citi Field is surrounded by chop shops. But Camden Yards is in an area of Baltimore where people are just around, I imagine even on off nights. A great neighborhood field (and I kept the above can).

After the game, we walked to a place called Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar. And it was awesome. Awesome! I had a blast, and I wish that there was a location much closer to me so I could go on a more frequently. Basically how it works is there are two pianos, drums, keyboards, guitars, and a bass, and about 5 or 6 musicians. If you want to hear a song, you write it down and put it on one of the pianos with a tip. Then they play it. And they can play pretty much anything. I requested "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon. No problem. You can also join them onstage with a fee, so my friend sent me up there. I got onstage and was informed that I would be performing "New York State of Mind." Of course! Haha. I had had a few drinks, but I did OK, and everyone in the bar dug it.

Rehoboth Beach, DE

The main reason for the trip was to attend the wedding of a college friend of mine in Rehoboth Beach. On my way there I stopped at the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, took the tour, and had some samples. What was the coolest part of the tour? Honestly it was when the tour guide told us that every two weeks they get a case of beer as part of their pay. Um, where are the applications, please?

Rehoboth itself was good, but hot. We checked out the boardwalk, went to Funland, played mini-golf on a roof, and got frozen custard. I'm not a huge beach guy, but I enjoyed myself. And the wedding was a lot of fun. Great food (a mashed potato bar), very tasty pinot grigio, and a shuttle to and from the reception. Sold.

Annapolis/Laurel, MD

Sunday I drove to Laurel, MD, to spend some time with another friend. But what do you do in Laurel? Well, you go to Annapolis! I had been there before, but my friend had not. It was a gorgeous day, and the Washington/Annapolis area is one of my favorite areas in the country, so I had a good time. We walked around the harbor for a while and ate at the Acme Bar & Grill (dynamite wings and onion rings). One of the guys working there said that it extremely busy due tot he power outages from the massive storm that came through Friday night, and the fact that they only had one server working didn't speed things up any. But you know what? "Think globally, drink locally."

When we drove back to Laurel, we checked out some of the damage from the storm (technically called a "derecho"). The picture below is just one section of damage, but says so much.

The Newsroom

I've been a fan of Aaron Sorkin's work since Sports Night. That's 1998 for those of you keeping track. It started with Sport Night, became forever solidified with The West Wing, and continued through Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (a show widely regarded as lackluster, but at least somewhat better than that). And let us not forget A Few Good Men, The American President, and other movies he wrote the screenplays for like Charlie Wilson's War, Moneyball, and The Social Network (for which he won the Academy Award). So, when I heard of his new show, The Newswoom, I was ready for Sorkin to be back on TV. But this isn't TV. Its HBO.

I watched the series premiere Sunday night despite being exhausted from Saturday night, and when you've watched enough Sorkin you start to notice patterns. The Newsroom, like other Sorkin shows, gets things rolling early with a character ranting something in public that he shouldn't which puts his job in jeopardy or gets him fired (i.e. Dan Rydell in Sports Night, Josh Lyman in The West Wing, Wes Mendell in Studio 60); former flames being brought together to work with each other (Josh & Mandy in The West Wing, Matt & Harriet in Studio 60); the workplace romance (Natalie & Jeremy in Sports Night, Sam & Mallory in The West Wing, and Danny & Jordan in Studio 60). Some of these ideas have a tendency to recur, but they always go in different directions.

Like other Aaron Sorkin shows, The Newsroom idealizes and romanticizes the new business. So much so that after watching it I thought, "Damn, why aren't I doing that with my life? It looks awesome!" Idealizing and romanticizing is what Sorkin does best. But the thing that I believe makes this show unique is that the series begins in 2010 and is going to cover real news stories that have occurred between then and now. I read an article a few days ago that scoffed at this, pointing out that it's unbelievable to portray the characters in this newsroom as the only ones in the business who get things right, foresee unforeseeable consequences, and are righteous. I say get over yourself, this is fiction. This is news idealized and romanticized. If you want reality, watch a damn documentary.

As I write this, I'm scanning through other reviews online and they're mixed. Words like "self-righteous," "passionate," and "grandiloquent." Are they right? I don't know. According to them the upcoming episodes of the show are just terrible and full of banality, and that the show does a disservice to actual reporters who worked on these stories in real life. Unfortunately, I can't speak to that, but I for sure enjoyed the first one. We'll see how next week turns out.

2,946 Miles And Back

Here are some thoughts on my recent cross-country trip from Poughkeepsie, NY, to Henderson, NV, via Tucson, AZ.

Luigi's Pizza, Akron, OH - In planning our trip, I tried to find local places where we could eat along the way. Chain restaurants can be great, but I can have Chili's any time. So, on our way to Indianapolis we stopped at Luigi's Pizza. I did some Googling and found this place, which was described as an Akron "institution." Since 1948, mind you. And it was OK. The inside has pictures of famous bowlers on the walls (as Akron used to host a lot of pro bowling events), and it looked like a family-own place with history. But I wasn't that impressed with the pizza, though my dad liked it more. First off, it was $13+ for a (large) 12-inch pie. Here in NY I'm used to 16+ inches for $10-13, depending on toppings. And to be honest, it reminded me of the pizza they used to serve on campus at Geneseo. It wasn't bad, but not my first choice.

Pappy's Smokehouse, St. Louis, MO - Probably the highlight of the trip. I found this place online as well, and it had great reviews. We arrived around lunchtime on Monday and the line was insane - it started as a U in the outer hallway, and then when you got permission you went into the main restaurant where a second line made a big L around the counter. The inside was covered with all sorts of things on the walls, and there was blues music playing. Awesome. And we weren't the only ones who had the idea to come here: behind us we met some people in town from Wisconsin for a conference. They had asked where to go for the best BBQ and were sent to Pappy's.

I decided to have the pulled pork and beef brisket with potato salad and vinegar slaw. My dad had the ribs with slaw and sweet potato fries. And wow. This food was amazing. If it's not in the best BBQ I've ever had, it's in a tie for first. The sauces were also dynamite. There were three of them, all served on the side (because they've got nothing to hide) - regular, sweet, and hot. I mixed and matched. My dad was blown away as well. I don't know when I'll get back, but at least they have a website where you can order the sauces.

Garcia's, Albuquerque, NM - We had a 16-hour day of driving on Tuesday, so we needed something quick and easy. Garcia's was just a fast, tasty (New) Mexican take-out chain not far off the interstate, and the food was good, though admittedly it was a little challenging to eat in the truck while moving. What I was most surprised at was how dense that section of Albuquerque is. Everything was so close together for a city built in the desert, and when we pulled into the little drive-thru parking lot of Garcia's we didn't know if we were going to fit. But we did.

On a side note, New Mexico is huge and beautiful, and I saw maybe the most amazing sunset I've ever seen while driving through it. But after a while, you just want to get where you're going.

Las Vegas, NV - This was my 4th time in Vegas and my shortest visit. I was only there for about a day and a half, and part of that time was spent unloading the truck and bringing some furniture to a 2nd-floor apartment. Gee, wasn't that fun? In my free time, I had Mexican at Baja Miguel's in the South Point, a burger at the Burger Brasserie in Paris, and Chinese at the Coronado Cafe in the South Point. Gambling-wise, I won $40 on a Wheel Of Fortune slot at the Tropicana, broke even on roulette at the M, and lost $40 on blackjack at the South Point. As always, if you don't lose, you win!

We still had the 16-foot Penske truck the first night in Vegas, so we were taking it up and down the strip. It was a trip trying to get it valet parked at the Cosmopolitan resort (no luck), and also at the Tropicana. Aaand my dad hit the valet with the side-view mirror as he pulled away. Classic. The guy laughed.

But to be honest, I was so wiped from the drive and the cold I had developed after St. Louis that I wasn't really into doing Vegas too much. The trip home with a cold was no grand prize, either. Vegas to Memphis, Memphis to LaGuardia, LaGuardia to Grand Central, Grand Central to Poughkeepsie, all with packets of tissues at the ready. It's hard to hit on cute girls in that condition.

And I can't wait to go back.

To Buffalo And Back: Part 2

The last 5 days have been a bit on the hectic side. For the past two months I've been organizing an appreciation/retirement dinner for my three high school music teachers; one of them is retiring so we decided to celebrate the 15 years that they've worked together. The dinner was Friday night, so I was running around Thursday and Friday making sure everything was ready for it, then attending it. It came off really well, and I'm happy that a good number of people came out to honor and give thanks to these three teachers who have meant so much to a lot of people. We ate dinner, jammed on some music, and enjoyed cake. (And to top it off, I got to watch Johan Santana complete the first no-hitter in New York Mets' history at the bar in the club!)

On Saturday, In The Pocket played a wedding at Shadow Lawn in High Falls, NY - cool place (a converted barn), good music, great food (New World Home Cooking), and a very appreciative crowd. We only wish we could've played more for them. See, when we play a bar or outdoor show, we're used to playing 2-3 hours. But at a wedding there is so much going on that we're lucky if we play an hour and a half.

On Sunday, I got up before 6AM on about four and a half hours of sleep, loaded into a car with my parents and drove almost 6 hours to go to my grandfather's 90th birthday party in Lockport, NY (outside Buffalo). Like I said last week, I've driven the NYS Thruway so many times that I can do it almost with my eyes closed. My dad was driving this time, but at one point I opened my eyes and immediately knew that we were in Herkimer - no road sign necessary. And the party was mostly a success despite the massive rain that was falling at times. But that's why my uncles got a tent, of course. The party was at 2PM, and up until then all I had eaten was a banana, so I started to house the chips, pretzels, veggies, and dips, along with the Labatt Blue Light. Then the real food arrived; BBQ chicken, ribs, mac & cheese, baked beans (no thanks), salad, and cornbread from Chiavetta's. Then cake. Exhausted, we spent the night at my uncle's, then drive home yesterday.

At this point I've eaten cake the past 4 days. I need a run.

To Buffalo & Back: Part 1

I've made the trip to and from Western New York so many times that I could do it in my sleep. I don't, but I could. And I've got it down to a science. 5 1/2 hours from Poughkeepsie to Buffalo. No stops. 31+ miles per gallon. Never been pulled over. I deserve some kind of award.

I was up in Buffalo this past Memorial Day weekend to be at the wedding of a friend from college. This friend - we'll call her "Amy" - was one of my classmates and my main study partner for all my music theory classes at Geneseo. We would get ready for tests and do homework together, and then she would always do just slightly better on the tests than me. How could I miss this?

I drove up Saturday and stayed at my aunt and uncle's house in East Amherst. I was immediately given a Labatt Blue Light and put to work helping to assemble a backyard gazebo canopy thing. Yes, I am handy, but I didn't really do too much. Then we joined another one of my uncles for dinner in Lockport (my third uncle in that area - all my mother's brothers - was in Baton Rouge for a bowling tournament). I had the veal parm and it was really good. After dinner, I made my way to a BBQ where about 8 or 9 Geneseo people were gathering. Some of these people I hadn't seen in probably 6 years. I brought Yuengling to celebrate the occasion, and I had a good time hanging out, catching up, and listening to the fireworks going off in the neighborhood.

Sunday was the wedding. I looked awesome, and I met my pseudo-date outside the church. She, too, looked good, and she had run a half marathon that morning. Crazy, I know. The pastor was a lot of fun and enjoyed enthusiastically using the word "awesome." Fittingly, there was a lot of laughter during the ceremony.

After not being able to find Bar Louie to hang with everyone prior to the cocktail hour, I checked into my room and we made our way to the reception at the Millennium Hotel Buffalo. The cocktail hour had a game: correctly identify the four cheeses and you will get the wedding's signature drink, the Blue Lagoon. Ooooo. I did, then gave my drink to someone else. Too much sugar. I began drinking Jim Beam on the rocks...and I didn't stop all night. Yup. The reception was a blast. Good food, good drinks, good DJ, good dancing, good picture-taking touchscreen. I can't wait to see those pictures.

How good a time did I have at the wedding? Well, my room was 827, and the after-party was in 828. On my way upstairs I was apparently chanting, "828! 828! 828!" Nice. Well, I never made it to 828, and I think we'll just leave it at that. And yesterday morning was rough, too. Everyone at breakfast pretty much looked and felt the same. Waters for everyone! After that I picked up my pseudo-date and we drove back to Poughkeepsie, where I dropped her at the train station to head back to Astoria. Overall it was a good weekend, and smooth trips both ways. I'll do it again next weekend, but slightly different. More on that later.

Lucky

About two years ago, I was accepted to and began attending the Songwriters Hall of Fame Writers Workshop down in New York City. It was an 8-week workshop that met once a week. I remember walking into that room the first day and not knowing who anyone was or what I was getting myself into. Eight weeks later I finished one of the best experiences I've had since embarking on this crazy thing called a "career" as a singer/songwriter, and I made some great friends that I still keep in touch with today.

One of those friends is Jason Kingston. Jason lives in Florida and would fly up every week for the workshop, always wearing his red Mickey Mouse shirt; his traveling shirt. Over the course of the workshop, JK and I got to know each other a little, and it became obvious not only how talented a person he is, but how wonderful a person he is. We've tried to keep in touch since the workshop, and while we haven't quite worked out the kinks and gotten to write together, we have performed together.

A little less than a year ago, Jason was awarded the Songwriters Hall of Fame Abe Olman Award, and he asked me to accompany him for the performance of his song, "Lucky." Of course I said yes, and I was touched at how much he loved my piano arrangement of his song. We practiced the tune at soundcheck, gave a great performance, and after that had some mediocre food at a nearby restaurant. So, overall it was a good night.

But there's a hitch to the story. Not long before JK was given his award, he was in NYC when he suffered what's called an abdominal aortic aneurysm, or triple-A. I learned about them in 2005 when I was studying to be a New York State EMT, and they are the real deal. Luckily, he survived, but lost the function of his kidneys, has been having to deal with dialysis treatments ever since, and is in need of a kidney transplant. He has good days and bad days, and to be honest I haven't talked to him in many months because he's been dealing with the situation.

Last night at the Bitter End on Bleecker St., the New York Songwriters Collective - a group that JK was instrumental in launching - held a "member benefit" showcase with all proceeds going to JK. Thankfully, JK has health insurance, but there are a good amount of expenses that need to come out of his pocket for the transplant. When I learned about this event and what it was for, I knew that I had to be there. And I knew that I had to perform the song that JK and I once performed together - "Lucky." After the showcase I had some people that I knew - and some that I didn't - tell me that my performance was beautiful and one of the highlights of the evening. I'll take that. But I didn't write the song. JK wrote it. I can't wait to hear what he writes next.

Mother's Day Stuff

So Mother's Day was Sunday. I have three mothers in my immediate family: my mom, my sister, and my sister-in-law. I don't know if I'm just noticing this now or if this is a new thing, but Mother's Day cards are expensive. Wow. I felt like I needed to move a small fortune just to pay for three of them. Anyway, we did a BBQ at my parents' house, my dad made his famous German potato salad, and I got to play with my nieces and nephews.

Before the BBQ, I had an outdoor rehearsal with In The Pocket at Schlathaus Park in Wappingers Falls to test out some new sound equipment that we got (*cough*wirelessmicrophone*cough*). We've got a number of outdoor shows coming up in June, July, and August, and we needed to see if our equipment could handle the setting or if additional equipment and a sound engineer would be needed. Thankfully, we were very pleased with the results that we got on our own, so that's going to save us a decent amount of money. I guarantee you a good time if you come see us.

After the BBQ, I went to the second-run theater and saw American Reunion with some friends. Hey, I enjoyed the first three and I enjoyed this one, but man, did I feel old. The characters, the 90s soundtrack - it got me feelings pretty nostalgic at times. I remember when the first movie came out and it was so controversial. I was in high school. I, myself, have a reunion next month. I'm not going to say what year (you can probably guess), and I'm not going to it, but still. The fact that its happening at all messes with your head. I will try to forget that fact starting...now.

Perspective

It's interesting to be able to look at yourself and where you have been in the past with a bit of objectivity and perspective. What you've been through, how you handled it, what's different about yourself, and what you want to change. Its an ability (for lack of a better word) that seems to come more easily with maturity, and its not something that can only be done around January 1st of any given year.

I've had a couple of conversations recently on this subject - about others and about myself - and the key to the conversations always seems to be the word I mentioned above: perspective. We all go through tough times, but those times can be magnified through a lack of perspective, which Merriam-Webster defines as "the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance." Quite honestly, one of the best things about having a few years behind you is being able to recognize what shit is important, what shit isn't, what shit will be important, and what shit won't matter at all. The younger you are, the less likely you are able to see these things for what they are. And that's not a dig - it's just a fact. Not three years ago I barely had any real grasp on who I was, what I was doing, or where I was going. I would say that I wanted to achieve things, but how seriously was I really working to reach those goals? How much responsibility was I taking for my life and my decisions? How much am I taking now? I'm proud to say that I have a slightly better grasp of these things today. Slightly.

On Saturday night, I had a conversation with Seth (studio PIC) over some Sam Adams Summer Ale and he introduced me to the "Oh Shit Phase." What is the "Oh Shit Phase?" It is the phase where your life falls off the cliff, everything starts to spin out of control, and you have to learn to bridge that gap between being a child and being an adult. Its a concept that he learned about from his college psychology professor, but I had never heard it before. And so after he explained it to me, I thought about it and was able to pinpoint fairly precisely when my life entered the "Oh Shit Phase" and when I came out of it. He was able to do the same. We then talked about defense and survival mechanisms that we used to make it through, and how if you look you can begin to notice who is in the "Oh Shit Phase," who is past it, and who hasn't gotten to it yet. And the best part is, none of this conversation could have happened without perspective. It's rare to meet a 22-year-old who can say something like, "Yeah, I know that two years ago my ego got pretty big, but it was really just an overreaction to a rough patch in my life." I know when I was 22 I never would've said that. I know that even a year ago I probably never would've said that, even though I was past my "Oh Shit Phase" at that point.

Perspective is a tricky thing. You want to have it and people tell you to have it, but the funny thing is you can't have it until you're ready to have it. Often times this is after you need it. I bet if you think about it for a minute, you can look at your life with some perspective and pinpoint your "Oh Shit Phase." If you can't, that means you haven't gone through it yet. Good luck.

The Beechtree To The Rescue

I guess this is what happens when Mother Nature gets mad at me, though I don't know what I did to make her angry. Maybe its the fact that I drive a 13-year-old car. Maybe its the fact that I don't always treat insects like they're my best friends. Maybe its the fact that after the Springsteen show Monday in Albany I didn't run after the napkins that blew away while I was eating my pizza. I don't know. But what I do know is that I was supposed to drive to Boston on Sunday for my first game at Fenway Park - Yankees vs. Red Sox, no less - but the plan was thwarted by an April rain storm. Now I have to hope that it isn't re-scheduled for a day that I'm at a wedding, or have a show, or any of the other things that I have to do this summer. Keep your fingers crossed.

So what does one do when you and your friend have plans to go to a baseball game in Boston and its raining? Well, obviously you go to the Beechtree Grill for dinner and drinks. Specifically, you start with a couple Brooklyn Pennant Ales, along with fresh mozzarella on crostini with tomato, fresh basil, aged balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. Its quite glorious. Then you have your salad, and while all of the salad dressings are dynamite, the creamy garlic is definitely C4 caliber. And for your entree, you have slow roasted pulled pork with Carolina BBQ and french fries. It also comes with the chef's vegetable of the day, and on Sunday it was roasted rutabaga. Amazing. And then you are too full for dessert, but if legs were hollow you would get the chocolate peanut butter pie.

Now, the above mentioned food is what I chose to eat, but in reality you could order anything off the menu at the Beechtree and walk away wanting more. The tap beers are always changing, the desserts are always changing, and the specials are always, well, special. The food, staff, and atmosphere is truly remarkable, and I encourage you to stop in, get a meal, or get a drink, or dessert, or all of the above. On Sunday it was my plan B, but trust me when I say that it is a stellar plan A.

10

One word comes to mind when looking to describe my tenth time seeing Bruce Springsteen on Monday: endurance.

After seeing Bruce and the band two weeks ago the itch to go again was back, and thanks to eBay I was able to score my first GA tickets to a show. My friend and bodyguard Chris and I arrived in Albany around 2:45PM, got our tickets at will call, got our GA lottery wristbands, and then got lunch at the Pearl St. Pub ($2 drafts, hell yeah). We left the pub at 4:00 and walked back to the Times Union Center to get ready for instructions. We were soon told to head to specific spots to arrange ourselves in numerical order based on the number on our wristbands. My number was 0303, and Chris was 0305.

Once in line, we found ourselves standing behind three young European guys with higher wristband numbers than us who sarcastically blew me off when I tried to explain to them that everyone needs to be in numerical order. A little while later a woman in line explained to them the same thing and they finally relented and moved back to their spot. Leave it to a woman. We also met a couple from Canada (the husband had seen Bruce more than 60 times and they've met the man a couple times), a middle-aged asshole who wished Bruce would stop doing his whole "common man" thing (if you don't like what he does then why are you here?), and a 17-year-old girl named Cindy who had driven from Concord, MA, and was planning to drive back that night. Don't know if she did or not. It was during this time that I developed my dehydration headache.

We didn't make the drawing for the front pit, but were finally let in to the arena around 7:00. We hit the bathroom and made our way to the floor, staking out our spot about five people deep behind the second barricade just to the right of stage center. I could've throw a baseball and hit the stage if I wanted to. It was the closest I had been, and the people around us were great. Very territorial. If you had to go to the bathroom, they would save your spot, and they did not like it when people tried to squeeze in front after we were there. And there we stood until the show started at 8:30.

1. Badlands
2. We Take Care of Our Own
3. Wrecking Ball
4. Out in the Street
5. Death to My Hometown
6. My City of Ruins
7. Darlington County
8. Jack of All Trades
9. Murder Incorporated
10. Downbound Train
11. Shackled & Drawn
12. Waitin' on a Sunny Day
13. The Promised Land
14. The Way You Do The Things You Do/634-5789
15. Janey Don't You Lose Heart (solo/acoustic)
16. Backstreets
17. The Rising
18. Lonesome Day
19. We Are Alive
20. Land of Hope and Dreams
* * *
21. Thunder Road
22. Rocky Ground (with Michelle Moore)
23. Born to Run
24. Dancing in the Dark
25. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

All in all, seven different songs from when I saw them two weeks ago, and at times during the show I was no more than ten feet from Bruce while he was on a raised platform. During "634-5789," Bruce was on this platform drinking a beer that someone from the crowd gave him. He then flipped the cup in our direction and Chris caught it. I got beer in my hair and almost dropped my iPhone as I was filming at the time, but how awesome is that? Chris wants to never wash it and have it framed. And big shout-out to the Times Union Center security team. In the middle of "Wrecking Ball," these two obviously wasted guys came charging through the crowd and stopped right in front of me. They were there for a few minutes acting wasted, blocking my view, and talking about how they had gotten past security, but pretty soon security arrived and my whole section made sure to point out who should be removed. I love teamwork.

When the show was over, we walked back to the car, then to one pizza place, then another, and we finally sat down in the car to leave at 12:08AM. That means we were on our feet, basically standing in one place, for over 8 hours. We were so exhausted and dehydrated on the drive home, and yesterday, too. It was a great experience, but not a relaxing one, and definitely not one that we would want to do outside in the summer when you have to deal with the heat and sun. Anyway, we like to tailgate before summer shows. Meadowlands in September? We shall see.

9

The best concert tickets are the ones that you stumble into; ones that you haven't been waiting months and months to use. Often times, this is how I come to see Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, and last Tuesday was no exception. I was initially on the fence about going to my 9th show, but after reading the tour reviews and seeing videos from the concerts, I decided I had to go. I'm glad I did. It was my first time seeing them at the Meadowlands arena.

1. We Take Care of Our Own
2. Wrecking Ball
3. Badlands
4. Death to My Hometown
5. My City of Ruins
6. So Young and In Love
7. The E Street Shuffle
8. Jack of All Trades
9. Seeds
10. Prove It All Night
11. Easy Money
12. Waitin' on a Sunny Day
13. The Promised Land
14. The Way You Do The Things You Do/634-5789
15. American Skin (41 Shots)
16. Because the Night
17. The Rising
18. We Are Alive
19. Thunder Road
* * *
20. Rocky Ground (with Michelle Moore)
21. Out in the Street
22. Born to Run
23. Dancing in the Dark
24. Land of Hope and Dreams
25. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Seeing Bruce and the band is like a lesson from the professionals. It's like they're up there saying, "This is how it's done, everyone. Take notes." I always do. The highlights of the night for me were "Death to My Hometown," which is one of my favorite songs off the new album; "Waitin' On a Sunny Day," with Bruce pulling a young girl out of the crowd to sing the chorus and slide across the stage with him (watching him run for the slide was the only time, to me, that his age was visible, by the way); "American Skin (41 Shots)," which has become a part of the show again in the wake of the Trayvon Martin situation in Florida; "Thunder Road," with Bruce allowing the entire arena to sing the first verse; and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," complete with extended intro and mid-song Clarence tribute. And in additi0n to all that, one of the best parts of the night was the fact that I took a Bruce fan to his first Bruce show. My sax player in In The Pocket, Christian, is a huge Bruce fan, and Tuesday was his first experience seeing him live. Very exciting.

I'm not really sure what to say about seeing the E Street Band without Clarence. I think others were feeling a bit more bitter sweet than I was. The band goes on, and his parts are duplicated but he can never be replaced, just like Danny. I do like how they added an entire 5-piece horn section, though. It's like they need five guys to fill the void left by one. My former college jazz director told me that the trombone player on the tour is a friend of his named Clark.

But as great as last Tuesday's show was, I kinda wish I could have been at the show the next night if for no other reason than the band played "Racing in the Street," which is like the one song that I really want to hear them do that I have not yet. Apparently, they also added a video tribute to Clarence in the middle of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out." I guess this means I have to go back, right? Albany on Monday night, anyone?

Don't Let The Idiots Get You Down

Friday night In The Pocket played at La Puerta Azul on 44 in Salt Point. If you've never been, they've got great Mexican food...but it can get a little pricey. So, being the poor musician that I am I decided to stop instead at Madison's Pizza Cafe in Pleasant Valley on my way to the gig. I figured I would grab a couple slices on the cheaper side, then make it to set up around 6PM.

Traffic was bad. I made it to the bank, hit the ATM, then brought my car to a stop where the bank parking lot meets the road. I look to the left, I look to the right - no cars. I start to pull out when all of a sudden there's a guy crossing in the middle of road right in from of me! I stop my car - he looks at me, I look at him, both of us, I imagine, in disbelief. I pulled the car around him, and as I did I looked at him and said, "They're called crosswalks," in my best condescending tone. And then as I pulled away, he threw something at my car! I'm not sure what it was, though I think it was wallet because he picked it up after he threw it at me. I stopped my car in the middle of the road and looked at him through my mirrors in disbelief. I was dumbfounded. This guy was pissed at me because he was too lazy to follow the law and use a crosswalk and almost got hit by a car as a result. I mean, those are the facts. Angry and hungry, I [redacted redacted redacted] and pulled into the Madison's parking lot only to find that he decided to walk through that parking lot, too. Well, I wasn't going to waste any more time on this guy and I didn't want to get into it with him in the parking lot, so I frustratingly dropped numerous expletives and drove off, not having gotten my pizza.

But I made it to the gig, ate some food at the bar, and we played a great show. Don't let the idiots get you down.

And by the way, if you've never been to Mohonk Mountain House, you've gotta go! We played there on Saturday night and the food is amazing. Way more expensive than La Puerta Azul, sure, but it was slammin'. And grounds are like a damn Disney World resort.

Sick Day

This past weekend had so much promise. I got my hands on a set of orchestra bells to record for three songs on the new album, I got myself a meatball pizza Saturday night, and I was planning on spending all day Sunday at the studio editing percussion. But it wasn't to be. Instead, I spent Sunday on the couch.

I guess I can't be 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure that it was the meatball pizza that did me in. A few years ago I got a meatball calzone from the same unnamed pizza place and had a similar reaction. I swear that I had weird dreams about getting sick Saturday night, and when I woke up Sunday morning I knew things weren't right. You know the feeling. I don't think I need to get any more specific. And the worst part is, try as you might there isn't anything that you can do except wait it out. Wait it out. So I did.

And you'll be happy to know that while I was waiting I watched 5 episodes from the most recent season of Dexter (though I still have 6 to go so no spoilers, please). I ended up getting back into bed around 7:30PM, got up at 5AM, and watched a movie called The Perfect Host. Wow, David Hyde Pierce knows how to play creepy. If you've never seen it - and you probably haven't - check it out. Like the illness itself, I don't want to go into too much detail, but suffice to say that the movie keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen or what character you want to come out on top. Thanks to Tony for recommending it.

Then I watched Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part I. I guess it was OK. I mean, I was still feeling kinda sick so how close attention was I really paying? Plus I only read that book once so it's hard to really compare it, but it may be best that way. If you can't remember the source material all that well then you can't be as disappointed, right? I remember feeling so disappointed with the fifth film, specifically the moment when Dumbledore snaps at the students in anger. That never would've happened in the book, and it was that moment that I refused to spend any more money on those movies. But I digress.

I got myself together, ate a small amount of bland food, and went to the studio. Why? Because I needed to get the orchestra bells back whether I was in recovery mode or not. So, I recorded a little more, edited some percussion, and then gave up when I was too tired and hungry to continue. But I was able to get them back to their rightful owner without issue, and I even made it through In The Pocket rehearsal.

But I'm still not right.

So Beautiful Or So What

Based on my last blog entry, it's obvious to see that I recently bought Bruce Springsteen's new album, Wrecking Ball. But what isn't obvious to see is that at the same time I also bought Paul Simon's most recent album, So Beautiful Or So What. I was at Darkside Records on Main St. in Poughkeepsie for (believe it or not) the first time, and I stumbled across a used copy. And since I've had numerous people tell me how great it is, I decided to give it a shot.

I'm a big Paul Simon fan. I grew up listening to his music thanks to my dad, and it seems like every time I go into the city I need to listen to him. Unlike any other artist - to me, anyway - his music and voice just feel like New York City. I remember being in the city for a wedding back in January 2010, and on my commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan I listened to Paul Simon's Concert In The Park, and it was damn near magical. But I digress.

So Beatutiful Or So What can almost be described as simply classic Paul Simon, in that it's really good and often times unpredictable. For someone who has been such an influential and important presence in American music for almost 50 years, Simon has never really dominated the charts with hits. Sure, there's "Kodachrome," "Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard," "You Can Call Me Al," and the like, but the songs of his that I love the most do not follow the beaten path. Songs like "Duncan," "Something So Right," "Train In The Distance," "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes," "The Boy In The Bubble," and "The Obvious Child" are really what make me love Paul Simon. It's always familiar, yet different.

And that's how I hear So Beautiful Or So What. It's familiar, yet different, with nothing on it that you would expect to hear on the radio. And even at his age, the lyrics that Paul Simon produces are just gorgeous. That's really the only way to describe them. I always consider a well-written lyric to be one in which you can't even imagine any of the words being changed. "I've got a nephew in Iraq - it's his third time back, but it's ending up the way it began/With the luck of a beginner he'll be eatin' turkey dinner on a mountain top in Pakistan." Boom. "I'm going to tell my kids a bedtime story/A play without a plot/Will it have a happy ending?/Maybe yeah, maybe not/I tell them life is what you make of it/So beautiful or so what." Boom. He sets the bar over and over again.

My current favorite cuts are "Getting Ready For Christmas Day," "The Afterlife," and "So Beautiful Or So What." Have you heard the album? What do you think?