The Local Rockstar

Bubble Gum Booty

2010-04-25T14:32:00.001-07:00

Finally, bubble gum booty has hit iTunes.

Follow the link below to get your very own version!

-Chad

BUBBLE GUM BOOTY ON iTUNES:
Click Me!!

Sheggitout

2010-04-06T00:17:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is one of the new songs I played last weekend at the show.

Let me know what you think!
-Chad

Rockin' The House

2010-03-30T14:57:00.001-07:00

I am bad at updating this thing.

However, I have some cool things for you!

FIRST: I got paid to write some music for a video! Really cool stuff, and a fun challenge to try and write for a specific project. I was told by my director friend Sam to write something folksy with a short simple chorus. The rest was to be instrumental to allow for dialogue. The final project was a short promo video shown at Christian Assembly in preparation for an event this summer. The final song includes yours truly pickin' and singin' and the lovely Vanessa Brooks (she's taken boys, back off) singin' harmony.

You can check out the video here:
Colors Of Hope

I got a lot of great comments and encouragement on the song, as well as the opportunity to write a few more! So excited about that.

SECOND: I played another show. It was again at The Joint in LA, and this time on a Saturday night. It went really well, and we filmed the whole thing! Hopefully I can find some time to edit the videos and post a song or two on this here blog. I also got the chance to play with my good friends Troy and Travis who head up "The Adults." Check 'em out here.

OK, that is all for now. Thanks for keeping up with me!
-c

SHOW TIME!

2010-02-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

yo, yo, yo, yo, yo!! so tonight I am playing my LA debut. I got my boys Trent and Jeremy on the rhythm section, and I will be handling vocals and guitar work. Few things that are either going to make this AWESOME or a disaster...

1) Pedalboard: In the past I have only played with a few pedals at my disposal, mainly because it took too long to put them all together. A week or so ago I finally made a board. It is big and contains 8 pedals. It is quite a challenge to hit all the ones I need to ON TIME and not lose my balance and fall over. But I have been practicing with them and should be ok.

2) Backing Tracks: For you non-music types, this refers to music that is played via iPod/CD/laptop/etc that plays along with the band. Since this music never changes, it is super important to stay on time with it. So what I have done is made a special mix that has a click track in one headphone, which the drummer wears. If he counts correctly and stays on time, then the laptop will play along exactly with the band. Which means though there are only 3 people on stage, other parts are being played in unison. Awesome. Not too worried about this aspect either as it has gone really well in rehearsals.

3) Front manning: So, I have never really sung in front of people. Ever. I just recently started playing and singing by myself for small crowds in the last few months. I have yet to do it front of a decent sized group and with other loud instruments. I know I will be nervous as all get out when the show starts, but hopefully I can shake it by the first minute or so and just crush it!

So excited to start this part of my journey in LA! Thanks for keeping up with me, I will be sure to post whatever pics / videos I can find!

-chad

And we're back!

2010-01-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

yes, so again I have been in a blog posting slump. I am sure my readership has been drastically reduced, but hopefully there are still a few out there (hi mom!)

exciting news! I have been playing with other folks a decent amount in LA, but I have started booking REAL shows. Real as in we will be performing the songs from my CD, woo hoo! Right now it is myself on guitar and vocals, Jeremy Graham on the bass and some vocals, and the fantastic Trent Marderosian on drums.

I am so pumped.

Feb 6 - Playing an acoustic gig with Johnny May (whose album we just finished) in the Bay Area

Feb 10 - Playing our debut LA show at "The Joint" on Pico Blvd in West LA. Details forthcoming.

Huzzah!

I stumbled across this video from a friend today. It has nothing to do with the above post, but it is definitely worth the watch!

Deck The Halls

2009-12-18T09:09:00.001-08:00

Good Grief!!

It has been way too long since I have posted. My apologies.

And I must keep this short, lot to do today. I am headed to Utah in a few hours for a weekend-long drumming gig, then to NC for christmas.

But, I just finished some christmas music with my friends out here in LA!! It is free to download, hope you like it!

Get it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?myayzmj0hqh

This ish is bananas

2009-11-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Yo friends,

so i had an awesome halloween. i DJed a party as a banana. enjoy the pics.

GET YO POTASSIUM FIX:

FLAPPERS LIKE BANANAS TOO

Gettin Physical (CDs)

2009-10-28T12:56:00.001-07:00

Good Grief

2009-10-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I have updated. I apologize.

This is my update, so Kenzie can stop bugging me about it.

I will do a fancy-schmancy video update this weekend so you can see my beautiful face.

In the meantime, check out this video I just finished:

Anniversary

2009-09-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

So, a year ago today (I think...give or take a few days) I was driving out of the Grand Canyon and making the final leg of my cross-country moving adventure. It is crazy to know I have been in LA for a whole year. I wanted to recount some of the more memorable events and facts here for you, I hope it is interesting.

-- First place I ate was In 'N Out in Glendale with Brian Turney. I did not know then the treasure that I had stumbled upon. It is very delicious. It is also where I met...

-- Vanessa. I have done what many in NC said was impossible; charm a beautiful lady. We have been dating for a few months now and it is great.

-- Saw Bill Cosby's house. Served coffee to both Stephen Perkins (drummer Jane's Addiction) and the guy who played bass in Fuel (bassist Fuel). And the fat kid with orange hair from all those movies like the Sandlot back in the day. Must still be doing well off royalties, he had an iPhone.

-- Sat across the aisle from Chester (vocalist Linkin Park) on a small plane to Pheonix. Was too involved in Harry Potter Book 6 and a little embarrased by my mustache and sweatpants to talk to him. Also, wasn't quite sure it was him. It was. Crap.

-- I have released two singles which have been heard by dozens. First, "DeFriend" recounts the tale of a young man distressed over breaking up with his girlfriend and having to de-friend her on Facebook. Next, Chase (aka YungPneumonia) spent a few days in LA which saw the creation of the long-awaited "BubbleGum Booty," which is just amazing. Both of those songs can be heard here.

-- I have also released an entire CD!! It contains songs I have been messing around with for years (a few of them were played with Nine PM), and also has some written here in LA. It was a blast to do an entire project on my own. You can find it on iTunes by clicking here.

-- I have played drums for three different groups, and played guitar with another group. Most notably, I played drums at the Whiskey A Go Go with my good friend Jeremy Graham (with whom I am playing again this Friday). It was a complete blast, and truly amazing to play at a venue with such a great system and knowledgeable techs. Cat's Cradle was great, but my monitor mix at the Whiskey was better than the Cradle's FOH. Awesome. I have played a total of 7 "real shows," along with playing at church and other places another handful of times.

-- Found an amazing church that combines the teaching and organization of the Summit with the community and relational aspect of Snowbird. And it is loaded with some of the most amazing musicians I have ever seen. Seriously, A-listers who get payed to tour with the biggest names in the industry, then come play for free at church.

-- Slowly realized that I really enjoy Los Angeles. Anything you want is 30 minutes away (or two hours in traffic). Beautiful beaches, huge mountains, live music, great food, etc.

-- Found some really great friends. Lookin' forward to spending the next year with them.

Here's to one!

Drum Roll Please....

2009-09-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

....ladies and gentlemen, some great news.

The Album. Is. Available.

Yes, this very moment you can go and download your very own copy of what I have been working on for the last few months. It is a sweet moment for me to release, as well as a little nerve wracking, as I have never attempted real song writing or singing before. Oh well, let it go and see if it flies, right?

So, there are two places you can get it online. If you use iTunes to download music, you can go here: Chad on iTunes

You also have the option of buying it on Amazon.com: Chad on Amazon.com

Both sites will let you review the record WITHOUT buying it, so if you have some free time you can go there and write great things about it.

Now I know some of you technologically challenged-folks don't like all this "MP3 nonsense" and just want your CD. That is coming to. I should have physical CD's (with some incredible artwork done by Nick Burns) in about a month. If you want one, I can mail you one. Or if you live in Concord, you could get one from my parent's house. I am sure we can work something out. The physical CDs are $10, whereas the downloads are $7.92, so with the recession and all I understand if you just go to iTunes.

Alright folks, that's it for me! I have had the flu the past couple days so I am going to retire to the bed here soon and try to feel better. Adios
--Chad

California Fire

2009-08-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

This update is mainly for the Non-californian readers.

I don't know if they have news of the LA fires in NC, but you should look it up if you haven't heard. It is burning 30 square miles of forest right above La Canada, which is where I lived for the first month and half I moved here. It is the craziest thing I have ever seen; to be driving down the street on lunch break and look to the right and see 15 - 20 ft flames just a few miles away. I snapped some pictures on my camera to share, but they don't do it justice at all.

This is a shot from Pasadena, about 5 miles away from the blaze on Friday.

This is from the 101 Highway about 30 - 40 miles away from the fire. You can see the width of the smoke from this shot, and even this shot doesn't capture the magnitude of the smoke column.

Lastly, here is a video from the AP that shows some closer images. Only 5% contained; scary.

Woodleaf

2009-08-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Just got back last night from a week of Young Life camping at Woodleaf. I absolutely love it; hanging out with kids for a week doing ridiculous things and talking deep things about life and faith. Incredible. Makes me wonder why I work the 9 - 5.

Hung out with some 15 - 16 year olds who have gone through stuff that I can't even imagine. I cried just hearing their stories, I think that is the first time that has happened to me. This world is janked up friends, if you trust anything here you will be disappointed.

That's it for now. I am getting anxious waiting for the CD to pop up in the iTunes store; as soon as it does I will let you know. I am also looking into breaking my way into the ringtone industry, as I have made some for friends here in Cali and they are loving it.

FB Fans

2009-08-08T18:07:00.001-07:00

For all you facebookers, join my fan page!!

Local Rockstar

Done...for real.

2009-08-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right friends. After a few months of being "done" and still tinkering, I decided to just bite the bullet. This past weekend I uploaded my songs to TuneCore, which will pass it on to iTunes. So, by September 12, 2009 you can download "Local Rockstar" to your computer for the ridiculously low price of $7.92.

I have made some good friends here in the area who are pretty knowledgeable about marketing and artist management, so I am going to try and hook up with them. Pretty exciting; now I can find some other musicians and go do what I moved to LA to do.

I have put three of the songs up on my MySpace page (along with some album artwork done by N. Burns) so check that out if you have some free time.

www.myspace.com/thelocalrockstar

I would love to hear your thoughts on the new stuff.

New Design

2009-07-26T01:18:00.000-07:00

So, if this is at least your second visit to the blog, you will notice the silly emo picture of me is now gone from the top. That haircut was a good idea for maybe 3 minutes. Gross. Now my page is the proud home of a piece of Nick Burns' digital genius.

Anyways, things are excellent in my life right now. I mixed down the final tracks finally for the album today. All the recording and tweaking is done. Next week I am going to upload it to iTunes and start looking at options as far as CD pressing and artwork printing. Exciting times; I will upload a few of the tunes on MySpace as well so you can hear them in MySpace lo-fi glory. The extra time on the reocording was well worth it. I got to lay down a bunch of harmonies that really help the songs stand out, as well as take some good criticisms from friends who hear the "almost finished" versions from back in June.

Tonight I ran a "Dive In Movie" at a pool in Pasadena. I got paid pretty decent money to set up and then watch "Kung Fu Panda" on a 10.5' x 14' screen with Vanessa. Not too shabby, sure beats making lattes at 5 in the morning. Yuck.

I should be sleeping because it is 1:22 in the morning, but a few minutes ago I awoke to something crawling across my chest. It was a spider, so it gave me the heebies jeebies. Since I can't sleep, I thought I might as well update the blog.

Alright, that's all for me folks. Thanks for reading.

Oh yea, BubbleGum Booty is done and available for download here: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=272904&songID=7853882

I have gotten quite a few requests for ringtones for that little diddy right there, so perhaps next time a spider crawls across me in the wee hours of morning I will make that happen.

Chase comes to LA

2009-07-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

Hey friends, so my bro came to LA for a few days on his way out to Sydney, Australia. The much hyped "BubbleGum Booty" finally became a reality. Check out the preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z9Gbdfq69k

You should ALWAYS drive with your license!

2009-07-01T23:35:00.001-07:00

So friends, I had other plans for this blog entry. But due to an unfortunate turn of events this evening, I have an exciting and gripping story to share instead.

Wednesday night is Bible Study night, which I always enjoy. I was coming home and had just pulled off the freeway when I noticed a cop car next to me at the light. We both turn left. I always get nervous when cops are behind me, especially in CA because I think they are going to pull me over for my NC license which was registered in September. Anyways, As I turn left I am looking in my mirror to watch his movements. I should have paid closer attention to the road, because I kept turning after arriving in my lane and crossed the double yellow line. About a mile later, the cop flashes his lights. As I mumble obscenities under my breath, I look for a good spot to pull over. It takes a bit and the cop is obviously annoyed because he shouts "Pull Over" at me from his cool cop megaphone thing.

As I pull over and park, I reach in the glove compartment for my registration. Check. I pat my pockets for my wallet. Not there. Check the compartment in the middle. Not there. Check beside the seats and the floorboard. Not there. Excellent. So the two police officers walk up and ask for my license. I explain that I left it at my friends house. They say they noticed I crossed the double yellow line, which is why I was pulled over. They then tell me they can impound my car because of it is registered in NC and I have been in CA for over 21 days. They then ask if I have been drinking. No. They don't believe me. They make me follow their finger with my eyes without moving my head. Dumb. Still don't believe me.

Get out of the car. Follow the finger again. Cop #1 - How many drinks have you had tonight? None. I can smell the alcohol on you. I haven't had anything to drink officer. Sit on the curb.

I sat on the side of the road for a few minutes while they did their police officer radio calling stuff. After a few minutes, they tell me that the registration checks out, and that I need to get it switched over to CA ASAP. They also warn me against driving without my license, and then let me go ticket free! Unbelievable!

After arriving at home, I call my friend Jeremy Graham to have him check his couch for my wallet. He can't find it, so I decide to check my car again. It was lying on the floorboard of the passenger seat the whole time. Crazy.

Tune in later this week to read the exciting story of how the new guy at work put a big dent in the van.

Dump

2009-06-29T21:36:00.001-07:00

I just typed up a bunch of stuff to share in my exciting return to blogging, and lost it all. And now i just don't care enough to do it. Sad but true.

Tomorrow I hope to return with what should be a informing and exciting post.

Stay tuned friends

North Carolina, cmon and RAISE UP!

2009-06-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

I am back in NC. As expected, I still absolutely love Bojangles, Zaxbys, and other frieds foods. I really like my friends. I don't like the weather. So stinkin' hot. I have sweated more in the last four days than I have since about February.

I walked around UNC's campus yesterday. I forgot how pretty it is; the grass is so green and huge trees everywhere. Definitely don't get that in LA very often.

As far as music stuff goes, I "finished" the album before I came home. After listening to the whole deal a few times through on the plane ride, I decided it needs a bit more work. Two weeks; three weeks max. I need to adjust some vocals on a tune and do a little more mixing. The whole thing is a little quiet and bass heavy. But it is VERY close. Nick Burns has made some excellent artwork, I am really excited about that. So, the timeline looks like this: Finish up my part by end of June. Have hard copies by late July. It should be online in the iTunes stores by mid-August.

Awesome. I can't wait for everyeone to hear what I have been working on.

Awesome Things

2009-05-24T09:17:00.001-07:00

So I haven't posted in a while, thought I should update my dozens of faithful readers. Things have been awesome. I will enumerate them:

1) NEW JOB(S): I got a "real job." I set up sound and video systems for clients who rent through JD Audio Visual. It is right up my alley and the other co-workers are cool guys. I think I will learn a lot about sound gear, which will be great. The owners are Christians and supporters of Young Life, so I hopefully I will be able to go on weekend trips with their support. I also DJed a wedding and a prom in the last two weeks. Both went great and I got lots of good feedback. I booked two more weddings in October. It is really fun, I get paid well, and I love every song because I am the DJ. SUMMARY: My new job(s) is(are) awesome.

2) NEW MUSIC: As promised, I will have my 9-track debut CD available in about two weeks. I should finish my part in the next day or two of mixing, and Nick Burns has created some awesome artwork. After that, we send it off and wait for it to get back to us! I am excited about it, I think it is really good. It will eventually be on iTunes sometime late summer, but if you would like a hard copy, let me know. We will figure it out. SUMMARY: My new music is finished and awesome.

3) NEW GIRLFRIEND: Yes friends, you read that right. I have managed to find an awesome girl who seems to like me. Crazy, I know. Her name is Vanessa. She loves Jesus, is smart, makes me laugh, listens to great music, has a great singing voice, likes fast food, and is beautiful. SUMMARY: My new girlfriend is awesome.

Alright folks, so I am headed back to NC in a few days for a slew of weddings and hanging out. I am sure I will see some of you during that time.

Tough Realities

2009-05-16T02:20:00.001-07:00

I agree with this video.

I'm Unemployed-ish

2009-04-26T13:14:00.001-07:00

Hi friends and faithful readers. Today's content will surely make my parents and you other parental-types cringe and tell me I should not do such foolish things. However, I probably passed that point a long time ago. Like when I got tattoos on my forearms and moved to California. Just so you know, Momma I tried to call you twice to tell you the news in person. Anyways, drum roll please: I quit my job at Starbucks today.

A quick story so you will sympathize with me. Friday night I was driving home from my friend's house around 10:30 pm, which was waaaay late because I had to wake up at 4 am on Saturday to get to my opening shift. Yuck. During that shift, I was asked to take over the drink-making after my break. There is a ridiculous line, the bar is a mess and I have two large cappucinos. For those of you who work at coffee shops (Melissa Turney), you know that the worse thing to have during rush time is a cappucino. And two large cappucinos? Even worse. So I finish the drinks, and go to hand them off. At this point I realize they should have been non-fat cappucinos; I used whole milk. I turn around, dump them out, and spin back around to make them again. As I spin, I knock over a full pitcher of hot 2% milk all over my apron and pants. Then a lady asks, "Excuse me, what is taking so long? Is there a nonfat latte back there?" I almost just quit right then. But I replied, "Sorry ma'am, it's all over my apron. It will just be one more moment."

Later in that same shift, a man comes in with a UNC hat. I am cleaning tables in the dining area and yell, "GO HEELS!" Turns out he is a 1996 grad. When I told him I was a grad from 2007, I realized that I need to move on. My parents didn't spend their hard-earned cash for me to come make minimum wage at 4:30 in the morning. So I quit. When I told the manager, he was cool with it. He actually said he was expecting this soon, because I "have got swagger and can probably do something better." So that was encouraging.

If your like my brother, you will ask: What are you going to do now? I'm not totally sure. I was already planning on quitting in late May, so that I could fly home to NC for a few weeks to visit and hang out with the hope that I would have found a job to come back to in the middle of June. That is still the hope, now I just have a lot more free time (and sleep) to find that new job. And I'm not totally cash-less. I got a recording gig and am DJing a wedding in May. Through those two avenues, I will actually make about 3x the money I would have if I stayed at Starbucks. I will also try to get two ore three subbing gigs during that time, so I feel pretty good about it.

For those who are still working the coffee shop grind, I will always have love for you. And I will not care if my latte doesn't have exactly a 1/4" of foam on the top. Or if my shot was 13 seconds old. And I will tip you well.

We Got A Kitten!

2009-04-18T14:32:00.001-07:00

To answer a common question... yes I like dogs better. But cats are way easier, so that is the trade off here. Plus, we aren't supposed to have pets and cats are easier to hide / clean up after. Here is a video interview with our new friend "Rockstar."

By the way, that is my guitar amp he jumps up on. What a rockstar.

Over The Hill

2009-04-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

I spend lots of time looking at bands' websites. Not only the "big bands" that I like, but every time I hear of a local artist I go to their MySpace. Each of these sites is linked to hundreds (if not thousands) of other bands' sites. Most of these are groups you have never heard of, and will never hear of. The majority of these groups have some type of merit; you may not like them, but somebody does.

On one hand it is encouraging to see so many groups out there chasing "the dream" and going on mini-tours and being able to make music. On the other hand, it is a little discouraging for me, because most of these jokers are young. Lot of teenagers, lot of early 20's. It makes me feel old, I am in my mid-20s now, and still haven't even got a full band together yet!

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel like I'm "too old" to make it. And it is nice that I have a college degree while alot of these kids just have their high school diploma. And I am really excited about my music. I have gotten some really great feedback from my friends out here in California. Most of them have never heard of Nine PM Traffic or any of my other musical endeavors, so it is always nice to see them surprised at my stuff, whether it's the recording quality achieved in a tiny bedroom or the song writing itself.

In other news, all the music is done for the album. I had vocals done on about 4 of the 5 songs, but I just bought a nice condenser mic for recording, so I might go back and just re-record them all to up the quality a bit. We shall see. At any rate, I should be able to meet my projected "release" date of middle to late May. Right in time for my visit back to NC. Awesome.

The Cross = Foolishness

2009-04-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

Christianity is absurd. It has taken me a long time to accept this fact. I think that while I was in school, my subconscious MO was to be a "cool guy." Thus, being a Christ follower would become cool by association. Maybe "cool" isn't the right word, "weird" is probably a better term. People think that Christianity is weird; they think that is is foolish. I believe Christianity, but do not want to be seen as weird or foolish.

This Easter I had a bit of a breakthrough. Perhaps you have already noticed, but Christianity is weird. It is foolish. It is crazy. At its core, it revolves around a man who was really God who was killed and rose again. That's absurd. I think that in the past I have often avoided discussing faith or other folks' belief systems because I didn't want them to think me foolish.

Being a Christ follower is foolishness, at least to those who aren't. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." The reality of the matter is this: if the Bible is truth, then it stands on its own feet and doesn't need any help defending itself. So what if people think it's crazy? Often truth is crazier than non-truth.

we're so good!

2009-04-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last night, UNC beat Villanova to advance to the NCAA national championship game against Michigan St. If you recall, UNC beat Michigan State in the same arena in December...by 35 pts. This DOES NOT mean UNC will win by default tomorrow night. But it also doesn't mean that somehow Michigan State is a totally different team and will beat UNC by 35.

Those backing MSU are pointing out several facts about the December game: MSU was coming off a long streak of games and was very tired (4 games in 7 days I believe), and was missing several players due to injuries, including key bigman Suton. Now that they are rested and healthy down low, they are going to be a totally different team, right? Probably.

Here is what ESPN and other places don't mention: UNC was also coming off a streak of games (5 in 10 days, including a trip to Maui). The December game was only Hansbrough's 4th or 5th game back from an injury (a stress fracture? I can't remember...), and we wer also without Tyler Zeller, who was contributing double digit points up until his injury right before that game.

Michigan State will definitely be a different team. They have already knocked off some big names and the defending champs. They are the "underdog" and will play like it, not to mention the game is about 90 miles from their campus. They won't get beat by 35. However, UNC is also coming to play. This is the game Psycho T has dreamed about for 4 years, and it is the last chance for some of the other players to showcase their NBA potential (anyone see Green's 3 pointers from a few feet behind the arc last night?). UNC will not beat MSU by 35. They will beat them by 8.

You heard it here folks. UNC: 84 MSU: 76

Awesome

2009-04-03T17:45:00.001-07:00

Crazy Sheep

My Biggest Fan

2009-04-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that imitation is the highest form of flattery. With that in mind, I would like to present you with some pictures. First, myself back in 2004:

For those who know my brother Chase, you know that he is also a crazy guy. Even so, he normally restrains from the "crazy hair / facial hair" tendencies that I exhibited through out college. But a few days ago, this is what he looked like:

Awesome.

3/26

2009-03-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of my friend Jason Ray's death. If you were fortunate enough to know him, hopefully you can look back like myself and laugh at his outrageous personality. If you didn't know him, all of the pictures, Googling, and stories on the internet can't capture who he was. It's a bit weird to be so far away from all of my friends who knew Jason; no one in Los Angeles knows him, aside from maybe seeing the ESPN special. So, tonight I am going to grab some Guinness and video chat with Erik and Nick from Concord. I can't wait, it's gonna be awesome!

I wrote a song a while back about Jason, and finally got around to recording it this morning. It's a little rough, just a single take into a stereo mix, so no chance to add any "studio magic," but I wanted to just get it down for what it is. You can listen to it here, I have posted the lyrics below:

----------------------------------
Still I Believe

My eyes burn tonight as I walk past your empty room
I sit inside the silence left behind, and wonder why your gone so soon
And lately I've been too sad to cry, it seems that relief can't be found
But I remember the light and joy in your eyes; the way you would laugh out loud.

I could not believe what I'd been told. Only 21 - your hand has grown cold. Yet still I believe the Savior's peace you know, and a love as bold as life, and a life as bold as Christ.

Two years it's been since I've seen you my friend without a chance to say goodbye.
But when we meet again, there will be no more sin, no sorrow, nor reason to cry.

I could not believe what I'd been told. Only 21 - your hand has grown cold. Yet still I believe the Savior's peace you know, and a love as bold as life, and a life as bold as Christ.

You struggle no more, and victory is yours. Your hope's been realized.
Helpless in the flood, but through the gracious blood, you were brought to life.
And Christ says, "He is mine!"

Romans 8:1 - Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Your closed door reminds me...

I could not believe what I'd been told. Only 21 - your hand has grown cold. Yet still I believe the Savior's peace you know, and a love as bold as life, and a life as bold as Christ.

I'm a Professional!!

2009-03-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday night I played again with Jeremy Graham. This time we got paid!!

We made 30 bucks. Total. And it cost $7 for me to park, so I made 50 cents. I'm thinking about giving Starbucks my two week notice.

Also, I posted a while back about a band called "Nural." They just released their new album on iTunes, it was produced by David Bendeth. Yeah, the guy who did Paramore and Underoath's latest albums. Not too shabby.

Anyways, Nural's new album is phenomenal. Check out the iTunes clips and download some tunes if you like what you hear.

Rappers don't like me

2009-03-20T15:37:00.001-07:00

My good friend Jeremiah Vaught is in the Los Angeles area for the next few days. Yesterday I gave him a tour of some of the finer sights in the city, including the walk of stars down in Hollywood. As we were walking through, a tall man holding a portable CD player and a stack of burned CDs approached us. He explained that he was a hip-hop artist who was going to be featured on BET next month, then asked if I could listen to 30 seconds of his music. I agree, and throw on the headphones. It was much better produced than I was expected for someone on the street. He hands me a burned CD of 20 tracks and asks if I can help him out with some money...

"Yea sure man, I am a struggling artist too, I don't mind helping you out."
(I pull out a dollar from my pocket)
"One dollar? Man, that's insulting! Can't you give me five?"
*With a sense of shock* "A dollar is insulting?"
"That's insulting man!"
"Well then, I'm sorry, but I'm not giving you five dollars. Here is your CD back."

A little later on I saw him giving the "insulting" speech to some high schoolers who obviously felt intimidated and gave him two dollars instead. What a clown.

Hiking Pics

2009-03-15T11:53:00.001-07:00

So I spent a week in Utah hiking, and I came back without hurting myself, despite what Jay Spencer might think.

The trip was incredible. On Tuesday I drove out to Las Vegas to meet up with the rest of the crew, then headed out to Mt. Zion. We had some flight delay issues, so we got to the park too late to do any hiking that night. We just set up a camp and got some firewood, thanks to Erik's awesome hatchet and Fel's ninja sword. The next morning we headed out into the back country. We hiked in 1.8 miles with big backpacks, then dropped our packs and went exploring. It was lots of fun and slightly scary at times since the mountain was just red rocks which slipped out under your feet a lot. We hiked about 8 miles and climbed around 1,000 ft in elevation during the day. We came back to camp exhausted and hungry. We ate some delicious stew created by Matt Harrell, the real Bear Grylls.

The next morning we woke up and hiked out of the back country. We headed into town and rented some dry suits. We looked awesome (check the pics at the bottom) and proceeded to "The Narrows," a small slot canyon with a river running through it. The suits served to protect us from the 33 degree water. Brrr. We hiked up a few miles, then found an offshoot trail. That took us to a big pile of snow that we created a slide on. Awesome times. The suits were so tight that you could lay down and the air bubbles in the suit would let you float. Unless your Rob, then the water leaks down your neck hole that you didn't tighten and soaks your back.

Later that night we find another camp site and gather some firewood. While hacking at a fallen tree log we found, a ranger comes and tells us that gathering wood in a National Park is a felony, even dead wood. He threatens us with a fine, then is about to leave when he spots Fel's ninja sword. When asked what it is used for, Fels replies, "Oh, for cutting down trails." Genius. The ranger gives another lecture and further threatens us for the firewood and a "quiet hour" fine. Fortunately we were all passed out by quiet hour anyway.

We woke the next morning to find snow covering the ground. It sounds cool, unless you have actually slept in a tent covered in snow. It's not cool; it's freaking cold. We packed up the snow-covered camp, jumped in the cars, and made one last hike up Angel's Landing. An amazing view on top. To get there, they have chains driven into the ground for support. Probably not the smartest climb when snow is on the ground. About half of our crew dared to challenge the elements, including yours truly. We made it on top and it was probably the most incredible view I had. On the way down we had a big snowball fight. The trail was essentially a lot of switch backs and made ambush attacks plentiful. We even almost hit some strangers at one point.

After Angel's Landing, we got in the cars and headed back to Vegas. We stopped off at a friend of Tim and Fels where we took very necessary showers. We killed some time then went to Outback, where I had the most delicious steak known to man.

If you are more of a visual learner, check out the photo album from Erik and Nick:
Mancation 2008

Pics!

2009-03-08T22:38:00.001-07:00

Hey friends, made it back from Utah without hurting myself. A big achievement. Breathtaking pictures of that to follow. For now, feast your eyes on some pretty nice photos taken at the Whiskey show.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theodhners/sets/72157614799572746/show/

More posts to follow.

Golden Day in the Big City

2009-03-01T15:56:00.001-08:00

I turned 24 on February 24. My golden birthday. The actual day wasn't that great; I subbed for some at-risk youth again, only to come outside and find a parking ticket on my car. Yuck. Then I had band rehearsal until midnight, slept for three and half hours then had to be at Starbucks at 5 AM. Double yuck.

BUT, last night I went out with some friends to celebrate the b-day. It was fantastic! I am so blessed to already have a great group of friends in this city! I never would have imagined it could be this good only 6 months into the LA adventure. So, for those of you who read this and came out to Barney's, much love. For those that would have if they could have, much love.

This will be the last blog for about a week. On Tuesday I am headed to Utah with my NC homies to go camping for a week in Zion Nat'l Park. I am pumped. When I return, I will hopefully have some good footage of the Whiskey show to share.

I can't believe my LA debut is tomorrow night, and at the Whiskey! It's gonna be a rocking good time.

Fall Out Boy

2009-02-27T22:31:00.000-08:00

My roomie just won free tickets to a festival w/ Fall Out Boy headlining. He can't go so I am taking them.

It bothers me when people sub-divide scales. Like when they say "7.5 out of 10," c'mon just say 7 or 8.

We had some mad rehearsal this past week for the show at the Whiskey. I also heard they are filming it, so we might have a video clip to upload here in the future. I am trying to figure out my wardrobe for the show; I gotta look fly in my LA debut!

Next week I am going to Utah for a week with my ol' roomies to hike and camp. I was slightly worried that someone might die, until I learned we recruited Matt Harrell for the trip. All is well now.

Finally, I would like to take a survey of my readership about age differences in dating. Let's use a hypothetical situation. Pretend someone is 9 or 10 years my junior, meaning they are 15 or 16. But they are really mature for their age. Sketchy? You be the judge.

This guy is pey-issed

2009-02-25T15:22:00.000-08:00

I ganked this from Mark Nguyen, who ganked it from YouTube. Kind of like he ganked my old job. That man is pathetic and does nothing for himself. Anyways, at least he can find 2:24 of hilarious material on YouTube. Good job Mark.

Oh, Mark, I told you-know-who that you were slowly creeping closer to California in an attempt to seduce her and she immediately got in her car and drove to Canada. Sorry bro.

Revisions

2009-02-17T18:44:00.000-08:00

Julian called me yesterday about an hour after I posted my blog about him never calling me. He didn't read the blog, just wanted to call me. So props to him.

Grant, your still on my bad list.

I am sure most of you Facebookers are aware of the "25 Things" phenomenon. Normally I don't indulge in such things, but "the list" is amazing. I love reading my best friends' lists and I always laugh out loud so hard. I am going to compile a "best of" list for my next entry.

We got band rehearsal tonight. It will be the first time I have played a drum set at normal volumes for over 5 minutes since my arrival. Far too long. I am really, really excited.

Funny Things, The Crap List, Band Names

2009-02-16T17:43:00.001-08:00

Funny Things:
Trent informed me today that the older gentleman in the picture I put up of him is his ex-girlfriend's day. That's why you de-tag after the breakup Trent.

The Crap List:
These people deserve to be publicly belittled for never calling me back.
Grant - I know your busy, but c'mon. But I doubt you read this, so I guess I will talk to you when I come home to Concord in May.
Julian - You at least tried. We played voicemail tag. But I tagged you last. Your it.

Band Names:
I don't know if I put this in the other post or not, but right now the working band names is "Polyester Red." Let's hear the reactions. I for one really like it. I will explain why later, but want to hear some thoughts based on the name alone. I mean, that is what the millions and millions of fans are going to have to do in a few years, amen?

Got A Gig

2009-02-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

Friends!

So Logan told me today that my blog was "falling off" because I don't post enough. I replied, "I just don't feel like many people read it." Then he told me that he reads it a lot, along with his sister and extended family. So, to Meagan and those crazy Dagleys in Tennessee, thanks for reading. I will try to post more often. I have plenty of stuff to write about, it just seems a little pretentious to write about it on my blog. Oh well, give the people what they want right? Right.

CD STUFF:
I finally got some cool stuff happening music wise. First off, I am trying to have my album done and ready to go my late May. That is definitely do-able if I just work hard. I have ten tracks planned; music is completely done on 8. I have about 20% of the vocals done, so it's just a matter of sitting down and doing it. I have gotten some pretty good feedback thus far from both strangers and friends on this stuff. Of course, my family loves it. But they have to; it's a requirement.

BAND STUFF:
The most immediate excitement involves The Whiskey A Go Go. Yes, the famed club on the Sunset Strip. My friend Jeremy Graham is a bluesy rocker and needed a rhythm section, so I am playing the drums for him March 2. Should be lots of fun; there are a few other shows he has lined up, so as long as I am not a total clown on the set, I may get to play again with him.

As far as my own stuff, I am playing with a drummer named Trent (see below). He is a Starbucks co-worker. Though he doesn't admit it, he wants to be Aaron Gillespie (also see below). Which isn't a bad thing. I mean, he has the red hair and the 5 rolls down. I just gotta teach him to funk baby! Anyways, we have jammed a few times and are working on learning some of my stuff. It is sounding good.
Next up: Bass player.

Until next time, PEACE!!

TRENT:

AARON:

BRIAN TURNEY:

The Status Update

2009-02-11T21:46:00.000-08:00

In today's high-tech world, there is no better way to let the world know how you feel without the awkward task of talking to people than the Facebook Status. It's a great thing.

Also, there is no better way to cap off a Wednesday night in February with a UNC smashing of Duke...in Durham. That-a-way boys.

In honor of both the UNC victory and the Facebook Status revolution, I have decided to pick my favorite status' regarding tonight's game.

1) Robert Kancilia thinks Coach K should stick to his strategy of recruiting unathletic white guys.

2) Alex Fox there are seniors at duke who have spend some 10 months in a stupid [EDITED FOR CONTENT] tent just watch UNC kick their [EDITED FOR CONTENT] every time.

OK, so that is all I really have. But Rob's message away was worthy of a blog. Well done boys, well done.

Also, this man is my hero:

I'm so hardcore

2009-02-09T14:09:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to watch my friend drum at the Whiskey, a well-respected venue here in LA LA land. There were nine bands. I only stayed for the first three (my friend played first.)

The second band to come on was a hardcore / post metal / whatever new genre label the kids use today. Basically, tune the guitars to D, chug along on open strings for the verse, throw in some double bass and screaming. Not really my thing. At any rate, the vast majority of the crowd was young kids, probably 15 - 20. The band themselves were probably 16. Crazy. I felt like a chaperon. They all looked like emo - goth kids. Tight clothes, dyed hair, big piercings, etc.

At one point, the band is playing a little breakdown section, and I decide to dance a little. Instead of "hardkore" dancing, I start to do a little hip shuffle. I keep the feet planted and swing my hips from side, all the while accenting my rhythm with jabbing my fingers in the air like little guns. It was funny. I did it for about 8 seconds.

Now, I know I have the tendency to exaggerate, but I kid you not, when I got done with my dancing, about 1/5 of the club was staring at me. They were mortified. The lead singer stopped singing and says, "Hey look at that guy!" Then a big dude from behind me came up to me and said, "Stop dancing!"

It was hilarious. I became the most hardcore person in the place because of my sweet dance moves. Ahh, kids these days...

I am getting a haircut this week. I am cutting off the emo-swoop. I am not emo nor hardcore. I just like to rock out, chyea!!

Free Concert

2009-02-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

Last night a local radio station had a free concert featuring Shiny Toy Guns, one of my favorite groups. It was at CityWalk by Universal Studios. It's like an amusement park, except there aren't any rides - only overpriced stores. Anyways, they had a big screen showing the game, and about 15 minutes after it ended, the Shinys take the stage. I was excited because it was the first time I had seen them since the new album dropped back in November. The sound was pretty bad though. I don't even think the snare drum or guitar amp was coming through the speakers. I barely had to raise my voice to talk to Andrew, who was right next to me.

Anyhoo, they did pretty good. They got a new female vocalist, who is not nearly as good as their old one. Her voice was pretty shot last night. However, the lead singer is just a beast and I aspire to have talent like him. He broke a string on his guitar last night, and whilst the roadie was off to the side trying to fix it, the keyboard player triggered the loop to start the next song. At which point the lead singer, named Chad, looks over at him and says, "I don't even have a guitar *$&#head." Good thing he is awesome, because he just ripped up the first part of the song without a guitar. All in all, it was a decent show. Sound could have been better, but it was free. I am looking forward to a proper club show by STG in the future.

I have some possible exciting music news too in the near future, yee haw.

Yay Obama! Now what?!

2009-01-27T14:06:00.001-08:00

I somehow failed to blog on what will be a political landmark in my own lifetime: Obama will be the first blackberry wielding President in the White House (joke copyright of Merlin Froyd).

I watched the inauguration, then didn't hear anything all last week because I have no newspaper around me and don't watch the news. I guess I should make a habit out of checking the news on the Internet. Seems wise. Anyways...

The headlines today are about Obama calling Congress to "put aside politics" while working on his stimulus plan. Sounds like lofty rhetoric at the onset, but when you think about it, it is kind of ludicrous. "Hey, never mind if you believe this plan is bad, we need to do something now, so get behind it!" Of course there are some practices in politics that probably aren't beneficial to the general public, like earmarks and the such. But part of the reason it takes legislation so long to pass is the fact that there are two or more sides to the issue that feel passionately about it. Telling them to "put that aside" in the name of getting work done could have disastrous results.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I think Obama's move to let states govern auto emissions was a significantly bad idea. It doesn't make fiscal sense for automakers to design cars to meet different emission benchmarks, so they will have to produce models that meet the highest benchmark (which will probably be California.) This cost will be delivered to consumers, who won't buy cars because they don't have any money.

I am not an Obama basher. Every administration has called for politics to be put aside, and the emissions deal might work out. However, I fear that the national and international community have put far too great expectations on Obama and his administration. If by 2010 all Americans are employed, the wars are all over, cars run on water and "the American dream," and the ice caps re-freeze, then most will be satisfied. However, I think many people are expecting more than any administration can accomplish in four years and will be let down. I hope I am wrong. I think it is good to a degree that Obama is not afraid to make big decisions early on; I hope they turn out to be beneficial.

My Roomies

2009-01-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

I have now spent close to three months in my new house in LA. I live with three other dudes, and I would like you all to meet them. I hope to give you a glimpse into each of their lives by showing a photo, discussing their day-to-day happenings, and conducting a brief analysis on their Wii skills.

I considered listing them in order of how much I liked them, but I think going alphabetical is a safer bet.

Roomie 1 - Andrew Mitchell
A UNC grad of 2007, Andrew moved to LA shortly after myself. He spent the summer in Alaska at some crazy fishing place where Karl Malone goes. All I know is that it was cold and they only use cash in Alaska. Andrew is a sick dancer and spends lots of time at Millennium Dance Complex in North Hollywood honing his moves. We have already decided that when I go on tour, he will be my hype man on stage if he isn't busy.
Andrew is on the job hunt and makes some cash doing audience tapings, film publicity, and other odd jobs. He lives in the converted dining room. Pros: it has a fireplace and a hidden closet. Cons: it has no lights, and the fireplace takes up a whole wall.
I must admit, Andrew is probably the best Wii player as far as Wii Sports and Wii Play goes. One half of the "Dream Team," Andrew is quite skilled at Wii Tanks (I am the other half). Unfortunately, Andrew can not compete in the quest for Hyrule because the three save slots in Zelda are already taken up.

Roomie 2 - Chris Garcia
Chris is an LA native. Andrew and I met him at church one night and said, "Hey, we just found this awesome house. Want to move in?" We were pretty much joking, and then he said yes, and we felt bad so we let him move in with us. It's ok, he isn't home much because he works a full-time job as a civil engineer. When he is home, he manages to fall asleep on the couch by 11 every night.
Chris' LA roots are a great asset to myself and the other roomies. He knows his way around the city, got a lot of sweet free furniture (some of it has termites, but that's ok...), and already has some cool friends from high school that kick it with us every once in a while.
Chris is the true owner of the Wii, but due to his busy schedule, he doesn't get to play as much. Therefore, he is no match for DollaBills in tanks, air hockey, or any other Wii competition. I slay him over and over. Sometimes I let him win because I am pretty sure his self-esteem is on the brink of destruction. Unless Chris is reading this. In that case, I have never let you win...

Roomie 3 - Sean McCracken
Sean is also a Tar Heel. He graduated in 2008 and then came out to LA with the Hollywood internship. I don't know what that is, and every time I ask Sean he gets angry and starts speaking in parseltongue. Sean had a terrible day job working for landlords running credit reports, which he quit last week. Some might call that a bad move in this current economy, but Sean is man of little spending. He probably provides the local Little Caeser's with the enough business by himself for the company to stay in the black.
Sean is an aspiring actor and recently got a spot with an agency trying to book commercials. Be sure to check out imdb for him in a couple of years. He also spends some time working film screenings for extra cash (in case he wants sausage and pepperoni on that Little Caesar's pizza).
Sean's Wii skills are formidable. Though a worthy back-up for the Dream Team, he is still coming off the bench when Andrew and Deezy Beezy are healthy. Furthermore, he accepted the default name "Epona" for his horse in Zelda. Rookie mistake. Everyone knows you need an awesome name like Rocky, Gustav, or FireBreather. Next time Sean, next time.

A Favor

2009-01-17T17:35:00.000-08:00

Hi friends, I need a favor from you. I just set up a website to promote my production abilities out here in LA. It is a MySpace site, and we all know that the more friends you have on MySpace, the better it bodes for you in real life.

So, for those of my readers who have MySpace accounts, please friend me. In all honesty, my site (and therefore my business) will be more appealing if a total stranger sees 100 friends instead of 6.

the site can be found here:

Local Rockstar Productions

Mad props to Nick Burns for the sweet artwork.

Rockstar Mentality

2009-01-13T14:54:00.001-08:00

My good friend Nate sent me an interesting quote today from Chris Martin, leader of Coldplay:

"There's this glamorized ideal of arrested development in music particularly with Kurt Cobain and Morrison, and all the great fallen idols. There's this one side of you and and side of musical culture, which tells you that you're not supposed to move in your life at all. But if you look at the greatest artists, like Dylan, that's not true. The whole rock star myth, which is 40 years old and basically nonsense, has nothing to do with being a rock star. Everybody gets trashed and breaks things. By that standard, plummers and heating engineers are just as rock and roll as rock stars. You've gotta follow your own beliefs; it's all about freedom."

I think that is a great viewpoint. I have already met lots of people in CA who think that because I moved here to play music it naturally follows that my greatest ambitions are to play angry songs, drink lots of booze, and have lots of promiscuous sex. They are quite surprised when I reply that I spent the night playing Wii, or playing Scrabble (I got demolished last night), or singing 'Nsync karaoke.

I would love to have the success of Nirvana or the Doors. But I would also be happy with a one paragraph blurb on Wikipedia if it means I get to make good music and live the life I want to, pursuing freedom.

"Little boy, little boy, little boy!!"

2009-01-10T17:23:00.000-08:00

On my lunch break today I visited McDonald's. As I was enjoying my McNuggets, I noticed one patron who was in a particularly good mood. She was an old grandmotherly lady who was speaking to everyone she came across. Around this same time a mother and her child come walking out of the bathroom. This kid looks about 5 or 6. Old lady walks up to them and says, "Oh, hi little girl!!" The mom pulls her child away as she says, "It's a boy, little boy, little boy, little boy!"

I thought it was funny.

The World Is Broken

2009-01-06T17:02:00.000-08:00

This story hurts to read, but I think it is important for those of who take our physical safety for granted.

It's from a journalist living in Gaza. The original version is here.

---

It was just before noon when I heard the first explosion. I rushed to my window and barely did I get there and look out when I was pushed back by the force and air pressure of another explosion. For a few moments I didn't understand but then I realized that Israeli promises of a wide-scale offensive against the Gaza Strip had materialized. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzpi Livni's statements following a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak the day before yesterday had not been empty threats after all.

What followed seems pretty much surreal at this point. Never had we imagined anything like this. It all happened so fast but the amount of death and destruction is inconceivable, even to me and I'm in the middle of it and a few hours have passed already passed.

Six locations were hit during the air raid on Gaza City. The images are probably not broadcasted on US news channels. There were piles and piles of bodies in the locations that were hit. As you looked at them you could see that a few of the young men were still alive, someone lifts a hand, and another raises his head. They probably died within moments because their bodies were burned, most had lost limbs, some of their guts were hanging out and they were all lying in pools of blood. Outside my home which is close to the two largest universities in Gaza, a missile fell on a large group of young men, university students. They'd been warned not to stand in groups as it makes them an easy target, but they were waiting for buses to take them home. Seven were killed, four students and three of our neighbors' kids, young men who were from the Rayes family and were best friends. As I'm writing this I can hear a funeral procession go by outside; I looked out the window a moment ago and it was the three Rayes boys. They spent all their time together when they were alive, they died together and now they are sharing the same funeral together. Nothing could stop my 14-year-old brother from rushing out to see the bodies of his friends laying in the street after they were killed. He hasn't spoken a word since.

What did Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert mean when he stated that we the people of Gaza weren't the enemy, that it was Hamas and Islamic Jihad which were being targeted? Was that statement made to infuriate us out of out our state of shock, to pacify any feelings of rage and revenge? To mock us? Were the scores of children on their way home from school and who are now among the dead and the injured, Hamas militants? A little further down my street about half an hour after the first strike, three schoolgirls happened to be passing by one of the locations when a missile struck the Preventative Security Headquarters building. The girls' bodies were torn into pieces and covered the street from one side to the other.

In all the locations, people are going through the dead, terrified of recognizing a family member among them. The streets are strewn with their bodies, their arms, legs, feet, some with shoes and some without. The city is in a state of alarm, panic and confusion, cell phones aren't working, hospitals and morgues are backed up and some of the dead are still lying in the streets with their families gathered around them, kissing their faces, holding on to them. Outside the destroyed buildings old men are kneeling on the ground, weeping. Their slim hopes of finding their sons still alive vanish after taking one look at what had become of their office buildings.

And even after the dead are identified, doctors are having a hard time gathering the right body parts in order to hand them over to their families. The hospital hallways look like a slaughterhouse. It's truly worse than any horror movie you could ever imagine. The floor is filled with blood, the injured are propped up against the walls or laid down on the floor, side by side with the dead. Doctors are working frantically and people with injuries that aren't life-threatening are sent home. A relative of mine was injured by a flying piece of glass from her living room window and she had deep cut right down the middle of her face. She was sent home; too many others needed more urgent medical attention. Her husband, a dentist, took her to his clinic and sewed up her face using local anesthesia.

More than 200 people dead in today's air raids. That means more than 200 funeral processions, a few today, most of them tomorrow, probably. To think that yesterday these families were worried about food and heat and electricity. At this point I think they -- actually all of us -- would gladly have had Hamas forever sign off every last basic right we've been calling for the last few months if it could have stopped this from ever having happened.

The bombing was very close to my home. Most of my extended family live in the area. My family is OK, but two of my uncles' homes were damaged,

We can rest easy, Gazans can mourn tonight. Israel is said to have promised not to wage any more air raids for now. People suspect that the next step will be targeted killings, which will inevitably means scores more of innocent bystanders whose fates have already been sealed.

Safa Joudeh is an master's candidate in public policy at Stony Brook University in the US. She returned to Gaza in September 2007 where she currently works as a freelance journalist.

Time Is Fiction

2009-01-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

Each New Year somehow manages to fill people with hope for the future. This year, THIS YEAR, will be the one that we get our finances in order, stick to our diet and workout plan, go skydiving, up our cooking skills, etc. We normally decide to kick off our resolutions with a night of excessive drinking and staying up way past our bed time. But I digress...

The thought of 2009 gets me pumped up. I am excited because I have no clue what is going to happen. This is really the first year I can say that. Sure, we can't predict the future, but I had a basic idea of what was going to happen at the outset of past New Years. School, work, summer camp, etc. Ever since starting this whole Cali adventure, I really don't know what is going to happen.

I was spending some time wisely and responsibly tonight by scouring Facebook. I ran across some old friends from high school. It was interesting to see where they are now; places that no one could have guessed back in 1999 or 2003. It was even crazier to see pictures of some of my best friends who have accomplished so much in just a year. During the course of 2008, I watched some dear friends get married. I read blogs from my boys trekking across the world. I saw friends get weird piercings and tattoos. I laughed with those same friends as we talked about our parents' reaction to our "deviant behavior." (NOTE: My parents were really cool about my tattoos. Although Stan said he would kick me out of I got ear rings. Better find some couches to crash on in 2009 when I come back home. Just kidding. But seriously...)

In a nutshell, a lot of stuff happens in a year. Which means there is crazy potential for me out here in Cali. I have a growing friend network here now, I got my substitute teaching license (woohoo!) and I am meeting some musicians to jam around on some song ideas. Perhaps in 2010 I will be able to blog from my iPhone in the band van as we tour across the midwest, complaining about how gas prices are sucking the profits from the tour. That would be awesome.

Here's to 2009.

PS - The title, "Time Is Fiction," comes from a phenomenal album by Edison Glass. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

"I went to LA and all I got was robbed!"

2009-01-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

Last night I was killing time watching TV. I was planning on picking up my roomie Sean at LAX airport at 12:30 AM. My other roomie Chris gives me a call because he got split up with his friends down in Universal City. So, I decide to do a little tag-team taxi and pick up Chris on the way to get Sean.

I finally arrive at the corner where Chris was waiting for me. I see him talking with a rather large male who looks pretty distraught. Chris motions the man to the car and they both get in. Chris in the front and our new friend "J-Mack" in the back seat. Now, J-Mack has had quite a few drinks. On top of that, he keeps saying the cops just robbed him, taking all of his money and ID. We decide to give him a ride home on the way to the airport.

About 5 minutes into the ride, J-Mack somehow becomes convinced that Chris and I robbed him. Seriously. He is cussing at us and just getting angry. We try to talk to him rationally, but it isn't working. He starts telling us about how we are lucky he doesn't have a gun or he would shoot us for robbing him. He then says that when we drop him off, we are to wait in front of his house while gets his shotgun so that he can come back out and rob us. Tip for the crooks out there: Don't tell your "victims" your plans. Anyhoo, I am a little freaked out, but J-Mack is actually too drunk and incoherent to really do anything himself. I was just afraid he was going to direct us to some of his buddies house where we would have some trouble.

Anyway, we keep driving to try and find where J-Mack stays. At one point, he leans up and tries to open Chris' passenger door while we are in motion. We push him back down, and he mumbles something about throwing us out of our own car. By now I am frustrated because he is being totally un-cooperative. We stop at a gas station and try to let him out, which convinces him further we are "messing with him," and he won't get out.

On his directions, we drive to a little street with some modest houses. He rolls down the window and starts cat-calling at one house. After a short while, he gives up on this and directs us further down the street.

Eventually we arrive where he needs to go, after many empty threats of him choking us both out. At this point, Sean has been at the airport about 45 minutes already, and we are at least 10 miles away still. Once we arrive, J-Mack starts grabbing whatever he can in my car, talking about how he is gonna "rob us for taking his s***." Luckily, I had cleaned out my car that day, so all he got was a Starbucks apron covered in spoiled milk and a broken air pump for an air mattress. He steps out of the car, but continues to lean on the car and won't shut the door. At this point, I tell Chris to hold on to the open back door. I check the traffic lanes and floor it, swerving to not hit the parked car in front of me with the ajar back door. Luckily, J-Mack's reaction time was still pretty affected by the alcohol and I think we were already turning on the next street before he knew what had happened.

All in all, it was a pretty intense time. But it ended up OK. We got him to his home and have a great story to tell. A few weeks ago I grabbed an extra SB apron from the store, so perhaps this is karma.

"I will kill you and cut off your head!!!"

2008-12-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite quotes. For me, it symbolizes strength and determination in the face of great adversity. It was spoken by King David when he was but a youth before he battled Goliath.

The quote can be found in 1 Samuel 17. I think David and Goliath is a misunderstood story. It somehow has become simply a forerunner to Rudy, a "root for the underdog" kind of thing. When you take the story in context, it has a much greater meaning.

Let's set the stage. The Israelites and Philistines are locked in a military clash. At this particular time, there is a standstill. The Philistines have a warrior that is the stuff of legends: Goliath. He makes Chuck Norris look like a little girl (or little boy for the PC among you). He literally stood over 9 ft. tall. Every day of the standstill he would offer to fight any Israelite one-on-one. Whoever won in the duel would claim victory for his entire nation. The Israelites were understandably terrified. Death was almost certain for the man who faced Goliath, so no one took him up on his offer for forty days.

Enter David.

David is a shepard boy at the time. He visits his brothers who are "at war" and hears Goliath's boastful challenge. David's anger is immediately kindled. He is ticked that Goliath is defaming the name of God in his taunts and offers to fight Goliath himself. After the leaders realize that David is serious, they prep him for battle. He is given the sword and shield of King Saul. After a few steps he realizes the new armor makes him clumsy. He sheds them and walks out to meet Goliath with nothing but a pouch full of stones and a sling.

Goliath sees David coming and begins to chide the Israelites for sending out a youth to take him on. When he is done, David says this:

"You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

That is intense. What is even more intense is the next line...

"When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground." The story goes on to say that David then took Goliath's own sword from his unconscious body and cut off his head with it.

David RAN toward the battle. This is not some feel-good Disney story where a bunch of misfits get slaughtered in the preseason by the league favorites but "stick it out" to beat them in a thrilling buzzer beater in the closing seconds of the championship game. This is LeBron James dunking on your aging grandfather (or grandmother for the PC out there).

David was not intimidated by the challenge in front of him because he had great assurance in the character of God. David ran to vanquish evil in a selfless manner. That is how I want to live my life. Run with intensity to battle my problems, be they physical, spiritual, occupational, musical, whatever. I hope you will do the same.

My First Encounter with a REAL ROCKSTAR!!

2008-12-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

This past week I flew home to Charlotte for Christmas time. I flew out of Burbank, which is smaller, closer, and more efficient than Los Angeles International. It is also quite a bit more expensive, but I scored some Frequent Flier miles, so that didn't matter...thanks Mom.

As I am walking toward my gate, I see a rather familiar looking person to my left. Not familiar as in "I have met you before," but familiar as in "I have seen you on CD covers, magazines, and on stage before."

I thought this guy was merely a look-alike, surely the guy I was thinking ok was not in Burbank Airport.

I get on the plane, find my seat, and proceed to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. As the plane fills, I see the same guy sit one seat to the left and one seat ahead of me. We are on a very small plane, maybe 60 seats, and he is definitely in arm reaching distance from me.

For the next hour or so, I am battling in my brain with whether or not this guy is the frontman of one of my favorite bands, whose album sales have exceeded 50 million. My staring must have been intense because every once in a while he would break away from his iPhone to shoot a sideways glance at me. I would quickly gaze down at Harry Potter, only to resume my gaze a moment later.

Nope, it's not him. Can't be. He probably has his own jet. But then he reaches up and his sleeve drops slightly. I see his right wrist which is engulfed in flames of ink. It is him!

No, it's not him. Too small. But it could be...how can I know? I know he's married, that could be his wife...

For a brief moment, I think about asking him point blank: "Are you Chester?" But that would be awkward now that I have stared at him for an hour and he has caught me at least 4 times. I decide to memorize the blue tattoo on his right pinky finger and get a good look at his wife. Some simple Google image searching should show me whether or not this was actually Chester Bennington.

I get home, and find this, proof that I was sitting very near Chester Bennington, singer of Linkin Park.

I wish I could say I talked with him and gleaned valuable insight into the music industry, then let him hear some demos on the iPod and traded e-mails. Nope. I got nervous. What would I say? It's easier to be the weird kid with the mustache reading Harry Potter.

Chester, if you read this, my name is Chad. Nice to meet you. I don't always have mustaches. I want to go on tour and tune your guitars. Or just pre-open your water bottles so that the plastic perforations are broken before you go on. Anything. I think you're great.

Facial Hair Extravaganza

2008-12-08T16:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went on a retreat with my church here in LA. Over the course of the weekend, i sported several facial hair styles. I have no picture of stage 1, which was just a beard.

This first photo I like to call the "Van Buren"

Angle 2

Then I moved onto the simple 'stache with some nice big sideburns. Which are hard to see in this, but you get the idea.

I was hoping to get some points for comedy with all this. However, I learned an important lesson. Familiarity precedes humor. You might laugh at this because you see the pictures and say, "Oh, that Chad. He's so silly." But it doesn't have quite the same effect when you shake hands with a person for the first time rockin' the Van Buren. On the plus side, at least 10% of "Los Angelenians" have weird facial hair, so I was in good company. I actually got some new numbers for the ol' cellular. Kss, Kss.

Video Tour

2008-12-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

So, some of you might know this, but I have moved. I lived in the beautiful suburb of La Canada when I first got to Cali, and I have sinced moved into Van Nuys. Which is right next to North Hollywood. Anyhoo, it's a sweet little pad and is as cheap as Chapel Hill. Too good to be true? Well, Van Nuys can get pretty ghetto. It is full of people like myself trying to be artists but don't make any money.

I live with three other guys. Two UNC alumni and a fella I met out here. It's a fun house. Our house has a pool and I live in the pool house out back. So, I have no plumbing, but the room is huge and it's great to play music in loud without disturbing others too loudly.

But enough talk. I made this little video to give you guys an up close and personal tour.

The first track in the video is a song from my forthcoming album ("Who is who.....") and the second track is a song I am recording for a client. Huzzah!

Enjoy.

Men Like Trees

2008-12-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

Prelogue:

For starters, I have a new song up at MySpace. Second, I oft wonder when blogging whether I should do blog more or less often. Is it too conceited to think that people might check my blog every other day or so, only to be let down when no new material is up? Or perhaps people only check every month or so, in which case there might be a wealth of Chad's life in words that would be left unread between visits. But I digress...

Main Entree:

I was reading the other day in the Gospel of Mark and came across a peculiar passage. Now, many passages of Scripture are peculiar. For some, the entirety of Scripture is peculiar and strange, as is the idea of God being a man and rising from the dead. For others, the Scriptures make sense and provide a living metaphor for why our hearts and souls both ache and rejoice in this fallen world. I am in the latter group. So, to those who also fall into the latter group, I offer Mark 8:22-26 for your consideration. In this passage, a blind man is brought to Jesus. Jesus first leads the man away from the public (8:23 - And he took the blind man by the hand and out of the village.) and then proceeds to heal the man. He spits on his eyes (gross, but better than surgery, amen?) and lays his hands over the man's eyes. The first time around, Jesus asks the man, "Do you see anything?" The reply: "I see men, but they look like trees, walking."

Weird? It is to me. Often Jesus will heal people in public or pose questions/problems in public so that a learning point can be made. In this particular case, the man is away from the public. Once he says he sees "men like trees," Jesus lays his hands on him again and he sees everything clearly. It seems to me that there is no purpose for the double healing, seeing as Jesus could have healed him correctly the first time. So I am have been wondering for a while the purpose of this "take two" healing. Is it a botched healing? Is there a message for the blind man? For us?

Postscript:

I am working on a video tour of my new house. It is incredible. The house, not the video. Hopefully I will get it up here by the weekend, so check back then.

Did we win?!?!?!

2008-11-19T02:06:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the first UNC basketball season opener, and I was very excited. My housemates and I set the DVR to record the game on two channels lest one not work right, and decided upon 8 o'clock as game time. We start the game and are enjoying watching our beloved Tar Heels give the Wildcats a workout. With 1:26 left to go, freshman Tyler Zeller gets fouled. He rises from the floor clutching his wrist. The replay comes on, and suddenly stops as Zeller rises in the hair for the one-handed flush. A small dialog box asks us whether or not we would like to keep the recording.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! We didn't record the last 1:26 of the game because it went past 8PM PST. I know we won, but it was disheartening nonetheless. Oh well, a lesson learned.

After a watching most of the Heels victory, I spent the night watching videos of drummers on YouTube. I have decided on one that you simply must watch, even if you are not a musician. If you are, you may be ashamed that you are probably at least 10 years older than this kid and he owns you.

I believe that video was made in the late 80's, the "kid" now has his own website, jacobarmen.com

Enjoy.

Prop 8 Update

2008-11-16T21:49:00.000-08:00

It has been almost three weeks since the election, and a lot of animosity and uncertainty surrounds Proposition 8. I put up a post earlier on the subject, feel free to peruse it. Several folks have asked for an update from a Californian's point of view, so this is it.

I originally said that I would vote against Prop 8 (thus voting against the ban of gay marriage) because I think the State should award citizens equal rights. That actually might not be the case. I discovered since then that civil unions can be awarded to homosexual couples. In light of this, I probably would have voted for Prop 8. Although I can understand the equality argument, I believe that upholding the sanctity of marriage is important, especially when the opponents of Prop 8 already have the same "rights" as heterosexual citizens. It is essentially arguing for a different name of something that exists.

Prop 8 passed in California, and even passed in LA county. Immediately all types of petitions, protests, and rallies flared up complaining about the legality of a proposition. Seems to me those things should have been taken care of BEFORE the whole election. Anyhoo...

It seems as if this issue is here to stay. No one has changed sides; opponents of Prop 8 are taking to the streets and complaining about their rights being infringed upon. Others are frustrated that the wishes of the majority are not being respected and are tired of the whole ordeal. I am sick of seeing it in the papers, personally. For now, the California media has bigger and more important issues to deal with in the sweeping wildfires across California. If you haven't heard of these, look them up. It's actually pretty scary; visibility was about 1 mile today on the freeway, which was a good 20 miles from the fire. Just crazy, crazy stuff. The whole city smells like a campsite.

Hope you all are well, thanks for reading. I just moved into a new house and only got internet today. I will be uploading a video tour shorty. Get excited.

New Song Posted!!

2008-11-08T00:34:00.000-08:00

I am excited!! I have been hard at work lately on my solo album. It's been tough to stay motivated, but things are really starting to come together. Most of the songs are standard rock stuff, but as you know I am a fan of the electronica. So I tried the wrestle the two genres into a cool-but-not-too-weird song. You can be the judge on how well I did...

The song is posted over on my MySpace and it's titled "The Cry Of One Afflicted." NOTE: Bonus points for anyone who can determine where the song came from.

You should go listen to it now. And then again. And then make Facebook posts about it and text your friends and all that goodness. Seriously. It's a good song.

Halloween and Proposition 8

2008-11-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a night that started terribly and end up wonderfully. I was invited to a party where by a friend I met at church. I was planning on going, and then my friend realized she had to work and wouldn't be able to go. No biggie, I'll just crash the party and make friends. So I dress up as Terry Langner, freelance security guard, and head to the party. I arrive, then sat in my car for an hour because I realized, "I might not know anyone in there. And that would be weird." I listened to UnderOath at extreme volumes, it helped a little.

After sulking in my car I headed over to a house where some guys and gals from UNC live. I know them through random mutual friends and I had been to the house once before. It was a great time, I met lots of new people, got to know the UNC folks a little better and really enjoyed myself. It helped that there was loud music and a strobe light.

One guy had a genius costume -- a propeller made of cardboard and aluminum foil with "8" written on it. Prop 8. Which is utterly hilarious.

For you non-Californians (which is probably everyone), Prop 8 is going to be voted on Tuesday. If it passes, then the State Constitution will be amended to legally define marriage as a heterosexual union. This is in response to a court case a while back where the judge's ruling allowed gay marriage in California.

So, how should I vote on this matter? You might think that being a Christian, I would obviously want the bill to pass. But I am not so sure how I feel about that. Should we vote based on our moral convictions or our sense of justice and fairness? The campaign against Prop 8 states, "Regardless of how you feel about marriage, it's wrong to eliminate others' rights." And I agree.

"But Chad, marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church! And homosexuality is explicitly condemned in Scripture!" Yes, these things are true and I believe them. I do not think that Churches should officiate and endorse homosexuality, whether in lifestyle or marriage. But I also believe in the Separation of Church and State. And sine the State does not hold marriage up as a spiritual union, then why shouldn't they allow gay marriage? Furthermore, if we are to make laws that reflect the morality of Scripture, then it logically follows that all sinning should be outlawed. It should be illegal to drink and chew and go with girls that do. JK JK, lol. But seriously, a campaign should be started to make Christianity the official religion of the United States. And we all know that that is just ridiculous.

So, I welcome your thoughts and opinions. Let's hear 'em.

I Met A Famous Person(s)

2008-10-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Finally, it has happened. I had a conversation with a famous person. In fact, he was lost and I was able to help him get back en route. So, who is this famous person? Erm...well...I'm not really sure. Let me explain.

I was leaving Starbucks when an middle-aged black man flags me down.

Unidentified Famous Person: "Excuse me, do you know this area?"
Me: "Well, I'm pretty new, but I know this area. What are you looking for?"
UFP: "I'm looking for Fair Oaks Ave (pulls out Blackberry with a Map on screen)
Me: "Ok, I know exactly where that is. Go to this light, take a left, hop on the 210 and it should be a few exits down."
UFP: "Thank you!"
Me: "No Problem."

UFP walks off, but before getting in his vehicle, turns toward me again and calls out, "Hey do you like football?"

I am a little caught off guard, and say, "Yea, I like it."

The man walks over to me again and holds out his right hand as if he wants some dap. I chuckle and begin to oblige, when I notice something glistening. The UFP wasn't offering dap at all, but rather showing me a piece of jewelry. On his right pinky was a huge right, with the words "Oakland Raiders...National Champions." It was surrounded by diamonds and probably cost more than my car. He asked me, "What does that say? What does it say?"
"Uh, national champions?"
"That's right!! Whooooo!"
He then walked off and got in his car as I just stood there like, "What just happened?"

Unfortunately, I did not get his name. But a quick Google search shows that the Raiders were the league champs in 1967, 1976, 1980, and 1983. I have a feeling this guy was on either the '80 or '83 team. He was also rocking a USC sweater vest. So, if there are any black men who went to USC and then won a championship with the Raiders in 1980 or 1983, they could possibly be my new friend.

Oh, and you know the fat kid with red hair from the sandlot and the big green? He came in Starbucks the other day. I called out his drink, "I got a Venti Vanilla Latte for a washup." No one laughed.

Lucky Boy Burritos

2008-10-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

OK, so I would like to introduce you all to one of my favorite things about LA: Lucky Boy Burritos. It's a little place over in Pasadena where you walk up to the counter outside and give your order to a middle-aged man who rapidly completes the transaction and is already working on the next one before you can say "thanks" and get your change back in your pocket.

The most famous burrito there is the breakfast burrito. Packed with eggs, hash browns, cheese, and your choice of bacon, sausage, chorizo, or other meats, the breakfast burrito is a grease lover's dream.

These things are HUGE. For real, you can easily just eat half and save the other half for later. But in my own opinion, greasy food just tastes best when you finish everything on your place then lay down for an hour. Ahhhh....

The Lucky Boy Burrito is a symbol of unhealthy people giving it to the man: in this case, the man is a health-obsessed LA. It is somewhat of a haven for me, and I can't wait to take anyone who may come and visit there. You will not be disappointed.

I have attached some pictures below of the breakfast burrito. This is exactly one half of a full burrito. My index finger is there for scaling purposes only.

The Face Kick

2008-10-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

I cried today. I literally laughed so hard at my friend Nick Burns' pictures that my eyes got a little wet and I had to blink a lot and stare at the ceiling to make it go away.

These pictures are just so good, they must be shared with you. They are from his blog, which you can check out in the links to the right. I will post a little excerpt for you

----------------------

One last thing. For the last few months we have been honing our skills at the ‘Action Shot.’ I think we have finally perfected the technique. I’d like to call this series “Face Kick: Paris”

Enjoy.

Face Kick Under Eiffel Tower

Face Kick: Louve (notice guy in background, priceless)

Arc de Face Kick

Face Kick at Night

My Stage Outfit

2008-10-16T17:31:00.001-07:00

I found the perfect stage outfit.

Check it out.

May the force be with you.

Relativism, or the dangers of entitlement

2008-10-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to a demonstration of SONAR 8, which is the recording software I use. The latest version just came out and is really great. After the session, I was talking with some other guys about recording and the software, when one fella tells me that he is not going to buy version 8.

"See, the last one I bought was version 6. But I have version 7, but the mute buttons are all f***ed up. If you delete once section it deletes the whole clip. And they didn't even f***ing fix it in 8. F*** it, I'm not gonna buy that until they fix it."

So this guy illegally downloaded version 7, then claims he will not buy version 8 because the software bugs from version 7 have not been addressed in version 8. I thought to myself, "How incredible. This guy is pissed about something he stole not working correctly, then claiming he won't support the company because they didn't fix it. He wasn't even supporting them in the first place because he stole their flagship product."

I wish that I could say I am immune to software piracy. That would not be true. I downloaded a two-week trial of a drum program for a Nine PM album. The album went past two weeks, and I downloaded the full program to finish the album, which we actually never finished. And I downloaded Photoshop one time, but that was silly because I do not know how to use Photoshop. And then I let a friend install it. But she has a lisp because of her lip ring, so I feel bad for her.

Anyways, what I am saying is that this guy's ridiculous sense of entitlement to "a working program" that he stole and the relativistic view on the whole ordeal was provoking for me. And I am going to go through my computer and wipe out all of those programs so I can not be hypocritical blogger. And for those of you interested in recording, let this blow your mind:

SONAR V-Studio

Definitely Want To Check This Out

2008-10-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hey friends, so I have some things I'm pretty excited about and wanted to share them with you.

First off, I am finally getting paid to produce! That's right, I met a cool guy and great singer songwriter up here, and we are going to be working on putting together some songs for him. I pretty excited about that, I will put up some samples when we actually start recording.

Next, I did a little bit of graphic designing on my page. I made that nice little header image you see at the top thanks to some inspiration from my graphic mentor, Nick Burns.

Finally, I am putting together a solo debut album. I have about 6 - 7 songs that I have been playing around with for a few months (and some even years) and I am going to use this opportunity of ample free time to finish writing them and record them. This is really exciting for me, and I am hoping to have the album done and ready to sale by the time I visit NC for Christmas. So those of you who would like a copy, go ahead and sell some of that stock and get yourself a few bucks.

I have put together a little video below with some clips of the music and recording process of the first tune, "Sympathy."

NOTE: YouTube audio quality is crap on this, and for some reason it summed it in mono. I promise better things await you on the CD version...

PS - I thought I would include a list of upcoming blog titles to perhaps whet your appetite for the coming weeks...

1) "Lucky Boy Burritos," or "Delicious Grease Bombs," or "How The South Invaded LA."

2) Jesus and Men Like Trees

3) Train Wrecks = Breasts

Birth Certificates and other thoughts

2008-10-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

Lots of stuff going on over here in Cali. Unfortunately is mostly in my head at this point, but when things start to take form I will update you. But for now, four things.

1) Birth Certificates are weird. What is their purpose..
"Hi, I'm here to apply for a job."
"OK, I need your Driver's license, your social, and your birth certificate."
"Oh, uh, okay. Here they are."
"Where is the certificate?"
"What do you mean, I'm confused..."
"Your birth certificate. How will I know you were born?"
"..."
"You know, the piece of paper saying you were born?"
"No no, I know. Yea, I know. It's just that, well, I mean that's dumb. Of course I was born. I'm right here."
"No, you see, I need the paper."
"Yea, but you don't need the paper. Here I am, born and everything."
"But your not really born yet."
"Whatever, this is dumb. I'm leaving."

NOTE: That was not born out of personal experience looking for a job...

2) Nural
I met a cool guy the other day "in a band." Half of LA is in a band, so it's not that impressive. Until I asked what band. His name is Charley and he plays guitar in Nural. And they are actually pretty freakin' good. He was telling me stores about playing Halo with the guys from UnderOath and Emory on the Warped Tour. Awesome

3) Re-re-re-Remix!!
I met Timbaland the other day. He asked me to remix the smash hit "Apologize." So I did, with a little help from my friend Tha Goose.
Enjoy.

4) October 7
October 7 would have been Jason's 23rd birthday. (For those unfamiliar with Jason Ray, I invite you to read this). Anyhoo, I wanted to post another "good times" story with ol' Ray ray. So I will, and I have a special surprise at the end...get pumped.

The setting: The 118 Band Room
The situation: Last minute Nine PM practice before Ray Ray had to go.

Jason: Alright, one more song and I gotta roll.
Erik: Yea, me too
Nick: Let's go through "The Distance"
J: Ok, let's do it.

NARRATOR: "The Distance," a popular song by Cake, begins with vocals. A bassline soon follows, after which the drums and guitar come in. The vocal is as follows: "Reluctantly crouched at the starting line. Engines pumping and thumping in time...

J: Reluctantly crouched at the...

*CRACK*
(Everyone stares at Chad, who just hit the snare drum early on purpose to be funny. Or a jerk. Depends on your perspective.)

J: *Clears throat* Reluctantly crouch...

*CRACK. 3 seconds of awkward silence*

J: You done?
Chad: Haha, yea. I'm done.

J: Reluctant...

*CRACK*

(Simultaneously)
J: Dammit Chad, I swear...
E: C'mon dude, stop being such a jackass!
N: *Shakes head in disapproval

C: Haha, ok, ok, I'm done. Promise
J: Rel...

*CRACK*

J: THAT'S IT, I'M DONE!! *Yanks out mic cord and storms off*
E: Damn it Chad. *Rips out bass cable and walks out*
N: Hmm, yep. *Rips out guitar cable, turns out lights as he leaves*
C: *Laughing* Guys, c'mon. I'm sorry. I'm SORRY! I'm done, I promise. Yooo!

Yep, and that's that. And we always sucked at that song.
And now, what you have all been waiting for. I found a little sound byte of Ray talking. We had the digital tapes rolling while Jason was warming up one day, and we caught him "singing along" to My Ordinary, as well as some other strange vocal exercises. I made it into a video with some of my favorites pictures of Ray Ray.

Enjoy.

Witty Title Here

2008-10-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

So I'm really overwhelmed right now. I feel as if I am "not good enough" in every area of my life at the present moment. I have spent the past week going to different functions around the community and at church to try and meet people. It has gone well as far as meeting people, but meeting people does not equal making friends. Maybe down the road, but right now I am beginning to realize how incredibly lonely big cities can be.

I have also spent the week trying to get a job. I have applied to audio tech places, architect offices, entertainment groups, and coffee shops. I did get a job at Starbucks, which I am somewhat excited about, but it is a bit disappointing to be turned down in so many other places.

Along with the job hunt, I have been trying to figure out where to live and with whom. And how in the world I am going to pay for the first month's rent and a ridiculous security deposit.

I went to a concert this past weekend, and it was just painfully obvious how much work I have ahead of me to be even close to a professional performer. It takes a lot more than just jumping on a stage with your friends and playing for a room full of your friends. Professional groups are tight, they don't miss a beat. And they have great gear. I have a real nice guitar, but a subpar amp. I record stuff on a great laptop, but have a lil dinky mixer for my sound card and a wal-mart boombox for my speakers. Lately I have been around with people with really, really nice stuff. Amps that cost more than the resale value of The Lex. Dudes with two or three professional synth-keyboards. Sparkly blue DW kits with nice shiny Paiste cymbals. I just feel out of place with my lil' 50-watt modeling amp.

Perhaps I'm just overly sentimental tonight. I know that it's really not all that bad. I mean, adjustment time is to be expected when moving to a city where you know nobody, which was a choice I made. And there plenty of clowns out there with Marshall stacks that can barely play some Nirvana songs and a slowed-down version of the "Sweet Child O' Mine" intro guitar lick. And all my friends back home have been really encouraging and done well on keeping in touch with me, and I have met some cool people here as well that I probably will get close to. And I still have 4 1/2 books of Harry Potter bliss to discover. But for some reason I just felt a little down tonight about the current circumstances, and decided to blog it to the world. Normally I am against such seemingly meaningless and pity-party-ish things of this nature. And maybe tomorrow morning I will wake up, chide myself for posting this, and then delete it.

Oh, also today I played ultimate frisbee for about 2 1/2 hours. It was crazy. And it was all guys I didn't know so I couldn't slack like I normally do in anything athletic. Afterwards, I got a Subway sub and felt good about my healthy Sunday. Then I drank a whole 2 liter of Mountain Dew. Dumb.

Harry Potter

2008-10-03T11:37:00.001-07:00

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!! DO NOT READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A HARRY POTTER FANATIC LIKE MYSELF!!!

Over the course of the last few weeks, I have fallen in love with Harry Potter. It's just fantastic. I watched the first movie while packing up my things in NC, which was the first encounter I had with HP. I was hooked. I watched the second movie the next night, and watched the entire series within a few days of being in CA.

For those who don't know, there are 7 books. As of now, there are 5 movies, with the other three (they are splitting book 7 into 2 films) coming out over the next few years. However, I could not simply wait this long to see what happens to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Draco (ugh), Hagrid, etc.

So, I am in the process of going through the books. I read books 1 and 2, then skipped to 6. I had only begun 6 when I was chided for my impatience by a friend and have thus started book 3.

My heart aches to tell of this next part. I was searching the web the other day and ended up on a site with random / funny t-shirts. I found one that had lots of stuff written on it. One line said, "Tyler Durden isn't real." I quickly realized this shirt "gave away" the endings to lots of popular books/movies/etc. I recognized most of them and gave a little laugh, until my eyes read this:

"Snape kills Dumbledore."

Say it ain't so. Albus Dumbledore, the beloved and wise headmaster of Hogwarts School Of Wizardy, betrayed by the evil-yet-for-some-reason-I-believe-he-is-ok-in-the-end Professor of Potions Severin Snape. I was crushed. I told this to my host family, who are also HP fans. They tried to comfort me, but it was of no use. But all is not lost; I found out Dumbledore dies in book 6, so I will still have lots of surprise in 7.

Terrible, terrible things have happened in California...

2008-09-30T23:49:00.000-07:00

My friends, a horrible thing happened to me tonight. I shudder upon remembering the details, but the world must know. The blog must go on...

So I am working on a jam in my room, amp cranked. I lay down a few tracks, get a nice little beat going, then realize I am hungry. Real hungry. I decide to give my ears a short break from the sonic pounding and shimmy on into the kitchen. I decide upon some toast. Then I think to myself, "how wonderful it would be to have some cream cheese and jelly." So, I rummage through the refridgerator...YES! BOTH ITEMS! A quick glance at the cream cheese assures it is of the regular variety. And the jelly? None other than Smuckers Strawberry. Mmmmm...

I grab my toast out of the toaster (ahh, so THAT'S where the name came from...), secure a knife and pop open the cream cheese.

OH THE HORROR!!!

Sprinkled throughout the cheese spread is revolting chunks of vegetable. Another glance at the tub, and it still says Regular. But next to the regular it says "Chives and Onions" WTF?! Why would it say REGULAR and CHIVES AND ONIONS. Those are two different things. It's like saying, "Hey, here is a normal Toyota Camry. Except with no engine. But it's still normal." No, that guy is an idiot. Regular does not equal Chives and Onions.

I am in the house alone at this point and let out an audible sigh of defeat. "Oh no. Now what?" My sorrow was so great at that moment that nothing could delight me. Not even if Kiera Knightly and Halle Berry showed up and had a girl fight over who loved me more. Well, actually, let's not be ridiculous. Kiera and Halle > Regular cream cheese. But if only ONE of them showed up, I still think I would be pretty sad.

Thanks to my college degree, I'm a quick thinker and able to problem solve on the spot. So I decide to smother the toast in Smucker's and make a little jelly sandwhich. I complimented the sandwich with some apple sauce.

The good news? I have a JAM stored up on this ol' computer of mine. Still in the early phases, but I'm pretty excited about it. I'm hoping to have an EP with 5 - 6 songs by Christmas time, so all of you North Carolina folks, go ahead and put aside $5. You know your gonna want one.

P.S. - For other horrible tales of snacking and dining gone wrong, check out Julian's blog about the incident with the sandwich making. Highly entertaining.

Wordle Up

2008-09-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

So, the first weekend LA is complete. I have already gone on my first retreat, made bunches of new acquaintances who could turn into friends, have some job offers, and a possible audition with a somewhat successful local band. Not bad for the first week.

But I am super excited about next weekend, because I will be seeing (drum roll....) SHINY TOY GUNS! Yes, that's right. My band obsession for the moment. They are amazing. The Shinys are playing Friday night in San Diego with Jonezetta, another band that I happen to fancy. Should be a great show. Then I have to drive back to LA, because I have to take the CBEST at 8 AM the next morning.

What's the CBEST, you ask? The test that I must take and pass if I want to substitute teach in LA. Which I do. I feel like it will just be all around fun and good experience.

One last thing. I have discovered a fabulous website thanks to Brian Turney

Wordle

It takes the words you enter and makes them into a fabolous word picture. Here is some my newest work:

Bonus points for anyone who can discover what the image is a picture of.

Good/Funny News

2008-09-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

So the job search is officially underway. Right now I am writing a resume to be an MC at weddings.

By weddings I mean Bar Mitzvahs. Whatever man, they pay GOOD down here in SoCal. I'm talking like $300 per Bar Mitzvah. I can play some Matisyahu, bring it on.

Aaaaaaand, for everyone who thinks that Christian Music isn't any good, check this out:

Best Musical Performance Ever. Seriously.

Much love from Cali. Or as Tupac would say,

CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALIFOOOORNIA LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE

Bad News

2008-09-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

So, I was working on a sweet video of the Road Trip and having a bit of trouble putting in a picture. So i opened up the folder of pictures on my computer to investigate. Somewhere along the line, I dragged that folder into my Trash. Further along that same line, I emptied the trash. Permanently. Forever. A week's worth of videos and pictures, gone and digitally scrambled for my children never to enjoy.

I also just signed up for the CBEST, a test required by CA for substitute teachers. I decided it would be a good idea to brush up on my skills. I stumbled across this problem:

"Jim can fill a pool carrying buckets of water in 30 minutes. Sue can do the same job in 45 minutes. Tony can do the same job in 1 ½ hours. How quickly can all three fill the pool together? "

It took me about an hour to figure out how to do this. And even then I had to enlist the help of a Google search. So, this is my challenge. Respond with the correct answer, WITHOUT cheating like me. Good luck.

PS - If anyone knows how to undelete stuff that has been deleted permanently, holler at me.

Check It

2008-09-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Got some fresh music for you kids out there...

The Urban Sophisticates

Some of you already know about this group. They have a new album dropping really soon, and the tracks on the site are just great. I wish I was on the East Coast for one of the shows. Oh well, at least I got MySpace.

Seriously, they are phenomenal. Go listen to them and buy the album. Then send it to me so I can have a copy.

Magic J in LA

2008-09-18T16:46:00.001-07:00

So i was driving through Beverly Hills today, and I see an orange Maserati to my right. Behind the ridiculously tinted windows, a large black man with a bald head was leaning back in his seat chatting on a phone. The large man? Magic Johnson. I'm 83% sure it was him. It looked exactly what Magic Johnson would look like behind ridiculously tinted windows.

Hooray for smog!

2008-09-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

I am finally in LA. It is quite overwhelming. I woke up today and realized that I have lots of tasks to accomplish (find housing, a job, some friends, a band, famous people, a place with good fried chicken, etc.) but it is very tough to do when you don't know where to go. Or even who to ask about where to go.

Anyhoo, Turney and I explored a little bit of LA today. We drove down Sunset Blvd, saw about 15 girls that could have been Paris Hilton, drove alongside numerous Bentleys and a Lamborghini, and played in the Pacific Ocean. And then we watched Harry Potter 4 (I'm an addict.)

We have lots of great pictures and videos and stories and a song from the road trip which will be put up in the near future. But for now, just wanted to check in and let everyone know we got here safe.

Here is a little "teaser" pic from the grand canyon.

1000 down, 2000 to go.

2008-09-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

We are 1/3 of the distance through the road trip. "We" would be me and my friend Brian Turney, who destroyed me last week in Fantasy Football. Lame.

We are currently sitting in a Starbucks in Little Rock, Arkansas deciding whether Hurricane Ike is nasty enough to detour our journey through Texas. I think we are going to do it. I mean, driving through a hurricane is a pretty good story to tell your grandkids, amen?

Two nights ago we stayed with Chris Cline. You may not know him, but Chris is a country music star. He was a finalist on CMT's "Can You Duet." Which may not seem like a big deal to you if you don't like country music. But Nashville is Chris' playground. We went out into the city to see some places and Chris took us to a little music club called 12th and Porter. The doorman stops us and asks for IDs. Chris says a few magic words, and voila, we are in for free. It was incredible. Inside we ran into some of my favorite rockstars, "The War."

(R to L: Chris Cline, Rick Seibold, Ya Boi, Daniel Goans, Scott Cash)

This happened several times that night. Chris shakes a few hands, kisses a few babies, and we are hanging out with Nashville's elite. What a rockstar.

We got some great video and pictures from the trip that will be posted later. Teaser: The famous Timbaland dance is making a return. Julian, Erik: get excited.

Peace.

It Begins!!

2008-09-09T10:37:00.001-07:00

Friends,

I have officially left Concord / Chapel Hill / North Carolina. Right now I am stopped up at Snowbird to pick up Brian Turney. We will head out to Nashville to crash for the night, then onward. We shall be arriving in the city on Sept 15.

My car is jammed full of stuff. I managed to fit everything I could possibly need into my car. Three guitars, a keyboard, amp, sound system, a box of books, and several bags of clothes.

Let's do this.

Rainy Monday

2008-08-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

First, the update: I officially have a place to live. I would list the address, but that's scary. So, suffice it to say it is techinically in La Canada Flintridge, which is north of LA. Mapquest it, it's great. It's a cool setup, I'll be living with a family that is part of the YoungLife network. Gotta love it.

I am still working on two videos. You would think a Media Production major with no job could pull off some videos. Nope, not this guy. But soon enough. And they will hopefully be cool.

Today it was rainy. And it was Monday, hence the title. Rain is a funny thing. I mean, it puts people in weird moods. Pay attention next time it rains for a good while. People just get pissed. I was at a UNC Basketball game one time and it was raining real heavy when the game let out. People were really angry. Cussing, yelling, stampeding over each other. It was like someone had destroyed their car while they were inside. I'm thinking, “It's water. This is ridiculous.” I like to embrace the rain. It can even be fun. It's like a pool, but in the air. Think about it...

In honor of rainy days, you should check out this sweet video by one of my favorites, Shiny Toy Guns:
Rainy Monday

Fun Fact: The Shiny's are from LA. Possible collab? Hoping so.

I Can See You...

2008-08-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

So thanks to the wonders of the internet, I can tell how many people are looking at my website. Which is great, but I feel this pressure now to keep posting stuff. Which I'm fine with.

So, this post is pretty insignificant, except for the part where I tell you about my next post, which will be uber-significant, so be on the lookout for that.

Also, I had a really funny idea for a video today that I will try to make while I'm bored with nothing to do here at home. When it is done, I will put it up here.

Oh yea, so lots of people tell me, "hey i know someone in LA. you should call him/her!" if your one of those people, e-mail me RIGHT NOW with that person's name / number / reason why I would want to talk to them. networking people, it's the way of the rockstar.

In the meantime, two of my bestest friends are traveling the world. Check out their journey here: brokein90days.blogspot.com

it's awesome. thanks for reading.

Life Essay

2008-08-05T08:39:00.001-07:00

So my friend is putting together a bunch of essays from her friends about their life at the present moment. I thought I would share mine here for you all.

---

I'm tired. I would even say exhausted. The kind of tired where you lose all focus and stare off into a haze whenever you sit down. It's because I am working at a camp this summer. Except for this past week, I didn't work at camp. Instead, I worked at (another) camp...

Let me explain. I am a part of the summer staff at Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters (SWO), a Christian camp in Andrews, North Carolina. But for this past week I was a volunteer leader at SharpTop Cove, a YoungLife camp in Jasper, Georgia. Yep, that's right. A 23-year old with a debt-free degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill working for $125 a week. I don't even want to see what that calculates to hourly. It wasn't always this way. I spent ten months working for Gurlitz Architectural Group, a legit “real job.” I had to dress up, bathe regularly, and pretend that I liked semi-fancy overpriced Indian restaurants better than my beloved Bojangles. The office job was great, and if I desired to be an architect, it would have been the jackpot. But I don't want to be an architect; I want to be a rock star. So, I packed up my things, said my goodbye to Chapel Hill, and moved up to SWO for the summer. SWO has a special place in my heart; it is where I began my journey as a Christian and has consistently been a place of great encouragement and joy. Therefore, I decided to work there one last time before really striking out in the fall in search of “rockstardom.” But this is not about the future; it's about the present. And presently, I am doing a lot of thinqking.

I have been thinking about happiness. What are those things that make me happy? Brownies and ice cream, my dog Rocky, convertibles on warm days, people who dance to music, mustaches on young men (creepy...), headshots / melee kills on Halo, motorcycles, techno music, Bojangles' biscuits, Bojangles' sweet tea, anything else by Bojangles, Zaxby's, laughing until my stomach hurts, wearing pajamas until lunchtime on the weekends, making baked goods with friends for friends, skipping in fields whilst running my hands through the blooming flowers around me, and making lists of seemingly meaningful but in reality pointless things that I can put on Facebook so people can supposedly learn about who I am through my “interests.”

But seriously, what makes me happy? Music. Rocking out. I love everything about music, whether it's jamming with my boys Nick and Erik at Cat's Cradle or the “Band Room,” recording dumb songs with my friend Grant, getting my face melted by some sweet local band, or just blaring it in my car. It really does make me happy, and some of the fondest memories I have are those when I was playing songs that I helped to create on stage with my best friends. But there is one problem...

This happiness is fleeting. It's awesome when the amps are roaring, but what happens when the show is over? The reality of life comes back. The things that make us happy can so easily be made nothing. I love Zaxby's and Bojangles, but all it takes is a sore throat or upset stomach and it's not even good. I love my dog Rocky, but sometimes he takes a slam in his cage and I gotta clean that junk up in the morning. The truth is that what we think of as “happiness” is more often than not a fleeting and deceptive emotion.

I have also been thinking about joy. Joy and happiness are not synonymous, and this fact was made clear to me last week at SharpTop Cove. I was a leader of some guys from inner city Durham. The whole camp was filled with kids from the streets of various big cities around the country. The stories they had made my heart break. One particular friend of mine has only known his father outside of prison bars for two years and now he’s serving several life sentences and will most likely be incarcerated for the rest of his son's life. Another guy prefers not to even connect with his father because of the way he treats his mother (and the mothers of his other five children). They have turned to the street life for an escape: violence, drugs, promiscuity, and even gang activity, all in the search for happiness and, ultimately, joy.

It was a hard week for me. There were moments of great fun and laughter, but for much of the time it was hard. Hard to be confronted with the fact that I have a cushy life that I do not deserve, hard to try and relate to them all week, hard to be confronted with the fact that these guys have such tough situations at a young age, and hard to think that there are stories out there that are far worse than the ones told to me. Though there was not much “happiness” for me this week, I had great joy. I had joy in the fact that I was able to communicate hope to them; hope that flows from faith in Jesus Christ.

My goal was not to tell them to grit their teeth and work hard, that one day they could make it out of the hood, live in a nice house, have a stable family, and a nice bank account. Those things don't matter in the end. What a disappointment it would be to gain those things, only to realize they can only promise fleeting happiness! No, my goal was not to help them achieve these things. My goal was to point them to Christ, and that gave me joy.

I have also been thinking about my agenda. How do I want to spend my life? I will pursue both happiness and joy. I will enjoy my life as much as possible; as I move away from North Carolina and pursue a career as a professional musician I will enjoy every note and drop of sweat along the way. But when those things fail me (or succeed wildly), when bad things happen and life throws me curves, I know that I have deep joy. I have my identity and my joy and my security in Christ, and I will share that with others. SharpTop was such a blessing to me that I have decided to be involved in urban youth ministry wherever I end up, that I may multiply my joy in sharing the hope of the Gospel with those who have lives vastly different from mine. With those who I may not be able to relate to, but who I care about and want to see changed. I find that far more fulfilling and valuable than a nice salary and a retirement plan.

So, as for my life right now, I am hoping and dreaming and planning on a grand and adventurous future. A future that is filled with face-melting guitar solos, CD release shows, crowded tour buses, and good times. A future filled with new youthful urban friends, street ball games, Michael Jackson dance parties, and real talk about life, hope, and Christ Jesus.

The Prosperity Gospel

2008-07-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

This is a video that we show to all the students that go through camp.

It's pretty self-explanatory, but for those wondering: The "Prosperity Gospel" is the idea that followers of God either earn or deserve blessings in the form of health, safety, or material posessions.

It can be found here:
Prosperity Gospel

FirstShow LastShow

2008-07-15T17:06:00.001-07:00

I had a sweet chance to rock out the other night. I formed a band with some friends up here at summer camp. We were just gonna learn and play some cover songs for our friends. We named the band “FirstShow LastShow,” and it was a huge success. We made some t-shirts to sell and made over $600, which was all given to a family with financial burdens that we are committed to helping. Since I am the “soundman” up at camp this summer, I got to set everything up and get all the levels right. We also had some sweet lights and my man Brian Turney made a Flash video for the intro. It was crazy.

My fellow were rockers were Matt Chauta (lead VOX and guitar), Thomas Macinnes (bass and guitar), and John Creger (drums). We made some sweet fliers and took some band promo shots. Then on show night, we all got rockstar-styled up. Which ended up with me having the sides of my head cut real short and one long bang that hangs over my eye. Then we all put on eyeliner and looked real emo. It was then that I discovered why so many artists dress up and have stage personas – its fun. It made it so much easier to jump around and get into it. It's like Halloween for those in their mid-twenties. So I still have a really weird haircut and I'm trying to figure out what to do. I have two weddings between now and the move to LA. One of them I can pull off the rockstar haircut. But the other, I am a groomsmen, so we will see. I would like to keep it and figure out a way to make it look legit rockstar. Although all of my friends are gonna make fun of me when they see it. Oh well.

I will put up some pictures once I get some. For now, I will attach the flier. Check the mad photoshop skills.

New Shoes and Broken Toes

2008-06-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

So i bought some of these, Vibram FiveFingers

They are great, and I enjoyed them. For the two days that my foot fit in it. Early this morning I stubbed the heck out of my left pinky toe on a railroad tie. I wanted to blurt expletives but I didn't because the little kiddies at camp were around. Anyhoo, I thought it might just be dislocated because it could still move some. So this guy pulled on it. bad idea, it really hurt. that did make me scream expletives. So, I go to the doctor. Takes three hours, and he tells me the X-ray machine is broke, sends me to the hospital. Three hours later, they say I did, in fact, break my toe. Which I knew, I was just trying to get that workers comp to pay for it. Which it did.

Mission successful.

Cell Phone Numbers, or NFL Blitz on 64

2008-06-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

On Friday night at camp, we had 12 hours of silence. During these hours, each small group (4 or 5 guys or girls) had shifts where they would wake up and pray over the camp and read Scripture for an hour. It was a refreshing time for me, and I was able to lots of meditation and thinking.

I spent a lot of time in the memorial garden. Last year, four of the Snowbird staff died in an auto accident in the middle of the summer. A father of a staff member put together this really nice memorial garden on campus. It has huge stone benches with the four names engraved in them. I had met one of the staff members very briefly, but I didn't know him very well. Even so, I was able to grieve for my friend who died last year, Jason Ray. In fact, while I was sitting in that garden, I was finally able to delete his phone number from my cell phone. I don't know if it's normal or not to keep numbers like that for this long, but I am glad I finally deleted it. I think it will bring a deeper level of healing.

Most of you who read this at this point probably knew Jason, or at least know what happened to him and our connections. For those for don't (and for those who did), I am going to recount some of my favorite “Jason Stories” here and in further posts. The first will deal with the Nick Burn's bonus room, a sleepover with “the band,” and several games of NFL Blitz on N64. Erik and Nick know what I'm talking about...

So, as was custom, we would go to Nick's house to play music and hang out in high school. On one particular weekend, we decided to just sleep over at Nick's house. Now, we all know Nick is not a huge gamer. Unless it's Dark Summit, or that terrible Bruce Willis game. Anyways, somehow a copy of NFL Blitz and an N64 ended up in his bonus room. We would have some intense games on this. Jason HATED losing. He also loved the virtual version of Mike Alstott. (On a sidenote, if someone from Midway reads this, you made Mike Alstott WAAAAY too good in that game. I mean seriously, he's Mike Alstott. Not Barry Sanders) Alstott would break at least one tackle a play. Which was frustrating. This is on top of the fact that Blitz is a game intentionally designed to be frustrating because it threw in plenty of controversial fumbles and interceptions to keep the game close. All this amounted to a game that was about 70% skill and 30% luck.

So, we fire up the ol' 64. Jason of course picks the Bucs. I liked to play w/ either the Packers or Cowboys, depending on my mood. I don't remember who I picked for this round of challenges, but whoever it was, they were on their A game. Because I beat Jason soundly in Game 1. He's pissed, wants to play again. So we play again. And again, I come out the solid victor. Now, two consecutive victories in Blitz is not unheard of, but not too common. Three in a row, getting that is like a running riot in Halo. It's basically affirmation that you are sick nasty wit it. So, after defeat number 2, Jason wants to play again. He's pissed at this point. To the point where it's funny to all of us, but we don't say anything. The third game starts at 1:40 in the morning hours. I switch teams because I am bored of beating him. I think the first two were the Packers, then game 3 I went w/ the boys from Dallas.

I don't remember the details of the game, or else I would outline them. There were plenty of moments where both of were yelling at the 64 for bullcrap plays. But, in the closing seconds, I think I took the ball from Ray and just kept it long enough to pull out the win. 3-0 for the evening. Jason is furious. I mean, really mad. He stands up, hurls the controller to the ground, and walks out of the room. We laugh, and go downstairs. I am expecting to see him sitting by the bar with some water or something. Oh no, he stormed out of Nick's house and walked home (which was right down the street.) Straight up left. The next morning, he comes over at about 10 and we are up eating some cereal. He walks in, gives the signature “What's up” and sits down. We look around for a minute, then Erik, Nick, and I just start laughing. Oh man, it was great.

So the point of this story is I will destroy you in NFL Blitz. Bring it.

Summa Summa Time

2008-05-26T14:34:00.001-07:00

Long time no post. That's because I have been wicked busy up at Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters. It's located in Andrews, NC (aka the middle of nowhere) and is an amazing place. Each summer, thousands of kids come here with their church groups and are challenged both spiritually and physically. I don't think I have been around people who resemble community and the body of Christ like SWO staff. This summer I work "Puddle Jumping," which is playing in swimming holes in the Nantahala River, and I will also work at the 3-Man swing, which is a swing that swings 3 men. Or women. It's great. I'm also the sound man, which is fun.

I'm missing Chapel Hill, but I am really excited for this season of my life. The teaching here is superb and very honest, and it's fun to not have a real job yet still make money. Plus people here are buying rockstar t-shirts like crazy.

Hey, are you guys gonna play some cover songs?

2008-05-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

So I rocked out one last time with my boys on Saturday at the Wild Wing Cafe in Raleigh. It was great. It was three hours of mostly cover tunes. We played our favorites, including "Don't Forget Me" by the Chili Peppers. (If you haven't heard it, listen to it now. Incredible.) It was probably the 5th song of the night. When we got done, one of the bartenders comes up to me and says, "Hey are you guys gonna play some cover songs?" I looked at him like an idiot, because every song we had played so far was a cover song.

Also there was this guy at the bar who could whistle really, really loud. Like, he would whistle while we were playing and I could hear him. He almost got kicked out because he whistled so loud. Afterwards, he comes up to us and tells us how great we were. He then decided to whistle at one of the bartenders, who responded, "I'm busy, I'll be with you in a minute. And don't ever whistle at me again. Ever."

Good times. RIP Nine PM

Sticks and Stones and Mean Words

2008-05-01T08:14:00.001-07:00

Time for the fresh-out-college-kid-criticizes-American-culture-and-society post. I was listening to G105 the other morning. (NOTE: My iPod tape adaptor broke, forcing me listen to the radio. Although I enjoy the morning show, I thought I would try to save some face for those top 40-haters out there). They have a segment where people call in and talk about their dilemma. This woman calls in all upset, because she doesn’t know what to do with her boyfriend and husband. Yes, she has both. She left her husband (but not divorced), and moved in with another guy. Then she calls in crying about how she loves her husband so much and he’s perfect and she doesn’t know how to leave her boyfriend because he already has some depression problems and she doesn’t want to hurt his feelings, yadda yadda yadda.

I was in disbelief. There are so many problems I see in that. The first is that the sanctity of marriage has almost gone down the tubes in America. What started a religious and spiritual covenant (it’s the truth like it or not) which was meant to bind two people in the most intimate and serious way has become something that people enter into with far too less planned commitment. I mean, most vows say “until death do us part.” That’s freakin intense. Imagine looking for a college roommate. Think of how serious some people take that. For a year long thing. What if was like, “Hey man, you trying to move into Mangum dorm?” “Maybe, how long you living there?” “Until one of us dies dude.” Crazy. I don’t think people have that mindset as much entering marriage. The numbers vary, but pretty consistently I hear that 50% of marriages in America end in divorce. So sad.

The other issue here is “not wanting to hurt feelings.” It seems to me that emotionalism has run rampant. People often express their thoughts as “I feel like…” Think about it; should you trust your feelings? Ask my housemates, all it takes to wildly alter my mood is either a stellar or piss poor game of Halo on-line. I mean, if I own some rocket-hugging noob with a battle rifle in The Pit, I’m jacked. But if I miss what should have been an easy takedown with the shotgun and get a sticky right in the face, I’m furious. We actually have a piece of acoustic foam near the X-Box that I can hit in my moments of rage so I don’t do something dumb like punching the wall. I know, I need to work on it. But I digress. All that to show the treachery of “living by your emotions.” And people are especially wary of others’ emotions. Now I’m not saying to just have no disregard for people and be a total clown about it. But in situations like this, when the lady already knows what she wants to (and should) do, she just needs to do it. For the most part, people are big boys and girls. They can take it. Just tell them the truth.

Well, this post didn’t really end up where I thought it would. But I’m tired of typing. Sorry if that hurts your feelings; get over it. Kidding. Or am I?

The Problem of Pain and Suffering

2008-05-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

I suppose it’s time for some deep thoughts…

I spent some time yesterday reading a blog-debate between two New Testament scholars. Bart Ehrman is a professer at UNC, very smart, and a born-again-but-then-gave-it-up Christian-turned-Agnostic. I had a class with him, it was amazing. N.T. Wright is a Bishop in the Church of England. Both are prolific writers and know way more about the New Testament than I thought possible. They debated “the problem of evil/pain/suffering,” which you can read here.

I consider myself to have a decent hold of the intellectual side of my theology. I have read some “classic” by Lewis, Packer, Piper, Tozer, etc., and have had stimulating theological conversation and have heard both the problems and solutions for the big questions of the faith. However, as I read Ehrman’s first post, I found myself being very persuaded and agreeing with most of the the things he said. Then I read Wright’s response, in which I found myself persuaded again. This went on through the entirety of the debate; each post’s argument seemed to both (for the most part) persuade and humble me, as I found myself being exposed to new thoughts that sounded good.

My aim here is not to spill my intellectual guts for you, but rather to highlight the frailty of logic and reason. The scholars were arguing for vastly different things, yet supported them with arguments that seemed very solid and thought out. But isn’t truth by definition exclusive? As in my past experiences with viewing/reading debates, I am alarmed at how easily my own mind can latch onto an argument and run with it, then embrace something totally different 5 minutes later, especially concerning spiritual things.

While in the end I agree with the majority of Wright’s stances, one must admit there are still challenges to human logic presented in Scripture and the story of God and his people. I am thankful that my hope rests not on my ability to think, reason, or argue, but to trust and believe in the omniscient Christ.

Comical Comics

2008-04-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

So, i found this amazing website where you can create comic-book versions of yourself and friends, then make up comics. It's a great time waster. It's at bitstrips.com

Check out my first pieces of work...

Funny side note: when attempting to send these pics to my housemates, I accidentally attached my 2007 Federal Tax Return instead of the picture. So, if I'm the victim of identity theft in the future, I know who to go after...

Farewell Show

2008-04-24T12:25:00.001-07:00

I'm in a band right now, Nine PM Traffic, and quite frankly, we rock. Which brings me to the saddest post to date: we will be having our final show on May 3. It's in Chapel Hill and on a Saturday at 9:00PM (clever, I know), so if you can make it you should! It's at PT's Grill (formerly Lucy's) near Frankin St, and its all ages and FREE!!!

It's going to be great time. I hope to see lots of friendly faces there!

The "Notice"

2008-04-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

I gave my three week-ish notice to my boss last Friday. Crazy; time flies when your having fun, amen?

For those of you who didn't know, I have been working at Gurlitz Architectural Group since July 2007. It's been great; most people are surprised I went to UNC and ended up at an architectural firm. I have been able to do lots of cool things; draw plans, model buildings in 3-D, learn Photoshopping and web coding skills. The co-workers there were really cool too, except none of them like Bojangles or Maroon 5. Lame. One time this guy there named Adam said I was his hero. He hearts me. I always said, if I wanted to be an architect, then I had hit the jackpot. But I want to be a rockstar. So, off to LA I go. I am hoping to use the skills I learned here to get some part-time drafting work in the big city that will pay a little better than the alternatives. We shall see.

To further illustrate the greatness of Gurlitz, I shall tell this tale of mine. After telling Richard (the boss-man) I was leaving, he began to tell me about a guy in LA that was a client of ours (we built the office for the Sugar Hill record label, home to Nickel Creek.) He was helping me network literally 2 minutes after I gave him my notice! And another guy knows the bass player for Dave Matthews Band. Cha-ching. DollaBills in the bank.

So, in a nutshell, goodbye Gurlitz. Thanks for everything. I'll see you when I sell out RBC Center!

Tattoos and T-Shirts Pt. 2

2008-04-11T10:06:00.001-07:00

Here is the tattoo. It is the Greek word for grace, which looks like xapis and is pronounced charis.

Tattoos and T-Shirts

2008-04-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

I got the bug. The tattoo bug. I now have gotten 3 tattoos in less than a year (although two of them were part of the same "picture.")

My latest one is on my left forearm. I expect most folks to not like it. I also expect most folks to lie to me and say that they do, or just avoid the subject. Like they don't notice a 5inch block of blue and black ink on my arm. Thats ok though, because I like it. You can feel free to not like it. I might not like something about you, like your face or your car. But we're still friends.

I also am selling T-Shirts to fund my trip to LA. I have no shame about that; gas is expensive, and so is LA, so I will take all the help I can get. Holler at me if you want one. I think I can attach pictures to this thing, so if I can, I will attach a picture of both the tat and the shirt.

Why I'm (the blog) Here

2008-04-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hi friends, welcome to my blog. Not gonna lie, it's a little weird to write a blog. Kind of presumptuous to write about myself. Plus I don't really know what to write about. Deep, dark secrets? Dumb, shallow humor? Time will tell...

But I digress. Why did I start a blog, you ask? Because that way I can write about all the crazy things in my life and people can read about it and stay updated at their leisure. Because those who would like to stalk can do it without freaking me out, and I can pretend that those who I wish would stalk me are actually reading it too.

Why is it called the local rockstar? Because names are hard to think of, and I like this one, so I went with it. And hopefully it will become ironic as I become a global rockstar.

For those of you who don't know, I am packing my bags and leaving the beautiful state of NC for the...umm...LA. What is LA's nickname? It would be useful to know in situations like this. But anyhoo, I am headed out there in September with my guitar, some clothes, some books, and other necessities, like Halo 3. It is my goal to become a professional musician.

Most people's reaction to this is, "Whoa, that's awesome!" Except TJ Lockwood, who told me I was an idiot for not sticking around with Nick Burns. But TJ thinks that Dave Grohl sucks, so his opinion instantly means less than everyone elses. Anyways, for those of you who want to see how it ends up, this is where you can do that.

Alright, I'm done. Thanks for reading.
--DollaBills