Good Grief

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

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....

....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

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

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

For all you facebookers, join my fan page!!

Local Rockstar

Done...for real.

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.