Y'All Ain't Gonna Believe This Shit

So, my Dad found this ad in the Priest River Times that said:

Are you a musician who dreams about making the big time... but have no idea how?
A national television show wants to talk with you. We can't guarantee to make
you famous, but we can promise you an adventure that will be seen by millions.
If you are a musician (or know one) from a very rural spot; who has never
recorded, never gone on a tour; but people tell you: "You could be a star" ...
we want to talk to you.

And it had a phone number and some extensions and whatnot. I thought, well, it's probably a scam, but you never know. So, today, I called the number. A machine picks up that says I've reached ABC New York. So, I punch in the first extension number and expect to get a machine. I have no idea what I am going to say, but I wait as the line rings. And a real person picks up. He asks me all kinds of questions about where I live and just how rural it is... and he seems genuinely pleased to hear all about it. And he asks me some questions about my music, what my dreams are with my music... and I got emotional talking about how I wanted to get my Dad out of the sawmill and how I wanted to honor Grandpa's musical legacy. He told me that I had a very compelling story, and told me that the show they were working on is ABC's "Primetime Live," and, earlier this year, they did a segment about the "6 degrees of separation" just in New York City. Apparently, they'd randomly approchaed people in New York City and had them try to connect themselves in "6 degrees" to some other people with certain qualities. Well, for this, they are doing the same thing again, but they are adding the element of geography. They said that they would want to do the shoot out at my parents' place because of the rural look, and that they would want to have the band play, and that they would be sending me on a 5-day excursion to wherever I needed to go to complete this "mission" of finding this other person within 6 degrees and they would pay for everything. I'm thinking, well, cool. Not at all what I expected, but very cool. So, then he tells me that he will need to see some pictures and hear my music, so I sent him to my band's site, and he kept asking me questions about how I look... like, "Is your hair still that long?" (Yes.) "How tall are you?" (5'11".) And things like that. Then he took my phone number and said that he would be in touch. Pretty cool!

Other News: We were in the studio on Sunday, and are almost finished recording the cover demo. We have lead vocals on three songs left to do and backing vocals on all 6 to do still.

Proper Order of Horse and Cart

I've finally decided that I most definitely want to start a tattoo parlor in town. So, I started laying out a plan on how to do that. First, I figure I need about $2,000 in funding to get started. Basically for the equipment, supplies, and to rent a small space in town, maybe sub-lease from someone. Second, I figure, during the slow days of tattooing, I can still run my web design business. However, there's still those start-up costs. So, I will either need to get a job (911 dispatch, something else, whatever) or get a bunch more web design stuff. Either way, once I have the equipment, I will probably be ready to roll in four months or so.

I talked to a friend of mine tonight, and also to a friend of his who has some contacts in the music industry. I sent him a CD through CDBaby (since I don't have any more). We'll see what happens. The people he wants to show it to are some pretty big names in the producing part of the industry.

Sunday, we're in the studio. Hopefully, by Monday, I'll have gotten paid so I can order a tattoo kit. Tuesday, I am going to a funeral. That's all I know for now. Tomorrow, I will have a sample of A Night Borrowed for you all to read.

Stuff

I found a drum set in the Musician's Friend catalogue that I wanted to buy. It was a Ludwig 5-piece set that came with Zildjan cymbals. All for $479! Great deal, right? NOPE!!!!! Considering that we have a show in 17 days, the two- to four-week stocking period was just too long. So, I started looking at other sets. That's when Kenny comes in and tells me that we have a show on March 10th at The Beef 'N' Brew. So, now we have a show in 10 days. Lovely. So, I went ahead and ordered the Taye drum set and cymbals that the drummer recommended. Should be here 2 to 7 days.

We also had read in the newspaper that a bar was looking for bands to come play. We talk to the guy, and he has heard of our band and seems all excited to have us play. Haven't heard anything back yet, though.

Brief Update...

...because I'm really tired and need to go to bed.

1) No money today from the new client.
2) No band practice tomorrow because we do not have a drum set yet.
3) I have not been writing or drawing or doing a whole lot of anything other than work.
4) I am increasingly disliking work, mostly because no one will pay me.
5) My random play MP3 player just played two Van Morrison songs back-to-back, which is relevant to nothing.
6) I have mucho e-mails to catch up on tomorrow.
7) I am finally formulating a new song!

Another Long Weekend

I'm pretty tired and will be taking a long nap here in a few minutes, but here's a recap of my weekend: I spent Friday at my Mom and Dad's, and one of my Dad's friends came over. And then my Dad's best friend came over. I went home at about 10PM and watched a movie called Idiocracy which was pretty funny. Afterward, I checked my e-mail and had finally received the e-mail from my contact for the new project. I printed out the info so that I could do a quote for them, and then I did the quote, printed out contracts, and did some additional work for the project. I went to bed at about 6:30 Saturday morning.

I got up at 10 AM Saturday and went to the studio. Except we got stuck in the driveway and we were late. The drummer was already there when we got there, but the bassist was no where to be seen. We set up and recorded anyway, just getting the drum tracks, and "scratch" vocals and guitar. After that, me and Kenny went and got lunch and then went to this coffeehouse to meet with the investors in this new project.

So, I went to bed at about 2 AM and got up Sunday at about 11 AM. Then me and Kenny went up to the Legion in Cusick with my aunt and uncle. Me and my aunt played gin and made fun of the country music and then played pool. And now I am home, sleepy and ready to go to bed. I did write some in Devil's Handiwork. Here is some of the best stuff:

I should have known that something was up when two guys in suits came into
the Dew Drop Inn. I wasn’t certain, but I didn’t think that anyone in this area
even knew what a suit was, much less where to buy one. No, overalls and flannel
were haute couture of the Southern Oregon farmers that populated this area.

I definitely should have known that something was wrong when one of them
put a quarter in the jukebox and Mick Jagger started pouring through the
speakers. All the Good Old Boys turned to look at the newcomers, their
displeasure of Hank Williams’ usurpation as the jukebox king evident in their
frowning expressions.

Comments on this, anyone?

Nothing New To Report

I've just been working on new tattoos... I have fifteen or so that I haven't scanned in or added to my book. They're just sitting here.

I got more copies of my book today, so, if anyone wants one, put in your order now from my web site and I'll even sign it for you. One copy is already spoken for, so that leaves three. Get with it. :D

Sent a friend a birthday present and a check for his help with that computer the other day.

No new songs, and no new writing to report.

I have not heard from Civil Service. So, no new clue on what's happening with my life.

News

I just heard that I placed number one on the 911 dispatcher's job.

New can o'worms, I guess.

Aw, Hell...

Today, I had to get up early and go do another computer call-out and fix someone Internet connection. They have a new computer running Vista... and I think it sucks. Perhaps I would get used to Vista, but, right now, with what little contact I've had with it... I don't like it overmuch.

Later, we had band practice, and it went rather well. We went over several originals, including "Even If I Stagger," "Slow Burn," "Relax," and the new one, "Rumors."

Tomorrow, I am going into Spokane to meet with the recording studio guy about his web site and to book some recording time. I also need to go to Guitar Center and buy picks for Kenny, and I want to get some guitar strings for both my guitars. Thursday, I am testing for the 911 dispatcher's job. Friday's still up in the air, as is the weekend. Next Wednesday (the 21st), I am having the temporary crown put on my tooth, and having two cavities filled. That's about as much as I know for right now.

I haven't been writing, and I haven't been drawing tattoos. Mostly, I've been reading a book I got in the mail from a friend of mine.

What A Weekend

I went to King's with Kenny and Germ. We had barely walked into the place when the owner of the bar comes running up to us with a calendar in hand and asks us to play on March 16th, to which we agree. So, now we have a show! Yay!

So, then, Saturday, I get a call from the drummer's girlfriend telling us that the band that was scheduled to play at The Rio had cancelled sue to the flu, and would we play that night? And we were like, "Yeah, we'll do it."

We get to the show, get set up, and soundcheck. And... it's time to start. A few more people trickle in. We start off with "Burning For You." We have the typical first set jitters, but, by the third or fourth song, we were in the zone. The place started filling up pretty fast by now, because people had spent most of the first set calling their friends on cell phones and telling them that the other band wasn't playing. We went on first break, and then whizzed through the second set, including playing a MAJOR KICK ASS version of "Radar Love" (playing it better than we have probably EVER played it) and playing two originals that had people ON THE DANCEFLOOR!!!! We took second break, played most of the third set... we were two songs from finishing the third set when... the bar's bass amp blew a tube or something. We had to take the third break two songs early to see if there was another bass amp in the building (no) and the figure out what the hell we were going to do to finish the night. We ended up running the bass through the P.A., and all went well from there on out. We were ready to quit, and annouced that we were at the end of the night. The bar was still FULL. There had to be about 100 people there. They started begging us to play one more. My Dad came up and asked us to play "Crazy Train," so I said that we would do that. Just then, a guy comes running up, and tosses a $100 on Kenny's vocal monitor and says, "Play 'Sweet Home Alabama'." Kenny turns around to us and says, "We're playing 'Sweet Home'," and he launches into it. That was super cool. The guy's name was Chuck. I'll never forget that. And then the bar paid us $100 more than we thought we were getting. SCORE!

But the best part of the whole night was this: the bartenders told me that, the night before, when the other band was playing, there had been 14 people ALL NIGHT. That, the night before, when the other band was playing, the band had left at 11. But while we were playing, they'd had to empty the till THREE TIMES, and it was full again at the end of the night. The very best part? We played REALLY well. We kicked ass. I was so proud of us. :)

So, Grandpa's musical legacy lives on. I miss him so much. And I could never thank him for this gift he gave me.

I Should Be Sleeping...

...but I am not sleeping. Obviously. I have had some trouble sleeping lately, but that's another story.

I am working on some tattoo designs to start a tattoo parlor in Oldtown. It's going pretty well so far. I figure I'll do a few more web sites to pay for the start-up costs, and then get going. How hard could it be?

Well, I need to go to bed because I have a call out to fix a computer.

Working...

I've spent the vast majority of this week designing websites in Flash. I am not sure why the suidden interest by people for websites designed with this God-awful program, but, whatever. It pays the bills. Or, rather, it doesn't, because, in fact, both of these projects are non-paying in the traditional sense. The one, which I am pretty sure I mentioned, is doing a website for a recording studio guy who is starting a rap record label in Spokane. He's not paying me money, but he is trading me recording time in his studio. The other one, which I am positive that I didn't mention, is doing a web site for 1970s singer/bass player Suzi Quatro. I thought I was getting pretty close to being done with both sites, but then, last night, I get an e-mail from the record company saying that he hates the design. I suppose that all this means is that I will be getting more recording time.

I do (mostly) enjoy my work; I haven't enjoyed it all this week. Working with Flash SUCKS ASS.

In other news... we didn't have band practice at all this week.

Show

I went to a Christmas party at Kenny's boss' house. We were the entertainment. Me and Kenny played acoustically and people watched us raptly as we did so. We even did REALLY well, which was surprising. Well, to me, it was.

A Day Off

I plan to take this weekend and do as little as possible. My feet are killing me. I performed last night wearing a pair of shoes that are really old. I think I've had them for about four or five years. They are really worn out. The heels are worn funny so that they are slanted, and there is no support in the soles AT ALL. So, here it is, almost 12 hours later, and my feet are still killing me. I won't ever wear those shoes to perform again. I SOOOOOO need to go shoe shopping. Maybe I can use some gig money for that. Hmmm. What I'd really like to find is a pair of open-toed wedge sandals with straps... preferrably in black. Something sparkly could be cool. I see a Google search in my future. /:-

Stuff

There have been a rash of computer problems here lately: my Mom's computer, the drummer's computer, Kenny's work computer, and Kenny's boss' home computer. I am seriously thinking that I should start a business where I just go around and fix people's computers. I would tell them, "It appears to be a faulty chair-to-keyboard interface." HAHAHAHAHA.

Lastly, I was domestic today. I made chocolate chip cookies for the first time in I don't-know-how long. I even did the dishes afterward.

Very Busy

There's been a lot of work piling up in the last few days; mostly templates and whatnot. Unfortunately, due to other things, I haven't been able to get to it. There was some excitement caused by the bassist getting us a show at the Northern Quest Casino. I know that this is going to be a big deal because already the biggest booking agent in Spokane has called me and said that he would talk to me next week about booking us shows in Spokane. Oh, and tribe there at the casino already wants to book us for the 4th of July at the pow-wow grounds in Cusick (or wherever that is) and for some "other things" that were undefined as of yesterday.

The show yesterday went really well, despite that we only played 15 or 20 songs. They are still paying us $600+. Amazing, huh? Much better than a night in a bar!

I came home so tired... not sure why. We didn't play as long, certainly. I guess it would have to do with the fact that I didn't go to bed until 3 AM Monday night and then got up at 7:30 AM. Then we had to pack up all the stuff, load it into the van, drive to Airway Heights, unload everything, set everything up, wait for an hour and half, play for and hour and a half, break everything down, re-pack everything, load it back into the van, drive back to Priest River, and unload everything. Of course, I have Lead Singer's Disease and don't do any heavy lifting... well, that's only partially true. I try to stay out of Kenny's way because he is very cranky whenever someone prevents him from doing whatever it is he is doing, even if the other person is helping him. So, I avoid it. But, all the same, I was so tired when we got back that I fell asleep on Mom's couch and was in bed by 10PM.

Blah, Blah, Blah

I'm still working, which is a great thing. Not that I like it, mind, but it's still good to make money.

I went to a bar last Friday. It's called The Rio. Anyway, I talked to the bartender who books the bands, and, if we get her demos, she said she'd book us for every other Wednesday and alternating weekends, so it'd be like, Wednesday one week we'd play, and then not play that weekend, and not play the following Wednesday and then play Friday/Saturday following that, and then play the Wednesday after that. And so on. This would be good. They pay the bands well.

I have to go to bed now. I have to go to Spokane at 8 AM.

Writing

Life has been busy, what with the working stuff, the party planning, and the writing. I am still toying with my book, at this point. I figure, sooner or later, I'll have something worth showing people. For the moment, however, the book is slow-going. And as for the sequel to Night Cries, it's even slower going, but I've finally started it. I just threw out everything that was holding me back. Here we go.

Oweee

Can you believe my luck? I hurt my neck. I can't turn my head to the left or I almost pass out and/or puke. It's AWUL. I've taken over 2,000 MGs of painkillers today, and it only makes it marginally better.

Oh, but here's the best part: how I hurt my neck. Are you ready for this? You might think that I hurt myself at the band's performance on Saturday whilst headbanging to "Crazy Train." Nope. You might think that carrying around a 14-lb guitar for four and half hours did it. Nope. I didn't even hurt myself moving equipment or playing with the kids or falling like an idiot or getting hit by a car or hitting a deer or some stupid shit.

No, I hurt my neck SLEEPING.

Yeah, that's right: SLEEPING. I can't believe my luck.

In other news, I am throwing a surprise party for Kenny's 38th birthday. His birthday is Oct.6, but I am having it on the 7th at the American Legion in Cusick. This will be fun. I am having a cake shaped like a golf course done for him, and I'm getting balloons, and streamers, and the band will play!

Oh, and the band is playing the Friday before Halloween at King's in Priest River and at The Jammer in Priest River the Saturday before Halloween. We're also booked for New Year's at The Jammer.

Speaking of The Jammer, the gig was okay. We had Major Technical Difficulties during the first set, specifically, Kenny's wireless guitar router thingy had a dead battery, so he couldn't play for half of the first song. Then, there were feedback issues on the P.A. all freaking night. And there wasn't much of a crowd. We're working on the P.A. setup so we don't have to play as loud and we can be more Dynamic.

Also, I am going to post the stuff about the trip to Denver. I am. I've just been Work-Swamped for days now. But I will get to it. Sooner or later.

I'm Excited

Short and sweet of it, 'cause I have to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 10 AM:

• Band is entered into contest on MTV2, now, and we're at #6 for the Seattle region!
• Gig went well.
• Band is focusing more on practicing for a while, in case we do get a gig at the Spokane Fair.
• Got a personal letter from programming director at KCDA!!!
• I'm almost done working on the two sites I have been working on.
• Getting more printed material ordered Monday.
• I NEEEEEEED a laptop!!!!

I will write more in-depth on these topics Sunday or Monday.

'Tis Me, Again

The show I whined and blogged about... well, it's back on... sort of. The owner called me back the very next day and asked us to play. After Kenny went down there and picked up all our equipment. So, Kenny agreed to play there for $250, even though we all wanted $350. Grr. Well, anyway.

I re-did my personal site, and I re-did my book site. I am contemplating the band's site, now. Not sure what to do with it, but I want it to look professional, and I want it to pop. Still, I've been looking around, and getting something to look really good when compared to most bands is totally do-able. Most band sites suck. And most author's sites suck, too. In fact, in general, most web sites suck ass.

Okay, I'm off to get some pudding.