Continuity

Wow, what a weekend we had with MME this last week. We played to a pretty big crowd at the breezeway and our most faitful fans from the campus stopped into see how we were doing. The next night we went over to an underground producers house to play (His name's nathan day but he also goes by badger). I think it's the most fun I've had playing a show in what seems like a lifetime. I didn't know a lot of the people in the crowd personally but I felt like they were really into what we were doing. Some of them even heeded to my request and danced as much as possible during the songs.

It's the rush I live for, standing up there playing those songs, and I appreciate it to no end when some one is willing to give up any small amount of time and money to listen to us play. I never want to be a celebrity, but I don't know that I could live without the rush of performance. Looking into some one's eyes, or finding that one person you really hoped made it to the show can make the biggest difference in the world.

Despite this little quarter-life crises I seem to be trying to wedge myself through I'm finding a lot of help along the way. As always my incredible parents are still supporting me in my confusion, and I've been wanting to give back to them more and more lately. I guess it's all part of this getting older thing, learning how I can show them my appreciation without buying things. I have to get over some of the things I thought were entirely institutionalized when I was a kid.

Like I said, I'm having brief existential moments daily for some reason but I'm still planning on going ahead with my RPM. It's looking to be in the same style as last year's, with synth style drums, bass and rhythms but plastered with electric guitar and raw vocals to give it that actual wall of sound effect. I'm debating as to whether or not I'm going to try to feature a lot of people this year, but I suppose I'll figure that out as time progresses. Twinkee and Pricey are going head long into an RPM of their own, but I'll most definitely be recruiting their help when it comes to the sometimes tedious recording process.

If anyone was hoping for some of my usual beat down angst stuff you may be disappointed, I've been writing most of my lyrics during the day, and I'm specifically trying to counteract the predominant winter blues. Hopefully I'll get a couple of video blogs put together soon so some of you can hear some samples, but I'm definitely a lot more comfortable writing about it, so everyone make sure to keep stopping in to read the update!

I'll be seeing you soon,
Jeff

Shows/n/Such

I just got contacted by Gene Brown at the Levee here in St. john's, he asked me to put on a solo set next saturday night. I'm really excited to pull out some of the stuff I wrote a little while ago and haven't been playing with a band at all. There's a lot more than just that going on this week though!

Today Braeden, RG and I sat down to start putting together some new songs and talking about what we're doing with Make Mean Everything. This week alone we're doing our first real studio recording (With Bryce Smith from the band RocketRocketShip) and playing an acoustic set at MUN for a Sociology Mixer, going to be a blast. We've also got a few shows booked into february that we're collecting details on right now!

The RPM season is coming up and that means I'll have to go into full production mode, hopefully putting out my own compilation of acoustic material while helping out my buddy Michael-Price put out his first hip-hop album. Each of us are commiting to 10 organic unreleased songs to be released on the last day of February, so everybody keep your heads up for the recordings and video blogs as they come out! You've gotta keep up!

Working this weekend and a full week of school to begin tomorrow, time to put on my Economics hat for a little while and try to be an analyst!

-J

Ableton song list is getting long

I'm so excited that I got to sit down and sort out the pictures I got to take last week, and the songs I've had piling up in my .MIDI folder for ages. For a little while there I was losing confidence in my songwriting ability, just getting through the song-writing process.

It was around Christmas time that I started remembering all those times I would sit for a couple of hours with Adam Dincorn and try to find that one perfect harmony for something. It inspired me to start taking a couple of extra minutes with everything I've been writing so that every song will be concrete and flawless before I put it to record.

As much as I love Herman Li , I'm not going to improvise anymore.

I can't believe Make Mean booked two shows already, just small gigs, but gigs none the less. I'm really hoping we can all balance school and our favorite form of creation appropriately. February is RPM season, and I'm going to try to go into full production mode.

Complete efficiency. Pound for pound.

As long as I can keep up a good spirit and a normal diet I'll be up and running alright. Just running, and running and running and

The Rebirth

I've been writing music like crazy, lyrics and guitar, and I'll hopefully be releasing all of that with a few guest instruments, for purchase at some point in the next two months! Abby Cook has been gracious enough to provide me with some album art for my solo releases, so anyone eager to get their hands on some personal Abby Art will be able to do so by February.

I'm finding the writing process filled with positive emotions and energy so hopefully that will come through on the release. I've been dabbling in photography more and more every day, so maybe I'll arrange some sort of a photo shoot soon to get this blog looking a little more positive and modern like the approach I'm going to try to take for the release.

I'm just starting this blog up again, but I hope to get it rolling like it was not so long ago. Anyone who wants to look back and see what the blog was I encourage you to take a scroll through it's pages and see if you can dredge up some teenage angst (there's probably some pretty bad stuff in there).

I'm still studying Economics at Memorial University so besides sending posts and music I'll also be providing little bits of economic commentary to keep it from being consistently all about me and the music. If anybody has any ideas for artwork or recording collaborations get in touch with me whenever you can so we can hammer out all the little details pre-release.

Thanks so much for stopping in and reading, for all those of you who signed up for Google+ or have a Gmail account, I'm going to rig up a way to get any posts I make here sent directly to your e-mail or to your phone. I'll have details on that soon!
Keep in touch

I've made a decission

I keep trying to start blogging again because I have a couple upcoming releases. I figure maybe this will give me some idea of interest so I can get motivated to put out my video blogs in February during my insane writing and recording season.

If anyone needs a recap of what may have happened since I left Saint John it went a little like this:

I became a university student

Which in all it's glory has made me feel like growing up quite and bit and trying to get on with being a person as opposed to speculating on everything and writing about it. I'm a little more skilled at economics and a little less skilled at playing guitar, but I wouldn't say to any degree that affects song writing, I'd say more on the scale of guitar solos and self-indulgent playing.

I still enjoy music, very much, and try to surround myself with it at all times. I'm playing with a band called Make Mean Everything right now, and we're trying to get as much exposure as possible.
This whole casual blogging thing is probably going to fester into a full fledged overload of material about my life that people may have no interest reading. However, consider this a reintroduction to prose and opinion, the way I write it

BLOGDUCTIVITY 2

'The week is right out our back door so it's time to start making some agendas for the week to come.
First off, you've got a,  math quiz tomorrow, you're gonna wanna get on that.
Second, your comm studies stuff is looking alright.
Third, let's look at the time based schedule.

8:30am - The wake up

Alarm, pants, alarm, pants. If I don't go directly from the alarm clock to my pants I won't stay out of bed.

8:40am - Get out of the room

Just keep walking man, no obstacles stand in the way now.

Get some Sci- Cafe, danish and a coffee, just like old times

10:30am - Stats lab

It's just a tutorial. Not to say it's just a tutorial, but there's no quiz, don't freak.

11:45-ish: Meal Hall

Grab something fast, math quiz is coming up quick, only have about three hours to get three techniques down. No facebook no facebook no facebook.

12:00 - 3:00pm

Presumably studying. Take some time off to go to the store if you can, but otherwise you'll just have to do without. Pick up a pack of sunflower seeds this time. Those other ones went bad.

3:00pm

Math Lab, wussup.

Try to get to the gym after/before supper, because you have a comm studies meeting.

7:00pm - Comm studies meeting.

Tricia, Kerri, Heather, shout out.

That's it, throw down some free time. Tea probs.

PICTURE OF THE DAY: