Drawing The Line

I was in Nashville this past weekend, which was an interesting experience.

My band played for record label executives at a band showcase, which was more fun that I thought it would be.

My band finally played the Metro this past Friday night, which was a great experience and exposure for us, but I digress.

I have spent probably 6 years of my life wondering where I as a musician and an individual fit into modern music. I have flirted with electronic music in the past, and have thought lately about either incorporating electronic drums and synths into my current band (which is now called No Exit) or starting an electronic side project. If a musician doesn't embrace technology that usually get left in the dust, and I have no intention on getting left behind in the musical landscape.

Along with wondering how I can survive as a modern musician, I've also felt the pressure of time on my available window to "succeed" as a musician trying to survive in the modern world. I'm 24 years old, and for most people that's a young age to be, but for a musician I'm an old man. So I feel I'm always working against the clock.

This past weekend playing both the Metro (biggest show of my career) and playing a showcase in Nashville, I've had all those thoughts about technology and age on my mind. Can I "make it" as a career musician before 24 and playing in a rock band?

All my opinions and assumptions are currently changing as I write. Over the past couple years I've become more and more of a fan of the band Porcupine Tree, which is kind of like England's answer to Tool and Radiohead and a return to album oriented experimental rock music. The new album by Porcupine Tree entitled "The Incident" is the freshest piece of music I've heard in years.

It is an empowering musical statement, and an artistic tool to show self-awareness. While there are some use of electronic music on the album, it is mainly just a well composed and arranged rock album full of progressive and experimental song elements. I think it's a beautiful album. To see such a fresh and creative album coming from a group of guys who are in their mid-40s who have a band have been around for 20 years, but only now getting commercial success makes me feel much better about my place and status in the music world.

The centerpiece of the 2 disc album is a 55 minute long song titled "The Incident" whcih is broken down into 14 parts and covers the entire first disc.

Steve Wilson who is the guitarist/lead vocalist/lead songwriter of Porcupine Tree wrote "The Incident" as a conceptual piece, and I really like the concept of the music. I wish more music had the depth and psychological awarenress as "The Incident."

"There was a sign saying ‘POLICE – INCIDENT’ and everyone was slowing down to rubber neck to see what had happened... Afterwards, it struck me that ‘incident’ is a very detached word for something so destructive and traumatic for the people involved.

And then I had the sensation that the spirit of someone that had died in the accident entered into my car and was sitting next to me. The irony of such a cold expression for such seismic events appealed to me, and I began to pick out other ‘incidents’ reported in the media and news,” continues Wilson.

“I wrote about the evacuation of teenage girls from a religious cult in Texas, a family terrorizing its neighbors, a body found floating in a river by some people on a fishing trip, and more. Each song is written in the first person and tries to humanize the detached media reportage.”

Good Morning Campers

"Discipline is not an end in itself, it's only a means to an end."

That is a quote on the back of one of my favorite if not my favorite album of all time being King Crimson's 1981 endeavour "Discipline."

I find the quote to be very finding and can easily be applied to many aspects of life. I've been on the road for much of the past couple months, which has given me time to see a lot of different places and people in America. I've been on a journey to find not only myself, but also try to find the essence of what America really is.

This journey I've summed up as The Drive To 2011, because I'm hoping to gain significant understanding of myself and also positively effect people by 2011.

The Drive To 2011 is doing much better now than it did a year ago when I first started it. I am very much enjoying my new house in Logan Square right off of Belmont, it's so spacious and a great find. I just grad school and after the first week I'm off to a pretty good start. I just received a scholarship from DePaul, which will make life a little bit easier financially. My band is doing well, and besides living together we are playing our biggest show this next Friday at The Metro, which is just a great opportunity for us as a band.

I'm making good progress, but nothing is good enough yet for me. Life is very much a ride, and I've just been sitting in my seat and enjoying as of late and I hope that continues.

Syracuse

Syracuse is apparently the second cloudiest city in America behind Seattle, and I believe it. I think all the clouds and dismal weather effect the people who live here.

It's a beautiful city, and the surrounding geography is amazing, but the people here are kind of strange and I'm still getting use to them.

I'm starting to build an interior architecture to give myself more intention and awareness, which is a concept I've been thinking of lately, and will discuss more once back in Chicago.

Terrestrial Commuter

I haven't blogged for some time now, which has mainly been because of my constant traveling. I'm getting a little road weary, but I only have one more big trip before my summer ends and I can settle down in Chicago and focus on school.

I am so pumped up about the house I'm renting with my band in Logan Square. It is a beautiful home, and a good enough neighborhood to make me feel safe (pretty hard to do).

Things seem to be going pretty good for me, I'm starting grad school, got a house with Chicago, the band is going well and can't wait to play Nashville next month.

The only problem I've had is being on the road has basically put my social life on like freeze frame, which has made me a little aggrevated and frustrated at not being in the city as much as I like, but I've pretty much already weathered the bulk of that storm.

I keep getting these almost synchronicitic conversations about Portland, Oregon. I think I might just have to travel there and see what all the fuss is about. Maybe this fall or winter I will go out to Portland for a week and scope it out.

Now I have to get back to packing my bags because I'm off to Syracuse for a couple weeks. Now I just need someone like Jack Kerouac or Paul Bowles to write about my road experiences.

Telling Tellers Tell Me

The way we describe our world shows how we think of our world.
How we think of our world governs how we interpret our world.
How we interpret our world directs how we participate in the world.
How we participate in the world shapes the world.

I just don't understand why money is so important to some people, while philosophy and trying to better ourself and the world isn't.

I had an altercation with the police the other day, apparently making music is against the law now. Even where there is no decibal volume/sound ordination curfew they will still bust up your musical endeavors.

I did party on a rooftop in Chicago the other day, and it was a lot of fun.

Now I'm just waiting to get back on the road and hit up Milwaukee and New York so I can make some bank before starting grad school and living life in Chicago the way I want to.

Entre Nous

Hope
One Word
Sanctuary


Dawn
The Noonward Race
Open Country Joy


Dream
Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love
Awakening


Vital Transformation
Miles Beyond
You Know, You Know


I Wonder
Between Nothingness & Eternity
Resolution

Tour Dates

Well I'm finally home again after a couple weeks of traveling, and life seems to come to a hault when you're not on the road.

I've missed Chicago and can't wait to get back. I have place to crash/live now until September or until I find my own place first, which is fine with me right now. I haven't even seen the place yet, but I don't really care to be honest.

I have two gigs this week, one is on Tuesday with my side-project experimental/electronic band Furniture playing at a loft party which I think will be pretty cool. The other gig is Friday night headlining the Elbo Room with Ben Joyce, which if it's anything like the last time we played the Elbo Room will be a very very awesome show.

I'm finally going to start doing some serious traveling, which makes me happy, and I actually have a schedule now of where I'm going to be:

Milwaukee - The first two weeks in August selling fried veggies

Syracuse/Buffalo/NYC - The last week in August until Labor Day. Selling veggies and doing a drum clinic.

Nashville - The Third weekend in September playing a huge showcase for record executives with my band. Very excited!!! Can't wait to play Nashville

Hartford/Springfield MA - First weekend in October.

Mexico - Spring break next March

Brussels - Next June doing a public policy seminar at UN headquarters

Birmingham UK - I'm going to England whenever I have the time between now and next summer.