toss your pedals in the pool, indie boy.

I failed my jazz experiment. most splendidly.

You see I'm a rock n roller who has a dash of bashfulness and dissuasion when it comes to large crowds, but when a modern band puts out an album worth listening to, something that motivates me whether in lyric or in musical structure and melody, my whole world lights up. Rather, it shines a new light on the book shelf of my life, my memories and demons and regrets, the few I harbor. I am moody, very moody, so when I listen to albums, I must be moved song to song, variations in the songs and genre, ideas desires, sacredness and profanity, are absolute necessities.
Which is why 2008 was such a bad year in my understanding for music. Only a few survived my list, and Shinedown and Lifehouse were on the top, mostly by themselves. One could say that music school makes you jaded, I believe you are converted and suddenly you can't stand musical defecation, pathetic indie boys, and dumb mountain men who spend albums devoting songs to friends and deer and billygoats.

To all you indie artists, I dare you, for one tour and one recording session, to leave your Line6 Delay and Reverb in your mothers basement in a nice box and see what you're really worth when you're plugged directly into an amp head and that sound is getting blasted at 100 db.
You're fans will hate you, your producer (you have a producer, right?) will hate you, you'll hate yourself and all the fast food joints you worked for that superfulous gear, but you might actually get better and learn to play your damn instrument. Leave the effects to the keyboards.

So yes, 2008 was a bad year for the album, for the guitar, for most of the industry really. Although the hit singles formula used last year was spectacular in it's success. Katy Perry's "I kissed a girl" and the like have set off a huge spree of triplet feel power pop/hip hop songs that haven't been heard since the eighties, so obviously it sells... good job finding a dry spot on the titanic.

all that pissing and moaning to say that lifehouse and shinedown put out really good works. I am most happy with lifehouse, because of the huge turn around they pulled in the face of their label. Their previous release was such pathetic ear candy I almost cried learning and singing one of their songs to an ex girlfriend who literally demanded I play the song before I left for college. Really, the song made no sense, no coherent chord formula, no coherent train of thought. and the album just got worse from there.
Not so with their newest release. Yes, pop music in it's truest sense, but well produce. And written with conviction and experience that I can actually believe and understand, or at least attempt to understand, connect with the author.

Shinedown? the sound of madness. just listen to it. Modern rock more or less is lacking in originality and soul, but this band is balls to the wall in ferocity and a sound so strong you cannot ignore it for long. A great way have they travelled from the days of "Us and Them."

I have already listened to another band releasing an album in June, I wont name them here, or even after their release, but it's been a long time since a new release has inspired me to play guitar, this album puts the fire under the tires.

I have high hopes for Wilco, and must check with some others on releases this year.


On to happy news. I have started playing guitar again, and should be up to an hour long routine in about 7 weeks. I have high hopes of returning to a 3 or 4 hour practice routine, daily. I don't know that I will be able to return to my marathon sessions, but a boy can dream, right?
My grip strenght has improved by over 140% in the last 2 weeks, I can perform my daily tasks without much inhibition or limitation. I can even use my playstion 2 now, which is a great relief and favorite pastime when I'm not reading, playing, annoying sara, getting drug all over cleveland by sara, or sleeping.

Oh, and I can type longer now as well. yay.

make love, make art, make friends, not nukes.