Thursday, September 8, 2011

Flooding, a New Concept Album, Activity of Varied Sorts

I've been busy of late, in different ways...been mostly seated at the temporary York Office (read:  Morebucks), and while on it, I've been trying to accomplish something.


My iTunes is a wonderful thing, once there's enough music in it.  It trumps the horrid burnt offerings that this shop has to play at eleven.  Who decides that this music is good?  Pretentious, and wanky for the most part.


"Eat Me" by Rachel Fuller is playing...wonderful song, and this lady's stuff has really been inspiring.  Doesn't hurt that she's Pete Townshend's collaborator and girlfriend, now does it?


But no, one of Rachel's songs, "Imperfection" has made its way into "Silk Road Days," a long-winded novel I am endeavoring to return to today.


"Revival," a little Allman Brothers, shall we?


Anyway...the flooding is a horrible situation.  If you thought we were out of it with Hurricane Irene, we're not.  Recent tropical storms and Hurricane Katia's behavior in the Atlantic have made things a terrible mess.  


Yesterday was another monsoon, and it snarled traffic badly all over the region.  Flooding shots from all over the state are pretty rough; we have had at least four deaths across the region, and hopefully no more.  


I'm not required; normally, I'm doing something, somewhere, but not this time.  I've actually had the past few days to myself, which is good, because starting next week, I will be busy as all hell.


Working out going well, broke 40 days without a smoke...gaining some definite strength, and I think I have lost a little weight.  Some tightness in the tendon areas of my arms, I've noted, but nothing painful.  There's a difference between feeling a bit tight, or burning, and pain.


Writing music and lyrics like made the past few days; I've assembled 13 songs and some bits for a concept album about my life in radio.  It comes out of listening to "Radio KAOS" by Roger Waters; a very good story and idea, but I don't know if the music overshadowed the story, or it was just not articulated as well as could have been.  Either way, a good revisit to the 80's.


"Dixie Highway," Journey...hmm...don't remember this song.  Never was a huge fan of theirs, but it's interesting.


So anyway, yeah...I have these songs, mostly new that fit together in a song cycle.  I also pulled a couple of old songs that I wrote in the 90's for this.  There is one song from the Ahltyrra days, and a cover by John Hiatt, which just fits.


Another thing I'm working on, as you can see...


...what else?  I have been putting together character sketches for a new story, and it's cooking a lot in my head.  I'm not ready yet to write it, and I wonder when on Earth I'll have time to do that!


"Silk Road Days," trying to get back to it, with new scenes.


"Take Another Road," Chapter 12 was just put up here the other day, and I'm going to need time before I can do the next one.


Songs...ei yi yi, music for several of the concept, new tracks, and a bunch of other ideas that are connected.  Going very close to manic the past few days.


One of my guitars is due out of the shop today; put off getting it fixed for a long time.  Another is awaiting a set of bridge pins, and yet another no longer has the electrics working.  Still plays beautifully as an acoustic; I'm not gonna worry about that yet.


Restrung (yes, I did!) my #1 Laguna...also gave it a good cleaning.  #2 (which is the one I am playing in my profile pic) needs the pins, and I'm getting brass ones, because this is the second time the plastic ones have gone to shit on it.  I generally do not restring my axes until they need it; my hands are fucking horrible at that, and I'm not one of these purists that changes them all the time.  Not needed, for what I do.


Trying hard not to buy a Martin...yeah, there is one I like very much where my Fender a/e is getting fixed, but I don't have the money, nor the justification for buying it...yet.


"Fire Lake," Bob Seger...skipping this one...not in the mood right now...sorry, Bob...


..."Street of the Broken Dreams," my song, done with Ahltyrra...no, not right now...


..."Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," the Who.  That's more like it!


Still some more cleaning at home to do, and other stuff on my mind that needs to be dealt with.


Interesting back and forth on the email from my bass player and me.  Dan really should do a blog, and I have encouraged him to do it.  He looked at my recent rant, and pointed out a few things.  He is right about this area, much much more so than I, as Dan has lived here all his life.  


There's things I don't see, and I wonder if I'm removed from a part of the world I need to see and know about again.  


My situation is thus:  I really can't move, unless I either get the chance of a lifetime, the Sweet Dreams Series gets picked up by a publisher, or I feel that this place becomes so untenable, spiritually politically and otherwise that I must get out.  So I'm doing my usual of making sure I am useful to my colleagues...that's where the concept comes in...this is what I do.


All these crazy insane things I do...hahahahah...wish all to be safe out there...

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