Month: February 2009

There are a handful of different ways in which I write songs. Sometimes I’m inspired by somebody saying something, or seeing something interesting, a book, a movie, or the news, etc. etc. One of the weirder ways that I write songs though is sometimes they sort of stew inside of me until they’re ready to come out. I can’t hear them yet, but I can feel them inside of me. They linger for a while, and then I can start to feel them pushing out, kind of like musical contractions. It’s probably the closest thing I’ll come to being pregnant, thankfully without the stretch marks and morning sickness. Well, I think my water just broke. I’m looking forward to hearing what comes out. 

Anybody want to eat the placenta?

Happy 200th birthday Charles Darwin. You don’t look a day over 160. Thank you for helping to bring us into the modern era of science. Well, at least some of us.

The band is ready to start playing some shows, so start checking in on our show calendar. We’ll be adding shows pretty regularly over the next few weeks. We’ll be playing anywhere and everywhere so we can get in good shape. Mostly we’ll be playing in southern California for now, so if there are any venues in the area that you want us to play, just let me know.  Once we feel rock solid we’ll start venturing out farther. 

See you soon,

SJ

I’m learning to read/write sheet music. Usually I just write the parts for cello or bass or whatever other instruments will be on the song on the guitar and then I play the parts for the musician and we go over it until they have it memorised. Well, I thought it would be much more clever if I could actually write all the notes on the funny staff paper that real musicians actually use. We’ll see how this goes.

I opened the door, took off my shoes, put my jacket on the arm of the sofa, answered a phone call on the way to the kitchen, brewed some tea whilst on the phone, finished the conversation, took the tea to the studio, answered email, listened to some music, took the tea outside for a little bit and read a book, came back inside, went to the kitchen to get some chips, put the book away, took a nap, woke up, recorded for a while, worked on some cello parts, etc. etc. etc. And now I can’t find my keys, I’ve looked everywhere, except for where they are, obviously.

If found, please contact me immediately. 

 

Cheers,

SJ

PS. One of my biggest fears is that when I die I’ll be confronted with a tally of all the time in my life that I’ve spent looking for misplaced items.

It’s raining again in Venice today, and it reminds me why I don’t live in some of the greatest cities in the world like London or Dublin. Although I love the food and the people and the nightlife and the history of those cities, for day-to-day life it’s hard to beat sunshine and warmth for most of the year.

I can however definitely see myself living someplace like Hawaii…

For the new record I’ve taken on a new girlfriend. Well, perhaps more accurately, a new mistress. Alethea, my Gibson Hummingbird, has always been the cornerstone of all my recordings, but lately a new guitar has entered the mix. My Rickenbacker 360 will feature very prominently on the new record. She has a range of sound that goes from jangly to piercing and biting. We’ve spent many nights together now, but I don’t even know here name. I hope Alethea will forgive me.