In the Morning

Set up the studio tonight. Worked on a song called In the Morning. Classic Echo Broke Alone sound. Layered guitars. It was supposed to be the opening track on My Heart to Heaven (the EBA full length coming soon) but the more I listen and the more I record, the more I feel like this is a nice closer. But we'll see. The idea is simple as is all the layered guitar songs. Take a simple progression and make it interesting. Once I get a bunch of guitar tracks for songs going I'll work on cello and other various instruments to layer in. I still love the way Heart Condition turned out and I don't want to leave that style behind as I work on My Heart To Heaven and guitar based music.

T-minus 1 week till I can have coffee again! Next Monday will be a glorious day. Now... I ony have to get through this week...

The Skies Proclaim

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalms 19

Iniquity: An Offering

I love music. It's an understatement but it'll do for now. I love it. Obsessed! Big fan. If there was a way to make listening to music a career I'd jump all over that.

MxPx's "On the Cover II" came out yesterday. Very good. Digging the 80's songs redone. Looking at what's coming out this year... very excited for some records in 09. New music from MewithoutYou, Frank Lenz, Richard Swift, The Chariot, Emery, Map, Saxon Shore, Project 86, Stavesacre, Dillinger Escape Plan, David Bazan, Steph Modder, Jeremy Enigk. Hopefully we'll get new Unwed Sailor and Hammock albums this year as well. I'm excited for records from all these bands.

Record store day is April 18th. Go buy some records.

The Phone Works Both Ways

Not too much happening at the moment. Eating some rice and listening to the Jazz June. Waiting on 24. This season has been awesome. I've been on a little bit of an emo kick lately. Early/mid 90's emo/post hardcore. Christie Front Drive, Jawbox, Sunny Day Real Estate, Brandtson, The Promise Ring, Falling Forward, etc...

Really enjoyed church yesterday. Just enjoyed playing bass and being there. Good times.

That's it... sorry

Mono No Aware

My computer went haywire last week and I've spent the first part of this week getting it back into shape. I've also been sick. Had to go to the doctors. I hadn't been to the doctors in like 6 years. I have strep throat and am on meds. Feeling alright today. I'll be back at work tomorrow.

18 more days left in the Lent Fast. 18 more days before I get to drink a glorious cup of coffee. I will be drinking coffee again and I can't wait for it. Although it's been a good lent season thus far (really making efforts to just do what's right and what God wants) I really really like coffee and I really really miss coffee.

Hammock released there video for the song "Mono No Aware". It's good, Hammock is great. Enjoy

There is No Dana

I have a couple of record reviews that I want to do. I do them mostly for my own enjoyment and on the hope that someone reads this and discovers some great music. I said I'd do the great Norma Jean record "The Anti-Mother". A record in which I am very much in love with. It's very good. But I will wait for another day.

Let's talk about TwoThirtyEight. Great, great band. Released three records on Takehold before Tooth and Nail bought out Takehold. T&N re-released Regulate the Chemicals and the final TwoThirtyEight record "You Should Be Living." I will say that Regulate the Chemicals is one of my favorite albums.

A little bit of personal back story. Takehold records also released the first 2 Underoath records. The second record being Cries of the Past (pretty good metal album). I heard "The Last" on the radio. I feel in love with that song. I found Underoath online, then found Takehold. I ended up downloading a couple of TwoThirtyEight tracks from Napster (yay!) and bought both the Underoath and TwoThirtyEight albums.

Regulate the Chemicals is fantastic. A record that has held up over the past couple of years and still gets lots of play at my house. Some would call it indie or emo, it doesn't matter. Lyrically the record moves from place to place in a cavalcade of story telling. It's a little quirky in movement musically. Not untameable or confusing and not at all a math rock album but it starts and stops with fits of emotive furry. Chris Staples quite honest singing voice exploding into screams of heart and honesty. Plus the first christian record that I'd heard with some sort of "curse" word.

"Some people stay sick in bed,
sick at work or in their heads.
Doctors can diagnose,
problems they are having most.
Regulate the chemicals,
prescribe all the medicines.
Put you on the right road to recovery" (Hands of Men"

"I am happy to be just to be a page in a chapter of your book
You always read the heart inside me like a book and it made me smile
The eyes will speak words when the lips are standing still" (There is No Dana)

"so caught up in being noteworthy,
the average ghost is haunting someone else
you know you're wired when your senses fail" (Coin Laundry Loser)

"I'm running out of fingers to count the things I've done wrong.
I'm dangling from the towers I've built to save my life.
Could it be I've been the one to kiss you to a tree?" (The Bastard Son And The Spoiled One)

"i'm sick of being sick
of being thirsty for a drink
of the one thing you can get me
if i could just forget me
lock the door with the book in raise the table
and the ceiling meanwhile books will fall in" (The Songs Will Write the Words)

"I'm making up reasons,
I have answers for questions never asked.
This is the sound of me thinking too loud.
This is the sound of my brain waves in a chaotic symphony of thought,
or something like that." (Indian in Your Eyes)

I bought Watchmen Tickets!

Watching the extras on the Wonder Woman dvd. I'm a big fan of the DC animated dvds. Good stuff. This one is close to my favorite but New Frontier is great. Watching these extras though I wonder about mic placement. Watching people do voiceover work in normal rooms with mics positions any which way... I wonder if we're doing something wrong at work. Why do we have so much in the way of room noise? I can't figure it out. Anyway...

God is good.

I hope to (possibly tomorrow) right a in depth, or why I'm madly in love with, review of Norma Jean's GREAT album "The Anti-Mother". To tide you over till...

Richmond Rocks

So this summer Denali is playing a reunion show at the Black Cat. I'm excited. I'm going. A little Mondat evening rock music from two of Richmond, Va finest.

Greater Things

Pastor Mark wrapped up the greater things series this morning. His last statement struck a real chord with me. If you focus on doing what's right, God will do greater things. Wow. It's far to simple a concept not to grasp and as someone struggling with the direction of my life and doing what it is God has called me to do it really hit me in the heart.

Well praying tonight I felt prompted to start reading the Psalms. Read Psalms 1 tonight.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."

Glad I read that tonight. A verse that hit a conversation I had with Car last night.

Now it's snowing! I'm hoping it's a lot like the news said it would be. There hasn't been a good snow in DC in forever.