Category Archives: News + Blog

Day 2… Venturing Out.

Today I got my drive on and did a bit of exploring. The first day of my internship is tomorrow morning so I figured it would be a good idea to drive to the studio the day before and see just how long it’s going to take me to get there. It takes about 30 minutes to get there if traffic is only crazy and not bat-shit crazy. I’m not a big fan of driving in big cities. Never have been. Never will be.

On my way back to the apartment, I was also able to find a Target so that I could purchase a pillow to replace the one that I somehow managed to forget to pack one. Epic comfort fail. Whilst at Target I also picked up a few gifts for Erick and Richard for being so kind as to put me up in their living room. I got them a new router to replace the old one that Comcast had provided them. Comcast had given them a shoddy B-band modem that wasn’t quite reaching all of the computers in the apartment which was No Bueno! I replaced it with a dual N-band router solved all of their connection problems. I figure if they’re nice enough to let me crash on their couch for weeks on end, the least I can do is try to improve upon their geek infrastructure.

The day ended with me writing blogs for both ReberRecording.com in addition to this website whilst The Embraceables got their practice on. Not everyone was able to make it to practice (which explains why there are only 3 of them). However, they did play a cover of Double Bath, an original by Everything, NOW! that caught my attention.

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Anyway, I’m going to get back to organizing my pictures into something other than a confusing mess. I’m outtie 5,000.

First “Official” Day in Chicago

Today was my first OFFICIAL DAY in Chicago. The official status is necessary because it means it’s the first day that I actually woke up in Chicago. I consider waking up in a given are to be fare more intimate than simply arriving or passing through. Aw shucks… We done had a moment. Ain’t that cute. Alright, enough with the redneck banter. This isn’t a one night stand… However, I DID eat cold chinese food for breakfast.

So as I had mentioned before (in a previous post), some friends of mine, Erick Sherman (Everything, NOW!, Revel in The Morning, The Embraceables) and Richard Knapp (Everything, NOW! and The Embraceables), were kind enough to offer up their living room and couch for me to crash on for the duration of my internship at Electrical. So basically, they are both prime candidates for the rad dudes of the year award. Maybe I’ll get them matching purple muscle shirts to show my appreciation.

So here’s a glimpse of where I’ll be doing my living for the next couple of months. It’s a cozy little slice of Chicago that welcomes me with open arms and legs.

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The art on the walls was painted by Lisa Berlin (Everthus the Deadbeats, Jookabox). The giant black eye-sore is my mobile studio that I brought so that I could document the music in my head.

Well, Richard and I are about to head over to the grocery so that I can get some essentials. You know… food and stuff.

Later

Hello Chicago

I got a late start on leaving today and didn’t even get out of Muncie until 4:30PM which was 2 whole hours LATER than I had planned to leave. Whoops. The drive up was laid back. All of the stress-caused traffic must have decided to take the day off. The weather was perfect. Literally. The sky was without clouds.

I ended up getting to Chicago around 9:30PM but still managed to find a parking spot right next to the apartment that I’m going to be crashing at for the coming months. Richard met me at the curb like a gentleman and helped me haul my bags inside. What a sweetie.

After I got all of my baggage situated, Richard and I opted to get some food (this is becoming a total man-date). He suggested that we try out the new Chinese Restaurant that opened up in the area. We went. We ordered. We ate. We liked. It wasn’t anything fancy. I mean, it was as good as Chinese could be made using typical SYSCO meats and produce. However, whatever their quality-based handicaps were, they still managed to cook everything from scratch in what appeared to be a spotless kitchen in an incredibly short amount of time. Respect. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the cashier served us DIY lemonades to sip on while we waited… for free. It was a cup of sugar water with two lemon slices at the bottom. The straw was enormous and had a spear-like tip similar to that of a syringe. You use the straw-like weapon (shiv) to stab the bajeezus out of the lemon slices in the bottom of the cup and then stir it up. LEMONADE! Clever, right?!

Anyway, that’s pretty much sums up the night. So there you have it folks… I’m in Chicago all safe and sound.

Farewell Muncie… At least for now.

Tomorrow I will be packing my bags and moving to Chicago, Illinois to stay with my good friends Erick Sherman and Richard Knapp for the duration of my 2-3 month internship at the esteemed Electrical Audio recording studio. I’m psyched about the internship and yet at the same time I’m bummed to be leaving behind my beautiful fiance and two cats for the next couple of months. I’m also going to miss my family, friends, and my recording studio. I’m at the studio on a daily basis so it’s going to be weird to be away from it for weeks at a time. I’m still going to be making the voyage back to Muncie on a somewhat regular basis for work but it’s not the same as being there every day.

Right now I’m making a list of things that I need to take with me. I am going to be staying on a couch in a living room so I want to pack pretty light. I’m going to be taking a portable recording studio with me so that I can continue to work on my own music and do some basic mixing. Well, I’m going to wrap this up because I need to get back to packing… Can’t lose focus!

Take it easy!

New Band + New Upgrades

Since I opened my recording studio I’ve been so busy recording everyone else that I hardly have time to make my own music. It’s been a while since I played in a band that did more than just make noise and record. That being said, I’ve put together a new band, an actual band, that I’m hoping will go beyond the recording phase and actually break out of the studio and into some venues. We’ve already started practicing and working together to hash out and develop the sound that am aiming to create.

It’s been a while since so much has been demanded of my fingers in terms of bass playing. I have had to implement a rigorous practice regiment in order to build up my endurance and stamina. I need to get back into rockin shape in order to pull off the energetic bass lines that I’m wanting to deliver.

One of the exciting things about forming this new band is that I’ve found myself revamping my bass rig and pedals and making sure that everything is in tip-top condition for tonality. For instance, I’m replacing my home-made wooden pedalboard that has served me for many years. I ended up finding a deal on SweetWater for a “Open Box” Pedaltrain board with a hardcase for 50% of the normal cost. I couldn’t pass it up. I mean, take a look at this beauty!

New Pedal Board

New Pedal Board

I can’t wait until this arrives! I’m also scouring Ebay for a few used effects pedals that I want. So far I’ve found one of the three that I’veI can’t wait until this arrives! I’m also scouring Ebay for a few used effects pedals that I want. So far I’ve found one of the three that I’ve been searching for. The Electro-Harmonix Blank Finger Compressor! This should be arriving sometime next week and I wish time would move just a little faster so I can start playing with it. I apologize for being so vague about the band situation for now. I am not wanting to give out too many details until the EP is done.

Petitioning Net Neutrality

I signed a petition against Net Neutrality a few months ago and had pretty much forgot about it. Today I g got some email from the PCCC (Progressive Change Campaign Committee) who had organized the petition notifying me that they had made a youtube video of the petition submission (say that five times fast). Somewhere amongst the thousands of pages of stationary being submitted to the FCC by the PCCC exists my name and signature. If you’re expecting the attached video to be entertaining and exciting please refrain from watching. It’s just a guy taking a large stack of papers to the FCC. However, if watching beauracracy in motion is your bag, then by all means watch.