Roasted Quinoa Mashed Potato Casserole. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut up about 6 small red potatoes into wedges. Dice 3 cloves of garlic. Put the potato wedges and garlic into a large pot of water, add salt, cover, turn heat to high. When the water starts to boil, add in 2 cups of red quinoa. Let it boil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the potatoes, quinoa, and garlic into a strainer. Take a large pan, coat it in olive oil. Put the potatoes/quinoa/garlic mix on the pan. Cover in salt and pepper, and drizzle more olive oil on top. Use a spatula to toss it all around a bit. Put the pan in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Take the pan out, toss the ingredients around again to keep the bottoms from burning. Put the pan back in the oven for 10 more minutes. In a separate bowl, combine 1 diced red bell pepper, a handful of minced chilies (I use the ones from a can), and a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Take the potato/quinoa/garlic mix and dump it into a crock pot set on high. Add the bell pepper/chili pepper mix. Grate 3 blocks of cheese into a bowl...I use gouda, smoked cheddar, and pepperjack. Add the cheese to the crock pot...and stir. I also like to add some habanero sauce (I like Melinda's), some parsley, rosemary, and lemon salt. Leave in crock pot on high for about 45 minutes, once the potatoes get soft, use a spatula or large spoon and mash and stir the whole concoction till the potatoes are basically mashed. Serve straight from the crock pot.

Does anyone read this? If not...then I'm gonna post some stuff that nobody wants to read.

Here's a Thanksgiving gift to you. My very own top-secret Thanksgiving casserole recipe: Get a large pot and put some butter in the bottom...2-4 spoons at least. Put the stove burner on medium and let the butter melt. Pour 2 cups of dry red quinoa (remember to pre-rinse the quinoa) in the butter. Use a spoon and mix the quinoa around in the butter to get it well coated. Let it simmer in the butter for about 5 minutes...it will turn from red to a brownish color. Pour in two cans of vegetable broth, and turn the burner to high. Let the quinoa mix boil for a few minutes, then reduce to simmer for about 25 minutes or so. In another pan, sautee a chopped up red onion and some finely chopped garlic in olive oil for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat. In a large bowl, put a few spoons of sea salt, a few spoons of oregano, a few spoons of thyme, a few spoons of parsley, a few spoons of cilantro, and a spoon or two of olive oil. Add the quinoa and the sauteed onions and garlic to the bowl. Crush up half a box of Triscuit crackers, add these to the bowl, pour some lemon juice on top, mix very well. Enjoy.

100 Guitarists

After seeing the recent Rolling Stone list of 100 greatest guitarists, a list that did not include Jerry Reed, I decided to make my own list. These are the guitarists that have the most influence on my music making abilities. I will try and write about all of these over the next week or so. Cheers.

1. Dan Warren - You've probably never heard of this guy. He's a long time friend of mine, and probably changed how I think about music more than anything else. Also, this guy can shred...haha.

2. Paul Moak - Another guy you've probably never heard of. He's a Nashville guy, primarily a session player. I first saw him live with Over The Rhine...his tone, effects, and guitar selection caused me to spend many, many dollars on gear. Also, this guy can shred.

3. The Edge - Obvious choice for me...I love delays, and he's the master of them.

4. Mark Lockett - Guitarist for a long forgotten band called The Normals. His solo in their song "Black Dress" is still my favorite guitar solo ever.

5. Vince Gill - For me, master of the Telecaster. Not only can this guy sing like an angel, he can shred country and jazz riffs like nobody else. Saw him live when I was young and will never forget it. One of the reasons that I play a Telecaster as my main guitar.

6. GE Smith - I used to see this guy on the bumpers during Saturday Nite Live back in the 80s and 90's. Every break he had a different guitar and a tasty riff. Oh, he also played with a little band called Hall and Oates...

7. Prince - No explanation needed.

8. David Gilmour - Again, no explanation needed. See "Comfortably Numb".

9. Nels Cline - Love his work with Wilco...his random spaz-shred freakouts never get old for me. Also, I bought a Jazzmaster because of him.

10. Brian May - The reason I play an AC30 amp...

11. Mark Knopfler

12. Waylon Jennings
13. Jerry Reed
14. Oz Fox
15. Michael Sweet
16. Robbie Robertson
17. Bruce Springsteen
18. Willie Nelson
19. Slash
20. Buddy Miller
21. Steve Morse
22. Glen Campbell
23. Roy Clark
24. Nuno Bettancourt
25. Steve Cropper
26. Jeff Buckley
27. Angus Young
28. Mike Campbell
29. Albert Lee
30. Danny Gatton
31. Billy Corgan
32. Frank Hannon
33. Tommy Skeoch
34. Reb Beach
35. Joe Perry
36. John Sykes
37. Paul Gilbert
38. Frank Zappa
39. Duane Allman
40. Derek Trucks
41. Doyle Dykes
42. Django Reinhart
43. Eric Johnson
44. Ted Nugent
45. Yngwie Malmsteen
46. Les Paul
47. Chet Atkins
48. Andy Summers
49. Phil Keaggy
50. Jay Bennett
51. Pete Townsend
52. Mike Keneally
53. Vernon Reid
54. Kaki King
55. Tim Kelly
56. Tom Scholz
57. Thurston Moore
58. Ric Hordinski
59. Jeremy Post
60. Buddy Guy
61. Shawn Lane
62. Orianthi
63. Steve Hunter
64. Dick Wagner
65. Steve Vai
66. John Petrucci
67. Dick Dale
68. Matt Slocum
69. Duke Erikson
70. Trey Anastachio
71. Mike McCready
72. Johnny Greenwood
73. Tommy Shaw
74. Dave Sabo
75. Steve Howe
76. Joe Pass
77. Leo Kottke
78. Richie Sambora
79. Zakk Wylde
80. Jay Farrar
81. Susan Tedeschi
82. Buckethead
83. Andy Timmons
84. Jennifer Batten
85. Marnie Stern
86. Jimmy Bryant
87. Jeff Baxter
88. Joe Bonamassa
89. Tommy Emmanuel
90. Dennis Agajanian
91. Will Sloan
92. Rob Spisky
93. John Moss
94. David Shaw
95. John Mayer
96. Adrian Belew
97. Daniel Lanois
98. Neil Young
99. Chris Whitley
100.Paul Reynolds

Iceland day five

New Year's here was quite the spectacle. Supposedly the largest fireworks display in the world...and I quite believe it. Spent most of New Year's day relaxing at the Blue Lagoon. Today we spent time with art museums and libraries. We've made some local friends due to the fact that it's a very small town and we tend to walk the same routes everyday, so you see the same people over and over. Falafel for dinner last nite and tonite...very yummy. Here's some observations:

1. There are not many recessed wires and electrical sockets...mostly everything is surface mount. The wiring is all SO cord...no solid...and it's all stapled to the wall. They don't really use sheetrock here, it's all thick plaster...very old construction methods, even in the newer looking places.

2. The Nissan Patrol might be the most perfect vehicle ever. They are very popular here so I've had time to look in the windows of quite a few of them. I want one. 4wd, V8 Diesel, 7 speed automatic transmission, cruise control that will slow you down and speed you up in traffic based on the location of the cars around you, 4 cameras around the vehicle so you can see what you're backing over, a 10gb music server hard drive built in, and plenty of room for all of your stuff. Here's a pic:


3. The toilets here are a different situation. Obviously the country was not designed for any male under 6'2"...as the urinals are typically 12-15 inches higher than the average urinal in the states. Most of the toilets have a unique flushing system that is much simpler and better designed than the lever/chain system we are used to.

4. There are NO radio/cellular towers or antennas visible anywhere in the downtown Reykjavik area...yet the cellular never has less than 4 bars of signal. I have seen a few small devices in shops that might be local cellular repeaters...and have managed to spot a few well hidden panel antennas incorporated into building architecture. Also, all of their utilities are underground...you never see any power/phone/cable lines. The television is still analog and it's all off-the-air...no cable. Every house/business/office/grocery store/whatever has a 20 foot mast on top...usually with 3 to 5 antennas (they call them aerials). The typical setup to me looks to be 1 vhf yagi, 1 mid band uhf yagi, 1 hi band uhf yagi, a mini wifi cone or panel (Vodaphone provides all the internet here), and an FM antenna. Our hotel room has a wall panel with 2 euro-style push on F connectors, one for TV, one for FM. While walking around I found the combiner that takes the 3 TV antennas from the roof and turns them into one feed, then hits an amp to be redistributed throughout the hotel. They mostly still have tube TV's...I've seen a number of 16x9 tube tv's...which you don't see often in the states.

I've got some more thoughts, but I need to pass the computer around now...so, hopefully they'll come later.

Iceland Photos

158 photos are up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/analogallday/sets/72157625711108170/

Spent the day driving around the country...saw landscapes that were most certainly different planets...we named them Mars, Mercury, and Venus. Justine got more excited about the Geysers than she's ever been about anything in her life. Finished the day with wonderful Spanish Tapas, and went to the local Irish Pub to listen to a band play some of the most ridiculous covers of American pop standards that you could imagine. It's day three now, we're about to find delicious lunch and maybe some art museums downtown. Happy New Year's Eve.

Iceland day two

Quick update...the past 18 hours have been loaded with adventure. I will get pics up tonite and update with the day's happenings.

Iceland, day one, part two

The sun comes up at 11am local here...and we timed our elevator ride up a several hundred feet tall steeple just right that I was able to shoot about 100 photos of the sun coming up over downtown. We spent a bit of time exploring, popped in a few shops, and had Greek food for lunch. I'm excited about the pics I got this morning, and hope to post them later tonite. After dinner, we are taking a Jeep ride to see the Northern Lites...so...hopefully more excellent photos there. A few notes: All the sodas are 40's, all the taxis are Mercedes, and all the satellite dishes point down about 15 degrees. -chall

Iceland, day one

Perfect trip over...all flites on time...very well run airline and airports, successful bus trip to downtown, Justine used her ipod to guide us right to the hotel front door, they had breakfast waiting on us. The room is very nice and spacious, the wifi is fast, and the shower water is very hot. We did lose power at the hotel for about 15 minutes...we're pretty sure it was Justine's fault. We've been up for almost 24 hours, but are going to try and stay up another 16 or so to acclimate to the local time (GMT). Not sure yet what we'll spend the day doing...but, we're probably just about to get out and explore. Weather is perfect...T-shirt with light jacket if you're gonna be outside a while. Everything is dandy so far. -chall

My weekend.

Sometimes it's worth it, taking all those pies in the face...and some days you just stand there, waist deep in pie.

Fireworks

The bible says: "And God saw every thing that he had made, and,
behold, it was good". When did good become not good enough? At what
point did we decide that we needed amazing? The creator finishes up
making this place and says: "it was good"...not amazing. So people go
looking for something "amazing" while passing over the thing that is
"good"...problem is...amazing can only be amazing for a short time...A
firework is amazing...but, it's only amazing for a few seconds...then
dark. The firework is an impressive, sexy thing...that doesn't last. I
see so many people looking for fireworks in a relationship...and as
soon as the fireworks dim, they're gone...looking for the next blast.
A plant is good...it's something that takes work...watering, sunlite,
shielding from the cold, compromise, etc... All the firework takes is
1 match...no real work. 1 match and it goes off...it's
impressive...and requires little effort...but then it's gone...and you
want another. The plant is something that if cared for properly, can
produce fruit and last forever...it has deep roots that have a good
hold of the ground. It's something you can rely on if you're willing
to invest the effort.

Politics

If you know me, you know that I almost never discuss politics...but...John Moss sent me this article...and it made me very happy. I love Mo Tucker.

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2010/10/moe_tucker_interview_2010_politics_tea_party_velvet_underground_video.php

-chall

Middle School Dances

I was chatting with a friend recently...and the subject of middle school dances came up...and I briefly sketched out for her a rundown of how middle school dances went (she was Baptist and wasn't allowed to dance). Thought I'd share.

Everyone would bring their cassette singles of their favorite slow dance songs...the dances at least up until late high school were usually at someone's parent's house...in the living room...usually one of the wealthier kids...they would push the furniture to the wall...I would usually bring the stereo if the house didn't have one...no CD's...it was always cassettes. So, the guys would put on too much cologne, their braided belts, their best polo shirt and khaki Dockers pants...a bit of mousse in the hair to keep it in place. The girls...usually too-tight acid-washed jeans, high heels they couldn't walk in...frilly tops, waaaaay too much perfume...and we'd all stand around the perimeter of the room against the wall for a while. Guys on one side, just chilling...looking too cool..the girls would be whispering and giggling

We'd take turns putting the tapes in...usually some Pearl jam, some Spin Doctos, etc...for a while...there'd be chips and onion dip, Coke AND Pepsi...and maybe M and M's...if we were lucky...to cover up the onion dip breath

So, after maybe 30 or 40 minutes, someone would get up the nerve to get a slow dance tape out of the pile and put it in.

Maybe "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor

or

"Winds of Change" by The Scorpions

or

Maybe "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

About halfway into the first verse, one guy would get up the nerve to go across the room and ask a girl to "slow dance"...another would follow, etc...until all 6 of us guys were "slow dancing" with a girl.

We had 6 guys and 12 girls...so, we had to work twice as hard to make sure everyone got danced with an equal number of times throughout the nite.

"Slow Dancing" consisted of being at arm's length from each other...arms stretched out...hers would be around your neck...yours on her hips...but not too low...that would be scandulous...and not too far back. So, we'd do a few slow dances, then everyone would migrate back to the walls for some Stone Temple Pilots...and after awhile, it would start all over again.

Usually, by the end of the nite, there would be a new short-lived couple formed

For some reason, these memories are VERY vivid...these middle school slow dances.

The high school dances do not stand out as much.
At some point, the dances started being in the cafeteria at school...and we'd have DJ's that would play the top dance hits...it was about the same though...there was less cologne, untucked shirts, and the slow dances were much closer. Every once in a while, one of us guys would get a wild hair to bust a move...but, being that we had no black kids, it wasn't a good move...and it didn't last very long.

Thank goodness

I think that's all I have to say about it. That went on way longer than I thought it would.

Y2K

I have a comprehensive knowledge of how the world worked up through 1999...not sure what happened after that...maybe I'm not Y2k compatible?

IKEA

IKEA furniture is under 30 newlywed furniture...for assembling after you get home from your honeymoon. A lot of it takes 2 people to put together, it comes with these cute little diagrams, and you're supposed to put it together as a couple, in your first new home together...you can make cute home videos, laugh a lot, maybe have a food fight, take artsy looking Polaroids, etc...I know this movie scene. Young (he's 28, she's 23), shabby chic couple (he has emo hair of course, she has an ironic T-shirt), on the floor in their bare living room of their first married apartment, putting together this fake furniture (that they bought on their budget...he's a graphic designer for an indie music website, she works in a coffee shop...local, not corporate), getting things wrong, laughing hysterically, listening to Sufjan Steven (Michigan album), making first memories together, they probably ate an appetizer of chocolate covered edamame and mint tea beforehand. That's what IKEA furniture is for.

2009?

Well, we're done with this odd-numbered year...and now on to a nice, even-numbered one (I always do better in the even years). Here's a few things that I liked about 2009:

1. I got a dog...his name is Marcellus Wallace III, his favorite bands are Tears for Fears and Wovenhand, and his favorite activities are throwing small tennis balls, sitting in the laps of hot girls, and licking things...yeah, his life's pretty good.



2. I got a regular gig playing drums. I have had MANY regular gigs on guitar or bass, but only a few on drums (Waxheads, MRU, Leftovers). At the beginning of 2009 (3 days into it actually), I backed my old friend Patrick Morales on drums for a show at The Submarine opening for Corduroy Road. For some reason, that show just ignited something in me that made me wanna play drums every week...so I went out and found me a gig. In 15 years of playing in bands...I've never had to audition before. I've always either started the band myself, or been asked to join by someone I knew. In January of 2009, I answered an ad to audition for the drum seat in a band called matt.james. That gig has taken me to some great venues (Smith's, The Nick), some not so great venues (won't list those here), but more importantly, I've made loads of excellent new friends...which leads me to number three...



3. New Friends...I think I've made more new, great, friends this year than any other year I can remember. James, Chris N, Libby, Zack, Sara Duff, Chrissy Sara, TiBo, Chico, just a few that come to mind. Thank you amazing people.



4. Concerts: The standout concerts of the year were as follows:

Stryper in Tarpon Springs, FL
Mutemath in Atlanta, GA
U2 in Tampa, FL
Tears for Fears in Henderson, NV

These 4 concerts will go down on the books as some of the best I've ever seen.



5. The wedding of the year award goes to James and Mandy Hughes. The most fun I've had at a wedding in many years.



6.Memorable trips...St. Paul of course, went to Vegas 3 times this year...the summer trip was the best by far, the Stryper concert trip to Lakeland/Tampa, and the matt.james fall tour.



I will probably add more to this list in the coming days, but I just realized I am late for an appointment. Welcome to twenty-ten!!

-chall

The divorce rate in the United States for traditional marriages is 56%...the divorce rate in the United States for mail-order-bride marriages is 18%. I'm just saying...

-chall

Influences...

So, I've recently been spending a lot of time studying music...specifically percussion. When I was a kid, I couldn't imagine there would ever been a time where I didn't play drums every day. Sure, I played guitar, piano, bass, and some other random things, but my first love has always been playing drums. I've only played drums in a few bands...most notably The Purple Waxheads, Mars Retrieval Unit, and The Leftovers. For the majority of the last 8 years though, I've rarely played drums more than 2 or 3 nites a month. After recently playing a gig behind the kit with Patrick Morales (Right Click Here, Save As...), I've gotten the itch to be playing regularly again. So, I did some looking and picked up a new drumming gig...playing with a few great musicians in a project called Matt James. It's turned out to be a lot of fun...and I'm really enjoying getting back to it. All that being said, I've been really analyzing my drumming influences and figuring out what it actually is that they do that makes me gravitate to them. So, I'm gonna try and write some of that down over the next few weeks. I will say this, I typically do not like drum solos. I prefer drumming in the context of supporting a song. I'm usually bored and unimpressed by "soloists"...I tend to gravitate towards drummers that play musically, not showy.

So, to start things off...

Steve Gadd (Click Here)

Steve was one of the first drummers I could recognize just by hearing on a record when I was young. The first thing I probably heard him play on was Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" off the album "Still Crazy After All These Years". Besides being a master of the alternating high-hat/snare paradiddle, he's got an amazing laid-back feel, and a very dark/dry drum and cymbal sound. Gadd was probably my first drumming influence, and still continues to be at the top of my list.

Here's an example of him at his finest...simple, laid back, with an amazing feel.

Steve demonstrating one of his signature grooves

Steve Gadd Grooving with the band Stuff



Up next we have Levon Helm (Click Here)

Levon is the kind of cool I always wanted to be. He has played some of the simplest, most effective drum tracks I've ever heard. There is nothing extraneous about what he does...it fits the song perfectly. He also is usually singing while playing...bonus points. I spent many, many hours as a kid trying to get my old Pearl Export drumkit to sound just like his old Ludwigs. The one thing he does that is very subtle but effective...he often switches from Hi-Hat to Ride every other line of a verse...just adds another layer of texture...never seen anyone else be able to pull that off.

Levon with The Band...Cripple Creek

Levon and The Band...The Weight



The last one for tonite is Jim Keltner (Click Here)

Jim is not really know for playing with a specific band...he's really made his way as a session drummer. He's been the first call guy for people like John Lennon, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Warren Zevon, etc...OK...I just realized all those guys are dead except Tom Petty...but I assure you that Jim is still working. His loose, slightly behind the groove feel, deep snare, and dark cymbal sounds kept me practicing for years. I would put on headphones and play along with everything of his I could get my hands on. Notice how his snare hits are just at hair behind what most people would play...that's what really gives him his sound. Here's a few examples:

Jim with the Traveling Wilburys

Jim with John Hiatt



Pick Withers (Click Here)

Pick absolutely blows me away every time I hear him. His drum and cymbals sounds are amazing...he has an amazingly light touch and a jazz feel, but mostly played in rock and roll bands (early Dire Straits albums, Bob Dylan). He apparently retired from the music biz many years ago, so there's not much info on him. He's got this under-lying swing to everything he plays...and is very tasteful in his fills. I often copy his groove at the end of Telegraph Road (see below).

Here's two tracks off the Dire Straits "Love Over Gold" album.

Probably my favorite example of his playing

Great example of tasteful fills



Jim Gordon (Click Here)

Jim was another icon for me growing up. One of the first albums that I really knew note-for-note was Derek and The Dominos "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs". The backwards beat on "Bell Bottom Blues", the amazing fills on "Little Wing" and "Anyday", etc...classic 70's drumming. He also played on The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds", Mason Williams "Classical Gas", and about half the pop records from the 70's. Unfortunately, he suffered a breakdown in the 80's and has been in prison since 1984. Let's hope he gets better and is able to be released one day.

Jim with Derek and the Dominos and Delaney and Bonnie:

This backwards beat is genius...and gives the song a whole different feel

Some great shots of him at work (also a cool guitar riff and Bonnie has a killer fro)

These Delaney and Bonnie vids are great...had to include one more. Notice in this video, Delaney seems to be playing George Harrison's Rosewood Tele from the Let it Be sessions, George Harrison is playing an odd Stratocaster, and Clapton is playing a Les Paul Black Beauty...all different guitar choices than what you usually see them with.



Will Sayles (Click Here)

I know John Cable will disagree with me on this point, but I think Will is one of the best, most tasteful drummers working today. I first heard him with Over The Rhine (Ohio album and tour), and then Derek Webb, Andrew Osenga, Griffin House, Matt Kearney, etc... I have probably copied more of his riffs than anyone else. He also has had a major influence on my preferred drum/cymbal sounds recently.

Here's Will with Derek Webb:

Love the deep snare

Nice, simple groove...that's what it's all about



Glenn Kotche (Click Here)

Glenn took over the drum chair for Wilco starting with the "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" album. I personally think they could not have made that album without him. The musical approach he brought to the kit made that album for me. Also, his playing on "Sky Blue Sky" is probably my favorite drum performance on any record in the last 5 years. Be sure and check out his solo records also...some really interesting stuff.

Wilco's I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. Couldn't find the studio version of this tune online...so here's a live version...sorry for the quality (welcome to the internet)

Some of Glenn's solo work...check out that groove at 4:10...wow



Darren King (Click Here)

Darren is the drummer for one of my favorite bands, Mutemath. he is a modern day John Bonham...an absolute nut behind the kit...and a lot of fun to watch. Not much more to say other than...every once in a while I bust into a Darren King techno explosion just for fun.

Mutemath's "Typical" Music Video

Mutemath's "Chaos"...sorry for the picture...why is it that people these days do NOT understand aspect ratio?

A pretty good example of what he does best

This is probably my favorite solo drum performance ever



And the last one: Karen Carpenter (Click Here)

Karen is probably best know as being the singer for The Carpenters...but what a lot of people do not know is that she also was the drummer...until the record label decided they preferred her to be out front singing lead (which led to her fear of being in the spotlite, which led to her anorexia, which led to her tragic death). She was often quoted as saying she was a drummer first and a singer second...and she was amazing at both. Buddy Rich called her one of his favorite drummers. Enough said.

Very strange song...and poor quality recording, but check out that groove starting at 2:30

Very cheesy TV show...but great drumming starting at 1:30

Some earlier, jazzier Carpenters stuff

Long compliation video...great solo stuff starting at 8:50



So there's my main list...there are a few others...but I could go on for weeks. I do recommend looking up the works of the following drummers:

Don Henley (The Eagles), Phil Collins (Genesis, Brand X, Solo), Richie Hayward (Little Feat), Phil Jones (Tom Petty, Roy Orbison), and of course Ringo Starr (The Beatles).

History Lesson

It was 40 years ago today...Sgt. Pepper told the band to play (on the roof):

Click Here

Our Town

Things have been slowing down for the year round these parts...and we're all gearing up for the upcoming holiday shows. If you're anywhere near Thomasville, GA on Dec. 12, 19, or 23...Come on by The Submarine. Guaranteed good music to be heard.

I'm still trying to figure out what where 2009's gonna take us all...lot's of possibilities. More on that later.

For now, we just have this song:

Wait...did you know it's already November?

I grew my hair out.


Not a lot to say this week...so I make a list...

Things that have made the last 7 days nice:

1. A great film called Amelie.

2. Bonfires made of stolen firewood, a gas-filled pumpkin, and piles of grass mulch.

3. My new hair.

4. A new drummer.

5. Having 10,000 volts on stage inches from my guitar headstock...really makes the new hair stand on end.

6. http://home.att.net/~tom.brodhead/wonka.htm


That's all I got.

At the corner of awake and dreaming

Can I just say that I'm finally getting excited about the holidays?

I've got an exciting possibility for a headliner for our Victorian Christmas show...not gonna say much more till it's confirmed...but...man...I'm excited.

We're playing a cool show this weekend...and as usual it's a birthday show. Now, I have to get the world's best cheesecake.

A few other things that are making me happy this week:

1. Remembering that there's a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Tallahassee that I've never seen. Know what I'm doing Sunday.

2. Getting to see VOL on November 20.

3. Playing Simulacra on Saturday nite.

4. The possibility of Moss going to FSU.

5. The fact that I have 5 different kinds of cereal on top of my fridge to choose from.


Speaking of VOL...here's your VOL lyric of the day:

I can make you promises, but don't expect too much. I can run the distance...if you'll please excuse my crutch.

Still looking for a costume idea...would like to go as David Byrne...but...where am I gonna get a big suit?

AND YOU MAY ASK YOURSELF...

Simulacrarockstarssomethingsomethingsomethingrightaway

Seth and I will be playing an experimental noise-rock/techno show this weekend...and I'm actually excited...cause we're playing Simulacra...and I forgot how much fun that song is to play. I consider it somewhat of an accomplishment that I learned Moss's solo (mostly)...cause he's a way better guitarist than myself.

I have to come up with a costume idea before Saturday...old standby of course is a member of the band Europe (Example), but...I'm afraid the leather pants don't fit so well these days. Any other ideas?

In other news...I've got this new obsession with trying to see the inside of every building in downtown Thomasville. If you think about it...you've probably maybe been in like a third of them. If you didn't know about it, you would never know that The Sub exsisted...to 99.9% of the people in town, it's just another empty storefront with blacked out windows. There's plenty of those downtown...so...what's in them? How many other "Subs" are there downtown? I'm gonna find out. I've started walking a few laps around downtown every evening after dinner. You'd be surprised at how many doors are left unlocked...and how many buildings have something going on inside them...even though they appear closed. I'll start reporting on my findings soon.

Since I have a tendency to put pics in my blog...here's your moment of zen...





Anyone wanna goto Norway?

Weekend Travels

So, after a great Friday nite containing the following:

Laura Fletcher
The Corduroy Road
Bill Mallonee
Pita Pit
The Star Spangled Banner

I started my Saturday with IHOP...and took the long way home.

This particular long way involved an accidental trip to Juliette, GA.

If you've never heard of Juliette...they made a film called "Fried Green Tomatoes" there. I just happened upon the little town in the middle of their annual Green Tomato Festival. Got a few pics:



















After a nice, long drive home, I made it just in time to carve up some pumpkins. As you can see, we had a political pumpkin this year.


















There will be Halloween music at The Sub this coming Saturday nite starring Patrick Morales, Seth Golden, myself, and a possible special guest.

An addition to the post below about giving up:

So, if sweat pants are the signs of giving up...what about scrubs? Is that the same thing? At least scrubs have pockets...Grady Ann and I were discussing this and decided that at least with scrubs, you can look official while giving up.

That's all I got.

Come on feel the noises...

I've been in a noise-making mood lately...



Icarus is gonna play a noise show on Nov. 1


I've been messing around with making some pre-recorded loops on my computer...







The main problem right now is that this chair is empty...




Anyone?




We're making music that sounds like this:






Who wouldn't wanna give that a shot?



I'm headed to Athens Friday for what is sure to be the hilite of my month...John Cable and Tim Helms band's CD release party...THEN...Saturday nite is Pumpkinfest. Here's some pics of last year:









Ain't that gonna be some fun?


Well, I'm gonna try and get to sleep earlier than 4am tonite...we'll see how that works out.

That's my message.

-chall

Life on the Road...

I have been traveling more in the last two months than I have all year. Of course there are many stories...but likely if you're reading this you already know me and have probably heard them at least 6 times.

Instead I'm gonna talk about a few things I've been thinking about recently.

1st off...St. Paul, MN. This place just feels like home for me. Of course, I've never been there in January...and if you know me...you know how I feel about cold weather...not sure how that would work out...but I guess you adapt. St. Paul is a really small town...for being a big city. There's a feeling of community there that you don't even see so much in small cities these days. This city has many of the things that are important to me in choosing a place to live...good record stores, a great 24 hour Diner, nice parks to walk in, lakes and rivers, good Public Radio, history, Jazz, and a fairly low cost of living on top of everything. Of course, the downside being that it's 60 below for 4 months out of the year. Don't be surprised if I just up and move there one day...cause I just might.

2nd...People worrying about what they're gonna do. This intrigues me...probably because I skipped over that stage in life. Ya know...the whole...OK, I'm out of college (or high school)...I don't really have enough experience to get a job doing what I went to school for...or maybe it turns out I don't really like doing what I went to school for...or maybe I didn't goto school...and I've got to figure out what I'm doing with the rest of my life...right now...or I'm not complete. I think that's rubbish...what you do doesn't define who you are. I heard someone say earlier that they weren't interested in a relationship right now...because they hadn't figured out what they're gonna do with their life. That's a scary place to be I think...letting what you do define who you are. While I'm sure that's not exactly what the person meant...it got my wheels turning. Relationships are hard to come by...at least in my experience. To paraphrase The Normals...it's a lonely world...and you gotta grab what you can get...but at the same time...don't settle for less than love. I guess I come from a different perspective...since I was 16 I've always had a job...doing something I enjoy...whether it's photography, engineering, music, whatever...so I have a hard time relating. It's just that I think people shouldn't get quite so uptite about thinking their life hasn't started because they don't have a "career" or a job in the field they're supposed to be in. Relax...if you're supposed to be in that particular field...your time will come. If not, then maybe you were meant to do something else. In the mean time, don't put your entire life on hold because you don't think it has even started yet...your life is RIGHT NOW. Enjoy.

Lastly, I have a correction to make. For a year and a half now, I've been saying that I gave up on April 10, 2007. Let me elaborate. I read the following story in the news one morning:

Not many people can top David Brown's tale of how he met his wife.

Five years ago, the British man dreamed of a cell-phone number, the U.K. Daily Mail reports. He decided to text it, thinking it might have belonged to someone he met the night before.

It didn't. Instead Brown's message reached Michelle Kitson, a 17-year-old whom he had never met.

"It was really weird but I was absolutely hooked," Kitson told the paper. "My mum and dad kept saying, 'But he could be an axe murderer', but I knew there was something special about it. I hadn't had a boyfriend before. Those first text messages were a real adrenaline rush."

The pair exchanged phone calls and letters and Brown eventually moved 60 miles to be closer to his dream lover.

"She really is the girl of my dreams," said Brown, now 24, from Harefield, North-West London.

Kitson felt the same way about Brown. The happy couple just returned from their honeymoon.

So...I couldn't get a date if the lives of all of Canada depended on it...and this guy...he dreams a daggum cell number...texts it...and GETS MARRIED!!! BTW...I did try that...texting a random number...it came back..."message undeliverable...reason: number does not exsist". How's that for irony?

Anyways...I've been saying for years that I gave up...but it was pointed out to me tonite that I in fact have not given up...since I was not wearing sweat pants. Apparently, that's the true sign.

So, I guess for now...I'm back in the game. If anyone sees me in sweat pants...they'll know I'm truely finished.

Enough Jibber Jabber...here's some photos.

Downtown St. Paul at nite from across the river. Ever seen anything finer?




Mickey's Diner...probably my favorite restaurant ever.





Garrison Keillor assuring me that I've come to the right place.

That's about all I've got at the moment. I have a feeling that it's gonna be a good week. Maybe it's just because I had such a good day today...slept late (haven't done that in a long time), played some music with my friends, had some good Waffle House with some more friends, watched the Wilco film, hung out with Lakin types, etc. Not too bad for a Saturday.

One last thing...I'm thinking of shaving...would like to take a poll. For or Against?

-chall

I've been saying this for a while...

Lately, I have felt like I'm living in a real, live David Lynch film.

I feel like I've been floating through my days...with nothing really sticking. Everything has been kind of a bizzaro version of itself, and I've having trouble figuring out what I've done with all my time. I keep having these memories that I'm sure I've made up...and some of the conversations I've had...I have no explanation for. I dunno...I probably just need to sleep...or take a year off from sleeping...I really can't tell. These crazy dreams I've been having have made their way into my entire days...and sometimes I think I'm still in them.

The best advice I've gotten all year is from Justine Spinoza: "don't let your dreams drive you crazy, just try to enjoy them and incorporate them into your life"...she's an old soul.

Here's the things that I have found happiness in lately:

1. Owning all of the original-cast Star Trek films on Laserdisc
2. "The Three Ep's" by The Beta Band
3. "Rumors" by Fleetwood Mac
4. Getting to know Amanda Lakin
5. Rediscovering the Piano
6. Watching Presidential Debates on the Big Screen
7. Lunch with the gang
8. Blueberry Juice
9. Playing Old Rock and Roll covers with Kealon, Seth, and Patrick


Headed to Minnesota for the weekend...I really think that's gonna help.

I'll let you know.

-chall