yea yea, haven't written in a while...

hey guys. I know I haven't posted in quite some time. Been super busy! We have been playing a ton of shows and they keep getting better! We did a few benefit shows for Russ and raised a ton of money there, and we played the OEA showcase/fundraiser and raised a lot of money for that too! Speaking of, voting is now open. If you really love me, you will go here and vote...

www.oea-awards.com

You can do it now, its cool, i'll wait...

Welcome back. Thanks, we totally appreciate it. We have a ton of really cool shows booked for August, you should check one if them out if you are in Omaha...

8/8 - w/ Twitch (yup, you read that right...) @ the Hideout - if you want, come earlier, around 6, there is gonna be a pot luck dinner....

8/22 - Dimebag Darrell Tribute/Fundraiser @ Sokol. We are playing with a bunch of kickass metal bands, we are going to play early because of the show below...

8/22 - On The Rock Summer Show @ On The Rocks w/ SECRET SKIN! I've been wanting to play with those guys for nearly 10 years! Its gonna be badass. Its outside, and there will be BBQ and all sorts of stuff going on. Should be a kickass time.

Its looking like possible studio time in September!!!!!!! Speaking of.....





Hmm, there has been so much going on, I hope i covered it all.....huh. Ok, well, yea, vote in the OEA's, even if its for someone else. As a musician its nice to be recognized a little. Sounds trivial, but its true.

Cheers!

d

oooo, looky looky!!!

Black on High


Its an older video, but its a little something...thanks Kelsey!!!!

More very cool info to come!!!! Stay with me guys.

d

a few things...

here are a few pictures from Russ's benefit. We raised quite a bit of money for them, which i'm sure will only scratch the surface of what they have to deal with. But, there are more benefits to come. They are keeping a blog on his progress, check it:

www.russellcanick.org

You can see more pictures from the show and check his progress. I am happy to report that he moved his leg today. Which (for those of you keeping score) is a very VERY good sign. So, hell yea!

Anyways, BOH is in the big 'L' tomorrow. And by that i mean Lincoln, NE. We are opening for Big Elf at Kickerbockers. If you're around, and bored on a Tuesday (who isn't?), come out, hang out, and check it out. You totally should.

d

Sometimes, life gets really hard...

Hey guys. I wish i had good news to report, but i don't. A very close friend and brother of mine, Russ Canick, was in a very bad motorcycle accident over this past weekend. I'll spare the details, but there has been a lot of tears shed. There are few people that I consider my brothers in this world, and he is one. And when one gets hurt or sick, I do everything in my power to help. Everything. I never had a brother, I grew up with two sisters. So, the one's I do hold as brothers, mean absolutely everything to me. Anyways, I've had a lot of time to think sitting in the ICU waiting room. Perhaps I'm too much of an 'alpha male'. I can't cry in front of people. But, the last couple of nights, when I'm by myself, it all came out. Prolly best. I hate hospitals anyways. I hate seeing people that I love with tubes stuck everywhere they could possibly be stuck. Hooked up to machines that force them to breathe. I hate it, even if its for the best. Its very difficult holding that shit inside. But, somehow i managed. For those of you who know me, Russ is my girlfriend of almost 6 years, Becky's, brother. So, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that he and his wife, Dionne, are taken care of.

Music is the one thing that can link all of us together in times like this. You feel it, and you feel other people when the connection is there. You can't even really describe it. That's as close as I've come to being able to, but its one of those unexplainable connnections with others. Before I continue, I should get this out of the way show you know where i'm going with the rest of this blog.

We are having a benefit show on Thursday (6/11) for Russ and Dionne. Its in Omaha at The Hideout (72nd and Dodgeish...). Its 5 bucks a head, with EVERY SINGLE DIME going to Russ and Dionne. Thanks to Steve and Dave at the Hideout for making that happen.

So, back to what i was saying. Music is what can connect us all, even in hard times. Russell is that connection this time, and it will happen Thursday. If you are in Omaha, you should go. It would mean alot to me, everyone else in the band, and Russ and his family. If you were ever going to spend 5 bucks to see my band, please make this the show.

Russell. I love you like family man. I'm doing everything I can to help.

See you Thursday guys!

d

i'm begining to think...

I'm beginning to think that my life exists in 3 minute bursts. Whether i'm playing music, writing it, or listening to it. Of course this all depends on how long the song is of course, but you get the idea.

I've talked to a lot of people recently who are ok with their lives existing within the context of what is happening around them. They feel they've attained their goals and now they don't have a whole lot left, and they are fine with just going on with whatever happens. At the risk of being rude, you're goals weren't set high enough my friend. You're goals were mediocre, and that's a shame. You had much more to offer planet Earth. You are cheating me and every other breathing soul on this planet. I think you shut off your inspiration. That's what keeps people like us doing what we do. If you aren't looking for your inspiration (or your muse, refer to older posts on that subject...), than you cease to become an artist, and you shouldn't claim to be one. If you do, then you would are lying to eveyone, including yourself. I think the list of adjetives that describe this is long, so i will spare you, but i'm sure multiple words come to mind. In recent years, I've been super lucky to be surrounded by people who strive for perfection. Nothing is good enough. And that's the right mindset for art. You have to top yourself everytime. You keep getting better. And stronger. A piece of art is never finished. Its abandoned. Be it a painting, a song, a story, whatever. They are never finished. They are let go. That's the point.

just wanted to get that off my chest. This isn't directed at one person in particular, but multiple people.

On a lighter note, BOH is getting new music together for you all. All i'm going to say here is, it'll happen soon. We've snuck them in before, and we will probably do that again. Soon...

d

videos...

good morning! woke up early today, taking care of some BOH business before I head to Des Moines with NS. Speaking of, if you missed the show last weekend in Omaha, that hurts my feelings. But, i forgive you. Here's some videos courtesy of Kyle Benecke.





cheers!

d

its nothing we can't handle...

what's up? sorry its taken me a while to write after the show. been kind of busy. busy relaxing! hahahaha. The show this past weekend was a great time. It was good to see so many people come out and support what all the bands are doing. Thanks to Ron Ruch for learning our shit so quick!!!! It was cool to play both sets that night. I suppose that just reaffirms the fact that 2 is better than 1 and 3 would be better than two. Although, three would probably kill me. I've got one more show with NS this Friday in Des Moines at the House of Bricks opening for Facecage. Should be a great time. Back on the BOH front, we are sitting down in a couple hours to really narrow down some of the songs and really get to work. By our next show, we'd love to have and ENTIRE NEW SET OF MUSIC! How crazy would that be, eh? hahaha. There are some other exciting things that we are working, and I'll let you know as soon as they get confirmed up!

d

wierd face...

yea yea, i'm making one in this picture. So, i woke up this morning fully prepared to write music and take care of some BOH business, and then I got sidetracked. Well, actually, I tripped over a bunch of copies of the last Downshift album. You should purchase this is you haven't already. Its a cd AND a DVD! Yea, you get like a 5+ hour experience of, well, me. What more do you want? Hahahaha, just kidding. But, no really, if you don't have it, you should. Hit up www.myspace.com/downshift and click on the graphic that says "get the cd here..." $7.99, dirtcheap. Its availible in Itunes as well, if you prefer the digital format. Or, if you are gonna come to the show on Friday, i'll hook you up for 5 bucks at the show!!!!!! ok, sales pitch over...

so, you are coming to the Waiting Room on Friday, right?

d

a little update...

well, hey there strangers! Sorry, I've slacked ass on my blogging. Been ridiculously busy. We are getting down to crunch time on the show on May 22nd. That's gonna be massive. We are having Ron Ruch fill in for BOH on drums for that show, as Dave is having to leave town. He and I played together for a stretch in Downshift. Great guy, great drummer. If you have ever seen the promo video for the song 'Hollowcore' from the last DS album (the one with Corey Taylor in in), Ron is the drummer in that video. This show is going to be a lot of fun. Things are pluggin along with NS too. Its been awhile since i played bass, but its fun. Alot of work, but I like a challenge. They definetely remind me where my limits are.

Anyways, lots more BOH music. Needless to say, I've had a lot of time on my hands of late. But, that's ok. I needed it. I'm trying alot of new things. We had written alot of heavier music, and it kicked ass, but I wanted to come back around again to lighter stuff. So, I wrote a lot of acoustic stuff, and a song that Scott referred to as 'very LA...'. Kind of reminded me of a wierd, downtuned, Van Halen track. So, long story short, at some point this summer, you may get an entire set of new material from us! How cool is that?! If you are nice to me, i may leak one on my blog...

Remember, May 22nd! BOH and NS @ the Waitingroom in Omaha. See you there!

d

Hot Topic...

Here we are. First time doing an in store show. I don't think I have ever been in a band that could do a performance like this, so the whole thing was new to me. Probably one of the weirdest musical experiences of my life. That was kind of the point though. Its kind of the point of this band really. Trying new things, getting out of our comfort zone. I've said it a billion times. This is just another example of us actually doing it and not blowing smoke up our own asses. I was a little loose musically, but, hey, give me a break. Well, we are looking at a couple weeks off from shows, which in all honesty, will be nice. I tend to get tunnel vision when we play a lot. Its gets hard to write anything. The next show is the show with NS, which will be a crazy night for me doing both sets. After starting practicing with NS, I did realize that I kind of missed it. Everything else was true though. Its not me, but it was a nice feel to go and blast for a bit. It'll be a great show, and i'm excited.

d

damnit...

have you ever felt the need to just go and hit a punching bag? I'm not a fighter really, so i have to do that in a 'musical' sense. i just got back from NS practice (with 3 cops in front of my house, but that's a whole different story). Being in NS is like a contact sport. Its brutal, it wears you out, and you're tired as shit afterwards. Not to mention a tad beat up. If you don't feel that way, then you cheated yourself and everyone who heard it or saw it. I suppose i never really realized that when i was in the band, but i do now. I came across some old ass video of NS in Chicago, today. I'll post it. anyways, long story short, it felt good to go blast for a bit. I don't think i could do that everyday. There's alot more to me than that. I love metal. That's a gimme, and show on the 22nd will be the first time in over a year i've done that with NS, and It's going to be brutal. But, B.O.H. is more who I am, all the time. More on that when i'm somewhat sober... Here's the vid from Chitown...

NARCOTIC SELF

so, i've made a decision...

Some of you may know that before B.O.H., I was playing bass in a band called Narcotic Self. I just kind of fell into that gig, and I'm glad I did. Anyways, ultimately, I left NS to concentrate on B.O.H. full time, among some personal issues. The NS drummer joined Pro-Pain and the rest of the guys scattered a bit. I got a phone call last week that everyone is going to be around during the month of May, and they wanted to do a few shows. I thought about it, and figured it'd be fun to do a show with my old band and my new band, so on May 22nd at the Waiting Room in Omaha, Narcotic Self and Black on High will play together, and I get to do 2 sets! I'm pretty excited about that. Almost like a changing of the guard in my head for me. If that makes any sense. And I'll be honest, the circumstances surrounding my leaving NS weren't the best, and I figured this would be a good way to try and make it up to those guys. We played God knows how many shows together, and it'll be nice to relive the past for a quick minute. They were my brothers for 2+ years. I have the utmost respect for all of those guys. They are some of the most hardcore musicians I've ever worked with in my life, and I'm a better musician because of it (and I'm positive i never said it before, but Doug, Jesse, and Rick, thank you...). I took what I learned in NS and applied it to B.O.H. and I think we are stronger because of it. So, maybe going back for a minute will push B.O.H. that much further ahead, we shall see i suppose. A lot of people ask me 'why did you leave Narcotic?' Ultimately, NS was not my music. It wasn't me. The only thing I could really do was go through the motions. Not by choice really,that was just kind of the situation. I really wish I could have contributed more, and I'm sure I could have looking back, but I didn't feel I could at the time. B.O.H. is me. It is my heart and soul defined. And I get to play with my best friends. Its the band that I have been wanting to be in for 15 years. That's half my life (as i'm turning 30 in August...get your jokes in now...). In every band i have ever been in the ultimate goal was the mythical 'record deal'. Watching bands who are much younger than me with deals and touring, it got to be depressing. But, you know what I realized? You can't shine shit. Yea, it has a certain gloss to it and you can sell it, but it quickly fades away. It dissolves into nothing. It fertilizes the growth of others. Shows them what not to do and what not to sound like. Let's call it shitsmoke (cause i think that's a funny word). Now, much to my dismay, i realize that back then the focus wasn't on the music (in DS anyways), where it should have been. In B.O.H. the music is #1, it has been since day 1. I'm doing things now that I'd never have dreamed of doing in Downshift or NS. I'm pushing myself. There's an amazing amount of musical and personal growth that has happened and is happening for me by being in this band, and you know what? That means more to me than a record deal or a cool tour or whatever. Nothing against the goals of the past or mistakes I've watched people make over the years (including me). Good music is good music, and we are artists. Artists are destined to starve. Maybe that's financially, maybe its a lack of fulfillment or purpose, maybe its really 'starving' because you don't eat, whatever. Starving in some way. It creates a want, a need, and a desire to say something and create. When you boil that down, we are slaves to ourselves and servents to our audience. We didn't ask for this. We were given it. It was a gift. I will gladly starve for this. I was recently asked in an interview "how far are you willing to take this?" hmmmm. Kind of a loaded question. The answer I gave kind of sums all this up. I told him "we don't do this because its cool or its a hobby, we do this because we are compelled to, and if we didn't we would be robbing every human on planet Earth of this thing inside of us. Not to mention be miserable."

Show went good tonight. Good bands, good people. We were tight and powerfull I thought. Yet another night I'm proud as hell to be in this band.

d

seems like a good idea....

acoustic show at Hot Topic? Sure, why not. 5/1 at the Hot Topic at the Mall of the Bluffs in Council Bluffs, IA. We start around 6, so you should stop out before you go out and get wasted. It'll be fun. We just moved into a new practice space, so we are getting all settled in and we are going to start making some decisions on the music. So, more on that to come. There is a cool show that just got put together on 5/22 at the Waiting Room with my old band, Narcotic Self. I'll actually be filling in on bass for them as well! That'll be fun. For those who can't wait, we are playing THIS SUNDAY at the Rox in Omaha on 108th and Q with Demeanor, The End in Red, and Inept. All kick ass bands man.

d

dudes, i'm slackin here...

yea yea, i know, i'm slacking on the blog. Things have been crazy. So much music, and so little time. No, that's crap. so little sleep is more like it. You know what i realized? when you stop trying to be something or write in a certain way, you write a fuck load more. I think that's where things got jacked up before. i was always trying to be 'heavy'. Who gives a shit? Write what you feel, and then you're good. you'll have so much music, you won't know what to do with it all. Anyways, we just lined up something pretty kickass. We are going to do an acoustic set in the Hot Topic at Mall of the Bluffs in Council Bluffs, IA. That will be a first for me, and i'm pretty excited. I'm not sure what to expect, but you know what? Those usually are the best shows. And that's the cool thing about this band. We are actively trying to do things differently. I don't think any of my other bands could pull off an acoustic set at a Hot Topic. We are actively trying to throw people for a loop. I kind of enjoy it. Some say that the definition of 'insanity' is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Well, BOH is doing the ass opposite of what we've ever done in our collective pasts, and its nervous. but a good nervous. That's kind of the point i suppose. Moral of this story, go to the CB Hot Topic on May 1st at 6 pm. you'll find us there...

dc

New Email Newsletter

Yo, i just got everything organized to start an email newsletter. You should subscribe!

d

True Story...

So, i was downtown today on my way to a meeting for work, and an apparently homeless fellow started walking towards me. The conversation that ensued is as follows:

Dirty Old Man: Good Morning.

Me: Morning...

D.O.M.: If you don't mind my asking, what do you do?

Me: For work?

D.O.M.: No, for life.

Me: I write songs.

D.O.M.: Good, had you told me what your job was I was going to take your wallet. Have a good day.

and he kept walking. true story. Moral of the story: sometimes homeless men have more important things to say than your boss.

d

i really kind of like that picture...

anyways, a little update. We've been working hard on writing and getting things lined up to do the record. Lots of new songs that are badass! So, we are all really excited. I think we are really nailing down the 'BOH' sound. What i'm starting to learn is that the more that I write, the closer i get to that sound and really defining it. Sometimes, there may be a really good song that I love, but just won't work for the band. I've always been the guy that writes and assload of music, and all of it gets used, because, well, i wrote it. But, what i didn't understand is that the project as a whole should have a distinct sound. And i think that has a lot to do with really figuring out the guys you are playing with. I think i'm at a point now where I can write a song or parts for a song, and have it sound like Scott or Josh wrote it. Not that I'm trying to do that, but because i'm getting my finger on the 'BOH' sound. It just took 60 some odd songs to get there i guess.

Getting things ready for merch as well, so hopefully in the semi near future, we'll have merch available. We've also got a couple of shows in Omaha next month, hit up the myspace for the dates.

dc

Thanks Michelle! those pics are badass. sorry i haven't posted in a bit. been super busy. tons of new music, tons of everything going on. Tons of ideas. i'm kind of a bit spun at the moment. anyways, what do you think of the new stage murals? i think they turned out pretty kick ass. yea, they did. haha. I'll check in soon...

dc

oh boy...

pretty much what i'd look like if i ditched the facial hair. Anyways, thanks to all the people that braved mother natures bitch ass last Friday. That sucked, but thanks for showing up! That was probably the tightest show we've ever played as a band (go figure). We were all pretty stoked afterwords. Good times. Anyways, we've got a shit ton of new music rolling around right now and we are getting shit put together and will have something formulated here soon. And by something i mean a fucking record. And it will probably blow your pubes off. Well, maybe not. But, it'll be kick ass. I'm really excited. Tons of good music. Anyways, I wanted to post something real quick, cause i've been busy as hell the last few weeks and haven't posted anything. Anyways, in the words of Scott Armstrong ' I'm going to go continue pissing excellence all over everyone...'.

d (oh, check the page for more shows, we posted a few...)

Free song?

ok, here's the deal. Write down your name and email address on a flyer, a piece of paper, a dollar bill, whatever you got and bring it with you to the show on 2/27 at the Rox in Omaha. Give it to us at the merch table, and on 2/28 we will email you an mp3 of the song 'Forgot'. Deal? sweet.

d

2 more pieces in the killing machine...

new song on the myspace. you should go there now. you really should...

www.myspace.com/blackonhighmusic


dc

i know times are tough...

So, i had a revelation last night. There are many parts of me that are so focused on what I'm doing and my goals, I kind of lost sight of what was happening around me. I had heard of VH1's Save the Music many many times, and started to do a little homework. For those of you who are not familiar with this program, its a chairty started by Vh1 that helps to raise money to help music education programs in public school systems. At face value, seems like a very cool program. So, i decided to help out. Over the last few months, I've just kind of been saving all the money that I had made on the last Downshift album. It wasn't much (a grand total of 17 dollars). So, decided that I would donate all of that money. After thinking about it more, I tried to remember my music education programs throughout my schooling. They sucked, and I eventually gave up on them and just concentrated on doing it myself. But, how many kids would just give up at that point? I was lucky enough to grow up in a very musical environment, so i was always around it. But, how many musical geniuses are being lost because of this? How much music is the world loosing because of this? Too much to even wrap my head around i'm sure, and that's tragic. I'm going to try and do some big things in the future with this program (if any one is local to Omaha and would like to help me, that would be killer). I know times are tough right now, but if you have a couple bucks, and want to help out, that would rule.

http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/

dc

nin....

ok, this happened quicker than i had thought it would!!! take a listen, and let me know what you think. If you don't dig it, back off, it was my first time and i had to learn how to use Ableton Live...

http://remix.nin.com/play/mix?id=14074

here is my profile if you care to keep tabs...

http://remix.nin.com/member/dcdownshift

thanks guys!

dc

so, i was thinking....

i think found the ultimate rut buster for any and every musician out there. When it gets approved by a VERY kickass website for download, I'll post a link and you can listen to it (and download it if you really really really want to...). i'm pretty stoked on it. I was in a bit of a rut writing wise just because i was doing so much of it. Remember the movie 'Dogma'? Remember when they were talking about faith and when you're young the glass is full, but as you grow up the glass gets bigger and you have to keep filling it? I think the same applies to music. You go and go and go, and you need to refill your inspiration. BOH is sitting on, geez, probably 50+ demos. Its almost daunting to figure out what to work on. But when that inspiration hits, you roll with it. When it doesn't hit, well, you take a break. (insert said rut buster here). I almost want to tell you what it is, but that won't do any good until it gets approved and all copyrights and legal crap gets sorted out. But, i'm really excited. And the minute it gets approved for download, i'll post the link. anyways, check the myspace. We added another show....


d

huh, really?

i never really realized how much more difficult playing acoustic shows were than regular shows. Regardless, we had fun last weekend. Its always a good time to play low key shows with friends. Kind of fills a gap that other shows leave. Thanks to Jes Winter and John Klemmensen for having us (and the Saddlecreek bar). There is kind of a downside to doing these things. i keep want to go heavier. I have to make a conscious effort to not go 'math metal' with some things. Its kind of habitual I suppose. But, i guess that's kind of the point with BOH. We will try anything. If it works, it works, if it doesn't, ditch it and move on. I enjoy the freedom to experiment and explore, but its becoming increasingly difficult to not turn a riff into a math equation. I blame that on Dr. Paul Gilbert. If you play guitar, you are doing your self a disservice if you go one more day and don't watch his instructional videos. He's on Cox inDemand for shit's sake. Go watch it. Even if you aren't a guitar player, you'll find it entertaining. at least a little. anyways...we just announced another 'plugged in' show on 2/27 at the Roxbury on 108th and Q in Omaha. if you are around and are interested, you should be there. We are playing with our buds in DiFi and Junk Poet. I'm excited. You should be too.

talk soon.

dc

another installment of 'The World According to dc'

so, something occurred to me today. do you know what the difference is between a good song and a great song? I think i may have figured this out. Music is supposed to take you somewhere, right? A place in time in your past perhaps. or maybe just makes you zone out. or maybe, it takes you somewhere you want to go. that's the very individualized part in terms of the listener. We all have our own reasons for liking the music that we like. I have listened to 2 whole albums today. One of which was Opeth's 'Watershed' and the other was In This Moment's 'The Dream'. I then hit random on the old iPod and it kicked into some other songs that I will leave nameless. Of course, all the songs on my iPod are good. I know that, i put them there. So, here was the difference: on the majority of the songs on the aforementioned albums I was not conscious of a 'breakdown'. Before i knew it, the song was over. Going back and listening again, the 'breakdown' is there, but it flowed with the rest of the song, and didn't distract me from where i was letting the music take me. In the other songs, i felt like i was almost 'interrupted' from where the song was taking me by the 'breakdown'. So, the difference is: in great songs, the 'breakdown' doesn't distract you from the feel of the song. In good songs, the 'breakdown' either takes you somewhere else, or brings you back to where you were when you started. Whether or not that was the intent, who knows. I'm just saying. If you already knew this, then good for you, back off, i just figured it out. hahaha!

d

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the show on Saturday. It was truly an honor to play with Old Boy Network. I've been a fan of that band for quite some time. Those guys are amazing musicians, and I thank them for the music they've given us over the years. I wish Jimi well (don't sell your gear bro, you'll need it when you get back, hint hint...). It was good to see some familiar faces in the crowd that night. Thanks to Dave Nelson from Rival Element for filling in on drums! I was blown away by him the minute he walked into practice. He had 4 days to practice with us, and the first day was easily the best practice we've ever had. He's an amazing drummer and musician. And another big thanks to Michelle from GetLucy for taking the kick fucking ass pictures (one of which you see above). There were lots of people who made that show possible, and i thank all of them. Looking forward, this Friday we are doing another acoustic show! if you missed the last one, i'm not mad, but you should come to this one to make up for it. We are doing another split set, originals and covers. Some of the covers we did last time and there are some new ones in there as well. We are playing at the Saddlecreek bar in Omaha with Jes Winter and John Klemmenson. Should be a kickass time.

d

My new credo...

I've been reading a lot of Henry Rollins recently. If you haven't read him, i suggest you do so. Anyways, with that preface, i give you my new credo in terms of music. i guess its more bullet points, but you'll get the idea. I can't vouch for the other guys in the band, but something tells me they will agree with it. well, most of it anyways... I'm not being negative, cynical, or trying to pull punches. These are things that i've either 1.) come to peace with, 2.) recently adopted, 3.) or witnessed in others that i whole heatedly disagree with.

-music to me is like pouring gas on a lit match...and there's never enough gas.
-if you don't like it, i don't care. but i hope that you do. reassurance is always nice. if a musician tells you differently, prepare yourself to be lied to.
-i am relentless. not because i have something to prove to anyone or any band, but i have something to prove to myself. I've been told for 15 years that its not good enough, its not heavy enough, or its not something that can be digested by the masses. well, allow me to be the source of indigestion moving forward. sorry, but X-lax is probably pretty cheap. it can't be worse than taco bell. come on.
-shit talkers are just that. shit that talks. an anonymity is just funny to me. run to the message boards.
-(insert Rollins quote here) 'art is supposed to wreck you. if it doesn't, you're cheating your work' (that's from Rollins's Broken Summers, check it if you like, but I'll make you read the whole thing to find it). nothing needs to be explained here. if you don't feel something with a song, then don't let anyone hear it. that's when it becomes superficial. some applies to visual art. and you KNOW when they feel it, and you know when they don't. i've felt cheated by a lot of music recently.
-all musicians have a muse. never ever ask about it. they won't tell you. if they do, then its not the real muse. its the most personal thing an artist has. its part of their soul. without it, they don't have much. its a part that you probably shouldn't want to know about anyways. just let it be. that acceptance is part of being with an artist.
-never apologize for anything you do artistically. ever. and i won't.

so, just to recap..

-keep me away from matches...
-i hope you like our music, but if you don't, that's cool. it won't hurt our feelings.
-i've been doing this too long to listen to other people. you are getting the 'straight from the heart' stuff here. no bullshit. i think in the past i was aways wanting to 'please people' and i kind of overlooked myself.
-shit talkers mean nothing to me. if you have a comment about how much we sound like someone else or how much you don't like it, just say it. you won't hurt our feelings. i promise. Sack up man.
-Rollins is the shit, and every musician should read him. it will put a lot in perspective. if you don't, then, well, i guess you are doing yourself a disservice.
-don't ask about the muse. don't ask what is a song about. if you date a musician, or are married to one, i'm sorry. just let things be. its better that way. everyone has their 'personal' demons. there's no sense in letting it consume you as well.
-and finally, you'll never get an apology out of me. for anything related to music.

and there you have it. my new credo. or credos. or philosophy. or whatever you want to call it. these aren't a dig on anyone or any band, just things that have marinated in my head. i guess the moral of the story is this: if a musician feels something, then so will you. when they don't, neither will you. that's how you'll know if they are bullshitting you or not.

anyways...i'm going to go marinate some more. and yes, this is my 'mean' face. i could never pull it off that well anyway...hahaha! Brandon's is so much better than mine, and he's half smiling.

dc