Yesterday I went out and did some shopping in order to proceed with my resolutions. First I bought a new set of strings for my guitar. I came home and strung her up and she sounds mighty fat let me tell you. There’s still a slight buzz in the jack, but I’ll fix that later. I fired up the computer and laid down an idea that was floating around in my fat skull. Three guitar tracks and a drum track later, it was sounding pretty cool. It’s still just a riff, but it’s inspiring. I also downloaded the EverNote app and started making notes of riffs and stuff as they come into my head. I already have some more stuff to work on.

I bought some cool ink pens and a sketch book as well. I started sketching yesterday and finished one, and started a new one this morning. My goal is to sketch something every single day. It doesn’t really matter what it is, it’s just gotta be something. That way I can experiment with techniques and get my chops back up without stressing over the result. honestly, it felt good to do some drawing. A bit frustrating because I don’t like to suck at stuff and I definitely suck right now, but I can feel it coming back quickly. My ultimate goal is to come up with a dozen or so t-shirt designs and start my clothing company. We’ll see how I progress.

So I’m off to a good start. I’ll check in and post some songs and drawings once I feel comfortable enough with them.

If there’s one thing that pisses me off, it’s being all worked up by the media and then discovering that something SUCKS. And Spotify really, really, really sucks. I checked out a competitor called Rdio, and it sucks too. Here’s why.

When I fire up a piece of music software I generally want to do three basic things which can be related to three real-life music experiences:

1. I want to listen to specific pieces of music (like a Walkman/iPod)
2. I want to browse music in a certain category (like a music store)
3. I want to listen to pre-programmed music based on category (like a radio)

The problem with Spotify is that it doesn’t really do any of these well in my opinion.

The first requirement, listening to specific pieces of music, it does best. however, having collected music for the last 35 years, there’s nothing I really want to hear that I don’t own. I suppose there’s some benefit to having my music “in the cloud”, but considering the fact that a LOT of my music is not on Spotify, it’s still a better experience to just sync my phone with my library.

The second requirement, functioning as a music store, is probably the most frustrating failure of these services. Spotify has a crazy boolean search where you can enter stuff like artist:”grateful dead” year:1965-1970. REALLY? Are you serious? I’m a programmer. I write code for a living and this really makes me cringe. I would NEVER, EVER make my users learn some crazy syntax like this. I mean, is it too freaking hard to have a list I can click on??? On top of that, it just doesn’t work. Searching for “rock” returned zero results. Searching for “heavy metal” returned a bunch of plain rock, but then without anyway to sort and filter by release date my entire list was just old crap I already have. Useless.

Lastly, niether Spotify or Rdio has actual channels like a radio where you can just pick one and hear a pre-programmed stream of songs. I find this incredibly ironic for Rdio since… well, the name of their company is RaDIO.

So in my opinion, subscription music services are just a ridiculously lacking. You are never going to topple Apple unless you get the basics 100% right. And none of these services do that.

And so today I told our worship pastor I was stepping down from the worship team. And honestly, I don’t really have a full grasp on why. All I know is that things have changed. I’ve changed, the band has changed, the music has changed. And it’s simply no longer fun to me.

When I first started playing music, I knew even back then, 25 years ago, that I would never be a professional musician. Sure, you kind of kick the idea around, but deep down I knew I would never walk away from all responsibility and rely on something as fickle and unreliable as music to support myself and my family. And so I told myself then, that music was going to be my outlet. My stress reliever. I was going to use it as a means to blow off steam. I mean really, I’m a drummer, i get to hit crap with wood sticks and get praised for it! So that was going to be the type of drummer I would become. Whoever would watch me play, would know that I was having nothing less than an blast. And so that’s why I had to step down. Because I just wasn’t having a blast anymore.

It’s a big decision for me because I’ve been playing at this church for 13 years. I’ve recorded two albums with them. I’ve played literally hundreds of services for unknown thousands of people over the years. But as time moves on, eventually the “old guard” must move on as well.

When I first started playing at Clovis HIlls I was 30 years old. Many of the guys in the band were in their 40′s. And one by one as younger people came in with new energy and new ideas, the older guys, already having spent years busting their butts on the scene, moved on. It’s not really a bad thing. It’s just the way it is.

And so I think that’s where I am. I’ve been doing this for so long that I don’t really care about analyzing music or obsessing over technique anymore. I just want to get behind the kit and do what I know how to do.

So it’s been a good run, and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to serve his people for so long. Playing at Clovis Hills really saved me in many ways. I know they will continue to provide one of the best worship experiences around and I wish them the best.

So what’s next? That is the million dollar question. I just told an old friend of mine that I would never quit playing, and I don’t intend on letting my drums collect dust. I might do a little recording. I have a few gigs lined with with other friends so I’ll definitely do those. Or I might start looking for a new band to jam with. Maybe a rock band to play some outdoor festivals and stuff.

We’ll see.

First off, I found a site called Kickstarter which allows people to promote projects they are working on and let others pledge fund money so the creator can make it happen. Great idea.

On that site I came across this little project called The Funklet. It’s a book that details 20 of the greatest drum riffs, and does it in an artistic, cool way. I think this is a great idea and I’ve funded it.

Check it out here and help the guy out.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461914303/the-funklet

First up: P90X. Michelle and I finished our first round of P90X last week and have started the program over again. The question everyone wants to know the answer to is: “Does it work”? Well, I would say that depends. Like any other exercise program it depends on how hard you work, and what you eat. These programs love to show people losing 50lbs and getting six pack abs in 90 days, and that’s certainly possible for some. But the reason most of us are fat and tired is because we simply eat wrong and don’t put in the time to exercise. So unless you change habits, this program is no better than any other.

What I do like about this program though is that it’s got great variety and it doesn’t require fancy equipment. For me those are the two things that make it easy for me to stick to it. So for me, it’s working. I’m building muscle and losing fat. My progress has been slower because, well, I just don’t want to make exercising a full time hobby. I miss a day here and there. And I like to have a pizza and beer occasionally. But overall I’m happy with the progress. I feel much stronger, I’ve lost 7 pounds, and I still enjoy doing the program, so for me it’s a total win.

Ok, so since I mentioned beer, let’s switch gears and talk about home brew. I’ve been home brewing for a few months now and I’m happy to announce that my second batch has gone into the bottles. In two weeks I will have a beautiful Dry Irish Stout. Oh man, it smelled so good when I cracked open the fermenter yesterday. I think this is going to me a very nice batch. So on May 7th, the bottles go into the fridge and it’s time to have a tasting party! Put it on your calendars. I’ve also got the ingredients for my next batch already which I plan to cook up early next week. It’s going to be a mild Ale and only takes 4 weeks to make, so I’m hoping to get a nice rotation of beers going on. I’m telling you though, this whole bottling thing sucks. I really gotta get me a kegging system soon.

OK, lastly let’s talk about some music because there’s been a few great albums that have hit the streets recently.

Slash released what I think is his second solo album. The cool thing about this album is that on each song he collaborated with a different singer. The result is an incredibly varied album with musical styles ranging from arena rock to blues to metal to southern rock, you name it.

I’m completely blown away by this album. There’s really not a bad song on it, though the one with Iggy Pop called “We’re All Gonna Die” is probably the dumbest song lyrically, but it’s still catchy. The tracks I think are most impressive are the instrumental with Dave Grohl called “Watch This”, “Beautiful Dangerous” with Fergie (who know she could rock?), and the two songs featuring Myles Kennedy. Kennedy in my mind is the absolute best rock singer on the planet and if you want to see what he’s capable of, check out the band Alter Bridge. He’s also did a track on Sevendust’s last album which was fantastic. Slash is a great album full of great rock and roll. Pick it up.

And speaking of Sevendust (am I not the master of the segue?), my favorite band in the entire world has released their 8th studio album and the first since original guitarist Clint Lowery returned to the band after leaving in 2004.

This album is flat out amazing. While the albums written in Lowery’s absence where killer, I really didn’t realize how much had been lost in his absence. Yeah there were high points, but a lot of those songs sounded just a tad flat in comparison to this latest collection. The new album is ferocious, melodic, emotional and extremely powerful. It just smacks you right in the face with track one and continues pummeling you all the way through track twelve. It’s simply fantastic.

I’d say the stand out tracks are Splinter, which is a metal heads dream. Crazy guitar antics, insane double base runs, and ferocious chunkiness. Great way to start the ride. They immediately follow that with Forever which is my favorite track on the album. It sounds like no other Sevendust song with it’s great dynamics, it’s breakneck soaring chorus line and crunchy breakdowns. It saw them do this one live and it was amazing. The rest of the album continues with exactly what you’d expect from a Sevendust album and that’s a good thing. Sevendust is one of those bands that know what they do best and don’t vary too much from the formula. It’s good melodic heavy metal. The way it should be.

Alright so that’s my catch up post! Today is Saturday and it’s going to be a beautiful sunny California day so I’m gonna do my P90X this morning and then get on the bike and go visit an old buddy of mine back in my high school stomping grounds, Manteca. This guy was the bass player of my very first band. I haven’t seen him in 20 years. This should be good times.

Now I’ve never been to any type of orchestra or opera or anything of that sort. My only conception of this type of show is what I’ve seen in movies, so I fully expected this really stuffy atmosphere with a snotty, arrogant conductor leading a bunch of snooty musicians through some really boring music. That’s a pretty bleak outlook isn’t it? In fact, my buddy called me as we were walking in and invited us to have a beer and cigar across town, and as I was looking at the predominantly over-60 crowd, I nearly took him up on it. But we were there and we went in anyway.

What I experienced was actually one of the most thoroughly entertaining shows I have ever been to. Honestly, I’m still blown away. Andre Rieu is not some snooty conductor, he’s actually incredibly funny and works the crowd extremely well. He’s a guy who seems to honestly love playing music for people, and completely lacks the arrogance that so many musicians at his level have. His orchestra has 50 pieces and because of the way his show is designed, they aren’t just sitting there playing like robots, but they are actually rocking out and playing to the crowd.

The music was widely varied. Rieu played all sorts of pieces and I was surprised at how many I recognized. The musicianship was of course impeccable and honestly it would have been killer just to sit and listen to such great people play, but what really made the show dynamite was the stuff happening around the music. Often times throughout the show, there were sight gags going on, related to the music. For instance, he introduced a spanish bull fighting piece and told a “random” lady in the audience to be careful because she was wearing red. Then during the piece, two guys in a bull suit, complete with smoke coming from the nostrils, romp through the crowd and end up chasing the lady in red out through the back doors. It was very clever, and pretty funny.

At other times the musicians would interact with each other during the music depending on the theme of the piece. One guy pretending to get sick into another musicians tuba, another lady downing a glass of champagne and acting drunk through the rest of the song, it was just really, really clever and entertaining. Far more than just a music recital, it was a full on theatrical production.

I think my favorite parts though were the two pieces that each featured a female opera singer. I’d always envisioned opera singers as fat girls with viking horns singing some crazy songs in Italian or something. The girls were not fat! They did sing in Italian, but also in English, and I was blown away at the clarity and beauty of their voices. The incredible range these women have, and the control over thier voices was mind blowing. It was definitely the best part of the evening for me. in fact, I think I’d like to go see a full on opera at some point now.

I can’t say enough about Andre Rieu, and the experience reminds me that it’s important to stay open minded, and be willing to be exposed to new things in life or risk missing out on some really fantastic experiences.

Here’s a link to Andre’s website where you can check out some YouTube videos and such.

http://www.andrerieu.com/

Friday night we decided to go see my buddy Nick Cantrell’s band, A Current Affair. These guys are a great young band and are doing some big things this summer including playing Spirit West Coast. Keep an eye on these guys.

Saturday we had the best weather ever and Michelle and I decided to get on the bike and go for a ride. We took my standard loop up to Bass Lake and back home through Auberry. I’m telling you, this is the ultimate time to be outside. The foothills are a cool green and are just splattered with colored wild flowers in yellow, white and orange. The sky was a crystal blue and we could see all the way to the white tips of the Sierras. Absolutely beautiful.

Today we went to church as usual and then over to a co-ed baby shower for Paul and Jenn Haugen. Now there’s just something inherently wrong with the concept of a co-ed baby shower. Baby showers are something that women are supposed to do with other women. And when they do, men go hang out and smoke cigars or whatever. It’s like recess for us. It’s our time to go play and not worry that our loved ones are bored, because they are having way more fun doing “awesome” stuff like guessing the circumference of a pregnant woman. Which is odd because you put a number to the waistline of a woman at any other time in her life and you are a dead man! Anyway, today was not your normal baby shower because us guys were “invited” (a.k.a. forced to come).

Though this could have been a recipe for disaster, I have to say that it was a good time. Our wives were smart enough not to try and make us play “games” (as if melting candy bars in diapers is considered “sport”). No we basically ate and then were left alone to shoot the bull, or in Frank’s case, sneak inside to watch the game. Anytime hanging with my fellow musicians is a good time in my book, so it was a good day.

So that was my weekend. Tomorrow I file my taxes so that will set the stage for the rest of the week. Pray for a refund…. or at least a break even!

http://lukemundy.com/?page_id=879