Tag: Music

Eight Months

Eight months ago today I turned 50 and my wife got me an amazing birthday present. She bought me a Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s and I absolutely love it. I adore it. It gets me and I get it and we’re besties now and everything is perfect.

I haven’t played any other guitar since that day, even though I own a small but growing army of electric guitars (five, and my teenage self is in awe).

Well… I just broke the streak. I’ve been thinking of a gimmick for the RPM Challenge. Instead of just double tracking all of the rhythm guitar parts (which I always do), why not double track with different guitars? Maybe even different amplifiers? Sure it will make mixing more complicated, but it could be fun. If I do this, I expect the two guitars to be the new Les Paul and the SG Standard that I bought myself in 2018. Unless of course I finally brave the Covid and go somewhere to trade in my Fender Stratocaster for a Les Paul Junior, in which case the Junior would be the other guitar. That’s not likely to happen though, so it will be Les Paul in one ear and SG in the other.

Tonight I decided to break out the SG and use it on a Record Every Month song for January. I’ve got two songs going right now. They both kinda suck, but I’ll finish them. Now the song that has the working title of REM JAN 01 Mac has SGs where everything else since May has Les Pauls.

Music Nook Number One Lives

I was too loud playing in the cellar so I moved back upstairs (for now) where it’s further away from my wife’s office, has a heavier door (our bedroom used to be the garage), and a slightly quieter amplifier.

The bedroom music nook is alive and well. I took the new vibe pedal with me but not the wah, only because I didn’t have any wah friendly tunes to work on.

I redid some guitars on a re-recording while I was in the cellar, and then added rhythm guitars to two more songs once I was back upstairs. I still have one song that I hope to get to tonight, and then I have to write lyrics and melodies for two of them. If I can get that done tonight then there are a whopping seven songs lined up for car music in the morning. Yikes!

Nook Number 2 Fail

I’ve been playing in music nook #2 and it’s bugging the Mrs as she works. Right then, moving back to music nook #1 in the bedroom.

I was afraid of this. I can’t really get the big Bassbreaker any quieter. The Vox might be okay but I’ll try that next time.

For now, it’s back upstairs.

First Post of the Day?

It’s almost half past noon and I haven’t posted anything yet? What’s wrong? Did Robbie fall down a well? Did I go into the witness protection program? Did someone tell me that you can catch Covid from wordpress.com so I locked it down?

Nope. Just busy.

I paid that dude $20 to shovel the driveway and, while it was money well spent and I would do it again, the dude did a pretty crummy job. That plus the additional snow that fell after he left means I had to shovel everything again. It’s all done, but my back doesn’t work anymore and the pain is borderline shocking.

Sooooooo I think I am going to sit here at the alternate desk in Jen’s office for a while. Ho hum.

I’ve been able to work on a little music between last night and today so far. I did some drums and bass stuff on two re-recordings. I hope to play some guitar tonight and do some car singing in the morning. I have one song ready to mix as well, so maybe I’ll get to that today? Who knows. It all depends on the pain level.

I still need to mop the kitchen floor, and there is a grocery delivery coming that I’ll need to put away. The rest of the day will be sitting here trying not to let my spine fall off.

Yippee!

One Crazy Friday

It’s 3:59pm and I am more or less free to break for lunch for the first time. What a day!

The kids are back to their dad’s for the weekend. It’s sad. Bellana will be coming over for some of the weekend so that’s good, but she’s off to study abroad next week so that’s sad but it’s also happy. This empty nest stuff just messes with my head in the worst ways.

I did a little shoveling this morning. Bellana did more. She was able to make it to her appointment and everything went safe and well. I expected that she and Harry would have to do some shoveling so they could get out to head to dad’s but wouldn’t you know it, some guy was going door to door asking to shovel driveways. If he wants to do it, then go for it. I had enough cash on hand to pay him, so off he went. He didn’t do all that great a job, but every snow flake he moved is one that I don’t have to move so it’s a win for me regardless. Also, who still carries cash? What’s the matter with you, Robert? Get with the 21st century, would ya?

91 minutes until the weekend. I can make it, I know I can. Here’s hoping I get to play a lot of guitar over the next couple of days. Every time it snows I feel like I should play to balance out the snow hate with some music love. Just keep me right in the middle, like lukewarm water*.

*If you haven’t seen This is Spinal Tap then we really can’t be friends. I mean, we can still relate on some level, but we really can’t be besties or anything like that.

Lerxst Demo Archive PT. 1

I finally got around to listening to the newest demos on Alex Lifeson’s website. Three songs, Kroove, Banjo Bob, and Serbs. These are in addition to the two songs he posted when the site originally launched, Kabul Blues and Spy House.

As I sit here grooving like my life depends on it I start to wonder what it must be like to have actual talent.

I miss Rush.

The Kids are Here

The kids got here a couple of hours ago. That makes me very happy.

Lots going on at work. Changes coming. Small, low level reorganization. Good things on the way. I just can’t talk about it, not that I would say anything outside of the most vague references the English language will allow anyway.

The Book of Boba Fett is on tonight. I don’t know if anyone will want to watch it with me. I liked the first episode, but I think I might have been the only one in the house who did. A co-worker said the second episode is excellent. Fingers crossed. Hopefully it has Han Solo coming around for some pay back, you Boba Bitch. A boy can dream, right?

I did some music before work this morning. I put a MIDI bass part onto one of the two new January song ideas. No melody yet. Nothing to sing. I have a few re-records ready for vocals, but I want to have something new to sing before I go for the drive again.

The Bruins won last night. They are 3-0 since coming back from the Covid shut down. They play Minnesota tomorrow. Keep the streak going.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland gave a speech on the investigation into last year’s treasonous terrorist insurrection at the US Capital. Remember that? When a bunch of trump cult maga terrorists tried to violently overturn the 2020 presidential election? The speech boils down to this: We’re working on it. That’s all I wanted to hear, Merrick. Well… maybe that and you’re planning on picking up the pace. Fascist heads need to roll.

17 minutes until the end of the work day. I’m ready.