Finding Time

I’ve tried for a while now to figure out what to do with this site. I can’t really say I’ve come any closer to figuring out what I want to do with it or where I want it to go. There are times it creeps into the back of my conscience as if by doing so it will force something out of me worth writing. These days I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the things I should and could be doing, and so I’m cutting down on what I hope is the extemporaneous parts of my life to keep things in some modicum of simplicity, and in doing so bring life back into balance.

I’m not sure it’s going all that smoothly.

I’ve continued to play out, both solo and with my brother, in support of his new CD. I’ve been recording with my friend and drummer Doug Mackey in the hopes of trying to capture what it is we do together and take it places we haven’t been yet. I’ve been doing a fair amount of songwriting in the hopes of putting out an acoustic CD this summer, maybe just 6 new songs or so captured live.

The new trailer is really starting to show it’s beauty with the spring flowers in full bloom about the yard, and the tomato plants and other vegetables already planted. I love being in the shade of birch trees again setting up the bar-b-que and enjoying the deck. This place continues to surprise us in unexpected ways, with a useful herb garden, raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb, and artichokes already planted and coming in strong. Were going to continue enjoying this place, that much I know already.

So I guess what I’m trying to say by all of this is I’m not sure where this blog is fitting in to this new world order. Clearly it’s one thing I feel like I’m able to cut back on right now otherwise I wouldn’t do it, but I do miss the process of writing. No one’s complained about the lack of posts and really with such infrequent updates I’m about the only one who comes here anymore anyway. Still..I guess I’m not ready to put it away just yet. I keep thinking that there will come a time when my life will get back to a place where posts start to flow with a little more frequency—or maybe just change into something else entirely. Who knows?

Music (with links)

Well this Wednesday I’ll be playing at the Tempest Lounge here on Tacoma’s hilltop. I got to know one of the owners working for the State, and as they’re starting to have musicians come in once a week to play I tossed my hat in the ring. It’s actually turning out to be a pretty busy month for music, as last night I headed out to a place called Bishop’s on Vashon Island to play, this Wednesday at Tempest, next weekend I’ll be in the studio recording with Jeanlizabeth, early next month recording my next CD with Doug and Tony at Dougs new studio and playing guitar at the CD release party of my brothers new CD, Kick the Dirt.

Last nights show at Bishop’s was a quick in and out. I was warming up for Geoff Muldaur to a bunch of people eating dinner before the big show. It had a bit of a busking feel about it, as people bustled with their food and caught up with old friends. It was a short set and I thought I played well, heck I even managed to sell a few CD’s at the end of it. I didn’t stick around for Geoff’s set however, as the last ferry left the Island at 9:30 and I was determined to get on it.

I ran into an old work buddy from when I worked on movies. We’d done a few different projects together, a short lived show called Medicine Ball for the WB and Disclosure among other things. He was tending bar and except for a few more grey hairs, looked exactly the same—nice to see a familiar face that far from home, and a welcome surprise.

Just heard Guantanamo on KEXP’s Roadhouse off of my brothers new CD. I guess they made mention of me before hand, but I seemed to have missed that part. Nice to hear it getting some airplay though. I thought it turned out pretty darn good.

Everyday...

Today is Wednesday.

In one week I’ll be playing a show at Tempest Lounge starting at 8.

On Friday Ike will be 8 years old.

Today is Sweetie and my 26th anniversary of our first date.

I’m not getting enough sleep.

I’m not getting enough sleep.

I am not getting enough sleep.

Definitions of Opinions

Well I haven't posted a reply to a readers request for quite a while, but this one came in last week from a good friend and I thought I'd share.

Dear Slackjaw,

I'd like to hear your opinion on something. What is folk music? What is acoustic music? What is country music? What is Americana music? What is bluegrass music? What is old timey music? I'm trying to find interesting ways to explain to people what the differences are between these genre's that people often lump together. Thought you might want to weigh in on the subject.

Thanks,~Angie

Well now...thanks for asking, I guess. If I were to break em down I'd probebly do it like this.

What is folk music? Folk is to music, what folk is to art. It’s less schooled than its counterpart, and because of this more people are able to participate. Its power comes from the masses, instead of from the elite. It became a powerful political weapon because it gave the poor and disenfranchised a voice. Unions were formed because of this music and because of it, formed the middle class. Rock and Roll gained an edge from this music and changed the face of America.

What is acoustic music? While the more mellow sect would like to claim it for their own, I’d just classify it as being any type of music you can take outside and still play along with.

What is country music? Country music is the white mans blues. Like the blues it comes from internal rather than external, it can be political, but its power comes from the human condition—from the heart. It should be simple...with few chords. Which leads to the old standard joke; What do you get when you play a country album backwards? You get your wife back, your car back, your house back…

What is Americana music? It’s retro moving forward music—an attempt to recreate American music at its roots, from a time before the transistor, when amps had tubes, and pianos still had strings and then take that music it to places it's never been.

What is bluegrass music? Bluegrass is country that took a left into Kentucky and festered in the hills. It took the uplifting foot stomping hand clapping of Gospel, combined it with square dancing, some hard drinking and distilled it all through the mandolin of Bill Monroe.

What is old timey music? Bob Seeger, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Journey and Jefferson Starship, and of course by that partial list I mean all fossilized dinosaur music. It’s important that its white, and even when new, it should immediately sound dated. Weather it’s “Bicycle Built for Two” or “We Built This City on Rock and Roll” it’s only value is in mocking sing-alongs after closing down the bars in Hoquiam on mid-week road trips to Westport and Ocean Shores. Oh...and as the soundtrack to every trip I've ever taken to the Puyallup Fair.

Love,

Slackjaw

For The 25th Time

Happy Valentines Day Sweetie. For all the posts I have added over the years, I don’t think I’ve ever had one that started off by saying that, and why that is I have no idea. But this much I know, that’s just not right, and so this year I’m turning this around.

Happy Valentines Day!

I love you.

Yeah, I love the kids and the dog and the new trailer too…but at the center of it all, I love you. Here we are, a few short weeks away from our 26th year together…24 valentines’ days past…boxes of chocolate eaten and bunches of flowers wilted and thrown out. But it’s the kisses that have stayed around…Kisses layered on top of other kisses on top of other kisses.

Of course this year will have chocolate.
Of course this year will have flowers.
Since what’s a Valentines Day without them?

But I’ll also take one more kiss for the collection, because those seem to be what sticks around the most.

25 Valentines later and we’re not even half way there.

xo

Caucus Bulls**t

Caucusing has to be the stupidest, most discriminatory way to participate in the electoral process ever invented. It makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit even thinking about the Democratic Party's, of which I purport to be a member of, ineptitude in all of this.

Is there really a doubt as to why we rarely have a democrat in the White House? I can only hope the candidate we elect will have better organizational skills and a clearer idea how to include all members of their party, not just those who don’t have to work Saturdays, or aren’t disabled and home bound.

Despite all my anger and bitterness however, it’s still pretty fun to say the word “caucus”.

“Caucus!”