Its Been A While…

Its been a while… for sure. I’m just about to gradute and get into another degree. Yes, two masters degrees for me. I’m hoping to keep this blog up to date from now on, but that may not be possible. I’ll write more later.

Conversations Lead to Writing, Sometimes

I had a good conversation with a friend today regarding politics and the intellectual versus actual practice of communism. Being a hardcore libertarian, I can’t agree with communism on any level in any form (intellectual or practical) since on all levels it requires force, coercion, and collectivism to rule over every decision. I’ve been trying for a long time to come up with some songs that express the way I feel about my beliefs, both political and religious, but its damn difficult when you don’t want to sound cliche. The goal for this summer, on top of starting my thesis for my MA and studying for the GRE and all that great shit is to write three or four good songs and record them. If I record some of the other songs I already have again, that should make for about a seven or eight song demo, which is good for a non-striving artist such as myself. I’m working really hard at writing everyday to get used to just writing in poetic form, but life doesn’t afford those possibilities very often. Keeping with it is key.

Daily Musing: June 10, 2008

I’m strummin’ this shitty acoustic guitar.
Knowin’ my voice don’t carry that far.
Playing three chords over and over some more.
Forgetting what I’m playin’ for.

Its not what I’m playin’ that you care about.
There’s just some notes and words spat out.
Don’t listen to them and you’ll be alright.
Just listen to the silence of night.

Listen, listen, listen, but never hear.

Eh, not great, but I have a tune in my head. It might work out.

Fine Arts List: June ‘08

Fine Arts list is an idea I stole from my one of my favorite bands: Squad Five-0. Its just a bunch of stuff I’m listening to or interested in at the moment. It will probably be a once a month thing.

• Reason’s Hit and Run Blog
• Pittsburgh Penguins (even though they lost the Cup)
• Air Conditioning (its freaking hot here in Pittsburgh)
• NHL 08 for the PS2
• Man Vs. Wild Tv Show
• Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades: Revisited by Clinton Heylin

This month has been hectic so I haven’t been able to get that into the fine arts. I’m hoping to be able to read more in the next month and I have plenty of books to get to. I am particularly interested in a biography of The Clash that I picked up like a year ago and haven’t had time to read.

Influence: Pedro the Lion

It seems only necessary to begin this whole experience with one of the most important influence on my songwriting and love of music in general. Pedro the Lion was the brain-child, maybe heart-child, of David Bazan. If you have never heard this man’s songs, you have not heard one of the most unknown and greatest songwriters of the present generation. His lyrics are utterly depressing at times, but the music surrounding them is for the most part simply beautiful. I don’t mean simply as in the only word to describe it. I mean simple as in stripped down and lacking fuss. Normally the songs could be stripped down to Bazan’s guitar and voice, which is how he has toured recently, without losing much if any of their appeal.

Enough of my yapping about him, I’ll let his work speak for itself. It is impossible to pick a favorite song by Bazan, so I’ll post a few through Deezer after the jump.

First Things First

I’ve been around the internet a few times. I’ve been in different bands a few times. I’ve been the author of blogs a few times. I just stop caring about almost all of them. Yet, here I am again, with a blog on the internet about a ‘band’.

Place Saver

I’m saving this place.