Day Thirty Five

Yea I know, I'm late with this report.  We went out last night to see some friends playing at a place called Bodega Blue in Vero Beach.  Nice little place with a funky vibe and a beer selection that would satisfy even the snobbiest beer snob.  This was also the evening for the  Downtown Friday street extravaganza, so there was quite a crowd.  Our musical friends, Patti & Frank with Gary on electric stand up bass, really did a great job, some spontaneous sing alongs even broke out.  The menu at  Bodega Blue is limited, but so far everything we've had there has been really great.  Check it out if your in downtown Vero.
    I worked in the studio a bit yesterday, just refining and cleaning things up.  I've noticed some frequencies bouncing around on playback of my vocal tracks. I think I may need to construct some sound absorbers and maybe put some bass traps in the corners of the room to tame these wild creatures.  I've seen some good DIY videos on building these sound absorbers and it should be an easy project, I just need to find some purple cloth to cover them in.  I'll let you know how it works out.
Have a great weekend, Here's your daily dose of wisdom:

Music should never be harmless.
 Robbie Robertson

Day Thirty Four

Today I delivered the super sonic rolling TV cart, and it was met with rave reviews.  Yes, another happy customer.  It was a heavy duty project designed to match some heavy duty shelves in this house.  The top and bottom were made of a double width of 2 x 12, glued and clamped together with 2 x 4 mending plates on the bottom side.  The corner post were made of 2 x 4.  Everything was lag bolted together and then I put some heavy duty casters on the bottom.  I made the mistake of building it on the workbench, which seemed like a good idea until I realized I was going to have to set it on the ground by myself.  I'm thinking this thing weighed about 120 pounds, but I managed with only minor back injuries.  I'm glad that one is history.  I've determined that playing music is a lot less physically demanding than building things, and probably just as profitable.
     I did a little recording in the studio, cleaning up some vocal tracks.  I've been using an Avalon 737 mic pre amp for a little while now, and I'm really liking what it does to the vocals.  I was a bit apprehensive at first about spending the money on it, but I'm glad now that I did.  It really has made a difference in the tracks I've used it on.
  Until Tomorrow, here's your daily dose of wisdom:

Let's hope you feel better now.
Jack Kevorkian 

Day Thirty Three

I spent the day at the shop working on a couple projects, all I can  say is holy crap, was it hot.  I rode my Motorcycle into work this morning, and the morning air was a beautiful thing.  The ride home, on the other hand,  was brutal.  The low gas warning light came on as I was heading home, and my odometer showed I had gone 210 miles on that tank of gas.  These BMW's are some glorious machines, but they do require fuel to operate properly.   I've seen a few owners say that they have run out of gas when the gauge still showed a quarter tank, so rather than chance it I decided to fill up on the way home.  By the time I negotiated the road construction and every slow moving vehicle on the road I thought I would die of heat stroke.  Fortunately I didn't run out of go juice before I got to the station.  By the time I got home my helmet was dripping wet, I was pretty sure my brain had liquified and was now running down my back.  It kind of reminded me of a ride my brother and I took one time through the middle of Georgia in the dead of summer.  Not one of our brighter ideas.  So I'm sitting here drinking gobs of water trying to recover from another wonderful day.  I wonder if I can bribe the weathermen to send us a cold front, I'm willing to pay big bucks.
Until tomorrow, here's your daily dose of wisdom:

 
People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs.
Alexei Sayle 

Day Thirty Two

      I got that super sonic rolling TV stand completed today, only to have my favorite customer change the game plan.  I had to carefully disassemble it and prepare to re-group tomorrow for a second assault.  You've got to love it!
     While I was in limbo I scoured the internet for various recording information and products.  I usually check out the Logic Forum, they have a lot of helpful tips and information on working in Logic.  I rarely get involved in any of the conversations, but you can learn a lot just by lurking in the shadows.
I figure if I wait long enough someone else will ask the stupid question I was going to ask, and then I wont have to look like a dork.
       I always check out equipment reviews also, not that I really need anything, but someone said knowledge is power, and I can always use more power.  The microphone reviews are always good to read.  But after reading all the reviews, and listening to what the pros have to say, it looks like the bottom line is you need different mics for different things. For  example, on vocals, a mic that works well on a baritone
voice  probably wont work well for a female vocalist.  So  your going to have two different microphones that are probably over a thousand bucks a piece, and some really high enders can be in the three to five thousand dollar range.  This can add up fast, but if your going to do the job correctly you need the right equipment.  So save your pennies, life aint cheap!
    Until tomorrow, your daily words of wisdom:

My friend has a baby. I'm recording all the noises he makes so later I can ask him what he meant.
Steven Wright 

Day Thirty One & Weekend Update

We played a gig in Rockledge on Saturday night at a little place called Bluesboro Studio.  It's a great venue with a funky vibe and an awesome stage and sound system.  We had a great time and were treated like folk dignitaries, we can't wait to go back.  The entire staff was wonderful.  These days it's hard to find a place that doesn't have 47 TV's stuck to the walls, and some poor musician trying to sing over the noise of the crowd.  This place is different, it's all about the music.  Check out their site and go to one of their events if your in the area, you'll thank me for the tip.
     Monday, need I say more.  I accomplished almost nothing today, but at least I didn't get any further behind.  I had to take care of some business things in the morning, and then pick up some supplies for my tuesday project.  I'm going to be creating a super custom rolling TV cart for one of my favorite clients.   Yes, back to cabinet land once again.   Maybe I'll get in some musical activities tomorrow as well, one can always hope.
    Until tomorrow, here's your daily words of wisdom:

"I think I've discovered the secret of life, you just hang around until you get used to it."
    Charles Schultz

Day Thirty

Thirty days, that's like a month of living on the edge.  I haven't yet figured out how to handle this new life style, after going to work in the same place for twenty something years this feels very weird.  I'm hoping the universe has a plan, because I sure don't.
    We survived the kid show at the library, it was actually a lot of fun.  Being a kid is a great job, it's a shame it doesn't last longer.  We had them clapping along on one tune, their timing need some work, but they were having a ball.  Then we had them sing along with us on the pirate song, they really did a great job and were very enthusiastic.  Some in our group suggested that "Yo ho and a bottle of Rum" was not a good line for kids to sing along with.  They suggested we replace the word rum with something more kid friendly.  But as a song writer, I will not bow to political corectness on these matters.  Besides, what's a pirate song without a little rum.?  It was one of those gigs that your not sure about how it's going to go beforehand, but once your there and having a good time, all the worries go out the window.  If we didn't offend anyone to badly we may even get invited back next year. 
That's about it, have a great weekend.
   Your daily dose of wisdom:

Why join the navy if you can be a pirate?

Steve Jobs

Day Twenty Nine

Today my musical compadre Paul Garfinkel got into town for our weekend shows.  We've got two gigs this weekend kicking off with  a kids show Friday morning.  We're scared!
     Paul has a new tune he wanted to record while he was here. So after watching him stomach a McDonalds Filet-o-Fish we went to work in the studio.  Things went very well, and we captured the magic with a minimum of difficulty.  The Filet-O-Fish stayed down stream for the most part.  A great tune which will be fun to add a bunch of harmonies and other tasty tidbits to.
    We then packed up our sound gear and went to the library to do a preliminary set up.  I didn't want to risk doing it all on Friday morning, just in case something didn't function properly, like our brains.  The set up went smoothly and we were out of there within an hour.
   That's about it, I'll give you a full report on the library show tomorrow.

Your Daily words of wisdom:
    Pirates are just like everyone!

 

Day Twenty Eight

 I've been lurking on e-bay, watching a couple Neumann TLM49 microphones that started off at $600.  These mic's go for about $1500 new, so I was tantalized to the max.  But with two days left, the noodle heads have already driven it to the $900 mark.  What kind of poker players are these people, can't they chill until the auction nears it's close.  Maybe my philosophy on this is screwed up, but I'm pretty sure it's not me, it's the rest of the world.  At that price I'd rather not chance buying a used piece of gear that may have been used to record someone's fourth of july fireworks explosions.  And there is no telling what the final price on this might be.  I'd prefer some kind of warranty if I'm going to spend $1200.  So I will put my lurking hat back on and wait patiently for the deal of the century.

  I sent out an e-mail notice today to alert people to the upcoming Ashley Gang gigs.  Hopefully it will cause people to rethink their plans to sit on the couch this weekend and turn into zombies.  I know the weather dudes are talking some kind of tropical system making the scene, but don't let something like a little rain keep you from hanging out at the cool table.
                                  
 Until Tomorrow, Your daily words of wisdom:

Eat a live toad in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.

Day Twenty Seven

I had some time to work on the pirate song today, I think the kids are going to love it.  I'm still refining my recording process and a song like this is great to experiment with.  My concept is to record the song all the way through doing the guitar and vocal simultaneously, like a live performance.  Then I set up two new tracks and record the guitar part in stereo with no vocal track while monitoring the original tracks.  This way I can follow the original tracks so I don't get lost, and when I'm done the two new tracks are just the rhythm tracks with no vocal.   After that I can re-record the vocal a few times and piece together the best takes.  While it may sound like a pain in the ass, the Logic program makes it quite easy to accomplish.  And the results are well worth the effort.
   In other news today, my lawn was diagnosed to have chinch bugs!  Yes, those little bastards have been doing a number on my yard for some time now, and I just couldn't take it anymore.  I called in the cavalry!
I hate the idea of squirting poison all over the yard, but at this point, it's me or them.  And I'm not going anywhere.
   That about wraps up another day in the life.  Until tomorrow.
 
Your Daily Words of Wisdom:

Johnny Mercer: "I could eat alphabet soup and s**t better lyrics." 

  

Day Twenty Six

Another exciting day in the life of a renaissance man.  With a couple upcoming shows to play, I've been feverishly working on musical pursuits.  Friday morning we are playing a kids show at the Library here in town.  Yes, a kids show!  Normally we avoid these type of gigs, as It's a pretty sure bet that at some point I will say something that is probably not rated PG.  On average, I will put my foot in my mouth at least once every hour during a show, I'm sure while playing in front of young impressionable minds, the average will go up considerably.  On the bright side it's only an hour show, What could go wrong?
   It turns out this is Pirate week at the library, an annual summer program event.  I didn't initially think anything of it, we were assured we could just play our usual fare.  But as I have seen this slowly unfolding with several promotional blurbs in the newspaper, I think we've been had.  Every add I've seen so far claims we have added pirate songs to our repertoire!  Holy Sh....!  After scouring the internet for appropriate pirate songs, and finding most of them having to do with murder, drinking and looting, I knew the only option was to write one.  So I put on my writers cap and got to work, I think it's going to work.  I wrote it yesterday, made a rough recording today and sent it off to the band.  It just doesn't get any better than this
   Wish us luck.  Here's your daily dose of wisdom.

English Proverb
 

A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.

Day Twenty five

Another week bites the dust,.  Let's recap the highlights of the week, BP seems to have sealed up the giant oil gusher in the gulf of Mexico,  better late than never.  That stuff will be swirling around out there for  many years to come.  You'll no longer have to add oil to the pan when frying fish from the gulf.
    Mel Gibson seems to have risen to a new level of insanity, the only thing crazier is that it gets reported as news.
   And Joe Biden didn't say anything stupid this week, at least not in public.
On the musical front, I am attempting to stay focused on my songwriting and recording, which is never easy with a terminal case of ADHD.  I may even have lucked into a possible larger facility to set up shop in.  I'll post any updates as this develops.  One thing I've learned about life is not to count your chicken legs until you've safely retrieved them from the grill.
  I guess that's about it for now, until next week.
  Here's your thought for the day:

“Good judgment comes from experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.”

~ Will Rogers

Day Twenty Four

Today I was sucked into the vortex while trying to downgrade one of my computers from  Vista to XP.  I'm sure even a Buddhist monk would have been ready to head for ye olde Apple store.  But I persevered, and with a little help from one of my computer gurus, I got her back online.  Ahmen!  I think in my next life I'm coming back as computer geek, they will be the guys to either save the world or destroy it.  Which ever way it goes, that's an awful lot of power.
   I heard on the news today that Dick Cheney has no heart beat or pulse, I didn't realize that was news.  Most of us level headed folks have known that for years.  I guess his goons are out looking for a new heart for him right now, I'm just hoping that I don't have the same blood type.  I'm putting the threat level at purple!
   I don't think I have any musical items of interest today.  I'm working on three different songs at once at the moment.  I'll probably get all the verses mixed up and end up with one 20 minute song that makes no sense at all.  But as long as I use all my vocabulary words for the week I'm golden.
  See ya tomorrow,  here's your daily words of inspiration:


  Computers, huh? I've heard it all boils down to just a bunch of ones and zeroes.... I don't know how that enables me to see naked women, but however it works, God bless you guys. ~Doug Heffernan

Day Twenty Three

 Today another gig came down the pipeline.  My compadre and band partner, Paul Garfinkel, has been working on securing us a gig at the European Street Cafe in Jacksonville for a while, and today was the day.  We'll be playing there Saturday, Sep. 25, hopefully it will be the full on Ashley experience.  I only say that because we are a large group to organize, and you never know who might fall by the wayside before that date.  It's the little mysteries in life that keep it so exciting.
     I laid down a new song in the studio today using my wireless keyboard technology, we have lift off.  It worked out just like I planned, and I didn't fall over my guitar one time.  It would really be nice to have a little more room to work in, but for now, this will do.  After all, a wise man once said, size doesn't matter.  I'm not sure what a wise women would have said, but it would probably have been different.
   That's it for today, here's your thought for the day:

The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.  
  Unknown
  

Day Twenty Two

Sorry, I'm running behind.  Yesterday was our twenty fifth wedding anniversary!  Holey Moses, where does the time go?  It seems like only yesterday we were downing bottles of Lancers Rose and getting crazy.  Now were pretty happy if we have enough energy to stay up past ten o'clock to see the early news.   Our goal is to make it another twenty five, so we can put those before and after photos in the paper on our fiftieth!  There always a bit scary.  It's funny when you look at those pictures and think, man, I'm glad we don't look that bad....... yet!
    Well today I had to build a counter top, then deliver and install it.  That was a pretty painful operation.  I think that when the construction industry moved from wooden studs to metal studs it was one of the signs of the apocalypse.  I'm sure I speak for everyone who has ever tried to screw anything to a wall constructed of metal studs when I say, those things are pure crap!   My house is constructed of wooden studs, and I believe it was one reason we chose to go with that particular builder.  I'm thinking of starting a metal stud hate group.  I'm sure it would have a large membership.   Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

   That's it for today, here's your daily words of wisdom.

      If God wanted us to build houses with metal studs, he wouldn't have given us so many trees!
  Me
  

Day Twenty One & Weekend Update

Not much activity this weekend,  I got together with Norm "the most dangerous man in folk music" McDonald, and Bob "Guitar" Bronar for a little practice session on Sunday morning.  We worked off some of the rust and ran over a new tune a couple of times.  We're preparing for a couple gigs coming up on the 23rd and 24th of this month.  The band members are scattered all over the northern half of the state,  it's like a miracle when we get together to play and everything just falls into place.  I'm not sure if we're really good or really lucky, but I'll settle for being really lucky, at least until we're really good.

Another Monday bites the dust.  It's starting off to be a slow week, but I feel the tidal surge coming in.  I'm sure that before I know it I'll be up to my ears in all sorts of crazy projects.
  I went out on a mission of mercy today.  A friends dog was hit by a car on Friday and the poor pup didn't make it.  He'd only had the dog for a few months and was quite attached to him.  Fortunately the breeder still had one of his brothers from the same litter who looks very similar to the original dog in stock.  So a deal was made, and I drove him over to pick up his new buddy (buddy was actually the deceased dog's name).   Buddy 2 seems to be falling right into line, I think the healing has begun.  And so the circle of life is complete.
    Other than that, not much to report.  I think I'll make this a short one and just give you your daily dose of wisdom.

"If there is no heaven for dogs, then I want to go where they go when I die."

    -Anonymous

Day Twenty

  Today was another day in paradise, as long as you stayed in the air conditioning.  You may notice that I've put a music player on the blog.  I was thinking I might be able to post new tunes that I'm  working on as they develop.  I put up some of the classics until I get the bugs worked out, then I'll post some new stuff.   It seemed to be working fine for a while then it crapped out, I must have a technical glitch somewhere.  I'll get my tech guru to look at the situation and she can tell me where I went wrong.  It's not easy being a neanderthal in these modern times, we used to use hammers and brute force to fix things, now all you need is a smart alec punk with Buddy Holly glasses.
   I received a CD order today from someone in Nebraska, yes, Nebraska.  It really made my day, they ordered three different discs.  I guess they must have heard something on a radio station out there that they liked, and thanks to the wonders of the internet, they tracked us down.  Praise Al gore!  Check out are super fantastic web site if you get the chance, it's a classic beauty!

Have a great weekend!  Here's your daily words of wisdom:

Oh, they have Internet on computers now.
   Homer Simpson
  

Day Nineteen

I can't believe it either, nineteen days and I'm still doing this.  I thought by now this blogging thing would have gone the way of all  my new years resolutions.  I'll keep this pony running for as long as I can.
   Today I finished up the job I was working on  in cabinet land, with only a few minor injuries, and a minor case of heat stroke.  Your probably thinking to yourself, how could he give up such a glamorous life style.  Well it wont be easy, but with a little time, and a lot of counseling, I think I could get this monkey off my back.
    One of my E-bay guys contacted me and we have a touch down.  His item made it to him in fine shape and everything was in working order.  He commended me on my packaging skills, I think the packing I used weighed more than the CD recorder.  Still waiting to hear from the other two folks about their purchases.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
   Well that's about it for today, here's your daily words of wisdom.

Even the longest journey can seem like a short trip with the right companion.
   Me

Day Eighteen

I received the new Taylor guitar newsletter today, those guys sure can make a picture of a guitar look scrumptious.  I bought my Taylor 812C several years ago, well, now that I'm thinking about it, it was more like sixteen years ago.   Time flies when your playing a nice guitar.  So now every so often, I find these beautifully assembled newsletters with pictures of their latest offerings in my mailbox.  I believe they're trying to tempt me.
   I got an invitation to play a gig in NC today but had to pass on it due to a scheduling conflict.  I hate when that happens.  Maybe next time the opportunity arises I'll be able to get away.  I also had my good friend Rich Mermer invite me to go to Nashville for the CAAS, "Chet Atkins Appreciation Society" annual gathering.  Rich builds some beautiful guitars and travels to shows all over the country to show off his stuff.  But once again, duty called, and I could not act as his co-pilot and navigator.  I hope he makes it safely without my spiritual guidance.
   I guess that's about it for today, here's your daily dose of wisdom.

I don't read music. I don't write it. So I wander around on the guitar until something starts to present itself.
James Taylor 

Day Seventeen

Not much to report today, but consistency has got to count for something.  It looks like I'll be working at the shop most of the week, some poor soul needs cabinets, and I can't let them down.
   I'm eagerly awaiting some responses from my E-bay customers, it's a bit scary sending electronics across the country in cardboard boxes.  No matter how carefully you've packaged them, you know the Samsonite Gorilla just can't wait to get his hands on another package with fragile stickers all over it.  Laughing that crazy gorilla laugh, you know the one.  I can only imagine those delicate gizmos flying through the air and landing in a not so delicate way.  Pray for those poor gizmos!
    I put together a chord chart and lyrics for the latest tune to send to the rest of the band so they can see what kind of crazy progression I've conjured up.   I have a cool little program called Lyricist that makes it pretty easy to do, and I think I've figured out how to e-mail it with the chord diagrams and lyrics intact.  I sent off a test version to one of my compadres, we'll see if it works. 
  Well that's all for today, here's your daily words of wisdom.

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. " – Herm Albright

Day Sixteen

I hope everyone had a safe Fourth, and still has all ten of their fingers attached and functioning.  I read  about a guy who blew his entire arm off  while entertaining the family with fireworks yesterday.  That can put a real damper on the festivities.  It always amazes me the lengths some parents will go to in order to teach their children the dangers that are lurking out there just waiting to take them out.  No one said good parenting is easy!
   I took the day off from my usual duties for the bogus holiday, "The Fifth of July", who ever heard of such a thing.  I think it's a sign of the lack of motivation in this country, we're making up holidays just so we can goof off guilt free.  I probably speak for the minority, but when I goof off, I want to feel the appropriate level of guilt for having shirked my responsibilities.   After all, what's the sense of goofing off if  it's been approved by the state and federal government.  It's like them telling you to burn your draft card, it just takes all the fun out of it.   Oh well, maybe just to get even, I'll take off on the sixth of July too.  I'm pretty sure they haven't turned that into a holiday yet!
Until Tomorrow, your daily words of wisdom.

  Life aint worth livin' without a good story.
     Charley W. Murphy

Day Fifteen

 Rumor has it that today is Friday, I seem to have lost track of time.  Now  I know why people go to work everyday, just to keep track of what day it is.   What a great system.

    It must be nearing the fourth of July, the local knuckleheads are starting to set off minor fireworks in the streets.  Now don't get me wrong, I like blowing up neighbor kids as much as the next guy, but it seems that every holiday now includes fireworks.  And they start setting them off about four days before the holiday actually arrives and then for another four days after it's passed.  I really feel as though bottle rockets on Christmas morning is just going a little to far.  I think it takes a real toll on man's best friend, the poor dogs get all shaky and pee uncontrollably until the festivities have concluded.  Which usually doesn't happen until some lucky Fourth of July sacrificial lamb blows off a finger or two.   You've got to love the holidays!  

  I guess I'll put a hold on any recording until this temporary insanity has simmered down.  Be careful out there this weekend, don't be the lamb.

 The Daily words of wisdom:

     Look it went out....BOOM!!!!!

Day Fourteen

Today I was called back to duty in Cabinet Land. When the world is in crisis, and the only savior is your local cabinet guru, that's when you know your really screwed.  So I headed in reluctantly, at this point saving the world seems like a pretty big job, more suited to a diabolical madman.  But I believe all the diabolical madmen are working in the Gulf Of Mexico this week, I'll do the best I can until they get freed up.  On the bright side, it gave me the opportunity to hop on my supersonic motorbike and let the wind blow through my imaginary hair.  It felt a lot like freedom,  and not even one old codger tried to run me down.  Motorcycling in the summer is a bit safer down here as all the snow birds have gone back to cooler climates until the fall.  The flip side of that is that it's actually to hot most days to ride.   it's always something!
   My E-bay excitement has come to a close, I sold three out of four items I had up for auction.  I think I made out pretty well on this project, and I'll have a little more wiggle room in the studio without those things hanging around.  Well, that's about it for the day, Until tomorrow.

Your daily words of inspiration:

I bought some batteries, but they weren't included.
Steven Wright