Muthafucker, I get it. I've been distant, but I still love y'all. Seriously, I missed you too...
I know, I know... Three fucking months. I've been gone for three fucking months and I'm sorry. I'm not really, but it sounded nice to say. For the record, I haven't just been lounging around and drinking margaritas (although I did just get back from Long Beach, CA where we did lounge around and drink margaritas, but that was only one goddamn week...) trying to understand how everything Trump does is either the worst thing ever or no big deal, depending on who you're currently listening to (Hint: it really is the worst, right? Ha! Now, I'm part of it. Wait, don't listen to me. Double top-secret hint: listen to everything I say because I'm smart as fuck. Or don't, I don't actually care). I also haven't been watching nearly enough Brewers baseball, nor have I been enjoying the fact that we actually have some fucking sun in PacNorWest and/or the fact that I actually have a tan from my Cali trip that I can rub in the face of all these pale fuckers out here. Us Injuns tan quick, I tell you! I also haven't been playing the shit out of my new Pro-Ject Debut Carbon record table, which sounds unbefuckinglievable, especially on those colored vinyl Billy Joel remasters or the Big Star re-releases like "Radio City." I also haven't been writing, performing or recording any new music, not in my apartment or elsewhere. No, it's been much less enjoyable than any of those things. I've barely taken a satisfying shit in the past three months, it's been that goddamn stressful.
So, what the fuck happened? Well, as has been par for the course on my upcoming album, things seemed like they were all wrapped up and then went fucking pear-shaped, AGAIN... Making this record has been the single most frustrating thing I've ever been a part of in my life, and that includes watching the Packers lose Super Bowl XXXII to that fucking horse-faced piece of shit John Elway. It's been almost twenty years since that game and clearly I haven't been able to fully let it go. The nice thing about music though, is that eventually (and, by "eventually" I mean SEPTEMBER 15TH 2017 MUTHAFUCKERS!!! It's official!) the record will be out and all will be right in the world. The Packers can never "eventually" win Super Bowl XXXII. So, I'll definitely carry that with me forever. And yes, I still believe it was more painful to lose that game than the 2014 NFC Championship against the Seahawks; or, as I like to call it, the Russell Wilson undiagnosed concussion game. I know what I saw... Someday, I'll tell the whole tale of everything that went wrong during the making of this album, but for now, let's just say some really weird shit was happening when the test pressings got made and Ed Brooks is a wizard/magician/god who can fix anything audio-related. So, now, three months later, we're finally back on track. The lacquers have been redone and sent off for test pressings (knock on wood nothing more gets fucked up) and the promotion/publicist company, Planetary Group, has set the initial launch schedule. Again, September 15th is release day for "In My Youth, I'm Getting Old..." or, as I like to call it, the day I go from obscurity to... relative obscurity. Or, maybe I achieved "relative obscurity" with "Burn What You Can, Bury the Rest..." I mean, the internet and pockets of radio did take a shining to us. Just look at all the nice things some people said (watch the scroll on top of the page) about us.
But, in those three long, agonizing months, I did find some fucking amazing new records and tunes. Some old, some new, but all of them nevertheless fudging (notice how I didn't say "fucking" again! I'm learning from Kimmy Schmidt. Shit, I guess I did say "fucking" anyways, twice now, in fact... baby steps) awesome.
Steve Forbert - "Romeo's Tune"
I don't know how I didn't find this fucking song years ago. It's so fucking brilliant. It literally, not figuratively, stopped me in the middle of my tracks when I first heard it. It popped up on a Spotify playlist while I was running and I physically had to stop and figure out what I was hearing. The story of Steve Forbert is so sadly played out: he get's signed as "the next Dylan," as if that actually exists, has a minor hit with this tune, then releases a couple records that fail to chart a single and gets buried by his record label and it ruins any sort of career he had as a major recording artist. I'm sad face...
Courtney Marie Andrews - "Irene"
This whole record is beautiful in a Ryan Adams type of way. Acoustic guitars, honest vocals/lyrics, warm sounds, it's the real fucking deal. I love the line "Keep your grace, Irene, don't go falling in love with yourself." Just a damn good record from a damn good songwriter.
Childish Gambino - "Sweatpants"
Just a fucking fun/funny song from a former "30 Rock" writer. Who knew Tina Fey had great taste in rich kid asshole MC's?
Townes Van Zandt - "To Live is to Fly"
A beautiful song that has just stuck with me over the years, especially recently. Not sure if it's because I'm getting older or just because I'm getting more sentimental, but either way I didn't this song on repeat til recently; so, I guess it's because I'm just (feeling) old.
Modern Baseball - "Wedding Singer"
It's not just because I have an unhealthy obsession with the Adam Sandler joint of the same name (remember when Drew Barrymore was so fucking hot? I do). It was such an important film from my youth. But, wait, that doesn't mean fuck all in regards to this song. This whole "Holy Ghost" album is goddamn brilliant with its punk rock leanings, sentimental lyrics and overwhelming sense of sadness with regards to becoming an adult and the ensuing life. Sounds about right...
Tommy Keene - "Nothing Can Change You"
Keene's "Based on Happy Times" album is a slam dunk for any 'Mats fan. Punk songs, happy songs, slow, sad songs, lyrics that remind us of our own humanness. Fuck, what else do you want? I mean, come the fuck on...
Land of Talk - "Loving"
Land of Talk peaked my interest with "Some Are Lakes" but this album sounds so much more grown up, in a good fucking way. Not in a Wilco sad, old white guy kind of way but in a "I've seen some shit kind of way." Maybe that's true or maybe the singer has just gone through some more life and she just knows how to better turn a phrase. Either way, she's got me hooked, and like ringworm, it's in and it won't be going anywhere soon.
Hopefully, there are no more setbacks with my record and we can finally just be on a normal path to wrap this fucker up. But, until then, I've always got wonderful music to fall back on in my time of need. And, so do you. Love y'all, 'til next time...
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