...my fake plastic love

 

Here is the link to my first guitar review, hope to keep doing this when I get the time.  Wonderful job of editing, especially the creepy "eyes opening" intro. Oh well, hope everyone enjoys the clip.

   I have been working on some new music, getting better at chord progressions. I am very excited for guitar lessons next week, and my pedal is about ready to be sold so I decided I am going to get a Takamine.  In no way will Takamine pass Martin in my opinion, but they do have some fine quality guitars.  

   Songs for the week: I decided to start a playlist titled "2011" and as the year progresses, I will add the music that I am listening to most, hopefully add songs like every couple months or so.  I started the playlist, and will keep listing songs as the year progresses.  Anytime you see "2011" just know I am adding to the playlist bit by bit.

2011

1. Subterranean Homesick Alien

2. Exit Music (For a Film)

3. No Surprises

4. Lucky

5. 15 Step

6. House of Cards

7. Jigsaw Falling Into Place

8. Faust Arp

9. Nude

10. Creep

11. Stop Whispering

12. Ripcord

13. Vegetable

14. I Can't

15. Prove Yourself

16. High and Dry

17. Fake Plastic Trees

18. My Iron Lung

19. Black Star

20. Bulletproof...I Wish I Was

21. Karma Police

   So far it is just a vast amount of Radiohead.  They are blowing my mind so much lately, I am starting to love their music more than ever before.  I hope everyone can listen to some tracks off the playlist, and hopefully I keep adding to the list over time.  Cheers

  

christmas break creeps towards its end...well sort of.

          

 -This blog is dedicated to Mikael Akerfeldt and how much I've listened to his music lately-

   Well I knew this week would come, but I can say I am honestly satisfied with the christmas break I experienced these past weeks.  I attended roughly 4-5 christmas parties and also some New Year parties also.  I even had the chance to help out Anna with babysitting on New Years and just the thought of that night is fucking exhausting.  Besides a couple bad nights, I was a pretty satisfied person each day I woke up and realized I did not have class.  I was very excited for the 27 day break that I have been enduring and still am.  

   Through all the time I have spent with my own family and also Anna's family, I still made some time to learn new music and write some new riffs, lyrics, etc.  I started to learn a lot of Radiohead and by the heading of my post, lots of Opeth.  I purchased a bass effects pedal awhile back, and realized a new electric guitar is needed.  If my pedal sells, I will soon have a PRS SE in my possession.  It is a PRS SE and features a very groovy logo on it.  Now, if I was playing shows and "gigging" all the time, I may not buy this guitar just because I think too many people have a shallow frame of mind and would consider me a poser.  I am not playing live much, so for my own personal use this guitar is outstanding.  The features on this SE are far above any other SE's, and it even looks more professional in my opinion.  The sound, feel, and look of this thing will suit me greatly for many years.  I hope to have this guitar soon.

   I dedicated this post to a certain artist, one who is not as popular in the united states (yes i left that un capitalized for a reason) but is gaining popularity quickly.  Mikael Akerfeldt is the frontman for the Swedish progressive metal band Opeth.  I started listening to this group in high school & have been an avid fan for many years.  They really have a unique sound. My roots are in metal so that side of the band appeals to me but lately (the past year) I have dabbled into slower, more melodic music (often acoustic tracks) and that side of the band is simply phenomenal.  

   Mikael is into a lot of acoustic songwriters, and that sort of shows in a vast amount of the groups material.  So when I was to hear some low, evil growls with heavy guitars in the background I can turn on songs like The Moor or Moonlapse Vertigo. However, when I am in the acoustic/groovy melodic shit mood I can turn on tracks like Hope Leaves, Patterns In The Ivy, Benighted, Harvest, Still Day Beneath The Sun, Windowpane, and dozens more.  This group (and Mikael himself) really have a place in my musical "heart" and keep me going in my everyday life. 

   Anyone who reads my posts knows I always leave songs to check out (sometimes video clips) and this week/near future I suggest checking out some of these songs.  They can really relax you, and if you are into an out of body music experience, they can often seem even more appealing.  Besides the music, I have been spending time at my parents house hanging out with my family, and I plan to leave tomorrow.  I had a trip through a white, blizzardy, 50mph wind hell from Shakopee to Westbrook.  At one point, I got out to go to the bathroom and was wind burned after only 20 seconds of exposure.  It was insane driving through that weather, and of course when you get stuck behind other drivers who frankly are going too fucking slow, it drives you crazy.  Passing is obviously no option, so I suggest buying a pack of cigarettes to accompany your frustration.  I highly doubt the trip back to wisconsin will be as bad as my trek "down south" so I am pretty excited for the drive.  If I don't post in the next few weeks, I think it is safe to say my predictions were off by a longshot.  just a brief look inside the mind of another city kid.

   

some thoughts over a snowy, brisk winter break

  i am sitting in a warm house all alone, just woke up a couple hours ago. last night theresa, emma, anna, and i went to Hudson to see Black Swan.  the previews intrigued me to a certain degree, so i was pretty excited to see the film.  it was an amazing film no doubt, the scenes were as good as the score.  i was blown away by the film and highly suggest everyone to go out and see it.  i have my classes set up for spring semester, and i am very happy with what i will be taking.  i am not taking as many classes as last semester, so i decided to throw in some 1 on 1 guitar lessons with a great instructor.  i am not really aiming to "shred" even though i would like to be able to play like that, instead i am going to try build up my composition & songwriting chops so when i sit down to write, the process goes a lot smoother.
  i do not believe that songwriting can be a completely "easy" task, there are always going to be factors standing in the way when you try and write songs.  however i do believe that grounding yourself as an artist and finding a "system" that works for you is what helps out the most.  in my head, i always have tons and tons of ideas going around, but i don't really have a way to put those thoughts in order, all too often i come out with random lyrics, chords, riffs, etc. that do not have true substance & do not relate to the other thoughts very well.  i am excited to start relating what is in my head, and molding them into a unique sound that is all my own.  i am also starting to back away from comparing & trying to be/sound a specific artist i like.  i think one of my biggest struggles as an artist is i listen to someone and then think i need to be at the level they are at.  that is a huge block for me, and ends up frustrating me because what i come out with doesn't compare to what they write. now that i listen to what i say more logically, i often wonder how fucked my thinking can be. i have been writing for only a couple years, and unless i am extremely gifted in the same ways other artists are, i am not going to have that certain sound.  i am trying to dig into what Evan Madson sounds like, not what someone else sounds like.  i am trying to get more order into my thinking and production as an artist, and i think that lessons will benefit me substantially.
  i start school on the 13th of january, and i am pretty excited for that because when i go back i will only have one day of classes.  i am taking two business classes and one economics class.  not many classes but the credits add up to be enough to get me by.  add on the lessons and i am good to go.  i really hope i can find some part time work, because my class schedule is designed around good working hours.  i am not saying i 100% want to work, being unemployed is actually kind of nice.  i just really want to start having some cash flow so i can save for a new guitar! i don't think i will ever stop looking :)  other than that, i am just spending time with the people i love and trying to make these last couple weeks as fun as i can.                               

                                                                  
                                                                                                
 

if you get some time, check out this video.  #41 is my favorite song by Dave, and this is a great performance.  it really shows how Dave's emotion outweighs perfection in his playing.  i am not saying he doesn't play things perfectly, but more so with his voice you can tell he is lost in the moment and even when he doesn't hit the notes perfect, he doesn't care because the moment is everything to him.  in my opinion, he is the most emotional, talented musician of our time and i just can't get enough of his music.
..just a small look inside the mind of another city kid.