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.