Musician, Freak, Dayjobber, Etc.

So, this is my weekly message, and you're reading it right now (you're just finishing the last sentence as this one draws to a close). Isn't that special? Well, this is gonna be boring, I can tell you right now -- I'm too lazy to include any links this week, for some reason. I guess I'm not feeling very link-ish. But first of all, why don't you go to www.brianwilson.com and read some of the FAR OUT accolades that the "SMiLE" London shows are getting -- way to go, guys! Okay, so last week -- a short week, remember, due to the President's Day holiday -- I came down (or went up?) with yet another in a series of cold/flu episodes this year. Cough, splatter. So I basically laid low all week (and weekend), with the exception of one rehearsal with the Abe Lincoln Story (which went swimmingly, by the way). I'm having some serious fun with this band so far -- I get to play the Guitar Hero(tm) role, slamming some silly Skynyrd-y leads here and there, and just generally being loud and obnoxious (so what else is new?). After only two -- yes, two -- rehearsals, I must say that the band is sounding pretty filthy good. We're skipping rehearsal this week, so I get an extra night off -- and I could certainly use the rest. There's nothing new to report on the Tribeca front, other than to say that we're busy busy busy editing, tweaking and mixing the new album. I must say -- with all the modesty I can muster -- that things are sounding great. So, although we're running just a skiltch behind our self-imposed deadline, I think the delay(s) will be worth the wait. So where does that leave me for the rest of this week? Well, Tuesday night will find Nipper and me at Mr. T's Bowl for a Mardi Gras birthday party for The Mayor of Silver Lake, the one, the only, the bespectacled Gus Hudson. This looks to be a great gig/party situation and I'm very much looking forward to it. Then, on Saturday afternoon, we'll be celebrating Bernard Yin's birthday in Chinatown (he's a leap year baby); Saturday night will find us splitting our time between a Mike Keneally (www.keneally.com) gig at the Baked Potato, and a party at Adam Marsland's lovely Reseda home. Of course, you're welcome to email me for all the juicy details (does that count as a link?). In between these commitments, I plan on working on some new music -- yes, new music -- and finishing up a little work on some older demos (does anyone remember my Neal Morse-inspired epic?), and just working on my solo technique a bit (I've been really inspired by Jason Becker lately). And that, my fiends, is all. Until next week, remember: architecture is frozen music, so build yourself something nice-n-cozy today. Hike your own hike! xoxox kErrY xoxox

Well hello there, you sweet young thang. Thanks *ever so much* for visiting my weekly blog -- I'm fondling you. Well, last week was pretty freaking cool if I do say so myself. I started the week off right by taking a day off and going trout fishing with my musician friend, the incredible Bernard Yin (check out his excellent prog-surf band The MiGs, and check out the many other bands he tours with). We hit an area of upper Piru Creek on a fantastic Southern California winter day -- bright sunshine, green trees, and splotches of snow here and there. The stream and the area were absolutely magnificent, with the creek cutting through several deep, dramatic gorges, and wildlife everywhere -- we even saw a bobcat. Unfortunately, we didn't see ANY fish -- at all -- despite an astonishing number of deep, clear pools and undercuts; textbook trout waters. I think it may be just a *tad* early for this stream at this elevation; everything was pretty much deep in the winter doldrums, and I highly doubt that, had a trout been foolish enough to be there, that they'd find enough insect life to survive. Later that day, a few miles downstream at a different, warmer location, Bernard proved his manhood once again by pulling a sweet 13" wild rainbow trout out of a tricky run. And so it goes. Later that week, on Thursday, I auditioned for the guitar slot for the newly reformed Silver Lake legends The Abe Lincoln Story (old site, update coming soon). Guess what? I passed the audition! If you're a fan of They Might Be Giants-type lyrics melded with pop, punk and ska musical influences, then this is the band for you. Rock me in leather pants! There's some very cool people in the band -- mentioning no names yet, please -- but trust me, this band ROCKS. Details will follow as they unfurl. Last weekend, Nipper and I hit a party hosted by Dan Collins, of Teenacide Records recording artists The Shakes; a great time was had by all, with a goofy-cool performance by the one and only Creekbird. I've never had a better time at a party -- we got home at 4:00AM! The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out at A'Float Sushi and, later, at the Huntington Gardens, where we snuck in without paying and played hide-n-seek with the docents all afternoon -- good times. All in all, a very nice holiday weekend was had. This week finds me finalizing the mix for my final Tribeca submission (my song "Vanish"), so that's cool -- it's nice to put a project to bed. Also, this week finds me practicing more of the The Abe Lincoln Story material and, of course, working my day job and just catching up with things around the house -- bills, cleaning, shopping, you know, normal day-to-day things. For the upcoming weekend, I MIGHT just go and catch a performance by Population 1, which is Nuno Bettencourt's new band. Other than that, it looks to be a rainy (yeah!), quiet weekend. Next week, however, looks to be jam-packed, non-stop action, with a Mardi Gras party/BBQ on Tuesday night, a birthday brunch for leap-year baby Bernard Yin on Saturday afternoon, a Mike Keneally set Saturday night at The Baked Potato, and a bitchin' party the same night at Adam Marsland's; email me for details, I'd love to party with you. And that, my little spawners, brings this week's message to a close. Until next week, remember: architecture is frozen music, so build yourself a Wallace Neff-inspired spanish home in a Pasadena arroyo today. And remember to hike your own hike! Until next filthy week, lots of love and gingersnaps. x0x0x kErrY xoxox

I think I'll make this a rather short blog entry, if I may beg thy pardon; I'm feeling especially lazy today, for the weather is warm and balmy, and oak-studded canyons beckon me the way a Fender Champ beckons a yellowed Stratocaster. It is unseasonably warm; the cannibals are restless (and curious yellow). There are fish in the air, so to speak. So, last week we -- we being Nelson Bragg, Rick Gallego, Dominic Campanella, and yours drooly -- did a lot of cleanup and mixing chores for my last song ("Vanish") earmarked for the upcoming Tribeca album. It's basically done, son. Oddly, just one day after the thing was finalized (hey, you have to stop and say "It's done already!" at some filthy point, or else you'll drive yourself Mike Love-crazy), Mike Keneally responds to a request I emailed him several weeks ago, agreeing to play guitar on the track -- well fuck me blind and wipe me down with a sponge! Unfortunately, it's just too late to get him on this particular track, but as far as a future project is concerned, this is awesome news. And so goes my brush with greatness -- for now. Meanwhile, folks, I've been hearing more and more of the final tracks for the upcoming Tribeca record, and I do believe -- with all my heart and soul -- that this is going to be one motherfucker of an album. Seriously, there is some scary shit going down here: fusion-pop, jazz-pop, prog-pop, melodic-ambient, melodic-pop, and many many combinations thereof, with some amazing multi-harmony vocals happening on top of it all, and a few sizzling musical passages to stimulate your Inner Geek. It's going to get weird. Speaking of weird, later this week it will be my honor and pleasure to attend a guitar audition for the Silver Lake swing/punk/pop outfit known as the Abe Lincoln Story(scroll down for a DIFFERENT review than last week's). Yes, folks, the utterly questionable Steve Moramarco and his band of musical misfits are a-lookin' fer a shit-pickin' gee-tar player -- and I aim to give it my yeasty shorts, I mean my best shot. I guess that means ya'll can guess what I'll be doing the next couple of evenings -- yes, that's right: practicing. Remember when musicians *practiced*? Me neither. Anyway, if you're reading this -- and why wouldn't you be when you know you should? -- wish me luck and many broken legs. At least I'm getting what I consider a great tone outta my old Fender Vibrolux Silverface and my EMG strat copy -- believe me: sounding halfway decent goes a looooong way in an audition-type situation. That, and a twelve-pack of Rolling Rock. Remember I said I was going to keep this blog entry brief? I lied. Last Friday, Nipper and I attended the Teenacide Records "Pajama Party" CD release shindig, dressed in our best pajama gear, of course. A blast of a time was had (Vicoden will do that to you sometimes), and I saw many copies of this fine new album flying off the merch table. None other than LA's Most Reclusive Band -- Nipper and the Seaturtles -- have a song featured on the album -- check it out! We spent the rest of the weekend basically enjoying the outdoors (we visited a couple of historic homes and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon feeding the koi fish) and relaxing around the house -- good times. Tomorrow I'm taking the day off and going fishing with my friend Bernard Yin (check out his killer band The MiGs, and check out the many other bands he's toured with); once again, we'll find ourselves heading up I-5 and exploring Piru Creek, this time a few miles above the point we fished a couple of weekends ago. Last time we did this, we ended up hiking out in the dark, aided only by a half-moon; this time, there'll be a full moon. Hey...wait a second...aren't we supposed to be off the stream and out of the brush by the time it gets dark? We're not backpacking here, folks. Well, if the fishing and scenery are amazing, it's easy to lose track of time -- it's tough to decide when enough is enough when you're having so much fun. I'll let you know how it all turns out next week. Oddly, I have nothing on the schedule for this upcoming weekend -- know of any parties? Email me with all the gory details, would ya? And, with that I shall bring this entry to an anticlimatic close. Until next week, remember, seriously: architecture is frozen music -- think about that phrase -- so, do try and build yourself something unique and utterly you. Let me know how it goes. And remember: hike your own hike! xoxox kErrY xoxox

Well, well, well, it looks like February is here; damn these eyes. For those of you across this great land of ours who are freezing, my advice is: put on a sweater. Or two. Meanwhile, out here on the Left Coast, all is comfortable and pleasant, if not exactly toasty. With those words, I welcome you to yet another of my weekly messages -- thanks for coming here and reading my wordz o' luv. Cough. The marathon recording binge I've been on over the past three or four weeks is almost over! Last night, Nelson Bragg, Rick Gallego and I finished tracking my song Vanish (this link is to the Mike Simmons-mixed demo version). Now, all that's left is the massive task of mixing this puppy, which we will hopefully accomplish before week's end. Last week was so cool, because a gentleman named Rial Gallagher -- formerly of the world-famous Tuscaloosa Horns -- laid down a kick-ass saxophone solo for me, and the one and only Probyn Gregory played one-man horn section, laying down a picture-perfect horn arrangement courtesy of Nelson Bragg. I also nailed my lead vocals, and Rick and Nelson (Ricky Nelson?) laid down some choirboy-perfect backing vocals. Hell, I even nailed a Denny Dias-influenced guitar solo, so I'm a happy squirrel eater. All this is for the upcoming Tribeca album; what, you've never heard of Tribeca? Apparently, we're big in Germany; many of the 7,500+ downloads from our website have been from Germany, so danke für das Hören gute Musik! Pay us a visit and feel the love (free MP3's, bio, etc). In other music news, the one and only Steve Moramarco dropped me a line, asking if I'd be interested in trying out for the guitar slot in his newly-reformed band, the legendary, ass-kicking Abe Lincoln Story (scroll down for a cool review). Anyone who was part of the famed "Silver Lake Scene" in LA in the early 90's will remember Abe Lincoln Story as being one of the best of the best. I'm not 100% sure if I have the time to commit to this project, but we're "keeping the dialog warm" as my buddy Bernard is fond of saying. That's about it for the music news this week, thank god -- I could seriously use a little break. And I did just that last weekend -- my good pal and rockstar fishing buddy, the aforementioned Bernard Yin (of Pansy Division and El Vez, and his own killer band The MiGs, among many others) and yours drooly took a little exploratory trip up to Piru Creek. The weather was beautiful and winter-crisp, the sky a piercing, deep blue, and the scenery gorgeous; we had a great day hanging out, hiking, and fishing (Bernard caught the only fish of the day, a beautiful 12-inch wild rainbow trout). We ended up being out in the brush all day, and wound up hiking back to the car under a bright, moon-lit sky strewn with twinkling stars. Good times. Later that night, Nipper and I hung out at a cool party hosted by ultra-vixen sex kitten Lisa Jenio, where we rubbed ankles with some of LA's Freakiest(tm) and had ourselves a great, entertaining evening. Thanks, Lisa, and Happy Birthday. Also, I'm sending out good birthday vibes to my pal Cathy Gale, she of the International Pop Overthrow merch table, and all-round Queen of the LA Pop Geeks -- Happy Birthday, Cathy! She's throwing a little birthday brunch on Sunday, February 8th; email Cathy for details. Also this week (Friday, to be exact), be sure to attend the CD release party for Jim Freek's Teenacide Records latest album "Pajama Party" ( click here for details), featuring a rare song by LA Legends on Ice Nipper and the Seaturtles (with guitars and backing vocals provided by yours drooly). Yes, it's a Real Pajama Party, so be there in your best Phallus Dildo housecoat and fuzzy slippers. And, if I'm not suffering from too much burnout, Thursday might just find me at Spaceland for shows by the great melodic powerpoppers P Hux and -- gasp! -- Paul McCartney sideman extraordinare Rusty Anderson. Should be a GREAT show; 'nuff said. And that, my little turtles, brings us up to date. I'm reminded of a very cool Steve Lukather quote I read the other day. He said to his teenage son -- also a guitar player -- "Do you wanna be a rockstar for the next two years, or a musician for the rest of your life?" Good question. I think I know the answer, too. Luke fucking rocks, man, and anyone who says any different can suck my shower head. A'ight, until next filthy week, remember: architecture is frozen music, so build yourself a cliff-side Spanish castle today, and enjoy forever views of the twinkling lights of the city far, far below you, as you smoke your slippers while your dog (an gnarly Alaskan Malamute named "Eisenhower") burys your glass crack pipe in the neighbor's rose garden -- for the third time this week. x0x0x kErrY x0x0x