Chicago: customers are advised to allow extra travel time

MySpace suxxxx.

Get with it, grandpa.

I haven't worked on an original music for months. :( Mostly frustrated by not having the space/gear to record drums, because I'm kind of sick of cutting them up on the computer. Also sick of thin synth sounds and limited compositional skills.

But on the plus side, my partner in crime is moving back here from Chicago to work at a studio, so that might solve all of the above problems.

I haven't gotten to play with any of the fun new CS3 features except for in Illustrator.

The photoshop/flash/dreamweaver integration is v v impressive. It's a fantastic tool for web development.

I haven't worked on an original music for months. :(

Still making me sad, for the sixth straight year.

I haven't done much at all recently, been too busy with FF and wedding stuff plus no practice space for a while.

Now would be a good time for a National Solo Album Month type thing, where just doing a bunch of stuff (and fast) is more important than lasting quality.

Yeah, I have been playing a lot of gigs and practicing a lot, and historically I only start fucking around with recording when I'm not doing those things.

I just don't really have much time by myself, like ever. I write singles reviews and read books/magazines while I'm on the train, and I write blog posts at work (haven't been able to do that much lately since I've been busy).

Now would be a good time for a National Solo Album Month type thing, where just doing a bunch of stuff (and fast) is more important than lasting quality.

Ha ha, this is pretty much how I do any kind of musical project.

That's how I used to operate, and I kind of miss that mentality. I think it was easier when I was younger because I didn't know anyone else who was writing or making music and I was routinely amazed at the fact that I was actually creating a song that I'd just whip out the tape recorder as soon as I came up with a set of chords that sounded kind of cool.

My dream house would have a piano.

oh man, john. our apartment has a piano & we loathe it b/c it's taking up precious space. i wish i could give it to you!

I want a large, open room with bay windows and a baby grand with a fluffy white rug underneath. Like Randy Newman or some shit.

And rent you a grand piano and put some flowers 'round the room.

I only now just got that.

I never did.

Joni must've come into some money:

Maybe I'll go to Amsterdam,
Or maybe I'll go to Rome,
And rent me a grand piano
And put some flowers round my room.

Renting a room with a grand piano, in Amsterdam! That's the life.

Huh, Bruce Hornsbyberg's jazz album sounds pretty good. Weird.

christian mcbride and jack dejohnette? That sounds pretty darn good, yeah? There was never anything wrong with Bruce Hornsby's piano playing.

It was the mandolin rain that dragged him down.

In those clips there's some pretty cool use of a drum machine (+ Jack deJohnette) in the beginnings of some of the tracks (Solar, Camp Meeting).

(confession: I've never heard an actual Hornsby record)

We had a bbq for all employees outside this afternoon. It was catered! V nice!

ooh What kind of food?

They had hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, and vegetable kebabs on the grills, toppings and sauces galore, potato salad, fruit, many different desserty things like cobbler, cheesecake, etc, lemonade, pepsi, no beer (which is weird because they always have had booze at these things before)... I think that's all I saw. There was a lot. I am very full and not too interested in working the rest of the afternoon :\

Me too. My coworkers and I all had Breyers AGAIN because we don't want it to go bad in the freezer (had it early this week for coworker's bday).

ed, did toby email you with drinking tips? i know he meant to...

temp testing is kinda hard. they actually had me do a typing test on a typewriter. which was weird.

That is weird! Maybe you will end up working for James Spader.

http://www.8by5.com/images/Westtown.jpg
http://www.8by5.com/images/bridgeport.jpg

OMG AWESOME

haha
waiting for north side

Smells like bread/chocolate is the best.

i don't think there exists a north/NNW side map yet. will post when it happens.

Word quiz: Identify a word that has the letters *STST* in the middle.

"ANARCHISTS" intrigues me

me too!

where did you find that, rw?

conteststation

wriststrap

on a chicago-oriented bike nerd message board.

guys, I'm worried: is Ronny's really a hipster scum hangout now???? I liked it better when there was free pool and no one hanging out except for Ronny and me and Ben and, like, two older Hispanic dude.s

I've only been there once and Kev'n and a lot of his crew were there for a show. Do they count as hipster scum?

oh please. that bike messenger is probably hipster scum too.

get over it people

"ANARCHISTS" intrigues me

Some quick googling reveals that the zine LUMPEN has its HQ here.

psst... we're all hipster scum

wriststrap

Oooh, nice one. Not in Webster's, though, and not what I was thinking of.

Every hipster scum is beautiful.

Blame Brian Peterson.

I don't know who that is but I plan on blaming the hell out of him.