Exit Signs

Oh no. Someone found the "comic book" setting in photo booth. I did my first ever exit interview yesterday. It was short and sweet. I don't know if it's people in Austin's musically steeped culture particularly, or maybe people who have hired a lot of employees and been around the block -- but I have been getting a lot of honest "good for you's" in reference to switching over to Red Leaf to work. From people at the county, too. That's nice...transitions can be stressful or not depending on the mood around you when you're making the change. I have gotten a few, "Giving up sweet government benefits, hmmm?" comments...but I don't go to work every day just so I can get my teeth cleaned for free once a year. (For the record...I'm buying my own insurance. No sense in being a "starving artist" type with no means to go to the doctor in this day and age. That is so 1968 commune chic). ---------------- DIGRESSION ALERT! ---------------- Also I would like to point out for the record that as I was graduating with my history degree a couple of years ago, someone looked me in the eye and said, "Congratulations. Would you like fries with that?" Yes I would. Fries and a side of LIVIN' THE DREAM. ------------------------- PHEW ---------------------------- For the most part, though -- people who spend time around me know how I spend all my "non-working-hours" and they approve of how working at a music school aligns with that. I guess in the end we should all cheer our fellow humans on to whatever lights their fire. Delight in their successes and transitions. Give them a good word when they have a moment of doubt. That keeps the world full of excellence with plenty to go around for the next set of seekers, stumblers, and happy souls.

Two Years :: Part 5/5

"It's been two long years now since the top of the world came crashing down. And I'm getting it back on the road now, but I'm taking the long way around." - Taking the Long Way (Dixie Chicks) So...the news is that I gave my two weeks notice at my county day job last week. I will be working at Red Leaf School of Music as their office manager. (I kind of want a laminated badge that says “MANAGER” hehheh!) I’ll also be helping with their new retail and repair store as needed. The school is growing and I'm honored to be a part of it. Also...I will be finishing my EP, starting the next one (it's perpetual from here on out, this recording thing), practicing intensively, writing daily, and I will be around music. All the time. I can't stand it. There's a lot of stuff floating around about "lifestyle design" these days and I kind of feel like I am getting what it means. You find what you like and your surround yourself with the circumstances to grow in it. I've listened to this Chicks song about a million times already. It's personal to them, but it fits pretty well. Thanks for reading along...who knows what Year 3 will bring?

A Campfire Birthday

Wow, what a fun night! Thanks EVERYONE. You even braved the cold to come hang out. Luckily, the fine folks at the Irie Bean made us a fire and no one had to burn their guitar for fuel. (Thanks, Angela, Jay, and Raf!) I met Julie and Greg for the first time (we have mutual friends and they are new to Austin - welcome, kids!), and without even knowing me, they got me one of the coolest presents ever. A Tater Mitt. That's right...As Seen On TV...and now I can peel a potato in under 8 seconds. I can't tell you how many times I have had the need for a potato but not enough time to peel it. Click that link for the video. It makes me happy. Here's Katie modeling the Mitt of wonder. Katie pays attention and once I said to her, "I always wanted one of those giant super balls as a kid. I never got one." So what did I get? Not only a giant super ball, but one with GLITTER inside, that MOVES. It's like a glitter-super-ball-snowglobe. Heck yeah. I'll be entranced for days. If there was a campfire jam during a nuclear winter, or perhaps post-apocalypse, I think this is the color scheme it would be. We ended up doing a song circle around the fire, and it was so great to hear everyone. Josh Britt and Kalu James and Amanda Pearcy (and Jesse!) and Melissa Mullins and Matt D'Orazio and even my good buddy Nic (Irie Bean open mic host extraordinaire) jammed on a song. And Katie Lessley, when not tater-mitting, busted out some fine guitar chops and sang one of her lovely tunes. As my college-friend-now-in-Austin-for-grad-school-because-she's-smart Catherine said, I wish I could have a recording of all the tunes from the evening. I have awesome neighbors. Talented ones, too. Come see Amanda and I swap some songs this weekend...Friday night at Austin Java and Saturday at The Oaks! Let's do this again. Maybe in a year. Thanks, kids. :)

Ruminations from a 25-year-old.

Well, I’m happy. I act like 25 is scary but whatever. I don’t feel old but I feel less young. That’s not a bad thing. Things I know: - If you would have told me as a 12 or 17 or 20-year-old where I’d be, what I’d be doing, and the circles I have the privilege of being in now, I wouldn’t have believed it. And I would have secretly hoped it would be true anyway. - Stuff doesn’t freak me out much anymore. I spent a good deal of my life tied up in knots. It’s not worth it. People are people, stuff happens, you make your own way. - Wanting to impact the world in a positive way is not a naive, vague, youngish statement to make. Being optimistic is the new black...everyone’s doing it. - Wanting to be an artist/writer/musician is something that has been programmed into me, and I can trace it all the way back to conducting symphonies on the couch with a chop stick as a baton. - Yay chop sticks! As a 25-year-old, I plan to: - Make my first fully produced EP. - Get paperwork and legalities in line to officially form my business with Josh. Our record label will be handling its first release this year! - Be working full time in music, however that may be cobbled together. - Sit back and appreciate everything thus far and look forward to what is coming. In-the-moment checks are essential things. So, to check in with THIS moment...if you made it this far...thanks for reading the commentary on all these little bits of life. It means a lot. Now I’m going to bed. Party at the Irie Bean tomorrow night! Come on over.

Morning Of: The JP Project 2007

Funny side note: I met up with J yesterday to catch up and plan for tonight and he plops down a Timbuk2 bag next to mine, one of his I had not seen before. They are twins! We must think alike. Anyway... We're up early and J and I will be erranding today to set up JP Project Number 2, with Susan as our very special guest. We're pretty psyched, because in our book...there is no cooler special guest than Susan Gibson. Here's the email we've been sending to RSVP'ers, all about this annual shindig: "What is this "project"? Last year my business partner Josh and I decided to throw a house concert for all the good peeps in Albuquerque because living in Austin really cramps my New Mexican social life. Plus, you all were essential in the forming of my singer/songwriter life - from coming to gigs to buying the records...some of you even came to guitar concerts when I was in high school. Whoa. Josh and I realized we have a huge network of supportive people and we want to thank you all. This is Year Two and we're very excited to make this an annual event, so that wherever we might be you all know that when November comes around we'll be rolling into town with a special guest. (We have good taste -- you'll always love our guests. :)" J's schedule this morning says "Year # 2 of 50" -- that's a lot of planning to do! Better get on this one. :)

The Labor List :: Things Are Speeding Up

The homework just keeps piling up, in a good way! Here's what's on my To Do List for the next couple of months: - start recording the new album...woot! - write new songs for that new album. One hopes. - brush up on lead guitar for gigs backing up Amanda Pearcy (one being at Waterloo Icehouse this coming Saturday night...see the calendar for specs). - get ready for another set of gigs in New Mexico! Hearts and flowers all over. - Shows in San Antonio and Houston...watch it, Texas. I'm gunnin' for ya. - Prepping for the Life's A Song Workshop. - All those usual gigs still happening. - I'm trying to re-design the website. This could take 3 days or 3 years. Haha. I'm aiming for maybe a month. Ample time for inspiration and execution. So ideally, I will be laboring on labor day...but in a laid back, end of summer kind of day. Everyone drink a beer in my honor. Or a root beer. Even better.

Friday Feature: Tiny House

I first became enamored with tiny houses after reading this San Francisco Gate article. It seems that this is a trend that might be growing a bit, and actually encompasses a lot of issues confronting us socially and politically. Oddly, the trend might be boosted from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the popularity of (probably ill-named) Katrina Cottages, as blogged about over on Consumerist. Sometimes necessity in crisis brings about a shift in thinking. First thought upon seeing the photos of these tiny habitats was..."Yeah I could never do that." Then I got to thinking...I lived through 4.5 years of college in various dorm rooms of differing sizes. My sophomore year, I lived in the smallest room in a collective apartment...the room which my roommates affectionately termed "The Closet." (And here I always wondered why people were trying to hang their coats on my stuff.) I am currently living in a studio apartment, which is more than enough room for me and my collection of things. In fact I've recently taken to mentally paring down my belongings even more. While I do keep quite a bit of memorabilia like photos and mementos of cool things I've done, I absolutely abhor knickknacks and touristy crap that people buy just to prove they've stood on a beach in Hawaii. (Or maybe they didn't, and they just bought it at a thrift store because someone ELSE stood on a beach in Hawaii, bought the thing, flew it back home, and decided that instead of being a marker of ultimate culture and coolness, it was dust magnet. But I digress and maybe I am a curmudgeon). I do realize that choosing a lifestyle such as that of a touring artist means...I will be living in a cramped space for a while. I have also decided that there is really no need to acquire a lot of stuff, like perhaps an armoire or an entertainment center, if I will be spending more time in a vehicle than in a house for a few years. Maybe deep down I hope I'll just adapt to the Life of Less and be able to graduate to a more permanent Tiny House. How cool would that be? They're aesthetically gorgeous, they're cheap ($5 a month for utilities? No way. Yes way. Dude.), and they're still mobile. You basically park your house. If you feel like living in Montana one summer and Santa Fe in the winter, you just pack your house. Brilliant. Who knows where I will be living in 9 months and 9 months after that (maybe on your couch...yes, YOU)...but it's always nice to have several plans in place, eh? In the meantime...check out how Dee does it in this cool little vid: Technorati Tags: tinyhouse, sustainability, consumerist, katrina, living, noimpact, songwriter Powered by ScribeFire.