miss.

Just back from West Hurley, NY. Spent two days with Dan Pollard, Jose Ayerve and JJ O’Connell writing and recording songs for what will be the next Spouse record. It’s always great to see Dan. He’s currently working towards his PHD in Evolutionary Genetics (or something very close to that) at Berkeley (the one in California, not the one where you learn to get paid by the note). He studies DNA strains and genetic coding within insects (specifically flies) to determine how it is that the genes themselves evolve. Oh, and he’s a great musician. Really inventive and intuitive. And very objective. I’ve always had a really hard time separating myself from a piece of music as its being born and molded. I usually need to hear a recording back to start to understand where it is that the song is going. Dan knows this stuff immediately. Maybe he was bit by one of the flies he was studying and now has super powers. Actually, I guess that would be a pretty lame super power. He noted our angular, new wave approach immediately. I’m not sure why it is that the 2 songs that we all wrote together sound like that. I went in thinking (and vocalizing at dinner on the first night) that I’d love to hear the band get back to some of the things that were happening on Nozomi (Spouse’s first record). Strange sounds and loops. That record helped shape the last 6 years of my life creatively. Everyone was in agreement with the point that I was making. So what do we do? We write 2 angular, new wave songs. Oh well. Don’t get me wrong, I think the tracks are great and will probably be worked into something rather wonderful.
While we weren’t recording we had time to eat, sleep, shower, watch a movie, drink ginger tea, check email, hang out and catch up, call our spouses and most importantly listen to the other songs that have been recorded for this upcoming Spouse record during this 2 month long stretch. There are some amazing songs. I’ve already got my favorites from the roughs. Don Mcaulay played some amazing drums parts. I have to warn you though. There is a song that I’m pretty sure is finished and will most likely be on the next record. JJ and I sat and listened to this as of yet unnamed track. Stunned. Tears. Every hair on our bodies standing up and frozen in electric waves. I couldn’t say anything for 5 minutes afterwards. Actually, I still don’t know what to say. It’s a song about Jose’s father and so much more. All I can say is that it’s one of the most amazing songs I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Prepare yourselves.

I’m one steel string guitar, one distorted bass and one more vocal away from having a completed 16 song second record. Still looks like early 2006 for “The Killing Card” on Pigeon Records and Lucky Creature.

Not that this is anything new, but…
I bought the New York Times on the way out to New York and JJ and I looked at every story/sidebar on the first 26 pages. I actually read at least 20 of them (he was driving). There was 1 story that didn’t have to do with death, crime, corruption, rioting, terrorism or embezzlement. That story was about this wonderfully colorful event in Mexico. A huge festival to save an endangered butterfly. Ironically, the butterfly has to be near extinction for this wonderful outdoor event to happen. Sad world.

I watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (for the 10th or so time) on Tuesday night. I started it at 2:30AM. Next to a wood stove. It made me miss Jen and Scooter. What a perfect film. I miss wonderful moments only seconds after they've fled. Jesus, what a fatalist.

I miss the fall. It smelled like it at times but never quite looked right.

My brother comes home for Thanksgiving. Actually, he comes home on the Friday before. This is us:


I miss him.