Making The Most

So, a few weeks back my wife and I headed out on the road. She had a conference to attend in Phoenix just a couple of days before rehearsals were scheduled to start in LA for Alex G's CD release show at The Mint. So, as we are so often wont to do, Mrs. Burns and I concocted a fairly last-minute plan and did our best to make the most of what could have been separate trips, weeks apart, and, for me, the potential frustration of being stranded away from home with no transportation and nothing to do.

Instead of going alone, we went together. Instead of flying, we drove. We cobbled together an itinerary that consisted of six different room accommodations over the span of two weeks, threw everything we would need for both work & leisure in the back of our car, and headed out on a rather impromptu road trip
adventure.

And, after 3,200 miles and close to 48 full hours of drive time, I can confidently say - IT. WAS. AWESOME.

The Language

"Music is the language of the soul."

This is the phrase that drives the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Arizona. More than mere marketing lingo, it is a statement the proprietors of the museum believe in and demonstrate with remarkable acuity.

Drums galore.

With more than 10,000 individual musical instruments of every conceivable (and inconceivable) shape, size, and fashion on display - organized geographically according to their lands of origin - the MIM is a genuinely eye-opening and overwhelming experience. It blends history along with ethnicity and community to demonstrate music's beautifully dualistic nature: music is simultaneously universal (all people groups across the world have their own) and culturally unique.

And it is this amazing amount of diversity amongst a shared passion for musical language that makes such a clear, powerful statement. The same basic elements of music are always present: percussion & rhythm, melody, harmony. But how those concepts are expressed end up as manifold & numerous as the different people expressing them. It is a rather quickening experience, to be sure, to stand in front of a display and, as a musician, recognize what is happening in front of you but find yourself so blown away by its astonishing otherness that you barely recognize it. And then, to realize a moment later that there are plenty of other people living on this planet who would find the voices & sounds of rock 'n' roll and jazz - so familiar to me - as bizarre as I find theirs.

Music is universal, but there is no universally relatable genre. No style has a monopoly on accessibility: all of the different variations of musical expression are as wildly diverse as the languages we literally speak, and the musicians themselves as diverse as those languages' individual speakers.

And so my mind took all of these wonderful concepts and ran with them. I arrived at a couple of conclusions you will learn about if you can find it within yourself to keep reading (hint, hint).

The Long Game

Yesterday morning, my usually limited Twitter excursions brought the following video essays to my attention. I share them with you in the hopes that they will encourage you just as they encouraged me.

Remember, people: when it comes to success or "making it", there are no equations. There are no formulas. There are no hard-and-fast rules aside from hard work, diligence, passion, tenacity, and a love for what you do and wanting to do it better. If you are an artist, an entrepreneur, or any other kind of big dreamer, always fight the urge to believe that the things you are chasing after should come to you quickly. 

So, without any further ado, I present to you The Long Game, by Delve:

"...because words are too small."

“Men’s tongues fork at birth. It has always been so. The bird cannot lie. The lion is a hunter, to be feared, yes, but he is true to his nature. The tree and rock are true – they are a tree and rock. Nothing more, but nothing less. But man, the only creature who can make words – uses this great gift to betray truth, to betray himself, to betray nature and God. He will point to a tree and tell you it is not a tree, stand over your dead body and say he did not kill you. Words, you see, speak for the brain, and the brain is a machine. Music” – he smiled his glorious smile raised his index finger – “music speaks for the soul because words are too small.” 

- Dennis Lehane, 'The Given Day'

What The Mountains Say

Panoramic progression up Pike's Peak

These last two summers have seen a new activity added to my list of hobbies: that of hiking Colorado's various 14'ers (that is, mountains that rise higher than 14,000 feet in elevation). Now, while I don't pretend to be Mr. Mountain Man or Mr. Outdoors by any stretch of the imagination, I have greatly enjoyed getting to hike some of the high points of the Rockies. In 2013, I began with my first, Mt. Yale, and have continued on with Pike's Peak and Humboldt Peak this year. I have certainly enjoyed the experiences overall while managing to retain a certain antagonism toward a few aspects of the hikes themselves: basically, there's usually an ongoing conversation in my head during my ascent as to whether or not I want to quit before I reach the summit, whether or not this will definitely be the last time I do something like this, or just how stupid and/or terrible and/or out of shape I feel gasping for breath on a path 12,000 feet above sea level (as Buhl once said, "Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.")

There is, however, a certain spiritual quickening to the experience of climbing mountains as well as a few striking metaphors I've noticed with regards to living a full life and chasing after one's dreams. I'd like to share a few of these with you today. Ansel Adams said, "No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied – it speaks in silence to the very core of your being." I think I've found this to be true. I can't help but see certain undeniable aspects of life reflected in the experience of climbing a high peak, and I would encourage everybody out there to do it at least once. There really is nothing like it.

Adventures In iTunes: R&B Groovin'

Groove.

That's the name of the game today.

The songs on today's playlist are some of my favorite examples of what I consider to be true rhythm & blues music - music driven by that indomitable groove and all of the things that comprise it: a mountainous serving of feel, melody + harmony, dynamics, and soul, soul, soul.

So, whether it's dancin' slow or driving with the top down, be sure to check out the tunes on this list for some dynamite accompaniment. Chuck the computer beats (mostly), the auto-tune, and anything that takes away from the vibe, brothers & sisters.

Let's get groovy.

Note Pad: Necessary Struggle

There is nothing worth having that is easy to acquire. 

There is no great accomplishment without resistance.

There is no victory without struggle.

These are things to which all of us pay lip service, but how many act as if they are really true?

For the artist, the key to identity, meaning, & soulfulness in art is found in the journey along difficult, challenging, soul-shaping roads. Pressure, obstacle, and obstruction are par for the course. The treasures discovered along the hard road cannot be happened upon any other way.

Too many these days expect the benefits and results accrued by successful artists without the willingness to venture down the uncomfortable and treacherous paths necessary to acquire them. Great art is more than than the stuff of technical ability and raw skill - it is the outpouring of the soul and the pursuit of beauty & truth.

The hard reality is that security & comfort tend to impede artistic growth rather than enable it. The desire to be insulated from uncertainty and protected from risk are the very things that will keep from you confidence, peace, and a sense of identity within your art. Worse, security is an illusion: struggle has a way of finding even the most protected individuals. 

The real question is not whether or not we will struggle during the pursuit of our dreams, but whether we will embrace the difficult things in light of what they will bring forth in our lives. Like the athlete in the gym or the musician in the practice room, the person who would see their dreams accomplished and their goals achieved must be willing to embrace difficulty, discomfort, and sacrifice. 


So, for everyone out there struggling today... this one's for you:

The Words Unspoken

In the wake of Robin Williams' death yesterday, my brother posted this article to his Facebook wall. In it, the author, a comedy writer himself, details why our culture has such a long, sad history of watching some of its favorite comedians kill themselves. To nutshell it, the author makes the case that the majority of hilarious people are using their comedic gifts as a shield: that something traumatic and/or humiliating happened to them at a young age and, in response to the sensitivity they developed in response to that event, they have discovered that making people laugh is a sure-fire defense against revealing their true selves to the people around them. Rather than broadcast who they really are to the world and risk almost certain disparagement, ridicule, and judgment, they instead project a version of themselves that people will embrace and accept. Alas, in many cases, the pressure of keeping up a false front while struggling privately with what seems like increasingly insurmountable odds gets the best of them and they choose death as an alternative to continuing on through a tortured and malfunctioning life.

I have no reason to doubt this writer's statements. So, let's shift gears for a second instead and contrast this reality with something different that has been gnawing at me for the last few weeks. I offer two examples.

Remembering Mr. Williams

Last night, after hearing about his death, I posted a collage to Instagram that featured snapshots of some of my favorite Robin Williams performances. In the tagline for the post, I thanked him for a lifetime of memories. I was not being hyperbolic.

I remember watching reruns of Mork and Mindyon the Nickelodeon network with my family when I was a child, perhaps as young as six or seven. Even at that early age, I understood, (to some level, at least - sarcasm and innuendo notwithstanding), the brilliance of Williams' performances and the genius of his comedy. It brings to mind how several toddlers I know adore the music of Harry Connick, Jr. (I know because I buy them the CDs and hear about it later from their parents). There is certainly something to be said for the beauty of an artistic gift that can speak to children as well as to adults, and Mr. Williams was bringing laughter into my life almost as far back as I can remember.

Note Pad: Legit

Legitimacy is borne only of time, influence, and God. Don't make the mistake of believing that because you are successful you are legitimate.

Milli Vanilli sold millions of records. Vincent van Gogh sold one painting.

'The Red Vineyard', the only sale of Van Gogh's life.

Get Good

This past weekend, I once again joined forces with Hillary Hand & The Roseliers for a one-of-a-kind performance.

The show was for attendees of a conference called Via Affirmativa hosted at the beautiful Glen Eyrie castle right here in Colorado Springs. As I understood things, our set was an unofficial opening to the conference weekend, which brings together artists of all different stripes - painters, musicians, photographers, sculptors, you name it - and seeks to inspire them all to be diligent in the pursuit of their artistic dreams as well as to infuse their creations with a depth of humanity, spirituality, and intellectual & emotional appeal. In short, they want to encourage artists to be good at what they do, serious about doing it, and even more serious about using their talents for the betterment of the world in which they live.

It was a very compelling evening.

First of all, we got to play in a castle.

Secondly, our performance was well-received by people who could've been particularly critical and disparaging had they chosen to be so - after all, it was a room full of artists.  Instead, they sat and listened to our music and responded to it in an overwhelmingly positive manner.

After the performance, though, Hillary was asked to take part in a brief interview in front of the audience. They asked her about her career, how the band came to be, and why she does what she does. Somewhere along the way a question was asked that I myself got a chance to answer along with her - a question regarding the current state of our culture in regard to music and why people don't seem to listen or seriously engage with it anymore. Just what, the questioner wondered, are we as musicians supposed to do to help instill the idea that music is more than background noise during a shopping trip or workout session? What can we do to get people to listen again?

An encouraging word.

This is a few months old now, but somehow it recently made it into my own sphere of consciousness:

I don't know what precipitated this little editorial from David Ackert, but I certainly appreciated it when I saw it. I further appreciated this piece by Dave Carlock, in which he references Ackert's couple of paragraphs and then responds to a commenter attempting to rain a bit on the parade. I'll share this excerpted highlight with you:

The point is that musicians push through an incredible amount of uncertainty, risk and adversity to bare their souls and give something to every community that they play in, to every person who can hear them. That makes them unique, that makes them valuable to the human race, if for no other reason than their motivation isn’t only dollars.

And then, only a few days ago, this piece from Seth Godin's cool blog:

You are brave.

Such a generous soul, someone who doesn't hesitate to leap when others shrink in fear. Your work means so much to you and to the people you share it with, we can't help but be inspired at the way you make your magic.

You're a warrior in the service of joy and you never seem to stop standing up and speaking up and doing your very best work.

Sometimes, a particular audience doesn't deserve you. But that doesn't matter in the long run, because of your relentless generosity in sharing your gift.

I can't wait to see your next work, and the one after that.

Every once in awhile it's good  to feel like somebody out there gets it - not only gets it, but understands it, supports it, encourages it, & rallies around it. In the world in which we live, "music" is usually associated in people's minds with stardom, fame, wealth, and all the other Hollywood/celebrity nonsense that goes along with them. Some of us, though, while still retaining dreams of playing Red Rocks and Wembley Arena, really do love performing music for people and would love just to make a living doing it. For some of us, it's about something other than having your picture plastered all over People magazine or getting to date supermodels.

The Landscape

So I have this friend.

We graduated high school together. She went on to marry this cat who was a few years ahead of us in school. A guy who, as it turned out, went on to become a phenomenal photographer.

I followed my friend through Facebook (like how 'ya do) as she and her photographer husband moved to New York City and started down their own road of artistic endeavor. Eventually, life led them both back here to Colorado where they set up a gallery in Denver to display & sell his astounding landscape pictures.

These two were on my mind today after a rehearsal when the subject of a blog post detailing the changing nature of the music industry came up. There was a lot of frustrated venting and analysis of just why it is that people in our culture think it perfectly acceptable to illegally download music, listen to it via a streaming service that pays the artists next-to-nothing, or just allow the standard for artistic excellence to be lowered to the insufferable degree that it has been over the past 15 or so years.

Anyway, the proprietors of the Balyeat Gallery in Denver came into the conversation because we had taken the opportunity to visit the gallery a few months ago and had been blown away by what we had seen. Now, I've taken a handful of pretty cool Instagram pictures in my time, so believe me when I tell you that the art that this guy creates is absolutely mesmerizing. Everything from the colors to the contrast to the locations to how the pictures get prepared to be displayed on the wall - something technical that I don't quite remember that basically allows for each picture to play with the light that's shone on it and "change"... astounding, to say the least - everything is top-notch. No corners have been cut. No tricks are being played. No hackery is being employed here. Just a pure love of taking photos of nature and a desire to do it for the rest of his life.

Buy This Album - 'The Joshua Tree' by U2

Let me begin by saying that I'm not sure I can say enough about this album as it pertains to my musical life. Oh, I know, U2 has been the band du jour for just about every rock musician alive for the last 15 years and whole bands & an entire genre of Christian worship music seem to exist both because of & in order to rip off this record. But, for me, it was one of two albums that served to form my dreams and start me down the path toward a life in pursuit of all that music has to offer.

And, seeing as how The Joshua Tree is, by most accounts, one of the greatest rock albums of all time, I needn't spend too much time trying to convince to you to purchase it (if you haven't already). However, I could offer up a little sentimentality to try and distract you for a few minutes and perhaps give you a tiny peek behind the curtain of my musical identity.

It wasn't just the music with this one. I mean, it was, but it was something more than that. The intangibles of what make U2 who and what they are are part of what hooked me so hard. I mean, as I mentioned before, there are some very, very popular mainstream acts selling lots of records these days who wouldn't be anything if they didn't have U2 around to mimic. But there's something to U2 and to The Joshua Tree that these other, newer bands didn't quite get. Namely, that both the record and the band were more than the sum of their parts, more than the notes on the notated music sheets, and more than the particular chords and grooves they were playing. There was an identity there that went far deeper than the way the music appears on paper.

There was the joyful expectation of Where The Streets Have No Name immediately followed by the restless wonder of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. There was the heartbroken passion of With Or Without You immediately followed by the rage of Bullet The Blue Sky. There was the depth of empathy in Running To Stand Still and Mothers of the Disappeared. And, for whatever reason, all this (and more) is what I needed to find in order to fall deeply and madly in love with the idea of being a musician.

Alex G's #bones

Three-and-a-half years ago, there was this.

A month later, she snuck into this one.

And then came the moment where everyone actually fell in love with her.

Which brings us to today. Video number 100. The new single off of Alex G's very first full-length album.

I've had the pleasure of kinda being around to more-or-less witness the entirety of Alex's career. I've been fond of telling people lately that if the opportunity to play drums for her had been presented to me just a couple of years ago, I probably would have passed. At the time, she was still just sort of figuring things out and happy performing other people's music. People were noticing, sure, but nothing all that "artistic" was going on.

Then, God flipped the switch.

Somewheres in the there, Alex G the artist - not cover artist, not YouTube artist, but artist artist - began to emerge. And I remember when I noticed it, too. She was opening for T-Ward on one of our tours and it hit me like a truck while I was watching her solo acoustic set one night: "G's frickin' good."

And she just kept getting better.

Her Found EP in 2012 was a big hint. Artists sometimes take big steps forward, sure. This new album, though...

Well, I guess we'll all just have to wait and see, won't we?

So, congratulations, G. By the grace of God, you've done it, you're doing it, and you're gonna do it. It's been sort of wild for a guy who knew he wanted to be a musician 15 years ago to get to watch your journey from almost the very beginning and see how quickly you've grown into what you are today. And I can't say how excited I am to be a part (even just a little tiny part) of it.

#bones

Pressure.

There's an interesting element of Western sociology that goes something like this:

"Back in my day, we didn't have _____ and we had to _____ and you kids today are so _____ that you don't even know _____!"

I'm sure you've all heard some version of this.

What I found so thought-provoking upon hearing these kinds of statements last week (while watching a news discussion show) is that, here in America anyway, the entire narrative purpose given to people my own age by that of my parents' and grandparents' generations was that they did all that they did - working so hard and sacrificing so much - so that we could have a better life than they had and not have to deal with the same struggles.

Don't get me wrong: I love that. I love that our grandparents endured the Depression, fought World War II, and instituted a technological and industrial rise that launched America into the forefront of world prominence. I love that our parents continued the trend and worked hard to provide us, their kids, with a better life and more opportunity than 99% of the entire history of humankind has ever known. I am beyond thankful to be living in the times in which I find myself, having been the recipient of so much that I do not deserve.

But.

Endurance.

The media labels the winner of the gold medal at each Olympics' 100-meter dash event as "The World's Fastest Man".

This has always seemed a dubious title to me, as the winner of the 100-meter dash is clearly only the world's fastest man... when it comes to running the 100-meter dash.

What about all of the other, longer races? What about the marathons that take hours to complete? What about the endurance events that would no-doubt result with the sprinters (the "World's Fastest Man" among them) finishing at the back of the pack?

This world celebrates speed over endurance. It praises immediacy over perseverance. It looks to the here-and-now while trying to pretend like the long run isn't even a thing. 

The 1975 were together as a band for seven years before finally getting picked up by a label. Publishers passed on Stephen King's first novel 30 times. Bill Gates' first business was a total failure. Steven Spielberg was rejected by USC's film school. Twice.

The 100-meter dash is an impressive event, but it's also the one that's finished the soonest. The world celebrates young success and - in the name of "common sense" - encourages people to give up & change direction when things don't go right. But some of the most potent & accomplished artists, entrepreneurs, and success stories the world has ever known were born out out of adversity, rejection, and overcoming failure.

Endurance.
Diligence.
Persistance.
Perseverance.

These qualities are the unsung heroes of dreamers all over the world. Learn how to endure - how to be patient, how to wait while working hard, how to keep the faith - and your dreams will learn how to survive in the face of incredible adversity.

Let the sprinters have the 100-meter dash. Learn how to run the marathon.

Quincy Tells It Like It Is

Legendary producer and arranger Quincy Jones recently shared some insight on the modern music industry.

"Music has gone so far down lately because everyone is going after the money," he says. "People are making songs to sell all sorts of things such as tires, clothes and alcohol. When you go after the money, God walks out of the room, trust me. I never went out after the fame and money. I was just doing what I loved and the money came. You gotta do what you love and really believe in it because that is your truth. I plan to stay like that." 

Read and consider the rest of his thoughts on the industry, hip hop, techno, and the difference between contemporary and more... ahem... classic producers like Quincy himself here. I might respectfully suggest that such words from a living legend and a more-than-five-decade veteran of the music industry should carry some weight for those of us looking both to make music our living as well as for those who just enjoy being fans and listening.

Seems to me it might be time to reconsider a few things.

Somebody at Salon.com Gets It Right

I am, simply put, not a fan of salon.com. However, this article on David Foster Wallace and his prescient views on the effects of irony on art & culture contained the following brilliant excerpt:

'To make something new, to transcend, one must have an honest relationship with what is: history, context, form, tradition, oneself. Dishonesty is the biggest obstacle to making original, great art. Dishonesty undermines a work’s internal integrity — the only standard by which a work can succeed. If the work becomes a vehicle for one’s ego, personal or political agenda, self-image, desire for fame, adulation, fortune — human as these inclinations may be — the work will be limited accordingly.'

 Like I said, brilliant.

Time Lapsing in Portland

Check out this time lapse video shot by students at the University of Portland, our hosts this past weekend for a show that featured Tyler Ward & Alex G opening for the incomparable Andy Grammer.

We had a fantastic time playing Rock The Bluff, and I can't say enough about the way we were taken care of by everyone who put on the show. From taking us out to the legendary Voodoo Donuts immediately after picking us up at the airport, to meeting all of our backstage needs and getting up early the morning after the concert to make sure we made our flights home, everyone at the U of P went above and beyond to make this show happen and to make sure that us musicians - and not just the students - had a great weekend.

At about the 1:24 mark of the video, you can see yours truly (in a bright teal-colored tee shirt) setting up his drumset on the side of the stage while Andy Grammer's band was soundchecking. (Look closely, and you'll probably be able to make out the entire T-Ward Crew, as well.)

Also, for some additional U of P hijinks, check out this interview the campus newspaper conducted before the show.

Dave Grohl's Advice for Aspiring Musicians

Pay close attention to what Dave Grohl has to say to up-and-coming artists and bands.


No matter how an artist chooses to promote themselves or distribute their music, the live experience will always be it. It will always be the thing. I think most of us would be hard-pressed to think of a single great musical act that has endured for decades that could not deliver live. Cover videos and online distribution and, as Dave puts it here, "product placement" are fine, but they cannot and will never replace the power of awesome live performance.

If you want to make fans for life, blow them away from the stage - great performance of great songs. Everything else is tertiary.

Sean Waldron - "She's Got"

Here's the final result of a recording & video production that I got to be a part of a few weeks ago with the über-talented Sean Waldron. Be on the lookout towards the final chorus for the answer to the question as to just who happens to be displaying such mind-blowing rhythmic mastery on the song's drum track.


(And don't forget to pick the song up here if you dig it!)

My Most Important Drumstick

Amongst the plethora of both damaged and unused drumsticks that constitute my personal arsenal, there is one that remains though all the others be thrown out. It stays firmly ensconced among the other sticks, mallets, brushes, rods, & drum keys, despite the rather high turnover rate of the other residents of my stick bag. It is never played. It never gets used. Its purpose in the bag is symbolic and sentimental, reminding me about things more important than any music I could make with it if I chose to pull it out.

It was hand-carved from the wood of a tree by a great uncle of mine during the Depression. He wanted to become a drummer and, given the rough economic dynamics of the time, was required to make his own drumsticks in order to pursue his dream. When he had to leave to fight in the most horrific and widespread war this world has ever known, he gave the stick to his parents and told them that should he not return, he wanted it to be passed on until it reached the hands of another drummer in the family. 

Adventures in iTunes: an über '80s mix

Alright, folks. We're going back in time a bit on this one. This list is chock full of hits as well as a few deeper cuts, great, classic songs as well as pure cheese, and I'm sure somebody out there is going to respond with a, "Why is this song on there but not that one?" And, well, that's the point. Let it inspire you to make your own 1980's playlist. Because, well, every iPod should have one, really.


There are some great childhood memories for me on this list and a bunch of songs I still love to listen to. The '80s were a great time for pop music. For those of you not born until the following decade, just trust me: having my first concept of rock 'n' roll be either the classic tunes of the '50s and '60s my father played for me or the songs I heard on radio stations during the late '80s and early '90s was a great blessing. It helped me to fall in love with music in a way that was more than reality competition shows or videos posted on a Facebook wall. 

Anyway, enough reminiscing. Dig the list!

Days Like Today

Sometimes they just catch you off-guard. The days, that is. Sometimes I find myself blown away by just how much can be accomplished in one day, how much you can get done in the 16 or 17 hours you're awake. Other times, I can't help but be stopped in my tracks thinking about the cumulative effects of all the previous days that led up to this one.

Like today, for example.

Adventures in iTunes: The Meditative Mix

As some of you may or may not know, work has officially begun on my first book. And to help get through some of the down time, I've taken to designing an iTunes mix whose purpose is stimulate the process of thought while remaining relaxing and chill.

Thus, I present to you all the very first draft of my Meditative Mix. Handy for reading, writing, or moments of reflection and introspection, this mix contains a potent combination of classical and modern instrumental pieces, with a few lyrical tunes thrown in for good measure, too. There's definitely movement in this list, but not so much of the driving, groovy kind. The percussion tends to be laid back and ethereal, in step with the moodiness of the overall vibe - peeking out from time to time as opposed to ubiquitously spread throughout the entire mix.

Hope you dig it. Feel free to share with me some of your ideas for any additional tracks that might work well with these. Happy listening!

Book Reviews on a Music Blog

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

World War II stands, in my mind, at least, as perhaps the seminal moment of modern history. Perhaps most notably, it signaled the death toll of the Enlightenment, birthed the nuclear age, and elevated the United States to the level of superpower preeminence on the world stage. But, beneath the grand historical themes reside the stories of untold millions of people that lived through it all - stories that captivate the imagination and, at times, defy comprehension, due mostly to the fact that they actually occurred.

'The Monuments Men' documents just such a collection of stories - ones that may constitute some of the most fascinating & unknown aspects of the war.

The Rock Your iBalls Off Tour - 2013

To this day I'm still unclear as to why it was called that. Anyhoo....

Despite the fact that Jasmin, our resident BTS videographer, could not accompany us on the second half of our tour last year, I've still decided to blog about one of the most musically spontaneous and fun touring experiences of my life.

Just a few days before the end of the Honestly tour, Tyler approached the band and asked us if we would want to join him for what was originally slated to be a purely solo acoustic tour. After double-checking schedules and making sure that we could make it work, tour management kicked it into high gear in order to make sure we all had the proper equipment and travel arrangements. Once we were ready to go, the issue of just what the heck we were going to actually play needed to be addressed.

After spit-balling a few ideas and discussing what of the new songs from the Honestly record could or could not be performed in a 4-piece acoustic format, an idea came to me backstage before our show in Frankfurt. I approached Tyler with the idea of sculpting a set around the theme of a biographical jaunt through his career. It would be like VH1's 'Storytellers': not only could he tell some of the tales that inspired the music, but we could construct the show chronologically. He would start the show by himself, talking about some of the first songs he ever uploaded to YouTube (which were solo acoustic performances), and then gradually walk through each stage of his career up to the recording and release of Honestly.

Tyler loved the idea, and so the Rock Your iBalls Off Tour finally had its shape.

Buy This Album - 'Unstoppable Momentum' by Joe Satriani

Now before anyone goes rolling their eyes or exhaling too deeply over the idea of being told to buy a CD without a single lyric on it, hear me out. (I’m not going to let this review deteriorate into a discussion on the merits of listening to music without lyrics. Just know this: you should.)

In the world of guitar gods, soloists, shredders, face melters, and mind-bending musical weirdos, Joe Satriani has always done an impeccable job of standing out from the rest. The biggest reason for this, as far as I can tell, is not a dearth of comparable licks, technique, skill, or musicality (when it comes to rock guitar, Satriani is one of the best alive.) It’s a commitment to keeping his music grounded in the things that most of us are always craving in every album we listen to: groove, feel, dynamics, and melody. Far too often, instrumental artists allow their art to take them far beyond the boundaries of what most non-musicians can stomach or appreciate, losing any sense of relevance or listenability along the way. Satriani has always been great not only for his chops, but for his accessibility – here’s a guitar master who’s downright easy to listen to.

Just Give Me More Art

Recently, a man was paralyzed during a Crossfit weightlifting competition. Without getting into the details or trying to start another online argument over the merits of Crossfit (really, really not the point of this post), the long-story-short version of events is that an athlete failed a lift, dropped the heavily-weighted bar, and collapsed backwards, only to have the bar rebound off of an obstruction and into his back, fracturing his spine. As you might imagine, the online fitness world is all a buzz with all of the "should he/shouldn't he" and "what should have been done differently" stuff.

My chiropractor (of all people) said something to me during our discussion of this unfortunate accident that has stuck with me since: "Just give me more art."

Let me back up.

Ricky Lawson (1954-2013)

Photo cred: www.drummerworld.com

There are a handful of drummers whose work resonates with me in a particular way that other drummers' simply doesn't. As I'm sure is the case with other fields of artistic endeavor, there are those cats who have gone before and are doing what you want to be doing that just make you go, "Yeeeeessssssss......" when you hear them: the kind of excitement that emerges due to a uncanny sense of recognition.

They resonate because you identify with them.

Now, I don't mean "identify" in the sense of shared history (growing up in the same hometown, for instance) or even because they're playing with artists you would love to perform with yourself, but because how they happen to feel the music and how they communicate through the instrument seems to be the exact same thing you would choose to do in that particular musical situation. When you hear what they do, you find yourself saying, "Yeah, that's what I would do." (Or would want to do, at least.)

Ricky Lawson was one of those guys for me.

Honestly Tour 2013 - Nürnberg

And so, the German leg of Tyler Ward's 2013 Honestly tour came to a close in Nürnberg. The show included the requisite final show pranks - including flour dumped all over my drumkit, Barba masked behind a cardboard cutout T-Ward face during the opening tune, and a few choice jokes of our own for openers 3A & Alex G. And, despite the tiny closet of a green room backstage, it was a great sendoff for a truly unique tour. The next day, it was onto our hastily assembled Rock Your iBalls Off Acoustic Tour (that wasn't purely acoustic) for the rest of the continent. 

The city of Nürnberg opened itself up to some short schedule sightseeing the next day before our departure to Switzerland. We had been through the city before, but, like so many others, never really seen it. (And, to be fair, I still don't believe that I've really seen it. But, the ever-curious travelhound in me digresses.) Our hotel happened to be located within the city's old town, and the combination of delicious restaurants, classic architecture, small streets, and beautiful churches (not to mention the stalwart medieval-era city walls) made for a captivating final memory of Germany in 2013.

The Honestly Tour's final night.

Delicious food, beautiful churches, medieval fortifications:
Nürnberg's got it all.

Honestly Tour 2013 - Freiburg

There's nothing quite like playing on a stage Miles Davis once performed on. For a cat like me, getting to do that was a pretty rad experience.

And Freiburg itself was, in a more total sense, a pretty rad experience. The stage and the room were sort of bizarre and cool, the crowd was great, and the overall vibe affected how we performed the show. It was a bit more loose and not as high-strung. More jazzy, if you will. Which, when you're playing at a venue called the Jazzhaus, is a good thing.

Another great memory from that day was running into a few of our fellow countrymen whilst doing our laundry down the street from the venue. We Americans tend to notice each other in places where English is a second language, so we invited our new acquaintances to the show later that night. So far, not all that unusual. What was more unusual was the fact that they actually showed up. Here's hoping we played well.... wouldn't want to be a bunch of ugly American rock stars and embarrass the other foreigners, now would we?

Click.

Honestly Tour 2013 - Frankfurt

So, there we were, on the outskirts of Frankfurt, performing our show at a venue called Batchskapp. (Everyone say it with me now: Batchskapp. Batchs. Kapp. Batchskapp!)

I possess several great memories from that night: the single best pre-show meal of the entire tour (some homemade schnitzel worth slapping your sister for), Alex G sporting a Muscle Milk tee during her performance, and a classic encounter with the blatant lies of the entertainment media: an interview conducted a few days before for a German music magazine found its way backstage and we all had a rollicking laugh over a few things Tyler most definitely did not say. (If you know Tyler at all, you know one of the things he would never think to do during an interview about his career would be to compare himself to Sigmund Freud.)

Don't trust the media, folks. As we say here in Colorado, take what they say with a huge grain of salt. If they're willing to just make up lies about a little band like ours, I'm sure you can deduce what they'd be willing to say about other more prevalent celebrities.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I just intimated that we're celebrities. Weird.

Batchskapp.

Backstage nap time.