Fung Wah Jail Guitar Doors

Went to New York City and had a blast. I Walked around a ton, drank coffee, dominated public transportation, and drank beer. I hopped on the Chinatown buss and headed to Boston. When my Mom picked me up at the Lowell train station AC/DC was playing on the radio. She's awesome. We went out to eat and she noticed my newest tattoo and was a good sport as always. She asked me with a big smile if I was done and so I said yes...for now. She then went on to tell me she's so glad I never got a giant parrot on my arm, "you know like sleeves?...yuck". She cracks me up. A parrot?

Nothing was going on last night so I went to the movies alone and saw "Law Abiding Citizen". It was so bad it was good. So good.

Spent today drinking coffee and relaxing for the first time in a while. This lyric popped into my head and I will most certainly not be using it: "The Doors shoulda had a bassist, Jim was a hack and Ray's a racist". Ha. Fuck The Doors. Ha.

It feels good to be home.

The Daltrey Postpone

So I go to walk into 7-11 and this nice black fella asks me for some change. He's wearing a veteran's hat like my grandfather Pop wore. I give him the 27 cents that are in my pocket and he asks me "are you Irish son?". I stop and think about the question. I look down at myself, a barrel on stilts, red face from drinking every day for the last year, acorn sized penis not making much of an impression in my skin tight pants, green collared golf shirt, impervious to psychoanalysis, and about to walk into 7-11 to buy poison. I answer confidently, "Yes". He responds while pointing to his skull, "when I was younger I had that red hair". As if I had just seen a baby punch a walrus, I say "oh ok". He says, "right on brother". Someday I will attempt to wrap my head around this this all, but for now as my Mom says, "my brain is oatmeal". But I am loaded with falsetto giggles tonight let me tell you.

I think I might have to become one of those people who walks around all the time with a backpack. I need to have a notebook on me at all times. I think of the coolest shit at the weirdest times, and often when I'm incapable of documenting it. I like the idea of always having a backpack with a notebook and a beer in it. We'll see though, those people annoy me.

By the way, this is me in a nutshell...



I found myself enjoying The Who for the first time. Listening to "Who's Next" was like torture and I'm sorry. The whole time all I could think of was Chevy Truck commercials and CSI. Gary Sinise struggling to stay awake line after line, or David Caruso's 163 bathroom breaks a day. But Quadropenia is slaying me. It's great! My whole thing with the Who is that I think Roger Daltrey should have moved up into the mountains at some point, preferably the day before the Who became a band. Pete, Kieth, John=amazing. Roger=cool hair? At Best. Sorry. But there's something romantic about knowing that Pete wrote everything and that he hated Roger too. In that sense I can relate to Roger. I'm kind of a ham at the end of the day. Shoot me.

I'm getting on a plane in about 10 hours. I'm going to New York City to go on an adventure. I'm arriving with a bag and my guitar. I'll french kiss Jay Z if I see him because his new record is so good. Before I have a chance to tell him about the Irish Black guy I met at 7-11, his bodyguard will break my red nose with a paid fist. I will understand.

After New York I'm heading home to Lowell to hug the one's I love and play a final show with Phillip Francis Trudel. I don't know what's going on on Halloween but if I dress up, I'm going as Paddington Bear courtesy of some wardrobe assistance from Jody Jody.

I love you

Leadbelly Zeppelin

Left work last night on a quest for some truth. I went to the record store in hopes to get some Leadbelly records. They had none cause it's a red hot white world, but boy did I clean up on the Anglo front!! I got all of these for 21 bucks!!

The Go-Go's-Beauty and The Beat
The Silencers-Rock n Roll Enforcers
The Who-Who's Next
The Who-Quadrophenia
Squeeze-Cool for Cats



Got in my car and headed to Sonora Recorders in Los Feliz to say hello to Audra Mae and check out some of her newest songs. This studio is amazing. I stood and watched Audra Mae belt out great take after great take. If I could sing like that, I would. Her vocals were going through the same mixer that Stairway to Heaven was recorded on. That's a lot of holy shits. I also got to experience real plate reverb for the first time. They have 2 plates out in this huge metal storage bin out in the parking lot. It sounds unreal. Sonora Recorders, I'm coming to get you.

Also got to meet Ted Hutt who I've been a long time fan of and is in our top 3 choices for a producer on this record. At one point he said "nunny bits" to describe a part in a song. I'm sold.

So Wednesday was no pube in my french fries to say the least. I went home and listened to my new records and continued to plot my revenge on awful music. I think Sonora Recorders is going to enter the equation. I also think it's time for a little haircut and a pair of jeans that don't have crotch holes in them. Jamatane!!!!

Carlton Lift

I was driving to my apartment yesterday to pickup my guitar and was listening to "Got my mind set on you" by George Harrison quite loud with my windows down. I was at a red light and noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. This guy waiting at the bus stop to my left was doing the Carlton Banks dance and pointing and smiling. I realized he was dancing to my stereo and I started dancing back to him, as best I could sitting in a car with a seat belt on. It was an awesome moment in my life. In these times it seems like people aren't good to each other enough. Can't we just dance some times? If you wake up every day jaded and smarter than everyone else, you gotta go find this guy. He was on the corner of Crenshaw and Olympic. He's the Bonnie Brae of this record. Much respect.

Once I got my guitar, shit was on. We went to Satellite and practiced for a few hours. On the way home I accidently fell onto a giant pile of chicken wings at the rustic inn. Going to check out an awesome studio after work that just got a new 16 track 2 inch analog deck. We're really hoping to do this record on tape. Nothing against pro tools or chair lifts or electric tooth brushes, but we want this thing to sound as best as it can.

I'm heading back east in a few days!!!!! Can't wait!!!

Mean Moe and The Sad Outlooks

At some point in life you just become really good at hanging up window blinds. Easily one of the top 10 stupid things to have to do in the world. Well I was hired to do some handy work for some fine folks this weekend and I think it's safe to say that I'm currently the Michael Jordon of hanging blinds. Just wanted to congratulate myself on that.

I got a little 1x12 cab for my Marshall and got reacquainted with her this weekend. Every time I walked into my apartment I could see the little red light on and I would get butterflies like I was Gary Glitter at a middle school dance. Too soon?

Found out that I'm not quite ready to be able to play eruption by Van Halen. I got a burst of encouragement from an old friend to learn it but it's gonna take a while. How cool will that be though?

I think by the end of this week we will be at the 10 song mark. We're planning to have an acoustic practice and a full on practice before Mike and I had back east for a week. We're at around 7/8 right now. At 10 we'll be halfway done writing the record, and after only 3 practices. Not too shabby.

Still searching for the right producer. Considering doing it ourselves as well. Hot dogs.


Danny

Kahlua and Roy on the Rocks

The 3 of us got together last night at Joe's and had ourselves a little acoustic practice. Joe played with kick and snare practice pads and a shaker, i played my Korean Alvarez and Mikey started by playing my half retarded sg bass and then switched to using Joe's 72 jazz bass, much better. He plugged right into one of my funny roland studio monitors. We ordered a pizza with mushrooms, sausage, and black olives on it to fuel up. The ratio of meat to not meat toppings was a wink disappointing. We also each drank a few new castles.

It's been really awesome practicing quietly. Since the age of 12 or so my vocals have been competing with drums and amps and shitty PA systems, and though I think it shaped the way I sing, I often times just push too hard and end up stuck in this one small range. Playing quietly like this is so much better for focusing on what is actually happening in each song. Trimming the fat off these fuckers has never been so easy. It's audio nudity. And we can practice for way longer when we do this too since my voice doesn't blow out.

What was also nice about last night's practice was we printed out lyrics and all had them in front of us while we played. Now the gang vocal stuff can happen on it's own terms and the guys can actually know what the hell I'm singing about before we get in the studio. As the years go on I feel less and less territorial about lyrics and songwriting. This record is going to be written and performed by 3 humans. It is going to be a piece of art. I don't care if nobody hears it. I don't care if nobody likes it. As long as it gets out into the world, the world will be a better place, like when Roy Orbison was still alive. Speaking of which, it occurred to me recently that everyone loves Roy Orbison. It should almost be a law of some kind. I'm not just talking his music, him as a person, as a being, etc.

New rule: If you don't like Roy Orbison in any capacity, fuck off. Simple enough right? I can't believe he was only 52 when he died. I suggest we were all born the day Roy Orbison died! We were all born in 1988! Sweet dreams Roy. You're a sweet heart.

Danny

Gunpowder for your Musket

So busy my friends. Don't know where to start.

Mike and I got together and hashed out some new songs. He has a rad new bass riff that he tracked and I'm gonna mess around with it. Yesterday we practiced for 5 hours straight. It was amazing. After only 2 practices with Joe we're 7 songs deep into the writing process. This shit is on fire.

We played a wedding on Saturday for our dear friends Shana and Jessica. It was at their house in Silverlake and we played in the backyard. I forgot my capo so our good pal Barry stood next to me held down on the fret I needed the capo for. "Barry The Capo". Legendary. The cops came, but they were unable to police us (zing).

I gotta say, my finger tips are all shredded up from playing yesterday. It feels great. Oh and the drummer from the sahara hotnights wrote me a message on facebook saying thank you for my previous post! "It made the blood go there" -DP Morin

Heading to the NYC and then Lowell in about a week. Getting very excited to see friends and family and set it off. It'll be a nice reset to come back and get crackin again. This record is coming. This record is coming. This record is coming.

Oh and guess what they had at the wedding? Chicken wings

I leave you with a lost gem of a band, The Nerves

Oh how I've missed these Sahara Hotnights

Back in Boston about 7 years ago I went to see The Mooney Suzuki play at The Middle East downstairs. One of the opening bands that night was The Sahara Hotnights. They blew Mooney Suzuki off the stage that night and ever since I've considered myself a huge fan. It appears that they've had to deal with gear theft and label bullshit over the years and I think they got lumped in with all the other bands from Sweden. In addition they're sinfully gorgeous. I remember being at their merch booth at the Boston show and the drummer was standing there and I felt like Garth at Stan Mikita's, floating in the air. I've always felt a good deal of anger over them not getting the dues they deserve, in the States at least. If they were ugly dudes they'd be on the cover of Spin every other month.

That being said I just finally downloaded (legally) they're record from 2007 "What if Leaving is a Loving Thing". I had a hard time finding it for a while. To boot it appears that they're quasi in LA right now, 2 of them at least. It seems I missed an acoustic show at the Viper room a few nights, which makes me want to kick a baby cause I probably stayed in that night listening to the Bangles in my underwear staring at the wall. Hopefully they'll do more shows before they leave. Yes this whole post is solely devoted to them and their wonderfulness. Boost!!!

Dear Jay Z, I love you

It's Simple

I completed 3 new demos today for; Hard Time Reading, Mark's Monologue's, and Square One Stomp. Very excited about all 3. They're all completely different from one another. Mark's Monologue's is about the paradise lost documentaries. Hard time reading is about, well... And Square One Stomp is about the last few months.

I went to see the new Michael Moore "documentary". It was great despite the fact that I fell asleep. Looks like he discovered what I discovered when I was 14. Capitalism is evil. What now? He suggests: Democracy. Bravo. Eat a fucking Vegetable Mike. But you are a smart man.

I drank absinthe on my roof the other night while watching the fireworks from the dodgers game. What a great moment in life. Slept like a bag of shit that night.

We're playing a wedding this upcoming weekend for our friend's Shana and Jessica. A lot of random covers have been requested. Hopefully it will get video taped...

I continue to eat chicken wings like a psycho. Out of control. 7-11, Kyochon, Rustic Inn, The Corner, Some British Pub, etc, etc, etc. The problem is: Everyone fucking has them, they're kind of hard to screw up, and they're so fucking tasty! Anyways at least I'm eating.

Getting pumped up about going to New York in a few weeks and then home to Lowell for a last show with Phill. We're opening for Big D and the Kids Table the night before Halloween. Rambo Priests revisited?

Welcome to Wal-Mart, I love you...


Danny