Eric's Daily FOF Blog

Writing the Travel 2 Album

2009-06-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

I’m having the time of my life here at Hume Lake writing and recording in the most beautiful setting imaginable. Some good friends of ours named the Parkinson’s have generously blessed us by letting us turn their huge cabin in the forest into an amazing recording studio. I am here with Ben and TJ working on songs. My wife is here as well and Christina, a good friend of ours is documenting a lot of this for video. Make sure you stay posted over the next few weeks for those.

This is like a dream for me. To be totally focused on the songs. To have a facility where there is a TON of space. And I brought my whole studio up here too, so I have all my tools at my fingertips. I’ll be tracking some permanent tracks here to capture the huge room (30+ceiling) and the sounds that come from it. It’s amazing when a room becomes the instrument.

There is no cell reception up here, so I get no texts or phone messages. It’s an amazing life not having to be tied to that. I’m kind of dreading being back home where that is a norm.

I’m in the thick of writing. Its all I can think about. Melodies and rhythms flooding my brain constantly. The end result will be to have another 6 songs on this album, but I plan on writing and arrange over 10 to pick from.

Thanks Denver

2009-06-08T19:47:00.001-07:00

Had a great time playing in Denver. thanks to those who came out to see us, especially andrew for bringing the YWAM studds and stud-ettes. the rest of the musicians have flown back and i stuck around to hang with fam from colorado. i'm in the aiport right now cause my flight got delayed.

Its back into the studio now until our next tour in September...keep posted.

flying to denver

2009-06-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

who said we fly with too much equipment? this doesn't include TJ's stuff who is meeting us here at the airport soon. The harmonium made its first flight trip ever! Fit nicely in the overhead compartment.

Playing today with Urban Rescue LA/Orange County

2009-05-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Waking up this morning so stoked to be playing the new songs. Its been an awesome time too with our opening band Urban Rescue. For me, personally, its not just an opening band, but something I've invested in personally by producing their album this year. Because of my focus on Future of Forestry, I only have time to produce a few things a year. But Urban Rescue is one of them and I couldn't be luckier to produce better songs with better people. We made a great 6 song record together and being able to have them on tour with us is totally wonderful and very emotional for me. Hearing the songs and realizing how much I love the music is such a trip.

If you live in LA or orange county, don't miss Forestry and Urban Rescue together.

E

On California Tour with Cellist

2009-05-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

The new album Travel is finally out and starting to spread! Beginnin this Sunday, we're out on a short tour. DON'T MISS IT! I've got musicians flying and driving in from all over:

TJ Hill (coming from Northern CA) - guitar, harmonium, vibes, theremin, saw, keys
Ben Wurzell (Redlands, CA- Bass, keys, perc
Logan Snell (San Diego) - the 19yr old prodigy drummer
Liz Lee (Austin TX) - (Dr Liz) the PhD cellist

TOUR DATES (see myspace for details)
May 10 San Diego and Victorville, CA
May 11 Bakersfield, CA
May 12 San Diego, CA
May 15 Orange County/LA, CA
May 16 San Diego, CA
May 17 Brentwood, CA
May 18 Livermore, CA
May 19 San Jose, CA

THIS IS THE WEEK TO BUY THE NEW ALBUM! Help us get a first week buzz going by buying the CD on itunes or our store and telling all your friends about it.

Album is out today!

2009-05-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

It’s finally here! Today, Future of Forestry releases the album Travel to the world. I’m so excited for this music to be out. Please buy the CD from our store so you can get the whole CD package. My wife and I went over the top and put in a TON of effort for the design of this album (cover painting and photography). Check in the store tomorrow for a series of new T-shirts and album artwork as well. - Eric

4th New Song is Revealed

2009-05-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

The 4th new song from the new upcoming CD release is up today and playing on our myspace player. The song is called "Close Your Eyes This Time" the most mellow and nostalgic song of all of them.

Only 4 more days till the full album release! On May 5th the album will be out, and a series of packages will be offered including new T-shirt designs and signature framed artwork from the album. I'm so excited for this time of new creativity and music finally being out after 2 years since the last album.

(this photo is from the promo photo-shoot I did last week with photographer Peter Dawson)

Pre-order Albums Shipping this Saturday!

2009-04-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

Friends, you can pre-order your Travel Album today at our store and it will ship BEFORE the release date so that it will get to you on or before May 5th!

WHY ORDER FROM FUTURE OF FORESTRY INSTEAD OF ITUNES AND AMAZON?
Because your money goes directly to support us starving musicians instead of going to bigger third party companies.

WHAT OTHER STUFF IS COMING SOON?
- new T-shirts with the Travel theme
- signed art packages with the cover design and photographic art of the Travel theme

We've got 3 new songs up today and a 4th one coming Wednesday night at 12 midnight!

eric

2nd New Song Available to hear

2009-04-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today, the second song of our new albums can now be heard online on our myspace player. It's called "This Hour" an up tempo moving one. Check in next week (wed)for the 3rd one.

FREE SONG!
You can still download the free song "Traveler's Song" from the album for the next 3 weeks until the album is released. Tell your friends to get the free song before it expires!

PRE-ORDERS coming soon
SOON, we will be posting a link to order the album from us before it comes out! Please buy it from us so that we can make a living off of it instead of the big internet companies!

Announcing the New Album Series “Travel” Starting May 5th

2009-04-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

Cinco de Mayo this year is going to be celebrated all over the Spanish speaking world by everyone buying Future of Forestry album. Yes, its true, the album is actually finished and will be released May 5th!

HEAR THE NEW ALBUM….FREE SONG!
You can download a free song from the album for the next 4 weeks until the album is released. You can also tune in every week and hear a new song that we post on myspace. Tell your friends to get the free song before it expires!

TRAVEL SERIES
The label (Credential Recordings EMI/CMG) and I have come up with the idea of a series of 3 EP’s:

May 5th 2009 – Travel
Sept 2009 – Travel II
January 2010 – Travel III

So after waiting over 2 years since the Twilight album, this year will be packed with new music every 4 months!

Spread the word! Its nice to get things moving after so many months of recording. If you live on the west coast, please come to one of our show in May. Most of our dates are posted and some are still to come!

Eric

Last Day for Delirious/Forestry Ticket Sales on FOF store

2009-03-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

I'm working like mad in the studio today, but wanted to remind you southern cal people that today is the last day to buy tickets from the Future of Forestry store (after that its ticket master and at the door). If you are going, buy them now! Thanks.
For tickets CLICK HERE

New Future of Forestry Songs at Delirious Concert March 18th

2009-03-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

I know I had said that Future of Forestry is not playing any shows til the next album is out, but I LIED! We are playing one show at with Delirious at the House of Blues. If you live in California, don’t miss this. We are rehearsing the day before on some of our NEW MATERIAL and will be playing it for the first time at the show!
For tickets CLICK HERE

Guitar Prejudice

2009-02-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

I spent an entire day working on ONE GUITAR TRACK! A pretty important one though, so it wasn't uncalled for. a finger picking clean electric guitar part that fills out the whole song.

a funny story came out of it though. i was trying to get this sweet Jeff Buckley clean shiney guitar tone with a smooth reverb. on my demo's (scratch recordings that i usually re-record all the tracks too) i achieved this super sweet tone. but when i was trying to re-record it, i couldn't get it. i assumed it was the Fender Telecastor guitar that is usually the "cool" jeff buckley guitar. but after about 2 hours of trying to get the tone, i decided to go against my knowledge and try a Taylor Electric guitar. I was shocked to find that it was the Taylor that was delivering the sweet-ness on the demo, and i was suddenly playing the jeff buckley tone that i was searching for.

i find it pleasant to be confronted with my prejudices. even when its simply a guitar brand. that taylor electric guitar has proven itself over and over again. yet because it doesn't have the old 50 year history that fender has (covering thousands of hit records), i tend to ignore my ears and simply gravitate towards what is "supposed" to be good. if i had just stopped to try other guitars out first, i probably would have saved a few hours.

so props to Taylor for their new guitars and sponsorship. and props to the advocates of a non-prejudice approach to life and music. getting rid of the "cool" and using our ears instead.

Future of Forestry Ralph Lauren Valentine's Card

2009-02-13T16:17:00.000-08:00

ralph lauren used one of our songs (if you find her)

http://www.always-yours.com/

go to the "serenade" section TODAY!

Back in San Diego - What's next?

2009-02-13T11:36:00.001-08:00

Its a Friday morning. Had a great breakfast with my friend Pete Kipley at a beach cafe just down the street. And i'm just working on the "what's next" for my life.

Today, that means another demo for Josh Groban. He really liked the first song that Charlotte Martin and I wrote for him, so we wrote another one. Logan's gonna come over and drop some drum traks for it too.

Tomorrow and the "future" of Future of Forestry, means mostly studio. We are not gigging for the next few months except for one random show with Delirious at the House of Blues in Annehiem on March 18th. I'll announce that and be selling tickets for it soon.

But most of Feb through April, it is stepping back and focusing on the music. Pray for a flood of inspiration and favor going into the next few weeks of recording!

Nap in Florida

2009-02-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

I just took a nap. we played at 2 church services in the morning. had to wake up at 7:30 am eastern time which was pretty much 4:30 according to my pacific self. tonight we'll play a full concert. its a bitter sweet one actually. the band and i were talking about how we're a bit tired of playing the same future of forestry concert over the past year. this will be the last one actually as we've not booked anything until the next album comes out. so the next time we play, we'll have a ton of new material! i guess for the most part, that's a good thing. seasons come and go though. we're leaving the "twilight" era and going into another new one!

i gotta leave now for the concert

On My Flight to Florida

2009-02-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

I’m in a plane from Denver to Florida right now. This is a picture of my knee stained in coffee. The coffee does not belong to me. I was in the airport just a few moments ago laying over in my at my lay-over. And I stopped to get some stuff out of my bag. As I knelt down on the carpet I noticed a very cold and wet sensation on my knee. I looked down and found that my jeans were drinking someone else’s coffee that had been spilled into the carpet.

This blog is mainly posted to see if I can find out who left the coffee. If you happened to be at a the Denver International airport today at a Southwest gate, then your coffee is now on my pants. I’d like to talk to you about some compensation in a few different ways:

1) I’d like a new pair of American Eagle Low Rise Boot Cut jeans size 27 (yes, I know I’m skinny, you’re not the first to tell me).

2) I think its only reasonable that there be compensation for our decrease in CD sales at our Florida gigg. Since CD sales in America are generated mostly by image (and certainly not music), the coffee stain on my jeans greatly decreases our sales and image at our live performance.

3) Obviously the emotional trauma of the coffee stain will require therapy and self-image support. Not to mention the time I will need to take off work.

If you think that I am writing this blog because the economy is low and it is an easy way to make some extra cash to pay rent, you are just wrong.

Other news…I just discovered that the word “knelt” comes from the word “knee.” I made this discovery just now by thinking about it on my own.

Moulin Rouge

2009-01-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

(I took this photo at dusk in Amsterdam on our band trip to Germany) Yesterday, i took most of the day off to rest. I was going to spend the entire evening just sitting and reading and praying, but when I started to journal, I ended up seeing Moulin Rouge on my computer cause some of the band peeps put it on there to watch on our trip to Phoenix. I kinda felt like it was the perfect timing for me to see. Like i was supposed to see it or something. It summarized the way i feel about art, beauty, and love in the face of a sold out world.

FLICKER IN A SANDSTORM
In the movie, the theatre (or house of ill-repute) called Moulin Rouge represents most of the music industry to me. A place void of authenticity, beauty, and love. A place filled with money-lusting peddlers willing to sell their very selves at any cost. I hate to be dramatic...or negative. But when you are an artist, and you try to something genuine, it is too common to see it get lost in a sea of noises that the world is swimming in. When a small voice these days is not carried by a booming marketing campaign, sex appeal, or some scheme to convince the "buyers" that THIS is the NEW THING, then the voice gets lost. It is a mere flicker in a sand storm.

I'm sorting through all of this in my life as i approach the next stages of my music, the next albums coming up, and the next stage of who I am as an artist and what I do. Not a light thing to be thinking about.

WE CHOICE WHAT "THEY" LIKE
You may think that we actually chose what we like when it comes to art, but an experiment was done in 2007 proving that most people gravitate towards what is already popular regardless of whether or not the music was more or less quality (to read this article and experiment click on this New York Times link). That is a sad test result to accept when you are guy like me. What that means is that the value of music is only seen when you've got some popularity gimmick up your sleeve. Some way to get a few thousand people to push stats up high enough so that the snow-ball begins to roll.

I have to keep looking and appreciating the beautiful things around me that are not covered in make-up. To the artist around me who understand what its like to get lost in these oceans of plastic and varnish, you are not alone.

For the Asking

2009-01-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

(A picture I took in Amsterdam a few weeks ago)
This morning I've had Simon and Garfunkle's "Song for the Asking" running through my head. It started with a conversation I've been having with my wife. For some reason, she's been reminding me to ask. To ask God for the things I desire.

SONG FOR THE ASKING
It seems like a simple task, but I admit I don't do it very often...at least with God. I'm good at asking other people for things. Not because I'm some leech or something. But the band has evolved into an entity that has attracted all sorts of talents. I have found myself "asking" people to help out in many, many different capacities. Contrary to popular belief, the band does not roll in money. So to get things done at a high level of excellence and art, most of "us" are doing so because we simply love contributing. I've learned to ask. I'm always telling people about some new idea or project going on with the band. "hey, wanna help?" Being in this place has been a gratifying stage of my career. I feel so grateful to be working in an environment where the art that inspires people to action. It is a heart behind the music. It is not money, but passion…a commodity that cannot be stolen or run out because of economics.

This has come some gradually and naturally through doing the music of Future of Forestry. But “working” with God in this matter is not so easy for me. I think its easy for me to feel like I am not supposed to ask God for things unless its within some religious permission. “God, help me not to be tempted in such and such way” or “God, break me, humble, me, etc.” Yet, to ask like a child asks for a snack or a treat is another story. Why is this so hard for me? Is the Bible not filled with entreaties to ask like a child? Are the psalms not filled with requests?

IT WORKED IN THE PAST
I know there have been times in my life where I felt free to ask. Years ago, when the band was Something Like Silas, I prayed for a list of things. Among those were, a sound system to tour with, a van and trailer, and the best record label out there. Within months those things just plopped themselves on my lap. The pursuing was not up to me. Just the asking.

It is time to ask. It is time to indulge in the Father/son pleasure of child-like asking. “Father, this is what is on my heart, this is what I want this year. Lets sit together and talk about the dreams of my heart…”

Upgrading Your Life Away

2009-01-02T11:10:00.000-08:00

Well happy new year guys! I woke up sick this morning. I was supposed to drive up to LA to do some song writing with Charlotte Martin but I got sick and found out she’s sick too. I’m actually a bit glad though cause I kinda needed some time to get settled. Its been over a month that I’ve been home to sleep in my own bed. From the December tour to visiting family in Colorado. Even after a break, when I don’t have time at home, I need a few days to get myself back together.

SAYING GOODBYE TO THE OLD
Pro Tools HD (my main recording software) came out with their new version of software called Pro Tools 8 which has some new amazing things to it. One of them is that it has notation software built into it. I have spent the last few years writing notation out by hand for violists, cellist, and instrumentalists. Now, anything I play on the keyboard can be automatically written out in notation and printed. In essence, that’s kind of a cool thing. But I think a part of me is sad. My early years of learning music consisted of learning how to draw a treble clef and learning which way the stems of music should go. This picture is some chicken scratch of a page I used in a recording session.

I’m torn about technology. Sometimes it takes away the art and process. I love the feeling of sketching out notes with paper and pencil. It creates something. Technology gets me stuck sometimes. Although I depend on it and love what it does, sometimes, I forget I’m creating music. I end up trying to get something to work or trying to figure out how to optimize the system.

TRYING TO KEEP UP
Do you yourself constantly keeping up with it? After paying $250 for the new Pro Tools upgrade, I realize that if I install it, it won’t work on my MacOS Tiger. So now I have to pay another $120 to get Leapord on my system. It all snoballs. I have to keep spending more money to get updated. Soon, I will have to buy a whole new computer just to keep things running!

A way I’ve dealt with that in the past is by just being okay with being behind. I know a lot of recording guys who do the same. Because sometimes when you update your system, it throws the whole thing off. Plugins don’t work and work-flow is behind because you can’t figure out how to use the dang thing. So as a musician, I have to be okay knowing that I don’t have the biggest best most souped up system out there. I have what works with me. And I can focus on the music. It makes me think of life in its other forms of the “keeping up” disease. I know too many guys who are making really bad music because they care more about the gear and technology than the actual sounds. Its silly because most of the gear I have that sounds good is decades old!

There are messages built into our lives that are constantly telling us that we are behind. We need to catch up with the new thing, the new program, the new style. The problem is that we cannot succeed in this. There were always be something new. Marketing is BUILT on this principle.

So anyway, yes it is finally time to upgrade for me. I’ll spend the next few days exited about the new program but tearing my hair out cause I can’t figure out how to use it. I’m excited about the new year. I feel a great sense of hope and renewal.

Finally...Rest

2008-12-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

Well hello there everyone. I'm sipping a nice cup of coffee as I overlook the winter-chilled town of Monument Colorado. This is the view out my window (sorry about the quality, its just a shot from my MacBook). I went from December band mayhem to calm and isolated stillness in matter of hours.

To those who have been following my blog, my deepest apologies for the long absence. I talked to a lot of people on the Christmas tour who said, “Hey, how come you haven’t been blogging?” I’ve been realizing how much it has meant to people and felt bad that I’ve been absent from it. Thanks for being such avid followers and supports of what I do.

BITING OFF MORE THAN I CAN CHEW
I’ve talked a lot about seasons in life in my blogs. The reason for my blog absence is because this season (the last 3 months) was probably the busiest season I have ever experienced in my life-time. The summary of it all is that I have bitten off a lot more than I can chew. I hope to never do that again. I hope to learn from this that whatever I THINK I can do at one time is always too much than what I can do in reality. And that what I do in reality will always take twice as much time and effort as I thought.

FUTURE OF FORESTRY BECOMES LESS CORPORATE RUN
My life consists of more things now than I thought possible. In terms of Future of Forestry I have transferred all responsibilities from more of a corporate industry level to an independently run entity. 3 major examples are:

1) Booking used to be run by Third Coast Booking Agency (Nashville)
2) Management used to be run by Chris Nichols Management (Nashville)
3) Business management and accounting used to be run by Haber Corporation (LA)

Now guess who runs all these things. Yes, yours truly, little old me from my MacBook, cell-phone, and my gung-ho wife who has been an incredible partner with me in this. Do I know what I’m doing? Usually not. Am I figuring it out? Slowly, but surely.

WHY RUNNING THINGS INDEPENANTLY IS A GOOD THING RIGHT NOW
God has a strange way of directing me without necessarily explaining to us what is going on. Maybe its because if I actually knew what was going on I’d either freak out or decide to change course. Over the last 3 years, as things have evolved, I have realized how important it is to have ownership in my own art and direction. I’ve realized how much I care about my music and what I do with it, and that I want the music business I run to reflect the heart behind it. Often (or always), the bigger and more corporate it gets, the more you feel like its not yours anymore, and the less control you have to retain the identity you believe in.

I’ve enjoyed the process of stumbling through this but truly beginning to run things independently. I admit it’s been more than I can handle. I’ve worked a many 7 day weeks. I’ve also made a lot of mistakes through it all. I’ve got a list of promoters that I haven’t returned their calls. Yet in the end, most of the promoters I talk to tell me how much they love talking to the artist rather than to a booking agency. Its just me on the other end of the line.

WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST 2 OR 3 MONTHS
With all of this on my plate, I found myself quite insane over the Christmas tour. Recording and producing the album was a feat in itself. Meeting a last minute deadline, coordinating the artwork, then figuring out how to make the album available on an independent level. Although the album is on Credential Recordings (EMI/CMG) it was not released under their marketing umbrella. This album was a first of its kind. We made it and sold it within a period of 2 months. It took TJ and I more work than we thought possible in that amount of time.

Meanwhile, I booked a last minute Christmas Tour, went to Germany to play in Dusseldorf, then flew back into LAX to start our one rehearsal day for the Christmas tour. But what made my full plate a mound of heaping food (in which large portions of it metaphorically fell onto the floor) was the recording of a live Christmas DVD that we pulled off at the last gig in Chanlier AZ…a very exciting event. I’ll tell you more about that later.

THANKS
Well, now I’m in a quiet place contemplating it all as you can see. Reflecting, enjoying,and thanking God for it all. And of course dreaming of what is next. I can never sit still. As soon as I wrap one thing up, I’m already planning the next. I’m already planning next Christmas season, another album, a live DVD release, and a bigger and better tour. I’m insane. And I know I drive the people around me insane. For those of you enjoy the roller-coaster ride with me, thanks for hanging in there.

WATCH US LIVE TONIGHT WORLDWIDE

2008-12-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to clear an hour of your day to join us worldwide on the web. Either go to our site at http://foftv.blogspot.com/ OR if you want to directly interact with us, go to www.ustream.tv

We'll be hanging out casually, doing acoustic versions of the Christmas EP and answering any random questions from whoever asks. It should be a lot fun!

TIPS
1) Either get headphones ready or plug your computer system into a good sound system. You won't hear Ben's bass if you are listening from your computer speakers.

2) Bring hot chocolate and marshamellows.

3) Leave the windows and doors open so the house gets super cold. then you can wear a down jacket with hat and mittens and look all Christmassy. Seeing your breath will impress your friends.

4) Tell all your friends about the broadcast and our new CD. If you haven't already, get familiar with the songs by downloading our album at our future of forestry store

See you tonight!

Christmas Album Ships Today!

2008-12-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

Welcome back from thanksgiving weekend. Hope you are recovering from your food coma. I'm excited to be back into things because our Christmas album is finally for sale (not just digitally) and starts shipping today as well as some new T-shirt designs.

SPREAD THE WORD - SUPPORT YOUR FAV ARTISTS
If you've appreciated FOF music though the years, please help us out by telling all your friends about the new CD and stuff. Just direct them to myspace/futureofforestry to get it.

FOF'S FIRST LIVE ACOUSTIC BROADCAST TOMORROW 6pm (pst)
For the first time every (hopefully not the last) we're doing a live broadcast from our studio. We'll be performing acoustic versions of the Christmas songs LIVE for anyone in the world to watch. You can also send comments and talk with us live! Go to http://foftv.blogspot.com/

See you then...

LAX

2008-11-16T10:34:00.000-08:00

I'm in the LA airport right now. Sitting in the terminal (in front of my good model friend representing Ralph Lauren's fragrance). I had a fun time going through security because it was super crowded. And this very young couple was going through the metal detectors with their baby (wh looked about 5 months old). The mom had gone through already, and the husband was still putting the bags on the conveyor belt. But he couldn't figure out how to collapse the stroller to put it through.

Meanwhile, there's like a thousand people in line watching and waiting to go through, and this poor dad is sweating it big-time. The mom is on the other side of the detector trying to give him instructions on how to close the stroller. As this is happening the loud an unashamed TSA guy (a bold and funny black dude with a heavy LA accent) says what we are all thinking, "Now we all know who doesn't walk the baby!"

Dude, just one thing i thought of. To make sure when my wife and i have a baby that i immediately learn how to collapse the stroller. Or maybe i might as well just figure that out now so i don't have to worry about the humiliation.

(Side note: None of this blog is some subtle hint or something so don’t go jumping to conclusions)

Life is good. I went through one of the busiest seasons of my life, and now I finally get a sudden break. It’s a little like the scene in Spaceballs where they go into warp mode (actually I think its called “ridiculously fast mode” or something like that). They go so fast that everyone’s faces are contorted. Then they pull the plug, the starship comes to a sudden halt, and the Dark Helmet guy goes head first into the control console because he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt.

I think that is me right now. By the way if you are as old as me, Spaceballs is a common language. If you are a young guy (or gal) you have to go rent it. It’s a classic comedy.

Anyway, I will be out of blogging this week, but that’s okay because you all now have the Christmas EP to enjoy. Which is what this whole thing is about anyway….the music. Don’t forget to mark your calendar’s for our online broadcast we are doing from my studio. And if you live in CA or AZ, mark your calendar for one of our concerts (see dates on myspace).

worn out / second chances

2008-11-11T18:54:00.000-08:00

Me (courtesy of my macbook cam on my computer)...worn out and overworked by my mean boss (who is also me). I have to keep reminding myself that this is a season. A season that I find myself doing far more of that which i don't want to, and NOT doing far more than i DO wish to. That sounded a lot like the way my brain feels right now, but i assure you it actually makes sense.

I always say this, and it never changes. I get stressed as the Christmas season approaches. It has been a long time since I can remember the sweet soft nostalgia of Christmas when there is little or no responsibility involved. Just cookies, sweet smelling pines, and hot cider. At this point in life, this season has been a rush to get a Christmas album out (yes, as promised) and then to plan a short tour of the west coast. On top of that, I have been producing another band from San Diego. All of these in themselves are great things. The sum of them...too much to handle.

SECOND CHANCES
I don't have any profound thoughts about all of this. Other than that I am proud to be doing what i do, yet at the same time exhausted and sometimes resentful that my life doesn't exist in peaceful and pensive way. I suppose i can be thankful that life IS seasonal in so many ways. Not only broken up into years, or winters, springs, and summers, but also in days and nights. Imagine if we never had to sleep. We would just keep existing, never another starting place, never the feeling of a clean slate. Just one big fat ongoing day. That my friend would be sheer hell.

So here's to "the day." God's gift, God's way of understanding our fragility and constant need to renew. He wisely built a system for us that accounted for a lot of failure (on our part of course) and the need to do it all over again. Good night, until tomorrow...