Goals
So I’ve decided that I need to set some goals for myself so that I can actually track my progress in life. I feel like I don’t have anything to aim for which is clearly defined. Sure, I have some nebulous sort of goals - try to make a living doing music, have a job where I don’t have to go into an office everyday, play a ton of shows, own a successful studio, etc, etc. However, it’s hard to see if I’m making any progress toward those goals. Therefore, I’m going to try to breakdown some of my larger goals into smaller ones which will hopefully be attainable with 3-6 months. I’ll only list the first few that come off the top of my head, and I might add more later.
- Finish a whole album’s worth of music for Mike’s and my video game metal band
- Finish a whole album’s worth of music for Etheria
- Play at least one show with the VG metal band
- Play at least one show with Etheria
- Stop cursing (I feel like I am restricting my vocabulary and belittling my intellect by using these words)
- Read at least three books
I think those should be enough to get started, and as a matter of fact, I’m going to start on the first one right now!
A Love/Hate Relationship….(with computers)
So last night I was pumped. Lindsey and I went to Huey’s for dinner (she really doesn’t like going there, but I love it), and afterwards, I planned on recording a rough version of an Etheria song to give to Donna (so she could start working on vocals for it). Well, I get the drum track set up, I get all the key parts set up, and then all I needed to do was record the lone guitar track….and you’d have to know, three seconds into my first take - AUDIO DROPOUT. What the heck?!
I have a decent computer (Quad-Core, maxed out RAM for XP32). So why am I getting dropouts several seconds into a project that has only three MIDI tracks going into two VIs. It was completely disheartening and after about an hour, I decided to call it quits for the night. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I’m going to need a dedicated PC for audio recording. =( I think I have one I can use, but I’m going to need to pick up a couple new hard drives for samples and recorded audio….yay.
Computers have revolutionized the creation of music, and for that, I love them. However, they can be a royal pain in the rear often. It’s not just PCs, either. I’ve owned my share of Macs, and they have their problems as well. Oh well, at least today is a new day.
Frustration
I’m getting very frustrated with the fact that I don’t have the ability to practice drums. As soon as we get our house sold, we should be renting a practice space, but who knows when that will happen? I’m pretty optimistic, but there’s still the fact that I don’t know when exactly I’ll be able to start practicing again. I suppose I should be happy that I can at least practice guitar. I just need to make myself start doing that.
Speaking of, Mike and I have basically resurrected Order of Týr. We’re having our first practice on Monday, so that should be fun. I’m seriously ready to start playing shows regularly again. It has been forever, and it’s killing me! I really need to be on stage. I don’t know why, but I feel like that’s the only place where I am truly myself. It’s seriously hard to explain. I feel like my life energy is being drained constantly because I’m not out performing….it’s been so long….
Guitar Rig Changes Coming Soon.
I am in the process of rebuilding my guitar rig for playing with both Flames of Destiny and Etheria….yes, Etheria is still a reality!
Currently, I have basically no rig. I’m using Mike K.’s Triple XXX into my beat to hell Behringer 4×12 cab. Guitarwise, I’m selling the LTD EC-1000 I’ve been using and will be trading off between my Ibanez RG2EX1 and my LTD Viper 301 until I get my new guitar (which I will reveal here once I get it ;).
I’ll just put it this way. I am getting into a very professional rig. I’ve come to the conclusion that being a musician is what I want to do with my life, and I am making the financial investment in that. I am also beginning the time investment as well. I am currently working through Troy Stetina’s book Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar and am trying to see where that takes me. Just to be practicing again feels pretty good. The trick is trying to get myself obsessed with it. I am going to try to keep this blog updated as much as I can with pictures and info relevant to my musical life. And with that said….
Flames of Destiny is about to start playing shows again. Our re-debut show will be the first annual Memphis Hates You Fest on May 30th at 6pm at The Hi-Tone on Poplar (myspace.com/memphishatesyoufest). Check out our MySpace - videogamemetal.com/myspace.
Etheria now has two songs, and I’ll hopefully be working on some newer things soon! I will post here once we get a MySpace and website together.
Tradeoff
Well, the pain in my ankle is basically gone now, but somehow I caught a cold. I’m still optimistic about life, though. I just feel pretty out of it, especially when it comes to work. Surely, I will be over this soon and back to 100%. That will be a good day.
Pain and Happiness
My foot/ankle is hurting pretty badly right now. I wish I knew what I could do to make this quit happening. It seems that every time the weather changes drastically, my ankle acts up. I really, really wish it’d stop. =(
That being said, I’m not letting the pain get to me. Happiness is a state of mind, and nothing can or will take that away from me.
I honestly am going to try to start using the blog more often. For me, if for no other reason.
YES!!
So, much has been happening lately!! Many, many good things which will ultimately culminate with many more awesome things!
First off, Order of Týr changed our name to Flames of Destiny. You can visit our MySpace at videogamemetal.com/myspace. We will have many news things coming your way soon: a completely redesigned website complete with daily updates, podcasts, music, and much more, new members, and a new album which will hopefully be out before the end of the year!!
Also, Flames of Destiny is playing at the inaugural Memphis Hates You Fest! I believe it’s going to be the weekend of May 30/31, we’ll probably be playing on the 30th. I’ll post when I know the definite info.
My life is going so awesomely right now, it really is amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my life!!
Difficulty
For some reason, I am finding it quite difficult to get started on the whole writing process. I feel like I’ve never been able to sit down with a clean slate. I’m always using this or that idea which I captured X number of months/years ago. It never seems fresh to me. I feel like I need a new process for writing music, but I cannot imagine what it would be.
It is most likely complicating matters more that I am moving out of my house and into an apartment soon, so it is hard for me to concentrate on other things. Well, that added to the fact that work is literally busier than ever makes finding time to relax, let alone finding the energy to write, near to impossible. But alas, nothing is impossible.
I need to take some time and be still with myself to see where I am going to go from here.
New Theme and Direction
So I just changed the theme for my site again. I know that I do that quite a bit, but I have to say that I really like this one; so, it’ll probably stick around for a while.
…and, as per usual, I haven’t posted in a long time. I really want to start posting more frequently on here. Hopefully, I will start moving toward my goal of making this site more orientend toward my musical endeavors than just a simple blog. In that vein, I would like to let you know that I am planning on starting the writing process for a new set of music this weekend. I’m not sure if I’ll get much done, but I am feeling very open to the process right now. I am in a very comfortable place in my life, and I feel like I can focus how I need to on writing meaninful music.
I am going to try to restructure my site now to be more suitable for the new music focus. If you have any ideas or suggestions, just leave me a comment!
