After that initial burst of creativity...things are going much slower. Seems to me like it is time to grow up. Ever since I first began playing the bass -- 8 or 9 years ago -- I have spent at least 95% of my practice time noodling. I usually don't even bother with arpeggios or chord progressions...or even scales. Just mindless noodling. On those rare occasions when I actually ever bothered to learn any actual music (beyond scales or chords)...it was always licks, lines, or riffs. Hardly ever any complete songs. That lack-of-discipline and laziness has always reared its hideous noggin when I auditioned with bands. Now it is showing in my difficulties finishing any of my tunes. SO...I am now forcing myself to finish one. I always wanted to have just ONE SONG on the demo CD that is ALL ME. NOT just the basslines.... but also every word that is sung, every note and chord played on the guitar and keyboard, and every drum beat. (Although the drums will have to be synthesized on my keyboard...since I lack an actual drum set. But it will be me playing it on the keyboard, rather than relying on loops and samples.) Not one pre-recorded loop or any help from anyone. If, for no other reason, I'll have something to put in the scrapbook and listen to (and probably laugh at) months or years down the road. And say, "Yep! I am responsible for all that noise!" This particular tune was the first actual inspiration I had on this project...apart from the concept/story itself. One day, I was visiting a friend, and telling him about my CD concept (a murderous mermaid, that is). He said, "you mean a SIREN, right?" Later that afternoon, in my head, I heard a Ronnie James Dio kind of singer belting out, "She's a siren!" I thought, "Whoa! That sounds cool! I guess I have the idea for first tune on the CD now." At some point later on, I came up with a nice bass riff that seemed to fit the mood and tempo just right. I wrote the the lyrics for it over a two month time frame, while going back and forth between all the songs. But I've gotten very little done on it since. Now, finally, over two years later...that little inspiartion is about to become an actual finished demo song. (Although it may take me as much as another week to be finish it.) And, since it will be all me on the tune....I will have no one to blame but myself if it sucks. LOL

Woo freaking hoo! I got more accomplished in the last 4 days on my CD than I have in the previous 2 years!,, A lot of what I have on my tunes are pre-recorded loops and samples that came with the recording program, but what the hell? The bass playing on the tunes is all me...along with some conga rhythms and melodic stuff. But...matching my stuff with the right drum rhythms, synth patterns and effects, and other instruments is an art in itself. And pretty fun, too. I am not trying to make a complete, ready-to-go-on-the-market album, anyway. Just a demo to present to potential bandmates. It isn't SUPPOSED to be complete. I WANT to get input from other musicians. If the people I get to work with me can't come up with anything better than some recorded samples on a computer program, I don't want to work with them. But, the samples at least provide a clue for how the finished music will sound like...a general idea...a direction to go. This is gonna be a hoot! Can't wait to have some finished demos to send out.

Technical problem solved!!! I can now plug my bass into the computer and hear it when I play...which means I have officially run out of excuses not to finish my demo CD. Shit!!!! I have all the lyrics written (although they could probably use some work), and quite a few ideas for basslines and melodies, and some intros and what-not. There are definitely enough ideas to finish the CD. There was some brilliant person in history (I think it was Edison) who said, "Genius is 1% inspiration...and 99% PERSPIRATION." I have come to believe that all it takes to begin making great music is one good idea...one cool sounding bassline, one hot drum lick, one nice riff, motif, or melodic snippet. Think about it. What Hendrix did with the National Anthem, what Victor Wooten did with Amazing Grace (and other less-than-impressive in their original form tunes) on his bass, and what Jaco did with America the Beautiful is all the evidence I need to believe that. As long as it sounds musical (even if it is something as lame as Mary had a Little Lamb)...it can be developed into an awesome piece of music. And NOW...I plenty of that all-important first percent now for a complete CD. NOW...gotta get busy on sweating out the remaining ninety-nine. I have the beginnings of 4 of the 10 songs. Quite a ways to go on them all. I am JUST a bass player...yet, I have to wear the hats of composer, lyricist, arranger, sound engineer, producer. This music program on the computer should make it a little easier...once I figure out how to work it. Slowly -- but surely -- getting there. Have been listening to some great prog today. Mainly, ELP, Frost*, and Eloy. If THAT stuff can't inspsire me...NOTHING can. If there are any available Bay Area PROG musicians out there (or Bay Area bands currently without a bass player), feel free to email me. I am not arrogant enough to think I can make an amazingly awesome prog CD all by myself, (at least not on my first attempt at making music...and only playing bass for 8 years without ever having had a lesson in my life.)

I can't believe it has been a year since I made an entry on this thing. A lot has happened in my life since then: marital split, relationship drama, moving to the east coast, back to Phoenix, and finally...to the WEST coast. In all that tumult, there has not been a lot of progress made on my music project. But now that I am settled...there is time to work on it. This computer upon which I type these words has a pretty cool program for recording and editing music, downloaded on it. Now I'm in the process of getting familiar with it, and getting some technical issues worked out. (Mainly, how to hook up my bass into the program. Anyone out there know about such things? Please email me!!!!!) My lack-of-progress on my CD project does not upset me too much. Mainly because, aside from all the drama and upheaval I have been through the last year...I just needed to practice and get to the point where I feel my musical abilities are up to a project such as this. Whether they are now or not, I don't know. But I have come to the realization that do not have to learn and master every bassline of Geddy, Chris Squire, and Tony Levin to make a decent prog CD. All I really have to is master MY OWN material...and that's just what I have been working on. As long as I can play my own shit...as I can totally suck on every else's. LOL

Well, I haven't made an entry in this thing for awhile. I have a new job where I work a LOT of hours. Such esoteric pursuits as focusing on the meanings of lyrics has had to take a back seat to the practical realities of surviving day to day. I had an audition Sunday with a band. Really good musicians playing EXACTLY the kind of stuff I want to play. I was quite impressed by them. They reminded me a lot of Liquid Tension Experiement. (A side project of some of the guys in Dream Theater.) Equally important, they seemed like fairly normal guys who don't have any of the issues that are so pervasive among musicians. (Like bi-polar shit, drug dependancies, etc.) I don't think they liked me, though. That really sucks. They were exactly what I have been looking for. At least, I learned what it's like to play with high caliber musicians, playing very challenging music. I got a taste of what I'm up against, at least. I need to do some SERIOUS practicing! LOL I got a radio show set up for Saturday afternoons. That's nice. I really missed doing that radio thing. And this time, I won't have to play requests. Just great music by the greatest musicians. That request thing really pissed me off on the other radio station. That was why I quit. People had no clue what I was doing, and didn't appreciate it. They sent in requests for the same old tired shit that has already been-done-to-death on the radio. WHY??? Just put on your local classic rock station, moron! They'll play that song that you've already heard 10,000 times -- and just HAVE to hear one more time -- any minute now. I just want to play great music that has NOT been dumbed-down and commercialized to appeal to the lowest-common-denominator masses. Great prog, shred, and fusion stuff. NOT Free Bird and The Devil Went Down to Georgia and Satisfaction. If anyone is actually reading this. and likes great music, write me, and I'll be happy to send you the details. Phx4stringer@aol.com

I'm not really sure what one writes in a journal on a website about song meanings. (Does anyone even read these things?) But, what the hell? I'm glad I found this site. It's fun to speculate on the meanings of some of the obscure lyrics in the music of my favorite bands and artists. It's interesting (and sometimes, even enlightening) to read what other people think they mean, and throwing in my two cents worth, as well. I am currently working on my own CD project. It's a concept piece about a mermaid. (Not as fishy as it sounds. LOL) For anyone who doesn't know...mermaids don't just swim and play with the dolphins all day. They lure men to their deaths at sea. My story is actually about the guy the mermaid has in her sights. It's a real time, first-person narrative revoving around his encounters with the beautiful-but-deadly siren. Speaking of that...if there are any musicians in the Phoenix area, I could use some help with this project. Email me! I'm hoping that studying and analyzing and speculating on the meanings of the lyrics of my favorite artists (Rush, Yes, ELP, Floyd, Porcupine Tree, among others), will help ME become a better lyricist.