Charlotte is more grey than I thought
spangled up with streaks of blue.
I've felt like I'm too old to be where I am,
since I turned 22.
December 23, 2004
8:22 P.M.
Charlotte, NC
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Charlotte is more grey than I thought |
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I can't remember if I've been here before or not. If I have, it was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Speaking of that, can you believe the Star Wars Episode 3 trailer? It is truly a tragic debacle that I have to wait until the middle of May to complete the childhood mythology started by the best Dad in the world when he brought me to see Empire Strikes Back. That was the first movie I ever got to see in the theatre. Excuse the Kennedyesque delusion of grandeur, but DOESN'T GEORGE LUCAS KNOW WHO I AM??? Bah! He should let me see it now.
So yeah, I just landed here in North Carolina. As a rule I hate planes, but I must say, the jazz radio is great. It's one of those pleasures that may not overwhelm you, but is greatly appreciated in a hostile environment of horrible peanuts, questionable company and seats you can't comfortably slouch in. I got to sing my new songs to strangers though, so Charlotte has already been worth it.
It's now official, Fox News is reporting that only geeks write journal entries from their cell phones. I don't know about you, but it sounds like a vast, right-wing conspiracy to me. Anyway, I'm late for the sky (not really but I've always wanted to say that.)
Thanks for visiting and have a safe and happy holiday.
Carolina in my mind,
Justin
December 14, 2004
5:39 P.M.
Central Phoenix, AZ
I really can't explain why I like cats so much. Four years ago, I hated them. Now, I have four of my own and while my sleep schedule has never really recovered to its pre-feline state, I would never even consider giving any of them up. At first I just wanted a friend for my dog, now I think I like them mostly because I'm sort of like a cat myself. That's how "Garfield's Lonely Secret" got started back in the day. Speaking of that, a long time ago I used to play gigs at restaurants on Cape Cod in the summer. Let me tell you, if you can play James Taylor/Van Morrison/Jimmy Buffett covers, and not even particularly well, you will make a lot of money there. Anyway, I devised a crude way of recording shows on cassette tapes, and recorded every note that I played on stage. Although I've lost most of them now, I recently came across one of these little gems (I love the sound of lo-fi tape his and a certain naive and confused young man insisting he could sing....not sure who he is....but his initials are J.S.) while I was looking for something else. It's funny to hear older versions of my songs, because I don't remember them changing as drastically as they have. It's like when a distant aunt sees you ten years later and says "I remember when you were only this tall...." I hated those parties, but now I wish I had paid more attention.
So...obviously I'm horrible at keeping a journal, as I'm sure many suspected I would be. I promise I will try to be better at it now however, with the record coming out soon and the site getting some consistent traffic, it's nice to think that someone will actually read this stuff. All of us appreciate your support and we're grateful that you're still coming out to the shows and anxious for the new record. There will be lots of updates and improvements coming to this space soon, so keep checking back.
Hope to see you all soon...
- J
August 15th, 2004
9:30 P.M.
Cape Cod, MA
I was thinking earlier today that writing about my life lately would probably not be a good place to start this journal. Then again, chaos is usually more interesting than normalcy, so I think I'll go with it. I've never kept a journal before, so this will be rather jagged I'm sure.
So...yeah....I guess I'll start with the very beginning of August. I flew back to Arizona from Cape Cod on July 31st, mostly because I had to move out of my Flagstaff house and into the new place in Mesa. Mind you, this process was supposed to take a day or two. Thanks to my shockingly inconsiderate former roommates (all of them), I wasn't able to move out until August 8th. (Take my advice, make sure EVERYONE is on the lease before you agree to live somewhere or allow someone new to move in.) Karma will get them, or at least I hope that it does.
Anyway, I brought half of my stuff to the Mesa place, but because of the crazy tour schedule there just wasn't enough time to get everything done, so I had to bring the other half to Darren Bergman's house. If you don't know Darren, he is the "boy band ready" percussionist that has been playing with Nate Larson and I lately. Call him Orville. He likes that.
Speaking of the tour, it was an absolute blast and we can't wait to get out on the road again later this year. Indianapolis in particular, was an amazing time. We were really happy to participate in the Midwest Music Summit 4.0 and hopefully we can do it again next year. The Broad Ripple section of Indianapolis is just awesome. This was my third visit, and each time I go there it gets harder and harder to leave. It's a feeling that I can't exactly describe, but I felt the same way about Flagstaff when I first moved there and I ended up staying for nine years... I would never have imagined living in Indiana, or anywhere in the midwest for that matter, but who knows?
I can't thank Seth Horan enough for setting us up with these shows. He is a truly amazing guy and a great friend. His new record comes out on September 7th, and I definitely recommend it. When I first heard the advance copy, I have to say I was a bit disappointed, but only because I was totally missing the point. I was really just confused because it didn't sound like Seth. Now, after REALLY listening to the new lyrics, it's the first two records that don't sound like Seth. This record (called Conduit), without question, is unapologetically Seth Horan. He has really put himself out there for this one in more ways than one, and I think it will pay off for him.
So...here I am, in Cape Cod once again. I'll be spending the next three weeks or so here, helping out my Mom and Dad and recording some songs with Seth Horan and Ed Toth. I'm really excited about this little project, and hopefully it will lead to something special in the future.
I am a bit delirious from travelling so much and should probably go to bed soon. I left Indianapolis at 1:30 AM last night, and rolled into Massachussets just a little bit ago. Sleep? Who needs it? I was drinking something called Kranked (or some variation of that spelling) all night so that I wouldn't fall asleep on the highway, and I have to say it is sort of like drinking bleach. Having said that, it kept me alive, although it makes my hands shake more than I'm comfortable with and I have been seeing stars for the last two hours or so. I'm sure it's just a coincidence.
Off to my childhood bed I go, my life in utter disarray. I prefer it this way though. I have no idea where I'll be in a month and that's just fine with me. I know I'll be singing, and that's all I really care about right now.
- J