We’re well into the new year now and we’re in
the middle of another winter storm; out third of the season. It started
snowing last night around 5 pm and will probably continue until Sunday
morning. Only last week parts of Lake Norman was completely frozen
over with a thin layer of ice. It has really been an unusual winter
for us. So while we are snowed in for the weekend…here’s
an update.
The album is really picking up speed. Last week I was working on
the song “Just You and Me” by adding some drums, bass,
and keyboard parts as needed. I have a tendency to pile all the sounds
on and then cut them back in final mix down. I don’t want the
sound to be too jumbled. Just recently I was listening to “Taxman” from
Revolver with a headset and was completely amazed by how simple it
was. There’s not a lot going on: some great harmonies, basic
guitar, a kickass bass line from Paul, simplistic drums and cowbell.
The way it’s mixed in Stereo really highlights its simplicity
but when listening through the speakers it sounds so full. I want
to be a little better with the mixing this time around and “Taxman” is
providing some great inspiration. This week I’ve been working
on a song titled “A Little Song.” I demoed this song
years ago with simply a chord structure and a melody while adlibbing
the lyrics. Well the adlibbed lyrics kind of stuck and I finished
them off back in ’07 while flying to Rochester NY for the first
time and now it’s all coming together in the studio. On Wednesday
I came up with a piano part and quickly tracked it. Not sure if I
will add much more than some additional backing vocal tracks to the
guitar and piano; no drums on this one. Here’s a video clip
from the studio…
Now onto the real life portion of this Journal thing; the holiday’s
were great, very relaxing actually. I got into a vinyl record kick
that still has a hold of me and threatens to never let go! While
in Greenville to visit family, and see an Abbey Road Live show, we
stopped by a record collector’s event that Horizon was holding
at The Handlebar. I didn’t know what to expect really; second
we were through the door we started thumbing through boxes upon boxes
of LPs. Melissa picked up some essential who albums: a sweet copy
of “Live at Leeds”, a Japanese import of “Who’s
Next”, and a first pressing of my favorite “Sell Out.” I
picked up Peter Gabriel One and Four as well as a copy of the log
out of print album “The Beatles at The Hollywood Bowl”.
Thirty minutes and $80 later we decided it best to leave before
we did much more damage.
On December 13 I had to fly up to Rochester NY for some training
and this time Melissa tagged along which was great! Last time I
was up that way I was all by myself and it was extremely depressing.
So Mel took some time off of school to join me up North. We flew
in late on that Sunday and checked into our room at the Doubletree.
We only had two full days before our early morning flight back
home
on Wednesday so we wanted to see the town, what little there is
to see. But I really liked Rochester last time I was there. I found
some good food and an even better record store so I couldn’t
ask for much more and that was my plan for this quick trip; to show
Melissa what little I knew about Rochester. So on Monday, after my
training let out, we headed to The House of Guitars. I had visited
this record/music store during my last visit, I actually went twice,
and I knew Melissa had to see it. You see, music is really what brought
Melissa and I together. We both share an immeasurable love for great
music and we live it every day of our lives through what we listen
to, to where we choose to travel and the shows we attend. We were
brought together by music and it continues to make us closer. Once
at the House of Guitars we strolled through the upstairs area, looking
at all the amazing guitars stacked all the way to the very high ceiling.
One case contained an acoustic signed by Paul McCartney and a copy
of Double Fantasy autographed by the late John Lennon. That’s
what I really enjoy about the House of Guitars, it’s half museum
and half music store. So we made our way down the stairs and into
the record store area passing framed rock-n-roll artifacts strewn
across every available inch of wall space. The first thing you see
when entering this way is what was once a white cinderblock wall
now covered in autographs and illegible scribbles from each band
and musician that passed through Rochester. The one that sticks out
the most would have to be the large “AEROSMITH” written
towards the top of the wall. We rounded the corner straight into
the chaos; boxes of CDs and LPs all over the place in what seemed
like no particular order. It’s an adventure trying to find
what you are looking for in there but thankfully the staff always
knows exactly where everything is. Each beam and every wall were
covered with autographed albums. A copy of “Who’s Next” signed
by John Entwistle caught Melissa’s eye as did Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” signed
by the entire band. That was a pivotal album for Melissa, came
around right as she was coming into her own she tells me.
So eventually I found the boxes of Beatles LPs on the ground close
to the register and started thumbing through them with Melissa.
There was so much to choose from and with the remasters fresh in
my head
I knew what I was looking for; a sweet first pressing of “Magical
Mystery Tour” in wonderful condition considering its age. So
I told Melissa that was what I wanted for Christmas and she got it
for me. Then she spotted a Beatles T-shirt that she really liked
to I returned the favor. The whole time checking out a copy of the
Butcher cover hung over our heads as if it was in approval of our
purchases. We both then had to wait until Christmas to enjoy of new
Beatles treats from The House of Guitars. I left satisfied, giddy
with excitement, the kind of feeling that The Beatles music conjures
within me when I listen to it. It’s an intoxicating feeling
that many are familiar with; the fortunate Beatles fans. To cap off
the night we headed to Dinosaur BBQ for a Northern version of what
North Carolina does so well. It was a great meal, overlooking the
Genesee River as it became illuminated with the dim lights of the
city and the shine from the moon overhead. It’s a ragged town
but it’s easy to find the beauty hidden between its dark
spots.
The
next night brought snow with it so we headed down to Nick Tahou
Hots early to grab some dinner. I assured Melissa that this place
was a Rochester institution. Last time I was here I order the famous
garbage plate and pickup up a T-shirt for Melissa. Since then she
would often be stopped by people asking with excitement “Are
you from Rochester?” Obviously it was a big deal for people
from this area so Melissa had to experience it for herself. We popped
in the back door and got in the short line of people who were mostly
ordering out. The old guy running the grill enjoyed giving Melissa
a hard time while our food was being cooked but she’s good
at that type of playful banter. That’s one thing I love about
her, she truly holds her own. I would have just felt uncomfortable
and wished I could have replied to his comments in a confident manner.
Melissa tell me that I just go stupid sometimes and I agree, not
sure why I do. So we left with two burgers, some fries, and a replacement
T-shirt for Mel’s that had met it’s match a few stains
before. We took the food back to the hotel lounge and had a few drinks
while we ate our dinner out of a brown paper bag. The burger was
really amazing; the chili totally did it for me. As we went to bed
I watched as the snow accumulated on the ground outside the hotel.
I was a little nervous about driving so early the next morning with
all the snow but it turned out to be ok. Our flight was a little
late leaving because they had to de-ice the plane. Not the best thing
for Melissa’s nerves but everything turned out good and we
were back in Charlotte that Wednesday morning.
Christmas
was spent with the family down in South Carolina. My aunt and uncle
came down to visit and it was nice to see them again as
we’ve grown very close to them over the past year. New years
followed with a new set of numbers and here we are; living life to
the best of our abilities. On the ninth we were in Carrboro for an
Abbey Road Live show at the Cat’s Cradle. I know I’ve
talked about this great club before, or maybe I haven’t?! I
got pretty side track there for a while with Journal entries so maybe
I will have to do some catching up. Back in September we heard that
The Minus 5 was coming to a small club in Carrboro NC. What’s
the importance here? The Minus 5 consists of Scott McCaughey and
the legendary Peter Buck of R.E.M.; a side project of sorts I guess
you could say. Melissa is a huge R.E.M. fan and has been since before
I knew her. As I’ve written before, their music changed her
life. Here’s here own words via Facebook: going to see effing
PETER BUCK at a small little hole in the wall club tonight! UBER
excited! (He's the guitar player for REM for those of you with no
clue right now) ;-)With that in mind we hopped at the opportunity
to see Peter in such an intimate setting, not really knowing what
to expect. We got up there real early, there was only one guy there
that was stalking the place, so we sat down in front of this old
crappy club and waited. At one point the club door opened out meandered
Buck, all dressed in black and on old hat on. He waited for a moment
as the rest of the band joined him. I remember him looking around
and making eye contact with Melissa and smiling. I could see Melissa
going dumb for a moment. Here was Peter Buck, one of the greatest
guitar players of our time, right in front of us like it was no big
deal. I mean, we “met” Peter briefly back at the Georgia
Music Hall of Fame show in 2006 but it was hectic and brief. A quick, “you
rock…can I get your autograph?” This was different, much
more real. So they went off to grab a drink at one of the neighboring
bars while I tried to calm Melissa down. Melissa’s Facebook
status at that moment: Holy schnikeys!!! Peter Buck and crew just
walked out of the club where we're waiting to get in. Total eye contact.
Totally insane. So obviously she was excited. They opened the doors
and we headed straight to the front of the stage to claim our spot.
I grabbed some beers while checking the place out; a real small shabby
room with a black painted concrete floor and crude murals across
the walls. Most people would call it a dump but there is something
enduring about it; kind of reminded me of The Iron Horse where I
started playing back in 1996…no frills music joint.
While
enjoying our drinks at the front of the stage Peter Buck jumped
up and grabbed his bass and attempted to attach a Jack Daniels
belt buckle that came with a bottle whisky he had just bought.
He asked
our opinion on how he should attach it to his strap and we did
out best to answer. I told him that it needed to be on the opposite
side
of his bass strap so that the audience could see it. Melissa however
just stood there smiling without a word. Here’s what she posted
on FB: “Ummm holy shit. Peter Buck just asked our opinion on
his guitar strap decor. Seriously. This was one fourth of my idols
as a 15 year old. I might throw up a little.” The audience
had finally started to fill up the room and the show started: Scott
on guitar and lead vocals, Steve Wynn on guitar and vocals, Linda
Pitmon on drums, and Peter on bass. Occasionally Peter would switch
to guitar and pull out his signature black Rickenbaker. I’ve
always loved watching him on stage though never from such a great
vantage point. The two times
we saw R.E.M. on tour we were in the upper bowl but even there
his unmistakable moves came through load
and clear. Not sure what to call it. If Pete Townshend has the
bird-man then Peter Buck has the back kick. I guess that’s the best
way to describe it. He’s very quiet of stage but it’s
like he has momentary fits, releasing the energy into the room. It’s
signature Peter Buck, the back kick! Lol So during the break I urged
Melissa so go up and actually talk to Peter while we bought a poster
from the tour. We got everyone to sign it; Steve, Peter and Scott…well
almost everyone. Melissa got up the nerve to talk with Peter and
I can’t remember what was said but it did have substance. It
was actually a conversation about something, not just “holy
shit you’re Peter Buck!” While Melissa talked with
Peter I took the
time to shake Steve’s hand and tell him “I’ve
never freaking heard of you but you are amazing on stage” and
I totally meant it. He had this kind of punk feel that was infectious.
At one point in the show, with feedback building from his amp, he
placed head of his guitar on the floor and leaned on it’s body
causing the notes to bend and the excitement to build. He was something
to watch. He seemed really excited that I liked his performance so
much. I told him we were from Charlotte and he talked about playing
the Milestone with his former band Dream Syndicate back in the eighties.
Turns out he is quite a cult rock hero. After talking with Peter,
Melissa asked if she could get a proper photo to replace the “Say
Anything” shot from 2006. He said “sure honey” in
a nice respectful way and posed from what I’m sure was his
one millionth fan photo. Melissa wrote on Facebook “OMG OMG
OMG! Just got everyone to sign our poster during the break AND
talked to Peter AND got a pic with him!!!!!!!”
During
the break Melissa had noticed a guy that she said seemed very familiar.
Peter and Scott had both spoken with him but Melissa couldn’t
place him until Scott invited him on stage for a few songs. Turns
out it was Peter Holsapple, here’s Melissa’s explanation
for the non-R.E.M. fanatics out there. “Peter Holsapple played
with REM back on their 1991 MTV unplugged and was called the unofficial
5th member by Michael Stipe. He lives in Durham now, so this was
crazy to get to see this special performance!” We were very
lucky to see Peter join the Minus 5 on stage. For an R.E.M. fan it
was electrifying. After the show we got one last picture, this time
with Scott, and then we headed back to Mooresville. On the ride back
Melissa wrote on her facebook page “That. Was. Awesome. Seriously.
I just saw three guys who have played as a part of REM. Peter obviously.
Scott McCaughey who came on during Monster and stuck around. And
Peter Holsapple who played with them during Green and Out of Time.
He was also on the unplugged. He lives in Durham and came to the
show and played two songs with them one of which was the Ballad of
John and Yoko!” So that experience solidified the Cat’s
Cradle as one of the great venues in North Carolina, at least for
us. So yes, where was I? January 9th at the Cat’s Cradle
for Abbey Road Live! lol
While
visiting Carrboro we’ve kind of fallen in love with one
particular restaurant called The Spotted Dog. It’s kind of
a vegetarian place and most of the time that would instantly drive
me away but thankfully it didn’t because their food is amazing.
I dare to say that they have the best pasta dishes in all of North
Carolina and I really don’t like pasta all that much. So each
time we are in town for a show that is where we start. After a great
meal we walked down past the Cradle to a book/record store called
Nice Price Books. I had read about it online and heard they had a
great selection of used LPs and Melissa loves books so it seemed
like a good spot. This place was great! Melissa instantly checked
out the Who section where she grabbed a copy of “Who Are You”.
I picked up two Genesis (Gabriel) albums, a copy of one of my top
ten albums “The Stranger” by Billy Joel, John Lennon’s “Mind
Games”, a sweet R.E.M. single. In the processes I stumbled
along a ragged but playable copy of “Quadrophenia” and
a 45 single from “Tommy”. After the shopping spree
we headed to a coffee house down the street before going
to the show. It was here that Melissa’s Train-sources altered
her a tickets being available to a Durham NC show in March. This
news came a few
days earlier then had been hinted at by the bands website so Melissa
frantically utilized her iPhone to purchase VIP tickets. It was
a manic moment for Mel but I just sat back, enjoyed my mocha, and
played
with the Quadrophenia LP.
The Abbey Road Live show was a little more animated than usual as
we had to fight to keep our spot at the front. By the end of the
set the crowd had began to jump around as bodies surged against the
stage. It was very odd, probably the second roughest show I had ever
been to with the first being Tool at the Tabernacle, Atlanta in 2001.
The night ended with a
blistering
version of Helter Skelter and the band’s keyboard/guitar player crowd surfing during it’s
distorted ending. The energy was infectious. So that’s that.
February is almost here and I’m looking forward to another
month of living. Until next time!
The
next night brought snow with it so we headed down to Nick Tahou
Hots early to grab some dinner. I assured Melissa that this place
was a Rochester institution. Last time I was here I order the famous
garbage plate and pickup up a T-shirt for Melissa. Since then she
would often be stopped by people asking with excitement “Are
you from Rochester?” Obviously it was a big deal for people
from this area so Melissa had to experience it for herself. We popped
in the back door and got in the short line of people who were mostly
ordering out. The old guy running the grill enjoyed giving Melissa
a hard time while our food was being cooked but she’s good
at that type of playful banter. That’s one thing I love about
her, she truly holds her own. I would have just felt uncomfortable
and wished I could have replied to his comments in a confident manner.
Melissa tell me that I just go stupid sometimes and I agree, not
sure why I do. So we left with two burgers, some fries, and a replacement
T-shirt for Mel’s that had met it’s match a few stains
before. We took the food back to the hotel lounge and had a few drinks
while we ate our dinner out of a brown paper bag. The burger was
really amazing; the chili totally did it for me. As we went to bed
I watched as the snow accumulated on the ground outside the hotel.
I was a little nervous about driving so early the next morning with
all the snow but it turned out to be ok. Our flight was a little
late leaving because they had to de-ice the plane. Not the best thing
for Melissa’s nerves but everything turned out good and we
were back in Charlotte that Wednesday morning.
Christmas
was spent with the family down in South Carolina. My aunt and uncle
came down to visit and it was nice to see them again as
we’ve grown very close to them over the past year. New years
followed with a new set of numbers and here we are; living life to
the best of our abilities. On the ninth we were in Carrboro for an
Abbey Road Live show at the Cat’s Cradle. I know I’ve
talked about this great club before, or maybe I haven’t?! I
got pretty side track there for a while with Journal entries so maybe
I will have to do some catching up. Back in September we heard that
The Minus 5 was coming to a small club in Carrboro NC. What’s
the importance here? The Minus 5 consists of Scott McCaughey and
the legendary Peter Buck of R.E.M.; a side project of sorts I guess
you could say. Melissa is a huge R.E.M. fan and has been since before
I knew her. As I’ve written before, their music changed her
life. Here’s here own words via Facebook: going to see effing
PETER BUCK at a small little hole in the wall club tonight! UBER
excited! (He's the guitar player for REM for those of you with no
clue right now) ;-)With that in mind we hopped at the opportunity
to see Peter in such an intimate setting, not really knowing what
to expect. We got up there real early, there was only one guy there
that was stalking the place, so we sat down in front of this old
crappy club and waited. At one point the club door opened out meandered
Buck, all dressed in black and on old hat on. He waited for a moment
as the rest of the band joined him. I remember him looking around
and making eye contact with Melissa and smiling. I could see Melissa
going dumb for a moment. Here was Peter Buck, one of the greatest
guitar players of our time, right in front of us like it was no big
deal. I mean, we “met” Peter briefly back at the Georgia
Music Hall of Fame show in 2006 but it was hectic and brief. A quick, “you
rock…can I get your autograph?” This was different, much
more real. So they went off to grab a drink at one of the neighboring
bars while I tried to calm Melissa down. Melissa’s Facebook
status at that moment: Holy schnikeys!!! Peter Buck and crew just
walked out of the club where we're waiting to get in. Total eye contact.
Totally insane. So obviously she was excited. They opened the doors
and we headed straight to the front of the stage to claim our spot.
I grabbed some beers while checking the place out; a real small shabby
room with a black painted concrete floor and crude murals across
the walls. Most people would call it a dump but there is something
enduring about it; kind of reminded me of The Iron Horse where I
started playing back in 1996…no frills music joint.
While
enjoying our drinks at the front of the stage Peter Buck jumped
up and grabbed his bass and attempted to attach a Jack Daniels
belt buckle that came with a bottle whisky he had just bought.
He asked
our opinion on how he should attach it to his strap and we did
out best to answer. I told him that it needed to be on the opposite
side
of his bass strap so that the audience could see it. Melissa however
just stood there smiling without a word. Here’s what she posted
on FB: “Ummm holy shit. Peter Buck just asked our opinion on
his guitar strap decor. Seriously. This was one fourth of my idols
as a 15 year old. I might throw up a little.” The audience
had finally started to fill up the room and the show started: Scott
on guitar and lead vocals, Steve Wynn on guitar and vocals, Linda
Pitmon on drums, and Peter on bass. Occasionally Peter would switch
to guitar and pull out his signature black Rickenbaker. I’ve
always loved watching him on stage though never from such a great
vantage point. The two 
times
we saw R.E.M. on tour we were in the upper bowl but even there
his unmistakable moves came through load
and clear. Not sure what to call it. If Pete Townshend has the
bird-man then Peter Buck has the back kick. I guess that’s the best
way to describe it. He’s very quiet of stage but it’s
like he has momentary fits, releasing the energy into the room. It’s
signature Peter Buck, the back kick! Lol So during the break I urged
Melissa so go up and actually talk to Peter while we bought a poster
from the tour. We got everyone to sign it; Steve, Peter and Scott…well
almost everyone. Melissa got up the nerve to talk with Peter and
I can’t remember what was said but it did have substance. It
was actually a conversation about something, not just “holy
shit you’re Peter Buck!” While Melissa talked with
Peter I took 
the
time to shake Steve’s hand and tell him “I’ve
never freaking heard of you but you are amazing on stage” and
I totally meant it. He had this kind of punk feel that was infectious.
At one point in the show, with feedback building from his amp, he
placed head of his guitar on the floor and leaned on it’s body
causing the notes to bend and the excitement to build. He was something
to watch. He seemed really excited that I liked his performance so
much. I told him we were from Charlotte and he talked about playing
the Milestone with his former band Dream Syndicate back in the eighties.
Turns out he is quite a cult rock hero. After talking with Peter,
Melissa asked if she could get a proper photo to replace the “Say
Anything” shot from 2006. He said “sure 
honey” in
a nice respectful way and posed from what I’m sure was his
one millionth fan photo. Melissa wrote on Facebook “OMG OMG
OMG! Just got everyone to sign our poster during the break AND
talked to Peter AND got a pic with him!!!!!!!”
During
the break Melissa had noticed a guy that she said seemed very familiar.
Peter and Scott had both spoken with him but Melissa couldn’t
place him until Scott invited him on stage for a few songs. Turns
out it was Peter Holsapple, here’s Melissa’s explanation
for the non-R.E.M. fanatics out there. “Peter Holsapple played
with REM back on their 1991 MTV unplugged and was called the unofficial
5th member by Michael Stipe. He lives in Durham now, so this was
crazy to get to see this special performance!” We were very
lucky to see Peter join the Minus 5 on stage. For an R.E.M. fan it
was electrifying. After the show we got one last picture, this time
with Scott, and then we headed back to Mooresville. On the ride back
Melissa wrote on her facebook page “That. Was. Awesome. Seriously.
I just saw three guys who have played as a part of REM. Peter obviously.
Scott McCaughey who came on during Monster and stuck around. And
Peter Holsapple who played with them during Green and Out of Time.
He was also on the unplugged. He lives in Durham and came to the
show and played two songs with them one of which was the Ballad of
John and Yoko!” So that experience solidified the Cat’s
Cradle as one of the great venues in North Carolina, at least for
us. So yes, where was I? January 9th at the Cat’s Cradle
for Abbey Road Live! lol
While
visiting Carrboro we’ve kind of fallen in love with one
particular restaurant called The Spotted Dog. It’s kind of
a vegetarian place and most of the time that would instantly drive
me away but thankfully it didn’t because their food is amazing.
I dare to say that they have the best pasta dishes in all of North
Carolina and I really don’t like pasta all that much. So each
time we are in town for a show that is where we start. After a great
meal we walked down past the Cradle to a book/record store called
Nice Price Books. I had read about it online and heard they had a
great selection of used LPs and Melissa loves books so it seemed
like a good spot. This place was great! Melissa instantly checked
out the Who section where she grabbed a copy of “Who Are You”.
I picked up two Genesis (Gabriel) albums, a copy of one of my top
ten albums “The Stranger” by Billy Joel, John Lennon’s “Mind
Games”, a sweet R.E.M. single. In the processes I stumbled
along a ragged but playable copy of “Quadrophenia” and
a 45 single from “Tommy”. After the shopping spree
we headed to a coffee house down the street before 
going
to the show. It was here that Melissa’s Train-sources altered
her a tickets being available to a Durham NC show in March. This
news came a few
days earlier then had been hinted at by the bands website so Melissa
frantically utilized her iPhone to purchase VIP tickets. It was
a manic moment for Mel but I just sat back, enjoyed my mocha, and
played
with the Quadrophenia LP.