New recordings

I was able to do a couple of test recordings with the new mic. It did make a huge difference. I would love to post them to our myspace site, we just made too many mistakes while playing. We will do some real recording next week... multi track and all. I think I'm going to use the new mixer for the drums - two SM57's, one 58, and the condenser should work. And thankfully the board is equipped with phantom power for the new mic. I'll use a 57 for the Bass, and the condenser for the Guitars and vocals. I really hope it works out. It should be a good demo at the least...

NEW!!! AudioTechnica AT3035 Condenser Mic

It's on its way according to UPS: OUT FOR DELIVERY... I should be able to check it out tonight. I really hope this improves the quality of our recordings on the 8track. Also, my friend Bill is coming out tonight to take some pictures of us, so that should be fun. I grabbed a myspace site for Heavy High. I figured that I would call the band that until we find something else which probably won’t happen. I hate not having a name... Anyway, I'll make it a band account once we get a good recording and some pictures.

New Yamaha mixer

Matt bought the mixer that we were looking at last week. So we are finally replacing the Entertainer. The Entertainer has actually been pretty good to us. We've had it for over 10 years, and have not really had many problems with it except that it's just not powerful enough at 100 watts. The Yamaha is 600 watts which is plenty for vocals and acoustic guitars.

Matt and I worked on some really cool acoustic stuff on Sunday. We'll try to finish em up on Wednesday…

I'm looking at getting a condenser mic. This one seems to be versatile. It can be used for room recording, cabinets, and vocals: Condenser Mic

I'm hoping to start recording this week. A band name is needed... I still like Heavy High.

Ice Age II

The meltdown wasn’t really that great. I had its funny moments though. The Squirrel was hysterical. Not one that you have to catch on the big screen unless you have kids. We took our kids and one of our neighbors kids to see it Sunday. It cost me around $70 for a trip to the movies. That's ridiculous! What a rip off...

New Mixer?
I think we may own a new mixer for the warehouse. Matt was looking at a Yamaha powered mixer on Saturday. We really need a new one. The Entertainer is not cutting it. for real that is the name of our current mixer. EV's The Entertainer. I'm guessing 1980's with that name. So I'm hoping that it's on its way out the door. We really need something more dependable now since Eric bought a new Breedlove acoustic last week. We want to do some acoustic stuff, but need the PA to handle it well. And the Entertainer doesn't cut it.

WBreakneck

In front of the old warehouse on Parramore and Amelia downtown. Those were the days.... I really miss our old room in that place. The owner (Dave) was a pretty strange, and sometimes funny dude. He would yell WHERES MY MONEY whenever he saw Doug. He would have Doug do work for him to pay off backrent. We would show up for practice and Doug would be mopping the floors or cleaning the bathrooms... The owner purchased this place for a really decent price, then rented it out to bands, and made porno's there with pregnant chicks.... There were some very interesting characters there. Fat Jay was this huge black dude that liked to rap. He sold smokes and candy out of the room that he rented from Dave. He was like 400 lbs or something… He talked Bryan, Bob, Dale and I into jamming with him a couple of times. He would get so out of breath while rapping that we thought he was going to have a heart attack. And there was the guy with the short arms that could play the guitar like Yngwie... Very fond memories indeed :)

Doug, Jeff, Eric, Bryan


And inside:

Sea Monkey's and stuff

Sea Monkey update:
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that we only had 1 Sea monkey left. Now out of nowhere, there are 5 or so small ones in the tank along with the one gigantic mother of the sea monkey or the queen. These things are real survivors…

Band:
We finally finished up Untitled song, started another one and almost finished it. I wrote an Ian Hill style Bass line to it that everyone really likes… The songs are definitely getting better. I’m going to try to get a really good recording on the 8 track soon. We’ll have to do it when we’re going through a slump or something… give us something to do when we don’t have anything good to work on. Hope that never happens... I’d like to use it as a demo for getting shows for this summer… hopefully.

I’ll have to get a real Myspace site going once we find a name and start posting this stuff. Wow, coming up with a name is really hard, we haven’t found many that we like yet.

Heavy High (cycle on Matt’s clothes dryer)
Villain (too 80’s metal sounding) I still like it.
The Drag Delirium or just Drag Delirium (the word Drag can be misleading)

And many others that I can’t remember right now.

New cabinet

I picked up this Trace Elliot cabinet this weekend. I originally bought a Hartke 2x15 cab, but had to return it due to some weird cackling sound it was making. I wanted to exchange it, but they didn't have anymore in stock, so they had me try this one. I blows the Hartke away... Great low end, and clear... Sounds great with the GK. Can't wait to try it along with the 4x10 Hartke.

My Space

Just testing it out. I posted a couple of tunes... bad recordings, but you can get an idea of what we sound like.

http://www.myspace.com/junkmusic

Update

We went from not having enough ideas to having too many. We have quite a few unfinished songs right now... Not bringing anymore new stuff to the warehouse until we finish this stuff up. The hardest part now is just putting stuff together, making smooth transitions...not very easy. I feel that this is the best material that we've come up with yet. Although it does seem a lot harder than it used to be back in the old days. Life is a lot different now then it was 10 years ago...

Our once a week practice needs to be fun, after all it is getting us out of the house, but at the same time it needs to be productive because it is only once a week. Satisfaction needs to replace fun, and that's ok. We still sit around drink beer and BS when we're done playing for the night...

Goal:
10 to 12 songs
Record 5 best for a demo

Then I guess we can start playing out a bit. That'll be weird. I cant wait to here what this stuff is going to sound like in the studio!

Ok, enough of that crap. I'm looking at getting rid of the Tahoe, and replacing it with a Cherokee. Been looking around. Went to a few car lots, not fun at all. I really hate car salesman... They're so full of shit!! So I've decided that I'll look for a private seller. There are quite a few on http://www.autotrader.com/ for very reasonable prices. I'm going to buy one first, then sell my truck to pay myself back. I just want to make sure it's really what I want before getting rid of the Tahoe. The big problem with the Tahoe is that it's a 2 door. A big pain in the ass if you have kids. Dropping them off to school is not fun at all...

Rain this weekend

We really need it, but I was supposed to take Tera and a friend to the Lil' 500 go-kart track on Saturday. She'll be pissed if we end up not going... I'll have to make a backup plan in case it does end up raining all weekend. Movies or something.

Looking for a Hamer Daytona Strat copy for Eric. He's been wanting a Strat for a while, and heard some really good things about these guitars. I found a few on Ebay, watching one now, and may bid on it if it stays under $600. Sunburst with seymour duncan pickups. Cant have enough guitars! This would be a nice addition to his collection. I think it's good for the band as well. We need change every now and then.

Catching up

SEAMONKEYS
We got the kids Sea Monkeys for Christmas this year, and they're still kicking... I don't really know how long they'll last, but they seem like they're doing great... They're huge! I'm in charge of feeding them because the kids would forget and I'm sure Tracy doesn't want anything to do with them. I think she's secretly afraid of them. They are kind of creepy...

NEW KORN
Driving into work this morning I heard the new Korn song, not sure how new, but it's the latest one that they've been playing on the radio. What happened to them? I was never a huge fan, haven't really heard a whole lot of their stuff. The new stuff is way over produce, and has a real pop element to it. Man it really sucks!

BAND UPDATE:
Working our asses off the last few weeks. Two new songs that need vocals - Matt is sick and hasn't been able to work on anything due to a really sore throat. He showed up last night to tape the new stuff, but still couldn't sing. I'm pretty happy with our progress. I really need to change the strings on the J bass this weekend. Starting to sound like crap. Nothing like a new set of strings...

Weekend

Started off Friday moving the PS2 into the living room, and moved the DVD player from my bedroom into the kids playroom\living room. The kids really dent use the PS2, and I wanted to start playing games more. Worked out pretty good. I rented Burnout III, and bought a used copy of Final Fantasy X.

I was supposed to wash the cars and rake the leaves in the yard on Saturday, but it was really cold and windy. Like 50 mph gusts... Sunday was warmer, but I was busy watching the kids while Tracy went shopping with her friend. She Ended up getting something for every one including me! She surprised me God of War for the PS2. What an awesome game! Everything about it is great... looks great on the big screen, better than the others that I own... cant wait to play it again.

Oh, and I got to watch my favorite team, the Magic get beat by portlend on the road. Now they're talking about a trade again. Francis to the Timberwolves for Wally Szczerbiak and Trent Hassell. That may not be bad. Stats on Wally S are better than Frances. I dont the Timberwolves would go for that... I would be a good move for us though.

Practice last night

Finished another song. That's still only 6, but getting there. Our goal is 8 before we start picking them apart and really practicing them a lot. We'll get there sooner or later. It's slow going... only getting one day a week. We're going to try to pick up a Saturday night once a month. The good news is that the songs are getting better! We should be able to play out sometime this spring\summer.

Making Bread

I plan on trying a Challah Recipe compliments of Josh. I'm going to get the kids to help me to give them something to do. Tracy's going to some art exhibit tonight in Orlando. Perfect way to entertain the kids.

Wow, I made some beef short ribs with tomato sauce the other day. Browned them, then let them cook for 4 hours in the sauce, and served them with pasta. I came out great... very tender.

New Years: I don't really remember anything after doing a shot of 160 proof bourbon with Eric, Rob and Bryan... I was glad to hear that I wasn't the only one that doesn't remember much after that. There are some other interesting stories that I shouldn't share:) Overall a good time.

Christmas and stuff

Had a pretty good Christmas. Got a bunch of cool stuff... Mars Volta shirt, DVD's, gift cards... The kids liked everything Santa got them. Still need to go through the old stuff to make room for the new in their rooms.

I got a movie called Serenity on DVD. Awesome flick! I highly recommend it to any one who is a fan of science fiction or the show Firefly (it's based on this show) Kind of a more mature version of Star Wars... No goofy creatures... I also got 40 year old virgin and Fire in the Sky. Tracy got a bunch also so we have a lot of movie watching to do.

I ended up having the entire week off with the kids which was good. They behaved for the most part. The usual issues with them fighting and not listening... Just have to keep telling myself patience and consistency!!! Easier to yell and give them what they want so they'll shut up. But we're pretty good about it most of the time. As far as our kids go, I've seen worse.

Almost pulled it off

The Magic actually played a very close game against the 3rd best in the league, the Dallas Mavs. Went into overtime and got killed by Dirk... Good game though.

Going to a Christmas party at my sisters tonight. The kids will get their first gifts of the season. Yes, they end up having Christmas 3 times with all the different family we have to see. The big one of course is on Christmas here at the house. I fell we did pretty good this year. We didn't spoil them too much... Almost done with shopping. I still have to take the kids shopping for Mom, and I'm done.

Magic losing streak - Recording the band

Magic lose their fifth consecutive game. This time is was to the Bulls. A better team than the Magic without Grant Hill. SteveO was back but didn't do much... Howard had 17 points and 17 rebounds!! This guy is going to be good... We went to the Spurs Magic game on Monday, and they another loss as I predicted, but we did have a good time. The kids really enjoyed it. It was a pretty close game for the first three quarters, but Tim Duncan killed us in the 4th.

Last night we were able to finish the latest song we've been working on, and do a little recording. I setup mics around the room, and at the snare and bass drum. I really need to go direct from my amp and hook Eric up with a 57 directional. Other than that, the recordings came out decent. We were able to get through 2 of 3 songs without any major mistakes. One really good thing that came out of this is that I figured out why the PA was sounding like shit for the past few weeks. A few weeks ago we connected a CD player to the PA so we can listen to music after practice while we BS and drink a few beers... The CD player sounds great going through the PA, but the vocals were muddy and low volume. Last night I disconnected the CD player while we were recording. The vocals were loud and clear. The CD player must have been drawing power from the amp. Nice to know... So I finally have a good recording with vocals that we can hear.

This is really cool: Pandora

You can create your own radio station. Just type in a band or song you like, based on this it will start playing songs that are similar to what you typed in. It works great... I've discovered tons of new music this way. If it plays a song you don't like, just click on it and select "I don't like it" it's pretty amazing...

Free Saturday

The kids ended up spending the night at their Grandparents house on Saturday night, so Tracy and I had a night off. We went to Mimis for dinner, and caught a movie, the Ice Harvest afterward. Mimis is a really good place for dinner or breakfast. It's always pretty crowded. I got the Pasta Jambalaya, and Tracy got the Chicken Pot Pie. Both were very good... Made the movie just in time for the previews. The movie was pretty funny. You have to enjoy dark comedy's to like this one. I'd give it 3 out of 5.

Tonight we're taking the kids to the Magic game. They're playing the Spurs (lat years champs) and the Magic may be missing a few key players due to injuries, so it will more than likely be a loss. Should still be fun...

B-day

Cant believe I'm 38! We had a pretty good night last night. Went to the Outback for dinner, then just hung out at the house and drank Beer... Eric bought me a 6 of Shipyards Pumkinhead which was very good as expected. Got a decent steak at the Outback along with a couple of Fosters. I'm convinced that the Outback in Altamonte is WAY better than the one in Sanford that cant even cook at med rare steak properly. Everytime we've gone there they've screwed up my steak, and you don't want them taking it back because you'll have to wait another half hour to get your dinner. Anyway, it was a good experience this time. Tracy got me Orlando Magic tix for the game on Monday against the Spurs. The whole family's going. We're sitting in the lower section of the area which is really cool. And she got tickets for the Magic vs the Nuggets of our anniversary... My Wife is awesome!!!

Thanksgiving

Made my first Turkey... I cooked it until the breast was 170, and the dark meat 180. The breast meat was done fist so I took it out and carved it, popped the rest back in for a few more minutes. The biggest mistake that people make is overcooking the breast meat. It's going to be dry if it gets over 180 unless you brine it overnight before cooking. Next time that's what I'll do. 1/2 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of brown sugar per gallon of water.

Had a nice 4 day weekend, got to watch some good basketball games. The Magic have won 3 in a row!! They beat the Miami Heat on Saturday. The Heat is comprised of mostly all-starts this year, that makes this win better than the others this season. The Magic were not supposed to win this one. We should have a pretty decent team when Grant comes back...

This just in: Naked prowler shot in genitals with Taser by deputies near Fort Myers Beach!!

I love the Orlando Sentinel...