I'll Always Try To Get Back To You...

Well, this weekend was surprisingly pretty fun. Some people were ridiculously annoying, but we joked about them all weekend and it was quite nice. Here's a quick recap:

Friday morning I arrive at school around 7. The bus driver was about 45 minutes late, leading us to having a delayed start. Thankfully, nearly everyone sleeps most of the way down there. About 4 1/2 hours later, we arrive at the VA hospital in Dublin to play for the wounded veterans. It was pretty touching when we played all of the military songs -- Whenever one group's song came up they stood and cheered as best they could. Once that was over we went to eat and then to the hotel.

The hotel was where the majority of the fun stuff happened, mainly because we weren't with a large group of idiots. It was me, Jason Reid, Nate Saunders, and Peter Dohogne in the room.

After this stop at the hotel we went to River Street in downtown Savannah where we were set to see the ghost tour. It was pretty terrible.

Back to the hotel. Sleep. Wake up. Go on the dolphin tour. This was pretty boring. I had seen dolphins before so it wasn't a huge deal to me. After this we went back to the hotel, yet again, and then we were off to the Tybee Island's beach...for 4 hours. I didn't swim, but I still managed to get a slight sunburn which isn't fun. Back to the hotel...Again.

This morning: Wake up around 8:30, pack up our stuff, get on the bus, grab lunch, go to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was fun. They had a music making area with a guitar and (crappy) drumset. I played guitar nearly the whole time. Every time I went to stop, someone would ask me to play them something. I hate it when people ask me that...I never know what to play.

And now I'm back here. Slightly sunburned and needing to get started on Chemistry homework. I have quite a large amount. Yargh. 4 weeks of school left. I'm excited, and ready to get out.

I Don't Wanna Go To Bed...I Couldn't If I Wanted...

The show was incredible. It was definitely the funnest / best one ever. Alex and Danny's new band went first. They weren't so great. Next came Taking Lottie Home, whom everyone already loved. They did quite nicely. My dad gave the approval for me to go on tour with them too! Now I just gotta convince my mom... After TLH came We Are Only Fiction. They were much, much improved from when I saw them the weekend before. This is when the craziness started. People started crowdsurfing and moshing a little, but this was nothing compared to 1994's set. Literally EVERYONE in the building was jumping up and down and moshing and going crazy. Two members of the band had wireless and were running around the room and climbing up to the balcony. It was pure insanity, emotion, and passion crammed into a 30 minute set. I, as well as everyone else, loved it. It was beautiful. I feel bad for whoever missed it. They'll all probably be back June 1st as a tour kickoff show along with (hopefully) foreverdown. I'm already pumped.

Saturday I started at Cobb's Mill. It's really easy and pretty laid back. I like the people who work in there. I'm only making 6 bucks an hour, and working a few days a week, but it most definitely beats nothing.

Also Saturday, I "signed" The Alcoholic Freshman to Bonfire Club Records. I'm gonna be putting out his latest and final CD (due May 4th). I am also gonna be the sole distributor (besides him) of his debut EP, "Sick of Depending On People" starting May 15th-ish. I will have them both for crazy cheap (the new CD for like 2 bucks and the old one for like one), so if anyone wants to buy something, lemme know! If you can't afford something, I'm sure we can work it out.

That's about all for now. I hope I can convince my mom to let me go on that tour. I think I'm gonna try tomorrow. Wish me luck. As for the time being, I need to do my Chemistry homework. I have a 91 in there...Yargh!

My Smile's In Sad Shape, All the Dead Weight I Got Tired of Carrying...

...Yeah it’s got me looking for a friend
or a crutch I can depend on...
-- Bright Eyes


Well, Spring Break is nearly over, and I've gotta say, this has been one of the worst ones I've ever had.

For the first 4 days, I sat at home and did absolutely nothing. Wednesday and Thursday nights I went over to Trey's house at like midnight to spend the night with him and John. Trey is one annoying character. He seriously asks the dumbest questions and plays the same thing over and over again (on both guitar and whatever music player he has on his computer). He's one of the most pretentious people I've ever met. On Friday night we went down to The Vineyard in Marietta to watch Taking Lottie Home, 1994, We Are Only Fiction, and a couple other bands that weren't so hot. Natalie Sheppard as there and we hung out pretty much all night. It was fun. Trey kept trying to be the center of attention by pulling my hair and hitting me. It was quite annoying. When we got home he lied to some people and said he sung with Taking Lottie Home that night, then later denied it. Ugh. So annoying. Whatever I guess.

Today I've just sat around doing nothing. I need to do my essay for Honors Lit. One thing I did kind of get accomplished though was finally talk to Bucky (Valiant Death dude) about some releases I'm helping with. He says the Lee Lewis CD's are finally done and he's shipping them, along with some more distro stuff, soon. We also talked about the new imadethismistake album Tomorrow, We Start New. I'm gonna have about 100 copies of it come the beginning of June. I'll be selling them for around what I'm paying for them ($1.50 each) and they're professionally pressed and packaged and all the good stuff. I'm excited.

I think I'm gonna get a job next week. I don't want one, but I need one.

Next Friday. Awesome show at Black and Gold. Taking Lottie Home, 1994, We Are Only Fiction, and Alex Walter's new band. I'm excited. I just hope people show up....and donate. I have to get 70 bucks to 1994. Whatever doesn't come in with donations is what I have to pay out of pocket.

My brother is cheating on his girlfriend. I don't see why he just doesn't break up with her instead of trying to keep secrets. I wish they'd at least leave the house for a little bit so I could record some stuff (I hate singing when people can hear me).

I wish Dave would hurry up and come back up here with my stuff. Maybe he'll come up in time for the show Friday? It'd be cool to get my stuff back and play a quick set on top of that. I doubt that'll happen, though.

May is going to be insane for shows. I have 5 set up. Three within a week of each other. Ack!

Eh, I think I'm gonna go. Hope your Spring Break was better than mine.

Forever's A Long Time, Been Alone With My Fears...

So I really wanna get "The Blairsville Sessions" out. All I'm really waiting for is In the Shadow of Victory's track and I have to do the artwork. I may ask 1994 for a track if I have room. Here's the tracklisting without that stuff:

1. Super Famicom - To Be In Custody of Ghosts
2. Jon Crocker - Summer Days
3. The Alcoholic Freshman - Thanks A Lot, Dickhead
4. Sloppy Meateaters - Truth In Rations
5. Taking Lottie Home - Kill the Lights
6. Farewell Flight - Cruel
7. foreverDOWN - Hopefully Finding Hopeless
8. An Act of My Own - Never Keep Forgetting
9. Defiance, Ohio - Grandma Song
10. Joshua Fletcher & the Six-Shot Romance - Love Is A Loaded Weapon (Bring Your Own Chainsaw)
11. The Max Levine Ensemble - Another Song About the Rain
12. Wildebeest - Fighting Windmills Again
13. Natalie Sheppard - Leave the Light On
14. Inertia! - St. Augustine
15. The Rescued - Sweet Dreams Little Soldier
16. imadethismistake - Staring Blindly Into A Dull Sunset
17. redbear. - Body Parts
18. I Am Only Your Side Effect - Parkers Rich Is Dead
19. Brook Pridemore - Sky Falls Fast (live cover)
20. Mr. Microphone - West Side Story
21. Peasant - Exposure


So I seem to make everything awkward for pretty much everyone. I don't like it, but I'm just being who I am -- A quiet person. I honestly think I could go days without speaking to anyone. I just need to meet new people I guess. Get outta Blairsville. I dunno. It's depressing. I miss my friends.

Although it's just beginning, this Spring Break is shaping up to be one of the worst thus far...

Oh well. Life moves on.

The Days Are Getting Longer and Our Lives Are Getting Short...

Hello.

Hope everyone's Easters went wonderfully. Mine was pretty good, I suppose. I got to see Beth for the first time in forever today. I made her a mixtape...Hopefully she'll like it.

I'm excited for the April 20th and May 5th shows, but not so much for the May 15, 21, and 22nd shows. They're just too close together. And I need to figure out what I'm gonna do for the one on the 15th...We have a band concert that night. Hopefully the concert will be at 7 or so so we can just have the show at like 5...Only 2 people are playing so it shouldn't take too long.

I'm dreading writing this paper for Batchelor.

All of my friends are moving away after this school year and it really makes me sad. I've known it for awhile, but it's like it's just now hitting me and I hate it. What can ya do, though?

I need a job. Bad. I don't want one, though. I don't think any employer would like me too much anyway...I need off too many days (for shows and long trips and crap).

I am now distro-ing all of Jon Crocker's self-releases. That's all of them, save "Death." and "7 Days, 6 Nights". They're on CD-r and are 5 bucks a piece.

I have a cool idea for a split CD: Jon Crocker, Mr. Microphone, and An Act of My Own. It'd work great if AAoMO would ever record. Yargh! Maybe I'll just do it with This Is Lestat...If only Dave would bring my recording stuff back...

I'm getting the feeling that this Spring Break is going to be quite uneventful. Oh well. It happens, I guess.

And We've Got Nowhere To Go...

Thursday was fun.

While loading my PA into my car, I get a call from Jon Crocker...I'm expecting him to be asking for someone's number, but much to my surprise, he says he is passing through Blairsville and is wondering if there's a show. Indeed there was and he was now playing at it. And not to my surprise, he did the best. It was freezing at Meeks Park, which is annoying because it was like 85 on Wednesday, but oh well. Brook, Mikey, and Dan were a little late, but it wasn't a big deal, really. They both played nicely when they did get there. After Mikey, this guy named Jackie played. It was his first show and he was nervous to the max. He did good for a first show. I think he just needs to sing a bit louder. Last came Dying for Lies from Blue Ridge. It was their first "real" show, and that's a good thing because they brought out 80% of the people there. They were actually pretty good. But anyway, no one really did too well in merch. Jon sold at least 3 CD's that I know of, the Crafty Records dudes sold at least 2 CD's and a shirt, and both got donations. Better than nothing, I suppose.

After the show everyone went back to my place, where we stayed up 'til about 4AM talking, hanging out, watching Jon's old skate videos (one in which he broke his elbow) among other stuff, listening to music, and doing other stuff that generally brought merriment. Oh, and I helped Jon Crocker bring one of his CD's back in print. Fun stuff. Jon, unfortunately, had an 8 1/2 hour drive to North Carolina the next day, so he had to leave at about 9 the next morning. I was up to see him off. The Crafty Records guys were headed to South Carolina and left at about noon. It was fun.

All the rest of the day I was exhausted. I was planning on going to Fun World to promote the April 20th show, but I didn't get back from visiting with my grandparents 'til like 10:15. By the time I would've gotten there they would've been nearly closed, plus it was snowing.

...and it still is a little bit.

Regardless, I'm glad it's Spring Break. Hope you're having a good one.

Won't You Please Just Come Back Home So I Don't Have To Be Alone Anymore?

Well, the show Friday was fun. I get up to Meeks Park at like 4:50. NO ONE is there. Not even skaters. At like 4:55, Eun and Skye show up and they come over and talk to me. It was quite awkward. Well, 5:30 rolls around and Mike (Mandarin Dynasty) is nowhere to be found so I give him a call. He's just passing the GA line from SC. He's not gonna get to Blairsville at any reasonable hour, so we just decided to cancel the show. Probably a good thing...Not many people showed up at all.

When I got home I had a message from In the Long Run. They're not playing on the 20th anymore. They gave a crappy excuse, but whatever. foreverdown might be playing now because of that, so it's probably a good thing.

Later that night, at like 1:30, just as I suspected, Kalisa bailed on me for the Under the Couch show. Josh (Spiva) and I joked about who I might be able to ride with the night before. Well, I did wind up finding another ride the next day...with Skye Butler and her siblings. She has a really annoying older brother. Despite it being an awkward ride down (and up), the show was fun / good. Natalie Sheppard was there and we hung out for a little bit. I took some videos too: http://youtube.com/profile?user=DakotaFloyd

Spring Break starts next Friday. I'm ready for it. I've been ridiculously tired lately. There's a decent show kicking it off at Meeks on Thursday night at 5:30. Brook Pridemore, Guitar Bomb, DfL, and Distance & Statelines are playing. The last 2 bands are these annoying people from Elijay that absolutely would not leave me alone and they're not very good.

I need a job. I think Cobb's Mill is hiring, or so says Ed. I don't think that would be too bad of a job, really. His mom is pretty agreeable. I mean, after all, she did let me have a show in her restaurant on like, one week's notice.

Eh, I dunno. We'll see, I suppose.As for now, I think I'm gonna run. Toodles.