I'm Standing On This Corner...

...Can't get their attention. Facing rush hour faces turned around. I clutch my stack of paper, press one to a chest, then watch it swoop and stutter to the ground. I'm weary with right-angles, abbreviated daylight, and waiting for a winter to be done. Why do I still see you in every mirrored window, in all that I could never overcome? How I don't know what I should do with my hands when I talk to you. How you don't know where you should look, so you look at my hands. How movements rise and then dissolve, melted by our shallow breath. How causes dance away from me. I am your pamphleteer. I walk this room in time to the beat of the Gestetner, contemplate my next communique. The rhetoric and treason of saying that I'll miss you. Of saying "Hey, well maybe you should stay." Sing "Oh what force on earth could be weaker than the feeble strength of one" like me remembering the way it could have been. Help me with this barricade. No surrender. No defeat. A spectre's haunting Albert Street. I am your pamphleteer.
~The Weakerthans

Well, as I'm sure everyone has heard, Coach West has passed away. It's still so surreal. But that's just the unpredictability of life, I guess. I recorded a video dedicated in his memory and put it on YouTube the other day. It's a cover of an old Suite 11 song that we wrote for Luke and Jameson. I kind of rushed it, as I was already running late for work, but it can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1d2HJ-luTU

Yesterday's show was fun. Not many people showed up, but the ones that did were sooooo random. Like, people that maybe come to one or two shows a year, random. But oh well. Maribelle and Bandits & Bandages wound up making 60something bucks. I think the best part of the whole day was that we went to Downtown Pizza afterwards, and I got free pizza! And I didn't steal it! Sometimes being in a crappy band pays off. Basically, Kelly, the manager or whatever the heck he is of Downtown said he liked a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover that we did once and said I could have free pizza. Balla'!

Worked sucked tonight. We had pretty much a million parties of 10 or more. Oh well.

It's been raining for most of the night. Wooo!

Speaking of night, I love driving at night. Not like, 9 or 10, but 3 or 4. When no one else is on the road. I like going down random roads that I've never been on before. It's nice to just get out and think. I don't do it too often, though. I don't wanna wake anyone in my house up! Ahhhh!

I need to start my summer reading! Eep!

I hate it when people don't call me back or respond to messages. Especially when I'm trying to help them with a show or something. Yargh!

The inserts for the Matt K CDs came in today. They look really good! Now I'm just waiting for my stamps so I can start making / stamping CDs. This release is almost out of my hair. Finally!

I really wish I would stop wasting my time doing stupid stuff and instead, do something worthwhile or important for a change. But I know I won't.

And that reminds me. Due to lack of interest, I'm not doing Bye FOREVER! Fest anymore. Sorry to the three people that were actually interested.

Wow, this was a pretty pointless blog. Sorry.

Save Your Worried Blues...

Six Flags was fun. Seven hours out in the summer sun and by some miracle I'm not sunburned! Wooo!

I don't know how I forgot to mention it in my other post, but my room mate is awful.

I finally got around the re-ordering a bunch of stuff for some releases I've got coming out soon. And I might actually be getting a refund from the place that took my money a couple months ago. Wooo!

I need a new video camera. I have to hit mine to get it to work.

Since I got my new guitar a week ago, I've written three songs! Wooo! I'm still not entirely happy with them, but I like them a lot better than any of my other stuff.

There is gonna be a pretty cool acoustic show at Meeks Park on Friday. Maribelle, Geoffey Geoffey, and D-Flo. You should pretty much be there. Yea.

Speaking of shows, that's what I'm gonna spend all of tomorrow focusing on. I've got four that I have to finalize and they're all coming up soon! Ahhhh!

I've spent entirely too much money in the past week. Bluhhh.

So Here I Am...I'm Trying...

Well, the show yesterday was ok. BAMF! said it was their best one all tour so far, but it was still subpar by my standards. 20ish people showed. But that's not bad considering this place was in the absolute middle of nowhere (farther out than Clay's Corner), so I'm not complaining. I filmed a lot of the show and it should be online sometime tomorrow night.

The next show is this coming Friday (the 27th) at Meeks Park. Maribelle and Geoffrey Geoffrey are playing. I might do a D-Flo set too. Who knows? All I know is that you should be there. Chances are, you haven't been to one in awhile.

I'm pretty sure, due to lack of interest, that I'm doing away with the whole Bye FOREVER! Fest thing. There will still be the Best Friends Forever show on the 15th, though. If you're actually still interested in Bye FOREVER! Fest, though, lemme know.

So, I got a new guitar Tuesday. It's an SX GG6 Custom with a natural finish. It's pretty much the greatest thing on the face of the earth. It's the most fun-to-play guitar I've ever had, and you can tell by my fingertips. It's been a lonnnnng time since I've played so much my fingertips turned green. And I've got guitar parts for three new songs down. Woooo! I think I wanna buy a backup guitar too, I just dunno what yet. I'm thinking maybe a Tele with P90s? Hmmm...Decisions, decisions.

So, I ordered a bunch of cables and stuff from Musician's Friend the other day. Well, not only is the box a couple days late, but when I get it, it's been ripped / opened and half of my crap is gone. I filed a complaint with UPS, but I haven't head anything back yet.

I have to be up in 5 hours for work. This sucks. I think we might be going to Six Flags Monday though, so that should be an adventure. But for now, I'm going to make an honest attempt at sleep.

Love Is A Sadness With a Face...

So hey, I'm at college orientation. We were supposed to be in bed about 40 minutes ago, but I'm not really tired at all. For some reason, I really don't know why, I decided to go on Jason Webley's site (Jason Webley is a touring accordion player that's played with Jon Crocker a few times and is actually pretty decent). I randomly clicked on the tab that read "Etc." and happened upon a series of short stories. This is one of them. It is called "The Story of Balloon."


What is it about holding a balloon that is so magical and familiar? A hand that is holding a balloon is a content, happy hand. Why exactly is that? I’m sure the scientists and philosophers and marketing people have written dozens of millions of pages about this subject, but I have my own theory.

Once there was a girl. I don’t know her name, so I’ll just call her Balloon, since that’s what everyone else called her. They called her that because whenever anyone saw her, she was always holding a balloon. Always.

Whether she was walking down the street, flipping through dusty old books at the dusty old library or rotating the flowers in her garden, Balloon always was holding a balloon. Always.

I suppose it suited her to carry a balloon. Since the red of the balloon matched the red of her hair and the freckles of her cheeks and the lips of her lips. And she had shy little eyes that occasionally flashed with fire. The balloon looked good next to those little flashes of fire.

Now if you asked Balloon about the weather or such, she would look startled that someone was talking to her. Then she would blush red give a shy little answer. But if you asked her anything about the balloon - where she got it or why she always carried it - she would just go on with what she was doing just as if you had said nothing at all.

So, here is my theory. You see, Balloon never had the pleasure of knowing her father or her mother. They left when she was very, very young. Now hold you hand out like you were holding a balloon. Go ahead and really do it, since it says to right here. Now think about the other times in your life when you’ve held your hand like this. Really, think about it for a second.

Now, unless you’ve spent a lot of time on rush hour trains in Tokyo, I’m guessing that holding your hand like this is reminding you of your childhood. When you were a little boy or a little girl, walking down a street or through a park, holding onto the hand of your mother or your father.

So one day, when she was no longer a little girl – about the same age that most young people move out of their parents’ houses – Balloon walked to her favorite place in the garden. Then she closed her eyes, like someone who is making a wish would close their eyes. Now I’m not sure if she really made a wish just then, and if she did, whatever she wished for is her secret. But I do know that when she opened her eyes again there was a little tear in them.

Then she looked up at her balloon with a little smile, and let go of the string.




Now wasn't that touching? For more stories like that, go to: http://jasonwebley.com/etc.html

I think the one entitled "Balloon" under the boy section (the lower one) is really, really awesome too.

Anyway, hopefully that was as uplifting for you as it was for me. College is the change that I need. I've met some really cool people in the 12 hours I've been here. And of course, some not so cool, but they're all bearable. Wooo.

But now, if you'll excuse me, I'd best be heading for bed. I'm meeting my academic adviser and getting my schedule tomorrow! Wooo!

I Feel Like An Old Man Inside, Just Waiting For His Turn To Die...

Happy Friday the 13th. How was yours? Mine? Oh, it kinda sucked. Oh, don't worry...I'm used to it. Yea. Oh, Okay. Talk to you later.

Yup.

The Farewell Flight show was terrible. Well, they were awesome. Attendance, on the other hand was not. There were like 7 people there. They still managed to make $110 though. Still. That sucked. Thanks for the support, guys. I think Bye FOREVER! Fest, if I still do it, which I probably won't 'cause I'm a total flake, is just gonna be in Hayesville.

On a slightly better note, however, after the afore mentioned awful show, I went to one at Electric Karma Tattoos in Murphy and met this awesome band from Atlanta called The 54. Basically, it's 4 black dudes playing a mix of rock and funk. It was amazing. I recorded a bunch of their set. Three songs from it are already on YouTube, but the others will be up in a day or so. Why is this? I'm a moron and forgot my battery charger at the tattoo parlor. But yea. The 54 are awesome and will be playing up here again really soon!

So that was my day in a nutshell. Jimmy Smith invited me to watch his band practice tomorrow morning at 11, but seeing as it's 5:13 right now, I don't think I'm gonna make it.

Well, bye.

Well My Phone Doesn't Ring...

...I've got this answering machine
but there are never any messages for me

I go to work and I come home to be alone
no, there is no one waiting for me

and I make tea just for me in the microwave
no these days I don't bother with the stove

I order pizza and watch a dumb movie
and I wish that I could go home
I wish that I could go home

I go out sometimes and pretend that I'm alright
and I say hi to all the people that I see

I will smile at them and tell them I'm doing fine
but I will not let them get too close to me
I can't let them get too close to me.
because there's no tellin' when I am gonna leave

and I keep thinkin' for some dumb reason that you might come for me.
I keep thinkin' for some dumb reason that you might come for me.
~ Captain Chaos

Today was ok. I slept pretty much all day and when I got up I rode my bike. That's about it really.

I counted up how many bands / people I've helped with shows since I started: 94. I've actually helped right at 100, but they didn't show up for their show. My goal before I leave is to hit 100. But I don't wanna overdo it. Basically, all I have to do is get 6 new bands to play Bye FOREVER! Fest, if it actually happens.

Ed and I are growing some ridiculous facial hair to make fun of some guy at work. Woo.

Speaking of work, I have to do that tomorrow. Do I want to? Absolutely not. I think my new guitar is coming in tomorrow.

Farewell Flight is playing in Hiawassee Friday. I hope the show gets over with kind of quickly, as there's another show going on a bit later in Murphy at a tattoo parlor. The Farewell Flight show will be better, but I still like catching local music when I can. And hey, $13 tattoos all day as long as they're 2"x2" or close to it, if anyone's interested.

My head hurts. I think I'm going to go to bed.

I miss Chicago.

I'm On the Sad Side Of A Nowhere Town...

Wow, what a lousy day. Yesterday was decent. Today sucked.

Yesterday:

-- Got confirmed venues for both the 13th and 20th shows. Woohoo.
-- Found like three awesome bands that are close that I'm going to ask to play at Bye FOREVER! Fest.
-- Work was really slow.
-- I got a package from No Idea Records with thew new Defiance, Ohio album, "The Fear, The Fear, The Fear" and a CD of old Paul Baribeau demos called "25."
-- Ordered a snazzy new electric guitar at a decent price. I'll need it for the mathrock band I'm starting with Kylewilliam this fall. Come see us at The Fest? Haha.
-- Decided that I'm probably going to go to The Fest this Halloween.
-- My Chris Clavin LP from Crafty Records shipped! Should be here in a couple days.

Today:
-- I'm pretty sure everyone got on my nerves at least once tonight I work.
-- Kylewilliam and company complained about the tour video they asked me to edit for them. They wanted me to take out all of the transitions, which are what made the video halfway decent, and fix a bunch of crap that they themselves did wrong. Normally it wouldn't be an issue, but iMovie keeps closing when I even touch anything,
-- Farewell Flight was asking me about getting paid tonight. They know I don't do guarantees.
-- I didn't get any mail.
-- Having problems figuring out where I wanna do Bye FOREVER! Fest.
-- Only got to ride my bike for like 3 minutes today.

On the brighter side, we have brownies at my house. And I just ate some tomato soup. Those are about the only high points of my day.

I'm so pumped for Bye FOREVER Fest! As of now, it's going to be happening on Saturday, August 16th. Where? I don't know yet! Somewhere indoors that I can use all day for cheap / free. I think I wanna start it around 12 or 1. I'm thinking something like 8 - 10 bands. I wanna make it free, but I know with that many bands playing, not everyone will make gas money, and I certainly don't have the money to give to them, so maybe it'll cost a couple bucks? I dunno yet. Also, I think I'm gonna make it a vegan potluck too, although I don't know how well Blairsvillians will embrace the whole vegan thing, and I might teach everyone who wants to learn how to screenprint. Got an idea for a spot that's somewhere close to town and not really expensive to rent out? And it needs to be indoors or in a covered area where no water can get in (because, uhhh...you know...we're gonna be dealing with electricity here). Oh, and big enough to hold maybe like 100 people, tops I'd say? I wish I could rent out that place that says "251 Murphy Highway" that nothing's in right now, but I doubt I'll be able too. And I know the Brasstown Community Center would be available, but that's wayyyy out in the country. Maybe the Brackett Room? Definitely not the Civic Center. Meeks Park is outside.

Jeez. Blairsville needs a teen center.

Do We Copy Art, Or Is the Art Just Us?

Ok, so I decided to post the afore-mentioned, typed-up-but-not-posted blog from a few days ago. Here it is:

M'kay, so do you ever have those days when you just think "wow, I really hope someone remembers me someday?" And how about those days when you're like "I hope everyone forgets I even existed?" Yea. I'm siding with the latter at the moment.

I just want to be another human being. Sure, I still want to have individual thoughts -- I don't wanna be brainwashed by mainstream media or underground culture or anything for that matter -- but I know deep down that I'm not making a lasting difference on anything, and it seems like no matter what I do, that's not going to change. I'm just another person, contributing absolutely nothing to society, while all the while pouring what is left of this planet that we live on down the drain. I drive a car, I waste, I contribute to destroying the environment on pretty much every level. I know those are things that could be changed sometime, at least in my life (I'm working on it), but at the current moment they seems pretty impossible.

And something else. I'm sick of people saying "Dakota, you're gonna be famous someday." No. No, I'm not. I don't deserve to be. About the only thing I've got going for me is that I'm a nice guy. And I'm not even good at that. I'm just kind of patient. But not really that either. But who wants to be famous anyway? Certainly not me.

Blah. I'm trying my best to leave this town how it was when I found it. I'm not doing a good job.

Sorry.

I just typed up that post off the top of my head. I haven't re-read it or changed anything, so sorry if some of it doesn't make sense or there are a bunch of mistakes or something.

Ok, scratch that. Four days later. Here's an update:

The imadethismistake show was a lot of fun. About 11 people showed up and all of them seemed to have a good time. The band made enough for a full tank of gas and some food. And I got to play drums for the last three songs. Woohoo. A few songs coming soon to a YouTube near you.

A bunch of stuff fell through for the Friday, June 13th Farewell Flight show, so now I'm struggling to find a venue for it. I was thinking of House of Prayer, as they're having a huge lock-in that night, and Farewell Flight is a Christian band, but they're being super weird about it. Which is weird to me. Totally free entertainment for a bunch of kids who will probably be bored out of their minds. I will never understand people as long as I live.

I want to go on tour.

I want to see my friends again.

Everything I love is going away.

Sorry if you actually read all of this gobbledegook. To cheer yourself up a little bit, you should watch this video some of my friends made called "Boys Night In."

http://www.ifyoumakeit.com/video/31-movies/boys-night-in/