Short Shots

Some of my better days creating music start early, and if things are going really well, I don't have time to change out of the bathrobe. Or shower. Or eat. Or answer the phone. Or...

A few random things on my mind right now.

Get Well, Joni Mitchell
Anyone who knows me well is aware that Joni might be the single largest influence on my songwriting and one of the pop composers who most impressed me with her innovative approaches to both musical and lyric creation. All of her notorious eccentricity and ego aside, there remains no one like her in the world of music composition and performance, and her work in the early/mid '70s remains unparalleled. Yesterday, she was found unconscious at home and taken to the hospital by ambulance. She's 71, and we can't expect people will go on forever. But still, I'm not quite ready to live in a world without "Sweet Joni from Saskatoon".

Bunny and I Go EDM with "Kites"
While Kat was in Japan, I found myself with a pretty free weekend and a studio full of gear, and so I did what I often do: sat down to work on music. However, instead of continuing work on some songs we're doing for our band They Stole My Crayon, I inexplicably created a synth pop tune. Hey, why not? And then, because I thought he'd find it funny, I shared it with Bunny, who asked for the stems (the individual tracks that make up the tune). And then he added some parts, did some re-arranging of the elements, then wrote and sang vocals. We both agreed that it ended up being pretty cool, so we released it. Feel free to listen to and/or download "Kites" below.



Speaking of The Crayon...
We're heading back into a period of high-gear productivity right now, and are dedicating some time each week to work on Crayon songs that are in progress. A few days ago, we did a bunch of stuff for the new song "Carry Me Here and There", and we're going to be doing stuff on more new songs this coming weekend, possibly including "Favorite Things", "Picked Up Off the Floor", or "Bag of Nothing". Isn't it fun reading about songs you've never heard of (and that don't completely exist as of yet)?

The Crayon, last June in Joshua Tree.

Weddings Can Not Suck
I'm really not a cynical guy, but... well, we've all likely been in the position of getting dragged to a wedding of people you really don't know very well, or at all. Your cousin's best friend, your neighbor's daughter, or, as the case was for me on Saturday, your girlfriend's co-workers. But the people turned out to be extremely nice, and the wedding was held at Yamashiro, a famous 100-year-old Hollywood landmark with an outstanding view. The entire event ended up being really fun for both Kat and I, and I'm truly glad we went.

Kat and I overlooking all of Hollywood and greater Los Angeles at Yamashiro.

Last But Definitely Not Least
What the fuck, Indiana and Arkansas?