35 shuffle songs

It's been a while, right? Well, feels like a while anyway. Here we go... thirty-five songs long, with the added bonus of my one or two word commentary for each track. You're welcome.)

"Traps, Ensnares" by Daniel Amos.
Jeff says, "it's trippy"

"Outside Looking in" by Stretch Arm Strong
Jeff yells, "do it!"

"Every Shining Time You Arrive" by Sunny Day Real Estate
Jeff says, "heartbreak"

"Outdoor Miner" by Kick on the Floods
Jeff says, "queen vocals"

"Dave's Blues" by the 77s.
Jeff says, "fender strat"

"In the Crowd" by the Jam
Jeff says, "mod revival"

"The Ocean" by Sunny Day Real Estate
Jeff says, "it's pretty"

"Based on a True Story" by Aaron Sprinkle
Jeff says, "sleepy town"

"Power of God" by the Crucified
Jeff says, "wow"

"Is It All Gone" by the Magicians
Jeff says, "got soul?"

"Roxanne" (live) by Sting
Jeff says, "it swings"

"It Seems So Far Away" by Ninety Pound Wuss
Jeff says, "synth city"

"Real Love" by Smashing Pumpkins
Jeff says, "classic"

"Apples + Oranjes" by Smashing Pumpkins
Jeff says, "moody + groovy"

"Breathing In" by the Hero Cycle
Jeff says, "stop singing"

"Once Upon a Summertime"
Jeff says, "good night"

"We'll Last So Long" by Joy Electric
Jeff says, "snow travel"

"Three Sisters" by Hammock
Jeff says, "serenity"

"Sorry or Please" by Kings of Convenience
Jeff says, "metropolitan cool"

"Obsession" by Starfield
Jeff says, "cool drumbeat"

"Mr. Ar0chet" by Mortal
Jeff says, "scary"

"Trailer Park Love Song" by Goodnight Star
Jeff says, "remove song"

"Jesus Eternal" by Fold Zandura
Jeff says, "melancholy"

"Promises, Promises" by Madness
Jeff says, "organs"

"Yesterday" by the Beatles
Jeff says, "still great"

"Dimples" by the Animals
Jeff says, "real R&B"

"Circle of Power" by Crux
Jeff says, "righteous anger"

"Feel" by the Violet Burning
Jeff says, "breaking down"

"Second Sickness" by Desert City Soundtrack
Jeff says, "cinematic"

"Dig Dug" by the Prayer Chain
Jeff says, "angsty alternative"

"Unlethal Enforcer" by Commie64
Jeff says, "meh"

"Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland" by Thelonious Monk
Jeff says, "chill out"

"Punk Rawk Show" by MxPx
Jeff says, "played out"

"Light Up the Fire" by Parchment
Jeff says, "Jesus Music"

"Laid to Rest" by Lamb of God
Jeff says, "don't cuss"

fantastic song & pedalboard update

"Throwin' Shapes" by Minus the Bear is such an amazing song. If you already knew that, go listen to it again right now and bask in the greatness. If you did not already know that, or if you're thinking, "What's a Minus the Bear?" go listen to their song "Throwin' Shapes" and bask in the greatness.

Also, here's a shot of my newly downsized pedalboard that I mentioned yesterday.



The signal chain is as follows:

Barber Tone Press
Barber LTD
Tone Factor Huckleberry
Red Witch Moon Phaser
MJM Foxey Fuzz
Skreddy Top Fuel
Ernie Ball VPJR
Line 6 Verbzilla
Line 6 DL4

If you don't know what a signal chain is, you have more of a life than I do.

Wow... blogging on two consecutive days. Feels like it's been years since that happened. Hopefully it's a taste of things to come.

long time, no posting

Happy inauguration day (I guess). It's interesting... I didn't vote for Obama, but I kind of wanted to see the ceremony. And I don't want to keep picking on the guy, but I certainly would have no interest in watching it if "that other guy" had won the election... unless "that other guy" was the guy I actually wanted to vote for. But not to get off on that tangent. Suffice to say that I'm curious and hopeful to see how the next four years go. Oddly enough, I've been praying for Obama more than I ever did for Bush. Not sure why that is...

Speaking of that, I don't consider myself a huge fan of our previous president. Some things were good, but some things left me thinking, "Um, I don't know about that." And then there were those, "What were you thinking?" moments. But I've gotta say that the way he has handled his exit and the transition of power has really endeared me to him in a way I haven't been since 9/11. And his commuting of the sentences of former Border Patrol agents Ramos & Compean was just icing on the cake. I applaud you, sir.

Other than that not much else is new. The weather outside is warmer, but my office is still freezing.

I've started using V-Picks. There's been a lot of talk about them on various message boards, a lot of it overblown hype, but I decided to give them a try. It's a little early to tell, but I'm liking them so far.

I also decided to ring in the new year with a smaller pedalboard. (yes, that's right.) Since I don't play that much anymore, I decided to downsize to my old pedalboard. I liked being able to have all my pedals in one place (on the gigantic PedalTrain) but it was just so big. I narrowed it down to essentials and extra flavors, if you will. The blessing and curse of my pedal choices are that most of them are some form of dirt (overdrive/fuzz/etc.). This means that I can swap those in and out at will and still maintain a similar sound... sonic differences but functional sameness. I will readily admit that I spent a lot more time last year buying gear and fooling with it than actually playing. So this year, it's time to simplify and actually play guitar.

Speaking of which, I used some money received towards the end of last year to buy a new guitar. It's crazy, isn't it? I barely have time to play one guitar, and I keep getting more. What a strange sickness music gear is. I think I will devote an entire post to the subject of guitars, especially since the way this came about is kind of interesting (to me at least). But to tide you over (since I am certain you all like looking at guitar pictures and/or pictures I have taken as much as I do), here it is:



I'm still playing drums in Mainstream w/ Brian, Dave, and Clyde. Sunday was probably our most fun set to date. I don't know what it was, but something just seemed to click. The creative juices were flowing like crazy. I did make a few bloopers, but actually kept enough wits about me to cover them up and make it seem like I did things on purpose. I had a blast sitting behind the kit and worshiping at full volume.

I cancelled my emusic.com membership because I decided I didn't need to spend the money. I've been listening to a lot of old Jesus Music from the 70s. Kind of random.

And on the odd chance there's someone reading this who likes music on the slow and dreamy side of the spectrum, check out Au Revior Borealis. I've been spinning Dark Enough for Stars a lot lately and enjoy it more with each listen. Moody, ambient instrumentals are mixed in with more traditional slo-core/post-rock songs that feature just about everything I like about that genre—lazy vocals, solid but subdued drums, and dreamy guitar soundscapes full of atmosphere. Good stuff.