TICKETMASTER AND SERVANT

For those of you who just can't figure out what's going on with the CoachHouse
show, the show IS happening and tickets should be available as i write this.
The date is December 18.   Appearently the ticket folks screwed up (or
something like that.)

Well, i been hard at work doing demos and writing songs and, when time allows,
use the computer or watch People's Court.  I keep a weird wacky schedule that
usually works like this:

I wake up around 8am, get a cup of coffee, listen to demos or whatever i did
the day before.  take a shower and Then, maybe check emails. if the emails are
to the point, i can usually zip thru 30 with little effort.  if they're long
emails i wait till i have a day where i can really read them thoroughly, as I
don't like to skim over anyone's correspondence.  After i get off the computer
i check to news to see if we've caught Osama.  If we haven't, then i turn the
computer off or log out.

Then I got to my TO DO list for the week and see what needs to be done.  For
example, next thursday is the day where i'll sort through clothes and donate
stuff to St. Matthews Church before the end of the year, so i can also write
the donation off (that's not why i donate, but it doesn't hurt.)  Around this
time 9which is about 9am) i usually pick up the acoustic and start strumming
around and finishing half-finished lyrics.  i alway hi-lite words i want
replaced but i never let a bad lyric slow me down (ALWAYS try to ride an idea
to it's finish) so i bash stuff around till close to 10am.  Then Hannah wakes
up and makes us a cuppa tea and bagels (with either cream cheese or peanut
butter, depending on her mood).  If she makes it with cream cheese, she makes
em with lettuce, tomatoe and onion (yummy)

After breakfast, i take a brake and watch Judge Mathis on channel 9, 11am.
then i go to my home studio and gt back to work, like the other day i had to
build a drum track with drum samples and it was real tedious stuff, only to
realize that i mistakenly mixed down the click with the drums!  but it was way
down in the mix and so it didn't bother me.  but it took to me a good hour to
copy and paste all these parts so that the drums would ephasize the songs parts
i wanted to stand out.  and hey, all you REAL drum enthusiasts out there; it's
ONLY a demo.  besides, not only would my neighbors come after me if i had real
drums set up, but drum machines ALWAYS agree with me!

From there i'll do keyboard parts and piano parts.  my rhythm isn't always spot
on so i'll usually loop the music parts and play along many times before
recording it.  I want it to sound good so i'll try for the best take.  Doing
acoustic guitars are the fun and easiest part to me.  i have a system that i
like and it really works for me; i use a PPA 1 condenser mic and i mic the
guitar from about 5 inches away, right by the back bridge of the acoustic.  i
run it through an mxr old school compressor  and through the mixer and into the
machine.  some of my demos, if you SOLO the acoustic guitar tracks, you can
hear Hannah laughing in the next room or turning the pages of HEAT magazine.
yep, the mic's that good.

I usually use a CAPO on the acoustics but when i try to use them on the
electrics i usually hafta re-tune with the Capo on (as opposed to tuning first
and then putting the capo on.)  By the time i'm ready to take a break, i
usually have rusty come down and take a listen (as  we'd worked on the songs
before hand and i record most of the tracks and leave electric guitar, vocals
and some acoustic guitar to him.)  if he green lights the direction i've taken
then i write down some notes and set em aside.  By now it's 1pm and hannah has
made sandwiches like a real sweetheart.  we'll both have a lager to wash it
down and watch people's Court from 1pm to 2pm.  After that, i'll finish some
more recording and whatnot and then mix down something to listen to, as a point
of reference.

Then, and usually about 4-ish, Hannah and me take a walk to Venice beach.
hannah's always promising the street merchants she'll buy their wares and so we
spend part of our time dodging the various 'promisers'!!!  we usually walk
halfway down the boardwalk.  sometimes we stop at Benway records to check it
out, see wots new.  then we walk to the FIREHOUSE on Rose and main street for
happy Hour (4:30p to 6:30p/ 9p to 11p) and maybe a snack.  get home again
around 6pm and watch a bit of telly and have a cuppa.  Kate usually gets home
around this time and so Hannah and Kate girly chat for a good hour while Kate
makes herself dinner (usually pasta) and then Rusty comes down from watching
lord of the rings or star wars on dvd for liek the 100th time and makes himself
a bite.  then, about 7:30, jason comes home and he usually has salad and soup
for dinner.  sometimes raw carrots.  then hannah and me will have some pizza or
lasagna or chicken breast with sides.

Then we'll all sit around and watch some tv or movies and then maybe i'll check
the computer again and maybe even write a diary.  if it's after 9pm i'll ring
the new guy sometimes when the calls are free on my mobile.when 10pm hits, it's
usually time for  a bit of Bushmills and a bit ofsnuggling with the woman. 
then she usually reads me a story before bed.  no lie.