Jenny Lewis rocks!

Last night I went to the Barrymore theater and saw Jenny Lewis perform. She rocks! Great show. If you dig good songwriting and clever lyrical twists with superb singing, check her out.

I was reminded of a friend that went to see Britney Spears in Chicago for both shows. He spent a lot of money on that. When Jenny Lewis walked out and started her first song, I couldn't help but think that there are people like my friend who would rather pay an exorbitant amount of money to watch a performer dance and fake sing instead of a musician with talent in an intimate theater for $20.

Those people are idiots.

... and lame.

I also wanted to share this:

Rip-tide

Once again with the Nupogen! Yay. Got a little too much of the ab's instead of the fat on top of them today. Hurt a little bit.

Album meeting went super well awesome good!!! Everything for that should be wrapped up by next week (except for the part of the thing where I depend on someone else to give me material for the insert and they let me down daily... eh, hem JOE!). Ya'll don't go getting your hopes up about getting your grubby hands on a copy any time soon. We haven't decided anything about selling this before our release date of July 3rd. (Stupid party rule or something.)

Chemo is going the same as ususal. Makes me feel a little "ick" but I can't complain. It could be a whole hell of a lot worse.

And the music theory class I'm taking this semester is finally starting to come together. Holes are being filled in (in my head) and the knowledge is beginning to fester... better have that checked.

Up to the latest

Well.  There isn't much to report.  Treatment goes on as usual.  The weekend's I have it are sort of fun.  Mostly spend them sleeping when the mood strikes.

The band is pushing the album forward.  I have a meeting tomorrow to finalize images and put the packaging to press.  The insert is a different story... only because someone else is in charge of that.  And that someone is a big, lazy procrastinator.  "I'll be back from California in a week."  What about the insert?  "It's not done yet."  

Whatever.

The television show that's associated with the band is also moving along slowly.  Most ideas involve too much cost for costumes or issues with having a place to shoot that won't involve the cops at some point.  We'll figure that out... when I'm not feeling like throwing up.

If Wikipedia were right...

This post is post 301.  Not that amazing but I thought I'd make it public.

This past week has been full of ups and downs.  I felt like an old man on Friday because of the Filgrastim.  If you ever have a chance to be on that... do it.  It's so much fun.  (that's a typo... "m" should be "o")

I thought I'd share the list of all the wonderful drugs I've been taking these days.

Post Chemo Set:

Filgrastim

Zithromax

Vicodin

Zolpidem Tartrate

Ranitidine

Dexamethasone

Prochlorperazine

Lorazepam

Pre-Chemo and Chemo (ABVD)

Acetaminophen

Aprepitant

Diphenhydramine

Ondansetron

Bleomycin* (B)

Dacarbazine* (D)

Doxorubicin* (A)

Vinblastine* (V)

Non-Chemo related

Lexapro

I get some of these only when I need them.  Most of them I get either the day of chemo or take to manage the chemo side-effect train in the following five days or so.  The only one I take every day is the Lexapro.  And that's the one that keeps me smiling... well that and that great Eric Idle song from Life of Brian.  (Thanks to James for reminding me of that movie.  Watched it again on Sunday.)

Post 2nd treatment

Second treatment's going about the same as the first. I've been much more responsible in regards to getting my rest. Feeling stronger in one way (less fatigue so far) but also feeling like crap. I got a cold and my neutrophil count is low. I've been on antibiotics and I start shots tomorrow to boost my bone marrow output. It's going to make my bones ache! Hurray... not really.

But I've given up trying to sneak a few drinks in during the week. Going sober and getting more rest. I don't want to end up in the hospital and it's already a possibility that could happen very soon. Yikes.

My bone marrow biopsy came back with no signs of cancerous cells. This means I'm stage two. Pretty good prognosis for that. Five more months and I'll be back to normal. Give or take a few. (most likely give.)

I couldn't believe this when I heard about it.

One day, Where the i Divides will do the same to this town.  The Rockin' R was not my favorite place... and Boodles... never liked that either.

I sincerely hope the best for anyone that may have been injured in this event.

Word.

Uh huh GRR!!!

It seems like ages since I've posted... but I'm only getting older.

What's new in Zach-land? Nothing. I have my next round of drugs (chemo) on Friday. I'm finally getting back to feeling my normal self and they're going to hit me again. Awesome!

The band is going to be done with the album. We set a "near-future" deadline for completion by mid/late April for the sake of having our next Madison show being our release party. It's good news for me. I'm sick and tired of working on this stupid thing and want it out of my hair forever!!! You hear me? Good.

I did pick up the new U2 album yesterday. It's grown on me. I feel like before I know it I'm going to be going to a U2 concert while muttering under my breath something about the rolling stones and being ancient and sucky. It's not a bad album. Some of the songs are growing on me even but I can't help but wonder why they keep making albums that sound the same. (that's somewhat rehtorical so perhaps you should save those answers for your own blog instead of the comment section.) Or another way of stating it is like this, "I can listen to your old albums and enjoy those songs. Why aren't you guys challenging me with material that's different?" It's perhaps a catch-22 (whatever that means) but I hope (or fear) that Where the i Divides will fall into that same pattern. Maybe not. While I do have a certain approach to the way I craft a song and the types of sounds I create, I also am willing to let anything fly idea-wise. It's never good to kill an artistic idea before it's had the chance to prove itself "Worst Idea Ever" (Favorite quote for Pirate Idol? "Worst peg-leg ever.")

Anyway. Work say's I've got to stay until 5:30 these days. This last half-hour may turn into blogging time. (I love getting paid to sit and do nothing. It's almost as great as having a job where I actually want to work because the work is fulfilling...)

More later. Or never. You figure I figure. Yeah.

A month later

I started Chemo treatment for my Hodgkin's Lymphoma last Friday. I'll be posting updates on my general malaise and mal-con-tent-ed-ness in the upcomming weeks.

Till then, I've actually been getting some decent sleep for a F*&King change and I've had a lot more focus.

This means I've been working more on the band's collective media pile.
Check it.

I didn't get to go to the Monster Truck Rally this weekend. It's actually really sad what happened, but I got a refund for my tickets.

I "strolled" on over to Garfield Minus Garfield. These two made me laugh.

Yeah.

The band recorded Running to Stant Still for the Triple M "covers" album of the Joshua Tree. I'll be adding my guitar tracks tonight and tomorrow and then mixing while I'm in Hawaii. Ever since I found out that I might have access to some studio monitors, I've been very excited about this trip to Kauai. Before that, I wasn't as interested in going... yeah...

So that's that. The band also played it's usual last Sunday of the month residency at the Jazz Estate in Milwaukee. We've gotten much more acclimated to the room and I think it translates to the audience that we feel like we belong in there.

29.5

Today marks a significant moment in my life. 29.5 doesn't mean much to many people, and with the speculative nature of the reference, I don't really want to get to revelatory.

Needless to say, yesterday's news coupled with events earlier this week and the forthcoming excursion to the north side of Kaua'i next week, I'm sitting on the verge of lots of new territory to cover.

While on vacation, I expect to finish the damn album. (the monster that's been hanging over my head forEVER!). My friend I'm visiting has offered to attempt to scrounge up a pair of studio monitors for me to us. Nice. Ideally, I would have something like the KRK RP5G2 Rokit G2 Powered 2-Way Active Monitors, but I'm going to hold off. Once Over the Terminal Moraine is in the can, I won't need to be doing such high end work for a while (until the next album, Doomsday Annie).

Other than that, not much else in the way of news.

Will be attending "Tim and Eric" tonight at the Barrymore. I'm looking forward to that.

Things here have gotten incredibly insane. I finally have health insurance. I went to the doctor last Friday. I have an appointment with her in a few hours to find out "the news".

Don't get all worked up about anything.

I'm not.

Except for that crap they pumped into me. That was an unpleasant experience.

Sigh.

First post on a first year

Something about Hogwarts and the Hot Tub... emphasis on the second "t".  That kid is so dang cute.  

Went to Red River with the ABQ crew and had a blast.  Had a bit too much of a blast and ended up blacking out.  Felt totally embarrassed about that.  It's happened  one time to many now.  Gotta give it  rest.  All of it.

I found that when I returned, all of the stresses I'd forgotten over the weekend had returned like a flood.  Jezzy.  Can't get out of the dark tunnels I'm running through right now.  Whatever... things gotta change soon.  They will.  I'm optimistic (like that Radiohead song).

I'll post some pics when I get them uploaded... didn't take that many though.

Word.

Paths that Cross

I saw this on another blog... had to steal it because I’ve got nothing original to post.

1. Put your iPod (or media player) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN, NO MATTER HOW awesome IT SOUNDS!

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY?" YOU SAY? Even Better Than the Real Thing (artist: U2)
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? To Sheila (Smashing Pumpkins)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Kingsize/Acid or XTC (DJ Micro)
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? Transfusion (Where the i Divides)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? 17 Ghost II (Nine Inch Nails)
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Stand Inside Your Love (Smashing Pumpkins)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Letting You (Nine Inch Nails)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? La Mer - 2. Jeux De Vagues (Claude Debussy)
WHAT IS 2+2? Rape Me (Nirvana)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Everybody But Me (Lykke Li)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? My Best Friend (Weezer)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Somebody Else’s World (Sun Ra) Ha Ha!
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Yes Or No (Where the i Divides)
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? MLK (U2)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Here’s to the Atom Bomb (Smashing Pumpkins) Ha Ha!
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? Dreaming (Blondie)
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Caution (Do Not Step On Tracks) (Grateful Dead) Too funny!
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Traveling Riverside Blues (Led Zeppelin) That’s Right!
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Disillusion (7 Year Bitch) not really a secret
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Horse Sweat (Three Mile Pilot)Good one!!
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? Last Goodbye (Jeff Buckley)
HOW WILL YOU DIE? Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Nirvana)
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? Band of Gold (Frida Payne)
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Intro (Cloud Cult)
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? Exit Music (Radiohead)
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? Creep (Radiohead)
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? Near the Cross (Iris DeMent)
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? You Look At You (Rollins Band)
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Keys To Your Heart (The 101’ers)
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Paths That Cross (Patti Smith)

Post show fatigues

Where the i Divides played an awesome set on Friday night. We tore up the stage with hammers and prybars. Actually, I was the one doing the work (according to attendees opinion.) I had my work holiday party earlier in the evening and decided to get an extra Christmas bonus in liquid form. Needless to say, I had a good buzz going when we took the stage. Nothing like the Klinic show last December where I spaced the end of a song and played terrible solos and sloppy chords and whatever. We dubbed that show "A Christmas to Forget".

I got home around 4 am. Got up at 10 and went out cross country skiing with a few friends. Gotta get out on my skis before I head up to the Birkie again (for another three-hour pain-fest). I'm looking forward to the race this year. I'm definitely going to try and raise the bar on my sister. If I could come in ten minutes ahead of her with limited training and lungs full of smoking toxin residue, I'm going to try to best her by even more. (and she reads this blog, so maybe she'll be the one upping the stakes on me. Eh?? Either way, the competition is merly friendly.)

Sunday was a yawn-fest football style. The Chargers managed to squash the Chiefs (the Lions of the AFC) and Denver managed to lose. The Packers lined up in their usual "fourth quarter failure formation" and subsequently lost the game. (They really should put that formation in the next Madden along with Wildcat.)

We also auditioned Dave from Know Boundaries to play guitar in the band. He approached me after our show on Friday and asked if we would be interested in a second guitar. I was excited. The jam session went well on Sunday. We were all a bit worn out so we didn't spend a lot of time working on stuff and he and I will have to sit down and work out different parts that work with the existing songs but it sounded fuller overall. I've been having some reservations pop up yesterday and today about the whole ordeal. Part of our sound is the delay-laden guitars (much like that one band from Ireland). I don't know how much I'll be able to keep working in that vein with a second quitar player that isn't as interested in the "delay" sound. It's all up in the air. I'm getting together with him on Thursday night to either work out parts or to take a stab at some new ideas. He and I will talk.

I also registered for an Intro Music Theory class for the spring semester. It'll suck for the first few weeks while I relearn some of the things I've forgotten since high school (and learn things that I never knew in high school or beyond). I've never been a fan of reading music. It's always just too much work. Yeah.

Lastly, my other sister (the non-ski race competition) is getting in from San Diego next Tuesday for a few weeks. She's going to sing some back-up tracks on our album (finished by the end of December. I swear to all that is unholy). She's also going to have me record some of her songs. It's going to be a busy couple of weeks for me. Holiday gatherings, relatives, music obligations.

Tis the season.

I just about crapped my pants when I read this.

Call it guilty pleasure, but I like to read Manga.

I also finally purchased my copy of Praying for Fire by Yovee.

It's missing Dylan's bass playing.

I'm also working on demo's of the new material with Trav tonight.

Gunna figure out how to edit some video and make some stuff in the near future. You don't believe me? Neither do I.

It does heal.

This just makes me laugh... through the nose.


So does this.


At rehearsal minus vocals tonight, we talked about Danny O.D.ing and what we would do if he did... drop him off at the hospital. He said he believed I would even if I was messed up. I said yes. Then Travis said there would be some way to pin it on Joe. "There's always a way to pin it on Joe." And that led to leaving Joe with O.D.ed Danny at the ER and telling him to sing him a "healing song." One of the things that Joe has said (out of many, many, many things) is that our music is designed to heal.... anyway.

I prefer laughter. And insomnia

Picture time!!!

I tried to take a picture from where I took the one from my last post but they have closed off the roof-top of the Monona Terrace. I would have just jumped the fence and gone up there but some dude with one of those golf carts with the ginormous pipe cleaner was scrubbing the snow off the side walk over there... meh. This was as close as I wanted to get.

Now that I'm fully prepared, here are some of those pictures I took on my trip to Lake Superior (sometime back in mid September.)

I-39 North of Wausau, WI

This is somewhere on the Lac Du Flambeau Reservaion

Little Girls Point, MI.  There was some weird shack thingy sitting in the water.  I didn't walk down there to see what the hell it was.  Figured they're'd be some meth freaks in it or somethin'.  (gotta love that MT paranoia coming through)

On the way to Little Girls Point is an artesian spring.  The only other time I have been on this road was back in 1995 on a bike trip.  We stopped here (in the middle of a long and annoying hill climb up from the lake shore into basically the foothills of the Porcupine Mountains (not really mountains) and filled up our water bottles.  I had a few water bottles in my truck that I filled up and took back to Madison with me.  Ah... memories.

Keepin' on the steady

I would just post some pictures but while my camera is here in my room, my adaptor is in my truck.   So too bad, you don't get to see a few pictures of my drive up to lake Superior.

Tonight I finished drum loops for demos on the last two new songs.  I'm in the middle of transferring the files to my laptop so's I can kick out some guitar tracks and have everything set up for Travis to toss on some bass lines.  Click tracks and instruments to Danny for him if he ever feels inclined to rehears to a click.  Joe gets loops, guitars and bass for the lyrics. 

We do have a show this coming Friday.  Tis with a few other bands that rehearse at our warehouse.  I'm not looking forward to it.  I can guarantee you I'll be tired and grumpy, craving some isolation with a few friends instead of being in a crowded bar talking to people about gear and bands and blah blah blah.  I can do that, but it's not my passion.  I really like working in the lab.  So yeah.

Bugger of a day tomorrow.  Lots of things to go down in such the way as that they don't actually go down but rather stay the same (apply for another job, get my affidavits/services/retrievals caught up, get to work on time, etc.)

And teh AG asked me if I have a facebook... 

Tri this on for syze

I'm at work. I'm listening to music. I'm drinking coffee. I have some severe lung congestion action that's totally rocking my world. Like that lady on the people's court corrected the judge by saying that she said to the Plaintiff at the time of the incident, "I told her I would 'Rock her world'". But not in a good way.

I'm sure glad we don't watch small claims court tv anymore in the office. Those were dark days of people arguing about their stupidity.

Yesterday I bought my ticket for a trip to Hawaii. I don't really want to believe that I'm going to Hawaii. Sure, I have been known to adamantly state that I will NEVER set foot in the state of Texas, but Hawaii always seemed like a place that I had no interest in visiting (I'm assuming there will be a lot of bugs. I don't like bugs. Except for Hobo Spiders. They rock my world.)

Anyway. The only way I'm going to Hawaii is like any other trip I ever take. I have a friend that lives there. I'm visiting and not paying for accomodations. I don't have to rent a vehicle. I just have to pay for food and junk I want to buy... pretty sweet. Pretty standard. One of these days I'm going to take a trip that costs me nothing. (the great beyond)

In other, band related news, whatever.... I "auditioned" for Know Boundaries finally. It didn't go so well. I'm not a great drummer anymore since I'm so far out of practice (and was I ever a great drummer? No.) I also haven't listened to any of their music in a month or so. And my understanding on the whole ordeal was that they weren't as interested in mimicing the drum parts for their old songs as they were finding someone who worked well with them. No no no. They want someone to ape those damn drum parts. So I have some work to do if I want to take a real stab at the gig.

Where the i Divides is in talks about doing all kinds of things and stuff and I'm pretty much out of the loop. I'm avoiding my responsibilities in the band as of late and it reminds me of the episode of Home Movies (the bestest show ever) when Brendon doesn't want to work on "The Wizard's Baker" anymore and Jason and Melissa are pushing it really hard. I can sort of see myself staring off at the clouds and saying things like, "That one looks like Hailey Joel Osmet. A little Hailey Joel Osmet," while Joe, Travis and Danny talk about video shoot ideas for the "soon to be happening" album release and "Singles" and blah blah blah. I still haven't taken the time to blast out a fifth pass (I've probably mentioned it in the last three posts now) of the mixes. There are other things I want to think about wishing I was doing besides all of that... like auditioning for a band where I'll be playing an instrument that I'm not as interested in anymore. Yeah! (I jumped in the air and raised my fist when I said that last yeah... in my head. I Did that in my head.)

Also. I ran into Laura Marling on All Songs Considered. She's British. Her album is called Alas, I Cannot Swim. I really like her. A few months ago I drove up to Lake Superior and listened to her (mostly). I was going to do a blog post about that trip and put some pictures up and yeah yeah but I just never think about it. So anyway. I was at Staryucks and their "hot music" sampler CD, featuring DeVotchKa and other (not-so) indie acts also touted Laura Marling on the sticker. That sort of publicity really makes me want to dislike her, but a credit to her music that I still listen to it. Wait till it gets overplayed like that one chick with the piano and the bad singing style.... (You fill in the blank.)

Also. I officially dislike Robin Hilton's taste in music. You reading this Robin Hilton? Your taste in music is DILDOS!!! (And your musicricitical analysistic "Rock" journalism could use some expansification. Not every lame-ass electro-pop or freak-folk singer/songwriter to take a dump in ProTools is putting out powerful, thoughtful, beautifully layered music.)

Where has that boy gone?

In response to a clamouring from my adoring readership, I've not been myself as of late. Incredibly tired and run down from spending far too many nights in the public houses every week, avoiding my responsibilities to the band and my work.

I've had a turn-around about this in the last week and it's felt nice to be able to get out of bed in the morning and not be late to work.

Travis and I are working on a new Christmas song for this year. We are also going to rerecord "I'm Gunna Use My Hands (for Christmas)" and potentially submit it to Triple M for their local musician Christmas showcase. I haven't gotten around to mapping out a drum loop for either song yet, but it'll get done probably Sunday morning before lazing about in front of football game after football game until the sky is black and Monday morning is lurking in the backs of all our minds.

The concept for last year's Christmas song was about being broke and not having any money to purchase gifts hence the use of hands to craft things to be given as gifts. It's not the strongest song by any stretch, but lyrics like "if Santa Clause could see me now, he'd smile a toothless grin and shout, 'You're not letting Christmas pass you by,'" make it good for a laugh.

This year's Christmas song will probably be about being alone on Christmas day and then going out to a Dance club on Christmas night and the emptiness of it all... (discotech style). Fun.

We've also started talking about writing a new birthday song and a song for lesser holidays (the ones that seem to be distressingly lacking in songs to sing their praises, like Thanksgiving. Why aren't there any songs about thanksgiving?)

Word.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, Joe will be joining Travis and myself up in Sparta for the Second annual "Shields Family/Where the i Divides Thanksgiving on the Farm." I believe that I said, "this is going to be the best Thanksgiving EVER!"

All for now. I've got suboenas to ditch on some suckers.