Some scattered things.

Ack. I think it’s safe to say I’m catching a summer cold. I’d woke up the last few days feeling a little stuffy, with a tinge of a sore throat. Today my head is a little swirly, my throat actively hurts, and I feel like being nice to everyone – no, seriously, my mom used to be able to tell if I was getting sick by my disposition. On top of this, my right ankle has been inexplicably swollen since Saturday night. I’m a mess, but I’m a mess in a good mood. I mean, c’mon… how bad can life be when I’ve just finished eating some of my wife’s amazing fried chicken? She’s the bestest person on the planet, yes, but she’s also the finest cook I know. Boy did I luck out.

Speaking of lucky, that’s exactly how I feel to have been a part of the Rich Weirdoes production of Shock Treatment. It’s a seemingly impossible movie to shadowcast, but the Weirdoes made it look like they weren’t even trying, just effortless. Had just as much fun watching the shows as I did opening for them. I played two totally different sets on the opening nights, which were as follows:

1st night: Nerdy Girls / I Will Repossess Your Heart / All My Drug Use Is Accidental / Denton USA / Happy To Be Alive

2nd Night: Drunk Classic Rock Fans / Chicken Pox & Star Wars Guys / Bounce Bounce Bounce / Bitchin’ In the Kitchen / The Problem Is Me

I attempted to record the sets in order to show everyone else how awesome the RHPS audiences can be, but it turns out that it’s next to impossible to properly mic a movie theater with my limited equipment. Oh well, there’s always next time. (October 2nd and 3rd, if you’re keeping score.)

Here’s some sweaty, sweaty footage from the first night:

Oh, and I’m gonna be opening this years Rocky Horror shows again, brought to you by the same cast. Six years running, now! More info to come on that one.

I’m seriously loving this new computer. It’s like a friggin’ nuclear terminal. I’m slowly digitizing all of my record collection so that I might have some uber-bitchin’ ultra-jukebox in the living room. Of course, with all of the extra drive space, I’m downloading things that I’ll likely never get around to hearing… like that eight night run of Hanukkah shows that Yo La Tengo did in New Jersey last year. On paper, it looks like an awesome thing to have, but in reality, I know I’ll never find the time to play right through them. Even though they’re like my indie Grateful Dead.

Behind the scenes, I’m inching my way towards a new album. Right now I have roughly ten songs for it, and if I put my nose to the grindstone, I could likely have one done for a Halloween release. Then again, I dunno. I almost want to hang back a bit, write some more songs and make something really solid… timelines be damned. Besides, that’s more my style. I just keep writing, and the one day the songs smack me in the face and say “I am a cohesive whole”. That hasn’t happened with this batch of material yet, although I mostly like the individual songs. And besides, I’ve got a slightly thicker sound in my head for this record, and I’m simply not ready to dive into the techniques that it’ll take to achieve it yet.

I really want it to cool down so that I can go on a bike ride. I’m so friggin’ susceptible to heat exhaustion. Man… I must be getting sick. I’m speaking fondly of being outdoors. Whatever, I’m still going record shopping in a few hours. There’s some Yo La Tengo and They Might Be Giants vinyl with my name on it. Not to mention tickets for Neko Case and Os Mutantes. Must get motivated.

I’ll be announcing some out of town shows very soon. I hope that you’re all doing well, and that I’ll see you soon!

Love on ya,
Marc