What's new?

Um. I don't really know if there is a whole lot that's new I'm just wide awake, like I always am at this hour, and felt like writing out thoughts.

Well first of all, The American Autumn has a couple of shows coming up which is really awesome. I have to say that I'm really excited for them. Today I overnighted the demo to the duplicators (because their ftp server was down) and it takes 10-12 days for a turn around on the CDs and since the show is like 10 days(?) from today we'll see what happens we may have them we may not. The art work looks totally awesome I'm so glad we have Dane in the band to do all this awesome graphics stuff. We also have stickers and pins, again courtesy of Dane. I'm excited to see the stickers tomorrow because we have band practice.

Wait sorry tangent, back to the shows. The first show is at Reggie's on February 3rd. I'm excited for this bill (despite being on the superbowl, but who really cares about that) because we are playing with Facing Giants. They are pretty good band and they seem to have a draw and the other bands are promoting this show a little bit too. I can't really say what will happen because in Davenport we'd always catch ourself saying, "I think there will be a lot people there" and then only 3 or 4 people would be there. Eventually, and pretty pathetically, it became a running joke for the band. Although granted we did at one point play for no one (the sound guy left the room after setting up).

Damn another tangent, anyway, josh is having a some people come out from work and there are a couple people that are planning on coming out so that's pretty exciting. Then those that can't make it to that show are going to come and see us at Clearwater on February 5th. Where we are playing with the lead singer and guitar player from boysetsfire's side project band called The Chasing Out. So that's kind of exciting. I'm really looking forward to those shows to actually playing out for the first time because my birthday party doesn't really count.

So our myspace gets 20-40 listens a day, which I find pretty miraculous because, well we haven't played out yet. Who knows what's going to happen once people actually hear our music. I mean it was once described to be like herpes-fun to catch hard to get rid of. Speaking of "catchyness" Dave found this website online that has to do with math and comparing the algorithms of something beyond my comprehension. Anyway, you submit your songs to this website and then it rates your songs mathematically comaring to songs that have topped billboard charts qualifying them as "hits". Anyway so this thing analyzes your songs and gives you a rating on how whether or not your song, mathematically speaking, can be a hit. If the numbers are above 6.5 your song can be a hit and if they are around 7 they are the highest level of likely hood of being a hit. Well after that ridiculously long explanation of this website. All of our songs rated between a 6.7 and 6.97. Needless to say we are on the right track when it comes to writing songs cause we are writing hits.

I started reading a new book today called Coma written by Alex Garland, who wrote Beach and the movie "28 Days Later". Anyway, I started it today and I'm already halfway through it, it's kind of a quick read, but so far its really good.

I've been listening to this band called Number One Gun non freaking stop except for today when I got the new Protest the Hero. Anyway it's this Christian band on Tooth and Nail. It's just so damn catchy so unbelievably catchy. I can't say I'd ever really like to play this music, but it just really catches my ear and plus I'm enjoying to much what we are writing in The American Autumn.

But yeah I got new Protest the Hero and I haven't really given it a good listen to yet, but once I got it I cranked the volume and through it on for a bit.

I also got the new Mars Volta, which I haven't listened to at all, but plan to on the train ride tomorrow.

Other than that not a whole lot that's coming out thats really caught my eye. I think it's time to start taking a trip down memory lane. For example, the other morning I woke up and through on Ugly Organ. Great freaking record.

Oh yeah No Use for a Name is puting out a new record soon is at sad that the nostalgic emo kid inside me is really excited about that album? No...no it's not.

Working at minty fresh is probably the best thing I really could have done this semester. Which doesn't start till next week (nice). I've learned so much from those guys and there is so much more to learn. Everytime I walk home from there (well walk to the addison stop) I just think about how I'd love to do this for the rest of my life (if i wasn't in a band). Just working at a label, preferably my own (go dinosaurseateverybody records), and how that would just be incredible. But I'd much rather play in a band and write music for the rest of my life. Speaking of I saw Juno and man if Jason Baitman's character isn't exactly who I want to be (sans an uncommitted husband) just a guy writing jingles and getting paid a ton for it.

Anyway, Minty Fresh is awesome I'll be there for awhile. It was actually really awesome today at minty fresh Jim (president) bought me lunch, but i had to go get it at the local Pot Belly's down the street and there I saw a kid that was in my intro to management class and this kid was a really big douche. He was always acting like he was smarter than the professor and just obnoxious. Anyway at the begninning of the semester we were asked what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives and he said own and run a record label. So when the girl that was working with him asked me what i did i of course jumped at the opportunity to say, "Oh I work in an office down the street Minty Fresh Records" and I didn't really catch a response from him, but I hope it stung. I felt like saying "finish making my sandwich so i can get back to bettering my career, thanks", but i didn't.

Anyway now that it's almost 2:30 I think I'm going to go to bed or at least lay here and think about being famous. I think if i think about it enough it will happen...right?

Goodnight.

Drinking Onzie Wednesday

Wednesday:

Dave hung out in the onzie; I hung out it my green man suit. We drank. Then in an episode of scrubs JD and Turk have walkie talkie bracelets. And like most things that I see on my favorite TV shows i bought dave and i walkie talkie bracelets.

Sometimes I wish i could be other people watching dave and i...then i realize that its to good to be us...just to good.

You had time to waste and i'm not sorry

So i'm not even sure where to begin about this break. I mean i started a little short story about where this break started with that ridiculously awesome night with everyone until 5 am on that saturday.

So starting from there

Sunday was the relax and catch up on sleep day, but on sunday night we had xmas part 1 with my relatives from out of town. Which actually was a lot of fun my immediate family was all there it was pretty fun having a drink with my cousin and brothers.

Then monday (xmas eve) i went to mills to have a b horror xmas themed night. We watch silent night deadly night 1 and 2 both great flicks. I had already seen 1, but not two, but two was more a lot of stock footage from one, but had a lot of good quotes "GARBAGE DAY!"

Christmas day was pretty good we had family over at our house which was pretty fun opened some presents got to see my grandma since she didn't make it to turkey day. Then i went to codys for a bit to see the folks i didn't get to see. Then i went to mills with cody to watch Silent night bloody night which was pretty awful, but it was thought envoking which is odd for these sorts of movies.

Wednesday I can't seem to really remember what happened i feel like it was something with the out of town cats. Yeah i think that was the night that me dave jeff kyle sarah kevin andrea and corey went to goveners. It was a blast to see jeff and kyle and corey the out of towners i miss them all. Although kyle says he maybe coming back and now that i'm 21 a trip to vegas to see corey is in order.

Then on thursday we went to acoustic band practice at danes, which is always a lot of fun. We ran through all the songs for recording and chit chatted a lot about band stuff and then of course little ceasers at one point there was like an 11 minute rock out to meat loaf i think and we made a musical for the song which i assume meatloaf will be getting back to us about.

Friday i went out to dinner with mark and jon which was a lot of fun. I couldn't believe it took that long to get tother it was the four of us again, we had a really good time. So i hung out at marks for a little bit afterward and then i went to cassies for trival pursuit/the most intesnse game of ping pong i have ever played. After Jeff and i kicked the shit out of everyone in trivial pursuit jeff myself russ and dave started our 4 hour ping pong journey. It was intense we all had our really awesome moments but i'd have to say that jeff and russ were probably the best. After our ping pong addiction was over and it dawned on me that i didn't grab the triple rectifier from marks house dave and i headed over there at roughly 2 in the morning to grab it. Luckily marks girlfriend kiley was up and were able to get it. After that dave and i met katie and her friend kelly at around the clock for some early early morning food. We were there until about 4 when we drove back home to chicago to get some shut eye for recording the next day.

Unfortunaly we got home at about 5 and didn't get to bed until about 5:30 and then woke up to dane ringing our doorbell at about 11:30-noonish area. We were supposed to be at the studio at 1, but do to dave and me sleeping in and josh being late we didn't get there till about 1:30 close to 2.

It was just an overall increcible experience there. It was a really long 12 hour session and we pretty much plowed right through the whole thing we tracked all the songs live then went back over some mistakes and then did vocals and by the time we got done it was a little after 1. It was a really really long day.

Then on sunday we went back to semaphore for the mix down which tooke roughly 6 hours. ALl in all the recording expereince was really awesome and we are really happy with the outcome and i just can't wait to see where it takes us.

Then sunday natalie and sarah and their friends called dave around midnight so we all went out to a hookah bar and had a really good time. The hookah bar was really nice, but we were out till like 3:30. It was a pretty ridiculous night all in all.

Then monday night was new years eve. I woke up at like 2 in the afternoon. It was gorgeous sleeping in that late absolutely gorgeous. Then i went shopping for the part which was probably one of the worst decisions i've ever made was going to jewel on new years eve. But after getting back from that hell hole i basically waited for everyone to come over

We had a nice little new years eve party at the apartment just a couple of people relaxing to bring in the new year. Then everyone else came home from the hilton and more ridiculous shit happened.

And then tuesday was mostly spent sleeping.

Then today we woke up and i guess our furnace was broken so we didn't have heat most of the day. So we all hunkered down on the couch together and spent most of the night there while the heating guy came and fixed our heat and all was good.

Moral of the story this Christmas break has been the most ridiculous experiences of my life. And i still have till january 28th till class starts again. how much more crazy can this get? We'll see.

Goodnighte everyone.

Chris