I was really hoping to have hit the ground running for 2009.  Wanted to get some of these stalled projects moving again, get abck to recording, get the band fleshed out and on the road, and generally get my musical endeavors kick started.  Instead, it's three weeks in, and I've done none of it.  I need to overcome some serious inertia here.

So, time to list and prioritize.

1)  Get back in shape.  Yeah, it seems like a non-music goal, but I think a lot of my inertia problems stem from a lack of energy after the work day.  So, it's back to the gym, working on toning and stamina.  Hello treadmill, my old friend.  Nice to see you again.  

2)  Record two hours a week.  This is one of those short term, low effort goals.  I'd ideally be seeing twenty to thirty hours recording each week, but don't want to start at that level.  Two hours gives me time to flesh out an existing song idea, get a drum track built, etc.  Two hours should be enough to make pretty goodheadway on a specific task.  Enough to keep me focused on getting it done, and getting to the next task.

3)  Practice.  At least an hour a day, every day.  Just has to be done, and needs to be listed as a task.  My practice time has been dropping off significantly over the last few months.  Lethargy, al little feeling sorry for myself, missing my band mates, etc.  Shouldn't matter, practice must be done.  The rust is showing.

4)  Listen.  It's been a while since I took the time to get out and hear what's going on in the world.  So, I'm going to take some time and meet new musicians, check out new bands, and give some different music a real chance.

That seems like a manageable list, so I'll stop there.  If you're reading this, feel free to send me a note, check on progress, or just nudge me with a gentle reminder...I need all the help from my friends that I can get :)

John.

Just wanted to wish everyone well this holiday season!  Looking forward to a much more productive 2009.  I'm going to be spending the next couple of weeks making a plan for 2009, which I hope to share right after the new year.

Thanks to everyone for your support in the past, and hope to have lots more fun in the future!

John.

Well, last night was another open mic/acoustic night.  Mothers Acoustic Blend opened up, and played for about an hour.  Mike came out with the upright bass and dobro, Mac and Al came out and played some guitar, and me...after the MAB portion of the evening, I fired up the keyboard add added some electric piano and jazz organ accents!  It was a fun night, as always.  Many thanks to everyone that came out, like John C., Kevin and Maria T., and Bonita, who never did show me that tattoo she was bragging about!!!  Starting in November, we're going to be scaling the open mic nights back to once a month.  We'll be using the off Wednesdays to do more recording, work on some new material, and try to keep things fresh and exciting!  Oh, and it looks like I'll be needing a new acoustic guitar!  I borrowed my friend Scott's Breedlove last night, and it really cleaned up some of the sound issues we've been experiencing.  I really like my Seagull, but the electronics are really sensitive, and in a live setting, it's just really noisy.  Keep an eye out for the MAB MySpace page, which should be coming online soon.  We'll be putting some of our demo recordings up, and it will be a great place to keep up with the bands performance schedule!

LAter!