Live music is the best kind!

Good Morning Kitty,

How are you???? I'm doing pretty well. Woke up a little late today. I swear to God, the thing I am the least comfortable with these days is my sleeping schedule!!!!! I wake up so late and go to sleep so late. I guess it makes sense because I do not have a jobby job to go to at 9 am anymore, but I really like waking up that early. It gives me energy!!! But the bottom line is, if I could be out meeting musicians and making connections at night time, I should be doing that. I'm just not used to the schedule yet. I'm sure all my 8:30 to 6ers are saying "Boo hooo, poor you! Shut it!" And you'd be right. so I will stop now.

morning me with some iced coffee.

Yesterday was good. I had a great guitar lesson with my friend Angelo and learned basically that I know NOTHING, but that I do somehow play soulfully. So that is good to know. He showed me all the amazing sources on the interweb to teach yourself guitar and even piano. Thousands of lessons on youtube!!!! Almost any song you could want to play is on there. I have never really been that interested in learning how to play covers, but I think it will be a good way to get better - it will at least broaden my arsenal of chords and strumming patterns. Here is one lesson on how to play Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You." It's insane!!!! Also, if you watch long enough, he tries to sing it in falsetto and it's re-freaking-diculous.

So I guess the structure for my day is sort of naturally coming to be. I obviously need to practice guitar. A lot. And piano. So I think I will try to do an hour of both each day. Then spend at least an hour writing and playing my own songs. That should be good!

After my lesson, I also went to the record store across the street and the oh so chic coffee shop. Bought 3 records: Judy Collins "Wildflowers", Mahalia Jackson "The World's Greatest Gospel Singer", and Neil Young "Live Rust with Crazy Horse." All are sweeeeeeeet.

What else...so I also went out to dinner again for my roomie's b-day. It was in Hollywood. Note to self: don't go out to eat in Hollywood. It's just trashy. But I actually ate my first burger in like 3 years though. That is right, I'm back on the meat wagon - and it was delicious!!!!!!!!! So good. I'm feeling pretty awesome about that.

After dinner - I went and heard my new friend Bernie's band "Cry on Cue" at Molly Malone's. Again - what an amazing room for music. Everyone was listening!!!!!!! I don't understand this phenomenon. In Boston, people go to bars to drink and talk loud and maybe bob their heads to the band. Here, at least at the two rooms I've been, they listen and love it! The music was at a caliber I have not heard in a long time! It was that good - and a few of these guys had not played with Bernie before - they just practiced that afternoon!!!Check out this video:

Bernie's drummer plays with Ziggy Marley and played on Ben Harper's first couple albums - literally one of the best drummers I've heard, but very reggae! The bass player - also amazing and innovative and jumping up and down - plays with Lucinda Williams and Liz Phair and tours all the time. Then you have Bernie - who has this amazingly soothing, awesome voice, killer guitar skills, and writes reggae hits - one after the other. They jammed a lot, and I just found myself grinning from ear to ear at the sheer musicality of it and the enjoyment they were having - - - these are some happy musicians. Just happy to be playing! I hope that through the course of my career I can keep that sort of joy in my work always! I met one of Bernie's friends who plays trombone around town for absolutely EVERYONE - I gave him my CD. He talked a lot about the inner circle of musicians in LA and how they are sort of the guardians of the standards of music here - they are strict about musicianship - but have a good time too. Once you're in the family, you're in. I was like, I WANT TO BE IN!!!! Anyway, I'm already feeling loved and supported by these guys. Billy, the host from the open mic, was there and he must have hugged me like 5 times. I'm confident that my relationship with him and Genghis Cohen will move along to a beautiful place. AND the booker for Genghis also books Molly Malone's, so there you have it.

So yippitidy freaking dooooooo da! It's gonna be a good day.

I'm gonna practice. And learn how to like practicing. (I've always been an unruly student when it comes to instrument practicing. It's time to change that. )

I'm gonna go to the gymsky doodle.

I'm gonna probably buy groceries. Cuz all I have in the house is a turkey burger and an orange.

I'm going to figure out what to do about this recording thing for my church CD.

Prolly pay a bill or two.

And go to see my old friend Barbara King from State High's improv comedy troupe perform: Robert Downey Jr. Jr.

So I will leave you with the song of the day and the quote of the day:

My, My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) - Neil Young

'Success is a matter of not quitting, and failure is a matter of giving up too soon.' - Walter Burke