grey as blog

grey as sun

Thursday, March 22, 2007

music stuffs...

so i feel that this is going to be a good year for music. Right now, I'm slated to see the Ben Gibbard solo show in May with my friend Ryan, which is awesome. I also might drive up to Milwaukee to see Maritime and I also scored Lollapalooza tickets.

Now, I just have to get Pinback tickets and The National tickets, and I will probably be a very happy little music fan for the next short while.

As for my own music - well... I keep hitting rocks with that one. I can't get the drum sound that I want. I found a work-around, I THINK, but probably not. To get it where I want, it'll probably run me $100 for some software upgrade. BLAH!

BUT, I got a free guitar from my friends George and Eric. It's the EXACT SAME guitar that Megan lent me. I cannot complain about this. Granted it's not the Fender American Telecaster that I so desperately long for, but this will be more than sufficient for me at this moment. It's a fender squire stratocaster in black.

This puts the total guitars in my possession at the moment at 5 - I need to make or get a stand that can handle these.

As for everything else, there's really not much to go into. Things are getting... more interesting, that's for sure, lol. I'm not as depressed as before, but that's mainly because of working out and an overall want to get into a better state of mind. I just need to get productive now...

I'm out for now, kids. Talk at ya later!

xoxo

posted by grey as mike @ 11:04 AM 0 comments

Friday, March 16, 2007

being happy is...

not being happy for a while... i guess. maybe... probably not...

Spring break has arrived, and I will finally get a small break from classes and such. I plan to spend the time still working on school, though - but also recording some demo's and doing my taxes. Those pesky taxes... But I should get a big refund since I'm still a student.

Speaking of student expenses - mine have SOARED this year... My printer went, so I had to get a new printer. My digital camera was only 2.1 megapixel, so I had to buy a new one (the minimum required at school is 5.0mp - the one I got is 7.2mp). Taking 5 classes has (for the first time since going to the school) warranted cab fare when I run late. My hard drive filled up with work again, so I had to get some backup devices to make sure I don't lose my portfolio. *sigh* I'm just glad I took out enough student loan money OVER the cost of tuition to be able to afford this stuff.

The ever-loyal Megan has gotten her guitar from her mom's house to let me use for recording. My guitar is just messed up - there is no appeasing that thing. If you ever buy an expensive custom-made guitar, don't get a floating tremolo... I'm not going to explain what it is, but just make sure you request a guitar without one of those.

I plan to record 4 songs, possibly more if I can get my act together - but let's face it, I probably won't even get the first 4 done:

1) an acoustic song that I plan to add some drums to. It has weird timing, tho - I don't think it's 7/8, but I can't know for sure until I record it and listen back to it - I'm horrible at counting measures while I play.

2) an electric song I made at my sisters place while playing drums. This will most likely be a B-side, but I want to check it out completed to know for sure - it's like Soundgarden, Quicksand and Rival Schools rolled up in one song - but watered down. So, we'll see...

3) I recorded a song using only a distorted bass and drumming. This was... interesting. I like the buildup, I like the mood the song sets - but I can't help but feel it needs a little something extra.

4) A song that's a cross between Coldplay's 'Politik' and City on Film's 'Pony's Last Trick' - I've been sitting on this song for a long time. It's very repetitive, and sounds nothing like either of the songs I listed above - but has a similar simplicity to the main riff's. Either way, this could be the weakest of the bunch, or the strongest. Hard to tell...

5) About a year ago, I posted 2 demos, which were for all practical purposes failures. One was electrice, one acoustic. I was never crazy about the acoustic one, and no one really liked the electric one, except me - lol. I plan to overhaul this song and make it something a little more accessible, but keeping with the energy I think it has in it.

6) Just to get my feet wet for recording, I'm doing a couple of acoustic covers - Kevin Devine's 'Protest Singer' - City on Film's 'Anticlimatic' - Appleseed Cast's 'Mile Marker' - Hey Mercedes 'Let's Go Blue' - I figure it will get me into the groove of how to record my acoustic songs, and also a better knack of timing and layering.

We'll see how all of these go. Chance are that I'll get NONE of them done, but maybe I will... who knows? I just don't want to overwhelm myself over spring break cause I really do need the rest and a little time to mentally recouperate - the last 6 weeks of school are going to be brutal - BRUTAL!

During that 6 weeks, you should see an overhaul of the grey as sun site, as well as an updated design portfolio site. Good times... I can use them as assignments at school. Yay!

Anywho - hope you're all having fun these days.

xoxo

posted by grey as mike @ 9:29 AM 1 comments

Friday, March 09, 2007

birthday...

so yea... 27 now. it's - 27. Kind of a bland year - nothing really happens, it's that transition from when you turn 25 and can rent a car and get cheaper insurance, until you're 30 and thinking that you're old. I wish I were 30 - then all this hard shit that I'm about to come face to face with will just be done and I can settle down a bit.

my friend chris is throwing me a party this weekend - i had a hard time coming up with even 10 emails to give him for the evite. Of course, I know more people than that - but I don't have their information. Being as busy as I am, I really don't get a lot of people's personal info - I just kind of know most everyone and everything in passing. That's... kinda sad, but also maybe good?

Needless, the notice is too short, and I think everyone is busy pretty much. no big deal - my bday kinda sucks usually anyway. But so far, it's been pretty good. Well wishes from most, a couple free drinks tonight. good times.

something weird occured to me today - I don't expect it to get warm soon. Like, it's March - which means that warmer weather happens in like... a month or 2. But I just keep expecting for it to stay cold for the next 6 months. I am THAT set into my hectic life that the cold is just part of it, and if it's not cold, it kinda weirds me out. Is that odd?

blah

shows that are coming up:

pinback - apr. 30
city on film - Mar. 30, apr. 19
Maritime - Saturday
Kevin Devine - Mar. 20, 21
the National - June 7
owen - Apr. 6
These Arms are snakes - Mar. 23

Cool bands to listen to and check out:

sleep station
the snake, the cross, the crown
maritime

Oh yea - did I mention that I got a $60 3-day pass to lollapalooza '07 today? Score - finally, something good happening.

I guess I should go to bed. It's late. It's always late... sigh...

xoxoxo

posted by grey as mike @ 12:42 AM 1 comments

Friday, March 02, 2007

yes, yes, yes, no, yes and no again

So, I'm in an odd place. I'm having the WORST of luck, but I want to be in a happy place. Depression is a hard thing to shake off, and it's kinda sucked when shit keeps hitting multiple fans.

Now...

In general - things are clean and organized. I think I'm finally falling into place with the semester and my course schedules and all the misc. crap that goes along with school.

I bought a new printer - prints borderless AND duplex - good times! It also prints things from the last page to the first, so that when it comes out of the printer, it's already in order. I'm a fan of this printer, and use it accordingly.

I had a run-in with the subject of my article for publication - he called to yell at me about things I had no control over. I pretty much had to submit and just take it all in, as opposed to in real life where I would just tell him to fuck off... It's a school magazine, I just don't care that much - but I need a grade. His, the author's and the instructor's (from whom this article's text was taken from) dropped the ball, and now I'm the one getting yelled at... Needless, MY instructor talked with this other instructor, and I am not at fault in any way - We're getting images and edited text this week, and life should be good... Well, as good as can be when you're 6 weeks behind.

So today and tomorrow are clean-up days. I have a TON of laundry that needs to be done, I have to clear off my desk at work (it's a little sloppy at the moment), I need to clean around the house, and I also need to CLEAN OFF MY LAPTOP. OMG - out of 80gb, I have 3gb left - damn porn blogs... So I'll be backing THAT all up and getting that in order.

My birthday is Wednesday - stupid. Girl Scout Cookies will be picked up tomorrow - stupid. There's a lot of stupid crap going on this weekend - but whatever. I'm sure I'll get out and about for it.

I'm out...

xoxo

posted by grey as mike @ 10:26 AM 1 comments

a blog is no more than than the modern journal for public viewing...

About Me

Name: grey as mike
Home: Chicago, Illinois, United States
About Me:
See my complete profile