Dave

Driving

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:39:00 +0000

I was driving today to a friends wedding along 86 West and Marieka and Ruby were both asleep in the car. I was listening to Wilco (the album) and just enjoying the quiet time to just listen. Sometimes it is just nice to drive for a bit. I have been itching to work on some new songs...my goal is to work with John on some vocal harmonies.

The new songs that I started are all on piano so we will see how they work out.

Most of the songs on "Born to Run" were composed on Piano. Who knows...just looking forward to getting to play some music over break. I will update you with how it went.

Playlist 2

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:49:00 +0000

Coffee, Internet, and morning music.

Super Germs (germophobes please read)

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:05:00 +0000

Okay so this is a good one...now I will admit, I haven't fully completed my research to see if there is actually information out there about this phenomena, but apparently there are now these things called "SUPER GERMS".

I was on vacation last week and I don't know if it was someone in my family or who but the topic of SUPER GERMS was brought up. So the conversation was something about how now that we use all this anti-bacterial soap that GERMS will evolve and become immune to our efforts and become SUPER GERMSSSSSS!!!

BS- Our media is insane and the people who believe this crap are too. They tell you oh GERMS are coming to get you...better run out and get anti-bacterial gel and use it all the time. Now the latest is SUPER GERMSSSSSS now they have freaked out a whole new clientele.

How much do you want to bet that there will be some SUPER ANTI-BACTERIAL hand wash on the market soon that everyone will buy into to combat these SUPER GERMS?

Sometimes I think we are closer to a Brave New World than 1984.

Soundtrack

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:52:00 +0000

Had the day off today having some coffee and surfing the web...here is the soundtrack.

Newsletter Response

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:22:00 +0000

So since the running joke is that my Nine Inch Nails CD was blasted into oblivion by my father and the root was allegedly my sister. I recieved a package in the mail today and it isn't my birthday for another five months. I think she has finally put this incident to bed. Enjoy.

John's Guitar or lack thereof

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:21:00 +0000

Okay so I'm spoiling everyone with a second post in one day...ok just the five people that may read this blog...but I was looking through my old blogs just after I published the most recent one.

In the Saturday DJ AM blog I talked about playing guitar at John's with his new guitar, and how cool it was and that everyone would see it at our gig.

No...that thing has never seen the light of day John keeps it hidden in a cave somewhere, nobody will ever see it.

Suggested Listening - The Raconteurs - Consoler of the lonely

Happenings

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Got a new guitar a few weeks back...a black Gibson SG...nice.

The Album is getting close...going into the studio tomorrow to finish guitar tracks.

We have three new cover songs for the show tonight.

Need to get my taxes done.

Still writing songs and getting ideas even though we have enough for the album.

Still taking piano lessons.

Watched Pearl Jam Unplugged at John's last night after practice.

The Freak Out

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:10:00 +0000

So...I was just going through the pictures on our site labeled "Old Site Photos" and I noticed the picture of us playing at the Knight Club in Alfred when we opened for Navar.

I think that was the gig where my guitar cut out completely and I could not fix it on the fly and I kind of freaked out. And really it was only due to the fact that we were a three piece then and when something went out the whole song went kaput. Now usually we find a way to glide through it, but I was standing up and bending down and twirling and trying everything possible to make the guitar work right in the middle of the song. No dice.

I don't remember what was wrong with the guitar. I did remember feeling nervous and noticing that I was moving around nervously on stage. Usually that doesn't happen I am usually collected...I have no idea why I kind of freaked. John pointed out to me after the set and I realized how uncomfortable I must have looked to everyone. I really haven't had another moment like that one since.

Then...I began to laugh because of a mental picture that came to mind.

Nik also freaked during a gig due to instrument malfunction. During one of our songs he broke a string(which rarely happens with Bass guitars because the strings are so thick). So Nik instead of nervously moving around, like me... decided to get angry. He grabbed his Bass and basically swung it around by the broken string like he was a medieval warrior swinging mace. After seeing that I told myself that next time I have a guitar problem I will take a page from his book and freak out and try to scare everyone with my best impression of the incredible Hulk. Maybe then I will look a little more rock and roll.

Last Friday

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:26:00 +0000

I knew that last Friday was going to be a good day...one because it was Friday and two because I heard Dancing Queen two times in one day on the radio. I'm not joking what a great song.

Finding inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:17:00 +0000

I figured I would drop a blog in here so I can maintain my #1 spot as the best badgemen blogger.

So I just wanted to inform our readers of a couple of things that I have been up to musically for inspiration.

First - I have been watching the PBS series Jazz by Ken Burns on DVD. Pretty much I got a subscription to netflix just to watch these. I like the music and it takes a while to get into but I am on disc six right now and after I drop this one in I will be on seven. The DVD's are probably an average of an hour forty five a piece but they are interesting on two levels. Hearing these stories about how these great musicians made great american music can be very inspiring.

Second - I took Eric Clapton's Autobiography from a friend of mine and I have read about half of it in three nights or so. Very interesting...good ole Eric is a real self aware guy and he has appreciated everyone who has been a part of his life good or bad. This is a real healthy outlook on things, though a lot of his actions during the period of this book were not so healthy. The same thing with the Jazz series though learning how he went about making this great music is really inspiring and motivates me to do the same.

Thirdly - Piano lessons - I have been taking piano lessons for a while now and it has been really helping me understand music much better. I have a long way to go, but I think this is really going to be something that I can enjoy doing and will help me along in a lot of ways.

Lastly - Listening - Went to see Wilco in Rochester on Saturday and I have two of their albums "Sky Blue Sky" and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". The show was great and I learned how much of a guitar band they are and how the songwriting varies and takes you up, down, around and sideways. It was just great music and fun to see a band who was not blisteringly loud and played and sang some great songs. Even though I only have two albums, I am definetley checking out some more.

LEGO Mania

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:51:00 +0000

Interweb

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:47:00 +0000

Warning: This blog may sound dumb or obvious.

So with this whole financial crisis I decided to really take hold of my finances by making a spreadsheet of all of our expenses after the wedding. So I started this excel document and got as far as putting "Woolever's Bugdet" in the first cell...then I thought to myself...self...why don't you look on the interweb for an expense spreadsheet. Dude, you just google it, I got the sweetest spreadsheet, much better than anything I would have made. This thing calculates everything and its absolutley free.

The internet is awesome and I mean the awesomest. You can find anything...I would have spent like 2 hours making a spreadsheet that was not even as close to as good as that one. If you are having computer problems, and let's say you can get on the web or get on the web at someone elses house...you can be your own IT person. Now I'm no computer whiz, but I am willing to read and follow directions. I've hooked up printers and looked up error messages to fix things that I have no clue about just by looking it up. I don't think people use it enough to fix their problems.

The only thing that I am leary of using the net for would be like WebMD I just don't think getting medical advice online is good...other than that it is amazing.

I know all of this seems obvious, but at times like these...when I find something totally cool and saves me a lot of grief, online I think of how great it is.

Satur D jay AM

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:29:00 +0000

So it is exactly 7:32 am on Saturday morning...I was up at 6:00 mind racing like a rabbit. That is why I'm blogging no one else in the world is awake right now.

So...Badgemen stuff, last night spent some time at John's playing guitar with him and his new guitar, its pretty sweet. If mine was not so completely awesome I would have his. You will see it at the next show I won't ruin it for you.

So...TV stuff, watched Always Sunny in Philadelphia at John's last night because he DVR'ed it. (Side note: this whole phenomenon of DVR is awesome, but it is a confusing thing to type, Tivo'ed sounds a little better and looks better written, but its a brand.) The first two episodes of the season were hilarious. If you watched it I think Nik and I are the Brains...John is the Looks...and Josh is definetly the Wild Card...did you read his blog?

Wild Card

Okay that is enough I'm going to forage for some breakfast.

Cool (new) music...new to me

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:31:00 +0000

Been listening to Dire Straits lately...John gave me a Rolling Stone that he had with an article on Mark Knopfler. I had always seen the Mark Knopfler strat on the fender website, but had no idea who he was. I really like his guitar style...at least what I have heard, really clean and snappy. The sound is so easily identifiable that I was in Subway yesterday and I heard a song of his I had never heard...turns out it was titled "Lady Writer" off the Communiqu'e album. Anyway check it out if you would like.

Also the Avett Bros. are kick ass. I liken it to a blue grass version of Weezer but with slightly better voices. I want to go see them in Ithaca in November. You should check out their album "Emotionalism" good stuff.

Follow these links

Avett Bros.

Dire Straits/Knopfler

Life ain't a track meet...

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:51:00 +0000

We were up so early on Sunday to head up to the marathon my alarm went off at 4:13am ouch. I felt so terrible and I was cursing John the whole time I was walking around groggy in my apartment. I felt a little better when I was the last to arrive and John was already up and dressed. Usually I'm first and I'm getting him out of bed, and Nik and Josh looked like they were psyched to go so it was all good after that.

Highlights...

I got to test my antiperspirant...it was so hot.

I saw Richard J Mackey and some people from Hornell.

I got McDonalds breakfast and Taco Bell.

I played a Yamaha Keyboard and an SG at Guitar Center.

I got to sleep for 30 minutes on the way home.

Okay I gotta go...see ya.

Amazing

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Had a great musical evening tonight...we played at Weekend at Chuckies and I got back about an hour ago. Watched Michael Phelps' race on DVR then called John real quick to talk about the Rubber Soul reunion that we saw. For those of you who weren't there...pity on you. It was f'in sweet. Kurt, Eric, Tony, Ethan, and Tristan played the Harvest album by Neil Young. Which I had never heard up until this evening. They just did a great job...so kudos boys.

I actually knew a number of the songs, but I never knew what album they were on since I don't really like Neil. Tomorrow I'm going to see if they have it at Wal-Mart. Thanks for the inspiration guys.

The Bike and Text

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:06:00 +0000

I have noticed this phenomena occurring while I have been driving the streets of our fair city. Lesser known I believe than the "Drive and Text" but man is this one dangerous...both are...but WOW. It has been a young person both times I have seen it and it is pretty much just for lack of a motor vehicle. No more drive and text for me, I'm swearing off of it like a coke addict as of today.

Janet Jackson/Sly

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:02:00 +0000

So John went to the DMB show recently and was telling me about how they played a song that the lyrics were "I want to thank you for letting me be myself", and that it was a cool song. So I was driving a while ago and this funky song starts and Marieka was just about to change the station. Now I'm kind of a music nazi in my own car so I nearly slapped her hand, because I was digging this groove.
Then I hear the same lyrics that John was just talking about, so we listened, and I noticed that it sounded like they sampled this song in Janet Jackson's hit "Rhythm Nation".

It ended up being true when I downloaded both of them. See for yourself.

I think it is kind of cool to find samples in songs I think...it's like a where's waldo of music. If you think it's fun too check out The Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique" album. It was made at a time that sampling was fairly new and licensing wasn't really a problem, there are tons of samples in there to find.

Currently Listening

Thank you (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) - Sly and the Family Stone
Rhythm Nation-Janet Jackson

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:58:00 +0000

I listen to NPR a lot and I'm glad I do because often times I am up on current news events and they have lot's of great music and programming. I did notice something today that I found funny. Now before you get all excited I'm not making a political stance. I just think it is funny that every single time they mention Barack on NPR they say...

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama

Say that three times fast...I have a new respect for reporters even though I hate most media.

Currently Watching

Amadeus

Rickety Springlefield Etc.

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Okay,

So I got home from work today and decided to make a smoothie, we have no milk...one of the essential ingredients for those who have never heard of this culinary delight. So as I am leaving to make my way down to the gas station, I hear "Jesse's Girl" on the TV. So I just peek to see who is playing it...figuring it can't be ole Rick?
Sure enough it was. Now the band he had was playing some heavy distorted guitar on the Verse that I heard. He had a semi-new look, goatee, long hair, snappy clothes. Anyway he was on Oprah or Ellen or something and then I remembered a while back when he made his 1st "comeback" on daytime TV a la Days of our lives or something, he was on one of those talk shows playing "Jesse's Girl"...I then realized that I must be getting old. I have lived long enough to see two Rick Springfield "comebacks".

Just thought it was weird.

On a different note we all went to see "The Dark Knight" last night in Rochester. Just like everyone else in the world I was excited as hell to see this one. Now I thought the plot was okay, but not a great movie. It was worth the money and the time spent with friends, but I thought Heath was the only good thing in the movie really (and I don't think I am buying into the hype). Some of the camera shots were great, but overall the plot didn't have enough in it to make it as good as the original Batman (1989) or the newer release. Just one old man's opinion anyway.

Suggested Listening:

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Insomnia and the hole in my head

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 04:56:00 +0000

It is 12:56 am right now and I have to be up really early tomorrow morning accept I can't sleep. So I just got up to see what's on the internet. Good thing the trusty blog is here. I have a golf tournament bright and early tomorrow. Then back to back gigs, this could be interesting. It is also very hot tonight and I think I am going to watch some TV to try and fall asleep. I would either play the guitar or the keyboard, but I have a downstairs neighbor and no headphones right now so TV it is.

Highway Overpass

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 04:53:00 +0000

So I was driving on the Highway today and noticed that they are working on a number of overpasses. I found it interesting that they put up these huge canvas sheets to cover all the supports for the overpasses. It really makes me wonder what is going on under there that they would need to cover up their work? If we were to see what was going on would be be nervous that it might collapse? Or maybe they are up to something really cool, that if seen by motorists at 65+ mph would amaze us so that it would cause accidents.

5:01am

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:02:00 +0000

So...I was going to go for a walk at 5:01 am. I woke up some time in the four o'clock hour and thought about it the entire time and couldn't get back to sleep. Needless to say I did not take that walk.

THE FIRST

noreply@blogger.com (DUU) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:50:00 +0000

I just ate Subway it was good, my sneakers are getting old and they are really smelly, I am about to go watch some TV...and take care of these sneakers...and by take care I mean throw them out.