screens

i'm starting to believe that i've almost lost my will to read. We'll maybe it's not that bad but i went out today with the idea,"hey i'm going to get a book & finish it today!" Should not have been that hard to do but here i am, back at my computer because a backlit screen is easier on my eyes than a piece of paper.

Here's the wonderful problem of my generation. Since i started school, i've been staring at a screen. Typing classes (which paid off), science classes, research for classes online, screen screen screen screen screen! It has had its perks though. i can't tell you the home row keys but i can spell out everything that i say before i say it & shoot that information to my fingers. The other day i got weird looks at a store because i was walking & texting at the same time. The droid i use has a pop out keyboard with little numbs on the j & f keys (sound familiar?). When i choose the person that i want to send a text to, one click then the typing begins. Texting & talking is just like walking & talking only you do not use your mouth. As i roamed around the store the click of my keyboard followed me wherever i went. This is my generation.

According to my father, who keeps up on the news, in Missouri it is illegal to drive & text if you are under the age of 21. How is this a law? Just because i'm over the age of 21, how does that make it ok for me to operate a phone & fly my mothership at 70 miles an hour? Unless you are a fighter pilot in the air force, there is no way your eyes can adjust fast enough to stare at a phone then the road fast enough to guarantee safety while driving. There is a voice dictation option on my phone & i still feel queazy using it while driving.

Now take a second & look back at the topics that i've touched on. It still astounds me these are the problems that we are faced with right now. Looking from what i can imagine as my parents perspective, it's crazy that we have these machines. Honestly, i can not think of a time in my life where a computer wasn't around. I went to computer camps back in grade school, had typing classes from second grade on through high school & someone always had a playstation or game boy around. Screens everywhere!

While at best buy a week or so back, i got to play with an ipad. Never in my life did i think i would enjoy it but it was a little scary. The keys were evenly spaced & with some practice, i could really get use to it. I could carry this screen around in my bag & it would be the end all be all of my computing needs. I'm already use to a touch screen phone with internet access, why not just have a giant one! With the wifi capabilities, why do i ever need to invest in a computer again? Now i am not trying to sell ipads to the masses by any means but here is the road that were taking. We will have a screen. That's it. Some schools are moving to the ebook club & kudos, you're saving a lot of paper. But that's going to eventually be what you stare at for 16 hours a day. A screen that has the world at your fingertips. As long as itunes doesn't go all Fahrenheit 451 on our asses, i think we'll be ok. It is something to keep in the back of your mind though the next time you go digging for your iphone. One day, you might have a device that allows you to call, explore the web, keep your appointments, receive email, spell check, etc. Oh! you already have one of those do you?

What if it was all you had?

love always,

.scotti.

Ah! I'm getting bad about this.

Got fat & happy back and running. Hopefully have all the tunes done on Colin's new record. We'll keep you posted. Should be out in August. I have the dates in my book but it's not around.

New music coming from Nate Rodriguez. Currently demoing his record as we speak & laying down some of his chickin pickin skillz on Colin's record. He was kind enough to let me use his 28" 70's Ludwig bass drum. That's staying in the sound room for a very long time.

Keep checking back for fun things to happen, including touring information! Yes we're putting something together & no more last minute stuff!

.scotti.

radio interview

.finally updated this damn computer & am now running snow leopard. The geek inside of me just did a back flip i do believe. Getting ready to sign on for an online chat, interview, discussion thing with radiofreetexas.org. haven't seen one bit of promotion besides us posting it on our webpage so this should be interesting. i(sic) have been wrong before & i'm hoping this is one of those times. Till we meet again or i get pissed off & blog about this very quickly,

scotti

Scary how true this is, Happy indie record store day!

sxsw

.it is that time of year again. South by Southwest is upon us again. Austin will be flooded with indie bands from all over the world for the next week or so. Honestly, unless i have a show, i've never really seen all the appeal to the festival. Last year i played my first RBB show at sxsw & it was fun but it's a little different when your band lives in the town.

.a majority of the bands that make it down to sxsw expect a record deal or sponsorships or to just make a ton of bread. Unfortunately this doesn't happen for most. A majority of the bands will end up pawning their gear to make enough money for gas to get home. This is great for the local bands or groups. i(sic) know that i'll be roaming the pawn shops looking for steals on great drum equipment.

.is it worth the risk? i(sic) ask myself that when i first heard of the festival & still do to this day. If you were able to find a sister band or saved up enough money to come & go that's one thing but putting all your eggs in one basket? After the RBB sxsw show we had homes to go back to. i(sic) even had my house by then so i feel kinda bad for all of these out of towners.

.if your best shot for success is a sponsor, then how far do you take it? Can you imagine your favorite underground band playing completely dressed in pepsi apparel? It's like the scene from Wayne's World where Garth is covered from head to toe in adidas gear. Can that be your bus ride back home? Advertisers love these festivals more than anything i would imagine. Everyone is a walking billboard especially since every phone is now a camera or even a video camera. i(sic) just watched a video of my favorite youtube vlogger, sxephil, walking around 6th street. He went into a variety of restaurants & walked outside bars. Granted this was free publicity but with his day or trip being filmed from moment 1, do you think the companies will step up the advertisements? If every one at southby was walking around with a camera why not make the billboards or posters as big as possible! "Here's a picture of Terry & the kids in front of the giant mt. dew horse drawn carriage that's painted green."

.so i've gotten about 50 phone calls since i started this rant & completely lost my train of thought. All in all if you're going to be out for sxsw, be safe. Just like any festival, there are always people looking to take advantage of folks just looking for a good time. That happens on 6th street most every weekend. My favorite bouncer on the street was stabbed randomly a few months ago. He made a full recovery but if a 6'5" 300 lb bouncer is easy pickins, then what does that say about the rest of us? Best bet, secret shows. They're posted all over & some of the best times are with bands you've never heard of at venues that only have music once a year.

best,
scotti

sky city band

.few pictures from a recording gig last week. be sure to check out the sky city band whenever they get a webpage up & going. awesome players & had a lot of fun playing on this track.

ok go.....es again