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Songs From Scratch Contest

Hey, so I spent all day working on this song for the Current's Songs from Scratch contest. Check it out HERE and you should totally submit it to be featured on the MPR site HERE just scroll to the bottom to check out featured videos. Hope you like it! I spent all freakin' day, and forgot to eat because of it. Now I am going to go eat a lot of foodstuffs.

My absence

Forgive the lack of updates recently. I have been rather distracted by a number of things - life if you will. I have been doing some sketching though. Trying to get the style I really want to use for the ARO down. I need to make sure I can keep it consistent. And the only way to accomplish this is to practice, practice...practice. But I believe I am getting closer to achieving my goal.

On top of writing countless ideas for lyrics and music for the ARO, I have also set out to enter a 89.3 the Current song contest. I have the music for it - now I just need the lyrics done. But it must be finished and recorded by the 31st. So I pretty much need to finish it this weekend. Then I would like to get started on one of the animations for the ARO - but I need to write a script and record the voice work. And I'll need Dan for that. One step at a time.

I played at one of my Director's Son's wedding reception this past weekend. Tony was out of town, so I took the job solo. There was stress galore before hand, and I almost went nuts and snapped - but I made it, and it was a beautiful reception, and I'm glad it is over. Having to learn cover songs is a totally bad idea for me. I just don't feel comfortable with it. I can't connect, and I get all nervous about screwing it up. And I only had a couple of my own songs to play (at least I had some, thank god), because lets face it - my song writing is not particularly of the happy-ever-after variety. They may be love songs, to a degree, but they are definitely...um...depressing. So I had to pick carefully - and even change some lyrics for the occasion. Anyhoo, like I said, it's done. And I think it went well, at least that was the feedback I got.

But I have a new goal with the writing process! Happy songs! =D Maybe it is something I need to expand and become more inspired. I mean, we do have some happy/fun songs too - but I need more of them. So this will be interesting.

In the mean time, I'll keep cracking away at whatever it is that I do and try to remember to post anything special that comes my way. I'll definitely add the 89.3 song on here, and I think I have some video from our release show I need to upload as well. Laters!

Here's a few...

All free hand - all out of my head - obvious influences.

Thank You's in order

I just wanted to thank everyone who came out to the show and made it quite a success - we couldn't continue to make music if it weren't for all of you who support us! It is turnouts like that, especially in small venues, that make every moment of running around like a chicken with my head cut off worth it. And also a big thank you to Dan Olmshenk for helping us whenever we need it. You rock man. Like I said, it was a wonderful success for planning a larger show - that keeps me very optimistic that it is possible for us to do this. We'll probably have a little break here to recuperate and get a few things in order - hopefully write some new material, and also get more of the rock opera put together. I'm also trying to throw together a showcase like show at the Acadia Cafe, with a bunch of fellow musicians - including Eli Ratner and Aaron Blum (who both did an awesome job btw).

In other news, I am also working on a series of digital drawings/paintings that will hopefully lead to some kind of gallery showing. Nothing big, just a nice little side project to show what I'm interested in (on top of every other freakin thing I'm working on). So of course there is no finish date set (although I hope it is by the end of the summer), I just can't commit enough time to side projects to ensure their completion in a timely matter. But I will throw a few preview sketches up here in a moment.

SO MUCH GOING ON! BUT THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT =)

Screen Shot!

Here is a quick sneak at some of the cover art I am working on for the Rock Opera. Hope you like! =) It's all still IP

June 27th - CD RELEASE SHOW!

June 13th

Next Show

The next show is scheduled for Friday, June 13th. Yes - that is Friday the 13th. Perhaps we should do a theme show? Hm...*scheming*

Again, this will take place at the Dunn Brothers on Franklin and Lyndale. Check our myspace page for details. A poster will be, ah, posted soon.

In other news, if you noticed the previous post, there is the mysterious "ARO" being worked on. When I stated that it would be coming soon - I meant to say that it will probably be releasing next Spring 2009 actually. It is currently in the works and only the first few songs have been completed. The basic storyline is mapped out, with details in the works. Collaboration with Dan Olmshenk in the writing process has been confirmed. It is going to be, shall we say, wicked. So if you like Sci-fi-fantasy-western-space adventures in the form of a rock opera, then I suspect you will 'dig' it. I am also doing artwork and animation shorts for the official show.

Also, I now own a cintiq. Bow before me.

Hells Yeah

-- Coming Soon --

May 24th

Next show! It will be held at our place of roots - Muddsuckers. Come out and have some coffee, the best belgian waffle around, and relax to the sweet melodies of RisingSide. Hope to see you there!

It's my burfday

You know your getting old when you get flowers instead of toys for your birthday -- but I love it ^_^ (thanks mom and dad).

I don't know what I will do, however, as softball was canceled tonight and those were my plans -- tkd, class, softball, home at 11:30pm. Soooo, not sure what to do. Will probably stop by Sally's to say hi to my "twin" who I share a birthday with. Then I don't know. I'll be officially done with class for the semester. My life is glowing with uncertainty for the next few weeks. Lalala...

Yesterday

Everything went really well last night. I would like to thank everyone who came out! I was told that it was the most packed that it had ever been when they had music, and that usually people left relatively soon - but not for us ^_^. A wonderful turnout, and making a small venue work really lifted my spirits for this summer. We are going to be playing there again mid June, and are going to try and book an official CD release party (finally) at the larger Dunn Brothers in Loring Park! That way we can really get the place packed and go crazy =P. So when we figure that out (hopefully soon) I'll let everyone know the details. Ciao!

This Weekend!

May 3 Updated

So it is official - RisingSide will be playing at the Dunn Brothers in Uptown, off of Lyndale Avenue. Music starts at 7pm, and I have special guests Dan Olmschenk and Aaron Blum opening for us. If you want more information, check out our myspace page or you can email me at risingsidewalks(at)hotmail(dot)com. I kinda want to make an email list anyway of people not on facebook or myspace - so if you want news and updates, drop me a line.

Hope you can make it!

May 3

So it looks like Tony and I will be playing our first gig of the year at Dunn Brothers in Uptown. I don't have all the complete details yet, but I'll be making some posters and stuff and probably post it up on this blog for all of you to see. So if you want to come, mark your calendars for MAY 3. It's a Saturday. My friend Dan Olmschenk and Aaron Blum might open for us, so that will be sweet. They are very in to blues and rootsy folk music. And of course, there will be more where that comes from =P. Hope to see you!

Oh, I'm supposed to update this thing?

Sorry about the lack in the update information. I have been preoccupied with other things lately, so my attention to music and art has been little. I have been working on a series of drawings, however. I'm thinking of creating a gallery for them once they are all finished off. Right now I am sketching them out. Then Evan has taken some photos of them and will get me a cd with .tif files. From there, I was planning to do a little PSing then print them up big and have them framed. The are based on the disney characters from some of my favorite films, but I have tried to add my little personality take on them. It's been fun to at least be motivated to do some. There is only one drawing I have done that I'm not happy with and plan to redo it. So yeah.

The music has been on hold far too long for my liking. I have been playing a little with some new song ideas, and lately brushing up on blues rifts. I really want to bring that old sound back, when music was at it's prime (aka the 60s). It just can be difficult with all the mainstream influences everywhere, and expectations, and not having a full band to back you up - sharing ideas. It gets frustrating. I want to write deep seeded lyrics that can speak to people. I want to expand my horizons and broaden the topics I write about. This is what I want to do in my life. There's just something missing from the equation, and I need to find it. I need to be able not to rely on others to get where I want to go. So let's see what happens, shall we?

March 15th

FYI, March 15th I will be doing a solo show at the Marrakesh Cafe in Dinkytown, MN. I am opening for an act called PROJECT HELVETIA for their CD release. Also playing will be CATHY BATES (no, not the actress). The show is FREE, and I'll bring some CDs as well for your pleasure. Tony will be in Vegas (the bastard), so I'm going to have to swing it on my own. 'Twill be a fun time though. Hope to see you there!

Check myspace for details.

Variety show

The Whole is also putting on a variety show on March 6th. I think Tony and I should do this as well as the battle of the bands. Anything and everything is an option at this point. But we are going to get together on Saturday and record Paper Cups really well. I'm excited for that one. We also got this notice to join a compilation CD from some indie company in Massachussettes...we will see about that, got to check it out thuroughly to make sure it's worth it. Laters.

Music stuff

Last night I spent some time at my friend Dan's place and we did kind of a music circle where a few of us took turns playing some of our songs. It was really fun and it felt good to play in front of people again. Dan and Jackie are some of the coolest people you would ever meet, and really good friends. When we were finished playing and everyone else left, we had a sit down. They kept telling me over and over why I should be a professional musician. That I was the only person they knew who could actually make it in the business, that I had to share my music with the world. It touched my heart to hear how enthusiastic they are about it. I really do want to make music my thing, I just find it hard to persue. Hey, I never thought it would be easy, but going it alone can be trying. I have Tony, but even with just the two of us, we focus so much on trying to play together, that we oversite how to get out there to the people. They convinced me to find out when all the open mic nights are around the twin cities so we can just go and play as much as possible in as many places as possible. We need to get people talking about us. I also saw an advertisement for a battle of the bands at the WHOLE on campus. The winner gets to open spring jam. I'm going to submit us. With that, Garrison Keelar, and hopefully Fish Day, we can get things rolling. It's time to step up the game again. I've been dormant too long. Thank you so much for the support guys, you brought that fire back in me.

I DO have some drawings.

I'm sure that any artist out there can relate that even though you draw something, it for some reason feels like an inconvenience to actually SCAN them. It takes extra time, formating, etc. and is not fun to do. I guess if the purpose was to finish the drawing in Photoshop, you would just get it over with. But when it comes to quick concept sketches, the motivation to take the time to scan is lacking. But I will try to do my best to attempt to take the 15minutes of VALUABLE time in my day to do this. See how much I would sacrifice for the fans?

Drawings to come...

just an FYI. Drawing this afternoon (just concept sketches) Will upload tonight.

Here we go again

Another school semester, another bummed out student. I've never been much for the schooling, but I guess it is good for me. I let my mind wander too much sometimes. I have such a powerful creative side, but very little discipline. The only way I can get through the school year now is the fear of not FINISHING school. This means, MORE school in the future. Please, god no. This semester I am going to keep everything organized and prioritized (no promises, mind you). I have attempted this way before, and it was quite...ugly. But we can always start anew. Most of my classes are film studies, so we write a few papers and watch a ton of movies. And this works just fine for me, except I loath writing papers. But I can do it. Do it well enough to get through the class anyway. My problem is the procrastination of it all. But, again, I will try to prioritize to make life easier for me. Then it is summer - my trip, training, and music gallore. I also am going to sketch up some ideas for my next animation (much more complex). This will be something worth putting in a portfolio. It will be a challenge to myself to see how good I really can be at this animation stuff. Is it really my (third) calling? I'll sketch some stuff up and post it for your input. (no promises)

More from Moonblink

Doopdeedoo

Here is another little promo picture from my friend Moonblink for "paper cups".

A lot to update --

Updates updates updates...

Yeah, so here's the lot of them:

1. Got back from a relaxing vacation at home (I hope the lot of you had a wonderful holiday season as well). Not much got done while I was there, but it was a good hiatus as far as giving my brain a break went. The family is doing well and I was really excited to see Brad again and especially my dog Maggie ^_^. Spent the time bowling, shooting pool, and playin' ping pong, hehe. Now it's back to the grind - but on my terms.

2. The rock opera is coming along pretty well. I finished one song - now all I have to do is record a good session of it. I have the follow up song's guitar part done, but the lyrics need a go over. Tony and I have finally started playing together again, and it is nice to see some initiative in him. He wrote a beautiful part for 'Paper Cups' and I can't wait to record it. We also started playing with our friends Dan (bass) and Preston (drums). Right now they are just figuring out the basic paterns and notes, but once they get comfortable, I can see this music going in an amazing direction. It's a whole new sound to play with a full band. I still love the strait up acoustics, but sometimes having the backup is pretty rockin. We will see where this goes, and I hope it goes right. Oh, and I threw up some youtube videos of my solo workings so far. Plus the rock opera piece is on there. Just go to youtube.com and search risingside. They are crappy but, eh.

3. For those of you that know me (I mean REALLY know me, so not very many), you know that my brain works in a very sparatic way. I get an idea, and I have to work with it immediately - and then it's gone. Sometimes it comes back, but other times it's a one time thing. I take on projects and task, piling them on until it is impossible to accomplish any one of them. I am a dreams-first kind of person. I don't believe in setting them aside. If your going to live, you might as live to the fullest and do what you can with the time you have, while you have it. You have to go for what you dream about doing at the time it presents itself. Don't wait around, because it could be gone in an instant. Yes, you should always have a 'practical' backup plan - but it shoud be just that - a backup. It needs to be something that is much easier to accomplish and it has to be something you can stand to live with doing. But dreams should not be placed aside so you can work on practicality. What the hell for? So you can regret not going for what you really wanted for fear of failure? Failure is a part of life and it is meant to happen eventually in some respective way. But we can always get back on our feet. That is what the backup is for.
So why am I saying all this? Simple. Like I said before, I get an idea in my head and I go for it. My problem has always been timing. It never works out well for me - but I know that one of these times is the big one. And I won't set my intuitions aside because I think I may be kidding myself again. Because it might be the time. So here it is, my time. I can feel it in my blood. You're all going to laugh, I know, and that is totally fine. Because it is my dream. And what are dreams but silly ideas that may be the best thing that could happen to a person. So here is my dream: I want to be a professional MMA fighter. Ridiculous sounding eh? Sometimes I think so, but I've always thought I had a heart of a fighter inside of me. I've just never had the chance to prove myself, or the opening to really get down to it. I have been inspired mostly by my peer and former coach Kaitlin Young. She is my age and is now a professional fighter after a year of hard training. She has always been a hard trainer (much more than me) but her drive has inspired me to do what I never had the guts to do. So I'm going for it. Hehe, and with the American Gladiators back on the air, I can at least hope for the chance to jump on that band wagon next season. ^_^ I always wanted to compete on that show when I was a kid. And I think training for MMA is a step towards reaching that platform on the way. I want to prove myself. I don't care if I am the best (although it wouldn't hurt, hehe). I either need to kick some ass, or get my ass kicked. I'm not afraid of that. But something needs to happen. My loves in order = music, mma, and animation. Music will always be around for me, but the time is now or never for mma. So I will take the time to do both. This is my legacy, and no one will talk me out of it.

4. On the animation front, my project is online on my bands myspace page under videos. I think it's kinda crap, but I want to work on it more. (At least I got an A on the assignment) I can do so much more, but it was good practice with the time I had. The next project will be much more involved and beautiful. But it is going to take a while. I'll try to keep you posted.

So there we go - a mouth full. But I got it out. Now to do some actual work I get paid for. Toodleoo!