Just an Observation I've Made

When I'm not making ridiculous movies about monsters I make ridiculous memes about nothing.

I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me...

I wasn't really a HUGE John Mayer fan. My wife is the big John Mayer freak. It was my fault because back before anyone knew who he was I was jamming to Why Georgia. Since then my wife really took off with it. Went to one concert of his a couple years back. Really great show, but I wasn't yet a true fan.

I didn't even want to go to this one tonight. But my wife bought the tickets months ago, and it is her birthday, and the only reason I was dragging my feet at all is because my mind is completely on making this feature and trying to save as much money as possible. Which means if I have a day off from work it's going to be working towards doing this movie.

 But it's her birthday. She's excited about it, I knew she'd love it, and she deserves all things great for her. And I knew deep down that I was going to enjoy it. How can any decent open minded human being not enjoy any kind of live professional performance? I get inspiration from everything, and the last time I say John Mayer I got a bit of inspiration from those first few opening blues riffs. Throw in the light show, and the overall energy of a good excited crowd, and you have no choice but to be inspired.

And I was right. Tonight was amazing. I feel sorry for anyone that has never been to any kind of live performance. And I mean anything. I've been to Broadway shows, comedy shows, seen garage bands play, even sporting events. Never underestimate the power of a crowd of like minded individuals united in the want and need to be entertained, and the spirit that rises when they get that need filled.

 John Mayer in general is an amazing guitarist, and his last few albums I've really gotten a more adult bluesy vibe. One of his latest singles "Assassin" is one of my favorites. The song really feels like it came from the end credits of a late 80's action spy flick starring Burt Reynolds or even Wings Hauser. Yes that's right, I just mentioned Wings "Mother Effin" Hauser. Bet you never read that name in blog, bet you don't even know who he is!

Anyhoo.

I was blown away by the great music of course. I could write volumes about the amazing sounds, what it all meant to me, what I feel like God and The Universe was communicating to me through the energy and feel of the moment on a powerful transcendental state of euphoric mind bullets and some shit, but I digress. It was really amazing stuff. But as always, as a former techie/grip, I truly appreciate all the stage theatrics and lighting.

What an amazing setup. Some great ideas with video projection. The lighting was phenomenal. I was especially taken with the setup for Assassin. A graphic and video background of house layouts, cross hairs, gun sight scopes, very Mission Impossible. All of it matching the very bluesy rock groove of the song. If Jason Bourne was live and in concert this is what it would've felt like.

Here's a sample of that performance I took with my little panasonic 6.0. Note the great light cues and cool background.

(John Mayer. Live. Greensboro, NC. 3/15/2010)



I think it's safe to say that I'm a pretty big John Mayer fan now. I don't really give a shit about any personal crap I hear about in the news. I don't read US Weekly. I'm not into gossip or entertainment buzz. All I know is, this guy really knows how to bring it in a live show.

I also want to point out the drummer. STEVE JORDAN. What an amazing performance. I've seen some truly great drumming, but this guy blew my mind. Seriously on his solo my mouth was open the whole time. I really felt his performance. What an amazing drummer. Even got to talk to him for a bit after the show, let him know how amazing he was. It was really awesome for him to even acknowledge me. He really let me know he appreciated it.

And of course the movie maker in me not only noticed the number of camera phones, but also the high number of DSLR's. Many of them equipped with mics, led lights, and LCD screens. Alot of high quality HD footage was caught tonight, and as many people were screaming at John Mayer, I was drooling over the HD gear. Can't wait to play with a DSLR.

I wish I could go into more detail about everything that blew my mind, but I'm so tired. I will mention that he did play Say What You Need To Say. A song that really speaks to me for some reason. It actually made me tear up a bit. The words of that song always feel like some power up there in the heavens are communicating with me, telling me it'll be ok. Saying not to worry, you'll get there, you'll make your movie, and you'll get your chance to really say what you need to say. Hearing it live, it was like the mouth of God was speaking directly to me. As many times as I've heard that song and felt what it was saying to me, tonight, live, it was being burned into my brain, my soul.

"Say what you need to say." I needed to hear it, to feel it.

Also John Mayer covered a song that has always inspired me, always driven me, and has always come on right when I needed to hear it. Journey's Don't Stop Believin. That song hits me like nothing else. You hear of people getting caught up in the spirit at church, or even seen people possessed by the beat of a song at a club. This song hits me like that. It always has. It brings me to tears, because those words don't just speak to my ears, it speaks to my soul.

And that's what we all sort of look for in those large auditorium experiences, at church, at a comedy show, at a theatrical performance, at a concert, and even at the movies. We need to stand in a room full of strangers and feel something that is bigger than us, speak to our souls to remind us, we're all in this together. We're all just shadows searching in the night, searching for something to recognize the pain in us all.

And that's the kind of movies I hope to make. Sure they may sound like amusing B movie throwaways. Monster Cops is about soldiers that make jokes and kill monsters. The log line for Creep is: "A gun slinging super detective, a young blonde escape artist, and a guy in a giant teddy bear outfit have to solve an ancient mystery and fight vampires." It all sounds ridiculous, like some sort of direct to DVD piece of crap, but somewhere in there, I hope to create something that speaks to your soul. Something that not only recognizes your pain, but reminds you that greatness, great storytelling, enlightenment, and inspiration can come from anywhere and most often from where you least expect.

Tonight I stood with a crowd of people and experienced an amazing show, where we felt the things we were all hoping to feel and had our souls ID'd by the powers that be, to remind us of the greatness that is humans being human. I needed it. I needed to be reminded what it is I am working towards.

To make something amazing.

So back to work on making that something amazing. Got rehearsals coming up this Wednesday, so one of the first VLOGS for Creep should be coming up soon.

Oh and I have to say, the opening act was this amazing group. MICHAEL FRANTI and SPEARHEAD.


WOW! What an amazing performance! It's truly great when you can see someone new and get a show that really makes you want to buy their album. I was truly impressed, check them out here: http://michaelfranti.com/

Death Of Auto-Tune and the Birth of Great Music

I love music. I love when different styles of music collide. I'm always a big fan of when an orchestra or symphony can be added to any type of pop, rock, or hip-hop song. I also love when someone can take one type of song and reinterpret into something else, not just covering a song, but transforming and therefore enhancing a song. Among the gazillions of covers and remixes out there it happens rarely, but when it does it's amazing.

Here's an example of such a transformation and enhancement. This blows my mind and I listen to it often. This is Obadiah Parker (aka Matt Weddle) doing an amazing cover of Outkast's "Hey Ya."



The greatness of the original song is that the sound and tempo make the lyrics ironic. In this cover, the heavy meaning of the words come out, but then at the end the irony returns when he starts performing the audience call outs with the same deep sound. But that's just my observation. Aside from that, it's a really great cover. Be sure to check out http://www.obadiahparker.com


I absolutely love all the music coming out of TRUE BLOOD. I haven't gotten a chance to really get into the show like my wife has, but I have had the pleasure of listening to most of the music. This particular song is awesome on so many levels. G-Tom Mac covering "Cry Little Sister."



I love the Lost Boys reference and I love that this particular song has made a comeback on a great show about Vampires. I'm fond of that bluesy country sound and it fits this song so well. A new take on a classic and at the same time brings out the essence of the song.


And while I'm posting great music, might as well throw in the song I've been playing to death. I've already posted it once and I even used in the Archangel teaser. Elbow's "Grounds For Divorce" with the BBC Orchestra.




And here's the whole reason I was posting in the first place. Jay-Z's 9/11 tribute concert this past Friday was phenomenal. I wish I could've been there. From what I've read, and what I've seen, I heard it was an amazing concert and a heartwarming tribute. But this performance in general blew my mind. There were a number of stars that came out to perform with J, but when John Mayer came out to jam with J, I felt like it went up a whole other level.

This is an amazing combination of Hip-Hop, Pop, and Rock and Blues, all styles I absolutely love. Jay is an amazing rapper, and Mayer is an amazing guitarist. This sound is so big, it blows my mind everytime. Love this one.



As if I didn't already love Death Of Auto-Tune. Great song, now even greater.

I really miss being able to take the time to really sit down and make music. Here lately it's been on the fly, recording stuff for projects and ads when necessary. Not the same as taking the time to really create, produce, and record something from the heart. I'm hoping I can get to do that soon. I've got 4 notebooks filled with lyrics and songs I've written since about 1995. There's a couple of songs in there I've been dying to really record for a while now.


One step at a time though. Coming up the Vlogs, quite a few of them. No really this time. I'm editing one for Bobby's Closet as we speak, then one as an update on all the projects, and another as a response to a lot of questions I've been getting concerning my DIY Necronomicon video I made last year.