Welcome to my journal page.  This is where I will be sharing various information regarding day-to-day happenings with my music and friends.  Please keep in mind that I'm not the most open person, so this gives me a good opportunity to share my life with you.  Conversely, I am interested to hear comments from you.  So, please sign my guest book. 

Enjoy,
Jim

Monday, January 23, 2006

Sunday, October 23, 2005

        I just relived my performance with The Levelheads at the TLA via a DVD recording that a friend of mine filmed from the audience.  Our performance was average, and I wish my loop would've worked for our last song.  The idiot sound techs muted the channel my DI box was plugged into.  Still, it was very nostalgic and I can't help but feel a little empty inside knowing that the group is no longer together.  The music was quirky and different.  We had evolved over our 2 years of working together and were just beginning to tap into some serious songwriting.  Anyway, I guess that's that.  Right now, I'm all about Hurricane Jane and molding that into a powerhouse rock band.  After that becomes successful, I will hopefully have saved up enough money to record Numinosity and finally make a name for myself.  Wish me luck!

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

        Greetings to all who have graced my blog this day!  I am pleased to inform you that I have joined Hurricane Jane, a five-piece rock band dedicated to rocking some of your favorite tunes.  Last weekend marked the inagural launch of the reborn band.  Visit the website for details on band members as well as upcoming shows.  I look forward to keeping you entertained with my low notes.  ;-)

Thursday, October 6, 2005

       "Friends are of more value than mountians made of gold, such a priceless gift, can't be bought or sold, everyone needs a friend."

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

        I recently read someone's blog which in turn promted the following response.  I thought it was worth sharing.

        Throughout history, I have had many difficult situations to deal with.  Especially when it comes to music.  For the last two years, I have been the prominent bassist for The Levelheads.  The group has been my mainstay, and I'd like to think that I've played a small reciprocating role for my bandmates.  After our first year together, we recorded a small EP - Ready Set Go - a token of what we had accomplished as a group.  Of course we did the whole mass duplication thing through disc makers because "it's just what you do."  That way, we can sell the CDs for $5 at a gig and the money we make will pay for the next album.

        Today, two years and an outrageously low number of CD sales later, I am presented with the difficult decision of fighingting an uphill battle or cutting my losses.  I feel that all four of us levelheads lost sight of our goal--to have fun writing music.  We all got caught up in recording, merchandising, playing gigs and that constant pressure of having to promote, sell and make it all happen on our own.  It's safe to say that we are all in a state of flux.  We don't know where we are going, and there is no safe passage to the future.

        I have presented my first conflict with the group.  A couple weeks ago, I joined a cover band in the south jersey area.  The cover band has their first gig slated for October 15th.  It is the same date as an already booked Levelheads show.  Now I have two different sets of people relying on me.  The Levelheads--which have been my mainstay for 2 years, lately draining me their with negative number gigs and the new cover band--a group I stand to have a lot of fun with, make some money and meet new and interesting people.  This is why I'm torn.

        I have been all up and down what's right and wrong to do.  What's professional or unprofessional.  What's difficult about this situation is that I have a 2 year history with The Levelheads.  That's a long time comittment to a band and still not be anywhere.  And by anywhere I mean, not playing to empty rooms, which is exactly what we've done for the last 4 months.  Our next show is at midnight on south street in Philly.  It was hell to get 5 people to a 9:00 show on a wednesday (5 of which were my friends/family).  I am confident that the midnight turnout won't be anything but grim for The Levelheads.  And it's not just me who believes that.

        I've made my decision to not play the gig.  I suggested they find another bassist or play the show without me.  The band didn't take it well, particularly one member who has a short fuse.  Frankly, I'm sick of playing Dr. Feelings with these people.  It wears me down to have to discuss every little aspect of the band.  Real musicians get together in a room and make music.  End of story.  Whether it's covers or originals.  You are there for one purpose.  All that other shit just becomes a distraction, and will inevitably lead to certain doom for the group.  Especially when you have four people pulling the wagon in opposite directions.

        I have finally come to grips with the fact that I do have one regret:  Numinosity.  Nothing can compare to the feeling of making music with Michael.  He is ready when I am, and I couldn't be more appreciative for his patience.  I think now is the time to start making an album.  For me.  For him.  And show people the world the way I hear it, bitter/sweet with harmonic rain and infectuous rhythms.  A trance of sound, shifting shape, frequency and time.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

        Yeah, I sliced the top of my knuckle open on a plate.  I was doing dishes like a good boy.  I must've had a surge of testosterone because as I was scrubbing, the plate broke completely in half!  As it did-so, the top of my hand scraped across the jagged edge of the plate.  I didn't think anything was wrong until the sink started to fill with blood.  I knicked my thumb too, just not as bad as my ring finger that would start gushing blood every time I bent it.

        I took a trip to the emergency room to see if it needed stitches.  The doctor said no, and they threw a couple butterflys on there with a splint.  Band practice was quite interesting to say the least.  See, earlier today I was in Guitar Center and saw a used Rickenbacher bass for sale.  I tried it out, splint and all and really liked it.  I quickly ran home, grabbed my old Yamaha 4-string and brought it to GC for a trade-in.  They gave me $150 for it (which is way more than I would've got anywhere) and sold the new/used bass for $900.00  Granted, a new one is only $1050, but working that trade-in deal was key.

        Band practice was very rewarding!  We finished writing a new song called "Legacy".  I played my Rick for most of the night and with a pain-in-the-ass splint on my finger.  Tomorrow, I'm taking the bass to the shop for a proper setup and new strings.  I don't think I'll play it for my gig on Wednesday, though.

        Yeah, I have a gig in 3 days!  I hope that I heal quickly.  I was able to fake it through band practice tonight, and I've since replaced the splint with sport-tape.  But it's safe to say that Wed's performace will be one to check out!  We're unveiling the new song as well as some of our usuals.  I'm looking forward to it!

        Check us out at The Five Spot.  5 South Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA 9:00PM

        The Levelheads rocked The Grape last night.  It was a good show although not one of our best.  I think a lot of it has to do with our stage presence.  We don't exhude this welcoming vibe that gets people up in front of the stage.  All the bands after us had a bunch of people standing right up front, dancing and singing to their tunes.  That's the kind of vibe I want to achieve, but it's slow going.

        I think we're being received well among the other bands.  I got a lot of positive feedback on my playing.  Still, I'd like the feedback to be more about the band than just me.  Perhaps I am the only one who's really trying to stand out.  I could always just play in the background, but honestly, I'm not confident that the singer and acoustic player would carry the show.  So, my angle is to give people something to watch.  Does my playing suffer because of it?  Yes, and I make mistakes and flub a lot, but playing live is about the show.  I'm willing to sacrifice to a few mistakes here and there if it means winning over a crowd.  Still, the difficult part is conveying this to everyone else.  I feel like there's only one half of the stage being used.

        After the show, I got to hang out with a bunch of people--mostly from MySpace (you know who you are).  I couldn't be more greatful for their support.  Many thanks! I hope to continue putting on more and more exciting shows for the future.

peace,
Jim

Thursday, August 4, 2005

        I'm really trying to figure out how to say this without sounding like an alcoholic, but Corona has to be one of the most awesome summer beers!  For the first couple years that I was drinking beer, it would always be Yuengling.  Sometimes the ocassional black and tan or Sam Adams, but mainly Yuengling was my first choice.  At some point, however, Yuengling started to give me headaches.  I think it was something to do with an allergy I had to the hops they used.  Initially, I was referred to Yuengling because they supposedly do not use preservatives in their brew--which can lead to headaches.  Ever had one of those nasty Budweiser hangovers?  If so, chances are it was because of the additives they put in the beer--constituants such as food coloring, corn starch and other chemical preservatives (to extend shelf life or to make the beer "taste colder").  Anyway, I have found that albeit the so-often-talked-about urine color of Corona, it is one of the smoothest tasting and refreshing beers out there.  Especially during these summer months!  Guess I got a fettish for Corona golden showers!

Monday, August 1, 2005

        Did you ever question why you do the things that you do?  Why did you choose to make the choices you have?

        It's 2:00am, and I just got done unloading my gear from a gig my band played in Philly.  I admit, we didn't promote the way we could have, but I'm greatful that my friend Tom and new friend Stephanie came out to see us.  I'll give minor props to Mike D and Hope for showing up with an 18 year old and thinking they could get her into a 21 place.  DOH!  No biggie, I appreciate the effort.

        My main concern is with the majority of people who bagged out at the last minute.  I was expecting to bring a lot more than 2 friends.  As if that weren't enough, I got a parking ticket while I was unloading my gear!  It was an incredible way for me to start the night.  We played a decent set to a room half full of metal heads waiting to see the next band.  I feel as though I haven't accomplished anything with this band.  Sure, Emergenza was great, but that experience and a membership to Bally's would've been more worthwhile.  I feel that we've gotten to a point where we're not progressing any further--and little things like shitty turn-outs and parking tickets really set me off.  I'm getting beyond the point of looking on the bright side of this.  I can't say that I'm standing up for my art because I don't feel what we're doing is good enough for people to come see us.  Wouldn't that makes sense by now?  If we were really something special, wouldn't people be looking us up and lining up to watch us play?  And I don't mean thousands or even hundreds.  I would be happy with a few decades of fans supporting a show.  But it's not the case and I don't see how it could ever be at our current pace.  Something's got to change, and I wish I knew what more I could do, because I'm fucking tapped out.  (no pun intended)

        Cheers, and wish me luck, it's a long road ahead.

Jim

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

        I have been in a funk these last couple days.  Yesterday I woke up in time for my bi-annual checkup with the allergy doctor.  I felt pretty good.  Shortly after I performed a breathing/lung capacity test, I began to feel an irritation in the back of my throat.  It's probably some bug I caught a few days ago, but I can't help but think that the stupid machine they had blow into had germs.  I've heard tale of people getting sick from breathing tests--and that the so-called "filters" they use don't work.  I ran out of daily vitamins, so my resistance to foreign particles is low.  Anyway, the throat thing bothered me throughout the day and seemed to get worse by the PM.

        On the bright side of things, I made it to the vitamin store this morning and picked up a bottle of my usual multi vitamin.  Solgar VM75.  I recommend it highly.  In addition, I grabbed a bottle of Echinacea with Goldenseal for the tenderness in my throat.  I know most people's impressions of things like this: "why not just go to the doctor?" or "why don't you just take DayQuill?" or "what good is it after you've already gotten sick?"  All I can say is that you have to do what works for you.  In my case, vitamins are very helpful--especially when I'm feeling a little under the weather.  In fact, the supplimentation of anti-oxidant vitamins like A, C, E, Calcium, Selenium, etc. can help reduce the duration of a cold.

        I had a tremendous day at work.  There was a point where I was juggling 4 customers at the same time!  It was not the kind of day I was looking forward to, nor expecting while feeling the way I do.  Standing the entire time and using my voice--which inevitably dried and strained my throat--didn't help.  Still, we prevailed and had another great day at work.  I was left a little disheveled, but feeling positive.  How can I complain when the work I do is dependant on the customers I help--even if that means servicing 4 at the same time.  Guess I'm just a retail whore.

        Speaking of whoring myself out, I've been trying to put together a cover band.  I hooked up with a few cool people who were on MySpace, but it's been difficult to find the right lineup.  Now I know why people just wait for the opportunity to jump into an already established band.  I still believe that you can build a better band out of modesty than you can with a bunch of egotists.  It'll also allow for us to take a fresh approach rather than one that would involve playing the same songs as everyone else out there.  So, I'm trudging along with this until I have a lineup that clicks.

        I had dinner around 9PM.  I found that after I ate, I not only felt better, but my throat seemed to stop bugging me.  Could've been the Sudafed, could've been the chicken parm.  All I know is, I'm wiped out and need to get to bed!  Tomorrow will be a much better day!

Saturday, July 9, 2005

        You drop in a few pennies, they rattle around for a while until they settle and make some sense.

Sunday, July 3, 2005

        Holy shit! Dish rags stink soooo bad!  What the hell type of bacteria get into dish rags that makes them smell so wreched!?  I swear, it's like the bog of eternal stench!  You touch that rag and your hand will stink like it for days!  No matter how hard you scrub!  It's fucking nasty!

        What fun this week has been!  It seems as though half the week just blew by.  I have yet to get outside and really enjoy some of this awesome summer weather.  And it all comes down to time.  For some reason, I always get myself into these situations where people are always asking me to do things.  Now, I'm not talking about people calling up and asking me to go somewhere.  It's usually some favor or chore that a friend or relative needs me to do.  What's even better is that they give me due dates!  Lovely!  I don't mind helping anyone out.  In fact, I rather enjoy coming through for people.  But seriously, all I want to do when I come home from work is vegge out, eat and have sex.  When I have a bunch of chores to do for people that really puts a damper of one of these main aspects of my evening.  Of course, the essentials I have no choice with--I love to eat.  Put it in front of me and watch it disappear.  Vegging?  Well, that's pretty essential since my head is often spinning when I leave work.  Sex?  Did you want to apply?  Females only, please.  And it is good.  Since this whole blog is about favors and my dedication to coming through and keeping people happy, you can extrapolate what you will about the attention I pay to my partner.  But that's one activity that often gets pushed around when I have other things filling up my time.  Let's not forget practicing my bass.  That's some good stuff right there.  And I inevitably come up with something cool that I have to record on the spot, so that adds an hour to my night.  And before I realize, it's 1 AM!  I gotta wash up and get to bed!  Thanks for reading.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

        We are the No. 1 Band in PA & NJ in the Emergenza Battle of The Bands Festival!

        My band is doing really well. We're all buzzing from last night's gig at the TLA! We played the final round in Philly for the Emergenza battle of the bands. Here's the outcome:

        We were voted No. 1 band by all the other bands that played!
        Our drummer won 2nd place best drummer!
        I won 1st place best bassist!

        The band that is going to Boston for the national finals is from Washington D.C.  Since they're not from our region, that makes us the No. 1 Band!

        The band is starting to form a following and grow in Philly. We're playing the North Star in a couple weeks, then The Grape & Abeline's--all places that we're booking strategically to maximize crowds and keep things fresh. I hope to see you at one of our next shows!

        New music coming soon along with a new album that we'll be recording over the coming months!  Thanks for checking me out and helping us make our dreams a reality.

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

        Fuck time.  Time is too fast.  How does something so constant seem to pass by so quickly?  I need more!  Paladin of the last hour where are you??

        The Levelheads played Grape Street Philadelphia last night.  It was a good time.  The sound in that room is fantastic.  I want to thank everyone who came out to see me play.  It was more exciting to play because you were there.

        Next gig at The Theatre Of Living Arts - Saturday, June 18th!  This is the Emergenza Battle of The Bands FINAL!  I can't say enough about the fact that we're playing the legendary TLA!  What a milestone.  So, don't miss our performace as we shoot for the title of best original band in Philly!  Contact me for a ticket today. 

Cheers!

Monday, May 23, 2005

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

        There are many things I want to do with music. Where to start is always the question. And this fucking bullseye keeps hovering across the top of my screen. Fuck it, I can't even make it stop. Why do these advertisements constantly tease me with their mindless games of hand-mouse-eye coordination? As if clicking on that bullseye is going to win me ipod coupons. Oh, there. All I had to do was scroll down. Okay, so on with my lecture on what I want to do with music. . . In my mind, I have these detailed pictures of different scenes that would play out during one of the songs I've written for Numinosity. The song started off, like so many of them do, with my noodling in my basement. It was immediately dubbed "The Chase" and then completely reworked into an epic, three-movement piece that is as expressive as the title suggests. The story would begin with a main character "Chase" being chased by these high-profile-looking dudes, all while the music dictates each scene. The story will unfold as each scene leads to a climax at the end of the second movement. This will be a very vague/leave-it-to-your-imagination kind of video. People will be able to put their own spin on the story allowing them to dictate what it means to them. I've been told numerous times that my music is very "moody" and would make great background music in a movie. It's time I make that a reality. I'm in the process of writing the script for the storyboard and will soon be petitioning artists to help sketch out each scene. The first step will be to have each sketch displayed live, during a show, in-sync with the song via overhead projector. This will give whomever artist a great opportunity to showcase their work live. All in good time. . .

Sunday, April 3, 2005

Ahh, I love tea. I was turned on, years ago, to a special blend of Lipton's finest "Yellow Label" tea. This is apparently the original blend that put Lipton on the map. Mind you, "Brisk" tea is garbage and I will drink it only when I'm away at some function for work. But that is why, when I am travelling, I remember to include a few sachets of Yellow Label for the road. Americans are such pigheads. Go ahead, try and find Yellow Label tea, I dare you. Until you do and have enjoyed it's fragrant flavour (with honey), you'll just be settling for the pigheaded American "Brisk" version. Now that you're all awake, I'll say something about my gig last night. The Levelheads played The Grape. We were supposed to go on at 8:30, but another band canceled and they moved us to 9:00. But they gave us a few more minutes of playing time to add another song. So we played "Flight", one of our singer's original songs. And played it well--for a song we never play at practice. In fact, I can't remember the last time we played it. The first song, entitled "Rhythm Slip", is an instrumental piece that we have been working on for the last couple months. It, like so many of our songs, was given birth by our drummer, Russell Gellman, who thinks up interesting riffs at home, records them with drums and presents them to the band. This one had some odd meters in it, and we therefore made the decision that it would be an instrumental. Still with me? Good. The song transformed last week when I decided to play it with my own rendition of Tony Levin "Funk Fingers" -- interesting contraptions of shortened drum sticks attached to my fingers which I then pound my bass with to achieve a heavy, staccato attack. Opening with this song had its desired effect, and I believe using the funk fingers let people know that this song wasn't going to be like the others. The rest of our set was great. I had to spend a lot of time tweaking my bass for the first couple songs to get the right levels on stage. I started off by cranking the house amp almost all the way up (it was my only on-stage monitor for bass) and then continued to tweak it throughout the set. Everyone who I spoke with about the sound was very impressed. They said it was the best we've ever sounded. Rightfully so, the main stage at the Grape is pretty state-of-the-art. Hopefully our head count will reveal a decent draw and we will have the opportunity to play there once again. In a city were the original music scene is changing completely, bands need venues like The Grape to provide the link to our fans. I just hope that the changing popularity of good rock music makes places like The Grape that much stronger. peace

        It didn't bother me so much that it cost me $50 to do my taxes online. It didn't bother me that much more that I owed the state $18. It really fucking pissed me off when my god damned spoon cut the corner of my mouth just now! What the fuck!?! Since when is a spoon sharp? Where the fuck do I have to go to buy a spoon that doesn't slice my fucking mouth wide open? I just looked in the mirror and the inside of my mouth is bleeding.

        Great news for my solo/duo project, Numinosity! My drummer, Michael Raven is making his recovery from a bad wrist injury that rendered him unable to play for the last 8 months. He's been slowly working himself back up to speed and we are going to start rehearsing to record our first album! We had originally planned to record last summer in our home studios. But since then, I have had the pleasure of recording at the Recovery Room in Jenkintown, PA. The studio is the perfect atmosphere for our technically exciting music and will sound incredible once finished. I'll be financing this one myself, but I figure any debt I incurr is worth it to be able to share my music with the world.

        Here's an update on the last 2 months:  First, that Levelheads/Numinosity gig at La Tazza 108 was pretty awesome.  I will say that I don't think it's the best venue for Numinosity, but I'm happy that we were able to perform live to test our reactions.  The Levelheads portion of the show was the biggest all night.  Everyone filtered down to see the band and some really cool freeform/spontaneous painting by Todd Marrone, the band's artist.  I made an amateur video of Numinosity's set that didn't come out so great, but Russ had a professional come in and capture an awesome video document of The Levelheads' set.

        The Levelheads' video set the par for what I intended to do with the next Numinosity performance.  So, when the opportunity presented itself, Mike booked the group for an open mic night at the Unitarian Church in Princeton, NJ.  He set it up so that was would headline as the final act and also so that we could have a sound check to set our levels.  The show was video taped on two cameras--one wide shot, one close up--and digitally recorded on Mike's portable studio.  We will be mixing the audio and producing the video within the coming weeks in order to create our own DVD document.  The performances will also make their way onto our new website in the form of streaming video.

        Exactly a week after the Numinosity show, The Levelheads played a private gig for the University of Pennsylvania's first year vet students.  It was well received and may have spawned an interesting link to MTV.  Apparently, a producer for MTV was scouting the local band scene and stumbled upon our little gig.  We had a short interview while they shot some video of the band.  We'll see what comes of it, but it's neat to think we could be aired on MTV in some manor.  It's all hypothetical, though.  The gig was fun and people enjoyed the music.  That's all I need to know that we're doing something cool.

        Additionally, for the UPENN gig, I bought a set of 300 watt light cans.  These suckers are giant, but offer a very crucial element for night-time gigs.  Now, it's safe to say that I think we could play anywhere!  I not only have my own PA, but the lights to go with it.  What's next??  I'm such a gear buff.  haha

        Only one week left until the big Numinosity/Levelheads debut!  I am so psyched about this show--not only will it be Numinosity's first performance with our own set, we're double-billed with The Levelheads!  I can't wait, and neither should you, so don't miss this gig.

        Happy New Year!  I have to say that already, 2004 has surprised me in a couple of ways.  First, John Oakes asked me to play bass for his band up in Montclaire, NJ.  Due to various restraints on my free time during the holidays, I had only one week to really sink my teeth into his songs.  Notwithstanding, the gig was quite a success considering how cold it was that night, a wopping 4°!  Anyway, The John Oakes band rocked and we all had a great time.  He even had the whole audience up and doing the Oak-Man dance!

        The rest of the month is dedicated to the rehearsal of Numinosity and The Levelheads.  We are both preparing for a full night of music featuring the two groups along with a couple of other local/semi-local artists.  The gig will be at LaTazza in Philadelphia, PA.  We're all in eager anticipation of this one considering how big it is.

        Russ, from the Levelheads really went over the top and put the gig together.  He wanted arrange a night where all of the groups he played in could share the same bill.  Here it is!  And he's given Numinosity the opportunity to be opening act!  In addition, there will be local artists performing live, improv-painting.  I can only begin to imagine what they will paint at such a diversified event.  If you're in the Philly area, I urge you to come out on Saturday, February 7, you will not be disappointed.  Visit the news or shows pages for more information on this awesome show date.

Jim