It's been 3 weeks since we arrived here in Los Angeles to start our new lives. There was a lot of logistical stuff to take care of - registering the car, changing addresses, purchasing furniture, finding insurance, joining the gym, etc. etc. etc. That stuff was done a while ago...over the past few weeks we've spent most of our time doing one thing - looking for work.
Aly's made excellent progress. She bought a car, got a part in an indy film and was a featured audience member on a daytime show called The Doctors (make sure to watch it - it airs Dec. 15!!). She even got a job waitressing part-time at a really nice pub in Santa Monica.
I've been networking as much as possible - hitting up lots of jam sessions and trying to schedule lunches with the various people I know. I booked a bar gig down in Laguna Beach last week. It was fun; it felt good to get behind my own drums again. I'm also programming some drum tracks for an exercise video that my friend Vinnie is scoring. My friend Serj is putting together a music library for Universal Music Group and he asked me to contribute. There is other big news regarding Serj but he asked me to stay quiet so you're gonna have to wait. ;-)
Two of my drumkits made it here relatively unscathed. My 20" Yamaha Recording Custom kick drum got banged-up pretty good...the bearing edge on the resonant side has a nice dent in it. I can't begin to describe how angry I am at USPS for this. Luckily it seemed to tune-up ok and it sounds fine. I haven't shipped my Ludwigs yet and now I'm super-paranoid.
I still need to fine a rehearsal space...it's too expensive to get one on my own so I'm in a holding pattern until I can find some people to share a room with.
In a nutshell I'm starting over again, and it ain't easy. I was in Boston for 12 years and during that time I amassed a very large network of musicians, friends, and colleagues. It took me all of those 12 years to build that network, and here I am at 34 trying to do it again.
I just hope I can get myself connected and working consistently before I'm over the hill. ;-)
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Yeah I'm still here...
Ok ok so I failed to keep up with this blog during the second half of our trip. Apologies all around. Here's a synopsis of the more interesting moments:
NOLA: We had a blast. Highlights included swimming in the hotel's rooftop pool at night while gazing out at the skyline, watching people in costume all weekend (it was Halloween weekend after all), and the Halloween parade. The food was simply incredible of course (NOLA is worth the trip just for this reason alone).
Austin: I had the best BBQ of my life. Rudy's. Thanks for the recommendation Doug, it blew our minds just as you said it would.
Driving through west Texas: We were in the middle of nowhere on I-10 and a sandstorm hit us. No big deal...in fact I thought it was kind of cool. However, I looked down at the fuel gauge and it was nearly on E. No biggie, I'll just get off at the next exit. Um...these exits don't go to towns. Hmm...there ARE no towns. Oh shit!!!! I went on the GPS to find the nearest gas station and it read 20 miles. My fuel gauge was a hair above E. Holy shit...not good. I turned off the A/C and started praying. I started having visions of walking 10 or more miles down I-10 in a sandstorm. Creepy. However, we managed to roll into the next gas station on fumes. Now I know how far I can go on empty!!
New Mexico: The most beautiful state by far. Simply AMAZING. I was mesmerized the entire day. The speed limit was 80, the roads were straight, and the vistas just breathtaking. Most of the time we were all alone on the road. I turned on the cruise control and took it all in. This by far was the highlight of the entire trip for me. We stopped at the Very Large Array observatory which does radio astronomy...remember that huge array of radio dishes in the movie Contact? That's the one. We also stopped in this tiny mountain town called 'Pie Town'. Yes, there were diners and yes we did stop for pie.
I really can't put into words how amazing New Mexico was....I HIGHLY recommend a road trip through the state. You won't regret it.
California: Soon after we crossed over the border it started POURING and it didn't stop until we got to Glendale. I've never seen such torrential rain in SoCal and it was scary as people have NO FUCKING CLUE how to drive in it around here.
So here we are, all settled into our new life. The townhouse we're at is gorgeous and our roommates are all very nice people. We've spent the last few days driving around a lot to give Aly a lay of the land. She's realized just how much she needs a car so today we're going to check out a used car she found online. I'm gonna do my best haggling. ;-)
The rain cleared up and it's been absolutely gorgeous over the last few days. 60's and not a cloud in the sky. We're still adjusting to the lifestyle but we are happy and glad to be here. I'm going to continue to write in this blog as the adventure has just begun!!
NOLA: We had a blast. Highlights included swimming in the hotel's rooftop pool at night while gazing out at the skyline, watching people in costume all weekend (it was Halloween weekend after all), and the Halloween parade. The food was simply incredible of course (NOLA is worth the trip just for this reason alone).
Austin: I had the best BBQ of my life. Rudy's. Thanks for the recommendation Doug, it blew our minds just as you said it would.
Driving through west Texas: We were in the middle of nowhere on I-10 and a sandstorm hit us. No big deal...in fact I thought it was kind of cool. However, I looked down at the fuel gauge and it was nearly on E. No biggie, I'll just get off at the next exit. Um...these exits don't go to towns. Hmm...there ARE no towns. Oh shit!!!! I went on the GPS to find the nearest gas station and it read 20 miles. My fuel gauge was a hair above E. Holy shit...not good. I turned off the A/C and started praying. I started having visions of walking 10 or more miles down I-10 in a sandstorm. Creepy. However, we managed to roll into the next gas station on fumes. Now I know how far I can go on empty!!
New Mexico: The most beautiful state by far. Simply AMAZING. I was mesmerized the entire day. The speed limit was 80, the roads were straight, and the vistas just breathtaking. Most of the time we were all alone on the road. I turned on the cruise control and took it all in. This by far was the highlight of the entire trip for me. We stopped at the Very Large Array observatory which does radio astronomy...remember that huge array of radio dishes in the movie Contact? That's the one. We also stopped in this tiny mountain town called 'Pie Town'. Yes, there were diners and yes we did stop for pie.
I really can't put into words how amazing New Mexico was....I HIGHLY recommend a road trip through the state. You won't regret it.
California: Soon after we crossed over the border it started POURING and it didn't stop until we got to Glendale. I've never seen such torrential rain in SoCal and it was scary as people have NO FUCKING CLUE how to drive in it around here.
So here we are, all settled into our new life. The townhouse we're at is gorgeous and our roommates are all very nice people. We've spent the last few days driving around a lot to give Aly a lay of the land. She's realized just how much she needs a car so today we're going to check out a used car she found online. I'm gonna do my best haggling. ;-)
The rain cleared up and it's been absolutely gorgeous over the last few days. 60's and not a cloud in the sky. We're still adjusting to the lifestyle but we are happy and glad to be here. I'm going to continue to write in this blog as the adventure has just begun!!
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