2015 IS SUSPECT ...AT BEST!

So 2015 has been a year of woes...physically and financially that is.

It started with back pain, then drop foot, then fear of heart problems(which wasn't the case...but maybe 20 hot sauce packets on 5 tacos is not a good idea?), then three blood clots, then more back pain. And that's just me, not any of Barb's foot problems.
Yeah, I should lose weight, but that doesn't seem to come easy, especially since walking is probably my best bet (for exercise) and with foot problems that's not easy.

Financially...well, we luckily didn't refinance the house, because saving $90 a month is nothing compared to the $74,000 extra we would have paid going back to a 30 year loan.
So I luckily used math to my advantage there!
But now we have to figure out how to get the money for a $3200 Rav4...because the car I got from Brandon almost 8 yrs ago will only drive in reverse one time a day to back out of my driveway!
The transmission is about $1900 to replace on a 1998 car with 189000 miles, so it's not worth it.
It's been a good car and it was free, so I can't complain, it's just that I don't want a damn car payment every month...or at least not one that will make it so instead of $3200 it would be more like $5000!
And Barb has her student loans that she's trying to figure out too...we're crossing our fingers for her financial person to work some magic or something.

Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket? Nah, I'll save my $2.

2015 has been good for a few things though!
I got Married TWICE! Once on January 31st and the second time on May 30th!
The actually union of our love by involving the Government was because we knew we were going to have the wedding in May, but I needed to go to the doctor asap. Had we waited till May, I might be dead right now.
I also love my wife so much that I may just marry her again before the year is up!

Ben Maier and I may be rekindling our friendship? I am hesitant, but hopeful it will be a good thing. I know it won't be the same, but I don't think either of us would want it to be the same as before. I also think we've changed in ways that needed to be changed, but couldn't happen if we were around each other. Sometimes you need a break from a relationship so you can come back and hopefully be better friends and people?

My motto about my life: "I have hope...I always have hope."

So let's talk about music, which is what this blog is actually about...

I'll start with my own music and projects I am in!

My Famous Mistake is on hold until we can have schedules that work together.
I think Glen and I work well together, so I want to do another ep at the very least, but real life can be bothersome. I hope to pick up where we left off, but change it up a little bit more and have a more organic (yep, I just used organic) feel,sound and playing style...and I don't know what the fuck that means? I do know I would like to do vocals like Sly and the Family Stone did them, where verses are taken by multiple singers (or at least the two of us).

Stolen Picassos "Why Lovers Never Wait" is almost done. We had to have two recording sessions this year and I think it helped this album a lot. What doesn't help is that there are 17 songs!
The next one will have a lot less...probably 10-12 songs. Hopefully that way we can have time to focus on the vocals instead of rushing to get them done?

Fairly Secret Army has been brought down to just a singles project...ie. I hope to have the first two song release on bandcamp soon, but it's not been a high priority since the release of "Bombs Away" earlier this year. It's just me doing everything now, so it's a slower process than before.

Waves of Mercury is finished. There was talk about re-recording the first A Thousand Suns cd again, but Greg has three kids now and I really have no interest in metal anymore ...especially playing it.

David Edward and the ???? ...well, between health problems and having a lot of work to do on the Stolen Picassos album, I have not had a lot of time for this project.
There are ideas for about a dozen songs and the rough drums, bass and keys have been recorded for one song, but I wanna record them again.
I want to do as much of it on my own, but I also will have to use the services of a few guitar players I know. Hopefully my brother John and I can do something with a few ideas I have. Maybe Chad Holm will be finally up to the task? I am very excited to get Chris Martin to play some guitar, I think he has a lot of potential and could be a new partner in crime musically? There are a few more, but I won't hold my breath. ;)


What have I been listening to?
Well this has been a great year for finding old things and new releases!
I got some really awesome new cd shelves and I don't want to fill the empty shelves soon, but I'm heading in that way!
Recently I got all 14 studio albums of PINK FLOYD...yep, the same band I have said bored me is now my new jam! I love David Gilmour's guitar playing and sound! I should have never listened to their hardest stuff to get into first back in 2010, because I sold them all, but on the plus side, I actually made money selling them back then and now I have the 2011 remastered versions!
I picked up the first Gilmour album and liked that, then I started listening to full albums on youtube to see if I wanted anything...and in typical fashion i went to get three albums and bought them all!
Maybe that's why I never have money? But bill are never ending, so I am going to enjoy life the way I love to...by listening and owning great music!

Barb gave me a gift card for my birthday, and I finally pulled the trigger on getting all the remastered versions of GARY MOORE stuff! I have never owned any of them on cd(except an old version of Wild Frontier), so it was a good buy and well worth it! The cds sound great and the lyrics are included with bonus tracks! I wish there were a few liner notes, but oh well.

I found the first seven two cd versions of the BLUR discography. They are a more acquired taste for me, but I had been listening to a lot more Brit Pop and 80's New Wave at the time, so it was a good find at the right time.

I also picked up the whole AIMEE MANN discography over the course of a few weeks. She's someone who is good in smaller doses, but when I'm in the mood, it's great!

New stuff that has been release this year...The new MY DYING BRIDE kinda bores me. The GLEN HANSARD is also a let down after the greatness of his first solo album. The new VINTAGE TROUBLE is a pleasant surprise! Their last one didn't pull me in as much as I wanted, but this one has some catchy stuff on it.
I hope the new GRAVEYARD is good, but my Pink Floyd obsession made it have to wait.
The new CLUTCH album is something I am really looking forward to...and if you go to their facebook page, there is a $2 off coupon for Best buy, so I will be getting this cd Friday!!!

I also hope that the two new McCARTNEY remasters (Tug of War & Pipes of Peace) come out in the 2cd versions, but I will have to wait if they come out Oct 2nd.
KING CRIMSON "Thrak" has been newly remixed and remastered by Jakko (the new singer/guitarist of King Crimson) and will come out Oct 16th in a CD/DVD version (thank you for not doing a Blu-Ray only release!), so I am excited to get that and have a 5.1 listen, which will lend itself well to the double trio.
GENTLE GIANT are to release a new remix & remaster of Octopus on Oct 30th. This was done by (of course) Steve Wilson. I am probably only going to get the single disc version, because I don't have a surround sound Blu Ray and well, i just don't think it'll be that great as surround anyway!

Ok, until next time...
DOOPUM!