hanging out at dolce

I saw Kori Withers play. She's a great singer/ songwriter. I like her vibe, she seems like a friendly young woman. Her dad is Bill Withers. She was in my music biz class at ucla and I got one of her mass emailings and added her on myspace. I've been meaning to go see her play. I'm sure she wasn't crazy about the offensive standup comedians going on before her at obriens. I don't really like how they lump these two genres together that are like oil and water. I mean it's ok when there's comedians before the band I'm in, Jaime Sol Black, because our music is testosterone fueled rock and roll. But it doesn't belong with soul sistah infused blues folk rock.

hanging out at dolce

I saw Kori Withers play. She's a great singer/ songwriter. I like her vibe, she seems like a friendly young woman. Her dad is Bill Withers. She was in my music biz class at ucla and I got one of her mass emailings and added her on myspace. I've been meaning to go see her play. I'm sure she wasn't crazy about the offensive standup comedians going on before her at obriens. I don't really like how they lump these two genres together that are like oil and water. I mean it's ok when there's comedians before the band I'm in, Jaime Sol Black, because our music is testosterone fueled rock and roll. But it doesn't belong with soul sistah infused blues folk rock.

books to read

art of plain talk r. flesch
art of readable writing r. flesch
competitive strategy m. porter
die broke by s pllan and m levine
dress gray L truscott 4
elements of style s and w
enough by j schwartz
finding a winning edge b walsh
for better or for worse divorce reconsindered m. hetherington
fraud how to protect your self from schemes, scams, m. bertrand
guerilla marketing by j. c. levinson
how i turned 1000 into 1000000 in r estate in my spare timew.nicerson
how to make a fortune today w nickerson
win friends d carnegie
influence, science and practice by john allen paulos
landlording by leigh robinson
little league confi. b. geist
making the most of your money by j bryant quinn
millionaire mind
m next door
moneyball m lewis
moral mazes by r jackall
a new guide to bet. writin flesch and lass
new new thing m lewis
new rational manager by kepner and tregoe
passages by gail sheehy
peter principle by dr. l j. peter, raymond hull
p of p thinking j v peale
productive edge richard lester
s assessment and c development by john kotter
stolen valore rg burkett and g whitley
technique of clear writing r gunning
theory of the leisure class t. veblen
t and g rich n hill
vince lmbardi on football v.l.
unexpected legacy of divorce by judith wallenstein
when the game stands tall by neil hayes
whistleblowers, broken lives, and organizational power by c.f.alford
whistleblowers survival guide by gov. account project
why smart pe make big money mistakes belsky and gilovich
wimpy parents by kenneth condrell
winner take all society robert frank and phillip cook

working stiff

strange daze at starbucks

so howard schultz, the CEO and owner of starbucks came in today. I swear to god, my life plays out like Forrest Gump sometimes. Here I am working here for not even 2 weeks and I'm there with Howard mofo schultz. I didn't talk to him, but I held the door opened for him when he left. I wanted to ask him why the hell I have to stock the condiment bar with sugar subsititutes like extra and nutrasweet which have cancer causing aspartame in them. He seemed like a pleasant enough guy. One of the district managers advised me not to wheel the trash cans by him. 'That's Howard,' he says, 'I would just go hang out a while.' So I took the trash cans to the back and left them by the dumpster and went back intot the store.
Earlier in the day, there had been a Homeless man who I spoke with last week. He had applied for a job here. Now he was in a shouting match with our manager. "Big Brother!" She said to me. That meant she means backup. "You're no longer welcome in the store," she said to him. "I don't want to come into this peace of shit anyways, it's straight out of 1984, you goddamn slave driver!" He shouted. It was very strange because he had been telling me that he thought he could really do a good job. It's strange that he made the 1984 analogy, because I had been thinking that starbucks keeps their employees satisfied through the caffeine. It is quite orwellian, but a lot of the people that work there are cool.
I was wondering if there's some kind of happy medium between one of these people who rails against the system and those who buy into it.

song for joe herrold 73-07

song for joe

9.27.07

sometimes it his me:

you're not wih us any more

visions streaming memories

of what we had before

& I forget yet

something takes me back

to U again:

music bio

Jeremy Ferrick was born in San Francisco and raised in Sonoma County , and is the youngest of 4 brothers. He started writing songs on guitar at the age of 12 and formed his first band Herrold at 20 with Drummer Darwin Knaggs. After the dissolution of Herrold Darwin produced Jeremy's first solo effort which was released under the moniker Vessel, with the album titled 'dead sea songs.'
Since than Jeremy has recorded songs with Michael Vail Blum of Titan Recording studios in Sherman Oaks, and at Soundwave studios in Oakland with Jaime Sol Black producing and Jeremy Black from the band Apollo Sunshine on drums.
His goal is to form a band, record some albums and tour as much as possible.
Travel is his other passion and his wanderlust has brought him from living in such diverse places as India, Ireland, Hawaii, and currently Los Angeles, which has been his home for the better part of 2 years.
He believes that he has written some of his most inspirational music while "on the road." He hopes to eventually record all of his songs, but that may take a while, as he has a backlog of over 100 of them currently.
Jaime Sol Black is currently covering one of them, "Sleepwalking Angel," which is played at many of his live shows.

rollin' rock

i keep rolling a rock up a hill
only to watch it come down
you're fit as a butcher's dog
it's the kind of thing that happens all the time.
Least that's what they say where you come from
traipsing bones are dancing
where bird woman
speaks of visions
and spirits that live in trees
make our decisions
If you were around today you'd
be doctor to the stars
not dissapointing you
is like trying to start my life
all over again.
Like water off a duck's back
easy like syrian calculus

We should only be so lucky
we've got each other
there are people out there
who cannot find their
oher.
Let's say a prayer for them
of sincere gratitude
instead of copping a whole lot of jive
attitude
Stuck in this city
till death do me part
stuck in this city
cause you grabbed me
by the heart
I wanted to leave you because I just can't breathe if I can't breathe you.

another ticket

i got another ticket that i just can't pay

it's hard to give some lovin' if you're broke in l.a.

little lady wrote me says

she's ready to play

well i'm just lookin' for a place to stay

the creditors are after me

like dust on a slave

insurancers got more use for me

after i'm in the grave

i'd love to live a million years

but i just can't behave

the mites will outlive all of us

I'd eat a little better

cause your body is a temple

I don't need to get ahead

i just need to keep from fallin

living 9 to 5

is a chain around my neck

i watched my daddy do it

said nothin left to show

nothing left to show for it

nothing left to show for it

nothing left to show for it

nothing left to show for it

they say write what you know

I'll do exactly that

another ticket

i got another ticket that i just can't pay

it's hard to give some lovin' if you're broke in l.a.

little lady wrote me says

she's ready to play

well i'm just lookin' for a place to stay

the creditors are after me

like dust on a slave

insurancers got more use for me

after i'm in the grave

i'd love to live a million years

but i just can't behave

the mites will outlive all of us

I'd eat a little better

cause your body is a temple

I don't need to get ahead

i just need to keep from fallin

living 9 to 5

is a chain around my neck

i watched my daddy do it

said nothin left to show

nothing left to show for it

nothing left to show for it

nothing left to show for it

nothing left to show for it

they say write what you know

I'll do exactly that

lyrix

i'm waiting here silently
patient on the floor
for you to come over here and stand beside the door
I've stayed there for my whole life
lips parched
hunger and a thirst
I really want to love you baby
but you've got to love me first
Fools say
don't try for love you've just got to let it come your way.
Just like this skeleton
whose bones are rotting day
after day.
without lips to caress her naked hungry face
i guess it's true, his soul cries out
my life was but a waste.

comatose, written january 07 recorded february 07

New Song

Comatose

I've been in a coma
for a long long time
Heard you whisper
Is he still alive
sleeping with angels
and devils too
Can't get them out of my head
until I'm with you.
Chorus
Drive YOUR SPY, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
we've been waiting for these decades of delight.
Drive your spy, in the middle of the night
Hurry up I'm at the end of the light
I want it, and I want it right now!
Snakes in my head
and the fishes too
You shed your skin
like you're changing shoes
I'll pass you this madness
from the family jewels (if you want me to)
Chorus
Coma coma comatose
a- live or dead?
coma coma comatose
don't believe what you've read.
Coma coma comatose
and a daisy for you
Coma coma comatose
I love you.

on the foible of pulling the rug to get the ball instead of just grabbing the ball.

movie idea acid trip

new song our own

everybody's looking for a scene

that ain't here anymore

but we've got to create our own....

somebody sees the karmas of a banker and a bum reversing. the banker goes back in time and has a terrible childhood, etc. becomes the bum and the bum goes backward has a good upbringing, becomes the banker.

the banker and the bum.

until proven innocent

a guy has 2 fiances

murdered a year apart and is

presumed guilty but has

merely been set up.

autodidactics

Are you an autodidact?

In other words, somebody who learns a lot outside of formal education. A lot of my heros, I would consider to be autodidacts. For instance, I think Bob Dylan is one. A lot of musicians, flimmakers, etc. People who are like walking mindmaps forever obsessing over their bubblebrained dreams.

more lyrics

some new
lyrics

only see in black and white
not thinking about whats
wrong or right
technicolor won't you come
my way
in the form of a girl
who has the right things to say


got another ticket
that i just can't pay
it's hard to find love
when youre poor in l.a.
everybody gotta find a reason
to wake up in the morning
whatz your reason?


i salute no man
for these
mere
mortals will merely let you down

some mental excercises

going from loser to winner

the past is the past.

a friend of mine bought me a stopwatch. she said when you get tempted to start thinking about the past pull out this trinket with a picture of a train let it melt into your brain to how it's moving fast you gotta make this moment last.

positive mental excercising

only think of positive thoughts for one hour straight. Think of all of the good times you ever had when your self esteem was at an all time high. Go back to those moments were you felt the most love and light.

one kiss at a time written 1/08

girl i ain't the perfect guy
only the lord knows how hard i try
to win you back i'll do what
i best know how to do
by making good old
fashioned sweetheart love to you.
gonna win you back
one kiss at a time
to throw your love away
would be a terrible crime
i'm gonna rock you back and forth
the whole night through
gonna show you what your loving man can do
so we got in a fight
ain't gonna say that it ain't my fault
finally saw the light
and i pray that it ain't too late
if you could walk a mile in my shoes
before I met you I was born to lose
every dime
gonna win you back
one kiss at a time.

when r u going to b my lover?

when are you gonna be my lover
weve been hanging out many moons
i have a deep abiding respect4u
it's been really great
to take it nice and slow
but there is something that i'd
really like to know
when are you gonna be my lover?

review for michael w. dean's book '$30 music school'

If you're looking to become a rockstar overnight don't buy the $30 music school. But if you want a realistic roadmap for successfully recording and playing your music this book is the real deal.
This book has been in my consciouness for a while, enhanced by a coincidental viewing of Author Michael Dean's endearing los angeles cable access show, which tends to feature his cat! When my brother offered to buy me a book at barnes and noble for my birthday, this is the one I chose.
This book is a barebones guide to launching your diy music career. There is solid advice on recording, promoting, flyering, using the internet to get your stuff out there, and even imformative interviews with the likes of Henry Rollins and Johnathan
Richmond, among others.
One thing I like about Dean's style is his ablility to learn from his mistakes and forge on with humble tenacity. With humor and generosity, he gives numerous examples of why it's preferable to generate good vibes as a musician, as opposed to fluffing one's ego with all too common know it all a-hole-isms. His CD rom is loaded with usable templates for booking shows, keeping track of recordings, as well as examples of EPKs, and numerous songs from his past and present bands, and much much more. In an industry that is constantly changing, the $30 music school is a valuable resource that I will be earmarking, highlighting, and enjoying for years to come.
So take off your Robert Plant wig, quit lip synching to yourself in the mirror for god's sake and go buy yourself this book, and than go thank Michael and write him a review on this very site.

sometimes nothin' be a real cool hand (inspired by paul newman)

sometimes nothin'

i was born ino this world
without anything at all
but ever since that day
i've been having a ball
yeah i'm having a blast
and you said that I'll fall
into the hands
of a rock and roll band.
You can wrap
that girl right around your heart
you don't even have to be too smart
it's playing the game throwing down
the right card give her a kiss before her engines start
sometimes nothing be a real cool hand got no money but i rocket, maam. drive
that card wrong side of the road
god will pick it up and show you
which way to go.
I don't arrive early call me just in time
I never waste a minute or a kiss or a dime
don't let that suzie go
because you know it's a crime
bustin' up the window
just to loosen my mind.
\/
gettin into trouble is a peaceful
pasttime
one that I don't need anymore.
just give me pretty burlesque baby that i can adore
workin on the chain gang 99 in the shade been too long a time since the last i been laid
when i get right out i'm gonna find myself a lover who's gonna fix my stopwatch while I'm working undercover.

Sometimes nothing be a real cool hand dig me a lady in a rock and roll band i can be a teddy bear or i can be real tough i'm used to having nothing so i know how to bluff.

dukes and guardians

he went from libertine
to average citizen
in under a year
shared with me everything
secrets and beverages
went beyond
fear
I'll always love you because
I always did love a fool
you were
the everything
but are they still calling you cool?
passionate woman
how did she lead you astray
a friend to everyone
now just one lover's slave
eye to the keyhole
can't even open the door
so what do i care
this wasn't what i was looking for
you could have been anyone
chagall or a movie star
philosopher's stone
now wait by the window
with somebody who keeps you
while you feel alone.
you were the healer
you were the saint
you were the bastion
you were the great
from pride to hogtied
break down the chains
you can start over come back
to your friends
we will have a toast
and the nightmare will end.

song idea

you're even prettier than you think i think you are but if i let you get too close you might see my scars seems like the more that i love em the more they can read my heart always flippin my soul around like a tarot cardd
stoppin' long enough just to
rip it into shards

didn't know what a lover was till i fell in love with you well bless your heart because you're nobody's fool i felt the fear you let me know where you stand and darlin' than you took my hand

and itz a sweaty dirty hand
but i use it the best that i can

i squeeze you with it
while you show me the stars
she's the one i think of when i play my guitar

10 happiest countries

Denmark
Switzerland
Austria
Iceland
The Bahamas
Finland
Sweden
Bhutan
Brunei
Canada

movie idea

rock mom- single mother with alcoholic boyfriend supports her teenage musician son, putting up corkboard for him, ends up singing for them when they need one. ends up dating their manager.

catacombs of salzburg

catacombs of salzburg

if you stick around here a while
you'll see how
unhelpful people can be

they don't necessarily
want you to succeed
give a pound of flesh
they'll watch you bleed
but there are angels
wherever you go
before you ask
they already know
you found a sign
on the ground
they are watching you
they're all around
i did every single
thing that i could
to help you believe
i thought you would
but now it's over
these terrible dreams
it suddenly seems
as if there's nothing left.

you've had the
priviledge of an education you've
had the gift of motivation
don't you believe
I can do something?
watch and wait
for these clouds
to pass you by.

Astro motel- song i wrote in like 00 or 01

Astro Motel
she moved into the astro
it was this have-not hotel
where the owner
were quite well adapted
at how to put her through hell
walls paper thin
the neighbors often yelled
you'd have been better off
half a mile down the street
at a place called the wishing well.

down the avenue santa rosa
she got a job cutting hair
times were tight and most of the while
she was sitting in the easy chair

after bout a week she wants to get
the hell out of there
when the manager tells her the news
she acted like she didn't even care.

"funny how," shes says, " i used to be the
one to scoff at the ladies who I look like today. better watch out who you're laughing at honey cause it just might be YOU some day. I used to think that i was invincible some misplaced joan of ark. But here i am now with a baby in my arm and I'm living in Juilliard Park."

you and me laughing about a guy who didn't get to where he was going to
you stopped laughing you looked me in the eye what are you looking at than he said you.......
think you're pretty clever son
you think you're pretty smart
better watch out where you're going
gonna live out of a shopping cart

walkin' and i'm walkin and i'm waiting
watchin' and i'm watchin' hesitating
walkin' and i'm walkin and i'm waiting
watchin' and i'm watchin' hesitating

she's doing better now got a house
down on the avenues
doesn't have the same kind of problems
she used to have a year ago or two

she works down at the center helping the poor and helping the meek
got a little goal for myself
gonna try to be nice to everyone i meet

walkin' and i'm walkin and i'm waiting
watchin' and i'm watchin' hesitating
walkin' and i'm walkin and i'm waiting
watchin' and i'm watchin' hesitating

New Song: Last Cigarette

last cigarette written 3/20/08

breathe in bits of you
let me taste
your watermelon skin
you're the one i wanted
(she gave me gratitude)
and patience wearing thin
because i want you so much more
baby will ya close that door........

thank you for helping me
to forget
we will not stand
a moment more of regret
forever in your debt

this is my last cigarette (4X)

bless you for answering my prayers
she muttered under her breath
'time to go upstairs'
after we share this cigarette

she's got hot chocolate hair
stars shoot out of her eyes
she's reading dream of electric sheep
wake up w/me under the sky

Her lips are folded don't you fret
kiss me raspberry red
silver is better than gold
and you're the one who keeps
me strong when it's cold
will you still be here when i'm old

never again will we regress
thank you for helping me to confess
get it off of my chest

This is my last cigarette (4X)
say goodbye to that evil eye
you won't be needing it any more
the only tears that you shed
should be tears of joy

Lyric ideas for comatose outro part.

last moment on earth

continuation of comatose

did i matter
do i still
did i love
breathe deep
all i could
did i love
did i spread
the message
my message
their message
did i love?
did i create
did i laugh
desires burn
memories turn
did i forget
you
did i stop
to ponder
was it worth
every
breath?

some goals to think about

healthy guy blog
health goals
cleanse out the system
do a week long program at optimum health institute.
detox the mercury out of my system
no more using microwaves

The reason why health is my passion is that when I have ever been in my best shape, all my other passions (music, writing, etc.) are that much more heightened. I have honestly been confused by several different diet programs out there. I believe that the raw diet is the most beneficial of all diets but I have been unsuccessful in maintaining it for more than a month or two at a time.

One of my goals is to develop a regimen that examines all of my life's needs. For example, I have been eating eggology egg whites lately and feel that it has been good for me. This would not be possible on an all raw or vegan regimen. However, I may, in the future, determine not to use egg whites. I do feel like there have been times in my life where I was lacking in protein, however, I am also opened to the fact that maybe I was just lacking in energy due to other reasons.

I have severely cut down on my use of cell phones. I would eventually like to invest in anti-radiation technology that Stephanie Cleever told me about, as cell phones ARE extremely convenient.

When I worked at a health food juice bar, (I'm not teling where,) I met Andre Benjamin, formerly Andre 3000. He used to come in for E3 live shots. He had tried the raw diet for a while, but switched to a strict vegan regimen. He felt that it was embarrasing when being wined and dined by entertainment executives to have to be so extra choosy about where and what to eat.
Sidenote: he listened to my song Comatose, and said it reminded him of The Smiths. He also politely tried to discourage me away from the music business, saying he wouldn't have gotten into it if he'd known how crazy it was.

In terms of diet, I like the Woody Harrelson model, where he eats a majority of his food raw, but leaves a small percentage for cooked. If I was making a better living I would eat mainly raw. I feel that maintaining a strictly raw diet is extremely expensive and takes a lot of time.

Conclusions about excercise. For me, I used to be a wanna be Dean Karnazes, running ultra marathons. Lately I've been feeling more balanced about running. I feel like If I have a good run a few times a week, it's enough as long as I also do some other forms of excercise. I heard Dr. Drew say that if you're running more than 25 or 30 miles a week it means you're running away from something. I'm not sure if I agree with that or not. I would like to start getting into Yoga again (I've been saying that since 2000 when I moved from L.A. and stopped doing Brian Kest's Power yoga. I've only done it once or twice since I've moved back here almost 2 and a half years ago.)
While working at Starbucks on the promenade, I ran into George, who has been working for Brian for a long time, and took that as a sign that I need to start going to class again.

In the last 3 months I have worked out 7 times with Kyle Lawson, who is a wonderful kickboxing instructor. Our schedules often clash and I want to work out with him more. Ironically, he used to teach me at Crunch Gym in San Francisco in 2003, 5 years ago. I ran into him in January of this year and he agreed to start teaching me. We're supposed to do a session today. I always feel super enerrgized after a session with him and like to work out with him before performing with the band, etc. I used to think I wouldn't mind working out with him a few times a week but once a week would be an improvement over 7 times in 3 months! (It's also a money issue.) This is why sometimes I feel like I should put other things, even my so called music career aside and just get in shape. If I put everything into that, eventually I'd have more energy for my music anyways. Nah, i don't want to put music on the backburner. I'll have to concentrate on both.

To do the things I really want to do right now, it would be nice to make about $700 a week. I have never made that much money. That would come out to 52 grand a year. That's way more than I've ever made. I guess the smart thing would be to keep Starbucks part time for the benefits and get a waiter or bartending job elsewhere.

Is it possible to make $700 a week? If I made that much I could be debt free in less than a year. I don't think it's too much to ask. I don't even know how much I made last year, because most of it was under the table. I had a really strange job history in 07- worked for a health food store for a few weeks, did a few temp jobs at saks fifth avenue and an art gallery in beverly hills, worked for 2 different cab companies, an italian cafe, an herbal sex pill company, and a travel agency. I think I earned less than 10 thousand dollars. 06 was weird too. I worked for a different travel agency for 2-3 months, a telemarketing place for a week, a visa/passport business for like 2 months. I probably made less than 5 grand that year. So even though I made less than 15 grand in 2 years, I'd like to make 52 grand. Actually, since a third of this year is already over, I'd be satisfied with 2/3 of that. So somewhere between 34 and 35 grand for the rest of this year. I really wish I believed that could happen. It's just hard with my track record.

In order to do bartending, you have to be pretty quick. Do I have that in me? I'm not really sure. Maybe I'd need to be on adderall or something to do that. Or maybe I just need to cleanse out.

song written in 92 continued now; haiku rains

when words have no meaning
just thoughts in your brain
you try to collect them so
you can keep sane
remember
remember
to savor the pain
because nothing lasts forever
no, no, no, no
nothing lasts forever

haiku rains
eat your pain
sleep lose
and gain
sacrifice
the fortune and the fame
for a simple song
sacrifice
the fortune and fame

when friends cannot hear you
their souls gone beyond
to a factory forever there somewhere
in the heavens hills and ponds

they got their gods mistaken
for a wooden wand

nothing lasts forever
even memories of this will be severed

yeah i work for starbucks, it's okay.

but I think it's funny how the manager always makes a super big deal when the district managers are coming in. Like, oh no, I might lose my 8 dollar an hour job. Am i supposed to get super stressed? Everyone talks about these people like they're supermodels. 'Go wash the windows, the DM's here!' You turn around and there's some short fat bald dude. He's like, 'you missed a spot.' You hand him the rag and go, 'go for it man!' 'off to the races.' He's standing there scratching his head.

Epiphanies

This morning I was playing a lot of guitar and I had an Epiphany. It was basically a certain confidence in what I was doing. I really felt that if I had the right band mates I could really make some great music. I want to focus on getting the perfect sounds for a live setting especially. I think it's most important to have something dynamic to offer people, and to shoot low at first. I'd be happy to play for some pretty small crowds. After all, when playing bass for my other band, a little crowd can really get things going in a small place. I need to start small with what I have and not worry about whether or not my proverbial ship will come it.

Working on an Ebook.

I have had an idea for a long time about writing a book about music. It entails advice about songwriting and guitar playing. I feel that I have some experience in songwriting and if i was starting out would want advice from someone like me. It is not going to be terribly long. Some of the information will be practical and some of it will be coming from more of a place of mysticism. I will be divying out sample chapters in this blog for all to devour equally.

This morning I woke up at 4 AM.

I had planned to go to the knitting factory after work last night. But after a warm shower, I was plenty tired and collapsed into bed at about 10. I woke up at 4 and plied myself with a few cups of Sumatra. Than I began obsessively working at some guitar stuff. I decided to start writing down my music using actual treble clef notes instead of tablature, which I usually use, due to laziness. I'm not an especially technical music, but I can read music if I have to and decided that it wasn't that hard for me to write out the music, and for some reason it made it feel more legitimate. I remember hearing from somebody that Elvis Costello felt that learning music theory was "liberating." I have had the inclination lately to become liberated in that way. There's a time and a place for everything, because honestly, I haven't felt that way until now.

I have a goal for my band Renouncer.

I would like to play 300 shows in 2009. Is this possible and if so what does it entail?