Welcome back, folks! Nearly a season went by where all I had for a website was a page with an image and the next show – who needs more than that, anyway? Well just about anybody. Seems like everybody from the 12-year old next door to your girlfriend’s Dad has a page with flash animation, streaming shockwave audio and an interactive menu where you can chat with the ghost of John Lennon. I’d rather look at something pretty.
The webmaster did a great job then, I think.
The album’s pretty much in the can, folks. I did the bulk of it this Spring in two week-long sessions. I’m doing finishing touches from here in Nashville and sending them to Jimmy Ether in Atlanta for approval so that he can start mixing. (Actually, an alternate mix has already been completed for the Sparklefest compilation). I know every parent thinks their child is special, blinded so much by love that they see potential that sadly isn’t there. This record is like a baby, much more so than the last one… except that I made it alone. Well, not quite alone. I had the support of a loving girlfriend (now wife) and circle of friends to believe in me and help out here and there. So we made this “child”, and thanks to the fulfilling journey from the experience, album sales and reviews have no bearing on whether or not I’m proud of it. What matters is that I made it and that I tried to be true to myself.
Being 100% autobiographical and following a real chronological order, telling the story of my life for one year, I felt that it was important to involve my friends in some way. One way was to invite my closest friends to participate in the demo process. Another way was in sharing those demos with all of you. It was decided right away that while no rough mixes of the finished product were to be leaked out, the demos were to be given away like lollipops at the bank. Since the website redesign, those have been taken down but we’ll have them back up soon (if not already by the time you read this). There have been two major changes since the demos were completed:
1) most of the lyrics were re-written. I was “too nice” the first time around and had to dig a lot deeper on some songs to bring out the emotional impact I wanted. Despite several rewrites, I was never happy with one song and ditched it altogether.
2) A new song was written for the record by myself and one of my very gracious mentors, Pat Buchanan. The song itself takes place near the beginning of the story during a time of hopelessness which explains the title “Nothing Means Anything”. I’m really excited about the new song – obviously, because that wound up being a good title for the record. In the end, we hope to find meaning in everything that happens to us and the story on the record is that yes, things happen for a reason. So I guess the title is a bit ironic!
I wanted the record to document a significant year of my life, and a deeper change within me. Basically I felt like I had something to share and that maybe it would benefit someone else to hear that there was light at the end of the tunnel. Two years ago I’d never picture myself where I am now, and considering where I was that’s very comforting.
Time passes, seasons change and long periods of honeymoon and stability give way to stress and upheaval. There’s good stress though! I’m sitting here now with Paul Elliott McIntyre, who was born on June 3rd. They say your life changes entirely – that’s a lie. Oh but the way you GO about your everyday life does change. Yesterday I woke up, cleaned the house and drove to band practice… but I drove to practice with a baby in the back seat of the car. Paul sat a room and a door away from the band, well within comfort range, listening wide-eyed to his Daddy trying to remember the guitar solo to a certain Cheap Trick song. Any time I want Paul to calm down, I pop on “Money City Maniacs” by Sloan – the kid loves rock and roll so much it breaks my heart. Don’t worry, we listen to classical too!
That would be the positive change in my life lately. For the give, there is an equal and opposite take – Paul will probably not remember much about his Grandpa McIntyre when he grows up. The invincible man who raised me has been diagnosed with brain and lung cancer. The guy who taught me everything I know about humor is now making jokes about death, which is about all you can do in its face. I’m trying to visit him and take my son to visit him as much as is possible these days. It’s hard to know how to feel, there’s no book on the matter. I can’t be sad when I look at my son, who smiles and giggles and shyly puts his hands to his face whenever I smile at him but I can’t be happy when my Dad loses all of his hair from radiation therapy.
…And in the middle is music. I’m so glad to have The Pinks, we’ve had a good time doing shows around town, writing and learning new songs together and keeping each other in line. I get to play drums and bass as well as guitar in this band, who play my solo material as well as their own songs and songs we write specifically for the band. We start recording an EP this month, so there’s a possiblity that I’ll release two, maybe three CDs this year (counting another album in the works by a duo we call FishRemover). I’m busy! I have my hands full with Paul and with music… which I suppose is really my idea of Heaven.
