mp3 blog?

I am starting an mp3 blog, to see if i like doing it.

Shyness Is Nice.

-Dan

English Crowds.

In general, I have been really disappointed with the crowds at the shows in England. Note: Scotland, Ireland, Europe are all pretty awesome (Japan, you KNOW we love you the most!). But ENGLAND, man. Man. Tonight, for a crowd of about 400, it was as quiet and unenthusiastic as an insurance convention, except for the kid in the front row who continually yelled, "You suck! I hate you! Zebrahead!!!" Nate dedicated a song to him, which was kinda funny, but we definitely had some anger in our hearts toward him. Confession: I was angry as well. After we played and I was tearing down my cords, pedals, etc, I lashed back at him a little, purposefully loud enough for the others around to hear.

"What are your songs like?" I yell.
"What?"
"Your band, what kind of style is it?"
He feigns to not hear me.
"Is it like Punk, or like Avant-Noise or what? What kind of sound are you going for?"

The others laugh, and his friend even tells me, "Don't listen to him, it was great, man." The mean kid, who actually caught my pic as I threw it while walking offstage (irony of ironies), throws the pic back at me. I give it to his friend, who thanks me. Later on, I go up to talk to him and simply say, "You're being a punk, but I'm not mad at you, and I hope you will grow up from this sooner or later," but I find that he has been kicked out of the show, and so instead just take a second to talk to the kids in the front who enjoyed the show, and thank them for coming.

Still, I feel like I acted out of anger, not justice or love. So, stupid kid, I apologize, although I doubt you will read this. You probably don't even remember the name of our band. =)

Dan

Europe

This tour has been such an interesting experience. We are all tired (somehow -- despite a nice break beforehand), and although we know it is a privilege to be here, to be with bands that are more successful over here than we are, and to see some new cities for the first time, there is still a shadow, it seems, hanging over the whole trip. i honestly would much rather just be at home right now, and have felt that way basically the entire time (with the exception of the 5 days in amsterdam, germany and paris). i miss jaffrey, and i really am anxious to start really working on the new album. it feels like i have had over 30 songs ready to be worked on for months now, but nowhere to go with them. david is a lovesick puppy with a new girlfriend, which isn't a bad thing, but he has been basically out of it all the time.

i sound like i am complaining, probably because i am. i know i am fortunate, and will cherish these experiences for the rest of my life. my prayer, i guess, is that i can keep that in mind and not be distracted by my own trivial wishes. maybe this will make the album better somehow as well. =)

dan.

2 (or 3) albums.

Well, it's 2008. And musically, it;s looking to be a pretty good year. If you haven't been given a shave by the all-encompassing buzz about Vampire Weekend, then I am a little surprised. But don't worry, it's not too late to join in. Pick up their self-titled debut album as soon as you find a record store -- it is worth every penny, and is so far the best album of the year (and it's hard to image anything topping it!).

Similarly, the new MGMT album, "Oracular Spectacular", had been strongly recommended to me by both my musical-guru friend Thad, and lovely girlfriend Jaffrey. I just listened to it all the way through for the first time, on headphones, and am now on my second listen. This, so far, is #2 of the year.

And although I seem to rarely find anyone to match my love for their Elvis Costello-inspired California Pop Rock, I personally have been waiting 4 years, and now the time has come (on April 15th)... for a new PHANTOM PLANET album! This will almost definitely make my top list this year. I can't imagine them doing wrong; not to mention, about a year or two ago I heard them play some new songs live, and loved them. So did Joe, so it's not just a fluke.

Incidentally, 2008 looks to be a good, fun year for me/Sherwood. We are halfway through a surprisingly successful headlining tour, after which I get two weeks in Seattle with Jaffrey and friends, then a trip to Japan, and most likely some time in the UK and Australia later this year. Then a lot of writing, hopefully followed by the best Sherwood record anyone ever thought we could churn out. =) So, glasses up to 2008!

-D.

Time to Write.

Jaffrey: “You’re about due for a blog entry.”

Me: “Yeah, but what would I write about?”

Classic excuse, friends. Classic. There is always something to write about, and although I don’t have a specific topic in mind as I sit down right now, I agree with my responsible, perceptive girlfriend that it is time for me to write something.

Here are my current surroundings: we are driving from Albuquerque to Amarillo, and I am on the couch in the “living area” of our RV. Joe is driving, listening to Bruce Springsteen’s Great Hits loud enough for the rest of us to hear; this, of course, is a good thing. Right now, “The River” is playing – I almost start to cry every time I hear this song. So real, such good imagery, good word choice, such an emotional vocal performance, such a good story. I am hoping that I don’t get carsick, which often (always) happens when I try to type while moving.

Nate has his cell phone plugged in above my head as he sits next to me, and as the RV takes turns, the cord swings back and forth and slaps the back of my head. If it’s not swinging, it is resting on my hair like a housefly. I am focused enough, however, to not be too irritated by it. Also above my head hangs the World’s Absolute Best Hanging Tree Air Freshener, not named as such by its manufacturer, but so named by myself because it just IS: the name of the scent is Freedom, and in the middle of the tree is the head and beak of a bald eagle. I challenge anyone to find a better air freshener than this; I think it is probably impossible. Oh, and did I mention the tree is REVERSIBLE? Red on one side, blue on the other, with white ink. Seriously.

If I ever write a song as good as “Thunder Road,” I will either buy myself a car or a $5,000 guitar.

I am in good spirits tonight because I revisited a bunch of super-rough early acoustic demos of new song ideas after leaving them fallow for a few weeks. I expected to return to them and feel disappointment, but rather was pretty excited about a lot of them, in particular a song called “Something In Common,” which I remember was written on an airplane from Minneapolis to Long Beach back in August. That one is going to turn out good. =)

This has been fun, so perhaps (hopefully) I will begin to do it more often again.

if you're alright with politics.

i don't spend much time thinking or talking about politics. i get jaded and cynical. i don't know who to vote for next year. but i did just read a transcript of a speech that Sen. Obama gave at the "Call to Renewal" conference, an inter-faith gathering to speak about issues of poverty, justice and religion in America and beyond. This conference featured some writers that I very much admire, including Jim Wallis and Brian MacClaren, so I was interested to read Obama's speech. It's pretty awesome. I need to do plenty more research before the election, but this speech left a really good taste in my mouth. Read it here if you like:

http://obama.senate.gov/speech/060628-call_to_renewal/

-Dan

Bands give bad advice.

Before coming to the glorious UK, I was given some less-than-glorious advice from a few people. Most of it has proven false. Some examples:

-Only the Italian food is good. Truth: not so! Indian is excellent, and most of the traditional English fare is quite tasty, provided you don't eat at disreputable establishments.
-Bring warm clothes, it's freezing! Truth: it was colder in Chicago. I wasted $60 on thermals and wool socks.
-It's boring. Truth: YOU'RE boring.

I've had a great time so far: discovered many great food and beer items that I'd never tried, and seen some amazing (read: OLD) buildings and sights. It's very green here, and in general the people are very nice. I am a big fan of Say Anything AND Hellogoodbye, so that is fun as well. Can't wait to come back.

Cheers, Mate!
Dan