For those of you who know me (and let’s face it, does anybody really know anybody anymore?), you’ll know that I write a lot of words. Well, a lot for someone who is in two bands (technically, three) and has a full-time job and something of a life and also watches The Daily Show fervently.* But I still write. Often in the car (man, I love how Siri makes it easy to write a set of lyrics in the Notes application). This past Tuesday, I was listening to the new ZZ Top ep, Texicali, as I drove down a long road. The last song is Over You, and it’s a peculiar song for the Top with its 50s feel. I dunno… arpeggiated chords like these always make me think of high school dances in old movies. The point is, I liked the idea of ‘over you’ as a motif, and my brain went into its little arts and craft table and started playing with yarn and glitter. A few moments later, I had the first verse. I put it into the Notes app, and thought no more of it for a few hours. Some time later, I was looking at the lyrics on my computer (if you don’t have an iPhone: first off, I sincerely hope you are happy without it. Secondly, the Notes app can be synced to your email, so it jumps pretty quickly onto my computer when I’m writing anything on my iPhone), and I started writing more. Then more. Then I realized I had lyrics for a song, and I was absolutely nonplused, seeing how I’d written some other lyrics earlier in the day. But I had a practice in the basement that night, so I went downstairs and played some chords to the lyrics and followed some map in my head that sort of led along and suddenly I had written No Good, and that’s how nothing gets done in the world except for what we really want to do.

On the other hand, it might be that I was overdue to record something. It has been a while.



I’ve been playing and rehearsing out and about since the last update, and I think I’m traveling with too much gear. Granted, the above picture has an extra guitarist’s amp and guitar in it, but that gigantic grey box is really heavy. Problem is, I like the pedals more than I like those magic do-all boxes. I just can’t be satisfied with what I’m getting out of them and the guitars and the amp and (most tellingly) my fingers. Maybe it’s just part of my nature to be a malcontent. To that notion, I’ve changed out a few pedals and I should mention what they are. But not today. More soon, okay?


* Those of you who haven’t any idea who I am, thanks for dropping by and it’s a pleasure having you around. Tea and cakes will be served shortly.

Tags: No Good