Pre-First Show

Its about 31 hours until my first CMC Live performance tomorrow.  I'll be performing a cover of Underoath's 'A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White' as well as an original song of mine called 'At the Diner (For Toast and Torture)'.  I'm pretty excited (and nervous) about it.  It'll be my first 'real' performance which I've had rehearsals and everything for.  There'll be a smoke machine and a million lights, full EQ'd P.A. and everything a huge venue would have.  (Except for the thousands of people.  My audience will be about 25.) Final rehearsals in a couple hours and then there's sound-check tomorrow afternoon.

Today in class we learned all about the wonders of Photoshop.  Or, 'how to make absolutely anyone look absolutely amazing using technology'.  Whether its moral or not is still up for debate.  Let's just say that I will be looking the best (and most unrealistic) I ever have in my press kit photos that we're shooting next week for promo purposes.

Besides that, you should probably go out and buy this album right now.

  Dance Gavin Dance + Downtown Battle Mountain 

(pictured above)

In Musicality,

    Ben

End of 2nd Week

So, I lied.  I said I'd post every week.  It's been 11 days or something.  Snap, son.

I had already written this exact same entry yesterday.  But I forgot to post it and closed the window.  It was angering.

So, news: 

•  I'm no longer sick which is a good thing.
• So far I'm doing alright on getting a song a week written.  In fact, I have written 3+ songs in these two-ish weeks. (yes, even i'm impressed)
•  I'm having trouble sticking to a specific genre.  I've written a pop punk song, a folk song, a techno-core screamo song and half a hardcore song so far this semester.  It's killing me.  I'll probably have to start 3 different bands like that dude from Head Automatica.
  
• Yesterday I screamed for around 2 straight hours.  I'm definitely building up my throat-chops.
• I've met several people I would LOVE to have in my band.

I continually ride a wave of extreme excitement and then apprehension about my musical career and pursuits.  I should probably write some songs about it.

Above many other things I am constantly learning that, except for when reading contracts and other such lawyerish documents,  SIMPLICITY.  SIMPLICITY.  

EVERY. SINGLE.  SONG. THAT WAS EVER ANY GOOD. IS.  SIMPLE.

it can sound as complicated as you want it to.  but the form and structure are always. simple.

make music not war.

-Ben

First Few Days

I've been at the CMC campus on Martha's Vineyard now for almost 4 days. All 4 of those days I have been as sick as a dog with a fever, sore throat and runny nose. I also have poison ivy in between the fingers on my right hand. So far, I have been completely miserable physically. Thankfully, its been much better in every other regard. I was even able to pull off a sing/scream performance last night with my terrible throat. Of course, I can't even talk today. Hopefully it was worth it. I have very little idea how I did. I couldn't really hear the monitors at all, but others have said I did pretty well. Noone else here is a screamer, or really very much into that music at all, so there aren't very many good judges of the genre.
Things aren't too busy yet, but I can tell that they are going to become quit hectic once everything starts rolling.
The dorm rooms are quite small. We have six people in ours and its only slightly bigger than my old room in Guffin. It kind of feels like camp. My roommates and I get along quite well so far. Lets hope that continues.
All in all, I'm hopeful and excited about this semester as it begins. As soon as I'm healthy we'll really see how things are going to be. The biggest pressure i'll have is writing a new song every single week of the semester which I'm sure is going to be tough what with everything else going on.
Pictures to come.
More later, d00ds.

-Ben

Greetings.

Hi.
Welcome to my blog about the Contemporary Music Center. As you can already tell, its going to be an absolutely amazing read. Gripping, even. I'll try and update once a week after the semester starts... Two weeks from now.
That's all.
Love ya.