P09X - Rock Star Hops - Practicing Just In Case

Guitar players (or any other entertainers out there)! In the course of P90X, you will find this highly useful exercise. You can also pass the time during your workout watching the world go by on Tweetdeck.
Please don't ask for videos of me doing this!

Posted via email from Steve's Probstposterous

P09X - Rock Star Hops - Practicing Just In Case

287 Pages On 4 737's

Well, that was a fast read! (For me, anyway) Ontario to Phoenix to Denver to Minneapolis by 737 on Friday.  Then reverse that scenario on Sunday! (Even reversing 737 is still, well.....737)

And while I was traversing the country thousands of miles above, I had with me The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a story of a father and son's survival through a post-apocalyptic, read-between-the lines nuclear ravaged America.

The large type and spaces between the most interesting, non-indented paragraphs (see photo) probably had a little to do with my surprised completion before I even touched down in Phoenix on the trip home.  It was a good fast-paced read nonetheless.
 
A movie starring Viggo Mortensen was made based on this book as well.  Have you read this book or seen the movie?

Further notable about this trip was the special Southwest aircraft I rode in during the Phoenix leg of the jaunt back home to California with the Official State Animal, the grizzly bear, painted on it. 


I just figured I'd borrow a photo off the internet rather then taking one myself on a bad camera phone.  Grrrrrr-oovy!

287 Pages On 4 737's

Clapton - The Autobiography

Felt it was time to read a biography (I like to mix it up a little).  Better still, an autobiography.  Can't say I'm a bona fide "fan" of Eric Clapton (someone I'd go and see in concert), but an interesting read nonetheless.  Autobiographies are cool -  like the-author-is-sitting-right-there-with-you-in-the-airport, coffee shop, comfy-couch at home, or wherever-cool.

In the process, a couple of records have piqued my interest. The first is Road To Escondido whereby Mr.Clapton moved in with J.J. Cale for a week at his house in the hills of Escondido, CA and hashed out the direction for their upcoming recording - "getting ready to play" as Clapton called it.  I thought it was somewhat noteworthy as I get down that way in North County, San Diego quite often to visit my parents, having even done a gig there.

The other sample of musical coolness is Eric's Me and Mr. Johnson.  This tribute album of Robert Johnson tunes was never meant to be released, but was originally just a way to "release the tension and just have some fun" in the studio while coming up with enough material for a "normal" commercial release.

Anything you'd like to say in closing, E.C.?

"The music scene as I look at it today is a little different from where I was growing up.  The percentages are roughly the same - 95 percent rubbish, 5 percent pure...Music survives everything, and like God, it is always present.  It needs no help, and suffers no hindrance.  It has always found me, and with God's blessing and permission, it always will" ~ Eric Clapton

Clapton - The Autobiography

Vlog #4 - The New Studio Assistant

One of my first posts was about a year ago when we had a loss in our family. Our canine friend, Sparrow, had to sadly be put down while I happened to be on the road doing shows at the Florida State Fair.

THIS year, I've been home for a while in January/February which was ideal for spending some quality time "breaking in" a new co-writer "around the house" (wink, wink).  As it just so happens we were approached to give a small little lost furry person a home.

And now I bring you, Vlog #4.  What do you think? (I know I should've shaved, but besides that!)

Vlog #4 - The New Studio Assistant

Oh, Goodness!

I like this this little something-I-read this morning:

"Self-contained, self-sufficient, self-justifying goodness cannot be real goodness because its effect is to set up man's moral independence of God; it is thus the expression of man's egoism, and is in its very nature a rebellion against the source of all good" (G.O. Griffith)

Oh, Goodness!

A Day In The Life

Here's a sample of what my music creation work day might entail.

Firstly, I definitely don't want to let any lyric writing chops(?) [ ("What do you mean "?", Steve, give yourself some credit!") << Conversation with self ] slide to the wayside while I find fame and fortune in the TV/Film music writing schtick, so I'll generally try, unless I'm under some sort of self-imposed deadline, to spend a little time each day tweaking a lyric to one of many music/lyric creations I have going on all at the same time.  Here's a sample smattering (or maybe explosion) of writing through the "stuff" to get to the gem of the lyric.  Mind you, this is all for rewriting just one half of one line in the song.  And I must've had a "word limit" set on this little online gizmo.  There's so much more to it than meets the eye.

Couldn't get the picture to display larger, so please click on the "Wordle" to see it in all it's full-size wonderment!

On the flip-side of creative-ness is this needed-by-Wednesday pitch as per Taxi Music that just came in.  Might be fun to play around with it:

TROPICAL/ISLAND POP type INSTRUMENTALS a la "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffett needed by a Production Music Library based in Germany with worldwide distribution.  Instrumentals should sound fun, easygoing, and carefree.  They prefer recordings with real acoustic instruments, but will accept instrumentals with high quality samples that sound authentic.  You must own the master rights for work submitted.  Broadcast quality needed [great sounding home recordings are OK].  Please submit one to three instrumentals online or per CD. 

So there ya have it. One day of many. So many choices.  Must go.  Dog's on my lap.  My leg's asleep.  Gotta get busy.

A Day In The Life

New Track - (Song from) Salem

Happy Thursday everyone!

Yes, indeed it feels better to be just about over the flu!  And it's been a little over a week with the new puppy, Lola.  And since being sick means involuntarily slowing down the creative process due to just feeling totally out-of-it, what better time to house-train a dog!  Well, Lola's new house-appropriate activities are coming along just fine and I'm actually starting to get things done once again.

Case (or song) in point.  This short little instrumental number freshly mixed (recording lingo- track volumes, eq's set, etc) was created in a hotel room in Salem, OR while I was in town for a show at the historic Elsinore Theatre back in November 2009.  It's not one of those tracks that was directed towards any specific pitch, however, as I just plugged in the Stratocaster and started playing away!

I always have the hardest time naming these type of tracks though, so if any of you have any descriptive ideas you'd like to share of what this song conjures in your website-visiting minds (except things like "trash can", "get-a-real-job") please feel free to leave a comment!  (I supposed I could just name it "Salem", but that's no fun!

Gotta run - dog needs out!

Click on music player below:

free music download from Steve Probst

New Track - (Song from) Salem