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2004 Updates
November 15, 2004
What? You
really expected a song yesterday? Ha! Ok so I really meant to
have it done. Things just always seem to get in the way. The
secret, I guess is to get something to stay in your way that you actually
want to be there - like music. Anyway...NEW SONG! Yay!
Finally. I hope at least you think it's worth the wait. Please
check out The Waterfall!
The sound quality is much better than our previous songs, except Life On
Fire - at which point I learned how to get it together with the fancy,
shmansy digital recorder. No more wiring crap up through the
microphone jack. Yeah I know. What did I expect?
Timing and
mixing and everything else came together well in this song too. This
is definitely going to be one of my favorites to date. My only
slight complaint is the lead guitar not being quite loud enough but then
the fact that it's kind of quiet adds to the mysterious sound of this
song......orrrr something.
Anyway, you
can decide what the song is about. To me, it is a warm blanket I can
curl up in that keeps me safe from the rest of my life. I like music.
I do not like irritating advertisements. I like my friends. I do
not like my alarm clock. I like spending time on what I like spending
time on. I do not like musicians who get involved in political issues
yet I admire the fact they work when they want to doing something they like.
I do not like egg rolls. But I do like some other kinds of oriental
food. I like the river near my house.
(I was almost
in a not-so-well known movie with Mel Gibson called The River when I was a
kid. I got interviewed for the part twice but heard nothing after
that. Incidentally, my Dad was almost in it too. He got a small
part just pointing around like he was a supervisor at a factory. They
put these tall pipes up around the buildings and ran water through them and
when it fell out the top it looked like it was raining. I thought that
was cool. That part got cut from the movie.)
I like
updating the website when there is something significant to update on.
But I've been sitting here for awhile now. And I'm tired because I
didn't sleep well last night and didn't want to get up today. I think
I'm going to like going to bed. Hope you like the song. And hey,
if life ever smacks you around, grab it by the hair of the head, kick it in
the crotch and run as hard as you can. Ok. I have nothing better
to say now. Good night wherever you are.
I won't
go easy,
-WornOutShoes
November 13, 2004
Heeeey there.
Well they finally dragged my ass away from the XBox and made me master our
latest song - The Waterfall. I actually mastered it last week but the
vocals were too punchy and the bass was overwhelming. Being highly
discouraged with that first attempt, I gave up and decided to play Halo 2.
But enough was enough. Today I think I got it right.
Unfortunately, you won't hear it
until tomorrow :) Stop throwing things at me!! I still
have to get the master into the computer and trim off the first and last of
the song. I also have some errands to run and once my friends and the
rest of the band get here tonight, no one will want to actually work.
BUT, there is still a sliiiiight chance I might get it done before the day
is out. So check back in later today or tonight. Hang in there.
It's coming!
I'll see you
tomorrow,
-WornOutShoes
October 19, 2004 - CD Ordering Info
I guess it's time.
The Me And My Spaceship CD is now available!
That's right!! For only 9 easy payments of $399.95, you can have
our.......ah,
just drop us an email with your mailing address, and we'll send your cd
asap. That's right. Free.....for now....
We've learned so much along the way. We included some songs from the
last cd we thought you'd enjoy and even threw in the Christmas song we did
last year - Peace On Earth. There is one song that has a much better
sound quality than the others. Can you figure out which one it is?
Starting with our next cd, all our songs will have better sound quality -
even if we still sound like someone with their butt caught in a blender, at
least it will be quality screams, yells, screw ups and sirens....and
blenders. And don't ask how someone's butt can actually get caught....
Good journey to my Aunt Muriel,
quite possibly the biggest WOS fan there was. She was 83. She
had plenty of wrinkles and gray hair, but I'd swear there was still a
teenager under that old person's skin. She livened up the lives of
whoever she was around and I will miss her greatly. Take care Aunt
Muriel. Hope to make it to where you are one day. I know you are
in a better place. 4-26-1921 - 9-30-2004.
Aunt Muriel was born here but
moved to Florida. I always looked forward to her visits. Even as
she lived, her death also brought joy to our home again as family from far
and wide came to our home - many of them to gather around my now beloved
Xbox and play for hours. See? Gaming doesn't rot your brain but
instead has a clear and valuable purpose :) I had great fun
playing with cousins and some folks I knew I must somehow be kin to but
wasn't sure exactly how.
As you can
see from the home page, changes are in the air as we prepare to (yeah yeah I
know) update the website (we will, I swear we will!) with a different
look or, well, something different anyway. One of the coolest coming
attractions will be a video I am working on for a WOS song, the title of
which has been leaked, called The Waterfall. A few tweaks here and
there and the song itself will be done. As for the video, don't expect
that too soon. That's my job and I'm, well, new at video editing.
Well that's
your update for the moment. Please get a cd. Spread the gospel.
And for gosh sakes, brush your teeth.
Vote November
2nd, get Halo 2 November 9th,
-WornOutShoes
September 17, 2004
Just a quick update to let you know we haven't forgotten
about music n stuff. Yes we are having fun with our newly christened
"X Box Friday Night" - or XFN for short. (Bought an X Box - must
play it.) But we are simultaneously working on the next song and the
video that goes with it. We were hoping to release them at the same
time but that might not happen. The song itself may have to come out
first.
The first attempt at burning a
dvd looked like a vhs tape recording instead of a higher quality digital
recording. No biggy. I know it's just a setting I need to change
somewhere in the software. Just takes time to learn how to use it.
Then we'll have to figure what format works best for viewing on the web - if
you have a suggestion, please let us know.
Then there's the updating of the
website. I'm dying to make some changes to the look of the place but I
stare all day into a computer monitor and when I come home, the fascination
is gone. The music will come first anyway and we will have that new
song out there soon - before the month is out anyway. Hopefully before
next week is out.
The good news is that the next
few songs will be released more quickly because we still come up with stuff
whether we record it or not. So there are some good things on the way
soon. I know people get tired of hearing that crap from bands who
don't update their site so much and are always coming up with excuses why.
But please hang with us. It's only going to get better! Woot!
PS: The
long debated and finally agreed upon pronunciation of the overused,
frequently in-game use of the word "woot" is, and I quote: "woot."
Thank you. And please don't forget to use the word 'NURR' when you do
something stupid - pronounced: "nurr". This was a 'quick' note.
Right? Ok, cya'll. Have a great weekend.
Steer clear
of them hurricanes,
-WornOutShoes
August 27, 2004
Aaaaaaaand another thing - why can't people realize that
folks going back to school do NOT want to hear ANOTHER back to school. Especially when they say "It's back to school time!".
They say it in such a cheery voice like we're all soooo happy about going
BACK to school. Bunch of #$% #$& @#$@#'s!
I don't WANT to go BACK to a freakin PRISON!!!......oh...heh. I don't
have to. But it brings back bad memories anyway. For those 'back
to school' advertisers: "I FART IN YOUR GENERAL DIRECTION!"
At least it's Friday,
-WornOutShoes
August 26, 2004
No seriously. An update. Well I have to do
something to fill in for the lack of music updates. It's just that I'm
so sick of credit card companies, I had to sit down and type about it.
I mean, I get like a piece of mail a day at least, from some credit card
company wanting me to take advantage of something. These are people
who haven't even learned about spam email yet. They must spend so much
money, ink, paper, postage, time and employees' salaries to send out this
crap. That should tell you something about the money they make off
your credit card bill.
No, they don't care how many trees they kill to send out worthless crap on a
constant basis. It might be worth a tree or two if someone, anyone
responded. But it's the same people all the time. I haven't
responded to one of their mailings in years. Yet they continue to send
me crap. Sure I could call and request they not send it. But my
request would probably get lost in the obvious insanity behind these people
and I would continue to be snail-mail-spammed. But that's more time
and effort on my part. You'd think they would be interested in saving
the money on ink (toner), paper, postage, time and employees' salaries that
they would monitor the response they get from these mailings.
If they do monitor responses, I've obviously been overlooked. As a
webmaster, I know that spam is a sensitive matter for the recipients and I
closely monitor who wants it and who don't. The funny thing is that
email is FREE! Mail in my mailbox that gets immediately tossed in the
trash is NOT! But I continue to get it. WHY?!
May repeating, unsolicited, advertising idiots rot in a hell suitable only
for those who pop kids' balloons, remove bolts from old folks' wheelchairs,
or suck the last breath of life out of some poor bastard who was just
unfortunate enough to mistake Preparation H for a tube of toothpaste.
Good night,
-WornOutShoes
August 19, 2004
See? Updates happen. This is an update.
Really, it is. Within the week, even. Exciting ain't it? Oh well. Looks
like another hurricane has hit Florida. My Aunt Muriel has had to
evacuate for the moment. I do believe she is my biggest fan.
CD's on its way Aunt Muriel! I swear.
Did I ever mention that it's not the smartest idea to run towards a tree?
Well now I have. Remember that. Trees have an uncanny way of
winning a jousting contest. I have a few songs I need to work on but
I'm working on this darned video editing software too. I got part of
our last vacation almost ready for dvd and I've been editing and assembling
it just for practice. But editing a music video is an entirely
different story - oh my gosh. But it will be done soon enough I guess.
I've been trying for a long time to be cool and acceptable and for once I
finally do not care. I hope this website is never discovered and our
music never heard. There are consequences to pay for such thinking
though. I mean you can't totally not care or you cannot function.
And if you cannot function, you can't carry out those grandiose plans you've
been making for so long. But it won't be long now. And I look
forward to things for once...I think... I think I worry too much.
And some things I worry about just aren't my fault - so a Robin Williams
movie reminded me once (don't remember the name at the moment). But no
one has been around to tell me such things.
I have a close friend (a statement I haven't been able to make until
lately). But you can't bleed all over your friends and expect good
results. If you want friends, you must also show yourself friendly.
That's in Proverbs somewhere. There's alot of good things in Proverbs.
(Read Proverbs if you get the chance and even if
you never read any other book in the bible).
I mean, a close friend is such a rare commodity, you should never take them
for granted.
But you shouldn't hoist them up
on a pedestal either. Either way is uncomfortable for your friend and,
one way or another, for you too. But how do you treat someone so
beloved if you've never had such a friend before? Well life is cruel
my friend. Cruel indeed. Indeed. You play by ear, you
learn as you go. And hope that whatever happens, it just won't matter
as much as that next beer.
Besides, best friends can turn
into worst enemies as I well know. And the good things in your life
and the folks that you love, only go away with time. The only sure
thing is the motorcycle you're riding and the guitar you're playing, that
will take you wherever you want to go so long as you sincerely take care of
it too. Assured Reciprocal Friendship. That's ARF for you
barking types - ARF ARF ARF!!! NURRRR!!! (don't ask).
Humans just aren't so
predictable or dependable. But I guess that's the allure. If a
machine or computer loves you, it's because you programmed it to. You
did this - it logically did that. If a person loves you, it's
because they chose to on their own. Without your influence.
Without your being perfect. And despite all your
terrible secrets, mistakes and habits and problems. And, well that's
the most wonderful, most fulfilling thing in the universe - not that I'd
know......yet...???.....
With love and misgivings,
-WornOutShoes
August 16, 2004
Join WornOutShoes at Mom's
Basement Studios for X-Box Gaming Night on Friday the 13th! This will be a
no holds barred, free for all, ransack the bad guy in splinter cell, or
halo, or baldurs gate or you name it! Food and drinks are on the house so
drop on by Mom's Basement Studios for a rockin good time! Sponsored by Mom's
Basement Studios, Tarzan The Dirt Records, The Yellow Moose Network and
BaronElk Productions. See you there!
And what
did you expect with these updates during summer? An update every day
or something? Well just know that we've been working hard for ya.
Although there have been vacations, road trips, etc to keep us busy, we've
got some great footage for a video we'll be releasing shortly as well as a
new song which goes with the video. WornOutShoes chooses to use "Vegas
Video +DVD" for all our video editing purposes....and for the discount for
mentioning the product. Anyway...
Life has
gotten totally, unexpectedly, freakin, great,
-WornOutShoes
April 16, 2004
What? No cd yet?? Well almost.
Meanwhile we do have another song. Please give a listen to
Life On Fire. Hope this occupies your time
while we continue the final phases of the new upcoming cd.
Happy Birthday Logan!
Actually my nephew's birthday was April 8 but he is sixteen today.
So the 16th is still an appropriate time to wish you a Great One
;-). Miss you bud. See you soon. Talk to you then.
This week I learned something
cool about our multitrack recorder. Learning to use the thing is
like getting a college degree so I'm still finding things I never knew
were there. For instance, it does have a cd burner (yes, I knew that
already). But with my old recorder, I had no choice but to come
through the mic jack of my computer to get the sounds in for editing,
uploading, etc.
Now I've figured out how to
save the settings after I've mastered the tracks, trim the first and last
of the song to cut out any talking, etc., and put in a few seconds delay
at the first.
This way, I can take all our mixed down/mastered tracks and make our
entire cd from them (too late for the cd about to be released). This
thing is not user-friendly but it really does some cool things.
I did this with Life On Fire
but I was so amazed about what I found, I didn't see the volume level
wasn't up as high as I wanted. Anyway, our music writing may or may
not improve, but the sound quality will be great.
The cd is due out in the next
couple of weeks or so. Hope you give us a chance to rock your world.
In other thoughts, I'm glad
the days are long and getting warmer. I've got a bike trip planned
in June and Jack the gutsy galvanized guitar guy is moving closer to home.
I can't understand why some electronic devices display a little red light
when they are off, and the light goes off when you turn them on.
Terrorists still suck. I like going to Zane's house and shooting up
his old satellite dish with a 12 gauge. I think my last major
purchase in life will be a camcorder - (it will probably have a red light
that comes on when I turn it off).
The big toe on my right foot
is peeling. I'm really trying everything I can to make it stop.
Ben was using another cell phone phone plan and let me use his for several
months until I found out I was no longer a "priority employee" at Radio
Shack and they cut me off. Funny. I never worked at Radio
Shack. But $23 a month for 700 anytime minutes ain't bad if you can
get it for any length of time. If I'm not too lazy tomorrow, I plan
to take my bicycle up to Bays Mountain for a ride and if I'm lucky, I
won't see too many people. Anyway, I'm off to play
Counterstrike or Delta Force Land Warrior for now. Take care.
Leave the porch light on for
me,
-WornOutShoes
March 24, 2004
"WHEN!? WHEN!?", you ask. Well soon.
We are nearing the end of the new cd design as well as the end of another
song! Which will come first? Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, I personally
(that's me) have just come upon a new website...well new to me.
Check out the nice folks at theYamaha
FZ1 Owners Association (FZ1OA).Incidentally,
I happen to own an FZ1. (Imagine that.) Lots o great info and
people.
The really cool thing I learned about is the Rally
at Deals Gap. What / where's this thang? Well check out
www.tailofthedragon.com for
info about the location and FZ1OA for details about their trip. Lots
o curves = lots o fun. (How bout them cowboys! - inside joke -
sorry.)
It is from June 11th - 13th.
Lord willing and the creeks don't rise, I'm goin'! Hopefully I'll
come back with lots of pics and maybe by then I'll own a camcorder and
bring home some great movies, as well as learn how to make some videos for
you to download. (There is so much crap to learn about EVERYTHING!)
So anyway, I hope this update
finds you in good order n stuff. Longer days and more sunshine - and
mowing the yard :( - is coming! There also may be some
great things happening for WOS this year...heh. No comment at this
time. :) Take care, see you soon ;)
Clip your toenails for crying
out loud,
-WornOutShoes
February 25, 2004
I know I know - finally it's here. A new song!
I've been dealing with so much new equipment and software, I'm about to lose
my mind. I didn't do much post-recording listening to this song to
check it out for problems. I'm wondering if the highs are too high but
I'll know after a few listens. That spaceship blastoff might be a bit
loud also but, hey that makes it that much more effective.....whatever.
All the tracks on our 16 track
Fostex were used and I could still see a use for more. We're still
working on the design of the new CD which should go into production soon.
After the CD release, I think I'll try to modify the look of the website.
So that's the specifications
of life as of now. As for the spaceship, well I've always wanted one
since I was a kid. A spaceship that could be fast as lightning or
hover motionless and turn on a dime. It could be as loud as ever or
totally silent. It could light up the sky at night or be
undetectable by human eyes or radar or anything else. And it would
never run out of fuel. Nothing could penetrate its hull and I would
wear a cool, black spacesuit....which could also make me invisible.
Pretty small order, huh?
Oh well. It gets me away from thinking about the day to day boring
job and life which I am chained to. Guess I'll go run circles in the
basement now, like the rat that I am. Maybe one day someone will
leave the cage open...
Dream a little,
-WornOutShoes
February 5, 2004
Hey.
Sorry about the lack of update in January. Lots o things have been
happening. If you've been keeping up, I personally purchased a new
Gateway 710XL computer. This thing is awesome. The next step
will hopefully be to purchase a front end to my sound card which will have
some serious input jacks like stereo RCA or hopefully optical. In case
you didn't know, I've been uploading our songs via the mic jack on my old
computer (I know, I know).
There's also the business of a
new cd and the usual songwriting/recording to keep up with. The next
song is being finished up now and although we were going to save it for
the next-next cd, we may as well put it on our next-soon-to-be-released cd.
We have all agreed on the layout and today I just started scanning in the
first pictures. I also had to purchase some new Adobe software and
install it.
Then there's the website.
We've had this same design for some time and with the next cd release, we
need to change it around a little. I haven't even begun to start on
that. Of course this all takes a little extra time but I think the
results will be worth it. Better quality recordings, better graphics
design, better material to work with and one day catch the eye of a huge
label. Hey, it could happen.
All of this is great fun for
us but it takes time. To be specific, by the end of the month it
will be done (maybe not the website...). By next week, our next song
will be done. I am particularly fond of this one as it contains many
tracks and a great deal of creativity and I am learning more and more
about recording. It is entitled "Me And My Spaceship" or just
"Spaceship". It rocks rather nicely. In fact, our next few
songs will rock more than usual. We realize the number of slow,
depressing songs we have and we want to make up for that by laying the
power chords in thick and heavy (don't that sound mean?)
We have not yet decided to
print the cd inserts and labels ourselves this time or spend money on
taking it to a printing press. In any case, we are still here,
things are still happening, and I still play CounterStrike on my new,
awesome computer (nothing to do with the delays of course).
So anyway, enough said about
the excuse for updates, etc, etc. It's wintertime and we have no
snow. I wish we did. I haven't been getting the amount of
exercise I normally do and it shows in my lack of energy and imagination.
I only wish I could be with my nephew more and that I knew more about
music and music promotion and graphics design, etc., much earlier in my
life.
There is no one who precedes
me in music stuff so I have to make this up as I go. It might not
seem fair but I think we never truly realize the impact we have in the
present while we are here. Only history will tell how significant we
were, but only to humanity in general, not necessarily to the individuals
who gained (hopefully) by our presence in the moment. In other
words, maybe I'm better at this than I realize, or maybe I really suck
more than I realize. I dunno. I just go. Enjoy the ride
when you can and keep forcing yourself to improve yourself. And
never grow old. Even old folks can still be young'uns.
Jesus loves the little
children,
-WornOutShoes
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