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It's happened again.

We're back to a three-piece again. But we're keeping the show. I will MAKE this happen. It will have a very current feel, as in dealing with almost a metafictional storyline of the hardships with Patch Live. So far it's all I can think about. But I've already come up with two songs, stuff I'm pretty confident in. Who knows what a shut-in weekend will bring about?

Perversion of Youth Culture: The Baby Boomer Sloppy Seconders

I was late for the party . . .

. . . low quality media penetrated the waves in space. Do it Yourself, funded by an Indie Label. 'Scuse me, Indie Label distributed by a Major Label. An afternoon thought wrought an evening's worth of work and it sold a million free copies on the Blogosphere.

Childhood trinkets that were juuuuust before our childhoods: tape, Atari, 8-Bit sound effects, wood panels, tall beers, stale colors and Polaroids. None of these things in the scene are new. In fact, I grew tired of it once I hit ten years old. Those of you making the scene at 18 just missed these facets of culture that were OUR upbringing, and you're not fooling anybody. Those of you who are slightly older, who have made the scene -- LET GO and EXPRESS through NEW means. Do not rely on what you did at five years old.

In my music class today, I invited six year olds to put random notes on an empty staff of music. They came up with an Indie hit. It sounded like our Current scene.

Do six year olds write like 26 year olds? <---> Do 26 year olds write like six year olds?

CUT THIS SCENE CUT THIS SCENE CUT THIS SCENE CUT THIS SCENE CUT THIS SCENE CUT

Two Months . . .

Some new developments since last we wrote:

The "On Veins" material is coming along in a way I wasn't anticipating. I've recently felt that Patch needed to add another guitar to the mix. Plus, Dave had to cancel out due to the band conflicting with his family life. So, we've got Greg and Paul at a farther point (currently working on our fifth song out of eight), Eric (he's back, drumming for Patch in exchange for my own drumming services in his band, HighTV) just started one-on-ones with me last week (currently have almost two songs down), and a rhythm guitarist hopeful is coming in this weekend to test out the waters . . .

June is a month of one-on-ones, three different facets of learning the "On Veins" material. July we will coalesce as one entity, playing together, sprucing up the details and nitty gritties.

There is a date set. An actual, tangible date, but I don't want to announce it just yet in case of another setback. When it seems that all is well, that date will be known . . .

After a few more weeks of writing the final three songs for this first presentation, I will finish up the Schematics artwork and embark on the free sampler I have planned, titled Schematosis. I anticipate Patch Live debuting slightly before Schematics/Schematosis is released.

There is an end in sight.

Snowballs and Momentum

Before I finish prepping for my music class, I figured I'd let the coffee sift into my bowels as I checked in on the blog, sent it off to Facebook, etc.

The acquisition of the new band members, Dave and Paul, has led to the greatest setup for the live band. Having had a few full practices now, I can't imagine a different setup. It's perfect. We all come from the same school of thought when it comes to music and art . . . primarily performance, which is the key element.

Throwing strange time signatures, strange dissonant notes, found instruments, the whole gamut at Greg, Paul, and Dave . . . they put up with a lot of challenges.

Currently, we've got about 11 minutes of material nailed down tight. Pretty soon I'll be showing some glimpses into the current project ("On Veins and Nothing"), but with style. I want to play it classy with the presentation of all this. Jumping the gun with photos and videos of the other players in the winter who have since left the band left me with a buffoon's grin on my face.

Slowly but surely, folks . . . I think we've got this, now . . .

From the Heart

And from out of these cuts comes the empty drowse of fatigue. How much is left within me? I cut and I cut and I cut and do these demons fly out? Do you not see them? Because I haven't found them yet. Each lover, each opportunity is tainted with the dye of pepper and condiments, added bonuses to a deal I've been saving every last penny toward. Yet these sweeteners tend to poison the whole gamut.

If you've caught sight or wind of anything pouring out of me, let me know. This red light taints my ability to judge the drainage, and the weariness of the body has been steady since before you saw me take this razor to my skin.

There will be a time when I give up . . . I might pass out first, however . . .

Take 2

Will this finally pan out? Will this be the lineup? Will this be the final "first" direction we take?

I don't want to jinx anything anymore. I'll shut up until dates are announced.

Transplant

When you've hit the bottom, you become numb to everything that comes your way, good or bad. I could have been stricken with cancer last week and I probably would have just said, with glazed eyes, "Okay."

Things have played themselves out. I wouldn't say "worked" themselves out, per se. I'm contemplating still.

Schematics is done in the audio department. It sounds amazing! I picked up the finished copy at the opening for Room Zero, Schuyler's new performance/creation space in Northeast, right down the street from Karmath Studio, actually. At the opening, four bands, including Schuyler's own, played live noise sets. The gears started turning in my own head.

Schuyler had asked me a couple of months ago to play at Room Zero at one of the monthly gigs that he's planning on having each month from here on out. The space is perfect. It will hold the right amount of people, it will generate the right kind of feeling that I would want Patch to generate in people's heads. The whole night I came up with new ideas for the first live representation of Patch. The initial idea has been stripped away from me time and time again. It will be void of Schematics, it will be all "Veins".

May . . .