Black Friday

I'm calling BS!!!

Was this born out of Hockey? Really?!?! Black Friday? Really? How many
more elderly people and store security employees need to get trampled
before this intersection of shopping frenzy culture has a four way stoplight
erected? Doesn't it take a small child being run over at an intersection without
a stoplight in order for that intersection to get a stoplight? Has the premise
of preventive maintanance escaped us?


Seriously, who doesn't love a deal. But this is born out of department store/
manufacturers greed. If they can discount a price to move a product between
the hours of 5-11am then they can do it betweenthe days of November 27th
all the way to November 26th. Get out a calendar and figure that one out
instead of scratching your head. The fact that there is such a discount only
means that it is overpriced to begin with.

Watching somebody get bludgeoned to death and doing nothing about it is the
same thing as being the bludgeoner.


Please don't stand by and let this madness continue. I don't want someone to
push my mother to the ground or trample my daughter because she is standing
between you and Elmo.

Celebrating Everything

I won't take for granted everything that I've been given and we're all gonna die so we best start livin'

those are lyrics to my song, Best Start Livin'. I celebrate everything I can. Every little thing. Nothing is insignificant
last night I was invited last minute to be a part of a one year celebration show at a venue downtown. I had been the first to
play this show a year ago and I was able to be first again last night. After I was finished with my set, I was
approached by the general manager of a very posh hotel in downtown. He wants me to play at his hotel!!! It is
awesome to be appreciated. I was on a high. Then I was approached by the manager of this venue to play on my own
night! The high got higher.

This was very special to me. I wasn't supposed to be there that night. But I was, thanks to Lindsay White. My
lovely friend that does a duet with me.

When I got home, my baby girl couldn't wait to be held by me. I love when that little girl is affectionate. It is one of
my most favorite things in the world.

Guarantees

Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Do it today!

I'm a person who wears his emotions on the outside. When I'm on stage I'm very animated, emotional and passionate. I love what I do, whether there are hundreds of people watching or nobodies watching. There is a reason for this...

I've shared with a number of people that I am lucky to be alive. My abuse of substance and penchant for putting myself in extremely dangerous situations pretty much defined my twenties. I've been clean and sober eight and a half years on Nov. 27th. The guitar was something that helped me through the recovery process. It kept my hands occupied. I realized how blessed I am to still be here today. I thank God every day for giving me the chance to sing and play and write music. Every time I get on a stage or have a gig, it is a reminder of just how sweet life can be and just how fortunate I am to be able to do what I do.

I think about a umber of my friends who didn't make it this far. Friends who succumbed to depression, addiction and even suicide. I miss them and think about them often and it makes me realize that there are no guarantees of a tomorrow. When I hear people talk about starting a new way of life-next week/tomorrow/next year, I think back to my friends who are no longer with us.

Do yourself a favor and start living NOW! You're not guaranteed tomorrow, next week or next year.

Things Are Invisible

Sometimes you can't see the forest through the trees

I've tried to look at that saying and dissect it. But then I got confused. So I stopped thinking about it and it made sense.

I am a white man. Just to cut to the chase. I am 6'5", around 225 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. That's pretty white. And my name is Chad. Kinda white, too. You're welcome. I don't golf, though. Because I'm not that white.

As a white man, I typically pay retail. I never look through coupons because I don't see them. They're invisible to me. That and good deals. Which leads me to the blanket statement that "Coupons, deals and sales are invisible to white people".

Before I met my wife, who is half Filipino, I just assumed everyone paid the same amount of money for stuff, like food at the grocery store. Man was I wrong. What I would pay $60 for, my wife would pay $25-and she would get more! Luckily, my wife has this special vision that allows her to find bargains and save money. I've also found that I have bonding experiences with my mother in law, from the Phillipines, when I can talk to her about saving gobs of money at the store. We have fun around our house.

I recently picked my oldest daughter up from her Gramma's house. On the drive back I could hear her reading off sales ads to her little sister. She was calling out the good deals and not so good deals.

She is 7. As in years old. It has already begun.

Why I Hate the word "Skinny"

"How can he be so skinny and live?"

That was a real quote. I was a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery when I was in the service. I was in the Army- not the Marines. Marines do not guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The United States Army Infantry does. A special unit that you have to be appointed to. It's not an open invitation to try out. A woman my eldest sister worked with TOLD me that the Marines guard the Tomb. I politely told her that she was mistaken and that I knew she was mistaken because I was, in fact, one of the guards. She told me I was wrong. Haha.

Back on track... there were three different uniforms worn during the day. All dictated by the weather and Army regulations that govern what a soldier wears during a specific time of year or temperature range. The dress blues uniforms were really awesome, the overcoat was killer and the raincoat sucked complete ass.

Here is why I say that. I am tall, and back then I was skinny. The dreaded "s" word. The rain coat made you look thirty pounds lighter than you already were. I was 6'5" and 160 pounds. A rail. The raincoat made me look like I was 130 pounds. A praying Mantis. When you go out to guard the tomb it is a very solemn place where people stay fairly quiet and you can hear everything they're saying. When I would come out in the raincoat I would hear this as a murmur throughout the crowd, "skinny, skinny, skinny, skinny, skinny, how can he be so skinny and live"

Ego trampled

Now, it seems that in our society that it is perfectly acceptable to walk up to someone and say- "man are you skinny", as if skinny people don't have feelings or emotions or complexes already. My comedian friend, Christian Spicer (www.christianspicer.com) has a funny stand up routine regarding this. It is completely UNacceptable to walk up to someone and say "Man are you fat!". Probably because that would be rude. But guess what? It's the same damn thing!

Do you know how painful it was to be that skinny? To try everything to put on wait just to look like you're not a walking skeleton? I would eat two grand slam breakfasts' at Denny's and LOSE weight. Just like overweight and obese people can't lose weight, skinny people can't put it on. It's not funny (to the person trying to put on the weight). You get ridiculed by everyone who is at a normal or attractive weight and girls think you're Ichabod Crane! Not fun.

I'm no longer that skinny kid. I'm 225 pounds now. But I still see myself as that horribly skinny kid. On occassion, after I go a few weeks without being able to eat more than once a day, people will come up to me and say something like. "You've lost weight", which I translate into "You are skinny as f***". For a man, being skinny isn't a comliment. At least not to me. I wana be big, superhero like. Haha. Now I understand that to them it is supposed to be a compliment. But that rail thin person inside of me cringes in horror and becomes completely self conscious when I hear that.

I really have no idea what I look like anymore, what I see in the mirror doesn't match up to what I see in photos or to how I imagine myself in my head (which is pretty bad ass. I'm a superhero)

But don't call me skinny. I hate that word. For the same reason other people hate the word fat.

Greater Love

Greater Love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13...

Or woman, or her friends. I'm gonna make it gender friendly as this is 2009. This is a second entry dedicated to my friends that are participating in the Susan G Komen 3 day walk to find a cure for breast cancer. Why the dramatic introduction? Because one of my friends on the trek pushed himself to the point where his legs gave out on him and the medical staff encouraged him to pack it in for the day.

The fact that someone would push themselves to such limits of exhaustion for others is absolutely the highest display of selflessness and love. He was able to rest up over night and is back at it. But this act of selflessness isn't specific only to my friend. Everyone involved has given of themselves for the past several months.

Training up for the event, asking for donations etc. became the way of life and the new routine for the participants MONTHS before it ever started. Most people I know that have done the event have long lasting effects that culminate from this walk. Physical injuries such as dehydration, exhaustion and even breaks and sprains occur. The bonding that occurs over the three days is life lasting, the reflection of loved ones lost is constantly at the forefront as this is why they do this.

Along with many other reasons, the suffering of a loved one motivates a person to dig deep and go beyond what their normal limits would be. How often have you heard someone say something like this "If they could push through life with a smile while battling this life threatening disease, then I can make it a few more miles" or any variation of the sentiment.

Thank you Dain and Hula for your committment to this cause! You're keeping the candle of Hope and Inspiration lit brightly!

4:20 and Boobies

Most people know what 4:20 means, and who doesn't like boobies?

No, I'm not talking about THAT 4:20. I'm talking about 4:20 in the a.m. The time I woke up this morning after going to bed at 1 in the a.m. The bad part about this is that the baby is up with her Gramma and wasn't the reason that I woke up! What in tarnation is wrong with me? I think I still have that Ethiopian blend of Java Jones coarsing through my veins, still. That's my guess. It was really good and added to an excellent show last night!

Either way, I was up early and realized that a couple of my friends are getting ready to start Day 2 of the Susan G Komen 3 Day walk for the cure. So I started Tweeting with them early and they were already up. @HulaSD and @Dainjb are walking and a couple of the warriors in the front lines in the battle against breast cancer. It's people like them that inspire people like me to write, play and sing. To get up and do something instead of talk about it. I'm talking about saving the Boobies!!! Can you think of a more worthy thing to save?

If it weren't for these people making these committments to help find a cure and to raise the money for the research, then guys might not have anything to look at while talking to girls! And that deserves, at the least, a blog in their honor. Anybody disagree? Didn't think so.

In all seriousness, there are a number of diseases out there like cancer, diabetes, Lupus, AIDS etc. that need money raised for research to help find cures. Everyone is affected by some kind of disease and there are many ways to get involved.

Please, find a cause you want to help out, and become a volunteer for it. These non profits can only continue to exist with volunteer, community support. So take the lead, like my friends Hula and Dain, and make a difference. The life you end up saving might be mine! Or yours!!!

The Sound Of Raindrops On A Tin Roof

There's a mysterious wet spot on the carpet... and the dog wasn't in that room.

My daughter slept well last night. She didn't get up at 2am or 5am. She woke around 6:20am which is really sleeping in for her. One of her favorite things to do now is rip off her diaper. This is why I put her in zipper up footy jumpers. A) they look adorable B) they prevent her from ripping her diaper off.

So she's asleep and I'm out in the living room getting ready to walk the dog when I begin to hear what sounds like rain landing on a tin roof. What is this??? It's not raining. And I don't have a tin roof. I get up to investigate where the sound is coming from and I see my little baby girl standing at her safety gate, sans diaper, peeing on the carpet and looking semi confused about the whole thing. Thank you very much. I'm out.

Halloween Horror

Halloween... when people in the suburbs dress up like the Wizard of Oz and women downtown dress up like hookers...

That wasn't all that fair-to hookers. I kid, I kid. Not all the women dress like hookers but some are practically naked, looking like they're offering more than a treat (like maybe a trick). Play on words, people, go with it. This is humor. But to get serious for a moment.

Halloween seems to have become a time for people to push their beliefs on other people. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Think of how pushy these people are about their beliefs and way of life and you would think that you would be safe from this on-of all days-Halloween! Oh no, they strike! And they targeted my tiny little 20 month old, dressed as Glinda the Good Witch.

You guessed it! I'm talking about Vegans! And one of them slipped this vegan product into my daughters basket. Why not just give this little girl rocks instead? I mean really... pushing your beliefs and way of life onto a little girl. On Halloween!?!?!? The candy capitol of the year!?!?!

Let me describe what was put in the basket that I just now discovered. It's a bar-looks like a candy bar so you get excited- but more like a granola bar. It's called a Trio. It's made of 3 seeds, 3 nuts and 3 fruits. It is held together by evaporated cane juice and looks frightening. The nerve!

So... if you wanna know more about this product you can visit http://www.mrsmays.com/. The product is called Trio because it uses 3 seeds, 3 nuts and 3 fruits. I don't know what it costs because it was given to my little girl-who is not old enough to eat something like this yet. Not soft enough for her. But holy sh** is this thing good!!! Hoooooo Doctor was I surprised. Shocked? I was. Especially after hearing the horror stories of vegan cheese etc. This thing was awesome. I recommend getting one and trying it. I think you'll like it-as long as you're not allergic to any of the ingredients. Because then you might hate it.

I guess it's true - you can't judge a book by its cover OR a food just because it's called vegan.

*disclaimer-no vegans were harmed during the writing of this blog. Choose a diet that makes you happy, and respect other peoples diet choices. I love my vegan friends, I'm gonna go eat some meat now*

We Got Love

Ain't nobody gonna take away the life that we been makin'/ every day is always better than the last there's no mistakin'... We Got Love

This is a song of mine. It's up on www.myspace.com/chadcavanaugh. I love this song. It's a happy song that grooves. It's got a Sublime feel to it. You'd love it if you go listen to it. Listen over and over again. Invite your friends to listen to it. Sing it to each other. Begin to feel it and begin to live the love. Actions are more powerful than words any day, but sometimes words can set the action in motion.

In my house, We Got Love. In my family, We Got Love. In my circle of friends, We Got Love. In this picture We Got (Faizon) Love. For the people I haven't met yet, We Got Love. Break down the walls of hate and let the love flood!

The Death of a Human/Birth of a Hipster

the Hipster, best defined as having a "complicated" haircut, chain smoking habit, closet full of vintage ironic t-shirts and skinny jeans. Typically well off via a trust fund but chooses to have an appearance of someone that is nearing homelessness.

I live in North Park. A neighborhood in San Diego that is defined by it's hipster denizens. A culture of people who, as a whole, has decided that they are too cool to care about anything. Trying, or putting forth effort towards anything would be considered uncool and grounds for losing hipster status. Attempting to be good at something would result in the same aforementioned punishment. Yes, this post detracts from the theme of the Stay at Home Rock Star, but it is something I have been fascinated by.

How can someone just NOT care? And then be considered cool for such apathy and laziness. Not to mention the sense of entitlement that goes along with their general heir of superiority. It's okay, I can write this and they can read it and it won't matter. remember? They don't care. It's like making video making fun of the Amish. I won't ever be viewed by the subject.

I have friends that I have seen get involved with this culture trend. I don't speak to them anymore because they are too cool to converse with someone who cares. It's as if they died and turned in to a zombie with greasy hair, a ratty beard, chain smoking habit, penchant for PBR tall boys, ironic accessories, need to read books by unknown authors and looks like they may be in a band. They may go so far as to put their own faces on the side of a milk carton.

As I look at my daughters and watch them grow, I am reminded of a Willie Nelson song. Mama's, don't let your babies grow up to be hipsters.

And I'm out...

Pony Up, son!

Product of New York, from Darryl Dawkins to Wilson Chandler

I wear Pony shoes. Pony has been good to me the past few years. When I've been in need of new kicks, they kick down. I'm looking forward to my next pair now. I was excited to run in to my buddy from Pony this past Friday. I had just finished an event that I host every Friday in Downtown San Diego. The Coffeehouse Radio Live @ Java Jones East Village. He was walking with another fellow Pony brother, Microphone Mike. It was a mini reunion of sorts as the three of us haven't seen each other in months due to busy schedules. Either way, I was reppin' the chevron. It was a good encounter.

So I'm currently trying to get some shows in Vegas booked at some nice venues. Wish me luck on that. And soon enough, I'll be coming to your town to perform.

It's Not A Contest

Last one there is a rotten egg!

Remember that? As a kid you begin to become competitive. With everything. EVERYTHING! Who can throw a rock farther, who can run to the end of the street faster, kick the ball higher, touch that leaf at the tip of the branch. The funny thing is, as a boy growing up, I thought that if I could jump higher or run faster or draw better that the girls would like me more. Haha.

In raising my daughters, I instill a somewhat competitive spirit with my daily whatnots. Racing to the car, giving my daughter ten seconds to run to her room to grab a pencil and telling her that having a good day at school means she wins. I see nothing wrong with instilling a winning attitude. I think for the most part it is missing in the kids these days. We've become a world that doesn't keep score at T-Ball games and gives trophies/medals to ALL participants.

GARBAGE!

How is a child supposed to learn how to practice hard at something to get better? Why should they? They'll get a trophy regardless. No need to work for something that'll be given freely anyway. Also, keeping score let's a kid know if they're good at something. If they're not good at it they can make the decision to work harder to get better or find something else that they like to do. How is this wrong?

So the competition aspect of daily life has spilled over to... eating cereal. Or has it? The other morning, my older daughter and I sat down to have a bowl of cereal. We each had the same kind because we thought it would be cool to have the same cereal (insert smiley face). When I finished, and by finished I mean drank all the milk out of the bowl as well, I put down the bowl and raised my arms in victory. My older daughter looked at me and said

"Daddy, it's not a contest"

You Betta Reckanize!

This morning, driving through downtown after dropping my wife off at work, I saw the human version of Bert from Bert & Ernie. He had the boot brush hairdo and a shiny head. It was great.

Speaking of recognizing or recognition... the other day my wife and I were at Gaglione Bros Famous Steaks and Subs in the Sports Arena/Pt. Loma area having a cheese steak. The owner is a friend of ours and former neighbor. He does a lot with 94/9FM and asked to get a CD so he could take it into his buddy, Halloran, who is a DJ there. Possibly he could get him to play it. We'll see. Like that wouldn't be AWESOME!!! When I gave him the CD, one of his employees, Darrell, looked at it and said, "I have this CD!" and began going on about how he recognized the cover art.

The cover art is my logo I created. It is a guitar that becomes a coffee cup. I also have it on my guitar case, tattooed on my arm, on my business cards and everywhere else. Branding/Marketing 101-a simple, recognizable symbol to embody the product. He began saying how cool he thought it was and that he had redrawn it himself because he liked it so much. When I showed him my forearm, with the logo tattooed on it, he smiled a big smile and said. "Wow, that's you!"

It was an awesome moment for me and for my wife. As we walked out to the car we felt a small inkling of what it feels like to be a big time rock star. However, I'm certain a rock star wouldn't use the word "inkling". My wife said to me "That must be awesome to have someone say that about something you've created". I responded with "You better believe it! And you get to sleep with me!" which gave us a big laugh.

We celebrate every little moment, every little milestone. It's moments like this that remind you that it is possible to achieve a dream and reach your goals. No matter how unattainable they may seem.

When You Wish Upon A Stay At Home Rock Star

When You Wish Upon A Stay At Home Rock Star...

While driving away from the cabin at the Girl Scouts Headquarters with our daughter, a Brownie, we began discussing what she needs to do when she gets home. She has a writing assignment due for class the next day. Yes, I think it is insane that a second grader has homework and writing assignmests but she's smarter than we were so who am I to complain.

Her writing assignment is as follows: What is one thing above all else that you would wish for and why? Now, with it being Christmas right around the corner and a birthday not too far away, we anticipated answers like such. Barbie Dolls, Littlest Pet Shop toys, Stuffed Animals or anything Hannah Montana.

The following is her unsolicited reply that had no hesitation:

"I wish that my daddy could play his music all around the world and that everyone around the world could hear my daddy's music. Then daddy could make money and mommy wouldn't have to work so hard any more. Mommy works very hard every day and doesn't get a lot of money while daddy stays at home and raises the baby. If everybody could hear daddy's music then my wish could come true."

How to make a grown man cry, Volume 1. I couldn't believe how sweet that was. It's hard to tell what goes through the head of a 7 year old, obviously. Sometimes, without us knowing it, they are more perceptive to us then we realize.

I told her how much it meant to me that she would wish that and that it can come true. As long as we believe in ourselves, even if nobody else does, we can accomplish anything.

Dream Big, Reality Bigger

bee TRAY ull

Betrayal (bee TRAY ul) v. to lag behind or fall back. Synonym of behind.

This is an excerpt from my dicChadnary. I'm creating my own dictionary. Isn't everyone? That's my question. The answer is a definitive "no". It's okay though, it allows me to corner the market. The way buskers corner 5th and Market in the Gaslamp. Haha.

I have an odd outlook on a lot of things. There are many words that don't seem to mean what they should and so I'm taking matters into my own hands. It's closing in on 100 entries after a couple weeks of work. I'm not really sure how many entries I'm shooting for. It can be tough to try and be creative when a 21 month old is running rampant through the house.

Oh yeah, please suggest to your friends to read this/subscribe to it. That would be really sweet. I'll leave you with this thought. Socks... say that word a bunch of times in a row. It starts to not make sense.

RollerCoasters

It goes up, it goes down. It thrills you and scares you. You wanna get off and you never want it to stop...

I wear my emotions on the outside. I celebrate every little accomplishment, victory and milestone I achieve thru this rollercoaster ride of music. I lost my Stoic manner when I left the Army and now live on a roller coaster.

So many great things have happened in just this week alone. Getting played on the radio again, beginning new friendships, booking fun shows. All highs that get me really excited. But then the lows come along. A place I was really having fun playing and had a number of future shows booked had to close its doors. I'm really bummed, as are my friends that had begun to call this venue "home". It seemed like a launch pad for careers. I had already envisioned the VH1 special about me and talking about how I was discovered there. Haha! I dream big! I'm trying to reality bigger. But this venue, I believe, will reopen in a new location. I have faith in that. Then we can all resume our road to success in our chosen fields of entertainment.

I just realized, looking at the previous paragraph, that I dedicated a huge chunk of this to a negative. So I'm gonna rectify that. Here's a major positive: I have two beautiful daughters and an incredible wife. I am wealthy with love and family and blessed with a gift. I also just got to hang out with one of my favorite radio people, my boy Hula, from AJ in the mornings on Star 94.1FM. I still have a really fun event that I created and am watching grow called the Coffeehouse Radio Live @ Java Jones East Village. It is every Friday night. It showcases a number of local artist via open mic and features, each week, one of San Diego's incredibly talented musicians. I have a lot to be thankful for.

I wanna end this by saying that I am thankful to our armed forces, all of our veterans, for what we have today. I am a veteran of the United States Army Infantry. HUAH!!!

Sleep Deprivation is Creativity Waiting to Happen

2am, phone buzzes, it's a text from sis in law in the other room. Contractions are three-five minutes apart. Time to get mobilized...

Back up four hours. I'm with friends-comedians (www.malhall.com, www.christianspicer.com, RJ Dharni[no dot com yet])and musicians-the crew from the monday night open mic. We're sitting around telling stories, sharing ideas, discussing the intricacies of each others sets. What works, what doesn't and where to improve. That and who can make fun of the other better. Typical stuff on a Monday night. I get home around 10:30, get to sleep around 12:30. When I heard the buzz of the phone I thought it was in the neighborhood of 6am. Was I wrong. 1:57am was the time stamp on my phone for the text. Oh well. My wife and sis in law drive off to the hospital and I stayed back as I am the stay at home rock star. There were diapers to change, lunches to make, breakfast to prepare, a dog to walk and a drop off at school to be done. All by 8am. Who has two thumbs and is a zombie? This guy!

As an optimist, I wanna turn it into something productive. What delirious thought could I have that could be entertaining? Well, we go to the zoo as the little one has a playdate with her Grandma. We start by heading off to the Orangutans. We're there for about two minutes when one Orangutan starts giving another Orangutan, a rectal exam. With his hand. And this guy must've been near sighted because he got right up there, nose to nose with it (so to speak).

Did I make this happen out of sheer will power? Was my need for something entertaining to congeal out of insomnia so strong that it manipulated these orange, hairy dudes? I'm gonna say yes. Prove me wrong is my challenge to you. I think that, through lack of sleep, I've developed ESPN or whatever it's called. I can control creatures with my mind. Just now I commanded my dog to continue sleeping. He obeyed. See!?! Skillz! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Letters. Words. Rhythm. Rhymes

I'm just tryin'/to rhyme on time/and make a few dimes/from writin' these lines...

Letters, words, rhythm and rhyme are extremely important to me. The cadence, meter and flow of a line can make or break a song. Syllable counts and word manipulation are essential. Where does it start? I am currently watching a video with my little girl on the letters and their sounds. She sees the letter, learns the sound and then after each letter they have a little song like so...

"The M says mmm, the M says mmm, every letter makes a sound, the M says mmm"

Repetition through all the letters helps her learn sounds and repetition thru the hook of a song helps the listener get into a groove.

Cadence and meter are essential for timing. Which means that they are essenntial for musicians, comedians, actors etc. I have a fried who is excellent at this manipulation of words and syllables. He is one of my favorites in our local scene. His name is Rob Deez. Some people could say he's a phenomenal anomally. Check him out. Letters. Words. Rhythm. Rhymes. He's got 'em.

Every Day I'm Hustlin'... and Changing Diapers

There's a rap song I can't think of the name and it has a hook that say "everyday I'm hustling, ev-everyday I'm hustlin'" and I can relate to it...

Every day I'm hustlin' to get my music out there. Reaching out to radio stations, venues etc. while in between changing diapers. There is nothing glamorous about it at all but when you get the word back from the DJ from the radio station that you're gonna get played it is magical. For a moment, time stands still and it's like a scene out of a movie. Where a camera pans around me while I'm in a sea of people but it revolves around me and the hordes of people are going nuts over my song. I dream a lot. I dream big. I'm working on realitying bigger.

As an independent, I'm the only one that is going to put myself out there. So everyday I do that. But I try to walk a fine line between promoting and hustling vs being annoying. There are plenty of people out there trying to do the same thing. What makes me different? I believe. I believe that what I do is very real and very relevant. I believe that what I'm writing and singing is exactly what people want and need to hear. I've been truly blessed with everyone/everything around me!

As I type this, I just heard Jane Asher, DJ of Sophie Radio 103.7fm, refer to me as "one of their favorite". I'm gonna end here because my wife and I are on cloud 9 now.

(Photo by Dennis Andersen Photography)

Radio Play-Living the Dream

Remember the movie, That Thing You Do? ? The one with Tom Hanks and Liv Tyler where the kids with the band (the Oneders- not pronounced Oh-nee-durs)get linked up with Tom Hanks as the manager. The Drummer works at his parents appliance store, that movie? Remember the scene where they first hear themselves on the radio and everyone's screaming and going nuts and it's like a huge party? That movie...

Ask any musician what one of the coolest things that could ever happen with their music would be and I'm pretty sure being played on the radio would be in the top three. The first time I was played on the radio it was on a local San Diego radio station out of Encinitas, KPRI 102.1FM, on their Homegrown Hour, which showcases local talents. The evening I was played was the evening that it was announced that Cathryn Beeks would take over the hosting duties from Astra Kelly. I have a spot in my heart for both of these women. They were the first to put me on-they took my virginity, musically speaking if you will, and how may people can say they got their cherry popped by two women at the same time? Haha! Cathryn is Listen Local San Diego-one of the greatest promoters of local acoustic music in San Diego and Astra Kelly is a three time SDMA nominee and as a host of a radio show, loves to make people happy by giving them an opportunity few others will experience. Being played on the radio.

I have always had goals as a musician. Radio play has always been one of the ultimte goals. It was a tiered goal. Start at the local radio station level, the aforementioned KPRI would be that station. Then the tier goes upwards to 91X, the Local 94.9 and then the nationwide affiliated Radio Sophie. Radio Sophie 103.7fm is a part of CBS Radio. I'm pretty sure you've heard of CBS before. They have a show called Unsigned Sundays. Tonight will be my third time being played on Unsigned Sunday but the second week in a row of getting the big airwave love. I am in gratitude to a particular woman for this. Her name is Jane Asher, the host of Unsigned Sundays. She has been extremely gracious in her promotion of my music and shows on this radio program. I am honored to say that she is a fan of what I do. That is HUGE for me!!! And tonight, I will be sitting here, streaming live, with my lady and two little ones in our living room listening in as Jane Asher's voice announces my name and my song.

Radio Play is in my top three of "coolest things ever to happen to my music" list. The other two? Getting signed and going on tour and sharing my music with the world. I believe, do you?

celebrity friends and comedy

So being that I'm a supposed rock star, I have celebrity friends. They are celebrities in our circles, anyway. A number of these friends are comedians. Very, very funny people. It intrigues me how they like to hang with musicians as I, being the musician, like hanging out with comedians.

One of my comedian friends, RJ Dharni, was hanging out with me before an open mic when I found out he was a percussion player. So we went to his place, a block away from the open mic (conveniently) and worked on a couple songs and he sat in with me on my set. It was awesome! I don't think the opposite could ever happen, though.

It fascinates me that these people see the same things I do but when they recount it, it's funny. I love that. I have my own dialogue I use between songs on stage or funny ways of introducing a song. Because I'm not that singer/songwriter. I'm not the guy trying to show that sensitive side and get all the girls, I have all the girls I can handle. A wife, a 7 year old and a 21 month old. Anyway, I want to keep people's moods up when I'm on stage so I mix in humorous anecdotes about the songs I'm going to sing. But to have the anecdote being the only "product" on stage is a frightening proposition to me. So I love to watch my comedian friends deliver on their material.

Next Saturday (November 14th) AND Sunday (November 15th) I will be opening for comedy shows. I'm the music tha will be playing as people are getting amped up to laugh. I will be at the MadHouse Comedy Club, which is the newest and hottest comedy club in San Diego. National headliners and people you've seen on HBO, Comedy Central, NBC etc. all do their stand up here. I get to hang out with them. It's pretty awesome. Check out my calendar at my music site for show dates and contact me by friending me on Facebook and I'll put you on my guest list for these shows at the comedy clubs. Because that's how I roll.

pt. III- mini skirts and thigh high boots

It seemed like an appropriate subtitle for a serial piece with the words "rock star" in it...

So last night was my event that I put on every Friday in Downtown San Diego. It's at Java Jones Coffeehouse in the East Village neighborhood of downtown. Java Jones is located at the corner of 9th and Market (631 9th Ave). I put on an open mic from 7-9 and have one of San Diego's awesome talented musicians as a featured artist from 9-10. So it was another fun night of music with all the open mic'ers and our featured star, Jaden.

My buddy Duke, (a friend of mine I met through other open mic's) went for a slice after the show was over. Walking down Market street from 9th all the way to 6th ave (a total of 3 short blocks) on a Friday night means you are going to be among hordes of people dressed to the 9's. Ladies are out in the tiniest, tightest outfits you can imagine with boots that typically reach the center of their thighs or ridiculously high heels. Guys seem to have the same thing going on- long sleeve button down untucked, jeans with funky long pockets and very expensive looking shoes. They all really look the same. Unless they are part of the hipster crowd. Then you find colorful sneakers, v-neck t shirts, blazers and complicated haircuts. Whatever.

As Duke and I are walking through this sea of hook uppery, we were musing about the fact that the perception of the rock star life is exactly what we were walking among. But we were the ones that are the musician/entertainers. Ha! Sweet irony! As these "rock stars" were going out to be seen, hook up, dance in a circle around their shoes and posture around with their chests puffed out, the real rock stars were trying to get to their cars to get home to their families.

Ain't it grand!

Stay at Home Rock Star pt. II

I am a singer/songwriter. My process isn't very formulaic. I get inspired by anything really. The real challenge is to be able to get the inspiration down on paper before one of the little ones decides they need all my attention. it's quite the comical battle. The amount of half written songs I have could fill, I don't know, half a notebook? But now that the toddler is able to escape any place she is put, it has posed an all new challenge to the creative process. Between preventing an accident in the kitchen, writing a verse, trying to stop the tears from flowing for not letting her have the pen I'm using to write the verse and tiny little fingers plucking at guitar strings (which is not as bad as when those same tiny fingers detune the guitar completely) a lot of good ideas can disappear.

On the other hand, she is really in to dancing to my music. So I've got that on my side.

Hasn't this been exciting so far? Haha! More later. I think she just dropped science in her diaper...

The Stay at Home Rock Star pt. I

I don't really believe I'm a rock star. But I play music on a stage in front of people that seem to like it. See, the idea in my head of a rock star is someone who has no responsibilities i.e. home, family, children etc. and can just roam from town to town, playing crowds and partying. My story is a little different...

Follow along as I chronicle the life that I live. hopefully I will be dilligent in updating this, the toddler willing, so as to keep some continuity in the story.