Doing what you love

I am a big advocate of finding and doing what you love. If you don't know I have played in bands for over 16 years, I love playing music. Life is really funny though, because it seems like the things we REALLY want to do, we can't because they are financially feasable (and I don't mean watching cable all day). Here was an interesting essay I came across titled "How To Do What You Love", here it is http://www.paulgraham.com/love.html. What I like is his honesty about it not being easy doing what you love. Most people don't know what they love and the people who do struggle to make it work (I know the feeling).

Have you ever really sat down and asked yourself Do I really love the job I am in? or is it for the money?
Do I love the person I am with? Or do I just enjoying doing this person...I mean or is it just comfortable.
Or to take it a step further, Do I really love monkeyshyne? Or do I just like to look at Oz, laugh at Colin and avoid Chris altogether...

It's Official

Ha Ha Ha, check it out http://www.1063thebuzz.com, that is just too funny. I am now "sleeping with the enemy". Go to the link click on "buzz crew" then click on "Christian". And what do I mean by "sleeping with the enemy" for those who aren't musicians, all musicians hate CLEARCHANNEL radio, because they only play 5 artists, of course those 5 artists LOVE clearchannel and if monkeyshyne was one of those 5 artists we would LOVE clearchannel too...I think...confusus say "hold your friends close and your enemies closer"

Dallas Songwriters Association (DSA)

Oz and I have been going once a month the the Dallas Songwriters Association and next month Feb. 14th we are actually the guest speakers for the DSA. I know right, us speakers, sure if we are on stage with our guitars in hand and there are a bunch of people we can make fun of...Just kidding. We really are going to speak to the group about the Dallas music scene and what we have gone through and over the last 5+ years that is a lot. Check out http://www.dallassongwriters.org/ to read the upcoming preview of the meeting. Sure Oz and I are still hashing out exaclty "what" in the 5 years we are going to talk about, but I am sure the night before we will prepare to the highest degree.

This group is a kewl group of older and younger aspiring artists, so if you are reading this and you have every second Tuesday of the month free, you should check it out. Songwriting is an art and there are a lot of good things you can gather from learning other people's styles. One of my reasons that local bands are local, they don't understand how to write a GREAT song, most just write decent or good songs. Please feel free to write me and let me know if there is anything you can think of that I need to add to our presentation klewta@yahoo.com.

Overnight DJ in Wichita Falls

Yes I mentioned it in an earlier Blog, but figured I would mention it again. I am the midnight to 6am guy M-F on Real Rock Radio the buzz 106.3. It is a pretty sweet gig. I mean can you believe that they actually pay people to talk about music, that is just too kewl in my book. I have been struggling a little at the beginning. I mean I thought it would not be a problem to talk about music. But when the mic is on, your mind just kind of freezes up. Luckily when I am on stage with Oz and Colin I am usually feeling pretty good and buzzed and plus I have been on a stage for 16+ years of my life. There are several people I want to thank in helping me get the job. First I want to thank Big Colin, no shit, it was about 2 years ago and we played a wedding. And after we played I started spinning CDs and BSing with the crowd, after it was all done he said "Dude you were actually good", that gave me that little bit of confidence, our my foundation. Then there was Michael, an associate that told me to get out of the corporate world and find something I love (sure Clearchannel is corporate, but DJing isn't). And then Vicki Vox for pushing me to the station, you rock. I figure if I can be on radio and be "that guy" then monkeyshyne has a 100% chance of being on the radio, right...I guess we will soon find out...

Ok so I do miss Oz...

Yes I played this past Friday night at Blind Lemon in Deep Ellum by myself. And I did miss Oz, for a while there I was going out and playing open mics, just to prove to myself that Oz wasn't a crutch, I mean when you sing with a guy for 5+ years you start to wonder. Don't get me wrong I had a great time and I worked the crowd in the usual monkeyshyne fashion, I just missed that other voice. There I said it, I miss Oz...

Last minute Gig

If you aren't doing anything tonight come on down to the Blind Lemon in Deep Ellum. I will be performing all by myself from 11pm till 11:45pm, right before Paco from South FM. I don't do many shows withour Oz, I have been singing with him for 5+ years, everyonce in a while this rare opportunity comes up and I say what the hell. Colin might be out there, I just don't know, he always has plans lately...I am looking forward to going down there and getting to hang out a little, it has been a couple of months since I have been down there. It is not that I am afraid of Deep Ellum, the band has just been busy everywhere else. So if you don't have anything to do, come on out.

Can't a man just CRAP...

Vacation was great, but I have come back and already I am swamped under with work. Of course I would have it no other way. On top of my already 3 jobs (morning radio, computer job at newspaper, and the band) I have picked up an overnight DJ job. That's right I am now officially a DJ for 106.3 the buzz in Wichita Falls, I am their overnight guy and I am going under the moniker of Christian. Its showbiz baby and Chris is a good name but Christian is even kewer. Actually it is the name of my first unborn kid (no my wife isn't pregnant). Where do I find the time to do anything well really I don't. I was asked a question about focus the other day and how important is it? I think focus is great, when I am doing 1 thing I do that one thing, but I guess I am under the impression that just doing one thing is just too dang boring. Sure TV is great and having friends is fine, I need challenge in my life, new things and I am slowly finding them. So for those of you in Wichita Falls, TX. keep an ear out for my overnight show...that is if you are up past midnight.

I'm back

I am back from my vacation and yes it was awesome and no I am not glad to be back. Actually I didn't want to come back to Dallas, I think I would have been fine just staying up in the mountains of Utah for a while. You know on most vacations after a week or so most people are ready to come back home, damn I didn't feel that way at all. Now that I am back I am excited about some new things going on around here. 1 our CD is close to completion and 2 my new home recording studio is almost complete. I even bought a keyboard for my studio, SWEET. We will be posting some stuff soon so just hang on tight.

I'm otta here

I am off for a weeks vacation next week. We have a show in Denton tonight nothing going on tomorrow night and Sunday I get on a plane. Tonight should be a fun one, since I will have the "I don't care" attitude. Who knows I might even spank Big Colin live on stage...Ok that went to far I am getting a really bad visual, because of course he would have to be naked for me to spank him, STOP...thats enough. I will make sure I bring back plenty of picks of me busting out all kinds of crazy rocker moves on my board. I also won't be updating my blog, or there is a good chance I won't be updating my blog next week, so I guess you will have to pray that Oz and Colin decide to stay current with their blogs. Remember I made a New Years Resolution to leave them alone about their blogs, but feel free to email Colin at geminimusician@yahoo.com or Oz and monkeyshynepromo@yahoo.com and mention something to them. I am sure they wouldn't mind hearing from you.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND WEEK

Damn what a week

Last night I feel asleep at 6:45pm and slept till 5:40am this morning, I only woke up once to eat some turkey hotdogs around 9pm. I feel much more refreshed today after all that sleep. Right when I laid down last night my wife asked "Are you going to take a nap" and I answered "no I am just resting my eyes", she always knows.

The band won't be playing that much this month because of vacations. I have a vacation next week where I am traveling up to Salt Lake City, Utah, to do some snowboarding for the week. We play this Friday in Denton and again at the end of the month in Tyler I think. We are still in the process of setting up a CD release party for Feb. and I really think this CD is head and shoulders above anything we have done. I can't wait to get it out into your hands and get some feedback.

What a New Years Party

We had a great time this past weekend at Bums in Temple, Tx. Part of me having a great time was about 10 Jaeger bombs, that is Jaeger mixed with Red Bull, plus about 6 beers. Yes that is a lot of alcohol to the average man, but me I am like a fish when it comes to alcohol, just throw me in a bowl and let me SWIM...Ok so the next day my mind and body was telling me I was more like and extinct wooly mammoth...

Usually we don't play on New Years, this year the offer was right and we decided that we could all use the money. It isn't a bad thing to be wanted on New Year's Eve, eventually it was going to happen. On top of all the alcohol, Keith our old bass player came out and he just happened to have his bass out in his car, WOW that was amazing. We figured we would ask him to play and sure enough he said yes. First set he jammed about 5 songs with us then he had to take off for a while. Funny thing was right when he came back we played 2 country songs (yes I said country) and Keith used to HATE playing country songs with us, he still played them best he could. And to top the night off I was given a pure white monkey by one of my GREATEST fans, this is the second monkey she has given me. She is a little bit older lady, and just as sweet as could be. First time we played there a couple years back she told me that she liked us because we weren't so loud, I guess that is a good thing. I will call this monkey Mo, and his initials will be MWA, (Mo Withan Attitude)...sweet...

Hope your New Years was just as good.