1. Snowy Commute
It usually takes me an hour to get to work in the morning. For some, that’s unthinkable…but I don’t mind it. Lots of time to pray, listen to music, listen to sports talk radio, and brainstorm about ideas I have. Sometimes I’ll even do all 4 of those in the span of a minute.
This morning it took me about 90 minutes to get in. Why? This is why:
As seen from my windshield around 7:45am this morning
…and that was after most of the traffic had thinned out. Brutal commute…and I just talked to a coworker who’s still out there and has it much worse. Nothing like being unprepared for a wintry blast in November.
2. Albums I’m Somewhat Looking Forward To
Next Tuesday: Coldplay (Prospekt’s March EP), The Killers (Day and Age), Kanye West (808s and Heartbreak)
February 2009: The Fray (self-titled), and the yet untitled Derek Webb CD he is currently working on.
March 09: New Switchfoot
Some Point in 2009: new U2
there’s probably more, but that’s all i can think of right now…
3. Self-Titled Albums
Speaking of The Fray’s new self-titled CD, why do band’s self-title their EPs anyway? I’ve never understood this. Can anyone tell me the reason? It comes across as so un-creative and lazy.
Dave: So, we’ve spent hundreds of hours writing these songs, working out the parts, recording them all, and having them mixed and mastered. What should we call this collection of songs, which represent so much hard work and creativity that we’ve all poured into this record?
Theo: I don’t know.
Johnny: How about we just call it the same title as our band name?
Dave: Well, I was thinking we could call it “Brand New Familiar”. I mean, I feel like a theme that runs through all of these songs is the notion that we’re staying true to ourselves, but at the same time we’re willing to explore new places lyrically and sonically. So while there’s a familiar feel to what we’re doing, it’s a direction we’ve never been before. Plus, in our lives, a few of us are heading in that same direction. Johnny, you’re getting married again in March…Theo, you’re wife is pregnant with your third kid. And you know, me, I’m fresh out of rehab again, so I think we’re all headed to a place we’ve been before, but in a new way. What do you think? “Brand New Familiar”?
Theo: Nah, I think I like just naming it after our band.
Johnny: Yeah, it’s easier to remember.
Dave: You’re right, what was I thinking? Pass me an Aquafina and that sudoku book, would you?
4. Guest Post at Stuff Christians Like
I hesitate to post this because I don’t want to jinx it, but I was asked by Jon Acuff at the wildly popular Stuff Christians Like blog to write a guest post for the site. So I’ve been working on that for the last couple of weeks and I think I’ve got it ready to go. He said he would post it in the next few weeks, so I’ll give you a heads up as to when it is going to go live. Very excited about this.
5. Friday’s Special Video
My son Parker will turn 6 in December, which blows my mind because he’s our youngest. But here’s a video that equally blows my mind when I watch it. It’s him playing drums a few months after he turned 2 (Feb 05). He used to play his drums every day, but he really doesn’t play them much anymore. Maybe we should have pushed him to stick with it? I don’t know. But check this out, especially around the halfway point when he finds his groove and starts channeling Will Champion from Coldplay. (oh and there’s a cameo at the end from a 4.5-year old Kylie)
Parker Finds His Groove from Bryan Allain on Vimeo.
Have a great Friday everyone!