My mom

Hey Comrades!

Guess what! My own ma turns 50 today!

Wow, I'd like to wish her a very happy birthday! It's truly incredible how influential one person can be, and change the world both directly through their own actions, and indirectly, by affecting others.

If it weren't for mom's encouragement, I would have never played guitar, and you would have never been reading this blog of hot air! (So blame her.)

I think it's important to remember how we all make a difference, be it just encouraging someone after playing their first gig, or raising a child. Strike that - Especially when raising a child.

I hope I can someday repay those who have been such a great presence in my life. Maybe all I can do is "pay it forward", and do my very best, especially at things I'm not too keen on...say, playing a gig with two people there, or being extra patient with an annoying student. ("I'm not annoying! I'm a student!")

One of the things I'm most impressed about with my mother is how she raised us boys. I think it could apply to music, too. She was 110% in to parenting. It's what she did. She read books on the subject, read kids books to us, home schooled us, counseled us, challenged us to do the best we could, cooked, was on call eight days a week, played with us, and most importantly, listened to us. As a matter of fact, with the exception of home schooling us, she still does!

If we were as dedicated to music, promotion, practice, and marketing as she was, and still is, into being the best mom possible, we would have Van Halen touring to support us.

Now, I'd just like to make it clear: she's much more than a mom! She's a successful business owner, artist, poet, writer, friend, and does more introspection in a day than most people do in a lifetime.

Dedication and heart, comrades. Those are the elements of such a successful person.

Happy 50th, Mom!

- Josh

Happy Birthday, Doghouse!

Hey hey!

The Doghouse has passed the four year mark! Cooooooooolio! Happy Birthday, Doghouse!

I was reminded today that everything - EVERYTHING - is communication. You could say that everything is sales, but that's part of communication, too.

We're musicians, and music communicates ideas and feelings. However, to even get on stage, we need to spend quite a bit of time on the phone talking to the venue, time on the internet inviting our fans, time in person at band practice, etc etc.

All of this is wasted if the communication is poor. Sure, sure, it's a cliche, an abstract idea, and at first glance, pretty much a DUH.

But, I ask you, entertainer extraordinaries...Do you have a good handshake? Do you excel on the phone? Can you write a decent email? Look people in the eye?

Ha, now I'm yelling! But I'm just getting warmed up! *Switches to "thundering" mode.*

It's our music, and to get it out there, we gotta sell it like there's no tomorrow.

And according to some loonies, there's only 11 left. (May 21st marks the end of the world, they say.)

These communication skills are the limo in which the music rides to the concert in.

Sell it! Err...not the limo, your music.

Arrgh! I need to hone those skills...

- Josh

The day I became a leader

'Sup, Comrades?

Today's post is a total about-face from yesterday's. Anyone want to hear about the day I became a leader?

I just realized it driving along to my studio. Over the muffled roar of the engine (I'll never get tired of it!), my mind drifted back to a place quite some time ago.

A distant relative had died. I was at the house, a creaky old house with two stories of floors and more than two of the narrative kind.

I was upstairs with my brothers, and a few random kids. We were bored out of our minds, slightly uptight from all the grieving going on, and well, kids. BAD combination.

We were clattering around like kids are apt to do, when all of a sudden, this other kid our age yells up the stairs "HEY! Be quiet up there!"

That is when Pfc. Josh became Lt. Prancer. In a flash, I looked around at my suddenly platoon of other hooligans. "Men! Stomp the floor!" I ordered. They obeyed, even the girl among us.

The kid downstairs is naturally incensed, and starts yelling and storming up the stairs.

"Men! Into the closet!" I barked. We all crammed in there. "Shhhh!"

The kid comes into the room, yelling "come out with your hands up!"

"Now!" I whisper.

We all charge out, yelling at the top of our lungs, right past the terrified kid, down the stairs, and out into the yard to freedom. I climbed up a tree. I'm not quite sure why. It wasn't exactly a good hiding place, being it was the middle of winter and right by the back door.

And that's the day I became a leader.

What's your story?

Vive la revolution!

- Josh

Leave space - lessons from my parents

Hey Comrades!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I went over to Dad's on Saturday, and biked 40 miles with my brothers and 60 year old father. We're training for a 100 mile ride in a few weeks to celebrate his 61st birthday. He has a lot of interesting ideas, in addition to the epic trek on two wheels.

He again mentioned on Saturday about how in certain Zen philosophy, the music is to make the silence sound better. (How did they know elevator music was on the way?) I always liked that though, and have tried it in improvising. It takes a lotta guts to use silence to make a point, but when done right, it's dynamite.

I was whining to my mom that I was in a grumpy mood the other day. She told me "hey man, just tune in to what's going on, get out of yourself, and pay attention."

I was sitting around with my family later that evening, and instead of throwing my usual bellowing commentary into the conversation, I just listened...the conversation kept going, and took some most interesting turns without my help. OK, for those of you shaking your head in disbelief that I could keep my mouth shut, I wasn't quiet for long.

It made me realize how it's vital to listen. I already know what I would say. But I don't know what the other person is going to say, and I'd like to find out.

I've been on stage and in conversations where I'm just so excited to be there, I have to say something. However, it typically turns into more of a flea market of moldy ideas and less an information exchange. I was on a date with a girl once where we just said random trivia about ourselves. If I hadn't been so scared out of my mind, I would have been bored to tears. I already know what movies I like. If we had both shut up, no afraid of an awkward pause, maybe one of us would have used the space given to bring some real conversation to the table.

It seems if I could apply these two concepts of silence and listening from my parents, my music, and conversation, would get a lot better. I guess it's ironic to talk about this in a blog.

- Josh

Rock 'n Roll Haiku

Greetings, comrades!

Yesterday, randomly, became Haiku Day for my students. I was saying how writing a rock song can be like writing haiku, as one has to get a whole picture across with just a few words.

Here's what the comrades wrote:

"The Amplifier

It rocks the whole neighborhood

Hendrix would be proud"

- A.G.

"I am Charlie Sheen

Winning is my objective

I am bi-winning"

- K. R.

"Everything is cool

When you play it on the guitar

Bass sucks more than drums"

- K. S.

"Our lives suck sometimes

When you play them in a song

Then they don't suck as much"

- C. D.

"Gotta have my bowl

Gotta have my cereal

Today is Friday"

- B. N.

(Check THIS one out!)

"Josh is a cool dude

he has the best job ever

and he has cool hair"

R. L.

Good job, Comrades! You make me very proud. Or should I say...

"These comrades I train

Are totally the bomb, yo

Will rule the world soon"

- Josh

The Revolution spreads!

Hey Comrades!

I've just started doing a cool new thing. Anytime I'm on the road with music, and I come to a toll, I give the operator a CD. (Well, to be fair, I skipped a few, but at least I gave out one!)

I handed one out about a month ago on my way to Richmond. Fast forward to this weekend, and I found myself at the same toll plaza that guards the bridge carrying US 301 south over the Potomac River. I went to get in the far right lane, and swerved back at the last minute, thinking it was closed. I pull up to the window...and the lady says "hey, still pumping out those CD's?"

It's fun being a relentless self-promoter.

Now, I'm sending the good folks at the copyright office an extra CD for them to keep. Let's hope they like it!

Try doing the same thing with your music, art, or whatever. It's amazing the people you'll meet. And every great gig starts off with meeting just one person.

Vive la Revolution!

- Josh

You're on the air at WDCE!

Heyyyyyyyy!

Wow! What a fun radio show on Saturday! For those of you who didn't get a chance to tune in, I'll be posting YouTube clips very soon. I got to put on my best Ted Baxter voice, lean in to the mic, and say “Hello, Richmond!” The phone rang a few times, and it was so much fun to say “Hello, WDCE.” (The call letters of the station.) Promotions were made, I got a request, a few compliments, and thankfully, no irate callers! I absolutely LOVED being on the radio. It's funny, I was up late the night before, working on the playlist, and went to bed really late, and got up even earlier. The whole short time I was unconscious, though, I had nightmares of messing up my radio show. In one, I took a quick break, and came back to find that a guy was singing karaoke on the air while a bunch of teenage girls yelled harshly in the background. I was pretty upset, and glad to wake up! It looked like the bad dream might come true when I missed the button for the mic and wasn't sure if I was even on air at first, but I got it all figured out, and had SO MUCH FUN!

It was great to bring some local tunes to the airwaves, too. I had the privilege to air some music by Lynn Hollyfield (www.lynnhollyfield.com) and a client of mine, a promising young fella who goes by the name of DJ Stalker!

If you're a musician interested in having your stuff featured, or would like to make an appearance on The Signalman, please drop me an email!

I so so so appreciate everyone listening and being so supportive of the Revolution! I'm very grateful. Y'all be good comrades, that's fo' sho! I'll be back next month, with some guests, too. Stay TUNED! HA!

Vive La Revolution,

- Josh