Comrades!
HOLY SMOKES! 3 gigs in 24 hours! That's a fun weekend, let me tell you. OK, so I was halfway through a lame blog saying "well, I had some water to drink", and I'm like DUDE this is LAME.
So, here's the report of the crazy Revolutionary weekend. Too bad for y'all - I just saw the final installation of the Bourne trilogy. It's the same info, international action movie inspired!
Beep beep beep beep Friday, La Plata, Maryland, Panera Bakery, in the blazing sun
"Comrade Ben, how are you, sir? How's college?"
"I'm good. Growing the hair out, I see!"
"Yep, I guess we're swapping styles!"
Guitar strings were procured, Ben's songs were listened to and given the highly deserved praise - they rock!
Beep beep beep beep 3 Hours later, Ebenezer's Coffeehouse, Washington DC, USA, 2 blocks from Union Station
There's me. There's a young Adele. There's a young Taylor Swift. There's...there's...Florence? Hard to say, so you should just check out the host of the showcase I played at: www.MargotMacDonald.com She'll make you sit down and say "holy smokes!" Actually, all of 'em would. Their names were Orla, Camille, and Margot. I was representing the fellas, they were representing the ladies, emotion, love, life, and giving voice to the soul. With all due respect to myself, a laundromat was mentioned. The evening was an honor. It was also worldwide on Google +. THANKS, Rob, for your guidance with the audio! (There was a bit of an issue.) THANKS, Kevin, so the in-person house sound was rockin'!
Beep beep beep beep 3 Hours Later, somewhere between Washington, DC, and Indian Head, Maryland, USA
They played "Radar Love" on the radio.
Beep beep beep beep Way too early, Saturday Morning, Indian Head, Maryland, USA
The alarm clock went off.
Beep beep beep beep 9:00 AM, Accokeek, MD, USA
String cheese, a gallon of water, and a single banana were procured. The cashier was told that I didn't rip it off the bunch. I wasn't lying.
Beep beep beep beep 10:00 AM, I-270 North, Maryland, USA
They played Radar Love on the radio. Again.
Beep beep beep beep 11:00 AM, 2 hours north, outskirts of Frederick, MD, USA
A threatening photo appears on Instagram. http://instagr.am/p/LqEU6NJpHZ/ It shows an idyllic field and a distant city with the warning "Watch out, Frederick. Revolution time!"
Beep beep beep beep 11:30 AM, dusty parking lot, Fairgrounds, Gate B, Frederick MD, USA
Revolution time, indeed. Steve and Josh's old west guitar show, from the looks of the funky platform and tarp tent rig at the Great Frederick Maryland Flea market. It was fun, the lot was overthrown, CD's were sold, hands were shaken, stories were told. Josh's German side kicks in, worrying that the next gig fifteen miles away and two hours later might not be able to happen on account of the distance. Steve's logical side kicks in, assuring Josh he's out to lunch.
Josh accidentally sets off car alarm. Steve says from the stage "Josh Urban, ladies and gents!"
A photo appears on Instagram:
http://instagr.am/p/LqLJfbppLW/
Speaking of lunch, Josh realizes that string cheese, a banana, and water just aren't cutting it.
Beep beep beep beep 2:30 PM, headed northwest towards Brunswick, MD, USA
Josh's GPS refuses to shut up, perfectly emulating it's owner. It interrupts the communication "Steve, I'm stopping to get a sub."
Beep beep beep beep 2:50 PM, Highway sign on Rt. 340 West appears for venue
A Revolution first.
Beep beep beep beep 3:00 pm, gas station complex five miles outside of Brunswick, MD, USA
A tweet appears from @dontjoshme: "If I hear banjos, I'm running."
Beep beep beep beep Ten billion hours later, after every good ol' boy has his order
"Sir, what order number are you waiting for?"
"731"
"Uhhh...I think someone took your sub."
Josh 0, Rednecks 1...or...
Estimated number of residents of surrounding areas who are vegetarian, and who like pesto along with swiss cheese:
0.
#Winning
#Ain'tNoMeatBubba
#Mommy!WorstSubEver!
Beep beep beep beep 3:30 pm, Beans In The Belfry, Brunswick, Maryland, USA
"WOW! What a cool old church turned into a coffee shop!"
Beep beep beep beep 4:00 pm - Operation Wired commences
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY7OFTfYN0o&feature=plcp
Josh gets cup of coffee while Steve's onstage. Pounds it, decides he needs more. Gets half a shot of espresso. Feels much better. Or...FEELSMUCHBETTERHAHAHAHA!
Beep beep beep beep 5:00 pm
A fierce jam on Stormy Monday happens, which was not part of the plan, but from now on, will be.
Beep beep beep beep 5:45 pm, load out finished, downtown Brunswick, MD, USA
"Hey man, I'm going to watch some trains. They always get by me, but I'm gonna catch one on camera this time!"
"OK, I'll come along."
Josh and Steve head down to the tracks.
Beep beep beep beep 6:00 pm, rail yard, Brunswick, MD, USA
(Train whistle) "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I'm gonna get it!"
"Run, Josh, run!"
Coffee does wonders for the sprints, but probably not for PR for the quiet townsfolk. Maybe the yellow nikes had something to do with it. But even though the cops were hovering, nobody bothered us.
Beep beep beep beep 6:30 pm, rail yard, Brunswick, MD, USA
"Wait, wait, did you hear that?"
"hear what?"
"That."
Random railfan: "I think it's over there."
"I don't see it."
Josh runs off to other side of parking lot.
Runs back.
Runs to other side.
"Was it just a truck?"
"No, see that smoke? It's on the other side."
Runs back.
Sees it.
Waits.
Waits.
Waits.
Gets it.
"I'm still waiting for that train to come by on the other track. It's been a green light for an hour! I know it's gonna show up as soon as I leave!"
Beep beep beep beep 7:15 pm, Rail Yard, Brunswick, MD, USA
(thinking) "Guess I should go before that cop tells me to."
Walks up the street.
(thinking) "WHAT WAS THAT?"
Runs back.
Nothing
Walks up street.
(thinking) "WHAT WAS THAT?"
Nothing.
Walks up street.
(thinking) "WHAT WAS THAT?"
Nothing. I hate flowmasters and loud cars. Unless they're mine.
Beep beep beep beep 7:20 pm, sub-stealing gas station complex, middle of nowhere, outskirts of Brunswick, MD, USA
Is it always this crowded? I'd better leave before I get hurt.
Beep beep beep beep 8:15, en route to Accokeek, MD, USA
They played Radar Love on the radio. AGAIN.
Mission complete.
Thank you, Maryland! And DC! And Austin! And the UK! And PA! And Everywhere!
- Josh
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Operation Northwind
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Comrades!
I just got back from overthrowing Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, USA. Assisting me were 220 high school sophomores and 90 adult volunteers. Sure, sure, they weren't officially there to help with the Revolution, but there was much distributing of stickers, talk of Siberia, and rock 'n roll. They were under the banner of HOBY, or Hugh O'Brian Youth leadership, a four day conference designed to teach leadership skills and critical thinking. Thinking sure was critical, but difficult, seeing as most people including myself only got about 12 hours of sleep the whole time.
I had such an incredible time, and learned some way cool lessons. I was technically the facilitator for a group of nine sophomores, but I was more of a student than any of them. Check it.
1. You shouldn't cry during an emotional program. It's bad for group morale, especially when sitting next to a 16 year old girl. Tears, apparently, are contagious. Much apologies, m'am!
2. I heard a quote the other day from some ancient Greek dude. Just because you can't do something doesn't mean it's impossible. There I was, surrounded by the raw power of idealism and youth, and I was going "blah blah blah", speaking from the bitterness of defeats I had endured. (OK, at 26, there haven't been that many battles lost, but still...) Thankfully, I snapped out of it, and realized that I was sitting in the midst of the new wave. And just because there was another wave, didn't mean that mine was finished. You know how us insufferable grown ups say "youth is the future", and somehow make it sound like a pathetic excuse for our failure, somehow allowing us to sit idly by while the world burns? I'd like to say the same thing, and add I'm proud to have you join my fight to save the world.
Shoulder to shoulder we shall battle on. Comrades, I salute you. Let's do this.
3. Learning goes both ways. I realized that I had been looking at the program as me doing the instructing, guiding, and inspiring. Wrong. Here's just one example. While I was in a meeting, my group snuck up to my dorm room, and, having purchased these index cards called HOBY hugs (PAID FOR by one of the 16 year olds), covered the door in the most incredibly kind, funny, thoughtful messages. I stumbled back to my room after two in the morning, and had my mind blown by this. I was so touched and inspired by the kindness and thoughtfulness shown. Lesson for me: Everyone's a teacher, everyone's an inspiration, and every single thing we do affects each other, no matter who we are, what age we are, or what station in life we currently hold.
In that spirit, I'm starting a new bit in my guitar lessons. Students have the option of giving me a two minute lesson. I tried it today with great success - the client loved it, gained something, and I learned something. We're all in this together, after all.
Thank you, everyone. Thank you.
4. Man, life sure can be fun. I wrote a little tune for the good folks back at the conference.
Thank you, Emmitsburg! You've been a great crowd!
- Josh
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The Fallout!
Comrades!
Now, now, now...What a fun gig on Friday! With the first big show being broadcast over the "interwebs", YouTube stats tell me that we had 13 countries viewing! I'm not sure if that was live, or right after the fact, but STILL, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
THANK YOU!
See, now, we all really are taking over the world!
Highlights included - accidentally dropping the vocal mic (a Shure SM57) right on my laptop, probably deafening anyone viewing the show and listening through headphones...Having the whole room clap along to the Johnny Cash A Boy Named Sue for the whole song! I think everyone collaborated, and tried to see how fast they could get the beat to go, but I hung in there!...But the best event of all was having one of my guitar students join me onstage to play lead guitar for Tribute. He played some awesome lead guitar, and totally rocked the house!
It was so cool to have people joining in the festivities from literally across the world, across the room, and across town. This video feature is wayyyyyy nifty!
Here's the video for those of you who missed it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIZy9uZ2R-E
Now, the sound quality isn't that great, but that's another project. Improved audio shows coming soon! I think I'll need to use an external mic.
THANK YOU, WORLD! You were a great audience, and are comrades of mine!
- Josh
Friday, May 11, 2012
The Video Concert
Comrades, friends, and family!
Friday, April 27, 2012
Speak your mind, even if your voice squeaks
Comrades!
Well, it's almost time for the student recital, and my students have been working hard to get their songs ready for prime time. I teach guitar in Waldorf, Maryland. I'm always yelling about overthrowing things, so we are going to be renaming the town WalGRAD, in honor of the Revolution. And one of my students thought the recital would be boring...
I had a great lesson yesterday that I'd like to share with you.
Sam stopped by for his lesson yesterday. Sam is about nine years old, and has been taking guitar for about two years. He is naturally verbose, something that he says is discouraged by his teachers and cousins. "You've got some cool stuff to say, man!" I reply, then encourage him to express himself.
Well, it's crunch time with the recital less than 24 hours away. He sits down in the chair, and just as I'm about to ask him what he's been up to, he holds up his hand with a very sincere look on his face, and says most intently "We shouldn't talk this week, we've got to practice for tomorrow's show." He dives into his practice, pauses where he would normally mention something cool, and says "I went to my aunt's work today!", then remembers his goal, and dives back in. Surfacing again, he says "I made a castle!...but I'll tell you about that next week!"
We're working on the George Thorogood tune "Bad to the Bone", and we've decided to play a duet. I'm singing and playing guitar, and he's playing guitar with the occasional "YEAH!" thrown in, as instructed, blues-style.
"B-b-b-baaad" "Yeah!"
"Wow, my voice sounded really high there" Sam says with dismay.
"Nah man, it's fine."
He doesn't seem convinced. So, I tell him about falsettos, have him listen to the end part of "Stairway to Heaven", and tell him that since he's "like nine, dude, your voice is gonna be a little higher, no worries!"
"But wait - your teenage cousin teases you about it, right?" I ask. "All the time."
I told him that his voice will be lower in a few years, but in the meantime, never, ever be ashamed of how it sounds. I told him that while we as a culture always seem to be striving towards the lower voices, certain styles of music like the higher sounds, and that his voice was always something to be proud of, no matter what anyone says. I should have told him there's always a "cousin" around to tell us what's what, and how we might not want to pay them any attention.
I wonder how many of us are going around, literally or metaphorically, "singing" through life with a false voice because someone, somewhere, told us it wasn't right.
I'm not just talking about vocals - our song doesn't even have to deal with words or speaking. It is the act of living.
I wonder how many of us are striving for uniqueness. Many of us artistic folks are. But doesn't this just lead to false notes and sung lies, too?
What if, instead, we strove for authenticity, and sang how we really sound?
At the gym the other night, given the choice between lifting weights or watching Christina Aguilera on TV, I found myself watching The Voice. Man, what a lousy show, though! What the heck is wrong with us? Who can judge musical merit, or any merit, for that case? Sure, sure, notes can be hit or missed, skill can be practiced - but man, what a shame that we would take anyone's opinion serious enough to put them in...way cool red chairs! (Man, so Revolutionary - I want one!)
But seriously, folks...
What people in your life are sitting in those red chairs, saying "Ehhh.......your voice squeaked."?
More importantly, how long will we continue to say "Yes, cousin?"
Now, I'm off to go set up the stage for this overthrowing of Waldorf.
I think the night sky is going to be filled with stars. Red ones.
- Josh
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Don't waste my life, bro!
Comrades!
Man oh man, I hope spring has been treating everyone well! Each year I'm reminded what a cool season it is.
Plus, the frogs and crickets are back, who are, in my opinion, the best musicians around. #winning!
I've been doing a lot of music marketing lately, as well as watching even more happen around me. It is both fascinating (on a good day), and discouraging and frustrating (on a bad day.) There seems to be quite a bit of noise cluttering the airwaves, and I wanted to talk about that in a philosophical and practical sense today. While this post is aimed at musicians, I think it can apply to anyone.
Here's the question: Remember when we were little kids, thinking "Man, I can't wait to grow up, be a musician, and... harass my friends until they buy my CD or come to my show."? No! We wanted to be stars! We wanted to change the world! And yet, here we are, endlessly inviting each other to events that we don't really want to go to, and pushing merchandise.
For, indeed, there seems to be a lot of taking going on, and I think it's worth a look, both from a tactics standpoint, and a life purpose view. (That being said, I just got some really cool wristbands. You should buy one!)
The advent of the Internet has created almost limitless possibilities for to connect with people. We have this magnificent vehicle for building meaningful connections all over the world. However, since we're humans, we have promptly turned around and used it as a means to get in people's faces more effectively.
Perhaps we need to re-examine what we're asking for.
We're generally asking for people's time. "Come to my show!" "Like my Facebook page!" "Follow me on Twitter!" Sometimes it leads to money (you should really buy that wristband!), but most often, it's time.
Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with engaging an audience. It must be done to succeed. There are fresh, creative ideas all around us, and it's nice to be told what's going on. The danger perhaps is this - maybe we don't value people's time as much as we should. It's funny, because time is the most precious commodity in existence. Yet, any time we tweet something lame, we're wasting both ours and theirs. If we play a show, and we don't give it our all, even if there's only one person watching, and they're the bartender, we're stealing time from people. As the noise fills our screen, our lives are literally being taken from us bit by bit. I resent that, and I think you probably do, too.
So, definitely keep on engaging, tweeting, taking cool shots with Instagram, releasing EP's, and playing shows.
Just know that your audience is giving you part of their lives. Make it worth it.
Thank you for reading this post!
- Josh
Monday, April 2, 2012
Meaning
Comrades!
