beautiful, funny, sad & true

I only didn’t write about the cello until now because I’ve been too busy playing it lately to write about it.

I took it in most importantly to get one of the tuning pegs fixed, because every time I’d turn it to tune up, it would slip and go completely slack, which makes the cello useless. So I’d been unable to play for weeks.
(With the exception of the other day, of course, when my friend Sam loaned me his cello for rehearsal with Steph. Thank you, Sam!)
Since I was taking it in for that repair anyway, I had a new end pin (the ‘pin’ that the cello sits on) and tailpiece (where the strings attach) installed at the same time. Now it sits at the correct height, the strings stay in tune, and it’s much easier to adjust the fine tuning also. What a difference!

I picked it up on Thursday afternoon, and had rehearsal with Jaime & Becky that night. Ohmygosh, we had so much fun! They haven’t been playing any gigs for probably a year, because Becky was in Russia teaching and volunteering, but now she’s back, and they’re back. So look for us to start playing out a bit.

Last night, Alyssa and I sat out and talked for a while, then used a two-for-one coupon and went to get a slice of pizza. I had the first pepperoni I’ve had in six months. (Before that, it had been about a year and a half, on my birthday.) Kelly called while we were still at the pizza place, and I told her about the Pepperoni Factor. She said, “You know there’s pork in that.”
“That’s what I hear.”
“You know you’re gonna go to hell.”
“Tchyeah. I knew that, ’cause of all the taking-the-Lord’s-name-in-vain and the copious amounts of pre-marital sex.”

Anyway.

The pepperoni tasted good, but I don’t think it really agreed with me; I’m feeling it this morning. After that, I ended up with a couple of hours to myself, so I pulled out the cello and just sat and played my little heart out. I have to re-learn everything, because it feels like a completely different instrument now. I have to learn how to hold it between my knees, how to make my left arm go to just the right places on the neck, and how to make the bow go to just the right places on the strings.

Funny how I’ve learned to play on such an unconventional instrument. Cello’s a difficult instrument to learn anyway–and this is from someone who plays piano, accordion, guitar, bass, drums, organ, keyboards, AND cello–but throw in all the weird quirks and incorrect angles that mine has, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty of habits to un-learn.

The good news is that when I play on someone else’s instrument, suddenly everything feels right, and it makes playing incredibly easier, but their instruments aren’t usually of the same quality as mine. Mine may look all banged up, or not be as pretty as most, but it’s really a superb instrument. You can tell, even by the way it resonates when you pluck the strings. It’s an Ernst Heinrich Roth, from 1963. Loveitloveitloveitloveit.

And it won’t be much longer before it’s completely fixed and adjusted to standard specifications, which will make it sound even better and play even easier.

I can’t wait!

Next time you’re at Starbucks, and you happen to be looking at CD’s, be sure to check out Off The Clock. Cause I’m on it!

No, I don’t work at Starbucks, but the drummer for the Young Immortals does, and when they were taking submissions, he sent in the song “The Fever”. Naturally they loved it, cause it’s an amazing and incredibly catchy song. Jake (the band’s songwriter) and I played all the instruments on the recording. He wrote the song, sang, played drums and most of the rhythm guitar parts, and I played bass, keyboards, piano, organ, and a couple of electric guitar parts, including the solo. It was recorded at my old apartment. When Jake wrote the song, I knew it was golden, because I couldn’t sit still or stop thinking about it from the moment I heard it.

All the guys in the band and I are very excited about this opportunity. It’s huge exposure, for sure, because this CD will be heard all over the world, and help take the Young Immortals to new and greater heights.

It’ll be available on Tuesday, April 3rd. Heck yeah!

Spent a few hours on Saturday playing drums on a couple of songs for the next Susie Blue CD. Total blast. We’re recording with Jason Roark, at his newly completed home studio. Great guy, who’s doing a great job. (Incidentally, that’s the same place where the Pete Krebs Trio is in the process of recording their CD as well. To refresh your memory, go here.) I’m really excited to hear how it all turns out. The most exciting thing of all is that there’s finally going to be new stuff from Susie! This album is going to sound very different from her last one, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

During one of my breaks today, I called to inquire about my checking account balance, and the automated voice at the other end of the line said, “Zero dollars. . .and zero cents.”

Crap.

That hasn’t happened for a while now. The good news is that I’m not overdrawn, thanks to the Overdraft Protection Thingy that I have. But I thought it would be good to find out more information when I got home.

So now that I’m home, I just logged into my account online, and saw I had an emergency savings account I’d forgotten about, which is where my Overdraft Protection Thingy comes from. (I haven’t been overdrawn in a long time, so I’d forgotten about it.) That account has $200 in it now! I had no idea. So I transferred $50 over, to get me by for the next few days, and left the rest in there to keep saving my butt in the future. This means I can get gas. And food.

Yay!

My favorite record store is Everyday Music. We went there last night, and I found Ali G, the new Menomena CD, and an anime DVD called “Grave of the Fireflies”, which promises to be beautiful and tragic. I’ll letcha know.