let's compare...

I've been playing a lot of music lately. It's been a great change from the lack of music in my life over the early summer months. But the more I play the more 2 things happen. The first being a pretty simple feeling of enjoyment of making music. the second being a frustration of, lets call it, a lack of ability. There are pro's and con's to this thought process. Pro being it motivates me to practice and try to improve myself. Con being well...it's self deprecating!

I find that a good way to improve is watch people who are better than you. What are they doing that makes what you do sound better (vibrato, little bends can be simple stuff) often though, it's the hours and hours and hours they've put in practicing that I haven't. I have a good friend, Nate Graham, he told me about a book called 10,000 hours (i think...) anyways the premise being, people at the top of their trade, sports, music, computer programmers, whatever have put in 10,000 hours of practice. That's a lot of stinking time. but to be honest, as I think about how i spend my "hours" i waste a LOT of time watching tv or on facebook, if i put that time in to music, i couldn't even imagine.

Anyways, I've played guitar probably for 4 hours today and I'll watch youtube videos of joe pass or brubeck or slash or rehinadrt or john mayer or whoever and i find myself feeling very defeated, but then i think, "they didn't get to be talented by feeling defeated" so i thought i'd throw some encouragement out to people who may need it. Don't let someone better than you defeat you let them challenge you. And it's time to rise to the challenge

maybe motivational speaking is in my future...

well hello again...

hello world...

alright, it's been far to long and i apologize but ive been busy...kinda.

So i guess i'll ease my way back in by giving a quick update on my life. I work for Thousand Foot Krutch as their Merchandise Manager and they have a new record coming out tomorrow, go get it on iTunes. Our tour starts in exactly a week and i have the honor of playing bass for FM Static who will be opening the tour (creationfesttour.com), I feel blessed to be a part of this and really am beside myself at the opportunity. It's a hard thing to act confident and not jump around and scream like a little girl with excitement!

I've been playing a lot of golf this summer and have had a personal best of 4 over. For those of you who know me very well you know how much i love golf and was super excited about this. I think i'm gonna play again tomorrow, so lets hope for another awesome round!

The summer has been really incredible, i've been to canada 3 times, alaska twice, maine, PA and everywhere in between. I keep having these moments every now and again and just think wow, I'm doing it. It's crazy!

Alright, it's gonna be a short one but i just wanted to give a quick update to try to get myself and you back into checking in and saying hi!

-tom

the midnight scandal

I doubt I'm the only person that get these late night emails and personally I find them hilarious soooo...time to blog!

You wake up check your email and Ding, blang, bam, doorslam, doorbell ring  whatever sound your email makes when you get mail happens and you see you have 6 new messages.  Wow, aren't I the popular one.  You start going through and it's all people you have NO IDEA who they are.  Yet they are all distinguished, usually from europe, terminally ill, VERY wealthy people. So you open the email and it's a very verbose, descriptive email.  For some reason this stranger trust ME to take care of 1,000,000 dollars until they get here to the states or till the life insurance kicks in or whatever.  But they want help and why not, i'm a young kid with nothing else to do.  I'm sure i would just let it sit there and not spend it on EVERYTHING i've ever wanted...right

When the idea for this blog popped in my head i had another thought.  What if people really did this.  I'm sure there are plenty of insanely wealthy rich elderly who don't know what else to do with their money but buy gold pampers.  How amazing would it be if we took care of eachother like this.  hey, i have WAY to much money and you could use a couple extra bucks...here have a couple thousand dollars I probably won't even notice it's gone.  Instead of being so eager to save  and die with as much as we can what if it was way cooler to just give it away to strangers.   Maybe this idea would change if i actually had money and realized what all the hoopla is about, but for now i'm just gonna write all these nice english elderly people back and go ahead a give them my address, bank account and social security number...maybe they really do want to give me a million dollars.  

maybe not...

beauty of simplicity

So does anyone else feel like they move at a snails pace sometimes?  I woke up this morning with no real motivation.  I had nothing to do, no deadlines, no time table to work for just wake up and get a couple non-essential errands done.  I cleaned some dishes, folded laundry, watched Nash Bridges, bought groceries yet something has prevented me from feeling productive.  Not sure why?  I guess i have a bad measure of success for a day.  I think I need to change that view or be more satisfied with enjoying a day off regardless of what gets done.  

I don't know how to change that measure but I do blame society for making us crazy, over active, over stimulated creatures.  Why must we feel guilty for sitting still?  Yea I'm probably missing 10 Facebook updates, 22 tweets, and 3 new blog postings but maybe if we slowed down and started enjoying what is ACTUALLY around us and not just on computers we would be a lot happier and much more satisfied (maybe satisfied longer than 10 minutes).  Call it ADD call it impatient call it what you will but I'm tired of it, so no more constant stimulus, I'm not calling it laziness I'm enjoying the beauty of simplicity

top 5 things i'll miss about a tour bus

Well, although my touring days are far from over, it looks like my busing days have come to an end for now.  So as an  easy transition back into me updating my blog and a farwell to the "rock and worship roadshow"  here is my top 5 things that will be missed.

1. Direct tv  

2. my bunk tv that goes from the top of the bunk pretty much to my stomach, suckers huge! 

3. 3 meals a day where all i have to do is show up and eat, no cooking involved!

4. about 10-18,500 people always around to keep me from getting bored!

5. seriously, the entire bus is nicer than my house...i don't want to go home!!!

hopefully i'll stop being a bum and actually up date this regularly.  I'm sorry, let's talk again soon!

On The Road

Well, I started this thing to let everyone know how life on the road is and so...here it goes.

I woke up at 4:30...suck! 

I have 1 suitcase, 2 long (7ft) awkward heavy bags with poles, 2 bookbags

It's 5am, Nashville airport is swamped!

Aside from the craziness of trying to figure out how to carry all that, i had a great smooth flight, 4 hours to lay around till i had to be at the venue, cable (i watched twister, great flick).  I meet joel(joe-l, he's from canada i guess they say joel funny up there) first.  I felt like we really hit it off and i'm pretty stoked about the weekend.  As i met the other guys i got more and more excited about the weekend, they are all great mostly because we all quote the same movies...which really is all i need you to do if you want to be my friend.  Anyways, we were at an indoor soccer arena and the band is playing after the game.  I love soccer so it was fun to hang out and watch the game.  When i set up and meet my volunteer i realized he was more of a professional then i am.  The night went amazing, sold a ton, couldn't ask for a better start.  

I roomed with joel and i felt like i was at summer camp staying up till 2am talking.  we had to get up at 6 which stunk but ah whatever, flew to O'hara (worst airport ever!) had a 2 hour layover and then flew into minneapolis.  

We are at Club 3 degrees which is one of the sweetest venues i've ever been to.  the layout is much like the TLA (but way nicer) for you philly folk and kinda close to 3rd and linsely for you Nashvegas folk.  I get everything set up, go grab food and as they are telling all the bands where everything is then mention they have someone to give complimentary massages...are you kidding, you better believe i was first to get that!

Right now, the 2nd of 3 opening bands is about to start and I'm in the green room on a nice comfy leather couch enjoying a nice relaxing break.

I can't say the road has been all that exciting, I haven't seen much outside of the venue and the airport, but the guys are really fun and heck, it's better than sitting on my couch at home.  i think the hardest thing so far has been not playing any music just selling stuff but it's a step closer, gotta pay my dues!

It's been long days, but I really am enjoying myself and really excited about the next month being on the road!  Hopefully i'll get some pictures up soon...

Top 5 banned clothing!

Top 5 Articles of Clothes I wish would be banned.

5. Uggs

-First of all they are ugly as sin.  Second, if your feet really need an entire Sheep to keep them warm maybe you should go see a doctor about your circulation.  EVERYONE has a pair, get over it!

4. Turtle Necks

-if your neck is cold, wear a scarf.  If you really need to wear one, go teach 2nd grade.  

3. Stilettos

-Anything that makes you walk like a duck, you probably shouldn't wear!

2. Peace Signs

-(earrings, necklaces, shirts, pants, Sharpied on to either, just...no, they should have died with bell bottoms)

And the NUMBER ONE thing I wish would be banned....

1. Peace signs, i just really can't stand them so they get two spots