Life write the words but you choose your own melody

Wow, it's been a while since I posted in this blog. So much has happened since my last post. I quit my horrible bakery job, got a job doing crew putting on rock shows at camps for 6 weeks this summer, finished up my first semester of junior year, visited my best friend in Fredonia, gone on some great hikes, but most importantly, heard the new Rocket Summer album and bought tickets to see him in Baltimore and Virginia at the end of the month.

It's been a long two years since the last TRS album came out during my freshman year of college. I was miserable in Fredonia, still a photo major, and had no idea where my life was headed. The entire Of Men and Angels album always reminds me of bus rides back and forth between Buffalo and New York. It makes me a bit nostalgic in a love/hate sense, but now it's time for a new album.

Bryce has done it again, blown us all away and this time he did it all on his own. Forget major labels and even indie labels- he recorded this in Texas, produced, wrote and of course played all instruments on the album even the typewriter and trashcans. The credits even state "Additional recording in Bryce's attic". Clearly Bryce Avary doesn't let anybody take advantage of him or try and control his music. He's got the drive and talent to do it on his own.... with a little help from his fans of course ;) I've been with him and this family of fans for seven years and as difficult as my life was in high school, having The Rocket Summer was always something I could turn to when my friends failed to be there for me. Not to say that I don't have friends, but there were a great deal of turbulent times between us in high school and blasting The Rocket Summer, looking forward to new albums and shows has given me happiness. And now that I've got a wonderful group of solid friends, it's even better to be able to share the love.

I began listening to the new album, Life Will Write the Words last night on June 5th at 8pm. I didn't stop until 5am. I'm still listening to it now. I also gave up my tickets to see Jukebox the Ghost on June 22nd at Bowery Ballroom to make the trip down to Richmond, Virginia to see Bryce instead. And I'll be going to Baltimore the next night. Wish I could go to NYC, Philly, and Boston, but I'll be in Florida those days. It's okay though because I've never been to Richmond or seen Bryce in Maryland so it will be an adventure. Oh, the adventures I go on for this guy.... I'd never trade them for the world. So once again, thanks to the greatest musician I know.

Life write the words but you choose your own melody
Yes, life has given me hurt, but I choose my own melody
And sometimes it's that sad, sad song I'm singing all my day long
I'm just trying, trying to find the right notes

Do what you love and fuck the rest

Yesterday a had a really horrible day and part of it was my job at a bakery. The only reason that I have continued to work in the food industry is that it was the only place I had experience in. But this year, that changes. I won't go into detail, but let's just say that one of the owners called me up screaming at me and insulting me. That was the final straw and I decided that I couldn't take this abuse anymore so I rationally told her that I don't appreciate the way that she treats me as well as everybody else. She continued to defend herself, but really there was nothing she could say to convince me that she did anything right so I told her that I was giving her my two weeks. I thought this would happen in an angry way, but honestly I am so happy to know that I will be out of there soon. My advice to everybody is never to do anything just for the money if you absolutely hate it. There is no point in being miserable for money. There is always a way out of it. There's so much out there for me, so many opportunities and this was not one of them. Onwards to better things!

Best Apartment Show Ever (featuring Coyote Campus + Rotten Jazz Quartet)

March 28th was my 21st birthday. I take my birthdays very seriously (or shall I say excitedly and not-seriously because I like to have fun)! This year I knew that I had to do something great. In the end, I went to a bar at midnight and didn't do much the day of my actual date of birth besides take a midterm and go to class. But I am completely satisfied because I had the best birthday party celebration I could ever ask for 4 days before on Saturday night. For the longest time I have wanted to have a show in my living room and at the beginning of the semester I made the decision that I was going to make it happen. Fortunately enough for me there are some amazing bands at this school, in fact one of them is in my top 5 favorite bands. And I was lucky enough to get them to play in my living room for my early birthday party.

So a few years down the road when you're asking me "hey have you heard of those amazing new bands that just got big, Rotten Jazz Quartet and Coyote Campus", my answer will be "yes, they played in my living room for my 21st birthday". 

To everybody that came out and danced, sang, moshed, drank and made my floor almost cave in, I LOVE YOU ALL. Let's do it again soon!

I'm looking at somebody I went to Fredonia with and notice he now looks completely different, lives across the country and clearly is not working in the field he truely wants to go into. I mean, I don't know all that much about him through his facebook, but I can get an idea. The point is that it's crazy how you have no idea where you will be down the road. Hell, even a few months. Last semester doesn't seem like that long ago, yet at the same time it seems like a lifetime ago. I cared about things that I do not give one fuck about anymore, just a mere 3 months ago. You know how my friends at the beginning of 2012 were almost completely different than the beginning of 2011? Well, I've made so many new friends this semester that I don't even remember which ones I didn't know last year! I'm making connections and loving my life and listening to the Jonas Brothers right now. Yes, you read correctly. Life is good.

Junior Year

This semester has been so good to me and it's only 2 and a half weeks in. I have class 2 days a week but I've been ridiculously busy still. I now have a job at a bakery 2/3 days a week and booking shows for the co-op is so much more time consuming than I thought... but in the most wonderful way ever. I've got people emailing me all over to come and playing as well as the bands I've contacted myself. Thank god I got an iphone the first week of school because I find myself needed to answer emails all over the place. In class, in bed, in the shower- just kidding about the last one. But it's fun work. It is beginning to get a bit overwhelming when I get people being rude to me, but it's part of the job. And I finally understand how people can be workaholics. So far I haven't had much schoolwork in classes except for blogging (not this blog, but another one I've made for my radio show). I'm sure I will begin to get more mostly in Junior Seminar. In that class I've decided on a topic for my senior project. I've also discovered what I really want to do, which I don't even think I realized last semester. I want to book shows for a venue. I want to scout out the talent, and contact them and book them. I don't want it to sound like all fun and games and that I'll get to book all bands that I love. My teacher who worked in the music industry for years says she had to work on a lot of projects she wasn't interested in, but in the end she definitely sounds like she's enjoyed it. Everything feels so right this semester. I've never been happier and I want to make this last. And to end this happy post I will add my new favorite musician and Purchase student whose music I cannot listen to without smiling.

I want to write a memoir. I want to write a screenplay for a great movie. I want to film a movie. I want to write in a well known blog. I want to fly a plane. I want to become physically fit. I want to promote artists. I want to book shows. I want to discover a big band. I want to own a venue. I want to go on urban explorations around the world. I want to experience different culture. I want so many things, but I don't know how to make them happen.

2012

I have a lot that I want to do this year, but I'm making my main priority setting the stepping stones to what I want to do for the rest of my life. And one month into the year I am living up to it. Before school even started I booked my first co-op show, took the initiative to be the one intern to set up a table at Clubs Night and got a few people interested in volunteering and coming to the show, as well as one of my mom's music students asking if she could sing at a show & two RAs interested in doing a 50's diner event in February. I've got two bands from the city in mind for another show and I am going to apply for internships like crazy for the summer. And while this isn't relevant to what I want to do, I did get a part time job at a bakery to make some extra cash.


And most importantly.... I've decided that I am going to run for General Programming Coordinator next year which is a huge job, but if somehow I managed to get it I would have an A+++ position to put on my resume and plus it's paid! But most importantly I'D BE BOOKING SHOWS BIGGER THAN THE CO-OP. But I have decided that if I really want to do this I have to get to know the girl who has been GPC for the past two years and really get to know the ropes. Even if I don't end up getting it, I've been told by a former Co-op Events Coordinator that she helped out the GPC with her events.

This year is going to be a good one, I can feel it.