Hello All! Its been a very busy time for me as of late. Everything is actually going great for me and has been for so long that I am not constantly looking over my shoulder to check for the piano falling out of the sky! I do however have some updating to do so here goes! As usual Augur is going well. We played our best show ever on Thursday night! The crowd was awesome! The people were having a blast and so were we. I keep seeing us improve everytime we go out on stage but this time was a light year. We played our show and had no issues with nerves(well almost none). I am pleased that everyone just played and didn't worry too much about being perfect. I attribute our success to that fact. Dave just Destroyed. that is all I can say. Andrew stuck it out during his spotlight song "Cortez the killer" where he sings lead and has a nice long break for a bass solo. We went a lot too fast in the intro and he had the sense to let us work it out before attempting to speed sing Neil Young! Esther sang her first lead in front of a live audience and she did extremely well. I think the biggest reaction from the crowd was an original song of ours called Cold. It is fairly new and we had only played it in front of a few friends. I usually see us get big reactions from Covers or our song Whiskey. It was neat to see people you don't know giving our music a chance. I had a great time with a lot of great people. It is an honor making music with you people. For those who don't know yet Mrs D and I are expecting our first child right around new years! we are excited about the prospect of having a little person around the house. As exciting as it is it can be mentally stressful for the expectant father. My stress is not what most people would think. I'm not worried about any change in my life that our child would make. The things I stress over are answers to questions or what do I do if they come to the house with their ball cap on sideways or God forbid...if they don't like Rock and Roll! now these may seem a little trivial but to me they are huge. I also have never felt in my gut I would be a very good Father. I will no doubt begin to find out soon enough. My kiddo is very lucky in that we are as always surrounded by the Family and it will have all the love it can stand...these people are just as excited as we are...it is like a group project! I hope to be a good Father and leave a legacy of Love and good feeling in my child. If I can and they continue with their children that will be immortality for me. The Future to do list. Get Mrs D to stop with the morning sickness stuff. Finish the Augur recording project no matter what it takes. complete the Brewery in my basement Assemble all needed "baby stuff" by Dec 1 Find the answers to those fateful, constant and unintentionally annoying questions. "Do you know the sex yet" (answer is we will on Aug 8) and "have you been thinking of names?" (answer is yes) Take the time to enjoy the Family That's all for today...I got a lot of work to do! Levi D

Hello!

     Got a little busy over the past couple of weeks but have some time now to write!  I have alot to say (duh) so here we go!!

     The past few months have been a time of waiting for me.  I had to wait and see if my spinal issues would get better through traction(a topic for another day).  I followed the instructions of very talented Doctors and here I sit still waiting.  I had to wait for the day to come for our first headlining gig.  It came and Augur DESTROYED!!  I feel that one was worth the wait but unlike the results of physical therapy there was a result that was good for me!  I now play in a Band that is addicted to playing live in front of people (better than addicted to drugs) and I love it!  I also had to wait to plan my future.  Events of late made Francis and I live in limbo about our future plans.  Mr and Mrs E are going to make the move with us to the West Coast and chase our collective dream.  I had no control of what was happening so that was the wait.  We had planned a date twice and it got moved due to Life’s changes and career moves.   We sat down Thursday and got it worked out once and for all!  I am happy and cannot wait to get going.  So waiting is part of planning.  I had two plans in these three situations.  Both of them worked out well!  The one unplanned thing did’nt...and I fear will continue to not be a plannable (I think I just invented a word)!

     Augur as I mentioned before is really turning the corner as a Band and it seems hopeful that we could use an upstart local studio and producer to begin work on an album.  We have to fund it but the engineer and producer come with the deal so Dave, Mr E and I are going to go check it out and if the place is cool then we could begin!  Dave and I were talking after practice and the subject came up as it has with many of us.  We believe that if for no other reason we need to capture this moment we are living on tape.  When it is gone it will surely seem like only a moment.  If other people are into it that would be supreme!  We just all want to have something to remember this with and if 20 years from now our kids ask "dad were you EVER COOL?"  I can hand them the album and say "no. I was however in a really cool Rock Band!  Now go get your Father a Beer."  I am looking forward to the hard work!  Through our music we have a chance to live on in the Ipods of future generations of our family.  "Now go get your Great Grand Daddy a Beer!"  HAHHAHA!!

     I finish with this announcement.  I was asked by Goose to be his Best Man at his wedding next month!  What an honor!  I am extremely happy for Adam and Heather, they both waited a long time for this to happen.  I think their story is one of the most interesting "how did you guys find each other" type of tales.  My Lifelong Friend, my Best buddy getting married to this Wonderful Lady is really great and I cannot wait to see you guys!  Alas darn it I will have to go to NM to attend... and I might just have to stay a week or so to visit mom and see my friends.  WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!  

     Thanks for reading this lengthy entry but who are we kidding they are all lengthy!!!! 

     "Now can somebody go get Levi a Beer.....somebody.....anybody!!"

Thanks for being you!

Levi 

Hello!  Told you I was going to write more! 

Augur has really been doing well.  We are partially through getting a demo done and it is very exciting.  We are preparing to play two upcoming events and our set list is coming together well!!  Since mid December when we play it is just solid and for that I am forever grateful to whatever power makes it possible!  Our group at this point can speak freely to one another, direct each other and draw pure personal power from each other.  We started our tuesday practice session with a song that is traditionally rough and not a favorite of one of our members.  It ripped!!  It was everything I expect from myself in a band proven by the peope I play with!  Mr S ripped out an inspired string of solos all night and the few songs we worked on came from "I don't know" to "Damn!!  That kicked ass!".  Another member set aside their feelings of nervousness and absolutly made a song that was good Great!  Wow!  This is the way I feel that everyone wants it to be when they are in a band.  No Fear and Nothing left on the table!!  This is why I say "it is an honor to make music with you people" so often(and sometimes I get some crap for it).

Bonds Forever: My ever Loving and Devoted Wife!  I cannot explain in words what a supporting force She is to me.  She makes me want to do better in everything. Above all the best thing to ever happen to me.  I Love You (and I swear i will grow up some day)!  My Family! Acceptance without expectation and understanding with out judgement.  I love you all!  Very much! I can never expect that I will ever be able to do this...in this way ever again in my life.  It is so right I cannot believe it can ever happen again.  I am lucky to be here.  I am amazed at how much desire and vigor that these people want to help me make my songs real...and make them their own at the same time.  No egos, no drama, not to be famous.  Just to make good music, for us right here, right now.  These are bonds that for me that will be forever.  Forever!

Lucky man

Levi 

Good day all!  I want to spout a bit about my current medical situation, nervousness and my back porch.  Today I go for the first of 12 appointments to attempt to fix my neck.  I have a condition that typically affects old people.  It is a combo of three different problems which at some point or another will cause extreme life altering circumstances in my later life(I'll worry about that, then).  The problem being treated is spinal stenosis or a narrowing of the spinal canal(the space in the vertabre what your spinal cord goes through).  The doc prescribed pain medication(again) and Traction 3 times a week for a month.  He said it would be painful(hence the meds) but it helps symptoms 75% of the time.  So I go out today hopeful that I don't get hurt too badly although I am tough!  One of the symptoms listed on Web MD is loss of bowel control...as you can imagine I made the Traction appointment ASAP!  HAHHAHA!

Of my back porch.  After reading the first paragraph you understand I have some back issues.  I really need to take it easy till these traction treatments are done and the Doc says I am clear.  My porch is not in favor of the plan.  I have fallen down the stairs 3 times since Friday (including this morning before deciding to make this entry) it seems that from what I can tell there is a VERY VERY faint bit of moss growing there.  This "Super Back Porch Moss" is aparently extremelt slick when exposed to the slightest ammount of frost.  I also am amazed that it has grown in the cold weather(therefore "Super").  This morning after recovering I have tried to kill it...Bleach and water!!  HAHA!

I hope someday to write this very very funny story down in detail and sell it as a movie or something.  Later on I think it will be one of those funny stories you tell people about at parties.  You know "Remember back when the back porch was kicking your ass man?!  HAHAHAHAHA!" Like that kind of stuff.  Right now though it is just a pain in the neck!!

Venting complete thanks!

I wish you peace in your hearts and no pain in the neck!

 

Levi

Hello all!

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I hope to be a better blogger in the new year!  I have mentioned the unfortunate situation that happened in November to my wife and I.  I must say that much of the reason for the silence stems from that.  We have recovered as much as you can from a robbery.  My Dog is all better and we have moved to a different place and started over.  We are just the luckiest people to have our Family around us and they provided us all the support that you could need.  I must say that they have made me feel like it never happened almost because of their positive outlook on life.  It is infectious and the good times since then have been better than they were before.  We are all spending much more time together and I think it really helped to be able to have an outlet for our frustrations and our need for mental stability.

All that being said, I am very pleased with the progress of the Band during the last couple of months.  We played an open mic at a local bar two weeks ago and it went very well.  We had many people come out to support us and I cannot say how much that meant to us.  We have gotten to a very cool place as far as creativity and I am excited to play every time we get together!  I hope to have some good recordings up soon as the ones up right now are really not very good and not a representation of how we really sound.  I am honored to make music with Augur, they are very special to me.

My life at work is good and I actually enjoy my job again!  I really missed doing the hands on part of my job rather than the administrative end(which can be very boring).  I really am happy to have a lunch break again, something I haven't had regularly for 4-5 years.  I utilize my new hour of free time to its fullest!  I take a nap every day!!!!!  Just like in kindergarden!  WOO HOO!!

I am watching the presidential race very closely and enjoying the banter that comes from this process.  I am a conservative as those who know me are aware but I am actually watching both sides carefully.  I watch all the debates, I listen to the radio programs and i participate in the debates that come up at work.  It is great and I am enjoying this very much.  

I went home for Christmas with my lovely Bride and visited family.  I think it helped the mental state for us as well.  The crowning achievements were musical(bet you didn' guess that!).  I got to jam with my old friend Mark and we had a few folks show up to participate and that was really specil.  Gabe and Liz came down from Albuquerque two times!!  I cannot believe it and they will never know how cool that was for me.  The other is my nephew John and I got to jam!  He is six and came to the jam with a full two months of piano lessons under his belt and an unorthodox style.  We had a grand time!  We played "Ode to Joy" on which my playing was apearantly sub-standard according to him.  Going on bravely we started playing a chord progression that went well and he proceeded to write his first song!!  As you can imagine I was overjoyed that the songwriting bug exists in the next generation!! I felt that after we were done we really had something cool going and I say now that John's song "I like Pie" will be an international success as soon as we get it distributed!!!

That is all for now, Thanks for reading this lengthy post!!

I wish you all Peace in your hearts!

Levi

 

PS I hope this makes you happy now sweetie!!  UBU BIGGGGGGGGG!!!!

 

Hello All,

I have been quiet lately for a few reasons.  I am very busy with work, Living my life, my Family and My Band.  The fact that so much is going on makes it hard to put into words.  My Family are very special people and the group is growing.  We added a new player to the band which is spectacular.  Esther has been wonderful in many ways as a music contributor, friend and generally wonderfully happy person.  Rick has become more than a Djembe player in Augur but a Brother in arms.  Dave and Val have really shown that besides being Augur contributors they are great people and we look forward to seeing them very much.  Andria and Sascha have become mainstays in my life and truely important to me on many levels. For that I am grateful.  My Family threw Six and I an anniversary party for our Tenth year that was truely special.  It took a couple weeks for me to get the words to express these feelings for that I appologize but i know you all know how much it meant to us! 

My Blogs are often a place that I express my feelings and I know sometimes it may seem like overkill but these are really them.  I Blog and I write songs.  Those are my outlets.  I came up with a list prior to our anniversary of things that I have learned from these very special 10 years.  It is a little long, sorry but I hope you will take the time to read them and let it soak in.  They are about my wife, my family and everyone I love.  After all our collective memorys are made of many ingredients.  All of you who read regularly will know where you fit in.  HERE WE GO!

1. Patience-not how it sounds. I have learned how to be graciously patient by watching this skill on display. sometimes I am like Vader, as I get older I get easier to deal with. Love exists in Patience.

2. Tolerance- i have learned to respect the ideas of others dispite how I may feel about  it.  I was a young man 10nyears ago and i wasn't going to see things any other way. Ihave found by taking a lesson from you that I too should listen when others are talking.  All these lessons depend on it.

3. Living-I have borne witness to more very important, cool and moving things than most will in their lives. this oppertunity is only afforded by choosing to live my life with those who will LIVE it with me.  It hasn't come without sacrifice in other ways but our memories are the only posessions we truely own. Mine are rich.

4. O rganization- I learned this virtue but as all know I still need some work on it. However i do believe my piles in the house are much more organized.  All my Laundry, Shoes, Books and Music gear are in the same places!

5. Limits- When to stop and when to admit I need a hand. I know when a point has been made. I learned to let those things lie after that because they don't help us find our next adventure!

6. Chapters- I now know when to just stop life for a minute and take in the important moments as they pass. I also know when to turn the page; ther is life after whatever situation I am in. I act on that now.

7. Love- To experience Love of all kinds by giving of myself. Without fear of sounding silly or what others may think.  To give it without prejudice, to love the good in the things around me.  To accept it even when it makes me feel weird or awkward because from you I learned it comes from a deep place in people and to question something like that is truely cruel.  Cruel is something that we will strive never to be. I also know like with tolerance that Love is something WE wish for everyone on our planet; no rules, no borders and no exceptions period forever.

This is who I learned to be......

Thanks for reading.

I Love you

Levi D

To me this would have to be the perfect weekend.  On Friday I got ot make Music with my Brothers at DSA, Family Values tour last night and Poison tonight!  WOO HOO!!  Our jam on Friday really seemed inspired to me.  I actually sang as well as I ever have and the Band was tight.  The guys are getting to the point that I can focus on singing and not worry about the groove losing steam.  That allows me to concentrate on singing challenging parts and hopefully improve consistantly.  We also got to play in front of some new folks that hadn't seen us play before and they really seemed to enjoy thenselves.  I also got to play in front of the regular attendees who inspire me to play better(what an Honor).  Andria brought the new folks some I knew and a couple I didn't and a good time was had by all.  The Family went to see Family Values and it kicked ass!  Flyleaf, Evanescence and Korn kicked serious ass!  I am amazed, Amy Lee's voice does sound like that live!  I always liked her voice but this live performance really impressed me.  What Pipes.  Korn is just out of control and a blast to watch.  Tonight we get to see Poison which is a Family favorite and according to Bob "the single greatest rock and roll band in history".  I am very happy as I generally am but somehow a little more content due to Music overload!  My Family and Friends make it special.

Be well

Levi D

Well I know most folks have some form of daily frustration in their life, some are bigger than others (insert joke here).  I have some too and some days are worse than others.  Today is one of those.  People just seemed to be in a mood today.  Customers were bitchy, Crew was incomplete, business a little slow.  I had a day.  I came home to the same happy puppies though which always picks me up!  Gonna have a Beer or two and cook dinner for my sweetie, play my guitar and write a while.  These things are important not the day's frustration.  Does it matter I ask?  No.  Just more fodder for writing and another reason to pick up the Guitar for a therapy session.  My Family, my Friends and Music are my life interests(although some might argue that Beer should be included).

     Part of the mood today is probobly being torn by conversation I had a couple of days ago with a Brother of mine.  He made such good points and I have no counter points except some feelings that I am not able to explain.  I'll keep pondering that for a while. I also have to consider many of the points others have made on the same subject.  Am I unhappy with any of it?  No they Love me and care that I am happy.  They can also give me their opinion anytime and I welcome it.  Thanks for all you do! 

     Off to create now.  Remember all the BS all day is a means to an end.  I can't take it more seriously than that.  Keep your eye on the ball.  It probobly is for you too!

 

Levi D

Well I decided to make a quick note this morning.  I have been Honored by a visit from an old friend and his Fiance.  I am always supremely happy to get reconnected to my Home because I miss it so dearly.  It is even more special that it is such a close friend, to me a Brother.  I am also happy for him and his choice to settle down with such a wonderful person.  The Family has gotten together as we typically do and everyone really likes them.  In our usual fashion we played music all night on Friday and what a jam!  We had many new folks come to hear us play and they were having a blast.  We had people dancing, singing along and participating in the percussion area.  I had so much fun and I really felt good that everyone else was having so much fun.  I got to know some new folks that I've really wanted to spend time with and get to know.  How cool is that?  So we have all met new friends, connected with old friends and consumed mass amounts of Beer.  I can't think of a better time to be had.  I hope to continue getting to know the new folks, that is how they become old friends

Take the time to bring old and new friends together, and make sure someone picked up some Beer. 

Peace

Levi D

Well I have been unable to get to this as often as I would like to but I have been very busy.  I have been playing Music like crazy and busy writing in that avenue.  I have two good new tunes that have come from it so I won't be sorry.  The Band is getting better and better with all involved raising their game to new places every time we play.  The new thing we are working on is our harmonizing vocals.  Mr L, Mr E and I have been singing very well together and I can only see it getting tighter.  Andrew and I have always been compatible in a different way than Mr E and I have.  Cool thing is that we three are finding the place our voices meet and that is really cool.  I think that skill is one of the things that really makes Music speak to people.  Mrs E and Bob have been participating as of late in many ways, Dancing, singing, requesting songs and moral support.  It cannot be said in strong enough terms that people you care about supporting your project.  Thank you!  It is also cool that we have made a few new fans that come see us practice and make us feel like rockstars so Thanks to Ms A and Bre for that!  When folks who have no big reason to like what you do end up liking it that is extremely fulfilling (liking our original music more than the covers makes it that much better).  The number one cool thing that is happening as of late is that My Girl quit shutting the door when we start playing, I guess we are getting better!  Thanks Sweetie!  The support is going to keep us really working toward the goal of Making our own music in a way that moves people.  To all who love me and the music this group makes I say thanks an I will never take it for granted.  If anyone is interested to see what I am saying in the words of others read the Blogs of my friends.  Read Dave, DSA, Andrew and Nicole.  You will find good feelings there.

Support your friends and loved ones it will make a huge difference.  They need it and will Love you for it.

Be Well

Levi