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Evenin'. I hope you had a wonderful Labor Day (U.S. types). I'm sure many of you had barbecues, or family get-togethers, or maybe just slept in, or went to "the lake". I always think it's funny when people say, "Yeah, this weekend we're headed down to the lake," or "we got a real nice pontoon down at the lake." For. God's. Sake. Nobody ever actually says WHICH lake they're going to. For all I know, there's a gigantic reservoir somewhere just outside the city limits that's actually called, "The Lake," with hundreds of miles of shoreline and infinite pop-up camper hookups and vast amounts of water for all the people who fish and boat and ski to enjoy simultaneously at massive semi-regular gatherings... Elitists!
This blog will be a two-parter. I'm finishing this part after standing up to catch a phone call two days ago. The phone call turned into another call, which turned into the need to leave the house, which turned into other things, which also turned into other things.
...so, two days later, I'm back to finish. One thing that kept me from finishing this thing was our performance at the Rib America festival today in Indianapolis. More on that below. Needless to say, the set today went well, albeit rushed, as festival shows always are. We performed a new tune called "Promises" today, and people were incredibly supportive of it. Those who are longtime followers had many kind things to say about it, and people who are just getting turned on to the band commented on it's strength... This is a very good sign. Several even told me it was the best song yet, certainly single-worthy - good! Let's hope that it's big-fat chart-toppin' single worthy! hehehe...
You know, amidst all the madness/decision-making/thought/labor that goes into creating an album and stomaching the wild uncertainties of the music biz, and the multitasking that accompanies the craft you love so much, there's a real simplicity I guess -- it's like a squishy, vulnerable, unchangingly good source -- it's the music, and the guys I love so much to make it with. It's such a precious thing. And, as with any good endeavour in life, you'll ultimately find that at times the hard work, sweat, and diligence can usurp and overshadow those precious things... You'll find yourself toiling and pulling your hair out over minutia and details, weary of dealing with the things that have very little to do with that original, simple enterprise that makes you feel purposed and meaningful. But eventually, and thankfully -- you'll always come back to the source.
We (the band) take time off the road to work on various things, but the stage is always our trip back to the source. It's what we love to do. Nathan and I were laughing about how redemptive one single show can be after dealing with the peripheral details of band life and all the silly b*s* for weeks on end. It's just a great feeling. I hope that you never get so entrenched in your daily grind that you forget your simplest passions, the things you were meant to do with your short time here on earth.
No, I will not be releasing a series of self-help DVD's called "The Source."
Keep reading on for other thoughts, and one of the funniest stories I've ever perpetuated.
______________________
August 30, 2007, 3:55am:
I just returned home from Indianapolis after attending a launch party for the Rib America Festival that Thom and I went to tonight... we'll be playing the festival on Labor Day supporting Buddy Guy, who we're all looking forward to seeing again. After the party, it was off to see some Indianapolis acts play music, and arriving home at 3am. It was a good night, and we had a chance to catch up with some friends.
Thom and I began writing a new song yesterday, and the idea has me all worked up, it really is a good one. The tune was the first time we'd written more music since our studio time in July. It was nice to breathe a little before getting creative again, but we're back in the mood. I'll be in Nashville next week working on more new tunes, and studio time is certainly in the pipeline within a month or two.
So many thoughts have been bouncing around regarding the music, ruminations every day. I'm confident that the next round of songs that we offer will be the best yet, so how to effectively ensure that the most people have access to/awareness about it is of utmost importance, even more so than money, or critical accolades, etc etc. We have wild global ideas about ways to release the next record, some that will shock you -- I haven't even discussed some of these possibilities with our extended team yet (publishers, lawyers, publicists, etc), so I'll keep them at bay right now. I'm sure some friends will give me googly-eyed stares upon letting these ideas fly. The record industry, as it exists right now, is almost like the Titanic. Everyone knows what's inevitable. So, as I've written before, I truly believe that alternate means of releasing music are going to have to be considered, and the conversations about it all are fascinating. We've worked with the two largest recorded music companies on the planet (EMI and Universal), and have seen unbelievable changes in our tenure on these labels. Okay, okay, little bits at a time. More on this soon.
Next, there are a couple really cool shows coming up that we'd love for you all to make efforts to attend (you know, assuming you're reasonably close). On September 29, we'll be doing our first real hometown show in more than three years (excluding our release party last year) in Seymour, IN. The show is a great one, for the opening of Chateau de Pique, a brand-new winery. I went and toured the place a few days ago, and it's gorgeous. Even if you're not a wine aficionado, you should definitely make plans to come. We're thrilled that there's an effort to inject a little cultural awareness into our little town. The show is all-ages, and there will be fireworks, and air show, wine tasting, us, and plenty more to dig on. Come!
Also, we're excited that on October 1 we'll be playing a benefit in Indianapolis for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at the Vogue. We've done work with CFF in the past, and are glad to offer our help again. It's a Monday night show, with Wonderdrug and some other fine Indianapolis acts on the bill as well. It's a very worthwhile cause, and every dollar collected will go toward CF research. Details on these shows can be obtained at the official site. Which brings me to...
...You can see now that our official website has gotten a bit of a pre-overhaul. This is an interim design which will be expanded upon as we get closer to the release of the next album. The MySpace will be getting it's overhaul in the next week or two. Thanks to our good friend Dale for his mastery and diligence on this tech stuff, which I call "worldwidewebbery". Much to follow.
K.O.K.O.
Owen
P.S. - The following story is a TRUE one that I'm relaying to you EXACTLY as I heard it. I was told the story by a buddy of mine at a card game last week, and I've heard from several mildly reliable sources that it's true. If it is, this could be the greatest Indiana-borne story yet. At some points, you may assume that something disastrous is forthcoming, but don't fear. It's a bit long, but so worth it. Do read:
A family from Bedford, IN (pop. 13,768 according to the 2000 census), decided in the early summer of 2007 to take a day trip to Indianapolis, IN, to visit the Indianapolis Zoo. I'm not entirely sure of the size of the family, but at least a mother, father, and two young children were in tow.
After exploring the zoo for several hours, and just as the family was approaching the lion cages, the parents realized something was wrong. The smallest member of the family, a five-year-old little boy, had gone missing from his parent's side, where he'd resided all day, walking closely to keep up. After a moment of sheer panic, the family began to frantically retrace their steps in attempt to find their lost son. I'm sure that at times they feared the worst with enormous jungle animals just feet away...
After twenty minutes of searching, the parents alerted the zoo security staff that their son had gone missing, and all guards on the grounds were ordered to go on immediate search for the boy. I know, I know. You'd think that this would be the first step of protocol in the parents' minds upon realizing that their son was gone. But I'm sure you'd have to actually experience the scenario to understand the impact it must've had on their systems.
After yet another thirty minutes of searching the zoo grounds by the family, zoo staff, and now some pedestrians offering services out of good will, no one had yet found the missing boy. The collective of searchers agreed to regroup where they started, near the lion cages, after half an hour of searching. As the search party re-assembled near the cages and began to discuss the next round of strategic search plans, somebody in the group yelled with delight, and the entire group turned around to see the little boy, standing perfectly unharmed, just several feet behind his parents and acting as if he never left their side! Of course, the crowd erupted with cheers of joy, and the parents embraced their son and were emotionally overcome to see him safe.
Upon hugging their son, however, it became apparent that the boy was absolutely soaking wet from head to toe, even his little backpack was sopping wet. He was also covered in mushy, seaweed-like goo, and seemed to have somehow submerged himself in one of the zoo's many marine facilities. A zoo official asked the boy why he was wet, and the boy shook his head as if to say, "no." Again, the official asked him if he'd been swimming, or fallen into a pond or tank, and again, the boy shook his head as if to say "no," all the while keeping his mouth tightly shut, refusing to talk. After the inquiries, the parents understandably decided it best to take the child home to rest and bathe.
After returning home, the little boy was taken into his room where his mother removed his wet, dirty clothes and immediately took him to the bathtub for cleaning. As the boy sat in the bathtub, he acted completely normal again, as if unaffected by the day's events. The mother went to collect his dirty clothes from his bedroom while he soaked, and upon entering the bedroom, noticed the boy's little backpack lying on the floor. She decided she'd take a look inside to see if any of the boy's belongings were irreparably damaged by the water he'd been submerged in. Upon unzipping the little backpack and peeking inside, she was utterly shocked to see what her son's time away from her at the zoo had yielded! Inside the backpack the mother found a LIVE, BABY PENGUIN from the zoo's new "Dare To Discover Oceans" exhibit! Apparently, the boy had seen the baby penguins in a tank while passing by the exhibit, and found them too irresistible to pass up! So, he somehow snuck into the tank, grabbed the baby penguin, stuffed it into his backpack, and returned to his family's side with grand hopes of having a new tuxedo-wearing best friend. Unbelievable!
The parents immediately called the zoo, who gave implicit instructions on what to do with the animal, and the father drove back to Indianapolis to return it. He was greeted at the parking lot entrance to the zoo by zealous marine life staffers, and the transfer of the penguin back to its habitat was complete within minutes. The penguin was unharmed and is back doing normal penguin things at the Indianapolis Zoo should you like to visit him.
5:56 AM
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