Concerning Sabbaticals

I thought today about how it might be a good idea that it become a social standard that every person, whether they be a nurse, a pastor, a middle school teacher, a velcro salesman, or a stay at home mother, that everyone would take a sabbatical. 

This thought came to me when I very recently visited a place that I had not really been to in a couple years. It was astonishing to me that, at least at a surface level, how very little things had changed over the period of time that I had been away. People, for the most part, where caring, thinking, and worrying about the same things that they were three years ago. 

And from my perspective, having been away, it offered me the opportunity to look at certain things with a different point of view. 

This is not to suggest that I am awesome and smarter than anyone else, but I just think that it would be very beneficial for everyone to take like a year, maybe just a year and a half even, and leave. Get away, live somewhere else, sink into a new rhythm, learn things from different people for a while, and then come back with fresh eyes. 

Speaking from the small amount of experience my life has given me, it seems that no matter who you are and what you do, after a certain period of time, the ruts of our lives are so deep that we cannot see out of them. It is not all so bad, but it is just a thought I had. Plus, sabbaticals sound like they would be fun. 

ok thanks if you read this! talk to you soon 

Jacob

Flews

Hello yous,

I recently learned what flews were. As in a plural noun, "flews": the lip flaps common in many breeds of dogs. Such are the joys in playing Balderdash late at night.

So we are likely playing two or three shows this month for the first time in eons, most likely two shows at Jacob's Well scheduled for the 13th and 19th of December. It'll be a great return.

We're going through this weird phase of recording and selling/breaking a lot of equipment. I'm selling an amp and two basses, so if you are interested you should go jump on your bed in excitement and then try to contact me somehow.

I love each and every one of the people who read this. Stay posted for more info on our EP release sometime in the beginning of next year.

Sometimes when we touch,

Matthew

Studio 2

A weekend home has never been more necessary.

I came home to record some parts for the record that we are still working on as hard as ever, and found myself simply looking around and breathing in all things home. 

The weather was incredible. The end of fall is almost as gorgeous as the late september peak. It is when the earth takes on the most subtle tones. The air is alive and the skies are moody. Snow is just covering firm ground. I just really like these times. 

My house was so warm. It was great to see my family and my dog, catching up over books, and around a fireplace. My room was such a haven to my body worn of campus living. I was able to spend some very needed time alone with music, books, and boxes of summer memories. 

I lived with my dearest friends and bandmates again. We caught up in small increments and shared stories, thoughts, worries and music. 

We watched the world turn winter.

With all this said, we also spent time in the studio. We were able to track vocals on three of the tracks that we will be releasing which was a good feeling. We felt like the weekend set us up well for our recording plans for Christmas break. It was a good way to, in a sense, sink back into the studio after about a two month break. 

I am still very excited about everything that we have been working on. And even though now it is hard for me to see how everything will all come together, I feel confident that we are producing something good. 

We will be posting a demo on our myspace soon so check back often! 

Talk to you soon,

Jacob

Studio 1

|commuting|

|nook/sick blanket/unlimited texting|

|tribal dancing|

|DI's for life|

Wildflowers, Clouds, All Things Summer

Well, I suppose that recording music, like all things worth working and waiting for, will be a difficult thing to do. We have been in the studio for a strong two and a half months, and I just want to say that I really love making music. It is actually incredible. And I can speak for all of us when I say that we absolutely cannot wait to share this material with you! 

But as I hinted at, it has not really been easy. Whether it is simply enduring hours of the same rhythm or hours of takes that would amount to one and a half minutes of the song... recording takes a long time. In addition to those inevitable hurdles, there are the occasional moments when nobody wants to record anymore, because as amazing as making music is, at times it is work. That is just harsh reality.

So, I come to you know through a couple months of sweat, stress, arguments, accomplishments, and breakthroughs to say that really... things are going well.

Last Sunday, after we all had gone to church. Myself along with Grant and three of our closest friends, piled in my car and drove to one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to. About an hour and a half north of Traverse City is a village called Glen Arbor. Glen Arbor is on Lake Michigan. We drove down roads that sat in fields with a lot of flowers, passed over hills, and chased faded yellow lines until we were standing on hills, literally with the clouds. We swam in Lake Michigan, had diving contests, tumbled down dunes, threw rocks, walked on stones, and sat in the sun. We watched and felt the world around us.

Then, with bellies full of burgers, onion rings, and tater tots, we headed home.

The sky was full of heat lighting. Silent and powerful. The roads where quiet on the long drive back, and as we rode in my car with wet clothes and smelly bodies, we were listening to music. 

There are times when the music that I am listening to feels so right that I almost don't feel like what I am experiencing is even real. It is almost like I am simply watching a really good movie. This happened to me at this point. And it lead me to think about how very grateful I am for the friends that I have. 

Much like recording, friends this summer have not been easy, but like anything worth working and waiting for, comes decisions to be patient and have more focus than the moment at hand. 

I have been thinking more and more and more about the importance for me to realize and live with the realization that all good things take time. Anything worth anything at all is going to take time, but our culture does everything it can to tell us otherwise. 

I honestly don't want to be that guy blogging about culture and how it sucks, but the overstimulation, complete media-saturation and instant gratification worldview that proliferates TV and movies is completely disgusting. 

People can't sit still. We have become a people that can't walk down the street without noise in our heads and a screen in front of our faces. If something doesn't satisfy us, screw it and find something else. If something is strange, or stretches us, or actually takes brain power to understand, forget it. And this is not just something that affects the way people watch movies and listen to music, but is something that I believe deeply impacts the way that we treat the people, the world, and God. 

I have found the more that I make decisions to do the things that will require patience and thought the more I find a much deeper level of enjoyment. 

So, with all that said. We all hope that maybe we will be able to give you some music that you can think about. Music that will be more than you bargained for. Music that you could come to when you need it the most. 

All good things take time....

Jacob

ALSO! UPCOMING SHOW - PLEASE COME!