(I know I'm posting this pretty late, but I've been pretty busy trying to catch up with things at work, planning a wedding, and here recently, get my jeep situation squared away.)
July 24th, San Diego, CA
---
6:50am ET -- Just got on the plane heading to DFW in Dallas (my connecting flight). Didn't sleep the night before because I had work to finish... and I was overly excited to get to California (big thanks to BlogTV and SINxJAE). Not sure how this is going to be, but I've got a good feeling about this show. So good, I haven't even planned a set yet.
11:30am CT -- Just finished playing about 15-20 songs in the Dallas airport. It may have been to early for everyone as I noticed people leaving when I first pulled out the guitar. Oh well, they don't even know who I am. Oh well, I just bought a Naked Mango drink for breakfast so I'm good to go.
1:30pm PT (4:30pm in Pittsburgh) -- Just landed and I see a couple of wonderful faces, AJ and Jenny, totally being awesome for picking me up from SAN from flippin' LA. Ahh I love these two. At first I thought I lost my baggage, but then it surfaced at the VERY END of the cue. Gash people. Off to Fashion Valley!
6:30pm PT - Hangin with AJ, Jenny, RB, Kat Badar (Cake Batter), Matt, Jasmine, freakin Ramielle Malubay from American Idol, and one other (whose name totally slipped my mind... so sorry) fine filipino man at a Bubble Tea place. We discussing what we would do for money, and I realize that AJ REALLY doesn't care much for money... just the shock factor. Which is why I love him. Would you rather...?
10:00 PT - At the BlogTV campfire on the beach with all of the previous people, filled with TONS of BlogTVers, fans, and YouTube pros/celebs such as Alyssa Bernal, Sam Hart (Mario Kart Love Song guy), Ryan, Brandon, Jesse Barrera, Michael Carreon, Michelle Martinez, Thunder PerfectMind, Judy and Cindy, Krystle Cruz, Angie, Albert, Mark, Renato, Darren, Ronan, Petee, PhilChao, Richard Tran, and ... the list is endless. It was such an awesome time with just the feeling of community, laughter, singing, and of course, FIREWORKS?? Wow, is this shindig really that big? :)
July 25th, (Day of Featured Acoustic Playlist) San Diego, CA
--
12:00am PT - Left the bonfire and chillin' at Christian's house (which is BEAUTIFUL, btw) with Sam, Judy, Cindy, Brian, Ryan, Dustin, Monique, and Simon. I really really really wish I could have come earlier, but man, it's hard when you're on such a limited time schedule and all you wanna do is hug everyone. :D Miss you guys <3
3:00am PT - Sam and I finally get in our room. We decided to jam. I fell asleep guitar in hand.
7:00am PT - Woke up. Did my short workout-even-if-you-don't-have-weights thing. Sam is dead asleep.
8:45am PT - Sam is still asleep. I've been standing right by his bed the whole time.
9:30am PT - Got tired of standing by Sam's bed, so I woke up AJ while singing "Always Be My Baby" outside his hotel room. Totally amazing bedhair, btw. Finally met Gabe Bondoc face-to-face... and his allergies. <3 Soundcheck starts at 12:00 noon.
12:30pm PT - Just got to the venue after scarfing down some Denny's and boy I'm glad we're Filipino - we were some of the first ones there, LOL. Got to see Glenn, the staff, and the sound system (which was looking amazing during setup). To the green room, and I see lots and lots of people. Pizza, water, and AMP. That's all we need... except toilet paper in the bathroom. :)
4:00pm PT - Pre-show acts are going on and they already sound amazing. :D Met Timirose, Melissa Polinar (friggin' amazing songwriter btw), Andrew and Frank, KrisMark, Jon Cardona, AlexJohn, Michelle Do... I'm signing autographs beside vocal phenoms Cathy Nguyen and Alyssa Bernal. In other words, I got "so, who are you again? I'm looking for Cathy/Alyssa" a lot. LOL :D j/k... but not really... Met a lot of fans, took many pictures, gave many hugs... even found out that I have my own Pokemon card. I wonder what my power is. Also got me one-a them radisrad shirts (thx guys!).
8:15pm PT - Did Victor just break his back? How does someone do that??? Victor from Quest and Lydia Paek are on stage, tearing every inch of entertainment real estate up. I've watched some great shows, but I think that EVERYONE HERE could have been the headliner. :) About to watch Amiel and crew. :D
9:15pm PT - I'm on stage. I don't think I've ever played in front of a better, more responsive, more loving crowd that the one at FAP. Set: If I Ain't Got You, Candy Red, Velvet Fingertips, When The Lights Burn Out, No Diggity (totally impromptu performance by AJ and Timmy DeLaGhetto, SO SICK) Holy moly, some just offered to have my babies.... oh wait, that was John-John. Left the stage feeling like I was on top of the world. Alyssa texts me, "We have got to do Comfortable" Am I gonna say no? Did I even have the chance to think it? :D
10:00pm PT - Cathy Nguyen just broke the sound system. But then she brought it back to life. She's just that good. :D AJ is on right now and I am so amazed by this performance. I seriously love it. One thing that I loved about it was that the love for music is alive when all of them are on stage. Another, they rocked the house. Ahhh so good. :D
11:45pm PT - Passion (love this guy) just used my guitar for a song he wrote for his girlfriend who lives overseas - probably the sweetest thing i've ever heard. Ramiele performed with Gabe before this (so flippin awesome) and so did Melissa Polinar, in which I didn't know this, is the definition of a must-see live performer. And of course, there is Gabe, who pretty much rocked everyone's face off with an amazing set, including a very impressive version of Best I've Ever Had. After this show ended, I just wanted to hug everyone, especially Leo who flew in super late, but surprised all of us. If you missed out on this show, you missed out on the Asian version of Woodstock, minus the bad stuff.
July 26th, Post-Show, San Diego, CA
--
2:00am PT -- Just finished having Denny's across from Kat Badar, and beside Phil Chao. I was still amazed by how well everyone got along. I was also probably the only person having coffee at 2am.
4:45am PT -- Just finished recording raw video of Comfortable with Alyssa Bernal. Lots of people in me and Sam's room - Dustin, Sam, Brandon?, Monique, Grace, Jesse, Richard, Leo, Matt, Jasmine... I hope I didn't forget anyone, I was delirious by 5:00am when we left for the airport.
5:30am PT - Jesse Barrera and Grace dropped me off at the airport and I love them for it. I didn't tell them that they dropped me off at the wrong terminal, but it's okay. It was like I tried to get stuck in SAN on purpose. Ran into Kristyn at the terminal who congratulated me on a wonderful set, and I was just blown away that anyone would even remember! :D Especially someone I've never met before! :) yaay.
(Sometime on the planes) - editing the Comfortable video, and LOLing on the parts where we're doing stupid stupid stuff. I bet I looked so weird. Oh well. Done, goodnight... should be arriving home soon.
...Oh crap, I forgot to call Natalie back.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Having what it takes...
As time goes on, the pressure is on with my musical career. I constantly ask myself, "Do I have what it takes to go full-time with music?"
Right now, I have a great job in IT. I've been with the company a few years now and every year, I surprise myself with how much I learn over that time. But now, time at work is more demanding than ever and it is cutting into my musical career, taking it over almost completely. People constantly ask me "why do you look so tired in your videos?"
I look tired because I'm doing videos at 3am... and then having to wake up at 6am.
Although, I love doing YouTube and my passion lies in my music, I don't know which way to go from here.
I guess my question is this:
What would you do in my position?
Right now, I have a great job in IT. I've been with the company a few years now and every year, I surprise myself with how much I learn over that time. But now, time at work is more demanding than ever and it is cutting into my musical career, taking it over almost completely. People constantly ask me "why do you look so tired in your videos?"
I look tired because I'm doing videos at 3am... and then having to wake up at 6am.
Although, I love doing YouTube and my passion lies in my music, I don't know which way to go from here.
I guess my question is this:
What would you do in my position?
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Life Update
Wow, has it been a while or what? :) If you keep up with me and my YouTube-ness, you've probably asked yourself, "Where has Chris been?"
Well...
- I just moved to Pittsburgh about two months ago.
- Started working a new contract here in PA, so getting used to that has been keeping me busy around the clock.
- Been trying to kinda get in better shape, although it's not really working so well. :P
Other than that, life is doing well.
Janelle is starting to manage walking around now, which is a great improvement since she started physical rehabilitation months ago. During the last visit, my mother sent home a bunch of things I might want - my very first dj mixer (with VU meters WOW), a tambourine, some bongos, and, to my delight, Janelle's old ukulele from 6th grade that I forgot she had. It's kinda beaten up and has two old strings on it, but I noticed that there were signatures and notes from her old classmates on the back. As I started reading them, I remembered how much of an influence Janelle was (and is) to me. Maybe you'll be seeing ukulele vids from me in the future.
Kobie is about 14 months old now, and she is starting to calm down, but she thinks she's higher in rank than Lydia (lol). We take her to the dog park at Frick Park on a daily basis so that she can get her hyperness out. To think, it's was about this time last year when I got Kobie @ 19 lbs. :) She's now 63 lbs.
A huge congratulations to all the people who graduated from college. Lydia graduated from the WVU nursing school with top honors and was named "Most Outstanding Student" for the WVU Nursing class of 2009. Being so smart, I wonder why she's marrying me. :)
A big congratulations to my childhood friend, Kirby, and his new wife, Brandi on tying the knot on May 16th! WOOOHOOO comerbeberenguadalajaramamajama!
More updates to come. :) Miss you guys.
Well...
- I just moved to Pittsburgh about two months ago.
- Started working a new contract here in PA, so getting used to that has been keeping me busy around the clock.
- Been trying to kinda get in better shape, although it's not really working so well. :P
Other than that, life is doing well.
Janelle is starting to manage walking around now, which is a great improvement since she started physical rehabilitation months ago. During the last visit, my mother sent home a bunch of things I might want - my very first dj mixer (with VU meters WOW), a tambourine, some bongos, and, to my delight, Janelle's old ukulele from 6th grade that I forgot she had. It's kinda beaten up and has two old strings on it, but I noticed that there were signatures and notes from her old classmates on the back. As I started reading them, I remembered how much of an influence Janelle was (and is) to me. Maybe you'll be seeing ukulele vids from me in the future.
Kobie is about 14 months old now, and she is starting to calm down, but she thinks she's higher in rank than Lydia (lol). We take her to the dog park at Frick Park on a daily basis so that she can get her hyperness out. To think, it's was about this time last year when I got Kobie @ 19 lbs. :) She's now 63 lbs.
A huge congratulations to all the people who graduated from college. Lydia graduated from the WVU nursing school with top honors and was named "Most Outstanding Student" for the WVU Nursing class of 2009. Being so smart, I wonder why she's marrying me. :)
A big congratulations to my childhood friend, Kirby, and his new wife, Brandi on tying the knot on May 16th! WOOOHOOO comerbeberenguadalajaramamajama!
More updates to come. :) Miss you guys.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Gig Reviews: Stuckey-Dolan Wedding
There have been times in my DJing career where I thought to myself during shows, "I need to practice my chops" or "This is getting old..." or even "Maybe I should give this up...
Not this crowd. This wedding only made me want to go back to being a professional club DJ.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to quit what I'm doing (i.e. singing, playing guitar, and fixing computers), but the way the reception went just kinda rekindled my love as a turntablist. I don't think I've had as much fun with any group. I think what made the difference was that Bo (the groom) asked for strictly club music from 9:30 until close. My first reaction was "Are you sure?" and Bo said, "Definitely."
He was right - everyone there was gittin' down to biggie, t-pain, flo-rida, lil' jon... and of course, the adrenaline from the club set put me in my element and made me think, "Why did this ever stop?"
Anywho, it was a fun night and a big congratulations to Drs. Bo and Lindsey Dolan! Thank you for letting me be a part of your post-ceremony festivities. :)
------------------
GIG UPDATES --
THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 23rd @ 12 Noon-2pm
Live w/ Domenick DeGeorge and Andrew Bottini
The Mountain Lair, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
THIS FRIDAY, APRIL 24th @ 7pm-8pm
Solo gig @ Hot Topic
Morgantown Mall, Morgantown, WV
See you there!
Not this crowd. This wedding only made me want to go back to being a professional club DJ.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to quit what I'm doing (i.e. singing, playing guitar, and fixing computers), but the way the reception went just kinda rekindled my love as a turntablist. I don't think I've had as much fun with any group. I think what made the difference was that Bo (the groom) asked for strictly club music from 9:30 until close. My first reaction was "Are you sure?" and Bo said, "Definitely."
He was right - everyone there was gittin' down to biggie, t-pain, flo-rida, lil' jon... and of course, the adrenaline from the club set put me in my element and made me think, "Why did this ever stop?"
Anywho, it was a fun night and a big congratulations to Drs. Bo and Lindsey Dolan! Thank you for letting me be a part of your post-ceremony festivities. :)
------------------
GIG UPDATES --
THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 23rd @ 12 Noon-2pm
Live w/ Domenick DeGeorge and Andrew Bottini
The Mountain Lair, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
THIS FRIDAY, APRIL 24th @ 7pm-8pm
Solo gig @ Hot Topic
Morgantown Mall, Morgantown, WV
See you there!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Heading North.
So, I'm moving to Pittsburgh.
I'm super excited! I just don't know anything about the city, except:
- there is a couple Guitar Centers and one awesome Ikea.
- there is a large airport.
- traffic is horribly bad around the tunnels.
- it is on the wrong side of the backyard brawl.
- they have really amazing microbreweries.
- the food rocks.
- crime is kicking up a bit.
Nonetheless, it is probably one of the more convenient places to live on the East Coast. :) And if I get home sick from West Virginia or California, home is just 1-4 hours away... well, for a price.
The house I got is a nice two-story with a basement and a backyard for Kobie. I learned quickly that living in a townhouse with a orally-fixated 90-pound means "no room for anything." She's actually sitting right beside me, staring and armed with her slobbery USC-colored tug-o-war rope. Although obnoxious, she's still really really cute.
If any of you know anything about Pittsburgh, I'd like to get some insight on a few things:
- good coffee
- open mic nights
- dog parks
- a good, youthful Catholic church
- good gyms (a buddy of mine is opening one up, but it won't be for a while)
- city shortcuts around traffic
And of course, if you wanna meet up and hang, I'm all about it. :)
Dear Morgantown,
It was fun while it lasted, but it's time to bite the bullet.
I'm sorry for leaving, but I promise I'll come back again.
Love,
Chris
.... and Happy Easter everyone! He is risen! Alleluia!
I'm super excited! I just don't know anything about the city, except:
- there is a couple Guitar Centers and one awesome Ikea.
- there is a large airport.
- traffic is horribly bad around the tunnels.
- it is on the wrong side of the backyard brawl.
- they have really amazing microbreweries.
- the food rocks.
- crime is kicking up a bit.
Nonetheless, it is probably one of the more convenient places to live on the East Coast. :) And if I get home sick from West Virginia or California, home is just 1-4 hours away... well, for a price.
The house I got is a nice two-story with a basement and a backyard for Kobie. I learned quickly that living in a townhouse with a orally-fixated 90-pound means "no room for anything." She's actually sitting right beside me, staring and armed with her slobbery USC-colored tug-o-war rope. Although obnoxious, she's still really really cute.
If any of you know anything about Pittsburgh, I'd like to get some insight on a few things:
- good coffee
- open mic nights
- dog parks
- a good, youthful Catholic church
- good gyms (a buddy of mine is opening one up, but it won't be for a while)
- city shortcuts around traffic
And of course, if you wanna meet up and hang, I'm all about it. :)
Dear Morgantown,
It was fun while it lasted, but it's time to bite the bullet.
I'm sorry for leaving, but I promise I'll come back again.
Love,
Chris
.... and Happy Easter everyone! He is risen! Alleluia!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
I <3 WVU Dance Minors
Yup, I said it. "Minors".
No, not the kinds that are like underage, the dancers who take time out of their busy major, whether it's Spanish, Art, or Medicine, to do what they absolutely love.
I played at the WVU Spring Dance Recital with Rachel Romero, a dance minor who also just got into the WVU Medical School, and it had to have been the most appreciated I'd felt for a long time. I played John Mayer's "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" and she did a solo dance to it. The crowd loved it and so did the other dancers in the program.
I thought Rachel kicked butt.
Leslie (a dancer/choreographer in LA) and Maribelle (a graphic designer in Ft. Lauderdale) who are both amazing dancers would have been blown away and so proud of her. I was going to cry at some points. Nonetheless, I enjoyed every minute of it.... Not only the part where I got to perform, but watching all of the other dance minors do their thing - ALL of them were spectacular.
So thank you all so much for letting me be a part of your performance and definitely for the amazing creativity you all show. I loved it!
If you haven't seen a show live, here is a clip that was taken by my cousin, EJ, in Charleston, West Virginia.
Tim Courts (Drums), Jimmy Lykens (Bass), Ryan Kennedy (Electric), Eric Pyles (Sound). Thanks to EJ and the girls for the upload. :)
Enjoy :)
No, not the kinds that are like underage, the dancers who take time out of their busy major, whether it's Spanish, Art, or Medicine, to do what they absolutely love.
I played at the WVU Spring Dance Recital with Rachel Romero, a dance minor who also just got into the WVU Medical School, and it had to have been the most appreciated I'd felt for a long time. I played John Mayer's "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" and she did a solo dance to it. The crowd loved it and so did the other dancers in the program.
I thought Rachel kicked butt.
Leslie (a dancer/choreographer in LA) and Maribelle (a graphic designer in Ft. Lauderdale) who are both amazing dancers would have been blown away and so proud of her. I was going to cry at some points. Nonetheless, I enjoyed every minute of it.... Not only the part where I got to perform, but watching all of the other dance minors do their thing - ALL of them were spectacular.
So thank you all so much for letting me be a part of your performance and definitely for the amazing creativity you all show. I loved it!
If you haven't seen a show live, here is a clip that was taken by my cousin, EJ, in Charleston, West Virginia.
Tim Courts (Drums), Jimmy Lykens (Bass), Ryan Kennedy (Electric), Eric Pyles (Sound). Thanks to EJ and the girls for the upload. :)
Enjoy :)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Gig Reviews: So.Zo and Bocktown
So.Zo -- Morgantown, West Virginia
What a great place to play! I love this place. They've always got really friendly staff and a great sound guy. Played this gig with Dom DeGeorge, Andrew Bottini, and Tami Alexander. It was one of the first shows I played with a setlist, but hey it turned out pretty good.
Awesome people from Columbus came to listen to the show. Big shout to Jenny Wang :) Thank you to ALL the people who showed up to listen and participate - meaning the "WOOOOHAAAHHH!" on Only You. Loved it.
Dom and I played a middle set with just the acoustics and I was very pleased with the sound. The band did an excellent job, as well!
You absolutely must try their Vanilla Chai. :) Hands down, a solid time at the show.
Venue Rating: 8 of 10 Lydias. (New rating system, teehee - feel free to leave your own comments below!)
-----
Bocktown -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
If there is one place can I say I look forward to playing at every year, it is here. Food is amazing, beer is amazing, staff is amazing. Sold. :)
Dom and I played here together. The first 1/3 of the set sounded funny, only because of EQing issues (got spoiled from having a sound guy). When Dom went on to do his set (and with some feedback from Dom's sister's boyfriend), I EQ'ed it correctly, and from then on it was a blast. Andrew and Tara were there to support us. Tara is awesome, Andrew - good choice! :)
We met a couple of people there, Jack and Tom who do a lot of Irish tunes, and I'll tell ya... I love these guys. They supported us as if they knew us since childhood, holding out the tip jar for us, almost getting into a fight about it (hahaha, amazing story from Jack)... can't get better first-time fans than that. Reminded me of the gig I played down in Beckley, WV @ Foster's :).
I had an angry set where I dropped the F-bomb in Steamroller and I think I felt some aftershock from the "f". I don't condone doing it, but it is in the song. :P
Great night, just got home at 3am... but that doesn't matter cause we got the house in Pittsburgh yesterday! :)
Loved it.
Venue Rating: 8 of 10 Lydias.
What a great place to play! I love this place. They've always got really friendly staff and a great sound guy. Played this gig with Dom DeGeorge, Andrew Bottini, and Tami Alexander. It was one of the first shows I played with a setlist, but hey it turned out pretty good.
Awesome people from Columbus came to listen to the show. Big shout to Jenny Wang :) Thank you to ALL the people who showed up to listen and participate - meaning the "WOOOOHAAAHHH!" on Only You. Loved it.
Dom and I played a middle set with just the acoustics and I was very pleased with the sound. The band did an excellent job, as well!
You absolutely must try their Vanilla Chai. :) Hands down, a solid time at the show.
Venue Rating: 8 of 10 Lydias. (New rating system, teehee - feel free to leave your own comments below!)
-----
Bocktown -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
If there is one place can I say I look forward to playing at every year, it is here. Food is amazing, beer is amazing, staff is amazing. Sold. :)
Dom and I played here together. The first 1/3 of the set sounded funny, only because of EQing issues (got spoiled from having a sound guy). When Dom went on to do his set (and with some feedback from Dom's sister's boyfriend), I EQ'ed it correctly, and from then on it was a blast. Andrew and Tara were there to support us. Tara is awesome, Andrew - good choice! :)
We met a couple of people there, Jack and Tom who do a lot of Irish tunes, and I'll tell ya... I love these guys. They supported us as if they knew us since childhood, holding out the tip jar for us, almost getting into a fight about it (hahaha, amazing story from Jack)... can't get better first-time fans than that. Reminded me of the gig I played down in Beckley, WV @ Foster's :).
I had an angry set where I dropped the F-bomb in Steamroller and I think I felt some aftershock from the "f". I don't condone doing it, but it is in the song. :P
Great night, just got home at 3am... but that doesn't matter cause we got the house in Pittsburgh yesterday! :)
Loved it.
Venue Rating: 8 of 10 Lydias.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Dustin harts my package. Do you?
Dustin made a video response to "New Day".
If you got the CD, feel free to do the same! :) I'd like to know what you think about the CD. :)
Till then, I'll be fixing computers.
If you got the CD, feel free to do the same! :) I'd like to know what you think about the CD. :)
Till then, I'll be fixing computers.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Gig Reviews: Empire Books and Capitol Roasters Cafe
It's 2am and I think it's time for me to go bed... but my face hurts from all these amazing gigs. :)
Empire Books and News, Huntington, West Virginia, 3/19 -
This gig was special - not only because this is where I started out, but I also got this KILLER article in the paper by Entertainment Writer Dave Lavender from the Huntington Herald-Dispatch. What a privilege to have such an awesome reporter write something so uplifting... :) If you're reading this, thanks Dave! To start off, I had about 4 hours of sleep the night before because I was working on the recently uploaded "New Day" video. With that, some things went wrong:
1) My battery in my guitar ran out of juice in the middle of the first song.
2) Jonathan broke a string.
3) I broke a string.
4) Jimmy canceled, so I told Timmy to not show.
What a night. :) But I'll tell you what, it all came together. Mark ended up bringing a djembe and Bob brought an electric cello! It was all amazing. :) Wonderful work, everyone!
-----
Capitol Roaster's Cafe, Charleston, West Virginia, 3/21:
Never played here before in my life and we absolutely had an amazing crowd! My family came up to Charleston and brought my father up there! It blew me away. :) I don't wanna ever forget feeling what I did at this gig.
This was hands down the best gig I've ever played. Ryan Kennedy, Tim Courts, and Jimmy Lykens on one stage with me was like being able to play with the 1995 Chicago Bulls - the dream team was definitely there! Eric Pyles ran the sound and it was such an amazing mix - super awesome job Eric!
Simply put - Two hours worth of some of the best musicating I'd heard/done in a LOOONG time.. :) I feel bad for the people that missed it, but man, that is their fault. As soon as I heard "Candy Red" startup, I knew it was going down. :)
I felt like I sold a lot of CDs, but I came up with only about 12 CDs worth of money. I should have just trusted the money with someone I knew... I'll be checking up on this.
But nonetheless, they guys were amazing and I couldn't have played with a better crew. :) So fun!
Did anyone catch the BlogTV broadcast, btw?
Empire Books and News, Huntington, West Virginia, 3/19 -
This gig was special - not only because this is where I started out, but I also got this KILLER article in the paper by Entertainment Writer Dave Lavender from the Huntington Herald-Dispatch. What a privilege to have such an awesome reporter write something so uplifting... :) If you're reading this, thanks Dave! To start off, I had about 4 hours of sleep the night before because I was working on the recently uploaded "New Day" video. With that, some things went wrong:
1) My battery in my guitar ran out of juice in the middle of the first song.
2) Jonathan broke a string.
3) I broke a string.
4) Jimmy canceled, so I told Timmy to not show.
What a night. :) But I'll tell you what, it all came together. Mark ended up bringing a djembe and Bob brought an electric cello! It was all amazing. :) Wonderful work, everyone!
-----
Capitol Roaster's Cafe, Charleston, West Virginia, 3/21:
Never played here before in my life and we absolutely had an amazing crowd! My family came up to Charleston and brought my father up there! It blew me away. :) I don't wanna ever forget feeling what I did at this gig.
This was hands down the best gig I've ever played. Ryan Kennedy, Tim Courts, and Jimmy Lykens on one stage with me was like being able to play with the 1995 Chicago Bulls - the dream team was definitely there! Eric Pyles ran the sound and it was such an amazing mix - super awesome job Eric!
Simply put - Two hours worth of some of the best musicating I'd heard/done in a LOOONG time.. :) I feel bad for the people that missed it, but man, that is their fault. As soon as I heard "Candy Red" startup, I knew it was going down. :)
I felt like I sold a lot of CDs, but I came up with only about 12 CDs worth of money. I should have just trusted the money with someone I knew... I'll be checking up on this.
But nonetheless, they guys were amazing and I couldn't have played with a better crew. :) So fun!
Did anyone catch the BlogTV broadcast, btw?
Sunday, March 15, 2009
What's the deal with the CD?
The CD FAQ:
------
Q: I preordered, so when am I going to get the CD?
A: Soon after I get the CD. :) The CD is still in transit to my place and is about 60 miles away on a UPS truck. It takes about a month to get them done, so I think we're on track. I, also, still have to sign them, package them, and send them off.
Q: Where are you releasing the CD?
A: Huntington, West Virginia @ Empire Books and News. March 19th, 6-8pm. :)
EDIT-
Q: What about the rest of us who live like a bajillion miles away?
A: Go to the website, click the link "CD RELEASE SPECIAL", and there you go! :)
EDIT-
Q: How much will the physical CDs go for regularly?
A: Shipping is $5.00 USD for US, and $7.00 for international.
- Waiting is going to be $15 USD plus shipping.
- Guarding Joey will be $10 USD plus shipping.
- If you decide to get both, it will be $25 USD plus one shipping charge.
Q: How do I pay for the physical CD?
A: Two ways -
- Website - Go to "Works" and click "Buy Now"
- Check/Money Order - send payment to Chris Cendana Music, PO BOX 704, Morgantown, WV 26507.
Q: Why do you keep saying "physical CD" - Is your CD going to be on iTunes?
A: Yes, Waiting will be available no later than March 31st, 2009. Guarding Joey will be available no later than April 3rd, 2009.
Q: How much will it be there?
A: I don't know yet, but odds are it will be cheaper than the physical CD.
Q: What is the deal with Guarding Joey?
A: It is the bonus CD that everyone who preordered is getting for FREE. Everyone else will have to pay a nominal amount. If you buy the physical EP, there will be two bonus tracks included at the end, which is NOT available on iTunes.
Q: Why should I buy the CDs?
A: Because I put nearly 2 months of paychecks into this album... because I made an oath to my family that my sister would recieve 10% of my CD sales every month. ...and because you love me. :)
Q: What are your favorite songs on the CDs, Chris?
A: That's an awkward question, but if you ask me... (Not in order) The whole Waiting album, Only You, We Will Fly, and the two bonus tracks on the EP. :)
-----
If you have anymore questions, please let me know! :)
-C
------
Q: I preordered, so when am I going to get the CD?
A: Soon after I get the CD. :) The CD is still in transit to my place and is about 60 miles away on a UPS truck. It takes about a month to get them done, so I think we're on track. I, also, still have to sign them, package them, and send them off.
Q: Where are you releasing the CD?
A: Huntington, West Virginia @ Empire Books and News. March 19th, 6-8pm. :)
EDIT-
Q: What about the rest of us who live like a bajillion miles away?
A: Go to the website, click the link "CD RELEASE SPECIAL", and there you go! :)
EDIT-
Q: How much will the physical CDs go for regularly?
A: Shipping is $5.00 USD for US, and $7.00 for international.
- Waiting is going to be $15 USD plus shipping.
- Guarding Joey will be $10 USD plus shipping.
- If you decide to get both, it will be $25 USD plus one shipping charge.
Q: How do I pay for the physical CD?
A: Two ways -
- Website - Go to "Works" and click "Buy Now"
- Check/Money Order - send payment to Chris Cendana Music, PO BOX 704, Morgantown, WV 26507.
Q: Why do you keep saying "physical CD" - Is your CD going to be on iTunes?
A: Yes, Waiting will be available no later than March 31st, 2009. Guarding Joey will be available no later than April 3rd, 2009.
Q: How much will it be there?
A: I don't know yet, but odds are it will be cheaper than the physical CD.
Q: What is the deal with Guarding Joey?
A: It is the bonus CD that everyone who preordered is getting for FREE. Everyone else will have to pay a nominal amount. If you buy the physical EP, there will be two bonus tracks included at the end, which is NOT available on iTunes.
Q: Why should I buy the CDs?
A: Because I put nearly 2 months of paychecks into this album... because I made an oath to my family that my sister would recieve 10% of my CD sales every month. ...and because you love me. :)
Q: What are your favorite songs on the CDs, Chris?
A: That's an awkward question, but if you ask me... (Not in order) The whole Waiting album, Only You, We Will Fly, and the two bonus tracks on the EP. :)
-----
If you have anymore questions, please let me know! :)
-C
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Oriental Pecan Salmon - an original recipe
I totally am proud of what I came up with last night for dinner. :) Hear that? It's the sound of me tooting my own horn.
If you're Catholic, most chances are you are abstaining from meat on Friday. I tried to get creative in the kitchen and it actually turned out good! So here's something I think I'm going to add to my repertoire (and guys, if I can do it... you know the rest - do it for the girls!):
4 pieces of fresh salmon
2 cups crushed pecans
1 bottle of teriyaki marinade
1 lemon
1/2 stick of butter, melted
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1) Marinate Salmon for 60 minutes in 1/2 of the bottle of teriyaki and fresh lemon juice in a ziplock bag in the fridge.
2) After marination, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3) Place salmon in a baking pan and pour marinade on top of the salmon to coat.
4) Coat salmon with chopped pecans.
5) Pour butter over pecans and sift brown sugar over that soon after.
6) Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 3-5 minutes before serving.
I also added rice with broccoli and some stir-fry veggies to mix it up. Enjoy!
If you're Catholic, most chances are you are abstaining from meat on Friday. I tried to get creative in the kitchen and it actually turned out good! So here's something I think I'm going to add to my repertoire (and guys, if I can do it... you know the rest - do it for the girls!):
4 pieces of fresh salmon
2 cups crushed pecans
1 bottle of teriyaki marinade
1 lemon
1/2 stick of butter, melted
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1) Marinate Salmon for 60 minutes in 1/2 of the bottle of teriyaki and fresh lemon juice in a ziplock bag in the fridge.
2) After marination, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3) Place salmon in a baking pan and pour marinade on top of the salmon to coat.
4) Coat salmon with chopped pecans.
5) Pour butter over pecans and sift brown sugar over that soon after.
6) Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 3-5 minutes before serving.
I also added rice with broccoli and some stir-fry veggies to mix it up. Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Embarrasing Story Time: Number One
"Boomshakalaka!"
A true, yet embarrasing story.
It was the spring time of my 6th grade year at the Catholic school I attended. The leaves were starting to bud from what I could tell from our window-stacked wall facing the hills of West Virginia. We were in the middle of our busy art session in which we were asked to sign a card for all the people in a local shut-in.
"Shut-in. Shut-in? What is a shut-in?", I asked myself. It took a few minutes as I itched my hairless chin... and then it came to me!
I started to get a good feeling all through my body and I got all excited, thinking about how fortunate the people at the local shut-in were to be able to stay up all night, hangout with all their friends, eat pizza endlessly, and play basketball until they dropped dead because they weren't allowed to leave. Yeeahhh, a shut-in!
During this time in my life, one of my favorite games on Super Nintendo was NBA Jam. If you aren't familiar with this game, it was one of the most fast paced, realistic games of our time with up-to-date stats of all the players, including the all-time favorite Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. Another feature of this game was that during "on fire" points, Dick Vitale or someone of the like would make the comment "BOOMSHAKALAKA", rejoicing in the amazingness of the prior play. And I loved that line.
I loved that line so much that when I was thinking about all the people in the shut-in, I quickly reached for my sharpie (which was next to my sacred colored pencil collection), and wrote in the heart-felt Hallmark card, full of comments and prayers from other students, "Boomshakalaka. Have fun! - Chris"
So massively that it took up 1/4 of the inside of the card. And engraved so hard the intoxicating ink of the sharpie bled through the front cover.
Once my teacher got the card, her eyes grew large and red, almost like a red light that you are more than surprised to see in the middle of the interstate, telling you that a train is about to come and intersect you on your path down ignorance.
She then elegantly stomped over to the bookshelf, grabbed a dictionary, and slammed it down in front of me. The definition was something like this:
shut-in [shuht-in] -adj. 1. confined to one's home, a hospital, etc., as from illness.
(Dictionary.com)
...
whoops.
A true, yet embarrasing story.
It was the spring time of my 6th grade year at the Catholic school I attended. The leaves were starting to bud from what I could tell from our window-stacked wall facing the hills of West Virginia. We were in the middle of our busy art session in which we were asked to sign a card for all the people in a local shut-in.
"Shut-in. Shut-in? What is a shut-in?", I asked myself. It took a few minutes as I itched my hairless chin... and then it came to me!
I started to get a good feeling all through my body and I got all excited, thinking about how fortunate the people at the local shut-in were to be able to stay up all night, hangout with all their friends, eat pizza endlessly, and play basketball until they dropped dead because they weren't allowed to leave. Yeeahhh, a shut-in!
During this time in my life, one of my favorite games on Super Nintendo was NBA Jam. If you aren't familiar with this game, it was one of the most fast paced, realistic games of our time with up-to-date stats of all the players, including the all-time favorite Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. Another feature of this game was that during "on fire" points, Dick Vitale or someone of the like would make the comment "BOOMSHAKALAKA", rejoicing in the amazingness of the prior play. And I loved that line.
I loved that line so much that when I was thinking about all the people in the shut-in, I quickly reached for my sharpie (which was next to my sacred colored pencil collection), and wrote in the heart-felt Hallmark card, full of comments and prayers from other students, "Boomshakalaka. Have fun! - Chris"
So massively that it took up 1/4 of the inside of the card. And engraved so hard the intoxicating ink of the sharpie bled through the front cover.
Once my teacher got the card, her eyes grew large and red, almost like a red light that you are more than surprised to see in the middle of the interstate, telling you that a train is about to come and intersect you on your path down ignorance.
She then elegantly stomped over to the bookshelf, grabbed a dictionary, and slammed it down in front of me. The definition was something like this:
shut-in [shuht-in] -adj. 1. confined to one's home, a hospital, etc., as from illness.
(Dictionary.com)
...
whoops.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Where the heart is...
My job is wonderful.
I get regular pay for what I do. People know me and always seem to need me. I learn more and more everyday and that makes me happier. The only downside is that I commute an hour and a half to where I go, then ANOTHER hour and a half back. Yeah, 3 hours. Just in driving. I bought my Jeep 2 years ago with 19k miles. Now, it's over 100,000. On top of that, I work 9 hours a day. So, yes. Twelve hours of work for a day, 4 days a week. I'm losing so much of my time with my fiance, dog, exercise, self... and of course, music. It's so draining.
My dream job would be to be a well-known singer/songwriter... so much that I could write songs all day, record all day, all while being able to be home to take care of ones that I love.
So I guess my question is --
What do you love to do? Would you drop everything constantly provided for you to do that, which makes you happiest?
I get regular pay for what I do. People know me and always seem to need me. I learn more and more everyday and that makes me happier. The only downside is that I commute an hour and a half to where I go, then ANOTHER hour and a half back. Yeah, 3 hours. Just in driving. I bought my Jeep 2 years ago with 19k miles. Now, it's over 100,000. On top of that, I work 9 hours a day. So, yes. Twelve hours of work for a day, 4 days a week. I'm losing so much of my time with my fiance, dog, exercise, self... and of course, music. It's so draining.
My dream job would be to be a well-known singer/songwriter... so much that I could write songs all day, record all day, all while being able to be home to take care of ones that I love.
So I guess my question is --
What do you love to do? Would you drop everything constantly provided for you to do that, which makes you happiest?
Monday, March 2, 2009
What else can I add to my busy life?
A blog? Are you kidding me?
Obviously not.
:)
I have a blog on chriscendanamusic.com but i think I'm going to synchronize it with this one. It seems as if the subscriptions won't register, unless you hookup to a mobileme account. I don't have that much to let go of (as far as money is concerned).
So, hello world! Here is my blog... and since I'm here --
Twitter
for my normal, one-liner updates.
Eventful
for statistics and to see where i'm most liked :)
MySpace
for people who prefer MySpace
YouTube
for the videos :)
Chris Cendana Official Website
the one-stop shop for information about moi.
You can also find more on Facebook, as far a group and a page (not sure what the diffference is, but hey, I update both!) :)
till the next time -
much love,
chris
Obviously not.
:)
I have a blog on chriscendanamusic.com but i think I'm going to synchronize it with this one. It seems as if the subscriptions won't register, unless you hookup to a mobileme account. I don't have that much to let go of (as far as money is concerned).
So, hello world! Here is my blog... and since I'm here --
for my normal, one-liner updates.
Eventful
for statistics and to see where i'm most liked :)
MySpace
for people who prefer MySpace
YouTube
for the videos :)
Chris Cendana Official Website
the one-stop shop for information about moi.
You can also find more on Facebook, as far a group and a page (not sure what the diffference is, but hey, I update both!) :)
till the next time -
much love,
chris
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