I wanted to get this out yesterday or the day before, but I got hit with some nasty food poisoning and did not have the physical or mental strength to deliver a column of desired quality. With that being said, here we are. It is 2023. Even though I am a sentimental person, I have never really been sentimental about the year coming to a close as many are. However, 2022 was an eventful year for me filled with ends, new beginnings, growth, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I want to briefly recap it while sharing my hopes, dreams, goals, and aspirations for 2023 because this is a public journal, right?
I turned 21 this year; that is a big birthday. I can now legally drink and purchase alcohol, but as far as the liquor store next to Tuscany Villa knows, that has been the case for four years. Here is a tip for under 21ers: grow a beard, and pretty much no one will question shit about you. I spent my 21st birthday at home in New Jersey after most of my friends left to go back to school. There is a picture in my Snapchat memories from my birthday and it is me watching a Bruce concert on the couch with Henry on my lap. Was it the most exciting celebration? No. But, it is hard to get any better than that. Then, I went to London where I started to write these. I am not going to recap my experience abroad too much because I already did in earlier newsletters that anyone can go back to and read. It surpassed all of my expectations. I truly did not anticipate the semester to be not only the most fun I have ever had but a formative experience where I learned a great deal about myself and the world around me. I feel boastful when I talk about going to the Louvre, the wine tour in Florence, touring the Coliseum in Rome, St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, and immersing myself in as much of the amazing city of London has to offer. It was so great, that I feel bad for people who did not or will not have a chance to experience it. Of course, I cannot overlook the new friendships and the deepening of existing friendships that happened over there. What a plus.
On a personal note, I both got out of a long relationship and got into a new relationship within the year, which is kind of crazy for me to reflect on. I guess I am just a relationship guy. Maybe, it is because I am a pretty open book; most people do not write down their feelings and post them on the internet or perhaps through song. I am grateful for it all shaping out for me to be left in a place where I am currently happy and content. I am starting to really feel like an adult in my mind and emotions. I look forward to growing and developing, and getting to a place where I feel like I am ready to take the bull by the horns when it comes to getting out into the real world. I am not quite there yet, but the seeds are planted, and I am on the right track mentally and emotionally. There is not that much time as I am about to embark on my last semester of college, but I know that I will get there soon, and any pressure I put on myself to get there overnight is probably counter-intuitive. In any case, the cliché holds true of experiences being about the friends and relationships made along the way. I am lucky to have people in my life that truly care about me and support me whether near or far, and that is a key ingredient in the recipe for my open and evolving notion of success.
Music, sweet music. 2022 saw me performing my first set in New York City. I love New York City, and many of my greatest musical experiences have happened within its confines. I have always dreamed of playing there, so it was cool to do that once, let alone three times—twice with the Montville iteration of the Mnemonic Advice band and once by myself solo acoustic. It honestly felt like any other set I have ever played, despite it being a milestone, but I have noticed that when I tell people that I have performed in New York City, it is almost instant legitimacy for me in their eyes. After all, show business is all about impressing people, so it is nice that I have that little nugget of credibility to whip out. I also played four shows in Syracuse this past semester, which was so fun. I played at The Westcott Theater, did an all-blues set at The Harrington with the M.A. Blues Brigade, performed some never-before-played stuff with the band at Redgate, and performed a solo acoustic set at Funk N’ Waffles, after not performing solo for a year. Not to mention, I also have accumulated dozens of songs for my next project and I am still neck-deep in the tedious process of demoing and recording them. I have never written so many songs in a year before, and I am happy that 2022 was able to amass that quantity and quality of art and prove to myself that I can be a great songwriter if I continue to work hard and hone in on my craft.
2023 should be another big year for me. What are my goals? Well, for one, get a job. I am getting less and less anxious about finding a perfect fit because I am realizing the idealist mindset does not come up fruitful in a job search. I want to get my foot in the door first and foremost, and figure out how I want my career to go from there. I want to make my family proud. I also look forward to continuing to deepen relationships and form new ones. I forgot how much I enjoy making new friends. Music-wise, I definitely want to release another album this year and play more shows. I want to continue to sharpen my songwriting and my abilities as a musician and performer. That flame will never die, and I am looking forward to working harder at it and progressing. I always say that although I dislike academia, I love to learn. Here is to learning some shit in 2023.
Grateful Eight
The New York Football Giants have made the playoffs for the first time since 2016. No one expected this team to even be .500 let alone have a winning record and make the playoffs. The team has been much less depressing to watch knowing that they are headed in the right direction.
I saw some amazing music this past year—whether it be an interpretation of Radiohead’s Kid A at the Jazz Cafe in London, The Cinelli Brothers blowing the roof of the Ain’t Nothing But the Blues Bar in SoHo in London, Wilco premiering their incredible new album at Solid Sound (I saw Wilco three times in 2022 and I already miss them), or Billy Strings play in that dumpy arena in Rochester. I am forever grateful for live music.
On that note, ONE MONTH until the E Street Band hits the road. I cannot wait. I also cannot wait to setlist-watch, and for friends to think I am the weirdest person a live for following a setlist to a show that I am not at in real-time. I admit it is weird.
Hey, the Mets have made some moves since we last spoke. I am grateful for Steve Cohen’s money and commitment to field a World Series-caliber team.
I am grateful for my health, and the health of those close to me. That is always an important aspect to acknowledge.
From there, I am grateful that I no longer have food poisoning.
Family dinners. Dinner in front of the TV at school is definitely a blast, but I have always liked to sit down at a table and talk.
I am a glutton for fuzzy socks.
This Week’s Rare Mnemonic Advice/Josh Carus Recording: Live at Heaven Can Wait 12/23/22
This was a great show, if I may say so myself. I have gotten a knack for composing an acoustic setlist, and the addition of many acoustic-driven quieter original songs has helped. I have learned from watching the greats perform solo, and prove that a song that can withstand being totally stripped back to its fundamental form is a song that is great. There is not a whole lot for me to say here, but I think this is one of the best shows that I have ever done and I am so excited to share it with my readers. It likely will be posted to Bandcamp soon as individual tracks in an album for everyone to download for free and listen to in a more organized way, but here is a taste.
Setlist:
Everyone’s Chasing a Dream
Drought
The Piano in Pink Moon
Clawing at the Glass
Can Wait
Over Yonder, in the Woods
Defending…
The Winner
You Were There When the Ship Sank
Merry Christmas, Baby (Otis Redding cover)
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