Guess who’s back? I hope everyone is doing well as we enter the home stretch of winter. It is bitterly cold today in Syracuse and it has been for the past couple of weeks. We got a lot of snow here, but in true Syracuse fashion, you would hardly even know it with how fast plows came out and the streets and sidewalks were salted. Overall, this Syracuse winter rivals my freshman-year winter in frigidness and snowfall. I tell people that ever since freshman year, I no longer suffer in the cold, but I will tell you what, I am suffering! Anyway, enough about the weather. This is water-cooler talk, where it should be about me telling you shit that is going on in my life. Without further ado, here is that.
I have been productive music-wise with a handful of recent performances, and a couple of songs that I have churned out since the last Breaker’s Point. I did a TV performance at Dick Clark Studios here in Newhouse. It was a TV set with a stage, lights, and a bunch of excessively high-definition cameras that exposed every hair, blackhead and blemish on my face. They did offer me make-up, but I declined. It was part of a series called Loud and Clear, where Syracuse artists and bands perform stripped-down sets for Orange Television Network and YouTube. I played solo-acoustic versions of “Clawing at the Glass”, “Dissociate”, and “The Winner”. I have been performing for a while, and I am typically confident on stage no matter how many people are in the audience. I am never nervous or anxious about performing in front of a group of people because it feels like a collective, shared experience, with instant gratification derived from people bopping their heads, smiling, and applauding at the conclusion of each song. Now, if you put one camera in front of me, that is when I start to freak out. Lenses are much worse audience members than people. They do not even clap. With all that being said, I did not freak out at all while recording this set. I think it is because I played songs that I could play in my sleep, so I was not worried about flubbing chords or lyrics. It felt good. Then the episode came out (I will link to it at the bottom of the column) and I think it is a great document of who I am as a songwriter and performer. I made few mistakes and tried to pour as much of my soul into it as I possibly could despite the beams of light and harrowing cameras shooting at me from all angles. I liked it so much, that SURPRISE, I am releasing the audio of the performance on streaming services for all to listen. I am excited to drop something as it has been a while since I have shared new music in that way.
Everyone can also expect a reworked version of “You Were There When the Ship Sank” as well. It is a song that most people call their favorite when I perform it but the recorded version on my album, Dissociate, leaves a bit to be desired. I just need to cut some background vocals, mix, and it should be out in a jiffy. This version rocks significantly harder and is similar to the version I play live with the band. As far as my new album goes, it is also really close to being complete. I have to cut some more lead vocals, background vocals, and mix and master it so it sounds nice. Sonically, this is the best project yet as I have learned a few quick tips and tricks to utilize to improve my amateurish engineering skills. I do not want to give too much away, so I will not tell you the name of the album. I will only tell you that it is twelve songs and runs about 45 minutes. I was having a lot of trouble with the tracklist and which songs should make the cut, and continually writing new stuff that I thought would flush out the tracklist. I really do feel like I am done now. It is just a matter of finishing touches as far as recording and production and I hope to get it out as soon as I can. I am excited to share it. Many of these songs have been around for a couple of years, while some are quite new like the closing song “Solitary Sunrise.” I actually recorded a version of the in the Newhouse studio on campus, but just as I felt when I recorded “Living a Myth” in the Newhouse studio, I am disappointed. I like getting studio experience, but there is something about being on my own time where the pressure is off. I also like to make my stuff sound good, but a little roughness around the edges is always appealing to me.
Other stuff. I played a show at The Mudpit two weeks ago. It is a basement here at Syracuse. I played as a trio with Trevor, who has been playing bass with me since the fall, and Oji on drums. It was my first time playing with Oji, and she had big shoes to fill replacing Nick who is abroad, but she killed it and we had an awesome show. I missed playing with the band and breaking out my rockstar moves and my lead guitar playing. I got great support from my girlfriend and her friends, my friends, and the people there to just watch and hear live music. The crowd was one of the best that I have played for. It was a lot of fun. Meanwhile, Ben and I have been hard at work with our senior capstone project for school, and that has not been fun at all. In fact, it has been quite stressful, but it should help me learn and get a job because hopefully, I will be a step ahead of other candidates as far as knowledge of the business. I do just want it to be over though.
Grateful Eight:
Cooking. I have mentioned how much I love cooking here before, but I am realizing that it is integral self-care and meditation practice for me, and then a reward because I busted my ass to make something delicious.
I don’t know why, but I have been obsessed with Mounds. Mounds and Almond Joys get so much hate, but why? I love coconut and chocolate. It is almost as good of a combination as mint and chocolate or caramel and chocolate or pretzels and chocolate or raisinettes or chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate covered bananas or…
Centro-matic. I was introduced to this band recently, and I have been listening to a lot of their catalog. They remind me of The Replacement with a countryish, midtempo feel to them. I suppose you can classify them as alt-country, but with some fuzzy ass guitars. It is such a great sound. There has sort of been a rock revival in the mainstream pop music sphere recently, but in my opinion, it has yielded some terrible-sounding shit. This is just a band in a room playing raw. The only reason I mention this is because yesterday, I was listening to this ATROCIOUS new album from Måneskin. It is some of the worst shit I have ever heard in my life and it sounds like the band and producers have not heard a single rock song in their lives. You know what it is actually? It is like Muse but inconceivably worse, which is a tough feat. Anyway, to cleanse my palette, I put on some Centro-matic and I was rocking out as I made myself a French Dip.
The Veterans Building at Syracuse. I wish you can see where I am right now. It is a beautiful, massive study room that I have entirely to myself. There are windows on all sides, tables, chairs, and comfier chairs like the one I am sitting in now. It is just great. I used to sit at the café around the hall, but people started to catch on that it is a great space. Now, I sit in the Grand Hall with nobody else around me.
I get to go to Punta Cana next Monday for spring break. I need the sun, the warmth, the relaxation, the pool, and the all-inclusive food and drink. It should be fun.
When I get back from Punta Cana, that Tuesday, I see Bruce in Buffalo. It is so close, I cannot even believe it.
Barstool and Dave Portnoy just came out with tequila High Noons. In the past it has just been vodka and soda, now it’s tequila and soda also. These are so easy to drink, and taste so much better than the vodka ones. I hate vodka.
The Knicks and Rangers are both fun to watch, especially the Knicks right now on their 9 game tear. This is great as Syracuse Basketball is about to come to an end, and opening day is still a little over three weeks away.
This Week’s Mnemonic Advice/Josh Carus Rare Recording: Dissociate (Live at Dick Clark Studios)
I thought I would give my readers a little taste of the Loud and Clear session. I like this song because it works in both full-band and acoustic arrangements well. It works when is subdued and when it’s balls to the wall Radiohead meets Black Sabbath Rock N’ Roll. This song is obviously the title track to my first album. “Dissociate” was meant to put what leaving my hometown for college was going to feel like in a single word. However, it takes on a double meaning as it is about feeling disconnected from yourself and from your life. It was a little bit of foreshadowing because shortly after, I really started to feel like that. Anyway, enjoy this acoustic performance from my upcoming release.
Dissociate
I’m so scared of being lost
I lose myself
I don’t want to be found until
I find myself
White noise, white lies, white innocence
Brown eyes, black hair
Your voice, your cries, your brittleness
You’re everywhere
We will all be gone
We will all be gone
Give everything away
Dissociate
The twilight’s cold like the advice
I got today
The sun rises so high that it’s out of sight
The whole world is gray
We will all be gone
We will all be gone
We will all be gone
We will all be gone
Give everything away
Dissociate
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