In Loving Memory

As of six this morning, my grandmother, Lina, exited this life on earth with us and entered her everlasting life in Heaven with Jesus. If you ever had the blessing of meeting her, you know how amazingly loving she was. She is missed so badly, but we rejoice at the thought of seeing her again with Christ and all the Saints. Pray for her and our family.
I am dedicating this web log in her memory; I won't be writing here any longer. But I'll leave it up...you'll find her beautiful, loving words of encouragement scattered throughout the comments. She loved me as much as any grandmother ever could have loved her grandson. She was like Jesus to me.
I love you, Mimi. I miss you. I will see you some day soon.
Thank you for everything you did and everything you were.
Thanks for loving me. And all of us.

Trevor Hall @ Jammin Java

Trevor Hall's CD Release show is at Jammin Java on Monday, July 27th. I am going. It is $12 dollars. Let me know if you want to come, and I shall buy you a ticket.

Amore Alta Studios

So I've been doing so much recording lately. What a blessing it is! Really...I'm very grateful for all the opportunities that have been coming my way. Pray more and more come! It's been awesome.
I decided it was time to buckle down and make a web site...so as of now, www.amorealta.com is officially on air! Check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks to David Story for helping me get it online and Teddy for taking some pictures.

Yes, that's his own arm.

My 200th Blog Post!

Recording Equipment Archive

This will be on the forth-coming website, which is being held at www.amorealta.com. Billy will be building the web site. It will be sweet.

Computer:
Apple Macbook Pro 15 inch
2GB RAM, 120 GB System Drive
2.2 GHz Intel Duo Core
Lacie 300 GB Firewire Audio Drive

Software:
Logic Studio Pro 8
Ableton Live 6
Propellerhead Reason 4
w/ all Commercial Refills
Celemony Melodyne Studio

Virtual Instruments:
Arturia ARP 2600
Arturia Minimoog
Arturia Moog Modular V
Rob Papen Blue
Rob Papen Predator
AAS Lounge Lizard

Plug-Ins:
IK Multimedia T-Racks 3
IK Multimedia Ampeg SVX
IK Multimedia Amplitube 2
IK Multimedia Amplitube Jimi Hendrix
IK Multimedia ARC
IK Multimedia Classic Studio Reverb
Izotope Ozone 3
Izotope Spectron
Izotope Trash
Izotope RX
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3
Celemony Melodyne Plug-In
PSP Suite
Audio Damage Suite
Sonalksis Suite
CrySonic Suite

Interface:
RME Fireface 800

Hardware:
Event ALP 5 Monitors
M-Audio Axiom 49
Presonus Faderport
Presonus Bluetube
dbx 266XL
(2) Groove Tubes DI Box

Microphones:
M-Audio Sputnik
Rode NT1A
(2) AKG C1000s
ElectroVoice N/D 868
(2) ElectroVoice N/D 468
(3) ElectroVoice N/D 767a
Sennheiser e835
(2) Shure PG56
Shure SM57

Guitars:
Carvin Cobalt C780
Fender Nashville Power Telecaster
Fender Standard Precision Bass
Fender Standard Jazz Bass
Dean Backwoods 6-string Banjo

Amps:
Orange Tiny Terror Head
(2) Orange PC112
Peavey TKO 115 Bass Amp

Effects Pedals:
BBE Sonic Stomp
Boss DD6 Delay
Boss RT20 Rotary Ensemble
Boss GE7 Equalizer
Boss CS3 Compression/Sustainer
Boss NS2 Noise Suppressor
Boss CE5 Chorus Ensemble
Marshall Reflector Reverb
Marshall Vibratrem Vibrato/Tremelo
Vox 874 Wah
Ernie Ball Volume

Drums:
Gretsch Catalina Jazz Drum Kit
18” Kick, 14” Snare, 12” & 14” Toms
Zildjan ZHT Cymbals
20” Medium Ride, 18” Fast Crash,
16” Thin Crash, 14” Hi Hats
Remo 12” Djembe
Meinl Bongo Cajon
Fat Congas String Cajon
Fat Congas Bajo Cuban Cajon

Fiction Family

Fiction Family is a new musical collaboration between Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. They have completed album that is due out on my birthday, January 20th, of this next coming year (2009, duh). Yeah, I'm excited. Thanks for the birthday present guys. I'm extremely stoked, as Jon Foreman's four season-themed EP's are completely wonderful...and Sean Watkins is from Nickel Creek, and that's all I need to say 'bout him.

Oops...

My Top Ten Favorite Musical Artists, In Order

It's a Beautiful Day for Democracy

I texted Evan today, when I walked outside at around 9:30 am to go vote.
I wrote, "It's a Beautiful Day for Democracy," which it is.
It felt awesome to vote, especially in the same elementary school I went to.
I voted:
-For McCain, and begrudgingly for Palin. If he dies, I'm headed straight out of this country. I respect Obama and think he's a great guy, a good Senator...but it came down to him needing a few more years of experience to convince me he's ready for the presidency. And, I imagine I'll most always default for a move AWAY from a larger government.
-For slots. I believe you cannot legislate morality, and I don't even believe that gambling is a "sin." I believe it's fine in controlled moderation, and I believe that it is THE INDIVIDUAL'S RESPONSIBILITY to moderate this, not the government's. So I say, make it legal and tax it heavily. I say the same about drugs, but that's a separate issue.
-For Bartlett. At least we can have a little bit of Maryland, right?
My predictions: Obama, a Democratic Congress, and a slow decent into Socialism, eventually leading to the fall of the American Empire. Then the aliens will come.

Weekly Things to be Done Once a Week

I want to blog on a specific schedule, in some cases...I mean, part of it will still be spontaneous and what-not, but I want to have a specific day be this, another day be that, and so on. So today, I want to declare Wednesdays "Things I Really Like (with pictures!)" day. It's going to be random things aside from the stuff you all know I already really like/love (God, You guys, music, etc.) So here it goes...the first weekly installment of...
Things I Really Like (with pictures!):

1. Things made out of bamboo
2. Zen gardens with fountains/streams, raked sand, and rocks3. Harmoniums
4. Being Facebook free!
5. Tea with a lot of Lemon6. Charles Peirce, Father of American Pragmatism
7. Bad Girl Pop, currently "So What" by Pink
8. The fireplace in my basement at home
(no picture)

How Long is a Year, Really?

A year ago, I asked Kaitlin Elizabeth Gresh if she'd like to go get coffee. I took WAY too long to get to her house, I went to the WRONG house first, and we never got coffee. We went to the Double T diner and she got a Greek salad; I got crab dip. The next date (although she would say the first one didn't count as a date...we disagree on this) was much more artsy-fartsy: we saw Pete Francis at Jammin' Java. Then it got fancier and we went to a fancy-pants restaurant in Old Towne Ellicott City. And we've been on many since then. The official date of official dating is November 6th, so mark your calender, but call her, not me...I don't care too much :) jk. Love ya Kaitlin...thanks for a year!

Anonymous Comments

I welcome, invite, facilitate, encourage, etc. comments and discussion in and on and around and under and over and (other relating prepositions) this blog. Please! If it's mean, say it. If it's nice, say it twice. If it's true, don't hold back. Do not hold your tongue. This is a safe place to spit what you're thinking about what I'm thinking, writing, doing, etc. Don't be sassy just to be sassy; when you say something, do it because you believe in it and you care about me and/or others reading this. I won't ever assume your intentions are impure; I'll trust your good judgment (after all, I'm sure it's just as good if not better than my own).
BUT. It has come to my attention on several occasions that there are some people leaving anonymous and often crass comments here on mah web log. If I'm wrong, correct me; if you care to take responsibility, please do. At least in my mind, it would make your thoughts much more valid if you signed your name. I am less likely to truly consider a comment that the writer won't even assign his or her name to. If you can't attach your name to your thought, I'm not so quick to believe YOU even believe it...why should I? I'll consider most everything. Just have the guts to take responsibility for what you've written.
So either my blog is gaining popularity, or people I don't know are simply flipping through blogs and find mine offensive in some way. I don't care either way, I'm just glad you're reading, and I thank you and wish you well as usual:
Thanks for reading, I wish you well.

The M-Audio Sputnik

This mic is the reason David Story's vocals sound so good on The Superfluous EP, which you should purchase right now from the iTunes store. A good mic doesn't need any equalization, or frequency gain adjustment, or "bass-mid-treble" for those of you that have ever messed with the sound system in your car to any extent. It simply sounds good already, and has picked up all it needed to pick up for a great sound when you go to listen back and mix the recording. I went ahead and bought this mic, because I've found my current large-diaphragm condensor, or vocal recording mic, is really only good for banjo. I'm looking forward to good vocals and other sounds.