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Shut My Mouth and Strike the Demons

March 21, 2007 2:59 AM

ike I said a few days ago, I've felt like I was on some kind of strange vacation for the past few days. Now, unfortunately, I have to get to actual work. And that's been really hard for me to do.

Because of the various distractions, both school related and personal, that have been cropping up lately, I haven't had time to sit down and do the things that, you know, I have to do. There's been so much stuff on my mind lately, it's just hard concentrating on any one of the many uninteresting things I have to do. And, while not all of these distractions are negative, they're all stressful in their own way.

The fact of the matter is that I'm more anxious than ever about my future. I can't wait to be done with school and get out there and . . . who the hell knows what I'm going to do, but I can't wait to do it. And school, though I know it's important, is just seeming more and more tedious nowadays.

Who the fuck knows. I have this feeling. A feeling of deep dread. Perhaps it's ridiculous and unfounded. Or perhaps something terrible is about to happen.

Old habits die hard sometimes. Sometimes you can't help but feel insecure and lame, I guess. Or maybe that's just me. In any event, I'm sorry.



4 Comments


Vice said:

Enjoy the moment. As stressful and lame as school can be, real life can and probably will be infinitely more stressful and lame. You're about to go on Spring Break. Take a nap, wake up good and refreshed...next Friday. Then get your surf on.

March 21, 2007 10:33 AM



TheExpat said:

As you'll see, I've been waiting for an excuse to say some things about LSS. Here you go:

Your basic sound on these recordings is good and your technique, while sloppy in some instances, is still nuanced and more often than not conveys emotion. The harmonies & melodic voices on The Last Sunrise and Three are well-balanced and pleasant to listen to.

Still, I'd say that many moments still come off as too automatic, like your thoughts are otherwise engaged; that is, it's obvious to me, the listener, when you were bored with what you were playing and when you weren't. The lyrics are hit and miss for me. Vanilla's lyrics have integrity, but The Last Daydream is weak lyrically (not to mention the most musically static song of the whole demo), while Void - jeezus christ, what the hell?! It's like Spinal Tap decided to reprise the whole druid concept. And your singing? Sincere, but still demo-tastic in most instances.

Still, I give the Lea Demo a solid 3 ladies jumping out of stars out of 5 (under category: Demo), mostly based on your aforementioned mixing ability and ability to make distinctions in composition about sound and harmony otherwise lacking in many demos I've heard.

March 22, 2007 8:41 AM



TheExpat said:

Okay, I apologize for putting this up on the post about you commenting on your logorrhea problem. I had meant to post it under Riffs That Rock, but due to some browser issues (and a little human error), that obviously didn't happen. Color me chagrined and abashed at the same time. Puce, I think, should do it.

March 23, 2007 2:43 AM



Ismael Tapia II said:

Mr. Expat,
Thanks for the in-depth comments, I really appreciate it, especially coming from one so musically adept as yourself.

I have to admit that, if I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't write some of those songs. The Void, for example, was my attempt to write something that didn't involve any normal guitar moves, that is strumming, and to try to do something a little challenging with the vocals. It was more a study on what I could do rather than an actual song.

Lyrics have never been my strong point--I'm just not a poetic writer, unfortunately.

Thanks for all the positive comments (and for the criticisms, which I fully admit I deserve). I've been working on some new stuff, which I hope to finish up sometime after law school.

March 23, 2007 3:06 AM



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