Learning to say no

No. No. No.
It's tough to say. Peer pressure, not wanting to make people feel bad, fear of making the wrong decision.

When everyone say yes, you say no. It's takes a lot of guts to do that. But if that's the only reason you say no then you might be making a major blunder.

When do you say no? I don't know. Maybe what really want to say is yes but you're paralyzed with indecisiveness.

Weighing the pros and cons. Nothing comes free. There is no easy choice when it comes to major decisions.
Like, coffee or tea? Beer or wine? Time or money?

Maybe you're feeling you'll explode into shrapnel of depression and regret over making the wrong choice. But you probably won't (I hope).

So, choose without regret. You'll be okay no matter what you choose. Because we're all just bags of flesh stuck on a floating rock.

Learn to say know.

Trying to stay Zen

"Staying consistently sharpened can wear out the blade" -Lao Tzu

Pressure building up, something has to happen, something has to happen! Something is already happening, you can only steer it your way. That depends on the waves and in the wind too.

Good sailors wonder if they could've done more. Master sailors wonder if they could've done less.

It's going to be okay, just trust it.

When confronted with a major decision, know that it will always be okay. Or, it will always not be okay, that's up to you.

How do we know if we're scared or just plain lazy?

Again another day

different paths for different parts
you're looking for  a few minutes
found broken token lost
please conflict the datum with day after day after day after
Brokerage of sorrow we sow spent canisters
bark at the folly of ever so fleeting opportunity
break which is broken with benchmark speed
all you need is again and again and again and again
no spots on a box for drastic drivel
blind again and again
another and another
day after day after day

Imperial Manila

I've dreamt this dystopia before
I've lived imperial Manila
Many a sane brain have fled unto
Much more escape within sharp object

Teeming with monstrosity and shitheads galore
I should know as part of their club
Thieves had better code

Distempered and glowing
Flowing over under the rush
Sick stomach is good to go

Brave

Fear, where does the fear go?
Doing things, saying things without fear of the consequences.
That's brave, right?
Being afraid then doing it anyway.

Everyone's brave when they've never been whipped.

Searing pain and the scar that follows, still brave?
Still carelessly willing to rise up and talk back?

PAK!!!!

You sure?

Not knowing is not bravery.
Not caring is not bravery.
Not having a reason is not bravery.

It's stupidity.
And that hurts.

Adventure

Where does it take us? Beyond the short and long lies the steadfast. A band of peculiar brethren destined to discover.

Not riches nor success external, but the mere realisation that you cannot touch horizon.

We walk towards not set destination, the last step before we fall dead in our tracks is the unavoidable finish line. Your journey may be the topic of epics extending past your final breath, although in words will never be encapsulated the cobblestones you once tread.

Playing Without a Click

It's insane. It's scary. It's Wrong. In flies in the face of everything I've learned about drums. But maybe we should give it a try.

No hit record was a hit solely because it had metronomic time. It was about the emotion and vibe which ultimately translated to the listener, like a virus infecting you unexpectedly, before you know it, you have a cough.

It takes guts to try it. Everyone will be against it. Of course perfect timefeel is something to strive for in any musician. But can't it be a little slower in the relaxed parts then speed up a tad when you decide to push it up to a 10?

How about how the band gels together? That's way more important than being "perfect". The excitement of the piece, the power that slaps you in the face and the dynamics that asks you consolingly if you're okay.

We should strive for this emotional vibrance and vitality. We should go for it or forever regret it. The recording should be a picture of what you were feeling at the time, and that feeling shouldn't be the memory of struggling to get along with a ticking robot.

Of course it's best to practise with a click, having great feel along with great time are halmarks of the best drummers. Of course there should be some consistency. But there should be no regrets over a single misplaced bpm.

Tempo. The driving force. The pace at which you march or sprint. That characterizes the feel you want to evoke. But if you can't play to a click on recording day, it's best not to. That would be wasting precious time practising when you should be busy making music. If you're at the level of playing comfortably with a click, then it can give you great security like a safety net. But sometimes people fall off the rope when making art.

It's taking those risks that make it beautiful. And if you fall off the rope, if you don't die you'll learn.

Let's change our goals. Let's stop shooting for perfect and let's stand out instead.

Emotion

What is it all about? The thing that makes us mammals other than nipples. A driving force in our lives or a shackle that tethers us to certain reactions.

Emotions can be the reason for success or failure. What about artists? Aren't they supposed to be emotional? I guess so. So a clear distinction must be made between mood and emotion. One can be emotionally sensitive yet distanced in a way is doesn't affect the march forward.

Dreams

Dreams. Fabled bits of random access memory that float to the top sometimes in sleep, sometimes in waking life. What does it mean to chase your dream?

Floating in space are our bodies, floating in our minds are dreams. The common notion is that we'd be happy if we make them come true.

What are our dreams? They elude precise definition and compartment. Dare to dream, who doesn't?
Is reality expressed more in a conscious state or sub-conscious?

Many questions and discussions pertain to this concept. The probable opposite of this is NOW. The past is a dream, the future is a dream... well maybe the present is too.

Maybe it's all 1's and 0's, tied together by nothing we can conceive of. The universe is made up of Fantasy and fact.