JC Jordan and the Way

the music part is finished

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:49:20 CST

Just got word back on Friday that the CD mastering process is done. Done! That just leaves the artwork and manufacture of the CD. It almost seemed like this day might never come, but it is finally here. I almost can't believe it.

the wait is nearly over

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:04:35 CST

Spoke with the mastering engineer last night and we have just a few minor things to iron out! And at first, I thought it was sorta expensive, but he's given me great value and now 7(!) revisions. Luckily, he really likes the project so I think he's been kinda sneaking it in when he could. He said last night he could sing all the songs, which is a good sign I think!!

no hurry

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:01:47 CST

I mean, this mastering process could go on forever. I thought the last mastering round would be the last, but like I've said before, there's no reason to skimp or cut corners now. And Matt is doing such a good job mastering, giving feedback, and making great masters, and we are so close. The mixes get better each iteration though, and I'm quite happy with the direction it's going. It may be a week or a month, but it will be soon. -ish. :)

final final final

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:54:45 CST

Well, I sent some more mixes to NY, the first set of mixes revealed some issues with my mixes because once you crank those levels up, some noise floor and other stuff tried to sneak its way in. And since I never usually listened at a very high level, I didn't catch some of those issues. But after two weeks of work, I sent them new mixes! So we'll see how the next couple of weeks go.

mastering and album cover

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:56:08 CDT

Well, the CD is in the process of being mastered in New York at masterdisk, which is great. and the mastering engineer, without any prompting, says he really really liked it and that it reminded him of Beck's "Sea Change," which I find to be quite a compliment. Also, the album cover is being worked on and worked out, so this will be an exciting number of months. I can't believe this project is finally coming to fruition!!

CD being reviewed

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:30:17 CDT

Well, 95% of the cd is done, and now it's out in other people's hands to get their mix opinions. This is such a long process, but it's a necessary one. For one, I needed a break from the music to get some perspective. Also, having people I trust give me opinions on it is a great thing. So, hopefully not too much longer. :)

mixin

Fri, 27 May 2011 15:18:10 CDT

Good news: I'm starting to mix, and I have about 6 of 14 songs with a preliminary mix already. Hopefully, some of the editing I've been doing while recording will speed this process up. As of now about 98% percent of the album has all their parts recorded. I am still seeking a spoon player so if anyone knows one let me know. I'm serious. :)

lead vocal end within sight

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:53:36 CST

Well, last night I did what was seemingly the last lead vocal (for "Meet you on the Downbeat"). I still have to go back and edit those vocals to make sure everything is OK, but even so, it's still a nice milestone. That leaves background vocals and the occasional odds-and-ends type instrument recording too. With any luck, I won't need to do a lot of re-recording for the lead vocals and can just dive in to the backgrounds.

vocals begun

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:40:32 CST

So, the last major piece of the record is underway, the vocals. So far, things are going well. My vocal endurance is down a little, so right now, I can only record for about an hour or so before my voice gets tired. But it's nice to know I can still hit notes for songs I wrote years ago. Very good news. So as of now, I've finished lead vocals for about 3 songs, and part of another, with another 10 or 12 to go. However, it looks like I should be able to complete about 2 songs a week at this rate, and then can move on to backing vocals. Very exciting!!

maybe? Maybe???

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:17:11 CDT

Last night I recorded, if my calculations are correct, the final guitar parts for the record. That leaves vocals, background vocals, and a few random other parts. I have endeavored to keep this record free of keyboards and electronic instruments as much as possible (that's for my side project), and have managed to avoid them completely up to this point. Unless I find a string section that wants to come record, there may be some keyboard strings added to the record, but I'm hoping they will be seamless (or just plain good) enough to not be out of place. But if this is true, what a milestone!! Still much to do, but this is major for me.

still around

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:20:49 CDT

So life has been getting in the way, but I have still been making progress on the new CD. I've got 98% of the drums, bass, and acoustic guitar recorded, and about 75% of the electric guitars down. I'm working on the two latest additions right now, "you're the one" and "dream song". Honestly, the hardest part of recording electric guitars (other than being making sure you're absolutely happy with your performances) is finding the right sound. I'm essentially only using two pieces of outboard gear for everything. It's limiting, but at the same time, when you force yourself to follow it, it actually makes you _more_ creative. The only thing that is holding me back are the time constraints of having a 9-5 and my own ability to be able to work long hours and then come home and work on the record. I'm still learning how to juggle that, but knowing that it isn't THAT far in the future is still good.

if it's not one thing, it's another

Fri, 14 May 2010 15:08:54 CDT

I have this song project that I've been trying to fix for about two weeks now. To fix it, I have to export every single audio clip and then re-import it into a rebuilt version of the project. Well, last night, after believing I was almost there, I found yet another issue which is going to make me have to completely re-import and arrange all of the audio files AGAIN. This is about the fourth time I have attempted this, and it's really getting out of hand. I can look at this as a learning experience, where if it has to be done again, I will know exactly what to do and what not to do. But even so, my frustration level is really high; all I'm trying to do is make a mixdown of the song so that I can give it to a percussionist friend of mine so he can hear it before he comes in to record. That process usually lasts less than 5 minutes. Ugh.

geez louise

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:59:37 CDT

I was working on making a mixdown of a song last night, and was having some issues. Well, it turns out that there are differing bit depths and sample rates in the project. Bummer. Now it's going to take at least an hour or two to export and re-import everything properly into another project. I don't like setbacks. :( In other news, I opened up for American English (essentially) on Sunday with a set of classical instrumentals that included Maleguena, Bouree, and Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, as well as alternative rock instrumentals like No Memory (Stone Temple Pilots), Whale & Wasp (Alice in Chains), and Joseph Merrick (Mastodon), amongst others. It was a good experience all around, the event was nice, I played well, hung out with the band after the show (they liked what I played), all in all a memorable and fun time.

slidin'

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:10:47 CDT

Last evening Nate came in and started working on a slide guitar part for the song called "western song". Slide guitar is a very touchy thing to lay down, because by nature the slide never touches the frets, just the strings, so just about every time the frets were touched, they buzzed or generally objected. However, after a lot of patience on his part with getting it right, we finished the verses, with the choruses still to go. Thanks Nate and can't wait to finish up.

different hats

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:11:59 CST

Saturday was a great recording session with Paul, who came from Madison, Wisconsin to help me record electric guitars for a couple of tracks, "Acrobat" and "Lookin Out", as it turned out. It was amazing how quickly time passed after we got started. Paul was an able engineer and helped me concentrate on wearing one "hat"; when you're self-recording an album, you often have to wear different "hats" which often don't dovetail so easily, and by hats I mean, the producer hat, the performer hat, the composer hat, etc., and they all call for different forms of expertise. When you're composing or performing, it often isn't helpful to have to think about making sure that your mikes are recording properly, or the many other myriad things that need to be taken care of in the recording process. Besides, creativity (performance) is a left-brained activity, while editing/mixing and the like are right-brained activities, and mixing them? Seems like a situation where you might not get the best of either. But thanks to Paul, for a short time, I was able to focus on performance, for which I'm very thankful. Thanks Wizz!

remembering

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:30:12 CST

Yes, it's another reference to the title of a song, the one I've been putting down tremolo guitar for the last 4 days. It's really starting to shape up, it has a nice 'sound'. Just about all that's left (electric guitar-wise) is laying down rockin' guitars for chorus and bridge. I'm actually quite looking forward to going home this evening and editing the tremolo stuff together, it just sounds great. Not that editing isn't always fun, but sometimes, it's just more fun than other times.

how many edits?

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:35:49 CST

I just got back in town from vacation, and sat down to continue working on the record. In the process of lining up a drum track to more closely map to the song's tempo, it became necessary to eventually do individual edits that numbered in the hundreds. This can be very tedious and time-consuming, and there are many pitfalls. When editing to bring a track into timing, the idea is to make small changes that don't affect the overall sound, but fix issues that can make a track sound jerky or off-time, hopefully making the track or tracks sounds it sound as perfect as possible, with no audible audio artifacts. When you're trying to get the best audio tracks possible, small errors can have a big impact, so fixing small errors becomes paramount. However, there is a line that can be easily crossed that involves micro-editing and editing to achieve a certain "look" for the waveform, sometimes in detriment to the musicality of the track itself. For example, you see that a run of snare hits should land right on the beat, but they are out of time slightly. So you line the snare drums up to the tempo, but when you listen to it back, it doesn't sound right. So I've found that when doing these types of edits, it's always wise to a) make an unedited copy of the track before doing any edits and b) to listen back regularly to the sounds in context to make sure they've gained what you're looking for (in this case, better timing), and to ensure that you haven't lost something in the process (smoothness, musicality). The test of "How Many Edits" is still, like most things musical, arbited by your ears, so listen closely.

drum recording is finished!

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:30:05 CST

It's been such a long time coming, but principal drum recording for the new record is finished! It started so long ago, and to actually have all the drum recordings be done is so exciting. Bart recorded the first 2-3 songs, I believe, back in 2008. Then Randy joined up sometime early in 2009 to record the majority of the songs that were left. However, there were three songs that still needed to be recorded after he was done with the lion's share of recording in mid-2009. So last evening Randy was able to come over and we finished three songs, all brand new! We have developed a great working relationship together and it showed yesterday, because Randy came ready to play, and we were able to use different methods we had developed over the spring and summer during the first sessions to knock out all three songs on the list, in addition to overdubs! It was amazing, and I am really looking forward to completing the other steps. Wahooo!

bass done

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:09:34 CST

So it looks like I've finished the bass recordings for the CD (barring the possibility of getting three more songs on the list), and I'm pretty pleased. My poor bass felt like it was going to fall apart though (the tuning peg screws are being pulled out of the neck), and because of that, it was very difficult to keep the bass in tune. The strings are really old too (I've never changed them), but because I was afraid that changing the strings would be the end of the line for the bass, it made the tuning issue worse I'm sure. (Old strings are hard to keep in tune. In general, the older, the harder.) For the most part I managed to record the bass in tune...it just took a few tries and some futzing with the tuning for the individual songs. So as of now, that leaves some acoustic guitar (not a lot), and most of the electric guitars, and then the other stuff (keys, strings, spoons, whatever). That still seems like a lot, but I assume the guitar stuff will go somewhat more quickly, especially the acoustic stuff. The electric parts might take awhile since I haven't mapped everything out yet, but it still shouldn't be that far down the road.

keep it rollin'

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:09:30 CST

More progress...bass lines have been recorded and edited for both "Spotlight" and "Who Am I". I still need to listen to "Who Am I" one more time to make sure, but it seemed good last night. That only leaves a couple of tracks that need bass (from the tracks that have drums). There are still 3 songs that need drums...not sure on the timing of that. However, there is so much to work on, that those sessions could be months away. The next step after I'm satisfied with the basslines will be going back and checking to see if acoustic guitars are good on the songs, and then on to electric guitars. I should start trying to make my sessions more efficient if possible...rather than just focusing on one project a day, try to work and finish two tasks a day, and if there is time for more, all the better. But one thing a day could take forever....

i think i see the spotlight

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:03:12 CST

HAHAHA, inventively naming my blog postings after the songs I'm working on, HILARIOUS!!! Anyway, worked for a few hours last night on "Spotlight", a song that I wasn't even sure about appearing on the record, but after having recorded drums, seems very likely to appear. It's a pretty straightforward rock song (not many will pick up on the 5/4 stuff in the verses), and has a nice bridge which brings the whole song together. After a few fits and starts, and adjusting the room to eliminate as much rattling as possible, the recording went fairly quickly. It is a short song, so I expected it to go more quickly than it did, but I think the results are good. I'll listen tonight and hopefully there won't be any recording issues, and I can just put everything together and have another rhythm section in the can.

found it

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:46:19 CST

Worked last night on the bassline for "Find A Ride". It looks like the recording is good...it did take all three steps (see earlier blog). Tonight, edit that track and work a little bit on "Spotlight", a song I wrote when I was attending many, many open mikes. I'll have to admit, making myself keep up with the blog is helping me. This is one of those projects that is so big that it has to be broken down into manageable parts. Having this blog to write into (even if no one is reading it) is helping me reach that goal.

seek and you shall find

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:29:58 CST

Part of last evening was spent working on the bassline for the song "Find a Ride". In most cases, I have been using a 3-step process to record bass: The first step is just to play through the song a few times, working out different basslines and recording the takes; that's what I did last night. The next step is to listen to those takes part by part and pick the best ideas, and lay those ideas down in a 'scratch' track (a track that won't likely be used). The performances and sound quality don't have to be perfect for the first two steps, because in all likelihood, they won't be used. Then, after I have all the ideas and am feeling pretty confident with the parts, I start the actual recording process where I finalize what I want to play. There are usually some changes at this point, but by that time, I pretty much know what I want.

editation

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:01:34 CST

editation: n. 1) similar to meditation, this describes the feeling of satisfaction that comes from successfully editing a part I just made that word up, but I feel very good about last night's editing of the bassline from Monday. I'm very happy, and the track already sounds fantastic. It really, really grooves.

deliver

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:43:28 CST

Well, last night I had a blast. I recorded the bassline for "Deliverance", a pretty funky song that I really enjoyed playing. I hope it's the take anyway, I didn't go back and listen and see if there was anything I wanted to be different. Normally, I'll record some runthroughs with different styles and see which parts I like the best, then record later after picking which sounds best. With this song, I had already done most of the runthroughs and spent most of my time coming up with parts for the choruses and bridge. I was certainly jumping around the room playing the song during the really funky parts though--what a blast. Sometimes recording is a grind; but not last night.

bassosaurus

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:58:23 CST

So I edited the bass track for 'Acrobat' last night, it sounds really good. I would've put down some scratch bass tracks for another song, but I sliced two of my fingers yesterday morning. I suppose that tonight I will need to do editing as well since I don't think I can play bass with a band-aid on. I know some people may know this, but there is a difference between mixing and editing. Editing usually involves finding the best takes amongst a few different takes and fitting the best ones together into one seamless take. For example, I record A and B takes, aiming for excellent quality on both, and then listen to both of them, picking what I think is the best for each section. Mixing however, involves making sure that the EQ is right, that the levels remain constant throughout the performance, that the track blends well with the other tracks, that kind of thing. Mixing is usually much more involved as it involves many more factors.

recording news

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:34:45 CST

Well, now that fall/winter is about to arrive in earnest, so will working on the record. The end of the year is always a prolific time for me so I'm looking forward to it. Last night I listened to some bass takes I had done for a song called 'Acrobat' and made notes on what I liked or didn't like. Then, I recorded a few takes and they sounded good; I will edit those bass lines probably tonight. This is probably the biggest project I have ever tried to do, basically, on my own. Now, I have had many engineers and musicians come in so far, but in the sense that I have been behind the boards in way or another since the beginning (I had a producer for the previous album), it is much larger. Originally, I was going to release all the songs as acoustic versions in early 2007, but I wasn't happy with those versions. Now, drums have been recorded for most of the album and I'm in the process of putting down bass lines for the songs with drums. Next will be electric guitars, then keys and/or percussion, then vocals. I've got a long way to go, but hopefully utilizing this blog will help me stay disciplined and motivated. Wish me luck!

more info on the show

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:06:43 CDT

Here's a link to the flyer for the show. It's going to be next Thursday from 6-8pm in downtown Evanston. It's a promotion for a new product and the performance will coincide with the 12x12 art show, where local artists submit their art and it will be on display. So while you're walking around looking at art and the Blick promotional stuff, you'll have me providing the soundtrack. I'm going to get a couple of new covers and hopefully a new original ready for the show.

new news

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:15:03 CDT

First warning...there is a show in Evanston on September 24, somewhere near the Blick store downtown on Maple Ave. I got a look at the flyers today and they look great! It will be a great gig and Dani and the folks at Blick are have been awesome about getting me on all their promotional stuff. Also, the drum recording sessions are moving right along. Randy came in last evening and we worked on a song 'Spotlight', a song that has a lot of potential with a full production. We have managed to knock out about 10 songs over the last few months and have about 4-5 more to do. Thanks a bunch Randy, you're doing a great job.

some live stuff

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:19:10 CDT

Here are a few songs from the recent Hops and Barley gig. I could only record the room, so there is a fair bit of people yakking in the background, but you get the gist of the performances. Cheers! "You're the One" - JC Jordan "Love Is" / "Prop 8" - JC Jordan "Save Tonight" - Eagle-Eye Cherry (cover) "Fuck Her Gently" - Tenacious D (cover) <-- biggest applause of the night, lol "Hey Jude" - The Beatles (cover) "Wonderwall" - Oasis (cover)

guitar parts

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:51:00 CDT

I continued working on guitar parts for one of the songs I'm working on. The verses went great, but the choruses have a little bit of a hitch to the riff that is hard to get spot on. But there's no reason to settle for anything less than the best I can do, since this is going to be a representation of what I can do. While I was recording I thought about how I can't use recording sessions to mix or edit, that has to come later. What needs to be done is to use a critical ear to determine if the take is 'good enough', create doubles of every section so that I will have a backup in case I don't hear an issue, and just keep on truckin' through the takes.

whew

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:08:49 CDT

That was a tiring week of open mikes. I had to fight off being tired last night to make it out to Bernice & John's, but it happened. I saw Don Melas too, he's been hosting that for a long time now. It was good to see Steve too, he even played a little harp. Five open mikes in five nights all around the city...but it was worth it. I even went back to the Shire on Tuesday, where I hosted my erstwhile open mike, but thankfully there was no drama, and this time, I remember how the night ended, unlike my last night hosting the open mike there. ;) See you Sunday at Hops and Barley's!

SubT

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:09:28 CDT

Wow, haven't been to that place in a long, long time. I got there early (too early), 'cause in the olden days, if you weren't there by 8 or 8:30 you played last basically. I think now that summertime is coming, open mikes are probably going to become sparser and sparser. Ciso is still hosting; it seems he has become pretty polished at hosting it (at least 5+ years will do that I'm sure) and seems to have switched to playing uke. The featured performer was quite good, good voice and lyrics. I'm lucky to have signed up 3rd because the guy that went on right before me had horrific microphone problems, and they remedied them before I went up. It's still very clique-ish there I noticed. I could sit here and list other things I found annoying about it, but I won't go into that. It was a good performance on my part and a good experience on the whole. The drink specials there kick ass too ($3 pints of whatever...and they have lots of awesome beers on tap...I had Sapporo). Cheers!

bucktown

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:18:13 CDT

Last night was John Kimler's open mike at Bucktown Pub. First off, John opened the evening up and someone was playing guitar in the audience while he was playing. I hate that. Every once in a while I will pull the guitar out and sort of play along when someone else is playing, but never audibly. Then he went to re-tune and his string popped. Usually not a big deal, but it's a left-handed guitar. Well at any rate, I later got the rude guy to play with me on a song, hehe. He wasn't half bad given the right situation. Good times.

pre-show tune-up

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:29:37 CDT

Here are the open mikes on schedule leading up to the artist showcase at Hops and Barley's next Sunday. It'd be great to see you out. Sunday, June 7, 2009 - Bucktown Pub Monday, June 8, 2009 - Subterranean 8:30-until Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - The Shire 9:30-until Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - Stanley's on Racine 9:30-until Thursday, June 11, 2009 - Bernice and Johns 10-until Sunday, June 14, 2009 - Hops and Barley's 9:00-10:00!

check your bass bins

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:33:03 CDT

Started with the process of recording bass for a track--and it was a process. First, hooked up the DI. Then, played a little, realizing there were rattles all over the room. So the next hour or two were spent tracking down and damping as many vibrations as I could find. Then, recording started, but the process continued because i could still hear rattles in the recordings. Did a little further testing and I got most of them, I hope. The ones that are there are very minor and will add some character or 'grit' to the bass sound I hope. Didn't get a whole lot usable recordings, but enough to hear what worked and what didn't. Also, there's a show coming up June 14 (a Sunday). I'll do another few nights of open mikes beforehand, and will again publish the schedule here, but it looks like candidates are Subterranean, bernice's, innertown pub, hidden shamrock, and murphy's. I'll get 'em up ASAP.

back on track

Thu, 28 May 2009 13:25:31 CDT

We had another successful session last night. This track is turning out to be really tough, but Randy is doing a great job getting through it, and as happens just about every time we have gotten together, we've had a breakthrough of some sort. Last night we were working on "Find a Ride", and trying to get a groove-y drum track underneath guitar parts that aren't always that linear. But we had a breakthrough on the choruses and the end part of the song, and we may have recorded the verses completely. In other news, there's another show coming up in June. So like the last one, I will be attending a few open mikes as a run-up. Stay tuned here for the schedule.

paddy mac's

Wed, 20 May 2009 11:21:21 CDT

Paddy Mac's is a good time...haven't been there in 3-4 months probably. It's not really an open mike showcase as much as it's a bar that happens to have an open mike on Tuesdays. Tommy is a good guy though, he used to come to my open mike at Tavern 33/The Shire. It was a good tuneup for the show tomorrow, because I got to play at least half a dozen songs. They also have a $0.35 wing specials and Miller Lites for $2. Not bad. songs: "there are times", "Remember the Time", "Big Empty" (Stone Temple Pilots), "The Remedy" (Jason Mraz), "Find a Ride", "You Found Me" (The Fray), "Kiss From a Rose" (Seal)

gin and tonic room

Tue, 19 May 2009 11:02:49 CDT

The Tonic Room is an interesting place to play, and every time I go, I have a memorable experience. First off, it seems a little clique-ish, in the sense that there isn't a lot of street traffic that walks in...it's just people who are there to play and the people there to see them play. Not that it's bad...it is what it is. So it starts off and I make a joke to this guy at the bar about granny-panties; I was just joking, and he launched into a 10 minute long exposition on grannies. Then, there were a couple of performers doing 'joke' songs, like SMB Jones (sniff my butthole jones), all of whom's songs were about butts. (example lyric: 'if the butt stars are aligned'). Then a guy comes up and starts singing songs about asians (the host was Japanese). Awkward. The sound was good, and people were pretty friendly. songs: "Deliverance", "Low" (Cracker), "Lookin' Out", "You and Whose Army" (Radiohead)

sunday night at the gallery

Mon, 18 May 2009 12:59:10 CDT

The Gallery Cabaret has been around forever, and they have been having open mikes there seemingly just as long. Last night was one of two or three they hold every week. Here's what I wrote last night (while a guy was constantly calling me 'writer guy'): 'Gallery is packed. There are two separate mikes and they serve food and I know that some people come here just for the free food. Old people, young people, hipsters, it's pretty mixed. $5 pitchers is an awesome deal. There are a couple of guys who I talked to earlier who are playing now. They came for the earlier open mike but got bumped to the later one. Now they're playing together.' songs: "eyes", "western song", and "Two" (Ryan Adams).

last night at the Store

Tue, 12 May 2009 12:58:40 CDT

Last night's open mike was the Store, a great place on Halsted and Armitage. At some point during the evening, they announced that it was the 5-year anniversary of the open mike there. I think I have been attending it sporadically for at least three years or more. Although recently every time I go, they ask me if I've been before, so the visits are definitely spread out. Here's what I wrote after playing: 'Nice place. I've been coming here for awhile now; it's a nice venue for acoustic players. The bonus is that you get a CD of your songs at the end. Right across the street is Minnie's, love the sliders there. Talent level of other performers is really good. I played all the songs with a pick tonight which was strange since I mostly play with my fingers. Still have some rust to shake off, but performance was pretty good. The host really liked the Soundgarden cover.' songs: "dream song", "Save Tonight" (Eagle-Eye Cherry), and "Like Suicide" (Soundgarden)

hoppity Hops

Mon, 11 May 2009 13:57:30 CDT

Started the pre-show open mike "junket" last night at Hops & Barley, hosted by Stoli and Joe. I've known her for quite a long time, we used to go to the Subterranean open mike on Mondays (pretty much where I got my start) waaay back in the day. It looks like I will be the featured performer there on June 14 as well, that should be fun. Here's what I wrote while at the open mike... 'First time in this place, seems like mostly neighborhood locals. It seems like a place that is more suited to cover songs, as nearly every song I've heard is a cover or sounds like one. I don't like most of the cover songs I'm hearing, a mix between the song choices and how they were performed. One guy played some neat instrumental slide guitar stuff. Another guy played some Rodney Carrington-type funny songs which was entertaining enough. Stoli came on at the end and played a sweet little song on ukelele she said was going to appear on an upcoming children's CD she is recording. I played "You're the One", and three covers, "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." (Sufjan Stevens), "I'm Yours" (Jason Mraz), and "KRS-1" (Sublime).'

schedule

Mon, 04 May 2009 11:53:13 CDT

Here are the open mikes I'm planning to attend before the show on the 21st. If you want to come out, just contact me on myspace to make sure everything is cool. Wednesday, May 6th � Stanley's On Racine Sunday, May 10th � Hops and Barley Monday, May 11th � The Store ~~Wednesday, May 13th � Stanley's on Racine or TBA~~ Sunday, May 17th � Gallery Cabaret Monday, May 18th � Tonic Room Tuesday, May 19th � Paddy Macs Wednesday, May 20th � Hidden Shamrock Thursday, May 21st � Elbo Room

a breakthrough

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:03:37 CDT

Monday was a good session with Randal. The song we have been mostly working on, "Find a Ride", has a few parts, and in particular, the bridge and the ending are tough, and I have certain basic ideas for them in my head (although not fully fleshed out ideas). Also, the song has a certain groove to it, but the groove is slow, so that is also tough to get used to. I think when people hear a good groove, they have a tendency to rush it. However, the breakthrough came towards the end of the session, and we had been working on the end part for a while, and after working through it a bunch of times, after not having previously even gotten close, Randy nailed the last part. Well not completely, but it was so close. I'm glad I had pushed record. :) Last evening I worked on "Ida". Looking at the file, I realized I recorded a very simple kit...just kick, snare, and hihat. The other drums filter in through those mikes. That didn't turn out to be a big deal though, since those three are the drums used the most (no toms). The bassline was a little tougher to mix...there was some overdriven sound to the bass when a note was played too loudly, and not a good overdriven sound--it almost sounded like clipping. First I tried a EQ'ing that frequency out, but that didn't work, because I think the sound was bigger than a small frequency dip would help. After some trial and error, I applied a lowpass EQ and it took 90% of the buzzing out. Sometimes problems like that can't be fixed, and parts have to be re-recorded, so I'm glad I don't think I will have to do that. Rock out.

preliminary drum mix

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:32:14 CDT

I got a pretty decent drum mix for one of the new songs. As I mentioned earlier, my drummer did a good job and we got a drum track I can work with. I edited the tracks down and gated/compressed/EQ'd them as necessary. I also used a neat trick for the snare...I cloned the track and put a chorus effect on it, then altered the settings so that it sounds closer to a clap. It really makes that snare pop!

fun @ stan's

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:26:31 CDT

Last night I went to my buddy Jeff's open mike, early this time for a change, since there was no recording session last night. It was a good time, I ended up playing about 5-6 songs, which was nice. I had a really good cover going, but then a string went out of tune, kind of ruining the ending of the song for me. I tried to keep it together and avoid that bum string for the audience, but it sorta sucked. Michele the bartender did come and sing background vocals for the song though, which definitely helped. I like the whole crowd up there, the bartenders, cocktail servers, busboys, and host, everyone is awesome. Going there and playing last night was a preview of a gig tonight playing for the River North association meeting. The show is 5:30-7 at 222 W. Hubbard. Tickets are $20 for non-members, $10 for members.

yessir

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:38:24 CDT

We had a good session last night, possibly laying down some final drum tracks for "Deliverance". I have to commend Randy on doing such a good job with a song that has a pretty difficult arrangement. We even moved on to coming up with drum parts for "Find a Ride", another song with a lot of parts for a drummer to learn. Kudos!

amazing

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:50:13 CDT

I think that's the only word that really describes the event this weekend. Everyone seemed to give only because it was the right thing to do. The artwork was awesome, the space, the catering, and of course, the music from yours truly, they all combined to make a great remembrance of Miri, and we raised over $7000 for the scholarship in her name. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXj7CJRpXBM

and another one

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:54:39 CDT

Another good session last night, we are coming along with drums for the song "Deliverance". Randy and I are working really well together, and he's "doing the math" necessary to come up with parts. Next week I should be able to start recording drums for that song in earnest. We also did some work on "Find a Ride" and "Lookin Out", and we tried an experiment for the 5/4 part at the end of the latter. Turns out it didn't work as well as we would have liked, but it was an experiment, and experiments don't always work out like you'd like them to. All in all, good stuff.

good session

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:42:01 CST

Recording started off well last night. We got the drums pretty much set up, and we worked on some riffs for "Deliverance". Nothing was finalized, but we did lay down some very promising ideas which we'll try to solidify by next week's session. If this were a 100 meter dash, I would say that we got out of the blocks well, but still a long way from the finish.

recording to begin next week

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:30:51 CST

It looks like recording for drums on a few tracks off the new CD will begin next week at Dope Robot Studio. I had originally hoped that the tracks that will have drums recorded for them could be released as an acoustic EP before the fully produced CD came out. However, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the 'naked' tracks, so that never came about. Part of the issue was that without a drum backing, the guitars sounded slightly off, and after satisfactory drums are recorded, I will likely re-record some if not all of the guitar tracks. After that, I will start rounding out the tracks with the rest of the instruments, whatever they might happen to be. I can't wait!!

new track mix up

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:21:29 CST

I was working on music last night, and was planning to put a live song or two up on the myspace page, but the track was really hissy, so I started using a noise plugin on it. Well, it sounded cool, so I made a noise- and delay- plugin version of the live song. It is here to download. It is also available on myspace (linked above). Hope you enjoy it. Expect more because the Christmas season is when I tend to get a lot of musical tasks done.

show confirmed

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:40:50 CDT

Next Monday, September 29th at Silvies, solo show. The way Mondays work there, you just show up around 9:30 and wait your turn. I have a new song that I'm going to try to have ready by then, called "You're the One". Every new song is one step in the past, and one in the future, and I love where it looks like the future is taking me. Hope to see you then.

good numbers

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:55:21 CDT

The open mike last night was the most successful one to date, there were about 11 people signed up, and one or two people left because the list was too long. It therefore wasn't necessary to play for an hour and a half before people showed up to play. Although, that's not that bad really, it gives me an opportunity to play for longer and to keep the covers pretty sharp. Tonight looks to be an electronic session with my friend from California. We have been doing this cross-country mp3 trade thing, with some success. Usually one of us will have some sort of idea, and then the other person builds on it. It's a fun way to work. ~~I'll put up a couple of examples here in a bit.~~ Here's one of the tracks. and another ambient track

another show

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:18:31 CDT

The show at Wise Fool's went pretty well, I guess. I was only able to get about 7 people out for the Friday show, but I was happy to at least get those people. And a cover band followed, so it's a little difficult for that kind of crowd to be following you. But all in all, it was a good show and I felt like I played pretty well. The nice lady who managed the band that played after me even gave me a recording of the performance. I also got a good idea of which songs to play and which songs not to play at this Saturday's show at the Elbo Room. It's unfortunate that I have no band to play with this time, especially since the show is booked as "JC Jordan and the Way", but I will make the best of it.

tomorrow night at Tavern 33

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:13:25 CDT

Well, last Tuesday was lots of fun, and I predict this Tuesday will be lots of fun as well. Like last week, the open mike will start around 9:30 and go until we run out of players or we run out of time. Look forward to seeing you out. Tuesday night open mike hosted by JC Jordan Tavern 33 3328 N Lincoln Ave 9:30-1:30

this week's open mike schedule

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:35:08 CDT

Another week of going out for shows before the singer-songwriter show at Silvies next Monday. Hope to see you out! Monday - Tonic Room, 2447 N Halsted - 10PM Tuesday - TBA Wednesday - Fearons, 3001 N Ashland - 9:30PM Thursday - Bernice's, 3238 S Halsted - 10PM

open mike schedule

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:31:19 CDT

If any of you want to come hang out with me at some open mikes this week, here's the schedule: Monday - The Store - 2002 N Halsted - 9PM Tuesday - Vaughn's Pub - 2917 N Sheffield N - 9PM Wednesday - Hidden Shamrock - 2723 N Halsted - 10PM Thursday - Gallery Cabaret - 2020 N Oakley - 10PM

R.I.P. Miri

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:45:08 CDT

We will miss you. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family, and especially Dani and her extended family at Blick. Here are some pictures of her from the show we played there last fall, and some other links. news report dance moves having a good time ready to rock the whole crew a good version of hey jude by miri picture montage her myspace page

a little hiatus

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:02:20 CDT

Sorry about not having much news recently. I am still playing solo around town about once a week, and I'm still working on the record. But the floor in my house is being ripped up so there won't be any recording for at least a couple of weeks. Plus my drummer moved down to Champaign recently, so the band is in a little bit of flux. I'm still writing songs though, and will continue to play solo. I will be gone this weekend as well, so everyone have a good weekend.

elroy in the heez

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:46:04 CDT

Elroy came by last night to record bass on a few tracks, namely, "Carrier", "Once Upon a Time", and "Ida". All three turned out well, and he provided each track the kind of interpretation that was necessary for the different types of songs they are. He even played a little banjo on "Ida" which turned out very well. It was a fun session and I appreciate him coming by and helping. The record will be finished!

open mikes

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:45:56 CST

I played at The Store Monday evening. It's a pretty good open mike, and they have $2 pints of whatever is on tap, which is quite a good deal. I ended up signing up for dead last, and hung around for some people who were quite good, and some not so, but it's an open mike, so I encouraged the ones that didn't do so well and congratulated the ones who I enjoyed. It happens every Monday around 9, so check it out. There is a new one at the Stanley's on Racine and Jackson which my friend hosts on Wednesday night. I consider myself quite the veteran of open mikes, and they are a great way to get material out there.

good drums

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:47:03 CST

Saturday went well, we got drums recorded for "Ida" (a perennial live show favorite) and "Once Upon a Time". The studio is a mess though, and I was searching for my bass drum mike for hours, but luckily I didn't need it; the drum instrumentation for the songs was pretty basic. Bart did great after getting warmed up a bit and getting used to the metronome, me getting the levels set correctly, etc. Since there weren't a whole lot of individual tracks recorded for the drums, it shouldn't be too difficult to get those mixed.

true story

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:21:09 CST

I got this letter in the mail a few weeks ago. The funny thing is, I don't have a wife (Aunt Jen), and I don't have a nephew Jake, yet it seems like a legitimate thank you note. I thought this was hilarious. I would surely remember buying him a sweater and a hat, which thankfully, is keeping little Jakie warm as he waits for the bus. I guess I could write them a letter and send it back to them, but whatever. * envelope * card - oustide * card - inside In other news, Bart will be coming into town tomorrow to record some drums, likely for "Ida", "Once Upon a Time", and whatever else I can think of. We may also be able to rework a couple of tracks where the drums weren't as tight as I would have liked. Should be fun!

in flux

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 20:51:29 CST

Sorry about the site right now...I'm still trying to get it to a state that's halfway normal. It's a little difficult right now to get a gig too...I tried numerous times to get a gig at The Uncommon Ground coffeehouse, but they continue to ignore any attempt to book there. Other possibilities include the Gallery Cabaret, Bernice's Tavern, and the Elbo Room. In further news, the CD is coming along, but because of issues getting people into the studio (drummers, bassists, vocalists), I'm not going to wait on other people's parts to finish the song. I'll record the parts I can, and release them that way. Also, I think I accidentally deleted the last blog entry, which had links to a song from the CD that I'm working on. I will re-upload them for you: here's the original and here's the version with Michael's 'prog' overdubs.

merry christmas from the bunker

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:39:34 CST

Merry Christmas and have a safe and happy new year...more updates about recording, playing, and general band information after the new year. I'm working on having something to show you!! Thanks everyone for your support over the last year. Looking forward to many more years entertaining you!

mountains...

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 23:42:42 CST

That's how much work there is to do (in my mind) on the record. Currently working on an old song, "who am i", which the band usually starts the live show with. The song went through a transformation or two before it was born though, adding a bridge and swapping lyrics. The words are autobiographical hyperbole but are meant more like a sales pitch than arrogance or bragging. It has a very "pop" structure and I will try to give it a similar production. Just got to do them one at a time.

back to recording

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:03:54 CST

Well, I'm back in the studio recording tracks for the new CD. The way I'm going about it is turning out to be rather time-consuming. Of course, I want to get the best performances possible, but having to stretch out the recording process over months and months makes this project seem huge. At first, I was getting friends to come in and push the buttons while I played whatever needed to be played. But seeing the amount of stuff I need to do, I have been reconsidering that and recording some of it without help. It's not impossible to do, it's just a big thing. It's going to need a 'one step at a time' measured and scheduled process. If there's one thing I know about myself, it's that once I start a project, it will almost always get finished; but sometimes I don't know in what timeframe. This is one of those projects.

show hangover

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:50:28 CST

The show went fine on Sunday, but I still ended up being a little depressed. Besides the small issues we had (my acoustic kept feeding back, etc), the show was good. But I was still 96% disappointed (that's because only 4 people showed up). It's just frustrating to do press, invite your friends, and prepare for a show which hardly anyone attends. The showtime probably wasn't the greatest (11:30 on a Sunday night), but it was my birthday -- we even had birthday cake. I'm not going to let it get me down though...I promised myself I never would let that happen. We got a couple of pictures and some video for the show which I'll put up shortly, however no audio is available as they changed the setup so I couldn't get a recording. Check the myspace site and the pictures page for updates.

got 'em in

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:58:12 CST

I went by the Elbo Room yesterday and put up some flyers for the show. They are a nice bunch up there. I also went by The Mutiny posing as the band's manager, "Craig". I told them all about how great the band is, and gave them a flyer about the upcoming show at the Elbo Room. For some reason, people who own venues don't generally want to talk to people who are in the band; they want to talk to someone who represents the band. So that's who I was. And it seemed to work fine. And when I told them that the band pulls 50-100 people (a slight exaggeration of course), his eyes lit up like bubble candy cane lights on a christmas tree. It's definitely a dive. Besides that, I saw this guy setting up for the band playing that night that had the most body modifications I'd ever seen. I was impressed..the nubs underneath the skin of his forehead was just the beginning...he was wearing some sort of codpiece with metal points jutting out of it..whoa. I can't remember the name of the band or I would try to find some pics of this guy.

final push

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:05:41 CST

This being the last week before a show, I usually go out and play as many times in public as possible. There are many open mikes around Chicago. I play my songs, then go around and give out flyers for the show and get people signed up for the mailing list. I don't know that I've ever had someone I met at an open mike actually come to a show, but it's not so much about that. It's about trying to make this show as much of a show as possible, by going out and playing those songs, and getting them as practiced as possible. I've even written a song about it called "Spotlight", which the band will probably play at the show Sunday for the first time. There have been a couple of updates made to the website too. There is a clip of music on the intro now, a piece of the new song, "remember the time", along with a new animation. The pics page now loads a little faster too, plus a few other things behind the scenes. Still working on a calendar - for now go to the myspace site.

who's in, who's out

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:40:32 CDT

My drummer and I were having a conversation the other day. I brought up that when you ask people if they are going to come to your show, that the answer they give must be parsed: 'yes' means maybe, 'maybe' means no, and the rare person that actually comes out and says 'no' usually means no. Bart said that he has been in similar situations, especially with coworkers, and that when they go back to work Monday, they usually avoid eye contact with him. What is the deal here? I don't mind the truth. Do people not want to hurt your feelings? It's ok, I won't cry. PS- We've got a show at the Elbo Room November 11th (the day after my birthday). Also appearing are Gaba Gavi and Return of Simple. We are headlining at 11:15.

out and about

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:13:16 CDT

I saw the band I met at the hotel in Boston at Schuba's last night. They were surprisingly pretty good. (I say suprisingly because when I saw them it would have been surprising to me if they could tie their shoes.) It was pretty hook-ey, with some definite reggae inspiration in there. The singer / main guy mostly played an acoustic bass when he was playing an instrument, which I thought was fairly novel. I had trouble with a lot of the lyrics, that thick London accent is a little tough to decipher sometimes, but the band was pretty tight. After the show, they handed out some free tapes. I took one, but of course like most people, I can't play it! I have a tape player, but it drags so it is not hooked up. Oh well.

slayer juice

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:03:44 CDT

OK, yesterday was fun. The place didn't actually have a bowling alley, I was confused. But it was a nice room, in the back of an irish pub. Good sound, and the quality of the musicians was good. I even managed to have a little cheering section of people we met the night before. Even stranger, I met a college friend there. That's crazy because the college I went to was tiny. And to randomly meet someone in one of the few places I've been to so far in Boston was just strange, but definitely very cool. I even met her a few years back on the street in Chicago! So what is slayer juice, you ask? Well right now it's Chinaco anejo tequila, residing comfortably in my slayer flask. So everyone last night was into the slayer juice -- I mean that's some good tequila, and as much as I drank, my hangover isn't that bad. FUCKING SLAYER JUICE! When we got back to the hotel, I ran into this band called Jamie T and the Pacemakers, a bunch of brits doing a tour of the USA. They are playing Schubas on Tuesday the 18th, should be a fun show. I gave them some slayer juice. :)

can't take your call right now

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:11:35 CDT

In Boston, and man is the weather terrible. Someone at the hotel mentioned that it hasn't rained here for a month, and of course now it rains like crazy. I managed to get the guitar through O'hare security, but only after they determined that the battery and wires in my guitar were actually part of it. At least they were friendly while we waited for a manager to come and agree that the guitar wasn't a bomb (although it is 'the bomb'). Tonight I'm planning to play an open mike here in Cambridge at a place called The Burren in Davis Square. Don't know much about it, except that it is also a bowling alley, but while wandering around Harvard Square last night we went into a college bar and they happened to have an open mike there. So after talking to the open mikers I got a line on a few places for open mikes here. There were not many people at the bar, I guess owing to the fact that it was a) raining, b) it was a monday, and c) the harvard people just moved in and probably aren't going to go out on their first night (loser nerds).

slowly but surely

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 17:38:26 CDT

I tried to get t-shirts printed for the show. Really, I did. But every avenue just seemed to cost way too much. And come on, at this stage, this is a DIY effort, and I'm not rich. But, nonetheless, there will be some printed. It's not like they're super-cheap to make, but they are cheaper than what it was going to be. The design looks pretty fine. Thanks again for Peter's help on this. Whenever they are done, they will be added to the site cart (on the music page) in case any of you would like one! PS- The pics from the show are coming, this week has just been too busy to do anything! I will work on getting the pics pages finished next week.

Elbo Room show wrapup

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:55:08 CDT

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who came out and supported the band last Friday, new fans and old. It was great seeing everyone. As for the show, it was great. Our new drummer, Bart, did an excellent job in his first show (and according to him enjoyed himself immensely in the process). Also Elroy of course always brings it as well. I'd also like to thank the staff at Elbo Room, especially Matt the bartender, Matt the door guy, and Brian the booker/sound man. After my friend walked off with my car keys, they even let me store my gear in a safe place until I could come back and get it the next day. I'm in the process of collecting pictures from the show right now, I'll update the myspace page and pics page once they're collected. (I'm still working on the pics page, it's coming along, it's just taking a long time to do it right). We debuted new songs that are in various stages right now in the recording process, and did a Beck cover -- "Guess I'm Doin' Fine". It was a lot of fun, and we will continue to get shows as I'm able to book them.

all about freedom

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:08:54 CDT

Last Friday I played the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum. It was a great gig, good sound, and I got a decent recording of one of the sets. An advertisement ran in the all the big papers around, but it didn't mention my name. Bummer. Brad, one of the former drummers for the band ran the merch table for me, and we got a lot of people signed up for the mailing list and even sold a couple of CDs. I will put a couple of the tracks that were recorded from the gig up on the myspace page fairly soon. It was also one of my first completely solo gigs. I have played solo plenty of times, but not two hours solo; but I ended up being very relaxed and had a good show. I think I even made a few fans--a guy named Mike was very gracious (and a little tipsy I presume) after the show, but was very complimentary and said, among many other things, that I was able to understand the point that the artist was trying to make (in the case of cover songs), and stay true to that vision. What a great thing to say. And that's definitely what I try to do. That show's over now--now it's time to get ready for the show this Friday!

band graphics

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:37:36 CDT

The band now has a professionally designed logo which will be used on future merch and press items. Based on a sketch I drew, it is very slick and a shout-out goes to Peter who did a great job. It's on the latest flyer and will also be on t-shirts and other merchandise that will appear in the future. Additionally, I'd like to thank Lawrence for designing the flyer for the show coming up August 3. The robot graphics are pulled from a Wagon Christ video ("Receiver"); here's the video on youtube: "Receiver". Thanks!

recent recording notes

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 13:21:13 CDT

My friend and former coworker Paul came in to the studio on Wednesday and brought in his Martin acoustic to record with and took care of a lot of the engineering aspects for an old song, "Who Am I". This particular song probably won't see the light of day until it is ready to release for the full album, but getting a guitar recording I am happy with will help me put down a good vocal and establish a structure on which to build around, since this song seems to deserve more of a "pop" production. Alex came in Monday and engineered for a new song that will appear on the record, currently called "lookin out", though it could easily also be called "scribbles on a chalkboard", since that's one of the lines in the chorus. This was my first attempt to try and record a song as soon as possible after writing. I had spoken with someone about that and we agreed that sometimes a song loses its immediacy after having been performed too many times. So I got a halfway decent guitar recorded and then recorded vocals on Friday. I think it was a good move.

steady workin'

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:05:08 CDT

The recordings for the record are going well. The songs will all initially be recorded with acoustic guitar and voice, to form a base on which the parts of the recording can be built. Some of these songs will be released as acoustic demos as a preview to the new album. The rest will receive productions suited to the type of song they are, with some doing well with a stripped down acoustic sound, and others to fuller scale productions. Props to Alex, JD, and Jesse for the work they have been doing pushing the buttons and sliding the faders. You have probably also noticed the new site. What, you say? Where's the technicolor site that you thought looked like a 5th grader designed it? Well it is getting a makeover. It is still a work in progress, with the images and intro section to be finished, and finish working on the music page. But it's coming!!! Keep watching.

new record

Mon, 07 May 2007 22:39:11 CDT

thank goodness for friends. even though i could easily sit and record the new songs for the record at home by myself, my musical friends have agreed to come in and push the buttons, trim the faders, etc., for me. it keeps me immersed in the music, and away from the technical side of recording. they can also listen for things i might not hear. so they need a couple of crash courses on recording. no big whoop. the record is as yet untitled. currently there about 12-15 original songs that i will record. additionally, there are another half-dozen or so covers which i will consider for the record. this isn't going to be some long, sprawling concept record though. it's just a collection of songs written by me over the last three-four years. they are seemingly pretty disjointed. a few of the songs i'd written a while back, but had just never gotten a chance to record them. hopefully i can pull their disparate styles together with my voice. we'd hope so, right?

good times

Mon, 07 May 2007 22:38:27 CDT

The show was a success. Thank you everyone who came to the show. We played with a new percussionist (new to this band, anyway), Dominic. He did a great job considering we only had one rehearsal. And people seemed to like the show, many saying it was the best show they had seen us do. So, thanks everyone, and stay tuned, more shows are coming!