J Andrew Taylor

another new song

2011-02-04T18:57:00.001-08:00

A Tommy Story

Tommy's mom told him
He'd go to hell
If he did not do what she said

So he grew up believing
These tales that made no
Sense inside his head

She told him since he was
Just a boy that Jesus
Chose him as a friend

But Tommy wondered if his
Friends at school would be
As fortunate as him

The problem is no one knows the truth
And choice is such a fickle thing
The future's written out for you
So raise your hands
And sing

got no title for this

2011-01-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

I was goin somewhere with an achin in my head

Tryin to find the reason why the livin end up dead

Goin down

I was runnin circles with a ballot in my hand

Tryin to choose between two men I could not fuckin stand

Goin down

When will I understand why things always end this way

When will I realize my destiny's not mine to make

I'd opt out of the system but I fear I have no say

I was goin somewhere with an achin in my heart

Not knowin which way to go or where to even start

Goin down

I was goin nowhere with a Bible in my hand

Tryin to live my life by rules I'll never understand

Goin down

When will I understand why things always end this way

When will I realize my destiny's not mine to make

I'd opt out of the system but I fear I have no say

So let me introduce to you. . .the one and only FREDDY SEARS!

2008-05-13T17:56:00.001-07:00

Faith's still pregnant. Good times.

I'm going to see Radiohead in Houston on Saturday. Good times.

I won my fantasy premiership league, so the owner of the league's buying me this shirt. Good times.

I joined a dart league at my local pub on the North Shore. Good times.

I've reached an all-time low in blogging. Meh.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

my camera

2007-12-18T14:38:00.001-08:00

broken

Blogged with Flock

Sunrise/Sunset Theme Day @ Whiskerino

2007-11-30T12:46:00.001-08:00

Jacob: An Excellent Source of FIBER!!!

whiskerino.org

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Just in time for Summer!

2007-11-27T14:30:00.001-08:00

The June mix is finally here.

DnA

It took another .net CD Circle to get me on the ball, but it's finally here and quite good if I do say so myself. Here's the tracklist. I've spent time working with flow and moodswings with other mixes, but this one I just decided to put all the songs in alphabetical order. It seems to have worked out just fine.

Sherwin Sleeves - Beat & Breathe
Dustin Kensrue - Blood & Wine
Margot & the Nuclear So & So's - Broadripple is Burning
Kings of Leon - The Bucket
Kent - Celcius
Audioslave - Cochise
Nine Inch Nails - Heresy
Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man
Iron and Wine - Jesus the Mexican Boy
David Bazan's Black Cloud - Let Down
Beck - Nicotine & Gravy
Fugees - Ready or Not
Rufus Wainwright - Shadows
Saul Williams - Sunday Bloody Sunday
Band of Horses - Weed Party
Cocorosie - Werewolf
Flogging Molly - The Worst Day Since Yesterday

There is indeed a theme, but unlike before when it was Christmas or my wiggerish high school self, I've left it unsaid. It runs through every song either in blatant reference, subject matter, or in one case simply the band name. I'd actually like to see if anyone can figure out the theme and list the references in each track. I don't see that happening 100%, but we'll see.

Also...I upped it as a RAR file this time just because I like using WinRAR better than zipping. If you need help extracting the file, run over to TugZip and pick up their free little unpacking program. There are others out there, but that was one of the first free ones that popped up on Google for me.

Enjoy.

Blogged with Flock

November 26, 2007

2007-11-26T19:18:00.001-08:00

magnolia.jpg, originally uploaded by J Andrew Taylor.

Today is the first day of the rest of my beard.

The June Mix

2007-07-31T17:37:00.001-07:00

Yeah...it'll be here some time in August.

Actually...while my chick is watching Hairspray, I think I'm gonna work on it right now.

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Long Time No Shit

2007-06-15T13:57:00.001-07:00

So it seems like I've given up on the blog and my countless fans. Well fret not. June will be the month of my return. June will also mark the return of the Jandrewtaylor Monthly Mixtape.

...and the crowd goes wild...

I may even write something for Circle Six and/or Corner Table one of these days.

...and the crowd gets up to go to the concession stand...

Blogged with Flock

You gotta love a Drunk Bruce Willis.

2007-05-02T16:33:00.001-07:00

Blogged with Flock

Get out of here, you time traveling demon.

2007-05-01T20:15:00.001-07:00

Blogged with Flock

Circle Six 3.0

2007-04-26T14:32:00.001-07:00

Circle Six got a facelift last night....run over and check it out.Now if I could just get my ass in gear and write some articles...

Blogged with Flock

I keep dropping my balls.

2007-04-23T11:49:00.001-07:00

I realized the other day that I haven't posted a monthly mix since February. I'll try to work on that and get some more music up shortly.

I'm thinking about doing a double ep for March/April and then picking up full swing when May rolls around.

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Transatlanticism

2007-04-10T11:38:00.001-07:00

Thanks to carelisabeth, I've got a little excercise for you today.

1. Go to Google Maps
2. Click on "Get Directions"
3. From: New York, New York
4. To: Paris, France
5. Read line 23 in the directions.

Blogged with Flock

New article up on Circle Six

2007-03-28T21:09:00.001-07:00

I finally got my review of the Jeff Tweedy show in New Orleans up on Circle Six.

Go check it out.

Blogged with Flock

Smashing Pumpkins on Myspace

2007-03-26T11:59:00.001-07:00

I was listening to some old Smashing Pumpkins stuff today, and I decided to check them out online. Their site tells us that their new album - I'm still not sure I'm happy about the prospects of a new album - will be out on 7.7.07. The site also directs you to their myspace page. Here's what I found interesting about their myspace...

Mute Math is #3 on their Top 8.

Huh?

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Mute Math - Typical video

2007-03-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

Mute Math just released the video for Typical. I dig it.

wow

2007-03-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

I suck at blogging sometimes.

Here's a little somethin' 'bout a Cracker like me.

2007-02-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

So here's the second JAT mixtape of the year. Since it's February, I thought it was only right to celebrate Black History Month. What I've got for your downloading pleasure this month is a glimpse into the life of young Jacob. From around 89 to 95ish, I was black. This mix is evidence of those years. In the zip file is a Word doc (or a plain text version here if you rather) that goes in to greater detail. But for now, without any further ado, I present to you...

A History of Black Jacob

Here's a tracklist...oh and...please take notice of my mad Photoshop skillz, Yo.

(1) N.W.A. – “Gangsta Gangsta”
(2) Run DMC – “Peter Piper”
(3) Beastie Boys – “Fight For Your Right”
(4) Dr. Dre – “Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang”
(5) Geto Boys – “Mind Playin Tricks”
(6) Too $hort – “I’m A Player”
(7) Public Enemy – “911 Is A Joke”
(8) Slick Rick – “Children’s Story”
(9) Eric B. & Rakim – “Move The Crowd”
(10) LL Cool J – “Rock The Bells”
(11) Wu-Tang Clan – “C.R.E.A.M.”
(12) The Notorious B.I.G. – “Gimme The Loot”
(13) 2Pac – “Hit ‘Em Up”
(14) Young MC – “Got More Rhymes”
(15) Ice Cube – “It Was A Good Day”
(16) Jay-Z – “Feelin’ It”
(17) Snoop Dogg – “Gz And Hustlas”

P.S. I forgot to put a Parental Advisory on the cover art, but consider yourself warned...this is not a mix for the easily offended. Don't come cryin' to me when you shatter your F-bomb quota for the year and you're only 6 tracks in.

Dance like nobody's taping you for Youtube.

2007-02-01T14:42:00.000-08:00

Youtube video of me in 20 years.

Thanks, Hynes.

Huh.

2007-01-31T09:08:00.000-08:00

Interesting.

I know you're barely listening.

2007-01-29T20:08:00.000-08:00

I mentioned when I posted the Christmas Mix that I was thinking of posting a mix a month. Well, January's coming to a close, and this goal is a lot easier for me to keep than that "read a book a month" crap (hey, I've got a couple days left to finish...rag on me when it's officially February).

So here it is. The JAndrewTaylor January Mix. It's not meant to be groundbreaking or retro. It doesn't fit some indie niche. It doesn't even follow a theme. It's just some tracks that I hit at one point or another during the month.
Enjoy. Or not. Whatever.

here's a tracklist...

1. Biz Markie - "Just a Friend"
2. Modest Mouse - "All Night Diner"
3. CSS - "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex"
4. Primus - "Too Many Pupies"
5. Home Video - "Confession (Of A Time Traveler)"
6. Gogol Bordello - "Start Wearing Purple"
7. Jamiroquai - "Feels Like It Should"
8. Radiohead - "Talk Show Host"
9. The Be Good Tanya's - "When Doves Cry"
10. Travis Morrison - "Born in '72"
11. The Pharcyde - "Passing Me By"
12. The Strokes - "Someday"
13. Steve Earle - "The Kind"
14. Nicole Nordeman - "Gotta Serve Somebody"
15. Rufus Wainwright - "The Art Teacher"
16. Jeff Buckley - "Forget Her"
17. Pilot Speed - "Barely Listening"

Another Top 10 List

2007-01-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

I think it was Hynes who did this recently, and I thought I'd check out my last.fm page to see what my year looked like.

If I remember correctly, Hynes posted a top list of what he'd been listening to over the past year. Not new stuff. Not genre-specific. Just by the numbers. I like that...and I'm ripping it off.

Jacob Taylor's 2006

(10) Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
I dug this album really hard for about two weeks. After that, I returned to "Crazy" a few times, but the album as a whole had kinda lost it's charm.

(9) My Morning Jacket - Z
I don't really remember listening to this album much this year. I guess I did. It came out in late 05, so this is probably early year spill-over. Great album. I'm still kicking myself for not seeing their New Orleans show earlier this year.

(8) Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
I default to this one a lot.

(7) Idlewild - The Remote Part
Their best, in my opinion. I absolutely loved 100 Broken Windows, and this was a great followup. I wish I could say the same about Warnings/Promises which followed this album.

(6)Centro-matic - Love You Just The Same
I fall back on this one a lot too. "Flashes and Cables" and "Mighty Midshipman" are damn near perfect. You gotta love Will Johnson.

(5) Semisonic - Feeling Strangely Fine
I hadn't heard this CD in a long time when I downloaded it. I got stuck on it for a while. I think they were one of the most underrated bands in the late 90's, and the followup to this album, All About Chemistry, went widely unnoticed. Tis a pity.

(4)Lou Reed - Transformer
I fell in love with Lou Reed this year. I've liked the Velvet Underground stuff for a while, but I just never made the transition to his solo catalog. I got hooked on "Satellite of Love" when I started paying more attention to the Ron and Fez show. They end every show with that song (cuz they're on XM...get it?). Anyway, I found out which album it was on, and gave it a listen. Holy crap this is good. I have 10 of his albums now including 2 on vinyl which does me a lot of good since I don't have a record player yet.

(3) Pedro the Lion - Control
In the beginning of 06, I was just hitting my stride in Whiskerino 2005. During the open theme week, I chose to take pictures that interpreted lyrics from Control. I had a lot of fun doing this. I evidently listened to a lot of this album too.
If you want, check out there series... 1 2 3 4 5

(2) The Stills - Without Feathers
This is a great album, but I don't remember listening to it this much. I know I loved "She's Walking Out," but that's not enough to pop this up to #2. I might have left it playing while I was out of the office or something.

(1) Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac
Ok, now I know something's fishy. I did listen to a metric assload of Whiskeytown this year, but it was mostly Pneumonia. Come to think of it, Margot is suspiciously missing from this list.

Nevermind, Hynes. This was a stupid idea.

Favorite albums of 2006

2007-01-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Here it is. You can read the full thing at Corner Table.

(10) The Long Winters – Putting the Days to Bed
(9) The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
(8) Sonic Youth – Rather Ripped
(7) The Flaming Lips – At War With the Mystics
(6) Thom Yorke – The Eraser
(5) Band of Horses – Everything All The Time
(4) Centro-matic – Fort Recovery
(3) Pilot Speed – Sell Control for Life’s Speed
(2) The Strokes – First Impressions of Earth
(1) Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s – The Dust of Retreat

NFL Coach of the Year

2007-01-06T12:51:00.000-08:00

Sean Payton

I'm a homer, so you won't hear any complaints.

...

While I'm at it, here are my playoff predictions.

First Round Winners
NFC
Iggles
Seahawks

AFC
Chiefs
Pats

Second Round Winners
NFC
Saints
Seahawks

AFC
Chargers
Pats

Conference Champs
Saints
Chargers

Superbowl Winner
Saints

I'm sure you're all stunned at my predictions. But the way I see it, we've got just as good a chance as anybody. The one thing I'm worried about is Chicago getting beat in the second round. Not because I don't think we could go to Chicago and beat them at home, but I have a ticket to the NFC Championship if it's played in New Orleans...so I'm rooting against the Bears so I can be in that number.

Oh Happy Day

2007-01-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

Circle Six Magazine is back up.

Go take a look and make fun of Erick's top 10 albums of 2006.

ps...my list is coming by the end of this week.

Yay.

2006-12-30T17:44:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my friend Jack, I've got a ticket to the Saints v. Panthers game tomorrow in the Dome.

Good times.

So it's a bit late...

2006-12-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

But since we're still in the 12 days of Christmas, it's not entirely inappropriate for me to post a Xmas mix a few days after the actual day. The Christmas spirit should last beyond the holiday anyway, so quit yer bitchin'.

I present to you...

A Taylor-Made X-Mas

I don't think there's a tracklist included in the zip file, so here ya go.

1. “O Tennenbaum” – Vince Guaraldi
2. “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” – David Bowie & Bing Crosby
3. “Step Into Christmas” – Elton John
4. “’Zat You, Santa Claus” – Electric Mayhem Band
5. “A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn’t So)” – The Flaming Lips
6. “Spotlight on Christmas” – Rufus Wainwright
7. “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight)” – The Ramones
8. “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” – Sarah McLachlan
9. “Maybe This Christmas” – Ron Sexsmith
10. “Last Christmas” – Jimmy Eat World
11. “White Christmas” – Martin Sextons
13. “The Man In the Santa Suit” – Fountains of Wayne
14. “I Won’t Decorate Your Christmas Tree” – Loretta Lynn
15. “Rudy” – The Be Good Tanyas
16. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – Zooey Deschanel & Leon Redbone
17. “Peace” – Norah Jones
18. “I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day” – Pedro The Lion
19. “River” – Travis
20. “I Wonder As I Wander” – Jewel
21. “Oh Holy Night” – The City of New Orleans (from Studio 60)

I'm thinking of doing a mix a month this year. Of course, now that I've said that, it'll never happen, but it's a good idea. I've got a headstart on the year on account of my Friends With Managers mix never being put up. (booo hissss)

More Sleeves

2006-12-27T13:56:00.000-08:00

Sherwin Sleeves is on a roll. He's put out 3 songs in less than a month, and they're all gems.

They're a bit inside though.

"Fez of the Flies" is about a radio host who is mistaken for a homeless person and immediately becomes the face of the homeless on national news outlets. (true story...front page news on Drudge, CNN, Fox News and Bill OReily's douchey show)

"I Christmas Thee" is probably a bit more accessible than the first, but there are some names dropped that wouldn't make sense to anyone not involved in the Ron and Fez world.

The inside angle aside, this guy is putting out some great stuff.

Atoms, Motion and the Void

2006-12-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

Sherwin Sleeves is the 79 y/o alter ego of 39 y/o stay-at-home dad Sean Hurley. He lives in a log cabin at the top of Marked Mountain in Lemon, New Hampshire. It's from this cabin - and through his website Atoms, Motion and the Void - that he tells his stories, sings his songs and generously lets us into his universe. He is equal parts story teller, singer/songwriter and spare-time philosopher. His voice and stories are as comforting as they are haunting. He is eerie and enveloping.

I was introduced to Mr. Sleeves through his loose connection to the Ron and Fez show. After they told a story on the air about Fez drastically over-tipping a waiter at Smith and Wollensky's, he wrote a song and sent it in to the guys. The song is written from the waiter's perspective, and is surprisingly brilliant for a listener submission to a radio show. Even if Sherwin's storytelling isn't your thing, go check out "It Takes a Rube".

Best thing I've seen on Youtube in a long time.

2006-12-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

MS Paint wizardry

Black and Gold...

2006-11-27T07:33:00.000-08:00

I wore my lucky shirt yesterday during the Saints v. Falcons game, and it turned out another win. The Saints are 7-4 with a 4-1 Division record and have sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Yay. I'd like to apologize to the entire Saints organization for not wearing my lucky shirt. I take full responsibility for the recent losses. It won't happen again.

that's all i got for now...

How do you pronounce "Matsuzaka?"

2006-11-14T19:51:00.000-08:00

The Red Sox just picked up some pitching.

This makes me happy.

Lung Cancer...Booooooooo

2006-11-11T21:57:00.000-08:00

I played a cancer awareness party this Saturday. It was a rally/walk-a-thon or something. All I know is when everyone got back from walking a few miles, I played some songs.

It was the first time I'd played in front of a crowd of people in quite some time. I use the term "crowd" pretty loosely because it was probably only about 25 people - kids and dogs included - but it was a gig nonetheless. Anyway, I was curious to see how my voice would do. I was also curious to see if me and my buddy/accompanying guitarist could pull off a few songs that I'd learned mere hours before show time.

Here's the set list as best as I can remember it.

867-5309 - Tommy Tutone
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something
Closing Time - Semisonic
Abby Girl - me
Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
I Ran - A Flock of Seagulls
I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges (Uncle Tupelo version)
Transatlanticism - Death Cab For Cutie
Secret Smile - Semisonic
Wish List - Pearl Jam
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (mix between Ray Lamontagne and Kooks versions)
Hey Jude - The Beatles
Rocket Man - Elton John
Cincinnati - me

The order looks a little off, but I think that's all the songs. It worked out better than I expected. I was feeling sick earlier this week, so I was expecting my voice to just abandon me as it's been known to do in the past. But a proper dosing of Nyquil for a few days straight and some honey-laden tea the morning of cleared up any chances of that happening. I hit the notes I needed to hit and even had a fairly accessible falsetto for once in my life. It was a good outing vocally speaking.

The song selection proved to be fairly fitting. I knew we'd do a few that no one would know - namely my originals and the Death Cab tune - but I also knew we had a few on the list that would be hits. "867-5309" was a winner right out of the gate. They loved the Johnny Cash songs, and they even dug the two originals I played. There were a few people who knew the Iggy tune, and everyone loved "I Ran" and "Rocket Man" - the latter being a request from my boss which I learned around 2am the night before.

But the hilight of the set was definitely "Hey Jude." It was a pretty low key rendition until I let the crowd know we were ready for the sing along and launched into the "better better better Better Better BETTER AAAAAHHHHHHHH. I actually screamed it out the way it's supposed to be done and started in on the "Na Na Na Na's" That really got people's attention, and they all started singing along. Everyone knows the song, but I don't think many of them expected me to sing the end of the song complete with my spot on McCartney impression. The "Ju Ju-day Ju-day Juday Juday Juday" bit turned a few heads. It wasn't the last song in the set, but it was definitely the closer. "Rocket Man" and "Cincinnati" took a backseat role as the position of "cherry on top" had already been filled. I learned later that my boss leaned over and asked someone, "You think he's gonna scream the Judy Judy part?" right before I let loose. The look on his face when I answered his question was life-affirming.

And all's well that ends well.

My boss said there were a few people there who want us to play some gigs...probably birthday parties and what not. Been a while since I've played a house show, so if these gigs actually come to fruition, it should be interesting. Hopefully I can get a full band together by then and expand the setlist possibilities.

I'll have a large pepperoni and an LX 50.

2006-11-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure I've got any locals reading this, but I figured it's worth mentioning either way.

If you eat at any Reginelli's Pizza location this Friday and Saturday, you can enter to win a new Vespa LX50.

Coincidentally enough, I was just trying to think of a place to eat tonight. Problem solved.

Nothing's changed.

2006-11-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

I really like Persephone's Bees.

I'm also diggin' on Bon Savants. There's nothing all that great about it, but for some reason I can't stop listening. Maybe I'm just an idiot. (savant humor)

I am a very happy Saints fan. My .net prediction of 11-5 seems more and more possible the more I see these guys play. I'm going to go on record right now with a few year end predictions.
Drew Brees - MVP
Marques Colston - Rookie of the Year
Sean Payton - Coach of the Year

I am not impressed with The Residents. The Rentals however are quite nice, and I was happy to catch a bit of their set at Voodoo a couple weeks ago.

I still suck at blogging.

Mute Math on tour

2006-10-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

I know there are a few of you out there who like Mute Math, so I figured someone may be interested in this.

Bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas is keeping a running blog of their tour on blogspot. I'm not sure how often it's updated, but inside looks like this are always cool so take a look.

Corner Table

2006-10-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

In Circle Six's absence, me and a few friends started a blog together. Who knows where it'll go, but go check it out nevertheless.

Thanks.

Stephen Baldwin is an idiot.

2006-10-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Stephen Baldwin is a Christian. The problem is, just being a Christian isn't good enough for Stephen. No, he feels the need to go out in public and make a Christian ass of himself. He's trying to single-handedly make Christianity cool. You know what, Stephen, we'd rather not have you stumping for the cause.

Below I've got a few clips from a recent radio interview with Stephen. He's pimping his new book, and trying to explain his new life.

Shreading the Gnar

Ok. Right off the bat he's setting himself up as a total jackass. I mean, no one expected the co-star of BioDome to be an intellectual genius, but c'mon, man. "Shreading the gnar?" You gotta know that shit like that isn't just gonna reflect on you, but now that you're a Christian, it's gonna reflect on that as well. Before you came out as a Christian, people just thought you were a dork. Now they think your a Christian dork. We've got enough of those running around on our own without you adding to it.

Let's just hope he doesn't have any strange fashion accessories that they can rip on.

King of the Bling

Oops. Too late.

Again. You weren't cool before you got saved. Now you may only be second to Carman for your abject moronity.

So now that he's got his bling and his fake tattoos, it's time to take this freak show to the road.

Stoked on Stevie B

I encourage you to go to The Lord's Lounge and check out Stevie B's evangelism on wheels. Think of the thousands of kids who he's gonna ~~molest~~ bring to a saving knowledge of Jesus in this thing!

I still commit sin.

Here Stevie B tells us that he can still be gnarly and follow Christ. There aren't any rules against having fun, as long as you try not to sin.

I have several problems with a statement like that, not the least of which is this: I'm pretty sure there are explicit instructions in Scripture against being or appearing in any way to be gnarly.

Secondly, if/when you start the sin conversation with a non-believer, please don't use "cussing" as your first example of sin. It makes you and your God look petty.

Ok, so maybe Stephen's not that cool, but I'm sure he knows some cool Christians.

Cue the telephone call from Pastor Mel.

Cool Pastor Mel

A pastor with a secular song on his cell phone?! Maybe Jesus can be swell!

So we've established that Stevie B's a dolt, but at least he hasn't said anything too stupid.

All Africans go to hell.

um...yeah.

So Bono should quit trying to help the poor, and start going door to door handing out tracts? Or maybe he should get a show on TBN? What an idiot. Taking care of the poor in this world was pretty high on Jesus' list back in the day. Part of the definition of true religion in James is taking care of widows and orphans. One body, many parts, Stevie. Don't you think there are enough stupid evangelists in this world? Don't you think that there is a need for people who will do the practical work of the Kingdom? Don't you think you should shut that pie hole of yours?

Then, if that wasn't enough, he shoves his foot even further down that dumb throat of his as he somehow finds himself in a discussion of Universalism with the hosts. We all know this isn't the guy we want debating doctrine on a national platform.

Look, I'm sure he means well, and maybe he is reaching someone out there. I just wish the people we had in the spotlight weren't always so douchey.

Thanks for allowing me to rant.

Let's Go! Mets Go!

2006-10-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

The Sox are out and I'm pulling for the Mets and the A's.

If the Mets keep pulling stuff like this out, they won't even miss Pedro.

Somebody remind me...

2006-09-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

...to recount the Saints game one of these days.

I really do suck at blogging.

test

2006-09-28T06:33:00.000-07:00

test

Well...I'm glad we got that settled.

2006-09-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

So Faith and I decided on baby names. There aren't any babies on the way, but we decided on names anyway.

Caroline Joy

and/or

Andrew Michael

Suggestions Please

2006-09-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

I know I won't get shit out of this because no one comes here anymore, but let's give it a try anyway.

I'm putting a band together to play a charity gig that my boss is putting together. We'd be playing the second Saturday of November. It would be an older crowd I'm assuming because it's my boss's mom who's actually involved in the charity. So I'm putting this out there to get some suggestions for songs to play.

I'm thinking they won't really care what's playing as long as there's energy. I'd like to play a few things that they'd know - Beatles, Stones, whatever - but for the most part I'm just concerned with keeping it lively.

Gracias

Another reason we won't see a repeat of the '86 Series.

2006-08-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Tom Glavine may have a season-ending blood clot in his pitching

Why'd I stay up for this game?

2006-08-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

So...

We could have seen the Mets and the Red Sox in the Series 20 years after the Bill Buckner Series....but nooooooo.

We had to get a freakin replay of the 1978 Boston Massacre.

Damn Yankees.

Stupid Sox

2006-08-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

This series with the MFY is giving me heartburn.

I have a blog?

2006-08-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Who knew?

I should post here sometime.

Bush Bloody Bush

2006-07-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

I hate the use of the word "random" in reference to a blog entry, but sometimes it's simply unavoidable.

2006-07-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited for the new season of Project Runway. I'm equally upset with myself for loving reality television.

. . .

Margot's still my favorite. It's been a very long time since there was an album that I couldn't stop listening to. Since Wilco's album won't be gracing us with its presence until '07, Margot looks like a shoe-in for my fave of '06.

. . .

I was invited to Scott's house for some Saturday night poker this weekend. It really was unfair considering Scott and I were the only ones who had ever played the game before. I'd like to thank Scott's friends for donating to my Pay Scott Back for the NCAA Tickets Fund. The next lesson's gonna cost more than $5.

. . .

If my impression of God came solely from the sermons I'd sat through in my life, I'd think God was really into acronyms and alliteration.

. . .

Just found out that Sufjan's coming to the House of Blues in September. I'm not a huge fan, but how could you pass that show up? He's coming with full band and orchestra. Should be nice.

I kick ass, and now everyone will know it.

2006-07-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to tell you people how great I am.

It seems someone finally agrees and has decided to tell the world.

The deafening twang of the rich white kid blues.

2006-07-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

If you've had any sort of conversation with me within the past month or so, you've already heard of the band I'm about to pimp. For the rest of you...

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's

They're my midway favorite for album of the year.

Vampires in Blue Dresses

2006-07-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling strange lately.

I guess this is what the neo-pundits call a quarter life crisis. It's hard to even put into words, but I just don't...I don't know.

I kinda feel like life right now is building up to some grand and glorious collapse. It's going to be beautiful. People will be hurt. Some may die. Others will stop talking to me. Still others will admire my work and aspire to the heights of depravity to which I have risen. They'll write books about me - both how to be and how not to be like me. I will be a lesson for all who follow.

And where will I be in all of this? Amidst the cheers and jeers, what will happen to me? Will the grass be greener? Will life be better? Will I settle somewhere in the green lumpy places and live off the earth in a zen-like state drinking Earl Grey tea and voting Libertarian? Will I find me? Will that new me matter? Will I find...

Anything?

I'm pretty sure that along with the change of scenery I'd find that things are still the same. I'm still Jacob, and Jacob still fucks up. Green grass and all, life is pretty much the same. Actually, life is a lot worse. I had it pretty good before I switched pastures. What the hell was I thinking? Other cattle would kill to graze these hills.

Maybe a watershed catastrophe isn't something worth wishing for after all.

holy crap

2006-07-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

More New Music

2006-06-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

Pilate and Keane both have new albums out.

I'll bet neither one make it to New Orleans.

I'm blaming it on the Jews.

2006-06-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Thom Yorke's got a new album.

The Eraser is the second or third truly captivating album I've heard so far this year. With so much music out there, it's become increasingly harder for me to get that feeling. You know the feeling. There were certain albums at certain times that I just couldn't stop listening to. I'd listen every day for months without getting tired of them. Needless to say, those albums are a rarity these days.

Is it me?
Is it the music?

Probably.

Every year I look forward to some group, some band, some fingerpicker from the Midwest or commie-rock outfit from Manchester coming in and sweeping me away, and every year it happens. So what's my problem? I used to think it was my taste or standards changing, but now I think it's the scene changing rather than me. Maybe these amazing albums are coming with the same frequency as before and I'm just seeing them differently. Here's what I mean. I think when I was younger I would latch on to one album for 4 months and be happy because that was basically all I had. As music becomes overwhelmingly available, I'm still latching on to those beautiful albums that come by, but the in between time is filled with so much more that it's almost tiring.

When I was in Junior High or High School - or even in my early 20s - I would seek out music by going to a record store and browsing. I'd read magazines and watch TV to find new bands I'd like. These days all you have to do is double click and you've got literally millions of albums begging for your attention. Some of them are good. Some of them are great. Most of them are ~~shit~~ not for me.

I guess what I'm saying is my greatness:garbage ratio is out of wack. When I was a kid I'd maybe get 10 albums a year. I'd hear stuff on the radio, but I'd only own 10 albums a year. That means two things: 1) if I was buying it, it was probably something I really wanted and 2) if only four of those were winners, that's a hall of fame year. These days I'm getting conservatively 10 albums a week. It stands to reason that the 40% g:g ratio would plummet simply because of volume.

So I think I've come to a bit of an epiphany. It's not the music industry's fault, and it's certainly not the bands' fault. I'm sure there was the same amount of crap out there in 86 or 96 as there is in 06. It's also not my fault that music is so available and that I'm therefore subject to larger ammounts of filler from one brilliant album to the next.

So who to blame?

I say we blame the usual suspects...

The Media
The Jews
Bush Jr.
Steroids
WMDs
Racism
Religious Fundamentalists
Hippies
Kids These Days
Old People
My Dad

Take your pick.

PS: You kind of got lost in the mix there, Thom. Thanks for the brilliant album. You never disappoint.

Indie shows and my two left feet.

2006-05-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

more of your new favorite bands...

Every Move A Picture
if you feel like dancing

Dirty Pretty Things
ex Libertines front man

Giant Drag
Chick singer/guitar player, guy on drums...basically a reverse white stripes. Only thing wrong with them is her annoying tween-song banter at the live shows.

Jason Collett
Broken Social Scene guitarist. Sure to win a grammy for Best Use of the Phrase "Cocksucking Faggot."

Starlight Mints
Kind of the buzz kids right now. I've heard they have a great live show...which is nice since they're coming to New Orleans next week.

I'll still see Jesus in the end I think.

2006-05-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a weird few weeks. In short: I'm feeling old. Nothing in particular's happened to bring this on. Maybe I'm just afraid of what 40 y/o Jacob will look like, and I want to delay his coming as long as I can. I've seen and talked to a lot of college kids at some recent shows, and I have no idea why, but part of me wants to be young again. I don't hate my life now, I love it. But I keep thinking about what I missed out on by not going to college. There's something romantic about it all.

anyway

On the other hand, those college kids are idiots. I told one of them that my favorite band right now was Wilco and their face looked like I'd just asked them to suck the poison out of a snake bite on Robert Reed's inner thigh. It's an indie rock/college radio world in which I am an outcast. A twangy alien.

turns on Uncle Tupelo - March 16-20, 1992

Satan, your kingdom must come down.

I'm cuttin my summer teeth.

2006-05-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Your New Favorite Band

...

My church is planting a church in New Orleans. I've never really clicked with this church, but since Katrina I've felt differently. Set aside all the stuff I don't like about how they do things. The people and leadership really do have a heart to help New Orleans and reach out to those who don't live in white upper class Mandeville. I used to think that they were all a bunch of pricks who just wanted to grow their church and their bank accounts, but I'm starting to think that there's more to it than meets my cynical eye.

They've got a building at St. Charles and I-10. They're getting support from all over the nation. They're going to have a community outreach center that will be running before services are even held. It's actually kind of exciting. I know I'll catch shit from my lovely COTK-hating friends, but I really want to be involved in this somehow. Deep down I'm hoping this is my ticket back to the South Shore...maybe even into Orleans Parish itself. I never thought Faith would be into living in New Orleans, but recently I think she's opened up to the idea. I mean it's not gonna happen tomorrow but...

...

I've got a papasan chair I have no room for. Anyone interested?

...

Oh and Nagin won.

The Lineup Released

2006-05-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

wanna go, scott?

The Mustache is the new Beard is the new Fauxhawk

2006-05-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Mustace May

nuff said.

the saints, the house, the dog, bass guitar, a new haircut, jazzfest...

2006-05-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

too much to talk aboot so I'll touch on none of it.

...

if you want a good mix tape check out Friends With Managers and the 12 Mixes series. a group of us got together and we're putting out a new mix every month. the mix (complete with cover art) is up for download at the link.

enjoy.

I got the "I might as well just stay home and watch UFC on Thursdays" blues.

2006-04-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes there's construction around where you work and you have to hear a jackhammer or something in the background all day long and it's really annoying? Well that's going on here, except it's not a jackhammer in the distance it's a grinder thing of some sort right over my head. My office is on the first floor and there's a balcony above us for the condo next door. They're regrading the balcony. Suck. It sounds like Rosanne Barr's singing the national anthem while she's fed into a wood chipper.

...

In other news...thursday nights have me depressed. Ever since Zach moved no one's got any motivation to hang out. Jacob's off skinny dipping with underage girls. Scott doesn't want to leave Slidell. Chet's at home dialing 615 to try and get Rene back. And let's face it, Paul and John were always more Zach's friends than AGers.

Makes me sad.

Maybe some good old fashion lake time will get things going again.

Should I?

2006-04-11T05:12:00.000-07:00

I think I should.

Use your flashlight to lift the walls right off of you!

2006-04-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

It seems the US Government and the Department of Homeland Security have made some signs to instruct us how to behave when we find ourselves threatened by terrorism.

It also seems that our friends at theboxset.com have taken these images and determined what they mean just by looking at them.

Feel free to comment with some captions of your own.

ClickyPoeCodyClame

June Dog update

2006-03-30T13:00:00.001-08:00

She went to her first Vet visit today. She's been coughing a lot since we brought her home. The vet confirmed what we thought that it's just kennel cough and it should go away in a few days. She's also had some yellow crud collecting around her nostrils. Basically she's got a cold. Does anyone else think that's funny?

anyway

June's as healthy as a horse besides that minor stuff. She's getting used to the crate training stuff, and she's learning that pee and poo only belong on the grass rather than tile or carpet.

Meet the newest member of the Taylor family...

2006-03-26T17:33:00.000-08:00

and the first female member of the AG...

June Carter

I hate to say, "I told you so." but...

2006-03-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures from the nights events.

Adam LaClave's newest hobby.

2006-03-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

I'd like to thank Random Relevant Message Board Poster #948 for showing me this site.

enjoy!

I blame Al Roker.

2006-03-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

Nickel Creek played the House of Blues last night. It was probably the best show I've been to since the Kings of Leon show that me and Mulkey went to almost a year ago to the day.

I've always kind of dug their music, but have never really flipped over it. Scott's a certified Nickelhead. He's told me several times that I needed to see them live. After last night I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to catch their show.

We've got a review of a recent show going up on Circle Six this week. I highly recomend you making an effort to go see these guys if they swing through your neck of the woods.

This may seem out of the blue...

2006-03-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

I read something Brian McLaren wrote on "the homosexual question" today and thought I'd post it hear and see what my two readers think about what he says.

In the latest issue of Leadership Journal, which focuses on ministry in a sexually charged culture, Brian shares a story that reveals the complexity of the homosexual question—a question where theology, truth, sin, grace, culture, politics, and pastoral wisdom collide.

The couple approached me immediately after the service. This was their first time visiting, and they really enjoyed the service, they said, but they had one question. You can guess what the question was about: not transubstantiation, not speaking in tongues, not inerrancy or eschatology, but where our church stood on homosexuality.

That "still, small voice" told me not to answer. Instead I asked, "Can you tell me why that question is important to you?" "It's a long story," he said with a laugh.

Usually when I'm asked about this subject, it's by conservative Christians wanting to be sure that we conform to what I call "radio-orthodoxy," i.e. the religio-political priorities mandated by many big-name religious broadcasters. Sometimes it's asked by ex-gays who want to be sure they'll be supported in their ongoing re-orientation process, or parents whose children have recently "come out."

But the young woman explained, "This is the first time my fiancée and I have ever actually attended a Christian service, since we were both raised agnostic." So I supposed they were like most unchurched young adults I meet, who wouldn't want to be part of an anti-homosexual organization any more than they'd want to be part of a racist or terrorist organization.

I hesitate in answering "the homosexual question" not because I'm a cowardly flip-flopper who wants to tickle ears, but because I am a pastor, and pastors have learned from Jesus that there is more to answering a question than being right or even honest: we must also be . . . pastoral. That means understanding the question beneath the question, the need or fear or hope or assumption that motivates the question.

We pastors want to frame our answer around that need; we want to fit in with the Holy Spirit's work in that person's life at that particular moment. To put it biblically, we want to be sure our answers are "seasoned with salt" and appropriate to "the need of the moment" (Col. 4; Eph. 4).

Most of the emerging leaders I know share my agony over this question. We fear that the whole issue has been manipulated far more than we realize by political parties seeking to shave percentage points off their opponent's constituency. We see whatever we say get sucked into a vortex of politicized culture-wars rhetoric--and we're pastors, evangelists, church-planters, and disciple-makers, not political culture warriors. Those who bring us honest questions are people we are trying to care for in Christ's name, not cultural enemies we're trying to vanquish.

Frankly, many of us don't know what we should think about homosexuality. We've heard all sides but no position has yet won our confidence so that we can say "it seems good to the Holy Spirit and us." That alienates us from both the liberals and conservatives who seem to know exactly what we should think. Even if we are convinced that all homosexual behavior is always sinful, we still want to treat gay and lesbian people with more dignity, gentleness, and respect than our colleagues do. If we think that there may actually be a legitimate context for some homosexual relationships, we know that the biblical arguments are nuanced and multilayered, and the pastoral ramifications are staggeringly complex. We aren't sure if or where lines are to be drawn, nor do we know how to enforce with fairness whatever lines are drawn.

Perhaps we need a five-year moratorium on making pronouncements. In the meantime, we'll practice prayerful Christian dialogue, listening respectfully, disagreeing agreeably. When decisions need to be made, they'll be admittedly provisional. We'll keep our ears attuned to scholars in biblical studies, theology, ethics, psychology, genetics, sociology, and related fields. Then in five years, if we have clarity, we'll speak; if not, we'll set another five years for ongoing reflection. After all, many important issues in church history took centuries to figure out. Maybe this moratorium would help us resist the "winds of doctrine" blowing furiously from the left and right, so we can patiently wait for the wind of the Spirit to set our course.

Later that week I got together with the new couple to hear their story. "It's kind of weird how we met," they explained. "You see, we met last year through our fathers who became . . . partners. When we get married, we want to be sure they will be welcome at our wedding. That's why we asked you that question on Sunday."

Welcome to our world. Being "right" isn't enough. We also need to be wise. And loving. And patient. Perhaps nothing short of that should "seem good to the Holy Spirit and us."

Hmmmm...

Have a doin'?

2006-03-14T12:26:00.000-08:00

There's this old guy who comes in my office from time to time named CL. Whenever someone's leaving the office I usually give them one of my stock goodbyes.

"Take it easy."

or

"Have a good one."

Well CL just left the office and I gave him stock goodbye #2. He responded with, "Oh, I'm ok. How 'bout yourself?"

He must have heard, "How ya doin'?"

Now that I think about it. I think the same thing happened the last time he came in.

I wonder what he'd come back with for stock goodbye #1.

I'm going to Nickel Creek tomorrow night.

2006-03-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

I've never been a huge fan, but it's hard to be friends with Scott and not have some Ryan Adams and Nickel Creek fandom rub off on you. Should be a good show. I've never talked to anyone who's been to one of their performances who said, "Meh. It was ok." so I'm expecting a good time.

I've been wanting to make another movie lately. I think I'll take some footage of tomorrow night and see what comes of it. Hopefully I won't die in this one.

A few more things...

2006-03-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

1. I had a great time with She Wants Revenge last week. Once I listen back to the tape, I'll post a snippet.

2. I interviewed Jimmy from Train yesterday afternoon. He was a really nice guy (read: easy to talk too and more forthcoming with information than that dick from Sigur Rós). That interview's gonna go up on C6M this coming Monday.

3. You should all be listening to Jessi Colter.
(i searched hi and lo for a link to put there, but she's got no homepage and all the fansites suck balls...she's the widow of Waylon Jennings and her new cd Out of the Ashes is awesome)

A few things...

2006-03-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

1. Faith and I hung out with Chris, Kelly, Rosalyn and Noah last night. They were driving back from Florida to Texas after a failed Ebay transaction, and decided to stop in our neck of the woods long enough to enjoy some friendly conversation and tasty stripmall Thai. Chris has always been one of my favorite people, and chillin' with his wife and kids last night solidified them at the top of my "Reasons to Move to Texas" list.

2. I'm interviewing She Wants Revenge tonight. I really like their album. It's very (almost too) remeniscent of early dance-gothers like Joy Division/New Order/Depech Mode/you name it. Some reviewers are slamming them for being rip-offs, but the music's good so who cares, right? Since this is dance music, I'm going to try and loosen up a bit tonight and shake my money maker. The over/under on how many Vodka Tonics it'll take to get me dancing is 4.5. Place your bets now!

3. Next time I paint my kitchen, I'm paying someone else to do it.

All the little chicks with the crimson lips yell...

2006-02-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

...Nashville sucks!

Ok, maybe it doesn't suck per se, but it definitely wasn't the exciting vacation destination I was hoping it would be. Nashville's saving grace is the fact that Jason, Brianna and Emmy Morant live there.

We met up with some Whiskerino participants. We missed most of the partying (Friday night Faith wasn't feeling well, and I was sick Saturday night), but seeing everyone on Saturday afternoon and at the restaurant Saturday night was cool. I can now scratch Jason Wilcoxon and Paul Armstrong off my list of message board people I'd like to meet. Hopefully it won't be the last time our paths cross, fellas.

...

In non-Nashville news...

I'm interviewing She Wants Revenge on Wednesday night. I'll be spending the next few days cramming for the interview so I can look somewhat professional when I meet up with them. I'm really looking forward to the show. Their cd is great...I'm just waiting to see what they're like live. I've heard mixed reviews.

I had to edit it a bit to make it not suck so hard.

2006-02-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

For anyone who cares, my recent interview with Sigur Rós will be the lead this week over at Circle Six. I talked with bass player Georg and felt totally uncomfortable during the entire thing. He's no Matthew Caws that's for sure.

This has been bugging me for a long time.

2006-02-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

The proper contraction form of "you-all" is "y'all." I'm not sure who started this nasty "ya'll" spelling or why it's so widely used, but both logic and Webster tell us that the correct spelling is in fact "y'all."

thank you.
drive thru.

ooozzaataaaloooo

2006-02-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

I'm about to interview Sigur Ros. I always feel underprepared for these things. I hope they're nice and answer me with more than one or two word sentances.

...

Hynes, if you read this. I'm doing an interview today and, if everything works out, you'll be doing a follow-up/live review type thing on the 16th. Word? Word.

You mean I have to like, do stuff?

2006-01-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

So I've been thinking about becoming a man.

I had a conversation the other day with a dear friend and we realized that we always figured that life would just happen without much effort on our parts. I mean, to some degree that's true. Life's going to happen without me doing anything to make it so. But what I'm talking about are the important things in life like growing up or maintaining a healthy marriage. Those things take work, and until the last few months, I guess I'd never realized that.

To a certain extent I've always known there would be effort involved and conscious changes to be made, but it never really dawned on me that I'd have to actively seek out solutions to the broken parts of me. I somehow slipped into the passive role and just thought God would fix stuff without any pain or confrontation.

But now I'm at a place in my life where, if I want this thing to work, I've got to take the steps now to ensure its longevity - "it" being my marriage, my spiritual life, my sanity. I've got to step up and become a man. This all sounds so bold and romantic, but it really scares the shit out of me. Someone who's had bad husbands and fathers as his guiding lights for a lifetime doesn't usually jump at the chance to become one or both of those things himself. I'm scared that I don't have it in me. I'm afraid I lack the stick-to-it-ivness. Sometimes I just don't feel cut out for this stuff.

But I want to be a good husband, and I want to be a good dad. I don't want to just lazily drift into the same currents my dad and stepdad were swimming in. So I'm not going to be lazy anymore. I'll take an active interest in myself and my wife. I may even do something crazy like read a book or join a small group at my church! I know that sounds drastic, but a man's got to do what a man's got to do.

the usual excuses

2006-01-19T12:09:00.000-08:00

I've been busy. I'm moving back in to my house and have a lot of cleaning/rearranging/painting to do. I've been spending inordinate amounts of time on Whiskerino2005.com. I just don't have much to say. I've been planning my end of February trip to Nashville.

those are the excuses.

the good news?

I'll have internet hooked up at the house this weekend and it'll make it easier for me to keep up with this place.

I can smell the excitement.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

2006-01-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

Faith and I are moving back home this weekend. Our last official night on the South Shore will probably be Monday. We plan on having a party soonly and pics will be posted.

I also plan on having the Thursday night gatherings at my house every now and then so we can burn off the tree debris that katrina left us.

YouTube?

2006-01-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

Through the guys over at Whiskerino2005, I've been introduced to YouTube. It's basically Flickr for videos. Since I just got a camera that's got a video feature, and I recently found out about Windows Movie Maker (a free program that comes with any Windows package), I decided to try out some amateur movie making. Below is the first fruits of my new toys. Enjoy.

By the way, don't be scared by the still frame of me on the pot. It's not all about poo.

I'm pretty sure I've lost my following.

2006-01-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

I need to write more.

I've started looking around in Google land to find out how to make some money writing. I've had a few people tell me recently that I should get out there and write beyond Circle Six. That's extremely flattering...especially since I don't consider myself a writer by any stretch of the definition. I don't necessarily want to leave Circle Six. I like it over there. I don't even care if they ever pay me, I'm just glad the opportunity came up and I hope to be involved at that magazine for a long time. But the thought of making money at this is awesome. When C6M came to me my first thought was that it was an open door into something that I'd love to make a career out of. Now people are telling me I should take the steps to start freelancing and get the career ball rolling. I don't even know why I'm putting this here, but it's been on my mind a lot lately. I had another friend tell me about a record company that's looking for someone to write bios and press releases. I would love that.

Anyway...um...I guess the thing that needs to happen is I need to start writing every day just to keep the muscles moving. And I need to do some research on how to get my foot in some doors.

If any of you are the praying type I'd appreciate you mentioning me to Dad every now and then. If you're not the praying type, if you could ask me every now and again if I'm slacking or staying with it that'd be cool.

And I need to quit using so many contractions.

Tommy and Jason are in town.

2005-12-29T12:14:00.000-08:00

You all should run over to Scott's Blog and ask him how his brush with fame was last weekend.

By my count this is the second time he's had the pleasure of hanging out with a rock star friend of mine.

...

um...and the new Strokes album is great.

see ya again in a month or so

Johnny F'in Damon!

2005-12-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

Sell out.

I know this kind of stuff is gonna happen, but it always sucks when one of your favorites leaves.

Funniest thing I've heard in a long time.

2005-12-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Blankenship and all the guys over at Whiskerino 2005 for turning me on to this gem of an mp3.

700 Hobo Names

Maybe it's the beard, but this shit killed me.

Standby.

Today is December 14

2005-12-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

In celebration of this day my wife bought me a new harmonica and a wonderful book about the names of God.

The new harp's gonna be used in a song I wrote about my dad. The new book's gonna be used to get me closer to my Father.

So I've got a couple harmonicas...now I need a cool nickname.

2005-12-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

I'm learning the harmonica. I'm uber stoked about it. I know you're not supposed to start trying to play songs right off the bat, but I've already learned how to play Come Pick Me Up by Ryan Adams, and I learned that Johnny Cash song where he plays 2 harps in the same song. Anyway, I'm stoked about it.

...

I've also been writing some stuff that I'm excited about. I wrote a song about my dad leaving me and me visiting his grave in Wilson, Kansas...(he's not burried in Wilson, it just fit the song). I also wrote a song about missing my girl and remembering the good ol' days when we used to ride the bus together in Cincinnati...(i've never been to cincinnati). And I wrote a song about Lois Kahn that I'm rather proud of.

I'm also more excited than I'd like to admit about the posibility of playing some opening gigs for my friend's band. It'd be kind of an odd fit for me to be covering Ryan Adams before a bunch of screamo bands, but an audience is an audience is an audience right? Who knows...it may lead to other things.

In case you were wondering...

2005-11-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

...The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.

It's 10:45am,

2005-11-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

and I've had my fill of failure for the day.

If anyone's wondering why I don't take initiative in my life, it's because when I have taken initiative and stepped out to do something, I've either been flat wrong or just sucked at whatever I was doing.

A microcosm of my life was played out this morning at work. The boss wanted to take the printer apart and clean it up. Okay, simple enough. I am the polar opposite of mechanically inclined, but I know enough about this machine to clean it. But today he wants to clean this one roller that I've only messed with like once. So I'm jumping into it hoping I figure it out as I go along. One of the things I thought I needed to do before getting into it was dump the toner out. Wrong. The next thing I tackle is taking the gears apart. There's these little springy clamp things that are a bitch to get off...one of them flew around the room and disappeared. Marc's on his way to Lowe's to buy some replacements. Maybe I'm just a dipshit, but why would they make something like that? There's no real way to take them off, you just have to pry it off with a flathead screwdriver and hope it doesn't fly off somewhere never to be found again. That's ridiculous. Anyway...now that I have the little annoying clamps off, I can't get the roller out that I need to work on. Nothing's screwed into it, there's no clamps or brackets or anything like that, it's just being difficult. I hate this. I'm not the kind of person who likes a challenge like this. I want shit to be easy. Why, in such an advanced civilization, can we not have stuff like this be easy? They put screws in the most hard to reach places. They make it so you have to take everything apart to get to one stupid thing. And then, if you're like me, you end up making some stupid mistake that fucks the whole thing up. Story of my life. So if anyone's wondering why I don't write music or why I'm not doing something better with my life - better than working at a copy shop that is - it's because I'd probably suck at trying something better. Blah Blah Blah. Whine Whine Whine. Pay no attention to the crying baby.

Something in my veins. Bloodier than blood.

2005-11-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

I'm officially opening up the paypal account for donations. If any of you would like to contribute to the "Jacob and Faith Need a New Computer Fund," you can send your love offerings to jandrewtaylor@gmail.com. Part of what's making me realize we need this more now than ever is the 40+ gigs of music I'm burning off of my work computer right now. I need a better place to put all this stuff than my office computer, and the compy we have at home right now sucks balls.

...

In Auto News: Faith and I had to take her car in to the shop this morning. It was hesitating a bit and we wanted to get it checked out before it got any worse. We were also having a problem with the automatic locks not locking the driver-side door. So we got a call back a few minutes ago and here's the rundown...

Transmission needs flushing. Fuel Injection needs whatever you do to the Fuel Injection. And something else that I forgot. That's gonna run about $300. I figure it was stuff that needed to be done anyway, so I don't feel too screwed.

The automatic locks are apparently more important and complicated than the engine and transmission, because it's going to cost about $400 for the door to get fixed. I think we'll wait on that one.

...

In Music News: Wilco released their live album this week. It's called Kicking Television and it's fighting it out with U2's Chicago disc for best live album of the year honors. I highly suggest it for anyone who's got even a vague interest in Wilco.

Speaking of U2...did anyone catch their bit on the Johnny Cash special last night? The performance wasn't that great, but it would have been cool to be at that concert.

I kinda have to poo.

2005-11-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

I'm leading worship again tonight. Maybe I'll play some David Crowder.

This blog really does suck doesn't it.

2005-11-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

I lead worship at a bible study last night.

A few weeks ago I sat in on a bible study that's hosted at my bro-in-law's house. They were talking about spiritual gifts. The leader went around the room asking everyone what they thought their gift was. I said I didn't know, and he told me that I was a very anointed worship leader. I blushed and shuffled my feet. He said that he wanted to encourage the gift, so he thought it'd be a good idea if I'd lead worship for the study.

The weeks leading up to last night have been horrible. I haven't "felt" too christian. I know God's still there in theory, but I haven't paid much attention to Him lately so it feels like we don't even know each other any more.

A friend suggested that I start out the set with "Prayers of the Saints" by Matt Redman. The lyrics are pretty simple...

Are the prayers of the saints like sweet smelling incence?
Are the songs of...
Let the prayers of...
Let the songs of...

Well for the third verse I started singing "are the lives of the saints..." and then, making it even more personal, "is the life of this saint like sweet smelling incence?"

I broke. I've always been the worship leader who's not afraid to let his emotions through, so I started crying as I sang the song. It was one of those times when everyone else disappeared and it was just me weeping and singing at my Saviour's feet.

It happened again with the last song when I started singing, "I've tried to run away, but You have never left. You have always been right by my side." I broke down again and was at a full cry by the time I went into the "I need You so much closer" bit from Transatlanticism.

You know how sometimes a good cry can be therapeutic? That's what it was. In that half hour it was like everything between me and God was laid on the table and hashed out. I told Him how much I suck, and He told me how perfectly beautiful I look through his blood-colored glasses.

Go check out my Switchfoot interview.

2005-11-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

This shouldn't be news to anyone who reads around here, but Circle Six Magazine relaunched yesterday. Much props to Hynes and Paul for a jorb well done.

"If I ever get home to Houston alive...

2005-10-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

...I won't drive a truck anymore." - Steve Earle

Faith and I are on our way to Houston for the weekend. We leave tomorrow morning and we'll get back sunday night. Thanks to the 3 people who suggested stuff. Hynes, no we will not be visiting the grave of Babe Ruth and covering it in Red Sox World Series Champions paraphernalia. JR, there's no way I'd convince Faith to fill the heart-shaped hot tub with Fat Tire. Steve, no you can't come visit.

...

I just don't have anything to say any more.

2005-10-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

I went to see Elizabethtown the other night. I loved the music in the movie, and seeing My Morning Jacket play Freebird was great...but I thought the movie sucked. Scott loved it. You should take his word over mine in this situation.

...

Faith and I are going to Houston to spend the weekend together and take in a Nicole Nordeman show. If anyone has any cool ideas that I could do for here this weekend, please let me know. Email them to me at my Gmail account rather than commenting here because she reads up on me here occasionally and we wouldn't want to roooon the surprise now would we?

The Sox are pissing me off.

2005-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

We didn't get the place over here, so we'll be comuting a lot until we're back in the house. It will kinda be better this way. For one, the place we would have gotten was a dump. And being at the in-laws is kinda like being home so it alleviates the displaced feeling tat was starting to wear at us.

In other news: the Red Sox are sucking it up in the post season.

Maybe me and the bro-in-law will go have a beer tonight.

Quick Update

2005-09-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

The adjuster came by the house and, depending on how fast the contracters move, it's going to be a few months before we're back in our house. We stayed with my boss's family for about a week, but we wanted to let them get back to normal with their 4 kids (one of which is less than a year old) so we packed up and moved to the South Shore. We're staying at my in-laws' place until something opens up for rent on the North Shore. We're meeting with our old land lord today to see about renting a one bedroom place for a few months. Let's hope we get it because driving back and forth is gonna start to suck soon.

When the butter grows hair, don't eat it.

2005-09-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a week of feeling tired and not really having a good reason. Work is slow. I can't go home. My phone never works. The truck has no A/C. I have a weird feeling that this whole thing is gonna be a giant pain in the ass. I feel like a dick for not calling Shannon yet. I'm not looking forward to cleaning out the fridge this afternoon. I'm not enjoying this new Franz Ferdinand cd.

But I'm alive right? Some weren't so lucky. I have friends who had houses in the worst of it. So they've lost everything and I'm complaining about being momentarily displaced? I'll shut up now.