Going Back

A few months ago, I put gut strings on my main ukulele. I ran into some big intonation problems after a while, though. I had to switch back.

I Deleted My Facebook Account

I joined Facebook back in 2006 when it first opened to the general public. I did this mostly because I was involved in building a social network platform to help artists, record labels, and management companies take their web presence back from MySpace. Fast-forward 11 years: I’m focusing more on my own music, Facebook is the new MySpace, and here I am trying to take back ownership of my web presence from them.

Going Gut

Important upate: I have run into major intonation issues due to these strings and cannot recommend them.

I’ve been playing gut strings on my basses for at least as long as I have been playing ukulele (10+ years). I’ve always wanted to try them on my ukulele, but was apprehensive about drastically changing the vibe of my main axe. I finally pulled the trigger on some Aquila gut strings, and thought it might be helpful to put my thoughts down here, but first some background…

My Senator Also Supports Net Neutrality

…And the canned form letters keep rolling in. Today I heard from Dianne Feinstein.

New Music Tuesday: Dylan Earl, New Country to Be

I’ve had a deep and powerful longing for more than two years, but the full-length Dylan Earl record is finally here!

My Congress Person Supports Net Neutrality, Too.

You know that letter I sent to my representative in July, urging her to support net neutrality? I sent one to John Garamendi, too. I heard back from him today in another encouraging canned message.

New Music Tuesday: The Brother Brothers, Tugboats E.P.

It’s been a while, but damn, have you heard these guys!? I couldn’t let this one float past without calling it out.

Never Belittle The Place Someone Is From

Have you ever had someone ask you where you were from, only to have them respond with, “Oh, I’m sorry.” when you told them? I have. It doesn’t feel very good.

My Senator Supports Net Neutrality, Does Yours?

My senator responded to a letter I sent last month urging her to support net neutrality. She responded today with a somewhat canned message, which signals to me that many of my California neighbors also took the time to share their concerns with her. Yay!

Battle for the Net

Net neutrality is good. It means all websites on the internet get the same bandwidth. Netflix.com loads as fast as thebigreason.com. The new FCC Chairman plans to overturn regulations that keep the internet neutral and allow internet providers (telecoms ie. Comcast, Charter, AT&T, Verizon, etc.) to charge more money for increased bandwidth. It also has some very ominous implications for free speech.

Stock U-Lock Mounts Can Ride Side Saddle

Frame real estate is very limited. On the surface, it may look like your options for mounting your u-lock with the bracket it came with are too. Here’s a pro-tip for mounting your u-lock you may have missed.

Red Light Runner Pro-Tip

Minutes ago, I nearly bought the farm from a red light runner. I see them frequently, and always keep my eyes open. What didn’t “click” for me until today was that when one vehicle runs a light, the chances of a second coming from the same direction are very high.

Loudness Is Not A Factor For Misophonia Trigger Sounds

The Newcastle Paper is really riding the news cycle. Pretty much every post to /r/misophonia this past week has been an article about the study. That is awesome! However, I feel I need to point out a common misconception I see repeated in many of these articles—especially by those who suffer from Misophonia: that loudness is a factor for trigger sounds. It is not, and I think saying otherwise can cause avoidable hardships down the line.

But… Magnets

My wife spotted this in the window of an antique store in downtown Woodland, CA. 

Mixed Up Track Names for Welcome to My World by Dick Curless

Dick Curless, the “Baron of Country Music,” is a newly-discovered favorite singer of mine. I think he would be bummed that the track names on his release Welcome to My World are mixed up on all the digital music services.

How To Turn Off Rockin’ With The Cross In OnSong

Save yourself the embarrassment of accidentally hitting the Remote button in the song menu and calling up a bunch of contemporary Christian music in front of your band.

My Favorite Albums

Prompted by yet another Reddit hole of favorite album threads, I realized I need to catalog the albums that mean the most to me, or were a huge influence on me at some point in my life. Here they are in no particular order (with affiliate Apple Music/iTunes or Bandcamp links when possible).

Top Music of 2016

As you may already know, I have been scrobbling all of my music plays to Last.fm for the past 10 years. This year, Last.fm has a new report called Last.year that does all my homework for me! I have still recorded the usual stats below for future proofing.

No More Acronyms

I jokingly made a New Years resolution this year to remove acronyms from my vocabulary, but it’s working.