Tennessee Travels

I'm going to visit my girlfriend, Mackenzie, next month. We don't get to see each other much, which is a shame considering that I think she is the most beautiful girl in the world. We get to spend, at most, five or six days out of every couple months together. Pretty tough. Beyond being beautiful, she's also really cool and understanding, understanding enough to let me play a show while in Tennessee during one of our precious few nights together. Not only does she understand, she's excited for the gig. I might even make her sing (oh yeah... she sings, paints, writes, and plays guitar...and piano).

She didn't even think I'd write this post and makes fun of me for having a blog and Twitter account. But, even if I wanted it to be, nothing can be compartmentalized these days. For better or for worse, these are not the old days of rock and roll. Take the 80's, for example. In the height of debauchery and misogyny in rock, Gene Simmons of KISS could wake up at his house, eat his favorite cereal for breakfast and lead a normal life, relatively speaking. At night, Gene would paint himself white and black and adopt a personae which included a bleeding tongue, completely removed from who he was while eating Wheaties that same morning.

There are still performers who enjoy the luxury of being someone completely different on-stage and in the public eye. The internet makes things too transparent for this division between public and private to stay firmly planted, however. Few bands manage to shield their personal lives effectively enough to achieve that sort of mystery. TOOL is one that comes to mind. Few pictures of the band's faces exist online. My band isn't like that, nor would I ever want it to be.

The point is that in 2009, nobody can, or should restrict themselves to one domain anymore in terms of what they choose to do, or how they market it. The internet makes this process more invasive, and less comfortable. Maybe Mackenzie is even blushing right now (she has sexy, porcelain skin that doesn't hide these things very well). I know she will do well as an artist because she doesn't restrict herself to JUST painting, or JUST writing. Next comes the marketing part for her.

Now I just need to convince her to get a blog, maybe a Twitter account...



Frogs Gone Fishin' are in Evergroove Studio this week, recording guitars for the new album. FgF is also playing in Avon, CO @ Finnigan's Wake tomorrow night. Film-maker Travis Milloy will be following myself and Andrew Portwood as we record all day, play all night.