Reminders
Sometimes you don’t have anything good to say. That’s ok. Take the time to reflect. I went flipping through an old journal and found this:
This is a reminder that, when you embark on a journey, somewhere in the middle you will inevitably lose your way. Nothing will make sense and you will wish it was over, or that you never even started your journey at all. This is the point where it is most important to continue.
That was sometime in 2018. Keep going. No matter what.
-J.P.
Every Day?
Every Day. Every single day. Every last single one of these frickin days I post something here and I hope I can twist it into some kind of beautiful idiot life lesson so you feel a little less sad.
Did I say you? I meant me. This is stream of consciousness right now. Just the first thing that comes to my mind. Did you know that most of the time I say “did you know” I don’t actually have a fact prepared? I just hope something interesting comes to mind and then I blurt it out. That’s kinda how everyone’s doing it, right? Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, whatever you got. We’re just shouting into the void, hoping to be heard. Praying that someone feels it the way we do, so for a moment we’re not alone.
I lost it. I lost where I was going. Bryana started talking to me about how to take screenshots on her new phone. It’s gone now. Just when I felt like I was getting somewhere good.
But I’d rather be with her and forget what I was saying than be shouting alone into the void. So for anyone who’s feeling a little lonely tonight, sucks to be you.
I’m just kidding. I’m here for ya. Next time we see each other, just tap me on the shoulder and ask for a hug. We’re in this together after all. I love you! Not in a weird way. Just in a I’ll do what I can to help way, cause I wanna see you get everything you want in this life.
Every single day.
-J.P.
1,700 Keys
You know, it’s funny. 1,700 keys is worth more than 1,700 dollars, but I’d much rather have 1,700 dollars.
-L.U.D.
Where Do You Go?
“Where Do You Go?”, the first single from our new act Roe’s Garden is officially out now, available wherever you stream music. Here’s the Spotify link: kapow! Quick little bit about this song -
The first time I ever played the piano interlude that you hear on the record was July 22, 2019. I was working on season one of Wu Tang: An American Saga (more on this soon) and I had one of those lucky moments where something just comes out of your fingers. The voice memo on my phone is simply titled, “A Waltz”.
I proceeded to play this waltz theme just about every day after that. No progress was usually made - I just sat at the piano long enough to run out of ideas and play the old ones again. Plus, I think it’s pretty and I like hearing it so I played it. You have to make yourself happy in this life.
Fast forward to October 20, 2020 in the midst of the pandemic and while in the studio I finally get the melody idea for the song. I asked my girlfriend at the time for the first words that came to her mind and she replied “where do you go”. So the lyrics were born. The waltz, however, remained a separate idea.
Early in 2021 I recorded the first demo of the song, still sans waltz. I did it like a doo-wop, recording three background vocals to sing the chord progression and some of the extra lines that made it into the final, and I sang the whole melody. I showed this demo to my co-publisher - it fell flat. The song got put away, unless for whatever reason, I just wanted to hear it one day.
Cut to March of 2022. Erica had been coming by the house to sing and play around with ideas for a couple months by then, and I got curious as to what it would sound like if she sang it. Now we got a song. After a couple times through, she asked me to sing the second verse. A duet? Interesting. Run with it.
It was starting to sound pretty nice but it was still just four chords over and over. So we added Alex on the bass. We broke it down all the way to one single note and some crickets from the backyard one night and made everyone wait for it. A distant warped vocal from Understanding to give it some space. We added some subtle elements one by one while Erica took us to the chorus, where I met her for the second verse and another time through and finally, we added in the waltz idea. They should’ve been together the whole time.
Ten months later, it’s finally available for the world to hear. So the next time you find yourself asking an idea “where do you go?”, just be patient. Let it take you there.
-J.P.
The Great Emu War
There’s a lot happening right now. My mom has Covid. Our water heater broke and the landlord refused to pay to replace it so we need to get one if we want hot water. We need to move but we also need new jobs. There’s a war in Ukraine, California is flooding, people are dying. Let’s escape for a couple minutes, shall we?
Did you know, that in 1932 Australia declared war on Emus? The birds. They marched ex-soldiers out into the fields in the wake of the Great Depression, gave them machine guns and tried to save the farmland of Western Australia from tens of thousands of migratory emus… and they lost.
Never underestimate your opponent. Emus are big and fast and vicious, and apparently they were coordinated enough to employ guerilla warfare tactics and outsmart their armed foes, according to this article. The Emu’s insurmountable pressure and advanced understanding of military tactics forced a human retreat after about a month of struggle for the farmland.
So, there’s a lot of bad stuff going on all over the world all the time, but it’s not all bad. If the emus found a way to win, then we can too. The first Roe’s Garden single “Where Do You Go” is out tomorrow. Hope you enjoy.
-J.P.
P.S. - I will be the first person in line to see the movie about The Great Emu War of 1932
Don’t Hold Your Farts
Apparently, held gas is partially reabsorbed by the blood and into the lungs… so don’t get too mad if someone has bad breath. They may just be holding their farts for you… and that’s kinda sweet I guess.
- L.U.D.
Understanding Enters the Chat
Peace.
Don’t sweat tripping on the way. True, down will never be up, but it can always be forward depending on how you angle the fall and where your face hits the floor.
- L.U.D.
