Torch's blog

Blackend · Post by **Blackend** » 16 Aug 2005 12:12

Torch wrote:Hey yo,

Been a while since my last entry. I guess I'm not on the computer all that much. The Portland jam/tourney was a lot of fun. Thanks again Red for hooking it all up. Lots of stories, but most of them were already told on the Journeys to Tourney thread. Allan you missed it you bastard. Oh well, next time. I really liked the city of Portland. I had only seen the downtown area as a teenager, this was the most I've seen the SE section, it was nice. And Powells book store was the BOMB! Maybe someday in another 5 or 10 years I might move up there. It's closer to my family and I really was impressed. Maybe not though either. It's hard to beat SF.

Went to shred in Oakland last week with Nate, Emily, and Cameron. That was a lot of fun. Thanks again to Emily for the ride.

Shredded with Nate yesterday at my house, and he helped me pick out a Fender Strat at the music store. I'm so excited to enter in to the world of the electric guitar. I've schooled my acoustic a little bit over the years, but hardly mastered it. This will inspire me to practice lots and lots. Nate gave me a lesson as well. Very helpful. Hopefully next time he comes to shred I will have some skills. Ok. Gotta go play some guitar before work. Later y'all.

Indeed the Portland Jam was bomb. It was pretty fun shredding with you and chillin' at Noah's when you were on the verge of passing out.

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 16 Aug 2005 12:26

Ha, ha! I would say it was closer to a nap than passing out. I never quite fell asleep. That chinese restaurant Red took us to almost killed me. SOOOOO much food. I could barely move aftarwards. But alas, I was up until six in the morning like everybody else. Sunrises rule. Yeah, that was fun.

Blackend · Post by **Blackend** » 16 Aug 2005 12:31

Torch wrote:Ha, ha! I would say it was closer to a nap than passing out. I never quite fell asleep. That chinese restaurant Red took us to almost killed me. SOOOOO much food. I could barely move aftarwards. But alas, I was up until six in the morning like everybody else. Sunrises rule. Yeah, that was fun.

Hehe, I had to call it an early night that night for two reasons:

One was the fact that I had only ate two bagels the entire time I was in Portland, so I got trashed faster than usual. But, I wasn't close to passing out quite yet.

Two was the fact that I had to call my ride to pick me up before he passed out for the night. It would've sucked walking from Stark to Sandy. You should come to MFJ 3. I'll give you a dollar.

$2.22 · Post by **$2.22** » 16 Aug 2005 16:49

> Yeah, it's going to suck with Nate gone. He's like the only person to shred > with these days. Except Carol sometimes.

Ummm, I still sorta play. Maybe you should have a jam on a day that i don't work like mon, fri, sat or sunday, that or play on an evening. Maybe even fill me in on sessions. But yeah I live too far.

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 17 Aug 2005 16:16

Sorry I forgot to mention Tu too. Mondays I will be working now, I've BEEN working on friday and saturday for quite a few YEARS, and you do play every couple of months with us on sundays. Evenings are usually out anymore because it's a pain in the ass to find an indoor spot. And if I know you are working or will be busy I sometimes don't mention the sessions. I didn't know you wanted to kick more often.
It's a good thing we've got modified to sort this out. You're right, long distance communication is rough.

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 19 Aug 2005 11:09

My schedule at work is changing and I am now going to get BOTH weekend days off as well as tuesday. Except for vacations I have not had weekends off in years. Fucking SWEET!

I was supposed to kick, but hurt my toe last session and it still hurts. I'm still debating if I should play on it or not.

Tsiangkun · Post by **Tsiangkun** » 19 Aug 2005 12:45

Oh, you'll play. We do battle at high noon. Oakland don't back down, not matter how many times we get our @$$ handed to us.

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 20 Aug 2005 17:54

Hey CK, sorry I couldn't come and hand you your ass again today. Would have been satisfying. It's been a nice lazy day though anyway. Tomorrow will be even lazier I hope. I'm going to enjoy this weekend deal.

Tsiangkun · Post by **Tsiangkun** » 21 Aug 2005 15:03

It's ok, nate came up and showed me how to hit all my tricks.

Rest your toe, it sounded like a pretty serious injury. Nate didn't say how you hurt it, but I guess you were jamming with the new guitar, when an off beat attempt at a power chord + jumping 180 double hair whip went horribly wrong and you kicked a chair.

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 22 Aug 2005 19:22

Actually it was a whole 360. The cable wrapped around my ankles as I spun and I fell backward OVER the chair and hit my toe on my keyboard. Luckily it hit a note within the chord so at least it didn't sound too bad.

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 08 Sep 2005 10:57

Not much new lately. Working five days a week now, which is good for my wallet but not my music. I bought a practice amp. A Marshall 30 watt combo with some fun digital effects, but I've hardly had the time to use it. It sounds WAY better than the keyboard amp I was using in the meantime. Playing my acoustic more. Fingerstyle is coming along faster than the strumming and picking. There are some assholes doing work on the roof above my apartment as I type this. They started far to early this morning. Somehow I slept through some of it. Feeling sluggish today. Fighting a cold. The weather here is grey and gloomy and cold. I had no summer whatsoever. Ok, need to play guitar now, later.

Blackend · Post by **Blackend** » 08 Sep 2005 11:50

Torch wrote:Ok, need to play guitar now, later.

No! Play footbag now!

What kind of music do you play?

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 08 Sep 2005 12:32

Ha, I hardly play any footbag anymore. Not right now at least.

I've been learning just some easy folk/rock/blues stuff lately. Someday I hope to play a little jazz. I know a few simple classical songs on the piano and I've been schooling some jazz chords on the keyboard to sing over. It's all extremely amature so far, but you've got to start somewhere.

Blackend · Post by **Blackend** » 09 Sep 2005 09:46

Yeah, I know what you mean. You should learn a neat little drinking song by Gaelic Storm called Johnny Jump Up. That's a pretty neat folk-ish song. That and Johnny Tar.

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 17 Sep 2005 16:45

Bought a glass slide today. I like it better than my brass one. Fooled around with open tunings. Found some thumbpicks that I like. I need to start writing some songs. I'm going to see Ryan Mulroneys band play at Cafe Du Nord a week from today. "The Herms". He plays the drums. Should be interesting. They made the cover of a local paper last month, the SF Weekly. Same one that Tuan Vu made the cover of, but for footbag not music. Of course.

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 30 Sep 2005 11:33

Saw Mulroney swinging the sticks. His band is really good actually. And the Noisettes, who they opened for were highly entertaining as well. My cousin just moved in to town. She is going to Art Institute and living in a fairly shitty part of town. Not the worst, but not so great either. She is only 19, I hope she catches on to city life fast. I'm working just a little to much these days. 4 days a week was perfect. 5 is too much for me. My free time is worth the little bit of money lost. Still, I'm finding time for the guitar for an hour or two a day, which is not much, but I'm still making progress. Hopefully this weekend I'm able to flake on everything and just sit at home and skool. Maybe read a little and watch a movie or two. That would be nice.

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 06 Oct 2005 11:35

It is Fleet Week. I have a strong dislike towards Fleet Week. Basically it is the U.S. military showing everybody how big it's balls are by spending millions of dollars (that could be used feeding people or other more worthy causes) sending it's really fast, loud air fighters flying over the city for days. It's just another example of "our" priorities here in the U.S. So for the next few days I get to hear what it sounds like prior to getting a fucking bomb dropped on your head. Anybody who supports this shit can go fuck themselves. And if you disagree with me then post it somewhere else. Put it in your own blog. I'm just venting not trying to start some shit.

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 17 Oct 2005 09:50

I am smack dab in the middle of a four day weekend. It will be nice to have Sunday through Tuesday off again. I got to party on Saturday, went on a date on Sunday and now I still have two days off to myself. Tomorrow I will check out the new museum here which is going to be sweet, and today I will go eat at my favorite place for breakfast with cute waitresses and then come home and maybe try and write some songs. I'm all smiles today.

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » 23 Jan 2006 12:46

Ahem... (bump)

Torch · Post by **Torch** » 24 Jan 2006 17:51

Hey Normandy, you forgot to mention in your blog that I whomped EVERYBODY in bowling, TWICE, not just yourself. Though you were my only competition anyway, I just thought I should toss that out there. Hee hee.