Hey Gang,

I know it’s been a while since Jim Anchower and I rapped at ya, so I thought it was high time for a new blog entry.

1) Midterms are done taking my milk money and tugging on my underwear.

2) Tor is mailing the master copy of the new record this week. He has done a fantastic job with the mixing and mastering. You are going to love it.

3) The release party is set for January 29th (if I didn’t already say this… though I may have) at the Kitty Cat Klub. Joining the team for the night will be No Bird Sing and Caroline Smith And The Good Night Sleeps. No Bird Sing is a marvelous trio of young men mixing genres, melting hearts, and blowing minds. They just released an album in September that you should run out and get. Caroline Smith And The Good Night Sleeps are universe-renowned backyard folk-pop players with a taste for rhythm and blues.

4) Halloween was amazing and terrible all at the same time.  My friends and I ran the “Monster Dash Half Marathon” in the morning. Then, we went to Lyle’s. Then, I took a nap. Then, we went to a party. Then, I went to sleep. Then, I woke up… As I was rising from my bed this morning, I thought to myself “hm… if the price of fun is feeling like a man with steel-towed boots snuck into your room and kicked you all over during the night, i’m not sure fun is for me anymore.”

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Hey… So, I’m trying to start a new “music” facebook page. I don’t know if it’s really going to fly, because I haven’t even been keeping up with the myspace page. My new record is coming out 1/29/10. Tor has done an amazing job with the mixes so far. Travis and I are currently working on the cover art. I recently purchased a 1964 point-to-point hand-wired fender princeton amplifier. It sounds like Jesus loving a child.

Well, well, well… the weather is starting to get beautiful here at the north pole… the nights are perfect for sleeping, the days are veering away from “beach” and towards “some-sort-of-long-sleeve-shirt,” and I just purchased some highlighters.  You know what that means!  Schoolz in! for! the school year!

Tor sent some rough mixes from the city of angels to my computer last week, and they are sounding mighty fine.  The way the room mics captured the natural bounce and glow of the Colfax Attic is very apparent.  I am really excited to start flushing out these songs in a live setting with Chris, Karen, and Ben.  We are having a party at the Colfax House on Sep. 6 to raise money for Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, the Dominican orphanage where Ben volunteered/resided for the summer.  Musical guests will include: The Wapsipinicon, myself (w/ Chris, Karen, and Ben), and Coach Said Not To.  It’s going to be a fantastic night.  On Sep. 13, Chris and I will be playing a benefit for adults with disabilities at MOA sponsored by Midwest Special Services.

Also, make sure you check out the No Bird Sing release party at the Triple Rock in a couple weeks (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=110638381308&ref=ts).  Those guys are amazing.

Well… I tried to purchase tickets today to see Sufjan Stevens at the 400 Bar in September.  That didn’t work.  So, I ended up spending my day on an acreage in Lonsdale.  I played soccer with a delightful young lad and talked to some old friends.  I recently took a trip to the Dominican Republic.  It is poor.  It is also hot.  The people of the DR are made of stronger things than I am.  My roommate Ben is made of stronger things than most.  He volunteered at an orphanage outside of San Pedro DR for six weeks over the summer.  In other news, this same roommate Ben played some radical accordion takes on my new record.  Tor said he’ll be sending some rough mixes my direction this week.  I have a meeting with David on Wednesday to discuss release dates and such through Draw Fire Records.  It looks like the winter will descend before the record surfaces.

If you missed the show at the KCK last week, Karen stole the show.  Her singing was absolutely phenomenal.  Chris’ playing was equally phenomenal, but I wanted to give a shout out to Karen for a job-well-done on her first full-fledged Minneapolis rock set.  The next show I’ll be playing is this one http://www.mwsservices.org/index.asp?Type=B_EV&SEC={5B2BAF96-8E8F-47AA-8348-D1E6F5C03F5B} at the Mall-Of-America.  I know, I know… you’re saying “but Adam, the Mall-Of-America is weird.”  My response is two-fold: 1) The show is to benefit and raise awareness for adults with disabilities, 2) Nordstrom Rack is really excellent.

Let’s see, where to start…hm… Well, last night was probably The Glad Version’s last show as a full band.  The fine folks at The College Agency may ask us to do some acoustic sets this fall, but I doubt if we’ll ramp up a full blown rock extravaganza (not that we really ever did… extravaganzas are for The Flaming Lips).  It was a good show… I was proud to play it, and I was happy to share the stage with Travis, Tor, and Chris.  The Glad Version started as Boy With Stick in the Fall of 2000 in Decorah IA.  It has been a very conscious and deliberate process to keep this engine in motion.  Many engineers have manned the locomotive (Bryan Rieck, Chris Salter, Michael McGregor, Shawn Neary, Tor Johnson, Travis Welk, Adam Svec).  TGV has briefly toured the East Coast for the last four years.  We have played some great shows and some terrible shows.  This year has been filled with changes for me (and for the rest of the members of The Glad Version).  I don’t really know what one is supposed to say or do when a band counts its hours and gets ready to hang up the gloves.  It’s really not so serious as that, but it makes me pause and consider why I am a little low today.  I have loved this.

Most of the population of the United States doesn’t live in Minnesota because the winters are extreme.  In solidarity with the rest of the world, I agree… the winters are extreme.  However, this is the time of year that makes me want to move.  I can’t take the inland heat that squeezes the life out of the plain states… I am just not man enough.

In the last week, Tor, Chris, Karen, Ben, and I have tracked accordion, guitar, and vocals for the new record.  When Tor gets back from Holland we will finish up the percussion and Travis’ bass parts.  I wouldn’t lie to you, and I am telling the truth when I say the tracking so far sounds amazing.  Chris’ guitar parts and Karen’s vocals have been haunting me in my sleep.  I am so excited to finish the tracking so that I can hear the finished product.  I can’t wait for Tor to lay down some inspired, focused, and tasteful rhythm.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Jeff Hanson.  I was sorry to hear of his passing, and I am sorry that I will not hear anymore new work by such a wonderful artist.

This weekend Tor and I will start tracking for a new record.  There are 22 songs to choose from, but I think we’ll try to limit the listings to ten songs.  Tor Johnson, Chris Salter, Travis Welk, and Ben Rengstorf will all be contributing performances to the record.  I’m going to try and talk Karen S into singing some harmonies.  I’ll be using an Epiphone Emperor through a Bad Cat Mini Cat II (hand-wired 5-watt Class A amp)  to lay down the basic guitar tracks.  I’ve really fallen in love with the tone of the Mini Cat over the last few weeks as I’ve been writing some new songs and playing a couple shows.  At least two of the tracks will be piano/wurlitzer driven.  I’m excited to see how the microphones and the room work together to make the piano do it’s dirtiest.  I’ve been majorly impressed with three records lately: 1) Bonnie Prince Billy “Beware”, 2) Grizzly Bear “Veckatimest”,  3) “Dark Was The Night” Compilation.  I’m excited for the new Bowerbirds record to be released (http://deadoceans.com/home.php).  That’s all for now.  Have a good week.

So, I peruse craigslist for musical gear fairly often.  By no means do I need more stuff, but I’m addicted to good deals.  I probably have a diagnosable ’sale bug,’ but we’ll leave that for another blog post.  I would like to know why people feel the need to be such badasses on craigslist.  I know that there are some scammers that a person might encounter, but most of the dealings I’ve had with craigslisters have been fairly pleasant… weird… but pleasant.  That’s why I don’t really understand the need to use terms like “$1000 firm, don’t even think about offering me a trade” or “cash only, no low ball offers” or “local pick up only, absolutely will not ship.”  I understand that these parameters make for fewer questions later, but why are the parameters always coupled with some sort of subtle insult?  If you’ve already set the price at $1000 and someone emails an offer of $400… just don’t email them back… that’s it.  If somebody makes an offer of $950, are you seriously going to go balistic on them?  That’s a pretty good deal for you.  It’s not like someone is going to respond to your $1000 guitar with an offer of $4000.  “Hey man, I know your guitar is posted at $1000, but I was wondering if I could pay you $4000 instead?…”  Of course the offer is going to be lower than you’ve posted… that’s the deal!  That’s what craigslist is about.  Bartering, bargaining, trading… people shop on craigslist because they want a deal, not because they want to mortgage their house for a used Telecaster.  So, in conclusion, just put the basic information on the craigslist post.  If we want to be e-scolded for a low-ball offer, we’ll email you… see you on the list.

Some rules that my friend Ben and I created:

1)  If you are in a sour mood, most types of whiskey will not improve that mood.  They taste good… they convince you that they’re a good idea… they’ll put their hands on your shoulder and commiserate… but most of the time, their friends are waiting around the corner with a baseball bat and a sack of oranges (no bruises).

2)  If you have done something in your life, you will have always done that thing.  You may not be doing it now, but that doesn’t keep it from being a part of your history.  For example, I worked at Capella University for four years.  It’s not something I particularly enjoyed for any length of time.  I met some great people (the K’s), but I’m not proud of the work I accomplished there and I wish never to return.  Even though I’m not still currently working there, I will always “have worked” there… that experience cannot be scrubbed away.  I know the concept of “the past” seems like common knowledge to most people, but after a couple drinks and an episode of the BBC Office on Sunday night, it seemed like a revelation.

3)  When you are planning for the future, be sure to take stock of the things you enjoy doing now, every day.  Make time for the things you enjoy.  Don’t “have time,” “make time.”  Time does not grow on trees.  Time does not just show up on your door step and offer pieces of itself to you.  For example, if a kid plays video games all day, he really doesn’t “have” time for anything… his day is full.  If he wants to eat a hamburger, he has to “make” time for that hamburger.  He has to specifically block out a 15 second period where he can pry his sticky fingers away from the keyboard, run to the kitchen, inhale some food, and return to the keyboard.  Unfortunately, even in that situation, the time has to made, manipulated, and scheduled.

4)  Watching videos of cyst-popping is awesome (Ben’s opinion diverges with mine on this topic).

Adam Svec – ‘747′ from troy zimmerman on Vimeo