There is something that happens when you are learning a language whereby there is a part of you that studies the language, the grammar, the spelling, the why and where and how, and there is another part of you that is almost more primitive that just repeats the sounds you hear without even really knowing what you're saying. its like you kick back and let go so to speak and just go with it and the language just clicks in your brain and you find yourself able to recall how to say things that you don't specifically remember studying. But its just in your brain and comes out of your mouth.

As if you're a parrot or a dog or something. one assumes that cats and dogs and other pets don't necessarily rationally think about the language that they speak or the language that humans speak. We assume that we’re just training them to sit when they hear sounds that sound like “sit” due to conditioning. They probably have no idea what's going on except that if they do it their master will be happy and if they don't do it their master will be mad and they will be in trouble. We can learn a lot from this style of learning, as it relates to learning other languages. Mocking or mimicking the language without breaking each word down and their meanings. Just let go and spit out sentences as you hear them. I am surprised how much it seems to help.







Spent all day on napster and itunes and real rhapsody checking out all the new music. real rhapsody is fucking awesome although there is a lot it doesn’t have. (although not for us as artists because we only get a few cents everytime someone plays one of our songs as opposed to itunes where we get like 65 cents per song downloaded – but then again, who wants to download if you can just go to rhapsody or napster and listen as much as you want to and pay one monthly fee?) I am liking this a lot as a music fan. great for singles. Not good if you like whole albums. but then again, most artists are not creating whole great albums, though some are. for groups that you just want to check out this is an awesome feature and well worth the ten bucks a month. Over all I think digital downloading is coming along quite nicely. I still agree that peeps who download or listen for free without permission are creeps and weasels and should be punished as criminals since what they are doing is criminal. But really now, there is no need to do that with rhapsody and napster out there. anyone can afford ten bucks a month.



Anyway so I'm checking out the new bands and artists and no wonder so few bands and even established artists can break these days. There is so many bands out now. its overkill. Total over saturation. The only stuff we notice is the stuff that's shoved down our throats by powers that be with tons of money. all the bands now sound like the early eighties. They call it the eighties revival. Listening to sterephonics. This is flock of seagulls. The bravery. This is just new order mixed with u2 and kajagoogoo etc. the killers have been making fun of and insulting the bravery which is quite hilarious because both bands have the same sound, sounding like out takes from the cure. one band says the other is the real thing etc.... this is really funny how much all these bands sound like the eighties and like each other and although slightly original they still are sounding like other bands with not a lot new to offer. (there is great original music out there. lots of it. muse is great and sounds like only muse except for the fact that they also sound like Buckley Radiohead ours remy zero. But that's just because they are all coming from the same place. but still, when muse comes on you know its muse. And there is way more original music than that but I'm just talking about bands that people may have heard of.)

I must confess that I like the killers because they write good songs, but its uncanny how much it sounds like some lost early eighties bands like the cure. there is even a famous blur song with the same lyrics as girlfriend/boyfriend etc... same chorus.

You know, I wasn't old enough to make music in the early eighties but towards the end of the eighties I was and my first album came out in the late eighties when I was still a kid and for me then it was just about finding my ability, wasn't a lot of thought that went into it. I could barely play an instrument or make music. I didn't know how to sing or that people even knew how to sing. back then I didn't like the idea of sounding trendy or like everyone else on the radio so I tried hard not to, and now that that same exact sound is back I still don't like the idea of trying to sound like that. even though we are always and have always been advised to try to sound like what's currently happening at the time. that's been the curse of my entire career so to speak, but then again, maybe its been a blessing.

There is this record exec in nyc for a large indie label who advises us at times, tells me to listen to what's in right now while we are recording our new CD, and as well in regards to our last one. that we need to check out the sound that is hot right now. I think we all appreciate the advice. But if that means sounding like everyone else, like all these other eighties revival lookalike soundalike bands, then that's not our scene. We make music that we like. We just do what comes out of us. there is this tendency in the music biz like in all art-businesses to do what everyone else is doing. Two years ago there were hundreds of songs that came out that tried to sound like crazy in love. Hundreds of bands that tried to look and sound like back street boys or nsynch or Britney spears. when you say staind or disturbed or nirvana or creed or pearl jam or 3 doors down or matchbox or green day you can immediately think of hundreds of other bands that sound like that. get ready for hundreds of songs that are going to try to sound like hollback girl because that is such a good song.

But for me, I'd rather just keep doing what I do and even more trying to Stretch the boundaries of what that sound is. I know I know, people keep saying Fishy you have to try to find one sound.... but as a listener and as an artist I find it very unfulfilling. People are constantly commenting on coldplay right now good an bad which is a good thing because people are talking. that means people are paying attention. and how could they not. they're everywhere. the promo budget on that album had to have been around 3 to 5 mill. But speed of sound sounds almost exactly like clocks except just not as good. almost as good but just AS good. but you have to love Chris. He just comes off so sincere that you cannot help but forgive his current love of this particular sound. lets face it, the more experimental you are, the less accepted you are going to be, the less well known to the masses. and yet... I think of hollaback girl as a great example of a rather experimental sounding song, or work it by missy Elliot... and yet its so hot you just gotta love it. so who the fuck knows. it still fits into the framework of contemporary pop though. That's the key really. Experiment but keep it accessible. Don't go off the map so much that people can’t relate to it.

With me the other night I had this visions pop in my head, the other morning actually.