Monday
Among a collection of others, I found this gem in the same storage box as Marry Me. Looking forward to getting into this one again. Norman Mailer said Updike should have been a painter; this is evident every time I read Updike. Aside from the magic…the difference between real writers and people who write blogs, commentary and criticism is…the visualization. I’ve never read an author who writes finer and more detailed descriptions of otherwise incidental observations that collectively comprise the meshing of a brilliant portrait…one he’s standing both an inch away from and twenty feet away from…in other words; the guy got sick skillz.
Sunday
There’s a reason why John Updike was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It’s not just his monumental ‘Rabbit’ series. All of his novels are literary perfection–every line, every word is perfectly, poetically placed. After reading all but one of his works, I stumbled upon ‘Marry Me’, at a used bookstore in Echo Park perhaps 15 years ago. I read it front to back over the course of a weekend and was blown away as I was with any of his other works. Recently I found the paper back in the bottom of a box in storage. It was tattered and brittle from water damage. I took it to the beach today and started reading it a second time. Updike is dead now…but he left behind one of the most important contributions a person can leave behind; literature. I photographed a couple of the actual pages:
Friday
I first saw Eleanor Coppola’s brilliant documentary Hearts of Darkness in the mid 90’s and have seen it several times since…I own the video tape. Brutally sincere, riotously funny and even a bit disturbing…but never pretentious; this doc illustrates the divine madness of artistic vision that used to exist in cinema–it’s an element that has become extinct in recent years. If you can find the entire film somewhere, I highly recommend seeing it at least once.
Thursday
Stunning Audrey Horne Doppelganger posing outside of the Double R Diner (Twede’s)…one of my fave hang outs when I’m visiting Twin Peaks–her shoes are the perfect touch. Really, this sort of thing happens on the daily in North Bend…special town. Thanks for emailing this to me M.
Wednesday
Not messing around…will be watching this tonight. I have this film on a drive, but there’s something about watching films on a moving reel with the trailers and all.
Tuesday
As I’ve always said…there’s something special about KW.
Monday
Just posted a **revised** version of Tales from Truman Park episode 6–original draft I posted wasn’t the completed one. Buckle in…it’s a barn burner.
Wednesday
Yo, check out the new music video for ‘Mary’.
Wednesday
What he meant to say was: Realizing we’re standing on the Strip next to the tragic spot where River Phoenix died. Grinning about a comment made about the dude with woman hair in the background. Smoking blunts like they’re going out of style…a wondrous madhouse Hollywood is and there’s no place I’d rather be.
Tuesday
Updated the Selected Shorts section. Pull up a chair–have a read.
Friday
Me in the 90’s…skater boy, showing off my new Sex Pistols shirt.
Monday
New song, “Never Wanted To”.
Monday
Silverlake freedom.
Wednesday
I spent a couple years writing a novel called Waiters. I was working on revisions with a mainstream literary agent who is from NYC…did that for 8 months. Here is the author’s cut–the raw cut and you’ll only find it here.
Wednesday
‘Before long I was back on the 10 heading east…I passed the 405 and instead looped through downtown and swung back up onto the 101 to get back into Hollywood—I needed some time to think…I needed some time to fit things back into rational perspective. I took the Vermont exit and followed it north until I was finally feeling a bit more level. Hollywood; she knew what I felt as she always had and I could feel her breeze through my window, soothing me as the darkened shop fronts went by on either side…at least I still had her, my beloved Hollywood—though she changed, she was always the same and she always knew just what to say to me.’
–excerpt from ‘Waiters’. Coming soon.
Sunday
Unbelievable…was looking through a box in storage and found this photo of me with my first guitar. I didn’t realize I had a photo of that guitar. I’m 12 in this picture, playing along to a Sex Pistols album in my mom’s basement. I was totally obsessed with the Pistols at that point…learned Never Mind the Bullocks on that guitar and started writing my own songs as well. I remember how nice that guitar felt…intonation was perfect…low action…so easy to play. No idea where that guitar is now. She was the first though, and very special.
Saturday
Traveling from Los Angeles to Vancouver to Seattle, Jarrod Tyler and crew investigate the endangered state of contemporary arts & culture in the digital age and showcase the many citizens who fight to keep arts & culture alive in their neighborhoods. This is my public service announcement contribution to the arts.
Wednesday
Check out the official video for Fallout Shelter.
Monday
Not sure about Spotify…I don’t even bother with a proper Spotify profile…still, here is my best of album…in case you don’t want to pay for it on iTunes. I’m not a used car salesman, or an art dealer or a real estate agent–I’m an artist.
Tuesday
“Tin-eared Graph-paper brained accountants Instead of music fans Call all the shots at giant record companies now The lowest common denominator rules Forget honesty Forget creativity The dumbest buy the mostest That’s the name of the game But sales are slumping And no one will say why Could it be they put out one too many lousy records?”
–Jello Biafra
Tuesday
Brentwood Country Mart…this shit ain’t Grandma’s Apple Fritter.
Tuesday
I’ve received a few emails about this show…assuming this is going to be rescheduled. I was waiting for the booking agent to get final word from the organizers and alas…I regret to inform that this show is going to be rescheduled.
It wasn’t just this show though…there were other shows in the coming months we had booked in Santa Barbara, Long Beach, San Diego and one was lining up in Vegas before the world was infected by the virus that originate in Wuhan. Fuck…a…duck…
Tuesday
Mixing a new song from the Americana collection called “Constellations”. An infectious little gem. This album is like a secret weapon…one that will be released at precisely the right time.
Tuesday
Echo Park
Sunday
Hello, hello…it’s good to be back, it’s good to be back.
Sunday
Getting off work on Melrose…what to do…too many options.
Friday
Saw this at the Satellite on a week night…these guys were pretty good…they looked like UCLA frat boys but then they started playing crazy punk rock–sort of reminded me of punk bands I used to go see in college…the singer pulled off his hoodie during the first song…he was wearing a Beyonce t-shirt…he jumped down into the crowd and started a mosh pit. He sang a song about growing up in Virginia and crashing his car and how the crash rattled his brain and made him crazy. I’d hoped they’d kick over their amps at the end, but I guess amps are expensive. They were selling shirts afterward for a buck. I assumed punk was dead…guess I was wrong.
Wednesday
Tuesday
Venerate our grandfathers who turned the tide at Normandy.
Monday
One of my favorite things about LA is that you can wander into a live music venue on a Sunday or Monday at midnight and the place is packed for freaky indie bands.
Tuesday
Us lefties are forced to exist in a world that is largely designed for the right-handed majority who all seem to have drunk the same Kool-Aid. How can anyone blame us for being complete misfits?
Sunday
Great show last night in Encino…thanks to everyone at VCF for putting this one together and also my band of badasses who rocked out in the SoCal heat.
Thursday
Stoked.
Tuesday
Coolest high school ever; Jack Tripper and Jeff Spicoli went here…
Monday
I posted a montage from the show yesterday.
Thursday
My good friend Rhys Moody passed away on Wednesday evening last week. I didn’t even find out about it until Tuesday night. I’m still a bit shocked. Rhys was an engineer at East West Studios in Hollywood and a damn fine producer. He co-produced three of my albums, “Fides Veritas Eruditio”, “Don’t Let It Go” and “Auburn” and really helped bring them to the next level. I learned so much about music production from Rhys…he had a way of passing on knowledge. Last year when I was in LA playing the club circuit, he rented a room in his house to me and so we were sort of like frat boy roommates for a number of months. Man, we had some great laughs and some epic bike rides around Burbank…lot’s of smoke breaks in between.
They held his celebration of life last night in Studio One at East West. Such a nice service, he’d have loved it; his friends and family in such a legendary room telling stories and playing music. Though it was sad, I’m glad I was there. He’ll be missed.
Wednesday
Read the story in this youtube video–you might be intrigued.
Saturday
Just got word that we’ll be playing an outdoor concert at Warner Center in Los Angeles July 21st and we’re totally stoked for this show.
Wednesday
This is an interview I did last week with Nick at 101.7fm Civil Radio.
Saturday
Rhys and me, touching up some of my songs in Studio 3 at East West Studios Hollywood. Studio 3–where Brian Wilson recorded Pet Sounds. Abbey Road studios is the only other studio in the world that carries that sort of history and you can feel it when you in there; the wood grain surfaces have absorbed spirits of legends past.
Thursday
I’ve always said, forget Music BC, forget about stuffy Vancity cliques who could have done more to support their dying venues but were too busy taking selfies…and what’s with the contingency of weakly constituted, stringy haired, skinny jeaned, cover-crooning dress-up boys who are as boring as televised golf? If everyone is original in the exact same way–then nobody is really original–which is kind of like chips without the salsa. Though I don’t buy into any of it and have been basically blacklisted in Vancity…I was offered this show at the ‘new improved’ Railway and for old times sake–we’re going to play it; I guess it’s a good a space as any to stage my Vancity sign-off. That’s right…I’m choosing this as my very last performance in Vancity…so drop by and take in the spectacle. It’s gonna be a doozy.
Monday
I was into the Replacements when most of you were probably still pissing in your diapers. I say this because bands such as the Replacements meant more back in the day because they hadn’t quite become legendary at that point–you had to seek them out and order their records usually–from pretentious little shops with pretentious little owners–pain in the axe. Of course, these days it’s easy to embrace shit that’s been deemed cool thirty years later…but at the time even less people knew about the Replacements or the Minneapolis Twin Tone era…the kids in my grade 7 class thought the Replacements sucked and they let me know about it…however they felt George Michael was tops.
Friday
If you haven’t already, check out my most recent documentary. A must see if you’re a Twin Peaks fan.
Thursday
All you have to do to understand what’s gone on in Vancity is google search ‘live music venue closures in Vancouver’. It’s part of the reason why in the last year, the bulk of my shows have been in LA, or Seattle or Portland…by the way they don’t start bands at 7pm and have them off stage by 10pm in those other cities–all bands all night.
Monday
This is an interview I did with journalist Nick Pannu at Civil Radio. We talked about my new documentary “Road to Twin Peaks: A North Bend Story”.
Monday
Here’s a video of me and the boys tearing it up at the Silverlake Lounge in Los Angeles. The place has been one of my fave hang outs since I can remember. A great venue that is a true supporter of original live music..
Wednesday
Sunday
It felt real good to rock out for a couple thousand people on Kits Beach last night for the fireworks.
Wednesday
Sunday
Check out our new video for Audrey–it’s one of the songs we will be playing tonight at TR!P. If you’re looking for a great night of music, TR!P is the place. For my friends in Hollywood who said Santa Monica was too far to drive–uh, you’re pussies…and I guess I’ll see a few of you at the Kibitz later–I may be sitting in on the piano for a song or two with one of the bands. What did Jackie Wilson say?
Thursday
A friend of ours snapped a few pics of our show at the Kibitz Room. One for the books!
Wednesday
We are playing a set at TR!P Santa Monica this weekend–July 15th. Our last show at TR!P was a bit ill-fated…had to cancel on grounds of a bad cold. Hard to sing when you sound like Al Pacino from Sea Of Love. If you’re driving in from Hollywood on the 10, it’s LEFT on Lincoln; had someone email me saying they tried to find TR!P and wound up in Brentwood. So, head south on Lincoln…or just do what everyone else does and use GPS?
Tuesday
Great show tonight at the Silverlake Lounge. Thanks again to T-Roy for having us…was a blast. Silverlake Lounge is another of those venues that has a history. Mostly you don’t really think of the history–then you realize; holy shit…that all went on here. Pages in time–snap shots. Tonight we played hard and sweat all over the stage–literally; took our place in those snap shots.
Monday
We are closing the evening with a set tonight at the Kibitz Room; a truly legendary venue. What can I say about the Kibitz? If Barbara Eden popped out of a bottle and told me I could pick five venues to play at; the Kibitz would be on that list, just under the Bronze in Sunnydale. The Kibitz is beyond illustrious, yet it’s got to be one of the most unpretentious, coolest bars in LA.
Anyway, we’re on at 11pm. If you miss it–catch us tomorrow night at the Silverlake Lounge–gotta love this town.
Sunday
To our LA friends; don’t miss us July 10th at the Silverlake Lounge – one of LA most legendary live music venues.
Saturday
Walking by Y-Que on Vermont today, I saw these two books on the shelf outside the store–was meant to be.
Friday
Yes, this is for realz.
Tuesday
We are looking forward to this Thursday at The State on Sunset. Thanks to our pal Kelly McGarry for including us on this bill.
Sunday
Great rehearsal at our usual jam space this afternoon. Yes, it may be ‘hood’…but the guy who runs the place is a real mensch and often gives us a nice deal. Today we even got a room with A/C; appreciate the simple things.
Thursday
Our latest single Audrey is selling like hotcakes on Apple Music/iTunes. Just when I thought nobody is buying music anymore.
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/audrey-single/1356634307
Saturday
A cool photo sent to me from a woman who’d been in the audience at our Mint show.
Friday
‘Listen, Jon, if I worried about what the people cared about I’d never write anything.’”
-Charles Bukowski, “Hollywood”
Tuesday
Another great night at the Echo. Man, Echo Park crowds are my kind of folks…they are die hard live music fans…a week night and they’re out in droves to see a four band bill and they stay until the end, grooving out to a band they’ve never even heard before. That’s what I call supporting your local live music scene. What’s more, there’s a serious 60’s 70’s vibe going on at the Echo these days…I can only hope this trend catches on and spreads to the rest of this vast continent…it’s an exciting thought. Gotta love this town.
Monday
Snapped this photo last night while walking back from a movie at El Capitan. Though I’ve walked by the Chinese Theater many times, I’ve never stopped and looked at the hand prints before…most are recent and whatever. However, this one struck me. Natalie Wood; one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ladies of cinema. Such nice writing too. What struck me was how tiny she was–tiny but mighty somehow. Who would have thought she’d pass away two decades later under mysterious circumstances. Tragic.
Sunday
‘The chest opens with a creak and from it Nancy produces a number of glasses bearing stained glass designs which catch the sunlight like a prism, casting a colorfast over the beige wall as she talks calmly, looking him in the eyes as she always has. The world is lost without her kind and that is why her kind is recreated time after time; someone has to maintain values. For this he feels an admiration creeping into his chest, where Nancy so easily fits.’
Wednesday
We’re gearing up to play a show at TRIP in Santa Monica on the 19th. They feature burlesque dancers once a week…and bands pretty much every other night. We’re going to rock the hell out of that place–beach style.
Tuesday
Man, did we ever have a great time last night at the Silverlake Lounge…Next stop TRIP in Santa Monica February 19th!
Thursday
Wednesday
Sunnydale – Class of 99′
Sunday
Busy week…aside from recording–played a set at the legendary Kibitz Room on Fairfax–one of my fave places to hang out…Jakob Dylan used jam there back in the day, before he wrote Bringing Down the Horse (produced by T-bone Burnett)–one of the best albums of the 90’s. Anyway, about piano singing, there is something about the way the voice and piano tones blend–the sound is like an instrument unto itself. Really enjoyed it. Also, started rehearsals at the Musician’s Institute on Hollywood Blvd. Amazing atmosphere to rehearse in.
Friday
Only in LA…
Thursday
Back in LA… Will be doing some writing and recording in the coming weeks and will post some updates. It’s amazing how bright it is here…especially after all the weeks and weeks of rain up north. By the way it’s my birthday December 31st…so a big shout out to my fellow Capricorn/Tigers–feliz cumpleanos.
Thursday
Thanks Substation…last night was a blast! Four bands, no noise regulations…gotta love Ballard.
Wednesday
Had a great time playing at Dante’s last night. Such a great sounding room–ideal for live music. See you again soon Portland!
Back wall of club
We’re not in the habit of traveling with a photographer…but a woman who was in the audience last night was nice enough to email me a couple snaps she took…
