Last night, the guys and I had a fun practice. Blues (my guitar player) was having tone issues with his amps. He started off with the super reverb (which is an extraordinarily loud amp, mind you) but it just wasn’t giving him the desired sound with his beautiful, seafoam green modded strat. So he switched to the Gibson, and despite not being loud enough, (God, gear is a pain in the ass) off we went.

Tonight’s setlist:

Bucket Street
Liquid Mistakes
The Rising
Angels / Different Shade of Blues
She’s Right
La Habanera
Criminal (the Fiona Apple cover)

Boozer (my bassist) wasn’t as loud as usual tonight. I’m used to that driving bass hitting me in the chest so I can feel the vibrations. That always helps me stay in the groove, and practice felt a little emptier than usual in the absence of volume. He did play well, though, despite a few hiccups from the rustiness that comes with only playing together twice in three weeks.

BANG was his normal self, cracking jokes and hitting shit really fucking hard. Just the way I like him.

We ended the night with a little wine (God, it was my first time in a long, long time) and needless to say, I was pretty lit up. So we sat down and started to plan the A-Sides and B-Sides of our full-length upcoming album (a first for me), and I just laughed through the whole damn conversation. It was a lot of fun, hahaha. At one point, I found us a nice bottle of Red Wine Vinegar (sorry Lance!) and brought it back to our rehearsal space just in case we ever need it. I can’t foresee that anytime soon, but still, just in case. I am a fucking idiot.

We made good progress determining what’s going on the album, and I’m pretty excited about it. This will truly be our album. It’ll truly be a City Line sound, and now that we’ve started to set our identity in stone, the pressure to figure out who we are has started to subside a little. This new stuff is much grittier than the pop-centric stuff we’ve put out in the past. That’s not say any of that stuff was bad, because there will always be a place in my heart for all of the music I’ve ever made, it’s just good to know we have the pieces in place to execute what we’re looking for going forward. We’re also lucky to have two guys like Boozer and BANG, who are both seasoned veterans in the recording game. They’re both really talented engineers and producers, and that will help quite a bit.

Last night was a good night, and a nice way to start off our march into the future. We have a show this upcoming Friday, August 19th at the Grape Room in Manayunk. What better place to get this thing going? More information here.

I still don’t know where we’ll end up when this is said and done, but if yesterday was any indication, at least we’re facing the right direction. It’s time to put one foot in front of the other and just keep going until we’re there. We’ll see where “there” is when the time comes.

“For now, the waking world can wait.” Still working on that one.

Have a good day, friends.

In my left hand is a Yards “Cape of Good Hope” Imperial / Double IPA. In my right hand is a ticking time bomb. A six-stringed monster. The two-headed source of my unbridled affection and hatred. My beat-to-shit, piece of shit guitar. My lover and murderer. Naturally, there’s actually a keyboard under my fingers, but you get the point.

The last ten years of my life have been dominated by the feeling that someday, if I can get in front of the right person, I’ll get my fifteen minutes. It’s been the cause of my wait-and-see attitude. My laziness has a bone that directly connects to this feeling. My voice is my strength, right? I don’t know anymore. I do know, however, that at twenty-five, I’m still holding on to the hopes and dreams of a sixteen-year-old boy playing his first show at a church in Philly.

I’m not complaining. Really, I’m not. I still love that bitch, music. She’s put me in the company of many friends, raising glasses and singing about better times until my throat hurts. There are nights I wouldn’t give up for the world. But still, is there ever anything more? Man, who knows. I hope so.

Like I said. I’m not complaining.

I’m in a band called City Line with a great group of guys. My guitar player, we’ll call him Blues, is one of my best friends. He and I go back to the days when the Phillies sucked, Juniata hadn’t completely died yet, and good friends could still make memories in a basement. We made many, and we’ve always had each others’ back. For that, I’ll always be loyal.

My bassist, we’ll call him Boozer, is both a pain in the ass and a good friend. He challenges me all the time, often making me want to kick him in the stomach. He’s a man who likes control, and he’s a man with a vision. He knows how to get what he wants, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get there. Despite how often we butt heads, he has a lot of love for me, and I know he just wants me to be the best that I can be. He pushes me to get better all the time, and for all of the pride swallowing I’ve had to do on his account, he has truly made me both a better singer and musician.

My drummer, we’ll call him BANG, is a man of dirty, beautiful rock and roll. He’s got a ton of talent. As a native guitar player, it’s truly impressive how well he conducts himself behind a kit. He’s got passion in his veins, and a calm, friendly demeanor. An instantly likable guy with talent and a very limited ego. A rare gem in the world of music.

Myself, I’m just a kid from Philly who wants to play music for a living. Singing is my passion, and it really is the only thing I’m good at. It may sound cliche, but I don’t give a fuck: It is my greatest outlet. I’ve done radio interviews, live sets at legendary venues, and JACK SHIT, but I’m trying. I swear, I’m trying.

I write this to remember where I came from, and to remind me to not hold things inside. I write this to keep going. I write it to remember the melody in this city’s song. So today, I wage war on this lethargy creeping up on ten years of dreams. Today, I begin my journey to remember the melody.

Matt Duke wrote, “For now, the waking world can wait.” I really hope he was right.

Have a good night friends, and keep yourselves where the light is.