Bringing back the Metal

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Posted: April 11, 2023

Its been a while since I’ve made a post here on my actual website. A few things have changed that I can see as I look over this aging blog.

I’m now back to playing originals and back to playing Metal! And it feels really good!

It’s been a long time and as I’m out playing at some very familiar venues, a lot of familiar faces I’m seeing from a lot time ago in a galaxy far far away.

We’re all a little older and some of us quite a bit fatter! But we are all a lot BETTER!

Currently playing in two different bands –

PURE – which is a modern metal band.

Abomination Zero – is a heavier band, not quite thrash with growly guttural vocals, but post apocalyptic love craftian (if that makes sense)

If you hear of either of these two bands, come out and say hi! Hell I may even buy you a beer this time!

Enter Area 51 – Jason Spradley’s B-day

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Updated: April 11, 2023

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My buddy Jason Spradley at Jason’s Guitars hit me up to jam with him one night over at the Parmer Lane Tavern to do a couple of quick songs for his 51st birthday.

Fusion was playing that night and had graciously let us jump up on stage for a couple of rough tunes to help Jason have a great night. It was a blast!

We were to play:

  • Hey Joe – Hendrix
  • Fire – Hendrix
  • Walk this Way – Aerosmith
  • Back in Black – AC/DC

No problem – I’ll run over these and we’ll knock ’em out of the park.

…AND Jason of course, in true form when I got there, decided to throw me a twist. We were going to do a mash up of Back-n-Black and Walk this way. Slight !Panic! – but its all just Rock-n-Roll 🤘🏻

Good times!

Here’s some video from that fun night. Thanks Jason!

Back-N-Black / Walk-this Way Mashup – This was a little rough, no rehersals needed.. we can wing it!! 😉
This was super fun jamming with these dudes! Jason Spradley, Bucky Moreno, Joe Wilson, David Scott King, and Axel

How to learn 30 songs in a day…

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Updated: April 11, 2023

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It never fails. Shit happens. That’s what happened to my friend Eric one day, when he got sick and couldn’t play a show. His band Fusion needed a bass player quick and asked if I could step in for the night.

“Sure! Let rock this place!”

Oh and by the way you have to learn about 30 songs in the next day or so before the show starts 8-0

Umm okay then, never let them see you sweat.

Thank the gods for Spotify! I was able to create a quick play list of the songs for the next night and just play them over and over and over and over and over. I what a lot of material to digest in just a day.

We did do a quick rehearsal the night before, ran over beginnings, breaks, and endings and any other weirdness they might be doing, alternate tunings and what have you. Everything seemed good

The night of the show, I have to admit I was a bit nervous. Maggie Mae’s is a popular bar on 6th Street in Austin. If I fucked up, it would be in front of a bunch of people.

The other gotcha was that Fusion plays with IEM’s and except for the drum wedge their stage is quiet. So me and the drummer where going to be hanging a bit tighter than usual tonight!

All in all it was one of the best shows and the most fun I’ve had in a long time on stage. The crowds were dancing, shouting, taking their clothes off, and of course pretty wasted. I guess we got the job done! Thank you Fusion – it was a blast. Eric, next time when I tell you to break a leg, I don’t mean it literally! Get well my friend.

Back on stage again

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Updated: April 11, 2023

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Last Memorial day (2019) was a big day for me. That was the day when I stepped foot back on stage for the first time in probably 20 years! I know, hard to believe!

A good friend had a cover band called Keep on Truckin’ and they needed a bass player quick! I was game to get back into playing and I really glad I did. I realized how much I missed playing and working on my craft.

There was a time when music was everything to me. It was my dream. It was what I was going to do with my life! Little did I realize how easily distracted I was and what a slow learner I was.

In the mid 1990’s the band I was in at the time was doing great! We were doing small self funded tours through out Texas and up through the east coast. We were playing original music and proud to get up every night and bang our heads as hard as we could.

It all quick fell apart as ego’s and eagerness to go full time with our dreams caused us to make some terribly bad decisions. We hurt people and we hurt ourselves.

Back in the day

My naive view of the music industry was replaced with the harsh reality of the seedy underbelly of society that we tend to visit every night while playing our music. I was tired of bar owners and management stealing and cheating money from us. Got tired of coming home smelling like smoke, piss and vomit.

So, when Wicked Gypsy started to fall apart, I decided to move on. I poured my energies into my day job, into my relationships, and into family.

Fast forward 20 years later, here I am playing with some great people in Austin. Things are easier now, less stress, and lots of fun. I’m just working on being a better bass player everyday. Practice, Practice, Practice.

Learning to Build Games with Unity 3D – Text Based Games

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Updated: April 11, 2023

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unity-logoI’ve decided to start improving my “GAME” by venturing into the 3D world and learning Unity 3D.

I’ve gone back and forth deciding whether it would be best to continue making 2D games or to spend some time and learn some of the tools that the larger game studios use.

I’ve went through evaluating both Unity 3d as well as UnReal Engine and decided on Unity at the 3d gaming platform I’m going to build on.

Along with learning any 3D game building environment you also need to learn a scripting/programming language.  With Unreal you can program with C++, with Unity it’s C#.  So… C# it is.

I’m learning all of this with the help of Udemy.  If you haven’t heard of them they are a great place to learn just about anything you would like to know.  For me right now it’s Unity!

The class I’m taking is called “Learn To Code by Making Games – The Complete Unity Developer”.  If you have a craving to develop games you should check it out!

My first game I’ve built is a simple text based game.  This was challenging as it was totally focused on learning C# with some slight bit of tinkering around with Unity.

Check it out – It’s short but it’s more about the lesson than the game.

Text 101 Prison Word Game

I hope you like it.. Cheers!

 

The Decriminalization Of Marijuana By Texas Dems

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Updated: April 11, 2023

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This happened sometime last month and I wanted to share this but totally forgot.

The Texas Democratic Party Platform Endorses Decriminalization Of Marijuana

 

Now if that’s not a head line that will get your attention I don’t know what will. I about fell out of my chair.

I thought it was a hoax of some sort sponsored by the likes of the Onion, but it is true. You can read about it on the Texas Democratic Party’s web site – http://www.txdemocrats.org/2012/platform.pdf

Directly from the party platform it says:

“This decriminalization of marijuana does not mean we endorse the use of marijuana but it is only a call to wiser use of law enforcement and public health policy. Prohibition of marijuana abdicates the control of marijuana production and distribution to drug cartels and street gangs. Such prohibition promotes disrespect for the law and reinforces ethnic and generational divides between the public and law enforcement.
Every year, hundreds and thousands of Americans are arrested for marijuana possession violations- far more than all those arrested for violent crimes in America. Societal costs dealing with the war on drugs concerning marijuana exceeds 12 billion dollars annually. Since the war on drugs began, 85% of the arrests for marijuana have been for possession only.

Marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Recent polls show over 50% of Americans believe marijuana should be decriminalized. While arrests for marijuana since 1965 have been over 20 million citizens, marijuana is more prevalent than ever before.

There is no evidence that marijuana is a “gateway” drug leading to the use of more lethal drugs. 75% of citizens arrested for marijuana are under 30. Minorities account for a majority of those arrested for marijuana. Criminal conviction permanently scars a young citizen for life.

Texas Democrats urge the President, the Attorney General and the Congress to support the passage of legislation to decriminalize the possession of marijuana and regulate it’s use, production and sale as is done with tobacco and alcohol.

We further urge the immediate decriminalization of the possession and use of medical marijuana.”

I’m actually proud of the Texas Dems to take such a bold step and realize that incarcerating our society will not help our society. The united state is number 1 in the world for inprisonments.

YES WE’RE NUMBER 1!!

That’s not something to be proud of folks.  We can’t keep going like this.  The war on drugs has not reduced the intensity of drugs, it has not reduced the trafficking of drugs, it has not reduced the use of drugs and has increased the used of drugs in young teens.

massincarceration

 

Sugar Is As Addictive as Cocaine

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Updated: April 11, 2023

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Sugar is Addicative - Nursing Your Sweet Tooth
Created by: www.OnlineNursingPrograms.com

I LOVE Sugar, but we have got to find a way to “ween” ourselves off of this extremely harmful and yummy substance. Alternative sweeteners may be the answer but with true scientific long term study of these new found chemicals, our best solution is abstinence.

9.5 teaspoons a day is the MAX we should have… that’s not much 🙁

Overconsumption of sugar and high-glycemic carbohydrates (like those found in breads, pizza, cold cereals and other baked goods) has been linked to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Life in the Fastlane

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Updated: March 6, 2020

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I love that song by the Eagles – “Life in the Fastlane”.  It’s one of those classics that really get you motivated.

I’ve been reading a great book by MJ DeMarco – Millionaire Fastlane that’s also got me extremely motivated right now.  In the first part of the book  he mentions a old proverb that I found inspiring:

“If you want to keep getting what you’re getting, keep doing what you’re doing”

Since 1999 I’ve had the same job, same job title, and same salary.  That’s 13 years!  It’s definitely time for a change.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m very thankful.  I make decent money and make sure my family is taken care of.  I work for a gaming company (Electronic Arts) which is pretty damn cool.

The main issue is that even working for EA, I’m still a slave to the grind. (We all are!)  And I don’t see my job changing anytime soon let alone any type of salary increase.

I’m constantly concerned with getting the kids through college and our retirement.  AND I don’t want to work until I’m DEAD.  At this rate that’s exactly whats going to happen.

I want to retire young enough to enjoy it!

So my new goal is to put my head down and poo myself into my web business. My goal is $12,000/month and to quit my day job.

That may sound far fetched, but main site brings in about $600-800/month.  I need to replicate that 10-20 more times.

  • I’m too old to be a Rockstar
  • I never was an athlete
  • I could go into acting (I’ve considered it, but that’s a tough life unless you really make it big)
  • Stocks are too complicated

Being an Internet Entrepreneur is just right… it’s the life for me.

someecards.com - If you don't want to keep getting what you've been getting, Than stop doing what you've been doing.