Delays, absence and a return to the disliked

What am I talking about?

A lot of things in this long awaited post.

A short update on the music school:
Things are going really well. The Christmas rush paid off and I have a few more students enrolled in courses learning how to play the guitar. Since Christmas, more students have enrolled. A couple of kids who are absolutely brilliant on guitar. If they keep up the same pace of learning, they will have completed the entire course in about 18 months.

I now have a front desk at the entry of the school, which makes things look professional. As a bonus all the materials used were recycled. The bench top was my old desk from the IT business. The structure's support is from offcuts of various pieces of wood. I may have to purchase a large sheet of ply or masonite, or something thin and flexible to put on the front (facade) of the front desk to make it appear like a solid bench and I can paint it and put my logo on there.

I really love that I was able to get 90% of the bits and pieces using materials I already had. Photos will be posted once I complete the desk with the sheet as a facade.

Still on music, I have been gigging around with various bands and acts. However, I am dropping two of them as they appear to be heading nowhere. One act I have been performing in has been great. We made it to some of the nicest venues in Sydney. However, to continue the trend, and keep getting paid gigs, I suggested we record some of the songs. This needs to be done so we have something to put on MySpace, and all those other music websites. We haven't been getting much paid stuff because there's nothing to show the venues as a suggestion of what style of music we play.

The other thing was that we don't have merchandise such as CD's and stuff. Which I was hoping to have at this stage. At our last gig, at the high class venue I mentioned above, we were asked if we had our CD's and merchandise, we could get it displayed over there... at the merch table. When my partner in crime said "We don't have anything" The look on the organisers and other performers faces basically confirmed what I was thinking.... amateurs.

Not that I care what others think about me, but it's music, in a big town. We don't get many chances to make an impression. And that impression we left was pretty ordinary.

The main thing is that I have organised for us to record many times, and each time my partner in crime has always been keen. Then finally, when we were ready to go he cancelled, or he organised a friend to record us, which turned out to be pretty average. To say the sound was horrible is an understatement.

So I'm just fed up with the farting around and know what I want. So I'll be dropping that act because I like a good plan, and we don't have one. When I make one, they change for the worse. I feel as though I am wasting my time.

Another act I've only been performing with for a short time is much the same. However, they invited me to perform with them, invited me to a number of gigs to perform along side them but despite the fact that they said they had an agent, and were signed, the gigs I have performed at have been without pay.

Now, I don't mind doing a free gig. I've done hundreds of them, and I still do. I use them as a "LIVE" rehearsal. In fact one of the bands I'm in do exactly this. Mostly because it's cooler and playing a gig for free costs less than rehearsing at a studio and having to pay for the studio time.

But doing free gigs when you've been promised payment isn't really nice. So, I'm ditching that too.

This will free up a little bit of time for me. The wife will be happy. However, after I made the decision I received a phone call asking for me to fill in to play bass in a band. It's a one off gig in June. The money is excellent, as it is typically for a covers band in Sydney. Then after I agreed and got off the phone, another person called me asking if I would like to join another band to play bass. I had a listen to their music and agreed. Then another band called me within the hour asking if I could fill in for their bassist who had to go away right when they were about to head into the studio to record their new album.

Yay! Paid gigs!

Now, the big news. The biggest news for the year.....

My wife and I were planning on an overseas trip to China. Her brother had plans to go to Hong Kong and then to China. We were going to tag along. I had no real keen interest in China, but I thought it'll be a good experience.

Then, a few weeks ago, my brother-in-law cancelled. He can't make it due to unforeseen circumstances. Since we were going because he was, we had our holidays in our personal calendars. I said "Screw it". We're still going on holidays. However, and this is the big news.... I'm heading to the United State.

Friends who read this blog will say "WTF?".

And I know that most of my subscribed readers are from the US. So when I say this, it is of no offense or discrimination. But the reason why my friends will say "WTF?" is because they know of my opinion of the 5 years I spent in the US.

Sadly, as a child and a teen growing up in the US gave me an unsavoury impression. Having been shot at on multiple occasions. Having been stabbed in the arm and threatened of my life on many occasions, I had quite a happy exit from the US. Heading back to Australia was an escape. Sadly, where I went to school, I was a minority. And during the L.A Riots, I was considered racist for being the wrong colour in the wrong neighbourhood. This gave me a terrible opinion of the states. However, as all stories, there is hypocrisy. For every person that tried to bully me, kill me, steal my money, bash the shit out of me. threaten me with a knife, a gun, a weapon of any tiny. I met at least 10 good people.

However, because of the amount of trauma I experienced as a fairly young kid, I only ever remembered the bad stuff and I grew up hating the US in total. I ignored all the good people I had met. And I only ever dwelled on the bad. And perhaps it was rightful. But at the end of the day, speaking poorly of anyone only makes you look bad, and the truth is, the US wasn't all that bad.

So, when I head back to the United States, 20 years after fleeing, I am expecting to see a different country. A country that's changed, and through different eyes. I am hoping to see nothing of what I grew up with.

I do have genuine reasons for heading back. To see how much has changed. To see if my feelings were deluded due to some unfortunate experiences, to see my cousins whom I recently reunited with over Facebook.

I am really looking forward to seeing my cousins. I haven't seen them in over 22 years. Our trip will start from Sydney, and we'll be flying into LAX. However, we will be jumping straight back on a domestic flight and heading to New York. There we will be tourists. I don't know anyone there.

After a few days of NYC, we will catch a flight to Texas where one of my cousins lives. He's right up on the Northern tip.

From there we are thinking of hiring a car and driving it to LA where we will see my other cousin. She has a camping trip organised for the time we will be there. They do this trip every year, and this year we're tagging along. Camping in the US. The last time I did that was when I went to Bakersfield, CA. It was the first time I ever went camping. It was the first time I went fishing. It was the first time I slipped on the muddy banks of the river and slid into the water, yelling at the top of my lungs "Faaaaark" with my friends and his dad all letting out a laugh.

I'm much better at camping these days. Usually the one who chops the wood, starts the fire, keeps it going, makes sure everyone is fed, making sure the tent is up and secure. Anyway, you get the idea.

After a long weekend of camping in the Mojave desert, we'll be heading back to LA and catching a flight the next day, back home to Australia.

Seeing as I'll be in Texas, and probably hiring a car or something. I'm wondering if I should drop in on The Field Lab. And while I'm in the neighbourhood, drop in on anyone else that is happy to say hello, have a drink and move on our way.

I can't wait.