Hi, friends! Please welcome “Habit & Routine: Vol. 2” into the world!

Only half the songs as last time, but twice as many guitar solos, I think. The fact that the number of solos is increasing disproportionally to the quality of the guitar playing just shows that maybe I’m becoming a real guitar player? (That was a sick burn on guitar players, but also self-deprecating, which makes it ironic and humorous, just like people on Internet!)

Anyway, like last time, I wrote, performed, recorded, and mixed everything in my practice space, over the last few months. I’m stoked with how they turned out and look forward to putting out more stuff this year.

And if you didn’t get a chance to listen to the first batch, those are still streaming, as well!

Thanks!

Listen to "Habit & Routine: Vol. 2" on the platform of your choice.

Hey, I made a pop-punk EP!

“Habit & Routine” is a collection of demos that I worked on by myself in my practice space over the past month or so. Everything you hear was written and performed by me, in my little 9’x12’ carpeted box of inspiration. I also engineered and mixed everything, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

I have never really considered myself a songwriter or a singer, to be honest. And I definitely never considered myself a guitar player. Haha. It’s been years since I did any of those things in earnest, so I just never got to work on it. But, I decided that if I work those muscles more regularly, maybe some day I won’t shy away from those labels.

I also figured that if a lot of my favorite punk bands didn’t really know how to play guitar or sing—and some of their records sound pretty bad—then I would probably be okay. 😂

That’s why I decided to release what I’m working on. This isn’t supposed to be a masterpiece by any means (it’s pop-punk not Radiohead), and I’m under no illusion that people will love this and clamor for more. But, I did enjoy making these songs, and I thought they turned out fun, and see no harm in letting other people hear it.

I’ve already started work on “Habit & Routine: Vol. 2”—I swiped the name for this project from a line in the movie “Memento” which always resonated with me, since I’ve had really poor memory for as long as I can… remember? 🤔—and hope to continue putting stuff out for as long as the creative drive holds up.

I’ve thought about whether I could put a band together and play shows and maybe tour. I’ve thought about whether I could work with a producer and session musicians to write better songs and make a better record. I’ve thought about whether I could perform these songs at the park on a guitar. I’ve thought about a lot of places that I could go with it. But, ultimately, I’ll do what I’ve always done and let things happen organically.

I never set out to be a drummer or drum tech or any of the things that I’ve been fortunate enough to do that have paid the bills in the past. They’re just things that happened because I had passion and was fortunate to have had a support system (ie. A dad that didn’t mind me crashing in his basement 😂) and have always been surrounded by a talented network of generous musicians, producers, and other creative folks.

Anyway, if you’re interested in what I’m doing in any capacity, please let me know about it!

Listen to "Habit & Routine" on the platform of your choice.

“Panic Stations” came out three years ago today! Here’s me recording one of my favorite songs to play from that album.

Still blows my mind that I got to make a record in the same room that Dave Grohl recorded “In Utero” in. Life is wild!