What protects our hearts?

Honestly, i’m pulling this from a song, but regardless, let’s get deep.

Don’t you ever wonder? The physical portion of it– there’s not really much, is there? There’s a cage of rib-bones, some muscle,  maybe some veins; someone could easily cut through all of that (not to be morbid), and “find their way to our hearts”. Not exactly the fairy-tale I was expecting; but putting aside the physical portion for just a second, we believe the emotional portion guards so much more. If we are hurt, there’s suddenly a wall, or high-rising gate up, keeping out anything and everything that comes towards us. Then again, I guess it’s like the center of the Earth. Everyone has their assumptions about what’s there, but no one’s actually seen it. No one’s actually seen our emotions, a physical thing called “emotions”. I, for one, think it’s better that way. Some things are better left a mystery.

But anyways, those are just some thoughts for the day.

So I bought a new Ukulele. Honestly, I am ecstatic about it. 🙂 It’s a beautiful Luna Honu Soprano Uke with a Polynesian tattoo design sort of thing, and I absolutely love it. While Dallas (the guitar) is off getting fixed, this little new friend serves his purpose. It’s just unfathomable how much easier it is than guitar, 2 less strings means much less jumping while plucking; I mean sure, the chords are different, but you get used to those after a while. That’s perfectly fine. (here’s a link to the Luna Honu site, where you, too can buy your very own ukulele! http://www.lunaguitars.com/TOC/acoustictoc.php#ukes [Honu Soprano is my baby<3])

Going off track (there’s a track?), I have recently stumbled upon this new comedian/rockstar/sex-god that my friends have heard all too much about lately (apologies, I’ll tone it down). His name is Hal Sparks, and I swear to God he came straight from Heaven. I was up late watching Logo and his comedy show came on. I was sitting there, at midnight, dying. It was the funniest thing I’ve seen since Margaret Cho’s show, and she’s pretty hard to beat.

The thing with this guy is that he’s just so politically correct, and still funny/not a stereotypical straight man all at once (we’ll get into how this whole “straight” business with him needs to stop in a moment).  He has all the same viewpoints as…well, pretty much anyone (except those he’s talking about, of course), and at the same time he just portrays it so.well.

Now, the reason he needs to be homosexual begins with the fact that he was a main character in Queer as Folk. When I found out this news, I screamed bloody murder; you can only imagine what I did when I saw his character and Ben getting it on, I was on a rampage of squeals and shrieks. Secondly, he is the definition of sexy and my type. His little soul-patch goatee thing he’s got going on, his delicious mouth, and his big puppy eyes just drag me into ecstasy, and I love it. Now if my soul-mate isn’t exactly like this guy (or just Hal…:D), I think I might have to have a talk with someone up there.

Much Love, Life and Laughter.

~J.

Resolutions.

Where along the lines exactly did the idea of New Year’s Resolutions come about, anyways? It seems innovative, yet useless all at the same time. I bet the Mayans did…”next year, we’ll try not to lose our civilization. *sees large circular rock* hey guys, want to do something fun?”

Although I joke, i’m guilty of each year conjuring up some new resolutions, myself. And, while I try to avoid losing focus on it and end up slipping on my resolution, life always seems to catch up to me. It treats me like a child and basically says “alright, Jazzy, it’s been a week; time to put your silly ideas of personal innovation away and wake up”; but this year, I’m gonna change that (here we go again), and I’m gonna stick to my resolutions. I mean, honestly, they’re not that hard this time around. There’s always the “understood resolutions” we all have, like getting into a relationship or losing 20 [30] pounds, but honestly this year i’m not looking into losing weight (a boyfriend wouldn’t hurt though). In order to truly understand the world and put it into my music, I need to get to know the world. It’s like going on a date; before you can say that guy completes you, you have to get to know him. You don’t want to be that guy who falls in love with the Serial Killer, under the impression he’s a successful musician or pilot or salesman.

Therefore, this year, my resolution is to travel as far as I can go on my own and learn the language of the world. I want to be able to embrace and take in all the inspiration that the Earth has to offer; and I don’t want to miss one opportunity to do so. Inspiration is such a precious thing; to miss out on it would be a shame.

Going to go on this fantasy rant here for a moment; I honestly want to just take my bike, a backpack filled with Green Tea and my Nook and such, an old Kodak, and maybe a Ukulele, and just go as far as I can go, taking pictures and stopping for an inspirational charge as i’m going. I may seem like i’m looking at the world through rose-colored glasses; but that’s because I am. Reality is far too loud and limiting for me. What I want (or possibly need) is to be able to get away, and i’m still looking for the perfect way. Though, everyday I do my absolute best to see the good in everything that comes my way. So wearing those rose-colored glasses is sort of like my getaway. It keeps the negativity quiet for the time being, and that’s all i’m really asking for. 🙂

Moving on, I’m not going to get far into the 2012 hype. Honestly I think it’s ridiculous, and what I find even more ridiculous is how our nation can put the fate of our civilization into the hands of the ancient people who couldn’t even save their own. It just seems silly to me.

I wish you all a beautiful and prosperous year, with much love, inspiration, sunlight, and plenty of kisses. Sorry for cutting this one short, i’ll be sure to make next time a lovely novel for you all to read. 😀

Much love,

~J.

 

Sunflowers are Inspirational.

What a fine way to start a post– for the longest time I’ve been deeply enthralled in the beauty of the Stargazer Lily. It’s a beautiful flower, but I honestly think it’s only because I used to be a darker kind of deep. And because it’s pretty. Regardless, I used to look into the darkness expecting answers to all of life’s problems, when really they were in a brightly lit room, telling knock-knock jokes to their peers.

I’ve found now (and I’ve probably said this in a million different ways in a million different posts) that I can look to the light for guidance,  look to God; but the first step before I could honestly look to the light, was to see an example. How do I do it? I looked to lots and lots of signs, from incandescent light bulbs to lit rooms to open windows to dirty windows, until I finally realized what I should be looking to. The purest form of life, the most innocent environment known to man; nature. So I shifted my views on the flower and took a second to review. Sitting in my room, I began to look around. Tan walls: calm, cool, collected, hushed. Well there’s no tan flower, so let’s keep looking. Posters. Posters of what? Posters of men. Well there’s unfortunately no flower with the proud name of “The Cock”, so I guess I should continue looking. Inspirational pictures…there’s a start! Butterflies, simple life…look a little higher, there’s a metallic sun/moon piece of art. [now i’m on a horse]  Now we’re getting further! Next wall, there’s another sun. Metallic, dangling from a painted-over nail from the wall. Sun, light, inspiration, forward direction, hope, heat, love…

time to do some research on the Sunflower.

(I actually need to apologize, that paragraph was extremely unorganized and even I get a little confused as to where my train of thought was when reading it again).

So as i’m researching the sunflower, I come upon this one picture that I found extraordinary (now holding it’s rightful place as my wallpaper), and although it does lead into a religious aspect, I absolutely LOVED the concept; so let me share this one with you:

(If you can’t read this, I apologize, send me an email and I can send you the file of the picture). The concept of this saying honest to God (no pun intended) struck me in such an inspirational way, and led me to many observations about my own lifestyle and my own growth. When we are young, we are subconsciously searching for what will give us the most opportunities (we all know the feeling to be left out of something. When you’re younger, it’s even worse). We try new things out, explore; but once we get older, we end our exploration to test the outlets, and instead we begin looking back and seeing which one provided the absolute most (as humans, we’re greedy but tactical, we can’t help it). We stick to that, much like the sunflower permanently faces in the direction that offers the most sunlight. If we permanently place ourselves in the direction that offers us the most opportunities and guidance, we too can be like the sunflower and spread our joy and inspiration onto all who encounter us. The sunflower stands tall, and so can you (spiritually, of course, no one’s expecting you to begin to sprout to 8’6” if you start staring at the sun). So all in all, I honestly am deeply infatuated and awed by the knowledge and understanding sunflowers contain. As plants, they seem to understand life so much better than we do; but then again I believe that a lot of plants and animals and even insects do. They just seem to be so much more civil and orderly than us, but that’s just my opinion.

Thinking back on that, don’t 100% take my word for that– i’m not saying that it’d be better off to put a Monkey as president, and a Lion as his VP…it just seems to me that they can handle themselves so much better than we are able to sometimes. But hey, shit happens.

Anyways, I’m very excited about the weather pattern lately! For WEEKS, all I’ve been asking for is a sunny day or two, something to drag me out of the slump I’ve been in. The past two or three days have been [cold, yet] graciously sunny out, and I couldn’t ask for anything more, honestly. Spending time with friends in the sunlight allowed me time to charge myself, and I have a feeling that little charge will last for a while. 🙂

And with that, i’ll leave you with this beautiful sunflower picture! Feel free to ponder (especially in the comments section).

By the way, this post literally took 2 days to write. Just as I was starting to apologize for my confusing paragraph, my power decided to crap-out on me. So be thankful I came back calm instead of attacking the fuse box sobbing.

Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend!! 🙂

~J

Sunrise, Sunrise, Looks like Morning in your eyes.

Sometimes I just miss summer mornings…I miss them so much. Being able to wake up in the morning and look outside, coffee in-hand, and being able to see the sunrise coming up over the horizon. You can almost feel the passion it holds through the warmth it emits. It’s really a beautiful thing, mornings and the sun, beautiful sunlight– just one of the many wonders this world has to offer. It’s unbelievable how much inspiration I receive from it…kind of like the rays of sunlight go straight from the sun, through the trees, (cautiously) cross the street, and scratch on my leg until I let them up and hold them, and they slip right into my heart.

In case you were wondering, Inspiration for that playful paragraph was brought to you by “Sunrise” by Norah Jones. 🙂

But while we’re on the topic, let me talk about the sun for a little bit. I honest to God find it to be such a magical thing. How often do you get to wake up in the morning and just say “hello” to the outside world, even when you know no one can physically hear you?  I think that’s where the sun comes into play. It’s kind of like that motive to just be the altruistic optimist we all have the potential to be. I don’t know about you, but it makes me want to just talk to EVERYONE all at once, and just say hello with a with a warm smile, maybe even a hug. Does it make sense to say that these intimate greetings could be transmitted through the sun? Yes/No? Maybe a diagram will help…

Yeah, i’m an artist, I can draw and stuff, man…You see (moving from left to right, just like us fabulous Americans do), there’s my little slanted house with the oblong-shaped-roof, and there’s me outside with my ear-to-ear grin, and i’m all “hey, sun! Tell this to everyone, kay? kay.” and so the suns all “okay, bro, consider it done” and so he shines his ray down on someone else, even if it’s someone I don’t know, he tells them that I love them and that I hope they have a fabulous day! In case you couldn’t read the picture (you’re lucky I typed it out instead of writing it– that would have been a real mess), there’s the play by play.

Oh, and guy #2 is not Ronald McDonald, or Jimbob or [insert clown name here], he’s blushing, just saying. *logs off paint forever*.

So all in all, in my opinion, my day is better when I get a chance to see the sunrise and make sure I give my daily “hello”‘s and “i love you”‘s; bu again, that’s just me, the hippy and the tree hugger.

Honestly I think that’s probably why i’ve been feeling all made of ick lately, it’s been either super rainy and glum out, or super cold (which I can handle, as long as there’s minimal clouds in the sky). Obviously I did something, and Mother Nature’s grounding me for a little bit. I wonder when my time-out will be over?

Other than using the sun as a walkie-talkie, I wanted to touch on another matter that seemed to stumble upon my doorstep recently. I wanted to express my immense gratitude towards all of my peace-readers. I recently hit 101 subscribers (I don’t know how, and honestly I will live without knowing- i’m just satisfied), and you could only imagine the smile that was on my face. 🙂 I never though that anyone read this little old blog, and it turns out that 101 people want to make sure they don’t miss a post. That warms my heart greatly, and whether you’re a new reader or a veteran reader, I would like to tell you that I love you all so much, and you have all touched my heart just by reading my little rants and pieces of advice that I send out to the universe.

So now I’m going to do something that I haven’t really ever done, but I feel like it’s necessary. Today, I received a book from one of my best friends– now my friends know how much I love reading. I treasure books…but this was a very different sort of book. I’ve had my eye on this book for a while; it’s called “The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories”, arranged by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (my husband<3), but truly written by the users of hitRECord.org. The book is around 80 pages long, and each page or two is made up of another tiny story, one or two sentences long with an illustration. Now I not only adored this book because it was arranged by Joe, but also because it gave me some sort of inspiration…for what, i’m not exactly sure yet. But the inspiration is there, dormant. For a second, let me talk about hitRECord.

hitRECord is a collaboration site based around YOUR creations and everyone else’s creations being mashed together and mixed and absorbed into the minds of millions, to put into one beautiful final product. I have an account with my cousin/best friend. We’re just lacking material…but don’t you worry, it’ll show up. someday. I hope. 🙂 The site is run by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, an actor and musician who is just the definition of perfection and beauty and yes.

Here’s a picture of my future husband, for your (and my) viewing pleasure.

God.

Seriously, look at this man, with his little scarf and his beard and his little hitRECord camera and his..Gah<3 If this is what heaven is made of, i’m ready to go.

Until next time, i love you all! Have a beautiful week.

~J.

Time Heals Love’s Wounds; RIDRA.

Bonjour, mes amies! I miss coming to blog with you all, sitting down having a nice cup of tea and just talking to all of you…I realize I keep posting about how hectic my life has been, and honestly it’s been hard to keep up with Singing about Sunshine (mainly because I really have been singing about sunshine). Recent events? Let’s list some, shall we?

1) First of all, to recap from the last post, both shows (Mowry Gardens and Fall Fest) went fabulous. Mowry Gardens was an amazing experience, and I feel honored to have been able to express my music in such a natural place with such loving people. Besides my pick deciding to go free falling mid song, everything went smoothly.

2) School and Music is going well, as always. I’ve noticed a bit of a darker mood to my music lately, though (due to numero 3 that will be mentioned in a moment). It’s upbeat and the lyrics are nice, but the emotions behind the songs are a bit darker and damper than I usually write about. Now sure, I used to write about how my life was a “spiraling tornado of death” or something demonic like that, but things are different now. My “dampers” now are mainly about heartbreak. Still no fun.

3) You guessed it! Heartbreak! 😀 Honestly, when it comes to this one, I can’t say it’s a bad thing. It has caused me to grow as a person (as each heartbreak does), grow as a hopeless romantic, and it gave me a muse for my newest song. But long story short, I fell uber-hard for a guy, turned out to be straight (MY LIFE), didn’t work out, spent a week listening to sappy Disney songs, now we’re all cheery and happy;…right?

I always believe that bad things happen for the best reasons. While at the time, this recent heartbreak seemed like the worst thing ever, I now realize it wasn’t THAT big of a deal, it’s not my first and it won’t be my last, so we all might as well just move on with our lives. No need to cry over spilled milk, and as everyone always says, “if they break your heart, fuck ’em”. Of course, not to literally fuck them, even though it might be…

…nevermind.

All-in-all, EVERYTHING happens for a reason, and every single thing that happens to us happens for a reason. No words are left unsaid in the Universe’s eyes, and therefore the best thing is to embrace everything that happens. I am especially grateful for all the misfortunes in my life, for they help me grow even more than the comforting moments that leave me relaxed. Although some people find it hard to comprehend, it’s actually fairly easy to offer gratitude to the demons in our life. Tutorial Time! 😀

How to Love the Undesirable Moments in Life:

Step 1 (AKA Plan A): Avoid fighting with friends and loved ones. You don’t know how long you could have them for. This plan can often lead to failure and fighting may seem unavoidable, but it is VITAL to your relationship with your loved ones that you take this plan into effect.

Real Step 1 (AKA Plan B): Enter a situation calmly, and with a smile. Don’t be too defensive, but at the same time never become too passive. This will both allow you to avoid flame-wars with peers/adults, and you will gain respect from your adversary.

Step 2: Identify your Adversary. Now you may be saying, “Jazz, why isn’t this step 1?”. Well, my friends, no matter who you’re encountering, you need to stay cool, calm, and collected. Your adversary could be a multiple of people. Here are the main types, and how to deal with them (so really, steps 2+3)

• The Friend: Friends are valuable, precious, and good friends are rare. In the early stages of a friendship, it’s hard to tell whether you have a real friend or not. Therefore, you have to hold each one with the up-most respect. Handle these situations gently, thinking deeply into their responses. Agree if you have done wrong, and continue to assure you don’t want to hurt your friendship in any way, and that you hope that you can get past this. A smile usually helps.
• The Family Member: These situations can often be handled more loosely. If it’s an immediate family member, you can be slightly more defensive, but not enough to start any flame-wars (back-and-forth battles full of names and swears). Your family will always forgive you in the end, but you need to reciprocate but apologizing for any misdemeanors. 99% of the time, if you’re in a fight with a family member, they’re not the only ones doing wrong here.
• The Ignoramus: These people need to be handled with very special care. The Ignoramus is a very common type of person, and  they are extremely ignorant to all of your emotions/cares. A smile is absolutely necessary through the entire situation, and you absolutely NEED to give consideration into their side. Whether it’s a battle about who you are (someone calling you a “fag” when you are indeed gay; these are never fun), what you’re wearing, who you hang out with, etc., these people are usually in more pain than you are and need to be handled with care. The smallest thing that could make them tick could send them into an outrage and start a mental forest-fire for both you and them. Always try to end these situations as soon as possible, they’re not worth the effort and you shouldn’t bother with them.

Step 3: End the situation calmly. Apologize for any misdemeanor you may have caused and hope for a reciprocating apology. Again, in any kind of situation, you/your adversary are usually not the only ones at wrong.

Step 4: The aftermath. This is an excellent time to reflect on what exactly just happened. Use this time as an opportunity to grow and mend any tears in your personality or emotions that may have been caused by the previous time period. Think about what happened, and think about how you can grow from it and extend your horizons.

Step 5: Take these adjustments (if any were made) into effect. They will boost your social skills for good, because through this opportunity you were about to see that you are NOT going through the worst of the worst, and that there is more to come, so to take every moment as an opportunity to reflect and grow.

Step 6 (Plan C): Let’s say that your situation wasn’t a fight with a friend, or a family member, or an ignoramus, but more of a personal pet-peeve. Repeat steps 4 and 5, but instead of reflecting in Step 4, think about what you want to change in yourself. (honestly, everyone has some imperfection that they feel like they need to change; but never try to change all of who you are. You are perfect in every way and are loved) When you do find that piece of yourself that you feel needs to go under some construction, start step 5. Make a plan and put it into effect. It will only work out positively in the end, because the only person you need to please is YOU.

After this 6 Step plan, which I like to call RIDRA (Relax, Identify, Diminish, Reflect, Act), I can assure you that you can save yourself a lot of heartbreak, and in return you can grow like the flower you are.

Now that I’m done sounding like a salesperson and an inspirational speaker, can I just say…longest post ever? 😀

I wish you all the best on all of your endeavors, and the ability to grow and reflect. I hope that my 6-Step System could help 🙂 I love you all, and until next time.

~J

Busy Beavers

How is everyone? I know I haven’t been here in a while…I’ve been extremely busy! School’s back, and it turns out that whole going above and beyond thing is harder than I originally anticipated…I can do it, I know I will be able to. It’s juggling everything along with it that ‘s going to be the issue! I’ve got my music and my martial arts, obviously those are my two biggest concerns (I don’t say School, because it’s not a CONCERN of mine rather than just another thing I have to do). Then I’ve got writing my music, planning shows, bouncing around my social calender, then everything else..there’s too much to list! and on top of all that, I need to find a way to stay SANE. That’s a big concern. Kinda the building block, the foundation for the rest of what I need to do. So yeah, I would say staying sane while trying to fulfill everyone else’s needs are my biggest concerns at the time.
Summer took away my troubles, for what I thought was for good…now that winter’s well on his way, I have to learn how to run around in multiple circles at once. And at the same time, i’m still mr.single. Although i’m not happy about this, i guess i’ll live. Does it make sense that it would seem easier if I were in a relationship? Just having someone to go to for a quick kiss, I feel like that would take away everything that i’m stressing over.
Going back to shows, the AS220 show went really great. It wasn’t as big as a crowd as I expected it to be, but at the same time, it was an amazing, and when I say amazing i really mean amazing, crowd. I had my close family and close friends, along with passerbyers who decided to take a gander at the commotion. It was such an amazing night, and followed up with a half-awake day the next morning. But I guess I should have to expect that, and be prepared if I want this kind of lifestyle. Music, it’s my life. It’s my passion, my muse, my career, my love, the love of my life, and my helper in all areas. So a few early mornings after a few late nights are A-OK with me. The more tired I am the next morning, the better I did the previous night…that’s how I see it, at least.
I have two shows coming up, they’re small shows, but are still going to be packed with just as much Optimism and Gratitude as September 14th’s show. The dates are:

Saturday, October 15th @ Mowry Gardens in Smithfield RI
Friday, October 21st @ Fall Fest, Smithfield High School, Smithfield RI
(For more information on BOTH shows, check out http://www.Facebook.com/GoodDeedDoer)

I really hope to see everyone at both shows, or at least one!
Now I should be off, see you all soon. 🙂 Keep the Peace, lovers.

~J.

Let the sun shine down on me…

How goes it, y’all? Ahh, again and again i post about how LITTLE I post and it’s starting to bring me back to my Tumblr days…haha! I went on for a short amount of time, just to test it out…and I hated it. So I left (typical? yesyes). My friend BEGGED me to go back on, so I did. For five minutes. My only post was about how much I hated it (see how optimistic I am?) (just kidding, i’m a very optimistic person :D) (writing like this is fun). And those were the end of my Tumblr days. NOW what’s keeping me from writing to you fabulous bunch of readers? TWITTERRRRRR. In case none of you saw my link-age at the bottom of the page, my Twitter is @InspiredbyMraz, and I think everyone should totes follow me :D. But all in all, Twitter has dominated my life, and I don’t mind. It has to be my overall FAVORITE social networking site, not only because of how down to earth it is, but how simple it is. No one starts shit with anyone there (and if they do, they need to leave…now), everyone’s just like “hey man, i’m just here to follow all my favorite celebrities like Jason Mraz and Rodiney Santiago, and after that, maybe i’ll sip some tea, make a tweet…because you know, i’m on twitter.” and what more can you ask for? World peace? PPPSSSHAAWWW, why have world peace when you can tweet about the most recent war?

alright, that wasn’t very nice.

But anyways, how is everyone? I know no one’s gonna reply because no one ever does, but i’ll ask anyways. It’s always nice to just say hello to someone every once in a while, or ask how their day is going. You know? It could make a difference in someone’s day..I know that if some random stranger says hello to me or begins to small talk, i’ll sure as hell be there with a smile and chat back, because you never know what that person is going through, maybe they desperately need someone to talk to, to unleash all of their bottled up feelings and emotions, and will open up to just about anybody! People may find it strange to just start conversation with anyone, but I find it polite. I would be there for anyone, and i’m totally open to making new friends. All the time! I hope that people will be there for me, but you can’t count on everything.

So in other news, Hurricane Irene is on her way, now isn’t she? When I was younger, I used to be PETRIFIED of hurricanes, tornadoes, etc; now I’m talking to my friends about how excited I am for it. Why? Well, i’m just as confused as you are.

Again, i’ll post this…ON SEPTEMBER 14TH, come see ME, ANTHONY PAIVA, AGATE, AND GARAGE SALE PICASSO at AS220 in Providence, RI!

Come see Anthony 'Jazz' Paiva, Agate, and Garage Sale Picasso at AS220 in Providence on September 14th!

It should be a great time, there will be music, snacks, drinks, great vibes and great friends. So come on down, I hope to see all of you there!

Since my life isn’t much more interesting, i’ll leave you guys. Until next time!

~J

I will never take you for granted again.

How goes it, Peace Readers? Man it’s been a while…but i’ve been thinking about all of you! Some technical difficulties have prevented me from blogging or recording any new songs for my fan page (and by technical difficulties, I mean I picked up m computer by the screen like a smart little boy and cracked it on the inside. I’m obviously the hulk), but now on my new-ish computer, i can finally get back to all of you. So first off, jeez, how is everyone? I hope everyone is doing fantastic, the summer sun is smiling like a fool and the clouds are dancing to the music life’s given them, and i’m sitting here smiling at how great it is! I’ll take this over a snow day ANY DAY; and not to mention all the great things that have happened this summer. That’s where this blog post starts! This has already been an extremely fulfilling summer, to include me booking a show, WHICH BY THE WAAAAAY…is September 14th at AS220 in Providence, RI. (www.as220.org), getting my own fan page (facebook.com/GoodDeedDoer) , writing what I think are great accomplishments in songs, going on an AMAZING camping trip, and much much more. Let’s start off with the show.

On September 14th, I will be performing at AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island. Doors open at around 9:30, and I don’t hope to see you there. I expect to see you there! 😉 The show is gonna be a blast, there will be all of my own music, a hopefully huge crowd, and i’m planning on making merch such as t-shirts and such to throw out into the audience…now I just need to learn how to do that and we’ll be doing great! Truthfully guys, I really hope to see you all there, or at least those who can come. It would mean the world to me!

Onto the fan page…to perform at AS220, I needed some sort of sample of my music, a promotional picture, et cetera, et cetera. So, the fan page was born! It took me literally all day to make, to include taking my own promotional picture, by my self, all alone, no help, solo, and with one person, who is me. That itself took up most of the time…and the blooper shots? Not so good. The final shot? Perfect. I love how it came out and I just smile when I see it and think “hey, I took that all by myself, and that’s ME in the picture..yay!” after that came the 3rd person bio and putting up all the music. All in all, the page looks great,  and it’s up in the opening paragraph linked if you’d like to take a gander.

Recording my music: Over the summer, I have come out with at least 7 new songs, which include “Spontaneous Acts of Love”, a newer version of “The Fool who Fell for the King”, “The Newer Man”, which will be up later today, and other collaborations and solo works that will soon be up on the page with the help of my new-ish computer! For most of my songs, truthfully I don’t know who to thank. I’ll thank the Gods and Goddesses and Spirit for blessing me and giving me the inspiration to write these songs, because apparently people really like them, and THAT’S what makes me happy. As long as people are happy with my music and with what i’m doing, i’m happy! Again, all my songs are up on the fan page, so take a look!

And last but certainly not least, the camping trip. Over the past 5 days i’ve spent my days at Ginny B…this isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last, but it’s definitely one that sticks out. I spent the five days with my cousin and best friend, and I saw all of my dad’s friends who in turn became my friends over the course of the past year or so. I was cut off from technology, with only a brook, a lake, and a campground full of trailers and tents to explore, and man, i’ve learned just how much I take technology for granted. But you know, this break has been AMAZING. The camp taught me that I can just rely on everything the Earth gives me (not that I didn’t already know, but the trip gave the extra “oomph” i needed) and amazing friends to help me along the path…there’s not much else to say, it was such an amazing trip, and memories and friends were made. I’m so happy I didn’t turn this trip down, because if I had, I don’t know where i’d be right now. Probably roasting my brains, bored! But now i’m ready to get out there and really take on the world! And it’s all thanks to the people I met, reunited with, and became friends with at Ginny B.

To conclude this super-dee-duper long blog post, imma hit that “super-awesome” button in the corner and let you all go. Until next time, Peace Readers!

~J

You’ve Measured No One That I’ve Ever Known.

As many of you know, today at 2:15, the verdict of the Casey Anthony trial was released. On all 3 charges of murder, manslaughter, and child abuse, Casey was found INNOCENT. On the four counts of lying to a police officer, she was found GUILTY. Outraged? Ohh, you BET I am!! I’ve already flooded my Facebook and Twitter with multiple rants and tributes to Caylee, so i’ll make this short and not-so-sweet. Casey Anthony, although found “not guilty”, is anything but innocent. I believe that that woman killed her poor two year old daughter. She smothered her with chloroform, duct tapped it onto her mouth and nose, causing her to suffocate, threw her in a garbage bag and threw her in the woods like trash. Why? So Casey could go partying! That, my friends, is sick and twisted. Not only is it sadistic, but it is premeditated, and in no means should have been tried for “manslaughter”. I swear if I were in that jury…grr. Unfortunately they didn’t know all of the evidence that we did, with all the social networking. That could definitely have swayed their judgement; but what can you do?  What’s done is done. Casey might not be in jail, but man, is she in for something after Thursday. She’s going to have to fear for her life, hell, she’s already getting death threats. Jail would have been a SAFE place for her. She’ll be lucky to leave her stoop without getting mauled. All I can say to you, Casey Anthony, is that you are sick and twisted and justice will be served. If not in your lifetime, then in the afterlife. Rest in Peace, Caylee. You will NEVER leave our hearts.

This is a sad day in American History, and shows just how kinked up our court system is. I understand that the prosecution did not have enough proof to say that this woman actually killed her daughter, but seriously, look between the lines. Through the entire trial she was faking “top mom”. I’m appalled at the verdict, personally. I’m almost ashamed to be a citizen of the United States.

sigh…In other news, I could possibly be getting a gig at The Mill up in Greenville RI, and another gig as AS220 in Providence, RI. I still need to, you know, set them up and all, but that’ll all happen with time….

Also, i’ve grown a TON of respect for the 60’s, it’s clothing, it’s music, Woodstock, and Beyonce (I think i’ve mentioned Beyonce already though). I’m already ordering a Baja Hoody soon (SO EXCITED!! :D), getting into more of the music and holding a Woodstock-themed party soon. This old soul is getting older by the minute! In fact I think my taste in things is going backwards, getting more old-fashioned rather than getting modern. Forgive me if I buy a record player Nahh, haha that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. I love the 60’s but that’s as far as i’m going to go. I do prefer to be in the loop when it comes to modern things, but often I fall out of that loop. Anyone else do this? Comment below!

ALSO (I just spelled that as LSAO…awesome). My Inspiration stump has taken a short break. I managed to write a brandy new song, called “Freakin’ Inspiration”…Ironic? I THINK NOT! It involves a bunch of Wordplay and bongos, and not as much guitar, which is different for me. I have to thank Sam again for helping me find the Inspiration, and Jason Mraz for reminding me that Inspiration is everywhere you look, it just takes the right hook (okay, that’s mine, but he pretty much draws it out in his Inspiration video from Gratitube). And I know I promised you guys a video of songs, but I realize I look like shit on camera, and my camera sucks, so no videos until I get a camera that wants to play nice and NOT make me look like a troll with 17 chins and flakey skin.

That’s a pleasant image…haha. See you all in a couple days! And remember to keep Caylee in your prayers. Justice for Caylee!

~J.

It’s summer, and i’m yearning to wear a v-neck sweater…?

Yeah, i’m confused too. I’m really ready to throw on a v-neck sweater with some ripped acid jeans and a bucket hat, and take a trip in a pickup truck with my guitar to some vacant field full of wild flowers and hopefully pick up a biiiiiiig cup of inspiration to write a new song. Yeah, i’m a hippy, and i’m damn proud of it. Or…maybe I just love the outdoors, music, life, and v-neck sweaters. Either way, it’s hippy-ish and I love it!

In all seriousness, my inspiration level has been at an all time low lately! It’s not even the fact that i’ve been stuck indoors, because it’s anything but that. I’ve been with friends, outdoors, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, but all in all I have no good topics to write about, and even if I do, I can’t find the words to match the beat. It’s actually making me angry that I can’t get this done, because I’m getting better at song writing. But of course, the one point in which I feel I should be writing the most, I CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING! In a way i’m feeling pretty pathetic…I think I need to take a bike ride, or a swim, or an adventure…something. I need to just…go somewhere. Go somewhere where I can just chill out and no one will find me. Where I can regain my inspiration, maybe meditate about, just take in nature….and I think I know just the place (I would tell you, but that would ruin the solitude of it all! Maybe my next adventure!). If you would, I would love for you guys to write some inspirational words or topics for songs I could go off of in the comments section below! I would greatly appreciate that.

I’ve been doubting my musical abilities lately, I don’t have the vocal range that I want, I can’t pluck mad-licks on the guitar like a bluegrass player, and I haven’t had a real solo gig in a couple months. I guess i’m kind of down and out when it comes to getting myself known..for now, at least. I mean, it’s not that bad…in the past couple months, I’ve gotten offered to record TWICE. Of course, once was from a guy from Florida who happened to be recording in his mom’s basement at the time, but hey, it’s more than i’ve ever gotten. At least the other offer was from a legit guy, and a legit recording studio. I’ve most definitely considered it, but man, it’s expensive. It costs $60 for one session, which is three hours. Now this was at least two months ago, you’re probably wondering why i’m posting this now…well, I’m starting to consider it. The big 1-5’s coming up, and that wracks in a lot of cash. If I could possibly get in a session or two and make an EP, it would be incredible; but i’d still like to get a deal with someone even MORE legit. With this studio, I wouldn’t really be selling as much as recording and handing it out to friends. I couldn’t actually sell much unless I sent the EP-Demo to an agent who would then get me recording in a big-time place with big-time people and big-time mics who own big-time bongos  which I would love to play [big-time]. In fact I’m thinking of adding a Bongo or Conga part to my newest song, “Spontaneous Acts of Love”. I think it’d fit with the whole good-vibrations sort of mood. As for gigs go…hopefully i’m going to be getting a gig up at The Mill in Greenville, RI. If you’re not familiar with the place, check out http://musicatthemill.com/ or take a ride up, it’s a pretty chill place, and possibly my next venue! If I do get the gig, I will let you all know ASAP. I want to see all of you there, with t-shirts saying “WE’RE JAZZY’S PEACE READERS!” and a biiiiiig heart on it. Because I love you all, and like Jesse Thomas says, “my heart is as big as your ass. and that’s a pretty big heart”! You know it’s true. And now you’re looking in the mirror wondering if your ass really is that big…i’m real nice, huh? Haha, but seriously, if I do get the gig I hope to see you all there, and I will be playing my latest song, along with some other originals like “Don’t Mind Me”, “Becca”, “Don’t Lose the Vision”, etc, depending on how many I can put into one set! Tomorrow i’m thinking about putting up some videos of my originals up here, so stay tuned.

Also…I recently was going through my blog to the very beginning, and realizing how much of a loser I was back then. Disregard the first couple blog posts, especially the ones mentioning “Jazz’s Corner”, because this is anything but some blow off- type of blog. At least, I hope it is…haha.

Thanks for reading, guys, see you all in a day or two:)

~J